Warhawk Weekly 9-29: Sentinel Testing; COVID-19 Dashboard; Movie Night
Brooks finds gender pay gaps in congressional campaigns
Women congressional campaign workers typically earn less than their male counterparts, fill fewer campaign staff positions and are less likely to be top earners among their peers, according to a new study co-authored by Auburn University at Montgomery Political Science Professor John Brooks.
Brooks conducted the study with Sara Chatfield, assistant professor of political science at the University of Denver, to examine gender pay gaps among all employees and top earners at the congressional campaign level in both the Senate and the House from 2010 to 2016. The co-authors’ findings will be published in the journal Electoral Studies in October 2020.
“We believe that gender pay gaps are important to study in a variety of employment settings, in and of themselves,” Brooks said. “In campaigns, though, it is especially important because staff members help prioritize policy and messaging and also are likely to be in contact with potential voters.”
“Additionally, many future candidates get early experience in politics working on campaigns, so early-career gaps amongst campaign employees could contribute to well-noted gaps amongst elected officials down the road.”
For their study, the researchers examined gender representation in congressional campaigns to determine whether there are roughly as many women as men and, if they earned similar amounts of money, whether it could lead to improved substantive representation among campaign workers.
Learn more in the AUM Newsroom.
Protect your nest through Sentinel Testing
You’ve Covered Your Beaks with masks and Watched Your Wingspans through social distancing this semester. But there’s another way you can Protect Your Nest during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Auburn University at Montgomery students and employees are encouraged to participate in the Sentinel Testing Program, which helps identify asymptomatic cases of COVID-19.
The voluntary, random testing program helps monitor the prevalence of COVID-19 within the campus community. Think of it as another step you can take to protect your roommates, professors, colleagues and family members.
In order to participate in the program and receive notifications to schedule tests, AUM students and employees must create an account on the Verily platform.
To create your account, use your AUM email address and answer a few basic questions in order to receive a verification email that will enable you to be contacted for future testing.
Students and employees selected at random will begin receiving emails from [email protected] asking them to schedule a testing appointment.
If you receive an email request to set up an appointment, log into your Verily account to complete a pre-test symptom screen and schedule your test. All appointments for students and employees should be scheduled for the AUM campus. Testing will be conducted on the ground floor of the AUM Library Tower each Wednesday.
On the day of your testing appointment, you will check in with your photo ID and email or text confirmation of your appointment. Please wear a mask as directed by campus policy. After check-in, you will be given a test kit, including a nasal swab, that you will self-administer with observation.
The swab process takes less than a minute. The observer will help guide you through the process. After you have completed your self-swab, you will seal your sample in the included test tube and storage bag and turn it in to a member of the collection team at the testing location. The sentinel testing process typically takes 5-7 minutes from arrival to departure.
Each testing day, samples are delivered to the laboratory for processing. Results are typically provided within 24-48 hours from arrival at the lab. Results will be delivered to Warhawk Health Services. You will be contacted by email to access your individual test results. If you test positive for COVID-19, you will receive a call from a healthcare provider to give you next steps on how to protect yourself and others.
If you have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 12 weeks, please do not retest at this time. If you are having symptoms or have a recent exposure, please refer to the “Health & Safety” section of AUM’s Back to Campus plan.
Got a question? Reach out via email at [email protected].
MSN program celebrates milestone with first graduating class
In Spring 2020, AUM’s online Master of Science in Nursing — Nurse Educator for Interprofessional Practice program — marked a milestone when five students became the first to graduate from the program. Graduates in the inaugural class are Dawneese Bowen, Rebekah Banks King, Courtney Mutabazi, Alexa Penn and La-Tonya Wilkerson.
Bowen — who earned her undergraduate degree in nursing from AUM in 2017 — is now an assistant clinical professor in AUM’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences, fulfilling one of her career goals when she started this fall. AUM’s MSN program has transformed through the years to meet the needs of today’s allied healthcare professionals and to attract nursing students, like Bowen, who are interested in working in academia, research and clinical settings.
“I was proud to accept a new position at AUM in the School of Nursing and excited to be a part of the AUM faculty family,” she said. “With the start of this new position, I have been able to achieve one of my career goals as a nurse educator, which was to obtain a position in higher education.”
The MSN program’s first graduating class marks a significant milestone in the history of the program, which has only been a standalone program for the past two years, said Julie Freeman, department chair for graduate affairs and an associate professor in AUM’s School of Nursing.
AUM’s MSN program initially began as a joint program with Auburn University, with two courses also taught at Troy University. The program’s original curriculum was designed to prepare a clinical nurse specialist with a focus in education and culturally competent care of diverse populations, Freeman said.
The changes experienced by the MSN program also mirror growth of AUM’s overall graduate program presence. According to enrollment data reported to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education, AUM’s overall graduate student enrollment has grown by 23 percent from the fall of 2019 to the fall of 2020.
Learn more in the AUM Newsroom.
Keep up with campus conditions during the pandemic
In an effort to help students and employees understand campus conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, Auburn University at Montgomery is maintaining an online dashboard to provide weekly updates on testing.
The totals will be updated each Monday and will reflect test results from the previous week.
Since August 1, 3,338 tests have been conducted positive cases reported (a 1.7% positive rate).
Enjoy an outdoor movie
Enjoy the fall weather with a socially distanced outdoor Movie Night Thursday at 7 p.m. on the AUM Soccer Field.
AUM Student Affairs and Athletics are partnering to present “Jumanji: The Next Level.” Free drinks and popcorn will be provided.
Bring a comfortable chair and blanket and wear a mask. Students must present their AUM ID in order to be admitted. Seating will be limited in order to promote social distancing.
Schedule your academic advising appointments
Students: It’s time to start thinking about your spring semester classes.
You can begin scheduling appointments with your academic advisor on Thursday.
Student Success Workshops
AUM’s UNIV courses help new students build the skills they will need throughout their college careers. For Fall 2020, the AUM Library and UNIV Student Success Program will offer virtual UNIV Student Success Workshops from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. on the following days:
Tuesday-Wednesday, Sept. 29-30
Wellness/Mental Health with Greta Chambless & Amber McGlawn
Tuesday-Wednesday, Oct. 6-7
Study/Test-Prep with Heather Adams & Paul Arrington
Tuesday, October 13
Working in Microsoft Word with Wendy Anderson
Wednesday, October 14
Information Literacy with Samantha McNeilly
Wednesday, October 21
Service/Experiential Learning with Brenda Plympton
Access the sessions via the following Zoom link.
Wellness Center available to students
AUM’s Wellness Center has expanded service to students with modified hours, online workout time reservation, virtual group fitness classes and indoor pool operation.
Reservations are required in order for students to use the Wellness Center. Reserve your workout time by downloading the IMLeagues mobile app or utilizing the AUM Wellness Center and Intramural web page.
Wellness Center operating hours for the Fall semester are:
Fall hours
- Monday-Thursday: 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
- Friday: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
Pool Hours
- Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
- Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
- Saturday: Closed
- Sunday: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Stay in the know on campus events
AUM students and employees can get quick updates on campus events and important news via text message.
We promise not to bombard you, but we will share information that matters to you (like where to score some free food, for example).
Opt in for text messaging here.
AUM Bookstore September Sale nears end
There’s still time to score some bargains at the AUM Bookstore’s annual September Sale. Grab a $5 T-shirt and other steals on AUM apparel.
Looking for a campus job?
If you’re a student interested in a campus job, AUM’s Career Development Center is ready to help you.
To begin your search and access the Handshake employment app, complete the following steps:
- Go to MyAUM and select the Handshake link. You will be taken directly to the Handshake login page.
- Register for an account in Handshake. Simply select Auburn University at Montgomery, complete a brief informational section, and you’re all set!
Within the job search, you can search specifically for on-campus positions. To do this, select Jobs from the top menu bar and this should take you directly to the job search page.
To find positions designated as on-campus jobs, click the on-campus filter. This will give you all of the jobs that have been specified as on-campus positions.
You will find details regarding the job responsibilities, campus location, hours, and pay range.
If you need additional assistance with creating resumes and cover letters or preparing for interviews, visit the Career Development Center in Taylor Center 323 or email [email protected] for more information.
