April 26, 2024

In The Know – Issue 103

Victory in Motion

Montclair’s cheer and dance teams win championship titles at the National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Association College Nationals.

NJBIZ published a cover story on the new, student-run Saxbys cafe on campus; the feature included interviews with Dawn Meza Soufleris (Student Development and Campus Life) as well as the cafe’s student CEO (SCEO), Danielle Levitin.
Jessica Wohlstetter (Linguistics) is featured in a New York Post article about an ASL training she led for NYPD recruits.
Local Tegna news affiliates across the country, including San Antonio-based KENS5 are reporting on this year’s cicada emergence, citing information from Cortni Borgerson (Anthropology) about how the insects are safe to eat.

Your voice matters! Register to join faculty, staff and students on Thursday, May 2 in Trenton to speak with state legislators to ask them to fund higher education at Montclair and Bloomfield College of Montclair State University. Participants must be registered voters, preferably in the State of New Jersey. Participants not registered to vote will be registered on event day. Food and transportation will be provided. Registration closes today at noon. For more information, contact Maria Rodriguez-Gregg, rodriguezgrm@montclair.edu, 609-456-5225.

As a loyal reader of In The Know, we value your feedback! University Communications and Marketing is working to enhance communications with employees, and we want to hear your communication preferences, including frequency of communication, preferred channels and the types of information you consider most valuable. Please complete our Employee Communications survey. Your responses will be anonymous and will assist in identifying areas for improvement, developing strategies to enhance communication effectiveness and strengthen employee engagement. The survey will close Friday, May 3. To learn more about this initiative, contact Internal Communications Editor Brittany John at johnbr@montclair.edu. Direct questions about this survey to Karen Ramsden, Market Research Analyst, at ramsdenk@montclair.edu.

Summer Fridays will begin the week of Monday, June 3 and conclude on Friday, August 9 for 35-hour per week AFT librarians and professional staff, 35-hour per week CWA staff and managers. These individuals will work 8.75 hours Monday to Thursday and have Fridays off. Please note, Summer Fridays are not in effect during the weeks in which the Juneteenth (June 17) and Independence Day (July 4) holidays are observed.

The New Jersey Division of Pensions and Benefits special enrollment period closes Tuesday, April 30. Learn about the new Aetna medical plan and how to enroll. Upon enrollment, the Aetna medical plan will become effective Monday, July 1. Log into the Benefitsolver website by accessing a link on the MyNewJersey portal or via MyNJBenefitsHub to access additional information. No action is required if you do not wish to make any changes to your current medical plan.

Take advantage of employee discounts via the State Employee Discount Program and the Bloomfield Business Discounts list.
Download the Parking Logix app to check for available parking on campus.
Request our pupscot, Pebbles and Rocky the Red Hawk at your upcoming events!
Lost and found items may be brought to the Student Center information desk in the 2nd floor lobby. Browse the inventory of lost items or file a claim for lost items.
To receive training on the use of hemorrhage/bleeding control and Narcan kits, contact EMS at 973-655-7836 or ems@montclair.edu.

The Employee Assistance Program provides free, confidential support services for employees and their families – including locating resources for substance abuse, mental health and self-help. For more information, view the CONCERN brochure.
Concerned about a student’s well-being? Please fill out a CARE Report form to connect students to mental health support and resources. Faculty and advisors can complete an alert via Navigate for academic concerns.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.
Email successcenter@ascendiumeducation.org or call 833-707-1220 for assistance with student loan repayment support. Visit MSU GradReady website for additional resources available to help with managing your financial needs.

To Roman Liera (Educational Leadership), who served as keynote speaker at the Racial Equity & Justice Institute. View his speech on equity-minded human resources practices.
To Deborah Chatr Aryamontri (Classics and General Humanities), who took part in the Made in Italy event organized by the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation.
To Denis Sheeran (Mathematics), who will present his dissertation research, “Understanding Covid-19 Pandemic Related Effects on Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perception of Their Professional Identity,” at the upcoming 2024 International Conference on Social and Educational Sciences.
To Michael Hannon (Counseling), who received the award for Outstanding Research in Counseling from the American Educational Research Association’s Division E, for his book, Black Fathering and Mental Health.
To Lucy Takagi (Social Work and Child Advocacy), who was selected by the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology as this year’s recipient of the Peterson Prize for alumni who have made outstanding contributions to professional psychology.
To Julian Keenan (Biology), who co-edited the new book from NYU Press, When Animals Die: Examining Justifications and Envisioning Justice.
To the Classics and General Humanities and World Languages and Cultures departments for a successful hybrid conference on Consumption, Waste and Recycling from Antiquity to Present Times.

Screenshot of instagram photo showing the bell tower in spring.

Embracing the beauty of spring , with a friendly reminder to nurture & protect the planet everyday! Happy #EarthDay Red Hawks!

Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.