Skyline News

A Publication of UHD Public Affairs

July 27, 2010

Submit news items to skylinenews@uhd.edu.

Staff Council and the College of Public Service are raising money for school uniforms and supplies for children at the House of Tiny Treasures. The deadline is Aug. 3.

The College of Business Atrium in the Shea Street Building will be closed Thursday, Aug. 5, through Monday, Aug. 16.

Benefits Office is extending office hours until 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Public access to certain portions of the One Main Building's first floor will be permanently restricted effective Thursday, Aug. 5. .

Staff Council, College of Public Service conduct drive for House of Tiny Treasures

Staff Council joins the College of Public Service in its yearly school uniform and supply drive for the siblings of the children at the House of Tiny Treasures, an early childhood development center for homeless children and families. The deadline for donations is Aug. 3.

The House of Tiny Treasures is sponsored by SEARCH, a community-based program that pursues a mission of providing hope, creating opportunities and transforming lives of homeless men, women and children.

Donations will help purchase school uniforms, school supplies, coats, shoes and other needed items.

Checks should be made out to UHD with House of Tiny Treasures in the memo section. Checks can be sent or delivered to Staff Council President John Lane in the TTLC. Donations are tax deductible. Contact Paulette Purdy at 713-221-2746 for more information.

College of Business Atrium closes for Hashimoto art installation Aug. 5-16

The atrium in the Shea Street Building will be closed Thursday, Aug. 5, through Monday, Aug. 16, during the installation of a piece of artwork by Jacob Hashimoto.

The atrium entry doors and atrium stairs for all floors will also be closed. All other building entrances will be open.

The Hashimoto art is stunning addition to the building and the UHD's public art collection, said Susan Baker, associate professor of art history.

The artwork titled, Cloud Deck, will hang from the ceiling of the atrium and will be comprised of about 5,000 translucent kite forms suspended by 240 aircraft cables The whole piece will measure approximately 3 feet deep and 25 feet wide.

Hashimoto just completed a similar sculpture for the opening of the new wing of Museum of Contemporary Art in Rome. Hashimoto was born 1973 in Colorado and now lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and Verona, Italy.

He received his BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He has exhibited his work and is in art collections all over the world. Hashimoto carved his niche in the contemporary art world by making complex forms made up of bamboo and paper kites. Some of his most compelling works are large-scale, atmospheric hanging sculptures made from thousands of round or oval kites clustered together and suspended from string.

You can see more of Hashimoto's work online at:

http://www.studiolacitta.it/English/Artists/JacobHashimoto.php and

http://www.maryboonegallery.com

Powerlifter defends title in Louisiana, club team competes in Dallas July 31

Antonio Morena

UHD Powerlifting Club Team member Antonio Moreno successfully defended his Louisiana State Title Saturday, July 17, at the 2010 World Association of Benchers and Deadlifters (WABDL) Louisiana State Bench Press and Deadlift Championships in Zachary, La.

Moreno placed first in the Junior Division of the 132 lb. weight class in the deadlift event with a lift of 406.2. He attempted a new WABDL National Collegiate record of 446.2 on his third attempt and got the weight to within inches of lockout before he failed. Moreno weighed in at only 127 lbs. for the meet, and is doing well over triple bodyweight deadlifts, an impressive feat in powerlifting. He's an excellent representative of UHD, impressing the fans and other lifters with his lifting and his excellent sportsmanship, said UHD Powerlifting Head Coach John Hudson.

Hudson, a UHD assistant professor of English, was the head official for the meet. Hudson serves as Texas State Chairman for the WABDL, as well as National Collegiate Chairman and National High School Chairman.

Ten members of UHD Powerlifting will be in action on Saturday, July 31, in Dallas at the 2010 WABDL Southern Regional Championships.

Access changes to the first floor of One Main Building will be effective Aug. 5

Public access to certain portions of the One Main Building's first floor, home to
Facilities Management, Shipping/Receiving, and UHD Police offices, will be permanently restricted effective Thursday, Aug. 5.

The center route from the east side by the Main Street elevators to the west side by the Faculty / Staff and Visitors' Garages will no longer be open for public use. This change is being implemented as a safety / risk management item due to the nature of the work routinely performed by Facilities staff in this area.

Elevator service to the One Main Building's first floor will remain unchanged, allowing access to the Facilities Management office, Shipping / Receiving, Police, and the North Dock Lobby.

Questions should be addressed to:

Chris McCall

Assistant V.P. - Facilities

Facilities Management Department

University of Houston - Downtown

713.221.8030

mccallc@uhd.edu

Physical Education class PH2101 now available for academic credit

UHD students now can take a physical education class for academic credit, PHED 2101 Health and Fitness for Life.

Health and Fitness for Life focuses on ways that personal health decisions and behaviors affect body systems and health, and strategies for reducing health risks and enhancing wellness throughout an individual's life.

This hybrid course consists of 49 percent work completed online and 51 percent in the classroom. Online activities will be spent on discussion boards for assigned readings. Classroom activities focus on being physically active in one of the following classes offered in the Student Life Center: Yoga, Pilates, Aerobics, Kickboxing and Zumba. These classes are offered at a variety of times and can be viewed at www.uhd.edu/sportsandfitness.

Students will also keep an activity log and nutrition journal. This course examines nutrition, diet and weight control, and fitness concepts of cardiovascular respiratory endurance, muscular endurance and flexibility. For more information, view the flier here.

To register for fall 2010, visit www.uhd.edu.

UHD hosted a meeting of the Houston Area Consortium of Career Centers. On hand, from left, were Shelley Richard, HACC president and assistant director of Career Services & Testing at University of St. Thomas; Tracie Mazzu, UHD career development counselor and HACC treasurer; keynote speaker Houston Brown who recently retired as manager of graduate recruitment and university relations for Shell Oil Company; Steve Markert, UHD director of Career Services; featured speaker Karen Andrews, director of Career Services at Kennesaw State University and author of the book, "The Complete Graduate;" Jennifer Waggoner, UHD coordinator of Career Services, and Ken Bailey, director of Career Services at Texas A&M Galveston.

Career Services offer resources, events throughout the school year

Career Services has been busy this summer and more activities are planned for the fall, so encourage students to register with jobs4gators to stay on top of all the events to come.

This summer Career Services hosted a 3-day event with State Farm, conducted interviews with companies such as Calpine and BMC Software, co-hosted the HACCC Drive-In @UHD (involving 12 other universities), conducted resume and interview workshops almost daily and more.

Career Services would like to visit with your students, student workers, classes and organizations/groups to let them know Career Services staff members can be valuable resources for them. Call our office at 713-221-8980 today to set up an appointment.

Jobs4gators has over 150 internships and employment opportunities. Examples of companies hiring are: AXA Advisors, Ergos Technology, Houston Police Credit Union, Literacy Advance, Merrill Lynch, The Payne Firm, The Waterman Group, USDA, Harris County, Baylor College of Medicine, Landmark Aviation, Weatherford, Fiesta Corporation and the Texas Department of Banking.

Volunteer and help welcome students back to campus Aug. 23 and 24

The Planning Committee is seeking volunteers to welcome new and returning students back to campus Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 23 and 24, for the Fall 2010 semester.

Stories from previous Skylines

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UHD Young Sounds members performed at the Houston French Consulate's Bastille Day celebration at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston.
UHD Young Sounds perform for French Consulate's Bastille Day celebration

Members of the UHD Young Sounds of Houston jazz ensemble, directed by Robert Wilson, performed as part of the Houston French Consulate's Bastille Day 2010 celebration at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston July 14.

This is the third year that the Young Sounds have collaborated with the Texan-French Alliance for the Arts and the French Consulate for this event. College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Susan Ahern said the Young Sounds performance was well received, and the university was recognized with its logo prominently displayed.

UHD's Center for Computational Sciences acknowledged students who completed the Houston PREP summer enrichment program for area middle and high school students.

Houston PREP attracts 350 students to summer enrichment program at UHD

UHD's Center for Computational Sciences held its Houston PREP summer program for 350 area middle and high school students July 6 -15.

Closing ceremonies featured Houston City Council Member Melissa Noriega and recognized students and their accomplishments in the intensive, mathematics-based activities. Program Co-director Sangeeta Gad said Houston PREP is attracting more participants. This year's program included 50 dual credit students and 50 students who participated in classroom space provided at the Houston Community College-Northwest Town and Country Campus.

Students from numerous area school districts participated along with more than a dozen corporate sponsors and organizations.

Houston City Council Member Melissa Noriega was the guest speaker at the Houston PREP Closing Day Ceremonies.
Prep grad 2

BikeHouston and METRO's cycling club met Monday morning at UHD's light rail stop for METRO's announcement.
METRO makes announcement for bike commuters at UHD's METRORail stop

METRO officials and members of Bike Houston and METRO's cycling club gathered Monday morning at UHD's light rail stop to announce expanded hours when cyclists can board light-rail cars with their bicycles.

Effective Monday, excluding peak passenger hours of 6:30 to 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., bike riders can board rail cars Monday through Friday, and all service hours on weekends. Bikes are limited to two per rail car. Additional information is available at ridemetro and bikehouston.

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Sports and Fitness Center adds Boot Camp class to its Sneak Peek programs

The Sports and Fitness Center has added a new class, Boot Camp, to its schedule.

Boot Camp is designed to encourage the average person to push themselves beyond their perceived limitations.The class is led by Barry Bune, one of the center's personal trainers, who is a former active duty U.S. Army and current National Guard service member.

Whether participants are striving to lose, gain or maintain weight, they can start the class this summer and continue throughout the year. The summer classes meet in the Student Life Center Studio:

July 28, Wednesday, noon - 1 p.m.,SLC Studio

Aug. 2, Monday, noon - 1 p.m.,SLC Studio

Aug. 4, Wednesday, noon - 1 p.m.,SLC Studio

Other classes offered during the Sneak Peek fitness programs on Monday, Wednesday and Friday noon - 1 p.m., include Hip Hop, Pilates, Martial Arts, Pi-Yo and Yoga.For best results, add variety to your workout!

For information, visit the UHD Sports & Fitness website at www.uhd.edu/sportsandfitness.

Benefits Office extends hours Wednesdays and Thursdays

The Benefits Office is extending office hours until 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays to allow employees additional time to make changes during the FY 11 Summer Enrollment.

The extended hours will continue through Thursday, July 29.

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West Bound San Jacinto Exit on I-10 Closed through Oct. 20

The San Jacinto exit ramp from I-10 westbound will be closed continuously for construction until 5 a.m. Oct. 20. The detour route is to take U.S. 59 south to the Jackson Street exit and go west on Commerce Street to San Jacinto. Note this is a change from earlier editions. Franklin Street is one-way eastbound in that area.

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Graduate Record Exam preparation DVDs available at library, Urban Ed.

Graduate Record Exam (General) preparation DVDs are available in the W. I. DykesLibrary in the One Main building and Urban Education office in C-440, Commerce Street Building.

This DVD set is appropriate for anyone interested in becoming familiar with this test and gaining a quick overview of strategies that might be helpful in passing the three sections of the GRE - verbal reasoning, analytical writing, and quantitative. This DVD set includes the material from a workshop conducted in December 2009 and was designed to assist individuals who plan to apply for admission to graduate programs.

Students interested in checking out the GRE DVDs may do so at the library's 5^th floor check-out desk. Students can borrow the materials for up to 4 hours. Non-students and students may also check out the DVDs for in-house viewing between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Urban Education office.

Contact Anjoo Sikka, Urban Education professor, at Sikkaa@uhd.edu for more information. To learn more about the GRE, please visit http://www.ets.org/gre/.

Giveaways help advertise your department during Welcome Week

UHD Welcome Week will be Aug. 23 and 24 and planners invite departments to provide giveaways to advertise during the festivities.

Contact Debora Evans at 713-223-7990 or email evansd@uhd.edu for more information.

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Summer enrollment for employee benefits continues through July 30

Summer Enrollment this year continues through Friday, July 30. During this period, you will be able to log into the Employees Retirement System (ERS) website at www.ers.state.tx.us to make changes to your current enrollment. For assistance with user name and login password, please call ERS toll free at 877-275-4377.

The Benefits Office will be happy to assist you with your changes. Please stop by to complete a Summer Enrollment form. Deadline to submit Summer Enrollment forms to the Benefits Office for processing is 5 p.m., Thursday, July 29.

Below are the changes ERS has made to group health benefits that will affect you and your family for academic year 2011, Sept. 1, 2010 to Aug. 31, 2011:

CURRENT BENEFITS BENEFITS ON SEPT. 1

PCP Office Visit Co-pay $20 $25

Specialist Office Visit Co-pay $30 $40

In-Patient Hospitalization $100 + 20% coinsurance $150 + 20% coins.

Out-Patient Co-pay $100 + 20% coinsurance No Change

In-Network Coinsurance Maximum $1,000 $2,000

Out-of-Network Coins. Maximum $3,000 $7,000

Out-of-Area Coinsurance Maximum $1,000 $3,000