McDaniel Weekly - April 7, 2020

From Liz Towle, Dean of Students

Throughout my career I have enjoyed interacting with students and getting to know you – where you are from, a little about your interests, etc. I don’t want to sound too corny but I miss seeing you throughout the day as I am accustomed to doing.

I had a great time playing Kahoot trivia on Saturday night with a bunch of you (thanks OSE!) and two weeks ago I had a Zoom conversation with a small group of students. It was really great to see everyone on the screen or see you through the chat during trivia. So this week I ask everyone to participate in at least one virtual event, panel, or activity that is being offered and make sure you see some friends and acquaintances that you have not seen in a couple of weeks.

I’m not the only one who misses seeing you … lots of us do. So don’t be surprised if you get a phone call this week from a member of the Academic and Campus Life staff checking in with you to see how you are doing and hear a little about what is working well for you. If you are not available when they call you will get a follow up email asking when you are free so they can call back.

Fun with OSE: pet photo contest and virtual bingo

Do you have a pet? Capture the cuteness and send it to the OSE Instagram by 10pm on Thursday evening for your chance to win an Amazon snack gift basket! 

Also, be sure to join us for virtual bingo at 8pm on Saturday night for your chance to have amazing prices sent to your door. Additional details to follow. For a full list of OSE events, check out the OSE Arch page.

Gain experience from alumni

The CEO and ODI invite you to the Alumni of Color Panel via Zoom on Wednesday, April 8, 2020 from 12pm to 1pm. The premise of the event is to have alumni share their academic/social integration at McDaniel and provide tips beyond graduation. Click here for the Zoom meeting. 

Learn about Passover

The Jewish Student Union (JSU) and ODI invite you to observe/learn about the Jewish Holiday of Passover on Thursday, April 9, at 7pm via Zoom. Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt. Click here for the Zoom meeting.

Reading overload? Try Kurzweil

Need a jumpstart for all your reading assignments? Kurzweil can read aloud text and has many other helpful components such as study and writing tools. Download Kurzweil onto your personal computer; it is available for PCs, Macs, and web-browsers. Contact Melanie Conley (mconley@mcdaniel.edu) for subscription information.

Be like Lebron James

Lebron James considers sleep to be his most valuable asset, more than ANYTHING else he does to care for his body. Do a sleep hygiene audit and channel your inner Lebron. Here is a great resource from the Sleep Foundation. Watch a video on improving sleep from Dartmouth College or take an online sleep personality quiz at Shut Eye 101 from the University of Michigan. Get some zzzzs!

Update (07/22/20): also view How To Sleep Better: 24 Tips From 24 People.

Avoiding phishing attempts

There has been an increase in targeted phishing emails in the past several weeks. You can tell an email is a phishing attempt if it plays on fear and urgency, asks for personal or financial information, uses an unusually formal greeting, has a sketchy email address, or has spelling and grammatical errors. If you suspect a phishing attempt, forward it to the IT Help Desk (helpdesk@mcdaniel.edu).

Don’t forget the 2020 Census

The Census collects data to drive future federal funding around health clinics, fire departments, schools, roads, and more. It also determines how many seats in Congress each state gets.

You are counted for where you live most of the time. College students that typically live on campus will be counted in a report submitted directly by McDaniel, but if you lived off campus this year you should complete the Census. Citizens were mailed information with a 12 digit Census ID, but you can still fill it out even if you have not seen that letter yet. Visit my2020census.govto get started!

Follow us on social media

Want more updates? Make sure to follow offices on social media!

• OSE: Twitter, Instagram
• CEO: Twitter, Instagram
• ODI: Instagram
• Hoover Library: Twitter, Instagram
• SASS: Instagram
• Athletics: Twitter, Instagram

Elizabeth Skeffington Towle
Dean of Students

Phone: (410) 857-2241
Fax: (410) 857-2773

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