Announcements
September 2021
COVID-19: By the numbers
For the week that ended Sept. 26, the positive rate for COVID-19 tests completed at the Thielen Student Health Center was 3.56% (11 of 309 tests completed), down from 4.93% the week earlier. Testing reflects both symptomatic students and student-athletes following NCAA testing protocols. The Story County positivity rate for the week ending Sept. 29 was 11.13%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate among eligible Story County residents -- those at least 12 years of age -- rose to 62.7% as of Sept. 27. Iowa State is providing weekly updates on these and other public health benchmarks on its COVID-19: By the numbers website.
Blood drive runs Oct. 4-7 in the MU
The Blood Drive student organization will host its fall drive Monday-Thursday, Oct. 4-7 (10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily) in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Schedule an appointment online; donors must have -- or create -- an account with the American Red Cross.
Weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics for students continue through November
The Thielen Student Health Center will offer free COVID-19 vaccination clinics for students through the end of November. Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines will be available. Students should schedule an appointment online or by calling 515-294-5801, and bring their ISUCard with them to the clinic. Clinic hours during October and November are:
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Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m.–noon, in the center's pharmacy
Pfizer booster shots are available for students who meet the CDC guidelines and received Pfizer for their primary vaccine series. Those who are eligible must wait at least six months after their primary vaccine (six months starts two weeks after second dose) before receiving a booster.
For additional vaccine options near you: Search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233.
Who's eligible for a COVID-19 booster?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's independent advisory committee (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) voted Sept. 23 to recommend a booster dose of Pfizer's mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in certain populations. You're eligible for a booster if you received the two-dose Pfizer vaccine for your primary series and are:
- 50-64 years old with underlying medical conditions
- 18-49 years old with underlying medical conditions
- 18-64 years old and at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting
- 65 years and older, or a resident in a long-term care setting
Individuals may self-report their eligibility and receive a booster shot wherever vaccines are offered. Eligible ISU employees are encouraged to contact their medical provider. For additional vaccine options, search vaccines.gov, text your ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find locations near you.
Cybersecurity fair is Oct. 8
As part of a week of outreach events, the Center for Cybersecurity Innovation and Outreach will cohost, with IT services, a cybersecurity fair Friday, Oct. 8 (9-11:30 a.m., first floor atrium, Durham Center). This open house will feature student clubs, demos and other attractions to inform the campus community about the importance of cybersecurity and how easy it is for our personal information to be exploited. Learn first-hand about password sniffing, identifying phishing emails and more. All faculty, staff and students are welcome.
Jack-o'-lantern help sought Oct. 8-15 at Reiman Gardens
Reiman Gardens seeks volunteers Oct. 8-15 to stencil and carve pumpkins for its Oct. 16-17 "Spirits in the Gardens" event. Volunteers will draw designs on pumpkins with stencils Oct. 8-10 and carve stenciled pumpkins Oct. 13-15. The intent is to work outdoors if the weather allows. Tools are provided; volunteers must be 13 years old to carve. Volunteers must pre-register online; walk-ins can't be accepted this fall.
Statewide 19th Amendment observance wraps up Oct. 4
The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics will host the closing event of the "Hard Won, Not Done" 19th Amendment statewide centennial commemoration Oct. 4 (7 p.m., Benton Auditorium, Scheman Building). Keynote speaker Marjorie Spruill, author and distinguished professor emerita of history from the University of South Carolina, will present "Divided We Stand." The event is free and open to the public.
COVID-19: By the numbers
For the week that ended Sept. 19, the positive rate for COVID-19 tests completed at the Thielen Student Health Center was 4.93% (11 of 223 tests completed), down from 6.67% the week earlier. Testing reflects both symptomatic students and student-athletes following NCAA testing protocols. The Story County positivity rate for the week ending Sept. 22 was 9.78%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate among eligible Story County residents -- those at least 12 years of age -- rose to 62.3% as of Sept. 20. Iowa State is providing weekly updates on these and other public health benchmarks on its COVID-19: By the numbers website.
Cyday Friday walk is set for Oct. 1
ISU WellBeing's annual Cyday Friday Walk is set for Oct. 1 (noon-12:45 p.m., meet in front of Beardshear Hall). Join ISU WellBeing and special guest Cy for a one-mile walk around campus. The first 75 people will receive a Cyday Friday water bottle.
South end of Haber Road closed through Friday
From 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22, through 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, Haber Road will be closed at the railroad underpass for road/sidewalk construction. The north end of the road at 13th Street will remain open for access to Frederiksen Court apartments and transportations services.
Faculty mentor deadline reset to Oct. 1 for freshman Honors research
All faculty and scientists are invited to participate in the first-year Honors mentor program. The deadline to apply has been extended to Friday, Oct. 1. In this spring-semester program, talented first-year students work in some area of research or creative effort. Students can be mentored directly by faculty or by a research team member (e.g., post-doc or graduate student). Freshmen work three hours/week per credit of Hon 290, with a limit of six hours/week or two credits, graded satisfactory/fail. Students may apply for grants of up to $250 ($500 for group projects) in support of their research. Interested faculty and scientists should register their research project(s) on the program website. For more information, contact Svitlana Zbarska, szbar@iastate.edu or 515-294-2064.
Fulbright welcome reception is Sept. 24
Meet the new Fulbright students and scholars at Iowa State this fall and reconnect with Fulbright alumni during a free, welcome reception Friday, Sept. 24 (4-5:30 p.m., MU Pioneer Room). Light appetizers and refreshments will be served. Questions may be directed to University Professor of economics Peter Orazem, Iowa chapter of the Fulbright Association.
Sign-up ends Oct. 8 for multicultural experience email series
The Spark is a weekly email series that focuses on the experiences of multicultural students at ISU and serves as ongoing training for all faculty and staff. Each week, participants are presented with a description of the ISU student experience from a different multicultural student, along with content to process the story and build awareness, knowledge and skills. Participation is free and requires roughly 20 minutes per week. Register online by Oct. 8 to participate. Past participants are welcome to sign up again, but will see content shared in previous years. Questions may be directed to Denise Williams-Klotz at omsa@iastate.edu.
Free COVID vaccination clinics run for two more weeks
Iowa State is staffing free COVID-19 vaccination clinics for faculty, staff and students. Both the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) one-dose and Pfizer two-dose (fully approved Aug. 23 for individuals 16 years and older) vaccines are offered at these clinics. University leaders and the state Board of Regents strongly encourage all members of the university community to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Immunocompromised employees and students, for whom a third dose is approved, are welcome to receive their third dose at any of the campus vaccination clinics.
Appointments can be scheduled online and walk-ins are welcome. Students, faculty and staff should bring their red ISU card with them to the clinic. Further details and updates will be provided at www.care.iastate.edu.
Remaining vaccine clinics (noon-3 p.m.)
- Sept. 22: 140 Parks Library
- Sept. 23: 1521 Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center
- Sept. 29: 140 Parks Library
cyBUY supplier show is Sept. 30
Procurement services' 2021 cyBUY supplier show will be held Thursday, Sept. 30, (10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., MU Great Hall). The event will include informational sessions on navigating cyBUY and using other internal services at the university, such as printing, transportation, bookstore, central stores, etc.
Reserved tickets on sale for Spirits in the Gardens
Reiman Gardens is selling tickets (day- and entry time-specific) for its annual "Spirits in the Gardens" Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 16-17 (5-9 p.m.). Special events from 5 to 7 p.m. include Simon Says, magic show and presentations by the ISU SCUM (chemistry), juggling and unicycling, and cosplay student clubs. From 5 to 9 p.m., enjoy more than 1,000 carved jack-o-lanterns and a "candy factory." Tickets are $10 ($8 members and ISU students), $5 for youth (2-12 years) and free for children under two years. A jack-o-lantern only preview (no entertainment or treats) will be held Friday, Oct. 15 (7-9 p.m.). Register and purchase tickets online.
Weekly update: COVID-19 data
For the week that ended Sept. 12, the positive rate for COVID-19 tests completed at the Thielen Student Health Center was 6.67% (12 of 180 tests completed), up from 6.54% the week earlier. Testing reflects both symptomatic students and student-athletes following NCAA testing protocols. The Story County positivity rate for the week ending Sept. 15 was 9.18%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate among eligible Story County residents -- those at least 12 years of age -- rose to 61.3% as of Sept. 12. Iowa State is providing weekly updates on these and other public health benchmarks on its COVID-19: By the numbers website.
Encourage students to apply to be Cyclone aides
New Student Programs is gearing up for its Cyclone aide recruitment season. Cyclone aides assist students in their transition to Iowa State at orientation and Destination Iowa State, and have the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for their college and the university. They also explore their own professional development in this paid leadership role. Applications are open, and faculty and staff are invited to nominate students using the online nomination form. A student development coordinator in new student programs will send nominated students information about applying for the position. The application deadline for students is Oct. 17.
Apply by Oct. 17 to be a Cyclone aide
New Student Programs is gearing up for the Cyclone aide recruitment season and looking for a talented and diverse group of students. Cyclone aides assist students in their transition to Iowa State at orientation and Destination Iowa State, and have the opportunity to serve as ambassadors for their college and the university. They also explore their own professional development in this paid leadership role. The application deadline for students is Oct. 17; the application form is online.
Learn more at a virtual information session (Instagram: @IowaStateLeaders):
- Thursday, Sept. 23, noon
- Wednesday, Oct. 6, 4 p.m.
Martina McBride will perform at Stephens Nov. 28
Tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept, 17, for a Nov. 28 concert at Stephens Auditorium by country music superstar Martina McBride. Tickets for her "Joy of Christmas" tour show are $25-$124 plus fees and available at Ticketmaster.com.The Stephens ticket office will be open only 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 17 for sales for this show. (The ticket office has been closed and will reopen fully later this month.)
P&S Council seeks CYtation Award nominations
The Professional and Scientific Council encourages individuals, programs, departments and colleges to nominate P&S employees for:
- Individual CYtation Award/Woodin CYtation Award
- Team CYtation Award
- Outstanding New Councilor CYtation Award
Anyone can submit a CYtation Award nomination, which are due Dec. 1. The awards showcase the many ways P&S employees have gone above their normal duties, done something extraordinarily well or acted in a way to make a real difference at ISU. Questions about the awards can be emailed to pands-a@iastate.edu, or visit the P&S website.
Register for annual financial aid partners conference
Registration is open for the annual financial aid Campus Partners Conference Friday, Sept. 24, (9 a.m.-noon, optional Financial Aid 101 presentation starts at 8 a.m., all via Webex). The conference is intended to assist faculty and staff in their professional roles. Scheduled topics include university completion grants and OneApp, student employment and career readiness competencies, federal TEACH Grant program, consortium agreements, winter session refresher, implicit bias in awarding scholarships and satisfactory academic progress/withdrawals/dropping coursework. Register online; conference link will be sent Sept. 22. Questions may be directed to financial aid advisor Isaac Ehlers.
Call for proposals: P&S professional development conference in February
The committee planning the P&S Council's 10th annual professional development conference (Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2022) seeks presentation proposals. This year's theme, "Cultivate Your Adventure: Engage, Innovate, Evolve," will focus on employees' personal and professional development in the areas of leadership, health and wellness, professional resources, and human interactions. Individuals interested in presenting, or who want to recommend a presenter, should complete the online form by Oct. 8. Additional details are on the conference website.
Weekly update: COVID-19 data
For the week that ended Sept. 5, the positive rate for COVID-19 tests completed at the Thielen Student Health Center was 6.54% (14 of 214 tests completed), up from 4.32% the week earlier. Testing reflects both symptomatic students and student-athletes following NCAA testing protocols. The Story County positivity rate for the week ending Sept. 6 was 9.33%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccination rate among eligible Story County residents -- those at least 12 years of age -- rose to 60.6% as of Sept. 6. Iowa State is providing weekly updates on these and other public health benchmarks on its COVID-19: By the numbers website.
Workday biannual feature updates are coming Sept. 11
The latest upgrade from Workday will be released Saturday, Sept. 11. These twice-yearly releases are larger in scope than the monthly releases. Workday will be inacessible during the planned maintenance from approximately 1 to 5 a.m. Saturday while the upgrade is implemented. Read more about the six features and enhancements included in 2021's second release in these IT Knowledge Base articles:
- Redesign of the global header provides enhancements to the search bar, icons & notification badges, user menu, and inbox access on mobile devices.
- Addition of contextual search categories reduces the number of out-of-context search results.
- Header bars remain fixed in place when you are scrolling through numerous rows of data.
- Report and task filters appear as a pop-up (instead of opening on a separate page), so you can quickly specify filters and return to complete your report or task.
- Expense reports for Finance teams automatically display in grid view, allowing users to quickly review multiple expense report lines in a consolidated view.
- Improvements to tooltips in absence and time calendars mean that tooltips are now accessible for keyboard-only users, fulfill contrast accessibility standards, display faster on the user’s screen, and are responsive to screen size adjustments.
Provost tackles classroom, office questions in newest memo to instructors
Senior vice president and provost Jonathan Wickert responded to more instructor questions about teaching, keeping office hours, awaiting COVID-19 test results and caring for children in isolation in a Sept. 7 memo to faculty, instructors, teaching assistants and academic advisors and staff involved in instruction and student success. In many cases, recorded lectures or virtual office hours should supplement --not replace the in-person options, he said.
Extension offers financial wellness courses for ISU employees
ISU Extension and Outreach is launching a series of virtual workshops on personal finance for ISU employees called Financial Wellness at Work. Online registration is required at least 24 hours before each session. The courses are free, are held noon-1 p.m. and participants can earn points in the Adventure2 well-being program. The schedule is as follows:
- "Mission Possible: Saving," Sept. 21: Saving for short-term needs or long-term goals can be a challenge, so learn strategies to help you succeed. Leave the session with clearer motivation, realistic goals and a plan to move forward.
- "Raising Money Smart Kids," Oct. 5: Learn strategies for helping children build financial attitudes and skills that will serve them well throughout life, including ways to "sneak in" some learning experiences without their even knowing it.
- "Borrowing Smart," Oct. 19: Review basic credit principles, with a focus on reducing both the cost and the risk of borrowing, and explore legal protections and resources that can help.
- "Money Smart: Taking Control of Your $," Nov. 9 and 16 (two parts): Take a "big-picture" look at how to control your money on a month-to-month basis.
The series, funded in part by a grant from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, will be repeated in future semesters with some changes in topics. For questions or to schedule virtual or in-person workshops for your unit, contact extension and outreach financial educator Barb Wollan at bwollan@iastate.edu or 515-832-9597.
Constant named to technology association board of directors
Vice president and chief information officer Kristen Constant was appointed to the Technology Association of Iowa's board of directors. It's a group of the state's technology leaders who support the industry and aim to advance Iowa's reputation as a technology state. The group works to develop talent, drive public policy and foster diversity and inclusion.
You're invited: Fire safety event is Sept. 15
As part of Campus Fire Safety Month, Environmental Health and Safety will host a fire safety event Wednesday, Sept. 15 (9 a.m.-noon, south of Parks Library). Put out a simulated fire, learn fire safety tips and receive a free T-shirt (while supplies last).
Three members join biotechnology council
Steven Harris, professor and chair of plant pathology and microbiology, entomology; Thomas Lübberstedt, professor of agronomy; and Xuefeng Wang, associate professor of physics and astronomy, have been selected to serve three-year terms on the university's Biotechnology Council. The council makes recommendations to the office of biotechnology on program activities supporting biotechnology research, education and outreach.
Memorial service for David Block is Sept. 13
A memorial service for David Block, professor emeritus of architecture, will be held Monday, Sept. 13, at Collegiate Presbyterian Church, 159 Sheldon Ave. Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., followed by the funeral at 11 a.m. Face masks are required inside the church. Block died unexpectedly Sept. 4 following a heart attack. He joined the architecture faculty in the College of Design in 1973 and retired from Iowa State in 2011. Obituary.
Memorial Union's wedding expo is Sept. 26
The Memorial Union will host its annual bridal expo, United at the Union, Sunday, Sept. 26 (1-3 p.m., Great Hall). Visit with central Iowa wedding vendors. General admission registration is free; a $10 VIP ticket includes early admission, swag bag and opportunities for prizes and discounts during the expo.
Central Stores is the preferred source for COVID-related supplies
Campus units are strongly encouraged to order cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer and face coverings through Central Stores. While employees may find what they need online or from a local retailer, everyone benefits from purchasing centrally. Consider:
- Power in numbers: Central Stores works closely with its vendors and can negotiate a better price by buying in bulk.
- Avoid scams: Demand is creating opportunity for scammers selling fake items or not fulfilling orders. The university has seen an increase in fraud, which can be avoided by purchasing through Central Stores.
- Get the proper products: Environmental Health and Safety worked with Central Stores to ensure that the cleaning supplies offered are safe and effective for cleaning offices and labs. It's not necessary to buy name-brand products, and soap and water is a good alternative.
University closed Sept. 6 for national holiday
Classes will not meet and university offices and the university library are closed Monday, Sept. 6, for the national Labor Day holiday. Most dining options, with the exception of residential dining centers, Hawthorn Market and C-stores, also will be closed.
Women Impacting ISU calendar nominations due Sept. 24
The Catt Center is accepting nominations for its 2022 "Women Impacting ISU" calendar through Sept. 24. The calendar is open to all individuals who identify as a woman, inclusive of cisgender and transgender identities. Faculty and staff must be employed by the university for the 2022 calendar year to be eligible for nomination. Students graduating in May 2022 may be nominated. More information, including an FAQ and the nomination form, are online.
Nearly 1,000 lectures program recordings are digitized
University Library has completed a grant project to digitize and provide online access to 991 recordings from the ISU Lecture Series spanning the 1970s to 1990s. Lectures were selected for their significant cultural, historical and aesthetic value, as well as timeliness on topics our country is grappling with today. Accessible via Aviary platform, the lectures are captioned and can searched full text or synced with transcripts.
Arts and events
"The Crucible" and "John Proctor is the Villain," will run in tandem during two weekends, April 18-28, at Fisher Theater.
