Month: October 2015

Jacob Eyring, 20, of Chapin died Oct. 13, 2015.

Eyring was transferred to Clemson this semester after two years at Tri-County Technical College, where he was in the Bridge to Clemson program for one year. He was a sophomore graphics communications student.

Visitation will be held 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, 7600 Woodrow Street, Irmo. A funeral service will be held 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Chapin United Methodist Church, 415 Lexington Ave., Chapin.

Share your memories and post condolences here.

Clemson will host Solid Green Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wed., Oct. 21 in front of Mell Hall.

Organizers say that the Solid Green Day event faculty, staff and students who come together as a campus community to celebrate sustainability further the beauty of campus by participating in campus clean up activities.

As with prior years, Solid Green shirts will be distributed to participants who volunteer for at least one hour. T-shirts will be given on a first-come basis and will be available while supplies last.

Contact Dave VanDeventer for more information.

Clemson’s staff members will have a chance to share their thoughts, opinions and advice. The university’s Staff Senate will host an open forum for staff members on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at the Self Auditorium*, Strom Thurmond Institute. The forum begins at 11:30 a.m.

During the event, Staff Senate representatives will be on hand to hear your thoughts, suggestions, and/or concerns. Feedback received during this event will be used to prioritize the senate’s work and initiatives for the coming months.

For more information, and to provide feedback prior to the event, visit clemson.edu/staffsenate.

*Please note that the Self Auditorium does not allow food or drink.

By Ryan Real
CCIT Public Information Coordinator

The Adobe Digital Studio, located on the fifth floor above the University’s R.M. Cooper Library lobby, marks another step forward in Clemson’s partnership with Adobe while doubling as the university’s newest space for collaboration and innovation.

“The opening of the Adobe Digital Studio, truly a ‘maker space’ for digital creativity, is a landmark event for Clemson,” said Jim Bottum, Clemson’s vice provost and chief information officer. “The studio will be transformational, and I am proud of the collaborative effort between our team at Clemson and Adobe that made this possible.”

“Cooper Library, the heart of the Clemson University campus, is an ideal location for the Adobe Digital Studio complementing the learning commons and teaching spaces while bringing a new focus on digital information,” said Clemson University Dean of Libraries Maggie Farrell.

Set for an Oct. 16 grand opening, the facility gives the Clemson community a place to work together using technology powered by the entire Adobe Creative Cloud and Digital Publishing tools. Audio and video recording spaces bookend a large, open space where comfortable chairs circle tables and 48-inch monitors. The “Creativity Bar” begins at the entrance and extends through the length of the facility to create an easily accessible area where student interns help users refine their ideas and assist with technology.

Wesley Smith, a media resources consultant who manages the studio, likens the space to a writing center for Adobe products.

“You come in with an idea, and we’ll help you with it,” he says. “In the same way you’d work on a thesis statement, we want to help you get started and make a better product. The philosophy in a creative space is that you learn more from your peers.”

The facility features a soundproof audio production studio, a video production studio, collaborative workstations, a high-resolution scanner and a nine-display Behance wall that serves as a focal point for inspiration. The Behance wall—one of only three in the country and the only one outside of Adobe headquarters—streams projects from Adobe’s Behance based on the current search criterion (for example, “oceans” will display other projects with that tag and distribute them across the display). The system will find all the examples and distribute them across the displays. Students can upload their work to Behance so their work will be displayed on the wall, something Jan Holmevik, associate professor of English and co-director of Center of Excellence in Next Generation Computing and Creativity, cites as appropriate for its library location.

“Seeing your colleagues’ work portrayed in an artistic display is not only satisfying, but it helps spark creativity and makes you want to do better,” Holmevik said.

The studio represents the next, physical level of Clemson’s partnership with Adobe. Last April, Clemson became the only school in the country to allow all students, all faculty and all staff full use of the Adobe Creative Cloud. With the studio, both faculty and students have a space where they can collaboratively work on projects, learn from each other’s projects, and inject more creativity into the curriculum, something Holmevik notes is another step forward for 21st century education.

“The next big differentiator is creativity, and the studio fits into that larger vision of injecting creativity into the learning process at all levels,” Holmevik explained. “I hope great ideas will emerge out of the collaborative efforts and sheer inspiration, because seeing what is possible can spark invention.”

The Adobe Digital Studio construction began in March. Renovating in a library presented a set of unique challenges, working around exam schedules and school closures. A wooden abstract structure towers over the center of the studio, in what CyberInfrastructure Technology Integration Deputy Director Barbara Weaver calls “an architectural statement that expresses our desire to have the space be a true studio, an environment that can be chaotic, but out of that chaos comes collaboration, creativity and innovation.”

The studio focuses on working together (Holmevik likes to call it “a collaboratory”) from floor to ceiling. Nearly every piece of technology and furniture can move around the space, which also features power hubs and Ethernet across the floor to enhance mobility.

“The living room setup arose from wanting students to sit down and watch what they’ve made together,” said Smith. “Everything is meant to move and be flexible. You can pull tables and chairs around a monitor or, with some help, move the monitor itself. We want everybody to be able to watch what others have created because that communication among peers goes a long way.”

Student interns participating in the University Professional Internship Program (UPIC) staff the studio and come from various fields of study, to realize the vision of a next-generation education where all disciplines expect creativity. Though students are the studio staff, Holmevik envisions faculty members holding office hours and creating in the space as well. Staff members will also benefit from using the studio to create work-related projects.

Smith points to the partnership between the university and Adobe as beneficial to today’s increasingly digital career fields. With a vibrant, exciting learning space at the heart of campus, the Clemson community will have the chance to create works of art that will also pay off in the long run.

“In today’s job market, it’s not ‘what you know’ as much as ‘what you can do.’ We want to give people the skill set and knowledge here to allow them to set themselves apart on the job market and flourish in their careers,” said Smith. “But we don’t want you to feel like this is just for your classes, you can make it personal. We want this to change your whole life.”

Ever thought about getting a graduate degree? It’s more do-able than you might think, and if you’re a full-time employee, Clemson will help you pay for it. Get the scoop on graduate education and the ins and outs of the application process at our Grad School 101 presentation. Grad School students, staff, and representatives of several graduate programs will be on hand to answer your questions after the presentation.

The event takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22 at the  Student Senate Chambers-Student Union on Clemson’s main campus.

While the event is free, employees are encouraged to register to secure a seat.

By Jackie Todd, Office of Media Relations

The Clemson Family wants to help its South Carolina family. Clemson University officials have announced a number of campus initiatives to help those across the state impacted by the recent storms and floods.

Water drop

• Donations of sealed drinking water will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday in front of Vickery Hall on Clemson’s main campus. Look for the Clemson Football equipment trailer parked on the street.
• On Saturday at the Georgia Tech football game, the Clemson Football equipment trailer will be parked at the IPTAY building, (located on the Avenue of Champions) to accept sealed drinking water donations from 9 a.m. until kickoff at 3:30 p.m.

All water donations will be delivered to Harvest Hope Food Bank, which will distribute the water to impacted areas.

Monetary donations

•  Clemson’s student athletes will accept donations inside the gates of Memorial Stadium prior to the Georgia Tech football game. Gates open at 1:30 p.m., and student athletes will have branded collection buckets.
• Additionally, Athletics and Clemson Home is committing $1 to the American Red Cross of South Carolina’s relief effort for every bottle of water sold at the Georgia Tech football game.
• For those who want to give and cannot attend the Georgia Tech football game, text REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 to American Red Cross Disaster Relief, which helps people affected by this flood and other disasters. All text-to-donate responses received from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday will be used to assist state of South Carolina efforts.

More opportunities

• The Clemson Collegiate 4-H Club has partnered with the American Red Cross of South Carolina to collect for items for use by those in shelters in the Upstate area. Bring any donations to the S.C. Farm Bureau CAFLS Tailgate this Saturday at Fike Recreation Center, or drop off items at the Greenville County Clemson Extension Office located at Greenville County Square, 301 University Ridge, Suite 4300 (Items will be accepted at that location until people are able to return to their communities). Items needed include: bottled water, toothbrushes/toothpaste, shampoo, soap, washcloths, pre-wrapped snack food, canned goods, toilet paper, tissues, towels, diapers, pet food for cats/dogs moved to local shelters. Contact Meghan Wood,  with any questions.
• The Learning Resource Center, 201 Edwards Hall, is accepting bottled water and non-perishable items. Donations will be sent to participating relief organizations on Friday.

• With Fall Break providing some extra days off, faculty, staff and students who wish to volunteer their services directly to help with clean up or distribution of goods are encouraged to contact the United Way.
  
• Clemson PSA personnel continue to provide assessment and assistance to farmers and homeowners. Click here for more information.

By Jackie Todd, Office of Media Relations and Jonathan Veit, PSA Media Relations

Although Clemson properties across the state remained largely unscathed, some research centers in the Lowcountry were heavily impacted.

It seemed like the rain would never end. Miraculously, the storms caused by Hurricane Joaquin left Clemson’s main campus and Upstate facilities—including the South Carolina Botanical Garden—relatively unscathed.

In North Charleston, the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI), had minimal water intrusion. Officials at 292 Meeting Street, home of Clemson’s historical preservation program in Charleston, reported some loose ceiling tiles, but no damage to electronics or equipment. Classes were cancelled at Clemson’s Architecture Center in Charleston, but are now back in session.

Crops, centers and research impacted

Some of the university’s research education centers (REC), however, sustained major damage to the fields and research equipment. The Edisto REC in Blackville remains inundated with water and much of the research equipment and field experiments have been compromised.

Despite the damage, Edisto REC will hold its annual Cotton and Soybean Field Day with a modified program intended to help South Carolina farmers cope with flood devastation. Topics include the effects of flooding on hay and cattle production; harvesting damaged cotton and peanuts and impacts on grades; advice from cotton ginners and peanut processors on what to do with damaged crops; and reports from NRCS, FSA, Farm Bureau, and the S.C. Department of Agriculture on how they can help growers after the flood.

Located in Georgetown, the Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science (BICEFS) reported no major damage to buildings but possible damage to instrumentation infrastructure on several research and coastal wetlands monitoring projects, including Intelligent River, Intelligent Forest and Strawberry Swamp.

Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture (PSA) reported that a number of Cooperative Extension offices closed for a short time and a few may remain closed for an extended period.

While the Extension offices were temporarily closed, agents’ ability to help local farmers was not. Clemson PSA has posted information about flood disaster resources online and Clemson forestry agents continue their work helping with cleanup efforts, assessment and care for tree damage, and strategies to help local farmers feed their livestock.

PSA created a website with up-to-date information about its offices and facilities. The website also offers links to resources and advice on dealing with flood damage and associated issues.

A number of main campus organizations are working on relief and fundraising efforts to help flood victims. Look for a Special Inside Clemson to be sent to campus today with more details.

The 2016 presidential election can create significant educational opportunities for Clemson and its faculty, staff and students, as candidates look for opportunities to make public appearances, and students, faculty and staff volunteer to work for and contribute to candidates and campaigns.

If you choose to engage in the political process, be mindful of relevant university policies, state laws and federal election regulations. Employees may not use university resources (facilities, computers, email, copiers, telephones, etc.) to campaign for public office. Faculty and staff who wish to support candidates must do so on their own time, using their own resources, and cannot state or imply they are acting on behalf of Clemson University.

The introduction of campaign-related topics into classroom discussions, research projects and commentary by faculty members on political topics are governed by policies on academic freedom and academic responsibility as outlined in the Faculty Manual. (see Faculty Manual – August 2015 (v.1) pages 11 – 13).

State law allows educational institutions to let candidates use its facilities if they are available on similar terms to all candidates and committees. Institutions may permit use of facilities at no charge for educational/information-oriented programs (speeches, Q&A, debate). Institutions may not favor one candidate over another. The Facilities Use Policy identifies which locations on campus are available to the public.

Here are specific Clemson policies that could impact requests made by campaigns about the upcoming election:

• Facilities use policy
• Policy on contacting elected officials
• Policy on solicitation

If you are contacted by a candidate’s representative about scheduling an official activity on campus, please contact Mark Cothran of the Office of Governmental Affairs, who will serve as the official university liaison with the campaign office.

If you are contacted by a campaign about sharing information on possible student internships or jobs with campaigns, consider sharing that information with the Michelin Career Center as they can verify the accuracy of the information and share it more broadly with the student body.

Don’t forget! This year’s benefits fair is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15th, at Fike Recreation Center. Join your colleagues and receive a FREE flu shot while gaining key information from exhibitors on employee benefits, nutrition, exercise, wealth management, wellness, technology and other related topics. The passport key you receive when you arrive allows you to track all the exhibits you visit. Enter the prize drawing multiple times based on the number of exhibits you visit. This year’s prizes range from Michelin tires and Dell Venue 7 tablets to a signed Clemson football and an Apple iPad. Everyone is a winner when you learn how being a Clemson employee has its benefits.

Flu shots are offered free of charge to State Health plan subscribers through Clemson’s Sullivan Center. Complete this FORM and fax it to the Sullivan’s Center’s fax number (864-656-1123) by Oct. 9 or bring a copy of your insurance card to the fair.

For questions, contact the Office of Human Resources at Ask-HR.

The Clemson U.Lab Hub’s LIVE session this week honors Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Month with a stirring personal reflection by a Clemson staff member entitled ”Wake Up/Hand Up: The Reach of Compassion in Inter-Racial Exchanges.”  The 9 a.m. presentation is followed by ULab-style self-reflection, heart-level dialog, refreshments, and networking.  At 10 a.m., we will connect virtually along with 35,000+ global change-makers for the ULab LIVE “Presencing” session with MIT Professor Otto Scharmer.  Join us for either or both sessions, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Academic Success Center Auditorium, room 118.

Clemson Be True is a grant-supported project of the Chief Diversity Office in cooperation with these campus partners: CODA (Undergraduate Student Government’s Council on Diversity Affairs); Clemson Abroad; Clemson Ethos; Creative Inquiry; The DEN (Design & Entrepreneurship Network); Economic Development; Clemson Thinks2; Global Engagement; Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Multicultural Center; International Center for Academic Integrity; International Services; PEER; Rutland Institute for Ethics; Service Alliance; Social Media Listening Center; WISE; and Women’s Leadership at Clemson. For questions, contact Kathy Russ at cu_betrue@clemson.edu or 864-656-3642.