SHSU
Update For Week Of Jan. 27
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 sixth annual festival on Thursday (Jan.
31).
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 associate dean of
the College of Humanities and Social Sciences 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 that 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.
The dance is expected to end at 10:30 p.m.
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St. Thomas’ Former
President To Discuss Ireland
Joseph McFadden, professor emeritus of history and president
emeritus at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, will
discuss Ireland’s economic rise on Tuesday (Jan. 29).
“The Celtic Tiger,” a multi-media presentation,
will be held from 6-7 p.m. in Academic Building IV’s
Olson Auditorium.
“The whole idea (of the lecture) is to give our students
opportunities to hear about what’s happening in other
countries and cultures,” said Debra Andrist, chair of
the foreign languages department.
The Irish Celtic Tiger of the 1990s was not only an economic
boom for the Irish state but was an economic revolution precipitated
by Ireland’s induction into a globalized economy, transforming
Ireland from an historically provincial state into one of
the most globalized nations in the world.
McFadden earned his doctorate from Northern Illinois University
in American history and 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),” she said. “People waited in
line for hours just to get in his classes.”
A light reception will follow the lecture.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored
by the foreign languages, history and economics departments,
as well as the Office of Multicultural and International Student
Services.
For more information, call 936.294.1441.
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Book Artist To Direct
Library Science Seminar
Illustrator Mike Wimmer will share his tricks of the trade
with students, librarians, teachers and budding artists during
the library science department’s “Art Seminars
in Children’s Book Illustration” on Feb. 2.
The seminar will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on that day
in Academic Building IV Room 202.
“The purpose of the seminar is to teach different techniques
artists use to make children's books and ties in with information
students get in their literature classes,” said library
science department chair Mary Berry.
“An award, known as the Caldecott Medal Award, is given
each year to books for their illustrations,” she said.
“Since our students need to know this award for various
reasons the learning of different art techniques can be useful
in guiding others to what makes a book an award winning one.”
During the seminar, Wimmer will direct participants in an
oil painting art project, materials for which will be provided
by the library science department.
Wimmer, a Muskogee, Okla., native, has illustrated such books
as “Flight” and “Homerun,” both by
Robert Burleigh; “All the Places to Love” by Patricia
Maclachan; and “Summertime,” an adaptation of
a George Gershwin tune, all of which will be available for
sale during the seminar for an autograph session after the
event.
His artwork has been described as "reminiscent of some
of Norman Rockwell's best" by the Chicago Sun-Times,
and he won the Oklahoma Book Award for Design/Illustration
for “All the Places to Love” in 1995.
The cost of the event is $25 and free for library science
students.
Because the focus of the event is for participants to receive
hands-on experience, the event is limited to 50, Berry said.
For more information, contact Rosemary Chance, assistant professor
of library
science, at rxc001@shsu.edu
or call 936.294.1151.
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Policarpo To Discuss
Peruvian Novel
Alcibiades Policarpo, SHSU associate professor of Spanish,
will present "Myth and Reality in Categuil” on
Monday (Jan. 28).
The discussion, part of the foreign language department’s
monthly scholarship presentation, will be held at 3 p.m. in
Evans Building Room 317.
Policarpo has served as a foreign language faculty member
since 1994.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in law and justice administration
in Lima, Peru and both his master’s and doctorate degrees
from St. Louis University.
“Myth and Reality in Categuil” is a novel written
by an English priest who took Peruvian citizenship and now
lives in Cajamarca in northern Peru.
For more information, call the foreign
languages department at 936.294.1441.
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Musicians To Perform, Lecture
At Four Events
The School of Music will present three concerts with accompanying
lectures beginning Sunday (Jan. 27).
Guest artist James Welch will perform that day at 7:30 p.m.
at the First United Methodist Church in Huntsville.
The next day (Jan. 28), Welch will work with students from
2:30-4:30 p.m. as part of an organ masterclass, also at the
FUMC in Huntsville.
On Thursday (Jan. 31), the guest artist Erica Azim will perform
the African instrument mbira, also known as the “thumb
piano” at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
Azim, founder of the non-profit organization MBIRA, “is
the foremost American performer and teacher” of the
instrument, which hails from the Shona people of Zimbabwe,
according to assistant professor of percussion John Lane.
She also has been recorded on numerous commercially available
CDs including “Mbira Dreams” and “Mbira:
Healing Music of Zimbabwe.”
Tickets are $10.
In addition, Azim will also give a free lecture on Friday
(Feb. 1) from 3-5 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
Guest artist John Scott's recital and masterclass, scheduled
for Wednesday (Jan. 30), has been cancelled due to illness.
All events, including masterclasses and lectures, are open
to the public.
For more information, call the School
of Music at 936.294.1360.
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SAM Center To Give Study Tips
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will teach students
to “study smart” during its workshop series beginning
on Monday (Jan. 28).
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 through
to accommodate student schedules, and a second session will
begin on March 17.
All sessions will be held in the SAM Center, located in Academic
Building IV Room 210.
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, e-mail samcenter@shsu.edu
or visit the SAM
Center, located in Academic Building IV Room
210.
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Team To ‘Globetrot’
Into Coliseum Next Week
Tickets are still available for the Harlem Globetrotters,
one of the most popular and recognized basketball acts in
the world, who will make their first SHSU appearance in three
years on Feb. 4 in the Johnson Coliseum.
The performance will be held at 7 p.m.
“Magic as Ever” 2008 world tour tickets can be
purchased through the Recreational Sports Department, in Health
and Kinesiology Center Suite 162, during normal business hours
or online at http://www.ticketweb.com.
Tickets range from $16 for general admission seats to the
$51 for “Magic Circle” seats. SHSU students, faculty
and staff will receive a $3 discount when they present their
Bearkat OneCards.
The Harlem Globetrotters have performed more than 20,000 times
and entertained presidents and popes during their 82-year
history.
For more information, call 936.294.1740 or 936.294.1985 or
visit http://www.shsu.edu/recsports.
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Mehta’s Lectures Get
Press In India
Two lectures presented by associate marketing professor
Sanjay Mehta during a conference in India were covered by
the “Daily News & Analysis,” a very-widely
circulated English newspaper in the country.
Mehta’s presentation “Globalisation: Opportunities
and Challenges,” in which he discussed the need for
India to focus on research and development in order to emerge
as a global power, was quoted in the Dec. 29 issue, while
his discussion on the need for teachers to entertain their
students instead of focusing on strict discipline was quoted
in the paper’s Dec. 30 issue.
During the second International Conference on Management,
held at the Sardar Patel Institute of Public Administration,
Mehta sat on a panel of five professors.
Mehta said he spoke for about 20 minutes on each of the topics.
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Send Update Items Here
Information for the SHSU Update can be sent to the Office
of Public Relations electronically at Today@Sam.edu
or to any of the media contacts listed below.
Please include the date, location and time of the event,
as well as a brief description and a contact person.
All information for news stories should be sent to the office
at least a week in advance to give the PR staff ample time
to make necessary contacts and write the story.
For electronic access to SHSU news see the Public Relations
Web page Today@Sam.
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- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Frank
Krystyniak, Julia May,
Jennifer Gauntt
Jan. 25, 2008
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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