UKnighted Newsletter
October 2007

SDES Ambassadors Promote Responsible Tailgating on Game Day

The 2007 Good Sport Ambassador program, coordinated by Student Development and Enrollment Services’ Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Programming (AOD), is encouraging students to“Do the Knight Thing” for responsible tailgating during UCF home football games. The idea of “Do the Knight Thing” is to have fun, be safe and to encourage fans to behave in ways that reflect the values of UCF, including:

• Maintain respect and ensure the safety of all fans;
• Respect the law, do not drink if you are under 21;
• Be responsible if you choose to consume alcohol;
• Encourage activities that do not include the rapid consumption
  of alcohol;
• Dispose of all trash and recyclables in appropriate receptacles.

The role of the Good Sport Ambassador is of hospitality and assistance, not enforcement. Ambassadors promote “Do the Knight Thing” by locating resources and greeting fans, and giving out freebies, such as temporary tattoos, “Do The Knight Thing” frisbees and towels.

Student Government Association (SGA), Office of Student Involvement (OSI), Fraternity and Sorority Life, Housing and Residence Life, and AOD worked in collaboration to create several Good Sport Zones and provide fans with pre-game entertainment, food, water bottles and freebies.

“Most of the fans were great. There was tremendous excitement across the whole campus for this first game ever on the UCF campus and hopefully, it will continue,” said Kerry Welch, director for OSI. “Fans were tailgating across the campus, grilling food, watching television (attached to portable satellite dishes), and tossing around a football or frisbee. Memory Mall was a great location; lots of fans, students, staff and alumni were there. SGA did an excellent job setting up a Good Sport Zone, giving away Rock Star (energy drink, courtesy of Coca-Cola) and Domino’s Pizza. Some water was also provided for designated drivers. All-in-all, it was a great day for UCF.”

Approximately 32 Ambassadors and many student volunteers
assisted fans and promoted the message, “Do the Right Thing” and “Do the Knight Thing” in the Good Sport Zones.

“The Good Sport Ambassadors are an important part of game day,” said Brittany Resmann, student. “Their presence and the giveaways really help make tailgating a fun and safe experience. I believe that the ambassadors are essential to the establishment of positive traditions at UCF.”

“I had such a great time during the first home game as an Ambassador, that I would like to volunteer for all the games,” said Todd Lazarus, research scientist for the Institute for Simulation & Training at UCF. “The student body was receptive to our presence and loved that we gave out free stuff (I had a few complaints the tattoos didn’t work sometimes), but what an exciting experience it was for all.”

Good Sport Campaign

The Good Sport Campaign supports responsible fan behavior by sponsoring activities at tailgating events, such as food, soft drinks, intramural games and music. The campaign also encourages being a designated driver, exhibiting UCF spirit and sportsmanship, keeping the tailgate area clean, having food and non-alcoholic beverages available and having no glass bottles.

UCF Fraternity Recognized for Excellence

Beta Theta Pi was recently recognized with the John Reily Knox Chapter of Excellence Award. The Knox Award is the highest honor given to a fraternity chapter, recognizing achievements embodying the objects and values of the organization. Only 10 of the more than 120 chapters made it to this pinnacle.

The award was the result of a year-long effort by the UCF chapter to improve the image of the fraternity and sorority community. The Betas’ hard work earned them other awards, including the Sisson Award (fourth consecutive award for this chapter, given to 32 superior chapters), Excellence in Recruitment Award and the Virginia Tech Award for Academic Achievement.

At UCF, Beta earned first place in the annual Greek Week event. Additionally, the fraternity collectively held the top GPA for the past three semesters.

“This honor will only serve to inspire our chapter to continue to set the pace in our fraternity community, and to strive to help others along our way,” said Jason Holic, chapter president.

UCF Panhellenic Chapters Make a Difference in the Orlando Area

The 10 Panhellenic sorority chapters at UCF involved philanthropy as a portion of recruitment activities this fall. Potential new members were encouraged to get involved in the philanthropic spirit by participating in a school supply drive for “A Gift for Teaching,” a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes school supplies to local teachers who work at schools with 60 percent or more of their students on reduced lunch.

UCF Panhellenic collected over 5,500 supplies including book bags, notebooks, pencils, crayons, glue, markers, rulers, folders, and much more. “I’m so proud of all the sorority women who selflessly donated school supplies to help alleviate the financial burden of teachers and families in Orlando,” said Mary Kovacik, the Panhellenic Council’s vice president of community involvement.

Students from the Multicultural Center Awarded Scholarships

Ashley Sumbry, Office of Student Involvement graduate assistant for the Multicultural Student Center (MSC), received a graduate scholarship for $2,000 from the Central Florida Chapter of the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA). Sumbry is a second-year graduate student in the DeVos Sport Business Management program.

Andretta Williams, student director for MSC, received an undergraduate scholarship for $1,000 from the Central Florida Chapter of the NBMBAA. Williams is a senior accounting student.

The two were presented with the awards at a scholarship luncheon on September 15 during the national conference of the NBMBAA held in Orlando.

Students Meet with Employers at Part-Time Job Fair

The fall 2007 Part-Time Job Fair, hosted by Career Services, attracted over 2,000 students of various majors and classifications and over 50 employers from around the country. The fair provided an opportunity for employers and community partners to discuss part-time on- and off-campus job opportunities with UCF students. The event also benefited students who desired to obtain experience while in school and defray part of their college expenses.

Rec Members Participate in Cardio Challenge

The Triathlon Cardio Challenge allows students to complete a triathlon over an extended period of time. The total distances of the run, bike and swim must be completed over a one-month time period.
Stephanie Gaski and Kimberly Halliday, Fitness staff, created this Recreation and Wellness Center Fitness program. A total of 51 participants have signed up for the challenge. Upon completion, each competitor will receive rewards, such as a water bottle and towel with the Fitness logo engraved on them.

Outdoor Adventure Soon To Travel International

Outdoor Adventure is actively seeking participants to go on their first-ever international trip to Costa Rica this upcoming spring break. The trip activities include: whitewater rafting, hiking, horseback riding, sight seeing, a volcano tour and zip line tour of the canopy rainforest. Food, transportation and lodging is all included. Students interested in going must complete the application and get approval before signing up on the trip. For more information, visit: www.rec.ucf.edu/oadventure/OA.htm.

Housing Ready for Fall 2007

The Department of Housing and Residence Life reports a successful start to the 2007-08 academic year.

• Eleven area coordinators, 16 graduate assistants and 176 Resident Assistants (RAs) completed training over the summer. For the third consecutive year, the penny wars competition collected over $300 for Habitat for Humanity.
• UCF Housing and Residence Life is the largest provider of single student housing in the State of Florida, with over 8,500 residents. Tower III opened this year and is home to many Burnett Honors College students.
• Within the first month of classes, the RAs along with the United Resident Student Association, hosted over 200 programs and events including game nights, water slides and ice cream socials.

New 2007-08 Student Conduct Review Board Named

Patricia MacKown, assistant vice president for Campus Life, Dana Juntunen, associate director for the Office of Student Conduct, and coordinators Nicholas Oleksy and Laura Creegan welcomed 51 faculty, staff and students from a wide array of colleges, divisions and departments to the 2007-08 Student Conduct Review Board.

All new members attended a full day of training in August. Members of the Student Conduct Review Board serve on formal disciplinary hearings educating students on their rights and responsibilities as university community members.

A UCF Welcome… LINK Style!

The Learning and Interacting New Knights (LINK) program hosted the 5th Annual LINK Luau and LINK Amazing Race. The events are designed to welcome new freshmen students to UCF and provide fun and learning experiences.

On August 18, LINK hosted its biggest crowd ever, welcoming over 4,000 students, parents and family members to UCF with a Hawaiian-style luau. UCF Basketball Head Coach Kirk Speraw gave a warm welcome and encouraged students to get excited for the upcoming athletics season while the UCF Cheerleaders rallied the crowd.

Polynesian performers, including hula dancers and a fire thrower, entertained guests, who cooled off in the Leisure Pool area. In other areas around the Recreation and Wellness Center and Academic Village, students enjoyed inflatable games, caricature artists and a wide variety of food.

“The Luau is an exciting way for our freshmen to meet one another, eat some great food and have lots of fun before classes begin,” said Kelli Hutchens, coordinator for LINK.

The LINK Luau was held in collaboration with Housing and Residence Life, Campus Life, Recreation and Wellness Center, Aramark and UCF Athletics. The LINK staff thanked their corporate sponsors, many of whom were on-site to hand out food and freebies, including The Chickering Group, TooJay’s Gourmet Deli, UCF Domino’s, Papa John’s, the UCF Annual Fund, Maggie Moo’s and Coca-Cola.

On August 29, over 100 first-year students came out to test their knowledge of campus resources by participating in the LINK Amazing Race. Students were given clues and raced around campus to locate resources. The intended goal was to familiarize first-year students with campus services and the location of each office.

The first place team won $25 Best Buy Gift Cards, second place received $15 Best Buy or I-tunes Gift Cards and third place $10 Bookstore Gift Cards.

Students Welcomed to UCF/BCC Palm Bay Campus

UCF Palm Bay and Brevard Community College (BCC) Palm Bay students, faculty, staff and community members attended a two-day Fall Welcome Pirate Bash on August 29 and 30.

The event welcomed new and returning students, promoted student involvement, showcased services to support student success, and provided DirectConnect information to BCC students. The program DirectConnect guarantees students admission to UCF after they earn associate degrees.

Highlights of the event included a UCF/BCC resource scavenger hunt, a tasting and student judging of home baked goods, water balloon dodge ball and student guitar demonstrations. Refreshments were provided.

Of the 914 attendees, 822 were students: 63 UCF students, 745 BCC students, 13 UCF/BCC students and one DirectConnect student. The Fall Welcome Pirate Bash was a UCF/ BCC joint effort and was co-sponsored by UCF Palm Bay Student Government Association (SGA) and the BCC Palm Bay SGA.

Campaign Addresses the 5th Guy

The UCF Health Services kicked off October with the “5th Guy” hand washing campaign. The UCF campaign was adapted from the Florida Department of Health’s 5th Guy campaign for flu pandemic preparedness.

The campaign addresses the 5th Guy (a UCF student) toting a prop urinal around campus, coughing into his hand and then trying to give unsuspecting students a high five.
Message points include:

• Wash hands often.
• Cough into arm or sleeve.
• Sick? Stay home.

The UCF campaign is supported by a grant provided to Health Services for pandemic flu planning. The grant also allowed for a mass vaccination trial run last year, purchase of emergency materials to be used if the threat of a pandemic becomes real and over 20 antibacterial hand sanitizers placed in high-traffic areas throughout campus.

The campaign will also feature promotional items, print advertisements, monthly contests and the UCF 5th Guy Web site at: www.ucf5thguy.com.

Little Knights Demonstrate Their School Spirit

Diahn Escue’s class at the UCF Creative School for Children displayed their school spirit on Black and Gold Day by wearing UCF colors and cheering for UCF.

Spring 2008 Registration Begins This Month

After registering a record number 49,969 students for fall 2007 (as of September 18th), the Registrar’s Office is now looking forward to spring 2008 registration. Enrollment appointment dates and times for spring 2008 will be available on myUCF October 8th. Students are urged to contact their academic advisors and begin planning their spring schedules.

Welcome to SDES

• Miriam Cabrera, custodial worker,
  Student Union (SU)
• Teresa Michaelson-Chmelir, associate director, Counseling Center
• Lindsey Ervin, coordinator for aquatics, Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC)
• Lynell Hodge, Apollo area coordinator, Housing and Residence Life
• Christopher Holmes, cashier supervisor, Health Services
• Jaime Morales, facility specialist, RWC
• Wanida Norfleet, executive secretary, Health Services
• Christopher Quintero, counselor/ advisor, First Year Advising and Exploration (FYAE)
• Thomas Raburn, custodial worker, SU
  Chelsea Worthington, counselor/advisor, FYAE

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.

SDES Changes

• Pamela Rea has been appointed to the position of director for Student Disability Services. Rea replaces Phil Kalfin who will be retiring from UCF this month. For the past three years, Rea has served as coordinator for the Student Disability Services and most recently as assistant director. She has served as an adjunct instructor at both UCF and Valencia teaching American Sign Language. Rea has spent many of her professional years serving as a sign language interpreter as well as working for the Orange County School district and Vocational Rehabilitation. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in Educational Leadership from UCF.
• James “Jim” Wilkening is now the new director of the Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC). He has been employed as associate director of the RWC at UCF since 2000. He brings a long history of commitment to recreation and Intramural Sports. Wilkening is a lifetime member of the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association and is a certified basketball official for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, II and JUCO [for junior and community college]. With over 17 years of experience in student and program development including management of comprehensive recreation programs and facilities, Wilkening brings a student centered approach to the next phase of growth for the RWC.
• Dana Juntunen, former assistant director for the Office of Student Conduct, has been promoted to associate director.
• Josh Striker, student records trainer for the Registrars Office, is serving as interim assistant university registrar for Veteran Services.

SDES Presentation

Academic Services for Student-Athletes (ASSA) hosted the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletes (N4) Region II Conference at the Marriott Hotel Downtown Orlando from September 30 - October 2. Over 75 people registered from 31 different universities, high schools and organizations. Richard Lapchick, UCF program director and chair for DeVos Sport Business Management Program, was the keynote speaker.

The National Consortium for Academics and Sports hosted one of nine breakout sessions. ASSA staff members presented the following breakout sessions:

• Mark Gumble: “Developing an Academic Improvement Plan”
• Tim Anderson and Valeria Brown: “Dealing with Academic Dishonesty”
• Corrie Scott: “Best Practices for Tutorial Coordinators”
• Sarah Hill: “Academic Coordinators Round Table Discussion.”

SDES Hosts Kentucky Community and Technical College System

Recently, Mark Allen Poisel, associate vice president for Academic Development and Retention, and DeLaine Priest, assistant vice president for Student Success Center, hosted a campus visit by eight members of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).

The administrators spent the day visiting with several offices and individuals to gather information and resources on virtual student services and PeopleSoft, a recently installed system at KCTCS. After returning to Kentucky, Michael Kraus, group leader, shared that their group was still “buzzing” about all they learned.

He lauded the wonderful hospitality and the willingness of the units to share information about the process involved in delivering services in such areas as: student records; data driven services; first year, second year, and transfer advisement and tracking; academic assistance; and student services on regional campuses.

Tracy Balkham Awarded USPS Employee of the Month

Tracy Balkham, office assistant for the Student Union, was selected as the university’s USPS Employee of the Month for August. Balkham has been employed with the Student Union since 1998. Prior to that, she worked 13 years in the Office of Student Activities.

“Tracy is a very dedicated UCF employee,” said Suzi Halpin, director for the Student Union. “She is always willing to give 110 percent to help out students. She is a wonderful asset to our team.”

Diversity Committee Formed Within Registrars Office

Staff from the Registrar’s Office recently came together to form a Diversity Committee. The 15-member office-based committee has been working with the support of the Office of Diversity Initiatives and Dennis Dulniak, university registrar. The goal is to create a more inclusive community in all realms of service, grounded in respect and appreciation for individual differences.

They are endorsing a broad definition of diversity and seeking to draw from programming, presentations, and university and community resources that enhance knowledge and understanding of diversity. The committee’s first project is a presentation board, which includes artwork that represents the interpretations of each other’s perspective of diversity. The board is displayed in the Registrar’s Office, 161 Millican Hall.

Experience Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights on October 21

The Activity & Service Fee Business Office has partnered with Universal Orlando® Resort to provide the UCF community with discounted tickets to Halloween Horror Nights on Sunday, October 21. Discounted tickets are $30 including tax and are only available at the SGA Ticket Center located in the Student Union.

These discounted tickets also include admission to Universal’s Islands of Adventure® starting at 4 p.m. and free admission to select Universal CityWalk® clubs with your ticket stub.

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