Effective Oct. 1, 2024, OLLU group medical participants have a new pharmacy care services manager that is administered by UMR. Participants will receive new ID cards with the new Group number and new BIN information of the new pharmacy provider through UMR. Below is important Optum RX prescription information group medical participants will need to provide to the pharmacy on or after Oct. 1, 2024.
Two poems written by Dr. Jacob Friesenhahn, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, were published in “San Antonio Review,” Volume 7.1, Fall 2024. The poem “Bird Island” is about the island, formerly full of egrets, in Elmendorf Lake, next to the OLLU campus. The poem “two grackles” was awarded the Editor’s Pick for Poetry for the Fall 2024 issue of “San Antonio Review.” Links to both poems are below:
Two Grackles · San Antonio Review (Volume 7.1 | Fall 2024) (sareview.org)
Bird Island · San Antonio Review (Volume 7.1 | Fall 2024) (sareview.org)
In a historic moment, Camila Ramirez achieved her 1,000th kill, a milestone that propelled the volleyball team to a 3-0/3-0 victory over Paul Quinn College (PQC) on Sept. 27 and 28.. This Red River Athletic Conference matchup saw the Saints advance to 10-7 overall and 3-1 in conference, while PQC’s record dropped to 10-7 and 3-3 in conference.
History
The Saints’ dominance over the Tigers is evident in their 11-0 record. OLLU has allowed just two set wins for PQC in these 11 matches, a testament to their superior performance.
Match one – Sept. 27
The highlight of the first match was outstanding play from newcomers Nicole Bir and Anais Velasquez. Both had five kills, with Bir committing no errors and Velasquez recording just two.
The Tigers played aggressively all night, with Carrie Weston leading the team in kills with 12. However, the Saints’ overall performance proved too powerful, logging 49 kills on a .333 hitting percentage while keeping PQC at bay with just 28 kills and a .141 hitting percentage.
Lauren Reynard’s performance was noteworthy, contributing 22 assists and five digs, while teammate Arianna Moreno added 18 assists. Mia Dorsey’s power was on full display as she recorded 10 kills on 23 total attacks, achieving a hitting percentage of .304.
Match two – Sept. 28
The standout of the series was senior powerhouse Camila Ramirez. She entered Friday night’s match just two kills away from reaching 1,000 in her career. With determination and skill, she achieved this milestone within the first set of the match, finishing the day with a total of 1,008 kills. She joins teammate Tina Trevino, who recorded her 1,000th career dig last season in the Saints 1,000 Club. Ramirez is the second volleyball player to record 1,000 kills (Kendall Groff – 2016), and Trevino is the second to record more than 1,000 digs (Assistant Coach Raven Swain – 2017).
Ramirez led the Saints with 10 kills on 30 attacks and added three digs and four blocks. Moreno marked 23 assists, while Reynard finished with 20. Trevino had the most digs of the match with 18. Ariana Caldera did a great job with her serve, adding three aces.
What’s next
The Saints will head out to Hawkins, Texas, next for a series against Jarvis Christian University on Friday and Saturday.
The women’s soccer team played an evenly matched Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) game against Jarvis Christian University (JCU), but one goal by the Saints gave them the win. The women improved to 3-3-1 overall and 2-2-0 in the conference, while JCU dropped to 2-4-1 and 1-2-1 in the conference.
History
The Saints have a dominant record of 10-0-1 against the Bulldogs, with the tie coming in 2021 when both teams failed to score.
Game highlights
London Suarez made her first start guarding the net for the Saints. She performed effectively by thwarting three attempts from JCU. Leah Tapia took three different shots on goal, but none went through. Lyndee Rheinberger also made two attempts, but the half ended with no goals scored.
OLLU keeper Samantha Valadez took over defending the net in the second half. The period started with five Jarvis fouls and a yellow card to Briza Ibarra. After JCU keeper Andrea Cepeda saved a stab at a goal from Ez Valles, Emily Wissel-Littman followed to shoot one in and give the Saints the 1-0 lead.
Despite the high level of frustration, the Saints maintained their sportsmanship. JCU’s Brisa Ibarra was shown a yellow card followed by a red card 10 minutes later for a rough tackle. The Saints continued to battle after four straight fouls were called against them.
The Saints’ unity was evident in their aggressive offense, with five team members taking six shots on goal. Emily Wissell-Littmann’s decisive kick-in, proved to be the game-winning goal.
Leah Tapia led the team with four shots, while Rheinberger and Wissell-Littmann each took two shots on goal.
Cepeda recorded the loss for Jarvis as she played all 90 minutes. Suarez saved four for the Saints, while Valadez saved three and earned the win.
Both team’s stats were almost identical, with JCU taking 12 shots and OLLU taking 14; JCU with three corners and OLLU with four; and JCU recorded six saves, while OLLU had eight.
What’s next
Looking ahead, the Saints will be on the road, traveling to the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, N.M., on Thursday. They will then head to Dallas on Saturday for a game against Paul Quinn College.
The Sueltenfuss Library is celebrating ‘Banned Book Week” today through Saturday. Students are invited to stop by the library lobby and take a “mugshot” with a banned book. Students who post a photo on Instagram and tag the library will be entered into a drawing for a gift card. Tag the library at #sueltenfusslibrary, #bannedbooks and #imwiththebanned.
Dr. Octavio Quintanilla’s newly released book, titled “The Book of Wounded Sparrows,” has made the 2024 National Book Awards Longlist.
This extraordinary achievement is made even more noteworthy by the fact that the book has only had a soft launch at this point. The official launch will take place Oct. 3 on campus.
“It’s kind of weird, kind of surreal, but for them to say, ‘You know what? This book from this press is good enough to be in the top 10,’ what else can you ask for,” said Dr. Quintanilla, OLLU Professor of English.
The former Poet Laureate of San Antonio, Dr. Quintanilla is an internationally renowned poet and writer. His book, “Las Horas Imposibles / The Impossible Hours” has received the 2024 Ambroggio Prize given by the Academy of American Poets. It will be released by University of Arizona Press next year. He is also the author of “If I Go Missing” (Slough Press, 2014). In addition, Dr. Quintanilla is the founder and director of the literature and arts festival, VersoFrontera, and publisher of Alabrava Press. His Frontextos (visual poems) have been published and exhibited widely.
“This is incredible, national recognition for one of our faculty members,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Alan Silva, PhD. “Big universities periodically receive this type of recognition, but it’s rare even for those institutions. For this to happen at OLLU puts us on the map in a whole new way.”
Finalists for the National Book Awards will be announced Oct. 1. OLLU will celebrate the official launch of Dr. Quintanilla’s book two days later. The celebration will take place:
Thursday, Oct. 3
6:30 p.m.
Main Building, Room 311
The university will test its Emergency Alert Communication System on Wednesday morning. The system uses text, recorded calls, emails, desktop speaker phones and a new app to send messages. All students, faculty and staff are encouraged to download the InformaCast app before Wednesday to ensure it is part of the test.
To download the app, scan the QR code below or search for InformaCast in the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android. Use your university email address and password to log in.
The phone number that students, faculty and staff use for multi-factor authentication is the number that has been preloaded into the Emergency Alert System. You can add additional phone numbers and email addresses through the InformaCast app.
If you do not use a cell phone number for multi-factor authentication, you can download the app to add your cell phone number to the alert system. If you choose not to do so, you will still receive emergency messages through your university email address. Issues with the App
If users have issues downloading or using the InformaCast app, they should contact the university Help Desk at helpdesk@ollusa.edu, call 210-431-3908 or visit the Help Desk on the second floor of the Walter Student Service Center on the San Antonio campus.
Follett, the company that runs OLLU’s Bookstore, is sending out a survey today to undergraduate students and faculty who are part of the All-Access Textbook Program. This is the program that provides OLLU undergraduate students free textbook rentals.
Participants are asked to check their OLLU email for a survey link or scan the appropriate QR code below to complete the survey. Your feedback will help improve the program.
The Sueltenfuss Library will host the League of Women Voters on Sept. 30 for a “Get Out The Vote” event. It will take place from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Library Lobby.
Participants will have the opportunity to register to vote, verify their registration, cast a test ballot in a voting machine. There will be free snacks, voting buttons and books on voting rights.
OLLU’s Spotlight Productions will host a Skit/Improv Night on Thursday from 6-8 p.m. in Griffith Fine Arts Building, Room 200.
Students, faculty and staff are invited to take part in a skit or participate as an audience member.
Need more information? Please email earodriguez20sp@ollusa.edu.
