eInside Briefs

Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine Opens Podiatric MRI Center

Kent State University’s College of Podiatric Medicine has
partnered with Extremity Imaging Partners Inc. to operate
a podiatric-specific MRI center within the college’s
Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic.

Kent State University’s College of Podiatric Medicine has partnered with Extremity Imaging Partners Inc. to open and operate a podiatric-specific MRI center within the college’s Cleveland Foot and Ankle Clinic. The MRI center is expected to open at the end of March and will be available for the community’s patient-referral use, as well as research and educational purposes by the College of Podiatric Medicine.

Bryan Caldwell, DPM, interim dean of Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine, says the center will have many educational benefits to students.

“The center is within the clinic, so they will have access to MRIs to review, study and also be able to see an actual MRI unit working in the clinic setting,” says Caldwell. “They will have that exposure in their everyday clinical rotation.”

Caldwell says the center will not only benefit students , but also provide collaborative research benefits to faculty members. He says the College of Podiatric Medicine is exploring methods for improving imaging of foot and ankle ligaments with a low-field magnet MRI unit and potential research for biomechanics.

Caldwell says the MRI center will fill a currently unoccupied area of the clinic.

“We wanted to partner with a company that would be educational for our students, beneficial to our faculty’s research endeavors and offer convenience to supplement our foot and ankle trauma program,” Caldwell says. “It was a good fit all around.”

For more information about Kent State’s College of Podiatric Medicine, visit www.kent.edu/cpm. 

Keeping Kent State’s Sidewalks Snow Free

A Kent State University groundskeeper
clears away snow from a Kent Campus
sidewalk. During winter, the Grounds
Crew keeps 22 miles of campus sidewalk
snow-free.

With a winter filled with multiple campus closings due to snowfall, low temperatures and gusting winds, Kent State University’s Grounds Crew has been hard at work to keep the Kent Campus sidewalks clear for the campus community.  There are 22 miles of sidewalk on campus, and keeping them snow free is not easy.

“We have 20 groundskeepers and 10 equipment operators to clear 22 miles of sidewalk,” says Heather White, grounds manager at Kent State. “We do have plows out there, but there also are all of the handicap ramps, stairways, doorways and small walks where the plows can’t get to. It’s a Herculean task sometimes.”

During a typical winter, 1,200 tons of rock salt is used across campus.

The sometimes-daunting task is managed by a team of groundskeepers, equipment operators and supervisors headed by White. The team carries the responsibility of caring for the entire surface area of campus. To complete their wintry task, the grounds department has access to 14 truck and tractor snowplows, as well as numerous snow blowers.

White has been working as grounds manager for 10 years and recalls winters that have required more snow removal. However, that does not mean that this season has not been tough.

“I think the biggest difference with this winter in recent memory is the cold,” says White. “That limits the effectiveness of rock salt because rock salt essentially doesn’t work when the temperature is less than 17 degrees.”

Despite the setbacks from the cold, White and her team work constantly to keep the campus safe. Workers are provided with the best outerwear to keep them warm and are allotted extra break time if conditions call for freezing temperatures. 

“I get a lot of help. I have terrific people. It is very much a collaborative effort with the grounds keeping supervisors who report to me. If we’re expecting a 10-inch snow, we are all meeting and talking about it,” she says.

“This position is energizing,” says White. “There is something inherently fun with rising to the challenge. Mother Nature throws down five inches, and we’re set. Bring it on. That is often the attitude of the Grounds Department”

With a month or so of winter remaining, the Grounds Crew is looking forward to spring, says White, when focus can be shifted from plowing snow to beautifying the campus.

For more information about the Grounds Crew, visit www.kent.edu/ufm/grounds/index.cfm.

Kent State Students Experience the Super Bowl From Behind the Cameras

Kent State University's Teleproductions crew placed
cameras around the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford,
N.J., to capture action at Super Bowl XLVIII.

Kent State University’s TeleProductions’ crew and satellite truck broadcast Fox Mexico’s live pre-game and show of Super Bowl XLVIII in East Rutherford, N.J. Students Mike Donelan and Chris Nyman were part of the TeleProductions’ crew that worked at the big game.

TeleProductions’ staff members Jeff Bentley, Jason Forbes and Dan Tonelli, along with Kent State alumnus Dan LeBeau, made the trip for the second consecutive year.

TeleProductions is Kent State’s production company that provides media services, including video and audio productions, to the university and surrounding community. In 2013, TeleProductions partnered with PMTV, a global provider of broadcast and video production services, to offer its clients highly customized broadcast, corporate TV and entertainment needs. It is through that partnership that TeleProductions secured Super Bowl contracts in 2013 and 2014.

The TeleProductions crew arrived in New Jersey on Jan. 30 and set up their truck in the media compound. They set up the cameras in the commentator booth and on the field on Friday and Saturday, along with making sure the truck was set up for the Fox Mexico broadcast. The crew worked hard to make sure everything was properly set up for their broadcast of one of the most-watched sporting events of the year.

Once the Super Bowl pre-game began, the crew ran booth cameras that filmed commentators in the booth as they called the game. When their cameras were not on the commentators, the crew moved their cameras to the front of the booth and filmed the game action.

Nyman, a senior electronic media production major, called the experience unbelievable.

“It was mind-blowing to be covering the Super Bowl,” says Nyman. “I was taken aback by the realization that Peyton Manning and Richard Sherman were playing on the same field not 24 hours after we had set up down there.”

“The whole process was very tiring. It was like two weeks’ worth of work in four days,” says Donelan, a sophomore electronic media production major. “But it was a cool environment, and if given the chance, I’d go again tomorrow.”

Tonelli says it was amazing to be a part of what will most likely be the most-watched sporting event of the year.

“The highlight of my experience at the Super Bowl was watching our students and former student working alongside professionals from all across the country,” says Tonelli. “We spend time teaching and training the students to work at this level, and to see all of that come together for them is amazing.”

Blackstone LaunchPad Nonprofit Launches Prom Dress Drive for Low-Income High School Female Students

Limitless Ambition offers “Purposely Chosen Prom Dress” shopping day on April 5

Alicia Robinson (middle), a Kent State University
graduate student, is surrounded by some of the area high
school students that she mentors through her nonprofit
organization Limitless Ambition. 

Area high school female seniors will have the opportunity to attend their spring prom in style if one Blackstone LaunchPad client has her way.

Alicia Robinson, a Kent State University alumna and graduate student pursuing a master's degree in human development and family studies, is coordinating a prom dress drive through her nonprofit organization, Limitless Ambition, to provide area socioeconomically disadvantaged teen girls with gently used prom dresses and accessories to attend their high school senior proms.

"The purpose of our “Purposely Chosen Prom Dress” drive is to provide less fortunate teen girls with a chance to have the prom of their dreams,” says Robinson, founder and executive director of Limitless Ambition. “We believe that every girl should have the opportunity to experience this once-in-a-lifetime event, and we want to do everything possible to help make her prom a memory she will cherish forever."

The prom dress shopping day will take place Saturday, April 5, at 2 p.m. at the Power House Church, 1127 Copley Road. in Akron. The event is free and open to all high school senior girls from Portage, Summit and Cuyahoga counties. Those interested in donating gently used prom dresses or accessories are welcome to drop off their contributions in designated bins at the Women’s Center, the Student Multicultural Center or the Blackstone LaunchPad office in the Kent Student Center no later than March 31.

With the support of Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program, Robinson founded Limitless Ambition late last year as a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating, motivating and inspiring at-risk young women to dream, believe and achieve without limits through career coaching, academic assistance and emotional support.  Robinson is currently offering her mentoring services to local high school students and will be launching her summer mentoring program in Warren later this summer. For more information about Limitless Ambition and the “Purposely Chosen Prom Dress” drive, visit www.LimitlessAmbition.org. 

For more information about Kent State’s Blackstone LaunchPad program, visit www.kent.edu/blackstonelaunchpad.

Important Information About Final Grading of Spring 2014 First 7 ½ Weeks (H1) Classes

Online final grading for spring 2014 First 7 ½ Weeks (H1) courses meeting from Jan. 13 through March 5 begins Wednesday, March 5, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any spring 2014 course section that was flexibly scheduled and has an end date no later than March 5. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, March 11. Any final grades for spring 2014 First 7 ½ Weeks (H1) courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These spring 2014 First 7 ½ Weeks (H1) courses will be available in the Workflow on Thursday, March 13.

Incomplete Mark and NF/SF Grades:

The administrative mark of IN (Incomplete) may be given to students who are unable to complete the work due to extenuating circumstances. To be eligible, undergraduate students must be currently passing and have completed at least 12 weeks of the semester. The timeline shall be adjusted appropriately for flexibly scheduled courses. Graduate students must be currently earning a C or better grade and are unable to complete the required work between the course withdrawal deadline and the end of classes. Instructors are required to complete and submit an Incomplete Mark Form to the department chair when an incomplete mark is assigned. Access the form from your Faculty Toolbox in FlashLine.

The grade SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course.

The grade NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course.

For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the university catalog at www.kent.edu/catalog.

Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Office of the University Registrar's website at www.kent.edu/registrar/facstaff/facresc.cfm. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.

To access FlashFAST to post your final grades, log in to FlashLine from www.kent.edu (click FlashLine Login from top right menu bar) then click the Faculty & Advisor Tools tab. Locate the Faculty Toolbox, and select Final under the Submit Grades heading.

Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to offer assistance with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.