"The measure of a Life is its Service."
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.
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 (March 3).
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.
Elizabeth Charrier, Counseling Center psychologist, will discuss the role gender has played in the development of mental illness categories and its treatment on Wednesday (March 4).
“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.
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 (March 5).
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.
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.
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 (March 5).
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.
The Registrar's Office will give upcoming graduates a one-stop 'destination' where all their questions can be answered on Monday (March 2).
"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.
SHSU alumni and friends will gather at Sam’s Boat in The Woodlands on March 17 for an evening of networking and entertainment.
Appetizers and a free beverage will be served during the SamWorks event, which will be held from 6-8 p.m.
“SamWorks is a great way for young alumni to network and re-connect with their alma mater,” said Charlie Vienne, director for Alumni Relations. “The alumni office invites university administrators from various departments around campus such as Career Services, admissions and recruiting, Graduate Studies, to answer questions and be there as resource for our alumni. Alumni can visit with these administrators to gain knowledge and insight into various aspects of their careers and into furthering their education.
“SamWorks is also an event in which our Alumni Association board of directors can visit with alumni to access their interest in serving on the board of directors, joining their local alumni club, or providing volunteer support for alumni events in their areas,” he said.
Sam’s Boat is located at 26710 I-45 North.
For more information, call the Office of Alumni Relations at 936.294.1841 or 800.283.7478 or visit http://alumni.shsu.edu.
Twenty-four police departments and other entities will be on the SHSU campus on Wednesday (March 4) to meet and recruit potential employees during the Criminal Justice Job Fair.
The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Police departments scheduled to attend the event include those from Baytown, Beaumont, Bryan, Houston, Fort Bend County, Dallas, College Station, Longview, Irving and Huntsville.
In addition, agencies such as the Texas Youth Commission, United Protective Services, Houston’s Bureau Of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Texas Department of Public Safety and its crime laboratory, U.S. Army, Houston’s U.S. Marshals Service and the Houston Office of the Attorney General—child support division will participate.
While these entities are generally seeking criminal justice students, opportunities may be available for students from other academic backgrounds, including psychology, computer science, communications and biology, the last of which was specifically requested by the U.S. Customs, according to Candice Williams, undergraduate coordinator and adviser for the College of Criminal Justice.
For more information, contact Paige Andrews, special events and marketing coordinator for Career Services, at 936.294.3616 or pandrews@shsu.edu.
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative and the SHSU Rodeo Team will encourage students not to get “roped in” to drugs and alcohol with a demonstration on Monday (March 2).
Students can catch the bull by the horns and learn facts and myths associated with alcohol and drugs, as well as their consequences, from 10 a.m. to noon in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area.
“Students sometimes get ‘roped in’ to doing things they necessarily don't want to do because of peer pressure and the need to fit in,” said Lisa Joyner, ADAI assistant. “They will learn that you can fit in without alcohol and drugs, and they will be able to try on the BAC (blood alcohol content) goggles at different levels while trying to rope and ride against someone sober so that they can see how alcohol and drugs will affect them.”
During the event students also will be able to enter into a drawing to win tickets to the Houston Livestock Show Rodeo.
For more information, contact Rosanne Keathley, ADAI coordinator, at 936.294.1171 or visit http://www.shsu.edu/~org_aai/.
Huntsville’s Oakwood Cemetery is one of the most historically important cemeteries in Texas, according to Patrick Nolan, director of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum.
It is the final resting place of Gen. Sam Houston, more than a hundred confederate soldiers, and other prominent figures of history.
In honoring those that lay at rest, an art exhibit entitled “Tales from Oakwood” will open on March 2, which is Texas Independence Day as well as the birthday of Gen. Sam Houston.
Featuring the work of local photographer Barbara Sloan, the exhibit will be on display in the Katy and E. Don Walker, Sr., Education Center Exhibition Gallery through April 30.
Her photos include historical burial plots and graves, embossed on black and white silver prints that have been stained in an antique tone. Displayed next to each piece of work is a framed narration by Walker County clerk James D. Patton describing its historical value.
Sloan worked for a year to put the exhibit together, she said.
Of the many people of historical importance in the cemetery, Sloan chose nine different families to be featured, some of which include the Gibbs, the Easthams, Henderson King Yoakum and Gen. Sam Houston.
This project is supported in part by funding from the Huntsville Arts Commission and the City of Huntsville.
For more information, contact Barbara Sloan at bas@wt.net or the Sam Houston Memorial Museum at 936.294.1832.
The School of Music will feature its trumpet and trombone studios, as well as a guest piano artist with four recitals beginning Monday (March 2).
Members of the trumpet studio will perform solos from various time periods and styles, from Baroque to Jazz, during two recitals that day, at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., both in the Recital Hall.
Both programs will also include performances by the SHSU Trumpet Ensemble.
Each recital will be about one hour in length.
On Tuesday (March 3), the trombone class will present an informal recital, during which majors will perform solo pieces accompanied by the piano, at 7:30 p.m. in Music Building Room 202.
“It's sort of a mid-term for performance majors,” said Allen Barnhill, trombone professor. “Each student will play approximately three to five minutes.
“There will be several very talented and capable players on the program, too,” he said.
On Wednesday, Lina Morita, assistant professor of piano at McNeese State University, will perform a range of contemporary works from such composers as Toru Takemitsu, from Japan, and György Ligeti, from Romania, as well as more classical pieces from composers such as Joseph Haydn and Frédéric Chopin.
The guest piano artist performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
A São Paulo, Brazil, native, Morita has performed in various solo and chamber music performances across the U.S. and abroad.
She received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Eastman School of Music in piano performance and literature; her Master of Music degree from Rice University; and her Bachelor of Music degree from Indiana University.
All four concerts are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will help “lost” students find a major and prepare students for the graduate school entrance exams with two upcoming workshops.
The “Help Choose A Major Workshop” will be held on March 18, from 3-4 p.m. and again on March 19, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in the SAM Center, in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Suite 190.
The sessions are designed to “help students navigate the process of exploring a major” through discussions on the myths of choosing a major, the exploration process, resources to help students choose and possible career options for particular majors, according to Candi Harris, SAM Center staff associate.
Students also will be able to sign up for individual help sessions after the workshop if needed.
Because seating is limited, students are encouraged to sign up beforehand.
On March 20-21, the center will help students with strategies to master the Graduate Record Exam and the Graduate Management Admission Test with a weekend mini-prep session.
Led by assistant professor of mathematics education
Mary Swarthout and associate professor of English Tracy Bilsing, the workshop will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. It will be held at the University Center in The Woodlands.
“There are many prep sessions out there for the GRE/GMAT that could cost anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand dollars,” Harris said. “While the SAM Center sponsored course may not be as extensive as these, it is an excellent opportunity to give students an inside scoop on how to take the exam.
“Instructors look at ways to approach each section of the exam and tips on how to perform at your best,” she said. “Students are expected to have completed a majority of the recommended 50 hours of individual study time before they attend this course.”
Because the Feb. 23-26 on campus prep course reached capacity, registration is mandatory for the GRE/GMAT prep course. The program will be offered again in the summer and fall.
Registration is free for both workshops.
For more information, or to sign up, contact Harris at ceh021@shsu.edu or call the SAM Center at 936.294.4444.
Information for the SHSU Update can be sent to the Office of Communications 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 staff ample time to make necessary contacts and write the story.
For electronic access to SHSU news see the Communications Web page Today@Sam.
- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Feb. 27, 2009
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
This page maintained by SHSU's Communications Office
Director: Bruce Erickson
Assistant Director: Julia May
Writer: Jennifer Gauntt
Located in the 115 Administration Building
Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
Brian Domitrovic, assistant professor of history, appeared on Book TV (C-SPAN) May 1-2, speaking about his recent book "Econoclasts: The Rebels Sparked the Supply Side Revolution and Restored American Prosperity" (www.econoclasts.net).
Houston Chronicle education writer Jeannie Kever recently turned to Regents Professor of English Paul Ruffin for his views on university presses moving toward "digital books" as opposed to traditional ink-on-paper."We're fulfilling the ancient role of the university press, and that is to produce books," said Paul Ruffin, the Texas poet laureate for 2009 and director of the Texas Review Press at Sam Houston State University. "I don't want to give up the book because it is an art."
Monday, May 3
Tuesday, May 4
"The measure of a Life is its Service."