Newsletters:

Student Affairs: Fall 2020

Greetings Walden Students,

 

The start of a new role always brings a level of anticipation and appreciation, and I must say that I am elated and excited to start this journey, with YOU, our Walden students.

I am Dr. Rochelle “Dr. Ro” Gilbert, Dean of Student Affairs.  I am honored to have this opportunity to be a part of the inspiring work happening at Walden University, and more specifically, motivated by the diverse programs, services, and leadership opportunities we afford all students at WaldenU.

My decade-long journey at Walden includes working in leadership roles to create exceptional experiences at our academic residencies as well as earning an Executive MBA.  I have enjoyed getting to know many of you at these events.

Walden’s Office of Student Affairs is dedicated to the development of new Walden scholar practitioners.  Our goal is to provide resources which assist students in identifying, clarifying, and achieving personal educational goals in and outside of the classroom.  We are dedicated to providing students with experiential initiatives, opportunities, and environments that educate, empower, and engage.   These experiences are an essential dimension of the overall graduate experience that completes the educational mission of the University.  We endeavor to support and contribute to student success.

For many of you, the Walden journey has changed your perspective on research and writing, challenged you to think differently, and charged you to redefine your goals for academic success.  As you plan your journey, we encourage you to find that person, resource, event, or group that enables you to make a connection with the Walden community. We seek to aid students in making meaningful connections between what you learn in the classroom and the various leadership opportunities afforded through our Student Organizations as well as the use of the numerous resources offered.

Our student organizations and honor societies at the university and school level can help you make meaningful connections across the Walden community. In addition to offering numerous resources, they bring opportunities for skill-building and leadership. We encourage you to get involved!  Just DO It!

Our exceptional team looks forward to supporting you with pathways that offer remarkable experiences on your journey of lifelong learning, discovery, and engagement. Always remember, “You Are Not Alone!”

In the spirit of change,

• Student Spotlights
• Student Organizations Updates
• Disability Services
• Academic Integrity
• Contact Us

Jacqueline Foley has been an excellent student throughout the BSEE program.  Multiple faculty members have commented on what a strong and insightful student she has been.  Dr. Wilcox stated, “Jacqueline Foley is easily the best student I've had to date at Walden!”  Her ability to draw out her peers in discussion boards in a positive way and connect it all back to our content truly drives the discussion in a meaningful way.  The level of detail she puts in all of her assignments goes above and beyond what anyone else puts forth.  She digs deep into the content and her passion for what she does is evident in everything she submits.

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Summer Parrot is a wife, and mom of three, student in the Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion program, and a Teaching Assistant in the Health Sciences undergraduate programs. Summer has a M.A. in Marriage and Family Counseling. She is certified in PREPARE/ENRICH premarital counseling, Theraplay, and recently earned the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) credential. Summer enjoys working as an independent consultant in Health Education and Promotion for businesses, churches, and community organizations across Iowa. The majority of her work involves education about the impact of emotional trauma on health in women and children. Summer is also an ordained wedding officiant and preforms over 150 weddings per year.  

Summer spends almost as much time volunteering and organizing community events as she does consulting. She serves on many community boards, including President of the Community of Concern Food Pantry, Vice President of the Library Board of Trustees, and Philanthropic Chairperson for the Rho Gamma Chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, a professional women’s group. Her recent undertaking is a collaboration with Carroll Middle School, where she developed and led a support group for students who need coping skills and assistance developing their self-esteem after incidents of bullying or trauma.

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Dr. James J. Williams is an award-winning scholar, speaker and 30-year army veteran.  Dr. Williams completed his doctoral studies in May 2019 obtaining his PhD in Public Management & Leadership from the School of Public Policy and Administration. He was bestowed the 2019 Walden University Leadership Excellence Award from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences for his dissertation topic, Rising Above The Fray: Career Ascension of African-American Men In The Army Warrant Officer Corps.

Since that time, Dr. Williams has presented his research at various conferences, and is a frequent contributor at the Walden University Doctoral Residencies to include Tampa, FL, National Harbor Maryland as well as virtual platforms.  The genesis behind his groundbreaking research was to capture the lived experiences of retired African-American men who retired from the Army Warrant Officer Corps (WOC) at the pinnacle rank of Chief Warrant Five (CW5).  Additionally, Dr. Williams works in the private sector cyber as a Cyber Systems Engineering Manager for Northrop Grumman Corporation.  He is also a multi-award winner for narrative non-fiction for his book Chasing The Eagle: From Dreaming To Achieving Success & Freedom. Dr. Williams is committed to sharing his work to the masses in promoting positive social change.

 

The Office of Student Organizations now has a Facebook page!

Like our page for updates on our student organizations and honor societies,

fun drawings and giveaways, and connect with your peers outside of the classroom!

 

 

Walden University provides a number of opportunities for students and faculty to engage in formal student organizations. These organizations take the form of honor societies, professional organizations, and affinity groups.

Participation in student organizations affords the opportunity to increase your engagement with Walden University, hold leadership positions as officers, and identify opportunities for networking and professional development. Many of our student organizations have very active members that participate in activities such as induction ceremonies, discussions on professional and social networking sites, webinars on professional development topics, research groups, service events, and participation in Walden University’s annual Global Days of Service.

For more information regarding current, active student organizations visit our website.

Questions and comments regarding student organizations can be sent to studentorgs@mail.waldenu.edu.

 

Update! The Office of Student Organizations is Partnering with the Walden Participant Pool

Volunteer for a survey or interview via the Walden Participant Pool to help Walden colleagues with their research! Studies reflect multiple fields and seek a wide range of participants. The Participant Pool is also a great opportunity to see how Walden students and faculty are using research to contribute to social change.

We encourage you to visit Participant Pool webpage via the following link: https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/research-center/research-ethics/participant-pool

As the Participant Pool is frequently updated, you can also join a listserv to receive a monthly email of new studies that have been posted on the site. To add your email to the list, please click here.

If you have any questions, please email participantpool@mail.waldenu.edu.

Disability Services

We know this very difficult time in history is particularly challenging for students who have disabilities that are exacerbated by stress. 

Please reach out to our office for support to manage the impact of those exacerbations on your academic life here at Walden.  We want to help. 

Executive Functioning: Emotion: managing frustration and modulating emotions

Fifth in a series

Amy Bailey, Associate Director of Disability Services

Have you ever had a group project where one student seemed to do absolutely nothing? And the class was a great source of frustration in your life? Most of us have, and most of us can still recount in excruciating detail each infraction of the offending group member.

Group work is a source of great anxiety and frustration for almost every student. Did you notice the more frustrated you became, the less focused you were on the project yourself? When we are frustrated or have strong emotions, our other Executive Functions (EF) suffer. It's harder to organize, focus, and sustain effort to complete our own portion of the project.

What can we do to help manage our frustrations and modulate emotions, so our progress is not impacted?

• Sleep: Sleep deprivation can increase activity in the emotional rapid-response portion of our brain. Emotions, positive and negative, become heightened when we haven't had adequate sleep (Breus 2018). Unfortunately, at the same time, our ability to modulate emotions is hampered. With heightened emotions and less ability to modulate, we might lash out at co-workers, pick a fight with our partners, or yell at our kids. Sleep is paramount to emotional regulation. Although we're all busy, we should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.
• Eat well and stay hydrated: Hungry or over-caffeinated? Both can cause irritability and impact Executive Functioning. Less sugar, more healthy fats, increased fruit and vegetable intake, and staying hydrated will lead to improved emotional regulation and overall Executive Functioning (Schlesser 2020).
• Exercise and get outside: If your daily schedule, like mine, involves sitting at a computer all day and on the couch all evening, you probably need to get up and move more. Physical exercise is incredibly powerful for mood improvement. Exercise can reduce frustration, as well as depression and anxiety rates. Getting outside for some sunshine triggers serotonin release, which will also boost mood. A walk in the sunshine will improve your day and your outlook (Roggli 2020).
• Meditation and mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness improves emotional regulation. It helps us add a step between an event and our reaction to the event, allowing a more thoughtful response (DiTommaso Downs 2020). Belly breathing can immediately reduce stress levels, allowing us to refocus our minds (Honos-Webb 2018). If you'd like to try meditation, there are some great apps, including Calm, Headspace, and Breath Ball.

Frustration and emotions, both negative and positive, are a very normal part of life. Getting stuck in those feelings can hinder our progress. Sleep, diet, exercise, and mindfulness are vital to managing those frustrations and modulating emotions so that we can be as productive as we need to be.

 

References

• Breus, M. (2018, November 13). 4 Ways That Sleep Deprivation Can Harm Your Emotional Health? Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/sleep-newzzz/201811/4-ways-sleep-deprivation-can-harm-your-emotional-health#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20sleep%20deprivation,more%20intensely%20reactive%20to%20situations. on August 26, 2020.
• DiTommaso Downs, L. (2020, August 4). Self-care and managing stress. Presentation, Walden University.
• Honos-Webb, L. (2018) Brain Hacks: Life-Changing Strategies to Improve Executive Functioning. Emeryville, CA: Althea Press.
• Roggli, L. (2020, August 20). How to banish negative thoughts and feelings. ADDitude. Retrieved from https://www.additudemag.com/stay-positive-with-adhd-no-negative-thoughts/ on August 26, 2020.
• Schlesser, C. (2020, July 28) Diet, Exercise, and Executive Functioning.  Presentation, Walden University.

Doctoral Student Classroom Change to SafeAssign from Turnitin

Doctoral classrooms have moved from Turnitin to SafeAssign as our preferred originality check software program. For your Capstone drafts, you have three submission options. Below is a list of those three areas and guidance on when to submit.

From the Submit Assignments area of the classroom:

1. Capstone Draft (no plagiarism check): Submission of your capstone drafts is not submitted through SafeAssign. This submission area should probably be used when you are working on your Capstone but haven’t yet reached a major milestone. Confirm with your chair.
2. Capstone Formal Draft (include plagiarism check): Submission of your capstone formal draft is submitted to SafeAssign AND added to the SafeAssign database/repository. This submission area should be used after you have received CAO approval of your Capstone to protect your copyright.
3. Draft document submission (unlimited submissions and penalty-free plagiarism check): Submission of your capstone draft is submitted to SafeAssign but NOT added to the SafeAssign database/repository. This submission area should be used by you and your chair at Proposal Approval and anytime you or your chair wish to ensure there are no concerns with your Capstone. Note: students are held to our academic integrity policies at all time.

 

 

For technical assistance with SafeAssign, students can contact the Customer Case Team at 1-800-WALDENU, option 2. 

View Walden’s SafeAssign and Academic Integrity Tutorial.

 

Do you have an article, a news item, or an announcement that you would like to submit? Or are you or another Walden student doing something that you would like us to share with the university community? Questions or comments? E-mail:  charity.adams@mail.waldenu.edu.