Bert's Alerts—Jan. 24, 2020
In the Spotlight
CWI Clubs, Advising, Library, Center for New Directions, and several area organizations gathered this week at the Nampa Campus Academic Building and Ada County Campus Pintail Center for the College's Resource Fair where students were able to learn about services and opportunities available to them on and off campus.
News Highlights
Honor Society Achieves Five-Star Status
Beta Sigma Pi, College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) chapter of the national Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, has, once again, achieved five-star status – the highest rank for PTK chapters nationwide. Beta Sigma Pi completed a College Project and an Honors in Action Project, both of which centered on the topic of civility and stereotypes. Their College Project, focused on researching and analyzing how CWI students are stereotyped, fed into their Honors In Action Project which culminated into a training for faculty on how to promote civility in their classrooms. Both projects allowed the officers of Beta Sigma Pi to hone their research and writing skills and collaborate with college administration, faculty, students, and staff.
PTK provides scholarship, research, service, and leadership opportunities for community college students who have earned a 3.25 or better GPA. For more information about membership, contact Michal Yadlin at michalyadlin@cwi.edu or Staycee Kopp at stayceekopp@cwi.edu.
Trisler to Lead CWI Student Affairs
College of Western Idaho (CWI) welcomes Chad Trisler as the newest member of its leadership team, hired as the new Dean of Students. Trisler will provide leadership and administrative oversight for Student Affairs functions within the division of Enrollment and Student Services. A strong focus will be on becoming a student-ready college by contributing to a clarified student lifecycle, enhancing the overall CWI student experience through all Student Affairs programming, and increasing student retention. Trisler is intent on advancing student success by providing support and promoting achievement for all and working with students to remove barriers that prevent them from achieving their potential.
Trisler’s background includes undergraduate and graduate work at University of Pittsburgh where he completed a Masters of Education in Administrative Policy Studies. Professionally, he has been a Resident Director at University of Pittsburgh and Boise State University and worked with student conduct, student care, and student media at Southern Illinois University and Florida Gulf Coast University.
“I am excited to be joining a vibrant and growing campus that does so much to empower their students and the community,” said Trisler. “I look forward to joining the CWI family and bringing my family home to the Treasure Valley.”
Trisler’s official start date is Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.
Common Read Series: Communicating Scientifically
Science is embedded into virtually every aspect of our modern life and certainly in our educational experiences. For this reason, scientific information must be integrated in our personal values and considered as we conduct research and make decisions related to medical care, climate change, and food safety.
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Common Read Series invites you to join them for an informative panel discussion, “Communicating Scientifically”, Wednesday, Jan. 29, at the Nampa Campus Academic Building from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The panel – featuring the expertise of CWI faculty, Ander Sundell, Assistant Professor of Geology; Andrea Schumaker, Department Chair of Physical and Agricultural Sciences; and Holly Paquette, Assistant Professor of Biology – will discuss how scientists communicate in a non-biased manner, how professors ensure students are able to view science objectively, and what happens if the scientific perspective differs from one’s own, long-held beliefs.
This Common Read event is made possible through support from CWI’s Office of the Provost, School of Math and Science, and Liberal Arts program. All are invited to attend. Contact Kim Scheffer at 208.562.2606 or kimscheffer@cwi.edu to learn more or with questions.
Food Drive to Benefit Food Pantry
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) One Stop Staff Morale Team invites you to participate in a food drive through the month of January. Donations acquired during the drive will directly benefit students helping to stock the College’s food pantries on campus.
Items can be dropped off at donation bins located at the following campus locations:
- Ada County Campus Lynx Building
- Nampa Campus Academic Building
- Nampa Campus Micron Education Center
- Canyon County Center
Not sure what to donate? Below are a few suggestions.
- Instant soups/meals
- Cans or pouches of prepared tuna or chicken
- Canned meats, vegetables, or fruit
- Individual containers of applesauce
- Granola bars and similar snack items
- Small jars of peanut butter
- Rice
- Canned or dry beans
- Individual bags of jerky, crackers, trail mix, or nuts
- Instant oatmeal
- Small juices
- Boxed milk
- Paper plates and bowls
- Plastic utensils
Thank you, in advance, for your generosity. Please contact Katie Gepford at 208.562.3093 or katiegepford@cwi.edu.
Shakespearience to Perform Richard III
College of Western Idaho’s Visiting Artist Series is proud to welcome Idaho Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespearience to campus Tuesday, Feb. 18, to perform Richard III. Their performance, held at the Nampa Campus Academic Building (NCAB) 2nd Floor Atrium at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public and will be sign interpreted (ASL).
Immediately following the performance, plan to stay for the acting workshop beginning at 8 p.m. in room 206 at NCAB.
CWI’s Visiting Artist Series is made possible thanks to a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Visit Idaho Shakespeare Festival online to learn more about Shakespearience and Richard III. Contact Brenda Fisher at brendafisher@cwi.edu with questions.
Storyfort 2020 Micro Fiction Contest
Stonecrop, College of Western Idaho’s student-run, literary magazine, and Storyfort, a branch of Boise’s annual Treefort Music Fest, are proud to present the Storyfort 2020 Micro Fiction Contest. All are invited to write and submit original works of micro fiction to this year’s song lyric prompts. Details can be found on the Stonecrop website. Entries, due by 2 p.m. on Feb. 28, will be judged by Storyfort guest, Mary Lowry, author of the novels Wildfire and The Roxy Letters. In addition to prizes like Treefort passes and Storyfort swag, winners of this year’s contest will be published in the next issue of Stonecrop and invited to read their submissions on the final day of Storyfort.
Follow Stonecrop on Facebook @CWILitMag or Instagram @stonecrop_team and Storyfort on Facebook @storyfortfest to stay up-to-date and learn more!
1095-C Tax Forms
Benefit-eligible CWI employees, please watch for an email from Human Resources regarding information about your 2019, 1095-C tax form. This form may be used in the preparation of your tax return.
If you have any questions please contact Human Resources at hr@cwi.edu.
