|
Staff NEWS
May 31, 2007 In This Issue
Message from the Vice President for Student Affairs
This weekend, between house cleaning and down-pour watching - I returned to a project I started last summer but has been put on hold during this busy semester. As part of the preparation I was digging through some old files and found a handout I'd been given in some workshop or another. It was based on the work of Donald B. Ardell, Ph.D., an author, lecturer, teacher in the wellness field. In the list of things to do to lead a healthy balanced life, he suggests we get 23 DBRU equivalents a day. He doesn't explain it but rather says think of it as little bits of experiences of happiness.
Now this intrigued me. The paper I had in my file came from SMU so its 7-10 years old and it has the author's name but no other citation. So I decided to test the magic of Google and typed in DBRU. Lo and behold, among sites that seem to indicate that DBRU has a technology component was a link to an article by Ardell as part of the seekwellness site.
Some folks know
about wellness and the Wellness Wheel, but in case you don't, here's a very
brief explanation: There are six components to Wellness and they are
usually presented as six parts of a wheel:
Each component is as important as every other; all six are critical to our general sense of well-being.
Here is a very short description of each component:
Another version I've seen of this is called a "Life Pie" by author Julia
Cameron.
Her six slices are Exercise, Play, Work, Spirituality, Friends and Romance/Adventure.
So pick the pie you like or choose both - no calories to these pies! And place a dot in each slice of the pie - the more satisfied you are with how you are doing in that area the closer to the outer rim your dot should go - closer to the center means less satisfied. Now connect the dots. Do you have a nice, healthy balanced circle or do you have some other shape for which geometry has no name? Is there a tiny step you can take this week to move toward balance or to widen your circle? If so, I encourage you to take it.
And always strive for 23 DBRU equivalents a day.
So just what is a DBRU? Ardell tells of seeing a Far Side Cartoon by Gary Larsen. In it a large, deceased rhino is lying on the ground covered in buzzards with more buzzards flying in for dinner. "In the caption, one buzzard remarks to another, 'Just think, here we are, the afternoon sun beating down upon us, a Dead Bloated Rhino Underfoot and good friends flying in from all over. I tell you, Frank, this is the best of times!"...Ever since (Ardell has) been asking audiences this question: 'Are you getting enough DBRU's?'
DBRU's don't have to be big deals. Ardell says "Little pleasures throughout the day will do the trick. Tune into these little delights, bring them into conscious awareness, celebrate them and pause often to honor your good fortune."
So what are your little delights, your best of times? Can you add one or two to your day? And if your Life Pie or Wellness Wheel is a bit lopsided try adding some DBRU equivalents to your day and see what happens.
As Ardell's daughter once said to him - May "all your dead rhinos be like totally bloated this lovely day."
The nature of DBRU equivalents by Donald B. Ardell, Ph.D. All the best, Gage
"Visiting With"......Orientation and Transition Services
On May 24th we visited with Orientation and Transition Services during one of their intensive training days held at the Main Building. Pictured below are members of the Orientation and Transition Services leadership team and the 2007 Orientation Leader class. The orientation team is busy preparing for another exciting summer of new student and family orientation programs. This year's theme is UTSAir with the tag line "college is a journey, travel it well".
Orientation
and Transition Services Staff
Director: Lisa Alonzo
Responsible for the department of
Orientation and Transition Services. Reports to the Assistant Vice
President of Admissions, Orientation and Transition Services, George
Norton.
Associate Director: Re’Shanda Grace-Bridges
Works with the 1604 Freshman and Freshman
Transfer orientation programs all terms, Orientation Leader development and
supervision, and department outreach.
Assistant Director: Paul Ayala
Works with the Downtown Freshman and
Freshman Transfer orientation programs all terms, Transfer orientation
programs all terms 1604 and Downtown, Roadrunner Camp and Orientation Leader
development/supervision.
Assistant Director: Julio Joey Ramos
Works with the 1604 and Downtown Family
orientation programs all terms. Family services and resources, and
Orientation Leader development and supervision.
Data Systems Coordinator: Fernando Estrada
Provides all technical support for the
department including: OTS and Family website, OTS electronic outreach,
orientation reservation system support, orientation reporting and general
technical support.
Senior Administrative Associate: Christina
Maldonado
Provides overall administrative and
budgetary support for the entire department. Christina has served this
department for 15 years.
Administrative Assistant: Melissa Ozuna
Serves as the receptionist for the
department and provides logistical support for all event programming.
More "Visiting With" Orientation and Transition Services
Announcements
Dr. Paine celebrated
May birthdays
with Student Affairs staff members on May 17, 2007 with ice cream sundaes and good
conversation. This is a great opportunity to sit down with Dr. Paine
and discuss university and other issues. The next celebration is scheduled
on June 14, 2007 for all June
birthdays.
Welcome to Student Affairs
Admissions-DT
Anna Leos - Administrative
Associate I
New Student
Admissions
Randy Todd - Information
Technology Associate I
Career Services
Eric Arellano - Career
Counselor
Registrar's Office
Colleen Snodgrass -
Administrative Associate II
Jennifer Kinkade -
Supervisor, Registrar Processing
Student Health
Services
Avigail Ninamara-Macphee -
Staff Nurse II
University Center
Nikki Lee - Assistant
Director, Univ. Center Events Management
Student Financial Aid and Enrollment Services
Andrea
Ovens - Financial Aid Officer II
Try the new
search function on Student
Affairs web site
Many thanks to Ruben Ortiz for implementing this feature.
Helpful reference materials for summer 2007:
Ask Me For Help Guide - Summer 2007
Information Contact Sheet - Summer 2007
from UTSAToday - March 31, 2007
"Get Up and Go!
June 1- 30….…..Help UTSA succeed in the Challenge! To promote the use of alternative modes of transportation in the Alamo Region, The Alamo Area Council of Governments, The Metropolitan Planning Organization, and The City of San Antonio have challenged UTSA and other employers to participate in the Walk & Roll Corporate Challenge during the month of June. Participating UTSA employees will log their smart commute miles – walking, cycling, car/vanpooling, or busing. All organizations of the AACOG 12-County region (Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina, and Wilson) are eligible for participation. The organization with the best record will receive the Walk & Roll Commuters Challenge Cup! New this year is awarding mileage points for choosing to stay in the office for lunch. If an employee brings his/her lunch or chooses to use the company cafeteria, he/she will accrue an additional two miles for that day. The overall goal of the Walk & Roll Challenge program is to accumulate 500,000 smart miles. That’s the equivalent of removing over 1,800 pounds of pollutants from our air. An accomplishment of that type means everyone’s a winner because we’re all breathing easier! Ready to accept the Challenge? It's as easy as 1-2-3: 1. Log onto www.walkandrollchallenge.com 2. Click the Pledge button and complete the pledge form, indicating the number of smart miles you intend to commute to and from work (lunch time counts as well). From June 1 through June 30, record your smart miles on logging on the website above and click the Log Your Miles button. Keep in mind UTSA Parking and Transportation Services now has a link to AlterNetRides Ride Sharing Service. The miles used while sharing a ride to work or class count toward the Cup! For further information on this program www.utsa.edu/parking For more information contact Mark Munguia in Campus Recreation at 458-7373.
Departmental News
Athletics recent news from UTSAToday:
UTSA finishes second in SLC Commissioner's Cup UTSA finished second behind Sam Houston State in the 2006-07 Southland Conference Commissioner's Cup race released by the league office Monday, May 21. UTSA tallied 136.5 points for runner-up honors for the second straight season, finishing just one point behind Sam Houston State's 137.5. More....
Student Affairs participates in the UTSA Phase One of NCAA Athletics Self-Study UTSA submitted to NCAA Division a self-study report addressing the required areas of study: academic integrity, governance and commitment to rules compliance and equity, and student-athlete well-being. The four-month self-study review included a series of public forums and research contributions from the UTSA Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, Office of the Registrar, Office of Institutional Compliance and Office of Student Affairs. UTSA officials conclude that no material findings of non-compliance were discovered in the athletics program. More....
UTSA Athletics kicks off summer camps in June Summer fun for the kids begins the first week in June on the UTSA 1604 Campus. The UTSA Athletics Department will offer 27 camps in eight sports: baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, tennis and volleyball. Boys and girls ages 5-18 can spend their summer days learning valuable lessons in achievement, teamwork, friendship and physical fitness from UTSA's coaching staffs. There are discounts for returning campers and UTSA employees. Download brochures and a list of camps by sport at the UTSA Athletics Web site.
From Counseling Services:
Congratulations are in order for Arnulfo Ojeda in Counseling Services. Arnulfo recently attained a Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership Studies at Our Lady of the Lake University. His dissertation research explored the personality traits of Mexican business leaders compared to U.S. business leaders. We are so proud of you, Arnulfo!
From Housing and Residence Life:
Dear Colleagues: It is with great excitement that I announce that Theresa Yackeyonny has accepted the Director position for University Oaks and Chisholm Hall. Theresa’s first day of work will be June 15th. Theresa comes to us as the Assistant Director of Residence Life/Assistant Dean of Students at Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She brings with her several years of housing and residence life experience, including working for CCHM as the Associate Director of Residence Life here at UTSA (1999-2000). She has a MS in Behavioral Sciences and BA in Communications from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma. If you would like to send your congratulations, you can reach Theresa at the following email address: tyackeyonny@astate.edu
Please join me in welcoming Theresa to the Campus Living Villages at UTSA family.
Also, I want to take this opportunity to offer my sincerest thanks to everyone who helped in the search process. We could not have done it without your assistance. Thank you.
Milagros “Milli” Arguello Regional Director Campus Living Villages
Student Activities
In The Loop Prize-Winning Newsletter
Kudos
Thanks to Dr. Patricia Graham and all the members of the university family that contributed to make the May 2007 Commencement ceremonies a success. Successful ceremonies require good planning and many individuals working together. There were 2,154 graduates and 16,774 guests participating in the five ceremonies. Overall 950 members of the UTSA family were involved in making the May 2007 commencement weekend a series of memorable events. Many worked multiple ceremonies. Participating in the commencement ceremonies were 282 faculty members, 485 staff members, 166 undergraduate students and 19 members of the UTSA Alumni Association. Many thanks for helping to make these ceremonies such special events.
Recognition and Thanks were given by Dr. Paine to all Student Affairs staff members at three End of the Year Staff Appreciation Receptions on May 17 and 18 at the UTSA 1604 and Downtown campuses. We were treated to a delicious lunch. Staff were able to meet (in person) those people whom they only know by phone or email.
Reminders
Please remember to encourage students to link to the Student Affairs Student Ombudsperson web page and Student Concern Form.
Please send newsletter items to Vivis.Lemmons@utsa.edu by June 14, 2007. |
"
with Campus Recreation
.JPG)