Hula Hoopin!

 Unseasonable warmth does not go uncelebrated at JSC.


Hula Hoopin!
Originally uploaded by Johnson State College

Weather Badger Predicts Snow

Courtesy of Patrick Rogers

Back in Snow Business!

Welcome Back, VAC!

The JSC Visual Arts Center reopened for classes and artmaking with the start of the spring 2012 semester. Join JSC art student Jess Brodeur for a fun video tour of the renovated facilty:

Yes, Vermonters, There is a Santa Claus..es...

JSC'ers Ellen Hill, Wendy Velander, Martha Lance, and Barbara Lougee (forever a JSCer in our hearts) ran in the 5K Santa Run in Burlington, VT on Dec. 4, 2011. Ho ho ho! Thanks to Ellen Hill for the photos.

Pre-race at the Santa Run

Team JSC

Martha Lance, Barb Lougee, Dayna [friend of JSC], Ellen Hill, Wendy Velander, Jamie [friend of JSC]

The Running of the Santas

We Win, Part 2!!! National Division IV Champs!

We Win!!!

Johnson State Women’s Rugby became New England Rugby Football Champions on Saturday November 12, 2011, winning two hard-fought games against Springfield College (26-10) and Saint Anselm College (17-12). Saint Anselm college was the only school to have a win against JSC during the regular season and JSC paid back them in full with a 17-12 win in the final game. Go Badgers!

Crazy Costume Campus Dash

Ghouls and goblins gathered outside of SHAPE on Monday, October 31 to celebrate the typically sugar-fueled holiday with a healthy dash around campus. Thanks to Mike Osborne for the picture.

Rail Jam

JSC students brought in a little pre-season snow to the campus quad for the annual Rail Jam. This year's event required all participants to "rock some pink" in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Official State Closure Map

This comes from Bonnie Waninger of the Lamoille County Planning Commission:

“VTrans and Google have collaborated to create a road closure map for Vermont.

You can find the map at the following address:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=207918639007223745572.0004abbcfd13f9b62a59d

This map is the official State closure map.”

Update on Post-Tropical Storm Irene Internet/Web Issues

Thanks to the cooperation and goodwill of all, we weathered Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene very well at JSC. The College suffered  minimal property damage, and a few downed trees were removed promptly.  We applaud the level of responsible student conduct throughout our hurricane warnings and the ensuing storm. Classes are running, all College facilities are open, and activities are proceeding as planned.

As you know, our current challenge is re-activating our website, portal and external email communications, which went offline when the Vermont State College’s data center in Waterbury was flooded last night (Sunday). At approximately 8:50 p.m., Stanley Hall (where the VSC data center is located) was evacuated and power was shut off.  At this time, access to the portal (myjsc.jsc.edu) is unavailable both from on- and off-campus locations.  Email is available only to and from JSC.EDU email addresses as long as both the sender and recipient computers are physically located on campus.  All access to the internet from JSC also is down at this time.

Johnson State College is taking the following actions:

·         Our www.jsc.edu website is being re-routed to a temporary site that provides basic information and a way for us to post updates for the public until our Internet presence is fully restored. If you are using campus computers or Ethernet connections on campus, you may continue to access our regular site using www.jsc.vsc.edu.  This on-campus direct link allows you to access the majority of features of the system.

·         The VSC is working closely with Moodle Rooms to provide us with an alternative means of accessing our Course Management System so that students taking online courses may continue uninterrupted.  As soon as this solution is in place, we will notify you of the access method. 

·         The VSC also is working on an alternate means of providing Internet access from the JSC campus.  We will keep you apprised.

·         In addition, we will be making greater use of our Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/JohnsonStateCollege, to share information until this situation is resolved.

As a reminder, adjustments to class schedules will be posted on the class-cancellation telephone line.  You may access this feature by dialing 802-635-2356, then 8.

Despite the storm and the aftermath we are now dealing with, we are off to a good start at JSC. We welcomed 365 new JSC students to campus (including 290 entering first-year students) plus another 125 new students to our off-campus External Degree Program, and we had a wonderful first week. We are looking forward to a productive and enriching year as we move forward.

Thank you for your patience as we work through these issues.

Pardon Our Dust

Change is afoot all over campus. Check out some recent photos of upgrades and renovations at JSC this summer.

Summer Renovations Are Heating Up

Rain or shine, JSC Physical Plant crews as well as outside contractors are working on a number of projects to make the campus work -- and look -- better. More images will be added to this album on the JSC flickr site.

Here is a list of some of the work being done or slated for the summer of 2011, courtesy of Sharron Scott, JSC Dean of Administration.

Bentley Hall Renovation
The fourth and final phase of the Bentley Hall Renovation project begins on May 16.  This final phase includes the removal of the central “convenience” stairs located on the first and second floors of the building, the creation of a seminar room, common areas on two floors, fully renovated and modernized teaching labs, expanded and modernized research labs and additional restrooms on the first floor.  Beginning Monday, May 16 only construction workers and those escorted by our contractor EF Wall will be allowed in the building.  To accommodate this renovation, faculty have relocated research projects to UVM for the summer and we’re using People’s Academy for summer lab courses.  The building will reopen with the fall semester.


VAC Renovation and Addition
Last renovated in 1991, the Visual Arts Center (VAC) has outgrown its existing facilities.  This project remedies that problem by adding 4500 square feet of new space and renovating the remaining 9500 square feet.  Studios will be larger and new features will be added to the building including a black box studio, BFA studio, commons, drawing studio and Art History classroom.  In addition to the new spaces the building’s heating and ventilating systems will be completely overhauled making the space far more pleasant!  Construction begins on May 23 and is expected to end on December 25.  During construction, the Fine Arts program will be relocated to the first floor of McClelland Hall (drawing, painting, photography, printmaking) and to the facility currently used by Laraway (sculpture, ceramics).


Server Room Air Conditioning and Airflow Improvements
Heating, ventilation and cooling improvements are required to keep our network infrastructure safe and sound.  Beginning Wednesday, May 18, the Server Room located in the Library and Learning Center will be receiving a modest renovation.  During this time, LLC 217 (Academic Computer Center) will be closed and students will be redirected to the 24-hour Study Room on the first floor of the LLC.  Two network outages are required to effect this change.  The first is scheduled for Monday, May 16 from 6-9 PM while the second is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, June 4 from 8-11 AM.


College Hill Sidewalk Rerouting
The upper portion of the College Hill sidewalk is quite steep.  Students, faculty and staff find that section uncomfortable to walk in good weather and very slippery during bad weather.  The college has therefore decided to reroute the upper section of the sidewalk to make it less steep by following the line of the road.  A minor change to the sidewalk on the east side of Martinetti will be made to meet the new end point of the College Hill sidewalk.  During construction, walkers will need to either walk on the grass up the hill, or up College Hill.  Depending on availability of our contractor (recent flooding has caused many disruptions in schedules) we anticipate that this project will begin on May 23.


Lower Pond Safety Improvements
The Lower Pond was formed by the creation of a dam.  Periodically this dam needs to be improved to meet safety regulations, and this is one of those years.  On Monday, May 16 the college will begin the process of draining the pond of its water.  We anticipate that this will take about 4-5 days to completely drain.  Once drained, a more thorough inspection will be conducted and final plans will be made to complete the needed improvements.  It is expected that the Lower Pond will be unavailable for approximately two months and we expect it to be ready for use again by the start of the fall semester.

 
Stearns Retaining Wall Repairs/Replacements
The large retaining wall on the south (Arthur) side of Stearns Hall will be replaced this summer.  Test borings will be conducted during the week of May 16 to determine the exact size and condition of the structure with construction to follow approximately 2-3 weeks later.  During construction the college will have access to the sidewalk between Arthur and Stearns and there will be periods of noise while the structure is removed and a new retaining wall installed.


Financial Aid Renovation
Improvements to the Financial Aid Office – including the creation of new reception space and private office for Tim Russo will begin around May 30.  Financial Aid works with students on extremely confidential matters.  With this renovation the department will be better able to maintain the confidentiality of student records and information. 


Martinetti Heat Piping Renovation (Phase I)
Martinetti Hall is the second-oldest campus building and its heating systems are showing their age with “hot spots” and “cold spots” throughout the building in the winter.  This first phase of the project will begin the replacement of pipes serving the buildings with the eventual goal being individual room/zone controls.  Contractors will need to access each room in the building to install piping above the ceilings.  This work should be brief in each location.  Specific dates for this project have not yet been finalized. 

Governors' Symposium

Senior Matthew Burgess organized a symposium on a life of public service with a student panel and two former VT governors, Jim Douglas and Madeleine Kunin, on April 27.

3.2.11: Sean Clute in Digital Performance

"A Multitasking Couple Create Dance and Digital-Art Performance in Vermont" Seven Days talks to Assistant Professor Sean Clute and his partner Pauline Jennings about their recent move to Vermont and upcoming performance in Montpelier.

2.21.11: Gina Mireault

"Why Toddlers Throw Temper Tantrums" CNN.com features Professor Gina Mireault as an expert on the topic of young children's meltdowns.

Find Yourself...Where?

JSC Admissions Counselor Julie Noyes took this photo on a recent trip to England.

1.31.11: Entrepreneurship Week

Vermont Set to Mark Entrepreneurship Week" The Free Press provides an overview of Vermont's marking of this national celebration of entrepreneurship. JSC is one of the sponsors of Team Vermont.

Green Mountain Business Expo a Success

JSC Participants in the Expo

Dibden Center for the Arts Director Jan Herder, who helped coordinate the Green Mountain Business Expo on November 9, 2010, reports the event was a big success. He writes:


A big shout out and thanks to all the students and staff who helped make the Green Mountain Business Expo a success! Special thanks to Heidi Wrighton and Renate Callahan.  Jim Black’s business students helped exhibitors load in and out—we received many compliments, and great feedback about our students from JSC Alum’s, including our new Lamoille Senator,  Richard Westman.


The JSC booth was staffed by students Warren Ramsey, representing the Business and Hospitality Program, Hillary Seel for the Eco-reps and Green Solutions Club, and Henry Meola representing Technical Theater. Potential employers were impressed with the professionalism, technical skills and civic engagement that our students demonstrated.  

  

11.11.10: Women's Soccer Players Honored

"Friday College Honors" The Burlington Free Press shares news that Badgers Jennifer Ferrari and Allison Bataille made the North Atlantic Conference all-league teams.