EMSS Team Members:

Good morning, team - I hope you are all doing well. Today is one of the best days of the academic year - commencement. I know many of you are working throughout today’s ceremony, and I look forward to seeing you celebrating with our students as they mark this significant milestone in life. I know many team members are beginning to take time off for the holidays, and I wish you all a time of joy, celebration, and rest.

As your time allows, please take a few minutes to learn more about happenings across our division and the campus:

Holiday Sweater Party Recap

It was wonderful seeing so many of our team gather for fun and fellowship last week in what I believe was our largest turnout for this event yet - thank you for making the time to come together! In addition to snacks and cookie decorating, we also had our first-ever Sweater Contest catwalk, as team members competed for awards like Ugliest, Sparkliest, and Best all-around, plus more. Thanks to all for bringing humor and joy to the celebration. We also honored our two newest Kick Axe awardees:

The Kick Axe Attitude award went to Marissa Holguin, our Transfer Admissions Coordinator, specifically recognizing her support for our transfer efforts and students, and her work on the College of the Redwoods Concurrent Nursing program. Her nominator, Valerie Sinco, spoke of Mari’s unshakeable commitment,  friendly presence and collaborative demeanor, and how she works with people across campus to ensure success of transfer programming, and a smooth transition for this growing student population.

The Kick Axe Achievement Award was awarded to Santi Menjivar from Conference and Event Services, in recognition of his dedication and reliability in supporting campus events, especially during Orientation and Welcome Week. His nominator, Ash Hansen, said that Santi consistently goes above and beyond to ensure that every event runs smoothly, often stepping in to troubleshoot unexpected challenges, and his deep commitment has made a significant impact on the success of our programs and the overall experience of students and staff alike. 

The inaugural Kick Axe awards were given earlier this fall, and they now travel from department to department within our division, with awardees selecting the next recipients. The next round of awards will be announced during our Spring Welcome on January 23- we anticipate that new President Carvajal will join us for our welcome, so please make plans to attend if at all possible.

Holiday Closures and Special Hours

As a reminder, campus is closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1. However, various student-facing services have varied hours, depending on student needs over the break.

The Gutswurrak Student Activities Center will be closing at 5 p.m. today and will reopen on Wed., Jan. 14.

Student Health and Counseling will be closed for much of the break, but we know that students may have medical or mental health needs wherever they are located (for many this may be outside the local region).  Please be sure to promote TimelyCare to students as we wrap up the semester.  They can register here: https://www.humboldt.edu/counseling/timelycare-expanded-telehealth-humboldt-students.  This will allow them to access medical and TalkNow (mental health) services 24/7 throughout the break. 

Dining Hours for Winter Break: https://dineoncampus.com/calpolyhumboldt/hours-of-operation                                                                                    

Student Conduct Advisors Needed

The Dean of Students Office is looking for individuals willing to serve as advisors for students during the conduct process.  This is a supportive role to ensure students are knowledgeable about their rights, and training is provided. Please email dos@humboldt.edu if you are interested or would like additional information.

New Hires and Position Changes

Jay Schock in the Financial Aid Office is retiring at the end of December after 28 years of service to Humboldt. Please take a few moments before the end of the semester to wish him the best! 

Please join Student Health & Wellbeing Services (SHWS) in welcoming Jessica Brown, Radiology Technologist, and Julio Martinez, Oh Snap Coordinator and Health Educator.

The Gutswurrak Student Activities Center is looking for an Operations Coordinator to help keep our student spaces running smoothly, lead a great student team, and create a welcoming environment where the campus community can connect and thrive. Know someone who’d be great? Encourage them to apply!

Dining and Bookstore News

Dining Promotions:

• 20% Bonus Swipe Sale - Buy any meal plan now and get 20% extra swipes at no additional cost with this limited time offer! If you are eating on campus, save with a meal plan! Get more value and meals for the same price! Find your perfect plan at DineOnCampus.com/calpolyhumboldt.
• Try a Starter Plan and Enjoy 3 Meal Swipes for FREE - (Valued at $33) This limited time offer provides more meals and more value, but for the same price! It's the perfect way to prepare for the spring semester and stretch your budget further. 
• Sip Sustainably & Get Free Coffee - Bring your own mug to campus coffee shops six times and earn a free coffee for being sustainable! Use StampMe, our digital stamp card, to collect your sustainable stamps. This semester, our campus community has saved over 254+ paper cups from the landfill because you bring your own cup to campus. Let's beat that sustainability win next semester by saving even more cups!

Dining Compost Wrap-Up for Fall Semester: We composted a total of 2,912 lbs. of waste this semester! With only 30.8 lbs. of waste going to landfill, we are proud to be repurposing our food waste locally.

Accolades

Kudos to our Children's Center team for their outstanding work and impact to our campus. We've employed 55 student assistants and provided over 30,000 hours of childcare to 50 families.  Many of our student assistants are working at the Children's Center, which gives them hands-on experience in a setting that prepares them for working with careers that involve children.   

A huge thank-you to everyone who stepped up to support Late Night Breakfast this past Monday! We served more than 700 students who wanted a little breakfast pick-me-up during exam season. Your response to our call for volunteers was incredible - shifts filled so quickly that no follow-up was needed. We are grateful for your enthusiasm, teamwork, and commitment to creating a fun and welcoming experience for our students during finals week. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!   

Congrats to the SHWS team for achieving full re-accreditation (another 3 years) this fall (after a 2-day packed on-site assessment process). This accreditation provides assurance regarding the quality care our students receive, and is an important part of our ability to provide health and wellness support for our students.

Our division communication will return January 16 - until then, please make time for rest and refreshment, and return in January ready to take on a new semester and welcome our new university president. Wishing you all a magical and restful holiday season.

Take care of yourselves and each other,