Bert's Alerts—Oct. 25, 2019
In the Spotlight
Assistant Professor of English, Ryan Witt, and Communications Specialist, Jessica Argyle, attended the Conference in Community Writing, held at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 17-20, to present on the partnership they have created over the past year between Witt’s English 201 students and the College’s Communications and Marketing Department focused on creating community by empowering students to share the CWI story.
News Highlights
Service-Learning Project Brings Opportunity and Perspective
For two semesters, a small group of students have been working with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections (IDJC) on a service-learning project through their Psychology and Social Work classes at College of Western Idaho (CWI). Volunteering with IDJC as a CWI Service Learning Student is a great opportunity to learn about different career opportunities. Students were also able to participate in a guided tour of the Juvenile Correction Center in Nampa.
“The service-learning experience with IDJC was amazing,” said Diana Alfaro, a CWI student majoring in Liberal Arts. “My favorite part was going out to the Juvenile Correction Center facility on a tour. While there, we had the opportunity to learn about the operations of each department within the facility.
As part of this project, the students contributed to Youth Speaks, a newsletter published by the Youth Committee within the Idaho Juvenile Justice Commission, for juveniles in the correction centers, on probation, or in county detention centers. The newsletter addresses topics such as bullying, drug abuse, as well as personal, motivational stories and humor.
“We individually select a topic then write an article that will be relevant and bring a smile to a juvenile in custody,” Alfaro said.
Articles were edited and approved by the Youth Committee and a small group of staff within IDJC. The newsletters were then printed and distributed to youth at the IDJC facilities and detention centers throughout Idaho during the 2019 statewide Youth Survey Tour.
CWI and College of Idaho Launch Yote Track
College of Western Idaho (CWI) and The College of Idaho are pleased to announce their partnership, Yote Track, created to provide CWI students a smooth transfer process to The College of Idaho. The new agreement allows CWI students access to benefits provided by The College of Idaho and ensures an efficient transition while the students complete their two-year associate degree.
Yote Track includes automatic admission for CWI students with a 3.0 grade point average or higher, priority registration for their first semester, access to the state-of-the-art Cruzen-Murray Library on The College of Idaho campus, and other benefits prior to and during the transfer process.
“It’s really crucial students in the state of Idaho and elsewhere do their very best to finish out a full four-year educational experience,” said College of Idaho Vice President of Academic Affairs, David Douglass. “To that end, we’ve initiated this relationship.”
Douglass noted during a news conference announcing Yote Track on the CWI campus that this type of partnership to seamlessly transition from a two-year community college to a four-year liberal arts school provides students affordability, access, and vocational discernment.
College of Western Idaho President, Bert Glandon, began working on an articulation agreement with College of Idaho co-presidents, Doug Brigham and Jim Everett, nearly 18 months ago and says he is pleased with the opportunity Yote Track provides CWI graduates.
“It is really an advanced opportunity for students to have the kind of experience and opportunity to go on to a premiere, four-year liberal arts college that really has student success invested in them from day one,” Glandon said. “We’re very proud, and we’re honored, and we’re privileged to be able to say we are a partner with The College of Idaho.”
College of Idaho co-president, Doug Brigham, credits Glandon with moving the process forward to the benefit of both schools.
“Bert had this tremendous, can-do, let’s make it happen attitude, and that was so refreshing to us,” said Brigham. “I think a lot of the outcomes today with Yote Track are because of that can-do attitude on both sides.”
As students work to finish an associate degree at the College of Western Idaho, the Yote Track will allow students to take advantage of several benefits, including:
- Automatic admission to The College of Idaho upon successful completion of an associate of arts or associate of science degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA
- Scholarship opportunities
- Dedicated College of Idaho transfer enrollment counselor to facilitate the application and admission process
- Free admission to select Yote athletic events
- 15-percent discount at the College Store
- Coordinated academic advising between CWI and The College of Idaho
- Mentorship opportunities
- Priority registration during transfer term
- Access to College of Idaho’s Cruzen-Murray Library
Learn more about Yote Track and additional transfer opportunities at CWI by visiting cwi.edu/transfer.
25Live Upgrade
A new and upgraded version of 25Live will launch Wednesday, Nov. 6. This upgrade will include an updated look to the Event Form, formerly the Event Wizard, used to request space for a meeting or event.
Scheduling is offering training open houses at multiple campus location Oct. 31 – Nov. 1. Users are encouraged to attend to learn more about the changes, practice entering an event, and ask questions related to 25Live.
Trainings are scheduled as follows:
Thursday, Oct. 31
Ada County Campus Pintail Center
Room 1203
10 a.m. – Noon
Canyon County Center
Room 205
2 – 4 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1
Nampa Campus Academic Building
Room 201
10 a.m. – Noon
Nampa Campus Micron Education Center
Room 2130
3 – 5 p.m.
Contact Linda Hyde at lindahyde@cwi.edu or Brian Newkirk at briannewkirk@cwi.edu in Scheduling with questions or for assistance navigating 25Live.
Muse: A Poetry Workshop
College of Western Idaho’s (CWI) Common Read Series presents “Muse: A Poetry Workshop” with guest facilitator, Amanda Ranth.
For centuries, artists have inspired each other across time and across medium. Sculptor inspired by concertos. Composers inspired by sonnets. Poets inspired by painters. This communication across boundaries weaves the fabric of our collective, creative endeavors. In this workshop, non-traditional writing prompts of local visual artists will be used. Rotating through pieces that resonate and draw inspiration, participants will have the opportunity to give and receive feedback in small groups. Excerpts from participants work can be offered to their muses in a final exhibit matching words with the piece that gave it life.
Ranth is an activist, poet, performer, and visual artist whose background is in the street theater and storytelling. She enjoys blurring the lines between poetry and music, performer and audience. Ranth is the author of several chapbooks including “Seeds and Sleepless Nights” and “Skinless Woman”. Her work has been showcased at Queer Gather of Nations in Albuquerque, New Mexico; One Flaming Arrow: Intertribal Art, Music and Film Festival in Portland, Oregon; and locally at MING Studios, StoryFort, and at the Boise Art Museum’s Tall Tales exhibit. An Idaho native, she currently resides in Nampa where she wanders the edges of wilderness with the Cooper’s hawks and swallow tails.
New and experienced writers are encouraged to attend the workshop Tuesday, Oct. 29, from noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Nampa Campus Academic Building.
This event is made possible thanks to a grant from Idaho Commission on the Arts, which is supported by National Endowment for the Arts, as well as support from CWI’s Office of the Provost, School of Art and Humanities, Department of Visual and Performing Arts, and the Liberal Arts program.
2019 Halloween Costume Contest
Something is brewing! It is time to showcase your creative costuming on Thursday, Oct. 31, by participating in College of Western Idaho’s Culture and Employee Engagement Committee’s annual Halloween Costume Contest. Prizes will be awarded for best overall individual, overall group, and overall by building. Costumes must be worn at work to be eligible to win.
To enter, simply send photos of individual or group costumes to ceec@cwi.edu by end of day Nov. 1. Winners will be announced on Nov. 4.
Settlers of Catan Tournament—Nov. 2
Join the Business and Entrepreneurship Club for an afternoon of fun, light refreshments, and prizes at their next Settlers of Catan Tournament Saturday, Nov. 2.
The tournament, held at the Nampa Campus Academic Building from 1 – 6 p.m., will feature three rounds of play for all participants. Prizes for the tournament, sponsored by Phoenix Fire Games, will be awarded to the first and second-place winners. Admission is $10 for pre-registration and $12 at the door, paid by cash or check on-site.
Contact Shelly Moore at shellymoore@cwi.edu to learn more.
