Enhancing Campus Wellness

Several new health and wellness initiatives are underway at USF St. Petersburg. First on the list is free access to the swimming pool, pool lockers, gymnasium, racketball court, aerobics room, showers and gym lockers for faculty, staff and affiliates.

USFSP campus members are encouraged to explore and create individual exercise programs leading to a healthy wellness oriented lifestyle. The concession revenues collected from campus vending machine sales will subsidize the use of these facilities and services.

In October, bring your family to Fall Semester Free Family Swim Days! The Waterfront pool will be open from 11 am - 7 pm on Saturday Oct. 1, Sunday Oct. 9, Sunday Oct. 16 and from 11 am - 6 pm on Saturday Nov. 5 for family fun. A lifeguard will be on duty and a swim instructor will be on hand to give tips on improving your swim strokes or developing new skills.

In addition, an American Red Cross trained instructor will give pointers to non-swimmers about how to safely enjoy the water. The Waterfront pool entrance is located at the south side of Coquina Hall.

Stop by to see the renovations to the Fitness Center in the Campus Activity Center. New flooring, painted walls, vertical blinds and all new Nautilus equipment are available thanks to a Student Government renovation initiative completed last summer.

A Campus Recreation Pass is required to use the Center. Details regarding the pass are available at the Campus Activity Center and the Waterfront Office. Other wellness initiatives are in the works including a walking path around the campus.

To share ideas, help plan initiatives, or learn more about what's new, please contact Regina Young Hyatt at 553-4180 or Jim Stull, Waterfront Coordinator, at 553-4118.

Changes In Store for Employee Benefits Program

Open Enrollment will take place from Oct. 3 – Oct. 28, 2005, when employees may enroll, change or cancel benefits that are available through the State of Florida. All changes will be effective Jan. 1, 2006.

New health plan options, HMO choices, and additional services are some of the changes that employees can expect.

Read: Benefit Changes (.pdf)

Volunteer for the Festival

Volunteer for the 13th Annual St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading to be held on campus Saturday, Oct. 29 from 10 am to 5 pm.

Campus members can volunteer with set up, registration, stage-managing, book talk assistants, roving marshals and breakdown. Volunteers are asked to choose a four-hour shift to work such as 8 am – noon, 11 am - 3 pm and 2 – 6 pm. All volunteers will receive a T-shirt, food and beverage tickets as well as designated parking for the event.

The free Festival is an annual celebration of literacy, featuring nationally known author talks, book signings, panel discussions, workshops and a variety of entertainment.

In addition to authors, there will be several celebrity readers, a variety of entertainment and poetry reading, an extensive Book Market, food and drink concessions, and many children’s activities including arts and crafts, interactive games, costumed story-book characters and an appearance by SPOT the News hound — the Times’ literacy mascot.

For more information on volunteering, please contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or at mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu.

For more information on the event, please visit the Festival of Reading Web site at www.festivalofreading.com.

Summer of Discovery for NASA Intern
After a summer at the Kennedy Space Center, Jeff Neely has a wealth of knowledge for students interested in obtaining internships in science and journalism. He encountered a new universe of opportunity as an intern for NASA and he presented his experience to Associate Professor Mark Walters, DVM, and his class Communicating Science to the Public.

“Science is not just information,” Walters said. “It also involves people and we should think of it in terms of communicating a story.”

This kind of writing style became a primary function of Neely’s internship. “Science writing was a difficulty I needed to work on and NASA gave me that opportunity,” said Neely.

Throughout the summer he was able to develop his skills to communicate science to the public. Neely said that the intent of science writing is not just relaying information but making it more appealing. “You have to think like the reader and determine what you would want to be reading.”

As the first journalism student intern for KSC from USF St. Petersburg, Neely wrote feature stories for the web, video scripts, supported web casts, performed voice-overs and learned the media side of communications by writing press releases and media relations.

“He is a very good writer,” said Dennis Armstrong, Neely’s NASA supervisor. “He submits stories that are accurate, thoroughly reported, balanced and well written.”

Neely has advice for future interns of any discipline. “Do whatever the job asks you to do and do it with a smile. Other than that, just soak it all up.”

Read: Neely’s Articles
http://www.nasa.gov/returntoflight/launch/red_water_sausages.html
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/missions/xtremebacteria.html

Professor Discusses Ethics and Education

Professor Hugh LaFollette, PhD, invites the campus to attend a series of ethical lectures that will begin with a visit from Randall Curren,PhD, professor of philosophy and educational leadership at the University of Rochester, New York.

A specialist in the fields of philosophy of education and educational thought, policy and ethics, Curren will give his first presentation "Elite Sports vs. Academic Integrity," Thursday, Sept. 22 at 4 pm in DAV130, where he will examine the role of sports within a university.

Friday, Sept. 23 at 11 am in DAV 130, Curren will present “Abandoned in a Wasteland: Katrina, Anarchy, and America's Poor.” Curren, a native of New Orleans, changed the lecture from the original topic, “Responsibility and Impairment”.

For more information on the upcoming lectures, please contact Hugh LaFollette at 553-4830 or visit http://www.stpt.usf.edu/hhl/.

Read: Randall Curren

Graduate Student Presents the Legend of Chasco

The Pasco County Historical Society invites campus members to attend “The Legend of Chasco: Myth and History of a City Built on Enchantment,” presented by Adam Carozza, graduate student in the Florida Studies program, Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 pm.

The presentation will be held in Dade City at the American Legion Hall located at 37745 Church Ave. There will also be a covered dish dinner for which guests are asked to bring their own dinner, table service and beverages. For more information, please contact Glen Thompson at 352-567-7449 or Eddie Herrman at 352-567-2050.

Celebration of Hispanic Culture Continues

Learn and experience Hispanic culture through a series of campus events during National Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 - Oct. 15, 2005.

A seminar series, hosted by the College of Marine Science, begins this week with a lecture Friday, Sept. 23 “Modeling Marine Ecosystems: From Physics to Fish.” Francisco Werner, PhD, professor of Physical Oceanography at the University of South Carolina, presents the lecture at 3:30 pm in the MSL Conference Room.

Thursday, Sept. 29, at noon in FCT 118N, campus members can attend a lecture “Simulacrum and Cuban-American Literature,” presented by Roberto G. Fernandez, PhD, Cuban-American writer and professor of Modern Languages and Linguistics at Florida State University. The College of Arts and Sciences at USF St. Petersburg is sponsoring the event, along with the USF Tampa World Language Education department and the USF St. Petersburg Office of Multicultural Affairs.

For more information about Hispanic Heritage Month and upcoming events, please contact Steve Marshall, interim coordinator of Multicultural Affairs, at 553-4845.

Final Friday Reception
The semester is in full swing and as things become hectic, take a moment to unwind as the Poynter Library hosts a Final Friday reception Sept. 30, 2005, from 5 – 7 pm.

As appetizers and beverages are served you can learn about the history of Bayboro Harbor from the exhibition, “From Fiddler Crabs to a Harbor with Class: A History of Bayboro Harbor and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.” Guests can also experience old time Bayboro Harbor with a walking tour at 6:15 pm led by Jim Schnur.

Parking is free for guests and is located on the north side of the Poynter Library in Lots 1 and 4 only. For more information, contact the Poynter Library at 553-4401.

Job Networking for Students
Sometimes finding the right job after graduation is harder than it seems. The Counseling and Career Center at USF St. Petersburg will hold a Fall Career Expo on October 5, 2005 from noon – 4 pm in the Campus Activities Center.

More than 35 local employers and community organizations will be on campus for student networking and interviews. Students interested in discussing career opportunities with employers at the Expo should come prepared with a resume and professional attire. For more information, please contact the Counseling and Career Center at 553-4129 or via email at career@stpt.usf.edu.

Campus Event Posting Policy
With the Fall semester in full swing and many events on the calendar, the office of Student Life wants to remind the community how to correctly post materials on campus.

In an effort to maintain the clean and beautiful appearance of our campus, Student Life asks the community not to hang flyers in classrooms, on doors, walls or any other location on campus.

Student Life is responsible for posting flyers and advertisements on specific bulletin boards across USF St. Petersburg. Flyers are approved, stamped and hung by Student Life staff members on bulletin boards around campus.

To ensure that all materials are accommodated, please submit information on Fridays by 9 am of the posting day to the Office of Student Life. For more information on the campus posting policy, please contact Jennifer Quinn-Taylor at 553-4181.

Receive Support During Difficult Times
Many of our campus students, faculty and staff with families in the areas affected by hurricane Katrina have experienced extreme stress and anxiety. Members of the campus and the community were also affected by images of the storm’s aftermath.

The Counseling and Career Center offers its support to the campus community during this time of distress with the presence of counselors who are available to offer support, counseling or information.

The Center also offers a variety of counseling services that include counseling for adjustment, trauma, relationships, stress, study skills, wellness workshops, career testing and job placement. Services are free and confidential for students, faculty and staff. Alumni are also eligible for career services at a nominal cost.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 553-4422 or visit the Web at http://www.stpt.usf.edu/saffairs/CCC/.

For the latest information from HR, visit: USF SP HR Web site

Thanks to the generosity of faculty, staff and students from USF St. Petersburg, more than 200 pounds of goods and supplies were collected to be sent to Mississippi this weekend. Additional donation drives are being planned.

Upcoming volunteer opportunities include a variety of events such as a coastal cleanup at Tierra Verde Oct. 15 from 9 – 11 am. Help out the animals by volunteering for the SPCA Paws on Parade Oct. 29 at 8:30 am or join the literati at the 13th annual St. Petersburg Times Festival of Reading Oct. 29 from 10 am – 5 pm.

For more information on upcoming volunteer opportunities, please contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu.

A Day in Historic Driftwood

Tour of Homes

Historic Driftwood, one of the oldest neighborhoods in St. Petersburg, will be on display on Saturday, October 1.  The St. Petersburg Museum of History and the Driftwood Neighborhood Association have planned a day of fun, entertainment and education all in one spot.

Read: Press Release (.pdf)