Starlett Russell Craig, 72, former director of Academic Outreach for the Charles H. Houston Center for the Study of the Black Experience in Education at Clemson University, died Sunday, June 28, 2020, at her home.
Starlett Craig
A native of Asheville, Craig retired in 2015 after 25 years at Clemson. She was a graduate of Spelman College.
“Starlett was a trailblazer and played a huge role in the evolution of diversity programming at Clemson,” said Jerry Knighton, assistant vice president for Access and Equity. “Before many of us thought about study abroad programs, Starlett was traveling the world and exposing us all to the value of a global education.”
She was instrumental in the success of the Clemson Career Workshop and she created the SAT Boot Camp, two weeklong residential programs dedicated to academic development and college preparation of rising high school juniors and seniors.
Among its participants was the late Sen. Clementa Pinckney, one of the Emmanuel Nine, who spoke highly of his experience in the program.
“Starlett’s contribution to Clemson’s diversity journey cannot be denied,” Knighton said. “May her legacy continue to live on.”
Craig was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority for more than 50 years and of the Clemson League of Women Voters and the Clemson Area African American Museum.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held at a later date. Ray Cremation & Funeral Service of Asheville is in charge of arrangements.
John A. Martin, 21, passed away this week. Martin was a senior majoring in forest resource management from Easley, South Carolina. He also worked for the student radio station at WSBF during his time at Clemson.
“John was a valuable member of the Clemson Family, and we are deeply saddened by his passing,” said Chris Miller, interim vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends during this difficult time.”
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) is providing grief counseling to students. Any student who wants to speak to a counselor should contact CAPS at 864-656-2451. A walk-in clinic is open in Redfern Health Center from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The Clemson University Employee Assistance (EAP) program is available to employees seeking additional resources during this time. For more information and assistance, please call (866) 327-2400 or visit https://www.clemson.edu/human-resources/eap/index.html.
The service will be held under the direction of Robinson Funeral Home in Powdersville. Access John A. Martin’s obituary for details.
Clemson University Obituaries
Obituaries for active employees, retirees and current students are issued by Inside Clemson once we are able to confirm the information. Since faculty and staff live and work throughout the state, we depend on university departments, colleagues or friends to notify us of the deaths of active employees and retirees.
The Division of Student Affairs recently unveiled a new Student Code of Conduct, effective immediately. The revised code is the result of a three-year process that outlines a new procedure for adjudication of issues involving suspension or expulsion.
“We believe this updated document serves students in a manner that is consistent with Clemson University’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect,” said Beverly McAdams, interim associate dean of students and director of the Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES).
Many faculty and staff members serve as advisers to organizations and as mentors to students and familiarity with the updated Code of Conduct is beneficial to that relationship.
Any questions related to the document should be directed to OCES, located on the ninth floor of Edgar A. Brown University Union. OCES can be reached by phone at 864-656-0510.
Clemson University officials are working to provide information to students, faculty and staff on how to take appropriate preventive measures related to health and wellness. Clemson University is not aware of any 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) diagnosis of any students, faculty or staff; this is a proactive measure to provide information to the campus community.
2019-nCoV is a virus identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, suggesting person-to-person spread is occurring. At this time, it is unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people.
Signs and symptoms of this illness include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.
Anyone who has traveled to China in the last 14 days and who feels sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
According to the CDC, the best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The best way to do this is to:
Avoid contact with others, especially those who are sick.
Stay home and do not travel while sick.
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing. Then discard the tissue in the trash.
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
There is much more to learn about the transmission, severity and other features associated with 2019-nCoV and investigations are ongoing. The latest situation summary updates are available on CDC’s web page 2019 Novel Coronavirus, Wuhan, China.
This is a rapidly changing situation. University officials are actively monitoring this world-wide situation and will communicate timely information as needed.
More than 1,300 students will receive Clemson University degrees in two graduation ceremonies on Thursday, Dec. 19. They are scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Littlejohn Coliseum. In addition, Ph.D. candidates will participate in a doctoral hooding ceremony at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, in the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts.
Magnetometers will be present at all gates to Littlejohn Coliseum and the university’s clear bag policy will be in effect for both graduation ceremonies. Guest services, stroller/walker check-in and first aid will be located in Burton Gallery, the south entrance to the coliseum.
Graduates will be grouped into one of two ceremonies through the various academic colleges as follows:
9:30 a.m.
Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences
Education
Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences
1:30 p.m.
Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences
Architecture, Arts and Humanities
Business
Science
PARKING/TRAFFIC Visitor parking will be available in commuter lots around the coliseum, including C-3 and R-3 adjacent to Perimeter Road (Silas Pearman Boulevard). Parking is for graduation staff is reserved along the Avenue of Champions and across from the Tiger statue near the east gate in the C-9 lot on Centennial Boulevard.
Due to the installation of underground utilities on Perimeter Road between the C-1 parking lot and Cherry Road, attendees should use Walter T. Cox Boulevard (Highway 93) to come to graduation. Visit the university’s interactive facilities map for all construction impacts during graduation.
FACULTY Swann Pavilion is accessible to graduates and working staff only. Attending faculty are invited to enter the VIP entrance to Littlejohn at the southeast corner and follow directions to the Coliseum Club for processional and seating.
WORKING STAFF Staff members assigned to work at graduation will enter from the loading dock along the Avenue of Champions. Magnetometers will be present at the loading dock as well. Check-in is inside the loading dock, where staff will receive a wristband to access areas inside the venue.
The Clemson Libraries recently secured a grant from Clemson’s Information Technology Student Advisory Board (ITSAB) to support an open-source online homework system called WeBWork.
Many instructors in lower-division math, science, engineering and business classes that are heavy in mathematical calculations, use online homework platforms that collect and grade student assignments. Unlike traditional written homework that is graded and returned to students a week later, these platforms give them instant feedback on whether their answers are right or wrong. This helps students identify their mistakes, strengths and weaknesses, which can greatly improve their learning.
But commercial systems can be very expensive, costing as much as $100 per student per course. Produced by large publishers, their questions are tied to expensive publisher textbooks, which often do not fully meet the needs of instructors and forbid them from selecting other textbooks, some of which are free for students to use.
Michael Burr (left), Matt Macauley and Matt Saltzman, professors in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, are using open source WeBWork in their courses.
Matt Saltzman, Matt Macauley and Michael Burr, professors in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, began searching for a solution. They discovered WeBWork, an open source system which was originally developed for a physics course at the University of Rochester and has since been upgraded with many grants, including some from the Mathematical Association of America.
Saltzman installed WeBWork on a server provided by the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences’ Information Technology Services, and Macauley and Burr use it to teach their fall 2019 courses.
WeBWork is free for both faculty and students and can be used in any lower-division STEM and business courses that require students to do homework involving mathematical calculations. “It can provide homework for students in dozens of classes simultaneously,” Salzman said.
“The system also has many advantages over commercial platforms,” according to Burr. “WeBWork is built using a more robust programming language and has more flexibility in generating questions. It also collects data beyond student grades, such as the number of attempts per question, which can be used by instructors to better analyze student performance, determine areas where a student is struggling and assist them.”
The professors hope to use WeBWork again next semester if the current trial of the server is successful. However, there are still a few challenges. Though there are new commercial services that host WeBWork for a fee, Saltzman, Macauley and Burr are hosting it locally to keep costs low. For now, Saltzman is serving as a volunteer administrator, but scaling up and developing a long-term sustainable approach to hosting and maintaining the system will require support from IT staff or students.
Yang Wu, the open resources librarian at Clemson Libraries, worked to find financial assistance to get the project started during the summer of 2019 by contacting Undergraduate Student Government for help.
Reducing the cost of learning materials is a major priority for Logan Young, Undergraduate Student Body president, who worked to secure the grant from the IT Student Advisory Board, a governance group that manages 10 percent of student IT fees and uses it to fund initiatives benefitting students.
Zachary Pate, chairman of ITSAB, welcomed the WeBWork project, noting that cash-strapped students often try to finish a course without required materials.
“I’ve heard so many different stories of students who will calculate how well they can do in a class without purchasing certain items,” Pate said.
Clemson Libraries Clemson Libraries is Clemson’s first place for information. Clemson Libraries’ collection boasts 1.2 million print volumes, complemented by over 500,000 eBooks and 82,000+ electronic journal subscriptions. The Libraries’ faculty, staff and student assistants are dedicated to ensuring student success by providing the information resources and services needed to complete assignments, attain degrees and excel in the workplace.
The provost has appointed David Kuskowski, director for University Admissions, as the interim associate vice president for enrollment management, effective September 6, 2019. Kuskowski will retain his position as director of admissions while assuming the role vacated by Chuck Knepfle.
David Kuskowski
In his interim role, Kuskowski will manage the personnel, budgets, technology and operations of the Registrar’s Office, Admissions Office, Student Financial Aid and other units to strategically lead the various aspects of enrollment management. In addition, he will serve as the key representative for student enrollment, retention and degree management at Clemson.
A national search will begin this fall for the permanent associate vice president for enrollment management.
The factbook contains current and historical data about Clemson University, including information on students and employees. New features include graduation and retention information and historical trend information, as well as filters allowing users to create customized views.
A new software, Tableau, is used to provide improved data visualization.
The interactive factbook was developed through a collaboration among the Office of Institutional Effectiveness, the Office of Institutional Research and the Office of Strategy and Analytics.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please email any comments/suggestions to Juan Xu, director, Office of Institutional Research at jxu2@clemson.edu.
Clemson’s financial aid department gained a new director, but she is no rookie to how the department operates.
Elizabeth Milam, who was the department’s senior associate director, assumed her new role during the summer. The longtime administrator has held multiple positions in financial aid, so she knows the ropes.
“I’ve been at Clemson for more than 30 years, most of them in the financial aid department,” Milam said. “I started as a counselor, and progressed all the way to director.”
The new director has big plans for her position and department. These goals range from enhancing usability and accessibility to the existing IROAR system, to beefing up IROAR’s security and meeting financial aid’s compliance standards. Milam knows that certain added security measures might be frustrating for parents, but it is necessary to protect students’ personal information and identity.
Milam also has plans for her employees in the financial aid department.
“My staff pours their hearts into their work,” Milam said. “My goal is to make sure they understand what a vital role they fulfill and that they are deeply appreciated, even through the tough decisions.”
Milam said that working in financial aid can be challenging, as employees must work with families in financial crisis with limited resources trying to figure out how they can afford a college education. Sometimes her employees must make tough decisions, as students may not qualify for the funds they need and deny incoming students crucial funds.
The financial aid director knows there are challenges ahead that come with the territory of a growing campus, but she is ready to adapt and meet these challenges head on. In the last five years alone, Milam said the number of undergraduate students with financial need has risen by approximately 1,000. She knows the financial aid department must evolve to meet the needs of a larger student body, but they cannot afford to lose the personal touch that has become synonymous with Clemson.
“I think it is important to understand Clemson’s legacies, processes, strengths and flaws,” Milam said about her plans for the department. “We want to improve, evolve, and become more inclusive, while honoring our traditions and maintaining our unique qualities.”
There are two ways Clemson faculty, staff and students can support veterans who have just completed their service or who served long ago.
Green Zone Training
There will be two Green Zone Training sessions this semester on Monday, Sept 25, and Tuesday, Nov. 7. Green Zone Training provides faculty, staff, and students with an understanding of the military experience of student veterans as they transition from military to campus life. Both training sessions will be from noon to 1:15 p.m. in room 118 of the Academic Success Center.
The goals of Green Zone Training are:
Understand who the student veterans are
Understand where they come from
Learn about the veteran experience in college
Learn what you can do to support your student veterans
Familiarize yourself with on- and off-campus veteran resources
For the second year in a row, Clemson Military & Veteran Engagement and the Clemson Student Veteran Association will collect donated goods and funds during Family Weekend to support local retired veterans through the Retired Veterans Care Package Donation Drive.
All gifts received during the month of September will be used to create care packages for the veteran residents of the Richard M. Campbell Veterans Nursing Home in nearby Anderson. The care packages will be personally delivered by Clemson student veterans. Last year, they provided 155 care packages for veterans at the Nursing Home. This year, the goal is to provide a care package for every one of the 220 veterans living there.
All gifts made outside of September will support Clemson student veterans and military-connected student programs and services.
For information, contact Brennan Beck, assistant director for Military and Veteran Engagement in Student Transitions and Family Programs (bjbeck@clemson.edu, 864-656-0515).
