Alumni Spotlight – David Savage

For this Alumni Spotlight, we are catching up with David Savage, who graduated in 2008 and worked at Kerr Hall and Maple Hall and served both as a Resident Assistant and Housing Ambassador in his time with UNT housing! Let’s see what David has been up to and hear about his time as an RLA!

Where did you work? Kerr and Maple!

What did you study? Bachelors in Radio, Television and Film, and a Masters of Interactive Technology

  What skills did you gain while working in UNT housing? Team skills, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution (this helped me greatly as a team lead in grad school)!

 And how did you apply those skills after college? In grad school, I served as a producer on a lot of team projects.  My time as an RA really prepared me for dealing with interpersonal conflicts and team morale issues that cropped up. I’ve spent the last two years making games, and the similarities between a game development team and the housing family are striking.  Interpersonal relations, working towards a common goal, celebrating each other’s successes: sometimes I get flashbacks of RLT!

Favorite memories: We did a lot of well received programs at Maple. My two favorites were the Maple coffee shop every Friday where we made nice coffee and talked about a specific topic (sexism, privilege, etc.), and the Rock Band program which had an insane turnout. We also put together Dencon, which was a pretty small but fun comic book convention in Clark.

Do you have any advice for current housing staff members (RA’s, HA’s, FA’s, etc.)? Enjoy it now!  Every morning I wake up to the Maple RA/HA/HD/FA group picture from 2007-2008 and I really do miss everyone.  Life takes you in so many different places, so enjoy the time you spend with your fellow RLAs.

Dressed up like former UNT Football Coach Todd Dodge for Yell Like Hell!

What else were you involved in at UNT? MEK (the Anime Club), Abyss South(World of Warcraft raiding group made entirely of UNT Housing employees)

What are you up to now? I am making games at Infinity Ward (just finished Call of Duty: Ghosts’ awesome DLC season), and soaking up the sun in Southern California!  And you’d better believe I have a UNT flag hanging from my desk.  I also may have sung the fight song at a sports bar during the Rice game last week.

Thank you, David, for sharing some of your UNT housing experience with us! We hope to see you again soon!

Women Leader Wednesday

This Women Leader Wednesday we are focusing on a national hero, Brenda Berkman, who is a brave pioneer in her field.

Brenda Berkman is a pioneering female firefighter who served the City of New York for 25 years before retiring in 2006 at the rank of Captain. Berkman was a practicing lawyer in New York when in 1977 the FDNY grudgingly began to allow women to test for firefighter positions. The young lawyer, and FDNY applicant, challenged the fairness and relevance of the newly intensified physical test and won a federal sex discrimination lawsuit that truly opened the department to female firefighters for the first time.

All of the women that applied to be a firefighter failed the physical test, to which Berkman then sued on grounds of gender discrimination and won a new test that would be created with fair standards. In 1982, Berkman and 40 other women passed the new job-related test and she was among the first class of women hired to serve FDNY.

Some of her accomplishments include:

• Founder of the United Women Firefighters, an organization for women in the FDNY (President 1982-1986)
• Susan B. Anthony Award from the National Organization for Women (1984)
• Revson Fellowship on the Future of the City of New York, Columbia University (1987-1988)
• Distinguished Alumni Award from St. Olaf College
• White House Fellow, the first professional firefighter to be awarded this prestigious leadership development fellowship (1996-1997)
• Women of Courage Award from the National Organization for Women (2002)

 

Brenda is a lesbian, and was the first openly gay person to be a professional firefighter and a White House Fellow. To honor friends and colleagues who were lost on 9/11, she volunteers as a guide for walking tours at the Tribute WTC Visitor Center in Lower Manhattan.

Intramurals!

Through 8 weeks, winning and losing, 8 teams were given a chance to play for an intramural shirt and to be crowned the Residence Hall’s Flag Football Champion. To all teams, this has been an amazing season which has invited 3 new teams, of which, we are proud to say have a bright future in this league. Crumley and Legends’ team were split up into two teams from the Legends of Crumley of last year. Bruce has made an appearance this year which is the first time in many semesters.

(Bruce, we’re glad to have you and want to keep you around!)

Playoff’s Top 4 Rundown:

West had one of the most dominant runs in the recent history of Residence Hall Intramurals. West had scores this season of 44-0, 50-0, and 56-0 and only allowed 48 points on defense. That’s an average of just 6 points per game. Not to mention that they matched last year’s performance by earning a 1^st seed in the playoffs for 2 consecutive years.  Great job, West!

College Inn carried into the playoffs a 1^st ranked defense, averaging just 4.17 point per game. College Inn’s highlight of the season was the crazy-intense game against West that ended with two late-game interceptions, ending in a score of 21-7!

Crumley for the first time stands alone. They have had a great debut, losing to only Legends and West, boasting a 5-2 record and finishing with a 3^rd seed going into the playoffs. Crumley is a team to watch out for!

Legends, also a team that stands alone for the first time, also made a great debut. With a record of 5-3 and the 4^th seed in the playoffs, Legends boasted the 2^nd ranked offense and an impressive win over Crumley to help them secure their place in the playoffs. Legends never die!

Playoff Picture:

To explain, the playoff picture this year was an 8-man bracket and was single-elimination style. No team had a bye, therefore in order to play in the final round a team must win two games. This was so exciting!

 Notable Games:

College Inn vs. Victory: College Inn finished with a 6-1 record, 1^st ranked defense, and 2^nd seed in the playoffs, but Victory is the team charged with dealing College Inn their only loss of the season with a nail-biter that ended 15-16 after a dropped 2-point conversion with mere seconds left on the clock!

Crumley vs. Maple: It should be noted that Crumley took it to Maple, 25-0. Both teams carried themselves with confidence and did a fantastic job!

Overall, the Residence Hall’s Flag Football Championship went to…

Great job, everyone! Stay tuned for more Res Hall Sports! Go Mean Green!

#FlashbackFriday

Seen in this yearbook page from 10 years ago, Victory Hall was on it’s way to being UNT’s newest residence hall! Back when Fouts Field was the Saturday night destination and the Clark Grill fed hungry residents after 10pm. Here is a little snapshot of history in the making, a moment of where we came from, and the beginning of a new era for UNT housing! Victory boasts the largest lobby of all the halls in Housing. The abundance of space allows residents to study and socialize without limits. Compared to other halls, the atmosphere and layout of Victory is very lively and spacious! Residents have a strong sense of camaraderie and can be as involved in hall activities as they choose to be.

“Everyone from Victory that I’ve met is so passionate and loves their community. They are so far away from everyone else, so even though they are across the highway from the student body, they are able to bond with each other. The food is delicious in Champs and it always has good music!” – Aaron Davis, Mozart Square Resident, NRHH President, Eco-Rep President

Check out more UNT yearbooks online!

http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth61069/m1/65/?q=warren

Women Leader Wednesday

This WLW, we will be highlighting Dr. France Córdova, Director of the National Science Foundation. Before she was appointed to her current positon, Dr. Córdova was the first female president of Purdue University and the first woman and the youngest person to be named the Chief Scientist for NASA.

Born in Paris, France to a Mexican-American father and Irish-American mother, Córdova grew up wanting to be “a detective, a Trappist monk, an existential writer and a scientist – all at the same time.”

She grew up in West Covina, California and went to a private Catholic high school where the teachers didn’t think girls would go on to be scientists. Boys and girls had separate classes and only five girls took physics.

Córdova received her bachelor’s degree cum laude in English from Stanford University in 1969. Shortly after graduation, France was working as a journalist when she witnessed the landing of the Apollo 11 moon landing, which quickly rekindled her interest in space science. In 1978, she earned her Ph.D. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology, one of only two women in a class of eighteen.

Córdova would then go on to work at some of America’s top research centers such as the Space Astronomy and Astrophysics Group at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and also headed the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Pennsylvania State University.

From 1993 to 1996, she became the youngest person and first woman to hold the position of NASA Chief Scientist. In this role she served as the primary advisor to NASA administration and the space science community.

In 1996, Córdova left NASA to work in academia full-time. She has held a number of administrative positions at various universities and constantly strives to be involved in the lives of young leaders. Her goal is to provide role models, mentors and opportunities to young women by showing them how exciting science can be.

Dr. France Córdova is a great example of a woman leader because she shows that despite the path you are on or the obstacles you face, you can always change your path in order to pursue your passions!

Going Green!

Hey y’all! Welcome to our Going Green posts for the UNT Housing and Residence Life blog!

The main focus of these blogs will be to provide opportunities and tips to challenge yourself and live a more sustainable lifestyle! Tune in every other a week for advice on how live a more balanced life for yourself, the environment, and your pocketbook.

Today we want to tell you about a fun opportunity coming up on October 1^st.This opportunity is Project Green Challenge or PGC.

PGC is a competition hosted by student-led group Teens Turning Green throughout the month of October that allows you to challenge yourself to adopt a new sustainable behavior and compete with other students around the world doing the same for awesome prizes and giveaways. Each day you can complete a task for points. Competitors at the end of the month with the most points will be invited to a conference in California. Two years ago, Alyssa Wolverton, a former North Texas Eco-Rep at Kerr Hall participated and was a finalist!

Here is what she had to say about her experience:

“Project Green Challenge was an essential part of my success as a student and who I am today. Getting to spend time with passionate environmentalists, eco-activists, and students just like myself (in CALIFORNIA!) was worth the dedication it took to complete the challenge. I grew and gained so much from the challenge that I will never be able to express gratitude for Teens Turning Green, the organization who does the event every year, and the North Texas Eco-Reps for showing me and encouraging me on my journey. Now I am knowledgeable about my field (sustainability), have met extraordinary people to help me along the way, and know about every random eco-fact there is. I truly get to live every day “meaning green”, and it’s fantastic.” – Alyssa Wolverton

Here’s Alyssa (Second from left in bottom row) at the conference in California!

This challenge is not just for people who already have an interest in sustainability; it is accessible to people who are curious or are looking for something new to try but do not know a lot about sustainability as a concept. It also provides a very creative and individual opportunity to engage in the subject.

Some of the prizes include organic, fair trade, non-GMO, and recycled products from companies like Acure, Dr. Bronner’s, Ecojot, and many more. Larger prizes range from $100 Whole Foods Market gift cards to all paid trips to organic farms and product expos to a $5,000 PGC Green Award to implement a project on campus or continue your education.

Sign-up today and join myself and the North Texas Eco-Reps as we take the challenge. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and share with us as you complete challenges! #WEMEANGREEN #PGC

Keep it Green!

Ted Talks Tuesday

“When people do things that are courageous, it doesn’t really mean that they’re that courageous, it simply means that they believe that it’s important to do it.”

It is so important in residence life that we understand how important our positions and roles are and how much influence we can have with them. Sometimes we all try to be superheroes, and we think that the quantity of our work is recognized well beyond it’s content. We also prioritize the evaluation of our work over it’s execution. But sometimes all it takes is one idea that matters to you, that means something to you, to truly make an impact on the people and community in your life. If you are placing importance on the things that are… important, then that makes you courageous. In the housing world, we have so many opportunities to influence others and do substantial work to make a difference. How are you courageous? What do you place importance on in your role?

Alumni Spotlight – Jennifer Steward

For this Alumni Spotlight, we are catching up with Jennifer Steward! She worked at Crumley and Mozart Square and was involved in NRHH for three years. Check out what Jennifer has been up to and read about her amazing time in UNT housing!

Name: Jennifer Steward

Positions: Crumley Hall RA, Mozart Square Senior RA

Major: Psychology

Years in Housing: Fall 2005 – Summer 2010

Skills Housing Gave You: I definitely learned a lot of good communication skills, conflict management, crisis procedures and interventions, customer services skills (through working desk shifts.) I even still use a lot of the event planning skills I picked up as an RA.

What were your experiences in our housing organizations? RHA Advisor for Mozart Square Hall Association and NRHH executive officer for three years. (I actually held all exec positions at one point or another.)

 What is your favorite memory from working in housing? One of my favorite memories from Housing is when the UNT chapter of NRHH one Chapter of the Year. It was a goal that we had been working towards for a very long time and I was so proud of our team! In the 3 years I was involved in NRHH, I was able to watch an amazing transformation within the organization. It is amazing what you can do with a team of wonderfully motivated housing people!

The most powerful thing I took away from my experience in Housing was the relationships I developed. I met my best friends there and made so many connections with inspiring people. I wouldn’t trade those relationships for anything.  

What are you up to now? After my time in Housing, I went to work as a Service Coordinator at Denton County MHMR for a year. I left this position to pursue my graduate work at the University of Tulsa. I am currently finishing my 3rd year as a doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology program studying the impact of traumatic events and the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. I am particularly interested in designing outreach programs to educate people about trauma, its consequences, and to prevent certain forms of violence such as physical and sexual assault.

Jennifer also attended one of our spring Housing Alumni Dinners this year! She came back to see us at UNT and share her experiences in housing with our current staff. Ian Michaud, a former Facility Assistant, also joined us in the newly renovated Bruce cafeteria. 

A huge thank you to Jennifer for sharing her experiences with us, visiting us back at UNT housing and contributing so greatly to our past and current staff’s development and enrichment as Residence Life Advisors. We can’t wait to see you again!

Student Leader Spotlight – Nick Grotowski

This time for our Student Leader Spotlight, we are spotlighting Honors Hall RA Nick Grotowski. Check out the awesome impact that Nick has made below!

“I have had the privilege of being Nick’s supervisor for the past year in Honors Hall. Over this year Nick has shown a continuous commitment to meeting the goals of our residence hall while employing his talents in the exceptional execution of his job. Nick is the kind of employee we all hope to get when we decide to hire someone. Not only is he professional but he works very well with his co-workers and through his example encourages them to be better. He is able to work under difficult, high-pressure situations and still attain excellent results. In addition to being an outstanding staff member to Honors Hall Nick has also taken on the role of being the Elizabeth Brooks Warren chapter of National Residence Hall Honorary President this semester. Under Nick’s guidance and direction our chapter has grown in participation and in purpose. I see more involvement from both current members and residents wanting to be a part of the organization. I believe Nick is an outstanding leader who has made a significant impact in both Honors Hall and National Residence Hall Honorary, exhibited a high level of participation and volunteerism, and whose efforts have made a huge difference in the Honors Hall community and the University of North Texas overall. Nick is a delight to supervise because of his willingness to work with not only his residents but also those around the hall. His wing is one of the tightest knit groups of residents that I have seen since working for any housing department that I have worked for, and I believe that connection started with Nick’s intentionality with each of his residents.” – Eric Johnson, Honors Hall Director

Representing our NRHH chapter as President, attending the No Frills 2014 conference at LSU.

Hometown: Plano, Texas

Major: Integrative Studies

Campus Involvement: Green Brigade, National Residence Hall Honorary and Kerr Residence Hall Association

Why do you choose to be involved as a student leader? Being a student leader allows me to impact several other students on a daily basis. When I came to UNT, I found myself needing a new home with new friends. It was student leaders on campus that connected me to some of my now closest friends, and I’ve chosen to become a student leader so that I may provide others with the same opportunities. Furthermore, I hope to empower individuals to continue on a similar path so that they, too, may play a part in developing student leaders.

What have you learned about leadership through your work with others on campus? Through being a student leader, I’ve come to realize the power of working for the benefit of others rather than for the benefit of myself. As it happens, the more that I help other people, the more I find myself growing as an individual, which then again allows me to better serve others. Most of all, though, I’m recognizing that even though I may be leading, it’s often that I’m the one learning from others. Additionally, I’ve noticed that people have different styles of leadership, and while I may prefer some over others, there a lot of appropriate ways to lead. No one style of leadership could succeed on its own, so it’s important that we see a variety of methods that appeal to a variety of students.

What is your favorite UNT tradition? My favorite UNT tradition is wearing green on Fridays. Remembering to be proud to be a part of such a large community helps keep things in perspective, and it’s a great boost to push through the last day of the week. I enjoy walking around campus and seeing several people wearing green, showing their pride for UNT.

Nick with his residents!

What advice would you give to a student thinking about getting involved? Some people are hesitant to take on too much, but it’s really important to try everything in order to find what you love most. If things don’t work out, you can always remove obligations down the road. Of course, this also requires being self aware. Know what’s going well and what isn’t, and make changes if you need to. Lastly, we must remember to prioritize. Academics must come first!

How does being involved in housing complement your studies or academics? Getting involved in housing has connected to me to several students that also take academics seriously. I’ve made friends that are always happy to head to the library with me to study, even though we’re all studying separate subjects. I work best when other people around me are working, because it helps me hold myself accountable and stay focused. Also, living in the residence halls further connects me to some of my classmates, and we can use each other as resources while we work on assignments outside of class.

Who is a role model of yours and why? One of my most significant role models is Anna D’Alfonso, one of the Special Assistants for Housing here at UNT. She’s been a peer, friend, advisor, and mentor for me over the past two years, and I’ve learned a lot about being a leader from her. Her light-hearted but driven approach to almost everything is inspiring, and her actions exemplify passion and intention.

This year’s Honors Hall staff on their family day

What is one project or program you are proud to have helped implement in housing or on campus? Last year, I planned a program with Kerr Residence Hall Association called “The Kerrmazing Race.” It was a spin off of the reality TV show “The Amazing Race,” and it involved participants traveling around campus displaying their pride and knowledge of UNT.

Who or what has been most helpful to you at UNT? Lauren Stephan, Hall Director at Mozart Square, has been hugely influential in my development as a student leader. She was an incredible advisor and mentor to me through my time on the KRHA executive board, and our friendship has only grown since then. I know that if I ever need anything, Lauren would do whatever she can at a moment’s notice. I’m extremely fortunate to have someone so caring and selfless in my life.

“The Kerr-mazing Race”

“I have had the opportunity to witness Nick’s growth over the past year and a half. I first met Nick when he was Vice President of Kerr Residence Hall Association. While an executive member, Nick work tirelessly on all KRHA efforts. He planned an amazing large-scale program called “The Kerr-mazing Race” and oversaw every part of its implementation. His many contributions to KRHA and RHA as a whole were recognized with the “Vice President of the Year Award” from the RHA executive board. Nick then was offered an RA position at Honors Hall last fall, where he has continued to develop as a student leader. I have personally seen how Nick’s residents are drawn to him because of the open and engaging environment he has created on his wing. He was able to accomplish this, while maintaining a music-major’s crazy schedule and active membership in the Mean Green Brigade. This semester, Nick was elected to the position of NRHH President. Since his time on KRHA, Nick has been passionate about all that NRHH does and stands for. He works hard to continually improve our chapter, promote the success of its members, and recognize those who are so deserving yet go unnoticed. I have been so impressed by Nick’s ability to be successful while serving so many areas and taking on so many responsibilities. Nick does not just maintain his busy schedule, he serves with dedication in all of his commitments. He is so ardently chasing his goals, and is constantly looking for ways to develop his leadership. I am proud to have had the opportunity to advise him on KRHA, and I am excited to witness his growth in the coming semesters.” – Lauren Stephan, Mozart Square Hall Director

We applaud Nick for his outstanding contributions to our department. He is truly making a difference and impacting lives here in housing at UNT!

Ted Talks Tuesday: The Power of Vulnerability

This week for our Ted Talks Tuesday, we listen to an amazing talk about vulnerability by Brene Brown. She talks about her research with love, compassion, pain, shame, joy and fear. Her funny, poignant and “vulnerable” talk forces us to think deeply about how we treat ourselves and how that affects us. Check out this highly impactful video below!

“Brené Brown studies human connection — our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity. A talk to share.” So watch this video, share it, and allow yourself to be seen.