Tag: 3

Cardinals Care in Times of Need

Otterbein has been humbled by the outpouring of support for our students since the pandemic began earlier this year. The effort to assist students was named “Cardinals Care” and donors to date have given more than $70,000 to help students with multiple areas including:

  • Student Emergency Fund to provide funding to Otterbein students who were challenged to afford housing, transportation, basic needs, and required resources for learning as a result of protective measures resulting from COVID-19.
  • Promise House to help combat food and resource insecurity for students.
  • Textbook Affordability to provide copies of textbooks from the library that can be reserved by Otterbein students who are challenged to afford textbooks.
  • Counseling Center to help ensure that any student who needs extra guidance from Otterbein counselors during this time has easy access to it.
  • Areas of Greatest Need to help Otterbein adapt operations to best serve students during COVID-19.

In August, Darrell Miller ’79 and his Columbus-based water treatment company, Aqua Science Inc., donated 600 gallons of hand sanitizer to keep Otterbein students healthy and safe as they returned to campus. In-kind donations of critically important supplies make a tremendous difference for our ability to serve students and we are so grateful for Miller and his company’s generosity.

600 gallons of hand sanitizer was donated by Columbus-based water treatment company, Aqua Science Inc., owned by Darrell Miller ’79.

A number of alumni have helped Otterbein with unexpected expenses over the past few months to directly support the student experience while on campus, including Bill Cole ’52 for COVID and outdoor enhancements; Gwen Swigart Nichols ’93 and Nichols and Co. LLC for student programming and games; and Robert Woodruff  ’67, Curt Moore ’64 and several nursing alumni for providing funding for flu shots.

The Nigel Chatman Student Emergency Fund has been established to help students with emergency needs such as food, toiletries, books, utilities, car repairs and more. The fund honors Chatman, a sophomore at Otterbein, who died in a car accident in September 2019, en route to football practice.

To support the fund, visit www.otterbein.edu/give and in the “Designation” line, please enter: Other, “Nigel Chatman Fund.”

Otterbein is grateful for the support of Coral Harris, who generously donated funds for enhancements at the Otterbein Community Garden. Harris also helped purchase tents for the campus community, so students could hold classes and outdoor activities while being socially distanced.

 

Faculty and Staff Earn State Grants for Otterbein Efforts

Otterbein faculty and administrators have recently received numerous grants from prominent foundations and federal programs to support research, academic studies and community education. Faculty and administrators pursue grants to support the mission of Otterbein, enhance faculty achievement and student learning, and strengthen social justice in the central Ohio community.

Cardinal Science Scholar Elizabeth Isaac ’19 (Chemistry) with Professor Dean Johnston.

Cardinal Science Scholars: Boosting Students’ Expectations for Success in STEM

Amount

$999,348
over five years

Seventy-two percent of the funds ($720,000) are reserved for student scholarships.

Awarded by

National Science Foundation, Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) Program

Recipients

Principal Investigator: Dr. Brigitte Ramos (Chemistry)
Dr. Elena Caruthers (Engineering)
Dr. Meredith Meyer (Psychology)
Dr. Joan Esson (Chemistry)
Dr. Uwe Trittman (Physics)
Dr. David Sheridan (Biology and Earth Science)

Sexual Violence Prevention in Central Ohio: Interrupting Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus

Amount

$298,658

Awarded by

U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

Recipients

Project Supervisor: Dr. Kristy McCray (Health & Sports Sciences)
Dean of Students Julie Saker (Student Affairs)
OPD Chief Larry Banaszak
Professor Suzanne Ashworth (English and WGSS)
HR Director Scott Fitzgerald

OTHER NATIONAL, STATE, PRIVATE GRANTS RECEIVED INCLUDE

  • Association of American Colleges & Universities (Papa John’s and Newman’s Own), awarded $20,000 for “Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center.” Wendy Sherman-Heckler (Academic Affairs).
  • National Science Foundation, Division of Physics awarded “RUI: Neutrino Oscillations with DUNE and MicroBooNE” $195,623 through 2023. Nathaniel Tagg (Physics).
  • Ohio Department of Higher Education, Human Capital Strategies program, a total of $41,387.50 for “Pathways to Teaching.” Kristin Bourdage applied; Amy McGrath will be project director. Three districts will be involved: Canal Winchester Local Schools, Olentangy Local School District, and Westerville City Schools.
  • The Martha Holden Jennings Foundation awarded $35,000 for “Network of Excellent Teaching Hub (NExT Hub): Professional Development in Educational Justice and Equity.” Margaret Koehler (English) and Kristin Bourdage (Education).

Congratulations to the 2020 Alumni Award Honorees

Otterbein is pleased to recognize the 2020 Alumni Award recipients. These honorees made a remarkable impact within their professions and demonstrated a steadfast dedication to Otterbein. Their exceptional achievements in the arts, medicine, business and service to Otterbein make us proud to call them fellow Cardinals.

To learn more about each recipient, please visit: otterbein.edu/alumniawards

National Award Recognizes Professor’s Innovative Teaching

Associate Professor Anna Young, director of the Zoo and Conservation Science program at Otterbein, has long understood the benefits of remote learning. While video chat services are now a common teaching tool, Young began incorporating them into her classes in 2013, when video chats were a novel idea. Due to her innovative teaching methods, she recently received the 2020 Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award from the Animal Behavior Society. As the recipient of the Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award, Young will host a workshop in December 2020 on the topic of transitioning to an online learning model.

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Class of 2024 is Most Diverse in Otterbein’s History, Exemplifying Mission of Inclusivity

This fall, Otterbein welcomed the first-year students of the Class of 2024, which has the distinction of being the most diverse in the University’s 173-year history. The 133 students of color and of non-Caucasian ethnicity make up nearly 27% of the class — a 98.5% increase from the 67 ethnically diverse students entering class in 2012, when current Vice President for Enrollment Management Jefferson Blackburn-Smith came to Otterbein. He says the growth is about community and not numbers.

“It’s about the environment. We want this to be a home for students, not just a place they go to school. Otterbein is, and always has been, a college of opportunity. We want to meet students and families where they are, see them as a person first, and then help support their journey to where they want to be,” said Blackburn-Smith.

Targeted admission campaigns and scholarship initiatives are key drivers in how Otterbein has been increasing student diversity year after year. Efforts began in Columbus City Schools in 2013, then expanded to other central Ohio urban districts in 2015 and became the Opportunity Scholarship for Ohio residents earning less than $60,000 per year in 2018.

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Finding Your Inner Peace During Difficult Times

Chaotic. Unprecedented. A very weird time. Dumpster fire. These are various ways I have described the year 2020. From the time the pandemic interrupted an otherwise normal year, to the overwhelming public outcry and protests following the murder of George Floyd, to an unusually tense and anxious election season, we are living in a truly challenging time. I know there have been other moments in history that have been just as fraught
(and more), but with 24/7 news coverage and social media it feels like we are stressed to a breaking point.

 

So, what can we do?

First, pay attention to the way you talk to yourself.

When I’m stressed, I am more self-critical, and that inner voice can be pretty mean. In fact, if others talked to me the way I talk to myself, I would be furious. Just noticing that I’m being selfcritical helps me to stop and reframe my thinking.

Second, breathe.

Meditation has become really important to me. Just a little time in the morning before I start the day, being still and focusing on my breath helps me feel grounded. I can find quiet through the day to stay grounded.

Third, focus on gratitude.

There is so much joy all around, and it’s easy to miss when we’re wrapped up in miserable. The way the sunlight touches the trees, the birds in flight, the small gestures of kindness from strangers and friends — all of these can make us feel happier if we notice them.

And finally, practice compassion.

For yourself (you don’t have to be perfect) and for others. We can’t tell by looking what kind of battles people are facing. Be kind and compassionate as a default when you are walking around in the world.

 None of these things will clear up a pandemic (please wear your mask and wash your hands), or end racism, or change a broken political system. But they can help us get through this (ahem) very weird time.

I invite you to follow the Otterbein Religious and Spiritual Life Instagram page @Otterbein_Spiritual_Life for reminders to pause for prayer and pause for peace.

Rev. Judy Guion-Utsler is the University chaplain and has a master of divinity degree from Boston University and doctorate degree from The Ohio State University. She focuses on social justice, anti-racism, and changing the world.

An Invitation to Understand Racial Healing Circles

TRHT:
4 Letters,
3 Life-changing
Concepts

I have the honor of being a part of Otterbein’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation team and the work that we began in 2019 is proving to be needed now more than ever before.

Following the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, the nation’s attention became focused on the need for social justice and racial healing and reconciliation.

Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) is a process designed to bring about transformational change by addressing the effects of systemic racism through eradicating the conscious and unconscious belief in a “hierarchy of human value,” the reprehensible belief in the inferiority or superiority of persons based on physical characteristics such as race, skin color or place of origin.

The TRHT process begins by grounding our experience in TRUTH. Truth involves the inclusion of narratives and perspectives that have historically been neglected and/or ignored.

The process of racial healing is facilitated through participation in Racial Healing Circles (RHC). RHCs are facilitated group experiences where participants are guided through answering a series of questions that progressively go deeper and more personal. RHCs allow participants to share their personal experiences unfiltered and uninterrupted.

One of the greatest benefits of RHCs is the allowance for participants to engage in deep listening, hearing the stories of people they might not otherwise connect with and have a heart conversation.

RHCs offer ways for us to heal from the traumatic wounds of the past, to build mutually respectful relationships across racial lines and to transform ourselves into the beloved community.

If you are interested in an experience that leads to personal transformation and community engagement, then I invite you to join us and participate in a Racial Healing Circle.

Information about RHCs can be accessed online at otterbein.edu/TRHT. Let the transformation begin!

Passionate about education, Rev. Vaughn Bell serves as the vice president of the Westerville City Schools Board of Education and is the establishing pastor of the Triumphant Church of God in Westerville, OH.

Otterbein Named Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center

Front, L-R: Valerie Cumming, vice mayor, City of Westerville; Rev. Vaughn Bell, board member, Westerville City Schools; Elizabeth Brown, council member, City of Columbus; James Prysock ’09, director for the Office of Activism and Social Justice, Otterbein University; Cheryl Ward, director of emotional and student support services, Columbus City Schools. Back, L-R: John Comerford, president, Otterbein University; Wendy Sherman-Heckler, provost and executive vice president, Otterbein University; Margaret Koehler, professor and chair of the Department of English, Otterbein University; Kathryn Plank, director, Center for Teaching and Learning and interim associate vice president for academic affairs and dean of university programs, Otterbein University; and Tanya McClanahan, supervisor of higher education partnerships, Columbus City Schools.

Otterbein has been selected by the Association of American Colleges and Universities as one of 23 universities across the United States to host Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Centers. Otterbein is the only institution in Ohio to receive this recognition. As a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center (TRHT), Otterbein will work with its own campus community as well as the Columbus City and Westerville City school districts to create positive narrative change about race; promote racial healing activities; and erase structural barriers to equal treatment and opportunity. Otterbein leaders were joined by leaders from Westerville and Columbus for the announcement on Feb. 19.

VIDEO TIME CODES
    > 00:10 – Welcoming remarks, James Prysock, MBA
    > 01:30 – John Comerford, Ph.D.
    > 05:00 – Valerie Cumming
    > 12:20 – Cheryl Ward, LPCC-S
    > 19:21 – Rev. Vaughn Bell
    > 23:08 – Elizabeth Brown
    > 29:58 – Closing remarks, John Comerford, Ph.D.

Speaker Quotes

James Prysock, MBA

“We have learned a big secret at Otterbein, that I’ll fill you in on. When you gather the right people to do the right work, great things are possible.”

“As we start the conversation about the work we’ll be doing together as a Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Campus Center, I can assure you that the work will be intentional, innovative and inclusive.”

 

President John Comerford

“If you know anything about Otterbein, you know that we are not afraid of doing the right thing before it’s popular.”

“Today, we’re still not afraid to take on the big issues in society. We’re tackling access and affordability and workforce development. We are taking on success for traditionally underserved undergraduate populations. We’re integrating the liberal arts and have been a leader in that since the 1960s. And so today we get to add one more to that list, and I have got to say it has the most intimidating title of anything we’ve ever tried: Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation.”

“We all recognize from times in our lives where we learn a new perspective, where we see something from a new angle, where we meet someone who is different from us and understand the world and where they come from, and we see the world differently after that moment.”

“We hope and believe this will creates a real regional movement that will transform our communities for the better to and make sure that everyone has the opportunities that they deserve.”

“We are one of 23 campus centers in the country and the only one in Ohio.”

 

Valerie Cumming, Vice Mayor, Westerville City Council

“When a college accepts a designation as a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center, that college takes an enormous step towards the brighter, better future Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed about.” by Rep. Mary Lightbody (D-Westerville)

“If you are a person of color [in Westerville] your median household income is closer to $65,000 than $90,000. Your son or daughter is less likely to graduate from high school or receive a bachelor’s degree. The poverty rate for people of color in our community isn’t 5%, it’s 18%.”

“…Diversity is not something we celebrate one day or festival or month out of the year but recognize and respect every single moment.”

“…At the end of the day we are all one community. And this designation from TRHT Enterprise shows that we are a community that is willing to have these difficult conversations, to admit to these uncomfortable truths and to do the work to build the best possible city for all of us.”

 

Cheryl Ward, LPCC-S, Director of Social-Emotional and Student Support Services Columbus City Schools

“…through this transformation process, our collective selves will transcend and give space to a stronger world. Where we value human life because it is human life.”

“Otterbein has been an authentic and intentional partner with Columbus City Schools, providing opportunities for our students, staff and community. Their commitment to ensure our students have a sense of belonging on this campus and are essential to the fabric of this institution, speaks to their belief in the value of their human life, their narrative, and the power of their contribution to humanity.”

 

Rev. Vaughn Bell, Board Member, Board of Education Westerville City School District

“It is truly our hope that this new TRHT partnership will be beneficial in helping us to create welcoming, diverse and inclusive learning communities…”

“…As we move forward, in truly, transforming our community, from not just a community but to becoming the beloved community.”

 

Elizabeth Brown, President Pro Tempore, Columbus City Council

“We know the statistics that the zip code where someone is born is often predictive of how long they’ll live, whether to one-year-old, 65-years-old or 95-years-old. We know it’s predicative of whether you’ll graduate college or perhaps serve time in prison. We know it’s predictive of what kind of life-time earnings you have…zip code is almost a nice way to say it; we are talking about racism that manifests every day in our communities.”

“I’d like to set a new standard for what a good education is. I have a four-year-old and a one year old, and by the time they go to college, I want them to be looking at measuring institutions not based on some statistics in the US News and World Report, but whether a campus is reckoning with big issues like racial healing.”

“…Otterbein looks at its students as its best resource, that they can really come together and lead in tough conversations because the university supports it. So, Otterbein is right for this ambitious work, because your students are your guide. I know that when I step foot on this campus and I am grateful to be a part of it.”

“Most of us in this room acknowledge that racism exists today, but to embark on a project of racial healing is not to say that racism exists but to look inward at how it exists. Not the legacy of racism, but the presence of racism. The present day racism that continues to divide communities, lead to disproportionate access depending on what zip code and skin color you are born into and saying we are not willing to accept that fate anymore.”

 

Related Link:

Otterbein SRNA Volunteers in NYC ICU for COVID-19

A Life-Changing Perspective

In April, Monica Arce ’21, a senior nurse anesthesia student in the Graduate Nursing program at Otterbein, volunteered to work in the fight against COVID-19 as a frontline ICU nurse in New York City. This is a brief reflection, in her own words, of her experience.

I am a senior SRNA at Otterbein who has been out of clinicals for the past couple months due to COVID-19 response.

I have always been someone who needs to serve and to use my skills to the best of my ability. In April, I volunteered to go to New York City to work as a frontline ICU nurse in the fight against COVID-19. It was very challenging mentally, physically and emotionally, working 21 long 12-hour shifts, with no days off.

The patients were the sickest people I have ever seen in the most chaotic and overwhelmed care. We were short-staffed, low on supplies and had minimal working equipment. We worked together to overcome challenges that healthcare workers should never have to face. I was honored to work alongside some of the bravest, most knowledgeable and inventive nurses I have ever met. We came from all over the country with one mission: to keep people alive and let no one die alone. Most nights that was all that we were capable of doing.

These were some of the worst nights of my life, but the generosity and gratefulness of the community kept us coming back shift after shift. My perspective of humanity has forever been changed. I have been humbled beyond words. I have cried more in the past month than I have in my entire life. I have held more hands and said more final goodbyes than most people do in a lifetime.

I am a different nurse and human because of this experience. I know that every day for the rest of my life I will be caring for someone. And I know that when I am needed, I will be there. Because that is what nurses do, we respond to the call.

We asked Arce if there was anything in her Otterbein experience that helped prepare her for what she experienced.

Aside from my classes and education, I have always been encouraged by my professors to seek out opportunities, to be a leader and to have grit. We are encouraged to live above the line, to strive to be all that we can be and to take ownership of what we do. Not only do they encourage us to be outgoing, to be leaders and to care for others, but they also teach us to care for ourselves.

The staff of my CRNA program has supported me through many things over the past couple of years. They have encouraged me and treated me like family. I feel blessed to be a part of Otterbein.

Alumni on the Frontlines

Cardinals are offering essential services to their communities during the pandemic.

When Otterbein alumni graduate, they go into their communities inspired to make a difference. Today, alumni across the country are contributing to the fight against the coronavirus in many ways. From the healthcare providers, researchers or first responders who are working to overcome the virus to the teachers who are educating our children during the most difficult circumstances — and everything in between. Their service to the greater good is needed and appreciated now more than ever.

Drawing with Mr. J

When Jonathan Juravich ’05 was named Ohio Teacher of the Year in 2018, his passion for art education found a wider audience. Now his online series, “Drawing with Mr. J” is reaching out to students wherever they are during this health crisis, engaging them in short, themed drawing challenges to promote social and emotional skills.
“A year ago, we started work on a concept that would invite children to explore and discuss their feelings through silly drawing prompts. When the series was rolled out this winter, we had no idea that it would be so timely,” Juravich said. “There are currently only six episodes, but those episodes have hopefully prompted some important conversations between parents and their kids, and ome great drawing fun. We are all experiencing a vast array of emotions right now, and how we feel changes constantly. But, how do we begin to have a conversation unless we know how to identify and describe our feelings? That is what I hope we are doing, playing a small part in this moment.”

Check out his videos at www.wosu.org/mrj.

Covering the Crisis

A new program hit TVs in Ohio in March, and quickly became so popular it is the subject of international news articles, memes, t-shirts and even a song or two. That program is Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s daily coronavirus briefings, live every weekday at 2 p.m. Three Otterbein alumni have been actively involved in the program — Statehouse News Bureau Chief Karen Kasler ’89 and Statehouse News Reporter Andy Chow ’08 are on Ohio’s PBS and NPR stations every day with live coverage of the briefings; and Megan Wycuff ’11 is deputy director for The Ohio Channel, the broadcasting arm of Statehouse News, which airs the daily briefing.

“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most important tools people can have is information,” Chow said. “We believe that the coverage we’re providing for Ohio’s NPR and PBS stations has played a vital role in bringing that information to people around the state. Although covering the coronavirus can be somber and turbulent, it’s been a privilege to sit alongside Karen and carry out this important work.”

Find more information at The Ohio Channel.

Pictured (left to right) is Andy Chow, Megan Wycuff, and Karen Kasler in the studio of The Ohio Channel at the Ohio Statehouse.

Saluting Our Healthcare Professionals and First Responders

From nurses like Sophie Allen Wei ’19, who is caring for COVID-19 patients at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY, to researchers like Sophie’s husband, Derek Wei ’19, a grad student at Cornell testing antiviral drugs against the virus, Otterbein alumni are making a difference in the lives of people directly impacted by the virus.

“Amidst the fear and uncertainty of these times, I have found purpose in knowing that my ability to care for COVID-19 positive patients in my community goes far beyond providing medical care,” said Sophie. “These patients, among thousands of others across our nation, are separated from their families for multiple weeks and, in some cases, months. In my position, I have the opportunity and responsibility to update my patients’ loved ones as they fight this virus and communicate messages of hope and love.”

“Spending the last two months working in a lab focused on SARS-CoV-2 has shown me the enormous efforts many people are making during this time. Researchers across the nation and world are coming together to share knowledge to combat this pandemic. While there is still much work to be done, it is encouraging to see the strides that have been made in understanding this virus and disease. I am blessed to have had the privilege of working among such great minds,” said Derek.