December 2024 NatSci DEI Newsletter

December NatSci DEI Newsletter

In this issue

Upcoming Events and Sponsorships
Cultural Competency Workshops
Student Organization Information
Important Dates
Lifelong learning
Health and wellbeing
Action List
Recognitions
Contact us

Upcoming Events and Sponsorships

The College of Natural Science is participating in the holiday food drive for the MSU Food Bank, we will be collecting sanitary and personal hygiene products (Soap, shampoo, deodorant, razors) in the NatSci DEI Office (Room 154, 8:30am-5pm) to donate. If you are an MSU department, you can contact me (Nick Goldblatt) at natsci.dei@msu.edu. and I will pick it up from you. New personal hygiene items only please.

We have created an Amazon Wishlist as well to help with ordering the hygiene products. You can access this Amazon list here.

These will be collected between now and December 13th.

A sample list of preferred items is listed below:

A list of acceptable donation goods for the food drive

The final Mujer A Mujer event for the semester takes place on Wednesday, December 4th from 6-8pm in Holden Hall room C132! We look forward to seeing you there.

A Cultural Competency Workshop being taught at Michigan State University.

Cultural Competency Workshops

We will have registration for the Spring 2025 semester cultural competency workshops starting soon, so stay tuned for information!

Student Organization Information

Are you a NatSci RSO with an upcoming event you'd like to spread the word about? Message us on the NatSci DEI Instagram page (natsci.dei) with a flyer and information and we will share it for you, or reach out to us at natsci.dei@msu.edu.

Graduate Women in STEM event on December 6th

The Graduate Women in Sciences STEM mentoring program flyer

Snowy slopes at sunset with a pine tree in the background

Important Dates

December 1st is World AIDS Day

December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 8th Bodhi Day

December 21st is the winter solstice

December 25th is Christmas

December 26th-January 1st is Kwanzaa

December 26th-January 2nd is Hanukkah

Lifelong Learning

Here are some more fun STEM-related places and activities in Michigan:

Michigan Science Center

Muskegon Museum of History and Science

tinkrLAB

Impression 5 Science Center

IQ Hub

DAPCEP

Mental health and wellbeing

Please take care of your health and wellbeing. Please use the resources below for support.

We have also created a health and wellbeing webpage on the NatSci website, it covers 8 categories of health states. If you wish to add any potential resources to the pages, feel free to reach out to us at natsci.dei@msu.edu.

You can visit the webpage here.

Action List

Academic Accessibility

Schedule a consultation

Need assistance or advice about accessibility in your classroom? Request an accessibility consultation with the Instructional Technology and Development group.

October accessibility tip

When recording a class session in Zoom, choose the “record to the cloud” option. This will save your video directly to MediaSpace, and as long as the captioning option is turned on in your settings, a transcript will also be machine generated. Use a good microphone and transcripts will likely be highly reliable.

Want to learn more?

MSU employees can request access to Deque University online self-paced trainings at no cost. Deque's comprehensive web and digital accessibility curriculum covers the full range of topics, with classes designed for a variety of professionals.
Self-enroll in this D2L course developed by the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD). The course focuses on disability education, RCPD accommodations, and accessible classroom best practices.

Inclusive Pedagogy

Participate in an NSF educational research project!

Do you teach a blended / hybrid undergraduate course at MSU?
Are you interested in transitioning your course to a blended format?
Would like to be part of the study and professional development community related to blended courses?

MSU’s Enhanced Digital Learning Initiative (EDLI) is seeking instructors interested in or already implementing blended undergraduate courses in all disciplines to participate in an NSF-funded study for one or more semesters between Spring 2024 – Fall 2025.

Instructors receive an overload stipend and professional development opportunities.

View complete recruitment information here.

Upcoming classroom accessibility training

Get accessibility training!

Deque University offers online, self-paced training. Deque's comprehensive web and digital accessibility curriculum covers the full range of topics, with classes designed for a variety of professionals.

MSU IT Educational Technology Training website

Educational technology workshops covering topics to help faculty use MSU-supported software in their classrooms. Workshops occur throughout the semester.

Flyer for Holiday Grief counselling on December 3rd

The holidays can be a hard time for many dealing with grief around this time of year. On December 3rd from 5:30-7pm, there will be holiday grief counseling in the MSU Union, Room 320. Registration is required.

President Guskiewicz gave an update on the spaces in Berkey Hall and the MSU Union involved during February 13th 2023. Classes will also not be held on February 13th 2025, except for some graduate and professional classes.

Read the full announcement here.

The Office of the Provost has put together an FAQ list of civil discourse, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression. This webpage helps to identify ways to contribute to reasonable discourse and respect first amendment rights in conversations today.

Read the full webpage here.

Please review the Religious Observance Policy for 2024-25 exam and presentation scheduling. You can find a listing of the 2024-25 list of religious holidays here.

The University has updated its policies surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, and pregnancy-related conditions for students and employees.

You can read these updated policies here.

If you suspect misconduct has happened or have a concern about it, you can contact the MSU Misconduct Hotline at 1-800-763-0764, or reach out to them at misconduct.msu.edu.

The office of ASMSU Student Rights Advocates provides assistance to students in University-related affairs involving the MSU conduct system, residence hall life, and more. The SRA office is not funded by any university department, and operates as a

confidential and independent resource for students. Student Rights Advocates cannot dispense legal advice, For legal advice,

contact Student Legal Services at (517) 353-37163

Recognitions

NatSci Professor of Microbiology Richard Lenski was awarded the Microbiology Society Prize Medal for 2025! The medal is awarded to microbiologists who are global leaders in their fields, and who have significant impacts in the world of microbiology.

Read the full article here.

On November 15th, 29 members of the NatSci community were recognized for their achievements during the Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony! The event honored faculty, staff, and students for their work in the college.

Read the full article here.

The NatSci DEI Office welcomes Yasas Vithanage into our office! HE will serve as the new DEI Community Engagement Coordinator, and has written up a small introductory statement below:

Hello NatSci Students, Staff, and Faculty!

My name is Yasas Vithanage (he/him) and I am the new DEI Community Engagement Coordinator. My role at NatSci is to simply improve your experience as a student, staff, or faculty through some fun, curiosity, and hopefully food.

I am originally from Sri Lanka and I came to the United States to pursue my bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering. I was highly involved as a student as an RA, an SGA senator, International Student Union directorate member, and participating in all manner of leadership office programs. After I received my bachelor’s degree, I realized that I really loved helping STEM students learn who they are so that they can be better Engineers, Scientists, Doctors, ect. for all people, so I completed my master’s degree in Counseling for Higher Education and Leadership.

In my career I’ve got to work on anti-hate/bias policies and education, gender-inclusive practices and education, student and staff accountability, peer education and support groups, technology and automation, and a lot of events where we got to cook and share food. I can’t say I am an expert in anything, I am just a curious person. You can probably talk to me about anything and I’d get excited. I am so happy to have got to work and learn with so many amazing people who helped me be better to myself and others around me and I hope to help create that here at NatSci with you.

Come visit me in the DEI Office, Room 154 in the NatSci Building, to say hi, get some snacks, destress, and tell me your ideas on how we can have more fun together. Currently, I work a hybrid schedule where I work from home on Wednesdays and Fridays and I am working on an weekly office hours schedule, which I will share soon. You can always reach me via email (vithana1@msu.edu) or TEAMS. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my daughter, two dogs, and two cats. My hobbies include powerlifting, photography, and anime (currently finishing Black Clover).

See you soon!