SHSU
Update For Week Of Oct. 29
Departments Offer Bus Rides For
SFA Game
The SHSU Alumni Association and the Office of Student Activities
are hoping to fill Stephen F. Austin’s Homer Bryce Stadium
with Bearkat fans for the annual Battle of the Piney Woods
football game on Saturday (Nov. 4) by giving fans a ride to
the game, according to Charlie Vienne, interim director for
Alumni Relations.
The Alumni Association’s chartered bus will depart from
the Bowers Stadium Parking Lot on Saturday at 2 p.m. for the
6 p.m. game in Nacogdoches.
In addition, the association, in conjunction with the Student
Activities Office, will host a pre-game tailgate party in
the large parking lot on the SFA campus, on the corner of
East College and University.
The cost to ride the bus is $20 per passenger, and the bus
will return to Huntsville immediately following the game.
Packages, including the cost for tailgating, which is $10
per person, and game tickets, which are $10 each, are available
through https://ww2.shsu.edu/alum02wp/.
In addition, the Office of Student Activities has chartered
two busses that will accommodate 100 students.
Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis
by signing up in the Student Activities Office, in Lowman
Student Center Suite 328, for $5, which will include a T-shirt,
the football ticket and food at the tailgate party.
Those busses will also leave at 2 p.m. from Bowers Stadium,
according to Brandon Cooper, Student Activities program coordinator.
The bus reservation deadline for the Alumni Association’s
bus is Wednesday (Nov. 1) and Friday (Nov. 3) for the two
busses being chartered by Student Activities.
For more information, call the Office
of Alumni Relations at 936.294.1841 or the Office
of Student Activities at 936.294.3861.
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‘New York Times’
Bureau Chief To Talk Texas Politics
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| Houston "New York Times" bureau chief
Ralph Blumenthal |
Ralph Blumenthal, Houston bureau chief for “The New
York Times,” will discuss "Blood Sport: Texas Politics
and the Governor's Race as seen by The New York Times"
on Thursday (Nov. 2).
The discussion, sponsored by the Student Government Association,
the American Democracy Project, The New York Times Knowledge
Network, and the Collegiate Readership Program, will be held
at 1 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Theater.
“The purpose of the event is two-fold,” said SGA
president Christopher Whitaker. “One is to increase
student awareness of the issues in this election, and the
second is to give students an opportunity to discuss politics
in Texas.
“We hope this will give students a more informed vote
and increase interest in voting,” he said.
A prize-winning reporter who has covered many of the leading
stories of the last generation, Blumenthal has reported overseas
from former West Germany, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan,
Brazil and the Caribbean, and at home from Washington, New
York and many other cities around the nation.
He headed the reporting team covering the World Trade Center
terrorist attack in 1993, coverage that won “The Times”
a Pulitzer Prize in 1994.
In addition, Blumenthal co-authored a series of articles in
1994 on the fatal crashes of US Air, which prompted new safety
procedures, that was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and
won the Worth Bingham prize for investigative reporting.
After Sept. 11, 2001, he briefly rejoined the investigative
team covering terrorism.
Blumenthal has also authored and co-authored several books,
the first of which won critical acclaim.
Joining the “New York Times” as a news clerk in
1964, Blumenthal became Houston bureau chief for the paper
in September 2003.
He is a 1963 graduate of City College of New York, and he
received his master's degree in journalism from the Columbia
University Graduate School of Journalism in 1964.
In 2001, he was awarded both the Columbia University Graduate
School of Journalism Alumni Award and Guggenheim Fellowship.
Blumenthal is scheduled to speak for approximately 30 minutes
and then field questions for another 30 minutes.
For more information, call the SGA at 936.294.1938 or visit
http://www.shsu.edu/~org_sga/.
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Author To Discuss ‘Passionate’
Book
Noted author James L. Haley will discuss his recently-released
book detailing a comprehensive history of Texas on Friday
(Nov. 3) at 7:30 p.m. at the Katy and E. Don Walker, Sr.,
Education Center.
He will also sign copies of the book, “Passionate Nation:
The Epic History of Texas,” which will also be available
for sale, following his presentation.
The 650-page book spans more than 400 years of Texas, from
Cabeza de Vaca to George W. Bush.
An Austin resident, Haley grew up near Fort Worth and graduated
summa cum laude from the University of Texas at Arlington
with a degree in political science.
He later resigned from the University of Texas in Austin Law
School to concentrate on his literary career.
The award-winning author of the 2002 biography of Gen. Sam
Houston, Haley is also the author of such books as “Texas:
An Album of History,” “The Buffalo War: The History
of the Red River Indian Uprising of 1874” and “Texas:
From Frontier to Spindletop.”
“Sam Houston,” the largest and most complete biography
ever written about the legendary American icon and Texas hero,
has won nine awards, including the Coral Horton Tullis Memorial
Prize, given by the Texas State Historical Association for
the best book on Texas in 2002, and the Spur Award from the
Western Writers of America.
The Walker Education Center is located at 1402 19th St. in
Huntsville.
For more information, call the Sam
Houston Memorial Museum at 936.294.1832.
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President's Office
To Sponsor Halloween Carnival
The President's Office will take faculty, staff, students
and their families on a hayride and through a haunted house
during the 4th annual President's Halloween Carnival on
Tuesday (Oct. 31).
Activities are scheduled from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Gibbs Ranch
and include apple bobbing, Halloween twister, pumpkin bingo,
prize in the haystack, monster bean bag and tombstone bowling,
among others.
In addition, there will be food, prizes, candy and a Costume
Parade.
The event is free for university employees, students and their
families.
Gibbs Ranch is located off of Highway 75 north. From Highway
45 North, take Exit 118 to Highway 75 North, and the ranch
is approximately two miles on the left.
In case of rain, the event will be held in the Lowman Student
Center Ballroom.
For more information, questions call 936.294.3415 or to RSVP,
which is not mandatory, call 936.294.2415 or e-mail rcurry@shsu.edu.
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Council Gathers Staff For Fall
Social
The SHSU Staff Council will give university employees the
opportunity to voice concerns on any campus-related issues
and a free lunch during its “Fall Staff Social”
on Tuesday (Oct. 31).
The ARAMARK-catered, come-and-go luncheon will be held from
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
“It’s an opportunity for SHSU staff members to
meet their Staff Council representatives and come together
to visit with each other in an informal setting,” said
Julia May, Staff Council communications chair.
The SHSU Staff Council is as an advisory body that conveys
information and makes recommendations to the president regarding
interest and concerns of the university staff.
The organization hosts two socials a year, including the spring
ice cream social.
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Archivist Seeks Info On Old
Dorm’s Namesake
One of the Sam Houston State University dorms built in 1961
that was torn down to make space for the new Raven Village
facility was named in honor of Charles Gidley.
But who was Charles Gidley?
Barbara Kievit-Mason, SHSU archivist, needs help from anyone
who may have information about Gidley.
"Charles Gidley, so it seems, is a mystery man,"
Mason said. "I can find no record of him here in the
archives and all the folks I have talked to know nothing of
him.
“I have listened to various theories that he was a librarian,
music professor, etc., but none of these have panned out,"
she said.
Anyone with information about Charles Gidley may contact Kievit-Mason
at 936.294.3699 or by e-mail at lib_bak@shsu.edu.
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Spring Registration
Begins Nov. 3
Registration for the Spring 2007 semester will begin Friday
(Nov. 3) and will be held through Nov. 30 for students of
various classifications.
Honors students may register beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Friday,
followed by doctoral, graduate, post-bach and seniors on Nov.
6; juniors on Nov. 7; sophomores on Nov. 8; and freshman on
Nov. 9.
Open registration will be held Nov. 10-30. Registration will
close at 4 p.m. on Nov. 30.
During this time, students who need to be advised still may
do so by contacting the Student Advising and Mentoring Center,
located in Academic Building IV Room 210, at 936.294.4444.
Appointments can be made with advisers between 7:30 a.m. and
4:30 p.m. each school day. Walk-ins will be accepted, but
the waiting period will probably be longer during registration,
according to university registrar Teresa Ringo.
The SAM Center will also make appointments for times between
5-6:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Students may also look for the location of advising for a
particular major at http://www.shsu.edu/~sam_www/advisinglocations.html.
Students subject to mandatory advisement must be advised before
they can register.
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Firefest To Add Some
Heat To Rivalry Game Week
The Office of Student Activities will ‘fire’
students up for the Battle of the Piney Woods with its annual
spirit rally on Wednesday (Nov. 1).
The pep rally will be held at 8 p.m. at Intramural Field No.
3.
The event will include free food and T-shirt giveaways, according
to student assistant Jeremy McGilbery.
In addition, activities planned include bungee run, boxing,
bull riding, joust, wax hands, a firewalker and fire twirler,
a bonfire and fireworks.
For more information, call 936.294.3861.
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Orchestra, Brass Quintet
To Feature Students, Faculty
The SHSU Chamber Orchestra and Chamber Players will present
"Music for String Instruments from the Masters”
on Tuesday (Oct. 31) at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
The concert will be performed in five parts by a variety of
musicians, including undergraduate and graduate students,
School of Music faculty members and guest performers.
The SHSU Chamber Singers and Chamber Orchestra will perform
a piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in celebration of the 250th
anniversary of the conductor’s birth; the chamber orchestra
will perform several works, including Jay Ungar’s “Ashokan
Farewell;” the symphony strings and string chamber ensembles
will perform a number of compositions, including a Robert
Schumann piano quintet; and the recital will conclude with
a chamber work performed by SHSU string faculty playing Gioacchino
Antonio Rossini’s “Duetto fur Violoncello and
Contrabass,” according to conductor Carol Smith.
The SHSU Chamber Orchestra is comprised of freshmen and sophomore
string performers, with sophomore performers serving as principal
players in the ensemble.
The SHSU Chamber Players is a set of chamber music groups
comprised of junior, senior and graduate level string performers
who will be continuing to prepare, rehearse and performance
chamber music literature from the major chamber music repertoire
archives.
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and non-SHSU
students and free for SHSU students, faculty and staff members
with an identification card.
The SHSU Faculty Brass Quintet will also pay homage to two
composers who have died this year during its recital on Wednesday
(Nov. 1).
The 45- to 50-minute concert, which will be held at 7:30 p.m.
in the Recital Hall, will include works by Samuel Scheidt,
Morley Calvert, Jan Koetsier and Sir Malcolm Arnold.
Among the pieces that will be performed include works by Arnold
and Koetsier, as a memorial to the composers, who both died
this year, according to Randal Adams, brass area coordinator
and assistant professor of trumpet.
“The Arnold—arranged by our very own Dr. Henry
Howey—is an excellent representation of the British
Brass Band tradition,” he said. “Koetsier's work
is an energetic and light-hearted suite with dance and jazz
influence throughout along with extremely technical brass
playing.
“The Calvert ends with a reference to a popular French
Christmas carol to get everyone in the holiday spirit,”
he said.
Admission is free, and the concert is open to the public.
For more information, call the School
of Music at 936.294.1360.
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Percussion To Drum Up Three
Performances
The SHSU Percussion Ensemble and Steel Band will kick off
a week of percussion performances with some “global
rhythms” on Thursday (Nov. 2).
The concert, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital
Hall, will be the steel band’s premier performance,
according to John Lane, assistant professor of percussion.
The SHSU Steel Band will perform traditional Caribbean music,
arrangements of popular music and original compositions for
steel drums,” Lane said.
“The SHSU Percussion Ensemble will present arrangements
of Marimba music from South America and other world music
offerings including a piece for Ghanaian Bells,” he
said.
Guest musician Gary France, an Australian percussionist and
professor of percussion at the Australian National University,
will also play with the ensemble and will also perform a solo
piece, Steve Reich's "Video Phase."
On Friday, France will present a masterclass, a lecture/performance,
from 4:30-6 p.m. in the Recital Hall.
“This will consist of him performing a few pieces and
taking questions and answers. He will also discuss his work
with an interactive Internet-based performing/education program
called the ALIVE project,” Lane said.
Finally, on Monday (Nov. 6), the world-renowned percussionists
the Percussion Group Cincinnati will present another masterclass
and performance from 2-4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center
Theater.
All of the concerts and masterclasses will be free and open
to the public.
For more information, call the School
of Music at 936.294.1360.
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Organization To
Masquerade As Literary Characters
Sigma Tau Delta, SHSU’s international English honor
society, will host its second annual Literary Masquerade on
Monday (Oct. 30).
The event will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the Old Main
Pit.
Attendees are encouraged to dress as their favorite literary
character of any genre, for fun, games, prizes and refreshments,
said Allison Newton, Sigma Tau Delta’s public relations
director.
Prizes will be awarded for the most creative, the most obscure
and for the most recognizable costumes, and winners will receive
two tickets to the Texas Renaissance Fair.
“We will be having games with prizes as well, including
pumpkin painting, a literary couple match-up, and Pin the
Tail on Bottom, a character from Shakespeare's ‘A Midsummer
Night's Dream,’” Newton said.
The event is open to the public.
For more information, contact Newton at stdakn11@shsu.edu
or visit the organization’s Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/~eng_www/SigmaTauDelta.
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Exhibit To
Feature ‘Sedimentation’
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The work of two contemporary artists will be on display in
the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery through Nov. 30.
“Sedimentation,” which features works by Jesse
Billimack and Maris Grosbahs, includes a “conversation
on water rights” and “a personal narrative on
human identity,” according to art assistant professor
Brian Benfer.
Billimack’s artwork, rammed earth and dirt replicas
of Lake Livingston and part of the Trinity River, is “about
our shared landscape in all of its complexity and dimensions,”
the artist said.
The “miniature version” of the bodies will span
the entire length of the gallery floor and will sit with the
appropriate orientation, meaning north will be the north part
of the piece.
The semi-permanent work will be site-specific for Huntsville,
meaning Billimack selects bodies that are found in areas where
he is exhibiting, collects soil from the area to create the
piece, and then destroys the project after the exhibit, Benfer
said.
He uses aerial perspectives in his works to evaluate spatial
relationships within landscape, as well as details of site
and place, said Billimack, who received his bachelor’s
degree from the University of Arizona and his master’s
degree from Rutgers University.
“He is an eco-conscious artist dealing with environmental
issues/problems and works from aerial photographs,”
Benfer said.
Grosbahs’ work is more about trying to understand and
educate himself and the viewer through his findings, he said.
The pieces he will exhibit will include a wall piece “that
looks like pieces of skin hanging on a coat rack,” a
series of photographs put together to make one large image,
and a sound piece using large speakers, Benfer said.
“Above all else, it is more about leaving a mark that
I exist: I was here. I was hungry. I was poor. I was defeated.
I was happy. I was sad. I was in love. I was afraid. I was
hopeful,” Grosbahs said. “I had an idea, and I
had a purpose, and that is why I am making my work.”
Grosbahs received his bachelor’s degree from the Art
Academy of Latvia and his master’s degree from San Jose
State University.
A reception will be held on Thursday (Nov. 2), from 5-7 p.m.
in the gallery.
The Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, located in Art Building F, is
open Monday through Friday, from noon to 5 p.m.
For more information, contact Brian Benfer at 936.294.1317
or brianbenfer@shsu.edu.
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Students To Show Off Their
‘Pieces of Paper’
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“Pieces of Paper,” an exhibit works of art created
on paper by SHSU art students, will be on display from Oct.
31 through Nov. 3 in the Student Organization of Fine Art
Gallery.
Curated by students enrolled in the art department’s
museum and gallery practices class, the student curators selected
the works in the exhibit from slides and digital images submitted
by SHSU artists and organized the exhibit around a theme.
The exhibit includes works on paper created using a variety
of techniques, including works by two photographers who used
alternative processes in their work.
Mario Balderas will exhibit Polaroid transfers of images taken
on travels abroad, and Robin Steinmetz creates cyanotypes—a
photographic process that creates a blue image—of plant
forms, according to assistant professor of computer animation
Michael Henderson.
Pen and ink drawings will be exhibited by Jamie Berry, abstract
watercolors by Jessica Roberts, and a charcoal drawing of
an ethereal landscape by Nathan Sapio.
Berry will also exhibit lithographic images that are similar
in style to her figurative pen and ink drawings; Amanda Sparks
will show lithographs that are abstract; and Sam Masterson
and Katy Scherler will show drawings in mixed mediums and
have narrative subject matter.
“This exhibit of works in a variety of styles and mediums
shows the diversity of the SHSU art students and versatility
of paper as a surface for making art,” Henderson said.
The museum and gallery practices class is designed to teach
students to organize exhibits and learn the operations of
museums and galleries, Henderson said.
In addition to this exhibit, the class is organizing an exhibit
at the Commerce Street Art Warehouse in Houston as part of
the annual Houston Art Crawl on November 18 and also will
visit several museums and galleries in Houston, Austin and
Dallas.
A reception will be held for the artists and curators on Thursday
(Nov. 3) from 5-7 p.m. at the SOFA gallery.
The SOFA gallery, located in Art Building A, is open from
8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information, contact Henderson at 936.294.1318 or
mhenderson@shsu.edu.
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Pool is Open, Heathers Working
The pool at the Health & Kinesiology Addition is a comfortable
80-82 degrees, thanks to repairs made to the pool's heater,
according to Kevin McKinney, the facility's manager.
For pool hours and other information see the Recreational
Sports page.
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Send Update Items Here
Please send information for the SHSU Update to the Office
of Public Relations at SHSU. For electronic access to SHSU
news see the public relations Web page Today@Sam.
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- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Frank
Krystyniak, Julia May,
Jennifer Gauntt
Oct. 29, 2006
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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