On Thursday, September 18, 2014, the Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion and UC Programs hosted Calle UTSA in the Window Lounge on campus from 11am to 1pm. Calle UTSA is a street fair held in honor of Latino Heritage Month which runs from September 15th through October 15th. The event served a variety of free Latino foods in an effort to showcase to UTSA students the diversity that exists among Latino cuisine and culture.

The performance lineup for Calle UTSA this year included a reading by Chicano poet and educator Joaquin Zihuatanejo, and Mariachi Nuevo Estilo, which has been seen on America’s Got Talent and combine traditional mariachi music with modern musical hits.

The food for the festival included a variety of dishes such as Salvadorian pupusas, Peruvian anticuchos, Cuban stuffed potatoes, and Mexican inspired fruit skewers with chile and lime. The event also hosted a salsa bar offering 3 different salsas as well as chips and queso.

The Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion and UC Programs were proud to host this event with the hope of sharing a culturally-enriching experience with our students and staff on campus.

Submitted by —
Ann Margaret Trujillo
Associate Director,
Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion

Student Disability Services held the Inaugural Induction Ceremony of the Delta Alpha Pi Honor Society, Gamma Phi Chapter on Friday, October 10, 2014. This historical event celebrated the accomplishments and diversity of the first inductees in the first international honor society recognizing the academic achievements of graduate and undergraduate students with disabilities at UTSA.

Bridget Dupree, Disability Specialist with Student Disability Services and Lisa Johns, The Tomas Rivera Center’s Director for Learning Assistance & Assessment served as the Delta Alpha Pi Advisors. During the ceremony, 22 members were inducted into the international honor society and they were joined by over 60 friends and family members who offered their support and enthusiasm in recognizing the accomplishments of these students. Honored guests of the event included Dr. Beth Wichman, Executive Director of Student Services, Dr. Dianne Hengst, Director of Student Disability Services, and Leticia Duncan-Brosnan, Executive Director of the Tomas Rivera Center for Student Success.

This day marked the beginning of an exciting time for UTSA and its positive acknowledgement of this diverse student population.

Submitted by —
Bridget Dupree
Disability Specialist,
Student Disability Services

In case you missed it, be sure to check out the amazing photos from UTSA Homecoming. The Division of Student Affairs wants to offer a big shout out to Derek Bell and Leigh Darilek for their exceptional work.

Submitted by —
Division of Student Affairs

Chapter leaders among our 28 fraternities and sororities attended their national convention or leadership school this summer. These national events allowed for chapter members to meet and connect with alumni volunteers and brothers and sisters from campuses across the country. This summer our students travelled to places like Denver, Orlando, and Las Vegas to learn how to further develop themselves and their organizations while connecting with hundreds and sometimes thousands of attendees.

We are happy to announce that UTSA chapters received recognition from their national organizations including Sigma Pi Fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, Sigma Lambda Beta International Fraternity, and Zeta Tau Alpha Women’s Fraternity. Read the complete UTSA Today article here.

We are so proud of all of the work of our members and chapters do to advance the fraternal experience for all students at UTSA and in the greater San Antonio Community. For more information visit the fraternity and sorority life.

Submitted by —
Julie Bunson
Program Advisor,
Fraternity and Sorority Life

Over 400 students helped kick off National Hazing Prevention week on Sunday, September 21st, with a workshop by national recognized facilitator, Traciana Graves. Members of Fraternities and Sororities, Club Sports, NCAA Sports, and the Hispanic Student Association learned about current issues on college campuses including hazing, alcohol misuse, sexual assault, mental health, and bullying.

Traciana Graves encouraged students to take a stand for students who have to live with hazing, bullying, and harassment, and ultimately, stand for each other. In an effort to allow students to understand how hazing and degrading behavior effects their peers despite organization, class, major, gender, Graves asked students to come forward to “Say Something Beautiful.” This campaign is intended to allow for students to see the affects and outcomes of bullying and incriminating behaviors that are often not recognized as being hurtful or longstanding.

Graves is one of America’s leading strategists for creating safe and cohesive workplaces and campuses. She infuses her passion and expertise to create an engaged audience that continues to combat incivility after the workshop is finished. Graves has been featured regularly on FOX business news, AOL, and the Huffington Post. Her time at UTSA is just one of many campuses she will visit on her fall tour.

Student feedback was overwhelmingly positive and students consistently said that they were confident that they could bring the information back and implement it to their organizations. While hazing is often seen as an issue exclusive to fraternity/sorority members and athletes, this program challenged students to look at how these issues impact all organizations, and ultimately, the individuals that we care for.

National Hazing Prevention Week, recognized annually the last full week in September, is a national initiative organized by HazingPrevention.org. Students on college campuses every year recognize this week with various programs, presentations, and campaigns. Organizations on campus created their own programs as well after the workshop to help continue to combat hazing, bullying, and to “Say Something Beautiful.”

Submitted by —
Julie Bunson
Program Advisor,
Fraternity and Sorority Life

Homecoming 2014 kicked off with the inaugural “ROWDYtouille: Release the Chef in You!” contest at the Downtown Campus on Monday, October 6, 2014.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Student Activities and UTSA Dining/Aramark, over sixty on-lookers took in the sights and smells created by these contestants:

• Claudia Reyes, Graduate Student in the College of Architecture, Construction and Planning Historic Preservation program and local celebrity
• April Ancira, Vice President of Ancira Auto Group and UTSA Alumnus

We also had some fabulous judges:

• Dr. Jesse T. Zapata, Senior Vice Provost for UTSA Downtown Campus and Academic & Faculty Support
• Jonathan Bange, Assistant Director for Campus Recreation – Downtown
• Marisol Mandujano, Assistant Director of the Welcome Center – Downtown

The chefs were challenged with creating a “Rowdy Wrap” and the judges’ taste buds were put to the test in having to choose between Claudia’s “Swiss, Mushroom and Avocado Chicken Wrap” and April’s “Buffalo Chicken and Bacon Wrap”.

And the Top Chef was awarded to… April Ancira!!!

Submitted by —
Michelle Rocha
Assistant Director,
Student Activities

On Wednesday, September 24th, 731 students attended the STEM and All-Majors Career Fair hosted by the University Career Center. Due to the large employer demand, this semester’s events were held in the Convocation Center. In total, 159 employers recruited UTSA students for a variety of positions including internships and full-time professional jobs.

Submitted by —
Morris Ellington
Program Manager,
University Career Center

New for the Fall 2014 semester from the University Career Center is a series of 45 “on-demand” webinars on a wide variety of career and professional development topics. Students can register for the webinars of their choice, then view them from home or any other location. Through the first two months, students have already registered for 247 webinars.

For more information and to sign up, students should do a “Career Events” search at RowdyJobs.

Submitted by —
Morris Ellington
Program Manager,
University Career Center

Charlin Jones collaborated with Molly Albart (UT-Arlington) on the Fall 2014 Annual TACUSPA (Texas Association of College and University Personnel Administrators) Conference from October 12-14 in Arlington, TX.

Their work was recognized by Lisa R. McDougle, Ed.D., Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Student Affairs, School of Physical Therapy, University of the Incarnate Word:

"I just wanted to send a quick email to you both to let you know that I thought you and your committee did a great job with the conference. The hotel accommodations were great and the various parts of the event that I was able to attend were terrific. Unfortunately due to various obligations I had in my new role, I was not able to attend many of the interest sessions but my staff member that attended kept going on and on about how much she learned. I enjoyed both Tom Rath and Kevin Krueger and I look forward to reading the book we received. The President’s Reception was very nice as well and I really enjoyed the jazz ensemble. It was a nice touch. Thanks for all your hard work. Next year’s committee will certainly have a great model to look to when planning their conference."

UTSA Volunteers kicked off homecoming week by helping package donated food for senior citizens at the SA Food Bank. Enjoy this Facebook album from the event!

Submitted by —
Cristina Dominguez
Program Coordinator,
Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion

Molly Ballard was awarded the Roadrunner of the Month: Dean of Student Outstanding Leadership Award. Congratulations!

Remember that Roadrunner of the Month nomination forms are due by the last Monday of each month at 4:00pm.

Submitted by —
Vincent Perez
Program Coordinator,
Student Leadership Development

The Student Conduct and Community Standards Team did a great job reaching out to students during Rowdy Wing Fling and National Night Out!

Submitted by —
Kendra Smith
Coordinator,
Student Conduct and Community Standards

It has been a very busy start to the new academic year: the Student Activities Office reports that we have 323 registered student organizations, and the Homecoming Tailgate featured 25 student organizations with over 1,000 students attending!

BestFest

Roadrunner Productions put on a tremendous BestFest 2014, which included over 50 participating campus organizations. We also moved the Rowdy Rally to in front of the Convocation Center, which served as a kick-off to BestFest. The Voice contestant Holly Tucker and American Idol Season 8 Winner Chris Allen were the musical entertainers. Here are the BestFest Award winners:

• Best Booth Decorations at BestFest- SPECTRUM, Orientation Leaders Association, Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity

• Greenest Booth - EMBRACE

Winners of the 2014 Homecoming Office/Door Decorating & Window Wars

• Main Campus Door Decorations
  • First Place – McNair Office / Office of P-20 Initiatives
  
  • Runner Up - Business Affairs
• Main Campus Storefront Decorations
  • First Place – Office of the Registrar
  • Runner Up - Special Events Center - UTSA Ambassadors
• Main Campus Office Decorations
  • First Place – Welcome Center
  • Runner Up - University Career Center
• Downtown Campus Door Decorations
  • First Place – Office of Undergraduate Admissions & Welcome Center
  • Runner Up - Fiscal Services
• Downtown Campus Office Decorations
  • First Place – Office of P-20 Initiatives
  • Runner Up - College of Education & Human Development-Dean's Office
  • Honorable Mention – Pre Freshman Engineering Program (PREP)
• Main Campus Window Wars
  • First Place – Alpha Sigma Alpha
  • Second Place - Zeta Tau Alpha
  • Third Place - Hispanic Student Association

Golf Cart Parade

The Student Government Association had 27 organizations participate in the Golf Cart Parade. Winners included:

• Best Overall Golf Cart- Gamma Phi Beta Sorority
• Judges Pick- Kappa Sigma Fraternity
• Best Roadrunners Spirit- UTSA Ambassadors
• Best Small Group- UTSA Softball Team
• Most Original Idea- Hispanic Student Association
• Best Incorporated Homecoming Theme- Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority

Submitted by —
Lydia Bueno
Associate Director,
Student Activities