Ramadan is a holiday practiced by Muslims* where they focus on introspection, communal prayer, and religious fasting. This year, Ramadan will take place from Feb. 28-March 29**.
Here is some information about Ramadan:
Individuals refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and intimate contact from dawn to sunset.
Individuals increase their focus on personal restraint, proper conduct, and empathy with the less fortunate through giving to charity and engaging in local projects.
Muslims who have reached puberty are obligated to fast. Individuals who are not at puberty may choose to fast anyway. Exemptions are made for individuals in situations where fasting would be a hardship, such as illness, pregnancy, nursing, etc.
In an effort to support the members of our community, here are some items for your consideration:
Please be flexible with scheduling, as individuals may need to pray during class, meetings, etc.
Due to fasting, individuals may struggle to concentrate. Consider allowing individuals to keep their cameras off during any virtual classes, meetings, etc., or to take a quick break if needed.
Individuals may begin to wear hijabs during this month. Remember, it is not the individual’s responsibility to educate the community.
Prayer rooms are available in the library for individuals to use if needed. Additionally, there is group prayer on Fridays from 12-1:00 p.m. in Science Hall Room 105. Offices may also want to consider identifying a designated space for prayer. If you would like signage to help identify these spaces, please reach out to the ALANA Student Center.
Chartwells will provide Halal sourced foods in the Social Dining Hall. Breakfast packs are available upon request. The dining hall will be open Sunday-Thursday until 9 p.m. and Friday-Saturday until 7 p.m.
Consistent with our institutional statement on diversity and inclusion, these efforts will help us achieve our goals of “creating a culture of acceptance, awareness, learning, respect, and understanding inside and outside of the classroom.”
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Fatima Rodriguez Johnson, Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, at rodrig23@canisius.edu.
*The term Muslim refers to individuals who practice the religion of Islam.
**Dates may vary depending on the individual’s religious school of thought.
Submitted by: Fatima Rodriguez Johnson, Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion, Academic Affairs
The digital displays around campus have been updated with new functionality to feature campus events and information, and faculty and staff can now submit event and club information for all to see on campus TVs. To help promote your event, create an event in GriffConnect will promote it to all students, faculty, and staff by sharing across the digital displays and Today@Canisius.
The process requires the use of GriffConnect, a tool our students use that is now available to all. Follow the steps below to submit your event:
Log on to GriffConnectusing your Canisius credentials. (Please note if you have not logged in before, it will ask you to complete a quick onboarding.)
To help promote events in Today@Canisius, you must have a department created on GriffConnect. If one hasn’t been made for your area yet, you can create one.
Creating a group will help you amplify your reach to everyone across campus and give you access to many different resources (attendance tracking, wider audience publishing, communication analytics, and direct student population communication).
If you have any questions or need assistance, you can contact Jason Francey at franceyj@canisius.edu.
Now, going forward, to submit items for the campus digital signage, you will just need to submit a form.
Your department will need a GriffConnect page to complete this form.
To learn more about all the features GriffConnect has to offer to help your team engage students you can watch this short video.
The editorial team of members of University Communications or Student Life will reach out if anything needs to be fixed.
COLI is offering two new 30-minute workshops dealing with Microsoft Teams:
The first is Microsoft Teams for Virtual Meetings. In this workshop, we will go over how to conduct virtual meetings with Microsoft Teams including starting a meeting, recording a meeting (and where to find said recording), screen sharing, and breakout rooms. If there is time, we will also go over how to share documents (that you and participants can edit live!) and Microsoft Whiteboard.
The second is Microsoft Teams: Chats and Teams. In this workshop, we go over how to start a chat in Microsoft Teams. Similar to text messaging, this helps prevent the need for a flood of emails, saving our inboxes. We will also go over how to create a Teams, which is useful for offices and departments for organizing chats, securely sharing files, and more.
Emerita Professor of Communications Barb Irwin spoke with Newsday for a Feb. 20 story about “Beyond the Gates,” the first new soap opera to debut since 1999 and the first to feature a largely Black cast. Read the story.
If you’re a faculty member interested in elevating your influence by sharing insights and expertise with the media, complete this brief form. Your information will be added to the University Communications database of individuals who have expertise in areas that may be of interest to local, regional and national media outlets.
The Office of University Communications is inviting faculty and staff to elevate their influence by sharing their insights and expertise with a broader audience. Our team has developed a database of Canisius individuals who have expertise on topics that may be of interest to local, regional and national media outlets.
To participate, simply complete the brief questionnaire (link below) detailing your areas of expertise and scholarship. Responses will be compiled into the database that will serve as a resource for journalists seeking knowledgeable sources for their stories. And no worries if you’re new to media interviews.. The Office of University Communications is here to provide media tips and training so you can feel confident and prepared to share your expertise.
Don’t miss this opportunity to amplify your impact and contribute to public discourse! Fill out the Media Expert questionnaire.
