May/June 2021 Newsletter
Message from The President
Let's recognize and celebrate the contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and commemorate the tremendous strides the community has made over the past several years. Pride Day, celebrated annually on June 28, marks the date in history when the first pride march was held in New York City in 1970, on the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
We stand with the LGBTQ+ community and strive to create a safe and inclusive space for all our students, staff, faculty, and the PSC community. You should never be afraid to love who you love, be who you are, and express yourself fully and unapologetically.
HAPPY PRIDE DAY!
Dr. Thomas Saban
New Prairie Plots at PSC!
As part of its effort to increase biodiversity on campus, the Sustainability Committee has started the process of converting a section of lawn on the South side of parking lot A into native tallgrass prairie. Compared to turf grass, native prairies are better habitats (for birds, Monarch butterflies, and other creatures), require less maintenance, pull more carbon out of the atmosphere, allow more groundwater infiltration, and are more colorful (among other benefits). Keep an eye on the plots when you are on campus to see the transformation, and watch this video with Biology Professor Angela Hung to learn more!
College Updates:
Independence Day Reminder
The college will be closed on Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day, which lands on Sunday, July 4 this year.
PSC Welcomes all Employees Back to Campus, July 6
Illinois has entered Phase 5 of its COVID-19 reopening plan and the PSC Cabinet has decided to bring all employees back to campus full-time following the Fourth of July Holiday. On July 6, staff, managers, and administrators will be expected to return Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. for summer hours, unless an alternative arrangement is made with your supervisor and Human Resources. Certain department hours may vary, including facilities, PSC Police Dept., faculty office hours, etc.
Reminder of Summer Hours at PSC
Summer hours will run through Friday, August 13, 2021.
For those year-round, full-time employees who follow the general schedule of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, the summer schedule is as follows;
7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday, off on Fridays.
Lunch breaks are 30 minutes (this is unpaid).
15-minute breaks are eliminated during the summer schedule.
If you plan to use any leave (vacation, personal, holiday, or sick) during the summer schedule, you will need to submit a leave request for 8.5 hours each day.
Return to campus: A few things you should know
Signing in/ Temperature Checks:
On June 1, the college will no longer require individuals to sign in or stop for temperature checks.
Masks are required, regardless of vaccination status:
The college is evaluating the need for masks and will communicate if this requirement is lifted. In the mean time, we will continue to require all individuals to wear masks while on campus and in public spaces on campus.
Vaccinations are NOT required for students or employees:
Vaccinations are encouraged but not required at PSC. The college will not ask or require individuals to disclose their vaccination status unless federally mandated.
Ordering PPE:
To order PPE, individuals should use the PPE Request Form.
Personal and business appropriate PPE is welcomed on campus. However, please refrain from using college funds to purchase items from Amazon, Warehouse Direct, etc. Support Services has plenty of supplies and will fulfill orders made through the designated form.
Facilities Related PPE Requests:
Requests for facilities-related PPE (e.g., plexiglass) should be made by your direct supervisor via School Dude.
Help spread the word: CARES Act Funding for ALL Students!
Students enrolled in summer classes may qualify for financial support through the CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The Communications team sent a college-wide email last week, and more than 300 students have already submitted applications. In previous rounds of CARES disbursements, international and undocumented students were excluded from being able to apply. This time, all students currently enrolled for summer 2021 in credit classes, and are pursuing a degree/certificate from PSC, may apply.
The deadline to submit an application is July 14. Here is the link: CARES Application for Emergency Financial Assistance.
Advocate Workforce Initiative Award
Advocate Aurora Healthcare Systems recognized the PSC Workforce Development and Community Education Department with its 2020 workforce initiative award for our collaborative efforts with the community in strengthening the healthcare workforce pipeline within the Advocate healthcare network.
2021 Virtual Summer Speech Camp at Prairie State College
Prairie State College Summer Speech Camp will be held July 12-22, 2021, Monday - Thursday, 1:15 - 5:15 p.m. For more information, visit the Speech Camp page on the Website.
Board of Trustees
PSC welcomes Miriam Slaughter as the newest Prairie State College Board Member. Trustee Slaughter will serve on the Board as interim until the next board election in 2023.
The next Board Meeting will be held tomorrow, June 29, at 5 p.m. To view information from the Board of Trustees, including meeting agendas, minutes, and audio recordings, click here >> Board Meetings.
Virtual Department Tours: Career Services
Career Services is one of the featured department overview videos produced by our videographer in the Communications and Marketing Department, as part of our Virtual Tours Series.
If you want your area/department to be included, please reach out to Kristin Carrera, Marketing Manager at kcarrera@prairiestate.edu. Click the link below for all request forms for Communications and Marketing.
Employee Updates:
Message from Deanna L. Burghardt
"Thank You from me and my family --- as friends and family including PSC family --- donated over $2,600. My sister Debbie Bailey, my son Robert, my husband Paul, and myself walked our neighborhood to complete the 5K."
Beth Shadur will be featured in upcoming exhibit
Beth Shadur will exhibit paintings from her National Park Project at the Downing Museum in Bowling Green, KY, from July 3- Aug 24.
How to Identify Phishing Scams
Phishing is an attempt to get someone to divulge sensitive information, perform certain tasks, or click on malicious links via email. Follow these guidelines to help identify phishing.
Pay attention to the email address:
Make sure the sender's email address looks correct. For example, an email may be sent from what looks like a colleague but is from a Yahoo or Gmail account --> gkain@yahoo.com. Sometimes, a scammer may create an address that looks very similar to an official PSC address
(someone@prairiesstate.edu ), but did you notice the extra ‘s'?
Trust your gut:
Check for unusual spelling, grammar, or content. Does the email match the writing style you would expect from the sender? Do the images or graphics look strange? Does something feel 'off' about the message?
If it feels weird, chances are, it's phishing:
Does the message contain an unusual request? For example, you receive a message asking to transfer money or make a purchase or someone asking you to do something that does not follow established procedures. Is there an unusual sense of urgency? Often, bad actors will try to make you feel rushed to do something like send information or click on a link.
_______________________________________________
When in doubt, do the following:
Forward the message to checkspam@prairiestate.edu.
Delete the message and do not click on any links or attachments.
If you feel the email may be legit, but you're still not sure:
Try contacting the sender directly (in person or by phone) to determine if they sent the message. Please DO NOT reply to the email or use any contact information inside the email. Check the organization’s website for public contact information.
If you reply to one of these emails, open an attachment that you think may have been bad, or click on a possibly bad link, don't panic! Let the ITR Help Desk know right away. The sooner we know, the more options we have to mitigate any problems and reduce any possible damage.
Request Intranet updates
Please take a look at your page(s) on the intranet and complete the Intranet Request Form below. Once received, the communications team will review your request and follow-up.
If you have any questions, please contact Crystal Alston-Nobles at calston@prairiestate.edu.
Have an Announcement?
We love good news! If you have an announcement you want to share, submit the form below, and we'll publish it in the upcoming Newsletter.
Request Website Updates
The college intranet and website fall under the Communications and Marketing Department. Please complete the Website Request Form below for updates, changes, or to request a new page on the PSC website.
Once submitted, Mike Saldaña, content/website specialist, will review your request and follow up. Small changes, such as grammatical errors, can be sent directly to msaldana4@prairiestate.edu or calston@prairiestate.edu.