Happy Holidays, OLLI-USF*! |
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Welcome to the second issue of OLLILife! You made it all the way to the bottom of all this news!
On behalf of the OLLI staff, we wish you all a happy December, and when it ends we will start the new year with a full moon on New Year’s Eve – a good omen for a chance at a better year in 2021!
Send articles or suggestions to Mary Ettinger (ettinger@usf.edu) -- that's me on the left, with Jan Vaupel -- and watch for coming issues of OLLILife around the first Friday of each month.
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Help Spread the OLLI-USF Membership Word!
George Hyde
OLLI-USF is “Zooming” its way into our big Winter-Spring term. Over the last two terms, dedicated members who are Zoom Hosts, instructors and staff made an amazingly swift and successful pivot from in-person learning to our current on-line environment. Without these countless hours of learning, practice and coordination, we fear that OLLI-USF may not have survived the abrupt shutdown.
As with most organizations, we have taken a significant hit to both membership and class enrollments. Your Board of Advisors is taking the USF Bull “by the horns,” using every means to stabilize and grow our membership numbers. We are spreading the word on our recent, big TV/radio/online advertising campaign promoting membership and courses. This push is producing some good results for us.
But we need every OLLI member’s help in recruiting new members. Please spread the word about OLLI to friends and relatives who would enjoy OLLI classes, and the online social interaction they provide. Please share our website, www.usfseniors.org, as much as you can. If you belong to another group outside of OLLI (social, networking, religious institution), that is a great place in which to promote OLLI. The Membership Committee will be happy to set up a Zoom meeting with your group to explain what we are all about. Contact George Hyde so he and his team can coordinate the arrangements.
The pandemic has delivered us a punch, but we are far from “out.” The OLLI-USF family has weathered storms before. We want to be sure we weather this one too, so that when we can safely meet in-person again, you have a vibrant, rich OLLI program to return to.
Thanks for helping us spread the word!
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Sharing Interests Gregariously
Anne Haywood (R in photo.)
Our Shared Interest Groups (SIGs) offer community and informal learning around a shared interest. They are open to OLLI members and we encourage you to give one or more a try! For full descriptions of each group, see the full list here.
Most SIGs are meeting on Zoom. To visit their next meeting, request login info from the contact below.
German Conversation
Tue., Dec. 8th & 22nd at 1pm.
OLLI Outdoors
Thu., Dec. 10, 10am
Hike Lizard’s Tail (options from 1.2 to 3 miles)
Fri., Dec. 18, 3pm
Online Games
Thu., Dec. 10th at 3:30pm
Play Scattergories
P-SIG: Politics Shared Interest Group
Wed., Dec. 9th from 1-3pm
Write Time for Poets
Thu., Dec. 12 at 2pm
*Shelly Belzer, who helps lead the OLLI Shutterbugs SIG, took all the photos used in this edition last December, at OLLI's holiday social. Great memories!
Upcoming Events
Dec 24-Jan 1 - Winter Break, OLLI closed
Jan. 4 - USF and OLLI reopen
Jan. 13 - Winter Open House (RSVP)
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Smile! You're On Candid Camera! |
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Remember Alan Funt and the poor souls he caught by surprise on his Candid Camera? Well, Alan would have a field day at Zoom sessions. Even OLLI Zoom classes.
Because the class is on a screen, we treat it as though it's on TV and we are therefore invisible. We're not. Even during a PowerPoint presentation you're always visible to the rest of the class. Small but visible. And if we do something -- anything -- "inappropriate", it tends to draw attention. And politely written complaints to OLLI staff members and the poor teacher.
So, "Pro Tip": turn your camera off (Click on "Stop Video") when the Instructor is presenting and you're not in a class discussion, when having a side conversation, getting up and walking about. That way, if you forget that you're not invisible and inadvertently -- well, we won't go there -- nobody will know.
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Send your OLLI People News to our Goodwill Ambassador, Carolyn Clark. Please let Carolyn know if you hear of a member’s situation that warrants care, a card and perhaps a notice. We won't publicize without permission. Email Carolyn here or call her at 813-545-7477.
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