BIT by BIT: January 23, 2024
January 23, 2024
Hello,
Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s Student Life Belonging and Well-Being Summit. The summit provided an opportunity for us to engage in active learning and reflection while building social connections that will strengthen our commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive community.
The Belonging and Well-Being Summit theme, Cultivating Community Together, focused on ways that our networks help support a sense of belonging that aids in our overall well-being and success. The keynote speaker and guest presenters facilitated engaging discussions around the topics of generational intelligence, microaggressions, trust building, the importance of rest, self-care and healing, and so much more. Please join me in sending a High Five and special thank you to Dr. Angie Wellman and Morgan Hammonds for coordinating this year’s Belonging and Well-being Summit.
This month we also launched our Student Life Staff Engagement Survey. The survey is being administered by the Center for the Study of Student Life and you can complete the survey by using the following link: go.osu.edu/SLstaffsurvey It only takes 10 minutes or less to complete and your responses are anonymous. You can learn more about the survey on the Student Life Intranet at go.osu.edu/slsurveyfaq.
Our goal is to have at least a 50% overall completion rate, and as of this morning, we were already at 43.5%. High Fives to everyone that has already completed the survey and to those who will do so before the survey closes on Friday, February 2, at 5 p.m.
Your voice matters and participating in the Student Life Staff Engagement Survey supports our commitment to doing – and learning – all that we can, BIT by BIT!
Best,
Tanisha L. Jenkins, PhD
Associate Vice President for Belonging and Inclusion
Office of Student Life
The Ohio State University
Winter Wellness Walk to the University Wellness Event
Attend the All-Staff Wellness Event on January 25 with a group and earn a few extra steps for the challenge by joining the Winter Wellness Walk to the RPAC. Bundle up and meet the group at the Brutus bench in the Ohio Union at 8:20 a.m. to start the walk. If you plan to join the event virtually, take a ½ mile-1 mile walk before the remarks begin at 9 a.m. Contact Hammonds.19@osu.edu with any questions.
First Aid Education Session
Student Life Risk and Emergency Management and Belonging, Education & Wellbeing will be hosting two optional first aid education sessions. Participants will learn life-saving skills including CPR, abdominal thrusts, and bleeding control. Registration is open to Student Life staff, graduate and undergraduate student employees. The sessions will be:
January 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Raney Boulder Room (140)
February 15 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Morrill Tower Browsing Room (340)
Registration and more information
The Scarlet Table
The Scarlet Table is a monthly opportunity to bring together Student Life staff and graduate students from across the division to engage in conversation and connection. These dialogues are an opportunity for us to share our perspectives on topics impacting our campus and community, while also offering a space to build supportive, caring working relationships with one another. This month’s gathering will focus on community connections and will take place on January 29 at 2 p.m. in the Hays Cape Room of the Ohio Union.
Effective Cross-Cultural Dialogue
Are you looking for ways to build trust and deepen your working relationships? Would you like to strengthen your ability to effectively communicate with people across different backgrounds, identities, and experiences? The format for this workshop on January 31 from 4 to 5:15 p.m. will offer space for us to “watch, learn and discuss.” We will watch a live presentation from VISIONS wherein they will share guidelines for effective cross-cultural dialogue, which we will then follow with a discussion on how the skills we learned together can be applied in our day-to-day work and interactions.
Registration
Buckeye Love: Appreciation in the Workplace
This month, in honor of the campus-wide “Buckeye Love” initiative, we are focusing on our Student Life Culture Commitment of Appreciation. This Zoom workshop on February 13 at 11 am will explore different approaches to learning what encourages and motivates your co-workers and teams by identifying their “language of appreciation.” We will also develop strategies for communicating our own appreciation preferences, and sustaining appreciation efforts with others in ways that are meaningful to them.
Sounds familiar? It is! Our conversation will be based on the book “The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace.” Reading it ahead of time is not needed; all Student Life staff and GTA’s are encouraged to attend.
“How We Do Things”
Our backgrounds, identities and experiences impact how we come to the table as co-workers, leaders, and managers. Having self-awareness of what parts of ourselves we lead from, or react and respond from, is an integral component of understanding how our respective “lenses” impact working climate, culture, and “how we do things.” Join us for this highly interactive Zoom session on February 20 at 10 a.m. designed to offer a platform for self-reflection and perspective taking.
Registration
Mental Health First Aid
Interested in learning early intervention techniques and improving mental health literacy to help you understand, identify, and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges? This workshop is for you.
As a part of our culture commitments of support and care, we are partnering with Mental Health First Aid Ohio to present this unique personal and professional growth opportunity.
The curriculum is an international, evidence-based workshop that prepares the average person (you and I!) to identify mental health concerns, connect individuals with care, and more safely de-escalate crisis situations if needed.
The workshop will be held in the Alonso Family Room of the Ohio Union on March 8 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will also be two hours of required pre-work. Everyone who completes the entirety of this optional course will receive a certification by the National Council of Mental Wellbeing for three years.
Engage
614 – Columbus Restaurant Week
Plan a tasty meal out (or to-go) during Restaurant Week Columbus from January 22-27. This year includes over 150 restaurants from across Columbus that will be offering special 3 course menus at fixed prices ($15-$50), as well as carry-out options.
Your Plan for Health All-Staff Wellness Event
Attendees of the Ohio State All-Staff Wellness event taking place on January 25 is just that- all about staff health and wellness! Guests will hear from University leadership, learn about wellness resources available to employees, and enter to win prizes for participation! This event is being offered in-person at the Tom W. Davis Gym in the RPAC and is also available to livestream. Doors open and breakfast is served at 8:30am with the program and remarks beginning at 9:00am.?The livestream will begin at 9:00am.
Registration and more information
Free Lowe’s DIY Kids Workshops
Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinics are so much fun for kids! They learn how to follow directions and safely use tools to create a real project to take home. On February 10 they can build a chalkboard message center. Kids who are pre-registered and participate in multiple events have a chance to become a Jr. Builder or Sr. Builder to earn recognition and a prize!
Registration and more information
Learn
Martin Luther King Celebration
The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Frank W. Hale Jr. Black Cultural Center cordially invite you to attend the 52nd Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration on January 24 at 7 p.m. hosted by the Wexner Center for the Arts.
This tribute to the civil rights icon includes remarks from our keynote speaker, Dr. Julianne Malveaux and presentations of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarships and the Lawrence K. Williamson Jr. Scholarships. A celebration of Dr. King's life, this event serves as a time for reflection and a renewed call to action for students, staff, faculty, and community members.
Registration and more information
Supporting Undocumented Students: A Hands-On Workshop
NASPA IV-E hosts a monthly series that will challenge and inspire us to advance DEIB in our daily work. Their next one-hour event is on January 26 at 1:00 p.m. ET and will be focused on supporting undocumented students.
This is not your typical webinar. This is a dynamic and interactive session where you will learn and practice practical tools and strategies to effectively support and advocate for undocumented students in your campus and beyond. You will also get to network and collaborate with other professionals who share your passion and commitment to this important topic.
Registration and more information
Navigating Difficult DEI Conversations
“I just don’t know how to have this conversation.” If you’ve ever had this thought, this workshop is for you. Difficult conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion range from conceptual to conflict resolution. This 90-minute Zoom workshop that will be held at 12:30 p.m. on February 1 offers participants the opportunity to learn what’s important to consider when having difficult DEI conversations and offers concrete tools to build dialogue and disarm harmful conversations in favor of healing ones. The workshop is being offered by the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education Program of Inclusive Excellence in the Office of Academic Affairs.
Thrive
Exercise & Wellness Programs with OSU Health Plan
We all know that exercise is beneficial to our health. Whether you are trying to lose weight, manage diabetes, lower your blood pressure, or are needing accountability and structure to develop a healthy exercise routine, our programs can get you on the right track. Learn how you can incorporate exercise as medicine into your lifestyle by joining Kelly Urse, ACSM-EP and Wellness Program Manager on February 13 at Noon for a presentation of healthy lifestyle programs offered at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Registration and information
Winter Wellness Step Challenge
Put your health first and earn 250 YP4H points while enjoying a friendly competition between the Office of Administration and Planning and the Office of Student Life. The Winter Wellness YP4H Step Challenge runs from January 22 to February 16! Create or join a team of up to 10 people via?Virgin Pulse?beginning January 17.
Check Out Columbus’s MetroParks
Whether you are looking for a quiet walk or a fun-filled afternoon sledding with family and friends, there is something for everyone across Columbus’ MetroParks.