eInside Briefs

Movers and Groovers Help New Students Move In On Campus

Volunteers from Kent State University's Movers and
Groovers program help the parent of an incoming student
move in to a residence hall on freshman move-in day.

Each August during freshman move-in day, Kent State University faculty, staff and students volunteer to assist incoming freshmen get settled in their new university accommodations. To make the experience more fun and welcoming, the Kent InterHall Council sponsors the Movers and Groovers program.

Freshman move-in day will take place on Thursday, Aug. 21. A host of volunteers will welcome students and parents, and will assist with heavy lifting. The Kent State president’s Cabinet also has volunteered to help this year.

“The Movers and Groovers program provides an opportunity for upper-division students, student groups, alumni, faculty and staff to help new students get adjusted and moved in to the residence halls,” says Jill Church, director for Residence Services at Kent State. “The Movers and Groovers help keep things flowing during a very busy day. With more than 4,000 students moving in on Thursday, the extra hands keep the traffic flowing. Families are able to get their cars unloaded quicker and get on to the important things like setting up the room for the year.” 

This year, Movers and Groovers will have its highest number of volunteers yet, reaching just shy of 1,000 helping hands. The volunteers will all wear green T-shirts and will be split up into three different shifts at five different locations across campus, in order to provide maximum help for incoming first-year students.

The Movers and Groovers program is part of Kent State’s Welcome Weekend, an orientation program that will run from Aug. 21–24. Welcome Weekend includes a variety of activities that help students explore the Kent State community and transition into the university environment.

“Students look forward to participating in Movers and Groovers, and the program is a great opportunity for returning students to connect with our incoming freshman class,” Church says.

One of the Welcome Weekend events is Freshman Convocation. Freshman Convocation will take place on Friday, Aug. 22, at 10:30 a.m. at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center. This special ceremony allows students to experience the grandeur of university ceremonies and meet Kent State President Beverly Warren. It also marks the beginning of first-year students’ college careers and their entrance into higher education. 

Welcome Weekend concludes Aug. 24 with Blastoff, a Kent State tradition where student organizations and community groups gather to welcome students to campus. The event includes hot air balloon rides, live music, fun activities and a laser light show.

For more information about Kent State’s Residence Services, visit www.kent.edu/housing.

University Services Ready for Students This Fall

Schedule lists days and hours university services are open

As Kent State University welcomes new and returning students, the Opening of School Master Schedule of University Services is a useful tool for departments, parents and students alike. This schedule lists the days and hours various university service areas are open from the week before school starts through the first week of classes, Sunday, Aug. 17, through Friday, Aug. 29.

Kent State Hosts Administrators From Japan University

Rikkyo University administrators show their certificates of
participation as Sarah Malcolm, international partnerships
manager at Kent State’s Office of Global Education, and
Masayoshi Hara, from Rikkyo University, hold a golden
squirrel presented to the Japanese team by Kent State
University's Division of Human Resources.

Kent State University’s Office of Global Education welcomed 10 administrators from Rikkyo University of Japan to the Kent Campus for an administrative program from Aug. 3-7. The program was funded by Rikkyo University for the purpose of exposing administrators from multiple campus divisions to the American university system.

Since 1998, Kent State has hosted more than 200 Rikkyo University students who have attended Kent State as guest students in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program and in other academic programs.

Kent State expanded the collaboration with a student exchange program in 2005 where Rikkyo University has been home to more than 20 Kent State students.

“We deeply appreciate the care and assistance they provide to our students and staff when they are studying and visiting Rikkyo University,” says Sarah Malcolm, international partnerships manager at Kent State’s Office of Global Education.

During their time at Kent State, the Rikkyo administrators met with representatives from a variety of student service and administrative offices including Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and Human Resources. This program gave the Rikkyo guests the opportunity to engage in conversations about internationalization, university structure and student services.

Upon their departure, Rikkyo administrator Masayoshi Hara stated that participating in the program was “one of the most excellent and valuable experiences in my life.”

“We are already looking forward to coming back to Kent State in the near future," says Kenjiro Tsuji, another administrator from Rikkyo University. "It was truly a great learning experience for all of us.”

Malcolm recognizes the importance of sustaining a strong international partnership between two universities mutually committed to education and global community.

“It was a pleasure to organize and host this program for Rikkyo University,” Malcolm says. “This partnership is an excellent model for cultivating cross-cultural collaboration and demonstrates the value of maintaining long-standing relationships. We look forward to continuing to host students, faculty and staff from Rikkyo University for many years to come.”

For more information about Kent State’s Office of Global Education, visit www.kent.edu/globaleducation.

Homecoming Court Applications Now Available

Nominate a deserving student

Members of Kent State University's Homecoming Court
pose for a photo during last year's Homecoming
celebration.

Applications for the 2014 Homecoming Court are now available at www.ksualumni.org/homecomingcourt. Members of the Homecoming Court represent the university and are chosen for their leadership abilities, academic achievements, community service and involvement in Kent State.

Faculty and staff who know a Kent Campus student with senior class standing, a 2.75 cumulative grade point average and who embodies the qualities listed above are asked to provide a nomination letter so the student may apply to serve on the Homecoming Court. Details about the nomination process and the applications are available at www.ksualumni.org/homecomingcourt and due Sept. 15 by 5 p.m. 

Important Information about Final Grading of Summer 2014 Full Term, Second 7 Weeks, Summer III and Open Learning Classes

Online final grading for summer 2014 courses meeting in Full Term (1: 05/19/2014 – 8/16/2014), Second 7 Weeks (W2: 06/30/2014 – 08/16/2014) or Summer III (S3: 07/14/2014 – 08/16/2014) parts of term begins Thursday, Aug. 14, via FlashFAST. Grading also is now available for any summer 2014 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, Aug. 19. Any final grades for summer 2014 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. You may access the grade change workflow for these courses beginning Thursday, Aug. 21.

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. 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.

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

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.

To access FlashFAST, login 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.