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Originally posted in response to the burn-out as a result of the pandemics of 2020, this post is as relevant as ever. Juggling ever changing contexts and considerations at work, while setting boundaries to keep ourselves healthy can really wear a person down. And that's not even considering additional responsibilites in caregiving, at home and in our communitites. Needless to say as we approach the end of the calendar year, and with it a short break, here is some advice from MSU's Well-being at Work Guide: Taking time away from work, in the forms of breaks, vacation time, or strengthening boundaries around employees’ workdays, is important. Breaks throughout employees’ days have many benefits. Employees should also remember to take a break for lunch. There are additional resources that walk employees through how to maximize lunch breaks, as well as the benefits from doing so. Taking vacation time, whether vacationing away or staying at home, helps employees increase their productivity and improve their health. This information is important for both supervisors and employees in order to work toward supporting employees and creating a healthier workplace. Vacation TimeGoing on a vacation or taking time away from work improves employees’ productivity, as well as their energy and focus within the workplace. Employees then can come back to the office refreshed and excited to get back to work, which translates into better productivity, higher quality work, and more energy in their workplace. Organizations and supervisors supporting employees taking vacation time increases the retention of employees and their loyalty to the organization, as well as increasing their job satisfaction (Vinocur, n.d.; Mohn, 2014). Almost 70% of employees feel more satisfied with their jobs if they take regular vacations, and more satisfied employees will stay at their jobs longer, reducing high turnover and costs associated with hiring (Vinocur, n.d.). Taking vacation time also strengthens employee relationships with their families and those they care about outside of work (Hutchison, n.d.c; Kasser & Sheldon, 2009). Taking vacation time also improves employees’ health, preventing heart disease and other illnesses, helping manage anxiety and depression, and improving their sleep by almost 20%. This can result in lower healthcare costs for employers and reduced stress for employees (Vinocur, n.d.). Taking vacation time should be encouraged, as it leads to a happier heather work climate. For employees to get the most out of their vacation time, they should prepare their workspace for their absence. Taking care of any final emails, setting up their “out of office” email, and organizing their work area allows employees to step away from their work for their vacation and come back to as little catch-up work as possible. If an employee must work during their vacation, they should set up certain time periods to work, then not work outside of that time, including checking their email (Hutchison, n.d.c). Taking these steps helps employees focus as much of their time as possible on their vacation, to step away from work and de-stress, and be excited to jump back into work upon their return. For more information on MSU’s vacation policies, visit MSU’s Human Resources Solution Center for walk-in services in Suite 110 of Nisbet Building or email them at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu.
Benefits of taking vacation time:

Improves productivity 
Improves employees’ focus and energy in the workplace  
Increases retention of employees and employees’ loyalty to the organization 
Increases job satisfaction 

Almost 70% of employees feel more satisfied with their jobs if they take regular vacations 


Strengthens relationships with those outside of work 
Improves sleep by almost 20% 
Helps manage anxiety and depression 
Helps prevent heart disease and other illnesses 
Gives the body a break from constant stress 
Lowers healthcare costs 

How to set yourself up to get the most out of your vacation time:

Take care of any final emails 
Set up your “out of office” email 
Organize your work area so you come back to a clean space 
If you have to work during your vacation, try to set a certain time period that you work, and do not work outside of that time period, including checking your email

For more information on MSU’s vacation policies, the HR Solution Center offers walk-in services in Suite 110 of Nisbet Building and answers questions via email at SolutionsCenter@hr.msu.edu Additionally, in Focus on Can and Serve, educator Erica Venton shares her own tips for being present this time of year, even if it brings difficulties, stress, or sadness. She includes being giving the gift of kindness and reflecting on what you have control over in her recommendations. Read the full article here.
Resources Supporting Wellness on Campus

Health4U  

Rest with Music classes 
Emotional wellbeing classes and one on one coaching 
Walking paths across campus can be useful for employees to practice grounding strategies throughout the workday. See Health4U’s maps to chart walks, runs, or bike paths: https://health4u.msu.edu/resources/msu-campus-walking-tour
See https://health4u.msu.edu/wellness for more information


Employee Assistance Program 

Free, confidential, up to six sessions of counseling, per issue

For MSU employees (faculty and staff), their spouses or partners, and their children (insurance eligible)


Counseling on work and employment situations 
Stress reduction classes 
Emotional wellness classes 
See https://eap.msu.edu/ for more information


WorkLife Office 

Professional staff offer one-on-one consultations to help employees deal with many issues, including stressors at work and at home

See the introduction page of this guide for information on how to request a consultation


The office also offers many presentations and trainings on a variety of topics, including stress and grounding strategies

See the introduction page of this guide for information on how to request a presentation





Sources
Hutchison, J. (n.d.c). Why vacations matter. Michigan State University WorkLife Office. https://worklife.msu.edu/news/why-vacations-matter
Kasser, T., & Sheldon, K. M. (2009). Time affluence as a path toward personal happiness and ethical business practice: Empirical evidence from four studies. Journal of Business Ethics, 84, 243–255. http://dx.doi.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1007/s10551-008-9696-1
Vinocur, L. (n.d.). 10 reasons why vacations matter. Take Back Your Time. https://www.takebackyourtime.org/why-vacations-matter/10-reasons-to-vacation/
Mohn, T. (2014, February 28). Take a vacation: It’s good for productivity and the economy, according to a new study. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyamohn/2014/02/28/take-a-vacation-its-good-for-productivity-and-the-economy-according-to-a-new-study/#7652f6a85a33
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

Mandatory reporting
If you are an employee and a student or colleague discloses that she or he was a victim of sexual assault or relationship violence, your response and support can make a big difference.
MSU recognizes the complexities associated with fulfilling your mandatory reporting obligations as an employee while offering support and maintaining the relationship you have built with the student or employee. To that end, MSU has created the University Reporting Protocols in order to provide employees with information about the mandatory reporting process, including what happens when a report is made, as well as tips for responding and supporting students and employees.
Unless identified as a confidential source, all university employees are obligated to promptly report incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence, sexual misconduct, stalking, and relationship violence that:

Are observed or learned about in their professional capacity
Involve a member of the university community or
Occurred at a university-sponsored event or on university property

Employees are only required to report relationship violence and sexual misconduct of which they become aware in their capacity as a university employee, not in a personal capacity.

For more information about employee mandatory reporting roles and responsibilities, download the University Reporting Protocols.

I am a faculty member or instructor.  Is there recommended language I can put in my syllabus to notify students that I am a mandatory reporter?
(EXAMPLES OF RECOMMENDED LANGUAGE)

Michigan State University is committed to fostering a culture of caring and respect that is free of relationship violence and sexual misconduct, and to ensuring that all affected individuals have access to services.  For information on reporting options, confidential advocacy and support resources, university policies and procedures, or how to make a difference on campus, visit the Title IX website at civilrights.msu.edu.
Limits to confidentiality.  Essays, journals, and other materials submitted for this class are generally considered confidential pursuant to the University's student record policies.  However, students should be aware that University employees, including instructors, may not be able to maintain confidentiality when it conflicts with their responsibility to report certain issues to protect the health and safety of MSU community members and others.  As the instructor, I must report the following information to other University offices (including the Department of Police and Public Safety) if you share it with me:

Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child;
Allegations of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment; and
Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.

These reports may trigger contact from a campus official who will want to talk with you about the incident that you have shared.  In almost all cases, it will be your decision whether you wish to speak with that individual.  If you would like to talk about these events in a more confidential setting, you are encouraged to make an appointment with the MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services.

This week, we are featuring Dr. Stephen Thomas who wears many hats here at MSU. He is the Digital Curriculum Coordinator in the College of Natural Science, the Assistant Dean for STEM Education, Teaching and Learning, and he is also the Associate Director for the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science. Stephen was recognized via iteach.msu.edu's Thank and Educator Initiative! We encourage MSU community members to nominate high-impact Spartan educators (via our Thank an Educator initiative) regularly!
I’m Dave Goodrich and I help design engaging learning experiences with educators like Stephen here at MSU. I’ve had the privilege of getting to work and learn from Stephen over the years and was glad to get to be able to interview him for this series. This is a longer conversation than typical educator stories, but we could have talked even longer, I’m sure. In fact, from this conversation, I’d love to have follow-up conversations with Stephen on some of the things that came up here, but for now, read more about Stephen's perspectives and experiences below:
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Dave  
I thought we could begin our conversation by having you give a glimpse into how you became an educator and your path to becoming an educator. We also usually start this with a challenging question: In one word, what does being an educator mean to you?
Stephen  
I would say I am really focused on connection. So usually I'm dealing with populations who are studying things that are unfamiliar to them. So usually I'm teaching non-majors or done some work and informal science education, and, you know, some work with majors. But I feel like in general, I'm usually talking to a naive or inexperienced population, and I'm trying to help them to see themselves in the content that they're studying. And then I think over time, I've realized that there's a large piece of having a connection with the individual in order to help them then make a connection with the content. And so you know, and sometimes it's even like, how are you connecting them to each other, in order to help support them, like peers and their fellow students? I think there's a lot of that element in how I go about probably in the educational endeavor. So it's a lot of like, how do we engage people and get them to see themselves in the content that they're working with?
Dave  
Yeah, absolutely. So I love talking to educators, like you, who inspire me. It's educators like you who helped me decide to go into education, because of how they kind of poured themselves into it and really cared for their students like how you're describing. I'm curious, I don't know if I've ever, ever asked you before, was there a moment in your life where you were like, yes, this is what I want to do. How did you enter the world of education?
Stephen  
So I come from a long line of educators and lawyers. I was never going to choose law. I find it fascinating, but it just wasn't for me. And it just seemed like a very natural fit. So I think what's interesting, though, is that the piece that I've really resonated with is not necessarily the teacher part, it's actually the curriculum part. To go to the law piece, you have trial lawyers, and then you have the lawyers who are like, in the background, like, you know, getting everything together. I really like the background piece. I like thinking about what you are trying to do and how does it play out? And what kind of challenges might you face? And what kind of background materials can you prepare someone with? And so I think over time, I've realized, it's not the actual performance piece that I enjoy, although sometimes that can be really nice. I actually just really enjoy the preparation and the thought exercise that's involved in it. Sometimes the production of curriculum, like I sometimes dip my toe into, like the artistic side of the world. I feel like curriculum development is like artwork where you produce something and it's like, here's the tangible evidence of my labor, as opposed to the kind of experiential part that goes on in the classroom.
Dave  
Oh, man, you're speaking my language now. That's interesting to hear, because, I mean, I see you as being one of the most interesting educators in that regard. You really seem to be excellent at the delivery, the performance, and the curriculum design also. If your experience is like mine, it can be a challenge to work both those hats at the same time.
Stephen  
Honestly, I find the performance piece difficult. So for me, it took a long time to resolve being like a gay man in front of a class. That identity piece was really hard, and I didn't want it involved at all in my teaching. There was a lot of mental effort about how I just portray myself as an individual that people would connect with, but also that they wouldn't necessarily have difficulty with me being gay. So, I feel like there was a lot of performance in that it made it an extra cognitive piece of how am I portraying myself. Simultaneously, I'm trying to make sure that they're learning, you know, the intermediate disturbance hypothesis, and it's just like, there's a lot going on in those two things that made it just not as pleasurable as some people find it. After like a decade of that tension is part of why I didn't necessarily go towards the performance piece of teaching as much.
Dave  
That's fascinating. I'd love to talk to you more about that. That's interesting, like how identity I mean, shapes, obviously, who we are as an educator, but how different identities intersect with the role of an educator. 
Stephen  
Right, like, women and minorities. I feel like with mine, it could be like a hidden component, but we hear lots of studies looking at women and minorities in front of a classroom and the extra difficulties they face. I feel like that's just this unfortunate overlap with the fact that they have to deal with his added difficulties. At the same time, they're trying to manage student learning. We also talk about the benefit of having diverse audiences in front of students. I think those are, you know, some things that are kind of woven into the situation of having diverse faculty teaching or instructors teaching.
Dave  
Yeah, you mentioned “connection” as this key keyword for you in your teaching. Could you share what connection looks like for you in your practice?
Stephen  
So one of the things in teaching science to non-scientists, I feel like one of the things I tackled earlier on was this idea of subject anxiety. And so I was getting a lot of feedback from students about when they were coming into the class that they were scared. They wouldn't say scared, they would say that they were anxious. Like, ‘science isn't my forte or that ‘I've never really done well in science courses.’ And so I feel like there's a potential barrier between the instructor and the students because they're anxious about how they're going to perform and whether or not they're capable of succeeding. That has been shown to impact their ability to succeed. I've always been asking how to reduce that kind of subject anxiety. I’ve looked at things like how do you incorporate comics as a way of softening the subject matter so that people are more engaged by it? I did a whole video series of me in weird places where it was all green screen. The idea is if your instructor is willing to do that, then surely it's not difficult to ask them questions, right? There's no barrier to them in that, ‘Oh, he's a scientist, and I'm going to look stupid in front of him.’ Instead, he's looking stupid in front of me. So like, I don't have to worry about it being something that I can't do. Right. So I've always tried to figure out, like, how do you make connections with people. It facilitates the ability to ask for help. And to take risks in trying to convey what you understand, right? 
Because I feel that part of participating in the conversation is how you help grow as an intellectual, I would say, maybe that's one of my tendencies. Personally, when I'm learning something, I like to talk about it, get corrected, and then have a discussion and dialogue. And if you're afraid of showing your ignorance, then it's really difficult because it still remains hidden, right? And so to me, it is about how do you create an environment where they do feel connected, where they can feel connected with each other? When you confront that misconception, that's really where some significant learning can occur.
Dave  
Yeah, absolutely. It almost sounds like you're talking a bit about modeling vulnerability as a posture toward learning itself.
Stephen  
Right. I would say that I definitely did not have that terminology or that thought process at the time. But I feel like some of the conversations that have gone on with authors like Brene Brown, and, you know, thinking about allowing yourself to be vulnerable and connect to students has helped me to think about it maybe in similar terms.
Dave  
Yeah. Vulnerability is probably not generally a scientist’s favorite word?
Stephen  
Well, we have thought about having some workshops on that. But I think we sometimes talk about it with regards to how you have difficult conversations in the classroom, right? But it really does boil down to some of that being about vulnerability. That's also around kind of the intellectual components of being able to be wrong, and how you grow from that. So there are concepts of failing forward or failing fast or growth mindsets, right? And how do you help people to realize that it's not a condition of being either good in math or not good in math or good in science or not good at science? It's how do you grow what you have to be better? 
Dave  
Yeah, oh, that would be an interesting conversation to have around the scientific process itself. Some might argue this is based around an intellectual humility, of understanding that we don't understand and know that we don't know and constantly trying to engage the unknowing with things that we do know, to try, to build on that with solid evidence.
Stephen  
There's an article that is basically on stupidity in science. It's a one-page description of regrets of a professional who was talking about his experience in grad school and realized that the ability to handle your own ignorance allows you to be successful in science. So it was talking about why some people make it and some people don't. And this was one of the aspects of the ability to be okay with realizing that you don't know the answer. Being willing to push that boundary is what allows you to be successful. So it's just, I think, an interesting take for students to realize that successful scientists recognize that they don't know and be okay with it.
Dave  
How have your ideas about these things changed over time?
Stephen  
Well, like what the identity piece, I feel like, there's definitely a component of feeling like it was just information, but they didn't really need to know me and to know aspects about who I am. And I feel like that's, you know, more especially in an online environment. I feel like there was a time when I wondered how you most interestingly convey this content, and you can totally do it divorced from identity and the connection piece is the part that helps to bridge those who are not already passionate about the topic. That's what's going to get them to connect with it. And so just figuring out how we humanize the digital experience is, that's been one progression, I would say.
One of the other ones I would say is my thinking about educator development because a lot of my work is working with faculty about how to improve their practice. I feel like that progression has been one of being rooted in a kind of best practice, or being very prescriptive, to actually having conversations with faculty about what it is that they value, and then figuring out how that ties into the primary literature or into and to various literature's, in general. There are times when you want to know just like, what are some of the things that people have learned that are best that have been shown in the literature with regards to having discussions in class. But it's really different. When thinking about life as an individual, I'm interested in having discussions with students, and identifying that as actually a pedagogical approach that you want to expand because that's what you're actually rooted in. That's what you're going to put the time in. That's what's going to define your actual classroom experience. So instead of someone coming in and being like, actually, you need to use whiteboards more. Yes, whiteboards can be effective, but you actually have to figure out what your identity is as an instructor, and then go from there. I just feel like that's so much more powerful. 
Dave  
That's really quite profound because they do seem to have eager tentativeness to “best practices.” It reminds me of one of my favorite authors, Parker Palmer, he has a book called “The Courage to Teach.” And he talks a lot about how a lot of and how we as educators, essentially, teach from who we are, as you're talking about that very thing, starting with the heart of the individual educator first and what their goals are and then building technological support.
Stephen  
I totally remember having conversations with other educators, then pushing back on the best practices. And, like, I feel like this comes from a place of being in the sciences for, you know, so long of like, what, like, you measure things and we find out what is more effective. That's how we improve. And just disregarding this aspect of what would nurture a faculty member. I mean, like when we think about, like, how much time faculty spend on improving their teaching like they're balancing out research and service and all of these other components. And so like, in order for them to really grow, it has to be the thing that you're super passionate about. This is how I actually connect with people. And so I feel like the discussions or arguments we had about best practices and whether or not that's a valuable framework to go from is actually just moving in a different direction from this conversation of like, why would you just not focus on the thing that people are passionate about? Right? So it's not that it's incorrect, it's just not really looking at it from the same perspective. And so, it is, you know, sometimes a little painful to be like, oh, yeah, I think I said something like that. You know, like, a few years ago, and yeah, so it has been interesting.
Dave  
Yeah, absolutely. And I certainly then, early on, in my work in instructional design, I was a strong proponent of best practices. I’m critical of that, lately, myself also. So, could you tell us a little bit more about your settings? I think when you were at first MSU, you were primarily teaching and an instructor and now you do a lot of educator development. I guess we could say, and you also do a lot of design and curricular work, and also some teaching, I believe, or
Stephen  
…up until this last summer,
Dave  
okay. Okay, gotcha. Okay. So could you tell us a little bit about your, your setting in which you're in, and then these different hats that you're wearing now?
Stephen  
Part of my role is in the Center for Integrative Studies in general science. So that's the Gen Ed Science course for non-scientists. And a lot of my work in the last few years has been focused on curriculum reform. And I have to say, that's probably some of the most rewarding work that I've done. Because it's, I just love it. The idea of so thinking about, if you have a three-class sequence, like how do students progress between those classes? And then like, how do you resolve to have different faculty and their identity and their topic? And so it's just been, I feel fascinating about like, how do you first off physically map the curriculum? How do you get faculty buy-in for various curricular reforms? How do you build a community around curriculum, like, I'm interested in those, those ideas, and so that work has been really, really rewarding? And then I'd say in college, that setting is looking at how technology is a filter or a lever for impacting student learning. And so I get a lot of help from faculty to think about technology tools that they could use in order to facilitate things like discussions online. But a lot of that work has also been focused on accessibility. 
I feel like that has been an incredible lens that also had a lot of unique challenges about how you get people to buy into doing extra labor for, for accessibility, for widening their impact on their curriculum. And so like, we had gone through many different lenses of like, oh, well, accessibility is about compliance, and then looking at how that impacted faculty buy-in. And, you know, how it was limiting their participation, because as a concept, it's not very engaging, and then, you know, shifting over to more of a social justice piece, or going even into an equity viability piece, I feel has really allowed people to, to think about that, and see how that is actually aligned with their beliefs, and how that type of work is important. 
I feel like there's, you know so that accessibility work was like, how do we make sure that all the digital pieces that we're making are accessible to, so there ADA, so Americans with Disabilities Act, so it responds to that? But also, you know, what we've found is that those accommodations helped all students. And so, you know, it kind of broadened to this idea of going from an idea of compliance to really how do we impact a larger number of students. So that's kind of that work. And then my new role, as the assistant dean, it's focused on STEM teaching and learning. It's really focused on the STEM building, and then figuring out how a single location can bring faculty and disciplines from across the STEM disciplines and even outside of STEM, to talk with each other and to learn from each other, and to better use the physical spaces in their pedagogical approach. 
So, you know, when you have small groups of people, how do you foster discussion in that and then build ways of reporting out to a larger community is the, you know, is what we're working on. And so the STEM building has lots of innovative approaches to their classroom design. And so figuring out how do we train faculty to do that is, you know, is, again, you can see a hopefully the parallel between what's going on in the center for, you know, building a community around curriculum, and then in the college about how do we as a community, figure out what are the standards for the curriculum that we're creating? And then the STEM building is how do we have conversations in typically siloed communities that can help us to improve our practice. So there's a lot about communication. And probably a parallel, you know, connection. Right? 
How do we have connections between faculty members from diverse groups? 
How do we connect it to the technologies that we use? 
And how do we make better impacts with the students that we're serving?
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Don't forget to celebrate individuals you see making a difference in teaching, learning, or student success at MSU with #iteachmsu's Thank an Educator initiative. 

Starting graduate school is an exciting moment in life, it can also be a stressful one. Facing new roles and responsibilities, maybe moving to a new city and a new university, having to adjust to a new work environment and collegial relationships, and figuring out how to balance different work/ research/ study requirements with your private life. Phew! Now, add on top of that being an international student also adjusting to a new language, culture, country and university system.  It can all be a little overwhelming.
 
Thankfully, MSU has many great resources available to support graduate students during this transition and throughout their program, some tailored specifically to international students, many available to all graduate students. Orientation programs are provided through the Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS), the Graduate School, and the individual departments. Most information is conveyed through the departmental welcome events since there are a lot of department-specific requirements and resources. This means though that there is a wide variety in university-wide information, resources and services covered, resulting in an uneven awareness of those among graduate students.
 
As an international student myself, I attended all the orientation events I was aware of. They gave a good introduction to some aspects of graduate school. However, I realized throughout the following months that there are many more useful resources that could have eased my transition into graduate school and my early life as a graduate student significantly. The other side of the coin is that the orientation programs cover A LOT of ground in a short amount of time, making it difficult to remember it all. In my opinion, easily accessible (i.e. easy to find even though you might not be aware of what you are looking for) information could significantly support graduate students as they transition into and move through their degree program.
 
This experience inspired my work as one of the Leadership Fellows in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR). Of course, I first had to find out whether I was alone with my experience or if it was shared by others. Over my first year at MSU, I spoke to many of my fellow graduate students, sometimes mentioning workshops or resources I had come across. I was often met with astonishment that those were available to us. This reaffirmed to me that many of the great resources available were not necessarily easily accessible or publicized. During my Fellowship year, I focused on the international student perspective because there were a lot of things of the American university system (and beyond) that I found to be quite confusing. There are also always those things presumed to be known but very confusing and unknown to someone who didn’t grow up here.
 
After reflecting on my experience and brainstorming topics for which I would have benefitted from better access, I conducted a short survey in cooperation with the Graduate School’s Curriculum Development Director. We received a surprising response of 100 international graduate students within 2 weeks (and just before winter break!). The survey asked both for how much information students had received on specific topics/ issues as well as collecting open-ended feedback on information they wished they had received when first coming here. We also asked what went well during orientation and further comments they had to improve the onboarding experience.
In response to whether students had received enough information on selected topics, the item with the most “Yes” responses was “Health Care Information and Services at MSU”. However, even for this item only 49% felt they had received sufficient information. The items with the least number of “Yes” responses broadly fall under ‘daily life services’ (such as hair and beauty salons) as well as family and child care support services. Without going into more detail here, the survey confirmed the need for my Fellowship project – creating one place from which students are easily directed towards resources they may need during their graduate school stay at MSU. So that is what I set out to do.
 
My goal is to create a playlist for incoming international graduate students here on the #iteachmsu website that brings together many of the available resources in one place. Picture a Spotify playlist but instead of music genre and songs, it will have topical categories like “Health” and “Money” under which one can find a collection of resources fitting within that category. The information will be introduced and “translated” into an easily digestible format. I will not reinvent the wheel here but rather showcase WHY these resources are useful and important to know about from the perspective of a graduate student (me). Accessing support resources should not turn into another research project but be a straightforward process. This playlist aims to do just that.
 
While the playlist is not yet up and running, it will be available for the Fall 2020 incoming students. I am currently bringing together the resources I wish to start with and writing the articles for the playlist. It will be a living resource in that I encourage feedback and additions.
 
Through the connections I have made during the Fellowship, a new cooperation in CANR has emerged to work on a similar project, catering to both international and domestic students.
 
My hope is that the playlist will be useful in publicizing the great resources MSU has to offer and in some way ease graduate students’ experience at the beginning of and throughout their program. The playlist can easily be expanded to cater to domestic students as there is a lot of overlap. And since it is one playlist, one package, it could easily be shared at orientation events within CANR and beyond, making the same information available to all.

For teachers who have lost a student as a casualty of an unexpected and tragic event. This must be a very difficult time for you and all who knew and loved the student. You may be exeriencing a range of emotions and grief, including shock, disbelief, and even anger. These feelings are all natural responses to such a tragic event. It is important to care for yourself during this time, and seek support from others who can offer comfort and understanding. The university and the broader community offers counseling services and support groups for faculty and staff as well as students, please consider using these services to support your own needs. Some of your colleagues may have experienced this in the past and will be especially understanding, and capable of offering guidance.Addressing the loss of your student in the first class meeting with their classmates is an important and delicate manner. You will need to consider the size of the class and the context of your relationship with the students to adapt the following advice to suit your situation. It is important to, in some way, acknowledge the loss and express your self while remaining sensitive to the feelings of the students. Some of your students may already be aware and may have discussed the situation with their classmates, while others may be coming to class unaware. Here are some suggestions on how to address the loss in the first class meeting:Acknowledge the lossBegin by acknowledging the loss of the student and express your condolences to their classmates. You might say something like: "Before we begin today's class, I want to acknowledge the loss of your fellow classmate [name]." What follows might be different depending on the situation. "Our thoughts and condolences go out to their family and friends during this difficult time." or "They need to take an extended recess to recover medically, and I will let you know later if they plan to rejoin us, for the time being we will continue the class without them."Explain supportEncourage the student to reach out to and utilize the support and counseling services available from the university. Make sure you have information about these services with you for class. You can say something like "I want to remind you that there are resources available to you. Please don't hesitate to reach out to get connected to service that can help you process your thoughts and feelings." Explain your availability, boundaries, and what you are comfortable talking about if you invite them to connect with you individually.Be conscientiousStudents are likely to experience a wide range of emotions over a significant period of time. It is important to be sensitive to their needs on the first day, and over time, and to encourage them to support eachother. To express your sensitivity, and encourage their empathy you might say: "I know that this may be a difficult time for many of you, and I want to remind you that it is okay to take time to process your feelings. We are all here to support each other."Allow for discussionIf appropriate, you may want to allow time for students to share their thoughts and feelings about the loss. You might prompt them with, "If anyone would like to share their thoughts or feelings about [name], please feel free to do so. We are all here to support each other, and to remember our classmate."Communicate Expectations and ChangesAfter a traumatic loss, many students will find focusing and organizing to be more difficult. Before class, prepare a revision to your syllabus if needed. Plan on communicating and changes to schedule, content covered, activities, and especially assignment or testing due dates explicitly and in multiple formats. Repetition will help students reorient to new expectations and reorient themselves.SummaryRemember, there are many possible ways to address the loss of a student. It is important to consider the context of your specific course and the relationships between the students when planning for your first meeting. Try to be flexible and responsive to the needs and reactions of the students. By acknowledging the loss and offering support, you may help your students to process their thoughts and feelings. You can model for students the meta-cognitive task of surfacing the uncomfortable, acknowledging it, and consciously refocusing on important values and goals, without supressing or denying the discomfort of loss. Most importantly you will be showing students the strength that comes from supporting eachother in a learning community.
Resources for you, the teacherThis article on “How to Handle the Death of a Student” is written from the perspective of a secondary teacher who has had to handle similar situations. Much is transferrable to college students. Additionally, PERSPECTIVE: Teaching Through Trauma (by Dave Stieber for TRiiBE, a digital media platform for Black Chicago [perspective]) is an article is from the point of view of a public school teacher reflecting on what educators do when a student dies. There are links within to further resources that will help instructors consider what to say, and what not to say.
This guide from grievingstudents.org offers a framework for discussions between educators, 1:1 or in small groups, that may help you process the loss and begin moving forward. Educators who are experiencing the immediate impact of a missing student, may find support from peers in a similar situation to be the most compelling to aid them in grief and prepare them to help other students process the loss.
 

Thirteen suggestions for how you can de-stress in a few minutes at your desk, lab bench, or workstation. Remember to pair these short-term de-stressors with more sustained practices for good emotional health and work-life balance.

You may wish to add and include reflections in your dossier or portfolio. Here is a brief infographic that offers some guidance. While this is intended for a medical education audience or health professions education, the concepts and organization of thoughts is useful across disciplines. Sarraf-Yazdi, Shiva & MD, MEHP. (2021). Perks, Processes, and Pitfalls of Reflective Practice. Academic Medicine, 96, 769. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000003864

Spartan Fireside: April 21, 2020
Hosted by Mark Largent, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Education & Jeff Grabill, Associate Provost for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Featuring special guests Chris Gray, Director of the Veterinary Medical Center and Rachel Reams, Director of the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health.
 


Access the audio-only of this chat here.