Bulls Notebook: ‘Goat Yoga,’ pancakes & other activities greet USFSM students

As returning students and freshmen ease into their routines at USF Sarasota-Manatee this week, Student Engagement is offering a week of activities to make the back-to-class transition fun and easy – including a way to relax the mind and body while communing with farm animals.

Goat yoga is gaining adherents across the nation as a fun twist on traditional yoga. As participants stretch out on yoga mats they do so surrounded by goats, even finding time between exercises to cozy up to the gentle, furry creatures.

The animals are no stranger to USFSM. The campus has welcomed petting zoos the past couple of years where students mingle with goats, sheep and other tame critters inside a penned area in the courtyard. Goat yoga is extension of that idea.

The Goat Yoga session is scheduled Tuesday, from 6 to 7 p.m., near the pond behind the courtyard. Eight goats are expected. Visitors are asked to bring their own yoga mats.

Week of Welcome also includes a crafting “blowout,” a tea party, a house party and a movie night (“Avengers: Infinity War,” Friday, 6 to 9 p.m. at the Selby Auditorium) among many other activities scheduled throughout the week.

On Monday, students were welcomed with a pancake breakfast in the Student Commons served by staff and faculty. Chefs from the campus’ café prepared the meals.

“I think it’s a good way to come out, sit down and meet other students and staff,” freshman Sixto Avendano said.

For a complete listing of events, visit, sar.usfsm.edu/event/week-of-welcome-thursday-3/.

Dr. Kathy Black article published in The Gerontologist

Kudos to Dr. Kathy Black for the recent publication of “Community Gerontology: A Framework for Research, Policy, and Practice on Communities and Aging” in The Gerontologist, gny089, https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gny089.

Dr. Black, a professor of aging studies and social work at USFSM, co-wrote the article with Dr. Emily Greenfield of Rutgers University, Dr. Tina Buffel of the University of Manchester (UK) and Jarmin Yeh of the University of California San Francisco.

The authors, leading academicians in gerontology, in their abstract wrote, “We introduce ‘community gerontology’ as an area of research, policy and practice that aims to advance understanding of communities as fundamental contexts for aging and its diversity, and to leverage this understanding for change.”

Dr. Black said the researchers collaborated for close to a year on the article through weekly conference calls. Before submitting the article for publication they sent it to eminent gerontology scholars for their feedback. The article was published on Aug. 13.

“The publication provides an important contribution to the field of gerontological practice,” Dr. Black said. “Communities across the world are aging and community gerontology provides a unifying structure and process for optimizing community-based efforts that make a difference.”

Dr. Black is the principal investigator of Age-Friendly Sarasota and also provides consultation for other communities throughout Florida and across the nation. She has been named a World Health Organization/International Federation on Ageing Age-Friendly Environment Mentor.

USFSM career fair to ‘turn the tables’

USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Career Services Office is proposing a unique way to match students and employers – a “reverse career fair.”

Unlike regular career fairs, “reverse” fairs put students in control by having them conduct interviews with potential employers. The technique provides insight into jobs and internships students wouldn’t otherwise get at regular job fairs, says Ben Heins, coordinator of internships and service learning at USFSM.

“If a student is seeking a full-time job or an internship in late 2018 or any time in 2019, they need to apply for this unique opportunity,” he said. “The odds of securing that next big break through this event couldn’t be higher.”

Heins learned about the idea at an educational conference. He’s working with Student Engagement, Student Government and E-Learning to launch the fair on Nov. 8 at the campus’ Selby Auditorium.

The event is dubbed “The Tables Have Turned: USFSM’s Inaugural Reverse Career Fair.” Students must apply by Sept. 7 to participate. Twenty participants will be selected to attend four training sessions in October to prepare them to interview the prospective employers.

“We will invite employers based on the student-finalists’ interests and, before the event, provide those employers with briefings on the backgrounds of each student to build excitement,” Heins said.

Students can learn more by sending their resumes to Heins at heins@sar.usf.edu or by visiting www.usfsm.edu/tables.

Brunch on the Bay tickets, sponsorships available

Tickets and sponsorships for Brunch on the Bay are now available, and this year’s event is shaping up to be extra special as it marks 25 years of local support.

Since 1994, Brunch on the Bay attendees have given graciously to fund scholarships for USF Sarasota-Manatee students while also savoring the finest brunch fare from local restaurants and caterers.

This year, as Brunch celebrates its Silver Anniversary, many special features are planned and the guest list is quickly growing, so don’t delay in securing your tickets and table sponsorships.

The event is set for Sunday, Nov. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

“More than 1,700 local students have received scholarship support from Brunch on the Bay, and we’re thrilled to continue this significant tradition — with a few twists for 2018!” Vice Chancellor for Advancement Lee Williams said. “We’re featuring a Brunch on the Bay Honorary Committee, in addition to the Organizing Committee, and the Honorary Committee co-chairs will be announced soon.”

“Brunch is presented by Mary Kenealy Events of Sarasota, and working with Mary and her talented team has simply been exceptional,” Williams said. “We have a few special guests arranged for the annual gathering; so it’s sure to be memorable. USFSM’s Brunch on the Bay is a fantastic way to spend a Sunday, enjoy wonderful culinary delights and support area students with scholarships.”

Since its start, Brunch has distinguished itself as USF Sarasota-Manatee’s premier fundraising event, adding more than $1.3 million to the university endowment and generating more than $1 million in scholarships, including those to First Generation students, the first in their families to attend college.

“It’s one of the very best events in this community and it’s been around longer than most other events,” said Bob Turner, a USFSM alum and former publisher of the Bradenton Herald. “It’s extremely important to support this event to support the students who need a leg up to further their careers and help our businesses with a workforce that’s ready to go.”

Turner and USFSM graduate Lauren Henry are co-chairs of this year’s Brunch on the Bay Organizing Committee.

“I see so much potential in what this university has to offer in terms of partnering with businesses and leaders in our community,” said Henry, a 2016 graduate. “And so Brunch on the Bay is a culmination of that, where the university and community come together and support the cause of higher education.”

For more about Brunch of the Bay, including tickets and table sponsorships, visit usfsm.edu/brunch or call Pam Gleason at (941) 359-4603.

###