Updates and news for the week of December 13 – December 19, 2022

The UTC Campus Weekly newsletter is distributed every Tuesday morning. If you have news, events or announcements you would like shared with campus, please submit your information to chuck-wasserstrom@utc.edu in the Division of Communications and Marketing by 3 p.m. on Friday for placement in the following Tuesday’s newsletter.

Campus Updates  |  University Events Master Calendar  |  UTC News

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Fall commencement will be celebrated with three separate ceremonies taking place Friday and Saturday.

• The graduate student ceremony is at 2:30 p.m. on Friday (Livestream link). Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Jerold Hale will deliver the graduation charge.
• Two undergraduate commencement ceremonies will be held on Saturday: College of Arts and Sciences/College of Engineering and Computer Science at 9 a.m. (Livestream link). and Gary W. Rollins College of Business/College of Health, Education and Professional Studies at 1 p.m. (Livestream link). Dr. Michelle D. Deardorff, Adolph S. Ochs Professor of Government and Department Head of Political Science and Public Service, is the featured speaker for both ceremonies.

Click here for more information and a FAQ list on fall commencement ceremonies.

One Big Step for One Small Step

As more than 100 people from throughout and beyond Chattanooga celebrated the community’s willingness to come together in conversation, organizers gave them something new to talk about at a StoryCorps One Small Step listening party last Thursday at Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum. Student podcasters at UTC soon will have the opportunity to compete for funds needed to bring student-developed podcast storytelling ideas to life.

The news was shared by listening party emcee Will Davis, who teaches podcasting at UTC and is outreach manager of the University’s PodLab.

The outstanding people of UTC

Dr. Christina Policastro

Congratulations to UTC faculty and staff who received awards or submitted proposals for sponsored programs in November. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs announced that faculty and staff attracted $88,172 in external grant and contract awards during the month and submitted proposals for the potential to generate over $4,384,893 in external funding, if awarded.

Among those receiving awards in November was UC Foundation Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Christina Policastro, who received $36,117 from the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence for the project titled, “Tommy Burks Victim Assistance Academy 2023.”

Check out these Mocs making a difference:

• Erin Ryan and Carolyn Runyon of UTC Special Collections were featured on a recent More To The Story With (Dave) Staley segment on News 12 Now to talk about a recently-landed grant.
• The “New Collar” Worker Job Requirements, a newly commissioned report researched and written by UC Foundation Professor Dr. Chris Cunningham and Scott Meyers in the I-O Psychology master’s degree program, was presented at The Smart Factory Workforce Conference and featured on the Local 3 News website.
• Four Mocs student-athletes recently won Southern Conference Player of the Month honors for November. Volleyball outside hitter Natalie Tyson and libero Paige Gallentine were the SoCon’s offensive and defensive award winners. Jake Stephens won conference men’s basketball honors. Defensive tackle Devonnsha Maxwell, the football team’s all-time leader with 37.5 sacks, was the SoCon Defensive Player of the Month.

Spring 2023 Employee Fee Waiver Notification Reminder

A message from the Bursar’s Office:

Spring 2023 is quickly approaching. If you are an eligible employee who is registered or plan to register for the Spring 2023 semester and have not completed your employee fee waiver form, please submit your form to Human Resources for processing. The fee payment deadline is Thursday (Dec. 15).

• Cancellation is an automatic process and you must submit the required documents each semester to take advantage of your fee waiver benefit.
• If your eligible dependent or spouse is registered for classes and has a balance after processing their discount, the remaining balance must be paid to the Bursar’s Office by Thursday (Dec. 15). The Tuition Installment Payment Plan is also available.
• If you have questions or need assistance, contact the Bursar’s Office at 423-425-4781.  

Campus Updates

UTC Parking Services announced that Wednesday (Dec. 14) will be the first day to purchase parking permits for the spring 2023 semester, beginning at 9 a.m. Reserved permits are on a first-come, first-sold basis with limited availability. Click here for the link to the UTC Parking permit purchase website.

The UTC Graduate School announced that Eva W. Lewis will present doctoral research titled, “Transfer pathways in higher education: Exploring differences between pathway and nonpathway student success after university transfer in one state system” at 10 a.m. on Friday (Dec. 16) via Zoom. Everyone is invited to attend.

More important information from the Bursar’s Office on the spring 2023 semester. Students who have registered should view their E-Mocs statement accessible via MyMocsNet accounts. 

• The last day to pay for spring 2023 is Thursday (Dec. 15).
• Cancellation of classes for Spring 2023 due to non-payment will occur Monday (Dec. 19) at noon EST.
• All students are encouraged to set up ACH/Direct Deposit for refunds through their MyMocsNet accounts.

The Manage My Housing portal will be open until Jan. 1 for students to change their Spring 2023 residential meal plans. Meal plan eligibility is based on earned credit hours. If your Fall 2022 credits will change your student classification, please wait until final grades are submitted before you attempt to make a change.

The University classifies undergraduate students as freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors according to the number of credit hours students have completed:

• Freshman: 0-29 semester hours
• Sophomore: 30-59 semester hours
• Junior: 60-89 semester hours
• Senior: 90 or more semester hours
• The Meal Plans are listed by student classification.  Please click here for more information.

The Mocs wrestling team is hosting the Southern Scuffle, one of the top in-season collegiate wrestling tournaments in the nation, Jan. 1-2 at McKenzie Arena. Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa State and Purdue are among the teams joining UTC in this year’s field. Tickets for the two-day event are on sale on GoMocs.com. 

The Office of Student and Family Engagement announced the dates of Jan. 9-13 for Winter Welcome Week. The 2023 Welcome Week calendar is jam-packed with programs and events to help welcome everyone back. Follow @utc_engage on Twitter and Instagram to stay updated on event details.

• The priority deadline to submit events for the Winter Welcome calendar is Tuesday, Jan. 3. Events received by this date will be added to the Winter Welcome website before class begins. The final deadline to submit events is 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 6. Events received after that date are not guaranteed to appear on the Winter Welcome website.
• Please complete this form to submit an event for the calendar.

A Grant Writing Workshop set for Feb. 2-3 will provide individual, technical assistance consultation sessions. This workshop is highly encouraged for new faculty or faculty who are new to federal proposal development. Click here to register for the workshop and here to register for 1:1 consultations.

Looking ahead

Events posted to this week’s University master calendar include:

• Wednesday (Dec. 14): Virtual Safe Space Sessions, register through K@TE, 1 p.m.
• Friday (Dec. 16): Notice of Final Defense – Eva W. Lewis to Present Dissertation Research, Zoom, 10 a.m.
• Friday (Dec. 16): Graduate Student Commencement, McKenzie Arena, 2:30 p.m.
• Saturday (Dec. 17): Undergraduate Student Commencement: College of Arts and Sciences; College of Engineering and Computer Science, McKenzie Arena, 9 a.m.
• Saturday (Dec. 17): Undergraduate Student Commencement: College of Business, College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, McKenzie Arena, 1 p.m.

Jake Stephens (photo courtesy of Laura O’Dell/GoMocs.com)

This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:

• Thursday (Dec. 15): Women’s Basketball at North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), 7 p.m.
• Thursday (Dec. 15): Men’s Basketball at Middle Tennessee State (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 7 p.m.
• Friday (Dec. 16): Wrestling vs. Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 11 a.m.
• Friday (Dec. 16): Wrestling vs. Clarion (Boiling Springs, N.C.), 1 p.m.
• Sunday (Dec. 18): Women’s Basketball at Ohio (Athens, Ohio), 1 p.m.
• Sunday (Dec. 18): Men’s Basketball vs. Belmont (McKenzie Arena), 2 p.m.

Looking back

Photo courtesy of Olivia Reeves

• UTC fourth-year students enrolled in the ant ecology course taught by UC Foundation Assistant Professor DeAnna Beasley, the meiofaunal biodiversity course taught by Assistant Professor Francesca Leasi or the animal physiology course taught by Professor Loren Hayes gathered to present posters of their research.
• Rohan Thompson, a senior double majoring in political science and economics, was one of 25 students nationwide selected to attend a global conference hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America.
• Ten UTC Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science women faculty members have volunteered as research mentors for 43 Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy students working on biology-based projects.

WUTC Spotlight: Rising Rock Radio Special

Rising Rock, a storytelling platform about Chattanooga as seen through the lens of students in the UTC Department of Communication and student media members of The Echo, MocsNews and The Perch, has created its annual Rising Rock Radio Special for Scenic Roots.

The Rising Rock Radio Special airs today at 3 p.m. on WUTC-FM/88.1, with a rebroadcast at 8 p.m. After the broadcast, it will be posted online on wutc.org, the WUTC app and WUTC social media.

Ray Bassett, host of Scenic Roots, recently sat down with Associate Lecturer Billy Weeks and students Madison Van Horn, Seth Carpenter and Haley Bayer to preview the special.

Be Well Tip of the Week: Alcohol and the Holidays

While the celebratory toasts (holidays, finals ending, etc.) invoke socialization and the spirit of the season, too much consumption can lead to dangerous consequences for yourself and those around you. Research shows that the average American adult’s intake of alcohol doubles in the final weeks of the year. Not only do people drink more, but there are more cars on the road, more people driving late at night, and bad weather.

To enjoy a safe holiday celebration, consider these tips:

• Abstain. You do not need alcohol to be the life of the party. 
• Pace yourself. Spread out the consumption of your drinks, consider one drink an hour. Drink water between each cocktail.
• Avoid drinks with unknown alcohol content or mixing alcohol with energy drinks. Caffeine in energy drinks or sodas can mask the effects of alcohol.
• Display mocktails (nonalcoholic cocktails), water or soda in a more visible location for yourself (and others if you’re the party host).
• Don’t forget to eat food. Starch-heavy foods will help soak up the alcohol.
• Secure a designated driver (or sober monitor)—meaning 100% sober, not the person who drank the least—to keep an eye on things and provide a ride.

If you need additional support, reach out to the Mocs Recovery Program located next to the game room in the University Center.