So Long, Farewell, UT Tyler Student Blog Readers

“There's a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hall
And the bells in the steeple too.
And up in the nursery an absurd little bird
Is popping up to say, "Cuckoo"
Regretfully they tell us but firmly they compel us
To say goodbye to you.” –The Sound of Music

I’m sorry everyone, but this is what you think; a final farewell from me to all of you. I have spent the last year and eight months with all of you here in this space, at first speaking directly as a counselor and blogger. We talked about some favorite holidays and reframing the ones you don’t like, and about making life a celebration. We talked about the weather, car mishaps, and what it means to make friends when you come to college. For a while, you guys stopped hearing from me, and that’s because I got moved to behind-the-scenes as a supervisor, helping our other bloggers bring you more amazing content about our incredible campus and what life is like here.

Fall 2014 is Getting Close at UT Tyler

Freshman Orientation leaders have led their last sessions in preparation for Fall 2014. The Student Communications team is hopping with calls concerning last minute financial aid changes and making sure students get their finishing touches in to the campus on time. Enrollment Services is busier than ever making sure that everything students have an issue with gets processed so the school year can kick off without a hitch. I’m exhausted just thinking about! But do you all know what this means? School is about to start again!

We don't know either. Don't worry.

Relax UT Tyler Grads, Finding a Job Might Not Be Too Difficult

In the wake of the 2008 economic recession in the United States, Americans found post-secondary education to be more appealing, a better option than trying to jump directly into a faulting job market. The Lumina Foundation found in April that there is a steady increase in college enrollment and the attainment of college degrees, approximately 0.7% per year, higher than at any point before the recession. Individuals found college to be a safer investment than simply jumping into the job market--in mid-2014, is this still the situation?


FiveThirtyEight blog posted new analysis on Tuesday, July 8th that indicates that job openings in the United States are increasing, and those seeking new employment face their best odds now than at any other point during the economic recovery. According to Ben Casselman, FiveThirtyEight blog's chief economics writer, finds that more U.S. companies are hiring new workers. Specifically, the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that 4.6 million job openings were posted in the month of May, up 19 percent from this point last year. This is good news for recent college graduates, as the likeliness of finding employment straight out of their undergraduate or graduate work is higher now than at any other point during the U.S. economic recovery.

The report also shows that layoffs are at a near all-time low, at least since 2001, when the government started keeping track of layoff rates in the United States. An even better indicator of workers' confidence is the rate of voluntary quits in the job market, which is at an all time high. This means that employment attrition is less of a concern than it was just a few years ago--a new college graduate out of UT Tyler can leave the school with more confidence that they will find gainful employment in their field, and keep that employment for the long term.

Rising openings and falling layoffs indicates a lack of competition for employment positions in a new graduate's particular field, a good sign for those concerned that they would not find a job in the area of their collegiate study. While this means that the college investment was a smart choice for recent graduates, it does not mean that college is less of a strong option for those still in high school. While employment opportunities might be increasing right now, the report does not indicate the level of recent education required to acquire these positions. This means that those in their senior year of high school should continue to highly consider pursuing a college degree, as it is still the safest investment following your high school graduation.

UT Tyler to Host Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas

US Supreme Court Associate
Justice Clarence Thomas

This September, the Cowan Center will host US Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas as part of the UT Tyler Distinguished Lecture Series. This will be the first time a Supreme Court Justice visits UT Tyler, and Justice Thomas will be the opening lecture for the 33rd year of the UT Tyler Distinguished Lecture Series.

Justice Thomas was born in 1948 in Pin Point, Georgia, a community near Savannah, Georgia. He attended Conception Seminary and received an A.B., cum laude, from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He went on to receive his J.D. (Juris Doctor---law degree) from Yale Law School in 1974.

Following his academic career, he was admitted to the Missouri bar in 1974, and for the next three years, he served as the Assistant Attorney General of Missouri under State Attorney General John Danforth. In 1976, Justice Thomas took an attorney position with the Monsanto Company in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1979 he returned to work with now U.S. Senator Danforth through 1981 as a Legislative Assistant. He then joined the Reagan administration in 1981 as the Assistant Secretary of Education for the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, and then in 1982 through 1990 he was the Chairman of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush nominated Thomas to a seat on the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Following his tenure on this bench, President Bush nominated him for the Supreme Court in 1991, following the retirement of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve as a Supreme Court Justice in the United States. Thomas would go on to be the second African-American on the bench, and he still holds his seat on the bench today.

His public perception is one that is somewhat shrouded in mystery. He is seen as having joined the conservative wing of the Court, being seen by some as the most conservative member of the Supreme Court; others argue that Justice Scalia holds that honor. Both men view themselves as originalists, making some of their decisions on the bench highly controversial. One of his most distinguishing features on the bench is his silence--Supreme Court Justices are often very talkative  during opening statements for cases, but Justice Thomas does not speak. Recently he did speak up briefly during opening statements and arguments for the first time in seven years, just so he could make a joke about the two lawyers that were alumnus from Harvard and Yale Law School.

His resonating silence on the bench makes an entire lecture from him at UT Tyler much more exciting. Tickets will go on sale for the public in August from the Cowan Center website, so be sure to claim your seats while they are open!

How UT Tyler Can Help Students Better Understand Their Finances

In my last blog entry, I noted that one of the largest hurdles for undergraduates in their first year of college life is the ability to retain financial support to continue their academic career. In fact, it is the leading cause of low retention rates for colleges and universities in the United States. While a large portion of this issue is based on socioeconomic status, a large amount of relief for this problem can come from having a better understanding of one's finances. Whether it is being able to pay for one's tuition, or just being able to make rent payments on a monthly basis, it is no surprise that undergraduate students could always use more assistance with financial solvency.

New strides are being made with colleges and universities nationwide to alleviate the stresses that come with dealing with a student's personal finances. Many colleges have started financial literacy programs in recent years, some even making these courses and programs a requirement to enroll for classes for subsequent semesters. These programs are necessary based on the average knowledge that undergraduate students have about personal finance--concepts such as budgeting, saving, compound interest, and even check-writing are becoming more unknown for these students. Rather than wasting money on a regular basis on luxuries such as video games, furnishings, alcohol, etc., students can learn how to better save their money to have an easier time making their required payments.

UT Tyler can adopt a framework similar to that of Ohio State University, who are currently in the process of making all students complete a financial-education program during their second year at the school. The mandate requires students to review online material, as well as meet one-on-one with a student financial adviser. These volunteer advisers are trained to spend time with students to help them understand their current financial situation, establish goals for the short and long term, and develop sustainable financial habits and responsibilities. The overall goal is to better inform students as to how they can better their financial responsibility, and make college life easier and more sustainable.

While UT Tyler has the ability to boast an extremely affordable tuition rate that is well below the state median for public university tuition, financial woes for some students still exist. The responsibility for financial stability and success does not have to fall solely on the student--our university can make large strides as well. Until then, there is a litany of resources that can be utilized, both in person as well as on the internet. FAFSA has a large information basis for students applying for financial aid, and UT Tyler provides financial aid advising for its students who require more information. Check it out before your next rent check is due!

Kevin's farewell blog!

     Like every good story, there is always an inevitable end. My journey here as a Student Telecounselor has ended. This past year and two months has been incredibly enriching and it is sad to go, but in life we all have to move on. I was able to get an internship this summer so that's where my next journey begins!

UT Tyler Welcomes Two New Deans for Fall 2014

The University of Texas at Tyler is a continuously growing family of students, professors, administrations, deans, and presidents. Like most things, employment changes, students graduate, and life moves on. For every year we see people go, however, the next year is filled with vibrant faces, ready to join the UT Tyler family. New Student Orientations are welcoming the next generation of students in as I write. However, this year at UT Tyler, we are also welcoming two new and important faculty members to our halls.

On June 10, 2014, the campus announced that we would be receiving a new dean of the College of Business and Technology. Previously, Dr. Jerry Gilley was an interim dean in the position. This year, we welcome Dr. James Lumpkin in as the dean of the college and are excited to see what he brings to the table. According to the official UT Tyler press release concerning the hiring of the new dean, Dr. Lumpkin comes to UT Tyler from Louisiana Tech and has several degrees under his belt. He received a Masters and then a Ph.D. in Business Administration. We're very excited to have him join us here on campus!

Dr. Lumpkin, Photo from Press Release on UT Tyler Website

UT Tyler also announced on June 18, 2014 that we would also be welcoming in a new dean to the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. The previous dean, Dr. Linda Klotz, retired last semester and there was an interim dean for the rest of the semester, Dr. Pam Martin, who is succeeded by the new dean. His name is Dr. Yong "Tai" Wang. Dr. Yong "Tai" Wang comes to UT Tyler from Georgia State University. He has two master's degrees in biomechanics and exercise science, and also a Ph.D. in rehabilitative biomechanics. He sounds like an awesome addition to the college and the university itself! We hope these two colleges benefit from new leadership.

Dr. Yong "Tai" Wang, Photo from Press Release on UT Tyler Website

Change always comes in life, especially in a university. We're happy to be able to see it happening in front of us. Welcome new faculty, and new students. Can't wait to see you August 25th for the kick-off to a new school year!

The Potential for Cell Phone Connectivity at UT Tyler

One of the most important areas of discussion for colleges and universities is retention rates, primarily calculated by the average amount of freshman students that return to the same university for their sophomore year. UT Tyler's retention rate is roughly 64 percent, roughly 13 percent below the national average, and 11 percent below the state average. the average retention rate in the United States. Reasons for this trend among students include academic difficulty, family problems, and loneliness, but the most cited reason is money-related issues. Specifically, one reason for these issues lie with student's lack of reapplication for financial aid and scholarships through the government and their university. A study finds that more than 18 percent of students that receive a Pell Grant in their freshman year (a group that earned an average 3.0 GPA in their freshman year) fail to reapply for the grant in their sophomore year. As a result, half of those students did not return to their university in their sophomore year. A question arises from this startling statistic: Would encouraging students to reapply for financial aid increase their academic persistence, and in turn, a university's overall retention rate?

To tackle this problem, Ben Castleman and Lindsey C. Page, assistant professors of education that penned the previously mentioned study entitled "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow? Investigating Rates and Patterns of Financial Aid Renewal Among College Freshmen", designed and implemented a system of text-message reminders for students with the intention of reminding them to reapply for financial aid at the end of their second semester during their freshman year. These texts gave reminders about refiling their FAFSA applications, as well as maintaining satisfactory academic achievement in order to continue receiving financial aid and scholarships during their academic careers. The results, according to the study, show that the majority of improvement lied within community college student populations, whose retention rate was at 76 percent, 12 percent higher than students within the control group that did not receive the text messages. However, this study shows no significant changes for students attending four-year universities. Explanations for this lack of improvement from the author's include the already existing "passive" reminders that universities use, such as putting up flyers that remind students to refile their FAFSA application, along with the lack of a broad search during the experiment--researchers used colleges and universities in Massachusetts for their study, a state that has higher average retention and graduation rates than the majority of other states. 

Knowing that these methods have potential among students at both four-year universities and community colleges, it is worth considering the growth potential for cell phone connectivity at UT Tyler. As of now the university uses text reminders and alert systems for their students for various purposes, but the utility of academic and financial aid reminders could boost retention rates, average GPA values across different classes and schools, along with a litany of other benefits. The use of text messaging is at an immense high among college students nationwide, so the potential for improvement of its use can massively increase for our university. 

UT Tyler Recreational Sports offers Summer Camps for kids!

     When the campus isn't filled with students, and the halls are empty, kids flock the campus and get to experience the university. The University of Texas at Tyler Recreational Sports offers various summer programs for children to enjoy!

Have you heard of the UT Tyler College of Pharmacy?

     Whenever there's something new it always adds a fresh appeal. This is true when it comes to new programs here at The University of Texas at Tyler. The Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy is expected to open Fall 2015! This will add new resources and qualities to the growing university!

UT Tyler Freshman Orientation session 1!!

     New Patriots flocked the university as the first orientation session occurred last Thursday and Friday. The University of Texas at Tyler welcomed these new freshman as they have taken the interest in attending UT Tyler. Orientation is always different for every session, the programs are the same for each session, but the new people make this experience fresher every time. Orientation is not only a valuable program for students, but parents also get to experience UT Tyler first hand!

Who's Paycheck is Higher in Public-College Institutions?

At UT Tyler, it is not difficult to guess the comparative rate of pay for faculty, staff, and administration members. Pay increases as it normally would in a Division 3 institution, with the president of the university holding the most impressive pay stub, and a decreasing number as you move down the hierarchy of command and control. There obviously exists a direct relationship between rate of pay and authority at UT Tyler, but do other public universities have the same relationship with their staff and administration?

Not surprisingly, the answer is no. The Chronicle of Higher Education shared a survey on executive compensation on May 18th indicating that head coaches for football and basketball often carry higher salaries than the university's president and other high-status administration members. This trend occurs in more than 40 states, reflecting the subjective importance of sports for larger universities in the United States. This comparison occurs quite often within academic circles, as they weep helplessly as the coach of a sports team gets paid more than the professor or administrator that actually gives the institution the "higher education" qualification.

NCAA reports of revenues and expenditures by division, courtesy of Slate

At some colleges, coaches' compensation can be more than $500,000 more than a university president or other chief-executive position. That's more than double the president's salary at a typical institution. What is the utility for this type of pay distribution? Should a coach have a higher pay rate than those who keep the university running on an academic level?

It should be noted that many coaches' salaries are paid in part by athletic foundations with a hefty alumni base, so their pay comes not from tax payers, but rather former students at each university. But does that really justify their high pay? Alumni donations going toward improvements to sports facilities and high salaries for coaches means there is a large opportunity cost with not giving that money for actual academics. I'm not saying that the NCAA should be scoffed at, but rather prompting a reevaluation of our priorities within higher education institutions. UT Tyler seems to have their priorities in order; while extra-curricular activities and sports teams have large support from the administration and alumni organizations, there exists a substantial dispersion of funding to academic facilities and programs. But for other institutions in the US, priorities seem to be out of sync.

UT Tyler Cowan Center: Enjoy high class acts!

     Texas is right down center from the two states infamous for entertainment wonders: California and New York. Although mostly two cities make these states popular, the value consumes the states with visitors. New York City is well known for having great performance acts, whether it be musical, comedy or Broadway. It has it all. So when those acts come to The University of Texas at Tyler, there is an opportunity for East Texans and UT Tyler students to experience Grade A entertainment without traveling far. This is what the Cowan Center provides here at the university. 

     This will be the 18th season for the Cowan Center. This season will provide an array of world class acts where audiences will only crave more and come back every year.

There's different series categorizing different acts. Each one providing an entertainment experience like no other.

Summer Reading List (no picture books, unfortunately)

I am terrible at reading. It is not that I cannot actually read, otherwise it would be a miracle that I can write this whole sentence with correct punctuation. The issue lies with my inability to stay focused on a piece of literature long enough to actually get to the last page. It's either my short attention span, or the large amount of work that comes with the school year. So every summer, when boredom rolls around, I make a short reading list, consisting of three to four books that deal with my personal interests, academic-related content, reading material for debate, or books that are currently being adapted to a television show on HBO (a fairly obvious selection). I read as many as possible before I eventually flake and go back to playing video games. Regardless, here is my reading list for the summer. Feel free to steal one of my choices for your own summer list.

Title page of a 1550 page of The Prince 

The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli

Considered to be one of the first works of modern philosophy, The Prince continues to be one of the most influential pieces of literature among academics, students, and political enthusiasts in the contemporary era. Written by Niccolò Machiavelli and published in 1532, The Prince evaluates the role of leadership and rule within a political society, and determines that the aims of princes--such as glory and survival--can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends. It is one of the earliest depictions of political and societal realism, and is a must read for any political science, history, and philosophy students during their time within academia.     

Resistance, Rebellion, and Death, by Albert Camus 

Last summer, I managed to finish a whole book on my summer reading list (this is a huge accomplishment for me). Unfortunately, finishing the book caused me to have a minor existential crisis, a common effect of reading The Stranger by Albert Camus. Considered to be one of the greatest authors of all time, French Nobel Prize winning author, journalist, and philosopher Albert Camus' heavy contribution to 20th Century literature revolutionized what we now know as absurdism and existentialism. His next work on my list is Resistance, Rebellion, and Death, a collection of essays published in 1960 that covers themes such as freedom, rebellion, capital punishment, totalitarianism, and others that are common centerpieces within political science, history, and philosophy discussions. A good read if you feel like thinking real deep and stuff.

The Nine, by Jeffrey Toobin

Sandra Day O'Connor, former Supreme Court Justice
who plays a large role in The Nine

Jurisprudence is a tricky subject; only a select few can stomach its intricacies, and even fewer do not find it horrendously boring. Within this study of the law and its evolution lies a continuing conversation regarding the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, and how its ruling pattern has changed throughout its existence. While most Constitutional Law courses you take in your undergraduate career will cover relevant cases, not often is there a hyper-specific look into the lives and careers of the Supreme Court Justices within the contemporary era. Toobin's The Nine profiles the justices of the United States Supreme Court within the past sixty years, discusses the function of the institution during an important era of social equality and justice, and how the jurisprudence of the branch and its members has changed over the years. It takes a specific look to the conservative revolution that took place within the court after the 1973 ruling of Roe v. Wade, and the key players that created permanent change to the bench, and what those changes mean for society in our current era. A great read for those who crave C-Span and watching old people deliberate on subjectively important matters.

A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin

Among fans of the popular HBO show Game of Thrones, I fall into the category of "non-book readers." That means all of the incredibly surprising, gut-wrenching events the show throws at me are completely unpredictable. Because this book series has been around since 1996, spoilers for the show are fairly common, and the guilty party is often someone who read all the books before the show started and ruin it for the non-book readers. Well, I am personally tired of the spoilers, and I know that they will inevitably continue so long as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit continue to exist. So, to avoid the painful process of avoiding spoilers week-by-week, I decided that once Season Four of the show ends (two episodes remaining), I will try to read the books (again, like, for the fourth time).

UT Tyler Summer Transfer Orientation!

     It has begun!! Orientation season is upon us! This time it was transfer student orientation. Held today, June 4, The University of Texas at Tyler welcomed new students who are transferring from other colleges.

Admissions Tests for Postgraduate/Professional School: Irritating, But Not Impossible

I made the decision earlier this week to pursue a dual degree program at UT Austin once I finish with my undergraduate degree at The University of Texas at Tyler. It consists of courses that work toward a Master of Public Affairs Degree (MPAff) and a Law Degree (J.D.-Doctor of Jurisprudence). The process requires three years of coursework, and is considered a grueling, but rewarding endeavor for students who wish to work toward a specific field in domestic public policy and legal matters. In order to get into this program, however, I have to score well on both the GRE and the LSAT, both required to get into the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the UT School of Law, respectively. When I told this to an admissions worker at the LBJ school, I was told that I was "a glutton for punishment." I'm not sure if she was referring to the actual coursework, or the requirement of taking two postgraduate admissions tests within a six month time frame.

This is a pretty rare case, as most students that seek a Masters degree or professional degree rarely take more than one admissions test to continue on after their undergraduate degree is completed. These tests vary based on the school/profession you seek: for instance, you can take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), etc. Regardless of what test you need to take, they all require an ample amount of studying and preparation in order to do well.

Most undergraduate students can recall taking the SAT and/or ACT prior to their admission to a college or university; specifically, the amount of stress and energy that goes into preparing for the standardized admissions tests. Students often take prep courses for these tests, they study manuals and test handbooks sold by companies such as The Princeton Review, and some even avoid studying completely. The same process exists for postgraduate and professional school admissions tests--a lot of studying, a lack of sleep, and an abundance of caffeine to keep on churning. However, the difficulty at this level is a lot higher than for tests like the SAT, as the knowledge and critical thinking requirement for grad school is elevated significantly in order to challenge students and retain exclusivity.

It is important to keep the similar study habits with these tests as you had with your SAT/ACT in high school. Take a prep course, take practice tests on your own, etc. This form of preparation greatly benefits you on test day, as you are aware how the test is structured, what the methodology is for the various question types and sections on the test, and how to optimize your score to improve your image with the grad school you wish to attend. Personally, I know that I want a GRE score above a 160 (the scale is 130-170) and an LSAT score above a 165 (the scale is 120-180). I set these standards for myself based on the school that I wish to attend and their average scores for the exam for those that are accepted. For instance, the LBJ School of Public Affairs reports their average GRE scores for accepted students to be the following: 160 on the GRE Verbal (83rd Percentile), 156 on the GRE Quantitative, and a 4.4 on the GRE Writing. For the UT School of Law, their average LSAT score is around 167.

Keep in mind that school consider more than your admission test scores are not the only thing considered by grad schools. They also take into consideration your GPA, letters of recommendation, the list of classes you took as an undergrad student, etc. However, the importance of these tests are increasing within admissions offices nationwide. So, break out those prep books and get cracking!

UT Tyler twilight tours are back!

    Summer allows for prospective students to have free time to visit the university! Tours are available throughout the year during day. Some can't make the tours in the day so that's why UT Tyler has added a new touring option. Twilight tours are back!

UT Orientation Leader 2014!!!

     It's that time of the year again!! Orientation season is upon us! Orientation is part of the new student program here at The University of Texas at Tyler. It helps incoming freshman transition to college. It also provides a different experience as they participate in a different program that exposes the campus and its resources to them. I can't wait for the sessions to start!

UT Tyler introduces Eagle's Landing

     Formerly known as Village at the U, The University of Texas at Tyler has purchased the building complex as a new on campus housing option for students! The new housing complex is now Eagle's Landing! The university is hosting a three day event creating an application drive for students to come check out the new housing available! The event is today, May 15, Friday, May 16 and Saturday, May 17!

E-Cigarette Use at UT Tyler

There exists a general consensus that smoking cigarettes on a regular basis leads to long-term decline in one's health. According to the Center for Disease Control, smoking regularly increases the risk for coronary heart disease, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and it causes more than 480,000 deaths in the United States every year. A common response to these risks for smokers is to go cold turkey, use nicotine gum or patches, and other methods to ween off the harmful aspects of cigarettes. A more common approach as of late, however, is the use of e-cigarettes.

Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that simulate tobacco smoking through the production of a vapor, similar to smoke from a cigarette or a cigar. It contains an atomizer, a heating element that vaporizes a liquid and creates the vapor. The liquid can be purchased at specialized stores, and it may or may not contain a mixture of nicotine. The use of the nicotine is to supplement the nicotine found in common cigarettes, while avoiding the main health risks carried in normal cigarette smoking.

There is currently a debate over the use of e-cigarettes, including the benefits and risks that come with their continued use, along with their use in public settings, such as in universities. Given that their use contains a risk of nicotine addiction, which is normal for those who previously smoked cigarettes. However, the possible nicotine addiction warrants government regulation, as seen with last month's announcement of new FDA regulations on the advertising and sale for their use. On a smaller scale, various organizations, schools, universities, and public buildings have began regulating their use as well. For example, Smith County announced that e-cigarette use is prohibited within and outside county facilities, such as court houses and government offices. Some universities in the United States, such as Northern Arizona University, bans their use within campus buildings, while other universities, such as UT Tyler, regulates their use in certain buildings and classrooms.


At UT Tyler, the use of e-cigarettes is regulated on a building-by-building basis. For example, the University Center bans their use within the building, as well as in adjacent buildings. Other buildings, such as the Business Building, allows their use at the discretion of the teacher/professor teaching a class. I personally have had only one professor tell me that I cannot use my e-cigarette in a class, but the others allow my continued use on the condition that it does not disturb the other students in the class. However, if a certain college within the university wanted to ban their use, it would affect the entire building in which they are housed.

This might change in the near future, as there is the discussion within the UT Tyler Administration to ban their use throughout the whole campus, much like other universities have mandated. This could easily occur as soon as the Fall of 2014, but that solely depends on if the administration believes their use within classrooms and other parts of campus buildings is a detriment to students and faculty. If you commonly use e-cigarettes at UT Tyler, be mindful that this change may come within the next few months.