Kent State Psychologist Has a Talent for Telling Tall Tales
Roughly four out of 10 Americans have glossophobia, better known as having a fear of public speaking, and it is even slotted ahead of death, spiders, and a fear of heights.
You can cross Lisa Sims off that list.
Sims, a Psychologist in Counseling and Psychological Services at DeWeese Health Center, participated in the Toastmasters International speech contest after joining in September 2020. Participants – known as Toastmasters – begin at a smaller local level and advance based on how prolific the stories are they can tell in an impromptu fashion. The area contests, held on March 13, were virtual, and Sims competed with other members from Kent, Hudson, Twinsburg, Akron, and Stow. She took first place.
After advancing to the Division Contest, Sims entered herself into what is known as the Tall Tales competition, consisting of presenting a speech on a topic that is highly exaggerated and carries an improbable theme or plot. Read the full story.
Salem Students Publish Black Squirrel Literary Journal
There was no way the COVID pandemic was going to keep a group of students and faculty members from doing something they really wanted to accomplish this past academic year: publishing a literary journal to showcase the creative talents on the Salem Campus.
Months of hard work and collaboration resulted in the online publication of Black Squirrel Scholars, a literary journal that features a collection of 52 works of poetry, essays, photography, drawings and graphics.
The faculty advisors for the project were Dr. Barbara George and Dr. Joshua Myers, both English faculty members.
The proposal team for the project were members of George’s professional writing class, including Aaron Holden, Whitney Fox and Mariah Lanzer.
The design team included Fox, Lanzer and George.
The editorial team were all part of Myer’s editing and publishing class. Members included Nicholas Berger, Regan Crosser, Fox, Holden, Luke Holm, Lanzer, Erica Palocyi, Bailie Rohr, Skyllar Shasteen, Tyler Stratton and Melissa Tyger.
Read the first edition of Black Squirrel Scholars.
UH Geauga Donates Hospital Beds to Kent State Geauga Nursing Lab
(But there’s So Much More to this Story)
By Estelle R. Brown
CHARDON - We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor. Goods are called good because they can be used for good: they are instruments for good in the hands of those who use them properly.
These timeless words were spoken by Clement of Alexandria, an early philosopher around 190 A.D. The philosopher’s wisdom still rings true today, as illustrated in this story. On the surface, this article celebrates the fact that UH Geauga Medical Center recently donated three modern hospital beds to Kent State University at Geauga’s nursing lab. As teaching tools, they will help nursing students to gain practical experience using the types of beds they will find while treating patients in a contemporary hospital setting.
But this is also a story about how the Kent State Geauga nursing lab donated its older-model hospital beds to MedWish International, a not-for-profit organization that saves lives and the environment by repurposing discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid to people in need.
As you will see, it required the right people in the right places with a shared ethic to bring about the best good from these goods.
Donald DeCarlo, MD, MBA, President of UH Geauga Medical Center, comments, “UH Geauga Medical Center’s primary focus is caring for our patients, but we also enjoy working with our surrounding medical training facilities so they can continue to provide the best care for our community. When we heard that Kent State Geauga was in need of additional beds in their BSN skills lab, we knew this donation would benefit education for our future nurses. We hope many of them will become a part of our UH Geauga team in the future.”
Jeff Myers is the Staff Development Coordinator at UH Geauga. Since his wife Kerry is Associate Lecturer of Nursing at Kent State Geauga, he knew that the nursing department at Kent State Geauga needed updated technology for the lab. Consequently, he reached out to UH Geauga colleagues when he learned the ICU was replacing beds.
“Not only were they receptive to our needs, but enthusiastically reached out to our campus within hours of learning of the need and facilitated the move!” Kerry explains.
According to Melissa Owen, MSN, RN, the BSN Nursing Coordinator nursing lecturer at Kent State Geauga, “The credit goes to Jeff and Kerry Myers. I believe with his ‘in’ at UH Geauga, Jeff was keeping an ear and eye out, so to speak, and caught wind of the replacements. Bottom line, he advocated for our needs at the campus and we are grateful! I was then contacted by Julie Novak [UH Geauga Director, Operations & Safety Officer] about our need and gladly accepted the offer for updated equipment!”
Jim Taylor, Senior Facility Manager at Kent State Geauga, helped to coordinate with MedWish International the donation of the nursing lab’s three hospital beds to those in need.
“The three beds are being repurposed to make room for newer beds that are being provided by a generous donation by University Hospital to the nursing program at the Geauga Campus in Burton,” he says.
By partnering with local agencies, MedWish helps individuals find assistance in getting the medical equipment they need to improve a loved one’s quality of life. This program serves vulnerable populations in the Cleveland area and around the United States.
Angela Spalsbury, Dean and Chief Administrative Officer of Kent State University at Geauga adds, “We are so grateful for our enduring partnership with UH Geauga Medical Center, and we look forward to what the future holds for our students as they prepare for careers that support the health of individuals throughout our community and beyond our borders.”
As this story illustrates, goods can only be used for good when people take the time and care to turn a potential throw-away into an instrument for good. Clement of Alexandria said it best: Things which can benefit our neighbor are instruments for good in the hands of those who use them properly.
The Longest Day Initiative and Offerings
Join in on a week of fun, June 21 - 25
In honor of people fighting Alzheimer's disease and those who love and care for them, the Alzheimer's Association encourages the public to host events around the longest day of the year, the summer solstice, while raising funds and awareness to advance Alzheimer's care, support and research. For the fourth consecutive year, Recreational Services and Employee Wellness have come together to sponsor The Longest Day at Kent State.
Join us for a week full of activities following the summer solstice on June 20. Visit the Longest Day web page to learn how you can participate in this special week. Here are some highlights:
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The Longest Day Photo Challenge - Get outside, have fun and raise your awareness about Alzheimer's disease. Complete this activity on your own time during the week of June 21. Participants will be eligible for prizes!
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Webinar - Maintaining a Healthy Brain on June 23, from 9 - 10 a.m.
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Longest Day Yoga - 45-minute lunchtime yoga class on June 24 to honor the strength, passion and resilience of those battling Alzheimer's. This session is in addition to the Tuesday yoga class. Register here.
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Webinar - Ask Your Eldercare Specialist: Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly with Q & A on June 25, from noon - 1 p.m.
Longest Day offerings are open to all full- and part-time employees on all campuses. To learn more and register for any of The Longest Day activities, or to donate to the Alzheimer's Association, visit the Longest Day web page. Those participating in the wellness rewards program can earn up to 40 Tier 2 points for engaging in these activities.
For questions related to The Longest Day or other wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact the Employee Wellness office at 330-672-0392, or wellness@kent.edu.
Important Information about Final Grading of Summer 2021 Intersession (POT IS) Classes
Online final grading for Summer 2021 Intersession (POT IS) begins Tuesday, June 8, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Summer 2021 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Sunday, June 13. Any final grades for Summer 2021 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Summer 2021 courses will be available in the Workflow on Tuesday, June 15.
To access Final Grades via FlashFAST, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section.
Blackboard Grading Process:
The Grade Push application has been developed as an option to assist in streamlining the university grading process. The use of this application is not mandatory, though it is encouraged. Grade Push will allow you to “push” the final grades recorded in Blackboard into our KSU Final Grade Roster, thus eliminating the time and effort spent manually entering them.
To access Grade Push, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors/Faculty Dashboard/Grading Resources. If you have questions or concerns, please go to support.kent.edu and search “Grade Push.”
Incomplete Mark Workflow:
The instructor must create and submit an Incomplete Mark contract via the workflow. Instructors are no longer able to select the incomplete mark (IB+, IC+, IC-, etc.) from the final grade roster in FlashFAST (Self-Service Banner). The primary instructor must initiate and submit the contract using this new workflow process, which mimics the old paper process. Once the contract has been accepted by the student and approved by the department chair/campus dean, the student’s grade will be updated automatically. The primary instructor will be able to initiate and submit the contract for a student after the deadline to withdraw (10th week of a regularly scheduled section in fall and spring, or prorated for flexibly scheduled sections) through the end of final grading.
Access the Incomplete Mark workflow in FlashLine from the Faculty Dashboard under Grading Resources or Faculty Workflows.
NF/SF Administrative Marks:
The administrative mark NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course. If a student has never attended your course, mark the student as “Not Started” on the Academic Presence Verification Roster, and the NF will automatically populate to your Final Grades roster.
The administrative mark SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. If a student has stopped attending your course the SF can be entered on the Final Grade Roster along with the student’s last date of attendance.
For complete information on university grading policies, including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog.
Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.
Troubleshooting TIP:
FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. It is recommended that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to help with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.