TrailBlazer 2015 Archive » TrailBlazer — Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Graduate stories: UTA's fall graduates have diverse stories of reaching their commencement milestones. Randi Burns cheered for UTA in the late '90s, but then life took a series of twists and turns, including a seven-year battle with Lyme disease. As she regained strength, she rediscovered UTA. Watch the videos about Burns and other graduates.

Commencement ceremonies begin Thursday at College Park

Fall commencement ceremonies are Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 17-19, at College Park Center. The schedule is:

Thursday, Dec. 17—7 p.m. College of Nursing and Health Innovation

Friday, Dec. 18—11 a.m. College of Architecture, Planning and Public Affairs; School of Social Work; University College; 3 p.m. College of Science; 7 p.m. College of Liberal Arts

Saturday, Dec. 19—11 a.m. College of Business; 3 p.m. College of Engineering; 7 p.m. College of Education

For the complete commencement schedule and detailed information about tickets, attire, parking, formalities, photography, special accommodations, and more, go to uta.edu/commencement.

Grads compete for UTA swag with mortarboard bling

Share photos of your decorated graduation cap using ‪#‎MavGrad2015 for a chance to win a UTA alumni prize pack. Prizes include UTA swag, Planetarium at UTA tickets, UTA Bookstore gift cards, and much more.

All photos must be submitted by 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter using #MavGrad2015. One winner from each social channel will be announced by 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 18.

Book buy-back planned by UTA Bookstore

The UTA Bookstore will buy back textbooks through Saturday, Dec. 19.

The bookstore will be open 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. through Thursday, Dec. 17; 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18; and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19.

Breakfast, coffee, furry friends can help you through finals week

Take a break from studying for final exams with a good breakfast, coffee, and stress-busting friends.

Late Night Breakfast provides students with a study break 9:30-11 p.m. today, Tuesday, Dec. 15. A full breakfast menu is offered at the Connection Café for only $3. Cash, credit, MavMoney, Dining Dollars, or the meal plan are accepted.

Those positive pooches of Paws for Finals are ready to ease stress noon-2 p.m. through Wednesday, Dec. 16, on the second floor of the Central Library.

The Central Library will stay open 24 hours through 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18.

The P.O.D. Express on the second floor of the Central Library will be open 24 hours a day until 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18.

Free coffee is available 6-11 p.m. through Wednesday, Dec. 16, at the Architecture and Fine Arts Library and the Science and Engineering Library.

The E.H. Hereford University Center will stay open through 11 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16.

Upgrades at MAC, PEB underway

Upgrades haves started at the Maverick Activities Center and Physical Education Building.

All basketball courts in the MAC and PEB are closed at alternate times for floor resurfacing and refinishing through Jan. 10. Players can find open space for basketball at all times, rotating between buildings as they are completed. There may be a brief time when all courts are closed. It will be safe to be in the facilities, but there will be a strong odor from the refinishing materials.

The controlled access turnstiles to the MAC will under major repair starting Thursday, Dec. 17. To enter the MAC or for exercise or recreation to visit the Department of Kinesiology, use the temporary north or south entrances that will be clearly marked. To access the Campus Recreation Office, New Maverick Orientation/Off Campus Mavericks or the MAC computer lab, use the regular building entrance.

Stay connected with Campus Recreation via the website, Twitter, and Facebook for updates.

Maverick Ring Students received their class rings and experienced some of UTA's favorite traditions at the Maverick Ring Ceremony on Saturday in the Bluebonnet Ballroom. After receiving their rings, students listened to an explanation of symbols on the ring. Rubbing the bronze head of E.H. Hereford is said to bring good luck and is a favorite part of the ceremony. One student let his service dog lick the former UTA president's head for good measure. Ernest H. Hereford was dean of North Texas Agricultural College and the first president of Arlington State College, both predecessors of UTA. See more photos.

Use Maverick discounts to save money

Watch your budget this holiday season by taking advantage of the Maverick Discount Program.

Faculty, staff, students, and parents can utilize the discounts by simply showing their Maverick ID to local business participants or by using a unique UTA discount code to shop online. Participating businesses provide a minimum 10 percent discount.

Vote for Spring Concert band

Cast your vote for the band for the Spring Concert. Choose either Echosmith or X Ambassadors in the online survey. Also pick a band for another campus concert in August 2016.

Police Department compliance comment session Wednesday

The public and the University community can comment on the UT Arlington Police Department's compliance with professional standards at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16, in Room 200 at the Wetsel Service Center or by telephone at 817-272-8860.

The session is part of an on-site assessment by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The commission requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in four basic areas: policy and procedures, administration, operations, and support services.

The assessment team also will accept comments by telephone 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Dec. 16 at 817-272-5604.

Appearances at the public information session and telephone comments are limited to 10 minutes and must address the agency's ability to comply with CALEA's standards. A copy of the standards is available at the police department office, 700 S. Davis Drive. Local contacts are Chief of Police Kim Lemaux, 817-272-3389; Assistant Chief Glenn Cole, 817-272-1744; and Accreditation Manager Melissa Mais, 817-272-2847.

Submit written comments about the Police Department’s compliance with the standards for accreditation to CALEA, 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Va., 20155.

ARDC upgrade set for Dec. 28

Scheduled electrical maintenance to add additional generators and power feeds for Arlington Regional Data Center (ARDC) is planned for 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28.

The upgrade will ensure the stability to UTA services in the event of a power disruption.

Service may be temporarily interrupted during the upgrade. If service is lost, visit the Office of Information Technology’s system status page for the latest update.

ACES symposium now accepting abstract submissions

Abstracts are now being accepted for the Annual Celebration of Excellence by Students (ACES), a University-wide symposium highlighting the best in student research and creativity.

At ACES, undergraduate and graduate students work with faculty mentors in their disciplines to write and submit abstracts for the competition.

Submissions deadline is Friday, Feb. 5, 2016. ACES 2016 is Wednesday, March 23, in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

Email questions to aces@uta.edu.

Renew your locker at MAC

Renew your locker at the Maverick Activities Center by Friday, Jan. 7, to save the space for the spring semester. If you choose not to renew, please clean out the locker by that date.

Available lockers will be ready to rent on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

For details, email Blair Schuyler or call 2-0207. Visit the Campus Recreation website for MAC programs and services.

University College recruiting peer educators for spring

The TRIO-Student Support Services and University Tutorial & Supplemental Instruction offices are looking for motivated students to become peer educators for the spring semester.

Peer educators are students who are successful in their courses and have completed at least one semester of coursework at UTA. Applicants must have a 3.0+ GPA (cumulative) and have earned an A or B in the course for which they are applying.

Positions include one-on-one tutors, small group tutors/mentors, and Supplemental Instruction leaders.

For more information, visit uta.edu/tutoringjobs.

Beware of holiday season cyber criminals

The Information Security Office (ISO) encourages you to be aware of holiday seasonal scams, phishing, and malicious software distribution campaigns.

Cyber criminals send personal messages that appear to be legitimate websites that look real with logos, email, or web templates.

These phishing and malware campaigns include fake shipping/courier notifications; electronic greeting cards or links to holiday screensavers; requests for charitable contributions that appear to be from the real organization; and credit card or gift card applications or enticing discounts that lead to unfamiliar websites.

Look for signs that an email or website is not legitimate:

• Sender’s address or website address does not match the organization listed in the content of the message.

• Grammar in the message or website is poor.

• Format of the email or website is poor or inconsistent with what you’ve seen from the organization.

• Hovering your mouse over the links reveals web addresses inconsistent with the content of the message.

Never click on links or open attachments in emails that you’re not expecting, nor provide personal information in an email or on a website unless you are confident of the source.

If you do receive suspicious email messages, contact the Information Security Office at security@uta.edu.

Read about more online security tips during the holiday buying season on the ISO website.

Claim your Commencement tickets

Graduation candidates can claim guest tickets for the fall 2014 Commencement ceremonies at utatickets.com. Detailed instructions have been sent to your UT Arlington email account.

Claim only the tickets you intend to use. All guests over age 2 must have a printed Commencement ticket to enter College Park Center. All candidates must have a printed ticket to participate in Commencement, Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 17-19.

If you experience technical difficulty claiming your Commencement tickets, contact the Box Office at 817-272-9595.

Fall final exam schedule available

The final exam schedule for the fall term is available online. Finals continue through Friday, Dec. 18.

Winter intersession, spring registration is open; see your adviser now

Make plans to register for the winter intersession and spring 2016 terms. The schedule of classes and the registration timetable are available on the MyMav page.

Check your Student Center in MyMav to see if you need to meet with your academic adviser before registering. A list of advising offices is online. Call to schedule an appointment or check walk-in hours.

Meningitis vaccination documentation required

Texas college students who are new to the institution and students returning after an absence of at least one fall or spring semester who are under age 22 are required to submit documentation of immunization against bacterial meningitis.

Visit UT Arlington’s meningitis vaccination page for more information.

Transcripts available in PDF format

UTA now offers transcripts in PDF format. Students can send PDF transcripts by email to another university, a potential employer, or themselves. Read more about ordering transcripts.

Print your own enrollment verification

Enrollment verification is available online. To print your verification, log on to MyMav, go to Student Center, and click on Request Enrollment Verification to access the National Student Loan Clearinghouse.

Tuesday, Dec. 15

Late Night Breakfast $3. 9:30 p.m., Connection Cafe, E.H. Hereford University Center.

Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 17-19

Commencement Ceremonies College Park Center. Commencement.

Coming Up

Maverick Speakers Series Ron Paul, Feb. 2; Donna Brazile, Feb. 25; and Jane Goodall, March 31. Free general admission, but tickets required. Premium, season, and VIP ticket packages include reserved seats, parking, and more. Tickets available at utatickets.com. 7:30 p.m., College Park Center. Maverick Speakers Series.

Basketball Double Headers Maverick women's game followed by men's competition. Tickets $7-20 general public, $3 students. Mavs vs. Georgia State, Wednesday, Dec. 30; vs. Georgia Southern, Saturday, Jan. 2; vs. Arkansas State, Thursday, Jan. 21; vs. Arkansas-Little Rock, Saturday, Jan. 23. Women's 5 p.m., men's 7:15 p.m., College Park Center. Athletics.

Ongoing

Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition The exhibit showcases showcases recent work by graduating seniors in painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, glass, film, and photography. Through Dec. 19. The Gallery at UTA.

Special Collections: Ringside: Memories of WCC Wrestling 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, sixth floor, Central Library. Through Jan. 16. UTA Libraries Special Collections.

Planetarium Holiday season  includes four programs using a full-color, 360-degree laser projector: Laser Country, Laser Holidays, Laser Pink Floyd, and Laser Zeppelin. Also, Holiday Music Magic and Season of Light as well as One World/One Sky, Cosmic Colors, Spacepark 360: Infinity, and Secret of the Cardboard Rocket. See the schedule. Closed Fridays, Dec. 24 and 30. Planetarium at UTA.

(For an expanded list of events, see the UTA calendar.)

Giving season: The Student Athlete Advisory Committee won the Sun Belt Community Service Initiative for November. Projects included a canned food drive, visits with patients at Cook's Children's Medical Center and providing backpacks filled with food for underprivileged children. UTA Volleyball's Dig Pink match raised more than $2,300 for the Sideout Foundation. Read more and see the video.

Mavs take on Sul Ross on Monday at CPC

On Monday, Dec. 21, be among the first 200 fans to nab a UTA stocking for Santa to fill with goodies when the Mavs face Sul Ross State at College Park Center.

Single game tickets are $3 for students and $7-20 for the general public. Take advantage of the All-Sports Pass for $25 and catch all home athletic competitions. For these and other ticket options, go to utatickets.com. Watch the Maverick motivation video.

The game includes a Maverick basketball T-shirt toss.

The Mavs are 8-2 overall and begin Sun Belt Conference play Wednesday, Dec. 30, against Georgia State as part of a four-game homestand.

Women's team on road

The women's basketball team are on the road for games against Houston Baptist on Saturday, Dec. 19, and UT San Antonio on Monday, Dec. 21.

College Park Center will see action again when the team hosts Georgia State on Wednesday, Dec. 30, for the Sun Belt Conference opener. The game is a double header with the women's game starting at 5 p.m. and the men's game at 7 p.m.

The Lady Mavs are 3-5 after falling 73-64 to Western Kentucky on Sunday.

Intramural deadline for badminton

Upcoming intramural sports deadlines are badminton, Sunday, Dec. 20; billiards, Wednesday, Jan. 6; racquetball, Tuesday, Jan. 12; and table tennis, Thursday, Jan. 14.

See the intramural sports schedule. Pick up entry forms at the Services and Information Desk of the Maverick Activities Center. For questions, call 817-272-3277 or email imsports@uta.edu.

(For more sports news, go to utamavs.com, uta.edu/movinmavs, or uta.edu/campusrec.)