MavWire 2016 Archive » MavWire — Monday, February 22, 2016

Pilot program tackles obesity with nutrition literacy, soccer

The College of Nursing and Health Innovation is taking steps to address childhood obesity with a pilot research study at Young Men’s Leadership Academy, a predominantly Latino, all-male middle school in the Grand Prairie Independent School District.

The study uses two popular strategies to tackle obesity: nutrition literacy and exercise.

Larry Nelson, associate professor of kinesiology, says the team will measure the amount of physical activity the children get through soccer. Nursing seniors Megan Isaacs and Lisa Durham played key roles in the development of the nutrition education classes.

Read more about the nutrition literacy and soccer project and watch the video.

Town hall meetings seek feedback on 'campus carry' draft

As a follow up to UTA’s submission of its draft recommendations on implementing Senate Bill 11, known as “campus carry,” there will be two additional town hall meetings on Tuesday, Feb. 23, open to the campus community to attend and to provide feedback on UTA’s implementation plan.

The faculty and staff meeting is at 12:30 p.m. and the student meeting is at 2 p.m., both on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the Lone Star Auditorium at the Maverick Activities Center.

The draft recommendations are posted on UTA’s campus carry site at uta.edu/campuscarry along with background information and FAQs.

An online survey is available at uta.edu/campuscarry for those who cannot attend an open meeting but wish to submit their thoughts and concerns.

Claim tickets now to see Donna Brazile Thursday

Tickets are still available to see political strategist and commentator Donna Brazile at the next Maverick Speakers Series event.

She will discuss "Politics and Beyond" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at Texas Hall. A question-and-answer session will follow.

Brazile is an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, and vice chair of voter registration and participation for the Democratic National Committee. Her work as campaign manager for Al Gore made her the first African-American woman to manage a presidential campaign. Her many accolades include the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s highest award for political achievement.

General admission is free, but tickets are required. Go to utatickets.com.

For VIP packages, contact Mark LaVelle at mlavelle@uta.edu or 2-5235.

Dr. Vijayan Pillai

Social work professor named fellow of UK's Royal Society for Public Health

Vijayan Pillai, professor of social work and internationally recognized expert in women’s rights and reproductive health in developing countries, has been elected a fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Pillai, who joined the School of Social Work in 1999, has focused his research on examining social welfare services necessary to protect women’s reproductive health in conflict zones in developing countries.

The Society specifically recognized Pillai for his career commitment to the improvement of population health.

Read more about Pillai's honor.

Echosmith to perform for Spring Concert on March 4 at Texas Hall

“Cool Kids” Echosmith are set to bring their dance-rock influenced sounds to UTA when they perform a concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 4, at Texas Hall.

Tickets are available now to UTA faculty, staff, students, and the community at utatickets.com, at the UTA Tickets Box Office at College Park Center, or by calling the box office at 2-9595. Tickets are limited to four per person.

The Spring Concert is sponsored by University Events, EXCEL Campus Activities, and the Division for Student Affairs.

Read more about the Spring Concert and ticket options.

Preparations begin for new Science, Engineering Innovation and Research Building

Facilities Management has started the infrastructure improvements for the new Science and Engineering Innovation and Research, or SEIR, Building.

A staging area is located immediately south of University Hall. The pathways between the Life Science Building and University Hall will remain open at all times.

The infrastructure improvements should be complete by May 21, depending on weather conditions.

The six-story SEIR building will be southwest of Pickard Hall, home of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, and south of the existing Life Science Building. It will include multi-use collaborative spaces, large classrooms and lecture halls, and innovative research and teaching labs. Construction of the 200,000-square-foot contemporary facility is expected to have substantial completion by mid-2018.

For questions or concerns, contact Jeff Johnson at jljohnson@uta.edu or 817-798-8456.

Clean up email accounts to prepare for new service

A few minutes of cleaning out your UTA email goes a long way in helping the Office of Information Technology launch a new and improved email experience. A pilot group will use Exchange 2013 in the next few weeks.

Prepare your mailbox for the switch by organizing your current mailbox.

Delete—Quickly review your inbox and determine which messages you do not need to keep. This may include calendar invites, email chains, or random subscription-based advertisements.

File—Organize files in folders or use flags to indicate the importance of the emails.

Archive—Archive files in a location on your computer or inbox.

For updates, detailed instructions, recommendations, and more information, visit the Exchange upgrade website. For specific questions, contact the Help Desk at helpdesk@uta.edu or 2-2208.

Give input about HR training programs

The Learning and Development team of the Office of Human Resources wants your input about training courses. Take the survey, which is available through today, Monday, Feb. 22.

McNair Scholars choose 14 for summer research

Fourteen students will participate in the McNair Scholars Program this summer.

The new Scholars and their majors are Jaclyn Bazaldua, biology and microbiology; Gene Cairo, psychology; Tristen Cardwell, English/philosophy; Claudia Carranza, international business/Spanish; Sydney Cox, psychology; Saul Gutierrez, computer science and engineering; and Minwoo Kim, political science.

Other students include Nicolas Long, mechanical engineering; Claudia Martinez, Spanish; Jessica McCammon, chemistry; Micalah Spenrath, earth and environmental sciences; Adrian Villalobos, music education; Bernadette Washington, psychology; and Katie Williams, microbiology.

Share your thoughts about 'Maverick Connection'

The Maverick Connection, published in the fall semester, contains contact information for University departments, employees, and students. Help Student Publications and Student Congress serve you better with this directory by taking this short, four-question survey about the campus telephone directory. The survey is online through Friday, Feb. 26.

Volunteer by Wednesday for Spring Job Fair

The Career Development Center needs more than 125 volunteers to help make the Spring Job Fair a success. The Job Fair is from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at the Maverick Activities Center. Register by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24.

Choose a 1.5-hour shift or indicate your availability between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Tasks include set-up, clean-up, carrying employer materials, escorting employers to their booths, and staffing the student check-in tables.

For questions, call 2-2932 or email Alissa Anderson at alissa.anderson@uta.edu.

Don't fall for tax-time scams

With tax season in full swing, so is criminal activity targeting tax refunds. The Information Security Office encourages you to file your taxes as early as possible to reduce the chance of criminal elements filing for refunds before you do.

The IRS has recognized this problem and has published Security Awareness Tax Tips.

Share the tips with your family, friends, and your tax preparer. If you fall victim to tax fraud, contact the IRS right away.

Sign up to volunteer at ACES

Lend a hand at the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES), a University-wide symposium highlighting the best in student research and creativity.

Faculty, staff, and students can serve as volunteers. Shifts for morning or afternoon sessions are available. Register to volunteer.

ACES is Wednesday, March 23, in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

ARDC maintenance planned for Feb. 27

The Arlington Regional Data Center will undergo maintenance on Saturday, Feb. 27, to continue stabilizing UTA’s services in the event of a power disruption.

As a result, High Performance Computing and High Energy Physics services will be temporarily unavailable. Other services may be temporarily interrupted. In the event of a service interruption, you will be notified through the IT status page.

Subscribe to the IT Status list to receive scheduled maintenance notifications.

Phone scam continues to target students, demands payment

A telephone scam first reported in October 2014 continues to target students and has resulted in nearly $16,000 in fraudulent payments, the UTA Police Department reports.

A scammer claims to be from the University, a government agency, or a police department and tries to collect money for unpaid debt. The caller requests payment with the purchase of a gift card or MoneyGram. The caller threatens the individual with arrest and solicits immediate payment for the alleged debts.

The telephone number used has been cloned from a legitimate agency or University office.

University officials, law enforcement, and government officials will not contact you in this manner or threaten arrest for non-payment of debts.

Always be cautious about providing your personal information over the phone, especially to individuals who initiate the call. In such cases, always verify the nature of the call and offer to hang up and to call them back at a number they provide. Seek out the organization's official number and contact it directly. If you suspect attempted fraud or fall victim to it, contact your local law enforcement agency.

If you encounter this or similar scams or have information about them, contact the UTA Police at 2-3381.

Use good judgment and caution when clicking Web or email links or opening attachments. If you receive an email that appears suspicious, send it to phish@uta.edu. Do not click on the links or open attachments.

Submit nominations for outstanding employees by Feb. 26

Now is the time to nominate a great employee or team of employees for the Outstanding Maverick Awards. Submit nominations online through Friday, Feb. 26.

For questions or concerns, contact Eunice Currie at 2-7091.

Plan now for power outage March 18-20

Buildings affected include the Architecture Building, Engineering Lab Building, Fine Arts Building, Geoscience Building, Nanofab Building, Nedderman Hall, and Woolf Hall.

Emergency generators will support egress lighting, life safety, and all research facilities currently connected to a generator. All buildings will remain locked during the outage.

On Thursday evening, clean out all refrigerators and freezers and turn off and unplug electrical devices. Many devices remain in a standby mode or use power even when turned off. If items are plugged into power strips, simply turn off the power strips.

Questions? Contact Toby Buhrkuhl at 972-832-1490 or Jeff Johnson at 817-798-8456.

Tuesday, Feb. 23

Performance Management Forms and Procedures Register online. Noon-1 p.m., Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Travel and Expenses Register online. 8:30-11 a.m., Room E200C, Continuing Education Building. Business Affairs.

Film Screening: 'Becoming Bulletproof' A film screening and discussion about disabled actors and representations of people with developmental disabilities. Real-time captioning will be provided for the discussion. The film has open captioning and audio description. For other disability-related accommodation requests, contact Sarah Rose at srose@uta.edu or 817-272-6843. Pizza provided. Free. 5 p.m., Room 108, University Hall. Disability Studies.

Wednesday, Feb. 24

Partnering with Your Boss Register online. 9-11 a.m., Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Black History Month Lectures Cheryl Wattley, UNT Dallas College of Law, “Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher and Her Fight to End Segregation,” noon-1 p.m., Room 200, Trimble Hall. History, African American Faculty and Staff Association.

K-12 Focused Technology Series Explore online learning in K-12 and higher education. Mobile learning and microlearning, noon-1 p.m., Room 111, Trimble Hall. Also, Harrison McCoy, connecting globally with technology, March 1; Makerspaces and UTA FabLab, March 8; and Jim Holland, Google Classroom, Canvas, and anything related to LMS/CMS, March 22 and 29. Education.

Thursday, Feb. 25

Introduction to TracDat Register online. 3-4 p.m., fourth floor conference room, Wade Building. Also, 4-5 p.m. Friday, March 11; 1:45-2:30.p.m. Tuesday, March 22; 10:45-11:30 a.m. Monday, March 28; 2:45-3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 31; 9:45-10:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 5; 4:15-5 p.m. Wednesday, May 4; all in Room E200E, Workforce Development Building. Institutional Effectiveness and Reporting.

Your Professional Image Register online. 9-11 a.m., Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Human Resources.

Friday, Feb. 26

UTARI Lunch and Learn Kimon Valavanis, director of the Unmanned Systems Research Institute at the University of Denver, "Unmanned Aircraft Systems: Challenges in Design for Autonomy and in Circulation Control Wing Based Aircraft." Register online. Shuttle available. Lunch provided. Noon, UTARI, 7300 Jack Newell Blvd. S., Fort Worth. UTA Research Institute.

Monday, Feb. 29

Unit Effectiveness Process Refresher Register online. 11 a.m.-noon, fourth floor conference room, Wade Building. Also, 1-1:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 22; 10-10:45 a.m. Monday, March 28; 2-2:45 p.m. Thursday, March 31; 9-9:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 5; 3:30-4:15 p.m. Wednesday, May 4; all in Room E200E, Workforce Development Building. Institutional Effectiveness and Reporting.

Diversity Week: Support the Trans Community Free. Noon-1 p.m., Concho Room, E.H. Hereford University Center. Multicultural Affairs.

Coming Up

All Majors Job Fair Meet with company representatives looking for new employees. Free for students and alumni. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, Maverick Activities Center. Career Development Center.

Diversity Week: Addressing Islamophobia Amer Ahmed of University of Massachesetts-Amherst, “Addressing Islamophobia: Dispelling Myths of Break Down Barriers.” 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, Rosebud Theatre, E.H. Hereford University Center. Multicultural Affairs.

CPR/AED/First Aid Class A single, five-hour class covering the American Red Cross first aid basics, medical and environmental emergencies, adult CPR, and AED use. Registration at MAC Services and Information desk. $50. 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Room 223, Maverick Activities Center. Also, Saturdays, March 5, April 9, May 21. Campus Recreation.

Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students The University-wide symposium highlighting the best in student research and creativity. Wednesday, March 23, E.H. Hereford University Center. Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES).

RAD Self Defense Class Self-defense course for female faculty, staff, and students. Register online. Free. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., March 26, April 9., Room 102-B, Maverick Activities Center. UTA Police.

(For an expanded list of events, see the Events Calendar.)

Exhibit reviews UTA's athletic programs, athletes UTA athletics are spotlighted in the exhibit “Score!” on the sixth floor of the Central Library. Using UTA Libraries' Special Collections photos, the exhibit showcases the early days of baseball, basketball, track, the end of Maverick football, and Olympians and Paralympians from UTA. Co-curators Lea Worcester and Evelyn Barker based the exhibit on research for their book University of Texas at Arlington, which uses photos to chronicle the history of campus. “Score!” will be on display through April. A companion exhibit—“Academic Evolution: The University of Texas at Arlington”—chronicles UTA’s change from rural private school to urban university. The display runs through August on the sixth floor of Central Library. Both exhibits are free.

Monday, Feb. 22

Guest Double Bass Recital Jeff Bradetich performs. Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Friday, Feb. 26

Men's Tennis Mavericks vs. Incarnate Word. Free. 2 p.m., UTA Tennis Center. Athletics.

Opera Performance of Johann Strauss' 'Die Fledermaus' A joint production of the music and theatre arts departments. Tickets $12 general public, $9 students, seniors, faculty, staff. 8 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Also, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. Music.

Saturday, Feb. 27

Dr. Seuss Birthday Party Celebrate beloved children's author Dr. Seuss and the joy of reading. Children can enjoy stories read by UTA students, Dr. Seuss-themed arts and crafts, face painting, puppet shows, and picture opportunities. Free. 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Palo Duro Lounge, E.H. Hereford University Center. Freshmen Leaders On Campus, Leadership Center.

Women’s Basketball on ESPN3 Mavericks vs. Arkansas. 3:05 p.m., ESPN3. Athletics.

NASA's 21st Annual Powwow Celebration of Native American culture at the scholarship fundraiser. E.H. Hereford University Center. Native American Student Association.

Sunday, Feb. 28

Men's Tennis Mavericks vs. Oral Roberts. Free. 2 p.m., UTA Tennis Center. Athletics.

Monday, Feb. 29

Vocal Division Recital Free. Noon, Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Percussion Ensemble Concert Free. 7:30 p.m., Irons Recital Hall, Fine Arts Building. Music.

Ongoing

The Gallery at UTA: 'Whew…That’s a Relief! The Madcap World of John Hernandez' A retrospective exhibition by San Antonio artist John Hernandez that spans four decades. Gallery hours 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and noon-5 p.m. Saturdays. Through March 30. The Gallery at UTA.

Planetarium Explore the secrets of the universe in the new show Dark. The spring schedule includes Astronaut, Cosmic Colors, From the Earth to the Universe, Pink Floyd, and SpacePark 360: Infinity. Through May 29. UTA Planetarium.

(For an expanded list of events, see the Events Calendar.)