Month: May 2020

Dates identified for phases approach to return to on-campus operations

Employees wishing to volunteer to return to work on campus as part of Phase I must submit this form by Friday, May 29, at noon. Those selected to serve as volunteers during Phase I will be notified via email by Tuesday, June 2. More detailed information and FAQs on OLLU’s Re-engagement Plan are available on the Employee Communications SharePoint site (login may be required).

To prepare the OLLU campuses for the fall semester, a three-phase plan for returning to on-campus operations has been developed and dates have been set for each phase. As the university community works through this plan, flexibility will be key. Assessments will take place during each phase, and adjustments will be made as needed.

The following provides an overview of plans. More detailed information and FAQs are available on the Employee Communications SharePoint site (login may be required).

Phase I – Voluntary Participation Stage

* Start date for volunteers: June 9

* Phase I will involve 50 employees volunteering to return to work on the San Antonio campus; members of the La Feria and Houston campuses also can volunteer to return to their campuses.

* Volunteers can be from any departments or offices and can be staff or faculty members; if more than 50 San Antonio based employees volunteer, university leadership will select the volunteers.

* Those not on the volunteer list will still be able to visit campus on an as-needed basis by submitting a request to police@ollusa.edu by noon the day before the planned visit.

* Volunteers will take part in a screening process; increased sanitizing measures and social distancing guidelines will be in place.

* Those interested in volunteering should discuss it with their supervisor and complete the form at the bottom of the linked page (login may be required).

* Those selected will receive a confirmation via email.

Phase II – Additional 50-75 Employees Based on Role

* Start date: June 30

* Involves an additional 50-75 employees identified by supervisors; these will be selected based on meeting the needs of university operations.

* Employees involved in this phase will be provided notice to have time to make arrangements for return to on-campus work.

* Screening and sanitation measures will continue during this phase.

Phase III – All Staff Members

* Start date: July 21

* All employees will return to on-campus work.

* Employees who have concerns about resuming on-campus work should discuss them with their supervisor.

These efforts are designed to prepare for the fall semester that begins on Aug. 17. As stated above, flexibility will be necessary as we move through summer and into fall. 

Cooperation, creativity and compassion will be appreciated as this will be a very different summer for the university involving a great deal of planning and preparation to be ready for the fall semester.

OLLU to celebrate spring graduates with Drive-Thru Diploma Pick-Up Parades

OLLU will celebrate spring graduates with three Drive-Thru Diploma Pick-Up Parades at all three campuses in June.

Graduates and their families are invited to participate at the San Antonio campus parade on June 6 from 9-11 a.m.  Faculty, staff and students are invited to cheer on the graduates by lining the routes on campus. Social distancing rules must be adhered to strictly. For a map of the parade, click here. 

At the end of the parade route in San Antonio, the Bookstore will be selling OLLU merchandise and the 2020 OLLU Fiesta medal. Proceeds from the medal will benefit the OLLU Student Emergency Fund. The cost is $10.

The Rio Grande Valley campus parade will be held June 12 from 6-8 p.m. The parade map is here. The Houston campus parade will be held June 27 from 9-10 a.m. The parade map is here. 

Graduates who wish to participate in one of the parades must complete this form. Once the form is complete, graduates will receive additional instructions for participation.

Other general details:

* Graduates can choose which parade they wish to participate in whether they attend classes on that campus or not, but they must indicate which parade they will be attending by completing the form above.

* Graduates and their families are asked to stay in their car and proceed through the parade route (see maps for specific campus). 

* Spectators are asked to park in lots not on the parade route and proceed to the route on foot. Spectators must not approach graduates in cars and must maintain proper social distance with other spectators.

* University staff members will be along the route taking photos that will be posted on the OLLU Flickr account.

* Graduates participating in the parades may still participate in the commencement ceremony planned for fall.

* Graduates who do not wish to take part in a parade will have their diplomas mailed to them.

OLLU receives $250,000 teaching grant

OLLU has received a $250,000 grant renewal from the San Antonio Biomedical Education and Research Program (SABER) to train postdoctoral research fellows at UT Health San Antonio. The SABER teaching grant, which extends through 2025, is designed to prepare a diverse and accomplished pool of research-teacher-scholars sensitive to the needs of underrepresented groups and able to serve as role models for students at the undergraduate level.

The SABER grant is part of the prestigious Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA) program. Alumni from these programs are high sought after because they have completed research and teaching training with under-represented undergraduates. 

OLLU has hired two SABER/IRACDA scholars to tenure-track biology positions: Drs. Megan Borror and Briana Salas.  

“The largest positive impact for OLLU’s science programs has been the hiring of these two scholars,” said James Hall, PhD, professor of biology. “The benefits to our students, faculty and to our infrastructure in the sciences have been numerous. Our undergraduate students have been exposed to areas of biomedical research from role models not many years older than themselves. Three SABER/IRACDA scholars presented their research at OLLU in fall 2015, 2016, 2017 and another in spring 2018 and answered questions about their research, graduate school, postdoctoral work and biomedical science as a career.”

St. Mary’s University and Trinity University also received grant money as professors from their schools participate in the SABER/IRACDA program.

Professor Quintanilla awarded $10k arts grant

The Luminaria Arts Foundation has awarded a $10,000 literary arts grant to Octavio Quintanilla, PhD, former San Antonio Poet Laureate and OLLU associate professor of English, Mass Communication and Drama.

Dr. Quintanilla is one of six recipients of the Luminaria Arts Foundation grant, which will be used to create new work. He said he will use the money to complete a book.

“I want to thank my family, my friends and my colleagues at OLLU, who always believe in my work,” Dr. Quintanilla said.

Virtual town hall meeting set for June 2

There will be a virtual town hall meeting for employees on Tuesday, June 2 at 1 p.m. During this time, President Diane E. Melby, EdD and OLLU administrators will share updates and answer questions. The team will take questions during the town hall, but employees are encouraged to submit questions beforehand so the team can better prepare.

Submit questions at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/June2020TownHall

Login information can be accessed at https://ollusa.sharepoint.com/sites/AdministrationDivision/SitePages/Staff-Town-Hall-Webex-Information.aspx.

Today is deadline for pass/fail grading option

Today is the deadline for traditional spring semester students who wish to select the Pass/Fail option for spring semester grades.

Students must complete the appropriate form linked below to request a grade change. Review the information below and the linked list of FAQs  before making a decision.

Request forms

Undergraduate Pass/Fail Request Form  (login may be required)

Graduate Pass/Fail Request Form  (login may be required)

Speak to adviser and financial aid staff

Students are reminded to speak with their adviser and staff from the Financial Aid Office for guidance on grading decisions. Some financial aid and military/veteran benefits may be affected by grading option decisions. In addition, graduate/professional school acceptance and professional licensure may be affected.

Pass/fail option

  • The grade necessary for a pass grade is dependent on the particular course and student type.
  • If an undergraduate student is taking a course to fulfill General Education requirements, a D- or above is needed to receive a pass grade. If an undergraduate student is taking a course to fulfill a major or minor requirement, a C- or above is needed to earn a pass grade.
  • Graduate students must earn a grade of B or above to earn a pass grade.
  • A grade of pass will not be calculated into the Grade Point Average (GPA); a grade of Fail will be calculated into the GPA as an F. If a student repeats and passes the course at a later time, the F would no longer count toward the cumulative GPA.

Incomplete option

The rules for granting an incomplete in a course are being relaxed. Previously, students were required to complete at least 75 percent of coursework before an incomplete could be granted. Under the policy for this semester, faculty will have greater flexibility in granting an incomplete.

Note for Graduating Students: An incomplete will delay the conferred date of your degree.

Fees shifted during remote instruction period

During this time of remote/online instruction, OLLU is continuing to provide student services. Fees normally used for campus-based services are being shifted to provide a continuation of services via remote/online access. The following offers information on the application of fees for remote services.

Health Services Fee

The Health Services Office staff and the Counseling Services staff are assisting students through tele-visits. Due to COVID-19 concerns there has been an increased demand for these services and hours have been extended. The Health Services fee funds these services.

Library Fee

The university has made a significant investment in digital materials over the last two months to accommodate online instruction and to meet student needs remotely. Librarians continue to be available to students through remote access and have extended their online hours to assist students with needed materials. Library fees have helped to support this.

Student Activity Fee

Student Activity fees are governed and managed by the Student Government Association (SGA). The SGA has continued to use these funds to serve students by supporting remote services including student recognition events, online recreational sports instruction, and student organization support. In addition, the SGA allocated some of their funds to support a laptop loan program for students.

Technology Fee

The Technology Fee supports all aspects of technology for instruction and student services. Moving to remote instruction and services has required significant investments to extend bandwidth and to supplement the technology needed for the learning management system and communication tools such as Skype and WebEx.

Lab Fees

Lab fees are dependent on specific courses. Most instructors are removing lab fees, but in some cases they are needed to cover costs associated with online lab experiences.

Reminder

OLLU is a non-profit institution. All funds go to instruction and related support services. At this time, funds are being shifted to make online instruction and services possible, but they are all still being used to serve our students. Information on how to access remote student services is available at this link: https://www.ollusa.edu/health-safety/emergency-preparedness/coronavirus-information/remote-access.html.

Stacy Stephens elevated to head coach for women’s basketball

OLLU has elevated Stacy Stephens to head coach for the women’s basketball program after she spent a little less than one year as interim.

Athletic Director Shane Hurley commented, “Stacy has had a prestigious career as a player and was an excellent assistant coach for Christopher Minner. Over the years, Stacy has learned a lot about college athletics and women’s basketball through her own initiative and by working with some highly decorated and experienced coaches. We as a department and institution look forward to seeing the continuation of the fruits of her labor due to drive and initiative.”

In her first year leading the team, the Saints captured the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular-season title and finished as runners-up in the conference tournament. She and the women were on their way to Montana for their ninth trip to the NAIA National Championship Tournament but only made it off campus before being called back. The news hit that the NAIA had canceled the championship tournament due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The women finished the season with a 26-6 overall record and 17-1 in conference. Under Stephens’ guidance, the Saints earned NAIA top statistical rankings in scoring offense, scoring margin, turnover margin, field goal percentage, and free-throw percentage.

Two of her players earned NAIA All-American honors including Third-Team selectee Kasey Saldana and Honorable Mention winner Dezeree White. Both also received All-Conference First-Team recognition, and White was selected as RRAC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Jamia Miller and Lena Wilson received Second-Team honors, while Keviona Barber was named to the Honorable Mention Team and Tiffany Lopez received Champions of Character recognition. Earlier in the season, White was named NAIA Player of the Week, and RRAC Coach of the Year Stephens was singled out as Head Coach of the Week by HoopDirt.Com. Wilson scored her 1,000th-point under Stephens, while Saldana earned that feat last year. This year, Saldana became the top-scoring female basketball player at OLLU and second overall among both men and women.

“I’m really happy to continue working within the OLLU Athletic Department,” Stephens said. “I thank Dr. Diane Melby, Dr. Lourdes Alvarez, Shane Hurley and the rest of the hiring committee for their faith in me as a coach.

“I am very proud of the student-athletes I have had a chance to coach so far, and we will continue to work hard for the future success of the program.”

Stephens joined the coaching staff at OLLU in July 2017 as an assistant coach. Before OLLU, she had a three-year stint as an assistant coach at NCAA DI Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Additionally, she held the title of special assistant to the women’s basketball team at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). Her position with the Longhorns came after an illustrious collegiate career in the burnt orange and white jersey.

For the Longhorns, Stephens was a two-time Associated Press Second Team All-American and a finalist for the State Farm Wade Trophy – given to the best women’s basketball player in NCAA DI competition – and the Naismith Award – given to the top women’s collegiate basketball players – during her junior and senior years. She was a two-time Big 12 first-team player.

The Longhorns’ team with Stephens earned a 2003 NCAA Final Four berth and two regular-season and one tournament championship in the Big 12 Conference. She concluded her collegiate career tallying more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. She averaged 12.7 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while suiting up for the Texas Longhorns from 2000-2004.

Stephens was a third-round draft pick for the Houston Comets of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2004, and she spent four years playing professionally in the United States, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey.

Prior to her coaching position at UT, Stephens was assistant coach at NAIA/Red River Athletic Conference’s (RRAC) Texas College and director of basketball operations at Colorado State University.

In 2017, Stephens was inducted into the University of Texas Athletics Women’s Hall of Honor. She will also be honored with the induction into the 2020 Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame for her excellent high-school career at Winnsboro High School.

Stephens received a Bachelor of Science from UT and earned a Master of Arts in Higher Education Administration from Sam Houston State University.

Stephens now officially heads one of the best NAIA women’s basketball programs in the country. In 2018-2019, the Saints etched their names in the record books by becoming the first team at OLLU to reach the “Fab Four” during the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship. The Saints have made 10 trips to the conference tournament and have captured two tournament titles. Additionally, the team made an appearance at the national championship tournament nine seasons in a row. The women’s basketball team has also been ranked the past nine seasons in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.

Saints fans are encouraged to come out to Mabee Gymnasium this season to watch the women’s basketball team’s exciting and fast-paced style. The team’s 2020-21 schedule will be released at a later date. To stay up-to-date on all things OLLU women’s basketball, fans can visit http://www.ollusaintsathletics.com/sport/0/12.php.

2019 cross-country season overview

The OLLU men’s and women’s cross-country teams each captured their fifth Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) title. Both earned automatic bids to the NAIA National Cross-Country National Championship Meet at Vancouver, Wash.

See overall cross-country record books here.

Selected to the RRAC All-Conference Team, all of whom were top 10 finishers were: Lindsey Broussard, Robbie Sue Espericueta, Sabrina Garcia, Andrea Gandara, Peyton Lammons, Christopher Marcus, Isaac Martinez, Andrew Moczygemba, Hector Puente, Nathaniel Rodriguez, Miguel Segura, Nadia Sifuentes, Alyssa Vidales, Kimber Watson, and Jose Zarate. Stephen Sherman received RRAC Coach of the Year honors for both the men’s and women’s teams.

Rodriguez captured the individual medal after marking a 27:16.3 time in the 8k. Broussard won the individual medal for the women’s 5k with a time of 20:44.5, narrowly besting teammate Nadia Sifuentes, who had a 20:52.0 time. The conference meet was hosted by OLLU at the Windcrest Golf Club in Windcrest, Texas.

During the season, Garcia and Moczygemba received Runner of the Week honors. Rodriguez and Sifuentes each won two weekly honors.  

Both men and women received No. 1 ratings for the conference all six weeks.

The teams participated in six meets throughout the season. They opened 2019 at the UIW Opener, with a limited squad on Aug. 30. The Saints hosted the next two meets – the Saints Collegiate Invite on Sept. 21 and the OLLU Cross-Country Invite on Oct. 5. The women and men placed fourth out of 11 teams in the Saints Collegiate event. They both won the OLLU Cross-Country meet. At the Mid-States Classic, the women came in eighth place out of 19 teams, and the men finished in ninth out of 20 teams. After the conference meet on Nov. 8, the teams headed out to Vancouver, Wash., for the NAIA National Championship Meet on Nov. 22. Both teams came in 36th place.

Monzon and Salazar selected as Character Athletes of the Week

As part of the Red River Athletic Conference’s (RRAC) commitment to the NAIA Champions of Character program, the conference recognizes student-athletes from member schools that have exhibited a high level of scholarship, sportsmanship, integrity, responsibility and community service. Two student-athletes are selected each week as RRAC Character Athletes of the Week based on their character and commitment to their schools and communities. Softball’s Kaitlyn Salazar and and Men’s Basketball’s Ruben Monzon are the third duo to be recognized for the 2019-2020 academic year.

RRAC Character Athletes of the Week

Kaitlyn Salazar, Our Lady of the Lake University
Sport: Softball
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: San Antonio
Major: Kinesiology
GPA: 3.52
Champions of Character Qualities/Activities:

  • Appointed to head up the Community Service Committee to coordinate team activities in the area
  • Took charge of team gatherings and meals during special team-building sessions before the season started
  • Planned all home game honorees, scheduling different dignitaries to throw out the first pitch before each home game
  • Tapped local firefighters, law enforcement representatives, other first-responders, cancer survivors and youth groups
  • Organized many more community outings, but they were canceled in the wake of COVID-19
  • Earned RRAC scholar-athlete recognition

Future Plans: Kaitlyn plans to use her degree to become a physical therapist.

Coach’s Perspective: (OLLU Softball Coach Bruce Lenington) “We are truly lucky to have Kaitlyn on our squad. She has provided a great service to our team by planning our community projects, plus she is a valuable part of our team on the field.”

Ruben Monzon, Our Lady of the Lake University
Sport: Basketball
Year: Sophomore
Hometown: San Diego, Calif.
Major: Cyber Security
GPA: 3.75
Champions of Character Qualities/Activities:

  • Frequent volunteer with the Baseball Embassy’s Youth Ambassador Program, which serves homeless and underprivileged youth
  • Earned RRAC Scholar-Athlete recognition
  • Helped with several campus initiatives including cleaning up after homecoming events and taking Christmas decorations down
  • Tutors teammates on a variety of subjects putting into practice his success as having one of our highest student-athlete GPAs
  • Named to the OLLU Dean’s List

Future Plans: After graduating, Ruben is interested in extending his playing career, perhaps in Europe. He also plans to earn a master’s degree and to consider a career in computer programming.

Administrator’s Perspective: (Our Lady of the Lake Basketball Coach Chris Dial) “Ruben has been a great addition to our squad. His leadership on the court is invaluable, and his willingness to take charge of the team off the court has been greatly appreciated.”