Get help practicing mindful alcohol use this holiday season
For many people, the end of the year includes celebrating the season and enjoying time with family and friends. Some of those events may include alcohol. Those looking for tips on how to be more mindful of their drinking choices during the holidays can sign up to receive weekly emails from MHealthy’s Alcohol Management Program. Participants will receive a Holiday Stop and Swap email every Monday through Jan. 6 that includes tips for cutting down on or taking a break from alcohol, tools and resources to help reflect on alcohol use, a challenge that encourages making one positive change each week, and a non-alcoholic drink recipe of the week. The program is open to university staff, faculty and retirees. Registration is open through Dec. 20. For more information or to register, go to myumi.ch/ZQ3lK.
Board of Regents meeting set for Dec. 5
The University of Michigan Board of Regents is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Richard L. Postma Family Clubhouse at the U-M Golf Course, 500 E. Stadium Blvd. To offer public comment at the meeting, sign up in advance at regents.umich.edu/meetings/public-comments/form. Public comments on agenda items will be taken prior to their consideration. Comments on nonagenda items will follow the regular business agenda. People with disabilities who need assistance should contact the Office of the Vice President and Secretary of the University in advance at 734-763-8194. For more information about regents meetings, go to regents.umich.edu.
President’s Award for Distinguished Service in International Education nominees sought
In celebration of International Education Week, the Office of the President is seeking nominations for the President’s Award for Distinguished Service in International Education, an award program recognizing the extraordinary efforts of faculty and staff who advance international education for U-M students. Award recipients receive $1,000 in recognition of their accomplishments. Nominees should demonstrate some or all of the following: sustained commitment and dedication to international education for U-M students, specific accomplishments in the field of international education, and leadership in the field of international education, either on campus or beyond. The nominating deadline is Feb. 1, 2020. To submit a nomination or for more information, go to myumi.ch/LrGQr.
U-M part of statewide effort to increase campus voting
The university is part of a new, nonpartisan initiative to increase voter engagement in the November 2020 election on college and university campuses across the state. The Michigan Collegiate Voting Challenge is a collaboration between Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, a nonpartisan initiative of the nonprofit Civic Nation. As participants in the ALL IN Challenge, U-M’s Ann Arbor campus and UM-Dearborn are automatically included in the Michigan Challenge. There will be separate competitions for two-year and four-year institutions. Each will have three award categories: highest voter turnout, most improved voter turnout and highest rate of voter registration. Participating schools will convene a campuswide committee to create and implement a nonpartisan democratic-engagement action plan. To get involved on the Ann Arbor campus, contact Erin Byrnes at the Ginsberg Center, 734-647-7801 or ekbyrnes@umich.edu; at UM-Dearborn, contact Nadeen Abdallah in the Office of Student Life, 313-593-5390 or nmabdall@umich.edu. For more about the challenge, go to michigan.gov/votingchallenge.
University Record announces print, email schedule for holidays
The University Record will have a modified print and email schedule for the holiday season. The Record will not publish a print edition Dec. 2, and its Dec. 9 issue will be the last print edition of 2019. Weekly publication will resume Jan. 13, 2020. The Record’s daily email edition will take a break from Nov. 28 through Dec. 3, resuming Dec. 4. The last Record email of 2019 will be distributed Dec. 16, and it will resume for the winter semester in Jan. 8, 2020.
U-M, state Department of Health and Human Services launch opioid website
The U-M Injury Prevention Center and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services have launched a new website, The Michigan Safer Opioid Prescribing Toolkit, that offers guidance for health care providers and patients in the safe use of opioid pain medications and the effective use of nonopioid pain treatments. The toolkit includes everything from evidence-based guides for how many opioid and nonopioid painkiller doses patients typically need after different types of operations to materials that can help guide conversations about tapering off long-term opioid treatment. Created by the Injury Prevention Center under a contract with the state, the resource draws on research by U-M teams and others, and on input from pain care specialists, people with chronic and acute pain, and other stakeholders. For more information, visit myumi.ch/XeMw3.
— Compiled by Ann Zaniewski, The University Record
