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SHSU Update For Week Of Nov. 30
- Tree Ceremony To Light The Way To Holiday Season
- Jr. Bearkats To Host Second Ice Rink Event
- Workshop To Aid Students In Scholarship Application Process
- Physics To End Semester With Two ‘Bad Astronomy’ Showings
- Programs To Give Fall Curtain Call For Music School
- One-Night Event To Demonstrate Performance, Video Art
- Center To Provide Cost-Effective Holiday Shopping Tips
- Satellite Exhibit To Capture 'Spirit Of The Times'
- Health Sciences Honor Society Initiates 20
- French Honor Society Inducts Six
- Staff Council Spotlights Accounting Clerk For November
- Today@Sam Seeks Spring Calendar Info
- Submit Update Items Here
Tree Ceremony To Light The Way To Holiday Season
Sam Houston State University will light up Bearkat Plaza, kicking off the holiday season with the 94th Annual Tree of Light Ceremony on Tuesday (Dec. 2).
Students, faculty and staff can celebrate the spirit of the season with hot chocolate, wassail, gingerbread and cookies, as university President Dana Hoyt lights the official SHSU tree, beginning at 6 p.m.
The Orange Pride Dance Team and University Choir also will perform.
“The annual Tree of Light ceremony has taken place for more than 90 years at SHSU and is the university's oldest and most cherished tradition,” said Brandon Cooper, associate director for Student Activities. “Each year students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community come together to celebrate a time of giving.
“The ceremony began as an annual Christmas tree lighting and has evolved into a campus-wide celebration during the holiday season.”
In celebrating the season of giving, the Department of Student Activities will collect canned goods during the event for a drive that will benefit Huntsville’s Good Shepherd Mission.
Students who bring at least three canned good items will receive a free T-shirt, while supplies last.
Students, faculty and staff, and organizations are encouraged to bring one ornament to decorate the tree before or during the ceremony.
In addition to the tree ceremony, Student Activities also will highlight the history and tradition of the Tree of Light Ceremony with an exhibit in the Lowman Student Center Art Gallery Dec. 1-5.
For more information, contact Student Activities at 936.294.3861 or studentactivities@shsu.edu.
Jr. Bearkats To Host Second Ice Rink Event
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| Jr. Bearkats take a break from skating to take a photo with SHSU staff during the first The Ice Rink event in January. —Submitted photo |
As Texas begins to cool down with the approach of winter, Sam Houston State University’s Jr. Bearkat program will once again hit the rinks, offering families the opportunity to enjoy a winter activity Texans do not often get to experience.
The second Jr. Bearkat Elite ice skating event will be Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon at The Ice Rink in The Woodlands, located at 9606 Six Pines Drive.
During that time, families can have breakfast, hot cocoa, decorate a special holiday take away, and skate with other Jr. Bearkats.
“Before we all get too busy with the hustle and bustle of the season, we want to invite all Jr. Bearkats to come skate with us into the holidays for our last event of the year,” said Chris Arcos, On-Campus Recruitment Counselor who oversees the Jr. Bearkats program.
The event is free to Jr. Bearkat Elite members and costs $15 for non-members.
The Jr. Bearkat Elite Membership is offered to children ages 13 and younger who, for $25, are granted exclusive access to events throughout the year. Members also receive an official Elite membership card, an official Elite membership T-shirt, and free admission to all Jr. Bearkats events and SHSU athletic events (excluding football games).
“With the Jr. Bearkat Elite Membership only costing $25 annually, and the Ice Rink event costing $15 it would be more cost efficient to pay the yearly fee and then gain entrance to all events held throughout the year,” Arcos said. “The Jr. Bearkat program is designed to build up the next generation of Bearkats, and we look forward to introducing them to everything our great university has to offer through events such as this."
Parent tickets will be available for $12. Tickets can be purchased online through the Jr. Bearkats website, at shsu.edu/jrbearkats, until Dec. 5.
Elite memberships can also be purchased online through the link above.
For more information, contact Arcos at jrbearkats@shsu.edu or 936.294.2710.
Workshop To Aid Students In Scholarship Application Process
As spring registration begins, the Student Money Management Center and the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, will offer students a one-stop shop for all of their financial aid needs with the inaugural ScholarX-travaganza.
The event will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday (Dec. 4) in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 210.
During the event, Ar’Niqua Coleman, from financial aid, will give a brief presentation about login and completion procedures, and students can receive assistance in completing the ScholarX application.
ScholarX is a program that simplifies the scholarship application process by matching students who applied online through the program with any of the campus scholarships he or she may be qualified for.
“Scholarships are an added income stream to students’ budgets. Many students need additional funding for college but are a little intimidated by the application process,” said SMMC director Patsy Collins. “The SMMC and FASO want to help students apply so that their application can be reviewed for scholarships within the university.”
Students are encouraged to bring their own laptop, and pizza and cookies will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information, contact the Student Money Management Center at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
Physics To End Semester With Two ‘Bad Astronomy’ Showings
The SHSU physics department will present its “Bad Astronomy” on a “good” projector to kick off its December planetarium showings.
“Bad Astronomy” will be presented on the last two Fridays of the semester (Dec. 5 and Dec. 12), beginning at 7 p.m. in Farrington Building Room 102.
“Bad Astronomy” is based on the book of the same name written by Phil Plait.
“He has been dubbed the ‘Bad Astronomer’ because of his work at debunking various myths in astronomy like ‘we faked the moon landings’ and UFO’s; stuff like that,” said Mike Prokosch, physics department staff laboratory assistant.
During the program, Prokosch will also point out some of the constellations that can be currently seen in the night sky, including Pegasus, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Cepheus and Cygnus, to name a few.
The presentation will be explored on the planetarium’s new, upgraded Minolta MediaGlobe III, the third-generation of the single projection system for planetariums.
It replaced the department’s MediaGlobe I projector, which was no longer supported by the technology.
“Personally, I would say it is a 10-fold improvement over what we had before,” Prokosch said. “For one, the brighter stars would appear rather square under the older system, revealing the pixels used to make them in the first place; now, stars are round as they should be.
“The resolution of the projector is now at 1536-by-1536 pixels. The colors are brighter and the darks are darker,” he said. “Producing and adding new content is much easier than before.
“The best part is we get to keep all our older shows, and we are also adding several new shows to the system.”
A complete list of the new shows will be available soon.
During the presentation, Prokosch will offer a “sneak” peak at some of the projector’s capacities, including that it can be controlled by an iPad, allowing the presenter to walk around the room while giving a lesson, as well as the projector’s ability to simulate aurora, thunderstorms, rain, snow, and clouds.
Admission is free.
For more information, contact Prokosch at 936.294.3664.
Programs To Give Fall Curtain Call For Music School
Student musicians in the SHSU School of Music will begin “winding” down the semester with concerts that will showcase their past three months’ worth of work.
Piano instructor James Cho’s studio will present works by Chopin, Haydn, Granados, and Dvorak Piano Quintet for its end-of-the-semester concert on Monday (Dec. 1).
The recital will begin at 6 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
The program will feature Kyungok Kim, performing Frédéric Chopin’s Étude in C major, Opus 10 No. 1; Kara Reed, performing Enrique Granados’s Goyescas, Opus 11; and Joyce Chun, performing Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Opus 37, accompanied by Cho.
The final selection, Antonín Dvo?ák’s Piano Quintet in A major, Opus 81, will feature a quintet of string players, including Kim, playing piano; Carmen Abelson and Andres Bravo, playing violin; Travis Urban, playing viola; and Daniel Schultz, playing cello.
On Wednesday (Dec. 3), the Sam Houston Percussion Group, University Percussion Ensemble and SHSU Steel Band will present a “Night of Percussion," beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Concert Hall.
“The concert is a potpourri of various percussion works but will mostly center around the marimba,” said John Lane, director of percussion studies and associate professor of percussion. “The Sam Houston Percussion Group will perform a Zimbabwean marimba ensemble, and the University Percussion Ensemble will perform a large-scale percussion ensemble work inspired by rock drumming.”
The Sam Houston Percussion Group is directed by Lane, and the University Percussion Ensemble is directed by Matthew Holm.
Admission to both performances is free.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
One-Night Event To Demonstrate Performance, Video Art
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| Performance and video art from "Here Today" IV. —Submitted photos |
SHSU’s art students will give its fifth one-night performance and video art presentation on Wednesday (Dec. 3) for “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow V.”
The event, which annually showcases live performance art, video projects and video installations by students in assistant professor of art Annie Strader’s class, will be from 6-7 p.m. in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery.
This year’s exhibit includes works by 12 students: Erika Aguirre, Connally Baskett, Krissty Batres, Justin Casias, Amber Eggleton, Eduardo Escandon, Theresa Goolsby, Frank Graham, Ashton Leath, Victoria Monsalvo, Krystal Murray, and Chelsea Taylor.
“The exhibit will present the results of an intense semester of practical and theoretical study of performance art and video,” Strader said. “Performance art relies on the relationship between the performer and the audience and this one-night event allows the students to engage with their peers, faculty and community.
For more information on “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow V,” contact Strader at 936.294.1322, or "Like" the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery on Facebook.
Center To Provide Cost-Effective Holiday Shopping Tips
The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend at least $617 billion this holiday season, a 4.1 percent increase in holiday spending over last year.
As students begin heading to the malls over the next month and a half to contribute their portion of that estimate for holiday gifts, the Student Money Management Center will remind them to be practical on a student budget.
The “Holiday Spending on a Merry Little Budget” workshop will begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 3), in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Room 210.
“We have a culture that accepts and encourages irresponsible spending habits during the holidays,” said SMMC program coordinator Andrea Rabon. “We’re not trying to turn people into the Grinch and make you not spend anything; however, we don’t want students to turn into Buddy the Elf and spend every penny they have to spread holiday cheer.”
Led by SMMC peer coach Brytnie Miller, the workshop will show students how to plan and budget for the season of giving and how to put together an inexpensive gift.
Miller will also address learning your personal financial limits such as a suggested amount a person should spend based on their annual income, where to look for coupons and deals when preparing for shopping trips, and how to adjust for unexpected costs.
Among the tips she will share is “NPFP: Never Pay Full Price.”
“Taking time to search for coupons, online deals, or sales ads on gifts that you are looking for will save you money for a little time investment,” Rabon said.
For more information, contact the Student Money Management Center at 936.294.2600 or smmc@shsu.edu.
Satellite Exhibit To Capture 'Spirit Of The Times'
The SHSU Student Satellite Gallery will host the third annual exhibition of student work curated and organized by students in associate art professor Michael Henderson's “Museum and Gallery Practices” class.
“Zeitgeist,” German for “Spirit of the Times,” reflects student-selected works that provide a snapshot of what is being produced currently in the SHSU Department of Art, according to Henderson.
It will be on display Dec. 6-13, with a Dec. 4 reception from 5-7 p.m. in the Satellite Gallery.
The exhibit includes paintings, drawings, sculptures, photography, and mixed media. It features works by 15 artists, including Tiffany Stockton, Andrea Manzano, Ben Prochazka, and Colton Clifford.
“The ‘Museum and Gallery Practices’ students nominated and promoted other student artists and then together, they chose work that they all agreed as being expressive and well crafted,” Henderson said.
Students visited art centers, galleries and museums in Houston to learn the role of the curator and art gallery operations and methodologies. Curating the exhibit at Satellite Gallery gives them the opportunity to put into practice what they have learned, Henderson said.
Student curators include Brittany Bennett, Brittney Butler, Ashley Bynum, Justine Chauvin, Gabriela Cruz, Autumn Dowdy, Maria Garrett, Haden Henderson, Jacob Jaso, Cairus Larsen, Letty Perez, and Amy Rackley.
The SHSU Satellite Gallery is located in a storefront adjacent to the downtown square at 1216 University Ave.
The Satellite Gallery aims to increase the visibility of student exhibits and enhance and contribute to the local art community through providing opportunities for engagement, enrichment, learning and outreach through visual art and dialogue, according to Annie Strader, galleries committee chair.
Health Sciences Honor Society Initiates 20
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| Officers welcome the 20 new inductees into the Eta Sigma Gamma National Health Science Honor Society on Nov. 13. —Submitted photo |
The Sam Houston State University chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the National Health Science Honor Society, welcomed 20 new members into the group in a ceremony on Nov. 13 that celebrated inductees, the group’s achievements over the semester, its past officers and its graduating seniors.
This year’s initiates included Ashley Bible, Jennifer Carballo, Taylor Dusek, Alexia Florentin, Yareli Gonzalez, Evelyn Handy, DeWanna Jackson, Alyssa King, Safa Kurdi, Michael LaChapelle, Christia Malonga, Vicki Markantonis, Brandon Pete, Marilyn Policarpo, Leticia Quintanilla, Theodora Sachtleben, Brandi Svrcek, Rachel Voncannon, Jaquita Woods, and Ashley Young.
“The ceremony was an excellent tribute to the leadership and commitment to community-oriented education, research and service shown by students from several of our College of Health Sciences programs,” said Miguel A. Zuniga, associate professor and chair of the department of health services and promotion. “Participating in the event were the proud parents and relatives of the initiates, and they shared the excitement and pride of their SHSU students with and among us.”
Some of the activities the group has completed this year include sponsoring the Be The Match bone marrow donor registry on campus, volunteering at the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk, collaborating with the local Junior Service League to bring Houston Food Bank services to Walker County, and hosting local health fairs to educate community members on disease prevention.
Fall officers for the organization included Tiffany Mims, president; Marilyn Ortega, Krista Ditrich and Ashley Fluty, vice presidents; Heather Hegar, secretary; Danielle Horton, treasurer and membership chair; Brittney Thomas, historian; and Lauren Liles, chapter public relations.
Finally, graduating seniors include Ashley Fluty, Mims, Horton, Ortega, Svrcek, and Bible.
Membership in Eta Sigma Gamma requires a 3.0 grade point average in health and an overall 2.5 GPA; a focus is research, service and education; and volunteer hours.
French Honor Society Inducts Six
The Eta Iota Chapter of Pi Delta Phi initiated six student members to the national French honor society during its annual ceremony on Nov. 10.
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| Pi Delta Phi inductees were welcomed into the national French organization during a ceremony on Nov. 10. —Submitted photo |
Those inducted include Ileana Bolanos, Holly Kons, Christina Metellus, Karen Torres, Kristin Wahlquist, and Amanda Woleben.
Established in 1906, Pi Delta Phi is one of the oldest national academic honor societies in the U.S. with 330 chapters in the U.S. and two related chapters in France.
The organization is dedicated to recognizing outstanding scholarship in French, increasing the knowledge and appreciation of French-speaking cultures around the world, and stimulating and promoting the study of Francophone cultures.
To be inducted as a regular member, students must have taken at least 18 hours of French, maintain an overall grade point average of 3.0, and maintain an overall 3.0 GPA in French.
The ceremony was conducted by Eta Iota student president Hever Penado and attended by local members of the society, SHSU faculty, family and friends of the initiates.
For more information on the chapter, contact faculty adviser Shirin Edwin, associate professor of French, at 936.294.4732.
Staff Council Spotlights Accounting Clerk For November
The Sam Houston State University Staff Council selected Sarah Stewart, accounting clerk II with the Disbursements and Travel Services Office, for its November “Spotlight on Staff.”
Stewart has worked for SHSU since 2001 and said she loves the people she works with.
“I get joy out of greeting and helping others who cannot find locations on campus or vendors that call requesting help with their invoices,” she said.
Stewart has lived in New Waverly for nearly 40 years.
Her hobbies include collecting items with hummingbirds on them, as well as traveling and taking cruises.
“I have been blessed to be able to go on an Alaska and a New England cruise,” she said. “I’ve also spent time in New York, twice, and visited the Sept. 11 memorial.”
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.
