eInside Briefs

Register Now for the Fall 2012 Bowman Breakfast

Kent State Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and
Provost Todd Diacon is the featured speaker at the fall 2012
Bowman Breakfast event on Oct. 3. Diacon's talk is titled
"Why I Chose (and Love) Kent State."

The fall 2012 Bowman Breakfast will be held at Kent State University in the Kent Student Center Ballroom on Wednesday, Oct. 3. Doors open at 7 a.m., breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m., with the program to follow at 8 a.m.

The cost is $9 per person at the door, payable by cash or check. No invoicing is available for this event, and payment at the door is required.

The featured speaker is Kent State Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Todd Diacon. Provost Diacon’s talk is titled “Why I Chose (and Love) Kent State.”

Reservations can be completed online or by contacting Mary Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu no later than Friday, Sept. 28.

No shows will be billed. To cancel a registration, contact Mandalari at 330-672-8664 or mmandala@kent.edu by Sept. 28.

The Bowman Breakfast, a tradition since 1963, is sponsored by Kent State University and the Kent Area Chamber of Commerce.

Kent State University is committed to making its programs and activities accessible to those individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact Amy Quillin, Student Accessibility Services, at 330-672-3391 or aquillin@kent.edu.

Title IX: Raise a Red Flag to Prevent Discrimination, Sexual Harassment or Assault

Title IX is not limited to athletic programs, but applies to the entire campus community and campus visitors

Title IX: Raise a red flag to prevent discrimination, sexual
harassment or assault.

Kent State University continues to work toward maintaining a campus environment free of discrimination and harassment. Title IX of the federal Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person’s gender in educational programs or activities operated by recipients of federal funding, such as Kent State.

While it is often thought of as a law that applies only to athletic programs, Title IX is much broader and protects all students, employees and visitors to campus from gender discrimination. Sexual harassment, including sexual assault, is a form of gender discrimination and is strictly prohibited by federal and state law, as well as university policy.

What Is Your Role?

All Kent State employees are required to report incidents of gender discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual assault, against a student, faculty or staff member, or visitor, to Kent State’s Title IX coordinator Loretta Shields, who is Human Resources’ director of benefits and compliance. Sexual assault cases should also be reported to the police. Students and campus visitors also are expected to report such incidents.

“It’s not enough to only know the law, but to also act on it by reporting any cases of sexual harassment or assault,” Shields says. “At Kent State, we strive to maintain a safe campus, which means that our faculty and staff have the responsibility to report such incidents if they witness or hear about them.”

In August of 2010, Kent State created the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to provide anti-violence programming and support services, and to encourage all community members to speak out when witnessing violence. Faculty and staff members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the services offered to students through SART, including a Web page specifically designed for them titled “Recognizing a Student in Distress.” Find out more about SART by visiting www.kent.edu/sart/index.cfm.

Raising a Red Flag: Filing a Title IX Complaint

You can file a formal or informal complaint with the university through Shields or one of the deputy coordinators at 330-672-2038. Whether you choose to file a formal or informal complaint, the matter will be investigated by the coordinator or a deputy coordinator. The coordinator/deputy coordinator will make use of university and community resources to attempt to end any harassment, prevent its reoccurrence and help you to feel secure on campus.

You may also choose to file a report with Kent State University Police Services or to the local police. For emergencies and immediate assistance, call 911; otherwise Kent State Police can be reached at 330-672-2212.

For more information about acts that constitute sexual harassment and sexual assault, steps to take following sexual harassment/assault cases, on-campus resources, and contact persons and information, visit the SART website at www.kent.edu/sart/index.cfm. Information is also available on the HR website at www.kent.edu/hr/aa/titleix.cfm.

Kent State University Board of Trustees Meeting

The Kent State University Board of Trustees will hold its next regular business meeting Wednesday, Sept. 12. The Board will convene at 1:45 p.m. in Classroom 113/115 of the Kent State University Regional Academic Center, which is located in Twinsburg at 2745 Creekside Dr. (accessible from I-480 off state Route 91). The new, 44,000-square-foot facility will be formally dedicated during an outdoor ceremony at noon.

Trustees will retire into executive session at 9 a.m. in Executive Education Suite 132 to consider specific topics as provided for under Ohio’s “Sunshine Law.”

Board committees will meet as follows:

• Academic Excellence and Student Success Committee – 10-11 a.m. in Executive Education Suite 132.
• Audit and Finance and Administration Committees – 10-11 a.m. in Executive Education Suite 136. 
  
• External Relations and Development Committee – 11:15 a.m.-noon Executive Education Suite 132.
  

The Board meeting agenda will be made available at www.kent.edu/bot/meetings/index.cfm.

The Board also will hold an informational special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 11, at 1 p.m., also at the Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg. No committee meetings will be held and no recommendations or votes will be discussed or taken. The Board’s regular business meeting and committee meetings will be held the following day (Sept. 12), as detailed above. Trustees may retire into executive session to consider specific topics as permitted by Ohio law.

Support for Students: Early Alert Ready for Use

The Early Alert system is available for use by Kent State University faculty. Early Alert allows faculty to identify students who are struggling in class so that the Office of Student Success Programs can provide support where they need it. The Office of Student Success Programs and other campus partners will reach out to the student(s) who faculty members identify as struggling.

As a reminder, for instructions on how to use the system, please visit www.kent.edu/success/faculty/earlyalerts.

Concerning NF and SF Grading:

For students whom the instructor has not seen all semester, please select the NF option. This option should be selected after the instructor has done everything they can to contact the student.

For those students who have stopped attending and whose academic progress is now in jeopardy, please select the SF option. The SF option should only be used if you have not had any communication with the student about their attendance. We encourage professors to reach out to their students as soon as they notice that they have stopped attending classes, as a way to assist in their success.

Thank you for your commitment to our students’ academic success. For questions or to follow up on a referral you have made, contact N. J. Akbar at nakbar@kent.edu or 330-672-4138 (direct office line).