Announcements

August 2021

Cyclone Cinema hits the 10-year mark

Cyclone Cinema, free screenings of recent box office films and open to the public, celebrates 10 years this fall with 13 weekends of movie watching. Films are shown nightly, Thursday through Sunday, in 101 Carver (7 p.m. start), and the Sunday screening includes English captioning. Concessions are available. Fall semester titles.

ClubFest has virtual, in-person and outdoor options this month

A virtual fall ClubFest and volunteer fair is live Aug. 30-Sept. 3 on Flipgrid. Use your Iowa State email and password to access the event. An in-person ClubFest will be held Wednesday, Sept. 8 (11 a.m.-4 p.m., multiple locations in and outside the Memorial Union). Morrill Road west of the MU, including the west parking loop, will be closed from 6:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. The two accessible parking stalls near the southwest corner of the MU will remain in use.

In both formats of ClubFest, students can learn about clubs and organizations on campus -- and how to get involved. Participating clubs.

Presenters sought for girls STEM career conference

Proposals to present a session at the Go Further girls STEM conference this fall are being accepted through Friday, Sept. 10. During Go Further, female-identifying students in grades 8-10 learn about STEM fields and careers. In-person conferences will be held Thursday, Oct. 21 and Oct. 28. In-person session proposal form. A virtual conference will be held Saturday, Dec. 4.  Virtual session proposal form. Facilitators should provide an engaging activity focused on a STEM field or career, and share information about majors and careers in your field. Contact Sarah DuBois, program for women in science and engineering, for more information.

Honors program invites spring seminar proposals

The University Honors program invites proposals to teach an Honors seminar in spring 2022. Proposals, submitted via an online proposal form, are due Friday, Sept. 17. These one- or two-credit courses, offered for a half or full term, allow Honors students to examine topics of current or special interest. They are offered on a pass/fail basis, and enrollment typically is limited to 17 students. Honors allocates $500 per seminar for the professional development (e.g. professional subscriptions, membership fees, travel) of the instructor(s). Details and guidelines are on the Honors website; questions may be directed to Leisha Estep or Laurie Smith Law. List of past seminars.

Student health pauses Saturday, extended Monday service for fall

Due to staffing limitations, the Thielen Student Health Center will be unable to offer Saturday morning hours and the extended service hour on Monday during fall semester. Center staff apologize for the inconvenience and are committed to serving ISU students. Fall clinic hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Service delivery performance detailed in annual report

The second annual report detailing the accomplishments, performance and future priorities of the human resources and finance service delivery teams is posted online. See the report here.

COVID-19 positive cases added to Moving Forward website

A "Campus COVID-19 Cases" item has been added to the right column of the Moving Forward website. Every Wednesday, the totals for the previous week will be updated. It features two numbers: Cases reported at Thielen Student Health Center and self-reports from students living in university housing and Greek housing.

Single tickets to Stephens events available now

Tickets to single events at Stephens Auditorium this year, including the 2021-22 performing arts series, are now on sale. The performing arts series includes musicals, comedy, orchestra and ensemble performances, Cirque shows and more. Subscription packages -- tickets for four or more performing arts series or Broadway series events at a 20% discount -- also are still available and feature other benefits for patrons. Tickets go on sale Oct. 15 for the Nutcracker Ballet performances in December.

Cardinal Women* kicks off its fourth year

The fourth edition of Cardinal Women*, a personal and professional leadership development program for ISU faculty and staff who identify as women, kicked off last week. This year's 52-person roster, led by 10 small group leaders, will participate in five two-hour sessions this fall and continuing the discussion on Canvas between meetings. Program topics include identifying and silencing the inner critic, discovering and utilizing your inner mentor, communication style strategies, approaches to negotiation, and how to support and affirm community members who identify as women. Tera Lawson of procurement services and Denise Williams-Klotz of Multicultural Student Affairs developed and lead the program.

Talent Search receives five more years of federal funding

Iowa State was awarded another TRIO Educational Talent Search grant of approximately $2.7 million spread over five years from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant supports students in grades 6-12 at 10 central Iowa middle and high schools to increase the likelihood they will graduate from high school and enroll in college. Since 1965, the federal TRIO programs have supported education opportunities for all Americans.

Smile and Write program resumes this semester

The office of the senior vice president and provost will again offer its free Smile and Write online program for faculty and staff this fall. The program connects employees with their peers and leverages peer accountability to offer participants space to work on manuscripts, curriculum, articles and other writing projects. Smile and Write will meet Tuesdays (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) Aug. 31-Dec. 7, except for Nov. 23. Fourteen other non-Tuesday sessions with various two-hour meeting blocks are scheduled Sept. 3- Dec. 9. Participants receive the Zoom link by registering in advance for each session they'll attend. More information is online.

HF802 info sessions set for Aug. 24 and 25

University counsel and the provost's office is offering two sessions this week on the implications House File 802 may have on ISU training and instruction related to racism and sexism. The new law prohibits public universities in Iowa from conducting mandatory employee or student trainings that teach, advocate, act upon or promote 10 specific concepts defined in the law. The sessions will be held via Webex and will include a presentation and a Q&A. They are open to all faculty and staff. Please register in advance for the sessions, which will be held from 3-4 p.m. on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25. An FAQ on HF802 is available on the provost’s office website.

New name: Memorial Union Student Engagement

The Student Activities Center in the Memorial Union has a new name, Memorial Union Student Engagement, effective Aug. 20. The name more accurately captures all the programs and services it provides, including leadership workshops, event authorization, late night alcohol-alternative programming, community service experiences, art exhibits, support and management for student organizations, and recreational activities like bowling and pottery painting. The name also helps to show that the programs and services it provides are sponsored, staffed and organized by the Memorial Union. The office's new email is studentengage@iastate.edu. Questions may be directed to Kristine Heflin, MU associate director for student engagement.

MU poster sale runs Aug. 18-27

The Memorial Union's annual poster sale, featuring hundreds of designs, will be held in the Campanile Room Wednesday, Aug. 18, through Friday, Aug. 27. Sale hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-3 p.m weekends. Most posters are priced $8-$12, and proceeds from the sale support MU art programs.

Single-game football tickets on sale Aug. 18

Single-game football tickets are available at the Cyclone Athletics ticket office beginning Wednesday,  Aug. 18. Tickets can be purchased online at Cyclones.com or by phone at 294-1816. Tickets are available for five home games, but not the sold-out Sept. 11 game against Iowa.

Season ticket sales set a new school record of 48,000. The Cyclones begin their season Sept. 4, hosting Northern Iowa.

Comment deadline extended for digital access policy

The open comment period for a draft policy on digital accessibility has been extended and will now close Oct. 29 instead of Aug. 31. The draft policy calls for regularly reviewing and repairing existing materials, widespread training and -- by 2026 – establishes a requirement that all new digital content meet digital accessibility standards. Submit any comments on the proposed policy to policy@iastate.edu.

New process streamlines gift card purchases

Procurement services has launched a streamlined way to buy gift cards for university business purposes, including participant payments, awards and prizes. Gift cards can be charged directly to a worktag account, and cards valued at less than $100 can be purchased with a simple template that only requires entering the recipient’s name and email address. The gift card options include Visa, Amazon and the Tango Card rewards catalog, which allows the recipient to select a gift certificate from numerous retailers. Orientation sessions on purchasing gift cards will be held via Learn@ISU on Aug. 19 at 3:10 p.m. and Aug. 25 at 2 p.m.

Presenters sought for Men of Color summit next month

Presentation proposals are sought for Iowa State's Men of Color Empowerment Summit on Saturday, Sept. 25 (8 a.m.-4 p.m., Memorial Union). Presentations of 45-60 minutes should focus on a topic that addresses the health, wellbeing and advancement of men of color -- academically, socially, culturally or professionally -- on the ISU campus. The online proposal form, or an online interest in preparing a proposal, are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, Aug. 27. Email Jordan Brooks, College of Design; Brian Le, School of Education, or Joseph Ballard, student affairs campus life, with questions or assistance developing your idea.

Paper towel composting expands at Vet Med

A pilot project testing paper towel composting in several bathrooms in the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center has expanded for the fall. The project, which began this spring in nine bathrooms in the animal hospital, places a second bin in bathrooms for discarding paper towels, which are then taken to the university's composting facility. Beginning Aug. 2, four additional hospital bathrooms and eight bathrooms in the College of Veterinary Medicine's main building also have compost bins. Building occupants in the expanded area have been notified and signs were placed in all the restrooms. Facilities planning and management will track the impact on trash production to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiative, said Ayodeji Oluwalana, FPM recycling and special events coordinator.

Submit requests now for fall course reserves

Instructors who want to place required materials on reserve for fall courses should submit requests now via Canvas. Information and instructions are on the library’s website. For questions about reserve material, their copyright status or how to use them in Canvas, please contact the library's course reserves staff.

Free access to N.Y. Times, Wall Street Journal available

University Library is once again providing full complimentary access to The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. It is available to all ISU students, faculty and staff, who get access to the complete suite of digital products through a single device. Instructions are provided to set up registration.

Student move-in begins Aug. 17

New students will move into campus residence halls on Tuesday and Wednesday, Aug. 17-18, with returning students able to move back to the halls Aug. 19-21. Drivers should be alert to increased traffic in the campus residence neighborhoods. Move-in for university apartments (and approved early hall move-in) begins Saturday, Aug. 14. Destination Iowa State, two days of activities to launch first-year students' transition to college, opens at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 19, with a picnic and kick-off rally at the Iowa State Center.

Student work-study begins Aug. 16

The 2021-22 work-study program will begin the week before classes start. Students must demonstrate financial need on the FAFSA to be eligible; work-study eligibility is viewable in Workday. Questions may be directed to the student employment center, 294-JOBS, or studentjobs@iastate.edu. Below are a few reminders:

  • Federal and institutional funds will cover 60% of the earnings for eligible students, and the hiring department is responsible for 40%.
  • A student must be in the work-study job profile in Workday to earn work-study funding. 
  • Job aids in the human resources Knowledge Base portal provide guidance for completing Workday transactions. 
  • A new work-study calendar helps departments manage deadlines and required reports.

Senior VP Younger seeks students for advisory board

Senior vice president for student affairs Toyia Younger is seeking undergraduate and graduate students to serve on her 2021-22 Student Advisory Board. Student board members provide Younger critical feedback on campus related-events, programs and policies impacting the student experience at Iowa State University. Student board members meet monthly with Younger and engage in discussions online. Students interested in serving should apply by Aug. 27.

Senior VP Younger seeks students for advisory seats

Senior vice president for student affairs Toyia Younger is seeking undergraduate and graduate students to serve on her 2021-22 student advisory board. Student board members provide Younger critical feedback on campus-related events, programs and policies impacting the student experience at Iowa State. Student board members meet monthly with Younger and engage in discussions online. Nominate a student by Aug. 13 or encourage them to apply by Aug. 27.

Celebration of Life for Hector Avalos is Aug. 15

A celebration of life for former professor of religious studies Hector Avalos will be held Sunday, Aug. 15 (1 p.m., Memorial Union Sun Room) and livestreamed. He died April 12 at age 62 after battling cancer. Avalos joined Iowa State's religious studies faculty in 1993 and founded the U.S. Latino/a studies program. In 1999, he co-founded the ISU Atheist and Agnostic Society, which primarily serves students who do not use religion as a way to live in this world. Obituary.

COVID-19 vaccination clinics resume Aug. 17

Iowa State will hold a COVID-19 vaccination clinic Aug. 17-20 (noon-3 p.m. daily, south gymnasium of State Gym, enter at the south doors), offering both the one-dose Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine and dose 1 of the 2-dose Pfizer vaccine (dose 2 will be available in a few weeks). Faculty, staff and students who would like to receive a vaccine, at no cost, are encouraged to make an appointment online or call 515-294-5801. Bring your ISU Card with you to your appointment. Walk-in clients also will be served. Other vaccination clinic locations and dates (hours noon-3 p.m.) are:

  • 3560 Memorial Union: Aug. 25, Aug. 27, Sept. 1, Sept. 3, Sept. 10
  • 140 Parks Library: Sept. 15, Sept. 22, Sept. 29
  • 1521 Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center: Sept. 2, Sept. 23

Employee volunteers still needed for state fair exhibit

The office of university marketing still seeks faculty and staff volunteers for the university's state fair exhibit this month in Des Moines. Volunteers will roll and hand out Cyclone football posters or give away dry tattoo gift bags (for the health and safety of volunteers and visitors, we won't apply the tattoos). One daytime shift (8:45 a.m.-3 p.m.) is available on Aug. 14; evening shifts (2:45 -8 p.m.) are available on Aug. 12, 14-17, 19-22. University employees who enjoy meeting the public are invited to sign up online. For their service, volunteers receive free fair admission and parking and a T-shirt to wear during their shift(s). Questions, concerns or problems with signing up should be directed to Emma Haley, university marketing, by email, umarket2@iastate.edu, or phone, 515-294-3969.