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SHSU Update For Week Of Nov. 3
- Longtime Anchor To Discuss Career At �Mingling� Event
- Presentation To Examine Mystery Of ‘First Americans’
- Career Fair To Target STEM Opportunities
- Workshops To Address Student Loan Repayment, Insurance
- Concerts To Feature Faculty ‘Winds,’ Student Cellists
- Contemporary Ballet To ‘Silence’ Gender Roles
- Health Center Technologist Recognized As ‘Pride Of Profession’
- Submit Update Items Here
Longtime Anchor To Discuss Career At ‘Mingling’ Event
Dave Ward, who is believed to hold the longest tenure for a broadcaster at a single station, will return to Huntsville on Nov. 14 to “mingle” with members of the Bearkat and local communities.
The Sam Houston State University Priority One-sponsored “Mingling with the Media” event will begin at noon in Dan Rather Communications Building Studio A, on the building’s first floor.
Ward, who grew up in Huntsville, will share various aspects of his life and career in an interview-style discussion with Priority One adviser Peter Roussel, the Warner Endowed Chair of Journalism in SHSU’s mass communication department. He will also answer questions submitted by the audience.
Ward joined Houston’s ABC13 KTRK-TV in 1966 as an on-the-street reporter/photographer and a year later, became anchor for Channel 13's weekday 7 a.m. newscast.
In 1968, he was assigned to anchor the weekday 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eyewitness newscasts, leading that broadcast to the No. 1 rating in Houston and where he remains today as one of Houston's most respected news anchors.
During his career with 13 Eyewitness News, Ward has covered natural disasters throughout Texas and the southern states; has interviewed heads of state and drug addicts; and has traveled throughout the North, Central and South Americas on numerous stories.
Priority One is an on-campus public relations firm staffed by students who provide the on-campus community with PR services, which gives students hands-on experience in working directly with clients. The group also produces several events such as “Mingling with the Media” each year.
Prior to the event, Priority One will set up a table on the first floor of the Communications Building, where they will pass out “Word from Ward” buttons and accept question submissions from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 11-13.
For more information on “Mingling with the Media” or any of Priority One’s services, contact Roussel at phr001@shsu.edu or Priority One member Chelsie Homer at crh037@shsu.edu.
Presentation To Examine Mystery Of ‘First Americans’
In history and social studies classes across the country, children are told the story of the Clovis people.
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| Students dig at the Gault site, in Central Texas, one of the "premier" sites in the Americas for Clovis culture clues. Crook is associated with this site. |
They were the first people in the Americas, the ones who crossed the Bering Strait land bridge 13,500 years ago, coming to the New World in hunt of large game.
But recent research has indicated that the Clovis people are not, in fact, the first Americans; archeologists have found another group of people who have been dated to more than 2,000 years before the Clovis, who were given that name because their very distinctive spear point was first found in Clovis, N.M.
W.W. “Dub” Crook, an archeologist and adjunct faculty member in Texas State University’s anthropology department, will discuss “The Peopling of the Americas—Is Clovis First Finally Dead?” on Wednesday (Nov. 6).
The archeology month presentation will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m., followed by a one-hour PowerPoint presentation at 7 p.m. in the Katy and E. Don Walker Sr. Education Center.
Crook will reveal this latest evidence and share work that’s being done at two archeology sites in Texas, the Gault and Friedkin sites, located near one another north of Austin, which are central to the new archeological evidence indicating a “Pre-Clovis” culture, according to Sandy Rogers, collections registrar at the Sam Houston Memorial Musem. Crook is associated with the Gault site and excavates at other sites all over the world.
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| The Clovis name is derived from Clovis, N.M., where their distinctive points (like the ones above) were first found. |
“The sites in Texas are two of the most important sites of the Americas as far as clues go,” Rogers said. “The Gault site has for decades been the premier Clovis site in America, with almost 600,000 Clovis artifacts having come out of this site. That’s an incredible amount, and those are only the artifacts that have been scientifically excavated in the last 10 years.
“The Friedkin site, a Pre-Clovis site, is giving us so much information, so many clues, to help put these Clovis people to rest as those not being the first Americans,” she said. “This Clovis model that’s been challenged over the last few years, that is beginning to fall away, is very interesting, and everyone is interested in early man—how they got here and where they came from. It’s quite interesting, and he’s a very, very dynamic speaker.”
Crook’s presentation is free and open to the public.
The Walker Education Center is located at 1402 19th St.
For more information, call the Sam Houston Memorial Museum at 936.294.1832.
Career Fair To Target STEM Opportunities
Students hoping to launch a career in one of the science, technology, engineering or mathematics fields can meet with potential employers during the Sam Houston State University Career Services’ inaugural STEM Career Fair on Tuesday (Nov. 5).
Representatives from 15 STEM-related industries will be available to talk with students and alumni about internships and full-time jobs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
“We decided to host this career fair for the first time this fall because both faculty/staff and employers had approached Career Services about having a fair explicitly targeting the STEM students,” said Mitch Parker, Career Services marketing and events coordinator. “The companies are looking for everything from math, computer science, biology/chemistry, industrial engineering, MIS, IT; basically all majors within the STEM field are being recruited.”
Among the companies that are expected to attend are Accruent, Alert Logic, Avsco Houston, Burns and McDonnell, CGI, DiCentral, Kelly Scientific Resources, Lennar Homes, MediaFire, Nucor Building Systems, SET Environmental, The Reynolds and Reynolds Company, and Weatherford International, in addition to agencies providing educational opportunities.
According to the National Math and Science Initiative, STEM job creation over the next 10 years will outpace non-STEM jobs significantly, growing 17 percent, as compared to 9.8 percent for non-STEM positions.
In addition, college graduates make 84 percent more, overall, over a lifetime than those with only high school diplomas, and earn higher wages than their non-STEM counterparts, the NMS report said.
Those interested in attending the fair are encouraged to dress professionally and bring copies of their resumes.
Resume critiquing is also available in the Career Services office, in Academic Building IV Suite 210.
For more information, or to make an appointment for resume critiquing, call Career Services at 936.294.1713 or visit shsu.edu/~ccp_www.
Workshops To Address Student Loan Repayment, Insurance
From the various types of insurance available to student loan repayment, SHSU’s Student Money Management Center will show students that they’ve “got you covered” through workshops that explain the intricacies of both Monday (Nov. 4) through Wednesday (Nov. 6).
Center director Patsy Collins will begin the series of presentations by sharing with students some important information on the federally implemented Public Service Loan-Forgiveness feature associated with student loans.
“After Graduation: Student Loan Repayment” will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday (Nov. 4), with an encore presentation on Tuesday (Nov. 5), at 4 p.m., both in the Lowman Student Center Theater.
The Public Service Loan-Forgiveness program that was implemented in 2007 extends the 1958 National Defense Education Act that provided loan forgiveness for public school teachers by allowing those who work in various governmental organizations and non-profit organizations to qualify for interest or, in some cases, principal forgiveness.
“Many of Sam Houston's students enter into public service after graduation and are potentially eligible to enroll in this program,” Collins said.
The presentation will also address tuition rebate and how to process the forgiveness feature of a “Be on Time” loan or TEACH Grant, as well as loan deferment or forbearance for students who are not able to immediately begin making loan payments.
The next presentation, "We've Got You Covered: The Ins and Outs of Insurance" will explore the various basic types of insurance, why insurance is needed and how to analyze price comparisons on Tuesday (Nov. 5), from 11 a.m. to noon, and Wednesday (Nov. 6), from 10-11 a.m. Both presentations will be in LSC Room 315.
“When I work with students on their goals and aligning their budget to meet these goals, I have become aware that students don’t really understand the ins and outs of car insurance,” said Collins.
“Understanding the rules and rationale behind purchasing insurance is very important,” she said. “Many students don’t know that if they need to finance the car by taking out a loan, they might be required to purchase comprehensive insurance coverage. Purchasing that car might be appreciably cheaper if the car is purchased outright and comprehensive insurance is not required.”
In addition, it is possible to be over-insured, so students should know their options.
“Students need to know that there are companies that want to command the cash they earn,” Collins said. “They need to know about the different options available and what types of questions to consider when they are purchasing insurance.”
For more information, contact the SMMC at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
Concerts To Feature Faculty ‘Winds,’ Student Cellists
School of Music faculty and students will present international programs during woodwind and cello recitals Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 5-6).
The Woodwind Faculty Recital, on Tuesday, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall, will showcase an evening of woodwind quartets and a quintet featuring Kathy Daniel, professor of flute; Serena Rowe, adjunct professor of oboe; Patricia Card, professor of clarinet; Nathan Koch, assistant professor of bassoon; and Peggy DeMers, associate professor of horn.
The performance will open with a “delightful” composition for woodwind quartet, for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon, by French composer Marcel Bitsch, followed by the woodwind quintet performing a new work by American composer Nicole Buetti called “Reflections of Assisi.”
“This work was written by Buetti while working at a summer festival in Assissi, Italy,” Card said. “Dr. Peggy DeMers participated in the premiere performance of this piece in Italy.”
The quartet and quintet will also perform a collection of several short pieces that are “charming and entertaining” called “Humorous Bagatelles” by one of Denmark's greatest composers, Carl Neilsen, and a “rather contemporary work” that “has great audience appeal” called “Quintet for Woodwinds” by American composer John Cheetham, Card said.
The next evening, the Cello Studio will perform a recital of solo cello music famous works by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, Boccherini, Haydn, Tchaikovsky, and many others, joined by assistant professor Daniel Saenz and pianist Kaju Lee.
“This concert will feature some the brightest and talented students on the SHSU campus,” Saenz said.
The SHSU Cello Studio comprises students studying to complete their Bachelor of Music Education degree and Bachelor of Music degree in performance.
Both performances are free and open to the public.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Contemporary Ballet To ‘Silence’ Gender Roles
"Sight Silenced," Leann Huddelston’s thesis concert, explores women’s roles in ballet, aiming to showcase those women as strong and independent as they take the stage.
The concert, choreographed in partial fulfillment of the SHSU dance department’s Master of Fine Arts degree in dance, will be presented Thursday and Friday (Nov. 8-9), at
8 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theater.
Called a “contemporary ballet,” "Sight Silenced" investigates a woman’s role in ballet in relationship with her male partner by experimenting with traditional gender roles.
“The male gaze theory implies that when a woman dances with a man, she is always subservient to, dependent on and manipulated by him,” Huddelston said. “I am interested in looking at how she can dance with a man while maintaining her own autonomy and how they can be seen as equals on the stage.
“The title points to the fact of silencing the male's gaze on the ballerina, thus literally removing his vision for one work in the concert,” she said. “By having him dance without being able to see the woman, the traditional gender roles in ballet are reversed. She becomes the one leading him through space rather than the other way around which is typically seen in ballet choreography.
“The concert ends with a pas de deux in which the man and woman dance together, as equals,” Huddelston continued. “Neither one of them has any power over the other and they are independent individuals in the relationship."
The five-section work will feature seven SHSU undergraduate dancers, who will perform to music by Helen Jane Long, Ludovico Einaudi, Ahn Trio and Jonathan Elias.
Admission is free.
For more information, call the GPAC Box Office at 936.294.2339 or the dance department at 936.294.1875.
Health Center Technologist Recognized As ‘Pride Of Profession’
Norma “Taffy” Durfee, a medical technologist at Sam Houston State University’s Student Health Center, was recently recognized as the "Pride of the Profession" by the American Medical Technologists.
Durfee received the award during the organization’s 75th educational program and annual meeting convention held in Pittsburgh.
She was selected for the award by the national AMT board in recognition of her contributions and involvement in the profession of medical technologists, which includes 22 years as an AMT member.
Only one “Pride of the Profession” award is given per year and is conferred upon a long-time member with continued involvement in the organization who holds a post-graduate degree in an allied health field, according to Christopher Damon, AMT executive director.
“The annual ‘Pride of the Profession’ award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the board of directors of American Medical Technologists,” Damon said. “The winner of this award has to have represented the pride of our profession by distinguishing herself and bringing honor to AMT by serving in education, scholarly writing, national and state board of committee service, annual convention participation, mentoring, and especially for outstanding accomplishments outside of our ‘AMT world’ and in service to humankind.
“Taffy works hard for AMT at the state and national levels and assists with the development of our clinical laboratory certification examinations,” he continued. “She has published articles in our scholarly journals, and has been a speaker at national and regional meetings. She is a past recipient of AMT’s Distinguished Achievement Award.”
Durfee is a current American Medical Technologists Institute for Excellence board trustee and president of the Texas State Society of American Medical Technologists, for which she has previously served in vice president and secretary positions. In addition, she also has served on several state and national committees.
She has a Master of Science degree from Texas A & M University and a Bachelor of Science degree from SHSU.
Before joining the SHSU staff in June, she was education coordinator at St. Joseph Regional Health.
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
Nov. 1, 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.
