May 2021
LETTER FROM LYN
Dear Team,
We’re often occupied in the “next things” we need to do. That’s a natural byproduct of a semester system--we have to get busy laying the groundwork for the next semester before we finish the one we’re in. Sometimes, though, the pressure to get started on the next “what” means that we don’t get to sit down for a quiet minute or two and just contemplate our “why.”

Let’s do that right now. 

I thought we’d start with the story of one of our Bengals: Cecelia Magallon. She, and every student she represents, is our why.

Cecelia, or Cece, as we have come to know her, was born and raised in Jerome, Idaho, and graduated from Jerome High School in 2016. Like many of our Idaho State students, CeCe was a first generation student, which means that neither of her parents had completed a college degree, but they were completely behind Cecelia as she began this undertaking. 

As the middle of five daughters, CeCe also had two older sisters to look up to and who influenced her pursuit of a degree. When she graduated high school, an older sister, Jenny, encouraged CeCe to follow in her footsteps by applying to Idaho State, and CeCe credits her sister’s support with helping her through the start of her own academic journey. 

Initially, that journey was not easy. CeCe felt lost and underprepared when she first came to ISU. She says that she struggled in that first year because she didn’t know about all the resources that were available for her and that she wasn’t using them to her advantage. In her first year, it was Jenny’s presence that provided critical support as CeCe struggled to find her own ways to be involved and to meet people.  

CeCe was determined to make her second year an entirely different experience by getting involved. She applied for and became an Idaho State Ambassador with the Admissions office. Our Ambassadors are students who provide a friendly peer introduction to campus and college. Being an Admissions Ambassador helped CeCe meet new people, opened her eyes to the resources that are available to students, and gave her a way to contribute. She loved meeting students who might be in the same situation that she was and helping them make that transition from high school to college. 

Recently, CeCe was hired as an ISU Admissions Advisor/Recruiter. Her first assignment in this position is to help get some of ISU’s informational and promotional materials translated into Spanish. CeCe says she is jazzed about this project because it will help many Spanish-speaking families like her own. As an Admissions Advisor, CeCe’s territory for the 2021-2022 school year will be the Magic Valley, which she finds exciting because that was her home and she is eager to help students like herself find a college home at ISU. Remembering her own experience, CeCe is especially motivated to help other students who may feel lost or unprepared for college. 

We asked CeCe about the people who have supported her academic dreams, who have inspired her through the tough times, and she didn’t miss a beat: “Overall, my family is my biggest inspiration. I want all the sacrifices that my parents went through to be worth it and to make them proud.”

CeCe is making us, her Bengal family, proud. I have no doubt that her family shares that pride!

Roar, Bengals, Roar! 


Lyn Redington

Vice President for Student Affairs
   and Enrollment Management
CELEBRATING THE GOOD STUFF
"Leadership is not about being in charge, it's about taking care of those in our charge." - Simon Sinek, Apple News
Service Feature of the Month: TRIO
It has been an exciting year for the Idaho State University Access & Opportunity Programs. Despite the challenges of establishing new programs and being thrust into a remote world without notice, our primary focus remains the same: getting students to and through postsecondary educational opportunities. Access & Opportunity Programs currently has nine federally funded Department of Education grants, totalling $3.2 million per year in funding to support underserved communities. These programs span across 250+ miles, employ 30 full-time positions, and 30+ student/part-time positions across four campus locations. The Spring semester is winding down and summer is just around the corner, there are always new and exciting events approaching in the Access & Opportunity Programs.
 
Last July, it was announced that our department received the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). This program offers student support such as scholarships, academic advising, tutoring, and many more services to students who come from Migrant and/or seasonal farm working backgrounds during their freshman year of college, an all inclusive first year experience program. We were able to enroll 13 students for the inaugural Spring 2021 cohort and hosted several workshops including orientation to CAMP services, regional student leadership symposium, mental health awareness, paint and connect workshops, and more. We are excited to see our first cohort finishing up their first year! https://isu.edu/camp/ 


Tackling the registration challenge
With vaccines rolling out and the plan for fall in-person learning underway, course registration dates changed abruptly this spring, necessitating some fast footwork from many of our division staff. We know that one of the things that helps students register and register appropriately each semester is timing--our advisors typically reach out for meetings with students while they are still on campus or in the midst of the semester so that other distractions are less likely to impede these contacts or the registration process--so this necessary change in registration dates may precipitate some problems getting students enrolled in their classes in a timely manner for fall. The Academic Advising crew has already been troubleshooting this, including securing a strong team of Peer Advisors for the summer months to help address the challenge. These student advisors will be heavily involved in supporting in-person NSO, and they will help with a major push to increase advising appointments by reaching out to unregistered students by phone and text. We love our student advisors!
Virtual Residential Mentors
The TRIO Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math/Science programs at ISU are looking for college students or recent graduates to serve as mentors for the high school students who attend our summer program. Mentors will be matched with 1-2 groups of students to mentor individually and as a group (groups are typically capped at 10 students).
 
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, attending mentor training, running daily mentor meetings with your students as a group (topics and materials will be provided), meeting with each student weekly, helping with Thursday evening activities on campus, transporting students to those activities, chaperoning the end-of-summer trip to visit colleges and other points of interest, and helping to deliver, organize, and collect supplies throughout the summer.
 
The summer program runs Mondays-Fridays from June 17-July 30 for students, and mentors will attend training from June 10-16 (excluding the weekend). Classes and workshops will be held virtually. Mentors will assist with in-person activities on ISU’s Pocatello campus on Thursday evenings and the bus trip July 26-30.
 
The base pay for mentors will be $3,000, with the possibility of additional pay for extra opportunities (including tutoring, running enrichment workshops on topics of interest to our students, and more).
 
For full consideration, candidates should submit applications by May 10, and interviews are tentatively scheduled for May 13-14. Applicants should be prepared to include contact information (phone and email) for two references.
EVENTS
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group
Losing a loved one to suicide can be a profoundly painful and isolating experience. The complexity of the emotions can feel overwhelming and often survivors struggle to know who to talk to for fear others won't understand. Counseling and Testing Service offers a group for survivors of suicide loss to connect with others who have suffered the loss of a loved one to suicide. This group is open to students, staff and faculty.

2nd Thursday of each month, 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
(May 13, June 10, July 8)
Student Affairs | isu.edu/studentaffairs