Author: OLLUNewsletter

OLLU STEM grads participate in White Coat ceremonies

Three recent OLLU graduates took part in White Coat ceremonies to start the academic year.

  • Getsemani Arteaga, BS Biology, May 2022, received her white coat for starting pharmacy school at the University of Texas at El Paso.
  • Erika Zapata, BS Biology, December 2022, started physician assistant school at the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley.
  • Meaghan Molina, BS Biology, May 2024, started pharmacy school at the University of the Incarnate Word.

OLLU congratulates these successful STEM alumni.

Employee Service Award honorees will be recognized during Spirit Day Mass on Sept. 12

The listing below includes names and years of service of full-time employees whom Human Resources records show as being eligible to receive the 2024 Service Awards.  Honorees will be recognized during the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Sept. 12 at 11 a.m. in Sacred Heart Chapel. Employees must have completed full-time service in increments of five years beginning with the 10-year mark and continuing in 2024 to be eligible to receive the Service Award. Faculty and Staff Honorees will be recognized immediately following the Mass.

Faculty and staff employees who believe they are eligible to receive a Service Award for full-time service years at OLLU, but do not see their name on the list, should contact Human Resources as soon as possible via email at mbecerra15@ollusa.edu.

Eligible Service Award recipients for 2024

Employee NameTITLEService Years
Murtha, Paul M.General Maintenance Technician35
Gonzalez, MateoGrounds/General Maintenance Supervisor35
   
Green, Mark T.Professor of Leadership Studies30
   
Garcia, Evelyn A.Accounts Payable Assistant25
   
Glasscock, Darrell R.Director of Facilities20
Garza, Carmen C.Academic Advising Counselor20
Flores, Esmeralda M.Director of Financial Aid20
Findley, Teresa E.Payroll Assistant20
   
Winney, Kathryn M.Associate Professor of Accounting15
O’Donnell, Kristin L.Professor of Psychology15
Munguia, TeresitaAssociate Provost15
Lozano, Yvette M.Clinical Professor15
Kubena, Jiletta L.Department Chair/Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice15
Dinh-Camarillo, Linda T.Library Operations Manager15
   
Watts, John H.Professor, Business Administration10
Rodriguez, MariaHousekeeper10
Quinones, Michael V.Network Manager – Engineer10
Munoz, RobertPolice Lieutenant10
Maurer, Alycia D.Associate Dean/Department Chair & Associate Professor of Education10
Martinez, Guadalupe M.Housekeeper10
Komara, KirstenAcademic Center for Excellence Director10
Hernandez, Reyna R.Custodian10
Healy, Deborah A.Department Chair/Professor of Psychology10
Garza, Gina M.Senior Processing Specialist- CRM Operations10
Deperez, ClaudiaHousekeeper10
Cuevas, Maureen C.Professor of Social Work10
Clark, Vanessa G.Associate Dean/Department Chair & Professor, CISS10
Allen, JeffreyDirector of Infrastructure Services10
Aguilar, AntonioGeneral Maintenance Worker10

Men’s soccer earns first win of season over Schreiner

The men’s soccer team downed Schreiner University (SU) 2-1 to open the 2024 season on Aug. 23. The Saints start 1-0 while the Mountaineers drop to 4-3.

History
The Saints were 7-1 against the Mountaineers prior to the match.

Basics
The Mountaineers scored first at the 37th minute with a goal from Cody Brown. Schreiner led 1-0 at halftime but the Saints evened the score a few minutes into the second half. Alessandro Sierra scored unassisted at the 50th minute. Thiago Fernandes followed with an unassisted goal at the 67th minute. Fernandes’ goal ended up being the game winning strike. Dominic Pena made five saves and Sierra had two shots on goal.

Scoring overview
37′ – SU – Cody Brown (assisted by Manuel Coya)

50′ – OLLU – Alessandro Sierra

67′ – OLLU – Thiago Fernandes

Inside the box score
Sierra led the Saints with two shots on goal. Zaaron Gonzalez had two shots on goal for the Mountaineers.Overall, the Saints tallied 12 shots, with seven on goal. Schreiner recorded nine shots with six shots on goal.OLLU took six corner kicks while the Mountaineers had two.

Up next
The Saints play at Texas Lutheran University in an exhibition on Monday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Men’s tennis ranked No. 18 in preseason Top 25 Poll

The men’s tennis team has been ranked No. 18 in the NAIA Men’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll that was released on Aug. 21. The Saints excelled last season with multiple top 25 rankings.

The Saints finished last season with a 19-8 overall mark. They lost only two out of 13 home matches and were 4-2 on the road. The season was highlighted by an 11-match winning streak from Feb. 25-March 29. OLLU hosted the NAIA Unaffiliated Tournament at Blossom Tennis Center and lost to No. 10-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana 4-2 in the championship match.

The 2024-25 preseason poll follows this format:

Rating Methodology:

  • The rating was rated by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and unaffiliated groupings.
  • The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each rater rates the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place, 28 for third-place and so on through the list.
  • The highest and lowest ratings for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) are removed. The team’s rating will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the team appears on.
  • Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”

See full story on Saints Athletics website.

Welcome back, Saints!

OLLU is excited to welcome new and returning students today for the first day of classes for the 2024-2025 academic year. If you need assistance locating classrooms or if you have any questions, visit the Welcome Desk at the entrance to Main Building for assistance.

Stop by the Renaissance Parlors today from 9-11 a.m. for Donuts with the Student Government Association (SGA) and from Noon-1:30 p.m. for Snack and Chat with the Student Affairs division.

Throughout the week there will be a variety of Welcome Week events to help students ease into the semester. Check out the flier below.

Welcome back and good luck with your first week of classes!

Ukrainian Independence Day event will be held on campus Saturday

The Ukrainian School of San Antonio, which holds classes on the OLLU campus, will host a Ukrainian Independence Day celebration on Saturday at noon in Main Building, Room 311. The OLLU community is invited to join the celebration.

The Ukrainian School has been meeting on the OLLU campus for more than a year. It teaches Ukrainian language and culture to children living in San Antonio and South Texas. Many of the children and their families have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.

The Independence Day celebration will include performances by the children from the school, music and a potluck meal featuring Ukrainian dishes.

OLLU Professor and District 4 City Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia will welcome participants on behalf of the City of San Antonio.

Dr. Anderson recognized for distinguished service

Congratulations to Kathryn Anderson, PhD, Professor of Psychology, who was awarded the Sue Rosenberg Zalk award for distinguished service to the Society for the Psychology of Women, Division 35 of the American Psychological Association. 

Volleyball ranked second in RRAC preseason poll

The Saints volleyball team was ranked second out of nine programs in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) 2024 Volleyball Preseason Poll. You can see the top-ranked team in action Friday at home when they kick off their Volleyesta Tournament at 2:30 p.m. against Nelson University.

The Saints have won the regular-season title three years in a row, while Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) has captured every postseason title in the same span. The Saints took the Gold Nuggets to five sets in all three championship matches. OLLU went 15-1 in regular season conference play last year, with the only loss coming at the hands of Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT). The Saints only lost six sets in 16 conference matches. 

The top-ranked Gold Nuggets received four first-place votes in the poll. The Saints are second with three first-place votes and TAMUT is third with one vote. Louisiana Christian University also received one first-place nod and is in the fourth spot. Paul Quinn College is fifth, followed by Jarvis Christian University in sixth, University of the Southwest in seventh, Huston-Tillotson University in eighth and Texas College in ninth. Voting is conducted by the conference’s head coaches. 

The Saints welcome nine freshmen and two transfer athletes for the upcoming season. The squad is led by seniors Julissa Casas, Camila Ramirez and Tina Trevino. Head Coach Scott Mattera enters his sixth season, while Assistant Coach Raven Swain begins her second season.