A Message from VP Shorty

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Happy April! As our vibrant campus community embraces the energy of spring, I want to share important updates and celebrate the rich tapestry of our GVSU family.

Navigating Evolving Landscapes & Supporting Our Community
We continue to closely monitor the dynamic federal and state landscape and its potential impacts on Grand Valley State University. Our priority remains understanding and supporting each of you through any changes. Please stay informed by regularly checking the GVSU's executive orders page for the latest updates.

We want to especially acknowledge our international students, staff, and faculty. Grand Valley is a place where all are welcome, and your unique contributions are vital to the vibrancy and richness of our campus and community life. Support is readily available through International Student Services. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them at (616) 331-4895 or istudents@gvsu.edu, or by visiting the Padnos International Center in 130 Lake Ontario Hall on the Allendale Campus. Thank you for the care and support you extend to all our students.

Honoring Diverse Celebrations
This month brings a wealth of deeply significant spiritual celebrations observed by members of our community including Passover (April 12-20), Baisakhi (April 14), Good Friday (April 18), Easter (Western/Eastern Christianity - April 20), and Ridván (April 20-May 1). For more information on these and other important holidays and observances, please visit the Kaufman Interfaith Institute Multifaith Calendar.

Celebrating Our Graduates
As the academic year draws to a close, we eagerly anticipate celebrating our graduating Lakers! Commencement and graduation celebrations will be taking place on campus throughout the rest of April. We encourage you to visit the commencement website and explore our graduation celebrations to discover how you can participate and support our accomplished students.

Thank you, as always, for your unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment for all at Grand Valley. We look forward to celebrating with you throughout April. If you have made it this far, enter for a chance to receive some PEC swag.

Sincerely,

Robert Shorty
Vice President for People, Equity, and Culture
Chief People and Inclusion & Equity Officer

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new requirement for certain foreign nationals to register with the federal government. Many foreign nationals in the United States are already registered, but unregistered individuals may include Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status applicants without an employment authorization document, undocumented individuals, previously registered children who turn 14 years old, among others. Non-U.S. citizens should refer to the USCIS website for more information on this requirement. All non-U.S. citizens should always carry proof of their registration while in the United States. Additional information is also available on the ACLU website. 

For immigration-related questions, concerns, or filings, please contact Hypatia Swanson in the Office of the General Counsel. Kristen Dufty, previous immigration manager, has departed the university to pursue a new career opportunity, and Hypatia will be supporting that portfolio full-time for now. New employees requiring visa sponsorship should reach out to Joseph VanArendonk in Human Resources.

For additional details, visit the DACA and Undocumented Student Services website.

It's time to spring into action! Whether you like setting goals, working on a team, or engaging in some friendly competition, we invite you to join the Spring Forward Challenge through Wellbeats. Earn points by taking any Wellbeats class or log your own activity–every minute of activity earns one point.

Participate as an individual, or with a team! The challenge begins April 14, but you can join at any time during the challenge.

New to Wellbeats? Enter your GVSU email and click "Forgot password" to create your account. Follow these steps to reset your password.

If you have any questions or need help joining the challenge, please contact support@wellbeats.com.

Your mental health and well-being matters. That’s why we offer an employee assistance program (EAP) as one of our benefits, providing mental health counseling and a wide range of support services for all employees and family members.

Our EAP partner, Encompass, recently transitioned to doing business as AllOne Health. This is primarily a name change, and access to your benefits has and will continue without interruption. Learn more about what’s included in your employee assistance program.

Have you completed the CliftonStrengths assessment and are wondering what now? Join us on April 17, 9-10:30 a.m. in Zumberge Hall, for a hands-on, interactive session. Expect to explore and understand your top 5 Strengths, how these show up for you as an individual, and how you can begin to apply them proactively for your personal and professional development and growth.

Coming soon: For those that want to apply Strengths in their management practices and with their teams, a manager-specific Strengths session is coming this summer! As a prerequisite, you must have completed the Individual Contributor session or a similar group or team session.

Best Practices for Effective Interviewing
Apr 10, 2-3 p.m., Pew Campus
May 13, 10-11 a.m., Virtual

Learn the skills needed to conduct effective interviews, create tailored questions, and make informed decisions. 

We hope that the GVSU community comes out to celebrate the All Walks of Life Powwow and the coming of Ziigwan (Spring).  This is a place to not only celebrate Native/Indigenous culture, but to also learn. The Native American Student Association loves to share their hard work in showcasing their local Anishinaabe community!  

Join us in-person and/or virtually for the 13th Annual Teach-In! The purpose of Teach-In is for mutual education among students, faculty and staff and is intended to address topics related to inequality and systems of oppression, as well as social justice and liberation. Learn more about the GVSU Teach-In.

Supporting Student Basic Needs in College
Apr 10, 2–3 p.m., Virtual

Learn how to support college students' basic needs while incorporating principles of equity.

The Office of Civil Rights and Title IX (OCRTIX) is offering another training opportunity for the Resolution Pool on April 16, held in person Kirkhof Center Room 2270 and virtually via Zoom.

Attendees will learn about the policy and procedures that govern the OCRTIX’s work and prepare to support the resolution process by serving in roles such as co-investigator, hearing panelist, and case advisor. Colleagues from any background, employee classification, or area of the university are encouraged to join the Resolution Pool. No prior knowledge of university policies or state and federal law is required. Members of the pool must be able to apply strong critical thinking, objective decision-making, and professional neutrality skills in a variety of roles and situations. All members of the pool must act impartially at all times in the best interest of a fair, just process. 

The time commitment for each case varies between 8-15 hours across multiple weeks/months. All roles come with a $200 stipend upon completion of service. Visit our website to learn more and sign up for the April 16 training opportunity. 

If you're wondering if you should meet with the ombuds about an experience you're having, use the following list to guide you. Support is available to you if you feel any of the following:

Emily McGavin (left), Megan Bravo (right) behind the PEC table.

The "Celebrate Who You Are" activity encouraged students to add a fingerprint and draw a photo representing their individuality.

Members of the People, Equity, and Culture team attended the inaugural Multicultural Night on March 20, hosted by the Office of Multicultural Affairs and Student Senate.

VP Shorty facilitated a conversation with LaTosha Brown on March 26 in the Louis Armstrong Theatre. The keynote presentation was originally scheduled in January during GVSU's MLK Commemoration Week. Learn more and watch the recording of Brown's presentation, as she encourages audience to recall King's legacy when creating change.