The Most Hireable Man in the World

This week’s guest post is from Aresh Assadi, a counselor with Counseling and Career Planning Services. The spring Career Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in the DSC. You’ll have a chance to meet with more than 40 local businesses, and you might even run into this guy…

– At the last Career Fair, employers turned their resumes in to him.

– He has won numerous “Employee of the Year” awards at companies he has never worked for.

– In interviews, his weaknesses are more impressive than the other candidates’ strengths.

– Hollywood bought the rights to his cover letter and there are plans of making it into a movie by 2015.

– In interviews, hiring managers are more nervous than he is.

Some might call him the most interesting man in the world. But in fact, he is…The Most Hireable Man in the World!

Stay thirsty my friends…..for a career.

Keep Calm and Run On

There are several members of the UALR community who participated in the Little Rock Marathon this weekend. One of them was Peter Charlton, an exchange student from Britain who ran in honor of his aunt. He shares his story with us: Continue reading “Keep Calm and Run On”

Do the Harlem Shake

If you haven’t seen, or at least heard of, the Harlem Shake videos that have taken over YouTube, then you might be living under a rock. These 30-second videos of people dancing, or just running around erratically, are popping up everywhere. They feature the song “Harlem Shake” by Baauer, and as of February 13, there were more than 12,000 videos posted to YouTube.

A group on campus filmed their own Harlem Shake yesterday and I think they did a pretty good job.

ualr harlem shake

ualr harlem shake

It seems like everyone wants to be a part this trend and make the crazy videos. Some might say that this meme has run its course and if you’re filming one now, then you’re already behind the times. harlem shake ualr

But to me, these short videos are just about having fun! It’s not necessarily about getting the most views or having the wildest video. It’s just fun, plain and simple. And what I loved about yesterday was that so many different students were involved. I think that’s what UALR is all about. Getting our student body together and having fun. That’s exactly what happened yesterday. Take a look. Were you there?

There are four more videos you have to watch that showcase other places on campus.

You can see more photos on The Forum’s Facebook page.

Meet Our Grads in Love Winner

We thought it would be fun to take our Grads @ Work campaign in a new direction for Valentine’s Day and ask our alums about finding their true love here on campus. We got several entries, but none quite as colorful – or sweet – as the one from Tommy Covington, who graduated in 1992 with a B.A. in criminology.

Continue reading “Meet Our Grads in Love Winner”

We Look Out For Each Other

Our guest blogger this week is Sarah Beth Estes, associate professor of sociology and trained Green Dot instructor.

This week, UALR launches the Green Dot anti-violence program, focused on the prevention of power-based personal violence, including sexual assault, intimate partner abuse, stalking, and harassment/bullying. The strength of the program lies in bystander behavior. It teaches us to move from simply “standing by” to actively recognizing signs of violence and learning safe ways to intervene in potentially violent situations.

The motto of the Green Dot program is “no one has to do everything; everyone has to do something.” The UALR community has exemplified this motto since the Chancellor put the weight of his office behind this initiative in late fall 2011.

In the last week of classes of the spring semester in 2012, fifty faculty and staff from almost every college and major unit on campus — including Housing, Public Safety, Athletics, Health Services, Student Services, and Student Success — attended an intensive four- day training in the Green Dot violence prevention method. As we know, the last week of the semester is a challenging time for everyone — students, faculty, and staff alike. Attending the training at that time meant these folks had to scramble exceptionally hard to find ways to meet their intensive work obligations while also dedicating themselves to learning about this new program. Since that time, five work groups have met repeatedly to adapt the Green Dot program to our campus.

It’s important to recognize that all of this was volunteer work. None of this appears in anyone’s job description. Dedication to this program has come from the heart. I have been amazed at the commitment of the members of the university community to this program.

As we organized this program, we had to ask for a lot. We needed people’s time, we needed funding, we needed in-kind services. UALR faculty and staff gave. They gave and gave and gave. No one said “no.” No one said, “This isn’t important,” or “I don’t care.” Instead, people gave of their time, their program resources, their intellectual energy.

Not surprisingly, UALR community members have lots of idea–ideas about how we can involve our community members through film series, art exhibits, and gaming on mobile devices, to name only a few.

The Green Dot program presumes that individuals don’t experience or prevent violence on their own — that in fact, the community in which we’re embedded can organize to be intolerant to violence. This campus community has spent 14 months doing exactly this, demonstrating that at UALR, we look out for each other. Please join us. Find out how here.

A Day in the Life: UALR Recruiter

Today we launch a new Sights & Sounds feature, A Day in the Life. Our inaugural post delves into the world of recruiting, courtesy of recruitment coordinator Janay Lewis. Continue reading “A Day in the Life: UALR Recruiter”

Mark Your Calendars – 2013 Edition

I’m about 10 days late in saying this, but, Happy New Year! We’re gearing up for the start of a new semester and with that comes plans for all the activities and events that lay ahead this year. As I did last year, I’m going to highlight some of the things you don’t want to miss in 2013.

January

The spring semester begins Monday, Jan. 14. Regular registration closes at 4 p.m. Friday Jan. 11, but late registration runs from Monday, Jan. 14 – Friday, Jan. 18. If you sign up for classes during this window, you’ll have a $100 late fee. Call 569-3110 for more information.

Welcome Back Week kicks off on the first day of class. Don’t miss any of the fun – and free – activities that Campus Life has planned for you.

February

Homecoming takes place at the end of this month. You can visit with the homecoming queen candidates and vote for the finalist around the 21st.

March

Homecoming continues on March 1 with the third annual cardboard boat regatta. Check out the video from last year’s hilarious race.


The Homecoming basketball game is on Saturday, March 2, against Arkansas State.

trojans

Students planning to graduate in May should attend Grad Fest held on from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6 – Thursday, March 7.  This is a chance to take care of all your graduating needs in one place.

UALR’s Career Fair will be held Wednesday, March 13. This is the time to dress for success and meet with local businesses. You just might find your dream job!
I bet most students will be crossing off the days till Spring Break, March 18 – 24.

April

It’s always fun to check out the Spring Dance Concert. It’s starts Thursday, April 18 and runs through Sunday, April 21 in University Theatre.

May

The last day of classes is May 6 with finals beginning the following day. The biggest event this month is obviously graduation on Saturday, May 18.
Summer sessions I and II begin May 28. Summer classes are a great time to get ahead on your degree or just take a fun elective.grad

June

This month is typically a little quiet, but there are still plenty of students on campus attending their summer classes. New student orientation for EIT and Donaghey Scholars students will be June 6 – 7. Orientation for AAMI/AAFI/HLI students runs June 17 – 18. New CLC students will have their orientation June 20 – 21. Emails regarding attendance will be sent to the address provided on the student’s application. For more information, contact 569-3308.

July

New student orientation continues this month for the general population with an overnight session July 11 – 12. Contact the Office of Campus Life for more information, 569-3308.

Summer session IV begins Monday, July 8.

August

The last new student orientation will be held on August 2.
It’s back to school time! Entering freshmen must be admitted by the 14th and registered for classes by the 21st. Classes begin Monday, Aug. 19. One of our favorite things this month is to watch – and help – students move into their new homes.

move in

September

This is a great month to check out the Trojan Soccer team at the Coleman Sports and Recreation Complex.

October

Big news – UALR will have a Fall Break this year from Monday, Oct. 14 – Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The Music Department will present its annual Halle-Boo-Jah Halloween concert. All the musicians wear costumes while performing, which makes for a pretty interesting concert.

concert

November

More big news – UALR is adding a day to its Thanksgiving Break. Classes will be out Wednesday, Nov. 27 – Friday, Nov. 29.

December

Classes end Monday, Dec. 9, and finals begin the next day. I don’t have a confirmed date for graduation yet but I would bet it’s on Thursday, Dec. 19. We’ll keep you updated of course!

Welcome Back Week Spring 2013

UALR welcomes all incoming freshmen and returning students for the Spring Semester 2013.

The Welcome Back Week celebration officially kicks off on Monday, Jan. 14. and continues throughout the week with plenty of fun, free activities filled with plenty of food and entertainment – and yes, we said free! Continue reading “Welcome Back Week Spring 2013”

Sign Up. Stay Informed.

At the beginning of a new semester, we try to make sure students have everything they need to get off to a good start. This includes reminders about where to park, how to track the trolley, and the importance of signing up for campus alerts.

The university uses a real-time messaging system to send alerts to your phone whenever there is a weather-related closing or other campus incident. It is the quickest and most convenient way to stay informed. You can receive text and/or phone alerts – both are free.

So when winter weather hits, there’s no need to get up and look out the window or watch the TV and wait (and maybe hope) and see whether UALR is listed on the screen.

snow

How do you sign up? The Campus Alert site lists the steps involved, but I’ll include them here as well. Just go to the Personal Information section within your BOSS account. Select the last entry called Campus Alert Settings. Here you can enter a cell phone number to receive texts and another number to receive phone calls – those numbers can also be the same.

If at any time you no longer wish to receive alerts, you can select the opt-out box on that same form.

Two other things I want to point out regarding weather-related closings: UALR does not follow the decisions made by LRSD or PCSSD. The university makes its own decision regarding cancellations or closings. Also, if you forget to sign up for the alerts, you can always find out about cancellations or closings on the UALR homepage, on the official Facebook and Twitter accounts, and on local television and radio stations.

The Year That Was

I came to UALR in May as the new web communications manager. My first day on the job consisted of the normal paperwork/initiation tasks, but a funny thing happened on the way to HR. It involved contorting balloons into what I now know is a buckytube formation for the next day’s nano building grand opening. Then and there, I realized that this would be no ordinary job. Continue reading “The Year That Was”