Today's Update: Friday, December 8, 2023
December 8, 2023
Dear Student Life team,
Happy High Five Friday.
A few weeks ago, a student suggested I put a countdown clock to the start of winter break in an email. It turned out to be more difficult than it seemed (easy on a website, not so much in an email) but our Student Life Technology Services team found a way. High Fives to Josh Slaven, Jon Plante and Dan Hausman for making it happen.
High Fives to everyone who has donated new, unwrapped toys for our drive on behalf of United Schools Network Elementary school students in Columbus. There is still time to participate. The collection bins in my office (3rd floor of the Ohio Union) and 600 Lincoln Tower will be in place through Wednesday, December 13 We’ll also take donations at next week’s Scarlet and Great Gathering. A wish list can be found online.
Off-Campus and Commuter Student Engagement held a Safety Walk last week, connecting with more than 600 students in the University District to discuss safety measures with winter break approaching. High Fives to OCCSE team members as well as those who helped out, including Kim Traverse, Allan Leary, Thyrone Henderson, Renier Halter-Rainey, Erin Woods, Lauren Zeck and Jenn Miller, along with police officers from Columbus and Ohio State.
High Five to Ohio State Wooster ATI’s Kelly Kyser for going all out for “Destress Fest,” a week of activities to help students be in the right frame of mind for finals. Among the happenings were a Hot Cocoa Bar, bowling nights, ornament/gingerbread house decorating, volleyball, spikeball, therapy dogs, Thank-a-Vet greeting cards-make/create to send to veterans over the holidays, yoga, give-a-ways and multiple days with snacks. They’ve also had fun with Otis, their elf on-the-go, as he visits places on campus and provides valuable information to students.
Speaking of Wooster ATI, Randy Kline and Joe Steiner with Facilities get High Fives for their outstanding efforts. They've been doing an exceptional job managing their workload and ensuring everything runs smoothly in Wooster. Their dedication and hard work are truly commendable!
High Five to Senior Human Resources Consultant Stephanie Franks for joining members of the Sorority and Fraternity Life team at the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors (AFA) Annual Meeting. With over 1,000 attendees, Stephanie was one of the few non-SFL professionals and co-facilitated an educational program on Recruiting and Retaining Talented Staff with SFL director Kim Monteaux De Freitas.
High Fives to everyone who supported Acting President Mohler’s end-of-year event in the Ohio Union this week. The event was beautiful, the food was spectacular and we received major kudos for how clean the Student Life Environmental Services team keeps the facility, especially the restrooms.
Have a Scarlet and Great weekend!
Melissa S. Shivers, PhD
Senior Vice President for Student Life
The Ohio State University