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SHSU Update For Week Of Sept. 19, 2010
- Home Opener Activities To Recognize Heroes
- Repair Work To Begin In Parking Area
- ‘Real Talk Tuesday’ To Feature Deputy U.S. Marshal
- Northwestern Prof To Address Darfur Genocide
- Cancer Center Prof To Give Physics Colloquium
- Talk To Address Link Between Humans, New Species
- Lone Star Program Coordinator To Share His Roots
- Music Performances To Showcase Guest Artists, Prof
- Career Expo Lines Up 75 Potential Employers
- Ruck March To Raise Awareness, Money For Troops
- Students To Get Boot Camp Treatment For Literacy
- ADAI, Hospital To Show Students They C.A.R.E.
- Series To Introduce Faculty To New Program
- Send Update Items Here
Home Opener Activities To Recognize Heroes
The Sam Houston State University Athletics Department, ROTC and Veterans Resource Center will salute first responders and military personnel during the Bearkat versus Gardner-Webb football game with a number of activities on Sept. 25.
Activities for the home opener, also part of Bearkat Family Weekend, will kick off with the Veterans Resource Center’s inaugural five-mile Military Ruck March beginning at 8 a.m. at the southwest corner of the Westhill Mall parking lot.
That afternoon, festivities on campus will begin at 2 p.m. when U.S. Army Black Hawk and Apache helicopters will land on the intramural field west of Bowers Stadium, as weather permits. The helicopters will be available for tours by the public until the football game begins at 6 p.m.
During the pre-game tailgate party, which begins at 4 p.m. in Bearkat Alley, the ROTC will grill hamburgers, the ROTC rock-climbing wall will be available, informative displays will be set up and patrons can tour the U.S. Army 18-wheeler which houses demonstrations of the medical capabilities of the U.S. Army. The Veterans Resource Center mobile van, highlighting veterans' services, will also be on hand.
Also at 4 p.m., the Bearkat Marching Band, student organizations and other Bearkat football fans will march from the Lowman Student Center Mall Area to Bearkat Alley.
Beginning at 4:30 p.m., the Houston Texans cheerleaders will sign autographs just inside the north entrance under the scoreboard.
Game-time activities will include a patriotic-themed halftime presentation of “God Bless America,” a public servant march onto the field, a fly-over by the U.S. Army helicopters, and recognition of the "Hillcrest Ford Heroes," which include military veterans and Walker County police and fire department emergency service personnel.
After the game, a special fireworks extravaganza will be presented by Magic in the Sky, of San Antonio.
“The goal is to honor those who serve the community, the military, the guard, fire, police, emergency services, local and county folks; all of those willing to put their lives on the line in defense of you,” said Lt. Col. David Yebra, chair of the Military Science department. “As always, we just want to make the game a fun experience for everyone.”
Live coverage of the football game on KSAM 101.7 FM begins at 5:30 p.m. and on the Internet at www.gobearkats.com. KSAM also will be broadcasting live from the pregame tailgate at Bearkat Alley beginning at 4 p.m.
Bearkat single game tickets are on sale at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office in the Ron Mafrige Field House south of Bowers Stadium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fans can purchase Bearkat Family Weekend football game tickets online or by calling the ticket office at 936.294.1729.
Sam Houston students are admitted free to Bearkat home athletic events on presentation of their Bearkat OneCard.
Repair Work To Begin In Parking Area
Beginning Oct. 4, work will begin in the Sam Houston Village underground parking area to repair the cinder block walls on the north and west sides.
Approximately 60 parking spaces will be affected.
“We are asking students who park in those spaces to move their vehicles by Friday, Oct. 1,” said Joellen Tipton, director of the Department of Residence Life.
“As always, those students may park in any blue lot as long as they have a blue parking sticker,” she said. “We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our students’ cooperation as we make the repairs.”
It is not known at this time how long the parking spaces will be out of commission.
'Real Talk Tuesday' To Feature Deputy U.S. Marshal
SHSU alumna Natalie Garza found a diverse and exciting career in the U.S. Marshals Service. As a deputy in the federal agency, Garza assists with apprehending federal fugitives, protecting the federal judiciary, shielding the Witness Security Program, transporting federal prisoners and seizing property acquired through illegal activities.
Garza, who received her bachelor’s degree from Sam Houston State University’s College of Criminal Justice in 2007, will return to SHSU on Tuesday (Sept. 21) for the College of Criminal Justice’s “Real Talk With CJ,” at 2 p.m. in the CJava Café, in the Criminal Justice Center.
A recruitment officer for the U.S. Marshals Service Southern District of Texas in Houston, she started her career at the U.S. Marshals Service through a cooperative education program offered through the College of Criminal Justice.
Upon completion of the co-op and graduation, she was offered a position at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center to pursue a job as a deputy U.S. Marshal. After basic training, she became a deputy and was assigned to her first duty station in McAllen.
The U.S. Marshals ensure the safety of witnesses, who risk their lives testifying for the government in cases involving organized crime and other significant criminal activities, and the Marshals Service houses more than 58,000 detainees in federal, state, local and private jails throughout the nation.
The agency also handles federal fugitive investigations, apprehensions and extraditions, a task that often takes deputies out of the county. Deputies from Houston have recently traveled to Vietnam, Mexico and Columbia as part of the process. The Marshals apprehend more federal fugitives than any other law enforcement agencies combined.
“Media and TV show have now titled us ‘Manhunters’ which is just a Hollywood name for fugitive apprehensions,” said Garza. “It’s our job -- they run and our agency doesn’t stop looking for them until they’re found,” Garza said.
Garza will be joined at the “Real Talk Tuesday” presentation by other SHSU alumni, including deputy U.S. Marshals Louis Labarge and Marianne Matus, who also work in the Houston office.
For more information, contact Beth Kuhles, criminal justice public relations officer, at exk005@shsu.edu or 936.294.4425.
Northwestern Prof To Address Darfur Genocide
John Hagan, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Sociology and Law at Northwestern University, will present "Explaining State-Led Genocide: Dehumanization, Death, and Displacement in Darfur" on Wednesday (Sept. 22).
The College of Criminal Justice’s Beto Chair Lecture Series discussion will be from 9:30-11 a.m. in the Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom in the Beto Criminal Justice Center.
Hagan is co-director of the Center on Law and Globalization at the American Bar Foundation in Chicago. He received the Stockholm Prize in Criminology in 2009.
His research with a network of scholars spans topics from causes of crime to war crimes and human rights.
He and co-author Alberto Palloni recently wrote “Death in Darfur,” which appears in a September issue of Science, and he also co-author with Wenona Rymond-Richmond of Darfur and the Crime of Genocide, which received the American Sociological Association’s Crime, Law and Deviance Section’s Albert J. Reiss Distinguished Publication Award and the American Society of Criminology’s Michael J. Hindelang Book Award.
A former president of the American Society of Criminology, Hagan received Guggenheim, German Marshall Fund, and Russell Sage Foundation Fellowships, as well as the C. Wright Mills, Albert J. Reiss, and Michael J. Hindelang Awards.
His book on Justice in the Balkans: Prosecuting War Crimes at The Hague Tribunal was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2003 and Northern Passage: American Vietnam War Resisters in Canada was published by Harvard University Press in 2001. He is the co-author, with Fiona Kay, of Gender in Practice: A Study of Lawyers’ Lives, published by Oxford University Press in 1995.
The Beto Chair was established in 1979 to enhance the learning experience for students and faculty alike by bringing top scholars in the fields of criminology and criminal justice to campus.
For more information, contact Beth Kuhles, criminal justice public relations officer, at exk005@shsu.edu or 936.294.4425.
Cancer Center Prof To Give Physics Colloquium
Shoudan Liang will discuss the work he does as a professor with the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center’s department of bioinformatics and computational biology on Wednesday (Sept. 22).
The physics colloquium lecture, "Bioinformatics of Next Generation DNA Sequencing," will be at 3 p.m. in Farrington Building Room 209.
Liang has worked with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center since 2005, also teaching as an adjunct faculty member in the center’s stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy department since 2006.
He has been engaged in the bioinformatics filed since 1998, when he became a consultant analyzing microarray data.
Liang received his bachelor’s degree from Peking University in Beijing, China, and his doctorate from the University of Chicago. He also studied at Princeton University and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
For more information, call the physics department at 936.294.1601.
Talk To Address Link Between Humans, New Species
Darryl de Ruiter, associate professor of anthropology at Texas A&M University, will discuss his work in South Africa on Wednesday (Sept. 22) as part of the Biological Science Department’s Seminar Series.
The lecture, "Australopithecus Sebida: A New Species of Homo-like Australopith from South Africa," will be from 4-5 p.m. in Lee Drain Building Room 214.
De Ruiter is one of the principal researchers at the newly discovered site of Malapa in South Africa. As the lead cranio-dental specialist, de Ruiter is responsible for the analysis of the crania, jaws and teeth of the recently announced species Australopithecus sediba.
“Work in Plio-Pleistocene deposits at the newly discovered site of Malapa, South Africa, has resulted in the recovery of several partial skeletons attributable to a new species we have named Australopithecus sediba,” he said. “These specimens represent a rare case of Plio-Pleistocene hominins found in direct association with one another and in good geological context.
“The overall body plan is that of a hominin at an australopith adaptive grade, though several characters of the cranium and pelvis are clearly derived toward our own genus, Homo,” he said. “A sediba, therefore, represents a transitional form intermediate between the australopiths and Homo.”
Held each Thursday, the Biological Sciences Department Seminar Series is intended for the public and addresses current research being conducted by a guest professor in a way that the general public can understand. All lectures are open to the public.
For more information, contact Madhu Choudhary, assistant professor of biological sciences, at 936.294.4850.
Lone Star Program Coordinator To Share His Roots
Richard Lewis, coordinator for the Lone Star College Minority MALE Initiative, will discuss his life, career path and the people and things that influenced him along the way on Wednesday (Sept. 22).
The Grassroots speaker series lecture will be from 5-7 p.m. in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room C070.
Lewis has worked in education for more than six years.
As coordinator for Lone Star College’s Minority MALE Initiative, a first time in college mentoring program for African American and Hispanic students, Lewis provides services such as job/career search, scholarship assistance, degree plan preparation, transportation assistance, cultural enrichment, leadership development, community service and tutoring.
A meet-and-greet with refreshments will follow the discussion in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located in CHSS Building Suite 170.
“Grassroots: A Series of Conversations on Leadership in a Diverse Community” was created in April 2003 with the aim of promoting career aspirations and academic achievements of SHSU’s minority students.
The lecture 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; Student Success Initiatives Office; and Women United.
For more information, contact Bernice Strauss, SAM Center director for academic support programs, at 936.294.4455 or sam_bss@shsu.edu.
Music Performances To Showcase Guest Artists, Prof
The School of Music will bring in musicians from the Houston Symphony, as well as a guest guitarist, for two concerts beginning Monday (Sept. 20).
The Chamber Music Concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. that day in the Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
Kicking off the Guest Artist Series, the concert will feature Ilonka Rus, assistant professor of piano, with members of the Houston Symphony Orchestra performing a Sergei Prokofiev sextet, a Joseph Haydn piano trio and a Johannes Brahms piano trio.
Prior to the concert, there will be a joint clarinet/cello master class in the Recital Hall and a violin/viola master class in the PAC Concert Hall, from 4-6 p.m.
The master classes—conducted by symphony members Danny Granados, clarinet; Rodica Gonzales, violin; Wei Jiang, viola; and Jeffrey Butler, cello—present a “wonderful opportunity and source of inspiration for students to come and watch such fine musicians teach and perform,” Rus said.
On Friday (Sept. 24), guest artist Joseph Williams will perform a guitar concert at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Recital Hall.
“Mr. Williams will have the distinction of being the first guitarist to ever play in the brand new Recital Hall, which will surely pick up the nuances of the instrument,” said Alejandro Montiel, SHSU adjunct professor of guitar.
His program will include Spanish romantic music, sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti and his own compositions.
“What has me excited is the fact that he will be performing Eliot Fisks arrangement of George Rochberg's monumental ‘Caprice Variations,’” Montiel said. “Originally a set of 50 variations for violin on a theme of Paganini, the piece demonstrates the full range of color, expressiveness and technique of the instrument while pushing the performer to the limit. An exciting work indeed.”
Williams is a classical guitarist and composer from New Mexico whose concerts have been presented by the New England Conservatory and Austin Classical Guitar Society as well as numerous universities, music festivals, and performance venues in North America and Brazil.
In 2007, Williams released his debut CD for VGo Recordings (The Eliot Fisk Guitar Series Volume One), a joint effort with guitarist Steven Lin.
He is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Music Arts at the University of Texas and holds degrees from the University of New Mexico and the University of Arizona.
Admission for both concerts is $15 for general admission and $12 for students and senior citizens. Master classes are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Career Expo Lines Up 75 Potential Employers
With the U.S. unemployment rate reached 9.6 percent in August 2010, Sam Houston State University’s Career Services is taking steps to help students and alumni find those coveted positions by bringing more than 75 companies and organizations to campus for the 2010 Career Expo.
Entities will be scouting out potential employees from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday (Sept. 22) in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration, Consulate General of Japan, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Houston Community Newspapers, Peace Corps, The Disney Company, Universal Weather and Aviation and the USDA Farm Service Agency, as well as numerous banks and police departments from many of Texas’ metroplex areas will be among those available.
Students who are registered on Jobs 4 Kats can get a jumpstart to finding a job or internship by logging on, at https://www.myinterfase.com/shsu/student/, to find a complete list of participating agencies, as well as position descriptions of positions they are hiring for, according to Paige Andrews, job fair and special events coordinator.
“We are committed to assisting our graduates in successfully competing for opportunities that do exist for them and now, more than ever, we need your assistance in promoting the Career Expo to these students and recent alumni still in the job search,” said Pam Laughlin, director of Career Services.
All student attendees are asked to bring their Bearkat OneCards to the expo to expedite the check-in process.
To help prepare expo participants to meet with potential employers, Career Services will also host two workshops on Monday (Sept. 20).
The “How to Work the Career Expo” workshop will be from noon to 1 p.m., and the Resume Writing/Interviewing Skills Workshop will be from 3-4 p.m., both in the Career Services Seminar Room in Academic Building IV Room 210.
For more information on Career Services events, call 936.294.1713 or e-mail careerservices@shsu.edu.
Ruck March To Raise Awareness, Money For Troops
Sam Houston State University will help military servicemen and women “carry the load” during its inaugural five-mile Military Ruck March on Sept. 25.
“The five-mile foot march is in commemoration and to bring attention to the physical, mental, and emotional "load" that military/ veterans and our civil service brethren carry daily,” said Jacob Bullion, Veterans Resource Center recruiting coordinator.
“Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, thousands of Americans have borne the burden of fighting and dying in multiple theaters of war as well as those civil service men and women that bear the brunt on the lines here at home keeping us safe,” he said. “This is a march to commemorate both the efforts of those still serving, those whom have served, and for those that never came home.”
The competitive march will begin at 8 a.m. at the southwest corner of the Westhill Mall parking lot. Registration will begin at 6 a.m., followed by an opening ceremony.
Participants can enter the event individually or as a team. Prizes will be awarded in 18 categories, with divisions for military personnel carrying 45 and 60 pound rucksacks, civilian and individuals.
The cost to participate is $100 per military team of four, or $25 per military individual, carrying a 45-pound sack; $60 per military team of two, or $30 per military individual, carrying a 60-pound sack; $80 per civilian team of four, or $20 per individual; and $15 per individual civilian or military personnel carrying no rucksack.
All proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project, Huntsville Police Officers Association and Huntsville Volunteer Fire Department.
The event is sponsored by the SHSU Veterans Resource Center and Collegiate Veterans Association.
For more information or for registration forms, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~reg_www/veterans.html and click on the WWP Ruck March link, contact Bullion at 936.294.4079, or stop by the Veterans Resource Center, in Estill Building Room 104.
Students To Get Boot Camp Treatment For Literacy
The Student Money Management Center will help make students “fiscally fit” with a new, six-week total financial immersion that covers everything from budgeting to credit scores.
The “Financially Fit Boot Camp” will kick off on Monday (Sept. 20) with a financial goals seminar from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Theater. Sessions will be every Monday at that time through Oct. 25.
“Financial Goals” will lay the foundation for the rest of the financial strength training, according to Jacki Brossman-Ashorn, assistant director for the Student Money Management Center.
“Students will learn that financial goals are often synonymous with their other life goals,” she said. “They will also learn why financial goal setting is important and tips for achieving those goals. A discussion of how to write goals so they are realistic and attainable will also be covered, as well as developing a plan of action for achieving their financial goals.”
The six sessions will also cover “getting started” (Sept. 27), building savings (Oct. 4), credit information (Oct. 11), identity protection (Oct. 18) and “What Did You Learn?” (Oct. 25).
“These topics are the basics building blocks to establishing wealth, and learning to be fiscally responsible,” Brossman said. “In all of the financial literacy textbooks, these are the basic topics.
“The goal of this program is for students to gain the foundation by which they can achieve financial independence,” she said. “We are here to provide the groundwork for them, we will provide the knowledge and skills necessary.”
For more information, contact the SMMC at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
ADAI, Hospital To Show Students They C.A.R.E.
The SHSU Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative will show students how to get “a fresh start,” free from chemical addiction, on Tuesday (Sept. 21).
“Chemical Addiction Recovery and Education—A Fresh Start” will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area.
The event will be held in conjunction with the Huntsville Memorial Hospital C.A.R.E. program.
Led by a physician and licensed substance abuse counselor, the C.A.R.E. provides comprehensive services including assessment, group and individual therapy, prescription medication management, case management, instruction, family education and support.
“Chemical Addiction Recovery and Education—A Fresh Start” is part of the Six Weeks of Alcohol Awareness Training program, through which students can earn prizes by attending events over the course of six weeks.
For more information, contact Rosanne Keathley, ADAI coordinator, at 936.294.1171.
Series To Introduce Faculty To New Program
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will host a series of workshops to introduce faculty members to the university’s Community of Science Funding Opportunities subscription.
The first COS Workshop is scheduled for Sept. 27 from 3-5 p.m. in the Thomson Building Room 329 computer lab.
COS Funding Opportunities is a comprehensive source to search for funding that is much more efficient than Googling, according to Jerry Cook, vice president for OSRP.
COS Funding Opportunities can be used to search more than 25, 000 records representing over 400,000 individual funding opportunities from numerous sponsors across all disciplines.
Searches can be created and saved to be run again whenever the user wishes, as well as shared with others so they can run the search. As many as 40 searches can be saved.
Users can also track and review up to 200 records on your COS Workbench, receive same-day alerts when tracked records are updated, organize tracked records with tags, and share them with others.
Cook urges all faculty interested in pursuing grant funding from any source to make use of this resource.
“This is a great opportunity for our faculty to discover opportunities to fund their scholarly activities,” he said.
The deadline for workshop registration is 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 24).
For more information, or to register, contact Christi Walters at 936.294.1708 or cwalters@shsu.edu.
Send Update Items Here
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: Bruce Erickson, Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Sept. 17, 2010
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.
