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SHSU Update For Week Of March 24
- Mike Epps, ‘Friends’ To Visit SHSU For Comedy Showcase
- Service Appreciation Night ‘On Deck’ For Baseball Team
- Linguist To Give ‘Absotively’ ‘Predicable’ Lecture On Word ‘Blends’
- Seminar To Combine Personal, Literary Journeys
- Instagram Project To ‘Shout Out’ At May Commencement
- Clarinet Studios To Showcase ‘Fun’ Variety For Recital
- Exhibit To Share Artistic ‘Perspectives’ Of Colorado Students
- PACE Presentation To Explore Student-Teacher Relationship
- Event To Navigate Students Through Professional ‘Benefits’
- Submit Update Items Here
Mike Epps, ‘Friends’ To Visit SHSU For Comedy Showcase
Actor and standup comedian Mike Epps known for “his quick wit and ability to blend hip hop audiences with comedy” and as “Day-Day Jones” in two of the “Friday” series movies, will stop by Sam Houston State University while on his nationally sold-out comedy tour, “Mike Epps and Friends,” on Wednesday (March 27).
Doors will open for the Spring Comedy Showcase at 7 p.m. that day, with the show beginning at 8 p.m., in the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Epps started his professional career doing stand-up comedy on the "Def Comedy Jam" tour in 1995, but his film career exploded in 2000 after co-starring with Ice Cube in "Next Friday."
He has since starred in "The Honeymooners," alongside Cedric the Entertainer; "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins;" "The Hangover;" and more than 30 other TV and movie roles.
Epps also hosted the 2009 and 2010 BET Hip Hop Awards to “rave reviews.”
This is the second installment of SHSU’s Comedy Showcase, an event tied to the fall Sammypalooza concert series, and is expected to bring “a lot of hype” and “a full house,” according to Student Activities program coordinator Steven Begnaud.
“SHSU’s Spring Comedy Showcase, with the amazing comical skills of Mike Epps, is really going to be stellar this year and leave students in ‘stiches,’” said Brandon Cooper, associate director for Student Activities. “This is a great way for Bearkats to have a mid-semester break and stress reliever before hitting their classes hard and finishing out the semester.”
Like last year’s comedian Gabriel Iglesias, Epps was chosen from a student Facebook poll of comedians that included Nick Swardson, Seth Meyers and Frank Caliendo.
“He won a vast majority of the votes, around 76 percent, and so making the decision to pick him was easy,” Begnaud said. “We want to make sure we can give students the shows they want, shows they have the power to vote on. And then we want to see what they thought of the event and get feedback because it helps us in our preparation for the next event.”
Tickets are free to SHSU students, as well as faculty and staff, with an active Bearkat OneCard and are available at Gate 19, Office 235, at the Johnson Coliseum.
For more information, call 936.294.3021.
Service Appreciation Night ‘On Deck’ For Baseball Team
Baseball fans and servicemen supporters can cheer on both on Tuesday (March 26), when the Sam Houston State Baseball Team will host “Service Appreciation Night” at Don Sanders Stadium.
The Bearkats will take on No. 25 Rice beginning at 6:30 p.m., but activities will begin at 5 p.m. outside of the stadium, with tailgating, police and military displays, the ROTC Bearkat Battalion rock wall, and a Humvee.
At first pitch, Bearkat fans will notice the team decked out in special “Warrior Camo Jerseys,” each of which will be auctioned off to fans online at gobearkats.com beginning game day through April 7. Bidding will start at $100, with proceeds benefitting SHSU Distinguished Alumnus and retired Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell’s Lone Survivor Foundation, and jersey winners can option to have Luttrell sign their prize before collecting it, according to Lt. Col. David Yebra, chair of SHSU’s military science department.
“The team playing in ‘warrior camo jerseys’ is symbolic of the incredible patriotism that exists here in the Huntsville community and especially here at Sam Houston State University,” Yebra said. “We are also proud to be able to raise awareness and support for the Lone Survivor Foundation and all the wonderful work they do helping our Wounded Warriors and their families in the healing process.”
Sports fans with a military or service ID, or wearing their uniform, will be admitted free to the game, and guests of military and emergency service personnel will receive a group rate of $4 per ticket.
“Service Appreciation Night” is aimed at honoring all service personnel: police, emergency service, fire, law enforcement and military.
“We all appreciate the sacrifice of our law enforcement, military, and emergency service personnel,” Yebra said. “We are also extending a special recognition to our Vietnam and Korean War Veterans from the community.
“Bowers Boulevard, adjacent to stadium, will be closed (from Sycamore Avenue to the edge of Don Sanders Stadium) as a pedestrian area for the duration of the game for military and law enforcement displays, tailgating, and our climbing rock wall,” he said. “Everyone should feel free to come out and enjoy the tailgate area prior to the game and have fun with some of the activities we have.”
Headquartered in Houston, the Lone Survivor Foundation was created “to restore, empower and renew hope for our wounded warriors and their families through health, wellness and therapeutic support.” To learn more about the foundation, visit lonesurvivorfoundation.org.
Game tickets are available at gobearkats.com/tickets or by visiting or calling the SHSU Athletic Ticket Office at the Ron Mafrige Field House at 936.294.1729.
Linguist To Give ‘Absotively’ ‘Predicable’ Lecture On Word ‘Blends’
D. Gary Miller, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics at University of Florida, will share his insights on the “predictability” of “English blends” in language on Tuesday (March 26).
The guest lecture will be from 4-5 p.m. in Evans Building Room 212.
“Are English Blends Predictable?" will examine the creation of words in both everyday language and in such literature as that of Lewis Carroll.
“Blending is typically the fusion of two clipped words. For instance, to create ‘spork’ we begin with ‘spoon’ and ‘fork’ as the source words,” Miller said. “Clips of source words are selected and sequenced for a variety of reasons, aimed at making the created blend both appealing and interpretable.”
Word creation in the English language is subject to “certain ideals” of English word form, such as that the word must be a monosyllable (a one syllable word), a trochaic disyllable (a word that ends with an unstressed syllable, such as the “oh” sound at the end of “window”), or a dactyl (a word with a stressed syllable, followed by two unstressed syllables, such as “holiday”), or a sequence of those, according to Miller.
“Choices in source word sequencing, for instance, yield different outputs; ‘absolutely’ (combined with) ‘positively’ gives ‘absotively,’ or ‘positively’ (combined with) ‘absolutely’ yields ‘posilutely,’” he said. “This is one reason why different people create different blends from the same source words.”
Miller, who earned his doctoral degree from Harvard University, is an Indo-Europeanist, a historical linguist and one of the editors of Language.
He has taught at the University of Colorado, the University of Florida and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
Miller is the author of numerous articles on historical linguistics, as well as such monographs as External Influences on English: From its Beginnings to the Renaissance, Latin Suffixal Derivatives in English and Their Indo-European Ancestry, Language Change and Linguistic Theory, Ancient Scripts and Phonological Knowledge, and Complex Verb Formation, among others.
The lecture is sponsored by the SHSU Department of English and is open to the public.
For more information, contact department chair Helena Halmari at halmari@shsu.edu or 936.294.1402.
Seminar To Combine Personal, Literary Journeys
Kimberly Bell, associate professor of English and associate director of the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College, will use her own life “quest” to show how “we can use literature to figure ourselves out” on Tuesday (March 26).
“(Literary) Journeys: Rota Fortunae and the Game of Life,” the Honors 3332 Journeys seminar, will be presented at 5 p.m. in Smith-Hutson Building Room 186.
“I plan to talk about how the quest motif in literature reflects life journeys, focusing in particular on how literary quests can teach us something about our own lives,” Bell said. “We will be discussing “Gilgamesh,” the earliest known epic about a king who learns the secret to immortal life (and yet fails to recognize it), and Boethius' sixth-century “Consolation of Philosophy,” in which Boethius tries to understand God's will while in prison on false charges.”
Bell, who came to SHSU in 2002, teaches classes in classical and medieval literature and history of the English language.
Her scholarly interests include Middle English romances and saints’ lives, Greek and Roman epic, ancient history, and medieval English manuscripts, and she has published books, book chapters, and articles on these topics.
Bell earned her bachelor’s degree from the American College of Greece in Athens; her master’s degree from Clark University in Worcester, Mass.; and her doctorate from Georgia State University.
The Journeys lecture, sponsored by the Elliott T. Bowers Honors College, is part of a new 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.
Instagram Project To ‘Shout Out’ At May Commencement
Graduating seniors who will receive their degrees in May can “shout out” to those who have helped them throughout their college experiences through Sam Houston State University’s commencement Instagram project.
The project allows students to thank a parent, teacher or friend, or even recall a great senior-year experience, by having a friend take a photo of them on campus and then submitting it to the university’s Marketing and Communications Department.
Photos should be uploaded to Instagram using hashtag #SHSUGrad13 with a short, 140-character shout out. The deadline for submissions is April 23 by 5 p.m. Photos of graduates can also be submitted by friends and family members and should be accompanied by the graduate’s name and the 140-character shout out.
“Unfortunately, the excitement and pride of having a physical yearbook is a thing of the past, so we're giving graduating seniors the opportunity to document their university experience through their own words and photos,” said Bruce O’Neal, director of SHSU Marketing and Communications. “We think it's a personal touch and more intimate portrayal of themselves, than having someone take static photos against a backdrop.
“Through Instagram and the power of mobile uploads, students can find their favorite place on campus and choose their own photo they wish to share with others, while at the same time giving thanks and honor to those who've helped them achieve their goals,” he said.
Those without Instagram on their phones can submit photos and short messages by email to marcom@shsu.edu.
Photo submissions will be used in a video on the days of graduation, May 10-11, before each ceremony.
Submissions will also be verified by the Registrar’s Office to ensure the student has registered for graduation.
For more information, contact O’Neal at 936.294.1833 or boneal@shsu.edu.
Clarinet Studios To Showcase ‘Fun’ Variety For Recital
The SHSU clarinet studios of Patricia Card and Dmitry Perevertailenko will come together to present their annual Clarinet Studio Recital on Wednesday (March 27), at 7:30 in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
The program will open with Perevertailenko and faculty member Kaju Lee performing “Flight of the Bumble Bee,” by Rimsky-Korsakov, followed by a number of performances by students in small chamber groups and clarinet choir, according to Card.
Among the pieces that will be featured by student performers are “Crosstalk,” a “very contemporary piece” by English composer Richard Rodney Bennett, played by Miguel Morales and Deanna Mireles; and “Trio Quebecois,” a “light-hearted work” by Lucio Agostini, played by Brittany Flowers, Brittany Muoz and Andres Guerra, Card said.
Tunes will also include “Suite,” by Arnold Cooke, a “fun, quick-paced work with some very modern harmonies,” played by Stephanie Lemon, Taylor Hussey and Madison Voltin; and Alfred Uhl's “Divertimento,” a “serious and demanding work for clarinet quartet,” played by Stefan Murat, Cori Reebenacker, Bethany Lee and Lauren Hansen.
The final three selections will be performed by the clarinet choir, which includes E-flat clarinets, B-flat clarinets, bass clarinets and the contra-alto clarinet.
They will perform a jazz-influenced work by Sammy Nestico, an arrangement of “Irish Tune” by Percy Grainger (based on the tune "Oh Danny Boy") and “Overture” from the “Marriage of Figaro” by Mozart.
“There will be lots of variety and lots of fun,” Card said.
The concert is free and open to the public.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Exhibit To Share Artistic ‘Perspectives’ Of Colorado Students
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| An image of a work by SHSU alumna Julia Six, who will return to campus to share her art, and the art of some of her post-baccalaureate peers, for "Emerging Perspectives in Clay," an exhibit that will be on display in the LSC Gallery March 25-29. —Submitted photo |
Sam Houston State University’s Lowman Student Center Gallery will highlight some “Emerging Perspectives in Clay” by bringing in the work of the advanced ceramic students from The University of Colorado at Boulder for an exhibit that will begin Monday (March 25).
The exhibit will be on display through Friday (March 29) and will include a reception on Monday, from 6-7:30 p.m. in the LSC Gallery.
“Emerging Perspectives in Clay” will feature the work of Tara Booth, Susan Walicki, Erica Green, Taylor Wong, Molly Berger and Julia Six, an SHSU alumna who is currently enrolled in the post-baccalaureate program in ceramics at CU Boulder and will curate the exhibition.
“The work in the exhibition explores different ways clay may be utilized from beautifully detailed vessels to installation-based works,” said Annie Strader, SHSU assistant professor of art. “Each artist brings his/her own perspective on the material of clay and the process of ceramics.”
Strader, a CU Boulder alumna who earned her Master of Fine Arts degree in 2005, invited Six to curate the exhibit “as a way to bring a recent alumna back to campus to share her experiences and work at a new institution and with current students and the community at SHSU,” she said.
Six also will be on campus to visit with Strader’s “Advanced Ceramics” and “Business of Art” students to share Six’s creative work and the experience of being in a post-baccalaureate program in art. The post-baccalaureate option is available for artists who have finished their undergraduate degree and would like additional time and space to develop work while being immersed in a new community of artists, according to Strader.
“Post-bac students develop new professional relationships with their peers and faculty and these relationships often continue to influence their work as artists throughout their professional careers,” she said.
The LSC Gallery is located on the center’s second floor and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, contact Six at JuliaSix89@gmail.com or Strader at srs033@shsu.edu.
PACE Presentation To Explore Student-Teacher Relationship
There is a fine line between a professor expressing interest in students and becoming personally involved with them, and Patrick Allitt, the Cahoon Family Professor of American History at Emory University, will discuss navigating these complexities on Tuesday (March 26).
Allitt’s third “Art of Teaching Series” presentation, “The Teacher-Student Relationship,” 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.
“Dr. Allitt maintains that a hierarchy is created by the geography of the classroom itself. In Britain, an unequal relationship is taken for granted,” said Marsha Harman, director for the Professional and Academic Center for Excellence. “Dr. Allitt agrees that instructors in higher education in the United States sometimes seek a more egalitarian relationship with students.”
Harman said everyone, from new instructors to seasoned professors, should consider these types of issues when entering a classroom.
“We all struggle with how we can connect and engage students and still keep the relationship a professional one,” she said. “There are many facets to consider in developing and maintaining relationships with students. Although we may not agree 100 percent with Dr. Allitt, it is important to consider all the factors.”
The “Art of Teaching” series is sponsored by PACE and the foreign languages department. 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.
Event To Navigate Students Through Professional ‘Benefits’
The Student Money Management Center and Career Service will help students prepare for potential “big benefits” in their future careers with a workshop on Tuesday (March 26).
“Future Career, Big Benefits” will be from 3:30-4:20 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
The collaborative presentation will address office behavior, dress, etiquette, and understanding paycheck and benefit basics.
“We hope this presentation will help students navigate through the professional world and prepare for their future careers,” Samantha McKinley, Student Money Management Center peer counselor. “Many students are close to graduation and have jobs lined up but lack knowledge about the professional world. Understanding these basic skills in the first year of a career are crucial to professional success from that point on.”
For more information, contact the SMMC at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
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
March 22, 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.
