Tag: faculty

By Jackie Todd, Office of Media Relations

Your opinion matters. Are we effectively communicating with you? Are we giving you information that you want and need? Are we using effective channels to provide that information? We’re not going to know unless you tell us.

To help us better understand what information that you want and need from Clemson, the university will offer an internal communications survey to its 4,800 faculty and staff. The survey is administered every two years. This year’s survey will be open from April 13 through April 24.

Faculty and staff who complete the survey will be entered into a drawing to receive one of two free employee parking placards. The placards are good for one year. Please note that in order for us to move forward with the drawing, we must have at least 950 completed surveys, so encourage your colleagues to participate. As of today, we have 401 completed surveys.

What you said

The initial survey, which first debuted in 2013, yielded actionable information:

• Although most respondents indicated that the information they received from Clemson was “about right,” one in four employees reported that they received “too much” or “overwhelming” information.
• Most respondents gave high marks to the timeliness of information they received; however, there were complaints about the timeliness of inclement weather announcements and campus alerts.
• The top three channels through which faculty and staff received information included:
  • Campus-wide emails (but many complained that they received too many of these)
  • Inside Clemson weekly e-newsletter (formerly called Inside NOW)
  • Their co-workers
• One in three respondents indicated that they received emails that did not pertain to them.
• Respondents indicated that they did not read the weekly e-newsletter, because it was too long, a marketing tool, and a vehicle for advertising events.

What we did

• Reduced email clutter: Most campus-wide emails are now included in the weekly Inside Clemson e-newsletter with news and information posted on the faculty and staff Web page.
• Added other communications channels: We enhanced our Social Media presence and disseminate news through Twitter (@InsideClemson and @ClemsonUniv), Facebook, Inside Clemson Instagram and more! We also use the digital signage around campus to publicize events.
• Redesigned the weekly e-newsletter and changed its name: We streamlined the format so that readers can quickly scan content and click on the articles that are of interest to them. Inside NOW was renamed Inside Clemson to be consistent with all communications coming from the Inside Clemson account.
• Categorized content in the Inside Clemson e-newsletter: The redesigned e-newsletter offers feature areas with photos. Other important news is located in the Headlines section and a sampling of university events, trainings, seminars, etc. – all of which can be found on the university calendar—are listed under the Upcoming events
• Redesigned the faculty and staff Web page: The new design intuitively weaves features, news, resources and more onto one page.

What do you say?

Our internal communications enhancements are only efficient if they better help you access the information that you need. Are we on the right track? It’s your turn to tell us.

Contact Jackie Todd, internal communications director with any questions.

Student Disability Services (SDS) wants to make sure you are aware of some important details if your students will be using the Test Proctoring Center (TPC) during final exam week (April 27 – May 1):

·         The TPC is limited on the number of exams that can be proctored during the week of finals. We cannot reserve space or take tentative test proctoring requests.  SPACE WILL ONLY BE AVAILABLE FOR SDS REGISTERED STUDENTS.  Upon receipt of a completed online test proctoring form (submitted by the student and verified by the instructor), we will confirm whether or not we can accommodate the request.  We operate on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVE BASIS, so please respond to and confirm your students’ requests ASAP.

·         The deadline for submitting a completed online test proctoring form (including the student’s request AND instructor’s verification) to SDS for final exam week is noon Monday, April 20.  Once the scheduling window is closed, it will NOT be reopened.

·         When one of your students submits the online form here, you will receive an email asking you to verify the exam information. You must complete the verification before the deadline. (Note: Please do not close the page unless you have seen the confirmation page indicating that the form has been successfully submitted.)

·         If you do not receive a confirmation email from clemsontpc@clemson.edu, then the exam has not been scheduled.  Please check your junk email folders for this confirmation email.

·         Access and manage student requests here. You can also check the status of student requests at this site.

·         TPC hours during final exam week: 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. (exam must be finished by 7 p.m.). Our online system will not process requests in which the end time of the exam is after 6:30 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 4:30 p.m. on Friday. To work around this, please select a time allotted that will fall within the allowed parameters. Please indicate the correct start time and time allowed in the special instructions section of the form. (We apologize for the inconvenience and are working to get this fixed.)

·         Due to the high volume of exams, we will not be able to guarantee our usual one business day turnaround on completed exams. The quickest way to receive completed exams is to select the “instructor pick up” option on the proctoring form.

An email was sent to students regarding the deadline for submitting test proctoring forms for final exam week. View more information here.

April 7 is no ordinary Tuesday. On that date, Clemson will commemorate the 127th anniversary of Thomas Green Clemson’s death, which set forth the chain of events that led to the eventual founding of Clemson University.

Clemson University’s Tiger Brotherhood will host its traditional Founder’s Day service at 5 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pendleton.

Among the speakers will be Clemson President James P. Clements and historian Jerry Reel.

Following the service, attendees can visit Thomas Green Clemson’s gravesite.

By Jackie Todd, Office of Media Relations

Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) officers were out in force Tuesday at the University Union Starbucks. But they weren’t there to perform an investigation, write a ticket, or collar a criminal. Instead, they were there to build a community.

CUPD’s Coffee with a Cop event regularly attracts more than 100 people. Part of a nationwide movement begun in 2011, the event allows law enforcement to break down barriers and to build relationships between police and the communities where they serve.

“We hold these events to come together with the community to discuss anything they want to discuss,” said Dwayne Leslie, a CUPD lieutenant and one of the event organizers. “There’s no agenda. By coming out, having coffee with a cop and meeting their local police officers, the community can put a face with that officer that they see in the car. If they’re more familiar with someone, they’re more likely to call on them for help.”

Charity Hubbard, a sophomore studying recreational therapy, wasn’t planning on meeting the police when she made her morning coffee run. But her visit to Starbucks turned out to be an opportunity to address a perception that many students have about law enforcement.

“I was walking in about to buy my own coffee, but the cops talked me in,” she said. “It’s probably the first time I’ve interacted with a cop in general. It was nice to have them come up and talk. They’re really friendly. They’re real people, not scary cops.”

Hubbard’s friend, Danielle Brafford, agreed.

“I think that a lot of people think that the cops are against the [or] they want to make money from the students,” said Brafford, a junior recreational therapy major. “That’s a common belief. But it was kind of encouraging to see their interactions with people and how open they were with talking and getting to know them.”

Along with building trust and community, CUPD sees the Coffee with a Cop initiative as a chance to familiarize students, faculty and staff with their role.

“Usually they are just curious about what we do,” explained Leslie. “We have our explosive detection dog, Doc. He’s always a big hit; so they’re curious about him and what he does. A lot of the questions involve many officers we have, what do we do each day. A lot of times they’re not familiar with what we do on a regular basis.”

The event, according to Leslie, also pairs law enforcement with the public that they serve.

“A lot of times the officers are on the job and in their car and they don’t interact with the public a lot,” he said. “But we bring those officers out and they really have a good time. It just reminds them of why they do what they do and why we’re out here to serve. It gets them back in touch with people and so that’s one of the really good things that happens from our side.”

Coffee with a Cop is held on campus each semester.

By Jackie Todd, office of Media Relations

Clemson’s carillon chimes are about to sound even better. A 3,000-pound bell became the newest addition to the Tillman Hall carillon Monday as workers very carefully removed the building’s north clock face and installed the bell.

Phillip Addington has been with Clemson for 16 years. As a civil survey project supervisor for the university’s facilities department, this is the first time that Addington and his team have embarked on such a complex – and stressful – project.

“This was a first for all of us” he said. “We had to remove the clock mechanism that turns the hands. Of course, with the brick being over 100 years old, we were concerned about the clock face. Once we loosened everything up, we were concerned about the clock falling out. We didn’t know how heavy it was, but once we got into it, we realized it wasn’t quite as heavy. This process was definitely trial and error.”

Comprised of 80 percent copper and 20 percent tin, the bell is the largest carillon bell ever cast by bell foundry Meeks, Watson & Company.

Bill Meeks, owner of the Ohio-based company, was on site for five days to oversee the laborious process of preparing and installing the bell. Meeks’ company has been in business since 1991 and in that time, he’s cast just four other bells of this magnitude.

“Not only is this the largest bell that we’ve cast, it’s the largest one cast in the U.S. in the past 75 years,” he said.

The bell, according to Meeks, was two years in the making.

“First we had to match the pattern of the existing bells,” he explained. “We had to take the profiles of the existing bells and design this bell to match that profiles so that the characteristics could be the same when the bell is played. Then we scaled to that note and made a false bell. One you have the false bell, then it is placed into the mold to make a cavity in the bell that equals the mold. The metal is then poured into the mold.”

The D#/E flat 3 bell will allow Clemson’s carillon to function in ways that it did not before. Many carillons, according to Meeks, are made and purchased without certain bells, typically because the bells are heavy and expensive.

“Thus, you are limited in the amount of music that can be played,” said Meeks. “Modern carillon music is written with the D# tone. So this inclusion of this bell will make a difference in the carillon.”

The bell was a gift from the Clemson’s Undergraduate Student Senate and the 2011-2012 student body.

More photos here.

Clemson Online offers faculty development for those who would like to learn more about teaching online or incorporating technology into their face-to-face classes. View and register for sessions here.

This week’s session is entitled A Matter of Perspective: A Student’s View in Blackboard. This session will cover the Student View tool as well as struggles that students encounter which are frequently invisible to instructors. We’ll cover a student’s view of grades and feedback as well as issues accessing items, attachments, and attempts. This session will be online at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 11.  There’s still time to register. To find out the session URL and to register for the session, click here.

For questions, contact Allyson Davis, associate director of online faculty development.

As the semester ends and holiday travel commences, Redfern Health Center officials remind all faculty, staff and students to heed travel advisories from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

CDC urges all U.S. residents to avoid nonessential travel to Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone because of unprecedented outbreaks of Ebola in those countries and caution against travel to Mali. Up-to-date travel notices and information on the specific countries are available here.

Everyone returning from one of the four countries should monitor their body temperature twice daily for 21 days after travel. Anyone developing a fever of greater than 38 degrees Celsius or 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or experiencing additional symptoms should seek immediate medical attention.

University officials continue to prepare and plan in case students, staff or faculty with possible exposure to the virus arrive on campus from the affected region. The university is working closely with South Carolina DHEC. Redfern Health Center employees have been trained on the signs and symptoms of the Ebola virus and will continue to be on high alert until the public health emergency has passed.

No Clemson University-affiliated persons have been identified as having traveled to or from the four affected countries as of Dec. 1, and no students from those countries are expected to arrive on campus for the spring semester.

Ebola virus is a severe, often fatal, disease in humans. It is not a respiratory disease like flu, so it is not transmitted through the air. Ebola virus is transmitted only through direct contact with the blood or body fluids of an infected, symptomatic person or through exposure to contaminated objects (such as needles).

Symptoms, which may appear two to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus, include: fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, lack of appetite, and abnormal bleeding. An individual would have to have direct contact with someone experiencing symptoms for disease transmission to occur.

For more information, visit the CDC and the Redfern Health Center websites.

By Jackie Todd, office of Media Relations

The first of three candidates for the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost position spoke to a packed auditorium in Tuesday’s open campus forum. Robert Jones of West Virginia University shared information about his background, experience and strategies and answered questions from faculty, staff and students. For those who were unable to attend in person, the forum was streamed online.

Two other candidates will be on campus to present their qualifications and engage with the Clemson family. Candidate Sheryl Tucker, from Oklahoma State University, is scheduled to appear on July 10 and Gregory Crawford, from the University of Notre Dame, will present on July 15. Each forum will be held in the Lee Hall No. 2 auditorium, Room 2-111, from 9 to 10:15 a.m.

The forums will be streamed online on the finalist page of Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost website. This page requires a log in with your Clemson ID and password. The page will also offer visitors a chance to give feedback on each of the candidates.

University faculty and staff who have questions for the finalists but cannot attend the forums can send their questions before and during the forums to jtodd3@clemson.edu.

Candidates will also participate in a series of informal drop-in meetings. Visit the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost website for drop-in meeting times, candidate bios and other information.

If you use public transportation between Anderson and Clemson, you’ll want to read this.

Beginning July 1, the Clemson Area Transit (CAT) Anderson 4-U route will cease operation. However, Electric City Transit, operated by the City of Anderson, will establish a new route that will encompass most of the old 4-U route.

The newly established Electric City Orange route buses will depart from Wal-Mart on Liberty Highway in Anderson at :51 after the hour (first departure at 6:51 a.m. and last departure at 5:51 p.m.) and transport riders to Tri-County Technical College (first departure at 7:15 a.m. and last departure at 6:15 p.m.). Other stops along the route include Interstate Boulevard, Sandy Springs Road, and Anderson Station which service areas like LaFrance Industries, Sandy Springs Water, Bi-Lo in Pendleton, Michelin Plant, Publix and K-Mart.

From Tri-County Tech to Clemson

To ensure connectivity and assess demand for Clemson University ridership between Tri-County Tech and Clemson University, Clemson University Parking and Transportation Services will implement a “pilot” program available for university faculty, staff, or students who display a valid Clemson University ID.

Clemson University Parking and Transportation Services will operate peak-hour express transit service using the free Tiger Transit shuttle vehicles from 7 until 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The route will start at East Library Circle departing at the top (:00) and bottom (:30) of the hour (first departure at 7 a.m. and last departure at 6 p.m.). The bus will travel to Tri-County Tech and connect with the Electric City Transit Orange Route bus at Tri County Tech’s transit stop on Woodburn Road at :15 after each hour. The bus will then return to campus with one stop at Tiger Town Village at :19 after the hour and :49 after the hour.

The Electric City Transit Orange Route will require a fare to ride. A one-way fare from Anderson to Tri-County Technical College for an adult will be $0.50. Reduced fares ($0.25) are available for senior citizens, students K-12, disabled, and Medicare card holders. However, during this transition, free transfer passes to board the Tiger Transit shuttle to Clemson University will be distributed to Clemson faculty, staff and students during the first week of service and will be available at the Parking and Transportation Services office beginning July 7.

Future plans

Parking and Transportation Services is also working with Tri-County Tech to establish a future “Park & Ride” option so that faculty, staff and students may obtain a discounted Clemson parking permit to park in the parking lot on Mechanic Street where they will be able to transfer onto Clemson’s Tiger Transit shuttle. Stay tuned for more details.

Visit the Parking Services website for more information.

Join the fun! Clemson Athletics invites all faculty, staff, students and the public to watch the World Cup on the big screen at Historic Riggs Field at noon Thursday (June 26)

Team USA will take on Germany in a match that determines the outcome of their World Cup run. Fans can bring chairs, blankets, and snacks to enjoy while they watch the game. For more information, visit ClemsonTigers.com.