Updates and news for the week of June 13 – 19, 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  |  UTC News

Download the new Safe Mocs App

UTC has developed a mobile phone app, Safe Mocs, to consolidate convenient access to safety and emergency services available to the entire campus community. You can find and download the free Safe Mocs app from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Safe Mocs is the official UTC safety app and, from it, you can find campus emergency contacts and resources, check the status of crisis alerts, access location services and more. Going forward, information on the app will be part of all new employee orientation.

• A comprehensive awareness and education effort targeting all students and their parents will launch in August in conjunction with Operation Move-In and the start of the fall semester.
• As available safety and emergency services are updated or as new services are added, the app will automatically update to ensure the latest resources are available to users.
• You’re encouraged to download the app and suggest colleagues do, as well.
• In addition, if you aren’t already registered to receive UTC Alerts campus emergency messages, click here to register.

UTC Juneteenth Celebration Takes Place on Friday

UTC will celebrate Juneteenth on Friday (June 16) with an on-campus event from 1-4 p.m. on the first floor of Lupton Hall. Sponsored by the UTC Office of Multicultural Affairs and the UTC Black Faculty and Staff Association, the event celebrates the origins of Juneteenth—a federal holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. RSVP here by Wednesday (June 14).

• On Saturday (June 17), UTC is one of the sponsors of the Juneteenth Freedom Celebration, taking place from noon-6:30 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. The event will include free museum admission, live music, food trucks, and art and merchandise vendors.
• UTC will be closed on Monday (June 19) to celebrate Juneteenth. The State of Tennessee officially recognized Juneteenth as a state holiday for the first time this year. As a result of this state recognition, the UT System now observes Juneteenth as a systemwide paid holiday, and all offices, campuses and institutes are closed.

New UTC Events Calendar Coming Soon

This summer, UTC will be rolling out a new events calendar using software from Localist. The new UTC calendar will enable members of the campus community to easily share, manage and publicize events from a single, convenient platform. Event information shared via this platform also is accessible to the public.

In addition to enabling easily adding an event to the calendar, the platform will automatically incorporate events from other calendars—such as events hosted by Mocs Athletics, the UTC Library and more. The new calendar tool will offer:

• Ease of use
• Customizability
• Possibility of improved engagement/turnout at campus events

Teams involved with the project are in the final stages of development.

Submit your events for Welcome Week 2023

A message from Student and Family Engagement …

Our goal for Welcome Week 2023 is to offer a calendar full of fun and engaging events that welcome our students to the start of a new semester, and we need your help.

If you are hosting an event or program during the first week of classes (Aug. 20-26), please submit your event to the official Welcome Week calendar found on the Welcome Week website. Click here to access the event submission form.

• The priority deadline to submit events for the Welcome Week calendar is Friday, July 21.
• More information about submitting an event for the Welcome Week calendar can be found here.
• Contact laura-petrus@utc.edu with questions.

¿Hablas español?

Have you wanted to learn basic Spanish? Here is your chance to jumpstart your learning in a low-pressure, social setting.

This summer, the College of Arts and Sciences is offering UTC faculty and staff a free, Beginning Conversational Spanish six-week course. The class will meet from noon-1:30 p.m. on Thursdays from July 6 until Aug. 10 in Lupton Hall. Participants should plan to bring their lunch to class; drinks and dessert will be provided.

UC Foundation Professor of Spanish Lynn Purkey will be your course instructor. The primary language curriculum will focus on conversational skills, including:

• Greetings/personal introductions and courtesy expressions
• University life
• Family
• Talking about yourself and others
• Discussing work and careers
• Food

Course materials and participation are free, but the program has only 20 spots available. To enroll, click here and complete the registration form by June 20.

Nurse.org Names UTC School of Nursing Best in Tennessee

The UTC School of Nursing has been selected as the best in the state of Tennessee by an influential national organization.

Nurse.org, an online source supporting and empowering nurses to better their careers, lives and profession by publishing trusted educational resources, selected the UTC nursing program as the top school in Tennessee in its 2023 Nurse.org Best Nursing Schools by State rankings.

The outstanding people of UTC

Mitch Rossell performs during Season 18 Episode 2 of “America’s Got Talent” (photo credit: Trae Patton/NBC).

Mitch Rossell, a 2009 Gary W. Rollins College of Business alum and current Season 18 contestant on “America’s Got Talent,” was topping the iTunes charts last week after performing his original song, “Son,” a tribute to his late father. 

Check out these Mocs making a difference:

• Rising junior Emma Roy, a Brock Scholar majoring in secondary education: political science, was featured by WGNSRadio.com in her hometown of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, after winning a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to Taiwan.
• Dr. Mina Sartipi and the Center for Urban Informatics and Progress were featured in a RouteFifty.com feature titled “Chattanooga Looks to Become Citywide Testbed for Future Mobility.”
• Dr. Saeid Golkar, assistant professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Service, co-wrote an article for the Middle East Institute titled “Ahmadian’s appointment completes Khamenei’s purification project.”
• A paper recently co-authored by Dr. Chandra Ward and Dr. Darrell Walsh, “I Just Don’t Go Nowhere: How Transportation Disadvantage Reinforces Socal Exclusion,” has been accepted into the Journal of Transport Geography—a leading interdisciplinary journal focusing on the geographical dimensions of transport, travel and mobility.
• Kaylen Hamlen, a recent graduate of North Sand Mountain High School in Bryant, Alabama, will be coming to UTC to study nursing after being awarded the J.V. and Lillie Buckner Memorial Scholarship.

This Week’s Calendar

UTC Campus Recreation will be hosting a series of family nights at the Aquatic and Recreation Center this summer open to all faculty and staff, with upcoming events taking place Friday (June 16) and Aug. 11. Come on out for games in the gym and try out the pool and the rock climbing wall.

• The cost for non-ARC members is $10 per person. Adult guests must show their UTC photo ID.
• Click here to learn about Campus Rec memberships.
• For more information, email colleen-houghton@utc.edu.

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The UTC Volleyball program is offering a 10% discount to all faculty, staff and students for the following volleyball summer camps:

• Scrappy’s Boys and Girls Camp: June 14-15
• Father/Daughter Clinic: June 18
• Middle School Day Camp: June 14-15, July 19-20
• High School Advanced Camp: June 14, July 19
• Positional Camp: June 28-29

Click here to register online. For more information, contact julie-torbettthomas@utc.edu.

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A Zoom session will take place at noon on Wednesday (June 14) for International Business Experience: Europe (Portugal & Spain), a fall 2023 course open to all UTC students. This course, which is being led by Professor Bento Lobo, has no prerequisite and includes a 10-day study trip to Lisbon, Portugal and Madrid, Spain.

Students earn three credit hours on the undergraduate level (MGT 4950) or graduate level (MGT 5950). For more information, contact COBInternational@utc.edu or visit COB International Programs.

Notice of Final Defense: Upcoming Research Presentations

The UTC Graduate School announced that the following students will be presenting their final works of research as advanced degree candidates. Everyone is invited to attend.

• Today (June 13): Jacquelyn Johnson will present doctoral research titled, “A Study of Higher Education Alumni Perceptions of Digital or In-Person Engagement,” via Zoom, 9 a.m. | Calendar Info
• Wednesday (June 14): Kali Worley will present doctoral research titled, “A Qualitative Methodology To Designing A Quantitative Assessment For The Construct Of Scholar-Practitioner Using Grounded Theory,” via Zoom, 9 a.m. | Calendar Info
• Friday (June 16): Peter O’Brien will present doctoral research titled, “The Impact of Focused Advising on Retention and Completion in the Community College Setting,” via Zoom, 3:15 p.m. | Calendar Info
• Friday (June 16): Faiza Khan will present master’s research titled, “Integrating Human Psychology into Car-Following Models for Accurate Response Prediction: A Realistic Approach,” ECS Maytag Room (Fourth Floor) and via Zoom, 4 p.m. | Calendar Info

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• June 20: Anna Pusser will present master’s research titled, “The Ecological Validity of Prospective Memory Experimentation,” 540 McCallie Ave. Room 357, 3 p.m. | Calendar Info
• June 21: Savannah Woods will present master’s research titled, “The Role of Shame in the Relationships among Childhood Maltreatment, Fears of Evaluation, and Associated Submissive Behaviors,” via Zoom, 11 a.m. | Calendar Info
• June 21: Kendall Jackson will present master’s research titled, “Suspicious of Autistic? Evaluating Responses to a Behavioral Analysis Interview,” via Zoom, 2 p.m. | Calendar Info
• June 21: Ahmed Korra will present master’s research titled, “Effect of Heat Treatment on the Mechanical and Corrosion Properties of the CoCrNiFeAl High Entropy Alloy,” ECS Room 415, 2 p.m. | Calendar Info
• June 22: Viet Toan Tran will present master’s research titled, “Improving Traffic Management Efficiency through Reinforcement Learning-based Traffic Signal Control and Citywide Transit Simulation,” via Zoom, 9:30 a.m. | Calendar Info
• June 22: Ryan Limpus will present master’s research titled, “The Impact of Interdepartmental Psychological Safety on Interdepartmental Conflict Management Styles,” via Zoom, 10:30 a.m. | Calendar Info
• June 23: James Carpenter will present master’s research titled, “Analysis of Single Event Transients in Arbitrary Waveforms using Statistical Window Analysis,” ECS Room 231, 1 p.m. | Calendar Info
• June 23: Audrey Darnbush will present master’s research titled, “Emotion Recognition in Individuals with Social Anxiety: Loving-Kindness as an Intervention,” 540 McCallie Ave. Room 357, 2 p.m. | Calendar Info

Basketball camps coming soon

The UTC women’s basketball program is holding a series of camps this summer, starting next week.

• Team Camp: June 24-25, open to junior varsity and varsity teams. There is availability for on-campus housing, if needed.
• Elite Camp: June 24, for rising 9th- through 12th-graders. The camp offers players the ability to see what a day in the life of Chattanooga women’s basketball looks like while getting to play in the same facilities the Mocs train and compete in.
• Kids Camp: July 17-20, open to boys and girls 7-14 years old. Kids will get an opportunity to enhance offensive and defensive fundamental skills while learning from the 2023 Southern Conference women’s basketball champions.

Click here to register online. For more information, contact tyler-r-clark@utc.edu. Please note: Medical forms are required for all camps and can be found via the registration link.

Campus Updates

The Clarence T. Jones Observatory is located at 10 N. Tuxedo Ave. in Chattanooga. Parking is available behind the Brainerd United Methodist Church.

The UTC Chemistry and Physics department invites the campus community to the Summer Solstice Science Seminar at the historic Clarence T. Jones Observatory from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 21.

View Chattanooga’s 20.5-inch telescope, built in 1938. Learn the science of the solstice. View the sun through a solar telescope. Learn about dark skies. Try a demonstration of less-polluting light fixtures. Meet members of the UTC Chemistry and Physics department and the Barnard Astronomical Society. The event is free and open to the public. | Calendar Info

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Are you interested in a career where the health and wellbeing of others are at the forefront? If so, the UTC Master of Public Health in Chronic Disease Prevention and Control program is for you.

Apply now at utc.edu/mph. For information, email emma-sampson@utc.edu or call (423) 425-4196.

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In order to provide new transfer students and their guests with the most information in a limited time frame, New Student and Family Programs is holding a UTC Student Services Fair from 8-9 a.m. in the University Center Tennessee Room during check-in for all in-person transfer orientation sessions on July 13 and Aug. 1.

If your office or area provides a service or program that would be beneficial to an incoming transfer student, please consider attending the Student Services Fair. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today by emailing your name and program and/or department to Carrie-Sherbesman@utc.edu.

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The University of Tennessee System Office of Finance and Administration has announced significant modifications to the systemwide travel policy that will greatly benefit the faculty and staff who utilize it, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly experience. Please take a moment to view the revisions, as well as information and training opportunities located on Concur. To learn more about the travel policy update, please click here for the Campus Updates post.

UTC Accounting Services/Travel is offering a series of June Concur travel training courses via Zoom. Topics include:

• June 20: Traveling for the University, 10 a.m.
• June 20: Resolving Alerts: Travel Allowance Itineraries and Per Diem, 3 p.m.
• June 21: Domestic Travel, 10 a.m.
• June 21: International Travel, 3 p.m.
• June 22: Conference Travel, 10 a.m.
• June 22: Requesting and Managing Cash Advances, 3 p.m.
• June 23: Exceptions to Policy, What They Are and Are Not, 10 a.m.

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The Testing Center is looking for individuals interested in helping with the administration of the ACT on UTC’s campus. This is a paid position, and proctors and room supervisors are needed for the July 15 test. If you are interested in working, email cathy-jackson@utc.edu.

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Mocs Card Services is issuing new ID cards to all faculty, staff, and students. As campus card readers are being replaced, this new card will be necessary for door access and use.

The ID Office summer hours of operation are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Please anticipate a higher-than-normal volume of customers on Orientation days.

What is the difference in the current Mocs Card and the NEW Mocs Card? The new Mocs Card is embedded with an RFID chip (tap technology) that will coincide with the installation of new card readers across campus.

• Bring your current Mocs Card to the ID Office in University Center Room 262 to exchange for the new card.
• If you do not bring your current ID, there is a $30 replacement fee. Replacement fees are processed in the Bursar’s Office (University Center Room 274).
• Contact Mocs Card Services (423-425-5819) or the ID Office (423-425-2218) with questions.

Looking back

The first of numerous new Mocs orientations took place last week, complete with a photo gallery of the future freshmen learning their way around campus.

Throughout the summer, New Student and Family Programs is hosting orientation sessions for all new students entering UTC during the fall semester. On average, more than 6,000 new students and their guests will be on campus throughout the summer for orientation.

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As someone who is passionate about urban planning, specifically transportation planning, Master of Public Administration student Arsen Martyshchuk (pictured)—who came to UTC thanks to the the University’s Global Response Assistantship—enjoyed learning about public transit in Chattanooga and public attitudes toward it. Sometimes, the native of Krasnyk, Ukraine, rode the bus “just for fun.” When it was time to find a summer internship, Martyshchuk wanted to pursue his passion.

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

• Before the start of orientation, a new batch of orientation leaders learned about the various departments at UTC and prepared for a hectic summer.
• UTC senior Mateo Jimenez has been serving as an American Connection Corps/Regional Connectivity Fellow for Lead For America—a national nonprofit organization that trains college students to serve as full-time local government or nonprofit employees in their home communities. Regional Connectivity Fellows are placed in positions where they can directly impact challenges such as education, health care, economic development, environmental sustainability and social equity.
• A weather station was recently installed on the roof of Lupton Hall. Similar stations are being installed statewide on campuses of the University of Tennessee system. The UTC station will pinpoint weather that’s occurring on campus or is very close and will provide such data as temperature, wind speed and direction, rainfall and the amount of lightning.
• Soil testing in eight local neighborhoods is part of the EPA College/Underserved Community Partnership, a five-year commitment between UTC and the EPA signed in November 2022. As part of the partnership, UTC students are invited to participate in EPA public policy forums, presentations, seminars and other public events.

WUTC Spotlight: Chattanooga Chamber’s DIVERSIFY Summit

Jennifer Stanley (photo credit: McKinsey and Company)

DIVERSIFY, an annual summit hosted by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, takes place from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Wednesday (June 14) at the Chattanooga Convention Center. DIVERSIFY is presented by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee.

A recent segment of Scenic Roots on WUTC-FM 88.1 featured the summit’s keynote speaker, Jennifer Stanley—a native of Chattanooga and a partner with the global consulting firm McKinsey and Company—and Lorne Steedley, the Chamber’s vice president for diversity and inclusive growth.

UTC Student Lens: Raising Wolves

The most endangered canine in the world is making a return, protected deep within the woodlands of Chattanooga. Once declared extinct in the wild, extensive conservation efforts have brought the American red wolf (Canis rufus) back onto the landscape. Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center is one of 40-plus facilities that house and recover this remarkable species. “Red wolves are apex predators,” Tish Gailmard, director of wildlife conservation at Reflection Riding explained. “They are critical to the health of our environment.”

Click here to see Rising Rock’s Raising Wolves, written and produced by Allie English.

• Rising Rock features student-developed non-fiction stories about greater Chattanooga. The site is a combined effort of the Department of Communication and UTC student media—including The Echo (student newspaper), MocsNews (student video news program) and The Perch (student digital radio station).