General mtg | 11 Nov 2010

Decorating gift bags for Orange Santa and learning about volunteer opportunities

1. Introductions
1. Tepera called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM
2. He introduced our speakers, Kathy Fries from Relationship Management and University Events and Amory Baril from the Volunteer and Service Learning Center.
2. Kathy Fries, Office of Relationship Management and University Events
1. Kathy Fries came to talk about Orange Santa which is an event that provides toys and gifts for members of the UT community who are in need.
2. Last year they served 485 families – which included almost 1,800 children.
3. Currently, all the volunteer spots are full. In the future, you can contact Kathy Fries to see when the website will open so you can try to get your group to sign up together. However, there is a waitlist that was just started. You can contact kfries@mail.utexas.edu to be added to the waitlist.
4. The most needed group of gifts is for infants and teens. The orange Santa website has gift suggestions.
5. Through a partnership with Intercollegiate Athletics there are 3 opportunities to donate gifts to Orange Santa in exchange for tickets. Bring an unwrapped toy to the following games and get a free ticket:
• Friday, November 19th – UT Women’s Volleyball v. Kansas
• Sunday, November 21st – UT Women’s Basketball v. Boston
• Saturday, November 27th – UT Men’s Basketball v. Rice
6. On Friday, December 3rd – UT Songs of the Season (a holiday sing-a-long even) will collect donations for Orange Santa.
7. More information on these donation events, including locations where you can drop off a toy is on the Orange Santa donation page. (*Please note if you would like to donate cash or a gift card, you should drop that off in Main 22.)
8. Other events the Office of Relationship Management and University Events plans include: Longhorn Halloween, Explore UT, and Commencement. All of these events need volunteers and you can contact the Office of Relationship Management and University Events for more information.
3. Amory Baril, Volunteer and Service Learning Center (VSLC)
1. The VSLC is a center for students, faculty and staff who are seeking volunteer opportunities.
2. Many of the programs are organized by UT students.
3. The Project 2011 is Saturday, February 26, 2011 and registration will be available starting in December.
• You can volunteer as a group or as an individual.
• Transportation from campus to the neighborhood and back will be provided.
• A new piece that has been added this year is an extra education piece for students who come to the event to teach volunteers about the neighborhood in which they will be working. A VSLC team will come to student organization meetings and conduct a pre-workshop (pre-flection) on the experience they will have during the Project 2011 and then an added follow up workshop (reflection).
• Sign up for those pre/post sessions will start soon and the sessions will begin on January 24th.
4. UT Service Scholars offers students the opportunity to have some extra professional development and networking opportunities. It is a para-professional organization that is geared towards students who are interested in civil service.
5. Students in Service is a one-year opportunity to commit 300 hours of service they can be eligible for a stipend for their year of service. There are 15 spots remaining in the program. The service projects are geared towards youth outreach.
6. The Tower Awards honor excellence in service for UT faculty, staff and students. This year’s ceremony will be Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Nominations will be available in February.
7. The Volunteer and Service Learning Center has more information online.
4. Treasurer’s Report
1. The mailbox was locked earlier this semester, meaning if your office/you submitted your application and/or dues to the mailbox please ask the appropriate member of your office about the status of that check.
2. The post office said that the mail should have been sent back to the sender up until mid October.
3. If you have questions about your status, please email Rita at r.f.thornton@mail.utexas.edu.
5. Vice President’s Report
1. Hosting a Higher Ed Intern: Does your office have an interest in graduate interns? Offices able to host a Higher Education Graduate Intern in the upcoming Spring/Summer/Fall semesters should add their information to the HEASPA/APSA Internship spreadsheet.
2. Mentoring: There is a mentoring opportunity next Thursday (11/18): A Brown Bag Mixer in the Sinclair Suite at the Texas Union. There will be a profile sheet that will help match up mentors and mentees. Even if you cannot make the mixer, you can fill out a profile with Susan.
3. If you are interested in helping do Resume Reviews for Graduate Students, please contact Susan at sbuckenmeyer@mail.utexas.edu.
6. Announcements
1. Professional Development Day (PDD) will be February 17th in the Student Activity Center.
2. The first PDD planning meeting will be November 18 (Thursday) at 10:30am in the Board of Directors Room in the Texas Union.
3. Our next general membership meeting is Thursday, December 9th in the RecSports Game Room. We will be discussing student development theory as seen in the movies.

11 Nov 2010 mtg minutes by Lauren Cove » to top