Kent State Clinical Psychologists Selected for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Leadership Program
Two Kent State University College of Arts and Sciences faculty members, by Mary Beth Spitznagel and Alanna Updegraff, will implement a project to address mental health stigmas suffered by veterinary professionals in Northeast Ohio and provide coping techniques to use in their practices. Learn more.
Kent State Hosts Virtual Teach in: "Don't Hate - Debate (And Vote)!"
The Kent State community is invited to join a virtual day-long teach-in hosted by the University via Zoom titled, “Don’t Hate – Debate (and Vote)!” on Fri., Oct. 23, beginning at 10 a.m.
Because the stakes are high in the 2020 General Election and voter commitment may be low due to information and misinformation, bots and PACs, inflamed rhetoric and viral memes, physical distancing, racial strife and political polarization. These are the headwinds students – many of them first-time voters – are facing as they head to the polls.
This event is sponsored by the College of Communication and Information, the Divisions of Student Affairs and Academic Affairs, and the School of Peace and Conflict Studies.
Topics for this event may include, but are not limited to, elections, political and social polarization and civil discourse. For example, some of the issues are: how to vote, social media and identity politics, spotting fake news, conspiracy theories, First Amendment freedoms, graphic novels, political cartoons, safe protests, lessons from May 4, 1970, politics and pandemics, rhetoric and persuasion, political geography, nonviolent protest tactics, de-escalation tactics, poetry and politics, sports activism, fashion and freedom of expression, and politics and religion.
Depending on the number of themes, each topic of discussion will last approximately 15 minutes with an additional 10-15 minutes of questions and answers.
Visit the “Don’t Hate – Debate (And Vote)!” website to register.
Financial Wellness Webinar: Understanding Credit Reports and Scores
This workshop provides the basic principles to help you understand the importance of taking charge of your credit identity. Learn how to access your personal credit report, get your credit score and discover how this information impacts your finances.
Join Victor Russell of Apprisen as he covers the following topics:
- What is a credit report and credit score
- How does information get reported
- How to access your report
- How you can dispute information on your report
- How your credit report and credit score can help you build a strong credit identity
This webinar will take place on Tues., Nov. 10, from noon – 1 p.m., and it is open to all full and part time faculty and staff. Click here to register.
For question, please contact the Employee Wellness Office at 330-672-0392 or wellness@kent.edu.
Wellness Reward Program Reminder
For those participating in the 2020 Wellness Your Way Rewards Program, please note the Tier 2 deadline was October 15, 2020. All Tier 2 activities must have dates of service between 
January 1, and October 15, 2020. Employees still have until October 30, 2020, to submit final paperwork.
As we close out Tier 2 for this year, keep in mind you can get a head start on the rewards program for 2021 by working on your Tier 1 activities, which include participating in a Know Your Numbers health screening, completing the Health Risk Assessment on the Be Well portal, and submitting a signed consent and waiver form. Tier 1 payouts will begin in February 2021.
You are welcome to have your "Know Your Numbers" biometric health screening completed with your primary care physician, onsite with Be Well Solutions at the Kent campus, or at a LabCorp facility for regional campus employees. For more information about health screenings, including our updated safety protocols, visit our health screening and flu vaccine web page.
For questions regarding employee wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact the Employee Wellness Office at 330-0392 or wellness@kent.edu. For questions related to your Wellness Your Way points, please check your personal portal at portal.bewelldata.com or contact Be Well directly at 1-888-935-7378 or ksu@bewellsolutions.com.
In Case You Missed It…2020-21 December/January Holiday Closure Schedule
Kent State University's holiday closure schedule for 2020 will begin Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2020, at 10:30 p.m. All offices will re-open on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021.
- The December biweekly pays will be on Dec. 18 and 31. The December semimonthly pays will be on Dec. 15 and 23.
- The January biweekly pays will be on Jan. 15 and 29. The January semi-monthly pays will be on Jan. 15 and 29.
Employees not eligible for the paid leave include student employees, classified temporary staff, temporary agency staff, short-term unclassified appointments, unclassified intermittent appointments and employees in a lay-off status. More information can be found on the holiday schedule website.
Labor Condition Application Notice
In accordance with 20 CFR § 655.734, Kent State University is required to provide notice that a Labor Condition Application (LCA) for H-1B Nonimmigrant Alien Worker has been filed by Kent State University with the United States Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, United States Employment Service Certifying Officer. All LCA postings are provided for at the university's Legal Notices website.
Important Information about Final Grading of Fall 2020 First 7 Weeks Classes
Online final grading for Fall 2020 First 7 Weeks (POT W1) began Thurs., Oct. 15, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Fall 2020 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Wed., Oct. 21. Any final grades for Fall 2020 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Fall 2020 courses will be available in the Workflow on Fri., Oct. 23.
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 and 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. We recommend 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 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.