We know that life happens, and it requires faculty to have to cancel classes sometimes. Whether you know far in advance that you have to present at a conference or if you have an unexpected personal matter pop up, there are folks on campus that would love the chance to engage with the audience that is your classroom.

Below is a list of pre-built workshops and presentations provided by your colleagues with skills or expertise in these areas. Select a workshop for a description and access to the request form. Upon completing the form, your submission will be sent to the appropriate workshop facilitator. They will contact you after to confirm, get more details, etc.

Thank you for utilizing this service. The more we can maximize student attention for engagement and learning opportunities, the better!

Select a Session
Select a session to view a description and submit a "Don't Cancel That Class" request.

Ally 101

  • Presenter: Sue Patterson
  • Request Deadline: At least one business day in advance
  • Duration: 60-120 minutes

How and why should you be an ally? This session shares terminology as well as concrete action steps on being an ally, reasons you may not want to be an ally, and challenges and growth from being an ally. The session also creates awareness of challenges that differing populations may experience in our community.

Food Insecurity

  • Presenter: Sue Patterson
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least one business day in advance
  • Duration: 45-75 minutes

This session creates awareness surrounding food insecurity and the ways college students and others experience it. It provides information about the support resources available for those facing food insecurity. The session also encourages and challenges participants to find ways in which they may address food insecurity.

YOUR Student Fee Money: What it supports and how you can benefit from it

  • Presenter: Sean Kelly
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least three business days in advance
  • Duration: 45-60 minutes

Each semester, all students pay what is called the Student Initiated Fee. These funds are divided into two categories: activities and facilities. The fee supports the out-of-class experience at Penn State Altoona. Students make the decisions as to how the funds are spent. Find out what your funds support and how you can be involved in this decision-making process.

Discussion with the Director of Student Affairs

  • Presenter: Sean Kelly
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least three business days in advance
  • Duration: 60-75 minutes

This session, hosted by the Senior Director of Student Affairs, Sean Kelly, focuses on discussing the student's experience at Penn State Altoona. Topic areas can include the out-of-class experience, dining at Port-Sky Café, academic classes and services, and more. Basically, the students set the agenda.

Intro to Trauma

  • Presenter: Ashley Owens
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least one business day in advance
  • Duration: 30-60 minutes

Students will be able to identify what trauma is and how it affects the body and mind.

Title IX: History and Current Implications

  • Presenter: Ashley Owens
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 45-90 minutes

Students will be able to understand the historical context of Title IX and how it has grown into more areas. Students will be made aware of the Title IX reporting process at Penn State and what constitutes Title IX incidents.

Child Abuse Awareness and Prevention

  • Presenter: Ashley Owens
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 60-120 minutes

Students will become aware of what child abuse is under the law, how to help prevent child abuse, and how to report child abuse. Students will also understand how a child abuse case moves through initial report, investigation, and outcomes in the criminal justice system or the child protective services system in Pennsylvania.

Human Trafficking

  • Presenter: Ashley Owens
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 45-90 minutes

Students will learn what constitutes human trafficking in Pennsylvania, red flags of identification of human trafficking, different types of human trafficking, and case reviews of human trafficking cases in Blair County. There is a focus on sex trafficking, in particular, during this presentation.

Dealing with Stress, Anxiety, and Other Mental Health Concerns

  • Presenter: Alyssa Luther and/or Billie Lewis
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least three weeks in advance
  • Duration: 30-75 minutes

Health and Wellness Center staff will talk with students about how to best manage stress, mental health concerns, test anxiety, etc. Students will first get information on Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), followed by symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression and how to cope with them. There will be an interactive activity and an educational video or two. Tips and resources will be given. This customizable program can cover the following topics:

  • CAPS, Stress Management, and Mindfulness
  • Mental Health and Stress Management
  • Stress and Health Management
  • Stress Management and Test Anxiety
  • Stress, Study Skills, and Test Anxiety

Marshmallow Challenge

  • Presenter: Katerina Fischer
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 35-60 minutes

This challenge is a problem-solving exercise emphasizing group communication, leadership dynamics, collaboration, innovation, and problem-solving strategy. It teaches a lean approach to risk management and the value of continuous experimentation. Groups of three to five students each will be tasked with building the tallest free-standing structure from spaghetti sticks, string, tape, and a marshmallow. The top of the spaghetti structure needs to support an entire marshmallow. We will provide the materials needed for this exercise.

Word + Word

  • Presenter: Katerina Fischer
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 40-80 minutes

During this exercise, students will work on pitching ideas and solutions, understanding their customers, the importance of a call to action, and public speaking. Students are placed in random groups of three to five students. Each group selects two cards to reveal two nouns (e.g., pickle, bike). The two nouns are combined to create a company name (e.g., PickleBike.com). Each team has five to seven minutes to come up with a one-minute commercial to pitch their company, with the objective of getting someone interested in purchasing their product. Each student in the group must participate in some way. Teams give their pitch to the entire group. Students take notes on what each group did well and what they could improve on. The students choose their favorite pitch idea. Students share thoughts, and the instructor provides insights on key aspects of pitching, including problem identification, value to be provided, speaking in the voice of the customer, and the importance of calls to action.

Cup Stacking

  • Presenter: Katerina Fischer
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance

The workshop begins with students forming randomized teams of four to five students. Teams are asked to create their own names. Teams are then entered into a bracket for the game. The game is explained as a competition to stack the number of cups on the table in the shortest amount of time. The competition consists of the following three rounds and a discussion period:

  • Round 1: Each team finds another team to compete with. The two teams face off at two different tables to stack six cups. The first to complete the stack are the winners. Once all the teams have completed, the losing team joins the winning team, and the bracket is updated.
  • Round 2: The number of cups increases to twenty-eight. The teams now have more people, and there are more voices to be heard and more hands to help ... or get in the way. Teams work against the clock to stack the cups. Losing teams are absorbed by the winning teams, and the brackets are updated.
  • Round 3: The number of cups is increased to 91 or 120 cups (120 for classes beyond 50 minutes).
  • Results and Discussion: After celebrating the winners, we ask about the challenges of growing a team, approaching problems as a group, dividing work, and increasing input from members. During this exercise, students will work on management, leadership, and scaling concepts as it applies to growing teams.

The Pure Imagination Exercise

  • Presenter: Katerina Fischer
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 35-60 minutes

During this exercise, the students will work on internalizing the connection between creativity and entrepreneurial opportunity. First, the students will be shown the “Pure Imagination” scene from the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory film, asking the student to listen carefully to the lyrics. This prepares them to think beyond normal conventions during the exercise. We then split the class into teams of three to five people. We provide each team with a common household item—a clothespin, a pill bottle, a cotton t-shirt, for example—and instruct them to think of alternative uses for their item. Once the teams have identified ways their item can be repurposed, we encourage them to contemplate how to deconstruct and reconstruct each item to make it more user-friendly.

Getting Connected

  • Presenter: Dani Fry
  • Presentation Deadline Request: At least five business days in advance
  • Duration: 35-75 minutes

This session is designed to teach the practical skills of using our campus platform, Connect, while also impressing the message of involvement and meeting people as part of the college experience. As time is available, we can build in icebreakers and teambuilders, too.

What’s In It For Me?

  • Presenter: Dani Fry
  • Presentation Request Deadline: At least five business days in advance

This session highlights the personal benefits of involvement on campus, with a focus on confidence building, soft skills, and friendship.

University Police and Public Safety Sessions

Sessions provided by University Police and Public Safety (UPPS) can be requested through the UPPS site. Your options from University Police and Public Safety include the following:

  • Active Attacker Response Program: An overview of the Run Hide Fight model for response to an active attacker.
  • Alcohol Awareness: An overview of the dangers of excessive and underage drinking and relevant Pennsylvania laws.
  • Domestic Violence Awareness: A review of signs of abuse along with support and resources for victims.
  • Safety and Security for Office Personnel: An overview of safety in the workplace, including guidance to deal with hostile individuals or an active attacker, along with theft prevention and other personal safety tips.
  • Who We Are and What We Do: An overview of University Police and Public Safety programs and services.
  • Drug Awareness: An overview of the different types of commonly used drugs, their effects on the body, and resources available for treatment and support.
  • Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention: With a focus on prevention, this program reviews sexual assault as it relates to Pennsylvania laws, the importance of consent, and resources and support for victims.
  • Car Seat Safety Check: Multiple Penn State police officers are nationally certified as Child Passenger Safety Technicians and conduct child safety seat inspections and assist with installations.
  • Scamming and Phishing Safety: An overview of common scams and phishing attempts, which includes tips on how to avoid becoming a victim and resources for victims.
  • Nighttime Patrol Request: If you are a Penn State employee who works on campus at night, you can request an officer walk through your area while you’re working on campus. This service should not be used for immediate assistance or emergencies, instead call 911. Not available at all campuses; based upon police service availability at your campus.
  • Virtual Meeting Safety: An overview of resources and tools available to help protect your virtual meetings.
  • Pedestrian and Traffic Safety: An overview of laws and University policies related to pedestrians, motorists, bikes, scooters, skateboards and more. Includes safety tips and other important information.
  • Introduction to Safety at Penn State: This program is intended for international Penn Staters, including those who speak English as a second language. The program provides an overview of safety at Penn State and University Police and Public Safety.
  • Personal Safety and Awareness: A 75-minute session that introduces key strategies for personal safety, including physical resistance strategies.

Request a session from University Police and Public Safety

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