OLLUNewsletter

Deadline approaching for staff/administrators benefits open enrollment

Staff and administrators have until Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. to start, change or end benefits. No changes will be accepted after the deadline

All eligible employees making changes must enroll online in order to change benefits. Current benefits will carry over. The exception is the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA), which require enrollment EACH year.

All full-time employees will be able to complete enrollment through Saints Connect/Employee Self-Service/Benefits.

To access the Benefits Enrollment online:
• Log into Saints Connect
• Click on Employee Self-Service
• Click on Review Current Benefits
• Click on Benefit Enrollment

Please print confirmation as this is your confirmation your enrollment is complete.

Faculty Benefits Fair is scheduled for Aug. 14

The Faculty Benefits Fair will be held Aug. 14 in Main Building, Room 311, 10 a.m-2 p.m.

Annual benefits enrollment provides benefit-eligible employees the opportunity to start, change or end benefits, which become effective Oct. 1, 2024. The exception is medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, which begin Sept. 1, 2024.

All eligible employees making changes must enroll online in order to change benefits. Current benefits will carry over. The exception is the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) and Dependent Care Account (DCA), which require enrollment EACH year.

Faculty enrollment deadline to enroll is Aug. 28, 2024, by 11:59 p.m.

To access the Benefits Enrollment online:
• Log into Saints Connect
• Click on Employee Self-Service
• Click on Review Current Benefits
• Click on Benefit Enrollment

Please print confirmation as this is your confirmation your enrollment is complete.

OLLU Wins 2023-2024 NAIA Champions of Character Five-Star Silver Institution Award

OLLU has been recognized as a Champions of Charactive Silver Level Five-Star Institution by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The prestigious recognition signifies OLLU’s commitment to character-driven athletics and its alignment with the NAIA Core Values

Haley Holzem, Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance / Women’s Athletics Administrator and Manager of the NAIA Champions of Character program for OLLU, said, “We are proud to have our university among the five-star institutions this year. Each program at OLLU strives for excellence and always represents the NAIA Core Values. We have an amazing group of student-athletes. We cannot wait to see the servant leadership initiatives they take on this upcoming school year as we partner with multiple local non-profits and better our community.”

The NAIA uses a Champions of Character scorecard to see how well institutions fulfill character-driven athletics. To make the cut, a school must earn 60 points out of a possible 100. A school picks up points in character training, conduct in competition, academic focus, character recognition and character promotion. Points are also earned based on exceptional student-athlete grade point averages and minimal to no ejections during competition throughout the academic year.

The five core values of the Champions of Character initiative are integrity, respect, responsibility, sportsmanship and servant leadership to help student-athletes, coaches and parents do the right thing on and off the field. Two hundred and nine member institutions were named Five-Star Award winners.

In addition, the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) was named a Champions of Character Five-Star Conference based on the results of its ten member institutions. To be recognized, a conference must have established a Champions of Character conference committee and conduct an in-competition oversight committee consisting of at least three members. In addition, at least half of the league’s schools must receive the Champions of Character Five-Star Institution award.

All 14 RRAC members earned this distinction: Huston-Tillotson University – Gold, Jarvis Christian University – Silver, Louisiana Christian University – Gold, LSU-Alexandria – Gold, LSU-Shreveport – Silver, North American University – Gold, Paul Quinn College – Silver, Texas A&M University-San Antonio – Gold, Texas A&M University – Texarkana – Silver, Texas College – Bronze, University of Houston-Victoria – Gold, University of the Southwest – Silver, Xavier University of Louisiana – Silver.

Save the Date for Convocation

Convocation is the official opening of the academic year for faculty and staff. This year’s Convocation will take place:
Tuesday, Aug. 13
10:30 a.m.-Noon
Mabee Gym, UWAC

During Convocation, President Abel Chávez, MBA, PhD, will share his plans and vision for the year. There also will be presentations by the Faculty Assembly, Staff Assembly and Student Government Association presidents.

This year’s Convocation will feature Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, CM, as keynote speaker. Father Holtschneider is the past president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and served as president of DePaul University the nation’s largest Catholic university from 2004-2017. Father Holtschneider holds degrees in mathematics and theology, as well as a doctorate in higher education policy from Harvard University where he lectures on governance and strategy in higher education.

OLLU recognized as Exercise is Medicine Campus

OLLU recently earned the distinction as an Exercise is Medicine (EIM) campus through the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

The distinction recognizes OLLU’s dedication to improving the health and wellness of the university community through education and physical activity.

OLLU stands as the only EIM campus in San Antonio, a distinction that could boost enrollment in the Kinesiology program.

“The EIM on campus designation, along with the Kinesiology program’s accreditation and $3 million Title V grant, will certainly attract students to OLLU,” said Emily Sauers, PhD, Associate Professor of Kinesiology. “We are making it clear that Kinesiology is building a strong foundation in San Antonio as a high-quality, rigorous program that aims to train and empower students to successfully pursue health-related professions that will inspire change in health and wellness in San Antonio.”

Kinesiology ranks among OLLU’s most popular majors with enrollment remaining high and steady over the past five years. “At a time when declining enrollment across most universities is a concern,” Dr. Sauers said, “we are proud that our enrollment continues to be strong and healthy.”

The EIM designation will bolster a growing program.

“We received this distinction because we realized that the activities that we have been planning through the Kinesiology Title V grant mirror the EIM mission,” Dr. Sauers said. “EIM on Campus allows Kinesiology students to serve the OLLU community while practicing professional skills to prepare them for future endeavors.”

Professor Lárraga completes program in Salamanca, Spain

Maribel Lárraga, PhD, Professor of Spanish, recently completed a prestigious program at the University of Salamanca in Spain. The program, “Formación de Profesores de Español como Lengua Extranjera,” attracted 42 professors from the U.S., China, Brazil, Canada and other countries.

Dr. Lárraga and her cohort of professors took courses from July 8 -12. The instruction helped them learn how to better teach Spanish as a foreign language.

“My purpose in attending the course was to immerse myself with other educators of Spanish, not only to spend time discussing the best pedagogical approaches but also gaining and sharing invaluable experience with educators from around the world,” Dr. Lárraga said.

Dr. Lárraga will be on sabbatical this fall, doing research on “Language and Identity: The Politics of Spanish in the U.S.” and working on other projects.

Two alumni begin pharmacy school in the fall

Congratulations to Getsemani Arteaga (BA Biology 2022) and Isabella Guerrero (BS Chemical Biology 2023)! They will be enrolling in pharmacy school this fall.

Arteaga will be attending the University of Texas at El Paso. Guerrero will be attending the University of the Incarnate Word.

Graduation application deadline set for Thursday

The Fall 2024 Graduation Application is available in the “Graduation” tile on Saints Connect. If you plan to graduate at the end of the fall 2024 semester, please submit the graduation application before the Thursday deadline.

If you have any questions about your degree requirements, please reach out to your advisor for assistance. If you have any questions regarding the application, please reach out to graduate@ollusa.edu.

Please note, once the graduation application is submitted in Saints Connect, the $100 graduation fee will be added to your fall balance.

Aug. 30 is last day to remove health insurance fees from student account

OLLU students taking seven or more credit hours are required to carry health insurance and it is automatically added to the student account. If you have your own health insurance or health insurance through your parents, you can have the cost of the OLLU health insurance removed from your student account (does not apply to international students).

The last day to remove the OLLU health insurance fees from your fall 2024 student account is Aug. 30.

Details on how to waive the OLLU Student Health Insurance are available on this webpage: https://www.ollusa.edu/health-safety/health-services/student-health-insurance.html.

If you need further assistant, please contact the Student Business Office at studentaccounts@ollusa.edu or 210-434-6711, ext. 3929.

Softball welcomes 5 transfers, 6 freshmen to 2024-2025 squad

The OLLU softball team is welcoming five transfers and six freshman to the class of 2024-2025. The transfers are Krystal Castaneda, Jazlyn Gomez, Annika Litterio, Lilly Rocha and Kayla Rogers. The freshmen joining the team are Alexia Alegria, Danika Jimenez, Yezenia Perez, Brianna Ramirez and Ayanna Trejo.

Head Coach Bruce Lenington is eager to see the contributions these new student-athletes will make to this upcoming squad. The team is coming off a NAIA World Series National Championship – the first in OLLU history. The Saints finished out the season with a 57-3 overall record and a 24-0 Red River Athletic Conference

Krystal Castaneda is a native of Magnolia, Texas, where she graduated from Magnolia High School. She attended Trinity Valley Community College. Her awards include 2023-2024 All-American Scholar-Athlete, Four-Time President’s Honor Roll, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, Pauline Knight Perkins Scholarship, 2024 Academic All-Region, 2023 All-Academic First Team. She is majoring in physical therapy.

Jazlyn Gomez is from Horizon, Texas, where she graduated from Eastlake High School. She is a transfer from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. She will major in rehab services.

San Antonio native Annika Litterio is a graduate of Warren High School. She attended University of Texas at El Paso. She is a Two-Time Second Team CUSA All-Academic. She is majoring in psychology.

Lilly Rocha, who is from Harlingen, Texas, is a graduate of Harlingen High School. She attended McLennan Community College. Her awards include Two-Time RSL Homerun Derby Champ, Defensive Player of the Year, First Team Third Baseman, Second Team Third Baseman. She is majoring in health services.

Kayla Rogers is from Harlingen, Texas, where she attended Harlingen High School South. She is a transfer from Huston-Tillotson University. Her awards include Most Improved HTU 2022 Women’s Softball, CAS Scholar HTU, UNCF Scholar HTU, Dean’s List HTU and Honor Roll HTU. The graduate student will pursue an MBA.

Alexia Alegria is a native of Hebbronville, Texas, where she graduated from Hebbronville High School. Her awards include Three-Time First-Team All-District shortstop, 2024 First-Team Caller-Times, All-South Texas infielder, Four-Time Caller-Times, All-South Texas infielder, Three-Time Team MVP, 2024 CC Hooks Preseason All-Star Selection and Two-Time Sports Live All-Star Selection. She plans to major in kinesiology.

Danika Jimenez comes to OLLU from Edinburg, Texas, where she graduated from Robert Vela High School. She plans to major in biology.

Yezenia Perez is a native of Harlingen, Texas, where she graduated from Harlingen High School South. Her athletic awards include Second-Team All-District, Sophomore of the Year, All-District MVP, THCSA All-State, THCSA Super Elite Team and TGCSA All-State. Perez plans to major in kinesiology.

Brianna Ramirez, who is from San Antonio, graduated from Brennan High School. She was named to the All-District First Team and will major in kinesiology.

Ayanna Trejo is a native of San Antonio, where she graduated from Warren High School. She plans to major in kinesiology.