FEBRUARY NEWS FROM DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR STUDENT AFFAIRS
Thank You for Helping Us Tell the DSA Story
By now all of you should have received either an email or a printed copy of the Division of Student Affairs 21-22 annual impact report. Take a look at the digital report on our website, and thanks for sharing it with your colleagues.
Your story is the DSA story! Go Behind the Scenes with Student Affairs to meet your colleagues who help us create the best student experience at Texas A&M University. Our latest story introduces jay skye, adviser to the Multicultural Greek Council. Take a coffee break and learn more about: Sachi Carr-Chargualaf (Rec Sports), Chris Hollar and Tom Gerber (Music Activities), Ashley Ramirez (CAPS), Don Freeman (VRSC), Jarrett Hervey (UCEN), Edwina Ferguson (Becky Gates Children's Center), Bruce Brown (Student Activities), Rick Powell (Student Life), Ariane Ray (Technology Services), Susan Fox-Forrester and Gabrielle Tharp (SAPAR), Desiree Ornelaz (Corps of Cadets), and Shannon Wiley (formerly with OVPSA).
We invite you to watch a few recent videos created by the Texas A&M Division of Marketing & Communications that are telling the story of our division:
American Sign Language at Midnight Yell
The Century Tree Tradition
Faces and Voices of Native Aggies
The Texas A&M Agronomy Society Corn Maze
DSA AWARDS COMMITTEE
Save the Date for the DSA Awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 3, 2023! Details and invitation to follow!
Professional achievements are open now until April 18 at 5 p.m. Submit yours online!
STUDENT COMMUNITY STANDARDS
The Aggie Honor System office recently attended the Citadel Honor Conference, which took place Feb. 9-10. Three students attended the honor conference to share how Texas A&M holds students accountable for violations of academic misconduct.
STAFF WELLBEING & APPRECIATION
Mark your calendars for our annual Take Me Out to the Ballgame on Wednesday, April 19, at the Rec Center. You may bring the entire family and dinner is provided. Enjoy an amazing view of the baseball game or enjoy hanging out or playing games if you do not want to watch the game. More information and RSVP will come out closer to the date.
Do you know a staff member that deserves recognition for a job well done? Nominate them for a Thanks and Gig ‘em Award!
Thank you to everyone who attended the Years of Service Celebration in January! View the photos from the event.
CORPS OF CADETS
Last month, members of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band, the Ross Volunteer Company and Miss Reveille X and her handlers traveled to Austin for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s inauguration and oath-of-office ceremony. The Ross Volunteer Company formed a saber arch during Governor Abbott’s processional while the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band provided music throughout the ceremony. Miss Reveille and her handlers attended the inauguration BBQ with mascots from several other Texas universities and colleges. You can read more about this event and our cadets’ historic involvement here.
This month, Parsons Mounted Cavalry (PMC) proudly represented the Corps of Cadets at the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo. Throughout the weekend, cadets in PMC educated the public on the uniqueness of their special unit and the benefits of joining the Corps of Cadets. PMC also had the great honor of serving as the color guard for military appreciation night at Saturday's rodeo events. Read more about how Texas A&M was a significant part of this annual event.
Each month, the Cherokee Nation recognizes Cherokee servicemen and women who have served in the U.S. Military. During the January meeting of the Council of the Cherokee Nation, our own Gunnery Sergeant Cheatham was honored for his service to our nation. After 20 years of service in the Marine Corps, GySgt. Cheatham joined the Corps of Cadets in 2016 as a cadet training officer and the advising staff member to the Fish Drill Team. Today, he serves the Corps of Cadets as the assistant director of recruiting in addition to his continued work with the Fish Drill Team.
Fish Drill Team wins 13th strait national title! Read more.
Watch the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band Four-Way Cross Halftime Drill from the Nov. 26, 2022, game against LSU! How do they do it?
CAREER CENTER
Our team hosted over 400 on-campus interviews at the Career Center in the two days after the SEC Engineering Career Fair.
The TAP Explore Program, in partnership with our team and the Office for Student Success, will host the Majors & Minors Fair Spring 2023 on March 8 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in MSC 2406.
Our Graduate Student Career Services team will facilitate a pd|hub Train-the-Trainer program between Feb 25 and March 10 for its Individual Development Plan Career Exploration Series with UC Irvine, University of Arizona, and Genetics Society of America. These three groups will implement the team’s model within the next 12 months with Ph.D, postdocs and early-career professionals.
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER
Texas A&M welcomed Dr. Bernice A. King to campus as the keynote speaker at the annual MLK Breakfast. Dr. King talked about her family and upbringing, her relationship with God, and her decades-long effort to promote her father’s philosophy of nonviolence. She also encouraged the Aggie community to empower themselves through education to stay hopeful and change the world.
Read more about the breakfast, which sold out and continues to live up to this special Texas A&M tradition.
The MSC Town Hall Spring Concert Series, generously supported by President M. Katherine Banks, is showcasing the unique student-led, staff-supported campus programming efforts at Texas A&M this semester. The Spring Concert Series continues with performances on March 25 and April 14. For information about upcoming artists for the series, follow MSC Town Hall on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
▶ Read more about the Spring Concert Series.
▶ Take a look at photos from the first two concerts.
Monserrat Westrup has been named the 74th MSC President. She is a biology major with aspirations to attend medical school. She was born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, and is currently serving as the Executive Director of Service for MSC Hospitality. In the coming weeks, she and the officer selection teams will select student members for the 74th MSC Executive Team and begin preparing to transition into her new role on April 24, 2023.
The International Student Association is hosting I-Week, a week-long event designed to showcase the many unique and diverse cultures found within the Texas A&M student body. For the complete I-Week schedule, visit our website.
MSC SCOLA is proud to present the 35th annual Student Conference On Latinx Affairs March 30-April 1, 2023. MSC SCOLA is three-day conference in which participants have the chance to hear from a wide array of speakers ranging from professionals within the academic, government, business, and media sector. The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum for students to discuss significant issues impacting the Latinx community and to foster exemplary leadership and professional development among the committee’s members. For the full MSC SCOLA schedule, visit our website.
MULTICULTURAL SERVICES
Read about Black History Month and the important milestones and achievements of Black students, faculty and staff over the years in this story compiled by Texas A&M University Division of Marketing & Communications.
Watch a video recap of Fusion Fiesta 2022 in the video box above.
MUSIC ACTIVITIES
The University Orchestras will give their first performances of the semester on Sunday, March 5, at 3 p.m. in Rudder Auditorium. Tickets are available through the MSC Box Office.
The Texas A&M Women’s Chorus performed Singing Valentines both in person and virtually all around the world. Notable in person performances included President Katherine M. Banks, and Vice President for Student Affairs BG Joe E. Ramirez ’79. The Women’s Chorus has been performing the annual Singing Valentines for over 40 years.
The University Bands (Symphonic Winds, Symphonic Band, Concert Band) will perform in Rudder Auditorium on the afternoon of Saturday, March 4. These ensembles are conducted by Dr. Lance Sample, Dr. Russell Tipton and Travis Almany. Purchase tickets through the MSC Box Office.
The University Jazz Ensembles presented its first spring semester concert on Feb. 25 to a receptive audience at Rudder Theatre featuring music by Richard Rogers, Jerome Kern, George Shearing and Duke Ellington. They will be back on stage at Rudder on Friday, April 28, at 7 p.m.
The Singing Cadets will perform several concerts around the state during the month of March, including Austin (March 4), Houston (March 24), Tomball (March 25) and Magnolia (March 26).
We invite you to watch this video created by Texas A&M University about Evan Douphrate ’25 and his strong family tradition of playing trumpet in the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band.
STUDENT LIFE
Dr. Denise Crisafi, Health Promotion, has been nominated to be a member of the Campus Work Group within the Governor’s Sexual Assault Survivors Task Force. The mission of the Task Force is to establish a survivor-centered, trauma-informed, collaborative and coordinated response to sexual violence experienced by adults and children in Texas. Student Life is proud to have one of its staff members take part in such an important initiative.
New Student & Family Programs hosted January New Student Conferences and welcomed 1,000 new students and their family members.
Health Promotion hosted Sexual Wellness Week at the end of February. Sexual Wellness Week encourages students to take an active role in their physical, social, and emotional well-being. This week, engage in healthy, positive conversations and decisions about sexuality with a focus on healthy relationships with yourself and others. They hosted a Self-Motivation Meditation with Devante Love as well as a panel to talk about “What The Talk Meant to Me”.
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
Farewell to Rick Hall and hello to Jeff Huskey. Read about Rick Hall’s Rec Sports legacy and learn more about our new Executive Director Jeff Huskey (photo below).
Rec Sports will hire these full-time positions during the next few months!
- Aquatics Assistant Director
- Development & Sponsorships Program Director
- Aquatics Operations Coordinator
- Youth Programs Program Director
- Associate Director for Operations
For more information about job opportunities with the Department of Recreational Sports, visit our website.
We hear you! College life can be stressful for our students. That’s why Rec Sports is partnering with organizations across campus for De-Stress Fest! Join us March 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Rudder Plaza for arts and crafts, plants, coloring, and movement to get your mind off your worries.
It’s Women’s History Month at Rec Sports! We’ll be offering a collection of programs in honor of women Join Rec Sports on March 29 for Women+ at Southside Rec Center! As a final huzzah to Women’s History Month, our team will host a grand celebration at the new facility from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by women, for women, so you don’t want to miss it.
Rec Sports is telling the DSA story through student spotlights! Read about Ansley Thompson '24 with Outdoor Adventures and our other student stories on our website.
Congratulations to our club wrestling team, which crushed the University of Texas 42 to 9 in a recent match!
Watch the Aggie story of Judo Club champion Isabella Garriga '24!
RESIDENCE LIFE
Visitors numbered 3,578 for tours at Aggieland Saturday on Feb. 11, not including guests who went to "Aggies Live On!” Presentations or Resource Tables focusing on Housing Assignments, Living Learning Programs, Student Engagement, Wellness, and/or Academic Peer Mentors. Additionally, "Aggies Live On" reusable cups, chap sticks, & sustainability tote bags were available. Live-in and other professional staff being "all hands on-deck” helped the success immeasurably.
A delegation of professional staff participated in, served as presenters and conference organizers at the 2023 SWACUHO [Southwest Association of College & University Housing Officers] Conference in Frisco, TX. The theme was “All You Need is Love.” Staff will bring back what they have learned to share with colleagues.
Engaging Wellness is an initiative sponsored by Residence Life designed to help promote, support, and encourage health and wellness. The most recent offering was a Goal Setting Workshop presented by the Academic Peer Mentors. A workbook was provided along with guidance for planning a clear and manageable path to meet the goals. Some set serious goals, some set some silly and fun goals, but overall, a great time was had by all while bringing important things into focus! Thirty-one students attended, many brought by their Resident Advisors.
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - STUDENT AFFAIRS
This year we saw the campus-wide, administrative reorganization known as The Path Forward. The plan called for information technology (IT)-related units to move to a unified administrative structure. Before the unification of IT units, coordination between various IT units across colleges, departments and divisions was challenging. Unification under TAMU Technology Services will improve coordination and communication among the various units. The Department of Information Technology is now Technology Services – Student Affairs. Read our web post for more information.
The Department of Information Technology is now Technology Services – Student Affairs. The branding on our communication channels will change to reflect our new title. The updates include changes to our monthly newsletter, alert templates and website. Our contact information has changed with the centralization. We have a new service desk email ID and a new URL for our website. However, our phone number, room number, and walk-in hours will remain the same. Read more about these changes.
For 30 years the plaza outside the Sanders Corps of Cadet Center has been systematically paved brick by inscribed brick. Each brick has a story and each makes other stories possible. Until now, finding a particular brick in the sea of nearly 13,500 bricks has been almost impossible without help. Our team was asked to help provide a solution for the Corps Center. Read our post to know what happened next.
STUDENT AFFAIRS PLANNING, RESEARCH & ASSESSMENT (SAPAR)
SAPAR turned 25 years old on February 1! Thanks to everyone who stopped by our reception yesterday to help us celebrate! Read a story by Veronica G. Hoff and watch a video by Garrett Goad to learn more about the history of SAPAR, which is a big part of the Student Affairs story!
If you would like to know more about student well-being, check out the ongoing WISHES survey results. The survey covers topics such as overall health, psychological distress, suffering or struggling, flourishing, belonging at Texas A&M, resilience, binge drinking, health, and academic risks, engagement in extracurricular activities, having a friend or a mentor, and professors who make them excited about learning and care for them.
SAPAR is hosting a training on qualitative data collection and analysis on March 28 at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Same material presented twice.) Register here.
The January blog discusses the difference between being data-driven and data-informed.
Dr. Darby Roberts was selected to be a member of the inaugural NASPA Mid-level Administrators Steering Committee.
DISABILITY RESOURCES
Julie Golchuk and Melanie Cobb were promoted to the Senior Access Coordinator role this semester. Julie works primarily with the Mays Business School and incoming freshman of all majors and Melanie works primarily with the School of Education and Human Development and School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts. Both Julie and Melanie serve as resources to faculty, staff, and students in providing an equitable learning environment for students with disabilities.
Justin Romack was named the keynote speaker for the Texas Digital Learning Association's virtual conference this April. His presentation is about storytelling, digital accessibility and strategies to promote a culture committed to equitable access in higher education.
Our stories are the Student Affairs story!
???? Read some of our feature stories that touch on the topic of disability at Texas A&M University.
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STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Watch the video (above) to learn more about Texas A&M’s long-standing tradition of Elephant Walk, which is hosted by Class Councils, part of the Department of Student Activities in the Division of Student Affairs.
Read an update about the Good Bull Fund, which assists student organizations in need of a financial boost. It’s funded by the Office of the President and managed by the Department of Student Activities. Requests will be accepted for activities occurring August–December 2023 in the next round of funding. Applications will be available starting at midnight on March 20 and will close at 5 p.m. May 2. Read more about the fund on the Get Involved website.
The Student Government Association (SGA) recently hosted 14 Prairie View A&M SGA student leaders for a full-day exchange on campus. For its third occurrence, the exchange featured discussions on topics including: access to shared resources across campuses, the student mental health climate, and continued conversations on a potential Texas A&M University -Prairie View A&M University education abroad opportunity.
The Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life held a successful overnight Presidents’ Leadership Retreat at the start of the spring semester in Belton, Texas. They had 54 of their chapter and council leaders in attendance to work on council unity, shifting the culture and narrative about Greek life, and reigniting their passion for serving the larger Texas A&M community.
The Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) was recently recognized at the Southeast Greek Leadership Association Annual Conference, which took place in Atlanta. With a focus on their campus and community relations, as well as their civic and philanthropic engagement, MGC received two awards: Council Impact Award and the 2023 Multicultural Greek Council of the Year Award. MGC is made up of 18 culturally based fraternities and sororities and remains the largest MGC in the Southeastern Conference.
The Interfraternity Council (IFC) also received recognition for Leadership Development and Strategic Branding at the Southeast Greek Leadership Association Annual Conference. The IFC is made up of 18 fraternities with 1,600 members.
Aggie Transition Camps (ATC) had a successful Howdy Camp last month in which we officially welcomed a group of new Texas A&M students before the spring semester. This was an incredible run of our spring camp as we had nearly 96% of our registrants in attendance for our mid-year extended orientation program! Fulfilling ATC’s mission to successfully transition new students into the Aggie family would not be possible without the continued support from the Department of Student Activities and the Division of Student Affairs.
Silver Taps honored three Aggies in February. Read the story. Read more about Nicholas James Brueckner in The Battalion.
VETERAN RESOURCE & SUPPORT CENTER (VRSC)
Watch the video (above) about Timothy Nix ’23, a geophysics student and veteran of the U.S. Navy who served on the USS Alabama as a nuclear electronics technician.
The VRSC is participating in Texas Veterans Commission’s “Buddy Check Day” initiative. The 11th day of every month is designated “Buddy Check Day” on which we send a call-out via social media for student veterans to check in on each other. The initiative has been well received, with reports of multiple follow-ups with our VITAL coordinator!
As food insecurity concerns continue to rise, the VRSC wants to remind everyone of our resources for student veterans. The Meals 4 Vets program offers eligible student veterans a free meal plan that includes one free meal per day at a campus dining establishment. We also have an emergency pocket pantry offering select foods and hygiene essentials for student veterans.
Student Veterans of America (SVA) at Texas A&M University recently received national recognition as a Top 5 Finalist for SVA Chapter of the Year among 1,500+ chapters. We are extremely proud of the SVA and its members' dedication to enriching the lives of their fellow student veterans!
UNIVERSITY CENTER & SPECIAL EVENTS
We are offering multiple outdoor games and activities at the Aggie Park activities office located at the Anteater Field House! Activities are available for check out every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Welcome to our new employees Melanie Ashley, business coordinator I, and Alba Camarena, theatrical electrician I.
We offer congratulations to Alescio Gonzales, events team leader, Jerry Drake, events team leader, and Aynslee Kucera, events coordinator I, on their recent promotions.