Student Life Center announces semester break hours  

The Student Life Center will have special hours during the semester break effective from May 16 - May 20 and May 31 - June 3.

The semester break hours are:

• Monday - Thursday: 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
• Friday: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: Closed

The Student Life Center East and West Gyms are scheduled for floor resurfacing for two weeks from May 23 - June 5. As a result, the entire facility will be closed for workouts, classes, personal training and massages from May 23 - May 30.The Student Life Center second floor fitness center is scheduled to reopen on May 31. Personal training and massages will also be available again starting May 31. 

The Sports and Fitness member services counter will remain open for business from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 23 - June 5.

Sports and Fitness will resume fitness classes for summer on June 6.  Please go to www.uhd.edu./sports&fitness/fitness for the summer fitness class schedule.

Criminal justice honor society inducts new members; hosts Sheriff Adrian Garcia    

UHD's Alpha Phi Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national honor society for criminal justice, held its Spring 2011 Induction and Honors Ceremony on May 12 for criminal justice majors who meet the organization's academic requirements. Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia was the guest speaker. Alpha Phi members included in the photo above, from left, Nolan Manuel, Dua Quraishi, Diana Nguyen, Ernesto Hurtado, Keith Green, Sheriff Garcia, Michael Hebert, Traqina Emeka - assistant professor and advisor, Guadalupe Mendiola-Washington, Brian Rizzo and Monica De La Rosa. Inductees received personalized membership certificates and lapel pins. Graduating seniors received honor cords, medallions and stoles.

Register now for the Summer UHD Biggest Loser Competition in Sports and Fitness

Sports and Fitness is registering participants now for the Summer UHD Biggest Loser Competition which will be held June 6 to Aug. 12, so sign up now and you could be the biggest loser.

Staff members encourage participants to exercise and eat properly during the 10-week program and measure their progress at weekly weigh-ins in the Student Life Center.  Students, faculty and staff are eligible for the individual competition. Teams from the various departments are also welcome to participate but must include at least five people from the same department. Some exceptions may apply.

Prizes will be awarded to the first and second place individual winners as well as the first place team with the greatest percentage of weight loss. The $5 registration fee includes weekly challenges, weigh-ins, emails and new to this year's competition - weekly training sessions led by the Sports and Fitness personal trainers. Training dates and times are scheduled for Fridays but will be offered based on interest. A registration form is available here along with more information about the program. People interested in participating should register in person in the Student Life Center by June 10. Motivation and accountability help improve weight loss and the Summer UHD Biggest Loser Competition offers both.

Sports and Fitness posts aerobics summer class list; try some exercise classes for free 

Summer aerobics classes in the Student Life Center are now posted and can be viewed here. 

UHD Veterans Services seeks support for 5k event benefiting disabled veterans   

UHD's Offices of Admissions, Student Activities and Veterans Services have partnered to participate in the seventh annual Impact a Hero 5k Run/Walk/Wheel at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, June 4, at Mercer Stadium in Sugar Land.

The event raises money for severely wounded and disabled U.S. Veterans who have served in the War on Terror and their families. The University community can support the effort by making a donation, registering to participate or sponsoring the UHD team. Please use the links below to donate or join online quickly and securely.  Participants will receive email confirmations of donations and registrations.

Donate here: http://www.active.com/donate/impactahero/UHD_VeteransServices

Register and join the UHD team here: http://www.active.com/donate/impactahero

Michael Records, UHD manager of Veterans Services, said he encourages everyone to support this worthwhile event on behalf of veterans and to send the information to their friends. Contact the Veterans Services Office at 713-221-8622 for more information.

Facilities Management fire safety systems testing will continue through June 3   

Facilities Management will perform semi-annual testing and maintenance of the campus fire detection / notification / suppression systems and related elevator fire service re-call, air handler shut-downs, fire-door hold-open devices and stair pressurization controls starting today through June 3 in all campus buildings.

This testing must be performed during normal business hours due to the size of the systems, the contractors involved and the cost of the labor required to perform the work. Please consider this an opportunity for the university community to become familiar with these fire and life safety systems and the campus emergency public address system.

An announcement will be made over the PA system prior to the alarms being sounded to inform the occupants of the test. The alarms and strobe lights will then be engaged briefly and certified by the technicians. An announcement will be made after the conclusion of each segment of the audible and visual alarm testing.

For information, contact Chris McCall, Assistant Vice President - Facilities Management Department, at mccallc@uhd.edu.

Banner and E-Services will be down beginning at 7 p.m. May 25 for maintenance   

Information Technology will perform major maintenance on the Banner Student Records system during the following times/dates.

Start Time/Date: 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 25
Expected End Time/Date/:  by 7 a.m. Thursday, May 26

The following services will be unavailable during the maintenance period:

• Banner (Student Records System)
• Banner Financial Aid
• Faculty & Staff e-services (payments, personal data and class roster)
• Student e-services (registration, payments, schedules, personal data and grades)
• Access to Student Account Info via e-services (usernames and passwords for GatorMail, Network ID and Blackboard Vista)

If you have any questions or need more information, please contact the Help Desk (X3000, 713-221-8031, help@uhd.edu).

P-Chem II students beat national mean/median scores on ACS standardized final exam   

Spring semester Physical Chemistry II (CHEM 3332) students taught by Maria Benavides, assistant professor of Chemistry, scored above the national mean and median on the American Chemical Society standardized exam which represented their final exam.  

The mean score for UHD students was 23.5 vs. a national mean of 20.08 and the UHD students' median score was 24.0 vs. a national median of 19.5.

"This is very significant because Physical Chemistry is considered the most difficult subject in Chemistry," Benavides said.

The ACS exams are prepared by an ACS committee of professors from different universities who are considered experts on a given subject: General Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry or Physical Chemistry. The ACS tests are used by many universities as a form of standardized final exam.

"These exams are considered among the most difficult and challenging in Chemistry," Benavides said. The national median for each exam is based on 40 multiple choice questions and the scores are representative of the results from a wide array of universities across the United States. "The final exam that my students took for Physical Chemistry II was the Physical Chemistry (Quantum Mechanics) because it is representative of the course content, which consists of Quantum Chemistry and Spectroscopy," she said.

Benavides also teaches Physical Chemistry I, and the final exam corresponds to Physical Chemistry (Thermodynamics) because the class consists of a one semester course in Thermodynamics. UHD students in those classes also have always outperformed the national mean/median scores, she said. 

Commencement will require guest tickets; ceremony can be viewed live via the internet  

UHD's 50th Commencement exercises will be held at Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 21, and approximately 1,150 students will receive bachelor's and master's degrees.

The ceremony can be viewed live via the internet at http://www.uhd.edu/computing/ttlc/itv/uhdtv/commencement_flash.html

For the first time, guests and visitors will need tickets for admission. Tickets are free and can be picked up from the Office of Student Activities, Room S-204, One Main Building until Friday, May 20. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Back to Top 

IT training for Faculty/Staff/Alumni