Spring 2022 Important Info for EMS Students from Dean Richardson

Dear EMS Students,
 
We hope you had a great break, and we are very happy to welcome you back for the spring semester!
 
Some of your courses may be starting with remote instruction.  Instructors have the option to do this for a limited time, and they should let you know either by email or through a Canvas announcement.  Please be sure to read your email and check Canvas before Monday so you know which courses are starting in person and so you know how to access any that will be remote.
 
The Ryan Family Student Center (RFSC) will be open for your use, but with the recent rise in COVID cases, we will be limiting our in-person staffing and in-person services.  However, we are confident that we can still provide excellent support!  For the month of January, advising, writing tutoring, and student engagement meetings will be available over zoom.  Please see the instructions below for accessing these remote services.  We will reinstitute the virtual RFSC (vRFSC), which is a Zoom room where you can access an adviser during drop-in advising hours.  Given the sensitive nature of advising conversations, we encourage you to access advising from your home or residence hall room, rather than coming to the RFSC to Zoom.  We have limited options for providing private space for these remote conversations.
 
You are welcome to use the RFSC, but masking will be more important than ever and will be strictly enforced for the health and safety of everyone.  Students who do not comply with masking will be asked to leave.  Evidence shows that N95 and KN95 masks are most effective; for tips on improving the effectiveness of other masks, please see this CDC guidance.  As in the fall, absolutely no food consumption is allowed in the RFSC.  As is customary, the RFSC will not have evening hours during the first week of classes and will close at 5 pm.  We will assess the viability of evening hours beyond the first week and will let you know our plans.  As always, information will be updated in the EMS Undergraduate Canvas 2021-2022 site.
 
We hope that your spring semester gets off to a great start.  We are here to support you!
 
All the best,
Dr. Richardson and the RFSC faculty and staff


Accessing an adviser:

Drop-in Hours for add/drop Week

When: Monday, January 10 through Friday, January 14
Time: 9:00-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m.
During drop-in hours, academic advisers are available to meet with students virtually in the vRFSC (virtual Ryan Family Student Center):  https://psu.zoom.us/s/94019455831
After you enter the Zoom room, an RFSC administrator will be available to register you in the Starfish Kiosk and connect you to an adviser’s break out room.

If you want to schedule an appointment, starting after the first week of classes, please call 814-863-2751.  Appointments are appropriate for discussing change of major, schedule planning, ROTC forms, academic warning, re-enrollment, global programs support, and withdrawal.

Accessing the RFSC graduate writing tutor drop-in hours (all semester):

Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. EST on Zoom

No appointment is needed!
To access virtual drop-in hours, please go to https://psu.zoom.us and click Join. Enter the following meeting ID: 992 1488 8851. You will enter a “waiting room” and a graduate writing tutor will be with you shortly.

During your one-on-one session, please be prepared to share your documents for us to answer your questions and give you strategies for your revision.

Accessing Student Engagement (Karen Marosi):

Office hours Tuesday 9:00-11:00 am, Wednesday 6:30-8:00 pm and Thursday 2:00-4:30 pm on Zoom

You can make an appointment in Starfish here or email karen.marosi@psu.edu

To access virtual appointments, please go to https://psu.zoom.us/j/5704194656

Fall 2021 Geography activity interest survey & Undergrad Program Meeting (9/13/21)

I hope you’re getting settled into fall semester. We’re excited to be back and looking forward to connecting with everyone.
To that end, we’re asking you to fill out this brief survey to get an idea of what activities you’re interested in, and when you might be able to participate:
We’re holding an undergraduate program meeting this coming Monday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. in 319 Walker and hope you can join us – meet student club officers from UnderDoGS, GIS Coalition, and Gamma Theta Upsilon geography honor society, get to know your classmates, and find out what’s up for the semester in the geography world.
We’ll have some refreshments, so if you plan to attend, please indicate such on the survey so we can get appropriate quantities.
If you haven’t yet done so, check out our undergraduate program site – https://sites.psu.edu/geogundergrad/ – which includes a calendar of events of interest to geography students, as well as academic, professional, and co-curricular resources.
Hope to see you soon!
Jodi

Welcome to Fall 2021; Jodi’s advising hours on Sunday, Aug. 22

Dear geography students,
Welcome to Fall 2021! I’m writing this from the Adirondacks in New York, where we moved my daughter in to her dorm room today (Friday 8/20); heading back to State College on Saturday.
I will be in the office on Sunday, August 22 for drop-in/walk-in advising for questions related to Fall scheduling and start-of-semester issues only – happy to talk about other topics starting August 30
  • 11 a.m. – noon: drop-in advising via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/my/jodipsugeog) – will be utilizing zoom waiting room
  • noon – 4 p.m.: walk-in advising in 305 Walker – be sure to wear a mask; bring a laptop/tablet if possible
  • 4 – 5 p.m.: drop-in advising via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/my/jodipsugeog) – will be utilizing zoom waiting room
I will be in the office Monday-Friday of the first week of classes (and most weekdays thereafter), available to meet in-person or via zoom. During drop-add week, please limit topics to scheduling or start-of-semester issues.
It’s best to schedule an appointment at https://psudogugadvising.youcanbook.me/ – though I’m happy to take walk-ins if not otherwise engaged. Please specify in appointment notes whether you’d like to meet in my office (305 Walker) or via Zoom (https://psu.zoom.us/my/jodipsugeog )

I hope to see you soon!

~Jodi

Dr. Brian King begins term as new Head of the Department of Geography

Dr. Brian King, professor of geography and associate head for the department’s resident graduate programs, has been appointed head of the Department of Geography. He began on July 1.

Dr. King succeeds Dr. Cindy Brewer, who will remain an active member of the faculty after serving as department head since 2014.

“Brian brings a wealth of experience and a vision for the department that builds on all the great work of his predecessors, especially that of Cindy Brewer, and takes the department to the next level,” said Lee Kump, John Leone Dean in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.

King’s research focuses on livelihoods, conservation and development, environmental change and human health. His work is centered in Southern Africa, where he has examined how environmental variability shapes demographic patterns in the Okavango Delta of Botswana and how social and ecological systems are being transformed by HIV/AIDS.

“I accepted this position because I am passionate about the discipline of geography and what our faculty and students are able to contribute to the critical challenges of the 21st century,” King said. “Geography is uniquely positioned to make distinct contributions in part because of its breadth across the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities.”

King earned a master’s degree and doctorate in geography from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Bucknell. He joined Penn State as an assistant professor in 2008.

“We are in an excellent position thanks to the hard work of outgoing department head Dr. Cindy Brewer and all members of our departmental community,” King said. “We have grown our faculty and identified strategic areas of interest that intersect across the four subfields of the discipline. We have also worked to integrate our residential and online teaching programs, which allows us to reach broader constituencies. Our graduate program is one of the best in the country, and I am excited to see where our department can go over the next five years.”

The department recently conducted strategic planning to identify a central objective of building a resilient and just world by responding to the climate crisis, making data science spatial and sustaining landscapes and livelihoods.

Building on that framework, King said he has identified three strategic areas for the department to concentrate on over the next five years.

“First, we should implement our strategic plan because it provides a clear framework to support current activities while engaging in some new and exciting initiatives,” King said. “Second, I am committed to supporting and advancing research and teaching, especially as we transition out of the immediate COVID-19 environment. Third, I look forward to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within our community and the geographic discipline.”

King has served in a variety of leadership and service roles at the department, college and University levels in preparation for his new position.

For the past four years he served as the associate head for resident graduate programs.

“That role gave me insight into both the undergraduate and graduate programs, and also budgetary opportunities and challenges,” King said.

Within the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, King chaired the Faculty Advisory Committee, and was one of three tri-chairs of an ad-hoc committee in support of under-represented minorities and gender diversity.

King also served on the Penn State Faculty Senate for the past four years and chaired the Global Programs standing committee, taking on a number of service assignments in support of Penn State’s global mission, including serving on the search committee for both the vice provost and associate vice provost for Global Programs. King was a faculty representative on the Provost’s Task Force in support of international students and he continues to serve as the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences representative on the recently established Faculty Affairs Advisory Council.

Thinking about his goals moving forward, King said he is cognizant of the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While our department is in a strong position both within the University and the academy, it will be important for us to advocate for geography and higher education,” King said. “The social and economic impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating existing inequities within the academy. It is important to articulate the many contributions that our department can bring to current and future research and teaching directions.”

King said he is looking forward to a return to more in-person interactions.

“We have increased the size of our faculty in recent years, and I am committed to supporting all of us to achieve our individual and collective goals,” he said. “I want to ensure that we remain a dynamic, inclusive, and collegial department in which people want to be part.”

— story by Angela M. Rogers

Geography Dept Head message re: racist zoom bombing of Penn State Black Caucus

Dear Students,

I write to you today to reassure you that the Department of Geography condemns the January 27th white supremacist zoom bombing attack on the Penn State Black Caucus. To be clear, the department condemns those attempting to propagate racial hate at Penn State and to incite violence and mistrust in the name of white supremacy.

We must be vigilant and continuously remind ourselves that we must dismantle systems of oppression regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, and religion. Hate thrives in silence, as do those who engage in hateful behavior. To be silent is to be complicit in this and any vicious attack on members of our community. I invite you to join me in signing the open letter from Penn Staters in response to the recent hate-fueled attack on Penn State’s Black Caucus by white supremacists. If you would like to sign the open letter please add your name by Thursday, February 4th, 5:00PM EST at http://bit.ly/BlackCaucusAttackResponse.

I also write to inform you that The College of Education Herr Clinic (https://ed.psu.edu/epcse/cedar-clinic/cedar-clinic) has expanded its student counseling services to include racial trauma and racial battle fatigue. Other anti-racism resources are at the College of EMS Diversity, Inclusion and Equity site https://www.ems.psu.edu/diversity/anti-racism-resources. Finally, the University’s Diversity statement http://equity.psu.edu/diversity-statement commits to the safety of all of our students, staff, and faculty.

Hateful sentiments are driven by the desire to incite outrage, by those hiding behind anonymous names. Our response to act in solidarity with Penn State’s Black Caucus is far more powerful than these hateful acts. I want to stress our concern regarding the safety and security of all geography students, staff, and faculty in addition to members of our campus community, especially members of the groups targeted by white-supremacist disinformation.

If you have any concerns or ideas on how to support The Black Caucus or other underrepresented groups, please contact any of the following geographers:

  • Jodi Vender, Undergraduate Advisor: jvender@psu.edu
  • Dr. Roger Downs, Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs: rd7@psu.edu
  • Dr. Lorraine Dowler, Associate Head for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: lxd17@psu.edu
  • Dr. Emily Rosenman, Chair of the Department of Geography’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee: ekr5260@psu.edu

Sincerely,
Dr. Cindy Brewer
Department Head of Geography

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For context and follow-up, see:

https://onwardstate.com/2021/01/29/penn-state-black-caucus-receives-slurs-hate-speech-through-involvement-fair-zoom-bombing/

https://news.psu.edu/story/646461/2021/02/03/campus-life/investigation-find-perpetrators-bigoted-zoom-bombing-continues

Information on Alternative Grading is available at https://www.registrar.psu.edu/grades/alternative-grading-system/fall-2020-grading/.

The tool is now available in LionPATH.  You will have from December 23, 2020 to January 12, 2021 at 11:59 PM to explore and finalize your selections.

Important changes to fall 2020 alternative grading:

·Not all majors will count fall 2020 courses with alternative grades towards entrance-to-major requirements.

  • Courses in which academic sanctions have been received for academic integrity violations will be ineligible for alternative grading this semester.

Please see https://www.registrar.psu.edu/grades/alternative-grading-system/fall-2020-grading/alternative-grade-calculator/index.cfm on using the GPA calculator to explore the implications of the choices you can make regarding alternative grading and for instructions on how to use the LionPATH request tool.

Remember that decisions about using alternative grading involve more than just your GPA; academic advisers are prepared to discuss the implications with you. Please reach out to Jodi or an adviser in the Ryan Family Student Center.

You can set up a zoom or phone meeting time with Jodi at https://psudogugadvising.youcanbook.me/

RFSC Academic advisers are available on walk-in in the vRFSC ( https://psu.zoom.us/s/94019455831) during the following dates and times:

  • Monday, Jan 4: 9:00-11:30 a.m. EST
  • Tuesday, Jan 5: 1:30-4:00 p.m. EST
  • Wednesday, Jan 6: 9:00-11:30 a.m. EST
  • Thursday, Jan 7: 1:30-4:00 p.m. EST
  • Friday, Jan 8: 9:00-11:30 a.m. EST
  • Monday, Jan 11: 9:00-11:30 a.m. EST
  • Tuesday, Jan 12: 1:30-4:00 p.m. EST

Alternative grading can also have implications for financial aid; please consult with a Student Aid counselor (814-865-6301 or visit https://studentaid.psu.edu/ and click on the “email us” button) before making decisions around alternative grading.

Please let me know if you have questions.

best wishes for a healthy and happy holiday break,
Jodi