The Word: UIW Community Newsletter - February 26, 2021

Staff from across UIW’s many offices and departments pulled together, some working around the clock, to ensure resident students had what they needed during the recent snowfall. Teams from Facilities to Dining to Residence Life – to name a few – bundled up, masked up and showed up for our Cardinals.

As we reflect on the efforts made during this incredible time of duress, it’s important to acknowledge the dozens of people who sacrificed their time and energy to make sure the University remained a safe and functional place. More than 500 student-residents remained on campus during the winter storm and all were cared for through the unrelenting work of UIW staff, vendors, and administration

Take a look at some of the people who went above and beyond last week. While these are just a few of those in our community who worked selflessly and tirelessly, UIW would like to thank each and every person who worked countless hours under very difficult conditions to make sure that the University stayed true to its Mission and goals.

Read more about our UIW heroes and see more photos

Dr. Sandra L. Guzman Foster, associate professor in Education and Sister Theophane Power Endowed Chair, has been invited to join the editorial board for the  Journal of Trauma Studies in Education (JTSE), an online open-access academic peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the generation of knowledge in mental health and well-being with a focus on the impact of traumatic stress in Pre-K through 12th grade and postsecondary education. 

“As a member of the editorial board, I hope not only to identify research that will be useful and informative for educators across the spectrum when it comes to issues related to trauma, but also to learn from the rest of my peers who are on the editorial board,” said Dr. Guzman-Foster.

“I see this as a great opportunity to work with and learn from scholars and experts across the country who are well versed in trauma and education. I look forward to disseminating information that will help educators in K-12 and higher education enhance their practices in ways that help students who have or are experiencing trauma.” 

The Journal of Trauma Studies in Education invites new submissions from a variety of disciplines, epistemologies, and backgrounds focusing on the nature and impacts of trauma within the context of education. The first release of the journal will be this fall.

“Our goal as an editorial board is to start off with a national scope and in a few years go from a national scope to an international scope. We are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead and the impact the journal will have on trauma and educational studies,” said Dr. Guzman-Foster.  

Dr. Guzman-Foster explains the importance of mental health and well-being in traumatic and stressful situations that affect educational settings. “Right now, we are experiencing a different world with COVID-19, the social and civil unrest ignited by the death of George Floyd and other injustices, remote learning for all learners, both K-12 and higher education, and the attack on the Capitol has resulted in a plethora of emotions and struggles among many people, including students and faculty. Witnessing these events has led many people to experience secondary trauma or the reopening of wounds from past trauma experiences. Many people cannot unsee what has been displayed online. Additionally, knowing that many of our loved ones passed away from COVID-19 in hospitals alone with no family around has also been a traumatic experience for many people.”

“So where do we go from here? We share what scholars from around the country (in the future around the world) know about helping people to cope with such trauma in both educational and professional environments. There is no way we can go back to what life was like pre-pandemic because so many of our lives have been impacted by what has been occurring. By sharing knowledge on mental health and well-being with a focus on the impact of trauma we feel it will provide ways for those in charge of educational environments to rethink their practices and policies so people in K-12 and higher education can learn and flourish in education while at the same time healing from the trauma they are experiencing or have experienced.” 

Dr. Guzman-Foster has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. She is a Gates Millennium Scholar and a Spencer Interdisciplinary Fellow. Prior to joining UIW, Dr. Guzman-Foster worked with the Institute for Transformational Learning at the University of Texas Systems developing and producing competency-based instructional materials. Her experience includes online and hybrid pedagogy, curriculum development, teacher education, program evaluation, and educational research. Dr. Guzman Foster taught at the K-12 level, community college level, and at the university level in Texas, Arizona, and Colorado over the past 25 years. 

Dr. Diana Allison, program coordinator and assistant professor of Interior Design, recently published a second edition of her book, Estimating and Costing for Interior Designers. This edition includes pedagogical features, student studio materials, and robust instructor resources.

Per the book's description, " Estimating and Costing for Interior Designers, Second Edition, teaches readers a logical process for calculating materials and estimating the costs of installed products based on their math calculations. Fully updated and revised, this book utilizes step-by-step examples and worksheets to simplify the math used in the interior design field."

Learn more and find copies

Susan Lanford, part-time faculty in the Department of Interior Design, was recently interviewed by the Fiber Artists of San Antonio (FASA) about her submissions to their online exhibition. During the interview, Lanford talked about her involvement with FASA and her work. Watch the interview below.

Learn more about FASA

Dr. Amalia Mondriguez, professor of Spanish, received notification on Feb. 6 that her short story,  La Gemela Desaparecida (The Missing Twin) earned her second place in the first International Short Story competition sponsored by Casa de España en San Antonio.  

Lenten reflection originally published in 2020.

The story of the Transfiguration in Matthew’s Gospel presents Jesus enveloped in a radiant light. Moses and the prophet Elijah appear at his sides and the voice of God coming from within the bright cloud commands all to "listen to him." The apostles with Jesus were naturally terrified by the miracle they were witnessing – a scene that would likely have brought anyone to their knees. Although this scene is striking in many different ways and levels, God's voice and Jesus' message after the event is over offer two important messages, messages we find elsewhere in the Gospels.

The first message comes from the Father's voice and is addressed to the disciples and to us: “Listen to him!” This command finds echo in the Blessed Mother’s urging to the servants at the wedding of Cana. "Do whatever he tells you," she said, and a first miracle occurred. Jesus turned water into wine and in doing so, he prefigured the Eucharist and blessed all marriages, inviting us all to enjoy the feast of life and of His love. It is interesting to me that the Father's command during the Transfiguration is so similar to the message Jesus’ Mother gave to the servants, namely, to listen to Jesus and to do what he tells us to do.

The second message comes from the first words uttered to the disciples by Jesus following the Transfiguration event. “Do not be afraid” is a phrase Jesus often repeats throughout the Gospels – and is an echo that resounds throughout the Bible. This phrase reminds us, time and again, that we are to love and serve with courage, trusting in the Lord. How many times in our lives are we afraid? Our list of fears could be long: failure, public speaking, flying, people’s opinions, profound losses, disease, and death itself—to mention just a few. Yet it is clear that Jesus wants us to live our lives without worry, concern, fear or anxiety; he asks us to live our lives to their fullest, with certainty, confidence, and joy. Yes, Christ offers us His peace, and his gentle command that we “be not afraid” resonates at our cores.

This Lent, as I reflect on my role as president, I realize I am to do the same. I am to trust in Jesus, do what he has told me to do, and follow His gentle command, as well as those of God the Father and our Blessed Mother. I am reminded whenever I do that, things tend to go well. I also realize that we, members of the University of the Incarnate Word, should live our personal and professional lives knowing that God loves us and trusting He will see us through. So, my invitation to all of us this Lent is “listen to him” and “do not be afraid.” If we do this, things will go according to God’s magnificent plan for each of us, and we will be able to work and live in peace.

Praised be the Incarnate Word!

Dr. Thomas M. Evans
President 

Due to last week’s extreme weather and unforeseen repairs across campus, work on our chapel equipment had to be rescheduled, moving our start date for in-person Mass (and live-streaming) to March 7.  Please see the information below for our upcoming liturgies, as well as our new Flocknote app. 

Liturgy schedule

• Sunday, Feb. 28 at 11 a.m. – Sunday Morning Prayer
  RSVP for the Zoom link. 
• Sunday, March 7 at 11 a.m. – Sunday Morning Mass 
  • IN-PERSON attendance:  Due to physical distancing requirements, space in Our Lady’s Chapel is severely impacted. For the time being, in-person attendance will be limited to students only. Students wishing to attend Mass in person will be asked to register for a seat using our new Flocknote app (see below), as well as abide by all safety guidelines put in place for the pandemic, including the health screening via the Cardinal Daily Health Check and wearing a mask during the entirety of the liturgy. 
  • VIRTUAL ATTENDANCE: Those wishing to attend Mass virtually should continue registering through Zoom. 
    Register for the March 7 virtual service.

Over the last few months our online gatherings have brought forth a wonderful community of worshippers whom we value and want to continue to serve along with our in-person assembly. Our livestream Mass will be a hybrid broadcast bringing the in-person assembly in Our Lady’s Chapel and online assembly together. The in-person assembly will also be able to see the online assembly and vice-versa. 

We appreciate your understanding, patience, and support as our staff, graduate assistants, and student interns work to unite the prayer of our Incarnate Word family in as much as technology will allow. 

About Flocknote

Flocknote is a ministry database and communication tool used by many churches nationwide to keep connected to their flocks. One of the things the pandemic made us keenly aware of was that we had limited channels of communicating to our worshipping community in an emergency. Most especially, this affected our contact with our worshippers from the local community. Though we will continue to use social media and our website as communication tools, we will be using Flocknote to communicate via secure email and/or text with our worshipping community and ministry volunteers – especially for cancellations, delays or rescheduling due to inclement weather or other unexpected circumstances. It will also facilitate registration for in-person attendance by students at Sunday Mass (a necessity for Our Lady’s Chapel due to physical distancing requirements and limited seating), for faith formation opportunities, and a host of other things. If you worship at the University or wish to stay active with University Mission and Ministry, registering through Flocknote will be the best way for us to reach you. 

We invite students, faculty, staff, administrators, CCVIs, alumni, and community members who wish to be involved in Mission and Ministry events to sign up via Cardinal Apps or by going through our Flocknote web address. Please note that if you are searching for the University of the Incarnate Word by city, the app locates us in Alamo Heights, zip code 78209. 

If you have additional questions or need further information, please email ministry@uiwtx.edu. 

On Aug. 28, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington. Many, if not all of you reading this blog, have heard this speech. The groundwork for this speech was laid out on Sept. 25, 1960, when Dr. King delivered a speech at the Annual Freedom Mass Meeting of the North Carolina State Conference, the Branches of the NAACP. The title of the speech was " The Negro and the American Dream.”

He examined the document on which our country was established, the Declaration of Independence. Dr. King reflected on what it meant to be a Black and brown person in America. The Declaration states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

I am sure that Dr. King had to wrestle with his faith and the meaning of the Declaration of Independence. How are Black and brown people experiencing the Declaration? I am sure he heard the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” by Clare Herbert Woolston, a preacher from Chicago, and possibly taught this song to his four children. Some of you might be familiar with the refrain, “Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

How do we live in a community where we all have a Declaration of Independence that speaks about equality and a theology that says Jesus loves all people, yet we experience a contradiction in the lived reality? For Dr. King, the answer was to build the Beloved Community. Dr. King saw that there was a great contradiction between the reality of life for the Negro and the document our nation was built upon.

For years I have heard people quote portions of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and miss the very essence of the speech. In 1967, Dr. King wrote the book,  Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community. In the book, Dr. King developed the framework for the Beloved Community. The Beloved Community was and is a vision for global unity, where all can share in the wealth and goodness of the earth. He saw a barrier to building the Beloved Community, and it was what he called, The Triple Evils of Poverty, Racism and Militarism.

These three evils have hindered the building of the Beloved Community. Can you imagine a world without poverty and racism? Can you imagine living in a community where, in the words of Dr. King, “racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice, will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood?”

Can you imagine living in a world where countries resolve their conflicts by coming to the table for peaceful conflict resolution, without using their military might? Dr. King did and so can we.

This past summer, millions of Americans witnessed the killing of George Floyd, forcing our nation to have an examination of conscience. We experienced racial unrest that rocked our nation. Just like the murder of a young, 14-year-old Black boy, Emmett Louis Till in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 caused America to confront the ugly truth about racism, George Floyd’s death invoked an internal statement that says, “Surely, we are better than this!”  

With all of the advancements made through the Civil Rights Bills, we are still a long way from achieving what Dr. King envisioned for the “Beloved Community.” The Beloved Community is for ALL people to live together in harmony. In the Beloved Community, we are called to live and reflect on what I call the three B’s. 

The three B’s and the questions we must reflect on:

• Belonging: How do we evaluate our experience, while feeling like we don’t belong in a particular community?
• Becoming: How are we engaging in opportunities to become who we are called to be?
• Beholding: How are we beholding the presence of God’s work in our communities?

In light of last week's extreme weather and out of respect for the hardship that our community faced, our 3rd Annual Day of Giving, #OneWordOneGoal, originally set for this week, has been postponed to next month. UIW family, please let us know if there is anything we can do for you as we all recover from last week's events. 

Our Day of Giving will now kick off on March 25, in tandem with the annual Incarnate Word Day celebration! Stay tuned for updates on how to get involved! 

If you would still like to make a gift this week to support our Cardinals who may have been impacted by the storm or are facing ongoing challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, here are some worthy funds with links to where you can make a gift: 

• Emergency Impact Fund: Assists students who are having financial difficulties due to the challenges brought on by COVID-19
• Sr. Walter Maher Emergency Fund: Assists students as unique needs arise
• Campus Capital Project Repairs: Supports the repair of facilities impacted by severe weather

Auction and Golf Tournament

The Swing-In Auction and Golf Tournament is an annual event of the University of the Incarnate Word Development Board that raises funds for student scholarships. Your support each year allows us to continue building on our success, providing necessary funds to students seeking to continue their higher education.

The 44th Annual Swing-In Auction will take place on Thursday, May 13, followed by the Swing-In Golf Tournament on Friday, May 14, at The Quarry Golf Course. All proceeds raised from the auction will directly benefit the University’s scholarship fund.

For more information on sponsorships and how you can participate in this year's Swing-In please contact Ana Bribiesca Hoff at (210) 829-6075 or  bribiesc@uiwtx.edu. 

There are two ways you can get involved and help before the event!

1. Donate items: The Office of Development is seeking donations for the Swing-In Auction Party. If you would like to support the auction by donating items, gift cards, experiences or wine bottles, please contact Ana Bribiesca Hoff at (210) 829-6075 or  bribiesc@uiwtx.edu. 
2. Volunteer: We can't do it without your support!  Register as a Swing-In Golf Tournament volunteer. 

Swing-In Raffle

Swing-In raffle tickets are now available to purchase. As always, only 300 tickets will be sold! 

With the purchase of a Swing-In raffle ticket for $100, you earn a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime experience and support UIW students' pursuit of higher education at a faith-based institution. All proceeds will directly benefit the UIW Scholarship Fund.

The raffle winner will choose one of the following prizes:

• Fairmont Chateau Whistler
• Charleston Luxury Getaway
• Tuscany Culinary Escape
• $5,000 Merchandise Credit Balance on Credit Card 

Purchase your raffle ticket here

Michael Mercer, senior instructor of Communication Arts and adviser for the Logos, was among sources quoted in an online article, “Experts weigh in on current job market trends,” published by Zippia.com – The Career Experts. Zippia is a site for companies that want to recruit top-level staff and job seekers who want to empower their career aspirations. Zippia’s data-based approach to connecting job seekers and companies has been featured in USA Today, Forbes, Fortune, CNBC, The New York Times, and more.

Read the article

Global Sisters Report recently featured a column by Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, professor emerita of Religious Studies, about how young people from UIW, St. Anthony Catholic High School, CIW Mexico City, Bajio Irapuato, and Peru found comfort in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the example they set of praying with the Communion of Saints. 

Read the column

The University community is invited to a South Texas Blood & Tissue Center Blood Drive, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 2 and Wednesday, March 3 in the SEC Ballroom.

Students, faculty, and staff must book an appointment by clicking the respective links below:

• Schedule an appointment for March 2
• Schedule an appointment for March 3 

For more information, please contact Campus Life at  nagutie1@uiwtx.edu or the Ettling Center at  caloca@uiwtx.edu.

KaShori Lanier, a UIW graduate of the Fall Class of 2020, was recently featured in the University's Black History Month Student Research Showcase. A Theatre major and History minor, KaShori put both her passions to work in a project she dedicated herself to during her senior year, an original play called The Murder of Molly Smith. We talked with KaShori about some of her favorite memories as a Cardinal, what inspired her to write the play about her ancestor and why storytelling plays a key role in the path towards social justice. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

So, I'm a college grad. I'm an alumna of the University of the Incarnate Word. I was a Theatre major and a History minor. I've lived in San Antonio since my junior year in high school. In high school and in middle school, I had done theatre. I came to UIW because my aunt graduated from the University. I also come from a very diverse and big family.

Who are some of your professional and personal role models? 

I would say a very big professional role model for me is Audre Lorde. I read some of her work while I was in Theatre for Social Change (a UIW course), and I became a very big fan of her poetry and her short stories. I would also say another professional role model for me is of course Lena Horne; she really did break barriers for her time. Being a woman of color, she broke barriers and paved the way. I love Maya Angelou as well; I read a lot of her books when I was younger and a lot of her poems, and ever since then, I loved her. Personally, my mother is my role model. She is a very strong woman. I come from a family of strong women, as you can read in my play. So pretty much every woman in my family is my role model. When times are tough, they always say, “we make a way out of no way.” That saying growing up inspired me to keep on pushing when doors are slammed in my face and to overcome adversity.

Let’s talk about your time at UIW – any favorite moments, classes or professors?

I have a lot of favorite moments from UIW, but the one I remember vividly was the festival I participated in for Dr. Lopita Nath (UIW professor of History). It was really, really cool to see a different culture and to understand a different culture. Some of my favorite classes happened to be Theater classes and The History of Japan class I took with Dr. Nath. All of those classes I feel really shaped me to be who I am today and to have an appreciation of others and helped develop my writing.

You just graduated from UIW in December. What have you been up to since then, and what’s next for you?

I've been up to a couple of things since I graduated in December. I have of course been working on the play. I'm getting it edited and eventually I'm going to get it out for a reading to be done. Hopefully it can be done in the Theater Department. That would be awesome to see this come full circle. What is next for me happens to be grad school. I find I really excel in school and I'm ready to continue my career. I would of course be mastering in the Arts and completing my degree in History, as well.

You began writing your play, The Murder of Molly Smith, as a project for UIW’s Theatre for Social Change class. Who was Molly Smith and what happened to her?

Yes, I did begin writing the play in my Theater for Social Change class. Molly Smith is my great-great-great aunt. Her story was passed down to my mom's oldest cousin, and she in turn passed it down to me when I visited her. I think it was two years ago. I found it really sad that she never got her justice and that her story was so buried that members of my family did not know of it. So, what happened to Molly Smith was that she was accused of a murder she did not commit, and rather than go through the justice system in 1890, she was lynched by a mob of angry, white men. This story actually made the news; it made national news at the time. It was in the newspaper. The article made it all the way to The Sun in New York.

Tell us about what inspired you to dig deeper into this piece of your family’s history.

Previously, I stated I was on a trip back home in Alabama where this story actually takes place and where my ancestors and I are from. My mom has this eldest cousin; she's like our family historian. She passed on a story to me of Molly Smith and for the longest time, it bugged me that she never got justice and that members of my family didn't know her story. I wanted to know more. Being a History minor myself, I love history, so I started digging into the history of Huntsville, Alabama and in their records, I found multiple mentions of lynchings that year. I think the count was around 300 undocumented. This was around the time where slavery of course had ended and the Civil War as well. Tensions in the South were so high and there was so much hatred that mobs would just lynch African Americans. It did not matter if you were a man, woman or child. I wanted at least one person's story to be heard from this tragic period of time, even if it had to be my own.

The story of this tragedy has been passed down through your family from generation to generation. What did you learn about it in your research that you didn’t know before?

In my research, I learned that there were so many different newspaper articles stating who did it and what the motives were. Some say the wife did it. Some say servants did it. So there was a lot of 'he said, she said' going on that I didn't know about previously. What I did learn was that she did run. She made it all the way to the Tennessee State Line. I don't know if you know how far that is, but that is very far for her to run from Huntsville, Alabama to Tennessee.

Why is it important to you to continue sharing Molly’s story – and the stories of others like her – today?

It is very important to me to share Molly's story and other people's stories just like it. To show that African Americans, women and marginalized people still suffer. This was in 1890, but cases like it are still happening in today's world. This isn't over for marginalized people; we are still suffering. I want to showcase that we have a voice and that we can use it to educate others on our pain and the horrors we have gone through as a people. The horrors we continue to go through. I want justice for the ones who are lost in history and for the ones that didn't have this opportunity. That's why it's important to me. I want to showcase the resilience that we have and that no matter what, I will get her story out and it will be told. I hope that brings her peace and others just like her.

When your play is finished, what do you most want people to take away from it after watching or reading it?

I want people to educate themselves on injustice issues. I want people to see what it's like from someone else's perspective or from someone else's side of the story, what it's like to live in this world and be hated because of the color of your skin, or because of your religion, or because of your sexuality. I want people to know that the fight isn't over and that as long as you see injustice that you can do something about it. Whether that be writing or doing your research and getting that out there. Just doing anything you can to help somebody tell their story in a way that they won't be forgotten about in history or that won't become whitewashed. In conclusion, I think I want people to walk away from reading or watching this play with the sense that there's more work to be done. I want people to continue the fight even when they think it is all said and done.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I am very very thankful to Margaret Mitchell of the Theatre Department and Professor Luella D'Amico. They really allowed for my story to be heard, as well as Sr. Martha Ann Kirk. I also wanted to say I hope I can inspire people to really look into their family history and to see what's been hidden from them or what is an issue they think needs to be talked about. You may research your family and may find that you have a story that needs to be told

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, students of the UIW School of Osteopathic Medicine (UIWSOM) rolled up their sleeves to volunteer at one of the San Antonio Food Bank's water and food distribution sites at Brooks. The event was also supported by the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Department, and attended by city officials including Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran. UIWSOM students donated food items and assisted with passing out food and water to more than 1,000 households.

The University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer student-athlete Kevin Gutia has been named Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week, for the week ending Feb. 14, the conference office announced last Monday.  

Gutia, a senior from Augsburg, Germany, sparked the Cardinals' come-from-behind win over UNLV with the first of three unanswered goals in the 35th minute. He then added an assist on the game-winning goal in the 85th minute to help the Cardinals open the delayed 2020-21 season with a win at home.  

Gutia is the first Cardinal to earn WAC Player of the Week honors since Ryan Osborne did on Sept. 4, 2017.  

"Kevin played an excellent, well-rounded game on both sides of the ball and helped his team have a strong come-back performance," Head Coach Kiki Lara said. "We are really happy and proud for Kevin to represent the program with this award."

UIW's Sophie Krall was named one of the Southland Conferences's women's soccer players of the week, the league announced last Tuesday. Weekly awards are presented by Hercules Tires. 

Earning Defensive Player of the Week accolades, Krall scored her first collegiate goal and helped stifle Houston Baptist's attack in the Cardinals' 4-0 win over the Huskies on Friday. UIW (2-1, 1-0 SLC) continues a four-match homestand against McNeese at 5 p.m. Friday and versus Lamar at 1 p.m. Sunday. 

Generating as many shots as the entire HBU team (2), Krall played a vital role on both sides of the ball for the Cardinals by scoring her first collegiate goal on two attempts and limiting the Huskies to two shots and none on goal. She sparked a three-goal run over an 11-minute span in the second half with a score at the 47:00 mark.   

Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots. 

The deadline to order your official UIW Class Ring in time to participate in our "Red Put A Ring On It!" Celebration is Feb. 28! Registration for this event will officially open on March 1, however, Herff Jones ring orders must be completed by Feb. 28 to ensure your ring is ready for the celebration. All UIW alumni are invited to participate!

Order your class ring

Nominations for the UIW Alumni Association Board of Directors are now open! To nominate someone, please submit an application on or before March 1.

Submit a nomination

The Southland Conference announced all 21 league football contests will be available on ESPN+ this spring, including three games that will also be shown on Cox Sports Television. 

The Cardinals hit the road to face defending Southland co-champion Nicholls on Feb. 27 at 3 p.m. That match-up is one of three on the schedule for Feb. 27. UIW is at McNeese for a noon kickoff, while Sam Houston hosts Southeastern Louisiana for a 6 p.m. game. The Bearkats and Lions were selected two and three, respectively, in the Southland's preseason poll. 

Cox Sports Television will show three games this season, while also making them available for ESPN+. Cox will also televise a non-conference game as Nicholls hosts Lincoln (Mo.) this Friday at 6 p.m. 

Fans can sign up to ESPN+ for just $5.99 a month (or $59.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle offer that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu (ad-supported) — all for just $12.99/month.

On Feb. 13, McNeese got the season started with a dramatic 40-37 double-overtime, non-conference road win at Tarleton State as the first FCS game of the season. The Southland announced a revised regular-season schedule for its seven members participating in football this spring – UIW, Lamar, McNeese, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Sam Houston State and Southeastern Louisiana. The six-game, single round-robin football schedule will feature each team playing three home and three away games over an eight-week period.  Each team has multiple open dates during the slate to provide flexibility if changes are necessary.  

There is finally light at the end of the tunnel for the University of the Incarnate Word baseball. After more than 11 months being away from game action, after the 2020 season was cut short on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cardinals are ready to get the first pitch of the 2021 season underway in a three-game series against Texas Southern. The first game is set for Friday, Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT at UIW's Sullivan Field, sponsored by H-E-B.   

Navigating through the long offseason was a challenge for second-year head coach Ryan Shotzberger, who was only able to get 16 games in during his first season at UIW. The team is looking forward to finally competing against a team not in UIW red and black during intrasquad practices.   

Leading into the season-opener against the Tigers, the Cardinals boast their top three hitters from last season in Grant Smith, Lee Thomas and Ridge Rogers. Smith and Thomas are Southland Preseason All-Conference second-team selections along with Ryan Flores' first-team selection heading into the season. The black and red return 18 student-athletes, including nine pitchers. Shotzberger is excited to see the competition for a starting position play out this season with 29 newcomers to the roster.   

"We needed to create depth and with that creates more competition to get on the field," Shotzberger said. "Any time I can add depth with quality student-athletes, I am going to take advantage of that. We have competition at every spot on the field this season and there is really no days off in practice and especially with the coronavirus testing that we are doing, we do not know who could be available week-by-week, so having guys come in to play multiple positions at a high level is something we need to take advantage of this season and I am excited to watch them get out to play."   

The University of the Incarnate Word continues to monitor the local, regional and state-wide progression of COVID-19 to inform decisions about safe campus operations. Below you will find links to helpful information regarding UIW's COVID-19 warning indicators, case tracking, safety guidelines and resources for the UIW community. These sites will be updated to reflect changes or new information.

Cardinal Daily Health Check

COVID-19 Information Site

COVID-19 Testing

COVID-19 Case Updates

Cardinal Flight Plan 

Schedule a COVID-19 test on the Broadway campus (students and employees ONLY)

Schedule a COVID-19 test at the UIWSOM campus (open to general public)