Updates and news for the week of February 14 – 20, 2023

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

💗 HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY 💗

Join campus colleagues for a fun Town Hall/QEP kickoff celebration from 2-3 p.m. this afternoon in the University Center Chattanooga Room. Click here for the videos introducing “A Moc’s First Year” and the first-year seminars.

The Town Hall event will help introduce the campus to our upcoming SACSCOC reaccreditation visit (March 6-9) and UTC’s Quality Enhancement Plan. There will be gameshow fun, refreshments and prizes—and Valentine’s Day chocolate, of course. Come on out and be ready to have a great time!

Catch a Roadshow while you still can

Weekly Roadshow sessions have been taking place to educate everyone on campus about the UTC Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), called “A Moc’s First Year,” and the upcoming SACSCOC On-Site Review Team visit.

The final Roadshow events in the UTC Library’s Southern Writers Room occur this week:

• Wednesday (Feb. 15): 4 p.m.
• Monday (Feb. 20): 11 a.m.

UTC celebrates Black History Month 

UTC Black History Month programming includes special events throughout February. This week’s events include:

• Wednesday (Feb. 15): Showtime at UTC: Open Mic and Trivia Night, Lupton Hall, 6 p.m.
• Thursday (Feb. 16): Black Entrepreneurship in Chattanooga: The Challenges and Rewards, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Mapp Building), 6 p.m.
• Saturday (Feb. 18): Culture Books and Rhyme N Chatt Interactive Poetry Organization presents Black History Festival, East Lake Community Center (3610 Dodds Ave.), 11 a.m.
• Monday (Feb. 20): What’s The Tea? Conversations surrounding the influence of Black culture on the fashion industry today, Lupton Hall, 4 p.m.

Healthy Hearts

With February being American Heart Month, Stacy Lightfoot and Shewanee Howard-Baptiste have been spreading the word to increase awareness of heart and cardiovascular disease and how to prevent it.

Lightfoot is serving as the co-chair for the American Heart Association’s Chattanooga Go Red for Women fundraiser, which takes place on May 19 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. Howard-Baptiste is a member of the Chattanooga chapter’s board of directors—serving as AHA Leadership Development chair.

Inaugural O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities

The inaugural O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities series, featuring a talk by Dr. Gregory O’Dea called “Humanities in the Wild: Reintroducing a Vital Species of Thought,” will take place at noon on Friday, Feb. 24, in the Guerry Center Reading Room. Lunch will be available. To register, click here.

The O’Dea Lecture in the Humanities, sponsored by the UTC Honors College, is intended to acknowledge the tremendous work done by O’Dea in honors education at UTC for over 25 years. The O’Dea Lecture will focus on the humanities—which generally include the study of languages, literature, history, jurisprudence, philosophy, comparative religion, ethics and the arts—to ensure these concerns are in the center of our university conversations.

Congratulations to the Fulbright 7

Top row, from left: Oleander Reagan-Artemis, Julie Goonetilleke and Jessica Poe. Bottom row, from left: Anna Yarbro, Sarah Marc, Jared Steiman and Lola Oke.

A school-record seven UTC students or recent graduates have advanced to the semifinal level in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award process.

The semifinalists include senior Lola Oke, a political science major and Brock Scholar in the Honors College, and 2020 graduate Jared Steiman—who currently works within the UTC Center for Community Career Education as a GEAR UP program coordinator.

Young alums Julie Goonetilleke, Sara Marc, Oleander Reagan-Artemis, Jessica Poe and Anna Yarbro have also advanced as semifinalists.

The outstanding people of UTC

Dr. Donald Reising

Congratulations to UTC faculty and staff who received awards or submitted proposals for sponsored programs in January. The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs announced that faculty and staff attracted $196,559 in external grant and contract awards during the month and submitted proposals for the potential to generate over $3,792,873 in external funding, if awarded.

Among those receiving awards in January was UC Foundation Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Donald Reising, who received $99,973 from Tennessee Valley Authority for the project entitled, “DFR Waveform Analysis.”

Check out these Mocs making a difference:

• Dr. Lucien Ellington and Jeffrey Melnik in the School of Education have received $88,436 from the Association for Asian Studies for the project entitled, “Education About Asia Journal 2023.” This is the 14th year that Ellington has been leading this journal.
• Dr. Henry Spratt was interviewed by Local 3 News about the recall of the popular cleaning product Fabuloso.
• Stephen Craven, a 1999 graduate of the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was awarded TVA’s prestigious Ike Zeringue Engineer of the Year Award for 2023.
• Dr. Allen Pratt was interviewed by WDEF-TV’s Allie Schrenker—a UTC alum—following the announcement of UTC’s partnership with the Rural Schools Collaborative.
• Dogu Sahin, a master’s student from Turkey, spoke to WDEF-TV about the devastation from the recent earthquake in Turkey.

Sporting Red

From left: Jesse Foster, Miles Wilson, Jason DeSain, Julie Russ, Malerie Thompson, Amy Barker and Mocs One Center Director Amy Davis (not pictured: Charlotte Covey)

The Mocs One Center staff gathered on Feb. 3 to support National Wear Red Day and American Heart Month.

A Busy Week on Campus

Housing and Residence Life is accepting applications for 2023-2025 Faculty-in-Residence program. A successful Faculty-in-Residence will be interested in living among students in a residential setting and engage residential students outside of the classroom. The Faculty-in-Residence will serve a two-year renewable term. While tenure-track faculty members are preferred, non-tenured faculty members are considered.

The application deadline is Wednesday (Feb. 15). For more information and to apply, visit Faculty-in-Residence on the Housing and Residence Life page.

On Wednesday (Feb. 15), the Environmental Studies program will present an interdisciplinary discussion titled “Food Systems” from noon-1:30 p.m. in the University Center Chattanooga Room.

Panelists Lucy Schultz (philosophy), Emma McDonnell (anthropology), Mark Johnson (history) and Amir Alakaam (health and human performance/Master of Public Health program), will discuss how their different disciplines explore the dynamic connections between food, health, culture and the environment.

All women of UTC are invited to “Love Yourself, Love Your Future,” a free personal and professional development event from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday (Feb. 15) in Room 162 A/B at West Campus Housing, 515 Vine St. Register here for the event, which will feature a dozen women—faculty and staff of UTC—of varied career paths and progress available to answer questions about their fields and offer tips or advice. Participants will find an array of desserts and coffee they can enjoy while rotating among conversation tables, each hosted by a woman professional with her own, distinctive career path and length.

The free event is presented by LeadHERship at UTC, a women-led campus organization supporting women colleagues with skill-building and networking opportunities.

Join campus leaders in kicking off our annual United Way employee giving campaign with an ice cream social from 4-4:45 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 15) in University Center Chattanooga Rooms B-C. Enjoy some ice cream while learning about the work United Way does in our community from representatives who are involved with both UTC and United Way.

The Honors College invites faculty members from all colleges to submit proposals for special-topics general education seminars to be taught in the 2023-2024 academic year. The Honors College asks faculty to submit classes distinct from those taught in their home departments—classes faculty think would engage and transform students but might not fit easily into a specific degree program. The next deadline for proposals is Wednesday (Feb. 15). Though the application notes that this deadline is limited to Spring 2024 proposals, a few slots remain for Fall 2023 courses. Click here for the application and email William-Kuby@utc.edu with questions.

A virtual event for UT System researchers is taking place Wednesday (Feb. 15) and Thursday, March 9, via Zoom. You can click here for the event brochure.

• Register here for the Feb. 15 event, “Supporting Entrepreneurial Thinking through University/Industry Partnerships,” which takes place from 9-11:45 a.m.
• Register here for the March 9 Zoom, “University Resources and SBIR/STTR Next Steps,” which takes place from 9 a.m.-noon.

Rebecca Littleton will present doctoral research titled “Holistic Admissions Review in Physical Therapist Education” at 1 p.m. on Wednesday (Feb. 15) via Zoom. Everyone is invited to attend.

• Meeting ID: https://tennessee.zoom.us/j/98447356914.

Whether Valentine’s Day leaves you less-than-fulfilled or over the moon, there’s a place for you at the 4th Annual Roses and Whine Poetry Jam, taking place from 5:30-7 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 16) in the Lupton Hall Common Area.

The UTC English Department, English Club and Creative Writing Club invite you to share in an evening celebrating love and anti-love. You can join the fun by writing and entering your creation in the Love/Anti-Love poetry contest—or sit back and listen. There will be prizes, pizza and live music. Email Tracye-pool@utc.edu with questions.

Join the ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art) for the opening artist talk and reception with artist Stacy Kranitz to celebrate her exhibition, As it was Give(n) to Me, at 6 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 16) in EMCS Room 201. Following the talk, a reception will take place at the ICA galleries, located in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center.

Kranitz’s exhibition will be on view through March 12. She was recently a guest on WUTC’s Scenic Roots discussing her work and the exhibition.

The UTC women’s basketball team will be sponsoring a “Play4Kay” game at 7 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 16) against Furman University. The “Play4Kay” initiative was started by former North Carolina State Head Women’s Basketball Coach Kay Yow to bring communities together and honor cancer fighters and survivors in the fight against all cancers affecting women. 

Athletics invites all campus cancer warriors to come to the game to be recognized and honored at halftime. For free tickets, email Laura Herron at laura-herron@utc.edu. Please click here to learn about the Kay Yow Fund.

Be smart when it comes to your heart. Improving heart-health literacy can help us make healthy lifestyle choices that keep #OurHearts healthy.

Join experts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s The Heart Truth program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Million Hearts initiative at noon on Friday (Feb. 17) for a dialogue about what Americans should know to keep their hearts healthy. Click here to join the conversation. They will help you improve your heart-health literacy by discussing what causes heart disease, what to know about your own individual risk factors, how you can prevent it and what questions you should be asking your healthcare providers. For questions, contact employeewellness@utc.edu.

The March issue of the UTC Parent and Family Association newsletter will be emailed to members on March 1. To share information with the families of UTC students—upcoming events, important deadlines, helpful suggestions and departmental news—email hannah-turcotte@utc.edu by Friday (Feb. 17). The monthly newsletter is distributed to more than 4,600 parents/family members.

• Keep info to one paragraph of 200 (or fewer) words.
• Images or logos to accompany the paragraph may be submitted.

The UTC softball team begins its home campaign by hosting the Chattanooga Challenge Friday-Sunday (Feb. 17-19) at Frost Stadium. The Mocs will play six games over the three days, playing host to Indiana State, Maine, Marshall and Western Illinois.

Look through Chattanooga’s historic 20.5-inch telescope. View a show at the Planetarium. Learn about the latest astronomical research. Meet members of the Chemistry and Physics department and the Barnard Astronomical Society.

The Clarence T. Jones Observatory (10 N. Tuxedo Ave.) has reopened, with Sunday night events scheduled throughout the spring. The observatory, owned and operated by UTC, is free and open to the public. Gates open Sunday at 5:30 p.m., with a lecture and Planetarium show beginning at 6 p.m. and telescope viewing until 8 p.m. This week’s topic:

• Sunday (Feb. 19): Brown Dwarfs: Are they Stars or Planets? Featured constellation: The Pleiades

Picture Perfect

UTC Photo Night, an event celebrating photojournalism, will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 1, in the University Center Auditorium. Award-winning professionals and UTC Communication students will be showcasing their work.

The Photo Night program includes behind-the-scenes stories from photojournalists Olivia Ross (recent UTC grad), Kathleen Greeson (Pulitzer nominated), Kim Hubbard (National Geographic, Obama White House, UTC alum) and Wade Payne (Associated Press). Contact william-weeks@utc.edu for more information.

Be Prepared: Next Week is Severe Weather Awareness Week

UTC Emergency Management reminds campus about next week (Feb. 19-25) being Severe Weather Awareness Week. Presented by the National Weather Service offices in Tennessee, free online discussions will cover a new topic each day during the week.

In addition, from 1-3 p.m. on Thursday, March 2, a Storm Spotters class—part of the National Weather Service’s Skywarn system—will be held in the UTC Library. Click here to register for the course.

A conversation about race and faith

Join Dr. Andra Gillespie and Dr. Michelle Deardorff at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21, in the Benwood Auditorium for a discussion about their different stories and experiences as well as how their shared faith frames their preceptions of race.

This conversation, moderated by Dr. Darrell Walsh, will include an on-stage panel of students during the Q&A portion of the event.

Still time to register for the UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference

ReSEARCH Dialogues has been renamed the UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference, with the event taking place April 12 in the University Center. This conference provides a place for students to showcase their academic and creative endeavors. The event will feature displays, presentations and posters from UTC undergrads, graduate students and faculty. Community college students and community partners are also invited to present.

• The submission deadline for poster/arts, oral and performing arts presentations or to convene a panel is 11 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26.
• To learn more about the program and to register for the event, visit the UTC Spring Research and Arts Conference page.

Run/Walk for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga

The Beta Beta Chapter of Alpha Delta Pi is organizing a Pi-K (5-K) run/walk to raise money to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga and the Alpha Delta Pi Foundation. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Sunday (Feb. 26) at the Tennessee Riverpark (Shelter 3).

The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga is to provide families with the care and resources they need when their child is sick and to support programs and services that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

• Registration is $20 per person to run the 5K and $15 per person to walk one mile. Sign in for the race starting at 10 a.m. Registration closes on Feb. 24; click here to register.
• For more information, email adpi.pi.k@gmail.com.

Campus Updates

The UTC Employee Step Challenge is taking place Jan. 23–Feb. 21. Everyone who signs up for the challenge and walks 30 miles in 30 days will be entered into a drawing for prizes. To sign up, visit this link or use the QR code above. 

Come learn about Innovations in Honors, UTC’s honors program for existing students, at a pair of information sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Requirements, benefits and other opportunities will be discussed during sessions taking place at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. in the Guerry Center Reading Room. Refreshments will be provided at both sessions.

Click here for more information about Innovations in Honors or email juan-alonso@utc.edu.

Jeff Flowers, retirement plan advisor with Empower Retirement (aka Retire Ready Tennessee)—the 401k and 457 provider—will be on campus Feb. 23 and March 20 for in-person retirement planning meetings. Meetings will be held in UTC Library Room 429. Click here to schedule an appointment.

The 2nd Annual Fly for Researchers pitch competition for UTC faculty and graduate student innovators will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. on April 19 at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Mapp Building. This event will spotlight ideas that have the potential to be commercialized or licensed. Applicants must have a validated proof of concept, intend to pursue commercialization or licensing opportunities and have submitted an invention disclosure in IDEA.

Click here to apply. For more information, email jennifer-skjellum@utc.edu.

Are you interested in participating in a fun group/team-building activity for your department, committee or organization that will help you further develop an appreciation for and a commitment to risk-taking? Do you think you can conquer the maze outside University Center 108 (Center for Career and Leadership Development) with the least amount of collective “mistakes?”

Click here for full details and to sign-up for a 45-minute time slot. You should expect a 2-3 minute overview, 20-25 minutes to conquer the maze, a 10-12 minute debrief and a 5-minute wrap-up. Email Daniel-Grzesik@utc.edu if you have questions.

The spring deadline applications for Experiential Learning Designation are Friday, Feb. 24, and Friday, March 24. The growing list of over 200 designated classes and experiences can be found at www.utc.edu/beyond, along with more information about the designation process. Email bengt-carlson@utc.edu with questions or to discuss how to develop an experiential opportunity for students and the resources available here at UTC for doing so.

Applications are currently being accepted for the summer 2023 cohorts of the Leadership and Instructional Practice (EdD) and Leadership and Decision-Making (Ph.D.) programs, both terminal, professional degrees with rigor and academic depth. Due to the cohort nature of the programs, new cohorts are only admitted in the summer. Minimum admission qualifications include a master’s degree (or equivalent) from a regionally accredited institution (in any discipline), a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on all prior graduate coursework and a minimum of two years of professional experience—preferably in a leadership role. The application deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 28. For details, visit www.utc.edu/lead.  

The UTC Financial Wellness Center is inviting campus to participate in a month-long savings challenge. To participate, please complete this survey.

• Once the survey is completed, participants will receive information about the challenge.
• Everyone who signs up will be entered to win Tiffany Aliche’s (The Budgetnista) “Get Good with Money and One Week Budget” workbook.
• Click here for more details.

The School of Nursing will hold a free culturally inclusive care virtual conference titled “Reducing health disparities among indigenous communities, refugee populations, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and patients with disabilities,” from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7. Register for the virtual event by clicking here. For more information, click here.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science is hosting a Marble Roller Coaster engineering design competition for middle school and high school students on Friday, March 10. The event runs from 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room.

Click here to register to attend. Email CECS-SuccessCenter@utc.edu for more information.

Mark your calendars now for I Love UTC Week 2023, taking place March 20-24. This is a time to celebrate all that makes UTC special. There will be a variety of activities and special events for all members of the Mocs family, whether faculty, staff, student, alumni or friend. The full calendar of events will be shared soon. If your office is hosting a program during the week of March 20-24 that would be appropriate to include on the I Love UTC Week calendar, email laura-cagle@utc.edu.

The Humanities Program invites all UTC undergraduates to participate in the North Callahan Essay Prize, awarded each year to an undergraduate whose exceptionally fine essay addresses a subject related to the Humanities (art, music, philosophy, religion, rhetoric/literature, history, theater or interdisciplinary studies that combine these disciplines). Essays will be evaluated by an interdisciplinary committee of professors. The prize carries a $1,000 award. Click here for information and entry requirements and email jose-luis-gastanaga@utc.edu with questions. Essays must be submitted by 3 p.m. on March 24.

UTC Campus Recreation has opened registration for its Mocs Adventure Summer Camp, Summer Pool Parties and Summer Youth Swim Lessons. Slots are expected to fill up quickly, so don’t delay in booking your child’s spots. For questions or additional information, email CampusRec@utc.edu.

Mocs Adventure Summer Camp  |  Youth Swim Lessons  |  Pool Parties

The International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security—ISDFS 2023—will be held both online and in person at UTC on May 11-12. This symposium has been supported by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers since 2016. All papers approved by the referees and presented at the symposium will be sent for publication in the IEEE Xplore library. For information or questions, email Asaf-Varol@utc.edu.

March Madness

March Madness is right around the corner, a time to support the Mocs women’s and men’s basketball teams as they pursue Southern Conference titles. The tournament will take place in Asheville, North Carolina, from March 2-6.

SoCon Tournament week has become an annual rite of spring in the Asheville community, and it’s never too early to start making plans for the conference tournament. Here are website links for which include SoCon hotel rates.

• SoCon Championship in Asheville
• SoCon Tournament Central 2023

Looking ahead

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

• Wednesday (Feb. 15): Food Systems, University Center Chattanooga Room, noon
• Wednesday (Feb. 15): Rebecca Littleton Doctoral Research Presentation, Zoom, 1 p.m.
• Thursday (Feb. 16): Asian Lecture Series, University Center Signal Mountain Room, 4 p.m.
• Thursday (Feb. 16): Roses and Whine Poetry Jam, Lupton Hall, 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday (Feb. 16): Stacy Kranitz: Artist Talk and Reception, EMCS Room 201, 6 p.m.
• Sunday (Feb. 19): UTC Jones Observatory Tour, 10 N. Tuxedo Ave., 5:30 p.m.

Freshman Raven Thompson (photo credit: gomocs.com)

This week’s Mocs Athletics calendar:

• Tuesday (2/14): Women’s Golf at the Tulane Classic (New Orleans, La.), All Day
• Wednesday (2/15): Men’s Basketball at VMI (Lexington, Va.), 7 p.m.
• Thursday (2/16): Women’s Basketball vs. Furman (McKenzie Arena), 7 p.m.
• Friday (2/17): Women’s Golf at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Collegiate (Eatonton, Ga.), All Day
• Friday (2/17): Men’s Tennis at North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), 4 p.m.
• Friday (2/17): Softball vs. Marshall (Chattanooga Challenge–Warner Park), 3 p.m.
• Friday (2/17): Softball vs. Indiana State (Chattanooga Challenge–Warner Park), 5:30 p.m.
• Friday (2/17): Women’s Tennis vs. Tennessee State (Strang-Voges Tennis Center, McCallie School), 6 p.m.
• Friday (2/17): Wrestling vs. Bellarmine (Maclellan Gym), 7 p.m.
• Saturday (2/18): Women’s Golf at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Collegiate (Eatonton, Ga.), All Day
• Saturday (2/18): Men’s Basketball vs. UNCG (McKenzie Arena), 12 p.m.
• Saturday (2/18): Softball vs. Marshall (Chattanooga Challenge–Warner Park), 3 p.m.
• Saturday (2/18): Women’s Tennis vs. Tennessee State (Strang-Voges Tennis Center, McCallie School), 3 p.m.
• Saturday (2/18): Softball vs. Western Illinois (Chattanooga Challenge Warner Park), 5:30 p.m.
• Saturday (2/18): Women’s Basketball vs. Wofford (McKenzie Arena), 7 p.m.
• Sunday (2/19): Men’s Tennis vs. Tennessee State (Strang-Voges Tennis Center, McCallie School), TBA
• Sunday (2/19): Women’s Golf at the Reynolds Lake Oconee Collegiate (Eatonton, Ga.), All Day
• Sunday (2/19): Softball vs. Maine (Chattanooga Challenge–Warner Park), 11 a.m.
• Sunday (2/19): Softball vs. Western Illinois (Chattanooga Challenge–Warner Park), 1:30 p.m.
• Sunday (2/19): Wrestling vs. Indiana (Maclellan Gym), 2 p.m.

Looking back

Becca Stimson

After a 26-year career at the DuPont chemical company, Becca Stimson is now in her second decade as a non-tenure-track faculty member at UTC, serving as an associate lecturer of chemistry and the general chemistry laboratory director.

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

• For UTC adult learner Zennia Nesmith, having severe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is tantamount to tracking one snowflake during a blizzard.
• A new partnership between UTC and the Rural Schools Collaborative aims to improve the K–12 education workforce throughout Appalachia and offer additional opportunities to increase the visibility and profile of rural schools and educators.
• More than 100 female students from 13 high schools came to UTC to learn about finance and economics at the Empower Your Future forum.
• Now in the early planning stages, Alayna Grover and Brooke McFarlin are designing a College Cleaners app to connect college students who’d like help with household cleaning with students who’d like some extra cash.

WUTC Spotlight: Scenic Roots

On a recent episode of Scenic Roots, Richard Winham spoke with director Richard Nichols and actors Dennis Parker and Emma St. Catherine from the Signal Mountain Playhouse production of “Boeing Boeing.”

“Boeing Boeing” is taking place at the Mountain Arts Community Center, starting at 8 p.m. each night, on Feb. 17, Feb. 18, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25.

Be Well Tip of the Week: Feeling Comfortable at the Gym

We all deserve to feel comfortable and confident in the gym. Because gyms can sometimes be an intimidating and unwelcoming environment, many people experience anxiety while using or thinking of using the gym. Below are some ways to help you feel more comfortable when using the gym:

• Get information about the gym layout so you know what to expect. Ask a gym employee to give you a tour.
• Go with a friend. Having someone with you who makes you feel comfortable can distract from the stress you may be experiencing. 
• Try attending a group fitness class. A group setting may be less anxiety provoking.
• Listen to music to help your mind focus.
• Find times when the gym is less crowded to avoid becoming overwhelmed.