|
Best Bets
Best Bets
Guidelines for Best Bets
Best Bets items may be submitted up to two weeks in advance and are subject to editing. Items must be received by 1 p.m. to run the following day. Items must be submitted via e-mail or U.S. Postal Service. All submissions must be typed and may be e-mailed to newsroom@itemonline.com. Handwritten submissions will seldom be accepted.
Best Bets announcements are for non-profit and community groups wishing to announce a specific event. We will not run submissions which do not fit the guidelines of Best Bets not mentioned here. Best Bets is based on space availability. We do not guarantee that any announcement will run every day, or on any specific day. Questions regarding Best Bets should be directed to Lindsey Vaculin at (936) 295-5407 ext. 3052, or Jay Ermis at (936) 295-5407 ext. 3025.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Huntsville Head Start
Huntsville Head Start is still accpeting applications for children of low-income families that will be 3 or 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2009. Slots are limited. Bring income verification, immunization record, Social Security card and birth certificate to 125 FM 980. For more information, phne (936) 291-9190.
Texas Reading Club
The Huntsville Public Library will host the annual Texas Reading Club. It is not too late to register for this summer reading program. The 2009 Texas Reading Club is free and open to children and teens. Registration continues during the summer. Participants will receive a free book donated by the Kiwanis Club (while supplies last). Reading logs are due on or before July 18. Come down and join the fun this summer at the library. For more information, call the library at (936) 291-5472.
HEARTS accepting cars
HEARTS Veterans Museum of Texas is still accepting cars (running or not) as a donation. Tax receipts will be given. These proceeds will help defray the cost of furnishing the new museum. Call (936) 295-5959 for more information.
Senior hot meals
Come join the Senior Center of Walker County at the New Waverly Public Library in the Community Room starting every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for games and a hot meal. This is for senior adults age 60 and older. Donation gladly accepted. Fifty-nine and younger cost will be $3. For more information, call the Senior Center at (936) 295-6151.
Summer volleyball camp
Alpha Omega Academy will host summer volleyball camps on July 27-30. Beginning volleyball camp will be held from 8-9:30 a.m. for ages kindergarten through second-grade. Cost is $25. Session I for ages third- through sixth-grade is from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Cost is $50. Session II for ages seventh- through 12th-grade is from 1-4 p.m. Cost is $50. Hitter and setter camp for seventh- through 12th graders will be held from 4-5 p.m. Cost is $10. If you have any questions, call Talara Cox at (936) 438-8833 or e-mail talaracox@yahoo.com.
Pop Warner extends sign-ups
Pop Warner Huntsville Bears youth football will hold sign-ups on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. at West Hill Mall through July 18. For football and cheerleading ages 5-11. Tackle and flag football and competitive cheerleading. No previous experience necessary. Pop Warner uses a strict age/weight matrix to insure players safety so your child will play against kids of similar size and age. The cost for tackle football is $90, flag football is $75 and cheerleading is $50 plus the uniform. All inquiries contact Burt Marino at (936) 661-0157.
Gardening classes
In partnership with the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center Community Gardens Program, there will be Open House and Gardening Classes at the Wiseheart Center of Seeds of Discovery, 119 Robinson Road in Huntsville, every weekend in July, excluding July 4, starting at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoons, and going on throughout the afternoon. For more information, call Rozalynd Mansfield at (936) 649-5968.
Farmers Market
The 2009 Walker County Farmers Market will be held in the parking lot of the West Hill Mall. Hours for the market will be 8 a.m. until sell-out on Saturdays and Wednesdays. Local producers will have a variety of farm produce throughout the summer including: tomatoes, watermelons, okra, yellow squash, zucchini, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, cushaws, cucumbers, garlic, purple onions, eggplant, beans and peas. Farmers interested in participating in the market can contact the Walker County Texas Cooperative Extension Office at (936) 435-2426.
Events
Food drive
A food drive to benefit Little Woman Home for Animals, a non-profit, no-kill sanctuary and home to over 200 rescued animals, will take place at the Huntsville Kroger on July 2 and 3 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Need dry food for cats, dogs, rabbits – Pedigree small bites dog food and Purina cat chow and scoopable cat litter. Same kinds of canned foods are also used. All the animals have been up for adoption, but have not found homes or many are older and/or have special medical needs. Please join the Kroger Neighbor to Neighbor Donation program that has been a generous supporter of Little Woman Home for Animals.
The Society for Creative Anachronism
The Society for Creative Anachronism , Inc. (SCA.org), The Barony of Ravens Fort, a group of individuals who study, share and promote many aspects of the Middle Ages, will hold its monthly meeting on Thursday July 2 at 7 p.m. at Fire Station No. 2 on Sam Houston Blvd. The public is invited. For more information, contact Gary Pace at gpace77586@yahoo.com.
HEARTS meeting and potluck
HEARTS Veterans Museum invites you to attend a general meeting and potluck on July 2 at 6:30 p.m. at the Veterans Conference Center. Please RSVP to (936) 295-5959.
Garbage Pickup
The City of Huntsville Solid Waste Department will not run regular residential and commercial garbage pick-up routes on Friday, July 3, the day before the Fourth of July. Garbage pickup routes will resume on Monday, July 6. The Solid Waste Transfer Facility and Recycling Center will also be closed to the public on Friday, July 3, but will reopen on July 6. Call (936) 294-5743 for more information.
Firework Display
American Legion Post and Auxiliary Unit No. 618 will sponsor its annual Firework Display July 3 at 9 p.m. The display will be held at the Legion Post 1/2 mile east of Willis on Highway 1097 E. For more information, call (936) 856-5224. The public is Invited to attend.
Celebrate America Barbecue Cookoff
The American Legion Post No. 95 in Huntsville is hosting its “Celebrate America TGCBCA Sanctioned BBQ COOK-OFF” on Friday, July 3, and Saturday, July 4. Entries for cooking teams are still being accepted. Cook-off categories will include brisket, ribs, chicken, jackpot beans, margaritas and Bloody Mary’s. The cook-off is TGCBCA sanctioned. Entry packets and rules can be found at the Legion after 4 p.m. or at http://user.mscc.net/~htcan/alpost95events.html. Saturday’s events during the cook-off will include a brisket plate sale, face painting, musical entertainment and a variety of other activities for the entire family. If you or your team are interested and would like more information, contact Henry Cannon at (936) 295-4460 or call The American Legion Post No. 95 at (936) 291-0129 after 4 p.m.
Saturday
Fourth of July Celebration
The City of Huntsville is please to invite you to join our 4th of July Celebration. Family entertainment will be held in the form of live music, moonwalks, a rock wall, sugar cookie decorating, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, hotdogs, and a variety of recreation games and contests. There will be a fireworks display choreographed to music at 9 p.m.(or dark). Bring your lawn chairs and blankets and claim your spot early. The 4th of July Celebration is sponsored by: A-1 Septic Services and Portable Toilets, Hillcrest Ford, RSC Rental Equipment, Community Service Credit Union and Wal-mart.
July 4th Celebration
The Power of Faith Ministries will host a July 4th Celebration "God Bless America" at the Texas Prison Museum from 7-10 p.m. Live music from Houston and local Christian artist. Hot dogs and soda. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets.
Tea Party
Huntsville resident fed up with high taxes and dismayed by both major party’s catering to special interest groups came together in the Tea Party. The group will gather July 4 across from Kate Barr Ross Park in the west side of Highway 75 North. The group will meet from 5-7 p.m. Saturday and listen to a short speech by Dr. Paul Ruffin. Bring lawn chairs and watch fireworks after meeting other like-minded folks.
Democrats picnic
The Walker County Democrat Club will be sponsoring a free picnic on Saturday, July 4, at Eastham Thomason Park (7th St. and Ave. N) The fun begins at 11 a.m. with food, music and games for the kids. Bill White and John Sharpe will make appearances to talk briefly about their U.S. Senate campaigns. Come and bring friends and family for a great time.
Major League Soccer Camp
The MLS is coming to Huntsville to host a week long soccer camp beginning July 6-10. The camp will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30-8 p.m. at the Kate Barr Ross Soccer Fields. The cost is $70 for recreational and $100 for advanced. Call (936) 577-0596 for more information.
Community Garden meeting
The Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center and the community garden committee will meet on July 6 at 6 p.m. at the Samuel Walker Houston Museum and Cultural Center located at 1604 10th St. If you are interested in learning how to develop a garden, please attend. For information, call Richard Watkins at (936) 295-5571 or Rozalynd Mansfield at (936) 649-5968.
Promenaders at the Library
The Huntsville Public Library will host the Promenaders, a square dance club, on Wednesday, July 8, at 2 p.m. The dancers will perform a demonstration the art of square dancing. Kids can participate in the warm up exercises and learn some square dance steps. For more information about this children’s program, call the library at (936) 291-5472.
Legion Birthday Lunch
American Legion Post and Auxiliary Unit No. 618 will hold its monthly birthday lunch for their members and their guest on July 9 at noon. All members are urged to attend. Please call (936) 856-5224 for additional information.
Chamber Small Business Breakfast
The next Small Business Breakfast of the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Green Acres of Huntsville, will take place on Thursday, July 9, at Golden Corral beginning at 7:30 a.m. Cost is only $7 for Chamber Members ($10 for Prospective Members) and is payable at the door. Reservations are requested. Please call the Chamber at (936) 295-8113.
Sourdough Cowboy
Come to the Old Town Theatre to meet Don Sanders, “The Sourdough Cowboy,” on Friday, July 10, at 2 p.m. Listen to legendary cowboy tales and participate in the sing-a-long. This show, is sponsored by the Helen Wheat Cultural Enrichment Fund, is complimentary and is appropriate for children of all ages. For more information, call the Huntsville Public Library at (936) 291-5472.
Fish dinner and garage sale
Unity of Faith Missionary Baptist Church, located at 336 Watkins Street, will have a Fish Dinner and Garage Sale on Friday, July 10, beginning at 7 a.m. The Garage Sale will continue on Saturday, July 11, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The dinners will consist of fish, french fries, salad, bread, cake and drink for a donation of $6. Phone orders may be placed, and delivery is available. For more information or to place orders, call either of the following numbers (936) 355-1404; (936) 295-4714; or (936) 295-1698.
Target Art event
“Target Art ... A creative event for kids” will take place July 10 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Wynne Home Arts Center. Kids of all ages and their families are invited to attend. On-site registration the day of the event. The event is funded by the new Huntsville Target store. Employees will be helping with many fun activities.
Hamburger supper
The Dodge Volunteer Fire Department will host a hamburger supper on July 11 from 5-8 p.m. with a cake auction at 7 p.m. Please bring a cake or pie for the auction.
Country and western dance
The Trinity VFW Post at 400 W. Caroline St. will host a country and western dance on July 11 from 8 p.m. to midnight. High Stakes will perform.
TAAF Regional Meet
The Texas Amateur Athletic Federation will be hosting its Regional Swim Meet on Saturday, July 11, at the Huntsville Aquatic Center. Warm-ups will begin at 7:30 a.m. for all age groups and the meet will start at 8:30 a.m. For more information, call Chris Cirrito at (936) 293-8408
Legion Meeting
The American Legion Post and Auxiliary Unit No. 618 will hold its monthly meeting on July 14 at 7 p.m. Dinner will be served after the meeting and members are asked to bring a covered dish. Anyone wanting to join may do so by calling (936) 856-5224. The post is located 1/2 mile east of Willis on Highway 1097 E.
Huntsville Visitors Bureau at the Library
The Huntsville Public Library will host the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau on Wednesday, July 15, at 2 p.m. Kimm Thomas, chamber representative, and Jamie Matthews, from the Sam Houston Statue and Visitor’s Center, will tell about the exciting activities to do in the Walker county area. Come learn about some of the hidden treasures our county has to offer. For more information, call the library at (936) 291-5472.
Black Saints Motorcycle Club
Black Saints Motorcycle Club of Huntsville will hold its first annual celebration on July 18 at David Branch Rodeo Arena on Horace Smith Road in Huntsville. Bike Ride at 6 p.m. and cost $10. Dance from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Cost is $3 for non-bikers. Trophies for largest group and farthest distance traveled. Lots of food, drinks, prizes and DJ. All bikers and trailride groups welcome. Help support upcoming community events for our children and families of Walker County with your appearance and support. Call Latisa at (936) 537-1124, Terri at (936) 577-9334 or Almedia at (936) 661-9790.
Reading Logs Due at the Library
The Huntsville Public Library announces the conclusion of the 2009 Texas Reading Club. Reading Logs are due Saturday, July 18, by 5 p.m. Please turn your paperwork so the Library will have time to prepare the Texas Reading Club certificates. Next week, the Library will host the final community presenter of the Texas Reading Club Huntsville Pets with a Purpose on Tuesday, July 21. For more information call the library at (936) 291-5472.
HHS Ex-Students Annual Reunion
The Huntsville High School Ex-Students Association will host its annual reunion at the Walker County Fairgrounds main building on Saturday, July 18, beginning at 5:30 p.m. with dinner and dancing until 11 p.m. All former HHS students and friends of HHS are welcome. Dress is casual. Call Mickey Evans at (936) 295-2068 or email him at msevans@suddenlink.net or through the association web site at: www.geocities.com/hhshornethive for registration forms and details.
Family Fun Day
The Huntsville Leadership Institute’s Alumni Association will be sponsoring a “Family Fun Day” on Saturday, July 18, from 4-8 p.m. at the Elkins Lake Manor House park. Hot dogs and fixings will be provided. Graduates are asked to bring lawn chairs, beverages for their family, a side dish and a non-perishable donation for the SAAFE House. Those who would like to fish need to bring their own equipment and swimming will be available. Membership is $25/year and may be paid at the picnic. For more information, contact Karen Bilsing at (936) 291-4599 or e-mail hlialumni@yahoo.com.
HHS Class of 1962 Annual Reunion
The HHS Class of 1962 will conduct their annual class reunion at the Walker County Fairgrounds main building on Saturday, July 18, from 1 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. Dress is casual. Call Mickey Evans at (936) 295-2068 or email him at msevans@suddenlink.net for more details.
Huntsville Pets with a Purpose
The Huntsville Public Library will host Huntsville Pets with a Purpose on Tuesday, July 21, at 10 a.m. This children’s program is entitled Safety Around Dogs. The group members will bring their pets and discuss their work about the community. A short video will also be shown. For more information, call the library at (936) 291-5472.
HHS Class of 1979 Reunion
Huntsville High School Class of 1979 Reunion will be held Friday, July 24 at 7 p.m. at Margaritas, I-45, Huntsville; Saturday, July 25, at 6 p.m., Shepard Hill Estates in Willis. For more information, contact Kelly Bohan Laskie at klaskie@comcast.net or go to web link, http://www.shepardhillestate.com/. All HHS classes welcome to attend.
Carnival at the West Hill Mall
The 2009 Texas Reading Club will conclude with the “Libraries Deep in the Heart of Texas Carnival” sponsored by the Huntsville Public Library and City Recreational Services. The carnival is a free family night of activities and will include live music, games, food and drink. This is the final activity of the Texas Reading Club. The Carnival will take place at the West Hill Mall on July 31 from 5-8 p.m. Texas Reading Club participants will collect their reading reward while at the carnival.Come enjoy a night of summer fun in air-conditioned comfort! For more information call the library at (936) 291-5472.
HHS Class of 1974 reunion
The Huntsville High School Class of 1974 will hold its 35th reunion on Aug. 1. All classes from the 1970s are invited to join in on July 31. Call Mary Lynn Golden at (936) 295-7532.
February 14, 2009 08:10 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: April 26
Festival to celebrate life during Houston’s time
The historical event will include live history re-enactors performing vignettes and theatrical interpretations, costumed historical characters, folk life demonstrations, arts and crafts, dulcimer workshops, live acoustic music, a living history theatre and ethnic foods.
In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to see programs by New Army of the Republic of Texas, Cane Island Volunteers, Brazoria Militia, Cowboy Camp, Citizen Soldier Camp, and Indian Camp; and learn about Texas history by historical storytellers representing significant leaders from Texas history.
Other activities include touring buildings related to Houston’s life, juried activities, ethnic foods and refreshments, and musical entertainment.
The Gen. Sam Houston Folk Festival will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission is $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 5-12 and free for children under 5 years old.
In addition, group rates, for a minimum of 15 people, are available for $3 per person.
For more information, call the Sam Houston Memorial Museum at (936) 294-1832.
Reading to feature award-winning poets
Award-winning poets Michelle Boisseau and Wayne Miller will read from their works on Thursday at 4:45 p.m. in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 210.
Boisseau is the author of such poetry books as “Trembling Air,” Morse Prize-winning “Understory,” and “No Private Life,” as well as the popular text “Writing Poems,” now in its sixth edition.
Her poems have appeared in a number of literary journals, including The Yale Review and The Southern Review, and have received a National Endowment for the Arts poetry fellowship and awards from the Poetry Society of America.
Boisseau is a professor of English at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she also is associate editor of BkMk Press and the coordinator of the creative writing program.
She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio University and her doctorate from the University of Houston.
Miller is the author of two collections of poems, “The Book of Props” and “Only the Senses Sleep,” which received the William Rockhill Nelson Award and is an editor of “New European Poets.”
He is the recipient of the George Bogin Award, a multiple winner of the Lucille Medwick Award, and the Lyric Poetry Award from the Poetry Society of America, as well as a Ruth Lilly Fellowship and the Bess Hokin Prize from the Poetry Foundation.
Miller lives in Kansas City and teaches at the University of Central Missouri, where he edits “Pleiades: A Journal of New Writing.”
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Oberlin College and his master’s degree from the University of Houston.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the SHSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the English Department and Poets’ Ink.
For more information, contact Melissa Morphew, at (936) 294-1944.
Golden Key to collect college books for Africa
The Golden Key International Honour Society will work to make the planet a better world with a “Books for Africa” drive May 4-14.
During those days, the organization will accept used textbooks in blue and orange collection boxes outside of the Lowman Student Center.
Unwanted, college-level books published within the past 10 years and any books used in a college class will be accepted, even if those books have highlighting or writing in them. These also include books that the bookstores won’t buy back, according to Golden Key president Jadrian Wooten.
“If the books cannot be donated or sold, they are at the very least recycled,” he said.
For the project, SHSU’s Golden Key has partnered with Better World Books, which will sell the books online to raise money for Books for Africa or send them directly to Africa.
“Book drives like this one have earned over $1,700,000 for Books for Africa since 2003,” Wooten said.
Donating these books benefits the campus, earth and students around the world by providing a “green” and “responsible” solution to getting rid of books that are no longer of use to SHSU students. In diverting the books from landfills, students are simultaneously helping improve literacy in Africa, Wooten said.
For more information, contact Wooten at jjw001@shsu.edu or Dee Ellwood at dae001@shsu.edu or visit the organizations’ Web sites at www.betterworldbooks.com or www.booksforafrica.org.
Dance concert to shift time in UTC
The Sam Houston State University dance faculty members and students, as well as two guest artists, will create “Time Shift” at the University Theatre Center with original works April 30 through May 2.
Performances will take place at 8 p.m. each night, with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday in the UTC Mainstage Theatre.
The concert will feature pieces choreographed by dance faculty members, including Jonathan Charles’ “playful take on the hippie movement” called “Dreamin;’” Andy Noble “sleek” “KinkyKool Fan Blowing Hard," which uses industrial fans to propel the dancers through space; as well as works by Dana Nicolay and Dionne Sparkman Noble, according to dance professor Cindy Gratz.
In “Following Aunt Joan,” choreographed by Sparkman Noble, five women wearing the classic little black dress dance with chairs and explore themes of sensuality, empathy, and rivalry.
“The dance reveals moments of vulnerability and strength, and questions what it means to be a woman of our time,” Gratz said.
Critically acclaimed choreographers Sandra Organ Solis and Bill Evans, who will also present original works as invited guest artists.
“Bill Evans’ ‘Jukebox,’ which was originally choreographed in 1974, is best described as a loving spoof of the big musical Hollywood era,” Gratz said. “Sandra Organ Solis’ new whimsical work, ‘In the Groove,’ features eleven dancers and explores ballet pointe work, patterns, and partnering.”
The evening also will feature two student works by Amy Llanes and Jennifer Hart, who represented SHSU at the American College Dance Festival.
These include Llanes’ “Porcelain,” which awakens “the child in all of us” as five female dancers illustrate the idea of dolls coming to life while their owners are away and Hart’s “Drift,” a “hypnotizing arrangement of movement, creates a beautiful and tranquil atmosphere,” Gratz said.
Tickets are $10 general admission and $8 for students with valid ID.
For more information, contact the ticket office at (936) 294-3988.
LEMIT to recognize genetic disorder with ‘Jeans’ Day
The Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas is raising money for the Primary Immune Deficiency Foundation through a “Blue Jeans for Healthy Genes Day” on Wednesday.
In honor of Primary Immune Deficiency Month, in April, participants are asked to donate $5 to the foundation and wear blue jeans on that day. Participants will also receive a primary immune deficiency disease wristband, sticker and tax-deductible receipt.
Approximately 250,000 people are diagnosed with primary immune deficiency diseases in the United States, a disease that occurs in persons born with an immune system that is either absent or hampered in its ability to function.
David Vetter, known to the world as “the Boy in the Bubble,” was born without T-cells, B-cells, NK cells, thymus, tonsils or lymph nodes—all which are needed to combat viruses and bacteria infections—and lived his entire life in a sterile germ free plastic bubble.
PIDD information pamphlets are available in the LEMIT and Criminal Justice Center lobbies each Tuesday.
To sign up for “Blue Jeans for Healthy Genes Day,” e-mail Yvette Shorten at wys001@shsu.edu or call (936)294-3851, or for more information on PIDD or the Primary Immune Deficiency Foundation, visit their Web site www.primaryimmune.org.
Music to present bassoon students, ‘Opera Magic’
The School of Music will showcase its students in two concerts presenting bassoon solos and duets as well as some “Opera Magic!” beginning Friday.
The Bassoon Studio recital will be held that day at 5:30 p.m. in Music Building Room 202.
In addition to the solos and duets performed by the four student bassoonists, the concert will feature “an irreverent arrangement” of the children's classic “Peter and the Wolf” by Sergey Prokofiev, according to Scott Phillips, assistant professor of bassoon.
The concert is free.
Later that evening, the SHSU Opera Workshop will present an evening featuring scenes from opera's most magical moments at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
A second Opera Workshop presentation will be held on Saturday, also at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
The workshop will include scenes sung in their original languages of Italian, English and German, with supertitles projected above the stage for audience comprehension, according to Dawn Padula, assistant professor of voice and director of opera workshop.
“Each scene contains some magical or mysterious element that helps to tie the evening together,” she said. “(Mozart’s) ‘Die Zauberflöte,’ as evidenced by its title (‘The Magic Flute’) not only involves magical objects, but magical and mythical creatures, as well.”
Among the other scenes that will be performed include Gaetano Donizetti's “L'Elisir D'Amore” (“The Elixir Of Love”), which centers around a supposed magical elixir that serves as a love potion, and a scene from Gian Carlo Menotti's “The Consul,” which features one of the singers portraying a magician who actually performs tricks.
The show presents a variety of operatic genres from classic to modern, and “showcases several of the very talented vocalists from the School of Music,” Padula said.
Tickets are $10 for general admission; $8 for non-SHSU students with an ID and senior citizens; $5 for SHSU Students with an ID; and free for School of Music students with a concert attendance card.
Tickets are available at the door, which will open at 7 p.m. on both evenings.
For more information on either performance, call the School of Music at (936) 294-1360.
Education group to honor teachers in walk
Sam Houston State University’s Phi Delta Kappa chapter will join with the Texas Lone Star and University of Houston chapters to honor Texas teachers during ChalkWalk on Saturday.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. on at Lone Star College in Tomball.
Through ChalkWalk, PDK members, as well as nonmembers, identify a teacher they would like to honor and walk for 3K in that teacher’s name. Participants raise money for education by collecting donations.
“The ChalkWalk is the only national walk-a-thon for education that directly supports our educators,” said Andrea Foster, assistant professor of science education. “The walk serves to support great teachers of the past and present, while raising money to help cultivate great teachers for the future.”
All honored teachers will be included on the ChalkWalk “Wall of Honor” and will receive personal letters of appreciation from walkers and donors, notifying them that they have been added to the Wall of Honor.
In addition, the president of PDK International, John Armato, will speak during the event, which is expected to end by noon.
The SHSU Phi Delta Kappa chapter is comprised of faculty members and graduate students whose mission is that of education, scholarship and service.
All proceeds from the Chalkwalk donations will be used to fund scholarships for SHSU students who want to be teachers.
For more information, contact Foster at (936) 294-1142 or asf004@shsu.edu.
Sign language students attend ‘Rockin’’ conference
Forty-three SHSU students in Robert Blair’s American Sign Language classes continued their education of the culture on April 4 to find out how “ASL Rocks.”
The conference, sponsored by Austin Community College’s Department of American Sign Language in conjunction with their Interpreter Preparation Program, “was an excellent way for students to dive into what deaf culture is really like, and experience it firsthand,” said Robert Blair, foreign languages pool faculty member who teaches ASL at SHSU.
“The event was intended to promote the beauty of ASL, as well as to celebrate it as one of the most amazing languages in the United States,” said Blair, who had his students write accounts of their experiences.
During the conference, students were able to see presentations by various presenters, including one by “a remarkable woman who is deaf-blind who presented on how she goes through her everyday life and the goals and successes she has had within promoting a better quality of living for deaf-blind people through her outreach efforts,” Blair said.
They were also able to learn about ASL/IPP programs at other colleges and universities, as well as interpreter services; companies specializing in technology for deaf persons; special programs, such as deaf yoga for the deaf community; and a recruiting booth for the Texas School of the Deaf searching for prospective employees interested in teaching and/or working with deaf youth.
“Overall, ‘ASL Rocks’ was a fantastic event, and it is believed that its first year was incredibly successful,” Blair said. “The opportunity for students to become immersed so heavily within deaf culture gave them a stunning opportunity to put their ASL lessons to use and to see how the amazing world of the deaf community thrives on a daily basis.”
Professors present 40 papers at conference
SHSU educational leadership and counseling professors recently participated in 40 peer-reviewed presentations and invited events during the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting.
Beverly Irby, EDLC professor and chair, was asked to serve as a “distinguished discussant” for a group of selected distinguished papers from four state and regional educational research associations, and work by EDLC professor Anthony Onwuegbuzie was selected as a “distinguished paper” during the session.
Four doctoral students mentored by Irby also presented during the meeting, including counseling students Yu Fen Lin and Sallie Helms and educational leadership students Ling Ling Yang and Janice Taylor, along with health and kinesiology department chair Alice Fisher.
In addition, Irby was elected from a national slate to the executive board of the AERA learning and teaching in educational leadership special interest group, and EDLC associate professor Rebecca Robles-Pina was elected as chair of the AERA Stress and Coping Special Interest Group.
Genevieve Brown, dean of the College of Education, previously served as the 2009 past chair and AERA program chair of the research on women and education special interest group.
The Educational Researcher, Advancing Women in Leadership Journal, Graduate Research Journal, three of the seven journals supported by the EDLC department, also were featured in the AERA journal talks.
An article written by Irby, Brown and two other co-authors, “The Synergistic Leadership Theory,” published in 2002 in the Journal of Educational Administration, was recognized as one of the journal’s most requested papers. The JEA is a Tier 1 publication in educational administration, Irby said.
The AERA annual meeting was held April 1 in San Diego, Calif.
Workshop to help translate French classics
French students, or those interested in the language, can get a taste of translations from a number of authors from the country during a translation workshop on Tuesday.
That day, assistant professor of French Madelina Akli will work with both English- and French-speaking students at all levels from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the history department’s conference room, located in Academic Building IV Room 452.
Among the writers Akli will look at are Victor Hugo, author of “Les Misérables;” Alexandre Dumas, author of “Les Trios Mousquetaires;” Prosper Mérimée, author of “Carmen;” and Charles De Baudelaire, author of “Le Spleen De Paris.”
For more information, contact Akli at (936) 294-1400 or mxa016@shsu.edu.
April 24, 2009 05:38 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: March 29
Panel to address ‘Many Women, Many Journeys’
Four women will discuss the “many journeys” of females on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 140.
The panel discussion, “Many Women, Many Journeys,” sponsored by the CHSS Women’s Caucus, is being held in honor of National Women’s History month.
“The intention of the panel is to present a wide range of women's experiences with relationships and/or family—single, married, straight, lesbian, with or without children—with representatives from different organizations in the area,” said April Shemak, assistant professor of English.
The panel will include Maggie Russell, who will discuss “Twogether,” a pre-marital counseling program that she directs; DePelchin Children's Center representatives Christina Kraatz and Wendy Brueckner, who will discuss women and foster/adoption; and Dian Nelson-Turnier, who works with the Montrose Counseling Center, who will discuss issues specific to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.
There will also be a questions and discussion period with the audience.
For more information, contact Shemak at (936) 294-1432 or aas004@shsu.edu.
Executive to
discuss working abroad
Susan Vaughan, senior vice president for operations with JCR Executive Search Inc., will explore the fundamentals entering the international career sector on Thursday.
“Competing in the Global Workforce” will be held at 11 a.m. in the Smith-Hutson Building’s Mafrige Auditorium (Room 128). The event will serve as the department of management and marketing’s fifth global business lecture, as well as the keynote lecture for international week, sponsored by the Office of International Programs and the Office of Research and Special Programs.
The lecture will teach students what key attributes employers seek, the rewards and challenges of expatriate life, navigating the complexities of visas and work permits, how to “package” yourself to be an attractive candidate and provide resources for evaluating, preparing and beginning a global job search.
“From the perspective of an executive recruiter who has placed senior level professionals in leadership positions with some of the largest global commercial real estate organizations in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and the Caribbean, you will gain insights into how to position yourself to be an attractive candidate in the international workforce,” Vaughan said. “In addition, you will hear first hand from professionals who will share their experiences abroad.”
JCR Executive Search Inc. is an international executive recruitment firm.
For more information, contact assistant professor of marketing Irfan Ahmed at (936) 294-1276 or irfanahmed@shsu.edu.
Grant receives
funding for drinking age study
Darren Grant, assistant professor of economics, has received a $35,000 grant from Choose Responsibility, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization, to study how the minimum drinking age affects traffic safety.
Grant will serve as principal investigator for the meta analysis, in which he will review literature from previous studies to “reconcile the differences between these various studies so that we can better ascertain what the literature tells us,” he said.
“Right now, in terms of the research literature on the minimum drinking age, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, meaning that there are all these studies, but since they conflict they don’t add up to a lot,” Grant said. “My hope is that by taking a more discerning look at these studies, we can make the whole add up to more than the sum of its parts.
“Previous work by myself and by my SHSU colleague Donald Freeman, casts doubt on the effectiveness of some traffic safety legislation,” he said. “Thus we should not simply assume drinking age laws automatically work as they were intended to.”
The study comes at a time when the wisdom of minimum the drinking age of 21 has been called to question by university presidents across the country.
The Amethyst Initiative, a group of college presidents who favor a lower drinking age, was founded by Choose Responsibility president John McCardell.
Currently, there are 135 sitting college presidents who have signed the initiative.
“A Multifaceted Study of the Effect of the Minimum Drinking Age on Drunk Driving” continues a string of work Grant has done on traffic safety research.
Previous studies include research on bicycle helmet laws, with Steven Rutner, published in 2004 in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management and a study on zero tolerance laws that will be published within the next in Economic Inquiry.
Spanish prof to
give students
writing tips
Assistant professor of Spanish Alejandro Latinez will help students with their “composition and comprehension” of the language on Monday.
The foreign languages teaching seminar will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
“‘On Composition and Comprehension’ is a brief approach to the complexity of practicing Spanish for students with different levels of proficiency and relationship with the target language in the same class,” he said. “For students at the university level, writing is a critical component in their scholarly and professional life, and a second language perspective contributes to the enhancement of their skills.
Latinez has taught at SHSU since 2006. He previously taught at Kentucky Wesleyan College for two years.
He earned his bachelors degree from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú and both his master’s and doctorate degrees from Vanderbilt.
For more information, contact the department of foreign languages at (936) 294-1441.
‘Excellent’ staff members sought
Nominations for the Staff Excellence Award and Recognition of Service Program are due April 10.
The annual Staff Excellence Awards “honor three employees who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence,” including one exempt and two non-exempt staff employees, according to the nomination form. Non-exempt employees are those subject to overtime pay.
Recipients must be full-time, non-temporary staff members with a minimum of two years service at time of nomination; demonstrate outstanding abilities, innovative ideas, efficient operations, high level of motivation; be respected by the university community; and cannot be a previous recipient.
A list of previous recipients can be found online at http://www.shsu.edu/~hrd_www/excellence/past.html.
Winners receive a financial stipend of $2,000.
Any full-time SHSU faculty or staff member can nominate, and faculty and staff may nominate more than one person. Selections are made by the university’s eight-member staff excellence committee.
For more information, or to nominate, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~hrd_www/excellence/.
Theatre gives ‘Romeo And Juliet’ same-gender twist
The department of theatre and dance will present a twist on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” with all-male and all-female casts for Joe Calarco’s “Shakespeare’s R&J” Tuesday (March 31) through Saturday, in the University Theatre Center’s Showcase Theatre.
The female cast performances will be held Tuesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. and the Saturday 2 p.m. matinee, while the male cast performances will be held Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, all at 8 p.m.
“Shakespeare’s R&J” is set in a restrictive private school at which students begin reading and play acting “Romeo and Juliet.”
Though beginning innocently enough, ulterior motives begin to surface and the duality of the stories begins to mirror the students’ lives.
The framework of Shakespeare’s text remains in tact while the use of an all-male and all-female cast demonstrates that the Bard’s universal themes are still relevant today.
Directed by theatre chair Penny Hasekoester, the female cast includes Ashtyn Sonner, Ashley Lowe, Tasheena Miyagi and Maegan De La Rosa, and the male cast includes Garret Storms, Mitchell Greco, Josh Fehrmann, and Michael Keeney.
Senior theatre major Sara Hodgin is the stage manager, and the assistant director is theatre major A.J. Salazar.
The technical elements are designed by theatre majors Bich Do, set; Charles Page, lights; J.R. Carson, sound; and Abby Barker, costumes.
The play contains adult content; therefore, children under the age of three will not be admitted.
Tickets are $8.
For more information, call the UTC Box Office at (936) 294-1339.
Club to sell crops, flowers
The SHSU Horticulture and Crop Science Club will sell a variety of vegetables, herbs and flowers during its Spring Plant Sale on Friday.
The sale will be held from 4-6 p.m. at the Horticulture Center.
Among the herbs and vegetable plants that will be for sale are basil, cilantro, green bell pepper, parsley and sweet one hundred tomatoes.
Flowering plants on sale include begonias, coleus, impatiens, marigolds, salvia and zinnias.
All plants will be sold for $3 per six-pack or $15 per flat (36 plants).
The Horticulture Center is located on Avenue M between Holleman Field and the softball field, behind H-E-B.
For more information, contact Sharon Frey, lecturer in the agricultural and industrial sciences department, at slf009@shsu.edu or (936) 294-1224.
Music to jazz up LSC, Stardust Room during festival
International jazz trombonist, writer and arranger John Fedchock will be the featured performer during “the oldest jazz festival in the state of Texas,” Friday and Saturday.
The 49th annual SHSU Jazz Festival will tune up at 8 p.m. on Friday with an informal jam session by Fedchock and the SHSU Faculty Jazz Quintet at the Stardust Room, on the Huntsville downtown square.
The event is free for the public.
Saturday’s schedule includes 30-minute performances from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. by SHSU’s Student Jazz Combo, Jazz Lab Band, Jazz Improv Class and Artistry In Rhythm.
After a break, Fedchock will lead a clinic session from 2-2:50 p.m. with the jazz improvisation class.
In the afternoon, some of Texas’ best public school jazz bands will compete from 3-5:30 p.m. Competing schools include Lake Jackson Intermediate, Kingwood High School, Klein Oak High School, Spring High School and two bands from Brazoswood.
All of these performances, as well as the clinic, are free and will be held in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
The evening will culminate with an awards ceremony and concert opened by the winning high school band and featuring Fedchock and the SHSU Jazz Ensemble at 7:30 p.m. in the LSC Ballroom.
Since his emergence on the scene in 1980, John Fedchock has established himself as a world-class trombone soloist, a heralded bandleader and a Grammy-nominated arranger.
His critically-acclaimed John Fedchock New York Big Band has created four CDs that have all received high praise from critics and extraordinary success on national jazz radio charts.
Fedchock is a graduate of Ohio State University with degrees in music education and jazz studies. He also holds a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.
A strong advocate for arts in education, Fedchock is jazz trombone instructor at Purchase College in Purchase, N.Y., and a visiting jazz faculty member at the University Of The Arts in Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets to the evening concert are $10 for general admission, $5 for SHSU students and senior citizens and free for children under the age of 6, SHSU faculty members and music students.
For more information, call the School of Music at (936) 294-1360.
Honors Program seeks research
presenters
The Elliott T. Bowers Honors Ambassadors are accepting undergraduate research presentations to be part of its annual symposium.
The annual Undergraduate Research Symposium is scheduled for April 18, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center.
The symposium’s goal is to allow undergraduate students who have been conducting research over the past year to present their findings in a professional environment, according to event coordinator Nicole Lozano.
“We think it's important because first, it allows students to present their research that they have in an affordable, professional environment,” Lozano said. “Secondly, it allows the community at SHSU (students, faculty, staff) a chance to see what students have to offer, and what they are giving back to the university.”
During the event, which is free for students, there will be several sessions throughout the day, all of which will have a professor sitting in to critique the presentation.
There will also be an open poster session for anyone interested.
A light breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack will be served for all who register to attend the symposium.
Registration for oral and poster presentations will be held until 5 p.m. on April 10.
E-mail SHSUSymposium@gmail.com for more information.
McNair scholars present at research conference
Four SHSU senior students in the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program recently presented their research during the 11th Annual Texas National McNair Scholars’ Research Conference.
Nine other McNair scholars also traveled to Denton for the conference, held Feb. 20-22 at the University of North Texas, in order to become more familiar with the research process, according to Lydia C. Fox, McNair program director.
“As part of the McNair Program, scholars are required to collaborate on a research project with a faculty mentor and present it at regional conferences,” Fox said.
Presentations were given by Jonathan Miller, who has been working with political science assistant professor Rhonda Callaway on a presentation “Haiti: An Investigation of Human Rights;” and Douglas Moore, who has been working with physics assistant professor Joel Walker on his presentation “On the Production of Gravitational Waves by Electromagnetic Fields.”
Also, Kristina Nungaray, who has been working with psychology department chair Christopher Wilson on her work on “Ultrasonic Vocalizations During Transport in Infant Rats;” and Matthew Cooper, who has been working with economics assistant professor Isabel Ruiz on his project “How has the Introduction of Genetically Modified Crops Affected the People of South Africa?"
March 28, 2009 09:56 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: March 15
Speaker, films to recognize women
Jane Monday, former Huntsville mayor and member of the Texas State University System Board of Regents, will discuss “From Wife and Mother to Mayor to The Texas State Board of Regents” on Monday.
The lecture, sponsored in honor of National Women’s History Month by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Women’s Caucus, will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in CHSS Building Room 140.
Monday is a 1998 SHSU Service Award recipient.
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Texas at Austin, where the College of Education recognized her as an outstanding alumna.
“Jane Monday epitomizes the successful woman who has been a wife and mother as well as the mayor of Huntsville and the chair of The Texas State University System Board of Regents,” said Marsha Harman, psychology professor and caucus member. “We wanted her to speak and inspire the women at SHSU to take leadership positions in areas close to their hearts.”
A question and answer period will follow the presentation.
On Tuesday through Thursday, the women’s caucus will host a series of films designed to foster discussion about women's issues embedded in historical, ethnic and cultural contexts, according to assistant professor of sociology Mary Ann Davis.
“We selected five films, all of which share a common focus on women coping with social issues, while also representing the perspective of a particular ethnic group or culture,” she said. “We hope to accomplish a broader understanding the issues faced by the women's movement, how these issues are played out culturally, and women's empowerment in their striving for political and personal equality.”
On Tuesday, the caucus will present “Iron Jawed Angels,” starring Hilary Swank, at 6:30 p.m. in CHSS Room 110.
Wednesday’s showings will include “Eat Drink Man Woman,” at 3:30 p.m., and “North Country,” starring Charlize Theron, at 6:30 p.m.
Thursday’s presentations include Maya Angelou’s “Down in the Delta,” starring Alfre Woodard, at 3:30 p.m., and “Bread and Roses,” at 6 p.m.
Both Wednesday’s and Thursday’s showing’s will be held in CHSS Room 120.
For more information on the speaker, call Harman at (936) 294-.3614 or harman@shsu.edu, and for more information on the film series, contact Susan Strickland at (936) 294-3128 or strickland@shsu.edu or Davis at (936) 294-4083 or mad011@shsu.edu.
Sam professors to discuss lives for SAM series
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will spotlight two SHSU faculty members during its “Up Close and Personal” and “Grassroots: A Series of Conversations on Leadership in a Diverse Community” presentations on Wednesday.
Political science department assistant professor Rob Bittick will discuss his life for the “Up Close and Personal” lecture at noon in the Farrington Pit.
Bittick, who teaches the “American Public Policy” (Pol 285) and two graduate-level courses, earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from California State University – Dominguez Hills and his doctorate at Claremont Graduate University.
He has been at SHSU since 2005.
Howard Henderson, an assistant professor of criminal justice, will also discuss aspects of his life and field questions during the “Grassroots” lecture at 5 p.m. in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Concourse Room 90.
An SHSU alumnus, Henderson received his bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University, his master’s degree from Tennessee State University and his doctorate from SHSU.
He has worked at SHSU since 2006, teaching in the areas of criminology, community corrections, introduction to criminal justice, juvenile justice, race and crime, and social deviance.
Both lectures are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the SAM Center at (936) 294-4444 or e-mail samcenter@shsu.edu.
Students to help golfers chip away bad games
Students in the PGA professional golf management program will help local golfers with their pitching, chipping, putting and swing on March 20 “fore” their “Free Lesson Friday” at Raven Nest Golf Club.
Lessons will be provided from noon to 5 p.m.
“We are offering these lessons because one of our goals is to promote and grow the game of golf,” said Rich Ballinger, director of the PGA golf management program and golf course operations. “We are also very thankful for the support we have received in the community and would like to give back.”
At least five students will be on the range at all times, giving lessons for about 15 to 20 minutes, depending on if there is a waiting line or not, according to Ballinger.
“We have given lessons on pitching, chipping, putting, and full swing lessons,” he said. “We are happy to help people with whatever aspect of their game they feel needs some help.
“People have been coming to us with a particular area they would like to work on,” Ballinger said.
Golfers who want assistance are not required to make appointments in order to participate.
The March 20 “Free Lesson Friday” is the second held by the program. The first was held March 6.
“We were happy with the turnout since it was our first one, but we would like to see more people take advantage,” Ballinger said. “We wanted to try to do this every semester if there is a demand.”
For more information, call the Raven Nest Golf Club at (936) 438-8588 or Ballinger at (936)294-4810.
Film to look at ‘Waging A Living’
The American Democracy Project will tackle the working poor during its “Burning Issues Film Series” showing of “Waging a Living” on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The documentary will be played at 3:30 p.m. in Academic Building IV Room 220.
Directed by Roger Weisberg, “Waging a Living” looks at the term “working poor” as an oxymoron through its chronicling of the day-to-day battles of four low-wage earners fighting to lift their families out of poverty.
“If you work full time, you should not be poor, but more than 30 million Americans – one in four workers – are stuck in jobs that do not pay the basics for a decent life,” according to the movie description on The Internet Movie Datatbase.
The “Burning Issues Film Series” was established in 2007 to “contribute to the academic and cultural life here at SHSU by bringing in films that address or relate to critical issues facing the world today,” said John Newbold, ADP co-chair.
During the film, participants are also encouraged to discuss the issues that emerge from the movie, according to Tracy Szymczak, the campus VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) in charge of the series. Those discussions are facilitated during an intermission halfway through the film and also after the film for those who want to stay.
“The main goal of the film series is to inform students about issues and have them discuss their opinions about the issues in an open and nonjudgmental environment,” she said. “This film was decided because in our economical state right now, many can fall into this category at any time, and it’s important to showcase those who live there already because their stories are never really discussed.”
“Waging a Living” will also be shown on March 24 at 6 p.m. in AB IV Room 220.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Szymczak at tms007@shsu.edu.
Summer, fal
registration begins Friday
Registration by classification for the summer and fall semesters will open at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Registration begins for honors students on that day, followed by doctoral students, graduates, post baccalaureates, and seniors on March 23-24; juniors on March 25; sophomores on March 26; and freshmen on March 27.
Registration will close at 8 a.m. on May 8.
Students subject to mandatory advisement must see an adviser before they can register for the spring.
Advisement appointments can be made in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 170, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each school day, as well as from 5-6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays, by calling 936.294.4444.
Walk-ins will also be accepted one week prior to and during the registration period only; however, waiting times may be longer for walk-ins.
To find the advising location for a particular major, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~sam_www/advisinglocations.html.
Registration assistance will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Registrar’s Office, located on the third floor of the Estill Building.
For more information, call the Registrar's Office (936) 294-1052.
Concerts to feature steel drums, cello
The SHSU School of Music will host two free music events featuring the steel drum band and a guest cellist beginning Wednesday.
The SHSU Steel Band will fill the Farrington Pit with traditional Caribbean music, Latin jazz, and various arrangements of current popular music on that day at noon.
“Everyone is invited to bring a lunch and enjoy the live outdoor music,” said John Lane, assistant professor of percussion.
On Thursday (March 19), guest artist Craig Hultgren will play a solo program of recent compositions for the cello at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
The concert will feature living composers with connections to the state of Louisiana, including works with amplification, audio soundfile playback and a computer score-reading tablet, according to theory and composition faculty member Vincetti Frizzo.
Among the pieces that Hultgren will perform is Frizzo’s “Into My Own,” as well as Louisiana State University music professor Dinos Constantinides’ “Four Interludes” and a number of pieces written by Constantindes’ former students.
Several of the pieces that will be performed were written specifically for Hultgren, according to Frizzo.
For several decades Hultgren has been a proponent for new music, the newly creative arts and the avant-garde.
A long-time cellist in the Alabama Symphony, he also plays in Luna Nova, and teaches at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the Alabama School of Fine Arts and Birmingham-Southern College, where he directs the BSC New Music Ensemble.
In 2004, the Birmingham Sidewalk Film Festival 48-Hour Scramble cited him for the best soundtrack creation for the film “The Silent Treatment.”
For more information on either concert, contact the School of Music at (936) 294-1360.
SMMC pays it forward through scholarships
For three students and three student organizations, Financial Literacy Week paid off.
The Student Money Management Center awarded scholarships to junior kinesiology major Stephen Ferguson, junior Spanish major Patricia Wilken and junior international business major Carolyn Hall for their participation in literacy week events.
Ferguson and Wilken were chosen from a random drawing to receive $650 scholarships.
“These scholarships were provided through the funds generated from the booth fee that vendors were charged for participating in the expo,” said Jacki Brossman-Ashorn, assistant director for the Bearkat OneCard Services and Student Money Management Center offices.
Hall, who was also awarded a $650 scholarship, won her prize by attending the Financial Aid and Vendor Expo that was held on Feb. 26. The scholarship was sponsored by Higher One.
In addition, the student organizations that had the highest percentage of its total membership in attendance were also awarded prizes. Those include Omega Psi Phi, 1st place prize of $1,000; Omega Delta Phi, 2nd place prize of $750; and Alpha Phi Alpha, 3rd place prize of $500.
Bearkat featured
in ‘Lion’
SHSU senior Kayla Hughes was recently featured in “Lion,” the Lions Club International magazine.
In an article entitled “Youth is Served,” Hughes discusses the recently-established SHSU chapter, the difficulties of running a campus chapter and some of the activities in which they have participated.
Hughes, an animal science major from Orange, served as the president of a Leo Club when in high school and now serves as the SHSU chapter president.
“Even though the chapter is fairly new, they’ve already racked up an impressive list of accomplishments,” the article said. SHSU’s chapter was established in February 2008 and initiated its charter members in March 2008.
Among these accomplishments are helping with a fundraiser for Canine Partners for Life, donating to the Hurricane Ike relief, regularly visiting nursing homes, making baskets for holidays and special occasions for the elderly, and doing yard and housework for senior citizens who cannot physically perform the chores.
Dedicated to answering “the needs that challenge communities around the world,” Lions Club International is the world’s largest service organization.
“Lion” is published in 21 different languages, including English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Swedish, Italian, German, Finnish, Korean, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Chinese, Norwegian, Icelandic, Turkish, Greek, Hindi, Polish, Indonesian and Thai.
Annual vendor show Tuesday
Sam Houston State University, along with several other local entities, will host the 13th Annual HUB/Vendor Show on Tuesday.
Vendor booths for Historically Underutilized Businesses will be set up from 9 a.m. to noon that day at the new Walker County Storm Shelter to showcase products and services available to departments.
“This event is an excellent opportunity to meet certified HUB vendors that can meet your purchasing needs while also meeting and supporting the university’s HUB participation goals,” said Bob Chapa, HUB coordinator.
All faculty and staff are encouraged to attend.
The show is co-sponsored by the SHSU Small Business Development Center, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the City of Huntsville and Walker County.
The Walker County Storm Shelter is located on Highway 75 North next to the Prison Museum.
For more information, call the Purchasing Department at (936) 294-1894.
Tour to showcase constellations, give ‘Moon Dreams’
The physics department will explore Orion, Gemini, Taurus and other constellations currently visible during “Winter Skies and Moon Dreams” on Monday.
The planetarium series program will be held at 2 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. in the Planetarium, located in Farrington Building Room F102.
“‘Moon Dreams’ is a full-dome program about man’s fascination with the moon, its effects on us, and how we have studied it,” said Michael Prokosch, staff laboratory assistant for the physics department.
The show will last approximately one hour, and admission is free.
“Winter Skies and Moon Dreams” also will be shown on March 27 at 7 p.m. In April, the program will change to showcase spring constellations.
The Planetarium seats up to 29 visitors and includes a dome that is approximately 18 feet in diameter and more than 20 feet high in the center, according to Prokosch.
For more information on current show times for the Planetarium or the Observatory, call (936) 294-3664 or e-mail Prokosch at mwp007@shsu.edu.
SAM Center to start second study series
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will teach students to “study smart” with its second workshop series beginning on Monday.
The Study Skills Workshop Series is comprised of six one-hour sessions that focus on studying smart, procrastination, time management, reading textbooks and note taking, test taking strategies and stress management.
Sessions will be held on a variety of days and times to accommodate student schedules.
All sessions will be held in the SAM Center, located in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Suite 190.
Space is limited, and students are encouraged to call or stop by the SAM Center to sign up.
For more information, contact the SAM Center at (936) 294-4444 or samcenter@shsu.edu.
Vienne named to card user board
Bearkat OneCard and Student Money Management Center director Kristy Vienne has been elected to the board of directors for the National Association of Campus Card Users.
Vienne will serve one three-year term, with the option to elect to serve an additional three-year term for the board.
“I am truly honored by the nomination and election and hope to represent Sam Houston well in this position,” Vienne said.
The National Association of Campus Card Users is a nonprofit educational association that works to provide learning and networking opportunities for campus ID card and card industry professionals. The association offers a monthly newsletter (CardTalk), ListServ, Web site, an annual conference, and regional workshops on topics related to campus cards.
It was formed in 1993 to provide a responsive, diversified source of campus card related information and services.
Counseling book published by organization
Richard Henriksen, associate professor of counseling, will debut his book on counseling multi-cultural heritage individuals during the American Counseling Association’s annual national conference on March 19.
“Counseling Multiple Heritage Individuals, Couples, and Families,” co-written by Henriksen and Derrick A. Paladino, was published in January by the ACA, “an honor in and of itself,” according to counseling associate professor Daniel Eckstein.
During the conference, held March 19-23 in Charlotte, N.C., Henriksen and Paladino will attend the ACA presidential reception, participate in an author book signing and give a presentation.
The 275-page book is available for preorder at Amazon.com and will be available April 30 to be mailed.
March 14, 2009 09:15 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: March 1
Health Center pharmacy reopens
With the addition of pharmacist Lauren Hoban, the Student Health Center pharmacy is now reopened and serving students.
Open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m., the pharmacy can fill any prescription written by a medical practitioner licensed to practice in the state of Texas.
“The pharmacy’s convenient location makes the pharmacy easily accessible for all students,” said SHC programming coordinator Sarah Hanel.
“The pharmacy is able to purchase certain medications at a substantial discount and pass the savings on to the students,” she said. “In some cases, medications are available for less than an insurance co-payment.”
Because the pharmacy stocks only certain medications, students are advised to call for availability.
The pharmacy was closed for several months due to the previous pharmacist moving. Hoban, a PharmD, moved to Texas several weeks ago from Cleveland, Ohio.
For more information, or to check the availability of a medication, call the SHC pharmacy at (936) 294-1803.
St. Thomas professor to discuss Mestizo culture
John Francis Burke, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, will present “The Three Paradigms of Mestizo Politics: Purity, Resistance, & Lateral Engagement” on Tuesday.
The lecture, sponsored by the foreign languages department, will be held from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
Mestizaje refers to the mixing of the African, European and Indigenous Tribes cultures, especially in Latin America and the U.S. Southwest that was initiated in the Spanish conquest of the Americas, according to Burke.
“I will show that whereas south of the Rio Grande/Bravo mestizaje tends to be interpreted as the European heritage purifying the black and Indian heritages, north of the Rio Grande/Bravo, mestizaje tends to be interpreted, especially in Chicano studies, as an identification with the subjugated Indian in resistance to the European conquerors,” he said.
Burke’s book, “Mestizo Democracy,” placed second in both the “Religion and Politics” and the “Race, Ethnicity and Politics” sections’ “Outstanding Book of the Year” awards in 2007 at the American Political Science Association Convention.
“It’s very unusual for a text to place so high in two separate sections,” said Debra Andrist, foreign languages department chair.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the department of foreign languages at (936) 294-1414.
Counselor to address mental issues for history month
Elizabeth Charrier, Counseling Center psychologist, will discuss the role gender has played in the development of mental illness categories and its treatment on Wednesday.
“Women’s Issues,” sponsored by the Office of Multicultural and International Student Services, will be held at 3 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 304.
“The intent is to educate the audience further about the development of mental health problems and how as a society we contribute to that, particularly as it plays out for gender stereotypes, ‘rules’ and expectations,” Charrier said. “Audience members should also come away with a sense of how to respond with compassion and greater understanding to others in whom they identify mental health problems.”
An example of this, Charrier said, is that women are more often diagnosed with depression than men.
“One reason for this might be that anger is a less acceptable emotion for women to express in our culture and sometimes when one cannot express themselves to others, those emotions get focused inward,” she said. “The result is often depression.
“Understanding the societal factors, such as our expectations for what is acceptable behavior for women, influences what we see as pathology/bad/negative/ ‘crazy’ in our society,” she said. “We, then, as members of the society have the power to redefine things.”
The lecture is being held in honor of National Women’s History Month in an effort to raise awareness and greater acceptance of people with mental health issues, particularly as pertaining to gender.
“The social and cultural issues that affect women sometimes go unnoticed or unmentioned,” said Ashley McDonough, program coordinator. “I think that this program will be a unique opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to get a better understanding of why we celebrate women during National Women’s History Month, as well as the unique societal issues that women deal with on a daily basis.”
For more information, contact McDonough at (936) 294-3588 or diversity@shsu.edu.
Rice prof to ‘Look For Planets’ during lecture
Christopher Johns-Krull, associate professor in Rice University’s department of physics and astronomy, will discuss “Looking for Planets in the First Three Million Years” on Thursday.
The physics colloquium lecture will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in Farrington Building Room 101.
Krull has taught at Rice since 2001. He previously worked in researching at the University of California and taught as a visiting professor for one semester at San Francisco State University.
He also completed postdoctoral research and a fellowship with the University of Colorado and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively.
His current research interests include studying T Tauri stars, which are low mass, young stars that have only recently emerged from their natal molecular cloud cores to become optically visible, according to his Web site.
He earned bachelor’s degrees in math and physics from the University of Texas at Austin, and his master’s and doctoral degrees in astronomy from the University of California – Berkeley.
For more information, call the physics department at (936) 294-1601.
Haven training workshop to be held March 19
SHSU’s Haven committee, the safe zone and support channel for homosexual students, will recruit faculty and staff participants during a training workshop on March 19.
The session will be held from 5-8 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 302.
The workshop will cover such things as vocabulary, slang terms, the coming out process and describe sexual/gender identity, heterosexism and the concept of privilege.
“The workshops are very interactive and discussion is highly encouraged,” said Chuck Collins, Program Council coordinator and Haven co-chair. “By undergoing a workshop, we hope to educate, clarify misconceptions, and provide participants an environment in which they can ask any question they desire.”
Attending the workshop does not commit a faculty or staff member to become a Haven volunteer; they can decide afterward.
To participate as a “safe zone,” faculty and staff members volunteer to simply serve as a presence for the university’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning community. After the initial training, “maintenance is very minimal,” Collins said.
“A safe zone program operates as an open-door policy initiative,” he said. “By identifying a location as a safe zone, the person seeking the safe zone location will know that they are approaching an individual who is accepting and empathetic—literally, they enter a safe zone, a place they will be fully accepted without fear of reproach.”
Faculty or staff members’ participation as a “haven” will be identified through a placard placed outside of his/her office, as well as through the Haven Web site.
Workshops are limited to 20 and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
While the training program is currently open to only faculty and staff, it will eventually open up for graduate and teaching assistants, resident assistants, and possibly select undergraduates as well.
The final Haven training session for the spring semester will be held on April 16. Other sessions will be scheduled at a later date.
For more information on Haven, or to sign up for a workshop, e-mail haven@shsu.edu.
Rodeo team asks if fear is factor for bull riding event
The SHSU Rodeo Team will give students the opportunity to participate in one of the most dangerous sports in the world and prove that “fear is the factor” on Thursday.
The fifth annual “Fear is the Factor Bull Riding” will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Agriculture Complex.
For the event, rodeo team members recruit non-affiliated students, both men and women, to compete by attempting to ride a bull for the traditional eight seconds. The winner will receive a “beautiful” customized champion fear factor buckle, according to rodeo team coach Bubba Miller.
Recruitment will be held in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area on Tuesday, during which time a mechanical bull will be set up for students to get a feel for bull riding.
Participants must be enrolled at SHSU and must sign a liability waiver.
“Safety gear, a helmet and a vest, will be provided for the student to wear, but there cannot be any safety guarantee,” Miller said. “We’re going to give them easiest bulls we can find, but that’s a relative term. They’re still going to be full-grown.
“Students must be informed that this is one of the most dangerous sports in the world.”
The team will also sell T-shirts the week of the event and at the event.
The entry fee to participate is $30, which must be paid by Wednesday (March 3). Admission is $5, with all proceeds benefitting the rodeo team and its annual rodeo, which will be held March 13-14 at the Walker County Fairgrounds.
Doors open at 6 p.m.
The Indoor Ag Complex is located on the corner of Avenue M and Interstate Highway 45, directly across the interstate from the Raven Nest Golf Course.
For more information on sign up and tickets, contact Miller at (936) 264-3867 or elm014@shsu.edu.
Office to prepare students for ‘Destination Graduation’
The Registrar’s Office will give upcoming graduates a one-stop ‘destination’ where all their questions can be answered on Monday.
“Destination Graduation” will be held from 2-4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Departments from across campus will be on hand to answer such questions as “Where do I go for the ceremony,” “Is there anything else I need to do,” or “What do I do after graduating?”
“We just want to offer students a way to find out what is going on so that there are no surprises at the end of graduation,” said Maria Busby, assistant registrar.
The event is open to all students who have applied for May 2009 graduation, including all bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs.
For more information, contact the Registrar’s Office at ask.regstaff@shsu.edu.
February 28, 2009 06:07 pm
More entries >>>
Bulletin Board: Feb. 22
Texas A&M Graduates
Diplomas were awarded to 3,182 Texas A&M University graduates during fall commencement ceremonies.
Those recognized from the area were: John Mark London of Huntsville, B.S. in marine biology; Chad Michael Peter of Huntsville, B.S. in kinesiology; Laura Kathryn Chapa of Huntsville, B.B.A. in information and operations management; Bethany Ann Roche of Huntsville, B.B.A. in marketing, graduated Summa Cum Laude; Bonnie Kay Scasta of Huntsville, B.A. in psychology, graduated Cum Laude; Wade Ryan Sims of Huntsville, B.S. in sports management; Ricky Paul Anderson Jr. of Dodge, B.S. in construction science; Kyle Robertson Hugghins of Huntsville, B.B.A. in marketing; and Jason Baxter Boyle of Huntsville, B.S. in kinesiology.
Cushman makes Dean’s List
Amanda Cushman, a junior at Texas A&M, made the fall 2008 Dean’s List with a 3.8 GPR.
Amanda is also a member of the A&M Aggie National Champion Equestrian Team, receiving a national champion ring for the western team and a member of the Letterman’s Club lettering each of the last 2 years. She is majoring in Ag Leadership and Development with a minor in Business and plans on attending graduate school after her May 2010 graduation.
Amanda has made the Big 12 Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and earned a Texas A&M/Verizon Athletics Scholar Award for the last 2 years as well as an outstanding Athletics Scholar Award for achieving a 4.0 her freshman year. That same year she was named Ag Leadership, Education and Communication Outstanding Freshman Student of the year.
Lanier announced as Corps of Cadets leader
Cadets Brent Lanier and Morgan Oliver will lead Texas A&M’s Corps of Cadets during the 2009-2010 school year.
Lanier is a junior political science major out of B Company from Katy. Oliver is a junior spatial sciences major out of company S-1 from Burkeville.
Lanier will become the highest-ranking cadet in the 1,700-member Corps of Cadets. As cadet colonel of the Corps, he will lead one of the largest uniformed body of students outside of the United States service academies.
Upon graduation from A&M, Lanier will seek a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. His future plans are to return to school and obtain law degree.
“I am honored to have been appointed as the Corps Commander for 2009-2010,” said Lanier.
“During my time as a cadet, I have experienced the Corps’ continued progress and growth into the forefront of leadership development and service, and plan to build on these core values.
As Deputy Corps Commander for Operations, Oliver will assist in leadership of the Corps and serve as commander in Lanier’s absence.
Lanier is the son of Carol and Gus Lanier Jr. of Katy. He is the grandson of Lillian Lanier of Huntsville. His uncles and aunts are Lynda and Tom Henry and Dennis and Paula Culak of Huntsville.
February 21, 2009 08:50 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU updates: Feb. 22
Financial Literacy Week kicks off Monday
In an uncertain economic climate, the Student Money Management Center will work to teach students how to avoid personal financial disasters with a series of educational lectures and interactive workshops beginning Monday.
Financial Literacy Week will kick off that day with lectures on banking products at 11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Theater, a FAFSA and financial aid workshop from noon to 2 p.m. in the LSC Atrium, a money booth contest for students to catch cash at noon in the LSC Mall Area, and a comedic financial seminar at 6 p.m. in the LSC Theater.
Among Tuesday’s highlights are a budget and savings lecture at 9:30 a.m. in the LSC Theater, an interactive budgeting seminar from 2-4 p.m. in LSC Room 320, an “Ultimate Money Skills” workshop at 6:30 p.m. in the LSC Theater.
On Wednesday, author Tamara Draut will discuss “Why America’s 20- and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead” at 11 a.m. in the LSC Ballroom, in addition to workshops on scholarships at 2 p.m. in the LSC Theater, and identity theft at 3 p.m. in the LSC Theater.
Thursday’s activities include a lecture on consumerism and financial literacy at 9:30 a.m. in the LSC Theater, a Financial Literacy Vendor Expo from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in LSC Room 320, another FAFSA and financial aid workshop at 11 a.m. in the LSC Ballroom, and a lecture on good versus bad credit at 2 p.m. in the LSC Theater.
Activities will culminate on Friday with an economical (free) lunch, during which financial literature will be passed out, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the LSC Mall Area.
For more information on any of the Financial Literacy Week events, or for a complete schedule, contact the SMMC at (936) 294-2600, smmc@shsu.edu or visit http://www.shsu.edu/~smmc/.
Lecture to look at Euro-related inflation
Claude Lopez, assistant professor of economics at the University of Cincinnati, will discuss her paper “Testing for Group-Wise Convergence with an Application to Euro Area Inflation” on Thursday.
The spring Economics Seminar Series Lecture will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Smith-Hutson Building Room 134.
The paper, co-written with David Papell, introduces new statistical methods to determine whether inflation rates across the various countries that make up the European Union converged after the adoption of the Euro, as they were supposed to, according to Darren Grant, SHSU assistant professor of economics.
“Previous methods have been unable to resolve this question, but this paper gives strong evidence that inflation across the EU countries did indeed converge as it was supposed to,” Grant said.
Lopez has taught at the University of Cincinnati since 2003.
She earned her master’s degree from the University de Toulouse I, in France, and her doctorate from the University of Houston.
For more information, contact Grant at (936) 294-1265.
Professor emeritus to return for lecture
Jack Staggs, a SHSU professor emeritus who is considered to be one of the 10 founders of counseling in the state of Texas, will discuss “A brief overview of the history of counseling in Texas and some recommendations for beginning counselors” on March 2.
The lecture, open to the public, will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in Teacher Education Center Room 131. Refreshments will follow his presentation in TEC Room 111-E.
A “legend in our parts,” Staggs came to SHSU in 1960, serving as director of the department of education for 13 years, during which time he increased faculty numbers from 11 to 40, according to associate professor of counseling Daniel Eckstein.
Although he retired in 1986, he continued to teach part time until 1993, at which time he was named by The Texas State University Board of Regents as “Professor Emeritus of Education.”
Because of his contributions to the counseling program, in 2004 Staggs was honored as the namesake of the Dr. Jack S. Staggs Counseling Clinic, a training clinic for doctoral and master’s students.
Staggs “stands as a model of outstanding generosity” through his service to multiple organization and his financial contributions to SHSU in such areas as establishing a number of scholarships, as well as a dissertation award, Eckstein said.
Prior to Staggs’ talk, counseling adjunct professors Van Wiesner and Barbara Bryant, as well as retired professor Gary Hood, will provide information on the free counseling clinic services available to the community as well as relate personal experiences of having Staggs both as a teacher and as a colleague prior to his retirement.
SHSU’s ‘Excellent’ teachers sought
Nominations for SHSU’s annual Excellence in Teaching Award will be accepted online through 3 p.m. on Friday.
Nominations may be made by faculty, staff, students and alumni, and the recipient will be awarded a cash stipend of $5,000.
The Excellence in Teaching Award is a very prestigious award, representing the highest level of teaching achievement at Sam Houston State University, according to committee chair Thomas Chasteen.
Nominees must be full-time faculty members, including program coordinators; however, previous award winners may not be nominated.
Past winners include: William Abbott, Elizabeth Andrews, Gary Bell, Harry Bohan, David Burris, Charles Capps, Adrian Cooley, Richard Cording, Caroline Crimm, Earline Dolive, Jerry Dowling, Frances Elmer, Coralie Emmons, Frank Fair, William Fleming, Gaddis Geeslin, David Gerling, Kenneth Hendrickson, John Holcombe, Rita Huff, Virginia Irvin, William Jasper, James Johnson and Stanley Kelley.
Also, Doug Krienke, Maniam Balasundram, Valerie Muehsam, Thom Murray, Mary Ann Nolteriek, James Olson, Mary Frances Park, Phillip Parotti, Ralph Pease, Wayland Pilcher, Mozelle Powell, Debra Price, Daniel Reeves, Marcus Rigby, Carol Sangster, John Snelgrove, Victor Sower, Donald L. Stalling, Susannah Ural, Bill Waldron, Laverne Warner and Maynard Yoes.
Nominations may be made online at https://ww2.shsu.edu/vote02wp.
For more information, contact Chasteen at (936) 294-1533 or chasteen@shsu.edu.
Simulator to virtually ‘Save A Life’
The Dean of Students’ Office and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative will take students on a virtual journey through a drunk driving accident on Wednesday.
The “2009 Save A Life Tour,” a simulator that allows students to experience drunk driving accidents, will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Atrium.
The tour will show incidences with varying levels of blood alcohol concentration and a crash scene involving passengers and other cars in different traffic venues.
“The tour takes student drivers through actual police responses, emergency room scenes, and uncensored family reactions,” said Roseanne Keathley, ADAI coordinator. “The simulator includes screeching brakes, crying, screaming, sirens, flashing lights, blood, and injuries that have proven to make an impact on the drinking and driving behaviors of students.”
The simulator also provides the ability to implant a split-second delay on the part of the impaired driver that negatively affects responsiveness. This delay allows participants to experience virtually every tendency that a driver would endure while alcohol impaired.
In addition, tour guides include those who have personally experienced drink-driving tragedies as passengers in drinking related crashes and by losing loved ones through these life-changing incidents.
“The ‘Save A Life’ simulator was designed to show students how alcohol affects reaction time and motor skills from a sober prospective,” Keathley said. “This is a shocking, ‘in-your-face’ presentation of reality, addressing the very real and often fatal consequences of poor decisions.”
The event is open to all students, faculty and staff members, as well as community members. Students can also receive co-curricular credit and SWAAT points for participating in the tour.
For more information regarding the tour, call assistant dean of students Jeanine Bias at (936) 294-3026.
Faculty members who want to send their classes to the “Save A Life Tour” may do so by contacting Keathley at (936) 294-1171.
ADAI to help students strike out drugs, alcohol
With spring break just around the corner, the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative will show students how to strike out alcohol and drug use on Monday.
“Spring Break Training” will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area and 2:30-4:30 p.m. in LSC Room 315.
During the event, Recreational Sports’ associate director of programs Franklin Harrison and others from Rec Sports will sign students up for “Team Rec Sports,” after which students can participate in a mini-baseball camp, pick a starting line-up in a fantasy draft and show off Wii baseball skills for their team.
In addition, Harrison will take students back in time to learn about major league baseball players who struggled with drugs and alcohol.
“Everyone thinks their career can't be ruined because they are a professional or the best at what they do, but that's not necessarily true,” said Lisa Joyner, ADAI assistant. “Top athletes abuse alcohol and drugs, which sends a message out to younger individuals who may lookup to them and what they do.”
Though they are using professional athletes as examples, Joyner said students who follow or admire them can relate to them by seeing them go through alcohol or drug abuse, which is something “regular” people go through every day.
“Students will be able to see first hand and relate better when they realize that the top athletes they watch everyday may be someone who abuses alcohol and drugs and have lost their career or life to substance abuse,” she said.
“Alcohol and Drugs are a bad combination and can ruin your academic and sports career in a split second,” Joyner said. “Students will learn how the actions that they take can ultimately make them strikeout at the things they love most. The consequences that can come from one night of fun isn't worth throwing your career away for.”
For more information, contact Rosanne Keathley, ADAI coordinator, at (936) 294-1171.
Summer graduation applications due March 4
Students who anticipate graduating in August are to file degree applications by March 4 with the Registrar’s Office online through Sam Web.
Those who fail to apply by the deadline will be assessed a $25 late application fee in addition to the $25 graduation fee. Applying late may also result in names not appearing in the commencement program or the honors program.
The Registrar’s Office is located on the third floor of the Estill Building.
For more information, call (936) 294-1040.
Mallen book named ‘Best of 2008’
Fondo de Cultura Económica, a prestigious publishing house, has listed foreign languages professor Enrique Mallen’s book “Poesía del Lenguaje: De T. S. Eliot a Eduardo Espina” as the “Best Book Of Literary Criticism Of 2008.”
“I recommend this detailed study of North American and Latin American postmodern poetics; an excellent publication,” the Argentinean publishing house said in its review.
Mallen’s book “Poesía Del Lenguaje: De T. S. Eliot A Eduardo Espina” was published in 2008 by Editorial Aldus, a major publisher of works on literary criticism in Mexico.
The book analyzes Espina’s poetic style in relation to “language poetry," an avant garde literary group that emerged in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
“In the book I show how Espina’s poetry concentrates on the structure of language itself, going beyond pure representation to reach a deeper perception which is closely linked to language,” Mallen said. “I examine Espina’s poetry in relation to other known poets such as T. S. Eliot, William Carlos Williams, Ezra Pound and Wallace Stevens.”
Class targets younger audience in campaign
Health and kinesiology faculty, staff and students dressed in red on Feb. 12 in support of American Heart Month this February.
The health and kinesiology department “went red” on Feb. 12 to warn younger audiences of the results of unhealthy habits they may participate.
The department’s faculty and staff members, as well as students, dressed in red that day to promote cardiovascular health as part of the American Heart Association’s annual “Go Red” campaign.
February is American Heart Month, designed to raise awareness of the nation’s No. 1 killer, heart disease.
In addition, students in the health education class “Communication Skills for Health Professionals” developed ‘The Wall of Knowledge,” which will be on the walls in the hallway of the Health and Kinesiology Center through the end of the month.
The wall addresses risk factors, preventive measures, signs and symptoms of heart disease.
“Most ‘Go Red’ campaigns are directed to a population over 35,” said Susie Stone, health clinical faculty member who teaches the HED 392 class. “We wanted to assist the typical 21-25-year old to look at their current health habits and see into the future where they might fit in regarding risk facts for cardiovascular disease.
“The posters highlight risk factors such as smoking and obesity - both of which are modifiable, and a good time to work on that is when you are young,” she said.
The “Wall of Knowledge” will be up through the end of February.
February 21, 2009 08:47 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: Feb. 15
SHSU to celebrate Mardi Gras Cajun style
The Sam Houston State and Huntsville communities will have the opportunity to celebrate Mardi Gras the Cajun way with the university’s seventh annual festival on Thursday.
The event, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. in the Lee Drain Building Atrium, will feature the Cajun music band Jambalaya with guest artist D.L. Menard, both of whom have been playing at the event since its inception, according to communications studies professor Terry Thibodeaux.
“He’s (Menard is) an old-time Cajun musician and is one of the most famous Cajun musicians still living today,” Thibodeaux said. “The core of the band has been together for over 20 years. They’re led by Terry Huval, and he plays several instruments.
“Basically, you can dance to any Cajun song with either a two-step, which is slightly different from a Texas two-step, or a waltz,” Thibodeaux said. “There’s also a different kind of dancing called zydeco dancing, but this is not a zydeco band. This is a traditional Cajun band. They play some wonderful dance music, and we have a good time every year.”
Earlier in the day, Menard and Jambalaya members Terry Huval and Reggie Matte will give a free, public symposium on Cajun culture and music, from 6-7 p.m. in Evans Building Room 105.
The band visits SHSU annually because they speak to the English 488 class, Texas Crossroads, as well as play some music.
Thibodeaux said the Mardi Gras celebration allows people to learn about the culture and also breaks down stereotypes related to the Cajun people and culture.
“I think a lot of times the Cajun culture is misunderstood because of some of the images and impressions that are given from mass media and even in restaurants,” he said. “What you see labeled as Cajun oftentimes is not authentic at all.”
Tickets are $10, or $5 with an SHSU ID, and can be purchased at the door.
The dance is expected to end at 10:30 p.m.
New prof to discuss her field in personal lecture
New family and consumer sciences visiting assistant professor Courtney Winston will share her personal experiences as a registered dietician and with the industry on Wednesday.
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center’s Up Close and Personal lecture will be held at noon in the Farrington Pit.
“I’ll be mostly talking about what it s like to be a registered dietitian and what career options you have,” said Winston, who is also a certified diabetes educator. “I’ve primarily worked in healthcare, so I’ll be talking a lot about what it’s like to be a medical clinician and what it takes to succeed in the medical field.
“People are always going to need health care providers (dietitians, doctors, nurses),” she said. “I feel that if you want job security in the long-run, a career in the health care field is the way to go.”
Winston came to SHSU in August from Azusa Pacific University in San Diego, Calif., where she served as an adjunct professor. At SHSU, she also directs the undergraduate program in food science and nutrition.
She previously worked with the Kaiser Foundation Hospital and the American Red Cross Women, Infants and Children Program.
A current doctoral student in the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Winston received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Carolina
The Up Close and Personal speaker series is a 30-minute lunchtime presentation designed to help our students and university community build mentoring relationships with our outstanding faculty, said Bernice Strauss, director of academic support programs for the SAM Center.
For more information, contact Strauss at (936) 294-4444 or sam_bss@shsu.edu.
Sociology professor to talk for grassroots lecture
Sujey Vega, visiting assistant professor of sociology, will share her life and experiences, as well as field questions, on Wednesday, as part of the Grassroots speaker series.
The lecture will be held at 5 p.m. in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Concourse, located in room 90.
“Examining the challenges and role models that have guided me, the presentation will attempt to offer students a glimpse at how to keep pounding the pavement and search out their own success in life,” Vega said.
“Though still a work in progress, my own career path has been paved with setbacks and pain,” she said. “It is in revealing some of these very real experiences that I hope to encourage students to find their inner strength and persist in fulfilling a commitment to themselves.”
Vega, who has taught at SHSU since last fall, has done extensive research on Latinos and immigration.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of North Texas and both her master’s and doctoral degrees in anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Following the discussion, a meet-and-greet with refreshments will be held in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located in CHSSB Suite 170.
“Grassroots: A Series of Conversations on Leadership in a Diverse Community” is sponsored by the academic support programs of the Student Advising and Mentoring Center; the Elliott T. Bowers Honors Program; the International Hispanic Association; Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.; the NAACP; the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program; Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc.; and Women United.
For more information, contact Bernice Strauss, director of academic support programs for the SAM Center, at (936) 294-4444.
Former St. Thomas president to link Spain, Ireland
Joseph McFadden, professor of history and president emeritus at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, will discuss a connection between Spain and Ireland on Thursday.
The lecture, which will focus on the Spanish Armada s crash on the coast of Ireland and the sailors who escaped drowning, will be held at noon in Lowman Student Center Room 321.
Considered an expert on Irish history, McFadden earned his doctorate from Northern Illinois University in American history and has a minor in modern European and Russian history.
Traveling extensively in Ireland, he also taught at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, Ireland.
McFadden joined the UST faculty in 1988, teaching as a history professor since 1997 and serving as president between 1988 and 1997. He also served as interim president in spring 2004.
“He is one of the most sought-after professors around (at St. Thomas),” said Debra Andrist, chair of the foreign languages department. “People waited in line for hours just to get in his classes.”
McFadden spoke at SHSU last spring on the Celtic Tiger and the economic success of Ireland; that lecture was also well attended, according to Andrist.
For more information, contact the foreign languages department at (936) 294-1441.
Fair to bring 49 employee-seeking entities to campus
While the job market may be grim due to the economic crisis the country is currently facing, the College of Business Administration will have 49 companies who are looking for new employees on campus on Tuesday.
The College of Business Administration Career Fair will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Students and alumni seeking full-time jobs or internships will have the opportunity to peruse companies seeking employees from a variety of academic majors, including Aerotek, Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, H-E-B, McCoy’s Building Supply, McKesson, Wal-Mart and Wal-Mart Logistics, among others.
Because the fair is centered around business-related companies, a number of banking and financial institutions will also be available, including Amegy, BKD, the Federal Reserve Bank and Federal Deposit Insurance Company, Houston Community Bank and Wells Fargo Financial, as well as a number of accounting firms.
For a full list of companies that will be in attendance, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~coba/fair/Companies2009.html or for more information on the career fair, call COBA at (936) 294-1254.
February 14, 2009 07:59 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: Jan. 25
Fraternity to address myths, pressures of ‘Drug Rush’
Members of the Theta Chi fraternity will discuss the laws, limits and liabilities of alcohol and drugs use and how consumption can affect college life and beyond on Monday.
“Drug Rush,” an Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative event, will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area.
“Students feel that rushing only involves Greek life, but this is not necessarily the case,” said Lisa Joyner, ADAI assistant. “Rushing can take place in organizations that do not have to deal with Greek life, such as in honorary organizations and sports.”
While the media may portray drinking and hazing as something that simply happens within college life, especially within fraternities and sororities, and students think that fatal consequences won’t happen to them, this is not always the case, Joyner said.
“This session will be important to all students, to learn about peer pressure and what to do in the face of peer pressure and how things in the media are not 100 percent true,” she said. “You have to make the smart decisions for yourself.
“Students are here to learn and make smart decisions and have fun, but academics comes first, and making decisions that can take you away from academics is not a smart choice,” Joyner said.
“Drug Rush” is part of the ADAI’s Six Weeks of Alcohol Awareness Training program, an educational series aiming to increase awareness of alcohol abuse issues among students.
Through the program, students earn prizes by attending events, which accumulate as students attend more programs.
For more information, contact Rosanne Keathley, Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative coordinator, at (936) 294-1171 or org_aai@shsu.edu.
‘Sammy’ awards nominations sought
The Student Activities Department is seeking SHSU’s outstanding students, organizations and advisers for the 15th Annual Sammy Awards.
“The Sammys is Sam Houston State University's official student award ceremony,” said Brandon Cooper, event manager for Student Activities. “It's truly a way for the university to recognize the outstanding students and organizations that we have.
“For 15 years the Sammys’ focus has been honoring the amazing contributions that students and faculty/staff make at SHSU,” he said. “It’s the university’s way of saying thank you to those individuals and groups.”
Sammy awards will be given to 18 individuals and organizations, and approximately four will be given to graduating students and faculty or staff members for outstanding contributions and service to the university, which require nominations from members of the university community at-large.
In addition, five individual awards representing excellent service from a student in each of the five colleges at SHSU will be awarded, which require nominations strictly made from members of the SHSU faculty within each student’s particular college, according to Cooper.
Students nominated for individual awards must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.5 and meet the minimum hours required for the class standings in which they are nominated.
Nomination forms, due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 13, should be returned to the Department of Student Activities, located in the Lowman Student Center Suite 328; through campus mail to SHSU Box 2507; or faxed to (936) 294-3652.
This year’s Sammy Awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on April 15 in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
For more information, call (936) 294-3861 or e-mail sammyawards@shsu.edu.
Latin concert to
celebrate
organization’s
movement
The SHSU School of Music will help welcome the Southwest Council of Latin American Studies to campus with a performance of music from the area on Thursday.
The Latin American music concert will be held 7:30-8:45 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
The evening will include performances by the SHSU Jazz Ensemble; the percussion ensemble, playing marimbas; the SHSU Faculty String Quartet; and a solo by Director of Keyboard Studies Sergio Ruiz, among others.
In addition, Ruiz will introduce the program in both English and Spanish, and foreign languages department chair Debra Andrist will give a welcome and discuss the honored organization.
SCOLAS, currently housed at Baylor University, will make SHSU its official institutional home in March, according to Andrist.
The concert, expected to last approximately an hour and 20 minutes, is free and open to the concert. A reception will also follow.
For more information, call the School of Music at (936) 294-1360 or Andrist at (936) 294-1441.
Music to tune up semester with
concert, festival
The SHSU School of Music will open the semester by presenting its “various voices” during a faculty recital and a cello festival beginning Tuesday.
That evening, music faculty will perform pieces from composers around the world during “Various Voices,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
The recital will feature Kathy Daniel (flute), Patricia Card (clarinet), Ilonka Rus (piano), Mary Kay Lake (soprano) and Hayoung Lim (cello). They will perform Brazilian pieces, as well as works by Handel, a German composer; waltzes by Shostakovich, a Russian composer; and Florent Schmitt, a French composer; among others.
On Thursday, cellist Mike Block will visit the SHSU campus for the three-day 2nd annual Cello Festival.
That day, Block will work with students in the “String Improv” class, as well as hold a masterclass, in School of Music Building Room 202, at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
Festival concerts will begin on Friday and will include the SHSU Faculty Recital, featuring cellist Daniel Saenz and guest pianist Brendan Kinsella performing the works of Poulenc, Dzubay, and Rachmaninoff at 5:30 p.m.; and a guest artist concert, during which Block will perform original compositions, at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday at 2 p.m., the guest artist will join the SHSU Cello Studio for a recital featuring the music of Glazunov, Saint Saens, Hindemith, Tchaikovsky and Block. All three of the Friday and Saturday concerts will be held in the Recital Hall.
Known for his non-traditional pizzicato and improvisational abilities, Block regularly performs with a number of musical groups, including his own band.
He has also appeared on a number of television shows, including VH1, Live with Regis and Kelly, Late Night with Conan O’Brian, and he performed with Yo-Yo Ma and Allison Krauss on the CBS Early Show.
Kinsella, who is described as a “sensitive musician with an ear for color,” has appeared widely throughout the United States and Asia.
Beginning piano at age 11, he made his concerto debut at 15 with the Kentucky Symphony.
Kinsella earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the College-Conservatory of Music and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
All events, including Tuesday’s faculty concert, are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the School of Music at (936) 294-1360.
Group to host
charity ‘Climb For Koanaka’
The biological sciences department’s paleobiology lab will “Climb for Koanaka” on Saturday, with a charity climbing event.
The Koanaka Kids Project event, open to the public, will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the Health and Kinesiology Center’s rock climbing wall.
The Koanaka Kids Project is a group dedicated to helping orphans from Botswana, Africa, by providing them with clothes, shoes and toys, according to member Sophia Aguayo.
While the event is mainly an open climb, “friendly” competitions will also be held at the wall, she said.
The event is $5 to climb, and T-shirts will also be sold for $5, with all proceeds benefitting needy Botswana children, many of whom are AIDS orphans. Snacks will be provided.
In addition, “Climb for Koanaka” T-shirts will be available with a donation to the first 75 participants.
SHSU biology faculty members and students have been traveling to Botswana since 2007 for research purposes.
Plans to continue the research efforts in the area are currently being made,” Aguayo said. “Several students from the paleobiology lab, along with Drs. Patrick Lewis and Monte Thies, will be going to Botswana to excavate fossils and document the modern fauna at the Koanaka Hills in July 2009.”
For more information on “Climb for Koanaka,” contact Aguayo at stdsma29@shsu.edu.
SAM Center to give study tips
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will teach students to “study smart” with a workshop series beginning on Monday.
The first Study Skills Workshop Series is comprised of six one-hour sessions that focus on studying smart, procrastination, time management, reading textbooks and note taking, test taking strategies and stress management.
Sessions will be held on a variety of days and times to accommodate student schedules.
A late-start session will begin Feb. 18, with sessions held at 5 p.m. through April 1, and a second session will begin on March 16.
All sessions will be held in the SAM Center, now located in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 170.
Space is limited, and students are encouraged to call or stop by the SAM Center to sign up.
For more information, call (936) 294-4444 or e-mail samcenter@shsu.edu.
May graduation applications due Wednesday
Students who anticipate graduating in May are to file degree applications by Wednesday with the Registrar’s Office.
Those who fail to apply by the deadline will be assessed a $25 late application fee in addition to the $25 graduation fee.
Applying late may also result in names not appearing in the commencement program or the honors program.
Final exams will be held May 11-14, with a study day scheduled for May 8, and commencement is scheduled for May 15-16.
The Registrar’s Office is located on the third floor of the Estill Building.
For more information, call (936) 294-1040.
January 24, 2009 07:11 pm
More entries >>>
SHSU Updates: Jan. 18
University to close for MLK Day
Sam Houston State University will be closed on Monday in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Classes will resume on Tuesday, which is also the last day to register and process schedule changes for the spring semester.
‘Little Red Cowboy Hat’ illustrator to give seminar
Randy Cecil will be the featured illustrator for the library science department’s Children’s Book Illustration Art Seminar on Feb. 7. The seminar will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom A.
“The purpose of the art seminar is to enrich courses in children’s literature and to provide continuing education to area librarians and art teachers by providing an opportunity for participants to interact with and learn from a successful illustrator,” said Rosemary Chance, assistant professor of library science.
During the event, Cecil will make a presentation about his art and direct an art project using oil paints. Afterward, he will also autograph a selection of his books that will be for sale.
A Houston native, Cecil has been illustrating, and sometimes writing, children’s books for 12 years. He published 15 books, including “Little Red Cowboy Hat” and “Runaway Tortilla,” and three more in production.
The cost is $25 for teachers and librarians, and there is no cost for SHSU students.
The registration deadline will be Feb. 2. Seating is limited to 50 participants and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, or to register, contact Chance at rxc001@shsu.edu or (936) 294-1151, and for more information on Cecil, visit www.randycecil.com.
Group garage sale to benefit needy children
Students in the biological sciences department’s PaleoBiology Lab will provide needy children with clothes, shoes and toys by selling some of their own.
The Koanaka Kids Project garage sale will be held on Saturday from 7 a.m. to noon at 2114 Avenue S.
“The Koanaka Kids Project is dedicated to helping orphans from Botswana by providing them with clothing, shoes and toys,” said KKP member Sophia Aguayo. “All proceeds from the garage sale will be used to purchase items for these needy children, many of whom are AIDS orphans.”
The sale will include primarily clothing, shoes and books, and while donations will also be accepted, “no offer will be refused," Aguyao said.
For more information, contact Aguayo at stdsma29@shsu.edu.
Art exhibits to showcase faculty works
Not one but two different art exhibitions will be available in the SHSU art department for viewing this week.
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery will feature paintings, sculptures, photography, ceramics, printmaking, drawings and animation created by most of the current SHSU art faculty beginning Tuesday. The exhibit will be open from noon to 5 p.m. through Feb. 6.
The Students of Fine Arts Gallery also will feature works by visiting scholar of graphic design JiYoon Kim through Thursday.
“Digitype {Hangul}” is an “exploration of artistic ideas contrasted with Korean culture,” according to Kim, who is at SHSU from Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea.
“One example of unique Korean culture is Hangul, the Korean alphabet,” he said. “I have expressed the philosophical meaning of Hangul motifs and created the relationship between Hangul and digital media.
The Korean alphabet was invented in 1444 and promulgated it in 1446 during the reign of King Sejong, the fourth king of the Joseon Dynasty. Originally called “Hunmin jeongeum,” the alphabet means "the correct sounds for the instruction of the people,” Kim said.
Because the exhibition can only be viewed digitally, the show is by appointment only.
A public reception will be held for both shows on Thursday, from 5-7 p.m.
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery is located in Art Building F, and the SOFA Gallery is located in Art Building A. Both galleries are located in the SHSU Art complex.
For more information, contact Debbie Davenport Harper, audio/visual librarian for the art department, at (936) 294-1317.
Tour to showcase constellations, give ‘Moon Dreams’
The physics department will explore Orion, Gemini, Taurus and other constellations currently visible during the “Winter Skies and Moon Dreams” on Friday.
The planetarium series program will be held at 7 p.m. in the Planetarium, located in Farrington Building Room F102.
“‘Moon Dreams’ is a full-dome program that talks about man’s fascination with the moon, it’s effects on us, and how we have studied it,” said Michael Prokosch, staff laboratory assistant for the physics department.
The show will last approximately one hour, and admission is free.
“Winter Skies and Moon Dreams” also will be shown Feb. 13 at 7 p.m., March 16 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. and March 27 at 7 p.m. In April, the program will change to showcase spring constellations.
The Planetarium seats up to 29 visitors and includes a dome that is approximately 18 feet in diameter and more than 20 feet high in the center, according to Prokosch.
For more information on current show times for the Planetarium or the Observatory, call (936) 294-3664 or e-mail Prokosch at mwp007@shsu.edu.
January 17, 2009 08:38 pm
More entries >>>
|
|
|
 |
|
Excellent Caregiver Wanted
Excellent
Caregiver Wanted
6a-6p day shift.
Call 936-494-0901...>MORE
Company Flat bed drivers
Company Flatbed Drivers.
Levinge Fright Lines, A Willis based LTL Fright company now hiring experienced OTR drivers...>MORE
See all ads |
|
|
|
Moble Homes for sale
RED TAG SALE
Many homes on sale now save thousands while they last. Singel wodes and Double wides. One Triple wide<...>MORE
Luv Homes
Luv Homes in
Conroe has 16, 18 28 and 32’ wide homes. Large selection in stock. We own the bank!! We can finance h...>MORE
See all ads |
|
|
|
 |
|
