Published: Oct. 22, 2024
How We Influence
With midterm season and fall festivities in full swing, our team is helping create memorable experiences for students, staff, alumni, parents and others. See how we are influencing the Longhorn life through our programs, spaces and resources below.
Programs
Disability and Access and the Disability Cultural Center is partnering with the Center for Teaching and Learning to launch the Accessible Pedagogy Conversations. This peer-led forum invites instructors to engage in open discussions about strategies, questions, and best practices for accommodations and inclusion in the classroom. The conversations aim to enhance accessibility for both instructors and students.
Together with SHIFT and Recreational Sports, the Office of the Dean of Students added new elements to National Hazing Prevention Week focusing on hazing prevention. They provided free festival safety kits to students and held the “Stop the Cycle of Hazing” cycling class event in the Gregory Gym Cycle Studio. The office’s signature events team also participated in National Night Out, partnering with West Campus Ambassadors and UT Police.
The Office of the Dean of Students and Terry Foundation hosted the annual banquet for nearly 200 scholars on Oct. 9. The event at the Bullock Museum celebrated the $100 million in scholarships for UT Austin students since 1987. Attendees networked with the foundation’s leaders, fellow members and alumni.
On Oct. 1, SHIFT hosted the first Operation Naloxone training of the semester where students, faculty and staff learned how to help reduce opioid overdoses. During the 2023-2024 academic year, they hosted five trainings for 3,400+ participants and distributed 2,280 naloxone doses. The next training will be offered on Nov. 18.
The Longhorn Wellness Center has been leading the rollout of Campus Connect, a new UT System-wide suicide prevention training program with 12 staff members from across campus trained as “Senior Trainers.” The group tailored the training content for the UT Austin community, resulting in the creation of "Longhorns Listen: Suicide Prevention Training” and the first session on Oct. 2.
In an effort to enhance the participant experience, Recreational Sports introduced two brand-new water fitness classes. Water Circuit focuses on increasing cardiovascular fitness and Water 50-50 centers on increasing strength and mobility. Participants have access to these classes as part of the TeXercise group exercise program.
RecSports is hosting its pop-up Recess event, Pickleball on the Plaza, today. The event provides students with an opportunity to incorporate recreation into their day. Participants will compete in a friendly game of pickleball on Gregory Gym Plaza and will score a free RecSports Nike t-shirt for playing. Earlier this month, RecSports partnered with the Longhorn SHARE Project for a third Mindfulness + Camping trip to Colorado Bend State Park, Oct. 11-13. This adventure trip featured hikes, yoga, and mindfulness and conversational activities.
Texas Parents is teaming up with the Office of the Dean of Students to encourage parents to volunteer alongside their students during The Project, UT Austin’s largest day of service. Texas Parents will be hosting a Celebration Luncheon on Nov. 3 for all volunteers to attend following the event on Nov. 2.
The Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs enhanced Dinner with 16 Longhorns with five new staff facilitators. The team selected 59 students from a record-breaking student applicant pool (399 total) for four dinners at the homes of alumni and supporters. Spring term dinners will take place in February with the application opening in January.
Our students showed their Longhorn spirit at the inaugural Longhorn Watch Party, hosted by the Office of the Dean of Students. Watch this highlight reel to see 450 students cheering on Texas during the game against Georgia on Oct. 19. Our Division's alumni, friends and staff also gathered for an outdoor tailgate before the Texas versus Georgia game on Oct. 19. The annual event took place in a new location – the Gregory Gym Aquatic Complex. Check out the photos.
Spaces
University Health Services’ Gynecology Clinic now offers extended telehealth hours to better meet the needs of our students and their schedules. These extended hours enable students to connect with a provider in the mornings, evenings and weekends. Students can now also access self-referred, walk-in sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing there or at the Urgent Care clinic.
RecSports hosted the annual Ride Across Texas cycle challenge in the Gregory Gym Cycle Studio, Oct. 6-12, encouraging new participants to try group cycle classes. Each class featured a different music theme and participants collectively accumulated 2,644 miles. This total exceeded the team’s goal of tripling the route’s 862 miles, the longest distance, east to west, across Texas. See the photos.
On Sept. 24, Texas singer-songwriter Jack Ingram played a packed house at the historic Cactus Café on HAAM Day – an annual fundraiser for the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. This partnership with University Events and Experience and President Hartzell’s Longhorn Live initiative also featured Darden Smith, UT Austin’s inaugural songwriter in residence.
For the second semester back since the pandemic, league bowling in the Union Underground is open for staff to sign up. There are already eight teams signed up. For more information, email underground@utexas.edu; call 512-475-6670; or inquire in the Underground (on the lower level of the Texas Union).
Campus Events+Entertainment continues to innovate to create unique spaces for all students to enjoy their events. They teamed up with New Student Services Longhorn TIES program on a sensory-friendly movie screening for neurodivergent students. During this special screening of “How to Train Your Dragon,” they lowered the volume and kept the house lights turned on. For the first time, the Headliners Committee opened a space for 67 students to trade their vinyl records and CDs during the Records Exchange! on Sept. 25.
Resources
The Counseling and Mental Health Center team continues to educate students, faculty and staff on TimelyCare, a free, 24/7 virtual mental health platform for our students. They hosted two information sessions with TimelyCare representatives for approximately 50 students, faculty and staff. Additionally, the TimelyCare representative joined Healthyhorns staff at two tabling events on campus to meet with students.
Our mental health experts also launched new counseling group topics based on feedback from students and clinicians. New offerings include a partnership with Longhorn TIES for neurodivergent students, and support for mood disorders, coping with loneliness, and navigating transitions and difficult changes.
New Student Services is building on its support for foster care alumni through Horns Helping Horns by partnering with the Department of Family and Protective Services. The Supervised Independent Living (SIL) program offers financial support for housing and meals. This resource helps students thrive by allowing them to focus on their academics and campus activities.
The Office of the Dean of Students hosted its inaugural Student Organization Resource Expo on Oct. 2. The event connected 500+ students with campus partners and resources available to help their student organizations host successful events. They participated in a scavenger hunt for a chance to win a pair of Beats headphones.
UT Outpost in the Office of the Dean of Students competed against the University of Oklahoma in the Red River Food Fight. UT Austin collected 2,349.28 pounds of food, just behind OU. Every donation supports students through the UT Outpost food pantry, making it a win for our Longhorns.
During the October Student Affairs Leadership Team meeting, our Division’s leaders heard informative presentations on our students’ expressive activity and the upcoming legislative session. Guest speakers included Vice President for Legal Affairs Amanda Cochran-McCall (with Dean of Students Katie McGee), Deputy to the President for Governmental Affairs and Initiatives Andrea Sheridan and Director of State Affairs Jenna Watts. The Division’s AVPs also welcomed new departments, units and programs.
University Unions partnered with University Events and Experience to elevate the Austin City Limits music festival experience for some students interested in pursuing careers in the music industry. Read this story to learn how backstage access and networking opportunities helped them chart their career paths.
Our Experts Leading the Way, October 2024
Our staff covered a range of topics in recent presentations that showcase their expertise, including one staff member connecting with a former student employee turned colleague.
Kian Greely and Jenny Walker (Office of the Dean of Students), with Arib Qureshi (graduate assistant), presented “Closing the Gap: Investing in Successful Student Organization Culture” at the Texas Association of College & University Student Personnel Administrators (TACUSPA) annual conference. They discussed how UT Austin is helping student organizations reduce high-risk behaviors by reinforcing positive culture through the Successful Student Organization Pilot Program.
Austin Lensch (Office of the Dean of Students) facilitated “Spark the Joy: Creating a Workplace Where Happiness Thrives” at the Fourth, Fifth, and DC Circuits Conference for Circuit Executives, Clerks, and Chief Deputies. Hosted by the Western District of Texas for the United States District Court, this interactive workshop on the impacts of creating joyful work environments was presented to over 65 attendees.
Niki Luibrand (Counseling and Mental Health Center) was a guest on the Butler School of Music’s podcast to discuss mental health support for music students. Luibrand is the Counselor in Academic Residence for the College of Fine Arts. Listen to the episode.
Ashley Richardson-Minnitt and Katharine Sucher (New Student Services) conducted their ND Affirming Training for Intercollegiate Athletics tutors on Oct. 16 and 17. The training provides guidance on how to work with neurodivergent students.
Kelly Salomon (Recreational Sports) presented in an interactive session entitled “Family Feud: Campus Rec Edition” at the 2024 NIRSA Region IV Conference, Oct. 14-16. She co-presented with Nathan Ha, a former RecSports intramural program assistant and now the coordinator for sport programs at The University of Texas at Arlington.