Announcements
December 2019
Police phone test period is Dec. 23
ISU Police will test redundancy of its phone system from 10 a.m. to noon Monday Dec. 23, to ensure continued reliable communication with dispatch. Anyone calling the nonemergency ISU Police phone number (515-294-4428) may experience intermittent outages during this time. An alternate number, 515-294-1777, is available; and in the case of an outage, 911 calls automatically roll to the Ames Police Department.
Access to online grammar tool begins next month
Iowa State will begin a one-year pilot of an online grammar assistance tool spring semester. All students and faculty will receive access to Grammarly's premium edition via their MyCanvas website. The initiative is supported with $50,000 in student technology fees approved last spring by the Computation Advisory Committee (since renamed CASTLE). It follows a limited pilot during the 2018-19 academic year, when a Miller Faculty Fellowship helped 46 faculty from eight departments use Grammarly in their courses. More information about accessing and using Grammarly will be shared in early January on Twitter, in Inside Iowa State and other sources.
New certificate program in sales is open to all undergraduates
The Ivy College of Business has launched a certificate program in professional sales that is open to all majors and complements a student's current program of study. Program details are on the college website. With strong experiential and applied components, the sales certificate aligns with the university's emphasis on "learning by doing." A state-of-the-art sales suite, part of the Gerdin Business Building expansion project, will provide sales certificate students with unique opportunities for experiential learning. Employers' demand for sales-qualified graduating students is high. Questions may be directed to Raj Agnihotri, Dean's Fellow in Marketing and director of the Professional Sales Forum, 515-294-0475.
Tickets will be refunded for Disney dance performance
The producers of "Disney Dance Upon a Dream" have decided to postpone a planned spring 2020 tour and are seeking to reschedule in spring 2021. The tour had included a March 17, 2020, stop at Stephens Auditorium. Refunds will be issued to all ticket buyers at their original points of purchase. Questions may be directed to the Stephens ticket office, ticketoffice@iastate.edu or 515-294-2479.
Library will have modified hours over winter break
Parks Library will be open during the three weeks of winter break (Dec. 22-Jan. 11), with modified hours. Generally, the library will be closed on holidays and weekends, and open until 5 p.m. on weekdays.
Campus mental health training offered Jan. 9
Student Counseling Services will offer an 8-hour training, RESPOND: Partnering for Campus Mental Health, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2020 (8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Hach Hall atrium). The training is for any ISU faculty, staff member or administrator who wants to learn more about how to respond to students or colleagues experiencing a mental health crisis or developing a mental health problem. Registration costs will be covered by ISU WellBeing. More information, including registration, is on the RESPOND website.
CyRide goes on semester break schedule Dec. 21
CyRide busses will run fewer trips during the semester break Saturday, Dec. 21, through Sunday, Jan. 12, 2020. This means shaded trips and routes noted on CyRide's print schedule will not operate during this time. Moonlight Express will not operate beginning Friday, Dec. 20, through Jan. 12, 2020. In addition, there will be no CyRide service on Wednesday, Dec. 25, or Wednesday, Jan. 1. On Tuesday, Dec. 24, CyRide will operate a Saturday break schedule, and on Tuesday, Dec. 31, CyRide will operate a weekday break schedule. Service both days ends at 6 p.m.
Funeral Mass for Mike Hamilton is Dec. 19
A funeral service for Mike Hamilton will begin at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 2210 Lincoln Way. Hamilton, who was manager of computer support services in facilities planning and management until his retirement in April 2017, died Dec. 12. A visitation will be held Wednesday, Dec. 18 (4-6 p.m.) at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care, 414 Lincoln Way. Memorials are preferred to the Ames High baseball program, for which Hamilton served as an assistant coach during the 2016 season. Obituary.
Submit pickup request for book recycling
In the cleanup that comes as a semester winds down, don't forget to recycle textbooks, journals and other hardcover books instead of throwing them away. Facilities planning and management would prefer to keep these materials out of blue deskside recycling bins to avoid injuries for custodial staff. Place books set to be recycled in a box and submit an online pickup request.
Request course reserve materials via Canvas
Beginning with spring semester, course reserve materials at Parks Library should be requested through Canvas. More information is online.
CELT staff are hosting Canvas open labs
Through Dec. 19, CELT staff will host end-of-semester Canvas open labs (Morrill Hall third floor) on: Tuesdays (1-3 p.m.), Wednesdays (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) and Thursdays (9-11 a.m.). To aid in the Canvas grade submission process, CELT staff also will host open labs in 101E Collaboration space, Parks Library, on these dates:
- Dec. 20 and 23, 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Dec. 26, 7:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. (all grades are due at 2:15 p.m.)
Assistance also is available in a Canvas end-of-semester checklist and CELT's online training site. Canvas offers 24/7 chat or phone support (call 515-294-4000 then press 2, press 1).
Alison Krauss concert tickets go on sale Dec. 13
Tickets for a just-announced May 17 concert in Stephens Auditorium by bluegrass/country musician Alison Krauss go on sale to the public at noon Friday, Dec. 13 via Ticketmaster. Tickets are $65-$95 plus fees.
Welcome Trice back to central campus
The bronze sculpture of Jack Trice was installed on the north side of Beardshear Hall during fall break.
Free feast connects students who remain over fall break
An annual community dinner held before Thanksgiving, a growing tradition that drew more than 450 this year, makes the break week a little less solitary for students still on campus.
Commencement volunteers needed
Volunteers are needed to assist with the fall undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 21, in Hilton Coliseum. Volunteers will help with the lineup and procession of graduates prior to the event. The shift is from 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. If interested, please contact Jennifer Suchan, jsuchan@iastate.edu. Volunteers should plan to attend one of two informational sessions on Wednesday, Dec. 18, in 311 Enrollment Services Center (1:10-2 p.m. or 3:10-4 p.m.).
Registration opens for P&S professional development conference
Registration is open for the 8th annual Professional and Scientific Council professional development conference, "Cultivate Your Adventure: Thriving Together," on Feb. 13, 2020 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Scheman Building). Sessions in the areas of leadership, health and wellness, professional resources and human interactions will cultivate professional and personal development. Registration is $100 through Dec. 20; $120 from Dec. 21 to Jan. 31. More information, including the conference schedule and session descriptions, is on the conference website.
Help identify which Workday job aids need an update
WorkCyte job aids serve as quick, easy-to-use resources providing instruction or information about a specific piece of Workday. To date, over 135 job aids have been published to the WorkCyte website. The WorkCyte program is committed to continuous improvement and is asking faculty and staff to help identify any job aids that need to be updated. Please report them via this form.
Forestry Club tree sales continue through Dec. 15
Members of the Forestry Club will sell trees and wreaths the weekends of Dec. 6-8 and Dec. 13-15 in the parking lot at Reiman Gardens. Tree prices range from $30 to $70; wreaths (decorated and undecorated) from $20 to $30. Hours are Friday 3-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m., while supplies last.
Commencement program is on the alumni app
With limited numbers of the commencement program printed, the Iowa State Alumni app is a sure way family members and guests will be able to view the commencement ceremony program Dec. 20-21. Download the app before arriving at Hilton Coliseum to take advantage of other graduation resources, including the ability to personalize your schedule, local dining and lodging locations, a graduation checklist and more. Search "Iowa State Alumni" in the iTunes or Google Play store.
Parks Library is open 24/7 Dec. 8-19
It's that time of the semester, and Parks Library will be open 24/7 Dec. 8-19. Barks@Parks is planned each day (noon-4 p.m.) during dead week; follow the paw prints. Other wellness and stress reducing activities include chair massages 1-4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; free fresh fruit during the overnight hours and expanded hours in Bookends Cafe.
Miller Faculty Fellowship proposal deadline extended
The deadline for Miller Faculty Fellowship proposals for the 2020-21 academic year has been extended to Friday, Dec. 20. Program and application details are online. The annual program provides recipients with opportunities to enhance their scholarly work in undergraduate academic programs and develop innovative approaches to strengthening student learning. Recipients have up to 12 months to meet their proposal goals. Questions may be directed to celt-miller@iastate.edu.
Honors students' poster reception is Dec. 11
The University Honors Program invites the campus community to the Fall 2019 poster presentation and reception Wednesday, Dec. 11 (3-5 p.m., MU Great Hall). Fall 2019 Honors graduates as well as other Honors students will be present to answer questions and speak with individuals interested in their projects.
Classrooms designated for evening study during dead week
ISU room scheduling has designated 10 general university classrooms for students to use as evening study rooms during dead week (Dec. 9-13, 5:10-11:00 p.m.):
- Carver Hall: 0132, 0282, 0294
- Pearson Hall: 3131, 3143
- Physics Hall: 0052, 0056
- Ross Hall: 0127, 0129, 0131
Volunteers sought for Science Bowl competitions
Ames Laboratory's regional Science Bowls are seeking 150 volunteers, both scientific and nonscientific, for the 2020 competitions on campus: High school Science Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 25 (8 a.m.-5 p.m.), and middle school Science Bowl on Saturday, Feb. 22 (8 a.m.-5 p.m.). Student teams from across Iowa will square off in game-show style rounds of questions from a range of science and math disciplines. Volunteers serve as moderators, judges, timekeepers, scorekeepers and runners during the competition; shifts range from 4 to 8 hours. A buffet lunch, T-shirt and other goodies are provided. For more information or to sign up, go to the Science Bowl volunteer information website. Ames Lab has been a site for early rounds of the national high school Science Bowl since its pilot year (1991), and added the middle school event in 2004.
