Short Takes

June 30, 2020 | UHCL Staff

CLASP July event: “The Shared Experience of Autism”

The Clear Lake Association of Senior Programs at University of Houston-Clear Lake is presenting “The Shared Experience of Autism: A Special Session” virtually via Zoom, on July 23 at 2 p.m. The speakers, Judy Blake, who is a leadership and advocacy coordinator at Family to Family Network and a board member at LoneStar LEND, and UH-Clear Lake research assistant Andrew Bennett will speak candidly about the experience of raising a child on the autism spectrum.

The presentation is only for K-12 educators and administrators. To receive CPE hours for attending this lecture, please contact cep@uhcl.edu and include in your email the full title of the CLASP event, the date, and your full contact information.

The Zoom link is https://uhcl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcqcuGqqDwpGdVkV396ncmd1a8UiGDVESnr. For more information, visit CLASP online.

Friday Morning Continuing Ed spotlights American Sign Language

Join Friday Morning Continuing Education at University of Houston-Clear Lake on Friday, July 17 at 9:30 a.m. as they discuss the fascinating history of American Sign Language. Attendees will explore the structure of the language, learn the alphabet as well as some interesting vocabulary words in ASL. Come with questions and be ready to practice right away. If you have a hearing impaired loved one or you just want to be able to communicate in a noisy room, this is the class. Tuition is $30 for the first FMCE class, and all subsequent classes will be discontinued at checkout to the standard fee of $18.

For more information, visit the Friday Morning Continuing Education site online.

UHCL Alumni Association adds endowment funds for students in need

Funds generated by the University of Houston-Clear Lake Alumni Association Program Development Endowment Fund are granted annually by the Alumni Partnership Board to recipients for use in faculty, student program development projects or to support programs that enhance the students’ educational experience. This year, due to the changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the funds available for distribution have been redirected to the Hawk Emergency Fund.

After being presented with the hardships facing the student body, and working within the guidelines of the Program Development Endowment’s mission, it was the Partnership Board’s unanimous choice to allocate this year’s entire annual distribution to give assistance to students’ needs. The $10,000 award was granted to UHCL’s Dean of Students David Rachita, who receives applications and distributes the funds.

Rachita said that student applicants requesting a distribution from the Hawk Emergency Fund must demonstrate need arising from extreme extenuating circumstances.  “Nearly all the applicants have lost their job, or their parents have lost their jobs, or they’re single parents who have relied on school breakfast and lunch programs to help feed their children,” he said.

Rachita added that more financial assistance might be available for students in need. “I always send the applications to the Office of Financial Aid because often, they are able to find other emergency grant money for these students in larger amounts than what I am able to give,” he said.

“The alumni endowment money is being spread as far as possible,” Rachita said. “Since April 1, I have awarded 239 people $60,000 and the receipt of $10,000 grant from the Alumni Partnership’s endowment helped tremendously.”

Find out more about the Hawk Emergency Fund.