5 | Arts & Life
7 | Sports
The shadow enters
Young squad aims wto keep winning tradition going
Vol. 56, Issue 3
Est. 1981
The Paisano
September 5 - September 12, 2017
Independent Student Newspaper for the University of Texas at San Antonio Community /ThePaisano
/PaisanoOnline
@PaisanoMedia
@ThePaisano
www.Paisano-Online.com
Roadrunners respond to Hurricane Harvey students and administration quick to aid relief efforts By Sam De Leon Co-News Editor & David Wenske Contributing Writer
Students, faculty and administrators are supporting victims of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction by starting donation drives, volunteering with cleanup efforts and raising money. In a recent email addressing students and faculty, UTSA President Taylor Eighmy outlined UTSA’s efforts to provide relief to those affected by Hurricane Harvey. “The devastation that Harvey brought to Texas this past weekend is of unparalleled dimension,” said Eighmy. “Many families of our students, faculty and staff were directly impacted by this terrible storm and the severe flooding in South Central and Southeast Texas and the Houston region. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who will spend weeks, if not months, recovering from this tragedy.”
Rescuers gather on a flooded highway in Houston, Texas.
Eighmy called Roadrunners to action and stated some relief efforts are already underway at UTSA. From housing for refugees to support services to those who were directly affected by the tragedy, UTSA faculty and students were directed to campus resources for assistance. One organization that responded quickly was the Black Student
Leadership Council (BSLC). The BSLC is leading a month-long donation drive. “As a council of Roadrunners, we truly believe in the spirit of giving to those who need it most,” said Terralyn Wilburn, senior political science major and president of Women of Honor. “We feel this drive will make a significant contribution to the
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fresh start our fellow Texans are seeking.” The support of the Texas community has been huge. Jon Onstead, Houstonian and owner of The Block SA, provided a detailed account of the situation facing Houston residents. “Houston turned into Venice; the traffic was in boats,” said Onstead. “It was almost like be-
ing on a lake with buildings. The feeling was surreal.” Onstead recalls his mother’s house being under water. Onstead decided he wanted to aid the relief efforts and took his kayak to paddle down Memorial Street, Continued on page 2 See ‘Hurricane Harvey’
UTSA prepares students for CLASS
Dean of University College retires
UTSA modifies institutional policies to improve grduation and retention
Dr. Lawrence Williams says farewell to UTSA
Orientation students tour the UTSA campus. By Vivianne Guillen Contributing Writer
This story is the second in a two-part series explaining UTSA’s initiative to address graduation and retention rates. The Coordinated and Linked Approach to Student Success (CLASS) is an institution-wide initiative, focusing on key elements affecting low rates of student retention and graduation. In order to address these issues, UTSA is revising several sources of student success. In a previous article, three of the six areas (Onboarding, Leadership and professional development and First Year Experience) of CLASS were discussed. The remaining three — Advising, Focused Academic Support and Fi-
nancial Aid — are sectors of the CLASS initiative also being revised. In an effort to improve UTSA’s advising system, advisors will go through several operational changes to achieve efficiency. To relieve congestion of appointments, advisors will adopt an 8-5 p.m. on-call schedule. Advisors on call will assist walk-in students with less critical needs such as picking up an “add or drop” slip, creating a wider window for more in-depth advising appointments. Advising will also make “data driven decisions” and direct communication to other sources of student success: instructors and financial aid. With the help of EAB Campus, a student-success management company, UTSA is implementing a software from EAB called Student
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Success Collaborative (SSC), which creates student profiles. SSC collects and compiles previous and present data to configure problems. Advisors use this data to preemptively address issues students might have and direct a student to the right resources. Dr. Tammy Wyatt, associate vice provost for student success, describes SSC as an “Advising platform tool that helps advisors utilize and better manage caseload, that will serve as a support care network.” Another area growing through the CLASS initiative is focused academic support. The “math emporium” model, the first CLASS program to be trialed, looked at classes Continued on page 2 See ‘Class in session’
By Briyah Phillips Contributing Writer
Former Vice Provost and Dean of the University College Dr. Lawrence Williams retired on August 31. Throughout his academic career, Williams pushed students to follow their passions. During his undergraduate career at Texas Southern University, Williams was constantly in the physics lab. So much so, that his professor made him a TA and occasionally asked him to lead class. It seems Williams was destined to be dean, but young Williams couldn’t imagine being a dean so early in his career. When Williams started college, he never considered attending graduate school. One day, when he was working in the math lab, the math department chair suggested he should apply to a graduate program. Williams attended the University of Michigan where, post graduation, he decided to teach. For Williams, being a professor isn’t just a job; it’s a passion. But when he started graduate school, being a professor wasn’t in his plan. In his graduate program, teaching undergraduate courses was a requirement at the University of Michigan. Williams discovered his passion while teaching and advising students in undergraduate courses. Williams first began at UTSA in 1976 as an assistant professor in the mathematics department in 1976. He started his first day as
a faculty member of UTSA in 1983 and gained tenure status in 1986. Williams began his administrative career in 1987 as the associate dean for academic affairs for the college of sciences and engineering. In 2001, Williams was hired as a member of the central administration of UTSA, this position evolved into vice provost and dean of University College. Williams has seen the college grow from a com-
“Follow your dreams. You have to be passionate about what your major is, what you’re studying, and work hard to achieve that.”
-Lawrence Williams muter college to what he calls “a real university”; a college with a distinctive campus culture where “you can see the pride.” Williams takes pride in being an administrator; he also relishes in his ability to advise students and share in their successes. In one exchange with a student,
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Dr. Lawrence Williams
Williams made clear that a student’s parents should not be the ultimate driver in choosing a major. “I’m a math professor. I had one student come to me and say, ‘I don’t like calculus, I don’t like engineering, I like music.’ I said, ‘Why are you in calculus?’ (The student) said, ‘Well, my parents told me to.’ I said, ‘Well I think if you love music, if that’s your passion, you have to follow that.’” Williams guided students by expressing the importance of choosing what they love, not what another person hands them. Williams’ career was driven by his love of mathematics. That love carried him through his academic career. “Follow (your) dreams,” he says.”You have to be passionate about what your major is, what you’re studying, and work hard to achieve that.”