Campus Center design survey group hosts meetings to update community

The Campus Center Design Study  Steering Committee’s “Town-Hall Meetings” will be held from noon to 1 p.m. and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. May 2 in Room 112 in the Center for Natural Sciences at Ithaca College. Members of the steering committee and the architect of the redesign will provide a short presentation with an update on the committee’s progress. 

Campus religious leaders respond  to offensive drawing on whiteboard

Hierald Osorto, director of religious and spiritual life, and Lauren Goldberg, director of Hillel at Ithaca College, responded to an incident on campus in which a swastika was drawn on a student’s whiteboard. 

Osorto and Goldberg said they are deeply concerned that a swastika was found on the whiteboard of a student.

They said this symbol of racism and anti-Semitism runs counter to the spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion that forms the foundation of the college community and cannot be tolerated.

Guest facilitators lead workshop on engaging first-year experiences

A campuswide collaborative discussion designed for Ithaca College staff and faculty as stakeholders in students’ first-year experiences will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. May 21 in the Clark and Klingenstein lounges. 

Guest facilitators — Jimmy Howard, assistant dean of students for prevention and response at the University of Oregon, and Eugenia Merliss, coordinator of Monroe Community College’s Teaching and Creativity Center — will lead an interactive work day to conceptualize shared purposes, best practices, a connected role and needed actions to support engaged first-year experiences. 

Environmental professor to teach herbalism and tracking over summer

 Jason Hamilton, professor in the Department of Environmental Studies and Science at Ithaca College, will be teaching two classes during summer 2019 that will bring students in contact with the local landscape. Registration for the classes is currently open until May 29 for the first summer session and July 2 for the second session. 

The first class, Introduction to Herbalism, will be held from May 28 to June 28.  The class covers theory and concepts of herbal remedies and teaches practical applications.  

The  second  course will be held from July 1 to Aug. 2 and will teach students about wildlife tracking techniques and how to read what is happening in the landscape — feeding, breeding and other animal behaviors and their interactions with humans and other animals.

Vice provost discusses feedback from college’s ICC program review 

A conversation about prioritizing recommendations from the Integrative Core Curriculum (ICC) program review was held from 4 to 5 p.m. May 1 in Textor 101 at Ithaca College. Another conversation will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. May 2 in Textor 101. Danette Johnson, vice provost for academic programs, will be leading the conversations. 

One goal of these conversations is to gain community feedback on which recommendations from the ICC program review should be prioritized for additional discussion and potential implementation. The second  goal is to share a proposed process for additional discussion and curricular proposal development to receive feedback and alternative ideas about the process moving forward.

BOLD Scholars host art showcase to highlight POC mental health

The inaugural cohort of BOLD Scholars is hosting an end-of-the-year art and performance showcase, titled “Coloring Outside the Mind,” at 5 p.m. May 2 in the Dillingham Center lobby. 

The “Coloring Outside the Mind” art showcase is meant to celebrate and facilitate the expression of mental health, specifically for POC members of the campus community. It is organized on behalf of the organization the scholars created — Engaging Mental Health in People of Color (EMPOC) — for their campus transformation project.

All members of the campus community are welcome. There will be free food and dessert.

History and culture center to honor IC at grand opening celebration

Ithaca College and other collaborating partners will be honored at the grand opening of the Tompkins Center for History and Culture on May 10.

The center’s art gallery and program space will be named in recognition of the college’s support and collaboration.

 The center is located on The Commons and will help visitors explore the county’s past, present and future.

It brings together the Ithaca Tompkins County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the History Center in Tompkins County, the Community Arts Partnership and other history, heritage and culture organizations.

Exhibits will include a timeline, artifacts including maps and photographs, and interactive displays.