A Letter from Dr. Tim Miller
Dear Student Affairs family,
Happy February.
I hope all of you are well and that you enjoyed the first month of 2020. I began the month of February back in Northern VA as Jamie and I welcomed a number of new appliances to our home up there. If anyone wants to know, there is nothing exciting about buying a new fridge, dishwasher, and washer and dryer because they all have died around the same time. The only real excitement is in waiting to see how many pieces are actually going to be on the delivery truck. For those that are wondering, the answer is 3 out of 4…
But I digress, as I waited for the second delivery to arrive I spent a great deal of time putting the final touches on the next steps in our strategic planning. I first want to thank Dawn Miller who has put in some long hours trying to figure out our schedule of meetings as well as putting together a new Advisory Board. The schedule can be found HERE so that all of you can see the process we will embark on starting this month. Please note that the new Administrative Professionals Advisory Board will begin meeting this month and the roster of members for this can be found HERE. This group is being established now but will continue for years to come and I am excited to include their voices in our strategic plan.
Additionally, I will be hosting a meeting every month that will be open to all members of Student Affairs. This will be an opportunity for graduate students, full time staff, part time staff, and temporary staff to be active and equal participants in this planning process each month. I hope we will have a full house for these each month to engage in these discussions.
As you will see in the schedule, there are themes for each month. For February we will be focusing specifically on the question of our purpose and mission. For the following three months we will discuss two of the proposed values each time we meet. We will then take a short break in June and then begin work on Learning Outcomes and eventually develop specific objectives for each of the areas in Student Affairs:
- Student Life
- Academic Success
- Health and Well-Being
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Many of you will recall completing a Qualtrix survey that asked you about our purpose as well as the values. Thanks to the excellent work of the Assessment Council, they have distilled over 100 responses down into the several page document you can find HERE. Prior to attending any of the meetings I would ask that you take the time to read through each section and come prepared with thoughts and reactions to share.
Thank you all for being a part of this new path for us and I am incredibly excited to see where we will go together.
Take care and Go Dukes!!!
Dr. Tim Miller, Vice President of Student Affairs
University Unions Feature Story
Off-Campus Life (OCL) is committed to help students thrive in their off-campus communities. Part of our focus in these efforts is in supporting students’ basic needs, specifically when it comes to housing and food insecurity. We are excited to be able to support and house several new efforts to help in this regard.
This semester, we are happy to announce a new community kitchen space for students in the Festival Conference & Student Center. We were able to repurpose the old Java City coffee bar, located on the ground level of Festival, and create The Kitchen by OCL. This space offers access to microwaves, hot water, refrigeration, and sinks, to allow students the ability to store and prepare food while they’re on campus. This space is also being utilized by Campus Kitchen, in their daily food recovery efforts in partnership with Aramark. Campus Kitchen is a student organization which targets food waste and hunger at the same time, by taking unutilized food from Dining Services and repurposing it for distribution to community partners, both on campus and in Harrisonburg.
Additionally, OCL will be running a weekly program out of The Kitchen, designed to help students learn valuable life skills and hacks. Adulting with Milk and Cookies will occur every Monday, from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m., and cover topics ranging from how to sew on a button to understanding credit scores and APR. This will be an informal drop-in program, where students can enjoy a snack while watching a demonstration, talking to an expert, or trying a hands-on activity. Have a great idea for one of these workshops or have a hack you would like to share with the community in this venue? Let us know!
As part of our efforts to combat food insecurity, we will be holding a pop-up food pantry every Monday from 12:00-6:00 p.m. this semester. This event will take place in the Festival Conference and Student Center, Conference Room 4, with a few exceptions. On the dates Conference Room 4 is not available, the pantry will be held either at The Kitchen by OCL or in the actual OCL office, Suite 1130. As the semester progresses, we may add additional days and times for the pantry, based on survey results from students. The pop-up pantry is a joint effort on campus, with support coming from the newly formed Basic Needs Advisory Board, which is co-chaired by Off-Campus Life and Community Service-Learning staff. We have partnered with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to ensure a consistent supply of quality options. The pantry has started largely with shelf-stable goods and a limited number of hygiene products, and we hope to grow the selection to include fresh produce and dairy options over the coming weeks.
Additionally, on the first Friday of every month, OCL and CS-L are working with the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank to recover and distribute leftover produce from a mobile pantry event being held at Harrisonburg High School. The excess produce is brought to campus and made available in the Student Success Center, at The Kitchen by OCL, and in the Graduate Student Lounge in Madison Hall. These “food flash mobs” have already distributed hundreds of pounds of fresh produce and dry goods to our community. This is a low-barrier means of getting nutritious food to our students and cutting down on potential waste.
Have any questions about the pantry or food drops, or want to be involved? Please don’t hesitate to email Jeremy Hawkins with OCL or Jamie Williams with CS-L.
Updates and Opportunities
Assessment 101
January 7 through 10, the Student Affairs Assessment Support Services (SASS) team offered a three-and-a-half-day workshop intentionally designed for current and future student affairs professionals. The workshop was designed so that participants would have an increased value for assessment, assessment self-efficacy, and confidence in their ability to advocate for sound assessment processes. We thank Andrea Pope, Chris Patterson, Samantha Gonzalez, and Sean York for building this workshop and for sustaining a positive culture of assessment on campus.
Find out more on SASS's website.
Counseling Center (CC)
Congratulations to Karl C. Fua, Ph.D., on passing his EPPP licensure exam and becoming a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Virginia. Karl coordinates the Counseling Center’s group services, and he is also the Men’s Issues coordinator.
Community Service-Learning (CSL)
Cierra Ballinger - College Student Personnel Administration graduate student is joining the CS-L team this semester as she completes her practicum working with the Alternative Break Program and more.
Billy Garmer - College Student Personnel Administration graduate student is joining the CS-L team this semester as he completes his practicum working with the Basic Needs Coalition and more.
Orientation (O-Team)
A warm welcome back to Alex Van Meter, who started on January 14 as our Assistant Director of Operations!
Sarah Frame, Coordinator of First Year Student Staff, accepted a position within Admissions at VCU. Her last day on campus was January 17. We wish her the best in her new role.
University Unions (UU)
Brooke Bailey has accepted a position as the Front-End Web Developer at UVA. Technology & Design is delighted for her accomplishment, but sad to see Brooke leave JMU.
We are also happy to welcome Erica Ketter, TAD’s new Project Manager. Erica comes to us from Nebraska Methodist Health Center with a wealth of expertise in marketing, communications and project supervision.
Dux Leadership Center (DLC) was awarded recognition of an Inclusive Leadership Learning Community which will be offered for first year students in the fall of 2020. The DLC, in collaboration with Residence Life and the Honors College, is excited to facilitate a space for incoming students to explore their identity and values and how they interact with leadership.
In addition, the DLC has hired three students to join the LEAD Team. They are Belinda Addae, Josephine Tuckley and Kendallee Walker. You can learn more about them at our website. Two students leaders, Sarah Welsch and Megan Moore, were announced as the 2020-2021 MYMOM Student Directors. The MYMOM Leadership Development Program will be offered for the first time in the Spring Semester under the leadership of Carson Lonett and returning Student Director, Dustin Norton. Lastly, the Dux Leadership Center also welcomes Luke Autera, who is a graduate student in JMU’s CSPA program and will be fulfilling a practicum experience with us during Spring semester.
University Program Board is partnering with the Alumni Association during I HEART JMU Week on February 13th’s Late Night Breakfast.
Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is working on boosting membership, awarding the Dingledine scholarship, and will be accepting All Together One award nominations soon. Keep an eye out for the nomination process for students, staff and faculty.
Conferences and Presentations
Center for Multicultural Student Services (CMSS)
The Center for Multicultural Student Services had staff Chervon Moore, Cynthia Ruff, Mayah Bell and ten students attend the African American Student Leadership Experience Conference (AASLE) in Washington, D.C. This year’s Experiences took place January 9-12. The theme this year is the “Year of Yes: No is not an Option”. It will encourage delegates to think critically about what it takes to truly actualize leadership potential. Delegates were challenged to define the motivational and inspirational factors that will help them succeed as leaders. They were challenged to move with boldness, the audacity of hope, and walk in daily expectation. When you lead with the expectation that you can accomplish that which your mind can’t even grasp the result will be a resounding “Yes!” This unique student leadership development experience brought together communities which allows for greater synergy and coalition building within our community.
One of our very own students along with his group won the Leadership In Real Time project. Delegates were fully engaged in the leadership process. They learned the concept of moving from theory to practice. Students were immersed into groups where they will be expected to function as a team developing an action plan that will be implemented and increase the capacity of students and higher education leaders to become visionaries with a greater sense of purpose, imagination and creativity.
Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP)
Melissa Allen attended the NASPA Strategies Conference in New Orleans, LA from January 16 - 18.
Orientation (O-Team)
At the NODA Annual Conference in Houston, Orientation staff connected with JMU alums and previous staff members working in the Orientation, Transition and Retention field.
University Unions (UU)
Alex Johnston, David Chew, Chervon Moore and Lexi Swinimer attended the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors annual meeting in December. They were able to learn best practices in the field as well spend time together coordinating the work of Fraternity and Sorority Life and Center for Multicultural Student Services in advising our Greek organizations.
Carson Lonett completed the Accelerated Gallup Strengths Coaching Training in December.
Alex Johnston, Darius Perkins and Shae Powell participated in Assessment 101.
Achievements and Recognition
Community Service-Learning (CS-L)
Jenna Piersol and Lindsey Richards were selected to participate in the 2020 Emerging Leaders Program. Emerging Leaders is designed for individuals in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County who are looking for opportunities to learn about the needs of the area, engage in community service, and network with other service-minded individuals. The program is intended to recruit and train young leaders that reflect the rich diversity of our community.
We are proud and grateful for the commitment students and staff made to the communities they served and to the Alternative Break Program at large as part of the Alternative Winter Break in January. Their efforts will continue to impact those communities for a long time, and we hope they recognize the value of their dedication. To see the great work accomplished during those breaks, check out the infograph above..
Orientation (O-Team)
Orientation hosted 204 new Dukes and their families for Spring Orientation on December 6. As a follow-up, we welcomed them back to campus on Sunday, January 12 for the very first Spring Welcome. The program offered new students the opportunity to prep for classes by having OPAs and TOPAs available to help students find academic buildings where their classes are being held, navigate getting books at the bookstore or simply entering a raffle for gift cards to the JMU Bookstore. Later they had dinner in D-Hall and received their JMU fight song shirt while putting their knowledge to the test with trivia hosted by UPB in TDU. Many students walked away feeling a little more connected to campus, the community and prepared for their first official day as a JMU Duke.
We appreciate all our campus partners' assistance in transitioning new Dukes and their families to the Madison community during both Spring Orientation and Spring Welcome.
Special Announcements and Personal Updates
Counseling Center (CC)
A few of us gathered to root on our Men’s basketball team and had a blast! It feels great to get together outside of the office and cheer on our Dukes.
Save the Date: Please join us for this year’s 9th Annual Walk for Hope on Saturday, 3/28/20, from 9:30 a.m. - 12 p.m. at Blue Ridge Community College. JMU will join with BRCC, EMU, BC and community participants to raise awareness of depression, suicide prevention and hope. More details to come in next month’s newsletter!
Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices (OSARP)
RJ Ohgren and Kimberly Naquin Ohgren (’09) welcomed a baby boy, Elliott Taylor Ohgren, on December 3, 2019. Elliott is RJ and Kim’s third child, joining Henry (6 years old) and Maggie (3 years old).
Cover and Sara Heishman welcomed Harper Ann Heishman to the world at 6:28 a.m. on January 1, 2020. She weighed 6lbs 9oz and was 19 inches long!
University Unions (UU)
UU Fiscal Technician, Meredith Bauer, and her husband Jason, welcomed William Luke Bauer on November 13, 2019. He weighed 7lb 2oz at birth. Mother and baby are doing very well!
Upcoming Events
Highlighting the incredible things we'll do.
Community Service-Learning (CS-L)
2/7 Fri., 11:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Hacking Housing Insecurity Conference in Madison Union Ballroom, register here and e-mail Jamie Williams with any other questions.
Student Affairs Diversity Coucil
2/22 Sat., 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Student Diversity Summit in the ISAT and ENGEO Buildings.
Members of the Student Affairs Diversity Council - Kate Bergey, Chervon Moore, Jason Jones, Angela Ritchie, Cynthia Ruff and Valerie Schoolcraft - are on the planning committee for the first Student Diversity Summit “No Longer Invisible: Conversations with the Student Next Door.” This summit aims to give JMU students of all identities the opportunity to exchange ideas on issues of diversity and inclusion, a space and place to have honest conversations, and an opportunity to develop their awareness, knowledge, and skills related to all forms of diversity alongside peers. Registration is now open for the 2020 Student Diversity Summit, and can be found here. Please encourage your students to attend!
University Health Center (UHC)
Shades of Sisterhood is an initiative created for people who identify as women or femmes of color to come together for conversation and community building. Our first event of the new year was held in January, Overcoming Barriers Together, an informal discussion about the barriers to community that women of color in higher education experience. We invite you to join us at future events.
- 2/17 Mon., 12 -1 p.m., A Seat at The Table, CMSS Conference Room
- 2/27 Thur., 8:15 – 10:00 a.m., Coffee and Discussion, Carrier Starbucks
The rest of our calendar will be presented at each event, and on our Facebook page.
University Recreation (UREC)
2/15 Sat., 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Reach Out Climb, UREC Adventure Center and Atrium Climbing Wall
2/15 Sat., 1:00 p.m. Battleship, UREC Aquatics Center
2/28 Fri., classes offered from Noon – 6:00 p.m. Cycle Day, UREC Cycle Studio
University Unions (UU)
2/13 Thurs., 7 - 11 p.m. Mad4U will sponsor a program called Salsaburg featuring the Latinx beats of Pablo Cruz and the dance lessons of Friendly City Dance Room’s Phil Fusaro. Bring a spouse or come alone, partners not required. Pick up some new dance moves and dance for the fun of it!
2/22 Sat. 1 - 5 p.m. All staff are invited to Mad4U’s Retreat. Lori Derr, M.Ed. is a vocalist, teacher, and devotee of the skill and spirit of musical improvisation, “Creating Music of the Moment.” This workshop will feature circle singing, vocal improvisation, and spontaneous co-created group composition. This event is held In Madison Union 256.
2/29 Sat., 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. All students are welcome to attend the Strengths Conference. They will be able to complete the CliftonStrengths assessment, receive a customized report, and be able to attend breakout sessions to learn how to apply their results in their lives. Online applications are due Feb. 26 and can be completed here.
About Community with Ideas
The masterminds behind the scenes.
Community with Ideas is your monthly newsletter.
We welcome all comments and suggestions. Please contact a Community with Ideas committee member to submit content, photographs or announcements. We look forward to hearing from you!
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
- Marsha Mays-Bernard | AVP Liaison | maysbeme@jmu.edu
- Dawn Miller | Chair | mille2da@jmu.edu
- Ann Simmons | UHC | simmonae@jmu.edu
- Angela Ritchie | UHC | ritchiac@jmu.edu
- Dylan Crigger | UHC GA | criggejd@jmu.edu
- Jenna Clough | SA GA | cloughjd@dukes.jmu.edu
REPRESENTATIVES
- Melissa Allen
- Leslie Beam
- Bryan Brown
- Brittany Dioszeghy
- Moriah Fallon
- Morgan Vega Gomez
- Emily Higham
- Carson Lonett
- Dawn Miller
- Misty Newman
- Dianne Nibblins
- Heather Reid
- Ann Simmons
- Jill Staley
- Mollie Zenz
Photo contributions from JMU Creative Media, UREC Marketing and Adobe Spark
Credits:
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JMU CREATIVE MEDIA