October 1, 2017 Edition


3rd Annual Pledge Purple Week to Fight Sexual Violence

Pledge Purple 17East Carolina University is once again hosting Pledge Purple, a weeklong initiative focused on education and advocacy centered on the issues of sexual violence, harassment, and bullying, on October 2-4, 2017.

Pledge Purple, an annual initiative now in the third year, is a series of events and programs on both campuses for ECU students, faculty and staff.

The week starts on Monday, Oct. 2 with Pledge Day on both campuses where the Pirate Nation can take the pledge to do its part against sexual violence, harassment and bullying. The pledge is as follows:

I will not use my hands or words in acts of violence, bullying, or sexual assault. I will educate myself about what violence, bullying and sexual assault looks like in the Pirate community. I will support my fellow Pirates and safely intervene as an active bystander if I witness scenarios of violence, bullying or sexual assault.

Students will also have the opportunity to visit booths at a resource fair that includes campus and community offices and agencies in front of Joyner Library.

The focus shifts to education on Tuesday, Oct. 3, with the national collegiate It’s On Us initiative, and a Bystander Intervention stories event designed to encourage conversations among our community and promote positive bystander intervention.

On Tuesday evening, Pirate Nation will participate in Take Back The Night, a march occurring on both campuses starting at 6:30pm. On Main Campus, ECU’s Victim Advocates will also host a Survivor’s Vigil prior to the march in Mendenhall Student Center. The march will conclude at the Cupola on the ECU Mall.

For the Health Sciences Campus, the march starts at the new student center and conclude at the Lake Laupus fountain. On the Health Sciences Campus, the march will end with a moment of silence in solidarity with sexual violence survivors.

On Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 7pm in Hendrix Theatre Jay Asher, national speaker and author of the novel 13 Reasons Why, will speak to the ECU community on the impact of bullying and creating a supportive community to address mental health concerns and suicidality.

Pledge Purple brings together over 30 campus departments and student organizations led by the Division of Student Affairs. During the first years, more than 3,000 students, faculty and staff have taken the pledge by signing the Pledge Purple Signature Banner supporting the end to sexual violence, harassment, and bullying.


CLCE Offering First International Alternative Break Experience

Submitted by Dr. Dennis McCunney, CLCE Director

This first-of-its-kind international service-learning program at ECU involves cross-campus partnerships between the Honors College, the School of Communication, and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. We will partner with Amizade, a nonprofit service-learning organization with 19 years of experience working with youth clubs and governments in Northern Ireland. This collaborative learning opportunity is open to both students taking the Honors Seminar, “Communication, Conflict and Community Engagement” (academic credit) and those students interested in participating in ECU’s first international Alternative Break Experience (no academic credit). These students will travel to Northern Ireland to learn how cultures and past histories among people living there, including conflicts addressed by the Belfast (Peace) Agreement of 1998, still impact communication and daily life of people in local communities. This hands-on service-learning experience at youth clubs and with officials representing various perspectives will offer community-based learning about peace-building and peace-keeping efforts and will build skills in working collaboratively with people in another country.

To learn more please connect with Alternative Break Experiences on OrgSync. For more specific information about the Honors Seminar “Communication, Conflict, and Community Engagement” contact Dr. Rebecca Dumlao. For specific information about the ABE program, contact Dr. Dennis McCunney or Nichelle Shuck.ABE Ireland 2018


10th Peace.Love.Pirates.Cure Cancer Awareness Event

PLPC 2017Campus Recreation & Wellness will host the 10th annual Peace.Love.Pirates.Cure Cancer Awareness Fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Student Recreation Center. The event is free and open to ECU students, faculty and staff.

This annual Wellness Passport event promotes cancer awareness and knowledge by providing information tailored to help participants live healthy, cancer-free lives. Included are educational tables and interactive activities designed to help participants avoid skin, breast, cervical, testicular, lung and prostate cancers.

Several new activities have been added for the 10th anniversary including a “Dunk Out Cancer” basketball dunk contest and skills challenge competition for attendees. The climbing wall will be open and participants can choose from one of five different routes, each represented by a type of cancer.

“Peace.Love.Pirates.Cure has reached over 5,000 people since it was first held in October 2008 and we expect another large turnout this year,” said Georgia Childs, associate director for Wellness and Fitness Programs. “Cancer has impacted every person on our campus in one way or another. It could be the loss of a loved one or someone personally battling cancer, this event brings people together for education, friendship and support.”

Attendees can also sign a large banner to honor a family member or friend that has battled or beaten cancer. There will different colored markers to represent the different types of cancer. A number of cancer survivors will also be present to share their personal stories.

ECU Dining Services and Student Health dietitians will also be on-site to offer different types of cancer fighting foods.

Campus partners for the 10th annual Peace.Love.Pirates.Cure include Campus Recreation & Wellness, Student Health Services, ECU Athletics, ECU Dining Services, and the Healthy P.I.R.A.T.E.S student organization.

There are also two community partners, Gift of Life and Vidant, who are working with ECU to support this event. Gift of Life is a Bone Marrow Registry and they will be offering attendees a chance to enter the registry.

For more information, contact Georgia Childs at 252-328-5172.


Student Affairs Making Headlines

Group Fitness PresentationThree Group Fitness Instructors from Campus Recreation and Wellness recently presented at NoCRSA (North Carolina Recreational Sports Association) on Friday, September 22nd at UNC-Greensboro. The students were Erin Tucci, Jen Jarosz, and Jess Hall who shared their new program Adventure Fitness, a collaboration between Group Fitness and Adventure Leadership.

  • Chris Stansbury and Dr. Erik Kneubuehl, Associate Vice Chancellors for Student Affairs, published Civil Discourse: A Higher Education Conversation in the August 2017 issue of the ACUI Bulletin.
  • Dr. Dennis McCunney, CLCE Director, published Shaped by Campus Culture: Intersections Between Transformative Learning, Civic Engagement, and Institutional Mission in the Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement.

2017 Fall Career Fair

Fall 2017 Career FairCareer Services will host the 2017 Fall Career Fair from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Greenville Convention Center.

More than 200 companies and corporations from across the country are scheduled to attend the event, which is intended for all ECU majors. These organizations bring multiple recruiters to the career fair and are available to discuss internship, co-op, and part-time and full-time positions.

ECU students and alumni have the opportunity to meet and interview with employers from many different industries including banking, construction, and healthcare. Employers will have assigned booths and provide information on their organization’s career opportunities as well as conduct interviews following the event.

“ECU career fairs provide an invaluable opportunity for students and alumni to establish face-to-face connections with prospective employers” said Leslie Rogers, interim director for ECU Career Services. “In recent years, 74 percent of students attending the career fairs were able to gain a relationship with an employer.”

Some of the companies attending the fall career fair include: Coca Cola Bottling Company Consolidated, Credit Suisse, CVS Pharmacy, Enterprise, Frito Lay, GEICO, Lenovo, Mayne Pharma, Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, Novant Health, QVC, Red Ventures, Target Corporation, The Select Group, Total Quality Logistics, U.S Army and Navy, UNC Health Care, and Vidant Health.

In addition to dressing in professional business attire and bringing an ECU OneCard, Career Services offers the following suggestions to attendees:

  • Research the employers who will be attending the event (https://career.ecu.edu/) and prioritize what organizations to target for employment.
  • Develop and practice an introduction or power greeting.
  • Create or update your resume that has been critiqued by a career counselor and make multiple copies to take to the fair.
  • Remember to smile, initiate a handshake and look the employers in the eye when greeting them at the event.
  • Take advantage of the FREE professional headshot booth while attending the event.

ECU Hosting Community-Engaged Faculty Scholars for 17-18

Submitted by Dr. Dennis McCunney, CLCE Director

Each year, North Carolina Campus Compact offers a unique opportunity for faculty interested in public scholarship, engagement and service-learning. Annually, two individuals from the NC Campus Compact network are selected to serve a one-year term.
NC Campus Compact

NC Campus CompactThe program supports the integration of service-learning and community engagement in teaching, research, and service.

Program goals include:

  • Promote and deepen the scholarship of engagement at his/her own institution.
  • Assist in building the infrastructure for faculty engagement on another NC campus.

For the 17-18 academic year, ECU has been selected as the host campus for this program. Dr. Beth Wall-Bassett, Western Carolina University, and Dr. Jacquelynn Lee, UNC Wilmington, will act as consultants to help ECU service-learning faculty offer high-quality experiences for students and expand their service-learning research efforts. CLCE will partner with the Office for Faculty Excellence to launch the program this year.

Contact Dr. Dennis McCunney in CLCE if you’re interested in learning more about the program.


Prominent Magazine Editor Chosen as 2017 Professional-In-Residence

ECU Student Media and the School of Communication are pleased to announce that magazine editor Joanna Citrinbaum Zerlin has been selected as the 2017 Professional-In-Residence.

Joanna ZerlinZerlin’s magazine career has included desk-editing positions with Redbook, Teen Vogue and Inside TV.

The Professional-In-Residence is a two-day program that includes visits with School of Communication journalism classes and a workshop with staff members from Student Media.

Zerlin will also be the keynote speaker at the North Carolina Scholastic Media Association Workshop hosted by the School of Communication on Oct. 12. The workshop attracts high school journalists from across the region.

The Professional-In-Residence Program started in 2014 and has included Chris Korman, senior editor at USA Today, and Sara Ganim, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for CNN.

“Joanna’s experience in the magazine industry, including editing and fact-checking, as well as her roots in student journalism, make her a particularly relevant guest this year,” said John Harvey, ECU Student Media director.

Zerlin graduated from Penn State University in 2005 with bachelor’s degrees in journalism and women’s studies. She worked as a reporter and a copy editor at The Daily Collegian, the Penn State student-run newspaper, where Harvey served as her adviser. In her senior year she also served as the editorial intern at Cosmopolitan.

After graduation, Joanna participated in a two-week copy-editing residency at the University of Central Florida in preparation for her Dow Jones Newspaper Fund internship that summer at The Palm Beach Post.

Joanna began her magazine career in 2005 as a freelance copy editor at Inside TV (produced by TVGuide) and later landed a position as copy editor at Redbook. Three years later, then a senior copy editor, she left that publication for nycgo.com, New York City’s official tourism and marketing website. She started out as a freelance copy editor, then served as copy editor and later senior copy editor, and copy edited and fact-checked content for the Webby Award–winning site for more than four years. She returned to the magazine industry to be copy chief at Teen Vogue, a position she held for three years.

For additional information, contact Dr. Mary Tucker-McLaughlin at 252-737-1559 or John Harvey, ECU Student Media director, 252-328-9234.


16-17 Outcomes Feedback

Written by SA Assessment

AssessmentRemember that annual outcomes information you entered into TracDat during the summer? Now is the time for the Student Affairs Assessment Review Committee (ARC) to take an in-depth look at what you entered and provide valuable feedback to help improve your outcomes information.

How does ARC evaluate your outcomes assessment report?

ARC utilizes a rubric to determine if your explanations and representation of data meet the requirements of each reporting area (Actions Taken, Results, Analysis of Results and Actions Planned) in TracDat. For example, do results (data from measures) indicate whether or not you met your criteria for success? Does the analysis of the results indicate actions taken during the year improved your outcome as well as provide foundation for actions planned for the next year?

How do I prepare for my feedback session?

Reviewer’s feedback will be emailed to designated unit staff on Monday, Oct. 16th so that you can review which areas you have met the requirements and then what areas need improvement. You’ll also receive your full TracDat outcomes report. After you receive your information, we recommend setting a time aside to compare the ARC rubric to your TracDat outcomes report to understand the key areas needing improvement. It is important to review all comments before you come to the feedback meeting so you can discuss your interpretation of the ARC review and how you believe you can improve the information.

Who will be part of the ARC review discussion?

Kathy Hill or Jeremy Tuchmayer will facilitate the feedback meetings. Specified staff from your department/unit and your assessment liaison will be invited to participate in discussion and planning.

When will my ARC review meeting be scheduled?

All ARC review meetings will start at the end of October and finish in the middle of November. Once you receive your review, you will soon receive your invite for this time period.

If you have any questions before your ARC review meeting, please feel free to contact your assessment liaison.


Parent and Family Programs

Submitted by Emily-Lynn Adkins, Assistant Director for Parent and Family Programs
Parents Council Fall 2017 Meeting

The ECU Parents Council held their fall meeting Friday, September 15 in the Health Sciences Student Center. General meetings are open to all parents and attendees who had the opportunity to hear from Parents Council President, Michele Whaley, on the role, accomplishments, and goals for the Parents Council for the 2017-2018 year. Dr. Hardy gave an engaging presentation, providing information on the university and the Division of Student Affairs.

Each parent in attendance was given the opportunity to enter for a chance to win one FREE semester of (in-state) tuition or one FREE semester of textbooks. The Parents Council sponsors the tuition award and partners with Dowdy Student Stores to award the textbooks.

Congratulations to the Surette Family, who is the recipient of the tuition, and the Coward Family, who will receive free textbooks. Both items will be awarded to their students in the Spring 2018 semester.PC Meeting Winners 2017

The Parents Council will host their next meeting on Saturday, March 24, 2018 during spring Family Weekend, March 23-25th.

Pirate Parents Live

On September 20, 2017, The Office of Parent and Family Programs hosted their fourth installment of Pirate Parents Live. The Facebook Live medium was used to engage parents and families from across the state and in some cases, out of state. The topic included information about Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Earlier in September with the threat of Hurricane Irma, there was an impromptu Pirate Parents Live event with information about hurricane preparedness, ECU policies and communication. Many families viewed the live and achieved video to seek answers about how ECU handles storms and student safety.

Sincere thanks to all the panel members that have been involved with the Pirate Parents Live videos. The Office of Parent and Family Programs will continue to reach out to departments within Student Affairs and the University to help inform and engage Pirate families throughout the year.

All achieved videos are available at www.facebook.com/ECUParents/videos