Oct. 14, 2024

Bingo, bowling, billiards, and brain games (trivia), oh my! You won’t want to miss the Huskie Homecoming Employee Bash with a chance to join in friendly competition with your fellow faculty and staff during a happy hour style event o Tuesday, Oct. 15. Challenge up to 4 of your colleagues to a game of bowling. Show off your skills as a pool shark. Test your knowledge of trivia across a variety of NIU and non-NIU topics. See if you’ll be the first to call out “Bingo!”. Games and pizza provided free of charge, with beer and wine available for purchase. Prizes awarded for trivia and bingo winners. We look forward to seeing you there.

During the month of October, the following three (3) mandatory trainings for all employees will be available in Blackboard:

Each training varies in length from 45 minutes to one (1) hour. These trainings will be open from Oct. 7-31, 2024. All training must be completed by the last date of the training period prior to midnight. There will be no extensions available. Learn more about the trainings by visiting the NIU Calendar.

The NIU Spirit Squad and the Office of Campus Sustainability are hosting a clothing drive during the month of October. The Huskie Closet is currently in need of winter coats, hats, gloves, boots, as well as men’s clothingand Huskie Spirit-wear. Donation boxes will be available through Oct. 31.

Donations can be made at the following locations:

Do you teach a course with zero-cost or low-cost course materials? NIU students can search for and filter to find class sections that use affordable course materials (required books, textbooks, ebooks, streaming video, CDs or DVDs) at the time of registration.

To ensure that the courses you teach with free or low-cost course materials are identified for students in MyNIU, please notify your department course scheduler and department chair of your upcoming term courses that should be designated as either low-cost (total course materials cost of $40 or less) or zero-cost textbook courses.

For more information and FAQs, visit: Affordable Materials Course Designator.

Faculty: Here is an opportunity to learn new approaches to teaching and make connections across disciplines by sitting in on a colleague's course. Unlike peer observation for tenure and promotion, the focus is on learning as opposed to critiquing during Open Classroom Weeks.

Twenty-two class sessions hosted by eight faculty are available between Oct. 14-25. Visit go.niu.edu/open-classroom-weeks to sign up and learn more about this helpful program.

Beginning Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, the mailroom will be open for mail pickup and drop-off between the hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A new policy is open to review and comment for a 30-day period. This provides our NIU community the opportunity to consider and respond to the new policy before it takes effect. The new policy is:

Undergraduate Credit for Prior Learning Policy by Nov. 1.

To submit a comment, go to our Policy Library website. Click on “Comment on New/Renew Policies.” You’ll be able to review the policies and provide your comments. If you have any questions, please contact the university policy librarian at policy-library@niu.edu.

2024 NIU Campus Flu Clinic is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23 in the Holmes Student Center Ballroom.

They do not offer COVID-19 or high-dose vaccines at this clinic.

Please read the information regarding receiving your vaccine, on what you may need to know or bring to your appointment, as well as booking the appointment and pre-fill. Download and print the client consent form to bring to your appointment at the Employee Well-being website.

If you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, go to your confirmation email you received and scroll down to the button “Reschedule.”

For questions regarding the vaccine, or your insurance if you are not covered under one of the offered NIU insurances, call the DeKalb County Health Department at 815-758-6673.

If you have any questions regarding booking an appointment or the event, please contact NIU Employee Well-being at 815-753-9191 or email ksmith12@niu.edu.

Who are Orientation Leaders (OLs)? 
An Orientation Leader (OL) is an undergraduate student who helps incoming first-year and transfer students transition to NIU, building a sense of connection and belonging. OLs lead small group discussions, lead campus tours, answer questions and more.

Do you know any student who would be a good Orientation Leader?  
Serving as an Orientation Leader is a unique opportunity for students to develop leadership and communication skills, share their Huskie story by highlighting their academic and involvement journey, and make an impact on new Huskies.

Why should you recommend a student? 
This is a great way to recognize students for their hard work and share another opportunity for them to engage with our campus community. You can also recommend a student who is already highly involved on campus to recognize their hard work. There is no obligation for them to apply after being nominated. 

Have any questions? Contact Scott Johansen, program assistant for student training and development in the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs, at sjohansen@niu.edu.

NIU's Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Center's The Real Talk Conference 2024 is led by the Division of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Division of Student Affairs. Please visit the conference website to learn more about the conference theme, speakers and register to attend.
 
Volunteers are essential to the success of the. We are seeking assistance with various roles, including:

This unique opportunity to contribute to meaningful conversations will help shape a more equitable and just future.

We need volunteers on:

Let's come together and open pathways to embrace our shared humanity!

Those interested are asked to sign up by October 15 at https://go.niu.edu/realtalkvolunteer. Questions? Contact Boston at tboston1@niu.edu.

We kindly ask all volunteers to attend a 45-minute orientation. Your participation will ensure a smooth and impactful conference experience for all attendees.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) will host a free Grants Policy Updates: Fiscal Year  2025 webinar from noon to 1p.m. CDT Oct. 17, 2024, to inform the NIH grants community on the agency’s latest policy news. 

See our Sponsored Programs Administration Newsblog for additional information.

Tip: Submit your event, lecture, training session or deadline to the NIU calendar to help inform Huskies about everything that is happening on campus.