Category: Classes

3/12 Update: RU Classes Postponed Until Mon 3/23

Roosevelt University has posted a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. Please check it frequently for new information on classes and campus operations. The following is quoted directly from the latest post on this site, as of 8am on 13 March 2020.

To my Spring 2020 students:

  • Classes do not meet next week (3/16-20) for my Chicago Campus-based SUST 101 Humans & Nature and 340 Policy Law & Ethics classes. SUST 101 field trips planned for 3/16 and 3/18 are cancelled. Students should check the Response website above for university updates as well as their RU student email for class-related announcements.
  • My SUST 220 Water online class will have a delayed start as a result of the university’s cancellation of classes next week. This course and all other Term 3B courses will begin on Mon 3/23 (and thus be shortened by 1 week).

While there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus at Roosevelt, the safety and wellbeing of our community is our highest priority. We are taking the following steps to give every member of our community the support and resources to continue uninterrupted access to their academic program in whatever manner is necessary.

Steps that we are taking to achieve these objectives are as follows:

Classes

  • Roosevelt University classes are postponed until Monday, March 23. At that time and until further notice, most classes will be offered online.
  • Accommodations will be made for courses/programs that require in-person course work, as those courses/programs are identified.
  • A student who reports that they need to miss classes for reasons related to COVID-19 must be excused and the absence reported to the VP for Student Affairs. No medical or other documentation regarding the absence is required.

Residence & Dining Halls

  • The University’s residence halls and dining hall will remain accessible at this time, but with restrictions. For your safety and for the safety of the campus community, we are strongly encouraging students who are able to remain home to do that.
  • For students who return or remain in the residence halls, you must notify the Dean of Students Office at dos@roosevelt.edu.

Student & Employee Travel

  • No University-sponsored travel by air is permitted. You are responsible for canceling currently-scheduled travel and making arrangements for refunds.
  • Students and employees currently in and returning from countries with a Level 3 Health Notice must complete 14 days of self-quarantine before returning to campus.

Athletics

  • Roosevelt University is immediately suspending all athletic activities indefinitely. This suspension also pertains to all Roosevelt programs, including spirit squads, eSports and Performing Arts, that were previously offered at Robert Morris University Illinois.
  • This suspension covers all intercollegiate athletics programs and related athletics activities, including all competitions, all practices, and all team meetings.
  • Teams currently on spring break travel and competing in tournament competitions will return from their trips as scheduled and immediately adhere to the suspension of athletics activities. The Robert Morris men’s volleyball team competing at Trinity Christian College tonight (Thursday, March 12, 2020) will compete in the match and adhere to the suspension of athletics activities following the conclusion of the match.
  • Athletics facilities owned, leased or rented by Roosevelt will be closed to students until further notice.

University Operations 

  • Effective immediately, any employee who is in a high risk category is strongly encouraged to work from home or adjust their work schedule to reduce contact with others.
  • Key offices (campus safety, residence life, physical resources, payroll, information technology, and human resources) will remain fully open.
  • Student Offices (all student-facing offices) remain open for visitors with reduced staffing. Each Division head will outline a plan for this with their respective teams.
  • All other offices are highly encouraged to work from home.
  • An employee who reports that they need to miss work for reasons related to COVID-19 must be excused and the absence reported to Human Resources. No medical or other documentation regarding the absence is required.

Roosevelt’s top priority is the health and safety of our community. We remain committed to communicating the most up to date information as frequently as possible.

Ali R. Malekzadeh, Ph.D.
President, Roosevelt University

Lois Becker
Provost, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs

3/11 Update on RU Classes & Campus Operations Information

Roosevelt has posted a Coronavirus (Covid-19) Emergence Response website to provide the university community with up-to-date information about this rapidly changing situation. Please check it frequently for new information on classes and campus operations as the University prepares for the end of spring break this week. The following is quoted directly from the latest post on this site, as of 10:30pm on 11 March 2020.

  • Students in my Chicago Campus-based SUST 101 Humans & Nature and 340 Policy Law & Ethics classes should check the Response website above for updates as well as their RU student email for class-related announcements.
  • My SUST 220 Water online class will begin on 17 March, as scheduled.

The University is continually assessing the situation and closely following the recommended guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Many of you have heard that other colleges and universities are stopping in person classes on campus and moving to remote content delivery options. Our local Public Health officials have not yet advised ceasing in person classes in Chicago and we therefore intend to continue to offer classes in person and Roosevelt will remain fully open.

For now, there are no confirmed cases of Coronavirus at Roosevelt. We are actively monitoring for any suspected or confirmed cases in the Roosevelt community. If there is a confirmed case or a spike in absenteeism, we will follow guidance from the Chicago Department of Public Health, which may include delivering classes exclusively online for a period of time.

Please know that we are taking a very deliberate and informed approach to our response to Coronavirus that considers, among other things, the demographics of our students and employees. We know that you will keep this in mind as you review responses from other entities. For example, as we consider changing the delivery of course content, we are aware and have considered that many of our students do not have personal computers and some lack remote access to the internet. As we consider whether to make changes to our operations, we are considering the well-being of the members of our community at greatest risk for serious infection, including those who are over 60 years of age and those with serious health conditions. In sum, please know that we will never put the health, well-being or safety of our campus community at risk, and that we are weighing all of these important factors as we make decisions for our University.

We have already made several decisions consistent with guidance provided by the CDC and health officials to protect our community:

  1. TASK FORCE CREATION: A COVID-19 Task Force, led by the Dean of our College of Pharmacy, is meeting daily to update the community on any changes in the university’s response to this virus. Please continue to visit our Coronavirus Emergency Response Page for the most up-to-date information.
  2. TRAVEL: We have cancelled all funded overseas travel until further notice and have cancelled student travel by air, with the exception of athletics. Students currently studying abroad are being monitored following CDC guidelines. We continue to follow CDC guidelines for domestic travel and are directing any returning members of our community from level 3 countries to complete 14 days of self-quarantine before returning to campus.
  3. PERSONS AT RISK: We are closely following CDC guidelines for members of our RU family who the CDC considers to be at higher risk. CDC guidance states that people over 60 and those with heart disease, diabetes and lung disease are at greatest risk for serious illness if infected with COVID-19. They are advised follow the advice of the CDC and to consult with their health care providers. The University supports working from home for anyone who needs to do so. CDC Information on high-risk complications.
  4. ONLINE LEARNING: We are developing plans to move all classes online in the event that public health officials recommend cessation of in-class learning. Our Provost is working closely with Deans, Chairs and faculty leaders to use this week – while many of our students are on spring break – to develop plans to ensure that all our students can continue their education and we can deliver on our commitment to provide them the best educational experience possible.

We ask for your help in staying healthy: please stay home and consult with your healthcare provider if you have a cough, a fever or difficulty breathing. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching your face.

Thank you again for your understanding and your patience as we work through this unprecedented public health challenge.

Sincerely,

Melissa Hogan, PharmD
Dean, Roosevelt University College of Pharmacy
Chair, Roosevelt University COVID-19 Task Force
mhogan03@roosevelt.edu

Jamar Orr
Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students
dos@roosevelt.edu

FOIA Workshop Session @RU Monday 2/18

SUST and SOC majors, check out this excellent workshop at RU scheduled for tomorrow, Mon 2/18, at 11am in AUD 314. (See this pdf).

This workshop is ideal for students in my current SUST 340 Policy, Law, & Ethics course, as well as for all SUST and SOC majors. If you’re on campus tomorrow and free at 11, I highly recommend attending! However, if you’re unable to make it, no worries: there will be handouts available — and Prof. Cusac is a good colleague of mine who would be happy to speak with you individually about how FOIA requests could enhance your environmental/sociological research.

Register for Spring/Summer 2019 Classes, & Good Luck with Finals!

As we enter finals week this F18 semester, don’t nelgect your planning for next year’s classes! Advising and registration are ongoing for the Spring & Summer 2019 semesters here at @RooseveltU — and there are still seats left in most of our SUST classes. The Sustainability Studies program is once again offering a wide range of on-campus and online courses for the next two exciting semesters of learning, research, and campus outreach projects!

Students, please look over the Spring 2019 schedule using this coursefinder, check your remaining course requirements, and email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will help you craft your schedule and provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register.

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Spring 2018:

SUST 101 Humans & Nature (MW 11am-12:15pm, Bryson)* — Waitlisted
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (T 2-4:30pm, Hoffman)◊
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (8-week online, 1/22-3/18, STAFF)§
SUST 220 Water (8-week online, 3/19-5/13, Jones)§
SUST 230 Food (M 2-4:30pm, Gerberich)◊
SUST 240 Waste (8-week online, 3/19-5/13, Gerberich)§
SUST 250 The Sustainable University (W 2-4:30pm, Bryson)◊
SUST 330 Biodiversity (8-week online, 1/22-3/18, Hoffman)§
SUST 340 Policy, Law, & Ethics (16-week online, Bryson)
SUST 395 Sustainability Studies Internship (by arrangement, Bryson)

* Ideas course in new CORE general education curriculum, effective Fall 2018; recommended for SUST majors and minors!
§ 8-week accelerated online courses; these work great taken back-to-back.
◊ Experiential Learning (EXL) designated courses: satisfy EXL requirement in CORE.

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Summer 2019:

SUST 361 Urban Ecology (5 Saturdays, 7/8-8/5, Pickren)◊ — NEW Course
SUST 390 Rooftop Garden (on-campus + online, 5/28-8/5, STAFF)◊

◊ Experiential Learning (EXL) designated courses: satisfy EXL requirement in CORE.

I know November is a super busy time of the academic year, but be sure to make a little time to get in touch with your advisor to sign up for the classes you need! For additional useful info, see this Advising Resources page here on my faculty website.

Good luck with your final exams, papers, and projects!

Welcome to the Fall 2018 Semester @RooseveltU

Key text for SUST 350 this fall

As we wrap up Week 1 of the Fall 2018 semester, I want to extend a welcome to new students in the sociology, sustainability studies, and community development & action programs here @RooseveltU, as well as a “welcome back” to our continuing students. It was great meeting my students in SUST 240 Waste (Wed 2-4:30pm in WB 1215) and SUST 350 Service & Sustainability (Tues 12-13pm @EdenPlace Nature Center and online), and I’m looking forward to a great semester of learning together!

I also want to recognize some of our student leaders this 2018-19 year in our Department of Sociology, Sustainability, & Community Development:

  • Michelle Giles, senior SUST major, is President of the student organization RU Green and one of our Rooftop Garden stewards
  • Matt Harlovic, another senior SUST major, is Vice President of RU Green and chief steward of our Rooftop Garden as part of his SUST 395 Internship work this fall
  • Brenda Hershey and Shay Odimayo, both graduate students in the MACDA program, are the Graduate Assistants for our department in the College of Arts & Sciences

Students, please check back here to get in touch, find my office hours, or tap into my class/writing/research resources. I also recommend subscribing to the sustainability blogs and social media listed on the right, so you can stay up to date on all things sustainable here at Roosevelt. My SUST 240 and 350 classes will be contributing posts to the SUST at RU, RU Green Campus, and Schaumburg’s Sustainable Future blogs this semester.

Finally, I look forward to seeing you at the various College of Arts & Sciences events planned for the fall, as well as the landmark American Dream Reconsidered Conference here at RU the week of September 10-14. That will be an exciting week, capped off by our annual Day of Service on Friday 9/14! SUST students, faculty, and alumni will be running a volunteer workday on our 5th-floor Rooftop Garden.

 

Exploring Urban Nature in Chicago (May 2018)

Just finished up five days of exploring the urban and suburban environment of the Chicago region with my intrepid squad of @RooseveltU students in our one-week-intensive Sustainability Studies 360 course, Writing Urban Nature. Here they are at the North Park Village Nature Center on Chicago’s NW Side, one of the many sites we visited this week in Chicago, Schaumburg, and Will County.

From Chicago’s lakefront to its North Side parklands and trails; from South Branch of the Chicago River to the wetlands and woodlands of the NW suburbs; from heritage farms to prairie restoration sites — we visited a wide diversity of places in which to analyze the ever-shifting relations between the natural and built environments in this place that has come to be called “Chicago Wilderness.”

Pictured from L to R here are Austyn (oboe major), Tom (psychology), Alicia (sustainability studies), Grace (wildlife biology), and Denise (biology). Notably, Grace joined our group as a student-at-large from Western State CO University, enrolling in this environmental humanities class via the Resilience Studies Consortium of US colleges and universities. The students now are working on creative non-fiction essays as part of our Writing Urban Nature online project, est. 2015.

SUST 360 Writing Urban Nature: One-Week Experiential Learning Course this May

Registration Information

  • SUST 360-01 Writing Urban Nature — CRN 31243 / Pre-req: ENG 102 with a grade of C- or better

Meets May 21-25 from 9:30am to 5pm at RU’s Chicago Campus. Required pre-session on May 9 from 4-6pm, room TBA — videoconferencing also will be provided through Zoom for the pre-session. Some additional work online required. Final writing assignment due June 1st.

See detailed course preview here!

Register for Summer & Fall 2018 Classes Now @RooseveltU

Advising and registration are underway for the Summer and Fall 2018 semesters at Roosevelt. Sign up now to get the classes you want! Spaces are still available in our SUST courses, and we’ve got many hands-on learning opportunities for both summer and fall.

RU students: (1) look over the Summer and Fall 2018 schedules using this Coursefinder, (2) check your remaining course requirements in Degree Works, and (3) email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register. Click on selected titles below for detailed course previews!

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Summer 2018:

SUST 210 Sustainable Future (online, May 29 – July 25, Prof. Pickren)
SUST 360 Writing Urban Nature (Chicago, one-week intensive, May 22-26, Prof. Bryson)
SUST 390 Rooftop Garden (Chicago, May 29 – July 25, Prof. Gerberich)

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Fall 2018:

SUST 210 Sustainable Future (M, 2-4:30pm, Prof. Pickren)
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (online, 8/27-10/20, Prof. Pickren)
SUST 220 Water (T, 2-4:30pm, Staff)
SUST 230 Food (online, 10/22-12/15, Staff)
SUST 240 Waste (W, 2-4:30pm, Prof. Bryson)
SUST 310 Energy & Climate Change (online, 8/27-12/15, Staff)
SUST 320 Sprawl, Transportation, & Planning (Th, 2-4:30pm, Prof. Pickren)
SUST 330 Biodiversity (Field Museum, Th 9am-1pm, Prof. Kerbis)
SUST 350 Service & Sustainability (Eden Place Farm, T 12-3pm, Prof. Bryson)
SUST 350 Service & Sustainability (online, 8/27-12/15, Prof. Bryson)
SUST 390 Intro to GIS (M 11-11:50am & W, 11am-1pm, Prof. Pickren)

Click on the links above for detailed course previews!

March is a super busy time of the academic year, but don’t neglect getting in touch with your advisor. It’s the best time to get signed up for classes. For additional useful info, see this Advising Resources page on my faculty site as well as this Registration page on the RU website.

Register Now for Spring/Summer 2018 Classes @RooseveltU

Here’s a cheerful autumnal thought: advising and registration are now ongoing (since Nov 2nd) for the Spring & Summer 2018 semesters here at @RooseveltU. The Sustainability Studies program is offering a wide range of courses and we’re planning two exciting semesters of learning, research, and campus outreach projects!

Undergraduate students: please look over the Spring 2018 schedule using this coursefinder, check your remaining course requirements, and email or call your assigned academic advisor with your planned schedule and any questions you have about your upcoming classes. Your advisor will help you craft your schedule and provide you with an RU Access registration code so you can register.

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Spring 2018:

ACP 110 Primary Texts (MW 11am-12:15pm, Bryson)*
SUST 210 Sustainable Future (TTh 11am-12:15pm, Pickren)
SUST 220 Water (12-week online, 1/29-4/27, Jones)
SUST 230 Food (W 6-8:30pm, Gerberich)
SUST 240 Waste (8-week online, 3/12-5/14, Gerberich)§
SUST/ACP 250 The Sustainable University (M 2-4:30pm, Bryson)◊
SUST 310 Energy & Climate Change (T 2-4:30pm, Pickren)
SUST 320 Sprawl, Transportation, & Planning (12-week online, 1/29-4/27, Pickren)
SUST 330 Biodiversity (8-week online, 1/16-3/9, Hoffman)§
SUST 340 Policy, Law, & Ethics (Th 2-4:30pm, Hoffman)
SUST 395 Sustainability Studies Internship (by arrangement)

* First Year Seminars are open to new full-time undergrads with 12 or fewer hours in transfer credit.
§ These 8-week accelerated online courses are open to all students and synced with the Flex-Track adult degree calendar. They may be taken back-to-back.
◊ Students may register for either ACP 250 (Grounds for Change credit) or SUST 250 (Sustainability Studies credit).

Sustainability Studies courses offered in Summer 2018:

SUST 210 Sustainable Future (8-week online, 5/29-7/25, Pickren)
SUST 360 Writing Urban Nature (1-week intensive, 5/21-25, Bryson)
SUST 390 Special Topics: Rooftop Garden (on-campus + online, 5/29-7/25, Gerberich)

November is a super busy time of the academic year, but be sure to make a little time to get in touch with your advisor to sign up for the classes you need! My advisees should be sure to check this Advising Resources page here on my faculty website.

Before you email me:

  • Check your remaining course requirements for your designated major, minor, etc. in Degree Works (or, if you started prior to Fall 2015, on your signed curriculum checksheet).
  • Review the online course schedule for class availability and draft a schedule that will work for you.
  • Make sure you don’t have any holds on your registration by checking RU Access.
  • Check your RU student email for important announcements from me or the university.

Include in your email:

  • Your name, student ID, declared major, and phone number
  • The classes you wish to take in the upcoming semester, including dept, course number, and title
  • Any questions or concerns you have

Wasted Water and Environmental Injustice in Chicago

This fall semester, students in my SUST 220 Water class have been studying our American obsession with bottled water, which comes at the expense of (among other things) proper investment in and maintenance of public drinking water infrastructure. While taxpayer-funded repairs to underground water infrastructure are expensive and politically unpopular, the bottled water industry continues to thrive and grow: the International Bottled Water Association reported industry wholesale revenues of more than $14.2 billion in 2015 alone.

The Chicago Region is blessed with one of the best drinking water sources in the world: Lake Michigan, which supplies water to 163 Chicago-area communities.

Water intake crib off Chicago’s shoreline (photo: A. Perez, Chgo Tribune)

But as this important investigative report published online in the Chicago Tribune reveals, billions of gallons of treated drinking water are wasted each year, while communities pay millions of $ for water that never reaches their taps. Meanwhile, wide disparities in drinking water rates, combined with differential amounts of waste via leaks, disproportionately saddle poor and minority communities with extra costs they cannot afford.

Thus does neglected urban infrastructure meet environmental injustice in 21st century America, here along the southern rim of Lake Michigan.

Sources:

Patrick M. O’Connell, Cecilia Reyes, Ted Gregory and Angela Caputo. (25 Oct 2017). Billions Lost, Millions Wasted: Why Chicago-area Residents Pay Millions for Water that Never Reachers Their Taps. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from
http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/news/lake-michigan-drinking-water-rates/loss.html.

——. (25 Oct 2017). Same Lake, Unequal Rates: Why Our Water Rates Are Surging — and Why Black and Poor Suburbs Pay More. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://graphics.chicagotribune.com/news/lake-michigan-drinking-water-rates/index.html.