Students Combine Music, Virtual Reality to Relieve Stress, Win Competitions
Music, nursing and computer science students team up for Design Innovation competition, will go on to compete in international competition in Brazil Nov. 11. Learn more.
From RAC to TAC: Introducing the Twinsburg Academic Center
The Regional Academic Center has been renamed the Twinsburg Academic Center. The change was made to bring clarity of the location of the center and confirm the identity of the building to the Twinsburg community. Learn more.
Save the Date and Register for the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service
Join millions of people across the country and turn your day off into a “day on” by participating in the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service on Mon., Jan. 20, 2020.
Choose from a variety of projects focused on early education, senior citizens, food insecurity, addressing inequality, and more. This is a great opportunity for groups and individuals—all Kent State community members are welcome.
Transportation and service leaders are provided. Let’s reflect on our impact over lunch, which will also be included.
This event is facilitated by Community Engaged Learning and is part of the university-wide Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.
Learn more and register for the MLK National Day of Service.
December Paychecks
Faculty and salaried employees who are scheduled to receive their second pay of the month on December 31, will be paid on Mon., Dec. 23. All hourly employees and student workers will be paid on Fri., Dec. 20, as scheduled.
As always, all employees are strongly encouraged to sign up for direct deposit. Paychecks not picked up by 2 p.m. on Mon., Dec. 23, will be mailed to the address printed on the check. Employees receiving a paper check should review, and if necessary, update their address in Flashline. Accurate mailing addresses are critical. Checks lost in the mail cannot be replaced until January 10 at the earliest.
To update an address, log into Flashline and in the Employee Dashboard under Top Employee Resources select Employee Profile Dashboard and My Profile. In the address section click on the pencil in the upper right of the screen and select the address being changed. Once the changes have been made and the address is correct simply click the submit button.
Questions related to the December paychecks, or the early timecard approval, can be directed to the Payroll Office at 330-672-8640, or by email at payroll@kent.edu.
Make Mindfulness a Part of Your 2020 Wellness Goals
Start planning now to be more mindful, more resilient, more rested and less stressed in the new year. Enroll in Koru Mindfulness classes this spring semester and enjoy the benefits of incorporating evidence-based mindfulness practices into your lifestyle.
Kent State of Wellness, Kent State University’s healthy campus initiative, is again offering its free, four-week, 75-minute Koru Mindfulness classes to faculty, staff and students during the Spring 2020 Semester at various locations across the Kent Campus. Join the more than 400 members of the Kent State community who have already undergone Koru Mindfulness training.
To find a convenient class session and to register, visit www.kent.edu/stateofwellness/meditation/koru.
If you have questions, contact Melissa Celko, director of Kent State of Wellness, at mcelko1@kent.edu.
Join the Weigh of Life 12-Week Challenge and Get Your 2020 Off to a Healthy Start
This ALL CAMPUS ACCESS 12-week educational lifestyle change program is designed to support successful, sustainable weight management through self-monitoring, balanced eating and regular physical activity - the three 'pillars' of science-supported, long-term change. Whether you're motivated by weight loss, disease prevention, or just looking to feel healthier in 2020, the Weigh of Life Challenge is for you.
This challenge begins on January 13 and ends on Apr. 5, 2020. Participants will have access to educational videos, handouts, resource guides, worksheets and email access to registered dietitians for personalized nutrition and lifestyle support.
For full-time, benefits eligible employees participating in the Wellness Your Way employee incentive program, you must actively participate in at least 10 of the 12 weeks of the challenge and achieve an overall participation score of 70 percent of the available points (1,092) to receive 70 reward points toward Tier 2 for 2020. Points will be updated by Be Well upon completion of the challenge.
Register to participate before 5 p.m. Jan. 6, 2020.
Want to know more about the Weigh of Life Challenge? We will be hosting two webinars to explain more and take your questions. Register below.
Webinar: Weigh of Life Overview, Dec. 13, 9 - 10 a.m.
(register by noon Dec. 11)
Webinar: Weigh of Life Overview, Dec. 18, 9 - 10 a.m.
(register by noon Dec. 16)
To see a complete list of upcoming 2020 employee wellness challenges, visit our challenge page.
Important Information about Final Grading of Fall 2019
Online final grading for Fall 2019 Full Term (POT 1), Third 5 Weeks (F3), Second Half Semester (H2), and Second Seven Weeks (W2) begins Fri., De. 6, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Fall 2019 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tues., Dec. 17. Any final grades for Fall 2019 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Fall 2019 courses will be available in the Workflow on Thurs., Dec. 19.
To access Final Grades via FlashFAST, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category / Faculty Dashboard / Grading Resources Section.
Blackboard Grading Process:
The Grade Push application has been developed as an option to assist in streamlining the university grading process. The use of this application is not mandatory, though it is encouraged. Grade Push will allow you to “push” the final grades recorded in Blackboard into our KSU Final Grade Roster, thus eliminating the time and effort spent manually entering them.
To access Grade Push, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors/Faculty Dashboard/Grading Resources.
If you have questions or concerns, please go to support.kent.edu and search “Grade Push.”
Incomplete Mark Workflow:
The instructor must create and submit an Incomplete Mark contract via the workflow. Instructors will no longer be able to select the incomplete mark (IB+, IC+, IC-, etc.) from the final grade roster in FlashFAST (Self-Service Banner). The primary instructor must initiate and submit the contract using this new workflow process, which mimics the old paper process. Once the contract has been accepted by the student and approved by the department chair/campus dean, the student’s grade will be updated automatically. The primary instructor will be able to initiate and submit the contract for a student after the deadline to withdraw (10th week of a regularly scheduled section in fall and spring, or prorated for flexibly scheduled sections) through the end of final grading.
Access the Incomplete Mark workflow in FlashLine from the Faculty Dashboard under Grading Resources or Faculty Workflows.
NF/SF Administrative Marks:
The administrative mark NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course. If a student has never attended your course, mark the student as “Not Started” on the Academic Presence Verification Roster, and the NF will automatically populate to your Final Grades roster.
The administrative mark SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. If a student has stopped attending your course the SF can be entered on the Final Grade Roster along with the student’s last date of attendance.
For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog.
Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.
Troubleshooting TIP: FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore and/or improve your access to FlashFAST and/or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to help with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.
Dates to Remember
December is Universal Human Rights Month.
Dec. 2 - 13
Fall finals for first- and second-year College of Podiatric Medicine students
Dec. 9 – 15
Final Exam Schedule
Dec. 10
Human Rights Day
Dec. 15
Bill of Rights Day
Dec. 13 – 14
Fall Commencements
Dec. 16
Kent Campus December Commencement, graduate degrees, 6 p.m.
Dec. 22 – 30
Hanukkah, begins at sunset and runs through the evening of Jan. 1.
Dec. 25
Christmas Day
Dec. 26
Kwanzaa (through Jan. 1.)