Durand New Chief of Academic Affairs

Starting Friday, July 1, V. Mark Durand, PhD, will take the helm as Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Durand has served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences since its founding in 2003.

Durand takes over for James Malek, PhD, who served as the interim Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs since Fall 2004.

Regional Chancellor Karen A. White said, “In his first two years at USF St. Petersburg, Dr. Durand was respected by colleagues for his academic leadership, teaching acumen, and research accomplishments. In his interviews for the position of Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Dr. Durand impressed the campus community with his knowledge of our campus and his vision for its future.”

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Students Catch Some Rays (And a Star)

Students in Professor Ray Arsenault's, PhD, Sports and American Culture seminar got an unexpected surprise when they recently attended a Tampa Bay Devil Rays game at Tropicana Field.

For one inning, they got to rub elbows with Oscar-winning actress Susan Sarandon, star of the 1987 baseball film, "Bull Durham."

Sarandon, who threw out the game's first pitch, was in town to visit her brother, Terry Tomalin, one of Arsenault's students and St. Petersburg Times Outdoors Editor. Sarandon sat with the class for one inning to sign autographs.

Arsenault's course examines the relationship between sports and culture in society and the influence they have on one another. Arsenault said he emphasizes the American addiction to sports and asks students to consider sports as a source of anti-intellectualism in society.

An avid sports fan, Arsenault has taught the seminar for many years and described it as something "I love to do."

Part of the class requires students to write brief papers on cultural and social activities they observe during sporting events. The Devil Rays game against the Milwaukee Brewers was the first class outing.

Calling all Campus Communicators

If you consider yourself a Campus Communicator, University Relations wants to hear from you. The department is developing a Campus Communicators Network to improve campus collaboration and coordination as well as address specific campus needs regarding publicity and communications.

Campus Communicators are those who produce publicity and marketing materials, update Web sites, write newsletters, or anything in between.

The first meeting is Tuesday, July 28 from 2 - 3 pm in CAC133. Guests will learn about appropriate logo usage as specified in the university's new Visual Identities Standards Manual and also see examples of good flier design. Future meetings will be based on members' needs, but this introductory meeting will be useful for departments planning for the fall semester.

Last year, USF started a system-wide Communicators Network, which currently has 130 members, predominantly from the Tampa campus. The campus network will function similarly, addressing questions and needs specific to USF St. Petersburg and its communication needs as a regional campus.

If you would like to sign up for the Campus Communicators Network, please contact Alyson Seligman, University Relations coordinator, at alyson@spadmin.usf.edu or 553-4456.

Bulls Football Season Tickets Now Available

Take advantage of a great deal and show your Bulls pride as our football team enters its first season of competition in the Big East Conference on July 1.

Faculty and staff can purchase season tickets for only $110 in the almost sold-out section.

Plus, be sure to mark the Saturday, September 17 game against the University of Central Florida on your calendar as USF St. Petersburg Day. More ticket information for this game will be available soon.

The Bulls open their season on the road Saturday, September 3 against Penn State. Their first home game is scheduled for Saturday, September 10 against Florida A&M.

For more information on the Bulls schedule, a map of the stadium and contact information for tickets, please see the Bulls Football Flier (.pdf).

Purchase Your Campus Parking Permit

Avoid the long lines and turn in your application for a 2005-2006 Parking Permit today. Current USF parking permits expire August 7.

The fees, with sales tax included, are as follows:

• Staff Semester:          $ 83.46 
• Staff Green Yearly:      $165.85
• Staff Gold Yearly:        $278.20  
• Reserved Yearly:         $663.40    

The renewal forms, which have been sent to faculty and staff through intercampus mail, include a payroll deduction option. A limited number of Gold permits will be available on a first come, first served basis.

Please see the Staff Form (.pdf) to renew your permit. More information on faculty and staff permits is available in the Staff Renewal Letter (.pdf). For more information, contact Parking Services at 553-4480.

Wierzbowski Helps Teach Crime Scene Workshop

USF St. Petersburg Sgt. Jon Wierzbowski helped educate area law enforcement agents on reconstructing shooting incidents at an all-day class June 27 in DAV130.

Wierzbowski, a former crime scene investigator for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, assisted his FDLE instructor, Leroy Parker, with lessons on analyzing bullet impact at crime scenes.

Wierzbowski's area of expertise is bloodstain pattern analysis and trajectory reconstruction. He has appeared on the Court TV program "Body of Evidence" as an expert in this field.

As Parker lectured, Wierzbowski used one of the 20 12x12 wooden boxes he crafted to illustrate the lesson on bullet trajectory and point of origin.

Participants included members of the Florida Division for the International Association for Identification as well as officers and forensic scientists from other agencies in surrounding counties.

“I really enjoy teaching,” Wierzbowski said, adding that he looks forward to holding more classes for both law enforcement and the public at the University Police Department’s future headquarters in Parking Center One, due to open in summer 2006.

Construction Updates

As summer construction continues, please be aware of modifications to a few campus facilities.

Due to the removal of the DAV #5 stairwell and subsequent second floor construction, portions of Davis Hall have been closed. The south entrance, south half of the first level, and the entire second level of the DAV107 student lounge are closed for approximately 14 weeks. The north entrance of the lobby and the vending machine area will remain open during construction. 

In other construction news, the first 21 Gold Parking Spaces immediately west of the Bayboro Bookstore and the Tavern are closed for approximately six weeks due to the chilled water expansion project related to Student Housing. The sidewalk to the northeast of this building is also closed during the duration of this project. If you have any questions, please call Facilities Planning & Construction at 553-4822.

USF Telephone Directory Updates Needed

It's time again for departments to update the USF systemwide telephone directory for 2005-2006. Each office is responsible for making the necessary corrections for its area.

To update your department's contact information, open the current copy of the 2004-2005 directory at http://www.usf.edu/ur/directory_0506.pdf (.pdf). Changes may be handwritten on a printed copy or sent via e-mail.

Changes are due to the USF Tampa Office of University Relations, located at mailstop ADM278, by July 31, 2005, and cannot be taken by phone.

For more information, contact Marilyn Stephens at 813-974-9049 or mstephen@admin.usf.edu. For detailed information on how to make and submit directory updates, please visit Updating the USF systemwide Directory.

To update your information on the USF St. Petersburg online directory, please visit http://www.stpt.usf.edu/contact/submit.htm.

For the latest information from HR, visit: USFSP HR Web site

New Development and Training Programs Available

Sign up today for Organization Development and Training's free summer training programs. These programs are full of activities, tools and discussions to help you excel in your professional and personal life.

Among its offerings, ODT will hold workshops in Communicating, Mentoring and Leading Service Excellence. ODT training programs are open to all USF employees and are held on the Tampa campus in SVC2070.

Register for summer offerings online at www.usf.edu/odt. For more information, contact Gina M. Bonarigo at 813-974-9116.

Vetoed Bill Leaves USF St. Petersburg Student Center Plans in Limbo

Tampa Bay Business Journal

June 24, 2005

Rebuffed by Gov. Jeb Bush, students at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg now must find another way to finance a student activities center.

Virtually no other option exists, unless a munificent benefactor appears.

Students were willing to impose higher fees on themselves to foot the cost of a student center and got the Florida Legislature's approval.

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