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SHSU Update For Week Of Nov. 16
- Programs To Focus On Student Sexual, Lung Health
- Exhibiting Artist To Discuss Series For Closing Lecture
- Departments Seek Research For Graduate ‘Exchange’
- Spectrum To Showcase Dance Faculty-Created Works
- Music Groups To Give Fall Finales In Two Concerts
- SMMC To Showcase ‘Debt Man Walking’
- BFA Exhibit To Explore Communication, Interaction
- Event To Provide International Students With Thanksgiving Meal
- Today@Sam Seeks Spring Calendar Info
- Submit Update Items Here
Programs To Focus On Student Sexual, Lung Health
Sam Houston State University’s Student Health Center health and wellness education office will encourage students to learn their HIV statuses and the benefits of quitting smoking with two events beginning Tuesday.
The Texas Department of State Health Services will return to campus on Nov. 18 and 19 to offer free HIV and syphilis testing for students. Testing will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Recreational Sports Center’s Multipurpose Room No. 3.
Offered in conjunction with the Get Yourself Tested program, testing requires simply filling out paperwork and then having one blood draw, from which both tests are conducted, according to Lisa Chaddick Clarkson, Student Health Center program coordinator.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2012 that Texas ranks third highest among the 50 states in cumulative reported HIV cases, up from fourth place in 2010. Youth ages 20-24 were also diagnosed at a significantly higher rate than other age groups, according to the report.
Texas ranked 16th in the nation for syphilis, according to the CDC 2011 report.
In addition, there is a link between HIV infection and syphilis, according to the CDC, as genital sores caused by syphilis increase the transmission of the HIV infection by an estimated two- to five-fold.
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.
“Typically students would have to pay $18 for the HIV test and $12 for the syphilis (RPR) at the Student Health Center but the Texas Department of State Health Services is offering the testing to students for free,” Clarkson said.
Testing will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis.
On Friday (Nov. 21), the health and wellness education office will discuss the benefits of smoking cessation and how students can save money on smoking cessation products from the Student Health Center pharmacy.
The “Great American Smoke Out: Are You Ready to Quit?” event will be from 9-11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area.
While the 18-24 age group represents only 17.3 percent of smokers, according to the CDC’s 2012 report, this accounts for 7.28 million smokers, the majority of whom are male.
For more information, contact Clarkson at 936.294.4347 or visit itsyoursexlife.com/gyt.
Exhibiting Artist To Discuss Series For Closing Lecture
Krista Steinke, whose work is part of the “Second Nature” exhibit currently on display in Sam Houston State University’s Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, will talk about her series “Purgatory Road” on Thursday (Nov. 20).
The exhibit’s closing lecture will begin at 5 p.m. in Art Building E Room 108.
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| Krista Steinke's photograph is currently on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, along with photographs from her "Purgatory Road" series. She will discuss this work on Nov. 20 for the exhibit's closing talk. —Submitted |
Steinke is a lens-based artist whose work hinges on her interest in narrative as a means to explore the boundaries of visual perception and its intersection with memory, identity, a sense of place, and the enigmatic spaces in-between.
Her series “Purgatory Road” takes its title from an actual place where Steinke lives during the summer months, a wooded region in rural New York that is divided by an infamous dirt-covered path.
She began the series in 2010 and plans to continue working on it for several more years.
Photographed on location or composed from specimens collected on walks through the woods, her images collectively describe a sense of place, while capturing the myriad stages of life and death, according to Annie Strader, assistant professor of art and galleries coordinator.
It will be on display with “Second Nature” until Nov. 20.
Steinke received her Bachelor of Arts degree in art and the advanced humanities from Valparaiso University, her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in studio art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her Master of Fine Arts degree in photography and digital imaging from The Maryland Institute’s College of Art.
She has lived all over Texas, in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Seattle, and Chicago, among other places.
She currently lives in Houston and teaches in Texas A&M University’s visualization department.
For more information, contact Strader at 936.294.1322.
Departments Seek Research For Graduate ‘Exchange’
Research is part of the everyday life of a graduate student across all disciplines at Sam Houston State University.
The Office of Graduate Studies and the College of Education are giving all graduate students the opportunity to share some of their research and creative projects, while gaining valuable presentation experience and competing to win various awards as part of the 18th annual Graduate Research Exchange, set for Feb. 18 in the Lowman Student Center.
Students who would like to present either a completed research project or current, in progress research, must submit the proposal form to Molly Doughtie, via gradeducation@shsu.edu or by campus mail to Box 2119, by Dec. 1.
Those who submit proposals can opt to vie for the Graduate Research Exchange Awards—which recognizes excellence in the following categories: Best Research, Best in Presentation, Most Creative Research, and Most Impactful Research—in addition to the other Graduate Research Exchange runners-up awards. First place winners will receive iPad Airs and plaques, and runners-up will receive SHSU blankets.
“Our office strives to recognize graduate students for their accomplishments, research, and creative projects and to prepare them for the academic and private sector job market. The Graduate Research Exchange is but one of many initiatives from Graduate Studies to enrich the academic experience of graduate students, including workshops, seminars, and other awards,” said Weston Rose, media and communications specialist in the Office of Graduate Studies.
Graduate students from every college are encouraged to attend, as entries will be judged by professors in each, individual discipline.
“The Graduate Research Exchange provides graduate students an opportunity to hone their presentation skills, which may help them at conferences and in the classroom. Furthermore, the Graduate Research Exchange encourages collaboration among different disciplines, and as we all know, a major trend in universities these days is interdisciplinary research,” said Kandi Tayebi, dean of Graduate Studies and associate vice president for Academic Affairs. “In addition, this is great opportunity for graduate students, who are too often cloistered within their individual departments, to interact with their peers and join in the rich academic culture at Sam Houston State University.”
For more information, contact Graduate Studies at 936.294.2408 or gradstudies@shsu.edu.
Spectrum To Showcase Dance Faculty-Created Works
Seven faculty members and two guests will present new choreography beginning Thursday (Nov. 20), when the Sam Houston State University Department of Dance will present the Fall 2014 Spectrum Dance Concert.
Performances, through Nov. 22, will begin at 8 p.m., with an additional 2 p.m. Saturday matinee, in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Dance Theatre.
The concert will include works by faculty members Elijah Gibson, Dana Nicolay, Andrew Noble, Dionne Sparkman Noble and Erin Reck; visiting professor David J. Deveau; and adjunct professor Brittany Thetford Deveau; as well as works by two guest artists.
New York-based Von Ussar Danceworks choreographer Astrid von Ussar set her new work, “Crossroads,” on four female dancers.
In addition to performing the work in Dance Spectrum, these dancers also traveled at the end of October to present the work in The Dance Gallery Festival New York at the Ailey CityGroup Theater, according to Dionne Noble, assistant professor of dance.
The second guest artist, Maurice Causey—a former William Forsythe dancer of the Frankfurt Ballet in Germany—also set a work on a larger cast of SHSU students that will debut in Dance Spectrum.
“These two guest artists are working with SHSU dance by way of The Dance Gallery Festival Texas, a three-day dance festival that takes place in October at Sam Houston and includes a master class series, performances by national and international dance companies and choreographic residencies by selected artists,” Noble said.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens, and $5 for students.
For more information, call the department of dance at 936.294.1875.
Music Groups To Give Fall Finales In Two Concerts
The SHSU Jazz Ensembles will give an encore presentation of its 68th Annual Midwest Clinic International Band Convention performance with the first of two concerts sponsored by the SHSU School of Music.
The Thursday night (Nov. 20) concert will feature pieces from such noted jazz musicians as Jeff Jarvis, Dizzy Gillespie, Billy Strayhorn, and George Gershwin. It will also include performances by three SHSU jazz groups: the Jazz Lab Band, the Jazz Improvisation Class and the Jazz Ensemble.
It will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall.
“This concert is flavored with arrangements of classic jazz standards,” said Aric Schneller, assistant professor of music and director of jazz studies. “It will include my arrangement of ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?’ by Cole Porter— which was my first published arrangement with Alfred Music/Belwin Jazz Publications—and several original/modern jazz works for the big band genre as well as some wonderful Latin music.
The 68th Annual Midwest Clinic is one of the most prestigious music conventions in the world and the jazz ensembles will make their debut there on Dec. 16, according to Schneller.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for SHSU students.
The Violin Studio will bow out of the semester for its fall finale concert on Sunday (Nov. 23), with a program that will begin at 1 p.m. in the GPAC Recital Hall.
The violin students of Javier Pinell and Naomi Gjevre will highlight a program of masterworks ranging from the Baroque to 20th century musical periods.
“Among the works to be performed are the violin sonatas by Mozart, Brahms and Grieg,” said Javier A. Pinell, associate professor of violin and string studies coordinator. “This is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the wonderful repertoire written for this genre.”
Admission is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
SMMC To Showcase ‘Debt Man Walking’
Discussion across media platforms has highlighted the crippling effect of debt around the nation.
Forbes reported in 2013 that nationally, student loan debt has risen to $1.2 trillion, with the average borrower accumulating $26,600 in debt by graduation. This pushed student loan debts to the second highest form of consumer debt, behind mortgages, Forbes staff member Chris Denhart wrote.
And that figure doesn’t even include other forms of debt students will face in their lifetimes, including credit card debt and funds that will be diverted away from retirement savings as a result of student loan repayment.
To help prevent Sam Houston State University students from feeling these pangs of debt, the Student Money Management Center will tackle its effects and strategies for repayment on Wednesday (Nov. 19) for its “Debt Man Walking” presentation.
The seminar, presented by SMMC peer coach Isaias Rodriguez III, will begin at 6 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
The presentation will walk students through all of their financial questions, from explaining the debt-to-income ratio used in calculating credit ratings, to different types of credit cards, and how to prevent identity theft.
“I have had several students indicate that they can’t budget their money because they don’t have any money to budget. This is the time when learning how to budget matters most,” said SMMC director Patsy Collins. “There are ways to increase your income and reduce your expenses so that you don’t accrue more debt than absolutely necessary when you are in college.
“We want to help students learn how to aggressively budget and minimize debt,” she said. “If it is necessary for a student to increase their level of debt in order to get a college education, the SMMC wants to help them be informed borrowers.”
Pizza and drinks will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and students who attend three or more events will be entered into a drawing for one of two $400 SMMC scholarships.
For more information, contact the SMMC at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
BFA Exhibit To Explore Communication, Interaction
Two students whose art examines human communication will put their work on display in the SHSU Satellite Gallery beginning Tuesday (Nov. 18).
“Speak Up Johnny,” a senior Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition featuring the works of Jerry Garner and Dakota Hickman, will be exhibited through Nov. 22, including a reception and gallery talks on Thursday (Nov. 20).
Garner’s work explores the desensitization “from distinguishing my wants from needs.”
“Most of the modern advertisement tactics promote a better life through seductive persuasion, spiritual fulfillment or social acceptance,” he said. “This powerful method to entice purchases of something temporary begins with your eyes but leads in to pursuing your heart.
“In response to conspicuous consumption of most Americans, I repurpose that notion with the same recognizable methods, not to get you to buy something, but to make popular what often goes unsaid,” Garner said. “Alongside this, I explore object and mark recognition with 
association to tell narratives of memories and personal relationships captured in those objects. I am determined to direct the viewer at the abundance while connecting them with the objects, to look past what is familiar and distinguish wants from needs.”
Garner anticipates graduating from SHSU in the spring with a dual degree in graphic design and studio arts.
He has worked closely with practicing artists installing shows for the 3G Gallery and has been awarded may times for pieces in student shows.
Hickman’s work focuses on the factors in the connections between people, objects and environment that lead to missteps in understanding.
“Two parties entering a situation where neither have the same idea of the outcome instantly presents them with a hurdle to jump,” Hickman said. “Through installation and collage-based sculpture, I create these hurdles visually to better understand and convey the method in which these problems are solved.”
Hickman is pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in both studio art and graphic design and advertising.
His sculptures focus on collage and installation, creating visual commentaries on the interactions between people and what it means to communicate, and building formal structures to house the ideas for these interactions.
The Satellite Gallery is located at 1216 University Ave.
For more information, contact associate professor of photography Becky Finley at 936.294.3418 or visit srs033.wix.com/satellitegallery.
Event To Provide International Students With Thanksgiving Meal
Cru and Destino—sister religious organizations on campus—will offer students the opportunity to “Gobble Till You Wobble” on Monday (Nov. 17) for their third annual Thanksgiving feast.
The organizations will serve Aramark-catered food from 7-9 p.m. in the Kat Klub, on the first floor of the Lowman Student Center.
The menu will include herb roasted turkey breast with gravy or roasted seasoned top round of beef; a vegetable medley and tossed winter salad; hot German potato salad; dinner rolls; coffee and tea; and for dessert, pumpkin pie and chocolate cake.
“We host this event because we want to reach out to all students on campus and give them a chance to experience some sort of Thanksgiving,” said Maddison Reid, Thanksgiving feast director. “We strongly focus on international students because most of the time they either have never experienced Thanksgiving before, or they do not have a chance to go home and have Thanksgiving or are able to spend time with their family.
“We want to make sure everybody has a chance to have some sort of Thanksgiving experience, if they can. It is also an opportunity for SHSU students to have fun and meet new people, as we will have minute-to-win-it games and a turkey bowl competition.
“Since we are a Christian organization, we also want to reach out to students spiritually, and provide any questions they might have about Christianity, if they so choose,” Reid said.
Now in its third year, the Thanksgiving feast sponsored by the two organizations has had a “spectacular” turnout and has grown exponentially, according to Reid.
“It first started out in a living room home with a few people and has since expanded to 200 people participating in the event,” she said. “Last year, the Kat Klub was packed with people, and we even ran out of food. We are going to provide more food this year because we are expecting maybe a hundred more people to show up.”
For more information, contact Reid at rmaddison2012@hotmail.com.
Today@Sam Seeks Spring Calendar Info
The university Communications Office is now collecting information on campus events for its spring 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 shsu.edu/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 shsu.edu/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 shsu.edu/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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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.
