UKnighted Newsletter
July 2007

New SGA Administration Makes Changes

Grounded in a slogan of “Your campus, your decisions, your legacy,” Brandie Hollinger, Student Government Association (SGA) president, and Logan Berkowitz, vice president, are determined to put the emphasis of the administration on the student. “We really want to empower students,” said Hollinger, who is the first female SGA president in UCF history.

Leading up to the election, the pair spoke with students and over 50 campus organizations to determine their concerns and which issues were most important to the student body. “You can’t run on a platform of what you want. You have to get at the constituents’ issues,” Berkowitz said.

During Hollinger’s one-year term as student body president, she will oversee a budget of $13.6 million and represent UCF’s 48,000 students as a member of the Board of Trustees (BOT). Her primary focus throughout the year is to increase SGA visibility to students in order to effectively advocate for them.

One of her strategies is to have a SGA table in front of the Student Union where every member of student government will be required to commit to a two-hour block per week to answer student questions and concerns. “I really want to see student government out in the community and to be more approachable,” Hollinger said.

She also plans to engage in public speaking at every opportunity to include addressing the student Senate and speaking at orientations to new UCF students. The goal is to create a student government that is accessible and accountable to the student body, and acts according to the needs of the students.

Among the changes that have received quite a bit of attention is the reorganization of the cabinet. According to Berkowitz, “some cabinet members had too many tasks to handle for one person, so not much was accomplished.” They decided to divide the responsibilities evenly among each member.

For example, instead of having one cabinet member handle all multicultural and diversity issues, the position was divided into a multicultural affairs coordinator and a diversity initiatives coordinator.

Another goal for Hollinger and Berkowitz is to create a student opinion poll on the SGA Web site for students to voice their opinions regarding upcoming issues that Hollinger will vote on at the BOT meeting. Although they expect it may take time for students to become aware of the poll, Berkowitz said, the students will see the relationship between the existence of the poll and how Hollinger votes.

Although the SGA Web site is currently unavailable until some time this month, Hollinger said SGA is promoting the site and the poll as much as they can through correspondence with students and promotional items. “It is our hope that students will make the SGA Web site one of their ‘favorites’ and a Web site to check everyday when they go online.”

An additional challenge is to gear up for the football season this fall, which along with the new stadium will bring tailgating to campus for the first time. Much like the past, SGA is participating in the programming and supporting of safe tailgating.

“Students who were familiar with our tailgating efforts last year know that we passed out free pizzas, promotional items, worked with the Good Sport Program and served as Ambassadors for students in various capacities,” said Hollinger. “We plan to expand our services this year and partner with other entities on campus such as the Office of Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programming, Housing and Residence Life, Office of Student Involvement, and the Student Union.”

Hollinger and Berkowitz both bring past experience working on the UCF tailgating task force (Tailgating and Activities Planning Committee) to this year’s administration. According to Hollinger, the new administration is looking forward to an unprecedented boost in school spirit during their tenure. “This year is going to be such a great year to be a Knight,” said Hollinger. “This is a chance to create new traditions.”


Hollinger/Berkowitz Administration

• Advocate for students
• Discount UCF apparel
• Increase student access to SGA representatives
• Make SGA more approachable
• Include emergency numbers on the back of UCF identification card
• Increase the number of escorts in the Safety Escort Patrol Services (SEPS) program
• Fostering a sense of spirit, pride and tradition for UCF

Summer Sizzle Keeps Students Informed

In an effort to keep summer students engaged and aware of UCF programs and services, the Sophomore and Second Year Center (SSYC) collaborated with Undergraduate Studies and Residence Life on an event called Summer Sizzle. This outreach program was conducted June 12 in the Tower II lobby with food provided by Residence Life staff and prizes donated by the SSYC office.

A total of 35 students attended this interactive information event conducted to help them stay connected with student support and advising services at UCF. Information was provided about programs, major and career exploration services and opportunities for their continued academic success.

Alison Morrison-Shetlar, dean of Undergraduate Studies, spoke about various research and faculty contact opportunities for students and shared information on the new environmental focus of general education program courses. Students said they enjoyed the opportunity to converse with UCF staff in a relaxing atmosphere.

UCF Football Scholar Receives National Recognition

Shareff Rashad, a junior on the varsity football team, was named by Diverse magazine to the 2007 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars First Team. He was one of only 15 football players nationwide named to this list.

In addition to their athletic ability, Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars exhibit academic excellence and community activism. Rashad, who was also recently named UCF’s male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, is pursuing a criminal justice degree.

Registrar Earns an A in Grade Processing

For the spring 2007 semester, the Registrar’s Office processed 7,670 grade sheets for a combined total of 165,060 grades processed. Tina Sutherland, assistant university registrar, led the efforts.

“The dedication and cooperation of the Registrar’s Office, college and departmental staff members made a most successful grade roster processing week,” said Sutherland. “We had the lowest number of missing rosters and missing grades. Every staff member added greatly to the endeavor and should be commended.”

UCF Students Named All-American Officials

In 2006-07, only 36 out of thousands of student officials from around the country were given the highest honor of being named an All-American official in the sports of flag football and basketball. Two of those officials were from UCF: James Abarquez and Sarah Crytzer, basketball officials.

Since 2001, UCF has had 11 officials named All-American. Each year during basketball season, an exclusive training class is offered to only 26 officials. Throughout the class, officials study rules, discuss tough plays and are video taped while officiating very competitive games. Clinicians for this class include officials from the NBA, NBA developmental league, and Division I and II college basketball.

Officials that have come through the intramural program at UCF continue to excel in their own careers after they graduate. Former students have moved on to work various levels of college basketball, Minor League Baseball and the NBA Developmental League.

Each semester, student officials are recruited, hired and trained to officiate a number of sports including: flag football, basketball, hockey, baseball, dodgeball, volleyball and softball offered through the Intramural Sports (IM) program. “The University of Central Florida’s IM officials program is quickly becoming one of the hardest working and most decorated student officials program in the country,” stated Gary Campbell, assistant director for IM.

Every year, select students travel to officiating workshops around the country in order to bring officiating philosophies and techniques back to the program at UCF. According to Campbell, “What makes the officials’ education process so unique is that fellow students do almost all the training.”

Send-Off Celebration for Denesha Jenkins

Family and friends of Miss UCF 2007, Denesha Jenkins, gathered in the Cape Florida Ballroom on June 8 to wish her well in the Miss Florida Scholarship Competition, held June 27-30 in St. Petersburg.

Jenkins modeled her wardrobe, discussed her platform, “Get Excited About Reading: Literacy Education,” and sang her vocal rendition of “Listen” from the movie Dreamgirls. Jenkins joins five other UCF women who are competing this year including last year’s Miss UCF 2006, Megan Clementi.

Counseling Director Presents at Regional Seminar

David Wallace, director for the UCF Counseling Center, presented, “How to Deal with Difficult Situations,” at the May Southern Region Faculty Brown Bag Lunch Seminar. The presentation included a discussion on ways to address and de-escalate difficult situations in the classroom, hallways, meeting rooms and offices.

Topics included the importance of having a work area safety plan, helpful resources and the introduction of the new Southern Region Faculty and Staff 911 Guide.

“The principles we need to apply when we encounter unusual behaviors are really straightforward and quite easy to apply. This workshop teaches those basic ideas and how to apply them in the classroom, our offices and in other campus settings,” stated Wallace.

The seminar originated from the UCF Cocoa campus and was transmitted via Polycom to the UCF Palm Bay campus. Attendance totaled 31 and included UCF faculty, staff, students, administration and Brevard Community College partners.

“The seminar provided a comprehensive strategy for dealing with the difficult situations that we may potentially face in our efforts to support student success,” said Terry Exum, director for Southern Region Student Services.

Study Abroad Program Opportunities

Melanie Parker, executive director for Career Services and Experiential Learning, participated in a sponsored, week-long trip to Israel to learn about more than 150 long-term study and work abroad programs. MASA, the sponsoring agency, provides scholarships and program information for more than 8,000 young adult participants.

The trip highlights included: visits to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Masada, the Dead Sea, a Bedouin village, Hebrew and Ben Gurion Universities, community agencies, the Holocaust Museum, and a culminating gala event with over 5,000 attendees featuring a speech by Prime Minister Olmert.

UCF Participates in World Diversity Summit

Andretta Williams, student director, and Ashley Sumbry, graduate assistant, both from Multicultural Student Center, had the opportunity to attend the World Diversity Leadership Summit held at the United Nations in New York City, June 4-6.

This opportunity was funded in part by a grant received from Diversity Initiatives with additional funding from the Student Government Association. The two were able to learn about innovative techniques for integrating diversity into organizations from every business level, including academic institutions and Fortune 500 companies.

Additionally, they attended a panel session that included Richard Lapchick, UCF program director and chair for DeVos Sport Business Management Program. Lapchick spoke about how sport is the catalyst for change in society and how diversity and inclusion are important components of sport and education.

UCF Alumni Initiate Career Program

Ken Goodwin has launched a new career services program for UCF alumni. He is housed in the FAIRWINDS Alumni Center and has met with numerous alumni, referring them to Employ Florida Marketplace, KnightLink and directly to potential employers.

Goodwin has also helped facilitate the alumni career networking program and developed marketing and advertising materials. Goodwin is an executive on loan from Workforce Central Florida and co-sponsored by the Florida High Tech Corridor.

Registrar's Office is Ready in an Emergency

The Registrar’s Office now has an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) available on the first floor of Millican Hall. An AED is a portable automatic device used to restore normal heart rhythm to patients in cardiac arrest.

When an AED is applied, it automatically analyzes the patient’s heart rhythm and advises the rescuer whether or not a shock is needed to restore a normal heart beat. The office staff took part in a demonstration of its use May 31, extending the office’s commitment to service with the ability to provide emergency assistance.

SDES Council Corner

Giving, caring, and sharing, is what the Bonneville Backpack Project is all about. The second annual Bonneville Backpack Project is now underway. This project, hosted by the SDES Council, includes all the departments and offices within the SDES division.

Collectively, SDES will raise funds and supplies to create 60 well-equipped backpacks for students at Bonneville Elementary. The backpacks are distributed by the school’s faculty and staff to need-based students.

This year, the SDES Council has Target as a sponsor. They agreed to donate $1,500 to the cause. This will cover the backpacks and some general supplies. The council will need SDES staff and faculty to donate money and school supplies. SDES staff will receive a list of items and collection envelopes.The supply list will be available online at: www.sdes.ucf.edu, then click on Staff News and Information.

The deadline to collect money and donated items is August 1. The council will be stuffing the backpacks during the week of August 6. To volunteer and assist with assembling the backpacks, as well as transporting them to the school, contact Jessica Falco at jfalco@mail.ucf.edu.

SDES Changes

• Valeria Brown recently joined the Academic Services for Student-Athletes (ASSA) staff as an academic advisor. While working on her second master’s degree, she worked for UCF’s Housing and Residence Life Department.
  
  In her new position with ASSA, she will serve as an academic advisor for student-athletes, specifically those on the football team and men’s and women’s tennis teams. In addition, she will assist with coordinating the Life Skills program for all student-athletes.
• Katherine “Katie” Cox is assistant director for Employer Relations-College of Business Administration, Career Services and Experiential Learning. She was previously assistant director for Career Services at Washington and Lee University in Virginia.
• The Office of Multicultural Academic and Support Services welcomes Leighann Leonard as the new First Generation College Student coordinator. Leonard will be advising students, conducting workshops and providing collaboration with other SDES offices on campus.
• Lindi Smedberg is the new assistant director for Fraternity and Sorority Life. She received her Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from UCF in 2006. Previous to coming to UCF, she worked at the University of North Florida in the residence life office as an area coordinator from 2006-07.
• Russ Muller, Career Services and Experiential Learning, is providing halftime computer services support to the Registrar’s Office since Mike Pinn’s departure.

SDES Awards and Recognition

• Joseph Ross Leshinsky, Veteran Services, was named the Registrar’s Office Spring 2007 Employee of the Semester. He received a plaque and a pair of movie tickets.

SDES Presentations

• Ronald Atwell, Assessment and Planning, and Pam Rea, Student Disability Services, presented two concurrent sessions: “Assessment Toolkit: Measuring What Matters in Student Development and Enrollment Services” and “Planning for Student Success: The Role of Institutional Effectiveness” at the International Assessment and Retention Conference held in St. Louis, June 7-10.
  
  In addition, Atwell and Kathleen Connolly (First Year Advising and Exploration) presented the poster session, “Assessment Toolkit: Measuring What Matters in Student Development and Enrollment Services.”
• Kristy Belden and Jennifer Alger, Academic Services for Student-Athletes, co-presented “Bridging the Gap...Using Technology to Our Advantage” at the N4A (National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics) National Convention in Phoenix, June 8-11.
  
  The presentation explored ways to use Facebook, MySpace, text messaging and Instant Messaging as methods to connect and communicate with student-athletes.
• Dennis Dulniak, Registrar’s Office (RO), was on the Residency: Legislative Update panel at the 52nd Florida Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers Conference and presented a session, “Everything I Needed to Know about Life I Learned from a Jigsaw Puzzle.” Paul Viau, (RO), shared his expertise in “What’s in Your Catalog?” The conference was held in St. Petersburg, June 10-12.
• Patricia MacKown, Campus Life and Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, presented, “A Medical Amnesty Program at UCF” at the 2007 Association of Student Judicial Affairs (ASJA) Summer Drive-In Conference at the University of North Florida on June 8. Nick Oleksy and Laura Creegan, UCF Office of Student Conduct, also attended the conference.
• Craig Ullom, Campus Life, chaired a panel presentation and discussion entitled, “Safety and Security on Our Campuses: What’s Next?” at the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Region III Summer Symposium, in Virginia Beach on June 11.
• James Wilkening and Jason Balma, Recreation and Wellness Center, presented “Simplifying Sport Club Budgeting Through a Tier and Point System” at the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Sport Club Symposium held in Milwaukee, June 14.
  
  The following Health Services members presented or had leadership roles at the American College Health Association (ACHA) Annual Meeting held in San Antonio on May 29–June 2.

• James Schaus, M.D. presented “Alcohol Screening and Clinician-delivered Brief Intervention that Works.”
• Claudia Witcher, RN and Michael Deichen, M.D. presented “Mass Prophylaxis on Campus.”
• Bob Wirag, director for UCF Health Services and vice president for the American College Health Foundation, presented “Campaign 2011: Celebrating 150 Years of College Health.”
• Peter Mastroianni presided over the presentation, “Healthy Carolina: South Carolina Holistic & Integrated Approach to Healthy Campus 2010.”
• Bob Wirag, former ACHA president, was appointed chair of the Program Planning Committee for the 2008 ACHA Annual Meeting to be held in Orlando.

SDES Publications

• Lucia Avendano, Registrars Office, had her article, “Scream Without Mouth: Eastern Culture or Universal Culture Expression,” published in Connections, the UCF Center for Multilingual and Multicultural Studies April 2007 newsletter.

Welcome to SDES

• Stephanie Bork, office assistant, Health Services (HS)
• Katherine Cox, assistant director, Academic Support Services, Career Services and Experiential Learning
• Jacqueline Dunston, certified medical assistant, HS
• Erin Kettles, coordinator, University Relations/Public Affairs, HS
• Melmar Luangco, custodial worker, Recreation and Wellness Center
• Andrew Luchner, psychologist, Counseling Center
• Lindi Smedberg, assistant director, Student Affairs, Fraternity and Sorority Life
• Steven Wilbanks, licensed electrician, Student Union

INTEGRITY
I will practice and defend academic and personal honesty.

SCHOLARSHIP
I will cherish and honor learning as a fundamental purpose of my membership in the UCF community.

COMMUNITY
I will promote an open and supportive campus environment by respecting the rights and contributions of every individual.

CREATIVITY
I will use my talents to enrich the human experience.

EXCELLENCE
I will strive toward the highest standards of performance in any endeavor I undertake.

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