NOVEMBER 30, 2020 — Editor’s note: The following message was sent via email today from Dean Lynne Cossman of the College for Health, Community and Policy to the college’s faculty and staff:
It is with a heavy heart that I let you know HCaP has lost a member of our community to COVID.
Gidget Vasquez spent the last eight years managing the office in the Department of Demography. Gidget was an incredibly devoted and dedicated member of the department.
In chatting with members of the department this morning, it became clear Gidget was so much more than an administrative assistant. She was the glue for the department—she celebrated its members’ successes and milestones with them. Faculty birthdays were celebrated with cake. Holidays were honored with door decorations. She coordinated a department Thanksgiving lunch every year.
Graduate student defenses were as nerve-racking for her as they were for the students.
She did these things because she cared deeply for the demography faculty and students as a part of her family.
In this season of Thanksgiving, we are cognizant of all the things for which we are grateful. Clearly faculty, staff and students of the Department of Demography are immensely grateful for Gidget’s many contributions.
COVID has made these incredibly difficult times and her death has brought this home to us. This is the first time for many of us the pandemic has been so personal.
COVID and its effects on our society and our communities emphasizes the critical importance of our HCaP mission: focusing on the health and well-being of all. Please lean on each other as we mourn Gidget’s death, celebrate her life, and withstand this pandemic.
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As the pandemic continues, many individuals are facing significant stress, changing circumstances, and uncertainty. This important session will provide supervisors and managers with several practical strategies for helping their employees to better manage their stress and adjust to changes including transitioning back to the physical workplace
Virtual EventThe vaccine clinics, hosted by Metro Health San Antonio, will be held in the Student Union Denman Ballroom (SU 2.01.28) and will continue through early August. After you receive your vaccine on campus, you can enjoy lunch on us. All participants will receive a free $10 Rowdy Dollars gift card, redeemable at any dining or retail location on campus.
Denman Ballroom (SU 2.01.28), Student Union, Main CampusSince 2020, most of us have been dealing with higher levels of stress, changing circumstances, and uncertainty. This important session will discuss several practical strategies for managing stress, adjusting to change, and coping with a future that may seem unclear.
Virtual EventThe vaccine clinics, hosted by Metro Health San Antonio, will be held in the Student Union Denman Ballroom (SU 2.01.28) and will continue through early August. After you receive your vaccine on campus, you can enjoy lunch on us. All participants will receive a free $10 Rowdy Dollars gift card, redeemable at any dining or retail location on campus.
Denman Ballroom (SU 2.01.28), Student Union, Main CampusLearn more and register for NCFDD’s Core Curriculum webinar series! The NCFDD’s Core Curriculum is designed to teach you the 10 key skills necessary to Thrive in the Academy. We define “thriving” as having extraordinary writing and research productivity AND having a full and healthy life off campus.
Virtual EventDuring these difficult times many employees are experiencing higher levels of stress. Strategies for supervisors to encourage individuals to live more balanced lifestyles to remain healthy and productive.
Virtual EventThis past year, our world has been faced with a series of difficult and stressful circumstances that have left many of us feeling anxious. This practical session will discuss several practical approaches to dealing with anxiety including managing our self-talk, expressing our emotions, and seeking appropriate support from others
Virtual EventThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
