Message from the Vice President
Thirty-one years ago, my friend Margaret talked me into attending commencement. I wasn’t planning to go. I had talked my parents, grandmother and family friend out of attending on the grounds that it would be a zoo, and they wouldn’t be able to see me anyway.
But Margaret talked me into going. She said we could get our fake diplomas – a scroll with a ribbon that turned out to be a picture of the library – from the Assistant Dean of our college. Dean Hall was the advisor to a student organization that Margaret and I had led, one after the other.
Graduation from the University of Oklahoma in 1979 was held in the Lloyd Noble Center – picture the AT&T Center or the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. Our college was the largest and we were seated in two sections on the arena floor. Picture graduation in the Convocation Center with the Dean standing in front of the left section and the Assistant Dean on the right side. Graduates stood up in their respective rows, walked up the middle aisle took the scroll from the dean as they walked by, then headed back to the row and sat down. Both sides started at the same time. When our college was partway through the College of Business started their circle on our right and a short while later another college started on the left. It bore a striking resemblance to a three-ring circus. All we needed were trapeze artists overhead.
Contrast that with our graduations. Yes, it’s crowded, yes, it’s long, and yes, five of them are a lot of work. But everyone’s name is called. Family members can see their graduates walk across the stage, receive the recognition of their graduation from the president and have pictures to prove it! Graduates can cheer for their friends as they cross the stage. At some future point as we grow, we may have to change commencement, but I have to admit, no matter what changes we need to make, I hope we can keep some element of the personal. I know it’s hard to work at commencement, but I love that staff are part of this important ritual of higher education. We are part of so many student success stories. So these next few days, I hope everyone will welcome our guests to campus and help them enjoy the festivities. I hope we’ll all find the students we know to offer congratulations and wish them good luck. In other words, I know we’ll all work to make this as special for each individual student as we can.
Speaking of personal experience – as I said earlier I went to graduation to get my scroll from Dean Hall. Margaret and I were in the left section. Of course, Dean Hall was standing on the right side. Thanks to a very patient and accommodating Faculty Marshall we were able to achieve our goal – of course, I don’t think Dean Hall even knew we were there, but at least we have a good story to tell, because we certainly don’t remember the commencement speaker!
Happy Commencement!,
Gage
Announcements/Departmental Events
Laying the Foundation for Excellence - Annual Report
In the fall of 2007, the Division of Student Affairs completed a strategic plan as part of the
implementation of the UTSA Strategic Plan – UTSA 2016. The 2008-2009 academic year was the first
full year of the implementation as we began to engage in the work envisioned in our plan and to build a
foundation of cultural change to ensure the success of the five strategic initiatives. This annual report is
designed to illustrate the depth and breadth of our efforts in Student Affairs, while highlighting a few of
the ways our work is critical to UTSA 2016.
Welcome to our First Annual Report.
PDF to print and postSTAFF NETWORKING TEAM
Upcoming Staff Networking Team Tours/Open Houses:
May 12th – College of Liberal and Fine Arts Advising Center
“Cookie Collection in COLFA Day”
2 pm – 4 pm, HSS 4.05.30
Please visit the Student Affairs Professional Development website for more information on the Staff Networking Team:
http://utsa.edu/students/teams/pdt/staffnetwork.html.
If you have missed a tour, or misplaced a card, you may view all the handout cards via this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/utsapdt/sets/72157623561333154/show.
2010 Student Affairs Awards Ceremony
PDF to print and post
Volunteer call
On Monday, May 17, 2010, the Vice President for Student Affairs is hosting an award ceremony for all members of the Division of Student Affairs. To have this program run seamlessly, we need volunteers! Your help with the setting up of decorations, ushering, or after-ceremony clean up would be greatly appreciated! If you are interested in being a part of this great event as a volunteer - either before, after, or during - contact Michael Zucker at ext. 7487 or by email at Michael.zucker@utsa.edu no later than May 12th.
Thank you for your willingness to support the excellent work being done by our division!
2nd Annual Student Affairs Jamboree - June 11, 2010
PDF to print and post
ON BEHALF OF THE STAFF DEVELOPMENT TEAM
The Staff Development Team would like to thank all of the speakers and participants who attended our 2010 Student Affairs Conference TEAM! We hope everyone enjoyed the sessions and were able to learn and make new connections.
We are happy to announce the prize winners from the April 14th conference:
T-Shirts courtesy of Campus Recreation:
Daniel Garcia from Registrar's Office,
Ashley Moss from Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services,
Adam Plocica from Housing and Residence Life
Towels courtesy of Campus Recreation:
Christina Maldonado from Orientation and Transition Services,
Sharon Durham from Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services
Frost-Free Cups courtesy of Inclusion and Community Engagement:
Angelica Walker from Student Health Services,
Mark Munguia from Campus Recreation
Teddy Bear courtesy of the UTSA Bookstore:
Lisa Jurgajtis from Campus Recreation
Coffee Mug courtesy of the UTSA Bookstore:
Cindy Erb from University Center
Water Bottle courtesy of the UTSA Bookstore:
Johanna Hunziker from Registrar's Office
UTSA Shoulder Bag courtesy of Campus Recreation:
Renee Hopkins from the VPSA Office
GRAND PRIZE WINNER OF THE MASSAGE COURTESY OF CAMPUS RECREATION:
Braulio Contreras from Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services
SPECIAL PRIZE WINNER of Lunch with the Vice President of Student Affairs: Pat Graham, Yolanda Helm, Adela Olveda.
Thanks to all the donors!
Campus Recreation Recognition
Campus Recreation is proud to announce that 4 student employees have received graduate assistantships in the field of Campus Recreation.
Betty Castillo: Texas A&M, Graduate Assistant of Fitness (National Award Winner: William Wasson Award).
Rachel Dybala: Ole Miss, Graduate Assistant of Facilities (National Award Winner: William Wasson Award).
Natalie Rosales: Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Graduate Assistant of Facilities.
Veronica Pena: Texas State, Graduate Assistant of Intramural Sports.
Campus Recreation is also very excited to announce that the Marketing Department won 1st place in comprehensive brochure design and honorable mention for the Campus Rec website. Submissions were judged against Rec Centers across the nation.
Campus Recreation Recognition End of Year Ceremony - April 28, 2010
PhotosGreeks Giving Toys to St. Jude
The month of April marked the 2nd Annual Greek Life Entertainment Drive for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Our fraternity and sorority members collected board games, coloring books, action figures and DVDs that will be taken to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in May. These items are to be used by patients and patient’s families while they are in treatment in the hospital. Often patients will spend hours connected to machines or families with siblings of all ages will be waiting for their brother or sister to finish treatment. These items hope to bring joy or at least a positive distraction to some patients and families in an otherwise sad and sometimes scary situation.
All of the items had to be new and unused in order reduce the chance of infection to these patients as many treatments lower their immune systems. In total the fraternity and sorority community donated 46 board games, 63 coloring books, 16 action figures and 6 DVDs.
1000 Origami Cranes Project
The Office of Student Activities at the Downtown Campus celebrated Asian/Pacific Islander month by sponsoring the 1000 Origami Cranes project throughout the month of April. Students and staff delivered the cranes to Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital on Tuesday, April 27th.
PhotosUTSA Student wins Campus Leadership Excellence Award from NALFO
Nominated by:
Ann Margaret Trujillo, Associate Director – Inclusion and Community Engagement Center; Francisco Lugo, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Student Programming;
Keri Shiplet, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Greek Life;
Zwisel Gandia, Complex Coordinator – Laurel Village and Staff Advisor to Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity
Jorge Davila, member of Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Alpha Eta Chapter at UTSA and President of the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) at UTSA won the prestigious Campus Leadership Excellence Award from the National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations (NALFO). Presented at the NALFO Awards Gala in Arlington, VA on Saturday, April 17, 2010, the Award is given in recognition of an undergraduate who has demonstrated their commitment to their organization, University Campus and the Latino Fraternity & Sorority Community through their service in leadership positions in their organization, campus and/or the Latino Fraternity & Sorority Community as a whole. The Award was accepted on behalf of the Alpha Eta Chapter of Phi Iota Alpha and Jorge Davila by Francisco Lugo, Assistant Director of Student Activities for Student Programming and Director of Undergraduate Affairs for the fraternity.
In the nomination, Francisco states that Jorge encourages his Chapter to collaborate with other organizations, Greek and non-Greek. These collaborative efforts have been very successful for the Chapter, the Council, the Greek community and ultimately for the campus. In addition, Francisco states that Jorge has implemented many ideas that have created a positive impact on the recruitment, publicity, and communication for all the Latino/a fraternities and sororities on campus. Jorge has also helped to elevate the positive visibility of the Greek organizations under MGC.
Continued...
UTSA shuttle service to Chisholm and Chaparral facilities ends Aug. 19
Jane Wilcox, Director of Business Auxiliary Services, 05/03/2010
UTSA on-campus shuttle service to Chisholm Hall and Chaparral Village campus housing will end Aug. 19. Shuttle service to the Tobin Laboratories lot will continue on route 43, serving the west and north sides of the Main Campus. Students in Chisholm and Chaparral Village can catch the shuttle at the Tobin lot. Students should be at the shuttle pick-up point 30 to 45 minutes before their classes begin.
"Three large buses assigned to the revised route 43, which goes from lot 11...
For the full article, visit: URL
Does my boss know about the 4Cs?
I was surprised the first time I read "Does my boss know about the 4Cs?" in one of the evaluations I received. And then I received another a few weeks later. As a supervisor myself, I began to question whether my team would feel the same way when they attended their Excellence in Service and Programming session. Had I provided enough information about the process of developing the 4Cs? Did my team feel empowered to take on the 4Cs? Did my team know that I thought they were great examples of the 4Cs?
I think the questions I had are ones that other supervisors in Student Affairs ask themselves. If not, then that's a great place to start. Often, we all get consumed by our daily tasks and sometimes thinking of connecting, collaborating, creating, and communicating are not actively on our mind. But, I think that as supervisors, we have the opportunity to incorporate Excellence into the leadership and management of our team. If we practice excellence in our leadership, the 4Cs will naturally be present. If we communicate with our staff and encourage them to do the same then we will be examples of collaboration. If we find ways to be creative with our daily tasks, they just might be able to follow that lead and develop creativity in their own tasks. If we reach out in new ways, maybe the connection you and your staff establish will be the foundation for building connections with students and other staff at UTSA.
As leaders, we expect our teams to follow. If we are examples of Excellence in Service TO our teams and in Programming WITH our teams, won't that make for a better experience for you, your team and the students we serve? If you are a supervisor and haven't discussed 4Cs with your team (whether one individual or many), I encourage you to start now!
Photo Galleries
UTSA participates in Fiesta (Continued from April 22, 2010)
Fiesta UTSA - April 16, 2010
Photos
UTSA Fiesta 2010 - April 16, 2010
Video
Party on the Paseo - April 22, 2010
Photos
Real Roadrunners (RR4L) Give Back - April 22, 2010
Photos
Late Night Breakfast - April 27, 2010
Photos
Athletics
Dodd, Martinez earn honorable mention All-Southland Conference accolades
UTSA announces three-game series with Kansas State on Wednesday
UTSA to face No. 3 Texas in NCAA Tournament opening round
No. 30 Texas State finishes off three-game sweep of UTSA, 11-10
All Sport Schedule - Area Events
| Fri, May 7 | BB | Nicholls * | San Antonio, Texas | 6 p.m. |
| Sat, May 8 | MTF | Trinity Last Chance Outdoor |
at San Antonio, Texas | All Day |
| Sat, May 8 | WTF | Trinity Last Chance Outdoor |
at San Antonio, Texas | All Day |
| Sat, May 8 | BB | Nicholls * | San Antonio, Texas | 2 p.m. |
| Sun, May 9 | BB | Nicholls * | San Antonio, Texas | 1 p.m. |
| Fri, May 14 | BB | McNeese State * | San Antonio, Texas | 6 p.m. |
| Sat, May 15 | BB | McNeese State * | San Antonio, Texas | 2 p.m. |
| Sun, May 16 | BB | McNeese State * | San Antonio, Texas | 1 p.m. |
| Tue, May 18 | BB | TCU | San Antonio, Texas | 6 p.m. |
Business Procedures Tips
Save time and cost to the university by having your non-payroll reimbursements directly deposited to your bank account.
Complete this form
Have a Business Procedures Tip to share? Please send it to Bob Miller.
It’s important to know the source of your fitness & nutrition information. Most magazines that you read will sensationalize recent scientific studies. Your best bet is to go straight to the source (the actual study), or you can ask an expert. If you have any question about the validity of any fitness or nutrition information, please feel free to email me, and I will likely be able to help you out! Here are two common nutrition myths from a reputable website online (www.healthcastle.com): Heather Stark
For previous Business Procedures Tips, please visit the archive.
Wellness Tips
Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar
The brown sugar sold at grocery stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar every day, the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth.
Brown Eggs are more nutritious than White Eggs
Contrary to a widely believed nutrition myth, eggshell color has nothing to do with the quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics, or shell thickness of an egg. The eggshell color only depends upon the breed of the hen.
"White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes and brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. There is no difference in taste or nutrition content between white and brown colored eggs".
Assistant Director of Fitness & Wellness
Campus Recreation
heather.stark@utsa.edu
Thank You Rowdy
Thank You Rowdy has a special mission in Student Affairs - to travel across UTSA recognizing the good work of staff members. Within the Division of Student Affairs, Thank You Rowdy is presented from one Student Affairs staff member to another in recognition and appreciation of work done well - taking extra assignments to provide support, offering unsolicited assistance, or completing tasks in a unique way. Whatever the situation, contributions like this are made every day and Thank You Rowdy helps us recognize them.
Thank you Rowdy reflects UTSA's spirit of community and reminds us to remember it takes everyone to make UTSA a great place to work and to learn.
- Gage Paine
Thank You Rowdy is presently visiting with
Lara Goldman
See past Thank You Rowdy Recipients
To: Lara Goldman, Office of Intercollegiate Athletics
From: Tony Daniels, Office of Campus Recreation Center
I would like to nominate Lara Goldman from UTSA Football. I have been working with Lara for the last year regarding UTSA Football reservation and recruit visits scheduled here in the Rec Center. During that time she has been “awesome” to work with. One of the few people who have ask what she and the football staff could do to help with logistics and actually showed up early and stayed late to ensure that everything was in working order after the events. More specifically, she is a person who is advocating on behalf of students and potential student athletes. She has a unique opportunity to support and serve students that aspire to play football for UTSA. The reality is that many of the students that she works with will be walk-on’s. Having worked in the Athletic Departments at The University of Denver and The University of Kansas often walk-on’s do not receive the same attention as scholarship athletes. In our case Lara has demonstrated the same excellent student service commitment to all students regardless of scholarship or student employment status. At those two institutions they have at least four staff person’s hired to do what Lara is doing individually.
Lara has already been in communications with me regarding the upcoming recruiting season. Because she and our football program have to wait until the NCAA provides them with the approved recruitment time period she has at least provided me with a time frame of when she thinks they will need access to Rec Center facilities.
My support for Lara is directly related to my experience working with her here at Campus Rec. But, I also know that she coordinates all needs for other campus facilities that include the Convo, UC, Dining Facilities, and downtown hotel and restaurants. She has a can do attitude and always has a smile on her face; which is evident even when she answers the telephone.
I’m not sure if the rest of the campus is aware of her numerous task associated with her position. As we anticipate the start of our new football program I am happy to know that a true professional who is dedicated to student development is serving in her post. I feel very comfortable knowing that all students regardless of their status will be served and treated fairly when working with Lara Goldman.
Thank you,
Tony Daniels
|
Tony Daniels passes on Rowdy to Lara Goldman |
Kudos
To: Late Night Volunteers
From: Office of Housing and Residence Life
RE: Spring 2010 Late Night Breakfast
I wanted to say thank you for the outstanding support our volunteers provided during the Late Night Breakfast on Tuesday, April 27th at the Roadrunner Café. The event was a huge success and it is all thanks to YOU! This event would have not been possible without our wonderful volunteers! Again, thank you!
Thank you!
Zwisel M. Gandia
Complex Coordinator
Office Housing and Residence Life Staff
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NOTE:
Please submit all newsletter entries by 5:00 pm, Tuesday, May 18, 2010, to
VPSAmedia@utsa.edu