SamWeb
My Sam
E-mail
SHSU Update For Week Of April 6
- Leadership Simulcast Expected To Sell Out
- College To Host State Department Informational Session
- Health Center To Help Students ‘Get Yourself Tested’
- Faculty, Guest To Perform ‘Energetic,’ ‘Unique’ Concerts
- Music Students To Play ‘Theatrical,’ Chamber Recitals
- Alumna-Curated Exhibit To Be Presented In LSC
- Student Artists ‘Submit’ Works For Exhibition
- LEMIT To Offer Elderly Abuse Training For Officers
- Submit Update Items Here
Leadership Simulcast Expected To Sell Out
Sam Houston State University has fewer than 35 tickets remaining for this year’s Leadercast 2014, scheduled for May 9 in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.
Leadercast is one of the largest events of its kind, broadcasting presentations by nationally recognized lecturers, who will be speaking live from Atlanta. The broadcast is expected to reach more than 125,000 people who will be experiencing the event at one of at least 600 participating locations around the world.
This year’s theme, “Beyond You,” challenges leaders to leverage their influence for the sake of others and help them discover what it means to be a leader worth following.
“Everyone has someone who looks up to them; it may be their roommate or younger brother or sister. We are all leaders in some way and our students are our future leaders,” said Kristy Vienne, assistant vice president for Student Services.
“Leadercast allows our faculty and staff the opportunity to get out of their offices and listen to some of the world’s most motivational speakers,” she said. “The lineup this year includes experts from various fields, including a human rights activist, a best selling author and a screenwriter.”
Among the nine speakers are Andy Stanley, a sought-after leadership communicator, author, pastor and founder of North Point Ministries, Inc.; Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient; and former United States First Lady Laura Bush.
A complete lineup of speakers is available at shsu.edu/leadercast.
“Leadercast offers something for everyone, and it’s a good way to refill our buckets,” Vienne said. “It gets us inspired to continue our journey and do things that are important, not just on campus but in our lives and in our communities.”
Faculty and staff who attend Leadercast can earn professional development or continuing education, credit.
Registration for the simulcast begins at 7 a.m. and the event will conclude at 3:30 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and snacks are included.
Leadercast tickets are $65 and are expected to sell out.
Students and members of the Huntsville community can purchase tickets online at shsu.edu/leadercast. Faculty and staff should contact their divisional liaison about purchasing tickets.
For payments by check contact 936.294.2600, or visit the Bearkat OneCard Office, in Estill Building Suite 230.
College To Host State Department Informational Session
Students looking for adventure and a career serving in foreign countries will have the chance to learn about the U.S. Department of State during an informational session Tuesday (April 8).
 |
| U.S. Department of State Diplomat-in-Residence John C. Roberts (above) and supervisory special agent for the U.S. Department of State Darrin E. Whatley (below) will talk about their work with the foreign services on April 8. —Submitted photos |
 |
Sponsored by Career Services and the College of Criminal Justice, the event will feature two foreign services employees, who will discuss career opportunities, fellowships, jobs, the officer selection process, and their own experiences from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Criminal Justice Center’s Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom.
The speakers will include John C. Roberts, U.S. Department of State Diplomat-in-Residence for Southeast Texas and Louisiana, and Darrin E. Whatley, supervisory special agent and SHSU alumnus.
The Department of State formulates, represents and implements the president’s foreign policy within the 189 countries with which the United States maintains diplomatic relations, as well as with many international organizations.
The agency maintains over 265 diplomatic and consular posts around the world and employs about 11,000 people.
Prior to his assignment as a diplomat-in-residence, Roberts was director of the civilian response corps in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, a department that leads diplomatic efforts, providing whole government conflict mitigation and stabilization assistance to countries in conflict or emerging from conflict.
Roberts also served as a public affairs officer for Barbados and six other Eastern Caribbean nations, as well as in the press and cultural affairs office at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
He was a member of the executive staff for Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, organizing press and media events and high-level meetings through Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa.
Whatley, who graduated from SHSU in 1997, serves as a field-training officer with the Houston field office.
Before his promotion, he was a special agent in Houston and Washington, as well as with computer investigations and forensics. He has received many awards for his service.
Before joining the Department of State, Whatley was a member of the FBI’s joint drug intelligence group and U.S. Air Force Law Enforcement Specialist.
To learn more about careers with the U.S. Department of State, visit careers.state.gov or contact Robert at DIRSoutheastTeaLou@state.gov or 202.549.5284.
Health Center To Help Students ‘Get Yourself Tested’
For the second year, the Student Health Center will offer students the opportunity to check their HIV and syphilis status through the Get Yourself Tested program on Tuesday and Wednesday (April 8-9).
Testing, offered in conjunction with the Texas Department of State Health Services, will be provided for free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on both days in Recreational Sports Center Multi-Purpose Room No. 3.
“Both of these tests will be done with one blood draw,” said Lisa Clarkson, SHC programming coordinator. “That means only one stick with the needle, one vile of blood drawn, but two tests.”
Nearly half of the 19 million new sexually transmitted diseases each year are among sexually active individuals ages 15-24, and Texas ranks fourth in the country in cumulative reported AIDS cases and 10th for syphilis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition, a 2011 STD Surveillance Report shows a correlation between HIV and syphilis, revealing that there is an estimated two- to five-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV if exposed to HIV when syphilis is present. Those studies have also shown that syphilis will increase the viral load of someone who is already HIV infected.
Regular HIV testing is recommended for everyone 13-64 years old and is not done automatically; those wishing to be tested for HIV must request the test from a healthcare provider. Testing is also recommended for those who have had unprotected sex, a new sex partner or shared needles or equipment to inject drugs.
“April is National STD Awareness Month and various sexual health campaigns are taking place throughout the country,” Clarkson said. “Typically students would have to pay $18 for the HIV test and $12 for the syphilis (RPR) test at the Student Health Center, but the Texas Department of State Health Services is offering the testing to students for free.”
Testing will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Students will be contacted directly by the Texas Health Department within two weeks after testing only if the results are positive, according to Clarkson.
“So, no news is good news in this situation,” she said.
For more information, contact Clarkson at 936.294.4347 or visit itsyoursexlife.com/gyt.
Faculty, Guest To Perform ‘Energetic,’ ‘Unique’ Concerts
Faculty and guests will highlight a variety of woodwind instruments this week during two concerts hosted by the SHSU School of Music.
The music faculty winds will perform a chamber recital on Monday (April 7) at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
The evening will feature Kathy Daniel, flute; Serena Rowe, oboe; Patricia Card, clarinet; Nathan Koch, bassoon; Masahito Sugihara, saxophone; and Peggy DeMers, horn.
The recital will open with an “energetic arrangement” of Poulenc's “Intermezzo,” arranged for the reed quartet by Sugihara, an assistant professor of saxophone, according to Card, professor of clarinet.
The program will also include “The Suite for Woodwind Quartet,” by Russian composer Yuri Levitin, “a delightful mix of classical forms such as the waltz and dance with a contemporary approach to harmony,” and “The Klezmer Wedding,” by Mike Curtis, “an appealing work based on several traditional klezmer (a tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe) tunes,” Card said.
The second half will feature another arrangement by Sugihara; the “extremely popular” “Three Preludes,” by George Gershwin; and “Woodwind Quintet,” by Paul Hindemith.
“This monumental work is considered a standard in the woodwind quintet literature,” Card said.
The concert is free and open to the public.
On Tuesday (April 8), guest artist Jun Watabe will share the stage with pianist Lorna Eder for a saxophone recital beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Recital Hall.
“This is a very unique recital in that Dr. Watabe will be performing both saxophone and clarinet,” Sugihara said. “One of the highlights of the recital is ‘Triple Concerto for Two,’ composed by Emerson Eads. It was commissioned by Dr. Watabe and is written for one performer playing both the saxophone and clarinet.”
The second half of the program includes jazz-influenced pieces such as “Blue Caprice” by Victor Morosco and “Sonata” by Edison Denisov.
Watabe, a faculty member at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has appeared as featured soloist in many national and international scenes to rave reviews.
Watabe received a doctorate in both saxophone and clarinet from University of
Northern Colorado.
Eder, collaborative pianist, also teaches at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
She previously lived and performed in Los Angeles for more than 30 years.
She recently received a Doctorate of Musical Arts in keyboard collaborative arts from the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California.
Tickets for the guest concert are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens, and $5 for SHSU students and can be purchased online at shsu.edu/boxoffice.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Music Students To Play ‘Theatrical,’ Chamber Recitals
An SHSU student percussion group and saxophone studio will share with audiences some of the work they’ve been doing throughout the semester during two concerts beginning Tuesday (April 8).
The Sam Houston Percussion Group will presents "Theatrics," an evening of classic silent cinema with live percussion scoring,” that day at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.
The performance will include scenes from such historic silent films as "A Trip to the Moon," directed by Georges Méliès, and “The Goat,” directed by and starring Buster Keaton ("The Goat"), among others.
“The music will feature ragtime music from the 1910-20's by George Hamilton Green, one of the world's greatest xylophonists, as well as some period film music by J. S. Zamecnik,” said John Lane, director of percussion studies and associate professor of percussion. “The evening also includes a premiere of an exciting contemporary abstract silent film by SHSU art student Katelyn Newmann.
“This is an exciting and rare opportunity to see these classic films with live music scoring,” Lane said.
On Wednesday (April 9), the saxophone studio will present a chamber recital beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Recital Hall.
The recital will feature four student saxophone quartets and two saxophone duos playing transcriptions of Baroque music, French standards, an early American work, and a contemporary American composition.
“A large part of saxophone repertoire is for a quartet comprised of soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophone,” said Masahito Sugihara, assistant professor of saxophone. “Students were not required to take chamber music for credit and they worked mostly on their own with some guidance from us (the School of Music saxophone faculty) to prepare for the recital.”
Admission to both performances is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Alumna-Curated Exhibit To Be Presented In LSC
“Translucent,” an art exhibit curated by SHSU alumna Ashley Delara DeHoyos, will be on display in the Lowman Student Art Gallery through Saturday (April 12).
The exhibit features art by SHSU alumni Justin Zachary, of Huntsville; Wendy Franklin, of Spring; Jacqueline Schroder, of Oklahoma; and Robert Palisin, of Spring.
Most of the work selected for this exhibition present a dominant theme of the desire to be connected on emotional, sexual and spiritual levels in a world that is self absorbed, focused on material and technological interaction, according to DeHoyos.
 |
| A porcelain and thread installation that will be among those exhibited for the "Translucent" exhibit in the LSC Art Gallery. —Submitted |
“The artists in translucent use photography and ceramics as tools to answer internal questions about their own identities, the nature of family and relationships,” she said. “Each artist works with several themes and techniques that focus on self-exploration and the beauty of the invisible connections that not only relate to the past and present but also their identity and their interactions with their environments, family and significant others.
“This body of work becomes a visual narrative of different perspectives over the idea of connecting to someone or something.”
Zachary’s art focuses on the cultural traditions surrounding bereavement and the act of remembrance by featuring scenarios with 3-D objects in and around his family home.
“Zachary transcends the idea of connection to someone on a physical level, also connecting on a spiritual level,” she said.
Franklin’s installations, “external web” and “chaos,” focus on the delicate relationship with the women in her past, exploring the connection of her family and their impact on her.
“Using materials such as ceramics and lace, the body of work has a feminine presence that is organic and reserved,” DeHoyos said. “The fragile, yet chaotic, state that is built during the installation of each piece provides insight to the struggle that belongs with the ups and downs of family and emotional and physical challenges of breaking free from the hold of one’s past and assessing the future.”
Schroder’s photographic narratives reveal intertwining relationships and connections between two people, displaying an uncomfortable tension with the desire to be content.
“Her body of work focuses on her relationship with her boyfriend and the visual dialog created between two subjects,” DeHoyos said. “Jacqueline uses the idea that a connection can be sparked from an intimate encounter, or feeling, while combining projections and photographs to create a cinematic experience frozen in time.”
Finally, Palisin’s body of work reflects his need for some sort of social interaction as he spends his nights wandering the streets alone instead of sleeping. He explores his desire for an internal connection with those around him trying to figure out where he stands in society as a son, a lover, and a man.
A reception for the exhibit will be April 10, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the LSC Gallery.
Student Artists ‘Submit’ Works For Exhibition
Three SHSU graduating art majors will examine submission, perception and the absence of control in their exhibit “Submit,” beginning Tuesday (April 8) in the Student Satellite Gallery.
“Submit” will feature the works of Katelyn Newman, Jack Weidman, and Kevin Shelton and will be on display through Saturday (April 12).
A reception and artists talks will be Thursday (April 10), from 5-7 p.m., with artists talks beginning at 5:30 p.m.
The exhibit will include video projection, durational performance, drawing and sculpture, “with consideration for how the viewer will interact with the works,” according to Newman.
In the exhibit, Newman uses video to direct and highlight parts of the world that she finds interesting or has deemed, "un-important.”
“These areas are then explored through many layers of video and various editing techniques to create complex, moving images that emphasize intense movement, color and texture,” she said.
Weidman seeks to find the delineation between what is perceived to be true and what reality actually dictates, and the various paradoxical relationships that arise due to this divide, he said.
This is done using durational performances, drawing, video and also sculpture.
Shelton works in drawing and sculpture with intentions of “distilling concept and forms to create a direct message in his work,” he said.
“My works associated with this show focus primarily on metal fabrication, leatherworking, and chemistry,” Shelton said. “In using the natural qualities of his materials and relating those materials to ideas of spirituality and mortality, I aim to be clear about my own uncertainty and anxiety about those subjects.”
The SSG is open Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to noon and 6:30-8 p.m.; Wednesday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, from 10 a.m. to noon and 5-7 p.m.; Friday, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LEMIT To Offer Elderly Abuse Training For Officers
The Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas at Sam Houston State University will present a special session for professionals on issues involving the elderly on April 23.
The free, all-day session, co-sponsored by the Houston Geriatric Education Center, is called “Aging, Dementia and Elder Mistreatment: What Law Enforcement Professionals Should Know.”
The course is designed to enhance law enforcement professionals’ understanding about normal aging, changes in cognitive function, Alzheimer’s disease and elder mistreatment.
“The ‘aging tsunami’ has arrived, which presents unique challenges to law enforcement professionals,” said Rita Watkins, LEMIT executive director.
Experts from the division of geriatric and palliative medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston will present cutting-edge information and pearls of wisdom that may be used in day-to-day interactions with older adults.
One of the topics that will be addressed is elder abuse.
According to research, millions of Americans age 65 and older have been injured, exploited or otherwise mistreated by a caregiver of someone they trust. Estimates of elder abuse range from 2 to 5 percent of the population over age 65, but only 1 in 14 incidents are brought to the attention of authorities.
Elder abuse is defined as “intentional or neglectful acts by a caregiver or ‘trusted’ individual that lead to, or may lead to, harm of a vulnerable elder,” according to the National Center on Elder Abuse.
The most common types of abuse are physical abuse; neglect, including self-neglect; emotional or psychological abuse; verbal abuse and threats; financial abuse and exploitation; sexual abuse and abandonment.
The event is co-sponsored by the Houston Geriatric Education Center through a grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the Department of Health and Human Services.
It is operated by the Houston Galveston Area Council and its goal is providing knowledge and skills to sustain and create healthier communities for vulnerable older people.
The deadline to register for the event is April 16.
To register, visit lemitonline.org.
For more information, contact Yvette Shorten, program assistant, at 936.294.3851.
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 -
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.
