New Refillable Water Stations on Campus

IMG_2042New refillable and FREE to use water stations have made their way to Shoreline’s campus! Brought to you by Shoreline’s Sustainability and Commuter Options Fee (SCOF) Committee, these refillable water stations are designed to work with sport bottles and are now functional and operating in the FOSS, 1800, 3000, and 2700 buildings. Four more are still to come in the PUB and a few other locations around campus, so look to see those (and benefit from them) later this summer. 

Why the investment in refillable water stations, and why should you use them? According to banthebottle.net:

  • Making bottles to meet America’s demand for bottled water uses more than 17 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year. And that’s not even including the oil used for transportation.
  • The energy we waste using bottled water would be enough to power 190,000 homes.
  • Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38.
  • Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year. However, the U.S.’s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles – more than $1 billion worth of plastic – are wasted each year.
  • The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 per year; that same amount of bottled water is about $1,400.
  • Antimony, which is found in PET plastic bottles, in small doses can cause dizziness and depression; in larger doses it can cause nausea, vomiting and death.

IMG_2044So do yourself, your wallet and the environment a favor, and trade in those plastic bottles for a reusable bottle and swing by one of our new filling stations today!

Mary Kelemen Retirement Party, Thurs., July 30

Please join us for an informal (no “program”) open house to wish Mary Kelemen a very happy retirement on Thurs., July 30 from 2-3 p.m. in the Central Conference Room in the 1000 building.

Canvas Updates, Sat., July 18

Canvas will update on this Sat., July 18. In this update you will see small changes to Calendar, Assignments, Quiz grading and notifications. The production notes also include updates to existing Canvas features, other Canvas updates and fixed bugs.

View Canvas Production Release Notes (2015-07-18)

New Features

  • Calendar: Recurring Events

Updated Features

  • Assignments: Differentiated Assignment Section and Student List, Anonymous Peer Review Student Names, Assignment Details and Locked Assignments, Assignment Submissions Button
  • Files: Files Navigation Link and Content Selector Files Tab
  • Gradebook: Grades and Concluded Grading Periods, Incomplete Quiz Score Icon
  • Notifications: Excused Assignment Notifications
  • SpeedGrader: Online Submission URLs, Autosave SpeedGrader Comments
  • Users: Reported Profile Pictures

Please let eLearning know if you have questions.

Mary Kelemen decides to retire from Shoreline

 

Mary Kelemen, Executive Director of Auxiliary and Logistical Support Services, is retiring from Shoreline Community College.

“I have really enjoyed my years here and have especially enjoyed working alongside the dedicated staff to make a difference for students. However I’ve decided that now is a good time for me to step away and focus on other things,” Kelemen said.

Kelemen came to Shoreline in 2000 to direct the bookstore operations. Her responsibilities have grown and as an executive director, Kelemen now oversees the bookstore, campus mail and shipping/receiving, rental of facilities, safety &security and emergency management, print services,  facilities/custodial and grounds and food-service management. Before coming to the college, Kelemen was bookstore director for a private, liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Mich.., and before that was co-owner of an independent bookstore in Kalamazoo.

“As with many things over the past 15 years, the idea of what a campus bookstore can and should be has changed dramatically,” Kelemen said. “I’ve been fortunate to be in a position to help shape the services we provide in response to the changing needs and expectations of our students.”

President Cheryl Roberts thanked Kelemen for her service, commitment and attitude.

“Mary is a key member of the Shoreline team,” Roberts said. “When I arrived on campus, it was clear that we already had in place a skilled group of leaders that worked well together to serve students. Mary is an integral part of that group.”

During her time as executive director, Kelemen has overseen a shift to revenue-supported safety and security operations, expanded campus rentals, recent upgrades in the campus print shop, maintenance of services during the PUB reconstruction and led an internal study of student housing issues and impacts.

As she retires, Kelemen has put in place perhaps one of the more significant transitions for the campus: partnering with University Book Store for textbook fulfillment and expanded service for students.

“I’m very excited about our agreement with the University Bookstore,” Kelemen said. “We will continue to have a bookstore presence on campus that provides the unique and specific items our students need while also gaining the expertise and service of a great local organization like University Book Store.”

The agreement, which was just recently completed and signed, will maintain the current number of Shoreline employees in the bookstore, Kelemen said.

Kelemen’s final day on campus will be July 31, 2015. President Roberts said discussions are underway for both temporary and long-term plans for the position and responsibilities.

Shoreline inks deal with University Book Store

Reading is still an integral part of college life, but that hasn’t helped college bookstores as textbook materials evolve and online competition skyrockets.

Now, with a recently signed agreement with University Book Store, Shoreline Community College has found a way to accommodate the buying habits of students and maintain an on-campus bookstore.

“I’m very excited about our collaborative agreement with the University Book Store,” said Mary Kelemen, Executive Director of Auxiliary and Logistical Support Services at Shoreline. “We will continue to have a bookstore presence on campus that provides the unique and specific items our students need while also gaining the expertise and service of a great company like University Book Store.”

The trend toward online textbook sales, escalating prices and evolving methods of course material delivery is certainly impacting Shoreline’s bookstore, Kelemen said.

“For a number of years, we’ve seen textbook sales drop as prices increase and students went to online sources,” she said. In response, the bookstore began stocking a number of other items such as snack foods and expanded offerings of general, gift and logo merchandise.

Kelemen said the shift in buying habits continues to all colleges whether two- or four-year, public or private.  The Seattle College District, Edmonds Community College and Everett Community College are leasing the operation of their bookstores to Barnes & Noble.

University Book Store started in 1900 as a student-run business at the University of Washington and is now a corporate trust governed by an eleven-member board of trustees consisting of UW students, faculty and staff.  Other educational institutions utilizing University Book Store services include all five of the UW campuses, Cascadia College, Digipen Institute of Technology, Cornish College of the Arts and City University as well as 13 private high schools in the Seattle area.

Shoreline’s arrangement with University Book Store will give Shoreline students access to:

  • Online price textbook comparison and ordering tool
  • Online ordering
  • University Book Store kiosks in the Shoreline bookstore
  • Multiple delivery options, including on-campus or at University Book Store locations
  • Multiple format options
  • Increased inventory
  • Year-round textbook buyback
  • On-campus buyback each quarter

“Shoreline will have its own branded presence at University Book Store, both online and in the retail store located in Seattle’s U District,” Kelemen said. “A student could go online, order a book by the daily deadline and pick up the book on-campus at Shoreline’s bookstore the next day. Or, they could have it delivered to their home or any U-Book Store location.”

The agreement won’t impact the number of employees at the Shoreline bookstore. “We will still stock custom printed materials ordered by faculty, plus all the specific supplies that are required for classes and programs,” Kelemen said.

While the agreement is in place now, there is a great deal of preparation and behind the scenes work required to make the transition as smooth as possible.  Kelemen said she expects students to begin ordering textbooks through University Book Store for Winter Quarter 2016.