Eastern Michigan University
September 25, 2023
Academic and Student Affairs
Provost Briefing
Institutional Priority #1
Promote Student Engagement and Success
A Reminder for Faculty whose program includes a capstone course...
Consider sharing the following graduation requirements to students in your capstone course:
To graduate with a degree or certificate, students must submit a formal application for graduation online via their my.emich account during the semester they will complete all requirements. An application is needed for each degree and/or certificate. While the deadline to apply for graduation is the last day of the semester in which all requirements will be completed (December 15, 2023, for fall 2023), the deadline to be included in the commencement ceremony materials is earlier. For the December 2023 commencement ceremony, the deadline is November 1, 2023.
The application fee is $110 for each degree and/or certificate and it will be applied to the student's account.
Remind students:
- Apply even if all grades are not on file.
- Apply even if all documents (substitutions, waivers, transcripts) are not on file.
- Apply even if you have a financial hold.
submit applications for the Winter 2024 Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program Award
The Undergraduate Research Office invites undergraduate students, with the assistance of their faculty mentors, to submit applications for the Winter 2024 Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program Award.
The Undergraduate Research Stimulus Program (URSP) is intended to facilitate research partnerships between undergraduate students and Eastern Michigan University faculty. Successful student applicants will receive a $2,200 fellowship in support of their research efforts. The collaborating faculty member may receive $600, which can be used for lab/studio supplies or equipment, professional travel, or other professional expenses.
Deadline: November 2, 2023 , 11:59 PM, for Winter 2024 Awards
1990 Keynote Speaker Nancy Ford
A Call for celebration: the history of Keynote speakers at the Undergraduate symposium
Following the call for nominations for The Dennis M. Beagen Keynote Speaker for the upcoming 2024 Undergraduate Symposium, we spoke with Amy Bearinger, Full-Time Lecturer for the School of Communication, Media & Theatre Arts and the Event Coordinator for the Undergraduate Symposium, about the importance of the Symposium and its history of keynote speakers.
The Undergraduate Symposium has a long history of keynote speakers starting as far back as 1982, which was the second year of the Symposium. Hosted during the luncheon portion of the event, that first speaker was exactly what the Symposium needed to fully celebrate the students present and bring an air of legitimacy to the event.
Since 1982, every Symposium luncheon has featured a keynote speaker. Standout speakers include Dr. Anthony England (1989), former dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan and a former NASA astronaut. Also, Nancy Ford (1990), an on and off-Broadway composer, arranger, and writer.
1989 Keynote Speaker Dr. Anthony England
2011 Keynote Speaker Dave Coverley
One of Bearinger’s most memorable speakers was Dave Coverley, a comic artist and writer and an EMU alum. “I just loved his speech because it was so honest, it was so real, it was so welcoming,” she stated.
Speakers at the luncheon event often look back on their own experiences as a student and graduate while also bringing a forward-facing perspective. Bearinger described successful speeches as striking a balance between the speaker’s personal narrative and focusing on the accomplishments of the current year students. To prospective speakers she said, “don’t be afraid to be honest about reservations or self-doubt or uncertainty ... because we all have that. And I think the more honest we are about that, the more that [students] feel like it is worth the risk.”
Last year’s Dennis M. Beagen Keynote Speaker was Ypsilanti Mayor Nicole Brown. After a full return to in-person events in 2023, Bearinger felt that Mayor Brown’s speech truly brought back the excitement and energy of the event post-Covid 19. As both an alumni of EMU and also a Symposium Undergraduate Research Fellow alumni, Mayor Brown represents the ideal Keynote Speaker candidate.
2023 Keynote Speaker Nicole Brown
The EMU Undergraduate Symposium was one of the first events of its kind in 1981, and every successive year adds to that inspirational history. “It’s what EMU is all about,” Bearinger stated, “It’s faculty-mentored research and creative projects and it takes learning outside of the classroom to another level.” She continued, “Whoever our speaker ends up being for 2024, I think they will really feel like they are adding quite a bit to the student experience.”
If you are interested in nominating someone to be the Dennis M. Beagen Keynote Speaker at the 2024 Undergraduate Symposium simply fill out the nomination form to be considered. The deadline for nominations is October 6th, 2023. Please reach out to Amy Bearinger at abearin1@emich.edu with any questions.
Institutional Priority #2
High Performing Academic Programs & Quality Research
Participate in The Formosa Quartet’s American mirror project
Formosa Quartet
In advance of their in-person visits in January and March, McAndless Distinguished Professors the Formosa Quartet have asked us to share the following message and Google Form with all students and employees of EMU with hopes that you might participate in their American Mirror Project:
Hello Everyone! We are the Formosa Quartet and we're looking forward to spending time at Eastern this coming year as the 23/24 McAndless Scholars. Our American Mirror Project is a collaborative initiative in which participants hold up personal mirrors to America, their reflections of what America means. We would love to hear from YOU!
Please join us by submitting your own mirror — an audio file, video file, or written statement — in response to the prompts in our Google Form. You can be as serious or lighthearted as you would like! Our goal is to incorporate as many of your quotes into a short film and musical piece in our January performance.
With gratitude,
Formosa Quartet (Jasmine Lin, Wayne Lee, Matthew Cohen, and Deborah Pae)
Submissions are due by October 6.
EMU programs listed in U.S. News best colleges rankings
Eastern Michigan University has earned several spots on the U.S. News Best Colleges Rankings for 2024. These programs include:
Best Undergraduate Engineering - Non-Doctorate #69
Best Undergraduate Nursing #228
Best Undergraduate Psychology #264
These programs are ranked according to performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence, competing with programs across the nation. EMU programs have consistently ranked high on U.S. News Rankings and 2024 is no different.
Institutional Priority #3
Service and Engagement
BSN Student Margarita Howes Receives Civilian Life Saving Award
Citizen Life Saving Award at the water rescue ceremony at Fire Station Six in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Thursday, September 14, 2023. Christina Merrill | MLive.com
On Thursday, September 14, 2023 Margarita Howes, a current student in the School of Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Program at EMU, was awarded a Civilian Life Saving Award from the Ann Arbor Fire Department. This award was given after her heroic act in saving a civilian’s life from a near drowning incident.
Fire Chief Mike Kennedy and Margarita Howes
Howes had this to say about receiving the award:
I was proud to have received this award, I would also like to mention those around me who did help in the matter as well. It was a team effort at the end of the day. For me, it was reassuring that this is the field I would like to continue to pursue as a career in the future. My reaction to the situation came on almost like natural instinct. Any knowledge that I already had clicked into action instantly.
I want to continue impacting my community in a positive light. In my case, I have already been certified in the past due to my history in girls scouts as well as having previous work experience in the medical field. With that said, I do strongly encourage others to become certified in CPR. You never know when you may have to use these skills to save a life. A person can’t assume others around them will already have the knowledge themselves. You have to be prepared.
EMU offers CPR and AED training through the Department of Public Safety. Trainings are held in G03 Halle (the auditorium) and are available on the following dates this year:
- September 25 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- October 26 from 9 a.m. to noon
- November 15 from 9 a.m. to noon
- December 14 from 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
To register, please email Kathryn Wilhoff at kwilhoff@emich.edu with your EMU ID number, Department you work in and the date you want to attend.
Location: 109 B Halle
Date/Times:
- Thursday, October 12 / 3:30pm - Information session, facilitated by Natalie Dove and Alexis Braun Marks (109B Halle Library & Zoom)
- Monday, October 23 / 3:30pm - Workshop #1, facilitated by Alexis Braun Marks (109B Halle Library)
- Thursday, October 26 / 3:30pm - Workshop #2, facilitated by Natalie Dove (109B Halle Library)
During the fall 2023 semester, Alexis Braun Marks (University Library Department Head, University Archivist, and Associate Professor) and Natalie Dove (Associate Professor of Psychology and Interim Department Head of Psychology and Biology) will host three sessions for those interested in applying for a Summer Research Award. The purpose of these workshops is to both inform attendees on the application process itself and provide feedback on any materials provided. This series will begin with an information session, followed by two workshops that offer you feedback on your drafts. The first of these will be particularly useful for those in the humanities. Summer Research Awards are due on October 31, 2023.
Location: 109 B Halle or on Zoom
Date/Time: Thursday, September 28 / 9:45pm
Maintaining a productive research agenda at a teaching-intensive university like Eastern can be difficult. Your scholarly agenda may look different than you thought it would when you were in training. It may look different than it did before the pandemic. With many departments adopting the Research/Creative Activity Release, there has never been a better time to focus on your scholarship. Please join Dr. Sarah Walsh, Professor of Health Sciences, for this session to set your intentions for the semester and workshop practical writing and publishing goals for the new academic year. Review tips and tools for protecting your research time and increasing your productivity while letting go of habits that no longer serve you.
Date/Time:
- Both applications are due October 2, 2023 at 5pm
- Applicants will be notified about the status of their application by October 16, 2023.
The Faculty Development Center is seeking two new Faculty Fellows for the Winter 2024 semester, one from the College of Business and one from the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. Each faculty fellow will be expected to offer programs of interest to the faculty, students, and staff of their respective colleges.These faculty fellows will be released from teaching one course during the winter semester (or will receive equivalent additional compensation). In exchange, they would be expected to offer programming to address needs specific to their respective colleges. The faculty fellows would be expected to plan programs for the college during the semester, which can include one-off workshops, a series of programs on the same topic, inviting guest speakers to campus, or other ideas that the fellow would like to propose. These Faculty Fellows will have access to a budget of up to $2,500.
Location: Student Center
Date: Friday, December 1
While faculty are clearly the content experts regarding what they teach, students have a unique perspective on their own learning. As such, when we consider how to most effectively teach, it behooves us to listen to the learners, so we can learn from them about how to teach more effectively. To that end, please join us for, “Flipping the Script: A Student Led Teaching and Learning Conference.” This conference offers a unique opportunity to collaborate and develop new teaching and learning practices that can change the classroom experience for everyone involved. We encourage you to spread the word about this opportunity to any students you think may be interested in presenting or attending, and to consider attending the conference yourself to support our students.
Mid-American Conference
Academic Leadership Development Program
Four EMU Faculty Members Included in MAC 2022-23 Academic Leadership Development Program Fellows
The MAC Academic Leadership Development Program (ALDP) aims to assist a select group of individuals to develop and enhance their ability to be effective academic leaders. These individuals (Leadership Fellows) are selected by their own institutions based on ability or demonstrated promise with the overarching goal of building the leadership pool at Mid-American Conference institutions.
EMU has selected four faculty members to join the MAC ALDP Fellows: Patrice Bounds, Ellen Koch, Paul Majeske, and Megan Moore.
Dr. Patrice S. Bounds is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership and Counseling at Eastern Michigan University. She is the Coordinator of the School Counseling Program, Faculty Associate in the Graduate School, and current editor for the McNair Scholars Program Research Journal. With a strong passion for education and a commitment to excellence, Dr. Bounds has established herself as a dedicated scholar and educator. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Chicago State University, followed by a Master's degree in Community Counseling also from Chicago State University. Building upon this foundation, she went on to earn a Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of Iowa. Dr. Bounds is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in Michigan, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) in Illinois, a Nationally
Certified Counselor (NCC), and an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS). Her research interests lie in the areas of Career Decision-Making, School-Based Mental Health Counseling, Restorative Practices in Academic Settings, and Imposter Phenomenon.
In addition to her research pursuits, Dr. Bounds is a highly regarded instructor and mentor. She has a wealth of experience teaching undergraduate and graduate courses, guiding students through their academic journey, and fostering a supportive learning environment. Her dedication to her students extends beyond the classroom, as she actively engages in academic advising and mentoring to help students navigate their educational and career paths. Through her scholarly contributions and commitment to student success, Dr. Bounds continues to make a significant impact in the field of education at Eastern Michigan University and beyond.
Ellen I. Koch, Ph.D. earned her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Western Michigan University in 2001. She was a first-generation college student. After receiving her doctorate, she completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan Health System, Department of Psychiatry, training in cognitive-behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders, behavioral medicine, and PTSD at the Ann Arbor VA Medical Center. Dr. Koch began her faculty appointment at EMU in 2003. In August 2007, she became the Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical Psychology doctoral program. She held this position for 11 years. While serving as Director of Clinical Training, Dr. Koch was promoted to Associate Professor in 2008 and Professor in 2016. Along with serving as Professor, she completed two three-year terms serving on the American Psychological Association
Commission on Accreditation which involves reviewing doctoral, internship, and postdoctoral programs for compliance with national accreditation requirements. She served as Interim Department Head for Psychology in 2019 and permanent Department Head in 2020. Dr. Koch accepted a position as Interim Associate Dean for Budgets and Facilities in the College of Arts and Sciences in 2021 and was appointed permanent Associate Dean in 2023.
Dr. Koch’s research interests include: Exposure-based treatments for PTSD as well as other anxiety disorders, behavior therapy and cognitive-behavior therapy for adult anxiety disorders, treatment outcome research, anxiety sensitivity and its relationship to other constructs predicting psychopathology, secondary prevention of PTSD, secondary prevention of psychopathology resulting from elevated anxiety sensitivity, and one-session exposure treatment for small animal phobias. Dr. Koch demonstrated one-session exposure treatment for phobias on Good Morning America in 2017. Dr. Koch is extremely honored to have been involved in supporting the McNair program and helping other first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities to obtain and succeed in their graduate education.
Paul Majeske is an Associate Professor of Communication Technology at Eastern Michigan University. He has been with EMU for 25 years and resides in Ypsilanti Township. He holds a BS in Communication Technology; MS in Technology Studies; and, is currently a PhD. candidate (ABD) in Instructional Technology (Wayne State University).
He has worked on grants in collaboration with the Michigan State Mental Health Department, Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University creating online training modules for ACT teams. His areas of expertise include: Printing and Publishing; Digital Image Capture; Image Assembly and Manipulation; Website User Interface Design; Multimedia Authoring and Planning; Instructional Design; and Technology Implementation in Education.
He regularly teaches sections of courses and topics that include:
- The Introduction to Graphic Communication
- The Introduction to Computer Graphics
- Digital Photo Technology (Digital Imaging and Enhancement)
- Website Development and Management
- Digital Image Reproduction and Image Assembly
- Multimedia Authoring Techniques
- Emerging Technologies in Storage and Retrieval
- Image-based and Interactive User Interface
Recently (August 2022), Paul accepted an interim position as School Director of the School of Technology and Professional Services Management. In January of 2023, he also became the Interim Director of the School of Visual and Built Environments.
Dr. Megan Moore has served as the Associate Dean of the Honors College since July 2022. Professor Moore's research in human skeletal biology ranges from forensic anthropology and biomedical anthropology of modern Americans to bioarchaeology of ancient populations in France and Turkey. She has led EMU students at bioarchaeological field schools in Northern France to analyze skeletons from an early medieval cemetery and in southern Turkey to analyze human cremains from a late Roman/early Byzantine site. Her recent research explores sexual polymorphism and conditions of intersex, which was inspired by her analysis of the remains of the Revolutionary War general, Casimir Pulaski. She contributed ground-breaking work in body mass estimation and the effects of obesity on the skeleton. She has taught several forensic anthropology short courses in Bogota, Colombia working for the
International Criminal Investigative Training and Assistance Program (ICITAP) to train Colombian forensic professionals. She previously served as the coordinator of a medical imaging project, which conducted computed tomographic (CT) scans of over 600 modern donated skeletons from Tennessee and New Mexico. Before that, she worked with the Physicians for Human Rights in Cyprus as a forensic anthropologist to identify and repatriate remains from the 1974 war in Cyprus. Additionally, she has worked on archaeological teams in Cyprus, Arizona, and conducted CRM work in Ohio and Tennessee. She currently serves as the Forensic Anthropology Consultant for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office in Detroit and for Washtenaw and Monroe counties in southeast Michigan. She was voted Distinguished Honors Faculty of the Year in 2017 and the 2018 Ronal W. Collins Distinguished Faculty of the Year Teaching II.
Join the FCD Learning Community:
Building a Caring Classroom
Written by Ron Flowers Read the Full Article
While it is understood that the primary role of faculty is to bring their expertise to the classroom and that most faculty are not mental health clinicians, we (as well as our programs and departments) are on the frontline engaging with students on a daily basis. This gives faculty a unique opportunity to support students and build a culture of caring on campus.
This learning community will help instructors construct a classroom environment that will support the well-being and mental health of our students. Participants will develop methods for incorporating life skills and resilience into their current course content and pedagogical practices. To facilitate this development, we will be partnering with the following non-profit organizations focusing on adolescent and young adult mental health. The JED Foundation is the largest non-profit organization focusing on the mental health of adolescents and young adults. The Steve Fund is the largest non-profit mental health organization focusing on the mental health of students of color. The Trevor Project is the only national mental health non-profit organization focusing on the LGBTQ+ community. The Healthy Minds Network at the University of Michigan is one of the nation’s premier research organizations contributing to adolescent and young adult mental health. Facilitators from each of these organizations will be participating in the learning community.
Program
In 2018, The Steve Fund and the JED Foundation partnered to develop and promote the Equity in Mental Health Framework, a comprehensive approach to mental health promotion. This comprehensive approach includes seven strategic areas that should be addressed in any community-wide effort to support mental health, substance abuse, and suicide prevention (JED Foundation, 2021):
- Development of life skills
- Promoting social connectedness
- Increasing help-seeking behavior
- Identifying students at risk
- Providing mental health and substance misuse services
- Following crisis management
- Restricting access to potentially lethal means (JED Foundation, 2021)
This model broadly addresses four major thematic areas:
- Enhancing protective/preventive factors and resilience (life skills and connectedness)
- Early intervention (identifying those at risk and increasing help-seeking)
- Availability and access to clinical services
- Environmental safety and means restriction (JED Foundation, 2021, p.4)
The learning community will focus on the first two themes.
Institutional Priority #4
Institutional Effectiveness
Attention staff & faculty
2024 Winter Term Textbook Orders
Winter textbook adoptions are due October 15, 2023. Departments can submit their Winter adoptions via email or via Follett Discover.
Ensure Your Parking Pass is Current
Avoid parking tickets by double checking that your parking pass is fully processed for the current year. There are two ways to ensure you have an active parking pass for the 2023-2024 academic year.
First: Look in your email for a receipt for the 2023-2024 AY from LAZ. If you purchased parking, you would have received an automated receipt.
Second: Log in to LAZ. Select "Purchase History" on the Left. If you have a current active permit it will show there.
Left to Right: AED cabinet location sign, AED cabinet with Narcan and other emergency supplies, and Narcan nasal spray kit
Narcan Kits Now Available in All Campus AED Cabinets
Thanks to a generous donation by the Community Health Partnership of Southeast Michigan (CMHPSM), all EMU campus AED boxes now include Narcan kits. To learn more about Narcan, including how and when to administer it, watch the 6 minute video below. In this video, Dr. Frank Schaller of EMU’s School of Nursing answers your questions and concerns about Narcan.
Dr. Tsu-Yin Wu Awarded NIH Grant to Support Firearm Injury and Mortality Prevention Science
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports scientific research to develop, evaluate, and implement effective public health interventions to better understand and prevent violence, including firearm violence, and the resulting trauma, injuries, and mortality.
To further this support, the NIH has awarded additional research and training grants to support firearm injury and mortality prevention to several prestigious universities, including Ph.D. Program Director in Nursing, Dr. Tsu-Yin Wu.
Dr. Wu and her team at Eastern Michigan University in Yspsilanti, will be working with Asian Americans in a number of communities across the state as an increasingly at-risk population given a rise in racism targeting this group and the corresponding increase in firearm ownership. The team will employ both Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and photovoice approaches to engage communities in identifying multi-level risks and protective factors for firearm-related violence. Using this information, the team will then develop, implement, and evaluate an intervention to decrease risk and advance health equity through a randomized clinical trial.
Dr. Tsu-Yin Wu
Dr. Cam McComb
2023 Western Region Higher Education Art Educator Award
The National Art Education Association has named Cam McComb, of Ypsilanti, MI, as the recipient of the 2023 Western Region Higher Education Art Educator Award. This prestigious award, determined through a peer review of nominations, recognizes the exemplary contributions, service, and achievements of an outstanding NAEA member annually at the Regional level within their division. The award will be presented during the NAEA 2023 National Convention in San Antonio.
NAEA President James Haywood Rolling, Jr. states, "This award is being given to recognize excellence in professional accomplishment and service by a dedicated art educator. Cam McComb exemplifies the highly qualified art educators active in education today: leaders, teachers, students, scholars, and advocates who give their best to their students and the profession."
The mission of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) champions creative growth and innovation by equitably advancing the tools and resources for a high-quality visual arts, design, and media arts education throughout diverse populations and communities of practice.
For more information about the association and its awards program, visit the NAEA website at www.arteducators.org
The Ypsilanti Bicentennial
In 1823, Benjamin Woodruff and several other men and women landed on the west bank of the Huron River. Although the area had long been home to the Potawatomi and Wendat peoples and the site of a French trading post, Woodruff and his companions established a new town that would be known as Ypsilanti. In the years that followed, Ypsilanti grew and changed, industrialized and deindustrialized, and became home to Eastern Michigan University.
In 2023, the people of Ypsilanti and the surrounding communities came together to commemorate the city’s bicentennial. The Ypsilanti Bicentennial Commission (led by Annie Somerville, EMU 2018) hosted a series of events throughout the spring and summer. Numerous walking tours highlighted the city’s architecture, and the Ypsilanti District Library asked residents to contribute a square to a bicentennial quilt. YpsiWrites and EMU English Professor Ann Blakeslee asked current and past residents to reflect on their memories of the city with “Love Letters to Ypsi”.
Local historians produced a book, titled Ypsilanti Histories: A Look Back at the Last Fifty Years, which is free for all to download, to record the stories of Ypsilanti since 1973. Edited by EMU History Professor John McCurdy and Ypsilanti Historical Society President Bill Nickels, Ypsilanti Histories preserved forty stories of various aspects of the city’s government, education, businesses, community organizations, neighborhoods, and individuals. Several EMU professors, students, and alumni contributed essays that ranged from Ypsilanti’s professional football team to the city’s oldest African American civic organization to Medal of Honor recipient Charles Kettles.
The bicentennial celebrations culminated in a day-long festival in Riverside Park on August 19. Local vendors sold unique goods, while local bands and drag performers kept the festivities going well into the night.
Although the bicentennial events have ended, there’s still time to commemorate Ypsilanti’s two hundredth birthday. You can check out the exhibits at the Ypsilanti Historical Society or check out the timeline of Ypsilanti history at Ypsireal.com.
Dedicated Time for Sponsored Scholarly/Creative Activity
Please join the Provost Office in congratulating the 2024 recipients of the Dedicated Time for Sponsored Scholarly/Creative Activity award. The Dedicated Time for Scholarly/Creative Activity Program guarantees that faculty with significant externally-funded projects will have an allocation of time within their guidelines for the assigned workloads during the academic year to carry out their funded scholarly/creative activities.
Steven Backues, CAS Chemistry
RUI: Tools and Approaches for Investigating the Basic Mechanisms of Autophagy
Hedeel Evans, CAS Chemistry
Probing the Role of Insulin-like Growth Factor-binding Protein 3 and Humanin in Regulating Hyaluronan Function
Jamie Lawler, CAS Psychology
School-based Early Childhood Behavioral Health Program
A Longitudinal Study of Self-Regulation Development: Effects of Early Life Stress and Impact on School readiness
Ethan Lowenstein, COE Teacher Education
Building students’ environmental knowledge and engagement with local government through civic science
Climate Resilience from the Youth UP
Coalition Connections: Building Watershed and Climate Literacy through Place-based Explorations
Great Lakes B-WET program
NoVo Foundation: Transforming Schools and Communities through Place-based Education
Christina Marsack-Topolewski, CHHS Social Work
The SOCIAL Partnership
Sarah Shea, CHHS Social Work
Research-based Training Curriculum for Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents
Prepared by: Andi Pontiff & Karen Peacock
734.487.3200
Office of the Provost
Academic and Student Affairs