Thank You! From the DSA Staff Wellbeing & Appreciation Committee!
Watch a new video for a special message to thank you, our division staff, for all you do.
SEPTEMBER NEWS FROM OUR DEPARTMENTS
UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES (UART)
“Interior Monologues” mirrors recent circumstances, as artworks have been selected to reflect themes of isolation and/or enclosure. Visitors are encouraged to contemplate the art and then leave comments online. View this exhibition in person in the Stark Galleries until Oct. 4 or enjoy 360-degree views online.
“A Tale of Two Collections” explores the surprising similarities and remarkable differences found in the holdings of the Stark and Forsyth Galleries. With over 50 items on display, this exhibition highlights extraordinary works from a pair of exceptional collections. View this exhibition in person in the Forsyth Galleries until Dec. 13 or enjoy 360-degree views online.
UART and Flourish have teamed up to present “Flourish Painters: Flora Edition.” Curator of Education Jenn Korolenko is teaching weekly online floral watercolor classes. No experience necessary and all levels are welcome. Classes run through Oct. 8, 2020. Register online with Flourish.
Every month, the Forsyth features a new selection of “Treasures from the Vault,” rarely seen gems from the Bill and Irma Runyon Art Collection. On display in the galleries for the month of September is a collection of silver glass vases and goblets, “always brilliant” because of various production techniques employed. View them in person or online.
MULTICULTURAL SERVICES
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates the Hispanic/Latinx community at Texas A&M and beyond. On Sept. 15 we kicked off the events with an opening ceremony. Learn more online.
The first CommUnity Conversations of the semester will be held Sept. 29 at 4 p.m. The event, titled "Let's Get Critical: Using Library Resources to Engage in Critical Education," will feature Chance Medlin from Texas A&M Libraries, who will discuss the numerous resources readily available through the library. Registration is open!
Excellence uniting Culture Education & Leadership (ExCEL) is happy to announce that Lauryn Montez has been selected as the new 2021 executive director. Lauryn is a junior marketing - retail & buying management major from Houston who also serves as director of event services on the 2020 executive staff.
UNIVERSITY CENTER & SPECIAL EVENTS (UCEN)
The UCEN Student Advisory Board provides feedback to UCEN leadership regarding the student employee experience. The 2020-2021 board is: Aubrey Packard, Claire Shenkir, Dusty Roberts, Jillian Poe, Saul Dominguez, and Sydney Boriskie.
The Guest Suites are closed and renovation has started on the future home of the Veteran Resource & Support Center.
We are working with architects to determine how the new Aggie Park can best be designed to support a wide variety of student and community events.
The UCEN team is working closely with the Texas A&M Athletics Department to provide support for the first home football game.
BECKY GATES CHILDREN'S CENTER
We're hosting professional development for teaching staff Oct. 8-9. This year, instead of face-to-face training, teachers will complete professional development on Canvas and Zoom. Topics include anti-bias education, interactions with children, challenging behavior in the classroom, creating meaningful lesson plans, literacy, and curriculum.
We still have a few openings left for the fall semester for children ages 18 months to 5 years. Call us at (979) 458-5437 if you are interested in enrolling your child now. In October, we will begin enrolling for the spring semester, which already has a long wait list. Children enrolled in the fall semester get priority for the spring semester. Visit our website to learn more or give us a call.
DISABILITY RESOURCES
Kegan Clark recently joined our team as a program coordinator for the Testing Center. Kegan will provide input on the increasing demand for testing accommodations and will also facilitate training and outreach to support faculty using our services.
CORPS OF CADETS
After Hurricane Laura a group of cadets from A-Battery traveled to Sulphur, Louisiana, with a truck full of bottled water, drinks and great barbecue prepared by the outfit. The cadets passed out meals to first responders and others in need. This is an inspiring example of how our cadets show selfless service and help others.
On Sept. 1, the Corps of Cadets took a moment to honor Col. Glenn Starnes and Lt. Commander Lee Hassman, both former staff members with the Office of the Commandant, who died from cancer last spring. To pay their respects, the entire Corps stood on the Quad for Echo Taps, a ceremony in which buglers played Taps and all cadets came to attention and presented arms until the last note echoed. Organized by cadets, Echo Taps offered the entire Corps the opportunity to pay their respects to Col. Starnes and Lt. Commander Hassman, both of whom had an immeasurable impact on cadets. The families of both officers were in attendance and were deeply moved, as were all the members of the commandant’s staff who attended.
Cadets from 3rd Brigade spent the day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and Twin City Mission to help out with various service projects in the local community. 3rd Brigade is proud to continue a legacy of service to the community, and continues to lead by example in all that they do. They continue to find ways to support the community despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
COUNSELING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
In honor of National Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, the Suicide Awareness & Prevention Office is hosting the fourth annual ‘Not Another Aggie’ Suicide Awareness campaign. The goal of this awareness month is to foster connection, honor those we have lost to suicide, and encourage personal wellness. We can all help prevent suicide. Learn more on our website.
We are offering a variety of telehealth options for workshops/group therapy to help students build skills and gain insight alongside other students with similar struggles. Workshop videos are available for students interested in independent, self-guided help. See our website for a list of group/workshop offerings.
We continue to provide counseling services via telehealth technologies. Students may meet with counselors via phone or Zoom sessions securely and effectively. To schedule an initial tele-consultation visit, log in via the Student Portal on our website.
Counselors are also able to provide consultation to TAMU faculty and staff as well as families of students, and you can find numerous resources on mental health on our website.
Congratulations to Jarett Reynolds for passing his state board exam to become a licensed clinical social worker!
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER
MSC Hospitality in collaboration with Counseling & Psychological Services will host a Mental Health Clinic on today (Sept. 21) via Zoom. This workshop is designed to provide a resource to help students cope with college life during COVID-19. Register online.
This week on Sept. 24, MSC SCONA will host "When America Leaves," a discussion with David Eubank that includes his first-hand account of being present in Northern Syria at the time of the U.S. withdrawal. The in-person event begins at 6:30 p.m. in Rudder Theatre.
MSC WBAC continues its Soulful Sunday series, with this year’s theme, “Being Black American.” The goal of the series is to capture the uniqueness of Black America and Black America’s impact in U.S. society. The program will take place on Sept. 27 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. via this Zoom link.
MUSIC ACTIVITIES
Everyone is invited to enjoy the first virtual performance of the fall semester performed by the university concert bands (Wind Symphony, Symphonic Winds, Symphonic Band, and Concert Band). Performances will be recorded on Oct. 11 in the Music Activities Center. Visit our website for more information about when and how to watch the performances.
The University Orchestras are part of a commissioning project for a work for string orchestra and harp by composer Kenji Bunch. The project was temporarily on hold due to COVID-19 but is now back in progress. The orchestras have made a successful transition to strings only for the fall semester.
The university jazz ensembles are beginning final preparations for their Oct. 2 online concert from the Motheral Rehearsal Room of the Music Activities Center. Students have being doing an excellent job of following protocols of distancing, wearing masks, and dealing with the limited rehearsal schedule set forth by our department.
VETERAN RESOURCE & SUPPORT CENTER (VRSC)
The VRSC and Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) are excited to announce a new partnership between our Veterans Affairs VITAL counselor, Dr. Fred Washington, and CAPS counselors. The program supports the academic success and mental wellness of student veterans and service members and will allow us to combine resources to expand our outreach and impact.
Last week the VRSC and Center for Teaching Excellence held an information session on student veterans for faculty and staff. The session provided a general understanding of student veterans and emphasized what skills and strengths they bring to the classroom and campus environment, while raising awareness of the challenges they may face in an academic setting.
We are partnering with 50strong Employer Connect to offer a 15-session weekly series on career readiness and professional networking, which will run through Dec. 4, and is being recorded for anytime playback for those who can't attend. Learn more about registration and individual sessions.
We are collaborating with the National Labs to create a unique career event designed to increase STEM student veteran awareness of career opportunities. The virtual event is scheduled for Oct. 30 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is open to all current and former Texas A&M student veterans with a STEM background. For more information, email Julia R. Pierko.
Last week the first cohort completed the Veterans Serving Veterans Robotics Training Program. Learn more about the program.
OFFICES OF THE DEAN OF STUDENT LIFE
September is National Recovery Month! National Recovery Month increases awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrates the people who recover. Keep an eye on Health Promotion's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for education and resources to help support Aggies in recovery.
On Sept. 10, the LGBTQ+ Pride Center held its first virtual Rainbow Resource Fair. The Rainbow Resource Fair is an annual event that connects LGBTQ+ students and allies to resources both on and off campus and will be housed on the Student Life website for the rest of the academic year.
In preparation for Domestic Violence Prevention and Awareness Month in October, Health Promotion is collecting stories for #SurvivorSpeaks. #SurvivorSpeaks is a support campaign for survivors that empowers them to come forward with strength and share stories that bring awareness to domestic violence. To submit a story for #SurvivorSpeaks, visit here.
Oct. 1 kicks off the 2020-2021 First Thursday Speaker Series! The Aggie Women Network and the Women’s Resource Center have partnered to offer the monthly First Thursday program to students, staff, and faculty at Texas A&M as well as former students and community members. The topic for the Oct. 1 program, which begins at 5:45 p.m., is "Micro Habits for a Higher Performing You."
RESIDENCE LIFE
Last week Aggie Familia hosted a Virtual Trivia Night celebrating Mexican Independence and Hispanic Heritage Month. Created in 2017, Aggie Familia connects and supports Hispanic/Latinx students who live on campus. Along with Aggie Familia, Residence Life also created AFAM for African-American/Black campus residents. In 2019 we introduced similar identity-based groups for first-generation and LGBTQ+ residents. Watch Residence Life social media on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for program announcements.
The Third Annual Trex Plastic Film challenge will begin a month early on October 1. Since the Trex Challenges began in November 2018, Texas A&M has recycled over 2,500 pounds of film! Find a list of acceptable items and recycling locations online. Direct questions to sustainability@reslife.tamu.edu.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
We released a new custom developed online submission and scoring application, which allowed a record-setting 5,816 freshmen to apply to more than 20 Freshmen Leadership Organizations. Visit getinvolved.tamu.edu.
We're excited to welcome Mark Lacy as a new Service Desk employee to help us increase capacity as we serve our customers.
To ensure compliance with information security controls, we are in the process of completing an annual risk assessment of 102 hosted services across 185 servers, 61 cloud applications, and 149 desktop applications.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
The Freshman Leadership Advisory Council hosted two virtual informationals and completed its first online application process, shared among 20 freshman leadership organizations (FLOs). Students submitted 5,816 applications, a 6 percent increase from previous years. In the coming weeks, 20 FLOs will conducting application reviews and interviews.
Fraternity and Sorority Life held a successful virtual recruitment period this fall. Collegiate Panhellenic Council hosted 1,315 participants (up 9 percent from fall 2019) and accepted 1,147/1,155 bids. Interfraternity Council hosted 520 participants (up 13 percent from fall 2019) with 362/385 bids accepted. National Pan-Hellenic Council hosted an all-virtual recruitment involving about 200 participants.
Fish Camp and Aggie Transition Camps also completed a successful virtual camp season. Fish Camp 2020 had a total of 2,699 participants and 1,251 student staff members. T-Camp 2020 had a total of 222 participants and 136 student staff members.
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
Congratulations to the 37 outstanding students who were awarded scholarships for this academic year! Rec Sports is proud to support student success by granting over $45,000 in total scholarships to our Aggies.
Another successful Rec-a-Palooza is in the books with over 500 students participating online in games, workouts, and informational sessions. Our staff passed out 1,000 swag bags (photo) with face coverings for our Aggies. Gig 'em!
Join us Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m. for "emPOWER hour," a virtual kickboxing workshop! In partnership with Health Promotions, we are providing this session as a part of Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention month. Register at tx.ag/empowerhour. Thanks to all those who joined us for our "Breathe In, Stretch Out" mediation session we coordinated with Counseling & Psychological Services as part of Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month.
We are proud of Rec Sports graduate assistant, Serena Rodriguez, for kicking off the NIRSA Region IV online conversation series in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Nicely done! We invite you to listen to the full conversation online.
For this fall 2020 season only, Student Rec Center facilities will be closed for most home football games. Check our website for updates. But no need to miss your daily routine: Check out our online fitness classes and our At-Home Workouts.
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES (SHS)
Free COVID-19 testing is available for students, faculty and staff who have symptoms or have been in close contact with known or suspected cases. Schedule your appointment online. Those who test positive for COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms are required to self-report through the COVID-19 Report Form.
Learn more about COVID-19 testing for Texas A&M faculty and staff.
Early next month, we hosting our annual flu shot campaign to allow enrolled Texas A&M students to receive the flu vaccine during the two-day event. Final details are pending, but we encourage students to check the SHS event page for updates.
Texas A&M faculty and staff have the option to receive COVID testing inside the health center. The two testing options available inside SHS are antibody testing and PCR testing. An antibody test determines the likelihood of a previous COVID-19 infection; The PCR test, a nasal swab, determines an active COVID-19 infection. Visit our website for more information.
Watch our COVID-19 web pages and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates.
STUDENT LIFE STUDIES
If you work with first-year students or transfer students, please remind them to take the New Aggies Student Survey by September 25. Their feedback is invaluable to the university!
Do you wonder what it means to disaggregate data? Listen to the recent podcast (and others!) and contact our team for more information.
This year will be different in so many ways, including assessment. Check out our September assessment blog "Different Year Different Assessment."
Based on recent survey results, clients are very satisfied with Student Life Studies! See the results here. We will continue to improve by increasing communication with clients during and after projects and providing disaggregated results automatically where applicable.
Have an assessment idea and need assistance? Submit a project request form. No project is too big or too small.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Check out our new Texas A&M University First Amendment website, where students, faculty and staff can learn more about the five freedoms as they relate to a university community.
Thank you for helping the Division of Student Affairs keep its COVID-19 resource page updated on the web. Email Veronica Hoff with updates.
Our Student Affairs COVID-19 Moving Forward marketing group is meeting regularly to keep students and staff up to date on the latest messages related to the virus and how to keep all of us as safe as possible. Thanks to those across the division, as well as representatives from the Office for Diversity and School of Public Health, who are helping us in this effort.
Kudos to Sergio Garcia, Corey Khanhkham, Kelly Von Drehle, and Kelly Jo Eblen for their work on a series of short, more light-hearted videos to remind students and staff about COVID-19 guidelines. Watch the first three videos featuring Dr. Danny Pugh, Rec Sports, and Counseling and Psychological Services. The fourth video addressing xenophobia related to COVID-19 is due out this week.
We now have a Spanish COVID-19 student guide available. Share it with our Spanish-speaking Aggie families!
DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
The DSA Diversity Committee developed a three-pronged staff-focused charge to address diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA):
- Provide educational opportunities to increase staff abilities to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people across racial, ethnic, and other social identities.
- Sponsor engagement opportunities for respectful and purposeful dialogue to shift organizational culture toward more communication, connectedness, and support about DEIA topics.
- Establish and standardize department-level accountability practices for recruitment, hiring, retention, and climate/well-being.