University Communications » Internal Communications » MavWire » MavWire 12-08-2011

Faculty and Staff Holiday Reception features food, music, festivities

Ring in the holiday season by joining your UT Arlington family at the annual Faculty and Staff Holiday Reception 3-5 p.m. today, Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Bluebonnet Ballroom in the E.H. Hereford University Center.

President James D. Spaniolo is the host and featured speaker, delivering his Maverick interpretation of a traditional holiday reading.

Enjoy the festive sounds of the UT Arlington Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Tim Ishii, associate professor of music.

Holiday refreshments will be served. The reception is sponsored in part by UT Arlington Dining Services.

Premium seats still available for College Park Center events

Watch Mavericks basketball from courtside and center-court seats at College Park Center, which has its grand opening and inaugural games Feb. 1, 2012.

These premium seats get you as close to the action as possible and come with an array of amenities such as reserved parking, complimentary food and beverages, and access to the Maverick Club Hospitality Suite.

See premium seats to learn more and to order your season tickets for men's and women's basketball and volleyball. Your tax-deductible donation through the Maverick Club will benefit scholarships, facilities, and programs that enable student-athletes to realize their dreams of achieving a quality education while competing on a national level.

There are two options for premium seating at College Park Center:

• Courtside Seating: Reserve up to four cushioned chair seats with a $500 annual donation to the Maverick Club in addition to season tickets, which are $15 per event with approximately 30 events scheduled per academic year.

• Club Seating: Reserve up to four center-court seats with a $250 annual donation to the Maverick Club in addition to season tickets, which are $10 per event.

Don't miss the opportunity to purchase the best seats in the house. Seat selection begins in early January. Reserve yours now by contacting Gregg Elkin at 2-5706 or gelkin@uta.edu.

Fall 'UT Arlington Magazine' now available online

Learn about earthquake research that could save lives and mitigate widespread disaster in the fall 2011 issue of UTArlington Magazine.

Watch videos and read about 25 hidden and not-so-hidden campus treasures. Check out other web exclusive videos on the Formula SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) racing team and Maverick basketball player LaMarcus Reed III.

You’ll also find compelling stories on what drives the research of several award-winning professors, the technological impact of UT Arlington alumni, and an alumnus who brings connections to isolated corners of the globe. Each story includes a link for posting comments. You can “like” the magazine’s Facebook page and get updates in your newsfeed, as well as view and post photos on flickr.

UTArlington Magazine is published three times a year and is distributed to about 140,000 UT Arlington constituents, including all alumni, major donors, elected officials, civic leaders, faculty, senior staff, and other friends of the University. Send your comments and story ideas to utamagazine@uta.edu.

Change to travel procedure affects meals, lodging limits

Limits for meals and lodging using state-appropriated funds have been amended, according to Procedure 2-86, Section VI, in the University Procedures Index.

The daily limits for both in-state or out-of-state meals and lodging can be found by using the U.S. General Services Administration’s Federal Domestic Maximum Per Diem Rates table. If your destination (city or county) is not listed, the rates are up to $77 for lodging and up to $46 for meals.

For more information, contact Travel Services at 2-2194 or travel_help@uta.edu.

Playing for Friends Celtic and folk singer Jed Marum plays the banjola during his performance at the Friends of the Library meeting Friday in the Central Library. Marum's album Cross Over The River: A Confederate Collection won the Traditional/Folk Album of the Year Award in the Just Plain Folks awards program in 2009. His latest recording is Rejoice!: A Christmas Album, released last month.

TheShorthorn.com wins national award

TheShorthorn.com, The Shorthorn's online edition, has been named the best-designed college media website in the U.S. by College Media Association, the largest national organization for college media.

The results of the Best of Collegiate Design competition were announced last week.

A Shorthorn sports page won first place in the contest's Sports Page Design category.

C-SPAN films history professor

David Narrett, associate professor of history, will appear on C-SPAN’s American History TV series. A production crew recently filmed Dr. Narrett’s class and lecture on the Seven Years’ War.

Narrett’s lecture on precolonial America is slated to air at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, and at noon Sunday, Jan. 29. The American History TV series airs every weekend on C-SPAN3 and features professors and writers lecturing about the people and events that make up the American story.

Go online for more details.

Flowers and leis available for grads

Take part in a UT Arlington tradition by giving a graduate a flower bouquet or lei during Commencement Dec. 15-18.

Flowers and leis are available for pre-order through Friday, Dec. 9, and can be purchased at the tents outside Texas Hall before and after each ceremony. Pre-order and your gift will be waiting for you at the ceremony. Proceeds benefit the Alumni Association Scholarship Fund.

For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 2-2594.

The ring's the thing Juan Franco, right, a civil engineering senior who graduates this month, shows off his ring to his mother, Isabel Franco, at Tuesday's Maverick Ring ceremony in the Lone Star Auditorium at the Maverick Activities Center. The Alumni Association sponsors the ceremony each year.

Library seeks feedback on mobile site

Mobile device users can tell how they access the Library’s mobile website and traditional web-based services via a short survey. The goal of the survey is to better identify the needs of the Library’s mobile users.

The survey takes less than five minutes to complete and is available until Friday, Dec. 16.

Regional science and engineering fair set for College Park Center

Hundreds of North Texas' most talented middle and high school students will gather Feb. 26-27 at College Park Center for the Fort Worth Regional Fair, the longest-running science and engineering fair in Texas.

College Park Center, the University’s new 7,000-seat special events venue, opens Feb. 1.

Read more about the Fort Worth Regional Science and Engineering Fair.

Food drive, recycle day weigh in big

Both the canned food drive and the recycling day brought in large amounts recently on campus.

The Maverick community showed its generosity by donating more than 600 pounds of food to the Staff Advisory Council and Golden Key International Honour Society third annual food drive. Collected food has been distributed to the Tarrant Area Food Bank and Mission Arlington.

Last month the Office of Sustainability collected more than 6,000 pounds of electronic material on America Recycles Day.

FLOC featured in Uganda orphanage video

The Freshmen Leaders On Campus (FLOC) student group was honored in a video about a Uganda orphanage that benefited from the UT Arlington group's donations.

The video was made by The Giving Circle, a not-for-profit volunteer organization working with the people of Uganda to construct The Koi Koi house, an orphanage for the country's poorest and AIDS-stricken children.

FLOC partnered with The Giving Circle for its 2010-2011 community service project by providing playground equipment, which is shown in the video.

Watch the video featuring the Koi Koi children playing and saying thank you to UT Arlington.

Email maintenance set for this weekend

The University email system for faculty and staff will undergo routine maintenance by the Office of Information Technology from 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9, to 4 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.

The email system will be unavailable during these times. Emails received during the maintenance period will be stored and delivered immediately after the email system is returned to service.

If you have questions or if your email is unavailable for more than 24 hours, contact the OIT Help Desk at 2-2208 or helpdesk@uta.edu.

Rape Aggression Defense System

Learn the 10 basic principles of self-defense, risk avoidance, and more. Free for female students, faculty, and staff. Free. Register. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 10, Room 135, Maverick Activities Center. UTA Police, Officer Randy Reynolds, reynolds@uta.edu.

Dealing Effectively with Conflict and Confrontation

Learn how to diffuse conflict in the workplace and in your personal life. Free. Register. 2-4 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 13, Room 200, Wetsel Service Center.

Employment Information

Check out employment opportunities at uta.edu/jobs. Have questions? Call Human Resources/Employment Services at 2-3461 or TDD 2-8139, or email employment@uta.edu. The University of Texas at Arlington is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Looking to assist: Junior Shaquille White-Miller, right, drives against Myck Kabongo of UT Austin in Tuesday's game. White-Miller leads the Mavericks in assists this season with 3.7 per game.

Mav men fall short at UT Austin

UT Austin pulled away in the second half to down UT Arlington 80-62 in men's basketball action at Austin on Tuesday.

The Mavericks resume play at Tulsa on Saturday, Dec. 17, then go to the Athletes in Action Classic Tuesday-Thursday, Dec. 20-22, at Logan, Utah.

Next home game is Wednesday, Jan. 4, against Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Conference opener.

Movin' Mavs 3-1 at Missouri tournament

The Movin’ Mavs won three out of four games in last weekend's tournament at the University of Missouri, bringing the team's overall record to 5-2.

A strong offense led the Movin' Mavs to three lopsided wins over Southwest Minnesota State, Illinois, and Missouri, but wasn't enough in the second game against Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Next on the team's agenda is the Pittsburg State Gorilla Invitational Friday-Sunday, Dec. 16-18, at Pittsburg, Kan.

Women's basketball falls at Texas Tech

Texas Tech downed the UT Arlington women's basketball team 88-48 Wednesday night at Lubbock.

The Mavericks return to action at the Beach Classic Sunday-Monday, Dec. 18-19, at Long Beach, Calif.

Next home game is against Houston Baptist at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 31.

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

Thursday, Dec. 8

Mavs Book Club Passing Strange: A Gilded Age Tale of Love and Deception Across the Color Line by Martha A. Sandweiss is the monthly selection. All faculty and staff are invited to attend. Free. 5 p.m., Starbucks, E.H. Hereford University Center. Mavs Book Club.

Friday, Dec. 9

SHAC Spa Retreat Join the Student Health Advisory Council for a day free of stress and anxiety in a relaxing spa setting. Haircuts, styles, food, and games. Free. 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Palo Duro Lounge, E.H. Hereford University Center. Health Services, Off Campus Mavericks, Leadership Center.

Opening Reception for BFA Exhibition Reception and awards ceremony honors the graduating seniors whose work is on display in the "Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition," which showcases works in painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, glass, printmaking, film/video, photography, and visual communication. Exhibit continues through Dec. 17. Free. 5-7 p.m., The Gallery at UTA, Fine Arts Building, 2-5658.

$2 Movie: A Christmas Carol Jim Carrey is Ebeneezer Scrooge in this animated version of the holiday classic. 5:30 p.m.; also 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Friday, Dec. 9-Saturday, Dec. 10

Handmade Holidays Vendors display handmade arts and crafts. Free admission. Noon-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Maverick Activities Center. Etsy 817, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Ongoing

Life and Death in the Northern Pass Photojournalist Dominic Bracco II ('08 BA) provides a view of drug violence in Ciudad Juarez. Free. Through Jan. 14. Sixth floor parlor, Central Library.

Impressions of the West: Works of Art from Special Collections The American West comes alive in more than 30 paintings, sculptures, and prints. Free. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Through Jan. 14. Special Collections, sixth floor, Central Library, 2-3393.

Planetarium Together, Big Bird, Elmo, and Hu Hu Zhu locate the Big Dipper, the North Star, and the Moon in One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure. 1 p.m. Saturdays. Planetarium, 2-1183.

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