The Bear Ledger

Stephanie Hailey McBrayer, associate director of Housing & Residence Life, married Todd McBrayer at the Conway Country Club on Nov. 21, 2009.

Joel Pouwels, an associate professor of Spanish, Department of World Language, Literature and Culture, has announced she will retire on May 10, 2010. Pouwels has taught at UCA for 26 years.

University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees Meetings

The University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet Feb. 5; May 7; July 23; and Nov. 5. These dates may change. All board meetings are held at 2 p.m. in the board room in Wingo Hall unless otherwise announced.

Seminars

Sexual Harassment
Participants have the option of attending sexual harassment on-site or online at http://training.newmedialearning.com/psh/ucentralarkansas/choice.htm. On site seminars will be held:

• Feb. 3, 9-10 a.m., Student Center #213
• Feb. 28, X-Period, Student Center #213

Diversity

• Feb. 5, 2-3:30 p.m., Student Center # 215
• Feb. 16, 9 -10:30 a.m., Student Center # 215
• Feb. 22, 2:30-4 p.m., Student Center # 215

Professional Development

• Feb. 10, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Brewer Hegeman 4AB

  New Professional Seminar: This city-wide seminar is for new professionals with five years or less in the workforce or individuals currently working on graduate degrees and will soon enter the workforce. The program will be conducted in small groups with experienced mentors. This seminar is sponsored by UCA Alumni Services, UCA University Training, and Conway Young Professionals Association. There is a small fee. Lunch will be provided.

• Feb. 18, 12 – 1:30 p.m. Student Center #214

  Team Builders: This seminar will include examples of ice breakers and team builders to use with fellow employees or students. Lunch will be provided.

Conway Community Arts Association to Hold Auditions

The Conway Arts Association will hold auditions for its upcoming production of “Nobody’s Perfect” by Simon Williams on Jan. 19 and Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. at the Faulkner County Library at 1900 Tyler Street in Conway.

Everyone is encouraged to audition regardless of previous experience. The audition will consist of cold readings from the play. No preparation is necessary. The play will be presented March 11- March 21 in McCastlain Hall on the UCA campus.

For more information, contact Ashley Carnahan at (501) 607-0474 or emailing her at asegalla@balehonda.com. Information is also available on CCAA’s website at www.conwayarts. org.

Barbara JacksonBarbara Jackson volunteered with the American Red Cross to meet people and to help the community. But, her experiences with the organization inspired her to do more.

“I have found so much enjoyment out of teaching the first aid and CPR classes and this sparked my interest that led to my degree in health education,” Jackson said. “I also joined the Disaster Action Team. When a disaster occurs, the Red Cross Disaster Action Team is there to help with immediate needs and help pick up the shattered pieces of families who have lost so much.”

Jackson, an administrative assistant in the Department of Occupational Therapy, moved to Conway in 2006. She saw an advertisement on a local television station calling for Red Cross volunteers. She signed up in 2007.

Jackson was recently recognized by the American Red Cross as the 2009 Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership, the highest level award the American Red Cross bestows on volunteers on a local level. She was also given the Volunteer Instructor of the Year Award.

Jackson has helped residents who have been burned out of their homes and displaced due to natural disasters. She has seen first-hand how disasters changed people’s lives. In late December, she assisted two families who lost loved ones in fires.

“I have not been around so much sadness in my life,” Jackson said. “I have to say, however, it is so rewarding when you are able to assist and work with survivors and see the outcome and recovery of the victims. These devastating incidents bring communities and families together in rough times, and I can say I was a part of that.”

If you are interested in becoming an American Red Cross volunteer, contact the American Red Cross of Faulkner County at (501) 329-3571 or at American Red Cross, c/o Colleen Joslin, Director, 1301 Museum Road, Conway, Ark. 72032.

Are you a volunteer in the community? If so, let us know by contacting Venita Jenkins at vjenkins@uca.edu.

Faculty and staff who do not have their UCA identification will no longer be allowed to enter the HPER Center.

The new policy went into effect Jan. 11. Officials say the policy of allowing entry twice each semester without an UCA ID has caused abuses of the current check-in system. The new “No ID, No Entry” policy will also address any safety or theft issues that may occur in the HPER Center.

Four safety cameras will be installed in the hallways to better monitor HPER Center usage.

Faculty and staff seeking services at the Student Health Clinic must now make an appointment. Health officials switched to an appointment system due to the increased number of patients seen at the clinic.

The Student Health Clinic provided services for 671 staff and faculty and 8,824 students last semester.

“We have been a very busy clinic,” said Christie McCrory, assistant director of UCA Student Health Services. “Our hope is that by adopting an appointment schedule including the ability to see urgent walk-in patients, we will better serve our customers. This will also allow our staff a more realistic schedule.”

Officials first implemented the new system in November through the self check-in kiosks. This helped stagger visits throughout the day, she said.

“Our providers decided how many patient appointments they could see, realistically, during the day,” McCrory said. “An appointment schedule was formulated based on that information. This is working out well for all our customers and staff.”

It is also reducing fatigue and stress on the staff, McCrory added.

Faculty and staff can now make an appointment on-line from their computer by going to http://www.uca.edu/studenthealth/. Individuals must use their UCA username and password to make an appointment or to fill out their medical history form. Customers who are unable to keep their appointment should call 450-3136 to cancel or reschedule.

More than 40 families had a happy Christmas this year thanks to the kindness of UCA faculty, staff and students.

This year’s Angel Bear project provided gifts for 48 families. About $1,500 was raised through ticket sales at the annual Winter Feast. Another $500 was donated to the project.

“The Staff Senate has supported the Angel Bear project for a few years now and is honored to do so,” said Larry Burns, the Staff Senate vice president. “The Staff Senate decided this year to make a major push for the Angel Bear tree because we knew that with the economic downturn that more families would need assistance.”

The great thing about the Angel Bear tree is that these families are a part of the UCA family, Burns added.

“The people benefiting from this project are our colleagues,” he said. “The UCA family should be proud that we can pull together, with the support of our governing bodies and administration, and support our friends and colleagues when they need it most.”

This year’s Angel Bear committee consisted of Michelle Anderson, Lisa Shoemake, Kristy Carter, Emily Hillis, & Lula Tyus. Also assisting this year’s project were Korey West, Jacqueline Chambers, Delcenia Collins, Rheo Morris, Craig Seager, and Nicole Braddock.

Linda Palmer, freshmen enrollment specialist with the Office of Admissions, will have her young adult paranormal romance, Storm Swept, published by Wild Horse Press, in e-format and in print. Wild Horse also published Palmer’s book Jaguar Moon, which came out in 2009. Sugar and Spice Press will be publishing Nightmare, Interrupted, which will be available spring 2010. Palmer’s book Operation: Normal will be coming out in February 2010 and is published by Uncial Press. Silhouette Books, owned by Harlequin, published 21 of Palmer’s adult genre romance novels from 1989-1998. Those books have been translated and are still being distributed worldwide.

Sgt. Jamie Boothe, with the UCA Police Department, received top academic honors in the class of 28 police supervisors in the School of Law Enforcement Supervision. He was recognized Dec. 11 during a formal graduation luncheon ceremony attended by law enforcement leaders around the state at the Hilton Metro Center in Little Rock. The four-week intensive law enforcement supervisory training program is sponsored by the Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, a division of the University of Arkansas system.

Sgt. Christopher Turner, with the UCA Police Department, attended the School of Law Enforcement Supervision class and graduated second in the class in the spring of 2009. The school focuses on leadership, education, and advancement in the law enforcement profession. The program is sponsored by the Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute.

Brent Ahne, who works in Accounts Payable, earned an associate’s degree in December. He is continuing his education towards a bachelor’s degree.

Barbara Jackson, administrative specialist II with the Department of Occupational Therapy, was the recipient of the Dick Jones Memorial Scholarship from Arkansas Society of Public Health Education. The scholarship will assist with educational needs and tuition for the 2010 spring and fall semesters. Jackson is currently pursuing a master’s degree in health education at UCA. Jackson was also honored recently by the Faulkner County United Way as Volunteer of the Month for October 2009.

Julia Robison, the associate director of financial aid, began her term as president of the Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators this month. She has been a member of the organization since 1995. The Arkansas Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators is made up of representatives from colleges, universities, lending institutions and scholarship organizations. The association also provides scholarship opportunities to students in the state through organization fundraisers.