eInside Briefs

Movers and Groovers Help New Students Move Into Residence Halls on Campus

Kent State University President Beverly Warren (right)
assists a new student move into a residence hall. Kent
State's Movers and Groovers program offers incoming
freshmen extra hands to help with moving into their new
university housing.

At the beginning of the school year each August, Kent State University faculty, staff and students volunteer with the university’s Movers and Groovers program to help incoming freshmen move into their new university housing.

Freshman move-in day will take place Thursday, Aug. 27, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. A host of volunteers will welcome new students and parents, and assist with heavy lifting.

“Move-in day is a long day, but everyone is working toward the same goal, which is helping students get moved in and quickly connected to campus,” says Jill Church, director of Residence Services at Kent State. “It is a great opportunity for our incoming students to connect with upper-division students, faculty and staff.”  

This year, Movers and Groovers will have more than 900 volunteers who will assist freshmen and their families throughout the busy day.

“With more than 4,000 students moving in on Thursday, the extra hands keep the traffic flowing,” Church says. “Families are able to get the car unloaded quicker and get on to the important things, like setting up the room for the year.”

The Movers and Groovers program is part of Kent State’s Welcome Weekend, an orientation program that will run from Aug. 27-30. Welcome Weekend includes activities that encourage students to explore the Kent State community and provides a smooth transition to the university environment.

For more information about move-in day or Kent State’s Residence Services, visit www.kent.edu/housing. 

Kent State Welcomes New Students to Campus at Welcome Weekend, Aug. 27-30

Kent State University students gather at Risman Plaza for
Blastoff, the annual back-to-school celebration, as part of
Welcome Weekend activities.

Before the fall semester begins on Aug. 31, new students are invited to participate in Welcome Weekend, a four-day orientation program that will last from Aug. 27- 30 and acclimate students to the Kent State University community. The event is an opportunity for students to transition into the university environment and learn about existing academic and social opportunities at Kent State.

“Welcome Weekend is meant to continue the process of helping students become familiar with campus and all the resources that are available,” says Josh Perkins, Kent State’s assistant director of Student Success Programs and Welcome Weekend coordinator. “Likewise, Welcome Weekend showcases all the different ways that students can get involved on campus whether that is through their specific college ‘also known as their academic home’ or by joining one of the many different student organizations on campus. Our goal is to help make the big institution small by providing opportunities for students to build relationships.”

Move-in for students begins Thursday, Aug. 27, with the rest of the events continuing through Sunday, Aug. 30.

The four-day program is a requirement for first-year students, and features numerous activities including a comedy show, movie screening of The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Dean’s Welcome, Convocation, Discover Downtown, Blastoff and other events sponsored by various campus departments. The weekend activities also will include a discussion on Friday, Aug. 28, of the 2015 Common Reading book, The Terrorist’s Son by Zak Ebrahim.

While Welcome Weekend is required for all first-year students, Perkins says students will have an opportunity to pick and choose what events to attend. However, all students are required to attend Welcome Weekend check-in to pick up information and supplies. They also are required to attend all events scheduled between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, and Saturday, Aug. 29, between 10 and 11 a.m. The required events are highlighted on the Welcome Weekend schedule.

The weekend will conclude Sunday, Aug. 30, with the annual back-to-school celebration, Blastoff, which features hot air balloon rides, live music and a laser light show on the Student Green. The Blastoff event will run from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and the laser light show will take place from 9-9:30 p.m.

“We Can Help” booths will be positioned on the first floor of the Kent Student Center and at various campus locations if students need assistance throughout the weekend.

A complete listing of events and the schedule can be found online at www.kent.edu/success/welcome-weekend.

For more information about the 2015 Common Reading book, visit www.kent.edu/success/reading. 

Kent State’s Iris E. Harvey Elected to ACE Women's Network-Ohio Executive Board

Iris E. Harvey, Kent State University’s vice president for
university relations, has been elected to the ACE Women’s
Network-Ohio Executive Board. 

Iris E. Harvey, Kent State University’s vice president for university relations, has been elected to the ACE Women’s Network-Ohio Executive Board. The ACE Women’s Network-Ohio is a network of women administrators, faculty and staff from colleges and universities across the state that is dedicated to the professional advancement of women. Through representatives, conferences, workshops and other resources, the organization is committed to improving the status of women on college campuses and throughout higher education.

“I’m delighted to have the opportunity to add my leadership to a statewide organization that is actively engaged in developing professional advancement for women in higher education,” Harvey says.

Harvey, a resident of Stow, Ohio, has been with Kent State since 2008 and oversees Kent State’s global branding initiatives and directs university communications, marketing and media relations, regional engagement and corporate affairs.

Harvey earned her bachelor’s degree in marketing and Master of Business Administration in international marketing from the University of Southern California, as well as a graduate professional degree in higher education administration from the George Washington University. Before joining Kent State, Harvey held senior marketing positions in higher education at Wright State University and the University of Maryland University College; was the CEO of an international consulting firm she founded and operated in Japan for nearly a decade; and held a vice presidency position at Citigroup Global Consumer Bank Group.

In 2014, Harvey was honored at the Harold K. Stubbs Humanitarian Awards in Akron, Ohio. In 2013, she was selected by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for a U.S.-France International Education Administrators Seminar award, and spent three weeks in France learning about other higher education systems.

For more information about the ACE Women’s Network-Ohio, visit www.aceohiowomen.org.

For more information about Kent State’s Division of University Relations, visit www.kent.edu/ur.

Ten Gymnasts Earn NACGC/W Scholastic All-America Honors

The Kent State University gymnastics team celebrates
after a win. Ten members of the team earned NACGC/W
Scholastic All-America honors for maintaining a 3.50 GPA
during the 2014-15 academic year.

The National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women recently announced that 10 members of the Kent State University gymnastics team earned NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors for maintaining a 3.50 GPA during the 2014-15 academic year.

Brooke Timko (Girard, Ohio), Ellen Demarest (Granville, Ohio), Jaymi Baxter (New Port Richey, Florida), Michaela Romito (Broadview Heights, Ohio), Milena Fabry (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), Nicolle Eastman (Burton, Michigan), Rebecca Osmer (Atwater, California), Skyelee Lamano (Layton, Utah), Stephanie Comini (Brighton, Michigan) and Whitnee Johnson (Columbia, Missouri) are members of an elite group of 627 student-athletes who were honored by the organization. Fabry, Eastman and Johnson were three of the 91 student-athletes to have earned a perfect GPA. In addition, the Golden Flashes finished 37th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.3667.

This past season, Kent State captured its 12th Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes also had seven student-athletes earn Academic All-MAC honors.

For more information about Kent State’s Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, visit www.kentstatesports.com.