Financial Aid, including Scholarship Services and Student Employment, will close at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 11, to accommodate a staff event. This closure will impact both in-person and phone assistance. The office will return to normal business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Wednesday, Dec. 12. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Reminder: The Inclusion, Diversity and Excellence in Academics (IDEA) Plan is nearing the end of its open review period. 

Feedback from all members of the campus community is actively encouraged until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 14, through the open feedback form on the ODECE website. Make your voice heard as the university prepares this transformational plan of action for making our community a more inclusive and welcoming place for everyone. 

If you’d like to discuss the IDEA Plan with us, please attend the final two open town hall sessions on Dec. 14 in Norlin N410: 2–2:50 p.m. and 3–3:50 p.m.

Prerequisites: Safe Zone LGBTQ+, Wait Your Turn: Recognizing and Interrupting Sexism Led by CISC staff, this session focuses on two or more aspects of identity (such as race and gender) as tools of analysis and engages participants in exploring how people can simultaneously navigate social spaces with both dominant and oppressed identities. It seeks to support the building of solidarity with others through understanding the complexity of multiple and intersecting social identities held by self and others. The December training is set for 12-1:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, in C4C S350. Students are not required to register but may RSVP for one of our monthly trainings through Skillsoft within the campus portal. Once you log in using your Identikey, follow these steps: Click on the Skillsoft tile. Select Library at the top of the page. Select your campus folder. Select a topic from Categories. Select a course and click “Launch.” Employees can register through Skillsoft in the employee portal. If you are having trouble logging in to Skillsoft, you can call Organizational and Employee Development at 303-492-8103.

What do you think of MyCUInfo? Share your thoughts and help create CU Boulder’s new student portal. Complete this short survey before Jan. 21 for a chance to win one of five $25 Amazon gift cards!

The 19th annual CU Book Store Open House will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6. Refreshments will be served, and attendees can enter to win prizes. Best of all, receive 20 percent off your entire purchase! (Restrictions apply, see store for details.)

Interested in your moods and brain? Participate in a paid neuroimaging study to understand your own emotions and the emotions of others on the CU Boulder campus in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience (IRB# 17-0358).

Earn between $15 and $25 per hour to participate in studies involving answering questions about your thoughts and feelings, watching brief videos, playing computer games and having an MRI brain scan taken. Study includes up to three separate visits (first is 4–5 hours; second is 3 hours; third is 1–2 hours). Option for additional paid follow-ups.

To qualify, you must be between the ages of 18 and 55 years old and either have:

• Diagnosis of bipolar disorder
• History of depression
• No history of mental health conditions

Please fill out the brief survey to apply.

If you have questions, please contact us: gruberpeplab@colorado.edu or 303-735-7547.

The Center for Inclusion and Social Change offers monthly LGBTQ+ Inclusion Safe Zone Trainings throughout the academic year led by CISC staff and the peer education team. This interactive 90-minute training provides information about campus climate for the LGBT+ and allied community; surveys CU Boulder and Colorado resources, policies and protections; and addresses best practices for creating inclusive learning and work environments at the university. All are welcome, and requests can also be made for departmental or group-specific trainings. The December workshop is set for 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, in C4C S484. Students are not required to register but may RSVP to one of the monthly trainings through Skillsoft within the campus portal. Once you log in using your Identikey, follow these steps: Click on the Skillsoft tile. Select Library at the top of the page. Select your campus folder. Select a topic from Categories. Select a course and click “Launch.” Employees can register through Skillsoft in the employee portal. Search under "LGBTQ" to find it. If you are having trouble logging in to Skillsoft, you can call Organizational and Employee Development at 303-492-8103.

Looking for evening, online or summer courses to take? Beginning Monday, Dec. 10, it will be even easier to meet with an advisor to explore your options. 

Continuing Education will begin using MyCUHub for appointments. From MyCUHub, students will be able to click the Continuing Education icon to quickly access the appointment calendars for Continuing Education services such as academic and career advising and interview preparation.

CE student services are focused on degree-seeking students enrolling in CE classes (evening, online, applied music, etc.), as well as all non-degree students or students with questions about Summer Session.

CU Student Government and the University Libraries have joined together to identify and recognize CU educators who demonstrate exemplary use of open educational resources (OER) in their classrooms or teaching practice. Do you have a CU instructor or colleague who has implemented, adapted, authored or shared high quality open educational resources? Consider nominating them for this campuswide recognition! Nominations, from any member of the CU community, will be accepted until 5 p.m. Dec. 31.

FCQs are open Dec. 3–10. Take your online course and instructor evaluations now! Complete all your FCQs and be entered to win one of five $100 gift cards to the CU Book Store.

Over the next 18 months, OIT will upgrade all network switches on a building-by-building basis across campus which will cause network outages during evening hours. The replacements will cause outages for both wired and Wi-Fi networks, including Cisco VoIP phones. 

Get details on the OIT website.

The SKY Happiness Retreat is a 20-hour immersive, life-skills training and self-development program offered to thousands of students at more than 40 universities across the country, including Stanford, Ohio State and MIT. Join the retreat at CU Boulder Nov. 30 through Dec. 2.

Students gain stress-management and leadership skills, develop a personal meditation practice, develop strategies for social connection and engage in peer-driven service initiatives. Taught over three consecutive days, the retreat introduces the SKY meditation technique, a breathing practice that has shown to significantly increases one's well-being and calmness and reduces anxiety and stress markers. It's one of the coolest places to connect to yourself, make awesome friends and have fun!
 
The retreat is offered free of cost to all CU students, staff and faculty members. There are limited spots available for this retreat, and they are filling up fast. Availability is first-come, first-served by registration only and requires attendance to all sessions. Apply now.

The retreat is organized by the SKY Club at CU Boulder in association with the International Association for Human Values (IAHV).

If you go
Friday, Nov. 30, 6:30–10 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 2, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The Emotive Computing Lab at CU Boulder is looking for participants for a study of collaboration.

You are eligible to participant in this research study if you:

• Are a CU Boulder student at least 18 years of age
• Speak English
• Do not have significant and uncorrected vision impairments
• Have not previously played Physics Playground or a similar game (e.g., Crayon Physics Deluxe, Magic Pen) for more than an hour

The study contains two parts:

• An at-home portion where you fill out some surveys and practice the game (lasting one hour)
• A visit to the lab, which will be scheduled at a mutually convenient time (lasting two hours)

You will receive payment after participating in both parts of the study. You will be compensated with $50 in Amazon gift cards.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Caroline at emotivecomputing.cps2@gmail.com.

During fall break and Thanksgiving Nov. 12–23, CU Boulder Today will deliver to email inboxes on a reduced schedule. Issues will go out once each as follows.

Monday, Nov. 19: Student and faculty-staff editions
Tuesday, Nov. 20: Graduate student and community editions

On Monday, Nov. 26, the regular schedules for each edition will resume.

The Office of the Registrar and the Bursar's Office will be closed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 20.