Today's Update: Friday, August 30, 2024
August 30, 2024
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday and First Game of the Season Eve! Buckle Up for another exciting season!
I have lots of High Fives to hand out for the remarkable job everyone has done getting the new academic year off to a Scarlet and Great start.
Among the highly successful Welcome Week events was Buck-i-Frenzy, with thousands of students enjoying food, fun and free stuff in and around RPAC. High Five to Kristin Smith for her leadership, and to those who helped out, including Angela Britton, Angie Wellman, Aubrie Smith, Brea'Jon Oates, Bryan DeVault, Cat Mular, Chris Lohr, Christy Muhoberac, CJ Marcella-Sill, Courtney Griggs, Daren Lehman, Dave DeAngelo, Matthew D’Oyly, Davina Alphonso, Diane Kanney, Elijah Balogh, Elizabeth Rowles, Eric Schutter, Eric Stucke, Erica Regan, Erica Szeyller, Gabi Bockelman, Hannah Warner, Brittany Crall, Jacob Armstrong, Jen Finch, Jen Vandemark, Jenn Miller, Jeremy Daron Gabis, Karen Narwicz, Karim Todd, Kellie Uhrig, Kim Traverse, Kirk Lohr, Laura Lewis, Zia Ahmed, Laura Onianwa, Leanne Stearns, Malina Gugle, Maya Bygrave, Molly Chandra, Morgan Hammonds, Natalie Hornback, Phil Everetts, Rashida Bowman, Sara Keefe, Shea Ryan, Stephanie Grissett, Tiffany Quattlebaum, Tracy Stuck, Wes Lindsey and Whitney Rule.
High Fives to Ohio Union and Student Activities staff members Tonya Dawson, Annie Maxwell, Devon Stith, Krystal Vielman, Erin McAlhaney, Brooke Olson and Jeff Pelletier for their leadership in coordinating some of Welcome Week’s biggest events, including the Silent Disco, a portion of Buck-i-Frenzy, Buckeye Kickoff, the Student Involvement Fair, the Graduate and Professional Student Involvement Fair and the Grad/Prof Welcome Picnic.
The Parent and Family Relations team of Beth Ullum, Adam Specht and Noah Gilbert get High Fives for partnering with OUAB and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion’s Access Collaborative on a fun event to welcome back students with families.
More Student Life team members than ever before stepped up to assist with a variety of Welcome Week events including…
For the OUAB Silent Disco: Erica Butler, Maureen Cahill, Matt Couch, Teri Cugliari, Megan Haddock, Hunter Hartwig, John Link, Ryan Lovell, Sarah Rensko, Kelly Smith, Cristina Vega, Angie Wellman and Re'Nesha Weston.
For Buckeye Kickoff: Arianna Camel, Kelly Campbell, Mindy Clagg, Matt Couch, Hunter Hartwig, J. Randall Hicks, Jaylen Lindsey, John Link, Ryan Lovell, Anita McCoy, Jeff Pelletier, Tori Rehr, Kristen Rupert Davis, Julie Schultz, Kathie Serif, Leanne Stearns, and Nancy Thompson – plus Leah Wheeler and a cast of dozens of RAs and hall staff who helped get students onto the field for a spirited group photo. Enjoy this time lapse video of it all unfolding!
Staff from our regional campuses made the trip to Columbus with groups of their students to make sure they could share in the excitement of Buckeye Kickoff. High Five to Bryan Albright, Alyssa Brown and Chad Welker from the Lima Campus, David Miller from the Mansfield Campus, John Davenport from the Newark Campus and Kelly Kyser from CFAES Wooster for joining in the celebration.
For the Graduate and Professional Student Involvement Fair and Welcome Picnic: Mohammed Baseer, Erica Brown, Chrisse Edmunds, Erin McAlhaney, Anne McDaniel, Julie Schultz and Nathalie Weissman.
For all those who braved the heat to represent Student Life departments at the Student Involvement Fair and especially those who volunteered in countless ways to make such a massive event a success: Zia Ahmed, Mohammed Baseer, Erica Brown, Mindy Clagg, Matt Couch, Jarrode Davis, Marjorie Freggens, Noah Gilbert, Megan Haddock, Hunter Hartwig, Jaylen Lindsey, Robbie Long, Ryan Lovell, Cheryl Lyons, Annie Maxwell, Jayden Messer, Jenn Miller, Kori Montgomery, Kirsten Myers, Jeff Pelletier, Stacey Renker, Meagen Rinard, Kristen Rupert Davis, Julia Skrabak, Aubrie Smith, Jordan Smoot, Cristina Vega, Victoria Weaver, Angie Wellman and Re'Nesha Weston.
High Five to Rebecca Kapusta for pinch hitting to make an important student involvement presentation to a group of campus change students and their family members at the Regional Campus Student Welcome event.
Janele Bayless from the Student Wellness Center gets a High Five nomination from Student Life’s Suicide Prevention Program. “We forgot to bring over some particular outreach materials (all our QR code sheets and stands). Janele was across the sidewalk from our table and kindly offered to run over to RPAC and print them off for us! I really appreciated that without hesitation kind gesture of support!”
There are a few more people I need to High Five for helping with Move-In. High Fives to Drew Stark, Hal Tedrow, Joe Hast, John Cronin, Allan Leary, Angela Lang, Beth Wiser, Brad Seaholm, Bridgett Keener, Christy Daron, Daren Lehman, David Reed, David Wirt, Erick Moyers, Helios Yu, Jeff Pelletier, Jody Shipley, Josh Oconer, Kristen Rupert Davis, Kristen Swope, Laura Onianwa, Matt Couch, Rob Lyons and Ryan Lovell. And a big High Five to Jenn Miller who helped supervise every aspect of Move-In every day, all day.
Don’t forget that our next Scarlet and Great Gathering is Thursday, Sept. 5, for our State of Student Life edition. The doors will open at 9 a.m. for the morning session in the Ohio Union Performance Theater, with the program starting at 9:30. The extra time is for connection opportunities and to spend some time with our Buckeye Paws friends. The afternoon session in RPAC Meeting Rooms 1, 2 and 3 begins at 2 p.m. I hope to see you at one session or the other.
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend...and GO BUCKS!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University