SamWeb
My Sam
E-mail
SHSU Update For Week Of April 14, 2013
- Sammys To Recognize Student Achievements
- Grassroots Speaker To Share Career, Life History
- Music Professor To Give Journeys Seminar
- SHSU To Host First Woodlands-Area Job Fair
- Juried Show To Exhibit Professionally Selected Works
- Faculty, Student Musicians To Play Up Week
- Art Students To Present ‘Distorted’ World Views
- Workshop To Examine Costs Of Living On, Off Campus
- Karaoke Event To Give Students Break From Schoolwork
- Faculty Books Sought For Heritage Magazine 'Shelf'
- Today@Sam Seeks Summer Calendar Info
- Submit Update Items Here
Sammys To Recognize Student Achievements
Students, faculty and staff who represent some of the best of what Sam Houston State University has to offer will be recognized for their contributions and leadership within the community during the 19th annual Sammy Awards on Wednesday (April 17).
More than 26 organizations and students will be awarded during the ceremony, which will begin at 6 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.
Emceed by SHSU sophomores Alexis Bloomer and Octavia Brown, as well as senior Blake Dornak, the event will include performances by SHSU’s theatre and dance department and the School of Music. The announcer is freshman Jared Ball.
“The Sammys represents the university’s soul, which is the hard work, dedication and service of its students,” said Brandon Cooper, associate director for Student Activities. “It’s one night where we are able to spotlight those individuals that contribute so much back to their university and community and who may not get very much recognition for it.
“At the end of the day it’s all about developing the student, both academically and experientially, where they are better prepared to tackle the world.”
Among the awards that will be presented are outstanding first-year, sophomore and junior student leaders, the McDermett Memorial Award for a female senior, the Creager Memorial Award for a male senior, the Outstanding Non-Traditional Student Leader award and the Sammy Award, as well as outstanding organization awards and excellence in service awards from each of the six colleges, which will be presented by the deans.
“When selecting the recipients, the committee really looks at well-rounded students,” Cooper said. “Of course being involved in any activity, group or initiative is great, but being able to manage your academics and contribute to various entities is a difficult task.
“It’s also about looking at contributions to the university; making differences that really impact the school and all Bearkats,” he said.
The event is open to the public, and dress is “business evening,” according to Cooper.
For more information, call Student Activities at 936.294.3861.
Grassroots Speaker To Share Career, Life History
Troy Finner, Houston Police Department’s lieutenant chief of police for the public affairs division, will share his “roots,” including how Sam Houston State University contributed to his success, with students on Thursday (April 18).
The “Grassroots: A Series of Conversations on Leadership in a Diverse Community” presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Smith-Hutson Building’s Haney Auditorium (Room 186).
Finner’s career with the Houston Police Department has spanned more than three decades, beginning in 1990 as a patrol officer for the southwest division.
As he moved up the ranks, he began performing duties that included outreach to at-risk youths in high-crime areas, serving as a liaison to the Mayors’ Office and other federal agencies, and working with internal affairs.
He was named to his current position in 2012.
Finner earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from SHSU in 1989 and his master’s degree from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.
“Many of our students are criminal justice majors and Lt. Finner is a very accomplished alumnus who is enthusiastic about the education that he received at SHSU,” said Bernice Strauss, Student Advising and Mentoring Center director for academic support programs. “ He has also had a successful career and as a result has enormous expertise to offer.
“He responded to my initial invitation with enthusiasm and conveyed to me an ongoing commitment to the university and its students,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for a more committed and successful role model.”
A meet-and-greet with refreshments will follow the discussion in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located in CHSS Building Suite 170.
The “Grassroots” speaker series was created in April 2003 to promote career aspirations and academic achievements of SHSU’s minority students.
The lecture is sponsored by the SAM Center’s academic support programs; the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College; the International Business Society; the International Hispanic Association; Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.; the NAACP; the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program; and Student Success Initiatives Office.
For more information, contact Strauss at 936.294.4455 or sam_bss@shsu.edu.
Music Professor To Give Journeys Seminar
SHSU director of keyboard studies Sergio Ruiz will encourage students to “be active” along their college journeys on Tuesday (April 16).
The Honors 3332 Journeys seminar will be presented at 5 p.m. in Smith-Hutson Building Room 186.
Ruiz said his discussion will be centered around the importance of being actively engaged in work, family and community.
An associate professor of music, Ruiz has been teaching at SHSU since 2004, during which time he has helped establish the university’s first Latin arts festival, Festival Inspiración, and has been recognized with SHSU’s Faculty Excellence in Service award. He has also been recognized as the 2009 Texas Music Teachers Association Collegiate Teacher of the Year.
He has performed solo and chamber music concerts around the world, on Spanish-speaking radio broadcasts throughout South and Central America, and most recently in Ecuador, Columbia and México.
Ruiz studied piano in Barcelona, Spain, as well as at Rice University, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Santa Clara University. His teachers include Robert Roux, Paul Schenly and Hans Boepple.
The lecture, sponsored by the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College, is part of a class designed to show students what characteristics lead to success.
It is open to the public.
For more information, contact course instructor Patrick Lewis at 936.294.3397.
SHSU To Host First Woodlands-Area Job Fair
Sam Houston State University’s The Woodlands Center and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce will offer area residents the opportunity to meet and visit with numerous employers during the Community Job Fair on Thursday (April 18).
At least 22 agencies seeking employees from all educational and job skill levels will be on hand at The Woodlands Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fair will be held on the fourth floor of the center, which is located at 3380 College Park Dr. in The Woodlands.
Those agencies already signed up to attend include Bryan Consulting Services – Aflac; Champions School of Real Estate; DISH; Express Employment Professionals; Fastenal Company; H-E-B; Homewatch Caregivers; Honda of Spring; JobSparx; KSTAR Country Radio 99.7 FM; Kelsey-Seybold Clinic; Kip W. Saunders D.D.S., M.S., Inc.; La Torretta Lake Resort and Spa; Liberty Mutual Insurance; M&H Enterprises; Meador Staffing Services; Northwestern Mutual; Sam Houston State University—The Woodlands Center; The Forum at The Woodlands; The Village at The Woodlands Waterway; Tri-County Services; and Two Men and a Truck.
“The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce has a Job Fair every year and it has been held at Lone Star in the past, but because we are here now and are members of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce we were asked to host it,” said Tina Moynihan, enrollment management counselor for SHSU’s The Woodlands Center. “If you are in The Woodlands area and looking for a job this is where you need to be.”
The event is open to the public and registration is not required.
For more information, contact Moynihan at 936.202.5000 or tina@shsu.edu.
Juried Show To Exhibit Professionally Selected Works
 |
| Student works selected from more than 100 submitted for competition are currently on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery. Eight winning pieces will be recognized during a closing reception for the 14th Juried Exhibition on April 18. —Submitted photo |
More than 50 student artworks selected by a professional artist are currently on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery as part of the 14th annual Student Juried Exhibition.
The exhibition, which includes works selected by guest juror Dario Robleto, who chose the winning pieces from more than 100 student submissions, will be on display through Thursday (April 18).
Those eight winners will be announced on April 18 at 5 p.m. in Art Building E Room 108, followed by the exhibit’s closing reception in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery.
“The exhibit includes works in a variety of media and from various areas of the department including studio art, photography, animation and graphic design,” said Annie Strader, assistant professor of art and Gaddis Geeslin Gallery committee chair. “Robleto was impressed with the quality of student work and spent many hours making the final decisions.”
A San Antonio native currently residing in Houston, Robleto is a multi-media artist whose works have been featured extensively at museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria, N.Y.; the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego; the Museum of Contemporary Art in Denver; and the Aldrich Contemporary Arts Museum in Ridgefield, Conn.
He also is a recent fellow at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Robleto received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1997.
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery is located in Art Building F. It is open Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, contact Strader at 936.294.1322.
Faculty, Student Musicians To Play Up Week
The SHSU School of Music will present a trio of concerts this week underscoring its students, faculty and programs, beginning Monday (April 15).
Assistant professor of music therapy Hayoung Lim will tune up the series with a cello performance, accompanied by Lim’s graduate students, beginning at 6 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
The program will include 19th-century composers Ernest Bloch’s “Prayers from Jewish Life, No. 1,” Gabriel Fauré’s “Elégie,” Max Bruch’s “Kol Nidrei,” and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Piano Trio I in d minor,” as well as Antonio Vivaldi’s “Concerto in G minor for Two Cellos and Piano.”
Lim said she has a “very specific purpose for this recital”—showcasing the program and her students, including pianists Maho Sasaki, Kelly Wallis and Rami Cho; violinist Keelin Davis; and cellist Hojung Han.
“Some people may not realize that all of our music therapists are classically trained musicians; therefore, some of our music therapy students have not received their deserved recognition,” Lim said. “As a music therapy professor, I would like to change this passive classical music-making atmosphere.”
That evening, the SHSU Trombone Choir will present an arrangement of classical works by Haydn and Bruckner, as well as several newer compositions specifically for trombone choir.
The concert, under the direction of trombone instructor Ben Osborne and student conductor Randy Laran, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Concert Hall.
“Joining us will be the Dekaney High School Trombone Quartet under the guidance of SHSU students Andrea Garza and Marco Samperio,” Osborne said.
The series will reach its “coda” on Tuesday (April 16), when the Faculty Chamber Group will present "Facade: An Entertainment," at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Recital Hall.
The “popular multi-movement work” was composed by English musician William Walton in collaboration with his friend Edith Sitwell.
“Sitwell's poetry, which is at times whimsical and other times serious, is recited over music performed by six instrumentalists,” said Patricia Card, professor of clarinet. “The music incorporates snippets of familiar tunes and fun styles, with movements including creative titles such as ‘Lullaby for Jumbo,’ ‘Country Dance’ and ‘Jodelling Song.’
“The entire production is meant to be entertaining," she said.
The Faculty Chamber Group includes Kathy Daniel, flute and piccolo; Card, clarinet and bass clarinet; Scott Plugge, saxophone; Randy Adams, trumpet; Daniel Saenz, cello; Rebecca Grimes, reciter; and student performer Charlie Stott, percussion, all conducted by
Matthew McInturf.
Admission to all three concerts is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Art Students To Present ‘Distorted’ World Views
Senior studio art majors Eric Fite and Dana Tibbs will present their “Distortions of Being,” a series of works that will be on display in the Students of Fine Arts Gallery Monday through Friday (April 15-19).
“Distortions of Being” plays off a central theme of deformity as expressed by the artists using different media. This theme has been developed throughout their studies at SHSU, according to Fite.
Fite develops his drawings of monsters and paints them in a freestanding triangular format, while Tibbs presents her digitally modified photographs as abstract microscopic slides of nature.
“In my work, I create monsters that relate to people’s different fears growing up, allowing people to finally take on their fear,” Fite said.
Gallery visitors can metaphorically take on those fears using “golden swords,” wooden swords Fite created to encourage people to take an active role in his exhibit by taking “hold of the golden sword and show off your true hero."
“Guests can pose (holding the swords) with the pictures of the created monsters and share their pictures through social media,” he said. “Each monster portrays a certain fear one has overcome. The fears go from semi-serious like being scared of the dark or swimming, to silly things like being afraid to eat green peas or looking dorky.
“The gold swords are a symbol of achievement,” Fite said. “I believe we are all heroes in out own story, and it (the exhibit) is a time for everyone to come out and have fun showing off their heroism.”
Tibbs’s work, which involves codes as language, investigates the building blocks of the natural world as life codes.
“Matter in its most fundamental form is made up of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen; these building blocks cannot be broken down any further into other substances,” she said. “Primary colors are like these elements in that they can be mixed to create new colors.”
Following this line of thought, her photographs of landscapes and the body are manipulated in Photoshop to distort the line and color of the images and are then printed on Plexiglas to mimic the microscopic slides used in a scientific research laboratory.
The works on display are part of a collection created for their “Professional Practices in Art” class as part of their senior study.
A reception for their exhibit will be on Wednesday (April 17), at 6 p.m. in the SOFA Gallery, located in Art Building A.
The SOFA Gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Workshop To Examine Costs Of Living On, Off Campus
As the semester begins coming to a close and students are thinking about where they will live in the fall, the Student Money Management Center will highlight the pros and cons of living on and off campus and present some tips for finding a new “home” on Tuesday (April 16).
Their apartment-hunting workshop will be from 3:30-4:20 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
Led by peer counselors Michael Rivera and Samantha McKinley, the workshop will reveal lesser-known costs associated with living both on and off campus and will “equip students with the tools necessary to find the best deal out there,” according to Rivera.
“Finding an apartment can be a stressful and confusing experience for students,” he said.
Many students sign a lease without fully understanding the significance of this legally binding document.”
“Students will learn about the unexpected costs of apartment living such as pet rent or a security deposit,” McKinley said. “We will provide a checklist of details to consider when searching for apartments including what is included in the rent, where it is located, and if it is furnished.”
The first 10 students to attend the workshop will receive a free SMMC T-shirt.
Snacks and drinks also will be provided.
For more information, contact the SMMC at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
Karaoke Event To Give Students Break From Schoolwork
Cru at Sam and Destino are offering students a break from classwork for a few hours of entertainment and a little friendly competition on Monday (April 15).
Their “Karaoke in the Kat Klub” and arm wrestling tournament will be from 7:30-10 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Kat Klub.
Through the event, the student organizations want to allow others to meet, mingle and enjoy free snacks. The arm-wrestling tournament will begin at 8 p.m., followed by karaoke.
“Cru at Sam and Destino want to have students be involved on-campus. This event will help students to engage in the campus culture and give students a place to have a fun time in a safe atmosphere,” said Fabiola Sanchez, president of Destino, a Latino religious organization on campus. “It is mid-April which means that it is right in the middle of academic work being due before finals. Students, as well as staff, can benefit from a fun even that will provide a sense of community.”
Door prizes will also be given out throughout the evening.
This is the third time the two groups have held this event on campus.
“The response in the past has been very good,” said Sanchez, a senior political science major. “The first year we had about 75 students, the second year 100 or more, and this year we hope to have 150 or more.”
Students who want to participate in the arm-wrestling tournament must sign a waiver of acknowledgement of risk when they arrive.
Cru and Destino are “sister” religious organizations on campus, dedicated to having “the gospel within arms reach of every student, staff and faculty on campus,” according to Sanchez.
For more information, contact Sanchez at debate.ipda@shsu.edu.
Faculty Books Sought For Heritage Magazine 'Shelf'
Sam Houston State University's Heritage magazine will continue recognizing the research and accomplishments of the SHSU faculty in the "Bookshelf" section of the publication.
Faculty members who have published a book, or expect to have a book published, within the academic school year (2012-2013), are encouraged to e-mail book information—including the title of the book, its publication (or anticipated publication) date, and a brief summary of the topic—to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu. Cover art will also be accepted in the .jpg format.
The details will be used in the Fall 2013 Heritage, anticipated to be printed in August. To see the "Bookshelf" from the Fall 2012 Heritage, click here, and refer to pages 15-17.
The deadline for submissions is May 15.
For more information, contact Jennifer Gauntt at 936.294.4406 or jenniferg@shsu.edu.
Today@Sam Seeks Summer Calendar Info
The university Communications Office is now collecting information on campus events for its summer and fall 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 Communications Office for news stories and releases.
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.
To see a full list of the Today@Sam submission guidelines, or to access submission forms for news or feature stories, calendar submissions, or hometown releases, visit /guidelines.html.
For more information, 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.
- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
April 12, 2013
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.
