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SHSU Update For Week Of Jan. 29
- Film Series To Highlight Spanish Literature
- Job Fair To Bring Agricultural Agencies To Campus
- Faculty Artists To Open Semester With Exhibit
- Thesis Concert To Light Up Performing Arts Center
- Financial Aid To Help Students Reach College Goals
- Spring Graduation Applications Due Feb. 2
- Today@Sam Seeks Calendar Info
- Submit Update Items Here
Film Series To Highlight Spanish Literature
The Newton Gresham Library will promote works of Spanish literature by presenting films based on books from various Spanish-speaking countries with a new series this spring.
The Spanish Film Series will kick off on Tuesday (Jan. 31) with the showing of “Los viernes de la eternidad” (“Fridays of Eternity”) at 3:30 p.m. in NGL Room 155.
Based on the book by Maria Granata, the Argentine “Los viernes de la eternidad” takes a simple romantic plot and gives it texture with a scintilla of fantasy, according to Erin Cassidy, assistant professor and web services librarian.
Starring Thelma Biral, Héctor Alterio and Susana Campos, the film combines supernatural elements with standard plot devices through its depiction of two lovers who pledge eternal devotion that is indeed eternity.
The film series was planned as a result of a new service launched by the America Reads Spanish program and the American Library Association called the Dias de Cine Reading Club, which provides registered libraries with free online access to Spanish films based on Spanish literature, according to Cassidy.
“My primary goal is to offer students, as well as faculty and staff, a chance to experience a different cultural perspective in an engaging way, through movies,” she said. “I also want to promote an interest in the Spanish literature collection here at the library, so suggested reading lists will be available at each film.”
Cassidy said she feels the series can serve as a useful tool for Spanish classes, as it will allow for students to interact with the Spanish culture and dialogue outside of the classroom.
“I hope that attendees will feel engaged enough to stay and discuss how they felt about the film or what they learned from it,” she said.
“Los viernes de la eternidad,” released in 1981, runs for approximately 90 minutes.
Other films scheduled to be presented include “El palomo cojo,” on Feb. 28; “Si te dicen que cai,” on March 27; “Nos miran,” on April 17; and “Amar y morir en Sevilla, or Don Juan Tenorio” on May 8.
For more information, contact Cassidy at ecassidy@shsu.edu or 936.294.4567.
Job Fair To Bring Agricultural Agencies To Campus
Representatives from 16 different agricultural-related entities will be on campus Tuesday (Jan. 31) to speak with students about full-time jobs and internships during the Agricultural and Industrial Sciences Career Fair.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Among the agencies scheduled to attend are Capital Farm Credit; Fastenal Company; Fesco, Ltd.; Lincoln Lumber Company; Texas AgriLife Extension Service; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s game warden training academy; The Brickman Group; Uretek ICR; Valleycrest Landscape Maintenance; and Wabash Antiques and Feed.
The event is open to students from all academic backgrounds, with employees being sought for positions in management and accounting, retail, engineering, communications, manufacturing, and construction, as well as other agricultural-related jobs.
Students who are registered on Jobs 4 Kats can get a jumpstart on 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 being sought.
All Career Services events are open to both students and alumni.
For more information, contact Career Services at 936.294.1713 or careerservices@shsu.edu.
Faculty Artists To Open Semester With Exhibit
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| Edward Morin's are includes 3-D works such as "To Gather," a rapid prototyping made in 2009 from ABS plastic and wood. —Submitted photo |
The creative works of nine artists who teach in SHSU’s art department will be on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery beginning Monday (Jan. 30).
The 52nd Annual SHSU Art Faculty Exhibit will be on display through Feb. 16.
The exhibit will include works from a variety of media from faculty members Martin Amorous, Frank Golden, Kathy Kelley, Patric Lawler, Tudor Mirtoi, Edward Morin, Valerie Powell, Diana Salles, and Thomas Seifert, according to Debbie Harper, art department audio/visual librarian.
Among the media that will be presented are painting, sculpture, animation, digital art, photography, mixed media collage and drawing, representing the various classes taught at SHSU.
“I will be installing a portion of a large installation piece I have been working on for several years, called ‘In Recovery,’” said Powell, a visiting assistant professor who will present a faculty artist talk on Feb. 9.
“A cluster of colorful hand-painted, organically formed pieces of plastic will hang/dangle from the ceiling (as part of the work),” she said.
A New Faculty Artist Talk featuring Morin will be held on Thursday (Feb. 2) at 5 p.m. in the Art Auditorium, located in Art Building E Room 108. The lecture will be followed by the exhibit’s opening reception from 6-7 p.m. in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery.
Morin, who came to SHSU last year, teaches in the art department’s computer animation program and co-chairs SHSU’s Master of Fine Arts in digital media program. His works have been displayed across the country.
During Powell’s artist talk, which will begin at 5 p.m. in the Art Auditorium, she will discuss her work in depth. Powell, who teaches the art foundations program, the Workshop in Art Studio+History, came to SHSU last year.
“My art-making practice is centered around Shrinky-Dinks, a sort of magical shrinkable plastic material, which has the ability to evolve from a thin two-dimensional sheet of plastic into a three-dimensional object that takes up space once heat is introduced,” she said. “This material allows me to expand the boundaries of expected form and space, while exploring the intersection between painting and sculpture.
“The process of making art with this non-traditional material has allowed my work to visually investigate the human condition,” she said. “The material is put through intense stress; it contorts, shrinks, melts and folds into itself, only then to rebound and emerge as something new and stronger. Additionally, navigating the space and tension between vulnerability and concealment has recently become a growing theme in my work.”
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery is located in the SHSU Art Complex Room 101, in Art Building F. It is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, contact Harper at 936.294.1317.
Thesis Concert To Light Up Performing Arts Center
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| Crystal Lewis's "Illuminate" concert will feature non-traditional lighting such as tap lights to accentuate her choreography. —Submitted photo |
Five pieces by SHSU graduate student Crystal Lewis will illuminate the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater on Thursday and Friday (Feb. 2-3), when she will present her Master of Fine Arts Thesis Concert.
Performed by 10 undergraduate and graduate students from SHSU’s dance program, “Illuminate” will utilize dance to explore different household lighting elements, set to a sound score that includes Bach, Mozart and experimental music.
“The basic theme for this concert was to experiment with non-traditional lighting methods within the choreographic process,” said Lewis, who is also a graduate teaching assistant in the program. “Using everyday household items such as tap lights, flashlights, light bulbs and finger lights, as the sole means to create the lighting design enabled me to help connect the dancers to their light source as well as for the light itself to become an extension of the choreography as well as the dancer’s own bodies.
“This idea was created in an effort to separate the dancers as well as the dance from conventional theater lighting by using the simplicity of household lighting devices to explore the implications of low light imagery in modern dance,” she said. “Absolutely no traditional theater lighting will be used in this concert.”
The concept of using an alternative source to light modern dance stems from a work Lewis choreographed during her first semester of graduate school, for which she used tap lights as the sole lighting element.
The work she created, “Flirting With Light,” as the final project for her graduate choreography class consisted of four dancers and only four tap lights, with each dancer in charge of their own light.
“In the process of creating this work, I was excited about the uniqueness and originality of it, but also quickly realized it had its challenges; however, working around some of these challenges I found to be exciting in the creation process and felt that it would enable me to grow as an artist,” she said. “Creating ‘Flirting With Light’ was the impetus of the journey towards my thesis of exploring alternative lighting methods for dance and has since been re-set to open the show.”
Admission to the MFA thesis concert is free.
For more information, call the dance program at 936.294.1875.
Financial Aid To Help Students Reach College Goals
Sam Houston State University’s Financial Aid and Scholarship Office will help students reach their college goals by aiding them in the first step in receiving money for college on Sunday (Feb. 12).
The fourth “College Goal Sunday,” a statewide event during which financial aid professionals at 32 college and high school campuses across the state will be available to help students and their families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, will be held from 2-4 p.m. at Huntsville High School.
The free, one-day event is designed to help students and their families with any questions or concerns about completing the application, according to Kim Nettles, site coordinator for College Goal Sunday and financial aid counselor.
The FAFSA assists students in gaining access to federal and state-funded grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans to help cover the cost of college.
“SHSU’s priority deadline to be eligible for these grants is April 1,” Nettles said. “That means FAFSA must be received in our office, as well as a completed financial aid file for 2012-13.”
Students and parents should bring their latest tax information and a paystub from their 2011 employer(s).
“The FAFSA now has an IRS data retrieval tool that allows students to input their tax data directly from the IRS website if the family has filed their taxes electronically within seven-to-10 days,” Nettles said. “This tool will help cut down on the amount of students that will be selected for the verification process.
Students and parents are encouraged to complete their taxes prior to filling out the FAFSA; however, FAFSA allows families to estimate financial information for those who do not have the information, which can be corrected after taxes have been completed, she said.
“Taxes do not need to be filed with the IRS before the event,” Nettles continued. “These students will be subjected to verification but do have a short period of time to go back and make corrections to their FAFSA.”
Though “College Goal Sunday” is geared toward high school students, who are filling out the application for the first time, college students may attend as well.
“We have had college students from other universities attend with parents and siblings that were high school seniors,” Nettles said. “We will be there to help anyone that needs help filling out the FAFSA for next year.”
To register for the program and to find more information about the event, visit www.collegegoalsundaytexas.org or visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/CGSTexas.
Participants who pre-register for the program will be eligible to win an additional $250 drawing towards their college textbooks for the fall 2012.
For more information about "College Goal Sunday," call 979.458.0974 or contact Nettles at 936.294.1774.
Spring Graduation Applications Due Feb. 2
Students who anticipate graduating this May are to file an “Application for Degree” with the Registrar’s Office by Thursday (Feb. 2).
Those who fail to apply by the deadline will be assessed an additional $30 late application fee and will not have their name included in the commencement program.
“Application for Degree” forms may be submitted by e-mail to ask.regforms@shsu.edu, by fax to 936.294.1737, or in person to the Registrar's Office.
The Registrar’s Office is located on the third floor of the Estill Building.
For more information, visit the Destination Graduation website at www.shsu.edu/reg_www/destination or call 936.294.1040.
Today@Sam Seeks Calendar Info
The University Communications Office is now collecting information on campus events for its spring calendar pages.
Departmental calendars or events can be sent to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu or faxed to 294.1834. Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
Information collected for the Today@Sam calendar pages, at /calendars/, is used by various media outlets, as well as the Marketing and Communications Office for news stories and releases and the SHSU Facebook page.
All information, including story ideas and update items for Today@Sam, should be sent a minimum of a week in advance of the event in order to make necessary contacts and write a story.
For more information on submissions, visit /guidelines.html, and for more information on the calendar pages, call 936.294.1836.
Submit Update Items Here
In order to assist members of the Sam Houston State University community in publicizing events, the SHSU Communications Office (Today@Sam) is now requesting that students, faculty and staff submit information about events, accomplishments or ideas for feature stories online.
Submission criteria and guidelines, including deadlines, have now been placed online, at /guidelines.html. This information is also accessible through the “Submissions” link in the right-hand navigation on Today@Sam.
From there, those submitting ideas can access forms that will allow them to provide detailed information about their idea, as well as attach event calendars, vitas/resumes or photos, depending on the type of submission.
Ideas submitted to the SHSU Communications Office are directly utilized in several ways: as news stories, “slider” or SHSU home page stories, hometown releases, and on the Today@Sam calendar.
If your submission qualifies for distribution, we will either contact you for more detailed information, or we will edit the information using SHSU/journalistic style and forward the final release to the appropriate media.
All information is verified before release, so please provide complete, accurate and timely information. Please type all responses in appropriate upper and lower cases.
For more information, contact the Communications Office at 936.294.1836 or today@sam.edu.
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SHSU Media Contacts: Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Jan. 27, 2012
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
This page maintained by SHSU's Communications Office
Associate Director: Julia May
Manager: 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.
