Division News

Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC)

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  CMHC hosted the inaugural “Kick Back Against Stigma: A Kickball Tournament for Suicide Prevention” to launch this year’s Suicide Prevention Week. 16 student teams came out on a Saturday to have fun and learn about suicide prevention. The tournament also raised awareness about the Brian L. Harlan Memorial Endowment. Tournament participants received t-shirts and pizza. The winning team, Absolute Texas, received gift cards to Amy’s Ice Cream and BeVocal t-shirts to enjoy. CMHC thanks Recreational Sports for all its help and support in making the tournament a success.

• Katy Redd is teaching a new course for students who are interested in promoting and enhancing the mental health of fellow Longhorns. Students learn about positive psychology, stress management and self-care. They will be trained to deliver a one-hour workshop to fellow students about bouncing back from failure and rejection.

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  Lynn Hoare and Erin Burrows had a blast at the Rally for Healthy Relationships on the West Mall as part of Relationship Violence Prevention Month. The event received lots of student participation. Check out the photos.

Housing and Food Service (DHFS)

Housing

• Housing has compiled the fall 2014 demographic data. There are 7,363 residents living on campus, of which 62.6 percent are first time freshmen (63 percent of all freshmen). 95.83 percent of students who lived in the residence halls as first time freshmen are enrolled as sophomores for fall 2014.
• Former members of Residence Life are invited to join the Res Life Reunion Facebook Group to stay connected with colleagues around the country. If you would like to become a part of this group, please join here.
• The 25^th mural in the Longhorn Art Series has been installed in Roberts Hall. The piece, titled “Little Milk Thief,” is by artist Sandra Stevens. The artwork is located in the newly renovated study space on the ground floor next to the game/piano room of Brackenridge Hall. Take a look at the photos from the unveiling.

Food Service

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  Dietitian Lindsay Wilson and DHFS dedicated October to promoting eating whole grains. Special events throughout the month comprised of a Whole Grain Breakfast for lunch event and Whole Grains Around the World dinner within the dining halls. Retail locations also provided weekly special menu items including wild rice salad with apples and walnuts, quinoa stuffed bell peppers, oatmeal pancakes, and apple and Nutella wraps with whole grain tortillas. Enjoy some of the photos.

• Currently, customers waste 51 tons of edible food waste between J2 and Kinsolving. The Clean Plate Club educates customers about the opportunity to make an impact in this reduction. Hunter Mangrum and Green Corps students engaged customers about the food waste problem and steps to reduce it. A plate waste study was conducted to research the amount of food and types of edible food and beverages discarded in DHFS dining halls.
• Green Corps hosted its first ever “Ed Day” on Oct. 24 as part of a “Food Day” open house welcoming the campus community to Jester Garden to learn about DHFS campus gardens, gardening practices and to taste iced tea made from campus grown herbs.

New Student Services (NSS)

• NSS spent much of October meeting with orientation stakeholders and organizing feedback through Campus Partner Orientation Planning and Evaluation Meetings.
• The Orientation Advisor (OA) recruitment and selection process is well underway. University stakeholders submitted nominations to recommend students to become OAs, assisted in getting the word out about the role and several presented at information sessions. Students who have applied will all participate in OA Selection Day on Sunday, Nov. 9.
• NSS has created two new positions. Gretchen Pierce started as manager of communications last month. A search is underway for a manager of assessment and research. The position will split time with NSS and the Dean of Students Research Institute.

Office of the Dean of Students (DoS)

• Student Veteran Services opened a new private study and tutoring space inside the Student Veteran Center as a part of the Student Veteran Academic Support Program. The program offers free one-on-one tutoring to student veterans through partnership with the Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence. Two dedicated veteran tutors provide peer support and an intake coordinator works with student veterans to establish goals and track progress.
• The Leadership and Ethics Institute will host the 12^th annual Change Institute on Nov. 14–15 featuring Alex Kappus (NSS) and Justin Samuel (DHFS). As guest facilitators, they will foster student growth in leadership, social justice and social responsibility.

Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA)

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  The Division of Student Affairs held its third successful Student Job and Volunteer Fair at Gregory Gym thanks to the collaborative effort of all nine departments. Over 300 students came out to learn more about working and volunteering within the Division and discover more about the innovative programs, services and facilities to help them succeed.

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  Hundreds of Division staff turned out on the South Mall for the second annual staff photo the morning of Oct. 29.

• The 2013–14 Impact Report has been receiving strong praise from both within UT Austin and fellow universities. Keep an eye on social media where highlights from the report will be featured throughout the rest of the year.
• “Communications Strategies in Higher Education” was the focus of Dr. Gage Paine’s College Student Personnel Administration class on Oct. 21. Hemlata Jhaveri (DHFS), LaToya Hill (DoS) and Brooke Bulow (VPSA) presented best practices and examples. At another class, Tom Dison (Recreational Sports) shared his expertise in building and managing facilities.
• Be sure to save the date for the upcoming Division of Student Affairs Staff Holiday Celebration on Thursday, Dec. 11 from 9–11 a.m.

Recreational Sports (RecSports)

• RecSports’ annual Friends of RecSports Golf Tournament, held at Avery Ranch Golf Club on a picture perfect October day, attracted 91 individuals who relished the spectacular upscale golf course located in the Hill Country. Enjoy the photos.
• Faculty and staff at the Pickle Research Campus had the opportunity to attend RecSports’ Health & Lifestyle Expo in their own building on Oct. 17. The expo featured many of the same vendors that participated in the expo held in Gregory Gym during the summer.
• RecSports, in partnership with Nike, sponsored the Train Like a Longhorn challenge. UT Austin students competed for one of 15 spots on the team that would play against University of Oklahoma students in the Red River Rivalry Flag Football Game. Horns up! The Nike+ Fit 15 defeated OU in Dallas on Oct. 10. Check out the photos.

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  The Division of Student Affairs Student Job and Volunteer Fair brought in nearly 300 visitors to the RecSports table and 118 applications for part-time jobs in the spring.

• RecSports Associate Director Randall Ford led our three graduate assistants to the NIRSA Region IV Student Lead-On ConferenceNational Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region IV Student Lead-On Conference in Shreveport, La. The conference featured speakers and workshops dedicated to the field of collegiate recreation.

Texas Parents

• Nominations for the 2014-2015 Staff Merit Award are now being accepted. This award recognizes employees in every department and position in the Division of Student Affairs who contribute everyday to a culture of excellence. More information and the nomination form can be found here.
• Texas Parents awarded $38,000 in Student Organizations Grants to 34 student organizations and departments. These funds will be used to host activities and events that enrich the student experience or serve the university and/or Austin communities.

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  The Texas Parents Advisory Board met on Friday, Oct. 24 to welcome new board members, discuss the state of the association and brainstorm strategies for improvement. Dr. Gage Paine gave a university and Division update. The group also honored the recipients of the 2014 Student Organizations Grants. Check out the photos.

• Family Weekend events were held Oct. 24-26 with an estimated 1,300 families participating in nearly 100 events campus-wide.

The Center for Students in Recovery (CSR)

• CSR held a Common Thread with new resident assistants (RAs) on Oct. 20. Common Thread serves the dual purpose of educating about addiction and recovery while also reducing the stigma around students in recovery. The RAs also learned about the resources CSR offers to students in or seeking recovery.
• CSR held its Sober Halloween House Party. The event was held at Communities for Recovery on Oct. 31. It included music, snacks, soft drinks, games and a costume contest with prizes while celebrating free, safe and sober fun.

University Health Services (UHS)

• This fall, UHS staff performed 85 sport-readiness physicals at special clinics for student athletes. Additionally, 63 more of these exams were provided in our Sports Medicine Clinic to serve a total of 148 student athletes in the Texas 4000 as well as intramurals and sport club women’s rowing, basketball, baseball, rugby, football and volleyball.
• The 2014 Flu Shot Campaign kicked off in October. Each year, UHS vaccinates thousands of UT Austin students, faculty and staff in an effort to prevent the spread of influenza and keep Longhorns healthy.
• Physical Therapy Clinic hours have been extended to 7:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m. to better serve our staff and faculty patients.
• In September, the UHS Women’s Health Clinic had 1,333 appointments, the highest number since 2008.
• Four Women’s Health Clinic providers have been trained to insert Nexplanon, a new contraceptive implant that can last up to three years. We’ll begin providing the implant in November.

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  The Wellness Network’s Lindsay Wilson (DHFS) and Susan Hochman (UHS), wished members a healthy Halloween by dressing up in wellness-promoting costumes for the fall 2014 all-member meeting on Oct. 31.

• UHS is helping to update the university’s infectious disease plan. Following U.S. Centers for Disease Control Ebola virus disease guidelines, UHS collaborated with the UT International Office to screen travelers coming to campus from affected areas and share facts about Ebola with them.

University Unions

• On Nov. 20–22, Campus Events + Entertainment will host the 34^th Annual Madrigal Dinner. This event is open to the public and tickets are on sale at the Texas Box Office.
• The Cactus Café in the Texas Union is offering seasonal milkshakes. Come try the fall pumpkin milkshake and enjoy the season.
• Encourage your students to enter the Through Our Eyes Photography Contest. The submission deadline is Nov. 30. The theme for this period is Longhorns Changing the World and the top 15 entries will be displayed in the Student Activity Center during the spring semester.
• The University Unions will begin taking reservations for the 2015 spring semester on Nov. 4 for Registered Student Organizations and Nov. 11 for departments. This will be for all Unions facilities: Student Activity Center, Student Services Building and Texas Union (Hogg Memorial Auditorium will be closed for renovations).