5X����

The Outcome of Perpetually Doing Good

In times of uncertainty and hardship, you can stand back and wait for it to pass or get involved. During the pandemic, people in the town of Kent and the Kent State community wanted to make a difference. Two Kent State students became the catalysts that sparked a 10-week project of doing good. Read the full story.

Alumnus Pushes Student Rental Company To The Next Level Through Pandemic

When Curtis Cofojohn, BA '17, returned to Kent State after serving in the Army, he faced an issue many college students do: where was he going to live?

His choices were 1) an apartment where in a newer building with more amenities at a higher cost or 2) a house without the restrictions of an apartment, fewer amenities but with lower rent. The issue was that his options still were not very clear. There was no easy way to directly compare amenities between housing options or even to find roommates to live with. Read the full story.

WKSU Interviews Music Prof on Beethovan's Deafness

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. Celebrations were planned around the world, nearly all of them scuttled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. .

Spring 2021 Faculty and Staff Group Exercise Classes

Faculty and staff virtual group exercise classes will resume this spring. The week of December 14 will be the final week of fall classes, and spring classes begin on Mon., Jan. 11. January classes are open now for registration.

Employee Wellness, in collaboration with Recreational Services, is pleased to offer the following virtual sessions each week at no cost to employees. 

These classes are open to all full-and part-time employees, and all fitness levels are welcome. Those participating in the Wellness Your Way Rewards Program will earn 10 Tier 2 points for each session they attend this spring. Pre-registration is required. Visit the Employee Wellness calendar to register. You must register for each session you would like to attend. 

For questions about wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392.

Wellness Your Way Rewards Program Update

View New and Returning Offerings for 2021

Employee Wellness is pleased to announce that the 2021 Wellness Your Way Rewards Program information is now available for your review on the Be Well Solutions portal. As a reminder, full time, benefits eligible employees can earn up to $300 each calendar year for participating in this voluntary, confidential and self-driven rewards program. To view eligible activities, access verification forms and more, login at and click on "Wellness Reward Program" under "My Wellness." If it is your first time logging in, click here for access instructions.

Please note that Tier 2 activities are not eligible for points until Jan. 1, 2021. That said, we encourage you to peruse new and returning categories and start thinking about what you may want to engage in to make your health a priority in 2021. We have highlighted new Tier 2 categories and 2021 challenges below. Visit the to view the full menu of activities. 

New Tier 2 Categories

• 3/3/30 Exercise Tracker - Choose three consecutive months to exercise 3+ times each week for at least 30 minutes. Track your exercise using the 3/3/30 Exercise Tracker. Login to the to access the form.
• Small Group Book Discussion - Book clubs are a great way to enjoy a book while building camaraderie, comfort, and teamwork. Identify a book, read it in full, and participate in a book discussion with at least two other KSU employees. Visit our book club page for tips and good reads.
• IMPACT Solutions Webinars - Select a certificate-producing webinar from the , view it in full, then submit form 20-IMPACT Webinar (from the ) along with the certificate of completion. 

2021 Challenges

• Be Well Solutions (Jan. 11 - April 4)
• Wellable (April 5 - May 2)
• Be Well Solutions Powered by Plants Challenge (May 10 - June 6)
• Wellable Sun-sational Challenge (June 28 - July 25)
• Wellable World Longevity Challenge (Sept. 13 - Oct. 17)

Visit our challenges page to learn more about these challenges and register for spring semester challenges. Please note that Be Well challenges are open to full time, benefits eligible employees only, while Wellable challenges are open to all full and part time employees.

For questions about the wellness rewards program or wellness offerings for faculty and staff, please contact Employee Wellness at wellness@kent.edu or 330-672-0392.

New Year, New You: Make Mindfulness a Part of Your 2021 Wellness Goals

Plan to be more mindful, more resilient, more rested and less stressed in the new year. Enroll in free Koru Mindfulness classes for spring semester and enjoy the benefits of incorporating evidence-based mindfulness practices into your lifestyle. 

Kent State of Wellness, 5X����’s healthy campus initiative, is again offering its free, virtual, four-week, 75-minute Koru Mindfulness classes to students, faculty and staff during the Spring 2021 Semester. Join the many members of the Kent State community who have already undergone Koru Mindfulness training. 

If you have completed a Koru Basic class, enroll in Koru 2.0 to maximize the benefits of mindfulness.

Registration also is open for our free, virtual Koru Mindfulness Silent Retreat coming up on Saturday, Feb. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This half-day silent retreat is for Kent State students, faculty and staff who have taken one or more Koru classes or who are brand new to mindfulness.

To learn more or register for a Koru class or Koru Silent Retreat, visit the Kent State of Wellness website. If you have questions, contact Melissa Celko, director of Kent State of Wellness, at mcelko1@kent.edu.

Important Information about Final Grading of Fall 2020 Full Term, Third 5 Weeks, and Second 7 Weeks Classes

Online final grading for Fall 2020 Full Term, Third 5 Weeks, and Second 7 Weeks (POT 1, F3, W2) begins Friday, December 11, via FlashFAST. Grading is also now available for any Fall 2020 course section that was flexibly scheduled. The deadline for grading submission is midnight on Tuesday, December 22. Any final grades for Fall 2020 courses not reported in FlashFAST by the grades processing deadline will have to be submitted using the Grade Change Workflow. These Fall 2020 courses will be available in the workflow on Thurs., Dec. 24. 

To access Final Grades via FlashFAST, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors Category/Faculty Dashboard/Grading Resources Section.
   
Blackboard Grading Process:
The Grade Push application has been developed as an option to assist in streamlining the university grading process. The use of this application is not mandatory, though it is encouraged. Grade Push will allow you to “push” the final grades recorded in Blackboard into our KSU Final Grade Roster, thus eliminating the time and effort spent manually entering them.

To access Grade Push, log into FlashLine and click on the Faculty & Advisors/Faculty Dashboard/Grading Resources.

If you have questions or concerns, please go to support.kent.edu and search “Grade Push.”
   
Incomplete Mark Workflow:
The instructor must create and submit an Incomplete Mark contract via the workflow. Instructors are no longer be able to select the incomplete mark (IB+, IC+, IC-, etc.) from the final grade roster in FlashFAST (Self-Service Banner). The primary instructor must initiate and submit the contract using this new workflow process, which mimics the old paper process. Once the contract has been accepted by the student and approved by the department chair/campus dean, the student’s grade will be updated automatically. The primary instructor will be able to initiate and submit the contract for a student after the deadline to withdraw (10th week of a regularly scheduled section in fall and spring, or prorated for flexibly scheduled sections) through the end of final grading.
   
Access the Incomplete Mark workflow in FlashLine from the Faculty Dashboard under Grading Resources or Faculty Workflows.
   
NF/SF Administrative Marks:
The administrative mark NF (Never Attended–Fail) denotes that the student neither attended one class session nor formally withdrew from the course. If a student has never attended your course, mark the student as “Not Started” on the Academic Presence Verification Roster, and the NF will automatically populate to your Final Grades roster.
   
The administrative mark SF (Stopped Attending–Fail) denotes that the student stopped attending the course and did not formally withdraw and must be accompanied by a date of last attendance in the course. If a student has stopped attending your course the SF can be entered on the Final Grade Roster along with the student’s last date of attendance.
   
For complete information on university grading policies including Incomplete Mark and NF/SF grading policies, procedures and timelines, please visit the Grading Policies and Procedures section in the University Catalog.
   
Grades Processing Tips and FAQs may be found on the Registrar's website. Any faculty member needing personalized instruction on submitting their grades via FlashFAST should contact their campus Registrar's Office during normal business hours for assistance.
   
Troubleshooting TIP:
FlashFAST is accessible from any Internet-capable computer that has the cookies function enabled. We recommend that you clean out your cookie and cache files regularly to help your computer run faster, and to potentially restore or improve your access to FlashFAST or FlashLine by improving your connection to the server. Our Helpdesk is prepared to help with these issues. Please contact them at 330-672-HELP (4357) for one-on-one assistance and technical issues.