Ellis Receives Rowden Scholarship

The Alpha Sigma chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity is pleased to announce that Rachel Ellis has been named the recipient of the Dr. Robert W. Rowden Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year.  The scholarship is awarded annually to a University of Arkansas senior or graduate student of the chemical sciences based on their service to God, country, family and friends. 

Ellis will receive a Bachelor of Science in biophysical chemistry in May 2008 and plans to continue her education by attending graduate school at the University of Arkansas to obtain a doctoral degree in chemistry.

The Dr. Robert W. Rowden scholarship seeks to honor Rowden's lifetime of dedication and service to the nation and to the chemical sciences.  Selection is based on the potential of the candidate to make a significant contribution to the chemical sciences.

The Alpha Sigma chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma, the national professional chemistry fraternity, solicits nominations for the award annually.

Ellis is the daughter of Bill and Tina Parker, the wife of Jefferson Ellis III, and the mother of Tony Ellis.  She is a 1997 graduate of Russellville High School in Russellville, Ark.

Reminder to Graduating Students Regarding University E-Mail

All graduating University of Arkansas students and other non-returning students are advised to establish alternate e-mail accounts and save the contents of their UARK account (e-mail, the contents of My Documents, etc.), as the University of Arkansas accounts will be deleted from the system.

Graduates are encouraged, when sending out resumes and other correspondence, to use an alternative e-mail account. Graduating students who obtain a University of Arkansas Alumni Association membership can have an e-mail address, @razorbackroad.com, that can be forwarded to any other e-mail account, such as Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and other accounts. For questions regarding Alumni benefits, please contact the Alumni Association at 575-2801 or go to http://arkalum.org/.

Files saved to 'My Documents' are saved in the comp.uark.edu account belonging to the person logged in to the computer (if in a General Access Computing Lab), and personal Web sites are also typically on comp.uark.edu. The contents of this account can be saved and burned to CD in any of the computing labs on campus (Arkansas Union, Mullins Library, Administrative Services Building across from Bud Walton arena and the Northwest Quad). Students must bring their own CD and can ask for assistance with saving the contents of their 'My Docs' from the lab operator on duty.

Please note: On the 12th day of each new semester, ARKU accounts are checked and those belonging to graduates and former students no longer enrolled at the University will receive a warning e-mail from University IT Services. Two weeks later, these accounts will be locked. Following another two weeks, the accounts will be purged. Those deleted accounts will no longer have access to ISIS, dial-up, General Access Computing Labs, UA wireless, Jabber, WebCT, e-mail and other services the ARKU account is used for.

For more information, please refer to http://uits.uark.edu/accountpurge.htm. Should users need further assistance or have questions, please contact the UITS Help Desk at 575-2905.

'Women on Weights' Teaches Participants Proper Technique, Improves Health

Ashlee Hamilton, in blue, leads a group exercise class at the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building.(Photo by Russell Cothren)

On a university campus, even the exercise programs come with educational components. In a program called “Women on Weights,” learning how to use exercise equipment correctly and learning the proper form for various exercises help ensure that people keep up an exercise regimen.

Those are two premises behind the program operated for the past several years by the Fitness/Wellness division of the Intramural/Recreational Sports program at the University of Arkansas. Another is that working out in groups encourages women to adopt a healthier lifestyle on a long-term basis.

Katie Helms works as an assistant director of Intramural/Recreational Sports, overseeing the Fitness/Wellness program. Intramural/Recreational Sports is operated by the university’s College of Education and Health Professions, and the program relies heavily on student employees to be able to provide services to hundreds of people every day.

The “Women on Weights” program was no exception. Ashlee Hamilton, a graduate assistant in Fitness/Wellness, organized the program, marketed it and tracked the participants.

“She is absolutely passionate about helping other people to enjoy fitness,” Helms said about Hamilton.

Hamilton has been teaching group exercise classes since 2004 and has taught nearly every class offered at the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Building, including boot camp, step aerobics, hip hop, water aerobics, power pump, yoga and Pilates.

This spring’s “Women on Weights” program resulted in a total of 75 pounds lost by the 29 women, but what the participants weighed wasn’t nearly as important as the weights they lifted, Helms emphasized.

She hired students to serve as personal trainers to seven groups of five women, although a few dropped out for various reasons, resulting in the final group of 29. Each trainer put together a workout regimen at the Donna Axum Fitness Center in the HPER.

The trainers assigned additional “homework” for the participants to get their cardiovascular exercise as well, Hamilton said, and many attended group exercise classes in the HPER to meet that requirement.

Kyle Shadid was one of the student trainers who earned certification from the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. As one of the seven trainers leading “Women on Weights,” Shadid explained how important proper technique is when lifting weights.

“If you don’t use proper form, it’s really easy to injure yourself, especially your joints,” Shadid said. “Also, to see results such as building muscle depends on lifting properly. When people see results, they’re more likely to keep coming to the gym.”

Shadid, a finance major from North Little Rock graduating this month, saw the women in his group make good progress.

“It was a learning experience for both me and the participants,” he said. “From the beginning, they encouraged each other and later my role decreased because they could spot each other and remind each other about form. They gained endurance and stamina and increasingly lifted more weight.

“I also think the fact that the women worked in groups was good. Anytime you do a physical activity, it helps to have someone to encourage you and you don’t want to let the others down.”

Helms said moving the needle on the scales was not the only way to be successful in the program. She and Hamilton explained that body composition – body fat vs. lean muscle – is also very important to maintaining health. Lean muscle is healthier tissue and it helps the body burn more calories.

Helms reported the entire group reduced body fat content by 71 percentage points.

Lifting weights also helps build bone, an important consideration for women because they are susceptible to bone loss that leads to osteoporosis.

“Functionality for daily living activities is another reason to lift weights,” Helms said. “When you’re strong, you’re less likely to get injured and more likely to have the energy and strength for a busy day.”

The program also helped people feel more comfortable in the fitness center itself. Not knowing how to use the pieces of equipment can be daunting to a new exerciser, Helms explained.

Helms said “Women on Weights” will be repeated next spring, and registration is open to HPER members for a small fee.

Student Displays Sculpture at Pat Walker Health Center

Pat Walker Health Center is pleased to announce the sculpture "positive attracts positive," a sculptural installation concerning serotonin molecules and positivism, on display in the Elizabeth Phillips Stewart Atrium of the Pat Walker Health Center.  Artist Sarah E. Miller is a student in the Masters of Fine Arts Program at the University of Arkansas.   The suspended sculpture can be viewed in the atrium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or any time from the view on Garland Avenue.  For more information about the artist, please visit her Web site, www.sarahemiller.com.

School of Social Work Graduate Students to Defend Projects

Twenty-three graduate students in the University of Arkansas School of Social Work will defend their capstone projects Thursday, May 1, as a final requirement for obtaining their Master of Social Work degree at the 2008 May Commencement. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to come view the projects during a poster session at the School of Social Work Building (ASUP). Attendees can view the projects at their leisure anytime between 9:30 a.m. to noon, during which time the principal investigators will be present to answer questions.

Capstone Project Titles

Barock the Vote! Evaluating Social Work Involvement in Political Change;

Evaluating Child-Centered Group Play Therapy in the Schools: A Single-System  Design;

An Evaluation of CBT on an Anxious Child: A Single System Design;

Cultural and Institutional Barriers to Hospice Care for Hispanics in Northwest Arkansas;

Evaluating Play Therapy in a School-Based Group;

A Program Evaluation Assessing Loneliness and Boredom Among Long-term care Residents;

An Exploration of Practice Effectiveness: Using CBT to Combat SAD/O in a Single Subject Case Study;

Survey of Key Staff Members in Hospice Hispanic Outreach Programs;

Client Reflected Clinician Practice Self-Assessment;

Effects of Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness Training on Childhood Anxiety: A Single-System Design;

A Single Case Study of the Effectiveness of EMDR in a Outpatient Mental Health Facility;

An Evaluation of CBT on an Adolescent Male: A Single System Design;

The Effectiveness of Child Centered Play Therapy with Preschool Children - A Case Study;

Two Years in the Making: The Practice Effectiveness of a Graduating MSW;

The Effectiveness of an Alternative Learning Environment in a Rural School-A Program Evaluation;

An Evaluation of CBT on an Angry Adolescent Male: A Single-System Design;

Evaluating Person Centered Therapy in Decreasing Aggressive Behavior and Increasing Impulse Control: A Case Study of an Eight Year Old Male;

An Evaluation of the Efficacy of Assessments, Done by the Social Work Intervention Program, at the Washington County Juvenile Justice Center;

Evaluating the Effective Use of Reality Therapy: A Single Case Study;

An Evaluation of Child-centered Play Therapy in a Group Setting Based in the Schools;

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Depression and Behavioral Dyscontrol: A Case Study of a Fifteen Year Old Male;

Measuring Consumer Satisfaction: A Program Evaluation for the Developmentally Disabled.

University of Arkansas Community in Mourning for Death of Student

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Members of the University of Arkansas community were shocked and grieved to learn of the apparent homicide of a student, Katharine Wood, a 24-year-old senior English major from Greenbrier, Ark.

"The loss of any student is a loss for the entire campus," said university Chancellor John White. "But a death under these circumstances is such a tragic waste. We grieve with her family and friends."

Fayetteville police reported that the apparent homicide was discovered at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, March 9, at a private, off-campus residence. They reported that a suspect, 28-year-old Zachariah Marcyniuk of Fayetteville was arrested by Oklahoma State Highway Police at about 5 p.m. the same day.

Concerned students are urged to contact the Office of Student Affairs at 800-334-3571. Counseling is available to students at the Pat Walker Health Center. The university Campus Advisory Team will meet tomorrow to determine what other campus support can be provided.

CONTACT:
Steve Voorhies, manager of media relations
University Relations
(479) 575-3583, voorhies@uark.edu

Wal-Mart Pre-Intern Program Open to All Majors

Students participate in a week-long internship over Spring Break learning the processes and culture of Wal-Mart. Training is provided to the students in merchandising, logistics, product development, retail link, and other areas critical to the success of potential Wal-Mart associates. Students will be spending time in the corporate office, in stores, in the warehouse, walking through the layout room, and touring our consumer test labs. Each student will spend some time job shadowing in the area that they are majoring in.

Students must be a junior, have a 3.0 GPA, and be eligible to work in the United States. The application is available at http://cre.uark.edu/. Students must write and submit a proposal (one page or less) stating how this experience will be beneficial to them in reaching their career objectives and why this experience would be of importance in their personal goals. Applicants must also return a recommendation from a faculty member indicating the student is conscientious and deserving of this opportunity along with the student's resume. Students submit your proposals and faculty recommendation to the Center for Retailing Excellence, Willard J. Walker Hall, Room 538 by Friday, Feb. 15.

Engineering Expo at Bell Engineering Center

The College of Engineering will sponsor an Engineering Expo from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 12 and 13, in Bell Engineering Center. Eighty-three organizations will attend over both days of Expo. Engineering and math students should attend both days of Expo, and students should wear business casual dress. For a complete list of firms attending and majors they are seeking, go to http://career.uark.edu/students/career-fairs.asp.