UT System Board of Regents approve an increase of nine percent over two years
On March 3, the University of Texas System Board of Regents approved tuition and fee increases for the next two years for nine UT system institutions, including UTSA. Tuition will increase 4.5 percent, or $366 a year for full-time students. The increase will be effective beginning Fall 2010.
Right now, students taking 12 hours pay $3,208.70 in tuition and fees. With the increase, those same students will pay $3,574.70 by Fall 2010 and about $4,400 by Fall 2011.
The University of Texas System regents have voted to increase tuition at the flagship Austin campus by 5.4 percent this fall.
According to the Austin American-Statesman, in-state undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin will pay an average of $4,709 per semester for tuition and fees in 2010-11 and $4,892 the following academic year. The present tuition and fees total averages $4,468 per semester.
Senator Leticia Van de Putte was presented with the Women’s Advocate of the Year Award, March 1, at the kickoff ceremony celebrating Women’s History Month. Van De Putte was selected for the award by the Women’s Studies Institute for her continual efforts to “write women back into history.” The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Elena Gutierrez, who stressed the importance of women and the vital roles they serve.
Van De Putte complimented UTSA and the Women’s Institute. She pointed out that UTSA has recognized the power of a woman as evident with the university’s female athletic director and dean of the college of business—positions strongly dominated by males.
Van De Putte continued by addressing the increasing responsibility of the modern woman in the “sandwich generation,” which describes the task of caring for the grandparents of a family as well as the children.
Students will have the opportunity to vote on a proposed fee increase of $10 to improve shuttle services.
If the transportation fee referendum does not pass, reductions will continue to occur in shuttle transportation services.
Even if the fee increase is approved, surrounding apartment complexes will still be required to pay a fee, although Business Auxiliary Services Transportation Services Manager James Strahan said that the fee may be less than the $10,000 currently required. Off-campus complexes that elect not to pay will continue to not receive shuttle services at their location.
Governor Rick Perry has ordered all public institutions, including universities, to prepare for a five percent cut in their state appropriated budget for the next two years. UTSA president Ricardo Romo said the impending cut, an estimated $9.8 million, will not result in layoffs for UTSA faculty and staff.
“We’re not cutting any services and we’re not cutting staff,” Romo said. “That to me is the most dramatic reaction. I will not contemplate layoffs.”
While several other colleges in the UT system, including UT Austin, have announced they will be laying off faculty and staff in order to satisfy the five percent cut, UTSA Provost Dr. John Frederick explained that UTSA can survive without losing any employees.
Atheist Agenda exchanges pornography for religious texts through March 3 in Sombrilla
Playboy, Penthouse, and other adult magazines were exchanged for Bibles, Torahs, Korans, and other religious texts at the annual Smut for Smut event hosted by the UTSA Atheist Agenda on March 1.
March 2 is primary election day.
Running in the Democrat Party Primary Election on the Bexar County ballot are incumbents Charles A. Gonzalez, Ciro D. Rodriguez and Henry Cuellar, along with Lainey Melnick and Miguel Ortiz.
Sometime at the end of last week someone vandalized the GLBTQ Bulletin Board in the HSS.
The perpetrator wrote a biblical passage and “Jesus died for yall. And this is how you thank him?”
“Black Pride. Black Strength” was the theme of the sixth annual Black Heritage Ball that took place on Saturday Feb. 27 in the UC Ballroom.
The event featured a speech by Acting General Manager for CPS, Jelynne Burley, beginning her speech with a joke:
“I am the only thing standing between you and the DJ, so I am going to be brief and hopefully aspiring.”
March 2 is primary election day.
Running in the Democrat Party Primary Election on the Bexar County ballot are incumbents Charles A. Gonzalez, Ciro D. Rodriguez and Henry Cuellar, along with Lainey Melnick and Miguel Ortiz.
Early February CPS Energy settled with it’s corporate partner Nuclear Innovation North American (NINA), a joint venture by NRG Energy and Toshiba, Inc.
NINA has also agreed to pay CPS $80 million and contribute $10 million to assist low-income families pay their energy bills.
The UTSA Honors College hosted the tenth annual "Great Conversation!" at UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures Feb. 23. This year’s event raised $151,340, which goes directly to support students attending UTSA.
This month the University of Texas at San Antonio celebrated the opening of its Confucius Institute. The aim of the institute is to provide an awareness of Chinese culture, history, and society through Chinese language instruction and educational exchanges in partnership with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an American effort to avert another World War, which is the driving force for globalization, explained Dr. Yinlong Zhang during a lecture on globalization and marketing in China The lecture was sponsored by the University of Texas at San Antonio’s East Asia Institute.
"I am greatly honored to be elected as your new Mr. UTSA. Through this position, I will be able to collaborate with important officials around San Antonio who will be able to help us advance UTSA interests. If elected Student Body President, a position I am running for March 9th-10th on Banner ASAP, I promise to take student representation to an entirely new level.
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The board of directors of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas’ San Antonio
Branch has re–elected UTSA
President Ricardo Romo as chairman
pro tem for 2010.
The federal government mandates
a census or nationwide count of every
person residing in the United States. It
asks 10 basic questions to each household
in America taking, a “snapshot”
of the current population.
Customers lined up in the University Center (UC) for the Chili’s Too opening on Feb. 14. It is one of six in the nation on a college campus, with 64 employees—54 of them students. Chili’s Too will have its ribbon-cutting ceremony on Mar. 9.
African-American summer program includes trip to New York
UTSA is launching a new African-American Literatures and Cultures Institute (AALCI) summer program – that includes a trip to New York – in an effort to increase the number of students pursuing careers as professors of African-American literary and cultural studies.
In honor of Black History month, Dr. Boyce Watkins made clear in his lecture that only action can take Black History where it must go.
The Inclusion and Community Engagement Center (ICE) in conjunction with the African-American Studies department hosted the lecture given by Watkins. He immediately stressed to the audience: Black history is not dead but includes all of us in the present.
The United States should step up as a world leader and pursue a path of open markets and lessen trade restrictions to ensure a faster economic recovery, British Ambassador to the United States Sir Nigel Sheinwald said on Feb. 11 at UTSA.
When UTSA students receive their census forms they will have the rare opportunity of ensuring that UTSA gets the federal funding it needs.
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communication Jared Jones said that it is important for students to fill out their census form.
Monday afternoon at approximately 1:25 p.m. an unidentified man fell from the fourth floor Biosciences Building (BSB). At this time, it is undetermined whether the action was intentional.
From March 8-10, students will be able to log on to ASAP to vote for or against the proposed $10 transportation fee increase to improve shuttle services.
If the transportation fee referendum does not pass, reductions will continue to occur in shuttle transportation services.
On Jan. 28, the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) in downtown San Antonio became an associate of the Smithsonian Institute of Washington, DC. Present at the signing ceremony were ITC Executive Director Timothy Gette and UTSA President Ricardo Romo, as well as Smithsonian representative Harold Closter, director of the Smithsonian Affiliations program.
Welcome Back, the newest program created by the Graduation Initiative team aims to facilitate the return of students who left UTSA before graduation.
The program, established in Fall 2006, has a record of approximately 3,000 students who attended UTSA from 1989 to spring 2009, and have abandoned their undergraduate studies.
A new “tilt-up” concrete building is being proposed for construction on the UTSA main campus.
The process behind its construction involves raising precast concrete panels and connecting them using a steel frame.
This year, UTSA prepares for its Reaffirmation of Accreditation by the Southern Association of College and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACS/COC). As required in the accreditation process, UTSA has developed a Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP).
A few years ago, people were afraid that certain waves emitted by cell phones might be harmful to their health. New evidence indicates quite the contrary – a recent study shows that waves emitted by cell phones may be beneficial to the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
A panel has been created to explore whether a merger of UTSA and the UT Health and Science Center (UTHSC) would be in the best interest of the two institutions.
Members of Student Government Association (SGA) built a shanty shack to raise money in support of the victims of the Haiti earthquake that devastated the country two weeks ago. All proceeds and donations raised will be donated to the Red Cross.
Residents from five apartment complexes left in the cold
Students residing at nearby apartment complexes have been left without shuttle service to the Main Campus for more than a week, and UTSA transportation officials are requiring a $10,000 fee from the complexes before service will resume.
Four cadets from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Academy stepped off the 2010 City of San Antonio Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative March Jan. 18.
Following them, more than 100,000 adults and children marched in honor of the nation’s revered civil-rights leader.
Congress needs to revamp the educational system. Congressional bills should not contain riders. Mexican drug cartels should be treated like terrorists.
These were some of the points former CIA officer and Congressional canidate Will Hurd made during a visit to UTSA Jan. 15. The event was hosted by the College Republicans, an on-campus organization aimed to create increased political awareness and understanding.
UTSA health professionals will offer H1N1 vaccination clinics in January, one at Main Campus and one at the Downtown Campus so students, faculty and staff can get their H1N1 flu shot before the second wave of flu season hits.
UTSA is considering constructing on the East Garage, a $30 million parking garage, in Fall 2011. The garage will be paid for from revenue generated by parking permits, parking tickets and short-term parking.
On Dec. 25, 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab boarded a plane from Amsterdam to Detroit with an explosive device. He attempted to detonate the device in flight, but was unsuccessful. He was quickly overpowered by two passengers.
A 20-year-old man was seriously injured after he fell off the roof of his friend’s vehicle while car surfing. The accident happened just before 3 a.m. at the Highlands Apartments on UTSA Boulevard.
As the university continues its push for a top tier research status, tenured faculty are not getting the raises or earning the salaries equal to those of assistant professors and new hires in the same department.
At UTSA stem cell research is a current focus of study. In fact, Dr. Christopher Navara, associate professor of biology, recently had his research published in the journal Stem Cells. Dr. George Perry, dean of the college of sciences, said that Navara’s research has “huge implications for understanding biology and evolution.”
On Nov. 18, Deputy Consul General Mitsuru Murase from the Consulate General at Japan in Houston came to UTSA to give a free public lecture about Japanese-American relations. Murase discussed the recent elections in Japan, the economy and several other global issues that are affecting both Japan and America.
Another attempt at establishing a student-run radio station at UTSA is being made by technical communications senior Claudia Loya and public relations senior Brandon Johnson. This attempt is different, however, because rather than trying to start as a full-fledged broadcast station, the club hopes to begin as an online entity.
A court martial found a former Air Force nurse not guilty Saturday on charges of killing three terminally ill patients with lethal dosages of painkillers. After the ruling, Capt. Michael Fontana said he hoped his acquittal served as a lesson on making those on do-not-resucitate orders comfortable.
Over the past 18 months, a series of resignations and firings of UT police chiefs, including UTSA’s David Hernandez, has sparked a UT system-wide investigation.
In the biggest trial for the age of terrorism, the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and four alleged henchmen will be hauled before a civilian court on American soil, barely a thousand yards from the site of the World Trade Center’s twin towers they are accused of destroying.
More than a year after being engulfed in controversy, the Honors Alliance continues to work on an honor code for the university. Akshay Thusu, the honor code chairman, states that the honor code will help students understand the importance of academic integrity as well as discourage them from participating in unethical practices.
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Texas House of Representative Joaquin Castro is holding focus groups at colleges in San Antonio to determine how to improve the college experience in the state.
In October, he visited the Alamo Community Colleges and UTSA; in January, Castro hopes to visit a private, four-year university.
Jeffrey Von Ronne, an assistant professor in the department of computer science, has won a $425,000 Faculity Early Career Development (CAREER) research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (GLBTQ) held their second annual Gayla Oct. 27, an event designed to celebrate GLBTQ Pride Month. The event included a drag show in the UC Ballroom as its main attraction.
Never before has any legislation for health care reform gone further than it has now. The bill has passed through three out of the five committees. If it passes all five committees it will go to the House floor for a vote as soon as this week. It is important for Americans, college students in particular, to understand what is being put up for a vote and what is at stake.
On Nov. 2, Lindsey Blair, a 19-year-old St. Phillips student and resident of The Reserve apartments was shot in the thigh as he stood in the doorway of his apartment, according to the San Antonio Police Department’s (SAPD) Public Information Office. The wound was not life-threatening and the victim is in good condition.
October commemorates Cyber Security Awareness Month (CSAM). The UTSA Institute for Cyber Security and the Office of Information Technology (OIT) have held several informational sessions in order to educate the public on how to stay safe online.
On Oct. 24 and 25 UTSA hosted Family Weekend 2009, to encouraged students and their parents to participate in events designed to promote parental involvement in their children’s education.
DALLAS – Dallas police officers have improperly cited drivers for not being able to speak English 38 times in the past three years, Chief David Kunkle said Friday.
The University of Texas at San Antonio celebrated its 40th Anniversary on Oct. 15 during President Romo’s Scholarship and Awards Dinner at the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel.
Pending the approval of The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), UTSA is set to have a new Master of Arts degree in school psychology by Fall 2010.
“One in four women will be victims of domestic violence in their life time,” Melissa Hernandez, assistant director of counseling services said. “We want to let people know that it happens – and that it happens a lot.”
A man put to death in 2004 for killing his three children was “a monster,’’ and suggestions that he may have been innocent are anti-death penalty propaganda, Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday.
The State Employee Charitable Campaign (SECC) annual fundraiser began on Oct. 6 with an Ice Cream Social in the UC Ballroom 2. The SECC is an annual campaign benefitting charities. Last year, SECC had a 78 percent participation rate at UTSA, which was number one in the UT systems. This year, the goal is 91 percent.
The University of Texas at San Antonio will celebrate its 40th Anniversary on Oct. 15 during President Romo’s Scholarship and Awards Dinner at the Marriott Rivercenter hotel.
Ten percent of college students are clinically depressed. The causes are often related to expectations placed on students and are often social. Depression was one of many topics discussed in a Mental Illness Seminar in the University Center, which was open to all students and members of the San Antonio community.
MONROE, Ohio– An Ohio husband and wife are both undergoing treatment for breast cancer in a case that illustrates how the disease can strike both sexes.
The announcement drew gasps of surprise and cries of too much, too soon. Yet President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday because the judges found his promise of disarmament and diplomacy too good to ignore.
UTSA kicks off October, Hispanic Heritage Month, with a memorable night. On Friday, Oct. 9, the Inclusion in Community Engagement Center hosted the 2nd Annual Gala Latina in collaboration with various Hispanic organizations. Gala Latina is a celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which highlights achievements of Latinos and the Latino culture.
UTSA is one of seven universities jockeying for position as a tier-one research university. In his recent visit to UTSA, State Representative and Chair of the Higher Education Committee Dan Branch discussed how UTSA could win tier-one status before UT El Paso, UT Dallas, UT Arlington, University of Houston and Texas Tech University.
The story of humankind is reaching back another million years as scientists learn more about “Ardi,’’ a hominid who lived 4.4 million years ago in what is now Ethiopia.
Proposition 1 Authorizes the financing, including through tax increment financing, of the acquisition by municipalities and counties of buffer areas adjacent to a military installation to protect or promote the mission of the military. Proposition 2 Authorizing the legislature to provide for the ad valorem taxation of a residence homestead solely on the basis of the property’s value as a residence homestead.
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Elton Smith, director of the office of university publications, died Thursday, Sept. 24. He was 61. Smith joined UTSA in 1997. David Gabler, associate vice president of communications and marketing, described Smith as a caring and compassionate colleague, was very well respected for his talents as a graphic designer and director for university publications.
In 2003, UTSA made national headlines when it recongized its first gay fraternity—Alpha Lambda Tau—the third ALT chapter in the U.S. after the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and Arizona State University. For some people the ALT chapter was considered one of Texas’ most controversial moments in “university” history.
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On Thursday, Sept 17th, the House of Representatives passed the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) by a vote of 254 to 171. The bill, which will now go to the Senate, provides $40 billion to increase the maximum annual Pell Grant scholarship from currently $5,350 to $6,900 by 2019.
This year UTSA launched a new required course for all MBA students called Ethics and Leadership. The course is currently being taught eight hours every Saturday for five weeks, and students must take it the first year of their MBA.
Tu Vida, Tu Salud is part of a new outreach program by Student Health Services in to let students know of the unutilized medical services paid for in their tuition.
In response to the expected return of the H1N1 virus, known colloquially as the “swine flu,” UTSA is taking steps to help prevent a major outbreak on campus and addressing the effects of widespread student absenteeism in the event of such an outbreak.
“A 24-year-old Colorado airport shuttle driver and his father were arrested on formal charges of making false statements to federal agents in an ongoing terrororisminvestigation.
UTSA biochemist Robert Renthal has been watching ants march around since he was a child.
“I’ve been interested in insects my whole life and if you live in Texas, you can’t help but notice ants. Most people try to get rid of them, but I find them very interesting.”
UTSA’s Physics and Astronomy Department was recently awarded the largest grant in its history. The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded the five-year, $2.7 million grant in order to further the department’s research of nanoparticles and nanomaterials.
Echoing the words of his predecessor, President Barack Obama vowed the United States “will never falter’’ in the pursuit of al-Qaida as he marked the eighth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks by placing a wreath at the site of the attack on the Pentagon.
Good news in the world’s flu fight: One dose of the new swine flu vaccine looks strong enough to protect adults, and can spark protection within 10 days of the shot, Australian and U.S. researchers said Thursday.
On September 11, eight years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, UTSA students were evacuated from the Humanities and Social Science Building. University officials explained the evacuation was the result of a fire alarm pulled at around 1:20 p.m.
Students may qualify for up to $2,500 in tax credit on out-of-pocket expenditures for tuition, textbooks and other required course materials. The credit applies to unfunded, qualified education expenses that scholarships, grants or financial aid do not cover.
UTSA will receive a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to establish the Simulation, Visualization and Real Time Prediction (SiViRT) center.
The grant is funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), commonly referred to as the stimulus package. The grant is the largest ARRA award UTSA has received.
In January, UTSA will receive a $2 million microscope so powerful that it can zoom down to view a single atom. It is one of two microscopes of its kind in the world. The other is in Japan.
Angry homeowners in Dell Oaks and Auburn Ridge subdivisions, within blocks of UTSA’s south entrance, have been fighting to prevent developers from building a new student housing complex at 6676 UTSA Blvd., next to The Outpost.
Rowdy Wing Fling (RWF), the annual alcohol and drug awareness program designed to educate students on how to avoid “rowdy” behavior, treated students to buffalo wings and free swag.
According to the UTSA Parking and Transportation parking regulations, riding a skateboard on university property is prohibited. Any UTSA student found skateboarding could be fined.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) the H1N1 virus, also known as the “Swine Flu,” is predicted to return with a vengeance this season.
On June 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the global pandemic threat level of H1N1 to Phase 6—“widespread human infection.”
Accounting students who register for Intermediate Accounting I (ACC 3023) are now required to take the Principles of Accounting Competency Exam (PACE) and pass the exam before taking the class.
UTSA professor Dr. J. Hunter Waite and his research assistant, UTSA graduate student Joseph Westlake, have recently published an article in the prestigious scientific journal, Nature. The article hypothesizes the existence of liquid water on Enceladus, a small moon orbiting Saturn.
After the 2009 Successful Transfer Enhancement Program (STEP) Awards were handed out, UTSA had plenty to be happy about. The University won gold awards for multimedia communications, student services and development, academic support services and internal collaboration. It also picked up a silver award for print communications.
As the struggling economy continues to hit the wallets of Americans, the high cost of attending a four-year university has become increasingly problematic. The Alamo Colleges, which includes community colleges such as Palo Alto, St. Phillips and San Antonio College (SAC), have taken note of this issue, and they have recently launched an ad campaign that emphasizes affordable and accessible education.
As of fall 2009, the UTSA Police Department plans to complete distribution of a new “Community Emergency Response Guide” across the UTSA Tri-campus community.
The guide is a reference book designed to provide students, faculty and visitors with emergency phone contacts, procedures and medical instruction.
One of the world’s most cited scientist in Alzheimer’s research is also the dean of the college of sciences at UTSA. Dr. George Perry is one of the top 20 researchers in Alzheimer’s disease.
In August 2009, the college of architecture will have a new dean. President Ricardo Romo has appointed John D. Murphy Jr., currently a professor and director of international education at Auburn University’s McWhorter School of Building Science.
April 6 marked the start of class registration for students and the beginning of class scheduling troubles for the summer and fall semesters.
Due to lack of classroom space, some students have discovered that a number of classes have been cancelled or have increased in capacity.
The Sombrilla Plaza is a gathering place for students wishing to study, organizations hoping to raise money and faculty grabbing a quick bite. The Sombrilla was built in the 1970s and has become an intergal part of UTSA.
How many times have you missed a class or daydreamed through a boring lecture? You may have some luck asking a friend or classmate for notes or you can log on to isleptthroughclass.com. Originating at the University of Daytona in fall of 2007, isleptthroughclass.com has had an impact at over 400 colleges and universities with over 20,000 notes being shared within the first six months.
UTSA officials monitor the virus that has spread from Mexico to South Texas
In Mexico City, the streets were quiet on April 26, the soccer team played to ok empty stadium and the cardinal gave Mass in a shuttered cathedral, according to the Associated Press (AP). The reason why Mexico City was so quiet is the residents of the capital locked themselves in amidst fears of a new swine flu outbreak.
UT San Antonio students may want to review their free credit report online before applying for college loans. And, when planning their spring break mexico 2010 trips, UT San Antonio students choose to research destinations like Cancun, Acapulco and Mazatlan.
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