Daily Brief

Sweet SEM Image of Crystals

Nothing urgent. Just showing off some excellent work by the Kutztown University students in the applied scanning electron microscopy course. This is their very first image taken while learning to use the instrument - a sweet image of sucrose crystals at very low magnification. Full-resolution images are posted on the website below:

Gallery of Electron Images web page

Kurt Friehauf, Physical Sciences

Live Music and Folklife Demonstrations Headline the Fun at Heemet Fescht 2023

Heemet Fescht 2023, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, features live music in the barnyard, traditional crafts, folklife demonstrations, hearth cooking, live animals, children’s activities and more. Indulge your interest in regional folk culture at the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center’s Heemet Fescht 2023, a celebration of the harvest and Pennsylvania Dutch farm life. Heemet (pronounced HAY-met) means “home” in Pennsylvania Dutch. Located on the historic Sharadin Farmstead, 22 Luckenbill Road, Kutztown, Pa. The event is free, fun and educational for the whole family.

News and Media web page

University Relations

30% Off Pawbucks Sale

KU Campus Store will have 30% off apparel and gift today only. In-store and online | Excludes other sales and discounts.

https://www.kubstore.com

Kyle Rex, KU Campus Store

COVID-19 Protocols for Employees

As a reminder, employees experiencing symptoms or testing positive for COVID-19 should visit the HR website for protocols. In addition, please take note of the university’s COVID-19 protocols, which can be found on our website.

University Relations

Condolences

The Department of Elementary, Middle Level, Library and Technologies is saddened to share the news that Dr. Catherine McGeehan's father, Mr. William Vigilante, passed away on Tuesday, Sept. 12, at the age of eighty-two. Our thoughts and prayers are with Cathy and her family during this difficult time. Cards can be sent to the department.

https://www.semiancares.com/obituary/william-vigilante

Tracy L Keyes, Department of EMLT

AFSCME Monthly Meeting

Join us 5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, 200 Academic Forum for our monthly meeting. Light refreshments will be served.

Dave Isett, AFSCME

Attend the Ribbon-Cutting of Renovated de Francesco Building

Join the university and Kutztown community for the ribbon-cutting and grand opening of the
de Francesco Building, home to the university’s College of Business and the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19. Refreshments and building tours will be provided. The building underwent a complete life-cycle upgrade, which includes increased lounge and group study space, additional computer lab space, improved technology and welcomed the college’s Department of Sport Management into the building.

College of Business

Kutztown University Council of Trustees Meeting

The Kutztown University Council of Trustees will meet Thursday, Sept. 21, in the McFarland Student Union Building.
Committee meetings will begin at 1:30 p.m.:
- Academic & Student Affairs Committee, 323 MSU.
- Finance, Property, and Audit Committee, 322 MSU.
- Human Diversity Committee, 325 MSU.
- University Relations & Athletics and Advancement Committee, 324 MSU.
The Plenary Session will begin at 3 p.m., 250 MSU.

Office of the President

Free Ticket for "COVID Queertet"

A second viewing location has been added for Dr. Deryl Johnson's new play, "COVID Queertet." The play will be broadcast live from Plays and Players Theatre as part of the Philly Fringe Festival. Free admission, but ticket required; go to Kutztown University Tickets to reserve yours now.  Pre-show music provided by the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus. For more information:  www.kutztown.edu/covidqueertet.

Deryl Johnson, Communication Studies

Ignite! Kutztown Fall 2023: Call for Speakers

Ignite Kutztown will be held 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4, and is looking for speakers. The basic idea behind Ignite is - What’s the nerdy passion you want to share with other people? Make a five-minute speech about it, with 20 slides that advance automatically every 15 seconds. This can be anything you’re passionate about, really – from a hobby to a research subject to a general interest. Thus far we’ve had topics ranging from "The Last of Us" to "Apples" to playing with action figures as an adult and many others. Students, faculty, staff and community members are all welcome to attend and speak. If you are interested in speaking or learning more, please contact Emily Cripe, at cripe@kutztown.edu.

Emily Cripe, Department of Communication Studies

Free Walk-in Math Tutoring

The Department of Mathematics offers free walk-in peer tutoring for students in mathematics classes from MAT 17 through and including the Calculus sequence. Please encourage your students to take advantage of this valuable resource. Tutors are available in 207 Lytle during the following hours:
- 2-5 p.m. Monday and Wednesday
- 3-5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday 

Mathematics Tutoring Resources web page

Brian Kronenthal, Department of Mathematics

The Rohrbach Library Catalog has a new URL -- Please update links in your resources

Over the summer, the Rohrbach Library moved to a new Library Catalog user interface. This interface uses a new URL. If you have old links to our Library Catalog or resources accessed through our catalog, they will not work. They will not redirect. You will have to update those links.  You may have these dead links in your D2L pages, web pages, or other resources. Please contact weber@kutztown.edu if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you. You can find new links by using either of the URLs listed below:
- Our home page: https://library.kutztown.edu/home 
- The direct link: https://klnpa-kutztown.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?vid=01SSHELCO_KUTZTOWN:KUTZTOWN

Michael Weber, Rohrbach Library

Comp Conversations Workshops

Join us for Comp Conversations, discussions and workshops about teaching, grading and encouraging student writing. All meetings will be held in hybrid form: in-person in the CEL conference room, 6 Rohrbach Library and via Zoom at https://kutztown.zoom.us/j/95187699965. For more information, contact Dr. Amy Lynch-Biniek: lynchbin@kutztown.edu
- 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, "Grade Less: Approaches to Contract and Portfolio Grading In the Age of AI" In this workshop, we’ll share several approaches to contract and portfolio grading, discussing how these forms can be instrumental in AI. Participants are encouraged to bring materials for a specific course for which we can create rubrics or contracts.
- 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 17, "Designing Writing Assignments that Discourage Student Use of AI" Participants are encouraged to bring a writing assignment that they’d like to reconfigure, reducing the likelihood of students turning to AI to fulfill. We’ll discuss concrete strategies for revising the assignment.
- 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 19, "Library Research and AI: Uses and Cautions" For discussion: how students might productively use AI to aid in their search for sources; methods of attributing AI; cautions for and challenges of inviting AI into the process.
- 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, "Designing Writing Assignments that Include Student Use of AI," Interested in incorporating AI into your lesson plans? Bring an assignment, and we’ll brainstorm tools and activities.

Amy Lynch-Biniek, Department of English

Register for PASSHE DEI Summit Nov. 8-10

Don't forget to register for the third annual PASSHE DEI Summit happening Nov. 8-10, both virtually and in person, at Shippensburg University. This year's theme is "The Power of Community: Uniting to Amplify Voices and Foster Well-Being." There is no conference fee to attend and there are virtual and in-person options for participation. The registration link and more information are available below. This year's keynote speakers are Dr. Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, Heather McGhee and Dr. Jonathan Metzl. Please feel free to email mishra@kutztown.edu with any questions.

https://www.passhe.edu/inside/BOG/IE/Pages/2023-dei-summit.aspx

Angelica Mishra, PASSHE DEI Summit Planning Committee