Tunnel of Oppression
Date: Wednesday & Thursday, February 12–13
Time: 6:00 p.m.–9:00 p.m.
Location: Wells House, Ground Floor
Residence Life, Housing and Dining Services in partnership with the Residence Hall Association is presenting the Tunnel of Oppression. This is the fifth year the program has been at Missouri State University. Tunnel of Oppression is an interactive, campus-wide diversity program in which actors put on scenarios for participants to experience. It will challenge participants’ thoughts, perceptions, and inner feelings on issues dealing with oppression and hate. Once the participants arrive, they will be guided through six passive and active scenarios. Each active scenario will consist of a real-life situation scripted and performed by Missouri State students. This year’s scenarios include: LGBTQ, Domestic Violence, Poverty/Low-Socioeconomic Status, Veterans, and English as a Second Language. The last room of the series is a processing room staffed by Missouri State counselors. Once participants have completed the tunnel, an empowerment room consisting of ways students can get engaged on campus and in their community will be provided. The program is intended to make people aware of the harsh reality of hate words, images, stereotypes, and the impact they have on us. Some of these hate words, statistics, and thought-provoking images will be displayed on the walls of the tunnel.
Statistics from 2013 show that 83% of students, faculty, and staff who attended the program agreed or strongly agreed that going through the Tunnel made an impact on their lives, and 82% felt empowered to go out and make a positive change! The Tunnel of Oppression is also a very well attended campus-wide program. In its fourth year, over 600 students, faculty, and staff members attended Tunnel. We would like to see another amazing year for the Tunnel of Oppression!
Step out of your comfort zone and into the Tunnel.
For more information, please contact program co-advisor Jacob Mendez at 836-4389.
Faculty Excellence in Community Service Award Nominations Now Being Accepted
Faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members are encouraged to nominate Missouri State University full-time faculty members for the Excellence in Community Service Award. Each year, up to two faculty are acknowledged for outstanding volunteer service within their community and earn a $1,000 cash award. Awarded faculty will be recognized during the All Faculty Recognition Reception on April 21, 2014. The Excellence in Community Service Awards are presented annually in recognition of excellence in the area of volunteer work with charitable, nonprofit, church or similar organizations within the community. For information and to download the nomination form, visit the Excellence in Community Service Award webpage or contact Stacey Trewatha-Bach, Coordinator, Office of Public Affairs Support at ext. 68832. Deadline for submission is Friday, February 21.
5K Benefits Kids Programming on Ozarks Public Television
The Color Me Rad 5K will return to Springfield for the second year on Saturday, April 12, 2014. Again this year, part of the proceeds will benefit Ozarks Public Television’s children’s programming. Runners must enter the promo code ELMO when they sign up and 20% of their registration fee will go to OPT. The OPT Kids Initiative raises money needed to acquire and broadcast programs like Sesame Street, Curious George, Super Why! and many more. More than 50,000 children watch these educational programs each week and OPT spends over $600,000 each year to provide this service.
Prices start at just $25 and will increase as the race gets closer. This year’s route will start and end in downtown Springfield. For more details and to register as a runner or a volunteer, visit www.optv.org.
Honors College Newsletter
The latest edition of the honors college newsletter, highlighting the accomplishments of our students and faculty members during Fall 2013, is now available in the “What’s new” section on the Honors College website.
Read the honors college newsletter
Goddess and Family: Social and Imperial Change in Augustan Rome
Date: Wednesday, February 5
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Strong Hall 450
Speaker: Dr. Edward Gutting, Instructor, History Department
Augustus’ shift from Republican to Imperial government changed the way Romans viewed family. The re-centering of Roman society around the imperial family required new ways of thinking about women’s roles, particularly in regard to public life. Vergil’s presentation of Venus, the oldest ancestor of the imperial family, will serve as a test case for tracing the evolution of some of these new ideas about gender. The presentation will focus on how Vergil shapes an imperial and maternal Venus from Greek epic traditions, such as those found in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, which characterize the goddess’ sexuality as a dangerous thing which needs to be controlled through humiliation.
Mistaken Identity: Sikhs in America
Date: Tuesday, February 4
Time: 7:30–8:30 p.m.
Location: Temple Hall 002
Speaker: Dr. Rajinder Jutla, Professor, Department of Geography, Geology,
and Planning
Although Sikhism ranks as fifth largest religion worldwide, many Americans are ignorant about Sikhs, they mistake them for Arabs and Muslims. This presentation will provide an overview of Sikhism in terms of its historical evolution, teachings, practices, and some of the problems faced by the community.
The MSU English Department presents
Nancy Allen—A Reading from Her New Novel, “Code of the Hills”
Date: Tuesday, February 4
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Midtown Carnegie Branch Library (Community Room)
Nancy Allen, a faculty member in the MSU College of Business, served as an attorney (the only female on the staff of attorneys at the time in the Springfield Prosecutor’s Office).
In the novel, young prosecutor Elsie Arnold has to smash through a wall of silence (the “Code of the Hills”) to find justice for the female victims of sexual abuse. The book, like its young protagonist, confronts a hugely important social and human problem in order to help its victims.
Read the New Issue of the eJournal of Public Affairs
The latest issue of the eJournal of Public Affairs was published in December, 2013 with the special topic “Social Entrepreneurship.” This issue includes features by Darrell Hamlin, Amy Jordan, and an article on Community-Engaged Impact Entrepreneurship. This issue also contains a video interview about the Warm Heart project in Thailand, which includes three response essays. Along with the articles, there is a review of How to Change the World, by Claire Wilker, and three feature videos on social entrepreneurship in the Springfield area. Here’s the link to check out this special issue: http://ejournal.missouristate.edu/.
MSU Librarian Wins National Award
Dr. Grace Jackson-Brown, Assistant Professor of Library Science, has won the the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) 2014 Zora Neale Hurston Award. The award is given to an individual ALA member who has demonstrated leadership in promoting African American literature. She was selected for the Springfield African American Read-In program, which celebrates African-American authors and literacy, and the Dream Big program, which showcases African-American authors, promotes reading by youths and adults and encourages all to dream big!
Office of Assessment
Understanding Student Learning of Public Affairs—a Call for Student Work
The Office of Assessment is collecting student work that showcases students’ understanding of public affairs. In addition to student work, we are interested in learning more about the public affairs work in general that your students do. Please submit student work, examples of assignments that have worked well for you, and descriptions of projects that influence student learning related to community engagement, ethical leadership, and cultural competence. As a small token of appreciation, we will bring you a Starbucks gift card and a certificate of participation for university service.
How You Can Participate:
- Fill out the online Intent to Participate Form
- Collect student work as usual
- Submit copies electronically to assessment@missouristate.edu, or
- we can come to you, make copies, and return your originals within 1-2 days
- The work will be de-identified and faculty and staff review the student work.
- An individualized report will be sent to you based on the review.
- Office of Assessment will share findings from the review related to students’ overall understanding of public affairs.
To submit student work: complete the online Intent to Participate Form
To review student work in May 2014: fill out the online reviewer application
For additional information: visit the information page on the Office of Assessment website, or contact us at assessment@missouristate.edu or 836-6300.
CGEIP Brown Bag on Student Learning in General Education
Date: Monday, February 3
Time: 11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Location: PSU 308
Join CGEIP Chair, Rebecca Swearingen, and other members of CGEIP at a brown bag lunch to discuss student learning in general education. The purpose of the brown bag is to have an informal conversation about the new general education core, thoughts about the future of general education review, and general education assessment. What questions do you have? What support does your department need? Please share any questions or discussion topics at this link or email Rebecca Swearingen.
Blackboard Feature Spotlight: Rubrics
Using a rubric is a great way to grade student work by clearly defined standards. Blackboard allows you to grade your assignments with a rubric, and it’s a breeze. For step-by-step instructions on creating and attaching a rubric, visit this Experts page. When you’re ready to grade with your rubric, check out this guide. For questions with rubrics or anything else you might need with Blackboard, be sure to contact the Computer Services Help Desk.
See the Blackboard Blog to learn more about some of the great features in Blackboard, and don’t forget about all the opportunities for Blackboard training at the Blackboard at Missouri State University website, and learn how you can become a Blackboard Black Belt while you’re there!
Spring Commencement Faculty Regalia Order Deadline—
March 7, 2014
The University Commencement Committee asks all academic department heads to encourage their faculty to participate in Spring Commencement on Friday, May 16, 2014 at 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., JQH Arena. Strong faculty participation makes for an impressive ceremony for our graduates and their families. Please note that recently hired faculty may not yet be in the Banner system and therefore might not have been included in the Commencement email that was sent out on January 15. Your assistance in ensuring all faculty are aware of the regalia order deadline is greatly appreciated.
Download Spring 2014 Faculty Regalia Order Form
Developing Student Assessments for the Online Environment
Dates and Times: Tuesday, February 11 from 9:30–10:30 a.m.; Wednesday, February 12 from 3:00–4:00 p.m.
Location: Meyer Library Room 204 (both days)
The workshop is designed to facilitate a thoughtful review of the current learning objectives in your online course, and the development and selection of assessment strategies. This process is one of the very first steps in effective instructional design and will provide a clearer understanding of what topics and competencies to cover, as well as their sequence. Register through My Learning Connection.
Diversity Fellow Conversations: Diversity Road
Date: Friday, February 7
Time: 11:30–2:30 p.m.
Location: PSU 313 (Traywick Parliamentary Room)
Diversity is a never-ending journey. Please join us for a poignant conversation on diversity as Dr. Rachelle Darabi and Dr. Chris Craig share their personal travels in understanding diversity. This panel discussion will be led by Dr. Steve Willis, Diversity Fellow for Faculty Development.
Interested faculty and staff can register for this event through My Learning Connection.
Refreshments provided by Diversity and Inclusion. Attendees are welcome to bring their lunch.
Department of Communication presents
Playing Nice: Modeling Civility in Online Political Discussions
Date: Monday, February 3
Time: 11:50 a.m.–12:50 p.m.
Location: Craig Hall 336
Join Dr. LeAnn Brazeal, Assistant Professor, as she presents “Playing Nice: Modeling Civility in Online Political Discussions.” This presentation is a part of the Research Colloquium Series.
Provide Feedback
Send Comments to the Provost’s Office
Download Adobe Reader to view and print documents on this page.