Archive for June, 2019

We are excited to announce effective immediately NO ORDER MINIMUMS, Free Shipping and Next Day Delivery at Staples Advantage when using the ACU account.

Learn how to get the most out of Google Suite in this series of workshops presented by the Innovation Foundry. This week, we will be looking at how to use Google Photos, the power of sharing and organizing files with Google tools, and how to use Tour Creator and Expeditions for immersive experiences. RSVP at blogs.acu.edu/if for the sessions you would like to attend.
Schedule for June 13th:
9:00 AM – Google Photos
10:00 AM – Sharing & Organizing Files
11:00 AM – Tour Creator/Expeditions

Many of you picked up Austin Channing Brown’s book, I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness, to read over the summer. In it, Brown writes to an audience largely composed of white Christians, challenging perceptions and calling for racial justice.

As academics, we’ve been trained to value dialogue and critique, but if we’re not careful dialogue can succumb to what Alice Raynor calls “the coercive force of dialectic” — an attempt to force others’ stories into a predetermined meaning, often one that makes us feel comfortable. One response to this impulse is to practice Krista Ratcliffe’s concept of rhetorical listening: “a stance of openness that a person may choose to assume in relation to any person, text, or culture.”

This summer we have the opportunity to listen to Austin Channing Brown’s sharing of her experience, to choose a stance of openness, and to learn. Every two weeks, you will be emailed thought questions, created by Brown to help listen to her work. We challenge you to sit with those questions, not rushing to answers but considering what you can learn.

Laura Bolin Carroll, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Adams Center for Teaching and Learning

Thought Questions for June 3 
(pages 11-39)
Chapter 1: White People are Exhausting
Chapter 2: Playing Spades

What was the racial diversity like at your elementary or middle school? Was there diversity among teachers? Administration? Was there diversity in your library? Artwork? Curriculum?

Austin discusses how it generally feels to be the only black woman in a predominately white organization, especially one that uses phrases like “Is this person a good fit for our organization?” Asking this question is not inherently negative, but it can be used as a code to mask closed attitudes. How do you think the language of being a “good fit” impacts racial diversity in hiring, performance reviews, and work experiences?

Looking for a quick way to earn a wellness activity point?  Check out the June Portal Activity.  Access the portal activity through the Wellness link by clicking on MY CHALLENGES and Portal Activity.

TURNING SETBACKS INTO SUCCESS

Changing our perspective is often the key to finding success in seeming failure. Optimistic thinking can sometimes feel unrealistic, but research has found that we can live happier, healthier, and more successful lives if we can learn to discover the opportunities in failures. We learn something each time we fail! Failure can be an opportunity for personal growth.

Think of the times that you have set a goal to lose weight, increase exercise, get more sleep, or reduce the stress in your life. How many times did you have to try before you were successful? Probably several. That is because success takes practice! Do not become discouraged if you set goals that you have not reached. You have learned more than you know by simply trying! Build on what you have learned, make necessary adjustments, and figure out what got in the way, then try again. It may take several attempts before a goal is reached, the important thing is to keep trying!

To receive credit for this activity:
1. Self-report a setback that you have turned into a success. Document this in the Notes section.
2. After reporting your success, you will receive 1 point within 48 business hours at the end of the month.