It is hard to believe that our first week of spring break is coming to a close tomorrow. I appreciate all the support and messages you are sending my way. I learned this week that our advisors are meeting virtually with students to get them registered for fall semester. They have adapted quickly to using the zoom technology and report that students are quite satisfied with the process. It is Kokomojo at its best! In addition, the admissions team shared that they are also having great remote conversations with potential students and since they are at home, their parents are joining the conversations, too! They report that many of the seniors have shared how comforting it is to look to the future.
So much has changed in such a short amount of time. President McRobbie and his team continues to look at the many issues that have arisen from this unprecedented situation. I can assure you that they are being very thoughtful and thorough as they discern answers. I will keep you informed as news becomes available. I have a couple of topics to share as we move forward.
Great online resource for your students:
Christina Downey, AVC of Student Success, shared that instructors might want to consider adding the following to the front pages of their Canvas sites by the end of this week to help students access IU resources for success for the rest of the term: If you want to get extra guidance in how to be successful in online/remote learning, you can complete a tutorial at https://expand.iu.edu/courses/keep-learning-at-iu
Internships and Practicums
Tracy Springer from Career Services has asked that If you are supervising a student’s internship, please reach out to the student to check on his or her progress. If the student is still working for the employer, then we can hope for the best for now, but also try to develop a Plan B if the employer has closed (as discussed below).
If the student’s employer is not having interns come to work (as we are hearing in some cases), we may need to figure out a way to help these students complete their required 120 hours. Here are a few questions to help you try to get to a satisfactory solution:
- How close is the student to 120 hours?
- Can the student do the remaining hours remotely?
- If the employer will not allow the student to work remotely (or remote work is not practical for this kind of internship), can IU Kokomo create an opportunity for the student to do the same kind of work remotely for our campus? For example, a student who was interning in communication for a local non-profit might be able to do similar work for a unit on campus.
Please share what you learn with Tracy Springer, as the information you collect may help us devise solutions for this semester (and can inform future internship supervisors). Of course, we are not alone in facing this kind of challenge.
Internet Connectivity: If you hear from students that they are having concerns regarding their internet connectivity, in their permanent home, please have them email the Dean of Students, aedowlin@iu.edu for potential solutions.
Employment Opportunities: Our Dean of Students, Audra Dowling had put together a great resource for students needing employment. If you hear from students that the need help, please share her message. Temporary job opportunities are currently available across multiple area warehouses and stores. As of the last search, Kroger, Meijer, Target, Aldi’s, Amazon, and a few others are all hiring for seasonal help. If you are interested in seasonal employment, please visit their websites directly to learn more. To stay current on opportunities as they arise, check in often with the IU Kokomo Career Center Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/IU.Kokomo.Career.Services/.
Community Updates: Marie Lindskoog, director of marketing, is encouraging people to sign up for the Howard County alert system known as Everbridge. It’s easy to create an account and you select notifications you’d like to receive. She suggests signing up for all the alerts. Here’s the link: https://member.everbridge.net/1332612387831871/login
Finally, you may recall receiving an email earlier this month from Christina Downey about the Faculty Ambassadors program, associated with New Student Orientation. As our Orientation approach is reviewed in light of recent events, Christina is holding off on reviewing applications for this program. Faculty are still welcome to apply if they wish, but the duties of Faculty Ambassadors is likely to shift as we move forward.
Take care. More tomorrow!