The CHBS Canopy is our college’s newsletter that highlights inclusive excellence efforts within the college, provides insights into issues of inclusion and diversity, and shares learning opportunities on campus and in the region.
CHBS Highlights
Neurodiversity Training Update!
We are learning and growing together. Thank you to those who participated in either or all of the three-part sessions on neurodiversity. A strong emphasis in all sessions was helping us understand why using inclusive teaching and classroom processes is important not only to neurodivergent students but all students who may have unseen challenges. We learned that not all students and their families choose or can afford an ODS accommodation, while others deal with issues of stigma and bias. It is estimated that up to 30% of college students may fall in the neurodivergent category. Still other student challenges like economics and family concerns are often unknown to faculty in the classroom. Many may take a perspective of “equal treatment” when a process of “equitable treatment” would be a better strategy.
We aim to teach well, providing students with a quality learning experience. Teaching well also includes using processes that foster a sense of belonging for all students. Sometimes, popular rhetoric and myths creep into our assumptions about students. We must remember that any student sitting in our classroom was deemed qualified by JMU Admissions and/or our program and, therefore, deserves our best efforts to help them succeed in their academic journey. For those participating in neurodiversity or other trainings, I encourage us all to take the perspective that we are growing together when we use positive strategies. Let’s commit to learning from each other about methods and pedogeological perspectives that inform our teaching and support our students.
Special thanks to Daisy Breneman for leading all three sessions and to the support of the CFI in this effort
Staff Title IX Training Scheduled!
As CHBS wraps up its efforts to update all faculty and staff on Title IX compliance expectations, staff will have an opportunity to complete the updated training on November 1, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. (virtual). Beyond the basic Title IX information that university members have gotten over time, emphasis on the rights and obligations for pregnant and parenting students/workers will be addressed. If you are a faculty member and missed other sessions, you are encouraged to join this staff-focused session that will provide the basic information.
If you have not registered, please prioritize taking this session. Register Here
New Resource
The JMU Libraries provided information to assist faculty in making course material accessible for all students on our Canvas course pages. I offer my thanks to Lori Gano-Overway’s leadership on the CHBS IE Council and Kinesiology’s interest in technology to help make documents and files more accessible as we move towards ADA Title II compliance.
SensusAccess Document Converter is a tool for improving accessibility for students.
- SensusAccess gives you a way to listen to your reading list.
- SensusAccess converts written documents into:
- MP3 files
- DAISY audiobooks
- Mobile-friendly ebooks (Mobi, EPUB and EPUB3 formats)Digital Braille for embossed printing or reading on a Braille display
- SensusAccess access can also convert the following file types into less challenging formats:
- Image-only PDFs
- PowerPoint presentations
- JMP statistical graphics
What's in this issue?
Neurodiversity Training Update
Staff Title IX Training
New Resource
First-Generation Day
One Health
JMU Strategic Priorities
Dukes ACE Civility
30+30
Freedom of Speech
November Observations
MLK Jr Observation Speaker
Events
November Observations
National Native American Heritage Month
Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month
Men’s Health Awareness Month
National Veterans and Military Families Month
Dia de los Muertos (November 1-2)
Diwali Observance (October 31 – November 1)
Veterans Day (November 11)
Transgender Day of Remembrance (November 20)
Learning Opportunity
Title IX Update (Virtual) [Staff]
- Friday, November 1, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
- This session is designed for staff to update their knowledge on JMU’s Title IX policies related to reporting sexual misconduct, sexual harassment, sexual assault, sexual exploitation, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking.
- Register Here
National First-Generation College Celebration Day (FGCC)
November 8, 2024
In 2017, the inaugural First-Generation College Celebration Day was sponsored by the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Center for First-generation Students. The day honors the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson, expanding higher education opportunities for first-generation students. The goal is to recognize the achievements of first-gen students, often accomplished despite significant systemic barriers, limited support, and a lack of understanding of the complexity of the students’ journeys. These students may not talk about their experiences due to a perceived lack of understanding or possible negative responses from faculty or peers. They often desire to be considered just as academically capable as their peers, and they are. Others struggle with understanding how higher education works and try to learn through observation rather than seeking mentoring or asking questions.
The federal government has funded “trio programs” for many years that focus on low-income and firstgeneration students. JMU recently received funding for two programs in the College of Education – Upward Bound (high school students) and Talent Search (middle and high school students). The Valley Scholars program serves first-generation income-eligible students who show promise in middle school through high school. The Centennial Scholars Program provides opportunities for JMU-admitted first-gen income-eligible students. The Reddix Center for First-Generation Students, located in the Student Success Center, provides supportive workshops and support for JMU students. Chances are you have first-generation students in your classes. Acknowledge their successes without pointing them out in class.
Join the First-Gen College Celebration
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
4:30 – 5:30 p.m., Hall of Presidents (3rd Floor D-Hall)
Light refreshments will be served. RSVP here.
Why examine the One Health Approach?
While the One Health Approach is not inherently an inclusive excellence topic, it can often illustrate the disparities experienced by disenfranchised people we may encounter in our fields. Ultimately, whether we believe it or not, as a people, we are interconnected and interdependent. As others experience harm, we, too, have the capacity to experience some outcome. The COVID-19 Pandemic illustrated this, and
we are wise to observe its lessons. Much like climate change, those at risk of dire differential outcomes are those with less participation in behaviors that contribute to the need for awareness. Hurricane Helene’s impact in the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee may also be precursors to unanticipated outcomes of environmental factors. As we care about human outcomes, we must start to care about the biodiversity of our environment and how the human enterprise impacts these environments as well as human/animal well-being.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), One Health is a collaborative, multisectoral, and transdisciplinary approach working at all levels to achieve optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. It is the "collaborative efforts of multiple disciplines working locally, nationally, and globally." The One Health approach is not new but is increasingly important in our current environment of urban encroachment on natural habitats, increased global travel, and increased surveillance of public health concerns.
One aspect is the intersection of Zoonotic diseases (infections that are spread between people and animals), our environment (inclusive of our agricultural processes and environmental care or lack of it), and our various fields of study. One lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is the need to build better collaborations and working groups that will prevent, predict, and treat potential health concerns. Zoonotic diseases include Rabies, Avian influenza, Lyme disease, Ringworm, Bovine tuberculosis, Cat scratch fever, Cowpox, Hepatitis E, Listeriosis, and Monkeypox, to name a few. The pandemic also showed these types of public health concerns result in not only physical impact, but social and psychological impact. One Health includes scholars across disciplines engaging in research and perspective-taking about how this approach impacts their area of scholarship such as psychology, and interdisciplinary conferences at their institutions.
Plan to join us for the CHBS Viewpoints on Health Series on March 25, 2025. More information is forthcoming.
The One Health High Level Expert Panel in 2022 issued a new international consensus definition of One
health: ‘One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that aims to sustainably balance and optimize the
health of people, animals and ecosystems. It recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals,
plants, and the wider environment (including ecosystems) are closely linked and inter-dependent. The
approach mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society to work
together to foster well-being and tackle threats to health and ecosystems, while addressing the collective
need for clean water, energy and air, safe and nutritious food, taking action on climate change, and
contributing to sustainable development.’
JMU’s Strategic Priorities
CHBS continues to align our strategic goals with the university’s strategic priorities.
JMU’s Strategic Priority #2 – Advancing Inclusive Excellence
- We will advance access and affordability for students from all backgrounds, and we will champion and
foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for faculty, staff and students. - Corresponding President's Key Goals:
Advance the work of the Quality Enhancement Plan in order to decrease equity-based retention
gaps across identified student populations.
Dukes ACE Civility
Both James Madison University and the Commonwealth of Virginia have policies that support Civility in the Workplace by prohibiting workplace harassment (including sexual harassment), bullying (including cyber-bullying), and workplace violence of any kind. These policies include:
- Commonwealth Policy 2.25 – Civility in the Workplace
- JMU Policy 1121 – Public Expression on Campus
- JMU Policy 3104 – Bulletin Board Use & Posting Public Notices
30+30 Awareness to Action
Consider putting this presentation by CHBS faculty members Jill Lassiter (Health Science) and Cathy McKay (Kinesiology) on your calendar. The registration link is not yet available.
- Understanding the Experiences of College Students with Disabilities has been added to the tour schedule for November 21, 2024 @ 10:00 am.
Session 2: Freedom Of Expression in Public Spaces, Signage & Public Speakers
Wednesday, October 30th, 2024 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. via Zoom
This session will be hosted by a panel of JMU experts discussing the policies, best practices and how to navigate speakers and presentations on campus. Are there any key rules or guidance we can learn and look to apply as faculty, staff and students at JMU?
Chamique Holdsclaw
2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Speaker
JMU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance is an annual event acknowledging the legacy of his work as an accomplished civil rights leader, orator, economic justice advocate, and Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1964. He fought for the rights of all people through non-violent resistance. The annual day of observance is held around Dr. King’s birthday (January 15th).
Chamique Holdsclaw is a retired WNBA All-Star and an inductee to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and the NYC Basketball Hall of Fame. She was a high school all-American and then attended the University of Tennessee, playing under the phenomenal Lady Vols coach Pat Summit. She took their team to three SEC tournament championships. She was a first-round WNBA draft pick and Rookie of the Year. Holdsclaw, a firstgeneration student, had many accomplishments while at the same time experiencing mental health challenges from her family of origin, experiencing depression throughout her collegiate years and into her professional career, she now serves as a mental health advocate. When you hear her talk about her life’s journey, we may consider how many of our students seem to be accomplishing academically, but who may struggle in silence – with or without a mental health diagnosis?
Plan to encourage student participation in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. speaker, Wednesday, January 22, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. in the Wilson Hall Auditorium. Please note that this year’s observance happens after classes begin and is coordinated by the CMSS staff.
Events . . . Events . . . Events . . . Events . . . |
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405 Exhibition September 17 – October 31, 2024; 150 Franklin Street Gallery, Harrisonburg, VA
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Dia De Los Muertos |
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Asian Student Union Culture Show
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Deep Impact: Trans Awareness
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German Film Festival |
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Refugee Thanksgiving Meal |
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Transgender Day of Remembrance Open House
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Candlelight Vigil: Transgender Day of Remembrance
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MSC 4101
235 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
