OLLU staff and faculty invited to submit social media post requests

The Marketing and Communications Office is inviting staff and faculty to submit requests for social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Post can range from department news, welcome of new staff, awards garnered or to feature individuals. The information will be posted on the university’s official social media accounts. Requests will be approved by Anne Pedrotti Gomez, Chief Communications Officer.

Submit your requests to Patty Constantin, Assistant Director for News and Sports Information, at plconstantin@ollusa.edu.

OLLU-RGV campus closed

Due to flooding from Hurricane Hanna, the OLLU-RGV campus will be closed until damages can be assessed and repairs completed.

To contact staff at OLLU-RGV, email: rgv@ollusa.edu or call 956-277-0146.

A prayer request has been sent to the OLLU community for the safety, comfort and peace of our students, faculty and staff and their families in the Rio Grande Valley.

OLLU junior speaks at national web event for bilingual education students

Junior Julieanna Luna recently represented OLLU and the Bilingual Student Education Organization (BESO) during a national webinar, “Voices From The Field #3: BESO: Future Bilingual Teachers as Advocates and Leaders.”  

The one hour webinar, held on July 21 as a Facebook Live Event on the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Facebook page, featured Luna and seven other students sharing their stories and aspirations as future bilingual educators.

“This current pandemic has helped me realize that I really want to be the teacher who motivates my students to learn in any setting that they may be in,” said Luna, an Education EC-6 major with Bilingual Education certification. “I really want to help bilingual students take pride in being able to understand and communicate in more than one language.”

A video replay of the webinar is available here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=738979666858605&ref=watch_permalink

Luna served as BESO historian during the past school year.

“I do plan to pursue a leadership position for this coming year as well,” she said. “Once I have graduated from OLLU, I will be certified to teach students from Early Childhood Pre-K to 6th grade.”

Belinda Schouten, PhD, OLLU Professor of Education, helped BESO establish its first national Special Interest Group (SIG) at NABE in 2013. Dr. Schouten serves as adviser for OLLU BESO and co-chair for the NABE BESO SIG.

Professor Pena steps down as director of Mexican American Civil Rights Institute

Ezequiel Pena, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, has stepped down as Interim Executive Director of the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) to join MACRI as a founding board member.

MACRI is the new operating name for the National Institute of Mexican American History of Civil Rights which launched in January 2019 with funding from the City of San Antonio. The institute is an independent organization housed on the OLLU campus.

Taking Dr. Pena’s place, Sarah Gould, PhD, has assumed the role of Interim Executive Director of MACRI. A native Texan, Dr. Gould served as an adjunct professor in OLLU’s history department in fall 2015 and fall 2016. She has worked closely with Sister Margit Nagy, CDP, and the late Sister Maria Eva Flores, CDP. Last December, Dr. Gould joined the OLLU College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board. 

Dr. Gould has more than a decade of museum experience. She most recently served as founding Director of the Museo del Westside, a community participatory museum launched by the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center.  

MACRI is a long-awaited and the first-of-its kind institute. MACRI will acknowledge and honor the civil rights history of Mexican Americans locally and nationally, from the 1800’s to the present. MACRI will do this by presenting the many Mexican American civil rights struggles, including transformational leaders and organizations and their accomplishments of national and regional significance in the areas of education, voting rights, labor rights, human rights and more. 

Men’s soccer welcomes Orlando Medina and Javier Pena

The men’s soccer team is proud to announce the signings of incoming freshmen Orlando Medina and Javier Pena. They will join the team in 2020.

Medina played for Cypress Ridge High School in Houston and Texas United Real Juniors Club. He earned Academic All-District honors and made it to the second round of the playoffs while at Cypress Ridge. His club team won first place in district and third place in state.

Pena attended John Jay High School in San Antonio and earned All-District honors his sophomore year. He played in a development academy in Mexico and will be majoring in criminal justice.

The Saints will begin their 14th season in August 2020.

Golf adds Raul Gonzalez Jr. from McAllen

OLLU has announced the signing of Raul Gonzalez Jr. to the men’s golf team.

Gonzalez will join the team this academic year after graduating from McAllen Memorial High School in McAllen, Texas.

The golf team had to cancel its official spring 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The men will regroup to play a handfull of tournaments  in the fall land then get set for their spring 2021 season.

Gonzalez plans to major in business at OLLU.

Softball signs Desiree Rojas to 2020-2021 squad

The softball team is proud to announce the signing of incoming freshman Desiree Rojas. She will join the Saints squad in 2020-2021.

The softball team’s spring 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 crisis. The NAIA mandated that all spring sports be cancelled. The Saints are scheduled to play a limited fall 2020 lineup and then get set for their official spring season in February 2021.

Rojas is a San Antonio native and attended the Business Careers High School. She will be majoring in biology. Throughout her varsity career, she has batted .379 at the plate and gathered 99 hits.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington said, “Desiree is a very good softball player who will give us depth on the pitcher’s mound and corner infield. She has pitched in several big games and has an excellent changeup. I believe that she can be one of our better hitters as she has demonstrated a powerful swing in high school and select ball.”

Rojas enjoys watching Netflix and her athletic role model is UCLA softball player Rachel Garcia. Throughout high school, she has been named to second-team all-district and first-team all-district twice for third base.

Softball adds Devan Miller from Ohio

The softball team is proud to announce the signing of incoming freshman Devan Miller. She will join the team in 2020-2021.

The softball team’s spring 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 crisis. The NAIA mandated that all spring sports be canceled. The Saints are scheduled to play a limited fall 2020 lineup then get set for their official spring season in February 2021.

Miller is a native of Marion, Ohio, and attended River Valley High School. Her primary position is first base, and she also plays third base.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington commented, “Devan was our first commit in the 2020 class. She is a powerful corner infielder with great hands and an above-average arm. I saw her in a summer camp in Detroit and am happy that she is coming to OLLU. She possesses a tremendous work ethic that will serve her well at the college level.”

Miller’s hobbies include traveling, working out and spending time with her friends and family. Her athletic role model is professional softball player Jessica Warren. Throughout high school, she earned the Golden Glove Award in 2018, received an honorable mention for All-District in 2018 and was named to the second team MOAC.

Sexual Misconduct Task Force Community Forum

An important reminder: As noted in two previous emails, representatives from the OLLU Community Standards for Sexual Misconduct Task Force will host a Community Forum for Students today from 5-6 p.m. and for Employees on Tuesday from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Panelists will provide updates on task force action items and present proposed changes to the OLLU Title IX Policy in compliance with the U.S. Department of Education’s Title IX Final Rule. 

Community Forum Session, Sign Up Information

Both forums will be conducted virtually using Webex. Participants may anonymously submit questions in advance to the panelists by noon today, or ask questions during the forum using the Webex chat feature. For more information or to ask questions, contact OLLU Title IX Coordinator, Nicole Monsibais, at nlmonsibais@ollusa.edu.