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SHSU Update For Week Of Jan. 27
- Colloquium To Present Perspective On Mental Health, Law
- Series To Explore Leadership In Community, Careers
- English Prof To Discuss Plagiarism For Friday Forum
- SGA To Introduce Reps, Services At Meet-And-Greet
- Teaching Series To Highlight In-Class ‘Persona’
- Concert To Showcase Baroque-Era Music, Instruments
- Kat Klub To Host ‘Super’ Party
- Residence Life Seeks RAs For Fall
- Police Chiefs Identify Agendas For Training
- Stunt Doubles Compete, Win At National Competition
- Submit Update Items Here
Colloquium To Present Perspective On Mental Health, Law
Last year the United States recorded at least seven major shooting assaults resulting in multiple fatalities, such as the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Conn., that were committed by persons who had no criminal actions pending.
John Petrila, a civil law attorney in the area of mental health law, will share with the Sam Houston State University and Huntsville communities his thoughts on issues such as these on Thursday (Jan. 31) as part of the Clinical Psychology Spring Colloquium.
His presentation, "International perspective on preventive detention and mental disability law,” will be from 9-10:45 a.m. in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater, in room 170.
Petrila, who coauthored the most widely used text on forensic psychology, recently returned from a Fulbright Scholar experience that allowed him to teach and conduct research at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, where he examined international attitudes and practices on the issue of preventative detention, according to Mary Alice Conroy, SHSU psychology professor and director of clinical training for the clinical psychology doctoral program.
“This is important because a major legal and forensic question facing our society is to what extent can we detain people for what we believe they may do as opposed to what they have done,” Conroy said. “A good example is someone who has a history of sexually offending but no current charges pending.”
In addition to his Fulbright work, Petrila was a member of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Mandated Community Treatment.
The Clinical Psychology Spring Colloquium is designed to bring a spring speaker to campus each year who is of national or international prominence, Conroy said.
For more information, contact the clinical psychology doctoral program at 936.294.1210.
Series To Explore Leadership In Community, Careers
Three local leaders will highlight the skills they feel are valued in “your community and your career” during the third Learning to Lead speaker series on Wednesday (Jan. 30).
Willie Fritz, Carol Smith and Terry Williams will share their thoughts on abilities that have helped them succeed from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Smith-Hutson Building’s Mafrige Auditorium.
“Our speakers will be relating the kinds of leadership skills needed to successfully negotiate the professional or civic situations they regularly encounter, and how they learned those skills,” said organizer Darren Grant, associate professor of economics. “We hope the presentations will inspire our students to take advantage of the many resources SHSU offers to best prepare themselves for the working world and civic life.
“Our highly accomplished speakers, each of whom has a connection with the university, represent a diverse array of backgrounds, both in their professional and civic endeavors,” he said. “I am very excited to hear what they have to say.”
Leadership skills are a constant "want" that employers are looking for in SHSU's students, according to assistant director for SHSU's Career Services Vinessa Mundorff, adding that reports show that eight out of 10 employers who review the resumes of potential college hires are seeking evidence of leadership skills.
"Since we know that leadership is a soft skill that employers are looking for, we hope this workshop will help students realize they should be thinking about acquiring those skills or brushing up on what they are, perhaps, already doing; some don�t realize they are (already) in a leadership role," Mundorff said. "Many times when I am talking with a student they sell themselves short in their leadership abilities because they have not been given that official 'leadership title,' but, in actuality, they are in and doing leadership roles.
"I think the presenters are diverse enough and should share how they have developed their own unique leadership skills and this will provide motivation to SHSU Bearkats," she said.
Fritz has coached football for more than 30 years at the high school, junior college, Division II, and Division I levels, and just completed his third season as head football coach at SHSU.
With back-to-back Southland Conference titles and NCAA Division I football championship finals appearances in 2011 and 2012, Fritz has reaped both regional and national honors, including the Liberty Mutual NCAA Football Championship Subdivision National Coach of the Year.
Smith, a fifth-generation native of Huntsville, became president of the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce in 2009, after serving 16 years as an administrator for the Huntsville Independent School District.
She has served as president of the Career and Technology Administrators of Texas in 1995, president of the Walker County Fair from 1998-2000, and was first runner-up for the Citizen of the Year in 1999.
She earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from SHSU.
A native Houstonian and 1983 graduate of SHSU, Williams has more than 30 years of grocery experience and currently serves as the vice president of operations for H-E-B.
As vice president of ethnic merchandising at H-E-B, Williams pioneered many innovations in the chain’s urban stores, earning leadership awards both at H-E-B and nationally.
He currently serves as the president-elect of the SHSU Alumni Association board of directors and chairman of the board for the United Negro College Fund for the State of Texas.
The speaker series is sponsored by Career Services, the College of Business Administration, the Veterans Resource Center and SHSU’s Center for Leadership and Service.
For more information, contact Career Services at 936.294.1713.
English Prof To Discuss Plagiarism For Friday Forum
Brian Blackburne, assistant professor of English, will present the fourth talk in the 2012-2013 First Friday Forum lecture series on Friday (Feb. 1).
“From the Bazaar to the Cathedral: Understanding Authorship in the Workplace to Mitigate Plagiarism in the Classroom,” will highlight the problems with “authorship” in both the professional business world and academia, especially as writers rely increasingly upon collaboratively constructed resources such as Google and Wikipedia for their research, according to Blackburne.
The presentation will begin at 3 p.m. in Evans Building Room 212.
“One of the obvious problems with these new notions of research and of knowledge itself is plagiarism: How much can truly be regarded as the writer’s own? How much is collaborative?” Blackburne said.
The English department’s Friday Faculty Forum series is designed to expose students to the research interests of SHSU faculty and graduate students.
A reception will follow the lecture, which is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact English professor Paul Child at 936.294.1412 or eng_pwc@shsu.edu.
SGA To Introduce Reps, Services At Meet-And-Greet
Sam Houston State University’s Student Government Association will begin the semester by introducing its members and the services they provide during a meet-and-greet event on Tuesday (Jan. 29).
The informational event will be from 6-8 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Kat Club, located on the first floor of the LSC.
In addition to meeting their college representatives, students can enjoy refreshments and play all of the games within the Kat Klub, including billiards, Ping-Pong and more, at no cost.
“Student Government Association is the official student voice for the university,” said Maddye Clarke, SGA secretary. “This is a unique chance for students to realize how SGA benefits them and how their participation will benefit the university.
“In addition to meeting our members, and grasping the concept of what Student Government does, we would also like to inform students on our upcoming events this semester such as Bearkats All Paws In, our community wide service project,” she said.
Those interested in attending are requested to RSVP at www.facebook.com/#!/events/413905928684747/.
For more information contact the Student Government Association office at 936.294.1938 or SGA@shsu.edu.
Teaching Series To Highlight In-Class ‘Persona’
Patrick Allitt, the Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory University, will introduce the idea of “The Teacher’s Persona” to SHSU faculty on Tuesday (Jan. 29), as part of the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence's "Art of Teaching Series."
The workshops will be held from 2-3 p.m. and again from 3-4 p.m. in the PACE Conference Room, in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building C002.
Allitt’s concept of the “teacher’s persona,” the “in-classroom personality that establishes respect among your students,” involves establishing guidelines and boundaries; using dress, regionalism, age, and other personal characteristics to your advantage; and avoiding the pitfalls of treating students as peers.
“Dr. Allitt maintains that a teaching persona makes it easier for the teacher and the student to meet each other’s expectations,” said PACE director Marsha Harman. “For instance, you can do and say necessary things to a student as ‘teacher’ more easily than you can as yourself. Likewise, your student can respond with more freedom.
“Instructors may use their own distinctive characteristics in developing their teaching personas, such as age, gender, regionalisms, and/or national origin,” Harman said. “Teaching personas may facilitate the development of an appropriate relationship and a suitable rapport with students.”
The session, co-sponsored by the foreign languages department, will include a 30-minute presentation, followed by a discussion period. It is open to faculty, staff and students.
“The series, thus far, has been more successful and meaningful for instructors, professors, and graduate teaching assistants than PACE leadership ever dreamed possible,” Harman said.
For more information, or to reserve a spot, contact PACE at 936.294.2688 or pace@shsu.edu.
Concert To Showcase Baroque-Era Music, Instruments
Sam Houston State University’s School of Music will welcome the Houston-based Mercury Orchestra to the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall on Thursday (Jan. 31), beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The group will present its arrangement of Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” which features Mendelssohn’s “String Quartet Op. 44, No.1” and Schubert’s “String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor,” arranged by Gustav Mahler.
“Originally written for string quartet, Mercury will perform these works arranged for string orchestra,” said Evin Erdowdu, marketing director for Mercury—The Orchestra Redefined. “This powerful program beautifully exemplifies the range of human emotion, so succinctly articulated in the works of Mendelssohn and Schubert.
“This is a rare opportunity to experience beautiful music with all the senses, (to) come see, hear and be moved by what this music is,” she said. “We've heard time and time again from our audiences that there's something ethereal and spiritually moving about sitting in our audience. There's a reason this music has transcended beyond its era.”
Mercury—The Orchestra Redefined is an eclectic group of musicians led by maestro Antoine Plante that specializes in Baroque-, Classical- and Romantic-era music performed on authentic period instruments. The orchestra’s performance on campus will give members of both the Bearkat and Huntsville communities the opportunity to experience “live music played on instruments capable of reproducing sounds that the composers themselves were familiar with,” said Javier Pinell, associate professor of violin at SHSU.
“Mercury—The Orchestra Redefined specializes in music of the 18th century, and it uses replicas of Baroque string instruments. These instruments have different characteristics than modern instruments including the type of bow and the type of strings they use (gut strings). In addition, Baroque violins and violas do not have chinrests or shoulder rests,” Pinell said. “The end result is a lighter and more pure sound, with crisper and clearer articulations.
“The approach to playing these instruments is also different than modern instruments,” he said. “Furthermore, the music produced by an ensemble like this one resembles more closely the kind of sounds that Baroque composers had in mind.”
The concert is being held at SHSU as part of the group’s recently launched “Neighborhood Series,” performing in four new Houston-area neighborhoods.
“Mercury is constantly striving to reach new audiences and make beautiful music more accessible to the Houston community,” Erdowdu said. “Reaching out to the SHSU Bearkat community is a natural extension of our outreach; we are thrilled to be performing for you all.”
Admission is free.
For ticket information, visit shsu.edu/academics/fine-arts-and-mass-communication/ticketinfo.html or call the School of Music at 936.294.1360. For more information on Mercury—The Orchestra Redefined, visit mercuryhouston.org or facebook.com/MercuryHouston.
Kat Klub To Host ‘Super’ Party
As the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens faceoff on Sunday (Feb. 3) for Super Bowl XLVII, Sam Houston State University’s Kat Klub will celebrate the occasion with free food, games and seven 50” plasma-screen TVs.
The sixth annual Kat Klub Super Bowl party will kick off at 5 p.m. in the Kat Klub, on the first floor of the Lowman Student Center.
The event will include free food and games, including a Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, while the “big game” streams on seven 50” plasmas, 10’ LCD video wall, and 13’ projector.
“From our video wall, plasma TVs, to our projector wall, every seat in the house will be a great one,” said Zach Madeley, Kat Klub operations supervisor. “We feel that it is a fun, safe place to come and watch the big game with your SHSU peers and to meet new ones.”
Super Bowl XLVII will begin at 5:30 p.m.
For more information, call the Kat Klub at 936.294.1722.
Residence Life Seeks RAs For Fall
Sam Houston State University’s Residence Life department is offering students an opportunity to “be part of something different” next year by becoming a resident adviser.
The department is currently seeking applicants to serve as RAs for residence halls beginning in the fall. Applications are due through the Jobs for Kats website by Feb. 24.
Resident advisers serve as resources and provide supervision for students who live in residence halls, and perform administrative and community-building tasks.
“Students in the resident adviser position obtain knowledge and skill sets that many full time entry-level position provide,” said Katy Pelton, Res Life area coordinator. “They are trained to handle crisis, conflict and facility concerns and are provided the opportunity to plan events (programs), which teach them how to work with a small budget, aspects of event planning and evaluating their event for effectiveness.
“Resident advisers also have the opportunity to participate in on-going training and professional development sessions sponsored by the Department of Residence Life,” she said. “Finally, resident advisers are taught how to manage their time effectively, work with diverse populations and collaborate with their peer group.”
Among the advantages of being a resident adviser on campus are flexible work hours, free housing and the ability to meet new people, according to Drew Carson, an RA for Bearkat Village.
“This semester, our RA selection campaign is focused on encouraging students to ‘Be Part of Something Different,’” said Sean Duffy, residence hall director. “The RA position really isn’t like any other student employment opportunity—it’s an opportunity to build lasting relationships, really make a difference in the residence halls and lives of the residents, and gain valuable experience for future careers.”
Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as the process requires three recommendations, a resume and a writing submission. Students currently living in residence halls are also encouraged to speak to their RA about their interest, as RAs can describe to prospective applicants what being an RA is actually like, Duffy said.
“We often refer to the RAs as ‘wearing many different hats.’ During my time as an undergrad, I was a resident adviser, and I can attest that this is true,” he said. “I developed transferrable skills that apply to a wide variety of professional positions. The RA position truly offers valuable growth opportunities for a student with any major currently offered by SHSU.”
Interested students should refer to Jobs for Kats posting 19156. For more information, contact Pelton at 936.294.3155 or kdp014@shsu.edu.
Police Chiefs Identify Agendas For Training
Police chiefs from across the state gathered at the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas to develop a training program for their colleagues.
The state-mandated, biennial training is a 40-hour management and leadership course specifically designed to assist police administrators in developing their leadership skills and to help them recognize those factors that impact the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.
During the two-day planning session, 31 police chiefs identified specific issues that need to be addressed at training. Among these were health and wellness, for which chiefs want programs to provide support for their officers through peer support or employee assistance programs. Of particular concern are the issues surrounding suicides by police officers and how to recognize the signs so they can be prevented and to identify legal and ethical issues that arise during these cases.
Police chiefs also would like assistance to deal with crisis events, such as police shootings, active shooter events, police suicide or other high profile cases. These sessions would include not only how do deal with victims and families, but also the media and legal aspects of the event.
Another area chiefs want to learn more about fusion centers, particularly in their roles with terrorism and human trafficking. Fusion centers, set up through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, serve as focal points within state and urban areas for the receipt, analysis, gathering and sharing of threat-related information between the federal government and state, local and private sector partners. Texas has a state fusion center, and city centers are located in Austin, Houston, El Paso, Dallas, San Antonio and McKinney.
The use of social media is important to understand the legal ramifications for use of these media sources. Some police are being tracked and threatened through these avenues, and police chiefs need to know how to respond to this growing problem.
Leadership skills are always the cornerstone of the series and this year’s trainings will focus on several critical areas for support. Among these are recruiting and retention; legitimacy and public confidence; ethics; and power and politics.
The focus group meeting was led by SHSU’s William Wells, the research director at LEMIT, who gathered information from prominent police training agencies across the nation to help identify some of the issues facing the profession.
Stunt Doubles Compete, Win At National Competition
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| Spirit programs coordinator Brian McColpin (far left) and Melissa McColpin (in white) accompanied SHSU's co-ed student teams to the NCA national competition in Florida. They include (from left, beside McColpin) Adam Mickelson, Jessy Hulet, Hollie Hobbs and Meagan Balentine. —Submitted photo |
Sam Houston State University’s co-ed cheerleaders, who entertain crowds throughout the year during various events on campus, have now wowed the Universal Cheerleader Association.
Two of SHSU’s partner stunt pairs were recently recognized during the UCA’s national competition in Orlando, Fla., where they competed against 19 other stunt pairs.
The team of Jesse Hulet, a junior criminal justice major, and Meagan Balentine, a sophomore psychology major, won third place in the overall competition, while the pair including marketing graduate student Adam Mickelson and junior industrial technology major Hollie Hobbs received 14th place overall.
“The core of spirit programs teams are to promote spirit and tradition for the entire university. But these students also have the opportunity to compete on a national level and we are always so proud of their accomplishments,” said Brandon Cooper, associate director for Student Activities. “It takes a lot of work and talent to do what they do.”
Participation in the national competition is voluntary. Pairs that decide to enter the competition submit a video of their stunt routine, which, if selected to compete in Florida, is then performed live in front of a panel of judges.
Only 36 teams in the nation opted to enter this year’s competition, 19 of which were asked to compete live, Cooper said.
“I am super excited about both pairs’ performances,” said Brian McColpin, spirit programs coordinator. “They did extremely well and represented SHSU very well in a national spotlight.”
Pairs are scored on their flow and difficulty of the routine and are given deductions for “bobbles” or mishaps during the routine.
“Partner stunting is a very difficult talent and requires endurance, strength, faith and trust in one’s partner,” Cooper said. “At this particular competition there are various other divisions and team competitions, but SHSU only enters the partner stunt competition if any of our students are able to make it into the qualifications.
“It gives them a sense of pride and national exposure, while also representing SHSU on a national level, as it will be aired at a future date on one of the ESPN affiliates,” he said.
The UCA national competition was held Jan. 17-20 at Disney World.
In addition, all four of SHSU’s spirit programs teams—including the all-girl cheerleading squad, the co-ed cheerleading squad, the Orange Pride Dance Team and Sammy the Bearkat—are currently preparing to compete in their annual team national championships at the NCA and National Dance Alliance in April.
The co-ed cheerleading team and Orange Pride Dance Team are current National Champions and will be defending their titles there.
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. 25, 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.
