Tips for rekindling your romance on Valentine's Day
As we draw closer to Valentine's Day, couples often evaluate the passion in their relationships.
Prune your tree this winter
Late winter, from mid-February until early March, is the best time to prune most trees. Trees are still dormant at this time of year and, unlike in early winter, wound closure will be rapid if pruning occurs just prior to the time new growth emerges.
Ripple Effect announces grant recipients
Sharing success stories, mentoring programs, polishing up writing skills, and a leadership-focused book club are examples of the eight employee-generated ideas funded by the Ripple Effect at Colorado State University.
“We are so pleased by the innovation and creativity shown in the proposals we received,” said Amy Parsons, vice president for University Operations, who oversees the Ripple Effect project. “Hearing directly from our colleagues and embracing their ideas is key to moving us toward our goal of making CSU the best place to work for women. I’m looking forward to seeing these ideas implemented and becoming part of the fabric of our university.”
Funding the proposals was made possible by a gift from an unnamed donor in support of giving good ideas seed funding. In addition, CSU President Tony Frank and Provost Rick Miranda supported the effort with additional funding because of the number of quality proposals submitted.
Nearly 50 proposals were submitted by male and female faculty and staff from across campus, representing a diverse array of departments and collaborations.
Funded grants are:
- Stories ‘n’ Steps: A project that showcases stories of challenge, revelation and strength of CSU students, staff, faculty and alumni through photos and stories. The stories center on the impact of gender on experiences learning and working at CSU.
- CSU Writes: Structured support for women to write for publication, degree completion and personal growth through writing groups. This project will foster writing groups and offer workshops and presentations, establishing long-term, sustainable commitment to writing groups on campus.
- Leadership book club for women: Fostering leadership success through a book club for individuals who identify as women, with discussion about the book, takeaways and how lessons from the book can be implemented at CSU. A new book will be selected every six weeks and a $15 discount on featured books will be offered to the first 30 women who buy each book.
- Mentoring women: Creating networks that bring together senior men and women who are recognized as fantastic mentors for women, including men in current or future positions of leadership who want to be great mentors for women. Potential mentors will be trained through workshops and meetings to develop a cadre of men and women who are committed to exceptional mentoring for women and enthusiastic about spreading knowledge to the rest of campus.
- Financial literacy: A series of presentations to help women better manage personal finances will cover creating and sticking to a personal budget, developing and tracking financial goals, selecting a financial advisor, balancing bank accounts, managing credit card debt, safe e-commerce and avoiding identity theft. The series will be presented in partnership with First National Bank and will be free.
- Women’s recreation ride: Bicycle safety and group rides for women hosted by Parking and Transportation Services, including monthly lunchtime rides, educational classes for women who want to polish up their bicycle skills, and lunch-and-learn presentations every other month. The interactions created by this project would help women overcome barriers to bicycling including demands of childcare, and to provide positive social and physical experiences for women on campus.
- Home repair and maintenance series: A series of home-repair classes, taught by knowledgeable volunteers, will introduce the basics of home repair, arming participants with the background to safely tackle common household repairs while helping them identify jobs best left to professionals. Initial classes will focus on electrical and plumbing repairs including finding the main water line in a house and closing the valve, unclogging a drain, fixing a leaky toilet, understanding electrical panels and identifying and turning off proper breakers before doing electrical work, and replacing a wall switch or outlet. The classes also will provide tips for selecting a professional contractor for bigger jobs and resources for more information.
- We Lead: Develop an institute for underrepresented, high-school aged women to help them explore career possibilities as well as network and develop self-esteem. The annual, three-day, interactive program would help encourage a greater number of Colorado students to attend college and provide a framework for CSU women and men in sharing their stories, strategies and disciplines with young women to develop their leadership potential through relationships, experiential activities and mentoring. CSU students will also provide support and encourage participants’ academic and personal growth.
Hold each other tight at CSU couples workshop
This Valentine’s Day, CSU is offering an alternative to the usual rituals of dinner, cards and gifts. It's an opportunity to shake up the routine and learn about a new framework for understanding love and conflict.
In memory: Jordyn-Rhea Tuiasosopo
Jordyn-Rhea Fogatia Tuiasosopo 18, college freshmen student at Colorado State University, passed away unexpectedly on February 4.
Jordyn was a Colorado Springs resident for several years. She was born on February 8, 1996, in Long Beach to Nita Tuiasosopo and raised by her grandparents Asovalu and Eseta Tuiasosopo.
She was preceded in death by her Uncle Manusina Tuiasosopo.
Jordyn enjoyed singing and spending time with family and friends. She was a member of her church choir, Air Force Jr. ROTC, NHS, Air Force ROTC and was a honor graduate of the Sierra High School class of 2013.
She leaves to cherish her memory her mother Nita Tuiasosopo; grandparents Asovalu and Eseta Tuiasosopo; sisters Leata, Deora, Leah Leomiti-Tuiasosopo; brother Derrick Leomiti-Tuiasosopo; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be held 10 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 15, at the First Samoan Christian Church, 8250 Indian Village Heights, Pueblo, Co. 81008. Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Monday Feb. 16, at Angelus Funeral Directors, 1104 S. Circle Drive, Colorado Springs.
Interment will be held at Evergreen Cemetery.
Transformations: Through the sally port and beyond
As an intern at the Larimer County Jail, Colorado State University psychology major Paige Robertson proved herself to be capable, calm, and compassionate. She was everything the jail was looking for in a Sheriff’s deputy.
Graduate Student Showcase highlights research
A one-day conference showcasing Colorado State University’s graduate student research and creative works will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Lory Student Center.
Jodie Hanzlik, dean of the Graduate School, said the showcase not only allows graduate students from across campus to present their scholarly work, but also spurs networking with other students and faculty from differing graduate programs.
“The Graduate Student Showcase is an excellent opportunity to display the diverse activities that graduate students are engaged in,” Hanzlik said. “It invites students to hone professional skills and gain research conference experience. This assures our graduate researchers go on to confidently present and promote their research to greater networks, impacting larger communities.”
More than 300 graduate students will be presenting their work from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., followed by presentations and a guest speaker, sponsored by the Graduate School and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Alan Rudolph, vice president for research at CSU, will present the keynote, “Challenging Boundaries: Experiences and Opportunities in Interdisciplinary Creative Artistry and Scholarship” at 1:30 p.m.
Following Rudolph, brief talks will be presented by John Simmons, founder of C3 Real Estate Solutions; Brian Ashe, director of business development at Riverside Technology Inc.; Corkie Odell, co-founder of Odell Brewing Company; Jeff Poore, president of Numerica; and Gino Campana, Fort Collins District 3 City Council member and founder and president of Bellisimo Inc.
“The speakers chosen represent the innovative and collaborative values that we hope to instill in graduate students’ research processes,” Rudolph said. “Because this is our aim, the showcase allows interdisciplinary research exposure that can spur such creativity and collaboration. The mingling of innovative minds is essential to interdisciplinarity — creativity and innovation that crosses the bounds of fields and disciplines. The speakers exemplify these values.”
Breakout sessions
Breakout sessions on the theme of “Expanding the Graduate Experience through Interdisciplinary and Innovative Approaches” will take place from 3 to 4 p.m. The sessions, led by guest panelists, will focus on creating and nurturing diverse teams from composition to integration and synergy.
Session will include:
- “Reality Check: How Can I Develop my Interdisciplinary Team-Building Skills?” Presented by Ellen Fisher, professor of chemistry and senior faculty advisor for the vice president for research, and Kathy Partin, director of the Integrity and Compliance Review Office and assistant vice president for research.
- “Innovative & Interdisciplinary Employment Options: Thinking Outside the Box to Make the Most of a Graduate Degree,” presented by the CSU Career Center.
- “Innovation through Global Partnerships: Establishing and Enabling International Collaborations,” presented by the Office of International Programs.
John Simmons, founder of C3 Real Estate Solutions, brings real-estate buyers and sellers together by integrating personal service and knowledge with state-of-the-art technology, marketing and community involvement.
Brian Ashe, director of business development at Riverside Technology Inc., is responsible for developing business and marketing strategies at Riverside, as well as managing proposal development. Riverside is an internationally recognized engineering, science and information technology company providing innovative information technology solutions for environmental decision support systems, using a variety of different environmental data sources.
Corkie Odell joined her brother, Doug, and his wife, Wynne, to start Odell Brewing Company in 1989. She started out cleaning tanks and as the company grew, she evolved into the Human Resource Director/Culture Maven. In addition to liking beer (a lot), she has a passion for supporting and coaching her co-workers to help them be successful and happy in their work. One of the values of Odell Brewing Company is to support the communities where Odell brews are distributed, and following suit, she helped develop the company’s philanthropic arm, Odell Outreach.
Jeff Poore is the president of Numerica where scientists, engineers and software architects deliver state-of-the-art technology solutions to government and industry partners. They provide actionable information to decision makers in areas such as defense, intelligence and law enforcement.
Gino Campana currently serves on the Fort Collins City Council representing District 3 and is founder and president of Bellisimo, Inc., a development company in Northern Colorado. Bellisimo focuses on the individual project needs with an objective to enhance the value of the project to create diversified and opportunistic real estate investments.
Grants spur One Health research collaboration
Three interdisciplinary teams have been chosen by to receive funding for the One Health Research & Development program, a campus-wide funding opportunity that aims to create co-equal, scientific-health and environmentally related disciplines.
Open forums with President Frank
CSU President Tony Frank will host two open forums on Feb. 16 for university faculty and staff.