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SHSU Update For Week Of Feb. 27
- Cajun Band To Bring Mardi Gras Spirit To Campus
- Biology Lecture To Look At Springsnails In Southwest
- English Lecture To Visit Middle England
- Group To Kick Off ‘Relay’ Season
- Center To Host Economic Development Workshop
- Job Fair To Target Criminal Justice Students
- Event To Provide Faculty With ‘Learning Strategies’
- Festival To Feature Contemporary Music
- Faculty Performance To Visit ‘Fabulous France’
- Student Wins ‘One Scholarship’
- Send Update Items Here
Cajun Band To Bring Mardi Gras Spirit To Campus
Sam Houston State students and Huntsville-area residents don’t have to travel to Louisiana to get a taste of what Mardi Gras is really like.
For the ninth year, the Cajun Mardi Gras festival will be held on Thursday (March 3), at 8:30 p.m. in the Estill Building Atrium.
The Mardi Gras dance will feature the Jambalaya Cajun Band from Lafayette, La.
“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,” said Terry Thibodeaux, communications study professor and Cajun culture expert. “There’s also a different kind of dancing called zydeco dancing, but this is not a zydeco band.
"This is a traditional Cajun band," he said. "They play some wonderful dance music, and we have a good time every year.”
Admission is free for SHSU students, faculty and staff members with their Bearkat OneCard and $10 for the general public.
Earlier that day, members of the band will join Thibodeaux at 6 p.m. in Evans Building Room 105 for a “Symposium on Cajun Music and Mardi Gras.”
Grammy nominee D. L. Menard, along with Jambalaya band members Terry Huval and Reggie Matte, will discuss the Cajun culture, play some requests, and talk about the history and myths of Mardi Gras.
Biology Lecture To Look At Springsnails In Southwest
David Rogowski, an assistant professor in Texas Tech University’s natural resource management department, will discuss his work with desert springsnails on Thursday (March 3).
"Ecology and conservation of desert springsnails," the Biological Science Department Seminar Series lecture, will begin at 4 p.m. in Lee Drain Building Room 214.
Rogowski’s lab has been researching for the past couple of years the ecology and natural history of the unique aquatic snail communities in a variety of spring systems in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico.
“Spring systems in the arid southwest are unique habitats and are particularly threatened from habitat loss (water tables dropping leading to dry springs) and invasive species,” he said. “These spring systems contain a unique assemblage of organisms found nowhere else.
“Many of these snails are threatened or endangered and occur in only one or two springs. Unfortunately, like most invertebrates, little is known about these unique snails,” he said. “We are exploring some basic research into a variety of these springsnails, such as population numbers, habitat associations, and temperature preference. Additionally, we are investigating the effects of two invasive snails that have been introduced into many spring systems, as well as potential ways to control for them.”
Rogowski has taught at Texas Tech since 2008. He previously served as a post-doctoral researcher and adjunct faculty member at the Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Arizona and as a research fellow with Quercus, the Research Centre for Conservation and Biodiversity, at the Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland.
He earned his bachelor’s degree at Oakland University, his master’s degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and his doctorate from North Dakota State University.
His research interests include aquatic ecology, habitat species relationships, invasive species, conservation biology and aquatic ecotoxicology.
The lecture is open to the public.
For more information, contact Madhu Choudhary, assistant professor of biological sciences, at 936.294.4850.
English Lecture To Visit Middle England
English professor Robert Adams will discuss “Bartholomew Burghersh the Elder: A Fourteenth-Century Patron of Learning and Literature” on Friday (March 4).
The English Friday Faculty Forum lecture will begin at 2 p.m. in Evans Building Room 417.
“Bartholomew Burghersh the Elder was an early sponsor and protector of William de la Rokele, aka William Langland—the author of Piers Plowman,” Adams said. “I am going to be discussing Burghersh's career, his relationship with William, and how authors typically found sponsors/protectors in the medieval world, an environment in which no one had a recognized right to privacy or self-expression.
“I will also be referencing other important figures who appear to have played a role in shielding William, a radical religious thinker, from retaliation,” he said.
Adams’ teaching emphasizes medieval and renaissance literature and editorial theory.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia.
He has published three books, including a translation of Ramon Lull’s “The Book of the Order of Chivalry,” and a number of scholarly articles on the poem “Piers Plowman,” as well as “The Canterbury Tales,” among others.
The English Friday Faculty Forum is designed to highlight current research by English faculty members.
All talks are open to students and faculty members, who are also invited to participate in a question and discussion period after the presentation.
Refreshments will be served.
For more information, contact Drew Lopenzina, assistant professor of English, at 936.294.1434.
Group To Kick Off 'Relay' Season
Colleges Against Cancer will show the Bearkat community how they can join in the fight against cancer with their Relay For Life Kick Off on Thursday (March 3).
The informational event will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
“Kick Off is a time for students, faculty and staff to come out and learn about how they can join in the fight against cancer, register teams and purchase luminaria bags,” said Kalyn Cavazos, Relay for Life event chair. “Our 2011 Relay For Life Kick Off will be a carnival themed event with tons of games and prizes and free food.”
Last year’s event raised more than $30,000 for the American Cancer Society. The goal for the 2011 event, themed “Changing the Channel on Cancer," is $40,000.
The Relay For Life kickoff will have the same kind of atmosphere as the actual event, so participants who have never attended can come and find out what to expect, according to Lisa Joyner, entertainment chair for Relay for Life.
"If you are someone who wants to help make a difference Relay For Life can help you achieve this goal," Cavazos said. “Together each Bearkat can make a difference, and we can come together as a campus community to help fundraise for such a worthy cause.”
This year’s Relay for Life will be held on April 29, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. at Bowers stadium.
For more information, contact Cavazos at krc021@shsu.edu or visit www.relayforlife.org/samhoustontx.
Rural Studies To Host Economic Development Workshop
Sam Houston State University’s Center for Rural Studies: Research and Outreach and the Texas Rural Innovators will share tips about economic development during a forum on March 17.
The “Learning from Example: Economic Development Forum and Luncheon” will be from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room C-90.
“The forum is an effort to bring a mix of outstanding practitioners together to share tips and practical information about success in small city and rural economic development,” said Cheryl Hudec, associate director for the Center for Rural Studies.
It will include success stories from around the East Texas region, information on different economic development designs, and advice, resources and tools to use for economic development.
The featured speakers will be Jim Clinton, director of the CENLA Advantage Partnership, a non-profit promoting regional development in Central Louisiana; and Carolyn Motl, former economic developer with Entergy Texas and a key figure in the development of the Community Development Institute.
The forum is free and includes lunch.
Participants must register before March 10 at www.shsu.edu/ruralcenter.
“We are anticipating this to be a big event attracting community and economic developers as well as agency persons from around the state, but especially from the East Texas region,” Hudec said.
For more information, or to register by phone, contact Hudec at clh003@shsu.edu or 936.294.4380.
Job Fair To Target Criminal Justice Students
Agencies representing private security, law enforcement, corrections, victims’ services, and forensic science will be among those on campus on Wednesday (March 2) for the Criminal Justice Career Fair.
The fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Entities scheduled to attend include Angelina County Adult Probation, Center for Advanced Legal Studies, City of Bryan, Fort Bend County, Montgomery County Women's Center, San Antonio Police Department, Target Corporation, Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services, Texas Department of Public Safety, U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.
Police departments from Belton, Carrollton, Conroe, Houston, Irving and Longview are also expected to be on hand.
Students should come dressed professionally and prepared with copies of their resumes to give to prospective employers.
To see an up-to-date listing of recruiters/agencies that will have tables set up at the Career Fair, visit the Career Services' website and log into Jobs4Kats.
Through Jobs4Kats students can create a “hit list” of agencies to target and to research employment opportunities and information about the recruiters and agencies attending, according to Paige Loft, Career Services career fair and special events coordinator.
Armed with this information, students may be able to present employers not only with their resumes, but completed applications and knowledge of the agency as well, she said.
The event is open to students from all classifications, as some employers also will be seeking interns, as well as alumni.
For more information, call Career Services at 936.294.1713.
Event To Provide Faculty With ‘Learning Strategies’
The Professional and Academic Center for Excellence will provide faculty members with strategies for active learning during a workshop on Friday (March 4).
The “Shaping the Write Assignment” seminar, “Strategies for Active Learning: Shaping Assignments to Increase Student Productivity and Engagement,” will be held from noon to 2 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 320.
The seminar is designed as an interactive workshop for faculty to accumulate new teaching strategies and to develop a writing-to-learn assignment ready for classroom use, according to PACE director Marsha Harman.
The seminar will be led by Carroll Nardone, director of Writing in the Disciplines, who will also address student engagement in course content and the mastery of course learning objectives.
Participants should bring five copies of a written assignment, which will be analyzed and potentially revised, with others; alternatively, participants could bring course objectives and use them to develop a new writing-to-learn assignment, according to Harman.
Lunch will be served at noon. Registration required, the deadline for which is 5 p.m. on Thursday (March 3).
Certificates of attendance will be available for those attending.
For more information, or to sign-up, contact Harman at 936.294.2688 or Harman@shsu.edu.
Festival To Feature Contemporary Music
Music from student and professional composers will be featured during the 49th annual Contemporary Music Festival Thursday through Saturday (March 3-5) in the Performing Arts Center.
The Ars Perpetua Student Composition Concert and Fisher Tull Composition Award Ceremony wll kick off the festival on Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. in the PAC Recital Hall.
That evening, the music of guest composer Michael Byron will be featured in a performance by the SHSU Percussion Group beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Concert Hall.
On Friday, guest composers Stefan Weisman and Byron will discuss their work in two lectures beginning at 8 a.m. and 9 a.m., respectively. Weisman’s discussion will be in Music Building Room 201, followed by Byron’s in PAC Room 240.
That afternoon, both guest artists will work with students in a masterclass from 1:30-3 p.m. in Music Building Room 219, followed by a concert featuring new works by SHSU faculty composers beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the PAC Recital Hall.
Finally, that evening, Intersection, the student new music collective, will present “Duo/Trio” at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Recital Hall.
The concert also will feature faculty cellist Daniel Saenz; guest artists Johnny Yang, Yenn Chwen Er, Huailun Liu and Yuri Saenz; and guest composer Christopher Wicks.
The festival will culminate on Saturday (March 5) with the SHSU Chorale performing “The Ecstasies Above” at 7:30 p.m. in the PAC Concert Hall.
Born in Chicago and growing up in Los Angeles, Byron began playing the trumpet in second grade.
He studied at the California Institute of the Arts and York University, and his music has been released on Cold Blue Music, Meridian Records, Koch Records and New World Records.
A “Jersey Boy,” Weisman began playing violin in grade school.
He attended Bard College before receiving degrees from Yale and Princeton universities.
Wesiman has written chamber, orchestral, and choral pieces—as well as music for theater, video, and dance—and his works have been played by the Bang on a Can All Stars, Newspeak, the NOW Ensemble, So Percussion, the FLUX Quartet, the Miró String Quartet, Odd Appetite, and many others.
He currently lives in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City and teaches at the Bard High School Early College.
Admission is free for all of the concerts, except the SHSU Chorale concert on Saturday night, for which tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for SHSU students and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased through the PAC box office at 936.294.2339 or tickets@shsu.edu.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Faculty Performance To Visit ‘Fabulous France’
SHSU music faculty members will transport audiences back in time to Paris in the 19th century during an evening of violin and piano music on Monday (Feb. 28).
“La France Fabuleux” (“The Fabulous France”), featuring violinist Naomi Gjevre and pianist Ilonka Rus, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
“Works on the program include beautiful sonatas by 19th century composers Gabriel Fauré and César Franck as well as a Baroque sonata by Francesco Veracini,” Gjevre said.
Admission is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Student Wins ‘One Scholarship’
The story of how junior general business major Kaitlyn Beauregard overcame her financial burdens has paid off through a scholarship program by Higher One.
Beauregard was one of 20 recipients of Higher One’s annual One Scholarship, receiving $2,500 to put towards her university tuition.
“Higher One was pleased to have received a wealth of submissions from students all over the country who have—or are working to—overcome personal and financial hurdles to achieve success through higher education,” said Mark Volchek, co-founder and chief financial officer of Higher One. “All of the winners presented compelling, creative and inspiring stories and we congratulate them all.”
“The One Scholarship underscores our commitment to the pursuit of higher education,” he said.
Candidates for the scholarship were asked to describe how they have overcome obstacles to achieve educational goals and live Higher One’s philosophy of “There is a way.”
In her application, Beauregard discussed the importance of focusing on personal and educational goals in order to achieve success.
Beauregard is working towards a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is aspiring to earn her Master of Business Administration.
In her pursuit of higher education, Kaitlyn has honed the problem-solving and independent thinking skills that have made her a winning One Scholarship recipient, according to Volcheck.
“Just when I thought that all hope was lost and I wouldn’t make it through (to achieve her goals),” Beauregard said, “the thought ‘There is a Way’ would be the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Submissions were received in the form of short videos and were evaluated based on creativity, originality, quality, and impact of the student’s story.
Higher One, a technology and payment services company, reviewed the stories of more than 400 hundred applicants who competed for a portion of the $50,000 being distributed.
Eligible candidates were students at colleges and universities nationally who partner with Higher One, were enrolled either full or part time, were 18 years or older and had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
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.
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SHSU Media Contacts: Bruce Erickson, Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Feb. 25, 2011
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.
