Updates and news for the week of December 6 – December 12, 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


Chancellor joins EPB announcement of quantum network

From left: EPB President and CEO David Wade, former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, Qubitekk President and Chief Technology Officer Duncan Earl, EPB Board of Directors Chair Vicky Gregg, City of Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Chancellor Steven Angle

From left: EPB President and CEO David Wade, former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, Qubitekk President and Chief Technology Officer Duncan Earl, EPB Board of Directors Chair Vicky Gregg, City of Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly, Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Chancellor Steven Angle

Last week, Chancellor Angle joined EPB and key partners in Washington, D.C., for the announcement of the nation’s first industry-led, commercially available quantum network, which will be based in Chattanooga and include a node on the UTC campus. EPB is launching the network with partner Qubitekk, a global leader in designing, building and integrating quantum network components. 

The chancellor highlighted the impact UTC’s role in the new network will have on campus. “We’re adding to our quantum physics faculty and building a curriculum to prepare a workforce for quantum companies. UTC will also serve as a gateway for building partnerships with other universities across the nation.”


StoryCorps One Small Step Listening Party: Don’t Forget to Register!

City of Chattanooga Chief of Staff Joda Thongnopnua, left, and former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker sat down for a conversation as part of StoryCorps One Small Step.

City of Chattanooga Chief of Staff Joda Thongnopnua, left, and former U.S. Sen. Bob Corker sat down for a conversation as part of StoryCorps One Small Step.

Faculty, staff and students, reserve your spot for the free listening party and celebration of One Small Step from 6-8 p.m. this Thursday (Dec. 8) at Songbirds Guitar & Pop Culture Museum. One Small Step is an initiative of NPR’s StoryCorps project, and Chattanooga is one of just six sites selected nationally to participate.

  • Will Davis of UTC’s PodLab is leading the effort and has recruited and recorded conversation participants who might not appear to have anything in common toward encouraging listening to those with whom they disagree.
  • You’ll meet conversation participants, hear excerpts of conversations being edited for a serial podcast, receive small commemorative items and enjoy a variety of beverages.

For more information and to register, click here.


Finals Week De-Stress

The Center for Wellbeing is hosting finals de-stress events this week open to the campus community.

  • Today-Thursday (Dec. 6-8): Finals Self-Care Bags Scavenger Hunt. Follow the Center for Wellbeing on Instagram @utc_cw to receive hints about where the bags may be found each day.
  • Today (Dec. 6): Take a Break, Let’s Create: Finals Edition, University Center 350, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Stop by the Center for Wellbeing for lunch and get crafty painting stress balls and making journals.
  • Wednesday (Dec. 7): Therapy Dogs, University Center 350, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Take a break from studying and get your dog snuggles in. Two dogs will be in the Center for Wellbeing providing love. Drinks, desserts and coloring pages will also be available.
  • Wednesday (Dec. 7): Chair Massages, University Center 350, noon-3:20 p.m. Ten-minute chair massages will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Stop by the Center for Wellbeing starting at noon Wednesday to sign up for a slot. Drinks, desserts and coloring pages will be available while you wait.

The outstanding people of UTC

Alex Zelin, left, and the book jacket from her just-released publication

Associate Professor of Psychology Alexandra Zelin (pictured) is an editor and one of the authors in a book that has recently been released for publication, “Feminist Scholars on the Road to Tenure.”

Check out these Mocs making a difference:


Tonight Only! Freight Broker Professional Program Open House

Freight Broker Open House logo

Upperclassmen and recent graduates looking for an employment pathway—or anyone interested in becoming a freight broker—can learn about UTC’s accelerated program at tonight’s Freight Broker Professional Program Open House in the Mapp Building.

You will also learn about the freight broker role, freight broker career benefits and how the UTC program will set you up for success in Chattanooga’s red-hot freight industry. Eligible students have opportunities to access tuition reimbursement, sign-on bonuses and post-course job opportunities through 11 local employer partners. To RSVP, click here.


Winter Welcome: Save the Dates

Winter Welcome Logo

Save the dates for Winter Welcome 2023. The Office of Student and Family Engagement is excited to announce the dates for Winter Welcome week: Jan. 9-13, 2023. The 2023 Winter Welcome calendar is jam-packed with a ton of programs and events to help welcome everyone back in the spring. Follow @utc_engage on Twitter and Instagram to stay updated on event details.

  • Please complete this form to submit an event for the calendar.
  • The priority deadline to submit events for the Winter Welcome calendar is Tuesday, January 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.

Scrappy’s Cupboard Cap and Gown loan program available

Scrappy's Cupboard logo

Scrappy’s Cupboard is happy to offer cap and gown academic regalia loans to any UTC student who has been approved to participate in a UTC graduation ceremony and cannot afford to purchase the regalia required to participate. Academic regalia is available for loan up to five (5) days prior to the graduation ceremony and must be returned no later than five (5) days after the graduation ceremony.

To request a cap and gown loan for fall 2022 graduation ceremonies, please complete the request form no later than 5 p.m. on Dec. 12.

If you have any questions, contact the Office of Student Outreach and Support at (423) 425-2299 or scrappyscupboard@utc.edu.


Message from Mocs Card Services

Mocs Dining logo

The Manage My Housing portal will be open Dec. 7–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.

Campus Updates

A reminder from UTC Parking Services: Spring 2023 parking permit sales have been delayed until 9 a.m. on Dec. 14. This is due to technical issues and has been rescheduled to not interfere with fall finals. The Parking portal will be available for paying/appealing citations.


The Office of the Bursar provided important information regarding 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 on Monday, Dec. 19, at noon EST.
  • First day of classes for Spring 2023 is Monday, Jan. 9.
  • All students are encouraged to set up ACH/Direct Deposit for refunds through their MyMocsNet accounts.

The UTC Graduate School announced that Sri Naga Sai Abhijith Medury will present Doctoral research titled “Design, Modeling, and Simulation of Secure Certificate Revocation as a Peer Service” at 3 p.m. on Friday (Dec. 9) in the MDRB/SimCenter Auditorium. Everyone is invited to attend. 


The UTC Center for Wellbeing, Human Resources and Employee Wellness are sponsoring a campus visit by Dr. Garland Vance today (Dec. 6) on the topic shared by the title of his recent book, “Gettin’ (Un)Busy.” He will provide a workshop for supervisors in the morning and a workshop for faculty and staff in the afternoon. Click here to register.


Human Resources provided a series of December staff development opportunities, featuring a Dec. 15 course titled “Overview of the Performance Management Cycle for Staff.”


The New Student and Family Programs Office has set the dates for all 2023 orientation sessions.


Jeff Flowers, retirement plan advisor with Empower Retirement (aka Retire Ready Tennessee), will be on campus at the UTC Library Tuesday, Dec. 13, for in-person 401k and 457 retirement planning meetings. These meetings are beneficial for employees at all stages of their careers. To schedule an appointment, please follow this link to see available times. Virtual meetings are also available on other days. 


A Grant Writing Workshop set for Feb. 2-3, 2023, 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.


Free Throws

Photo credit: Derek Daniel/GoMocs.com

Photo credit: Derek Daniel/GoMocs.com

The Mocs men’s basketball program and the athletic department will host the annual Teddy Bear Toss game at halftime of tonight’s McKenzie Arena contest vs. Milwaukee. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

What is the Teddy Bear Toss game? The annual event encourages fans to bring stuffed teddy bears/animals to be donated to the Chattanooga Forgotten Child Fund. All fans should hold on to these items until halftime when there will be a collective effort to toss them on the court.


Wrestling Mania

Noah Castillo (photo credit: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com)

Noah Castillo (photo credit: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com)

The UTC wrestling team takes on the University of Iowa, ranked No. 2 in the nation, in a match this Saturday (Dec. 10) at McKenzie Arena. The match begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are free for students. Tickets for everyone else can be purchased on GoMocs.com.

The Mocs are 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 now on GoMocs.com


Looking ahead

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

Raven Thompson (photo credit: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com)

Raven Thompson (photo credit: Ray Soldano/GoMocs.com)

This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:

  • Tuesday (Dec. 6): Women’s Basketball at Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.), 6:30 p.m.
  • Tuesday (Dec. 6): Men’s Basketball vs. Milwaukee (McKenzie Arena), 7 p.m.
  • Saturday (Dec. 10): Men’s Basketball vs. Johnson University (McKenzie Arena), Noon
  • Saturday (Dec. 10): Wrestling vs. Iowa (McKenzie Arena), 7 p.m.

Looking back

Photograph of two employees using machines in a factory to pour liquid into casts. This is likely at Wheland Foundry, located at South Broad and 28th Street. The back of the photo bears a stamp for Roy Tuley Studio in Chattanooga. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

Photograph of two employees using machines in a factory to pour liquid into casts. This is likely at Wheland Foundry, located at South Broad and 28th Street. The back of the photo bears a stamp for Roy Tuley Studio in Chattanooga. Courtesy of the Chattanooga Public Library and University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Special Collections.

The UTC Library’s Special Collections department has secured a grant to digitize documents and photographs detailing the history of labor and industry in Chattanooga.

Here are some other recent UTC stories featured in the Newsroom:


WUTC Spotlight: Scenic Roots

Do you believe we have more in common than what divides us? Who have been the most influential people in your life? What did they teach you? Is there someone you disagree with but still love or respect? What are your hopes for the future?

Those are some of the questions asked—one conversation at a time—in One Small Step, a nationwide initiative of StoryCorps.

Scenic Roots host Ray Bassett sat down for a conversation about conversations with Will Davis of UTC’s PodLab.


Be Well Tip of the Week: Self-Care and Staying Focused

We’ve arrived at Finals Week. This period of time can feel overwhelming, so here are a few tips to help you not just survive, but thrive.

  • More sleep, better GPA. It’s really that simple. All-night study cramming sessions are completely ineffective. Stick with a consistent wake-up and lie-down routine and get those 7+ hours. You need sleep now more than ever. 
  • Focus on time management. Write out a study plan with everything you need to get done to close the semester. Then, try to map out your priorities by day and work on them in small chunks (25-minute increments).
  • Avoid social media if possible. Try something like the Forest app in which you are rewarded with the visual of a tree growing on your phone screen if you stay focused and avoid distractions.
  • Don’t forget self-care. Try to consume healthy, energy-rich foods, take breaks outside, check out de-stress events, or use a mental health app. 

 

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