First Year Seminar Resources for Faculty: FYS Workshop Descriptions

In Class Workshop, 10 minutes

Informational Presentation on the Office of Accommodations and Accessibility

A 10-minute presentation from the Office of Accommodations and Accessibility to explain the services offered through the OAA office as well as the process for eligible students to access accommodations.

Contact Information:
Susan Jenkins
Assistant Director, Accommodations and Accessibility
susan.jenkins@marist.edu
(845) 575-3274

In Class Workshop, 10-15 minutes

The Center for Career Services welcomes the opportunity to provide your students with an overview of the resources and services of the Center.   Our goal is to communicate to the First Year students the importance of engaging with our office early and often.   Laying a foundation to set academic and career goals, identify skills that organizations seek and prepare for a successful internship experience.   A brief, 15 minute introduction, will include an overview of the Center for Career Services Four Year Plan, Career Services Online Resources, and the NACE Career Readiness Competencies.

Contact Information:
Laura Grevi
Associate Director, Career Development
laura.grevi@marist.edu
(845) 575-2475

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

To empower students for success at Marist, it's crucial to provide them with the necessary resources for academic planning. The Center for Advising & Academic Services plays a vital role in this process, leading students through the intricacies of curriculum, registration, and long-term academic goal setting. We aim to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to proactively manage their academic journey and foster a more productive and meaningful relationship with their advisor. By encouraging students to fully utilize available resources, we facilitate thorough planning, ultimately leading to a more enriching and successful academic experience. This is offered after the initial three weeks; we recommend students bring their laptops to the workshop to maximize the hands-on learning experience.

Contact information:
Dabby Hines
Director, Center for Advising and Academic Services
Dabby.Hines@marist.edu
845-575-3500

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

This workshop will initiate the process of students becoming culturally aware by introducing diversity, identity, microaggressions, intent, and impact while introducing them to the services available to all Marist undergraduate students. The CMA Staff will engage students in exercises and small group discussions about these issues, help them relate these topics to current events, and hone their critical thinking skills.

Contact information: 
Iris Ruiz-Grech 
Director, Center for Multicultural Affairs 
Iris.Ruiz-Grech@marist.eduor multicultural@marist.edu
(845) 575-3204

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

The Science of Learning

Participants will explore the science behind effective learning strategies, focusing on metacognition and self-regulated learning. Students will gain insights into how the brain processes and retains information, and learn practical techniques to enhance their study habits. Through hands-on activities and classroom engagement apps, students will practice these skills and develop personalized strategies to improve their learning efficiency. By the end of the workshop, students will have a toolkit of evidence-based techniques to boost their confidence and academic performance, and become more self-aware, proactive learners. Key topics include:

• Defining metacognition and its role in the learning process
• Principles of self-regulated learning and how to apply them
• Effective notetaking strategies, including the Cornell method

Contact Information:
Christina Fojas
Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy
Director, Gross Anatomy Laboratory
Interim Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Christina.Fojas@marist.edu
(845) 575-6276

In Class Workshop, 30-45 minutes

Stigma around mental health concerns leads us to believe that only certain people experience depression or anxiety, that we are only capable of feeling one thing at a time, and that emotions are scary and bad. This isn’t true! At some point in our lives, we all experience feelings like sadness and worry as an understandable reaction to life stressors. We’re capable of feeling and working through many things at once as emotions are data that give us information about our situation and how to proceed. During this session, students will learn how to recognize signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns. Students will learn techniques on responding instead of reacting to stressors, what to do in a mental health emergency, and add coping techniques to their toolbelt. The session will close with information about what Counseling Services has to offer.  

Contact Information:
Kimberly Marsden, CMHC-LP
Clinical Counselor, Counseling Services
kimberly.marsden@marist.edu
counseling.services@marist.edu
(845) 575-3314 

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Workshop aims to cultivate student awareness and foster a sense of belonging in community. This workshop is designed to be experiential and contextually driven, allowing participants to engage deeply with essential DE&I concepts. During the sessions, students will explore topics such as belonging, identity, group membership, intersectionality, and unlearning prejudice, all with the aim of fostering an inclusive and compassionate campus environment. The primary objective of the DEI workshop is to equip students with a shared language and understanding of essential learning outcomes, including:

• Knowledge of Social Structures: By exploring various social structures, students will gain insight into the complexities of our society, empowering them to make positive changes in their communities, be it here on campus, at home, in the world at large.
• Social and Personal Responsibility: Encouraging a sense of responsibility, the workshop will emphasize the importance of active engagement in promoting equity and social justice.
• Global Awareness and Empathy: Through experiential learning, students will develop a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives, fostering empathy and cultural sensitivity.

The DEI workshop is distinct from, yet complementary to, the CMA workshop. We encourage first-year students to participate in both workshops, as this will provide multiple exposure points for encountering and actively working with core DEI concepts throughout their academic journey.

Contact Information:
Sasha Biro
Coordinator of DEI Workshops in the First Year Seminar
sasha.biro@marist.edu
(845) 575-2916

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

Advocacy Workshop

This workshop presents advocacy as an advanced form of communication that increases self-efficacy and citizen participation. In life we must learn to advocate for ourselves and others and often with those who see things very differently from us. Honing these skills in an integral part of our human development. Students will learn about: self-advocacy, the ability to independently represent one’s self and their views and needs; social advocacy, a form of citizen action that shows public support for an idea, plan, or way of advancing an issue; and how that can be applied to a variety of situations.

Contact Information:
Colin McCann
Associate Director, First Year Programs & Leadership Development
colin.mccann@marist.edu
(845) 575-3787

In Class Workshop, 45-60 minutes

Internships 101

Extending learning beyond the classroom is key to intellectual development and critical thinking. For this reason, all academic schools at Marist place a strong emphasis on internships as a key component of the undergraduate experience. This workshop examines the significant role that internships play in a student’s academic profile. Marist Career Experts will walk students through the requirements for an internship and how to integrate this vital experiential learning into the four-year academic plan. Students will gain insight into the various types of internships and how to take ownership of the search process.

Examples of students’ firsthand experiences of how interning has impacted both their academic journey and career planning will be included.

Contact Information: 
Patrick Boylan
Professional Lecturer of Fashion Design
Internship Coordinator 
Patrick.Boylan@marist.edu
(845) 575-2332

In Class Workshops, 60-75 minutes, asynchronous options available

Research as a Conversation:
In this session, students will be introduced to the research process and the information cycle through active learning. Students will begin to understand their place in the process and how to make appropriate choices in seeking resources and materials. Discussions and activities will explore the evolving nature of information from popular sources to specialized and academic ones.   The session will include consideration of topic, keywords, and basic search strategies.

Finding & Evaluating Information:
During this session, students will learn search techniques and strategies.  Students will explore and compare different search engines including FoxHunt, Google, and subject specific databases.  As part of this exploration, students will learn how to find sources beyond the Marist Library.  Emphasis will be placed on teaching the critical evaluation of sources to support college-level research. The session is organized around activities that allow students to apply the knowledge they gain during the session. 

OPTION 1: Primary & Secondary Sources in the Archives:
This session will bring students to the Archives and Special Collections and provide students with a hands-on introduction to primary sources using our materials.  They will be shown how to access these unique materials in person and using our online search tools.  The students will also learn more about our secondary sources and how all of this fits into the research process. 

OPTION 2 Primary & Secondary Sources: What are They? Where to Find Them? (ASYNCHRONOUS ONLY): 

This online workshop will provide students with an introduction to the differences between primary and secondary resources, and how they fit into the research process.  They will be shown specific examples of primary and secondary research materials, how to access these unique materials using the Library's catalog, and, finally, they will respond to review questions based on the online workshop's content.

Nothing But Citation:
In this session, students learn the fundamentals of citing sources.  Students will understand the value and purpose of citation and how their citations fit within the larger research conversation.  They will learn the mechanics of citations including identifying online sources, formatting reference list and in-text citations and the value of verifying citations.  Activities allow students to apply the knowledge gained in the workshops.  Instruction can be done in the citation style of your choice.

If you wish to customize any of the workshops, please contact us and provide a syllabus or assignment that is relevant to the customizations.

Contact Information
Elizabeth Clarke
Coordinator, Library Instruction
Elizabeth.Clarke2@Marist.edu
845-575-2733

In Class Workshop, 60-75 minutes

This FYS workshop was developed by an interdisciplinary faculty/staff/student team to introduce first year students to the foundations of mindfulness and offer focused experiential learning on how college students can incorporate a mindfulness-based approach in their academic, emotional, and interpersonal lives. During this workshop, students will discover the scope of mindfulness, be guided through three specific mindfulness skill practices to experience the benefits, first-hand, and learn of various mindfulness-based resources on and off-campus. The workshop is designed to emphasize self-awareness, perspective taking, creativity, and reducing biases.  

Workshops will be led primarily by trained student presenters. Students training to become future presenters may also observe these workshops. While we will attempt to staff all workshop requests, we have a small (but growing!) group of student presenters and may not be able to accommodate every request.  We will reply and confirm all workshops by email. 

Contact information:

Matteo Undici (main contact)
matteo.undici@marist.edu 

Kate Chaterdon (on sabbatical Spring 2025)
catherine.chaterdon@marist.edu
(845) 575-2693

Brian Loh (on leave Spring 2025)
brian.loh@marist.edu
(845) 575-2584

Marist Mindful Collective: Kate Chaterdon (English), Brian Loh (Religion), Mary Stone (Psychology), Ana Ortega-Johnson (Fashion),  Mateo Undici (Social Work) and 5 exceptional undergraduate students.Contact information: 

Out at Marist Panel (featuring all Marist Students)

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

2:00 - 3:15 PM

Nelly Goletti Theater

Join us for a panel featuring queer, trans, and LGBTQIA+ students as they share their unique stories and experiences.

This event will create a welcoming space for open conversations about life at Marist—celebrating achievements, addressing challenges, and exploring ways to foster a more inclusive and supportive campus community.

Contact Information:
Ais Oisin
ais.oisin@marist.edu

Mei Su
mei.su@marist.edu
(845) 575-2805

Jillian Titus
jillian.titus@marist.edu
(845) 575-2621

In Class Workshops, 60-75 minutes

This workshop assists faculty with developing student proficiency in public presentation, one of the core skills covered in our First Year Seminar classes.

Workshop times:

Wednesday, February 5, 2-3:15pm in the Nelly Goletti Theater

Friday, February 7, 11am-12:15pm in SC3104 & SC3105

Wednesday, February 26, 2-3:15pm in SC3102 & SC3103

Contact Information:
Joanna Huyck
joanna.huyck@marist.edu
(845) 575-2707