Howdy!
I’m excited to have the opportunity to share a brief message with you in our monthly Division Update.
What a whirlwind these last few months have been for all of us as we’ve worked through our New Student Conferences, various transition camps, and other summer programs as we prepare for the start of the 2021-2022 school year. I’m enjoying getting to learn about the Division of Student Affairs and the awesome people who work in the DSA! I have enjoyed meeting many of you already, and look forward to meeting the rest of you in person in the months to come.
I would like to express my gratitude to the DSA leadership team, including our Associate and Assistant Vice Presidents, our Directors, and other senior leaders in the DSA who have helped to make my move from Commandant to Interim Vice President a smooth transition. In fact, all of you have made me feel welcome and included within your departments and organizations. I never imagined that I would be invited to participate in two DSA dunking booths this summer and fall! It has already been a remarkable experience for me.
As members of the DSA, we should all strive to live and work with our Aggie core values in mind every day: Respect, Excellence, Leadership, Loyalty, Integrity, and Selfless Service. If we all strive to embody these values in all that we do in our interactions each day with others, the Division of Student Affairs at Texas A&M will continue to be among the best in the nation in how we serve our students and prepare them for the future.
I am confident that the Division of Student Affairs is prepared to serve the 72,000 students enrolled for the fall semester across each of our 17 departments. Regardless of your department or job title, please know that each one of you makes a difference in the lives of our students.
Despite continued challenges with COVID-19, you have all proven that the DSA can deliver programs and services with the excellence our students, staff, and faculty expect. Remember that TOGETHER we can handle any challenges that come our way this year. We are ALL in the problem solving business, and we all need to work together as conditions change and problems arise to find effective solutions. I remind you all that “Followers focus on the problem. Leaders focus on solutions.” As leaders, let’s all work together to find solutions to whatever problems/challenges we may face this year.
I look forward to a great school year ahead for the DSA, and to working with all of you. Best wishes to you all for a safe and successful school year!
Thanks and Gig ’em!
BG Joe E. Ramirez, Jr. ’79 USA (Ret.)
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs
SEPTEMBER NEWS FROM OUR DEPARTMENTS
Questions About Campus COVID-19 Guidelines?
Read the latest Texas A&M University COVID-19 Guidance
Vaccines, testing, isolation, contact tracing—Nothing is simple about how we deal with COVID-19 at work. That said, many university leaders are working daily to keep us updated on the latest guidelines for faculty, staff and students. If you have questions, ask your supervisor, but only after you have taken the time to check the information on Texas A&M University’s COVID-19 Guidance webpage. This website is being updated almost daily, and it’s likely you will find the information you need quickly. Here are a few key links:
Spread the Word on the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Yell Leaders’ Campaign!
Watch the video to learn more about our Yell Leaders’ Campaign, which will ensure that these dedicated representatives of the 12th Man have the necessary financial resources for their education and operations, as well as for Midnight Yell Practice.
Visit our Fightin’ Texas Aggie Yell Leaders’ Campaign website, give online if you are so moved, and thanks for helping us spread the word on your social media channels about this fundraising initiative.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
After 32 days of welcoming about 6,000 incoming students through three unique experiences, our extended orientation programs have officially concluded for 2021! Thank you to everyone who provided guidance and expertise, as well as physical and moral support, to these programs as they returned to in-person operations.
Congratulations to our DSA colleagues who were Fish Camp Namesakes this year! Check out Fish Camp photos here.
- Lauren Dorsett (Health Promotion)
- Suzanne Swierc (Health Promotion)
- Kenneth Johnson (Student Activities)
- Santana Simple (Counseling & Psychological Services)
- James Welford (Retired, Recreational Sports)
- Sondra White (Office of the Vice President)
Collegiate Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council will host a combined 1700-plus participants during its fall 2021 recruitment activities. Additionally, National Pan-Hellenic Council Week will take place during the first week of classes, with Multicultural Greek Council Week taking place in October.
Congrats to our 2021 Student Activities Value Award Winners: Kenneth Johnson, Susan Miculka, Greg Fink, Bruce Brown, Andrew Carruth, and Allie McConnell. Our 2021 Rusty Thompson Student Worker of the Year is Agatha Scales.
BECKY GATES CHILDREN'S CENTER
Our new school year began on Aug. 16. We have two pre-K (4-5 years old) spaces available for this semester. If you are interested, contact Krista Van De Flier at (979) 458-5437 or kvandeflier@bgcc.tamu.edu.
We are hiring student workers! Students who are looking for experience in teaching young children should email Debbie at dalmand@bgcc.tamu.edu.
UNIVERSITY ART GALLERIES
“Spirit Visions: Native American Art from the Permanent Collections” – A celebration of the rich visual and symbolic history of Native American art, this exhibition features paintings, objects, and statues, with works by the world-renowned sculptor, Allan Houser. Visit Stark Galleries through Sept. 26. Go to tx.ag/visions for more information.
“Talent, Technology, & Technique” - Examining how talented artists used new technologies and incredible techniques to make their mark, this exhibition features more than 60 works that will attempt to answer the question: How did they do that? Visit Forsyth Galleries through Oct. 1. Go to tx.ag/talent for more information.
“Evocative Objects: Still Life Painting in Texas” - This exhibition is an insightful exploration of the radical evolution in the treatment of space, color, form, composition, and expression in still life painting in Texas during the 20th century. Visit Stark Galleries through Oct. 3. Go to tx.ag/evocative for more information.
RESIDENCE LIFE
As of Aug. 31, Senior Associate Director Dan Mizer, who has been with Residence Life for 40 years, and Senior Administrative Coordinator Ruth Ann Wolfe, who has served for 39 years, will retire. Their contributions are invaluable and we will miss them both personally and professionally. We wish them the best next chapter.
The live-in staff of 200-plus for residence halls and apartments have spent the last weeks in training on resources, emergency protocols, programming and safety; preparing facilities for the arrival of over 11,200 students moving into our 25 residence halls, three White Creek Apartments buildings, 10 Gardens apartments buildings, and 12 Corps of Cadet dorms.
New processes are being implemented in response to COVID-19 as we move forward. PepsiCo will help provide water for distribution when needed. Utilizing the TAMU Mobile App for Move-In now helps indicate specific check-in locations, as well as other pertinent information for students on TAMU IT resources and unloading/parking information.
Aggie Fest and the annual Dorm Room Burn sponsored by Residential Housing Association was part of Howdy Week on Aug. 29 on the Simpson Drill Field.
Residence Life is hosting welcome receptions in Student Services Building 308 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for on-campus residents that identify with various groups. The receptions are designed to help students connect with other residents and staff.
- First Generation Students on Aug. 31
- AFAM (African American/Black) on Sept. 2
- Aggie Familia (Hispanic/Latinx) on Sept. 6
- APIDA (Asian/Pacific Islander/Desi American) Students on Sept. 9.
RECREATIONAL SPORTS
Don't miss out on the fun activities at Rec Sports during Free Weeks through Sept. 12! Join us for a swim lesson, climbing, group fitness class, or a small-group personal training session. Visit tx.ag/FREEweek for details.
Rec Sports fitness professionals have lined up a variety of options for you! Buy an all-access pass to participate all semester long in dozens of group RecXercise classes; join a specialty class (yoga, Pilates, dance), or have a group exercise instructor or personal trainer come to your group or department for a private class, special event, or lecture. Visit our website for more information.
If you want to do more outside, Outdoors Adventures has what you need! Join us for camping, paddling, climbing, or hiking by registering online. Free mindfulness day hikes are on the schedule, as well!! Don't forget about our free outdoor concierge service in which experts will help plan your trip, answer questions, and provide recommendations. To set up your concierge session, visit tx.ag/TAMUOA.
Rec Sports has a wide array of intramural activities, including esports, for all skill levels! Get your unlimited play pass now. On Sept. 12 at 7 p.m., come to Intramurals Ladies Night for a fun evening of basketball and a variety of lawn games. This is a free opportunity during which we will help participants find teammates and assist with registration.
Rec Sports is a great place to work and is hiring for a wide variety of positions. We offer flexible schedules and provide experiences that develop and put into practice skills that students need now and will use after graduation. To apply, visit our website!
THE HYPE???? IS HERE. Rec-A-Palooza is tomorrow- grab your friends, get your Rec Sports App???? ready and prepare for a highlight of your Howdy Week! pic.twitter.com/xcAjJrf2UE
— Texas A&M Rec Sports (@RecSports) August 26, 2021
MULTICULTURAL SERVICES
We hosted our annual welcome social during Howdy Week. Students had the opportunity to connect and learn about programs in the Department of Multicultural Services (DMS).
Latino Logradores kicked off the semester with its La Gran Casita event on Aug. 25. These meetings are a place in which members come together to build community, socialize, network, and find a sense of belonging among other Aggies.
We hosted a retirement celebration for Dr. Marisa DSuh was hosted on Aug. 30. We honor and thank her for 19 years of service to DMS, and 24 years of service to Texas A&M University.
Hispanic Presidents' Council hosted Bienvenidos a Aggieland on Aug. 31. This event serves as a way for new students to learn about different Hispanic organizations on campus.
Aggie Black Male Connection will host its annual Gathering of Men event on Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. in MSC 2406. This event serves as a powerful networking tool bringing together faculty, students, and staff from across campus.
COUNSELING & PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES
Our Suicide Awareness & Prevention Office is working to raise awareness of resources, reducing the stigma of suicide, and increasing interpersonal connections through awareness programs. We encourage DSA staff to participate!
We continue to provide resources to our students by regularly updating the services available on our website. We are also able to provide consultation to TAMU faculty and staff as well as families of students. Take a look at the numerous resources supporting mental health needs on our website.
We are offering a variety of telehealth options for workshops and group therapy. They are particularly helpful for students looking to build skills and gain insight alongside other students with similar struggles. We also have workshop videos available for students interested in independent, self-guided help. See our website for a list of group/workshop offerings.
We are excited to welcome our new intern class that started in August:
Eryn DeLaney (Virginia Commonwealth University); Dylan Harrell (Louisiana Tech University); Luis Ponte (Texas A&M University); Betool Ridha (Auburn University); Milan Savoury (University of Florida); and Sandra Yan (University of Houston); Tyler Baker-Wilkinson (Antioch University-Los Angeles), Tonya Hendricks (Sam Houston State University), and Laura Tolentino (Abilene Christian University).
STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES
COVID-19 vaccines are available for TAMU students, faculty and staff. Access vaccine information and schedule an appointment at tx.ag/vaccineinfo. Appointments are available Monday through Friday at the A.P. Beutel Health Center.
Von's Vision is coming back to Student Health Services on Tuesday, Sept. 21! Eligible students have the opportunity to receive a comprehensive eye exam and prescription glasses at no cost. Von's Locker will also be available for eligible students to receive a pair of prescription glasses at no cost. Find all event information online.
UNIVERSITY CENTER & SPECIAL EVENTS (UCEN)
Aggie Park construction is underway! A scale model (see below) is located at The Association of Former Students. A live camera feed is now available to watch the construction progress.
UCEN hosted over 13,000 new Aggies and their families during New Student Conferences this summer!
A new display for the Texas A&M Foundation’s President’s Endowed Scholarship wall has been moved to the Respect Lounge in the MSC.
MUSIC ACTIVITIES
Music Activities and the Aggie Band welcome Dr. Lance Sample as the newest member of our staff. He previously was on the faculty at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Dr. Sample received his bachelor’s degree in music education from West Virginia University, a master’s degree in music education from Florida State University, and a doctorate in musical arts in wind band conducting from The University of Texas.
Choral Activities will be at an all-time high number of students for fall 2021!
The Singing Cadets will take its famous Friday open rehearsal performances on the road! Check the MUSA calendar for all the details.
The MUSA website is new and improved! Visit musa.tamu.edu for our new look and catch some music of the Aggie Band and the Wind Symphony recorded last fall.
We are thrilled to be performing live again! You can find all of the band and orchestra performances on our calendar of events. Join us for our performances this fall, including:
- Women’s Chorus and Century Singers Fall Concert
- Sunday, Oct. 17 (3 p.m.) Rudder Theater
- Choral Activities Holiday Concert
- Sunday, Dec. 5 (3 p.m.) Rudder Auditorium
DISABILITY RESOURCES
Congratulations to Jessica Harp, who was elected president-elect of the Texas Society of Interpreters for the deaf! She will assume the role of president in July 2023.
Disability Resources launched an exciting new student and instructor portal to make requesting accommodations and scheduling exams quicker and easier. You can learn more about Accessible Instructional Management (AIM) online.
The Accessibility in Aggieland series continues with monthly presentations this fall. Learn more about this partnership with the Center on Disability and Development and register online.
Disability Resources continues to connect with colleges, departments and organizations to share ways to promote equitable access in their programming and resources. Please consider requesting a presentation for your team.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The Department of IT (DoIT) is working hard to add value and resources to help you with all of your technology needs. By leveraging LinkedIn Learning, Doit has created its own website to help you become an expert with your IT tools. Featuring Teams, Adobe, and more; check it out online or go to DoIT's home page and locate it in the "get help" drop-down menu.
Try to "crack the code" on this problem: You have one month to find a way to safely welcome 27,000 people to campus, but no vendor has a solution that can be delivered in time. That was the problem confronting New Student & Family Programs in the Offices of the Dean of Student Life. Read how we cracked the code here!
STUDENT LIFE STUDIES
Welcome Robert Tirso to Student Life Studies as our new data analyst! He recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a doctorate in experimental psychology. HIs wealth of knowledge will help in data analysis and interpretation of results to help our staff continue to improve programs and services.
If you have not visited the Student Life Studies website lately, it is a great resource. You can view results from projects, listen to podcasts, view training videos, and read short blogs.
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER
The MSC would like to welcome our new graduate assistants, Abe van Helmond and Victoria Margo. Abe will be working with the MSC Spencer Leadership Conference and Victoria with MSC CAMAC.
The 69th Annual MSC Fall Leadership Conference, Aug. 24 – 26, provided student leaders an opportunity to network and further develop leadership skills. Student leaders networked with peers, former students, Texas A&M administration, high-profile speakers and focus group leaders while exploring key leadership concepts.
MSC Town Hall and Aggie Athletics hosted the 12th Jam on Aug. 28. This event is an on-campus music festival that featured three national headliners: CAM, Dayglow, and Morgan Evans. Student bands opened the afternoon event while attendees enjoyed a variety of local artisans and food vendors throughout the day.
MSC Open House is back in person AND virtual. Join more than 400 organizations in-person on Sunday, September 5, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Then follow along on the MSC Open House Instagram channel to see more than 250 organizations Sept. 6-10. Student involvement starts with MSC Open House.
MSC Open House is back and better than ever! We can't wait to welcome the Class of 2025, especially Miss @reveille! @TAMU @TAMUDSA pic.twitter.com/RmlC9FBOJ4
— MSC Programs (@MSCPrograms) August 10, 2021
OFFICES OF THE DEAN OF STUDENT LIFE
New Student and Family Programs wrapped up New Student Conferences! The office welcomed more than 13,800 new Aggies and 16,700 family members to campus both in-person and virtually this summer. Thank you to all of our campus partners for helping us pivot and making this summer great!
AMPLIFY | Women’s Mentoring Circle is a collaboration between the Women's Resource Center and the Aggie Women Network, a constituent network of The Association of Former Students. AMPLIFY provides Texas A&M students access to Aggie women whose professional and personal accomplishments align with the student’s ambitions. Applications are open until Sept. 8. Apply or find more information at tx.ag/AMPLIFY.
The LGBTQ+ Pride Center invites you to the Rainbow Resource Fair on Sept. 16 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in MSC 2300. The Rainbow Resource Fair is an annual event that provides an opportunity for LGBTQ+ and Ally students to find organizations and resources for them to utilize on- and off-campus. The week following the in-person event, we will host a virtual resource fair featuring the organizations on our Instagram.
The Graduate and Professional Student Government welcomed 491 new graduate students to campus during Grad Camp this year during two in-person sessions and one virtual session. The organization will be holding a resource fair for graduate and professional students on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 3 p.m. in Bethancourt A.
The Counseling & Psychological Services Let’s Talk program at the LGBTQ+ Pride Center provides students with a space to discuss issues of sexuality, gender identity, intersecting identities and other stressors (e.g., family, finances, relationships, etc.), as these concerns can impact student mental health and academic achievement. Let's Talk is held Mondays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Pride Center in SSB 210.
Turnout was larger than expected for the Class of '25 photo on Kyle Field last week, hosted by New Student and Family Programs and photographed by Audrey Pena and Garrett Goad of the DSA MarComm team. Watch the time-lapse video!
VETERAN RESOURCE & SUPPORT CENTER
Texas A&M University and Warrior Scholar Project successfully held their annual two-week academic boot camp program June 19-July 2. This year's program was virtual hosted participants from all over the country. To date, WSP at Texas A&M has prepared over 60 service members for their academic journey. For more information on WSP at TAMU visit our website.
WE'VE MOVED!!! Read more about the grand opening and our namesakes on TAMU Today. The Don & Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource & Support Center is officially home in Suite 1500 of the Memorial Student Center. In June, we cut the ribbon on this beautiful 10,000 sq. ft., state-of-the-art facility that boasts 17 office spaces, a large, divisible meeting space, a textbook library, veteran lounge, and high-tech multi-purpose room. Come tour us if you haven't had the chance!
The VRSC would like to remind everyone of the programs and services we offer student veterans and military affiliated students. From Military Admissions to Academic Coaching to Career Counseling, our 12 strategic programs offer Application to Vocation support. A full list of our programs and how they support our military affiliated students can be found online.
CORPS OF CADETS
The Corps of Cadets welcomed almost 700 freshman cadets to A&M and the Aggie Corps. The new cadets participated Freshman Orientation Week the week before classes. During FOW, fish learned basic cadet knowledge & skills, were acclimated to the university & Corps and participated in events like fish haircuts, fish yell & fish review. View FOW photos here.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
This summer our team worked with Student Body President Natalie Parks and her team to create the Q&SGA video series. Its goal is to help new students learn answers to questions about traditions, involvement, and services.
The Yell Leaders are in the house! With the transition of the Yell Leaders’ program to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, our team has had the opportunity to assist the Yell Leaders with a variety of marketing projects with an emphasis on video and social media.
Speaking of fundraising, visit the Give Now section of our website to learn more about how we are marketing giving opportunities in the Division of Student Affairs. If you have ideas on how to improve these pages for your department, please let us know.
Our photo team has been busy this summer shooting lots of events. Take a look at our Division of Student Affairs Flickr channel to find new photos of Howdy Week, Fish Camp, Aggie Wranglers, and the Don & Ellie Knauss Veteran Resource & Support Center dedication ceremony.
DSA STAFF DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Join us Sept. 8 for the DSA Staff Development meeting to hear from President Katherine Banks and BG Joe Ramirez. They will share their vision and ideas about how we can work together to ensure a safe and exciting return to campus, and also answer your questions. Doors to the MSC Bethancourt Ballroom open at 8 a.m. for refreshments and networking. This is a large gathering, so face coverings are highly encouraged.
STATE EMPLOYEE CHARITABLE CAMPAIGN
Texas A&M University launched the State Employee Charitable Campaign this week! Learn more about how you can participate to help those in need at tamus.edu/secc/. Give $100 early to be entered into a drawing for football tickets and a hotel stay.