A Monthly Newsletter Publication of NKU Student Affairs
As we prepare to begin the Fall 2022 semester, we in the Division of Student Affairs have so much to celebrate. Over the past few months, we have continued to make needed improvements by changing a variety of functions within the division. I am most excited about the progress we have made in the Center for Student Inclusiveness. We have totally transformed the operational philosophy of the center and added additional staff, which will double the capacity and allow us to better serve our underrepresented and marginalized students.
In the Center for Student Engagement, we have separated the unit into two offices that will focus on leadership development and increased engagement across campus. I am excited about the new staff in that area and the commitment they have to creating a stronger sense of belonging. The office of Student Engagement and Programming will focus on engaging our student organizations while giving new life to our Activities Programming Board (APB). The office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Leadership and Civic Engagement will continue to work in the area of leadership development opportunities and increasing civic engagement.
Finally, the Dean of Students Office (formerly Student Conduct, Rights and Advocacy) now supervises two separate offices that will focus on community standards and violations of serious misconduct. These changes are a direct result of the new state law around school discipline. The law requires that we have separation in the adjudication of misconduct that could result in suspension or expulsion compared to those that are related to violation of our community standards. As always, I believe that our student conduct process is meant to be an educational one. We will always hold students accountable for their behavior, but it will be done in a way that primarily emphasizes the educational development that occurs and not simply discipline. Therefore, we will maintain that spirit and create an educational environment throughout the student conduct process and community standard process.
As you read through our campus newsletter, please be mindful that our goal is to create the best experience possible for our Northern Kentucky University Students.
Wishing you a safe and successful semester,
We are excited to welcome our students back to campus! The Victorfest committee has been working hard to plan a lot of activities to engage all our students this Fall. All the events can be found on the Victorfest website. Victorfest 2022 kicks off on Thursday, August 18, and continues for three weeks of fun! Some highlights include:
August 18: Glow Party (8:00pm, IM Fields)
August 19: Outdoor Movie (8:00pm, Boothe Village)
August 20: Fresh Fusion (1:30pm, Loch Norse)
August 21: Paint War (4:00pm, Griffin Hall Lawn)
Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 10:15am in the Truist Arena
Learn more on Presence
By: Dr. Tim Leyson, Associate Director of Housing - Operations
Wow, we are about two weeks away from move-in!! Our University Housing team has eagerly been preparing for the arrival of all our Norse community. University Housing Move-Day will be on Thursday, August 18. We are welcoming both our incoming and returning Norse to their residential spaces. We are excited to provide an assisted move-in process.
You must be asking yourself, Tim, what does that mean?
Well, let me tell you...
Before moving in, all residential students must be registered for at least 6-credits and have their housing, dining, and fall fees settled. Students have been contacted by Nicole Jones, the Academic and Billing Coordinator for University Housing in order to ensure they qualify for move-in. Students who cannot qualify for move-in will be contacted to change their move-in day to NKU.
When students arrive on campus, they will be directed to either Parking Lot E for Boothe Village (Kentucky/Commonwealth, New Residence Hall, University Suites, and Norse Hall) and Parking Lot Z (Callahan Hall Residence Hall) to get into the check-in line. Once the student and their family have entered the lot, they will stay in their car.
One of our move-in volunteers will assist them through the check-in process. Students will check in, sign all their paperwork, and receive their room keys in their car! Then they will be directed to an unloading zone.
When the student and family arrive in the unloading area, they will be greeted by our move-in Volunteers to remove their belongings from their vehicle. One person must always remain in their vehicle in order to move the vehicle to one of our long-term parking spaces.
When students and their families enter their residential community, our Residence Life team will be there to greet them, direct them to their room, and answer any questions.
Whew, that was a lot to explain! The University Housing team is ready to get this year started with our Norse Community. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dr. Tim at timothy.leyson@nku.edu. Go Norse!
Welcome back to Callahan Hall! University Housing is proud to reopen Callahan Hall after it’s closing for some extensive upgrades. Many building infrastructure upgrades have recently been completed at Callahan. During its closure, aging HVAC piping was replaced throughout the entire facility, installation of new boilers is underway, and new energy efficient LED lighting was installed throughout the hallway areas. New security cameras were also installed throughout the facility for enhanced security. In addition, 14 sets of double doors to the resident wings will be replaced on Floors 2 and 3. All common hallways and resident rooms received a painting refresh. Thank you to all the students last spring for your input in the color choices.
Still to come this Fall! Design of a reception desk/lobby area is underway to welcome you into Callahan Hall. Installation of card swipe access doors will be added to the left and right of the H-Wing hallway. This will increase security to residents from open to public recreation areas/bistro. And exciting news, a 1st floor exercise area will be included in the next project phase for Callahan.
A huge thank you to all involved in the upgrades and renovations to Callahan Hall. We are extremely excited to welcome our students back this August!
Mohamed Omar
President
Jacky Romo
Vice President
Brittney Cabrera
Director of Advocacy
The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is a student group that works as an intermediary between students who live on campus and the University Housing Office. This group works towards building friendship, advocacy, and a community with the residential halls. RHA has general body meetings every other Tuesday, where students can voice their opinions and concerns regarding University Housing. The other Tuesdays are Community Development nights, where students participate in board games, video games, talent shows, and much more. RHA does several programs throughout the year for residents to improve their overall experience at NKU.
Are you:
QPLUS means Queer Persistence, Leadership, Unity and Service.
It is a program designed for mentoring queer students, develop self-authorship, leadership, and communication skills, foster intercultural understanding and community-building opportunities, and foster an inclusive environment to build a sense of community and belonging.
If you answered yes to all three of these questions, part of the queer community or ally, join us by emailing lgbtqa+@nku.edu for an application.
The Latino Student Initiatives (LSI) Office is committed to uplifting Latinx voices via affirmation with culturally-responsive student support; celebration of the diverse Latinx experience at NKU; and education through an asset-minded curriculum to foster a sense of belonging, academic success, and cross-cultural competencies and understanding.
The Latino Student Initiatives welcomes the new Latinos Avanzando Mentorship Program (LAMP) mentors and mentees during the LAMP Orientation, which will allow for students to move in early, build community, and learn about resources available to them as they navigate their first year and semester at NKU. іBienvenidos!
CSI is focused on creating access to co-curricular scholarship opportunities which encourages persistence to graduation. We are committed to fostering interconnectedness to collaboratively build an inclusive environment; and promoting growth and intercultural understanding to intentionally enhance the holistic student experience.
To stay up to date and connected, get more information here!
We kick off the new year with our inaugural NKYou Belong Week. #NKYouBelongWeek22
The Office of African American Student Initiatives (AASI) has been working hard to get staff and NKU ROCKS mentors in place. They are excited and ready to welcome the 2022-23 Cohort of ROCKS Scholars with a robust experience planned ahead. First, we would like to take a moment to recognize Cydni Sloan our new AASI Coordinator that started on June 27th and has hit the ground running since she started. Next, we want to recognize all of our new and returning ROCKS mentors who have demonstrated a high level of understanding and excitement during the annual mentor interview process.
AASI has several planned programs for everyone, and they hope to see you. Greg Moore, Director of AASI, has shared, "there is a new energy, and we can't wait for you all to come visit and share that with us. Last year students started organically engaging one another in the space and we expect it to grow even larger with the next class." They are located in the Student Union, suite 309. Don't forget to connect with them through their social media accounts and list servs.
Unit Director, CSI
I’m a Sagittarius hailing from Kansas City, Missouri from Colombian heritage. I enjoy movies, and like Romcoms and drama films the most. I am a music enthusiast so I LOVE all types of music, but the song that touches my soul the most is: Blue in Green by Miles Davis. My superpower is my passion for students and my big empathetic heart.
Director, LGBTQA+ Student Initiatives
I’m a true Scorpio from Louisville, Kentucky. My superpower is my ability to connect with people easily with humor. My favorite movies are the Matrix and the Mummy.
Director, African American Student Initiatives
Team #VirgoLife from Providence, Kentucky. I love the song Love by Musiq Soulchild and The Preacher's Wife because of my Whitney's pure voice. My superpower is my ability to sing and my memory because I am detailed-oriented and don't forget things (that matter 😊).
Director, Latino Student Initiatives
Coordinator, LGBTQA+ Student Initiatives
Coordinator, African American Student Initiatives
There have been some amazing leadership changes in the Center for Student Engagement (CSE)! Brittany Jackson now serves as the Director of Student Engagement and Programming. Brandon Allen-Jolly joined the team in June as the new Assistant Director of Student Engagement and Programming. Both are excited to welcome students for the 2022-2023 school year!
Brittany Jackson
Brandon Allen-Jolly
Registration is now open! Please submit your required $35 organization registration fee. Payments can be made online via credit card, or you can stop by the CSE office and pay with a check.
Fees must be paid by September 30th.
If you have any questions, please contact Brandon Allen-Jolly at allenjollb1@nku.edu.
Save the Date
Presidents Academy takes place on October 7th. Attendance is mandatory to be considered for funding opportunities.
RSO of the Month
Want to be a featured organization on our social media? Submit the form below to showcase your organization, let people know what events you are planning, and tell perspective members how they can join! Submissions due by Friday every week. RSOs will be chosen on a first-come-first serve basis. Learn more on Presence.
As you may have heard, the Kentucky Legislature recently passed the Kentucky Campus Due Process Protection Act. As a result of this action, I have decided to restructure the Office of Student Conduct, Rights & Advocacy to better serve our community and maintain compliance with this new state law.
Effective August 1st, I have asked Dr. Bob Alston to serve as Dean of Students and oversee two newly created offices:
Dr. Alston will also supervise a new Records & Resource Management Coordinator in order to ensure compliance and responsiveness to the various state and Federal laws, regulations, and policies related to student conduct administration.
We are excited about the opportunity to expand support for all our students and the entire NKU community through this shift. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and continued support.
With Norse Pride,
Dr. Eddie Howard
| Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | |
| August 22 | January 9 | 25% of tuition and fees due + $90 enrollment fee |
| September 22 | February 9 | 25% of tuition and fees due |
| October 21 | March 9 | 25% of tuition and fees due |
| November 21 | April 10 | Remaining 25% of tuition and fees due |
In the summer of 2018, thanks to the Accessibility Steering Committee, IT, and CITE, NKU incorporated Blackboard Ally for Canvas to improve the quality and usability of course materials for all students. Ally automatically checks Canvas content for common accessibility issues and provides remediation tips and resources to faculty. Blackboard Ally helps build a more inclusive learning environment by allowing students to download instructor-created documents in alternate formats to provide them with the format that works best for their learning. Ally generates many alternative accessible formats, such as tagged PDFs, electronic braille, audio versions, etc. Noting the most common alternate formats utilized by faculty and students since the incorporation of Ally are: 37,039 tagged pdfs, 12,373 HTML documents, 8,576 EPUBs, and 415 e-braille documents. Overall there have been 63,624 downloads of alternate formats by students since 2018. These numbers continue to grow and have more than tripled when looking at pre-pandemic numbers. One reminder to faculty is that the alternative formats created by Blackboard Ally require them to be accessible in their source form to be accessible in their Blackboard Ally alternative formats. For example, a PDF or Word document must be properly designed with hierarchy, tags, read order, labels, and alt-text to produce an accurate HTML document. Ally has been a great resource that not only improves the accessibility of course content but helps build towards a more sustainable behavior change.
Faculty, for more individualized support in learning to utilize Blackboard Ally for your course, there is one-on-one support available from your building Client Support Specialists, or you may contact the IT Help Desk and request an Accessibility Team Analyst.
Save the Date: Kings Island Pride Night Trip
Join University Housing and SOTA in our first collaborative turn around trip as we celebrate Cincinnati Pride Night at Kings Island on September 9, 2022! The first 50 NKU students will be admitted for free! Sign-ups will be first come, first served, and will open on Monday, August 29th!
Campus Recreation Updates
Fall Campus Rec Hours: See our Fall facility hours
RecFEST: Tuesday, Aug. 23, 4:00pm-7:00pm at the Campus Rec Center
Skate Night: Wednesday, 9/7, from 4:00pm-7:00pm.
Family Fun Days
Bring your family members to the CRC for open rec play, family fitness class, and free snacks. See all of the Fall Family Fun Days.
Fall Fitness schedule
See the Fall Norse Fitness Schedule. ZUMBA, Yoga, Cycling & More. All classes are free. Sign up online up to 7 days in advance.
Personal Training Sale
Let us help you achieve your fitness goals! Use promo code FALLSALE#PT to get 10% off all Personal Training packages purchased from August 15 - September 18, 2022. Purchase your package today!
Intramural Sports - Sign up online today! Competitive and Non-Competitive leagues are available. Don't have a team...sign up as a Free Agent, and we'll put you on a team.
Intramural Sports Registration Dates
Flag Football Preseason Tournament: August 26, 2022
Flag Football League: August 26, 2022
Sand Volleyball League: August 30, 2022
3v3 Soccer League: September 5, 2022
3v3 Basketball League: September 5, 2022
End of Newsletter
This newsletter was created by David Berland on behalf of NKU Student Affairs. Please direct questions, comments, or updates to berlandd1@nku.edu.
Northern Kentucky University
832 Lucas Administrative Center
Highland Heights, KY 41099
Phone: (859) 572-6447
Fax: (859) 572-1310
