We apologize for the delay in our weekly SFA Today issue. Thank you to our friends in ITS for resolving an email system problem! We should be able to resume our weekly SFA Today on schedule for next Wednesday, July 16. Thank you all for your patience and continued support!

Benefits annual enrollment is your once-a-year opportunity to make changes to your insurance benefits without a qualifying life event. If you do not wish to change your insurance benefits, no action is required, and your insurance benefits elections will remain the same. The new benefits year starts Sept. 1.

If you are enrolled in UT Flex and/or Dependent Daycare spending accounts, you must re-enroll your contribution amounts for FY26 or your account will be closed.

You can make changes to your benefits elections July 15-31 in your mySFA account by following these steps:

• Select the drop-down arrow next to "Employment" at the top of the mySFA landing webpage.

• Click the "Benefits" button.

• Click the "My UT Benefits" button.

With the exception of July 17, enrollment support and access will be available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 15-31, in Steen Library's Lumberjack Learning Lab III. Support will be available July 17 at the Employee Wellness and Benefits Vendor Fair.

Employee Wellness and Benefits Vendor Fair

SFA will host its annual Employee Wellness and Benefits Vendor Fair from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 17 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. SFA's Human Resources, The University of Texas System’s Employee Benefits office, various benefit vendor partners and community collaborators will be on-site to answer questions and assist with your benefits needs. At the fair, you may review and confirm your current benefits and receive assistance with any enrollment you wish to complete. This event will include door prizes and demonstrations.

Take a “paws” from your busy day and de-stress with some adorable, furry friends at “Fur-get Your Stress” from 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, July 11, in the SFA Makerspace on the first floor of Steen Library.

Snuggle, play and relax with the therapy dogs.

If you have any questions, contact Livia Pierce at employeewellness@sfasu.edu or ext. 2495.

Head over to the Student Recreation Center to join Campus Recreation’s Group Axe classes for summer II. Whether you're interested in yoga, cycling, Pilates or barre, we have something for you. Check out the Group Axe schedule on our webpage.

For more information on fitness and wellness services, contact jescelyn.madrigal@sfasu.edu.

Want to relax by the pool with live music? Make sure to stop by the last event of Campus Recreation's Summer Music Series from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 11, at the Student Recreation Center pool. The concert features music from DJ Zollo.

The Summer Music Series concerts are free for Campus Recreation and pool members, $5 for nonmembers and free for children 4 and younger.

The Center for Career and Professional Development will host the Career Champions program to equip faculty and staff with the knowledge to enhance students' professional development, discuss CCPD programming and help students be successful beyond graduation.

Workshops include “Career Champions Introduction,” “Career Coaching and Exploration,” “Adding Professional Development to Your Classroom/Appointments,” and “Résumé Guidebook.”

To sign up for the workshops, complete the registration form. For more information, contact CCPD at ccpd@sfasu.edu.

Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a blood drive hosted by Student Engagement from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, July 16, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center multimedia room by Starbucks.

In addition to the chance to give back and support those in need, all faculty and staff who donate will receive a free A1C test and a $25 e-gift card as a small thank-you for your lifesaving gift.

To pre-register, visit the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center donor portal.

SFA’s East Texas Research Center recently received a $3,000 donation from The Sons of the Republic of Texas as part of the group’s efforts to commemorate the role played by the Department of Nacogdoches in the Mexican state of Coahuila y Tejas — an area that encompassed all of Texas east of the Trinity River — in the Texas Revolution.

Faculty, staff, students and Nacogdoches community members are invited to the grand opening ceremony of the new Pineywoods Dining Hall at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 14 at the dining hall’s Wilson Drive entrance. Parking is available in Lot 21 off Wilson Drive.

Lunch will be available to those attending until 1 p.m. In addition, Chartwells, SFA’s food provider, will offer opportunities for a faculty or staff member to win a meal plan to use during fiscal year 2026.

Designed by Kirksey Architecture, the dining hall is the campus’s first mass timber building. The 20,000-square-foot dining facility includes outdoor seating for additional capacity and flexible space for such events as tailgating, culinary expos and instruction.

Along with the traditional dining hall fares, the Pineywoods Dining Hall will feature a rotisserie, tortilla machine, purple hand-tiled pizza oven and a new restaurant, Absurd Bird.

For more information, email April Smith at alsmith@sfasu.edu.

Galatas earned the AARC Bravo Award for his longstanding advocacy for the supplemental instruction program. He is committed to identifying a student each semester who can serve as an SI leader. This SI leader works with Galatas to help students process the content of his course.

Sarah Hamm, AARC writing and liberal arts program director, presented the award to Galatas.