Monthly Archives: August 2017

Support for writing and service learning

In preparing your courses and other pursuits, please keep in mind the valuable resources offered by the Howe Center for Writing Excellence and the Office of Community Engagement and Service.

A selection of Howe Center services, from Liz Wardle, Director, Howe Center:

  • Workshops for faculty about writing
  • Faculty can also sign up to participate in writing groups in order to make progress on their own writing, or to attend a writing “boot camp.”
  • We also support graduate students with dissertation completion groups and writing boot camps.
  • On our website you can find statements for your syllabi about writing center usage, as well as videos to introduce your students to the writing center services.
  • You can join the HWCE mailing list here.

Services from Community Engagement and Service, from Christie Zwahlen, Director:

The Miami University Service-Learning Designation Committee (SLDC) is now accepting Service-Learning class proposals for the Spring and Summer 2018 terms. Miami defines Service-Learning (SL) as “an experiential pedagogical practice that uses action and reflection to meet needs and enhance learning through mutually beneficial, reciprocal partnerships”. Note that a syllabus is NOT required at the time of submission. Due Wednesday, September 20, 2017. [Upcoming Service-Learning Workshops for Faculty are co-sponsored by CTE and available on either website.]

Finally, Faculty from all Miami campuses are invited to submit a proposal for the first-ever Miami SOUP, a mini-granting dinner which celebrates and supports innovative and transformative community change projects in Southwest Ohio. Teams of campus and community partners are eligible to apply. Proposals are due Sunday, September 24.

Four proposals will be chosen as finalists to present their ideas LIVE before a voting audience hungry for soup and change on Saturday, October 21. First prize will receive a minimum of $2,000 + donations; second prize will receive a minimum of $1,000 + donations. Mini-grants are one-time (not yearly recurring) awards.

Gender neutral restrooms

Signage identifying one of two gender neutral restrooms now available in the Psychology Building.

As we get into gear for the semester, a reminder that the two gender neutral bathrooms downstairs are completed and available to all. Both restrooms (037, 038) are located on the Lower Level of the building outside of the back entrance to the Psychology Clinic.

Both restrooms have locks on them. If an emergency should occur in the restrooms both Janie Schuppie (Psychology Clinic) and Quentin have keys to access the restrooms.

Here is a link to the rest of the gender neutral restrooms on campus (and other info helpful to many of our students).

 

New Director of Undergraduate Research

I am pleased to announce that Joyce Fernandes (Professor, BIO) is the new director of the ORU. Joyce brings a wealth of experience involving undergraduates in her own research and developing programming at Miami, often targeted at underrepresented students. She also has been very active with the NSF and CUR which should serve her well in this new role. Please join Jim Oris and me in welcoming Joyce and wishing her the best–although it will be tough to compare to the previous director 😉

CTE Director interviews

There are two finalists for the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence. Jennifer Blue will be interviewing next week, with a session for faculty 12:00 – 12:30 on Wednesday, 8/30. Ellen Yezierski will be interviewing the following Wednesday, 9/6, from 12:30 – 1:00. Both candidate sessions will be held in Roudebush 104.

Important policy reminders, updates

As we get into the new academic year, I wanted to provide some important policy updates and reminders:

  • A simple cheat sheet with important reminders about purchasing policies and procedures can be found here.
  • Please make sure to send Quentin your syllabus by September 1. In preparing your syllabus, you should consider these important points:
    • If you are teaching 111, 221, 231, 241, 242, or 332, you should review the TAG guidelines for the course. These specify learning outcomes to provide state-mandated alignment of these courses across all institutions in Ohio.
    • You should include a statement in your syllabi regarding academic integrity (departmental statement here) and I strongly encourage you to consider promoting the departmental diversity statement as well.
    • Please think about statements in your syllabus regarding accommodations and accessibility. An interesting read on this topic recently appeared in the Chronicle (thanks Amy S.!)
  • Everyone should have received an email about the new reporting requirements for harassment, discrimination, sexual misconduct, and interpersonal violence. Please be on the lookout for email from OEEO regarding mandatory training for all faculty and GAs. I will provide more information on the blog as it is made available, or you can find additional information on the OEEO website.

 

New budget templates for grants

OARS has developed new budget templates with updated fringe benefit rates for FY2018. The NSF budget template is used for all NSF grant proposals. The eSPA budget template is used for all other grant proposals; both files can be found in this departmental Drive folder. From OARS:

No outdated budget templates will be accepted and the FY2018 templates are not available online, so please take a minute to download and save the attached templates and delete any outdated ones you may have saved.

If you plan on submitting a grant this year, please adhere to this. OARS is short-staffed with Tricia’s departure and every little way we can help will be appreciated.

Human trafficking series in the fall

Yvette and one of her students, Samantha Schultheis (PSY, FSW) have developed a series of events this fall to explore the serious issue of human trafficking; these will take place on Mondays at 6:00pm, on Sept 18, Sept 25, and Oct 2 in 125. Samantha asks for your help in publicizing and encouraging attendance:

In the past, some professors incorporate seminars/cultural events into their syllabus in order to encourage their students to go out and learn beyond the classroom. This series is another one of those opportunities for students to apply what they have learned in class to the real world. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business, yet the majority of the public remains uneducated on the topic. Dr. Harris and I are hoping to change and inspire the students at Miami University to stand up for what they believe in and reach out to those in need.

On the 18th, there will be a discussion panel including police officers from both Cincinnati and Toledo, individuals who work with human trafficking survivors through the organization End Slavery Cincinnati, and a former FBI agent who worked on human trafficking cases. The panel will be moderated with questions about statistics, personal experiences, personal involvement, commonly unknown facts, as well as resources for survivors/warning signs.

For the 25th, there will be a presentation of the film ‘Sex Slaves’ – a documentary looking into the lives of traffickers, survivors, victims, and others involved in this modern day form of slavery.

The date of the survivor visit is going to take place on the 2nd of October due to the availability of the survivor to come to Miami. The survivor – Barbara Amaya – was a speaker on a Tedx Talk focusing on her 10 years of being trafficked. She will be presenting at Miami about her experiences as well as what more can be done to help survivors.

Thank you [and] I hope you will consider advertising this 3 part series to… encourage students to attend some of these events.

Career development for your students

Two major things to note for professional and career development for your (undergraduate) students. First, we have a new career center liaison, Shelby Ballard, to help you with any aspect of advising, course development, etc. Second, Ginger has developed a new career development course that is offered online in the fall and thus easily accessible to students on all campuses. From Ginger:

Career Development in Psychology and Related Social Sciences (PSS 211, 2 cr.) is appropriate for all majors, especially those in the social sciences and helping professions. The course includes:

  • Make the most of your degree and your college years, both in and out of the classroom
  • Lay out a 3-, 4-, or 5-year (or whatever your timeline is) plan for your courses toward graduation
  • Understand what employers are looking for
  • Prepare your professional documents (e.g., resumes and cover letters) for the job market
  • Consider and explore graduate school options
  • Practice interviewing skills