Month: February 2014

OLLU’s Fiesta Medal unveiling set for Feb. 27

medal-unveiling-botw_2014_01The OLLU Best of the West 2014 Fiesta® Medal will be unveiled Feb. 27 at 12:15 p.m. in front of Moye Hall.

After the unveiling, medals will be available for a suggested donation of $3 each – one per person (while supplies last) in front of Moye Hall until 1:30 p.m. Additional medals will be $6 each.

After 1:30 p.m., medals will be available until 5 p.m. in the Alumni Office for the suggested $3 donation – one per person (while supplies last). Additional medals will be $6 each. T-shirts will be on sale for $10 and pre-sale tickets for Best of the West will be available for $5 during the event.

Beginning Feb. 28, medals will be available for $6 in the Alumni Office or $8 at the Fiesta Store.

Save the date:
2014 Best of the West Fiesta® Event
April 5, 2104
4-11 p.m.
Our Lady of the Lake University

For more information, or to sign up as a volunteer, visit www.ollusa.edu/fiesta.

Students invited to ‘Talk About LGBTQI Rights’

The Center for Women in Church and Society is hosting,  “Let’s talk about LGBTQI rights,” Thursday from 12:15-1:15 p.m. in Providence Hall, West Social Room (PWSR). The event, which will celebrate World Day of Social Justice, is meant to be a respectful, engaging and open dialogue among OLLU students who are interested in the issues of human rights, the LGBTQI community and national sovereignty.

The dialogue comes in light of the recent legal restrictions on LGBT rights placed by the Russian government prior to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

This event is free and open to all OLLU students. Pizza will be provided.

RSVP to kgibson@ollusa.edu.

Rosemary Saenz Staff Awards to be discussed during Staff Org meeting

New criteria and new categories have been established for the Rosemary Saenz Staff Awards. These will be explained tomorrow during the Staff Organization meeting at 8:30 a.m. in Library Community Room. All staff members are encouraged to attend the meeting to learn about the awards and the nomination process.

The new categories include the Customer Service Award, Providence Award, Rising Star Award and Excellence Award. Staff award winners will be announced during the May 14 Faculty and Staff Appreciation Dinner.

Yvette Benavides wins first place in ‘How I Found You’ writing contest

Yvette Benavides, associate professor of English, won first place in the “How I Found You” Valentine’s Day writing contest sponsored by Gemini Ink and the Rivard Report. Her short, nonfiction story, “Linguistics 101, Finding My Soul in Español,” tells the story of how she fell in love with linguistics. Read her winning story here.

Marcus Thompson selected as ‘Men’s Basketball Player of the Week’

marcus2-17Marcus Thompson earned recognition as the Red River Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week with a record-breaking performance during the span of Feb. 10-16. This is the 13th award of the 2013-14 season. This is Thompson’s first Player of the Week honor. Thompson, a senior guard from Garland, Texas, established a new NAIA single-game mark for steals with 15 in a 118-68 victory over Paul Quinn College on Saturday. Eclipsing the record set by Duane Glenn of the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford (Pa.) in 1993, Thompson extended his season total to 96, which is the best of any NAIA player. The NCAA men’s basketball record for most steals was also 13 set by Daron “Mookie” Blaylock, who played for Oklahoma. He set the record in a game against Centenary on Dec. 12, 1987. Thompson’s all-around performance included averages of 7.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game as the Saints also won games over Langston University (Okla.) and the University of St. Thomas (Texas). Thompson had six steals against Langston and three against UST as OLLU surged to 10-2 in conference play and 16-8 on the season. Thompson not only excels on the court, he also shines in the classroom. In each of his three years at OLLU, he has received the Red River Athletic Conference Scholar Award for maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA. During the 2011-2012 season, he received men’s basketball’s Sixth Man Award, and last season, he received the Dedication Award. During the spring 2013 academic year, he was named to the Dean’s List.

OLLU’s Matt Ellis selected as ‘Men’s Tennis Player of the Week’

2014MattEllis-4-wMatt Ellis has been selected as Men’s Tennis Player of the Week for the dates Feb. 10-16, 2014. This is Ellis’ third Player of the Week honor. Previous recognition was during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. Ellis, a junior from El Paso, Texas, won all three singles matches during weekend competition. Ellis, along with Jacob Galaviz, won two out of three doubles they played together during weekend competition. Read full story online.

OLLU men’s tennis beats LeTourneau in close five to four match, while women drop three matches

tennisThe men’s tennis team extended its winning streak to four matches after the Saints defeated LeTourneau University 5-4. Freshman Jacob Galaviz won a third set tiebreaker to win the fifth and deciding match against Morgan Weaver. The women’s team will have to wait for its first win of the season after the Saints lost 3-4 against LeTourneau. Freshman Sydney Coulter won her first collegiate singles match against Shelby May, 8-6. The Saints men’s team won all three matches played during the weekend. Head Coach Sal Castillo has been with the tennis teams since year one and the 3-1 overall record is the best start of the season in program history. “We are early in the season with a tough schedule still ahead. We have lots of room for improvement, but I’m very pleased with the effort so far,” said Castillo. Read full story online.

QUEST program wins innovation award

OLLU’s QUEST program has been named the recipient of the 2014 Award for Innovation from the Council on Basic Writing, a national partner of the College of Composition and Communication.

Entries for the award were judged on specific criteria including:

  • Originality – the creativity and uniqueness of the innovation
  • Portability – the extent to which the innovation lends itself to application in other institutions and contexts
  • Results and Benefits – specific details, data and observations derived from the innovation, focusing on specific educational benefits to students

QUEST (QUality Education for Student Transformation) is a program that was started to provide new ways to teach math and writing to first-year students at OLLU. The program was created as part of the University’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) while undergoing an accreditation review with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).