SHSU
Update For Week Of Jan. 28
Brady Discusses Financial
Aid With Students, Staff
U.S. Congressman Kevin Brady met with university administrators,
officials and student leaders on Monday morning to discuss
the state of financial aid, as well as get suggestions on
things the federal government could do to alleviate issues
affiliated with financial aid.
During the roundtable discussion, Brady talked about upcoming
bills related to financial aid, as well as some that have
already passed through the U.S. House of Representatives,
including one that would cut the interest rate on student
loans that “ended up not being quite what I had hoped
for” and a bill that was passed last year that would
increase the Pell Grant that “didn’t make it to
the president’s desk,” he said.
Student leaders were asked to relate their experiences and
problems with financial aid, bringing up such points as a
need for more aid for middle-class students, whose families
fall into the gap of not qualifying for grants because of
their income, yet aren’t able to afford to help with
college expenses; and aid that allows for cost-of-living expenses
outside of tuition and fees.
Among other ideas presented to Brady by both financial aid
officials and students were increasing the federal Pell Grant
with a current maximum amount of $4,000 to at least $6000
to cover rising tuition costs, as well as expanding the eligibility
incomes for the Pell Grant, and allowing academic performance
to affect the amount of financial aid offered to students
Approximately 61 percent, or about 7,000, of SHSU’s
students receive some form of financial aid. The cost of tuition
and student debt approximately doubled in the past 10 years,
while the amount of student financial aid has tripled, according
to Brady.
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Program To Screen, Counsel
Children With ADHD
The counselor education program at Sam Houston State University
is offering group counseling for attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD) children and parents on Monday evenings from
Feb. 19 through April 16.
Free assessment appointments will be held on Jan. 29, Feb.
5 and Feb. 12.
Groups will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p. m. once each week from
mid-February to mid-April.
The sessions are specifically designed to help children ages
seven to 10 and their siblings learn ways to deal with the
symptoms of ADHD. Based on a model developed at the University
of Maryland, counselors will meet with the children while
other counselors will meet with parents.
"We hope you will consider participating if your child
has a diagnosis or symptoms of ADHD, if you are interested
in learning more about ADHD and if you want your child to
develop new, positive social skills," said Rick Bruhn,
professor and clinical coordinator for SHSU's counselor education
program.
The sessions will take place at the Jack Staggs Counseling
Clinic, located at 1932 Bobby K. Marks Dr. on the SHSU campus.
The cost for the group counseling sessions is a $150 donation
to the university’s Graduate Counseling Student Scholarship
Fund.
For more information or to reserve a 45-minute family assessment
appointment, call the Jack Staggs Counseling Clinic at 936.294.1121.
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AAI To Discuss Dangers Of Club
Drugs
The Alcohol Abuse Initiative will discuss the dangers of
“designer drugs” and their effects when combined
with alcohol during Club Drugs A-Z on Thursday (Feb. 1).
The event will be held at 4 p.m. in Lowman Student Center
Room 304.
The presentation by Michelle Lovering, Student Health Center
programming coordinator, and health intern Ladena King will
show not only how club drugs such as Rohypnol, Ecstasy, GHB
and Ketamine affect the body, but what they look like should
someone see them at a party, what classes of drugs they are
and what happens when they are combined with alcohol. There
will also be a “surprise demonstration.”
Ketamine hydrochloride, or "Special K," is a powerful
hallucinogen widely used as an animal tranquilizer by veterinarians;
GHB is odorless and nearly tasteless, reportedly been used
in cases of date rape; and Rohypnol, also known as the “date
rape drug,” produces sedative-hypnotic effects including
muscle relaxation and amnesia, according to www.theantidrug.com.
The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study
recently found that 1.2 percent of students admit to having
used ecstasy in the past 30 days, and fewer than 0.3 percent
have used GHB and Ketamine in the past 30 days.
“While these numbers seem low and are comparable to
national averages, they are certainly worthy of our attention,”
Lovering said. “We cannot emphasize enough the dangers
of using designer or any other drugs, especially when combined
with alcohol.”
“These drugs are dangerous by themselves, but when mixed
with alcohol, they can be especially deadly,” she said.
“The Club Drugs: A-Z” is part of the AAI’s
Six Weeks of Alcohol Awareness Training program, an educational
series aiming to increase awareness of alcohol abuse issues
among students.
Through SWAAT, students earn prizes by attending events, which
accumulate as students attend more programs.
For more information, contact Lovering, at 936.294.4347 or
mlovering@shsu.edu,
or visit the AAI Web site at http://www.shsu.edu/aai.
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Lecture Series To Teach ‘Words
Of Wellness’
The University Wellness Committee will share some “Words
of Wellness” during a six-week lecture series that will
kick off on Jan. 31 with David Ficklen, health education professor
and doctor of internal medicine, discussing how to “Achieve
Overall Wellness.”
The series, which will be held on Wednesdays from noon to
12:50 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 304 through March
7, will feature a different speaker and topic each week.
WOW is part of the university’s new
WellnessWORKS employee wellness program, according
to Mindy Oden, Recreational Sports assistant director for
wellness programs.
The purpose of the series is to teach faculty and staff members
“the whole gamut of overall wellness,” from exercise
to nutrition to things that may affect those things, such
as stress, Oden said.
Future WOW topics and speakers include “Stress Management,”
with Rosanne Keathley and Susie Stone; “Dieting Myths,”
with Bill Hyman; “Healthy Eating on the Run,”
with Martha Bass; “Heart Health & Aerobic Exercise,”
with Gary Oden; and “CORE Strength (Abs and Back)”
with Kent Morgan, from Texas A&M.
Participants are invited to bring a lunch.
For more information on WOW or WellnessWORKS, contact Mindy
Oden at mindyo@shsu.edu
or 936.294.1307.
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Rec Sports To Offer
Massages
The Department of Recreational Sports will offer some hands-on
stress relief with massage sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays
beginning on Jan. 29.
Health major and registered massage therapist Sam Stillwell
will provide massages by appointment from 4-6 p.m. during
the trial basis of the program, which is scheduled to end
March 7.
The cost is $10 for five minutes or $20 for 20 minutes.
Massages are open to all faculty, staff and students.
For more information, or to schedule a massage, call
Mindy Oden,
Recreational
Sports assistant director for wellness programs,
at 936.294.1307 or call the Rec Sports office at 936.294.1985.
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Presentation To Provide Korea
Study Abroad Info
Steven Ahn, director of global exchange for Korea’s
SoonChunHyang University, will discuss study abroad opportunities
for Sam Houston State University students at SCH on Monday
(Jan. 29).
The presentation will be held from 10:45-11:30 p.m. in Lowman
Student Center Room 315.
As an incentive to study at SoonChunHyang University, located
in Chungnam, Korea, the SCH will reimburse students for up
to $800 in airfare, offer a full waiver for room fees and
pay a weekly stipend of $160 per week, according to Reiko
Clark, SHSU director for international programs. Tuition is
paid at SHSU.
Since the exchange agreement was signed between SHSU and SCH
in 2005, seven SHSU students have studied in Korea, including
one who is studying there this semester, and four exchange
students have come to SHSU, including two who are currently
in Huntsville.
More SHSU students study abroad long-term at SCH University
than any other single university in the world, Clark said.
Students, faculty and staff members are invited to the presentation.
For more information, contact Clark, at 936.294.4611 or reiko@shsu.edu.
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Physics Society Named
‘Outstanding’
SHSU’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students
has been awarded for its “superior performance”
during the 2005-2006 school year by the national organization.
The Outstanding SPS Chapter awards are given based on the
depth and breadth of the organization’s activities,
such as research, public science outreach, physics tutoring
programs, hosting and representation at meetings and providing
social interaction for chapter members, according to the award
letter sent to the group’s adviser, Renee James.
“This award is a testament to your personal leadership
skills as much as it is an acknowledgement of your chapter’s
superior performance,” the letter said.
For more information on the SPS, visit http://www.shsu.edu/~org_sps/.
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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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SHSU Media Contacts: Frank
Krystyniak, Julia May,
Jennifer Gauntt
Jan. 28, 2007
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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