Idaho State and In-Person Classes |
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Dear Bengal Family,
Bengal Family Weekend is just a few days away now. The semester is fully underway. Our students are doing a great job protecting each other by wearing face coverings indoors and getting vaccinated. We are watching the Covid-19 situation closely and doing everything we can to maintain in-person operations and education.
We have, however, been hearing concerns from students and family members about the possibility of having to move to online learning. In a recent response to a concerned parent, President Satterlee wrote,
Idaho State University has not made a decision to move to distance-based instruction. In a communication sent to faculty, staff, and students last week, I emphasized the University’s desire to maintain in-person learning and activities. We all value in-person education and understand how important it is for the success of our students. The University is committed to doing everything we can to continue to safely offer in-person instruction.
We want our students and families to know that we are constantly assessing the situation in regard to the pandemic and the health of our entire campus community. Please know, and reassure your students, that, if a decision is made to temporarily change our operational levels, it will be done with the utmost care and attention to and for our students. For the most current information, please visit our Roaring Back webpage.
Sincerely,
Lyn Redington
Vice President for Student Affairs
and Enrollment Management
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Opportunity to Share with Students |
Registration for Spring 2022 classes begins on Monday, November 8, for continuing ISU students. Seniors are able to register on this day, Juniors become eligible on November 10, Sophomores on November 12, and first-year students can register for classes on November 15. Students may book an appointment with their academic advisor on the Advisor Directory webpage. Additionally, ROAR into Registration, a one-stop-shop registration event, will be held in the PSUB Quad Lounge November 15-19. All colleges will have advisors on hand to help students register for their Spring 2022 classes.
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STEM Career Fair in the SUB - The ISU Career Center is hosting the STEM Career Fair on Wednesday, October 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Pond Student Union Ballroom. Meet with STEM employers from the Mountain West region like Simplot, Melalueca, Los Alamos National Laboratories, and many more. Students can stop by the Career Center booth to be entered into a drawing for Apple Airpods.
Opportunity for Student Input - On Wednesday, October 6, students are invited to join Idaho State’s accreditation interviewers for a discussion about topics that impact students: what kind of environment and opportunities ISU creates for student learning and achievement, as well as how the University works (governance, policies and procedures). This open forum with representatives from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) will take place on Zoom, 3:00-4:20 p.m. This forum is for students only. The Zoom link was distributed to students via email on Monday, October 4, 2021.
What is accreditation? Accreditation is a process universities undergo to help them determine whether they are using their resources to effectively support their mission, which is to help students reach their academic goals. To receive or renew accreditation, universities engage in an extensive assessment process that includes interviews with multiple stakeholders, including students.
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Internships Help Students Succeed |
Internships can have an impact not just on students’ success with job searches, but also on their engagement with their education. Every fall, Institutional Research looks at the retention rates for Idaho State students who complete a CPI or Career Path Internship. This year, the results are quite similar to other years, with CPI participants having a 12.4% higher retention rate than non-participants. CPI internships help students become and stay engaged within their program of study, and our Career Center staff are proud to say that the majority of their internship students continue their studies each year. Talk to your student about checking into our CPI program.
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October 25-29 - Diversity Week |
Diversity Week is an opportunity to explore the many different experiences that make us who we are as a community. Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in discussions and activities designed to heighten awareness about the different cultures, experiences, and perspectives on our campus and celebrate those contributions. |
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Survivors of Suicide Loss CATS Connections |
Students may connect with others who have suffered the loss of a loved one to suicide. Meetings sponsored by our Counseling Center staff are held on Zoom on the second Thursday of every month, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Register online. Upcoming opportunities:
- October 14
- November 11
- December 9
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National Hispanic Heritage Month Activities |
The Diversity Resource Center is pleased to support National Hispanic Heritage Month. Join us in celebrating the cultures, histories, and accomplishments of Americans of Hispanic or Latino ancestry. All students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in discussions and activities.
See the attached document for a list of the events, panel discussions, and activities our office provides during this month. For more information about our current and upcoming events, please visit our official website.
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Gender Resource Center Offering Bystander Intervention Training for Students |
The Bystander Intervention workshop teaches students how they can successfully intervene in problematic situations, including sexual assault, sexual harassment, intimate partner violence, hazing, alcohol emergency, emotional distress, and bias. The last workshop for the fall semester will be held on October 27. Click on the Bystander Intervention flyer for registration details.
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Counseling & Testing (CATS) Offers Connection Groups for International Students and Graduate School Students |
The CATS Connection Group for International students is open to Idaho State University International students interested in connecting with others to increase their social interactions and improve their experience at ISU and within the greater community. We will meet IN-PERSON every Thursday at 1:00 p.m. in the Diversity Resource Center, Rendezvous Building, Room 129. Please direct questions to meganostler@isu.edu.
If you know a graduate student who is looking for ways to connect at ISU, recommend the CATS Connection group that offers an opportunity for mutual support and discussion of the challenges that can arise during grad school. Register Here.
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I want to tell you about someone on my staff. I want to tell you about something wonderful she has done because it captures the kind of commitment our student services staff has to the welfare of your students.
The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) just hosted their 40th Annual National Conference, “40 Years of Good Trouble: Equity, Access & Success” conference in Atlanta, and one of our own, Dr. Sari Byerly, who served as the COE board chairperson in the 2020-2021 year, was highlighted for her early work in TRIO.
COE is a national organization that represents federal TRIO programs. As part of COE’s 40th anniversary, they interviewed people they felt had done significant things for the organization or for TRIO legislatively over the last 40 years. This included Sari, whose interview with COE was posted on their blog. In this interview, Sari reflects on the year 2007, when COE brought Sari to Washington DC to speak with representatives because of her research background. The USDOE, wanting to determine the efficacy of TRIO programs, had initiated an assessment strategy that had the potential--indeed, had already begun--to jeopardize access to TRIO services. Sari prompted the institutional review board of the university for which she was working at the time to issue a statement to the USDOE, articulating the ways in which their assessment plan would actually harm students and diminish eligibility and access. Sari’s experience and knowledge enabled her to push for alternative assessment strategies that would enable the USDOE to study these student programs without harming the populations for which the programs were intended.
I asked Sari what she felt as she was being interviewed about this significant year.
“It's weird that this took place so long ago,” she replied contemplatively. “Even when I was doing the interview, I wasn't thinking about it as a highlight in history--just...doing what you do in your job. Then you look back and see it as a significant moment in someone's 40 year history. That’s humbling.”
You can view the interview with Sari on COE blog.
We appreciate Sari’s work not just with this important national organization, but also here, at home, with our ISU students.
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