Staff Retreat

On Friday, April 24, 2009 staff met at the Wellness Center for the annual Staff Retreat. The day started with a session from Mary Hodge of HR department with an interesting topic in Emotional Intelligence followed by Adelita Munoz who talked about nutrition, health and lifestyles along with some fun dancing. The afternoon sessions engaged staff in an intense Yoga class following a Stress & Effects presentation by Dr. Grant Benham and Stress/Relaxation Techniques by Dr. Fred Ernst.

Overall the retreat was relaxing, informative and appreciated by all support staff. The staff is mostly appreciative to Nina Young, for her hard work in organizing the event. Below are some comments from staff:

Nina, thank you for your hard work and dedication………Connie

Thank you for the relaxing day……Gloria

Thanks, It was Fun let’s do it again soon!………Ruby

My family and I enjoyed being in the pool and the hamburgers were great. Great
job Nina!………Yolanda

Thanks for appreciating us! Your time and effort in organizing the retreat and
BBQ speaks more than words…………Patty

Thanks for giving us an excuse to get out of the office!!! By the end of the day’s events I know you were exhausted, but the time and effort you put into the retreat was appreciated by all! THANK YOU…………Dawn

I could try saying that I didn’t enjoy it . . . . but, from what I hear, there is documented evidence that shows otherwise. :) But in all seriousness, I must confess . . . . I had an awesome time. Nina and Monica where great hosts and had everything well organized. Mary Hodges’ presentation on the Power of Emotional Intelligence was very interesting. Ms. Adelita Muñoz literally got us up and dancing before we relaxed and listened to tips on nutrition and healthy lifestyles. The session that I enjoyed the most was Yoga, it really enlightened me . . . . the morning after - - yes, it was until then that I discovered a few muscle groups that weren’t there before. We proceed to eat a healthy lunch from Jason’s Deli. Right after lunch, Dr. Benham’s presentation on Stress & its Effects made me realize the importance of identifying the sources and symptoms of stress in our lives in order to work on positive ways and techniques to relieve the stress, instead of using comfort foods to do so. Dr. Ernst’s presentation on stress and relaxation techniques was also very interesting – he presented research findings that show the relationship between stressful life events and illness. He even administered the Schedule of Recent Events (SRE) instrument, so we could get an idea of how stressful our life really is - - but we had a pretty good idea, already. This session wrapped up the staff retreat part, many of us took advantage of the invitation to bring our family members afterwards to the Pool-Side Party. I know my family enjoyed the amenities of the Wellness Center. The highlight of the evening, I must say, was the volleyball tournament. I was so much fun . . . but, I have come to a conclusion - - we are all keeping our day job, okay? We seemed to have the most trouble with the sport objective of getting the ball over the net . . . well, let us just say, we need a lot of practice. We all tried our best - - without mentioning any names – our Dean - - was even walking with a limp after the game – so you know he gave it his all – that is what you call great sportsmanship. LOL. The only thing that would have made this event better, was if more staff and faculty would have been able to make it to the after party. Hats off to all who made this event possible, Dean Ochoa, Dean Reidhead, Nina Young, Monica Denny, faculty, and staff. By the way, Thank you Boss, for the engraved UTPA cup!!............Adriana