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SHSU Update For Week Of Sept. 28
- Flu Shots To Be Offered On Main, TWC Campuses Over Five Days
- Friday Forum To Delve Into Seedy Campus History
- Improv Festival To ‘Jam’ With SHSU, Community
- Chamber, Wind Concerts To Feature Faculty, Students
- Student, Renowned Musicians To Take ‘Bow’ In Strings Festival
- Entrepreneurs Can ‘Hatch’ Ideas Through Incubator Program
- Cadets Host POW/MIA Ceremony
- Submit Update Items Here
Flu Shots To Be Offered On Main, TWC Campuses Over Five Days
While the flu can be unpredictable from year to year, the Centers for Disease Control recommends the yearly flu vaccine for anyone over 6 months old as the first and most important step in protecting against the illness, according to the CDC website.
Sam Houston State University’s students, faculty and staff can be among the 159 million who are expected to receive doses when through the Student Health Center’s free vaccination days.
The center will administer the seasonal flu vaccination to students on Tuesday (Sept. 30) and Wednesday (Oct. 1), from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall and College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building plaza areas.
Faculty and staff can receive the vaccine on Oct. 7-8, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Lobby, and SHSU-The Woodlands Center students and employees can get the shot on Oct. 15, from 1-6 p.m. in TWC Room 109.
To receive the free vaccination, students and employees must present their activated Bearkat OneCard.
Those seeking the shot also are asked to wear a shirt that offers easy access to the upper arm.
The Student Health Center is not able to administer the vaccine to students who are pregnant or nursing.
Supplies are limited and will be available on a first come-first served basis.
Employees who miss the flu vaccine administration dates will not be accommodated and will be advised to obtain the vaccine through other means.
For more information, contact SHC health programming coordinator Lisa Clarkson at 936.294.4347.
Friday Forum To Delve Into Seedy Campus History
Though his scholarly endeavors are drawn from the Middle English and Renaissance periods, professor of English Robert Adams will step into a more recent, and local, past for his First Friday Forum presentation on Friday (Oct. 3).
“Oedipus Pays a Visit to Country Campus: Murder and Misdeeds at SHSU in Idyllic 1962” will delve into a comprehensive account of the murder of a highly regarded SHSU professor by his teenage son. The presentation will begin at 3 p.m. in Evans Building Room 212.
Adams will offer an analysis of the conflicting evidence about what motivated the murder and its results, both for the son and for the community, as an “interesting piece of local and academic social history,” according to Paul Child, professor of English and forum coordinator.
Adams said he chose the topic because of its intrinsic interest and because it was one of the first tales of “old” SHSU that he was told when he arrived here in August 1972.
“Even though the murder had occurred 10 years before, in August 1962, it was still a topic of local conversation—perhaps because the case wasn't finally concluded until March 1970,” he said.
The prominent foreign languages professor was murdered by his 19-year-old son after a bitter argument over the father's lifestyle; that is, that he was homosexual, according to Adams.
“The father apparently threatened to take away the son's car and to stop paying his tuition at the University of Texas—where the father had taught for many years—if his son carried out his threat to move out of their shared house,” he said. “The rest of the story is also quite compelling, including the fact that the local police believed that the son's account of the violent confrontation was a series of lies and that he actually killed his father for the life insurance money.”
Adams, who earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University and his master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia, teaches courses on medieval and renaissance literature, as well as editorial theory and linguistics.
His publications include a translation of Ramon Lull’s 13th-century “The Book of the Order of Chivalry,” which provides a history and theory of knighthood; and electronic editions of medieval manuscripts called “Oxford MS Corpus Christi 201” and the British Library manuscript “Lansdowne 398;” as well as a number of articles on the Middle English allegorical narrative poem “Piers Plowman,” by William Langland; other Langland works; and works by Geoffrey Chaucer, among others.
For more information on the forum, contact Child at 936.294.1412.
Improv Festival To ‘Jam’ With SHSU, Community
Sam Houston State University will celebrate improvisation with an event that will combine dance, music and learning.
The sixth annual Texas Dance Improvisation Festival, Oct. 2-4, will bring to campus renowned dancers who will perform, “jam” and offer classes on various improvisation techniques in an effort to inspire and challenge the improvising arts community, according to Erin Reck, assistant professor of dance at SHSU who serves as the festival coordinator.
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“I believe strongly in the importance of dance improvisation and process based art,” Reck said. “I became an assistant professor here at SHSU last year, and one of my interests was to bring TDIF here at some point.
“I have been attending the festival for several years, and know the exceptional community that it creates,” she said. “I was thrilled that it was able to happen here so soon.”
Every year the festival brings in and highlights an esteemed guest artist to teach and perform, including this year’s guest artist Lisa Nelson, an improvisation performer and collaborative artist, and 20 other instructors and performers hailing from Texas, Florida, New York, and Washington.
The festival will kick off on Thursday in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center with a welcome dance jam from 6:30-11 p.m. On Friday and Saturday, activities will include 10 classes per day, followed by evening performances.
The event, which is open to dancers of all skill levels, is $10 for all three days and benefits TDIF and the participating artists. Participants must be at least 18 years old.
"I believe strongly in the importance of dance improvisation and process based art,” Reck said. “It is a beautiful way to connect to your own movement and to the movement of others. It is spontaneous, unpredictable, vulnerable, and exciting."
The full list of performers and instructors include Nelson, Nina Martin, Sarah Gamblin, Jordan Fuchs, Leslie Scates, Erin Reck, Amii LeGendre, Maureen Freehill, Jhon Stronks, Amber Ortega-Perez, Amy Morrow, Catherine Solaas, Sandra Paola Lopez and Chris Reyman, Christie Nelson, Diane Bedford, Jessica Hale, Jessica Tartaro, Julie Nathanielsz, Silva Laukkanen, Lauren Tietz, Lily Sloan, Rosie Trump, and Tiffany Fish.
For more information, contact Reck at 936.294.1311 or visit the TDIF website.
Chamber, Wind Concerts To Feature Faculty, Students
The SHSU School of Music will celebrate the traditional and more modern canon with concerts featuring faculty and students, as well as a guest performer from the Houston Symphony.
The Guest Artist Series Chamber Recital will include performances by associate professor of piano Ilonka Rus-Edery, who will be joined by Houston Symphony violinist Rodica Gonzalez on Tuesday (Sept. 30).
The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.
Works by George Enescu, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Bela Bartok will fill the program, highlighted by Enescu's second sonata for violin and piano, “a delightful and engaging music sample from Enescu's masterworks,” Rus-Edery said.
“Everyone is invited to this wonderful selection of music,” she said.
Admission is free.
On Thursday (Oct. 2), the SHSU Wind Ensemble will present both traditional wind band literature and pieces new to the wind band repertoire, for a concert entitled “Old Wine in New Bottles.”
The performance will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Concert Hall.
The program will showcase an international “quartet” of composers, including Puerto Rican-born Roberto Sierra, Pennsylvania-born Vincent Ludwig Persichetti, Australian-born Percy Aldridge Grainger, and England-born Gordon Jacob.
“The Sam Houston State University Wind Ensemble and its conductor, Matthew McInturf, will take the audience on a journey through some of the most intriguing moments of music history,” said Kendall LeJeune, director of public relations for the ensemble. “From the stately renaissance rhythms of William Byrd to the seductive Flamenco flavor of Sierra's ‘Fandangos,’ old favorites will be revisited and new favorites are sure to be discovered.”
The Wind Ensemble comprises 69 music students who play woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp, and piano. Membership is earned by audition each semester.
Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for SHSU students.
For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.
Student, Renowned Musicians To Take ‘Bow’ In Strings Festival
Internationally renowned musicians, SHSU faculty and student artists, and guest high school orchestras will come together for two days of music as part of this year’s Festival of Strings, hosted by the Sam Houston State University School of Music Oct. 4 and Oct. 6.
Saturday’s lineup includes a day of clinics hosted by SHSU string faculty for high school students in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall; recording sessions; and an evening concert featuring the SHSU Symphony Orchestra.
The concert will serve as a premier for the orchestra, under the direction of new faculty member Jonathan Pasternack, and will feature special guest soloist Josu de Solaun, SHSU assistant professor of piano.
It will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Payne Concert Hall.
The program will include Jean Sibelius’s “stirring” tone poem “Finlandia;” Maurice Ravel’s evocative “Mother Goose Suite;” and Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky's monumental “Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat Minor,” performed with a solo by de Solaun, according to Pasternack.
The symphony orchestra comprises 70 student musicians, who are selected based on auditions held at the beginning of each semester.
“It is so inspiring to work with the student instrumentalists at Sam Houston who come together to perform great music,” Pasternack said.
On Monday, the festival will continue with a performance by the Kolonneh String Quartet, who will be joined by guest artist Anna Petrova, SHSU piano instructor.
The program will include Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Piano Quintet” and will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the GPAC Recital Hall.
SHSU string faculty include Javier Pinell, violin; Naomi Gjevre, violin; Dawson White, viola; Daniel Saenz, cello; Deborah Dunham, double bass; Lex Valk, double bass; Alejandro Montiel, guitar; and Paula Page, harp.
Tickets for the orchestra concert are $15 for general admission, $12 for senior citizens and $5 for SHSU students; all other concerts and activities are free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Saenz at 936.294.1375 or Pinell at 936.294.1380.
Entrepreneurs Can ‘Hatch’ Ideas Through Incubator Program
Have an innovative idea for a company or just want to learn the skills and information necessary for success in the marketplace?
The Huntsville Area Technology and Business Complex maintains the business incubator program, which serves as a real life “Shark Tank” by matching “incubatees” with mentors and investors who can help get ideas and businesses off the ground.
HA/tch provides services, facilities, equipment, management assistance, and supports emerging entrepreneurs’ need in order to succeed, including individual counseling to teach best practices, foster competitiveness and empower start-ups to eventually become self-sufficient, according to Ashley Baker, HA/tch office operations coordinator.
“Our goal is to provide entrepreneurs with a unique environment where they can focus on product/service development in order to create jobs for the community and the East Texas Region,” Baker said. “Our incubator program nurtures entrepreneurial ideas from the early stages of planning and development.”
Those interested in becoming an incubatee must apply to participate in the program and do not need to be affiliated with SHSU to do so.
HA/tch also offers free consultations, where potential entrepreneurs can discuss their ideas with James Riggins, HA/tch incubator operations manager.
The HA/tch Business Incubator Program was established in 2013 and currently houses Trandori, a web-based platform for accelerating learning, created by Steven Kane.
“Our program grows entrepreneurial ideas from the early stages, nurturing the company during planning and development,” Baker said. “If you have a great idea that you’d like to grow into a viable business, or if you’d like to partner with us, we definitely want to talk to you.”
The HA/tch Business Incubator Program is located at 2405 Ave. I, in Huntsville.
For more information, call 936.294.2485 or visit the HA/tch website.
Cadets Host POW/MIA Ceremony
Observances of National Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day were held across the country on military installations, ships at sea, state Capitols, schools and veterans' facilities, traditionally observed on the third Friday in September each year.
Cadets from Sam Houston State University Bearkat Battalion presented a ceremony on Sept. 19 for students, faculty and staff, as well as local Huntsville community members, to honor the more than 83, 000 servicemen and women still unaccounted for from our nation’s past wars.
Col. Dan McDaniels, a retired Marine Corps pilot and current Director of the Lowman Student Center, spoke at the event.
Trumpet players from the SHSU marching band, led by Brian Gibbs, performed the national anthem, and “Taps” during the ceremony, adding a special touch to the overall ceremony with their beautifully played music, according to Lt. Col. Robert McCormick, professor and chair of military science at SHSU.
The ROTC Color Guard raised the POW/MIA flag donated by the Provost’s Office, which is the largest of its kind in Huntsville and possibly all of Texas, on the flagpoles near Johnson Coliseum.
Local veterans, school faculty, local police officers, and EMTs also attended the ceremony.
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ROTC cadets helped plan, coordinate and prepare the event by gathering the resources, setting up and ushering community members attending the ceremony.
“The cadets did an outstanding job working together to make this event successful and meaningful for our community,” McCormick said. “This was a great way to involve the cadets with the community and to learn to work together as a team, producing great results.
“Ultimately, this gave the cadets an opportunity to learn the importance and meaning of POW/MIA day, which is recognized ‘as the symbol of our nation’s concern and commitment to resolving as fully as possible the fates of Americans still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Southeast Asia, thus ending the uncertainty for their families and the nation.’”
The Bearkat Battalion will host another ceremony on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the flag poles near Johnson Coliseum to mark Veterans Day.
Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.
National POW/MIA Recognition Day is one of six days throughout the year that Congress has mandated the flying of the National League of Families' POW/MIA flag. The others are Armed Forces Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day.
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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Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
