Skyline News

A Publication of UHD Public Affairs

May 13, 2010

Submit news items to skylinenews@uhd.edu.

Today at UHD.....

Deadline May 14 to participate in new name advisory straw poll.

UHD alums and students launch The Midnight Theatre Company.

UHD's Cervenka and Newsum key players in United Nations international art exhibit.

ESO will resurvey veterans and racial/ethnic codes for UHD faculty and staff.

Deadline May 14 to take UHD's Advisory Straw Poll on proposed new names

UHD faculty, staff and students have until 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 14, to participate in an online advisory straw poll on the two proposed new names for the University of Houston-Downtown -- City University and Houston City University.

Participants are asked to identify themselves as students, faculty, staff or alumni, and each person can complete one questionnaire. You can access the Web site directly at this link:
https://global.dt.uh.edu/eservices/uhdsurvey/?testflag=open

You can also reach the Web site via a Name Change Straw Poll icon in the upper left corner of the e-services page at this link:
http://uonline.uhd.edu/?testflag=open

Participants are also invited to visit the Web sites of other universities to see how they've taken advantage of their "City" names and locations.

Alumni will have until 11:30 p.m. Friday, May 21, to give them time to receive notification in the current issue of New Horizons.

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UHD alums, students launch The Midnight Theatre Company; first play runs May 14-16

The new Midnight Theatre Company, founded by several UHD alumni and students, will launch its first performance at 8 p.m. Friday, May 14, at the Midtown Art Center, 3414 La Branch.

"Case No. 105," a one-man adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven, stars UHD history major Christian Briones - shown rehearsing below - who also is general manager of Midnight Theatre. The play is written by Theatre founder and Artistic Director Jimmy G. Mai, a 2008 UHD graduate who majored in English and minored in theater.

The play also will run at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 15, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 16. In addition to the featured performance, company manager Tara Siewrattan will introduce a debut of her sketch comedy group "The Lonely Hearts Comedy Club." Siewrattan received her bachelor's in communications from UHD in 2009.

UHD alum Christopher R. Vara, who earned his bachelor's in humanities from UHD in 2004, will be directing future plays. Midnight Theatre's director of communications, Marylu Rodriguez, attended UHD for two years then transferred to the University of Houston and earned a bachelor's in communications in 2009. The Theatre's support team includes UHD student Amanda San Miguel, who works on sound production, and 2004 UHD graduate Tudon Martinez, who works on sound design.

Presale tickets for MIdnight Theatre's first play are $10 apiece and $12 at the door. Visitors who show student IDs get a $2 discount (valid for presale and at the door). The first 100 presale ticket-buyers will receive a free beverage at the show.

For more information on The Midnight Theatre, visit the company's Wordpress Blog and its Facebook Fan page. To see the Theatre's opening schedule, click on the flier.

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UHD's Cervenka and Newsum key creators in United Nations art exhibit

Two UHD artists and professors help form the creative backbone of a May 7-14 United Nations art exhibit in New York City's Bohemian National Hall exploring how toxic chemicals and consumer waste affect the human body and the natural world.

Mark Cervenka, left, director of UHD's O'Kane Gallery and associate professor here, is cur Newsum, Floyd

ator of the international exhibit entitled "Substantialis Corporis Mixti," or Substantial Form of the Blended Body. He selected artists from around the world to participate, including his colleague Floyd Newsum, right, UHD professor and artist. Please see the attached news release for the full story and a photograph of Newsum's creation.

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Stories from previous Skylines

ESO to Resurvey Veterans and Racial/Ethnic Codes for all Faculty and Staff to comply with new requirements

In response to a recent U.S. Department of Education posting to the Federal Register, UHD is changing the way it collects racial and ethnic data from faculty and staff and asks that they update information via P.A.S.S. (People Advantage Self Service) by Friday, May 28.

The U.S. Department of Education requires annual reports from higher education institutions on their racial and ethnic constituencies through the Integrated Postsecondary Education System (IPEDS). To comply with these new requirements, employees and faculty are invited to review and update their ethnic/racial background records by logging into P.A.S.S.

ESO also requests that veterans employed by UHD review and update their current veteran status, if applicable, in P.A.S.S. as these codes have also changed.

Once logged into P.A.S.S, please select Personal Information, then Ethnicity. Answer the question(s) and select that the information is verified as correct.

To update veteran status, select Veteran Status and review current status. If the status is not correct, select Edit Veteran Status. Select one of the five options. Some options may have other pop-ups for further selections.

Returning users to P.A.S.S. can click here to log on and enter their employee ID and password.

New users to P.A.S.S should make sure that they have their Employee ID (commonly referred to as "Empl ID," this number may be found on paycheck stubs or PARs), date of birth (mmddyyyy) and the last four digits of their social security number.

Password: Select "Forgot your Password" the first time you log in and follow the instructions to have a new password emailed to you. Logon with the e-mailed password. After the initial log in, the system will require users to change the password. Your password must be at least 10 characters and contain one digit.

Should you have any difficulties logging into P.A.S.S., please review P.A.S.S. instructions by clicking on PASS Slide Show on the P.A.S.S. Web site or contact Linda Biddle at biddlel@uhd.edu.

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IT Training invites UHD faculty to May Lunch & Learn on StudyMate

Faculty members interested in learning how to use StudyMate features with Blackboard Vista courses are invited to a Lunch & Learn session from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 17, in the TTLC training lab (A723).

The tools are fun and simple. For example, pre-existing test questions can be used to create flash cards, quiz games, puzzles and more to help students study better and improve their academic performances.

Click here to reserve a spot. Click on the above flier for a better view of the details.

UHD closes search for new Sr. VP and Provost for Academic Affairs; new search committee planned for August

UHD has closed its current search for a new Senior Vice President and Provost for Academic Affairs and will open a new search in August.

Search Committee Chair Don Bates said May 10 that he recommended closing the search and starting over in August with the hope of filling the position by the beginning of spring semester 2011.

"It is regrettable when a search fails, but not unusual with positions at this level, and it is important that we find the right person," Bates said.

UHD President Bill Flores thanked search committee members for their service and said he will appoint a new committee in August. He said he will make additional decisions about the position in the weeks ahead.

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Theatre group sets schedule of plays for upcoming semesters

We can plan on drama in our lives in upcoming months as the University Theatre Drama group announced its play schedule for the 2010-2011 seasons at the O'Kane Theatre.

The schedule includes the following great works:

Summer 2010
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, produced in
conjunction with UHD's new summer theatre company, "The
Landing Theatre." Dates: June 25 to July 11
Fall 2010
A full student production of David Mamet's Oleanna.
Dates: Aug. 26 to 29
The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman.
Dates: Oct. 29 to Nov. 6
Fifteen student-directed One-Act Plays. Dates: Nov. 19 to 22
A SIP's (Student-Initiated Project) production of an
English/Spanish language play, La Señora Martin.
Dates: Dec. 2 to 4
Spring 2011
You Can't Take It With You by Moss Hart and George S.
Kaufman. Dates: April 1 to 9

Topping off the theatre's academic year will be the Drama Trip to London from May 14 to 24, 2011.

Make plans to attend the major productions and the student presentations.

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Shea Street Atrium Entrance will be Closed after Spring Finals May 14-24

Facilities Management will shut down the Shea Street Building atrium entrance at 7 p.m. Friday, May 14, until 7 a.m. Monday, May 24, to relocate fire systems in the atrium ceiling for the summer installation of art work.

Access to the building can be gained by the parking garage elevators or the north entry stairs on Main Street and Naylor.

In addition to the entrance, other closed areas of the Shea Street Building include:

The open stairs in the Shea Street Building atrium and the building main entry doors near the guard station will be shut down.
The open stairs on the south side of the building leading from the 4th floor College of Business offices to the atrium 1st floor also will be closed.

Questions about the closures can be directed to Kimberly Morisak, director of contracted services for Facilities Management, at 713-221-8518 or Morisak@uhd.edu.

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UHD Sports & Fitness Awards Banquet to celebrate student athletes set for May 21

Register now for the 14th Annual Sports & Fitness Awards Banquet scheduled for 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 21, in UHD's Special Events Center. Tickets can be purchased at the Student Life Center for $10 apiece.

The annual event includes a dinner and celebration for UHD athletes who participate in UHD's numerous sports programs. An after-party is scheduled at Bamboo. Remember, no tickets are available at the door, so please purchase them early. A banquet flier is available here.

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Commerce Street Building elevator project scheduled for May 17-28

UHD Facilities Management will perform modifications to elevator 53, which serves the south portion of the Commerce Street Building, starting May 17 and running through May 28.

No access to elevator 53 will be available during the work. The two passenger elevators located in the front of the Commerce Street Building will operate normally and won't be affected by this project.

Once the modifications are complete, elevator 53 will have an additional set of doors on the first floor to make the Commerce Street Building more convenient and accessible. The new elevator doors will be located on the first floor adjacent to the stairs and student study area in the south end of the building.

Questions should be addressed to Eric Reimer at 713-221-8234 or reimere@uhd.edu. Facilities Management thanks the UHD community and Commerce Street Building visitors for their cooperation during the project.

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Facilities Management will test fire protection systems May 17-28