February 2021 Newsletter

Purdue Celebrates Black History Month

Purdue is celebrating Black History Month this February with stories about the giant leaps made by Purdue’s outstanding black alumni, faculty, staff and students. Black History Month is a time to look back at Boilermaker history to honor those who have made significant impact on our University, and those who are continuing to do so with their bold, life-changing contributions. We will add profiles, videos and student-interest stories throughout the month, recognizing and honoring black excellence during this annual event. As part of Black History Month, and beyond, we celebrate those who helped make Purdue University the outstanding institution of higher learning it is today. Read more.

Office of the Dean of Students available to assist students in need of support

As the semester continues, the Office of the Dean of Students wants to remind the campus community that ODOS remains available to assist in providing support for students who are on campus as well as with students who are working remotely. 

ODOS can help students navigate challenges they are experiencing both personally and academically. Faculty and staff who recognize a student who may be in need of support or additional care are encouraged to share their concern with ODOS. A list of common reported concerns is available online.

Here are some examples of concerns in a remote learning environment:

• Concerning comments in electronic communication or social media.
• Change in behavior (lack of engagement in coursework; marked drop in performance).
• Stopped communication (no longer responding to academic outreach). 

Additionally, students affected by COVID-19 (self or family diagnoses, financial insecurity, etc.) also can be referred to the Office of the Dean of Students for support.

Student of Concern Reports prompt individualized outreach to students by members of the Office of the Dean of Students and can be submitted online.

Reminder: CAPS is Open!

CAPS is available to assist students in addressing their mental health concerns, which may have been affected by the global pandemic and civil unrest. The CAPS staff is happy to serve currently enrolled, degree-seeking Purdue students. As the campus mental health providers, CAPS is strongly committed to serving a diverse student body including students of all racial, ethnic, and national backgrounds, sexual/affectional orientations, gender identities, mental and physical abilities, languages, classes, ages, religion and spirituality, socioeconomic backgrounds, and more.

CAPS is currently offering remote services which includes Brief Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, Workshops, Psychiatric Services, Care Management, Crisis and Emergency Services, and Outreach and Consultation. If your student is seeking CAPS services, they should call 765-494-6995 to schedule a brief phone screening with a counselor. CAPS brief screenings are available within 1-2 business days to ensure staff can be connected as quickly as possible. At the end of the screening, the counselor will provide the student with services that best meet their mental health needs at CAPS, other Purdue services or in the community.

Want to learn more about CAPS? Visit the CAPS website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube accounts for more information.

Did you know CAPS also offers self-help resources? WellTrack is an online, self-help resource that is available to all Purdue students.

Books and Coffee offering online or in-person attendance

The Books and Coffee series, a traditional February treat at Purdue West Lafayette, has adopted a hybrid approach for 2021 to welcome a broad audience.

The four-Thursday look at current books of interest will be livestreamed from the Sagamore Room, Room 231 in Purdue Memorial Union, where a limited-size audience will be able to assemble according to Protect Purdue rules.

Each gathering will feature at least one Purdue expert speaking about a book, and this year two authors are participating when their books are on the schedule. Sessions run 4-5 p.m. ET. The first half-hour will offer one or more videos related to the selected book, plus the traditional hot beverages for those who wish to have them. At 4:30 p.m., the speakers will begin.

Books and Coffee is presented by the Department of English and the Purdue Student Union Board. This 70th anniversary series began with Angelica Duran, professor of English, and Sandra Fernandez Rhoads, author, on Rhoads' “Mortal Sight.” The remaining weeks:

* Feb. 11 — “Spinning Silver” by Naomi Novik. Speaking: Amina Gabrielov, lecturer in Russian in School of Languages and Cultures.

* Feb. 18 — “Poems 1962–2012” by Louise Glück. Speaking: Marianne Boruch, professor emerita of English; Wendy Flory, Dan Morris and Don Platt, all professors of English.

* Feb. 25 — “There There” by Tommy Orange. Speaking: Terese Mailhot, assistant professor of English, and Orange.

The Books and Coffee website has descriptions and livestream links for each week. For students to register for in-person attendance, go to Boilerlink, search for “Books and Coffee,” click on the desired event, log in using BoilerKey and find the “RSVP to Event” area.

Students to ‘Give a Little Love’ to Indiana Veterans Home residents

Purdue’s Span Plan program is working to “Give a Little Love” this Valentine’s Day by painting and planting small succulents and donating them to residents of the Indiana Veterans Home.

Information for 1098T

Purdue now reports in Box 1 of the 1098T which represents the amount of Qualified Tuition & Related Expenses (QTRE) paid during the year.

Depending on the students’ income (or family income, if the student is a dependent), whether the student is considered full or half-time enrolled, and the amount of the qualified educational expenses for the year, the student maybe eligible for a federal education tax credit. (Detailed information about claiming education tax credits are available on the IRS website, publication 970.

The dollar amounts reported on the Form 1098-T may assist in completing IRS Form 8863 – the form used for calculating the education tax credits that a taxpayer may claim as part of their tax return. 

Reminder: due to the Winter Recess, any mailed payments including 529s had to be received in our office by December 17^th to be processed and included on the 2020 1098-T.  Any payments made online electronically & posted by December 31, 2020 were included.

Purdue University is unable to provide individual tax advice, but should you have questions, please seek the counsel of an informed tax preparer or adviser.

For your general reference, below is a blank sample of the 2020 Form 1098-T, that you will receive electronically via the student account in January 2021. For more information and additional resources about Form 1098-T, visit the Office of the Bursar website.

Purdue Convocations pivots to new forms of live performance

Due to the cancellation of university-sponsored on-campus events under the guidelines of Protect Purdue, the Purdue Convocations team has had to adapt to new forms of live powerful performance, illuminating discourse and learning experiences.

Normally, Convocations offers the region 30-40 performances of widely varying genres: Broadway-style shows, theater, dance, world music, and more. All of them share a vision for connecting artists and audiences in artistic dialogue and for drawing in academic discourse, exploring human cultural expression in a multitude of forms and media. More.

Parent & Family Virtual Events

Parent & Family Connections was excited to bring families virtual opportunities to learn more about resources at Purdue so you can best guide your student. If you missed any of our events thus far, you can find a list of previous events on the Parent & Family Connections website. Watch your inbox for additional Spring 2021 events!