Student Issue for February 26, 2021
Special Announcement
University Events Impacted Due to COVID-19
Events featured in TelegRAM have been moved to an online setting to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Please check with organizers for assistance in accessing the online venue. Information about the university's One VCU: Responsible Together plan for a phased return to campus is available at https://together.vcu.edu. It is the source for the latest VCU updates. You can also receive VCU Together notifications. Download "VCU Mobile" from your iOS or Android App Store, or visit https://mobile.vcu.edu with your smartphone and select the appropriate link.
Today
Red Cross Blood Drive Sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Alpha Phi Omega National Service Fraternity and the American Red Cross will sponsor a blood drive at the Pace Center, 700 W. Franklin St.
For more information, contact Logan Martin at martinle6@vcu.edu or visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.
Death Café
12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
The InterHealth Professional Alliance will sponsor its second Death Café. Death Cafés offer a supportive space to help prepare for clinical and community conversations about death, dying, grief and loss. This is not a bereavement support group. The event is free and open to all VCU faculty, staff and students. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Katherine Clancy at clancyka@mymail.vcu.edu or (804) 517-5377 or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvfuuhrjgpE9FJshE4fWsDxXvz6Apn26b2.
TRIO Student Support Services Student Informational Session
2 p.m.
Are you a first-generation and/or a low-income student at VCU? TRIO Student Support Services will host an open house to discuss the resources and perks TRIO students have available to them. Resources include free printing, early course registration, scholarship resources, graduate school and cultural enrichment trips. Questions: http://trio@vcu.edu. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Michelle Bair at trio@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/JoinTRIO.
NSO To Hold Informational Session for Graduate Students
3 p.m.
VCU's National Scholarship Office will host an informational session for graduate students from all disciplines. Learn more about the NSO, how the office can support applicants for external funding opportunities and what kinds of opportunities are available. Questions: Email natlscholar@vcu.edu. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Meredith Sisson at mrsisson@vcu.edu or visit http://blogs.vcu.edu/natlscholar.
Black Women In the Media: Movie Night + Discussion
6 p.m.
Amnesty International at VCU will host a movie night to watch "The Trip To Bountiful" starring Cicely Tyson. A discussion will follow the screening on how Black women have historically been represented in the media and how Cicely Tyson has contributed to breaking on-screen racial stereotypes. Click on the following URL for the Zoom link. The passcode is amnesty.
For more information, contact Myia Samuels at samuelsma@vcu.edu or visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84443102264?pwd=S2piN0pVWi9GbnFyUW0wSk44K1NXdz09.
Club Quarantine: Black History Month Edition
6 p.m.
Unwind and vibe with a virtual DJ set featuring Lowe Maceo to close out Black History Month 2021. The event will be hosted by VCU's Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Register at the following URL. Registration is required.
For more information, contact Tiana Ingram at ingramtd@vcu.edu or visit https://linktr.ee/vcuomsa.
VCUarts Dance NOW Part II
7 p.m.
VCUarts Dance + Choreography will present VCUarts Dance NOW 2021 Part II, new work in the virtual space by students and faculty and featuring a collaborative restaging of Artist Journal by guest artists Urban Bush Women. Rotating programs will be screened online Fridays: Feb. 26, March 5 and March 12 at 7:00 pm EST. All performances are free. Questions: https://arts.vcu.edu/event/vcuarts-dance-now-2021-part-ii/. Click on the following URL for the Feb. 26 Zoom link.
For more information, contact Lea Marshall at lemarshall@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/97373761707.
Jazz 4 Justice Concert Rescheduled for Feb. 26
8 p.m.
VCU's Jazz 4 Justice virtual concert has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 26. It will feature the VCU Jazz Orchestra I, Jazz Orchestra II, Small Jazz Ensembles, Choral Arts Society, Vox Concordia, J4J Scholarship Recipients, the poetry of retired Virginia Supreme Court Justice John Charles Thomas and former Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton directing the VCU JO I. Admission is free to the link at the following URL.
For more information, contact Antonio Garcia, director of Jazz Studies, at ajgarcia@vcu.edu or visit https://go.vcu.edu/concerthall.
Coming up
'Regional Climates: Using the Past to Understand and Predict the Future'
Monday, Mar. 1, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.
VCU Libraries, the VCU C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research and the VCU Postdoctoral Association will present the next installment of the 2021 How-to Talks by Postdocs Series. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Stacey Wahl at swahl@vcu.edu or visit https://rampages.us/howtotalks/upcoming/.
Faculty Club Meeting
Monday, Mar. 1, 2021 at 4 p.m.
VCU Faculty Club, hosted by VCU's Office of the Provost, is open to all VCU faculty members. The meeting provides an informal setting for faculty from both campuses to connect, expand their network of colleagues and explore possibilities for professional collaboration. Questions: http://go.vcu.edu/facultyclub. RSVP at the following URL.
For more information, contact Pam Hendrix at pahendrix@vcu.edu or visit https://forms.gle/GTtSuCdzEWEmyjFf6.
VCU Writing Center's UNIV 111 Unit 1 Personal Narrative Workshop
Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2021 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
The VCU Writing Center will host an interactive Zoom workshop to help break down the UNIV 111 Unit 1 assignment. Start your time in Focused Inquiry by collaboratively discussing personal writing. The Zoom link is hosted on the center's events page at the following URL.
For more information, contact Trey Burnart Hall at hallbr@vcu.edu or visit https://writing.vcu.edu/events/.
Virtual Q&A: VCU Police Hiring New and Pre-Certified Officers
Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2021 at 10 a.m.
Do you have questions about applying for the VCU Police Academy's next class? If you’re getting ready to graduate from VCU, you could be in the academy by summer. VCU Police will host a Q&A at 10 a.m. and also at 6 p.m. on March 2. Email the following address by 11:59 p.m. March 1 to register for a session.
For more information, contact Conrad Simms, VCU Police recruiter, at csimms2@vcu.edu or (804) 828-1225 or visit https://police.vcu.edu/about/recruitment/.
Advancing Into APA
Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2021 from 11 a.m. to noon
The VCU Writing Center and Focused Inquiry Learning Lounge will host a workshop to help students improve citations and other American Psychological Association-style writing skills. Questions: https://focusedinquiry.vcu.edu/the-fi-learning-lounge-fill/. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Hannah Franz at askinh@vcu.edu or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcvce-opj4vEtzOVxWejxCIjdGg5jGA53wc.
A Conversation With Sampson Davis, M.D.
Tuesday, Mar. 2, 2021 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
VCU's Division for Health Sciences Diversity will present a conversation with Sampson Davis, M.D., an emergency room physician and New York Times best-selling author. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact VCU P.R.I.M.E (Pre-health and Related Interests Mentoring Experiences), at vcuprime@gmail.com or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJItc-qqqzssGNaOVV9Z80ZNn6PfK2l1a1Ka.
Camp Kesem GBM
Wednesday, Mar. 3, 2021 at 8 p.m.
Camp Kesem is a student-run, nonprofit organization serving children from the Richmond and surrounding area who have been affected by a parent's cancer. Leadership and volunteer opportunities for VCU students are available throughout the school year and during the summer. General body meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month. Questions: https://www.campkesem.org/find-a-camp/camp-kesem-at-virginia-commonwealth-university. Click on the following URL for the Zoom link. The meeting ID is 965 9049 6463.
For more information, contact Sumaya Smarony at vcu.volunteer@campkesem.org or visit https://vcu.zoom.us/j/96590496463.
Dollar$ and Sen$e: Budget Boot Camp
Thursday, Mar. 4, 2021 from noon to 12:45 p.m.
Join the Office of Student Experience as guest speaker Tom Katsovich of Virginia Credit Union discusses creating a realistic budget and provides tips for sticking to an established budget. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact the Office of Student Experience at studentexp@vcu.edu or visit https://www.pubapps.vcu.edu/vphs/OSEReg/Form.aspx?EventTypeID=2.
'Health Research in Rwanda, the Land of a Thousand Hills'
Monday, Mar. 8, 2021 from noon to 1 p.m.
Dennis Hopkinson, M.D., assistant professor for internal medicine, will speak at a Discovery Dialogue seminar hosted by VCU's C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. Questions: http://www.cctr.vcu.edu. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Pamela Dillon, Pharm.D., research liaison, at pmdillon@vcu.edu or (804) 827-1519 or visit https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMud-urrj0tEtzrBgl6CV2XDN1jb-enqWP-.
Changing the Face of Science - Diversity Speaker Series
Wednesday, Mar. 10, 2021 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Aderonke A Akinkugbe, B.D.S., M.P.H., Ph.D., assistant professor, Dental Public Health and Policy, VCU School of Dentistry, will give an address as part of the speaker series hosted by VCU's Office of the Senior Vice President for Health Sciences and the VCU Center on Health Disparities. This series is designed to provide an inclusive and interactive platform for scholarly exploration. Questions: https://healthdisparities.vcu.edu/. Register at the following URL.
For more information, contact Khiana Meade at khiana.meade@vcuhealth.org or (804) 827-0719 or visit https://forms.gle/cvzGDfTMSjE4gyye8.
Notices
Rec Sports To Host Red Cross Basic Life Support and First Aid Classes
VCU Recreational Sports will offer the American Red Cross blended learning Basic Life Support and First Aid course. Upcoming single-day sessions will be held on March 2, March 20 and March 23.
For more information, contact Jenna Dillon at dillonj3@vcu.edu or visit https://recsports.vcu.edu/programs/certifications/arc-bls/.
New IRB Recruitment Guidance
VCU's Human Research Protection Program presents two new IRB guidance documents available to researchers. The first document offers guidance on the use of "cold calling" as a research recruitment method. The second addresses considerations for utilizing social media for research recruitment.
For more information, contact Nyssa Towsley at ntowsley@vcu.edu or visit http://bit.ly/irbguidance.
Race and Trust in Institutions Study
Are you 18 years of age or above and self-identify as Black/African American? Consider the Race and Trust in Institutions Study. The purpose of the study is to explore how public incidents involving law enforcement and African Americans may affect mental health and institutional trust. All data will be held confidential. SONA Research credit is available for participants in this study. Non-SONA participants will be entered into a raffle for one of ten $25 gift cards.
For more information, contact Shawn Jones, Ph.D., MHS, at scjones4@vcu.edu.
Participate in the Racial Socialization and African American Immigrants Study
Are you above 18 years of age and identify as first- (immigrant) or second-generation (born of immigrant parents) originally from a country in Africa or the Caribbean? The purpose of the study is to increase the knowledge and understanding of the racial socialization practices and perspectives among African and/or Caribbean immigrant families raising black children in the United States. Participants may receive SONA Research credit for study completion. A consent form is available at the following URL.
For more information, contact Shawn Jones, Ph.D., MHS, at scjones4@vcu.edu or visit https://vcupsych.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6YhyxfFmpYOrJ4h.
Study on Race and Parenting
Are you raising a Black child ages 7-12? Do you talk to them about race? Consider participating in a study about race and parenting. The purpose of our study is to better understand how Black families work together to teach their children about race. We are interested in studying how parents communicate, support and collaborate to do this important parenting work. Families will be financially compensated at the completion of the study. An interest form is available at the following URL.
For more information, contact Shawn Jones, Ph.D., MHS, at scjones4@vcu.edu or visit https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfYv0FGxYxNSuDlzQhnYs_p21JJzBPb11_mWXVlM6XBVYy8Yg/viewform.
Study of Brain Development in Typically Developing Infants
Researchers in VCU's Department of Physical Therapy and Pediatric Radiology are conducting a study to learn about brain development in healthy infants. Infants born 38-40 weeks are invited to participate and enrolled infants will undergo three MRI visits and three assessments during the first six months. Participants will be compensated for their time and travel. Unsedated MRI visits will be conducted at Children's Hospital of Richmond and developmental assessments can be conducted at home or VCU. Contact the study team if you are interested.
For more information, contact Sonia Khurana at skhurana@vcu.edu or (804) 300-4270.
Other resources
VCU Libraries workshops
See a schedule of workshops and classes that teach how to use collections and databases.
LinkedIn Learning @ VCU
Navigate a vast library of online video tutorials to supplement teaching, learning, and professional development.
RamsConnect events
View all of the student events happening on campus and register for events that interest you.