SHSU
Update For Week Of Oct. 28
Students Collecting Clothes,
Toys For African Children
After spending the summer in Africa on an archaeological
dig, students from the Lewis Paleobiology Lab and the Biological
Sciences Graduate Student Organization decided to make a difference
by collecting items for the children living there.
The Koanaka Kids Project is seeking such items as small toys,
sports equipment, picture and coloring books, pens, paper,
clothes and shoes. Picture books are necessary because they
speak a different language, according to junior biology major
Alicia Kennedy.
“The children we want to help come from a small village
in northwestern Botswana called XaiXai,” she said. “This
is village consists of about 500 people from two different
tribes of San Bushman.
“This is a very poor village. Most of the children appear
unclothed and malnourished.”
Collection boxes have been placed in the Student Advising
and Mentoring Center, Newton Gresham Library, Lee Drain Building
Rooms 103 and 200, the Lowman Student Center, the Academic
Building II Computer Lab, the Health and Kinesiology Center
and many other buildings across campus. The boxes will be
in these locations until Dec. 4.
In addition, the groups will accept monetary donations to
help defray shipping costs. Monetary donations can be made
in the Paleobiology Lab, in LDB Room 103.
Other events being planned to benefit the Botswana include
a T-shirt and wristband sale scheduled for November and a
“Climb for Koanaka” rock-climbing event in January.
For more information, contact Tim
Campbell at 936.294.1545 or Patrick
Lewis at 936.294.3397.
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Basketball Team To Host Fund-Raising
Golf Tourney
The SHSU Women’s Basketball team is looking to raise
some ‘green’ during its inaugural Four-Person
Golf Scramble Tournament” on Nov. 3.
The tournament, which will also include a silent auction,
will begin with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
The registration fee is $125 per golfer, or $450 per team,
which includes one round of golf, range balls, cart fees,
lunch and gifts.
Hole sponsorships are available for $100, as well as tournament
sponsorships, available for $1,000, which will allow for a
round of golf for four players, a barbecue lunch, drinks,
free gifts and exclusive advertisements on the first and 18th
holes.
All proceeds benefit the women’s basketball program.
For more information, or for an entry form, contact Jamene
Caldwell at 936.294.3915.
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Physics To Party With Stars
On Friday
 |
| The Comet Holmes becomes more visibile
between Oct. 24 to Oct. 27. The public can view the comet
on Friday during the physics department's observation
party. |
The physics department will host a public star party on Friday
(Nov. 2) to observe the Comet Holmes.
The party will begin at 7:30 p.m., with viewing beginning
at 8 p.m., at the Observatory, located off of Highway 19 near
Riverside.
"Comet Holmes is currently glowing at magnitude 2.5 in
the constellation Perseus," said Michael Prokosch, staff
aide for the physics department. "That is bright enough
to be seen with the naked eye, even from in town."
A map with directions to the observatory can be find on the
physics department Web site, at http://www.shsu.edu/~phy_www/.
For more information, contact Prokosch at vis_mwp@shsu.edu
or 936.294.3664.
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Lecturer To Look At Economics
Of College Sports
Donald Alexander, professor of economics at Western Michigan
University, will look at why universities invest large sums
of money in the provision of college sports on Thursday (Nov.
1).
The Economics Fall 2007 Seminar Series lecture, "The
Impact of Athletic Success on State Appropriations to Colleges
and Universities," will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in Smith-Hutson
Building Room 139.
Alexander has taught at WMU since 1991. He previously taught
at Penn State and The College of William and Mary.
His research interests include industrial organization, antitrust
economics and economics of regulation, as well as the economics
of sports and the telecommunication industry, on which he
has written a number of books and articles.
Alexander received his bachelor’s degree from Bowling
Green State University in 1978 and his doctorate from Penn
State University in 1983.
A copy of the paper he will be discussing is available online
at http://www.shsu.edu/~eco_www/resources/seminar_fall2007.htm.
For more information, contact Hiranya
Nath, associate professor in the economics and
international business department, at 936.294.1265.
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Authors To Speak At Book Conference
Fans of such authors as Joan Bauer, Mo Willems, Cynthia Leitich
Smith and Greg Leitich Smith will have the opportunity to
learn from the professionals during the Children's Book Festival
And Young Adult Conference on Saturday (Nov. 3).
The “Pumpkins, Pigeons, Predators and Piranhas: Books
for Children and Teens” conference will begin at 9 a.m.,
with registration from 7:45-8:45 a.m., in the Lowman Student
Center.
Bauer and Cynthia Leitich Smith will speak during the first
general session, from 9-10:30 a.m., while Willems and Greg
Leitich Smith will speak during the second general session,
from 2:30-4 p.m.
In between general sessions, participants will have the opportunity
to attend workshops by a number of authors, librarians and
professors on such topics as “Forbidden: Banned Books
In School Libraries,” “Eight Great Ways (plus
a few more) to Use Historical Fiction With Children,”
“Books for Reluctant Readers,” and “Working
With Teachers To Create Podcasts in the Classroom.”
In addition, participants will have the opportunity to purchase
books and have them autographed by the speakers.
Bauer is the Newbery Honor-winning author of “Hope Was
Here;” Cynthia Leitich Smith is the author of “Tantalize”
and other children, tween and teen books; Greg Leitich Smith
is the author of two middle grade novels, “Ninjas, Piranhas,
and Gallileo” and “Tofu and T Rex;” and
Willems, a Caldecott Honor Medalist, is the author of “Don’t
Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus” and “Knuffle Bunny.”
Registration is $150, which includes lunch, conference materials
and an activity packet for the Texas Bluebonnet Books, and
the deadline to register is Oct. 30.
Information packets, including registration forms, can be
found at http://www.shsu.edu/~lis_www/documents/2007SHSUconference.pdf.
For more information, contact conference coordinators Mary
Berry, Teri
Lesesne or Holly
Weimar at 936.294.1151.
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Barnyard To Provide
Ag Learning Experience For Kids
Elementary school-aged children will have the opportunity
to learn about nutrition and animals during the 13th Annual
Block and Bridle Children's Barnyard Wednesday (Oct. 31) and
Thursday (Nov. 1).
SHSU animal science club members will share their knowledge
with more than 1,200 area children, ages 3-8 years old, from
8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Indoor Rodeo Areana Complex, located
at the Ag Center.
The event includes walkthrough pens, where children can pet
docile farm animals, sit on a horse or learn to rope, as well
as educational stations that explain the nutritional importance
of milk, eggs and meat.
"Agriculture has a huge impact on everyone's daily life
whether they realize it or not," said Marcy Beverly,
assistant professor of animal sciences. "You can't wake
up in the morning, brush your teeth, or drive to school in
the morning without something agricultural related."
The event is open to the public.
For more information, call Marcy
Beverly at 936.294.1222.
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Leadership Initiative
To Bring Education Speaker To Campus
The Department of Student Activities will kick off a new
speaker series designed to highlight each of the university’s
five colleges with Frank Charles Winstead, who will share
his passion for teaching on Tuesday (Oct. 30).
The Student Activities Leadership Initiative lecture will
be held at 11 a.m. in the Lowman Student Center Theater.
Winstead is convinced that teaching is the most important
job in the world, according to his Web site, Advocate for
Excellence.
He served in the public education field for 31 years in Georgia
at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels, teaching
at West Georgia College for two years and serving as a middle
school principal for five years.
He also served for 16 years as the director of educational
media in DeKalb County, the largest school district in Georgia.
The former “Outstanding Young Educator,” “Georgia
STAR Teacher,” and “Outstanding Principal”
retired in 1994 in order to speak and write full time.
The SALI series will bring one-to-two speakers to campus each
semester, according to Student Activities program coordinator
Brandon Cooper.
“These speakers are open to all but chosen with a specific
message geared towards students in a particular college,”
Cooper said. “Several are recommended by the deans of
all the colleges and then chosen and sponsored by the Department
of Student Activities.”
The free lecture will last for about an hour and a half, and
there will be a question and answer session afterward.
For more information, call 936.294.3861.
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Staff Council To Haunt
LSC At Annual Luncheon
The SHSU Staff Council will give employees a Halloween treat
on Wednesday (Oct. 31) during the Annual Fall Staff Social.
Lunch will served from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Lowman
Student Center Ballroom.
Costumes are encouraged.
For more information, contact Sophia Polk, Staff
Council public relations committee chair, at
adm_sdp@shsu.edu.
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Revolutionary Flags Fly For
Walker Center Exhibit
 |
| The Troutman Flag is one of 10 that
will be on display as part of the "Flags of the Texas
Revolution" exhibit in the Walker Education Center
through Nov. 26. |
While many people may be familiar with the “six flags”
of Texas, many may not remember the 10 flags of the state’s
revolution for freedom from Mexican rule.
The Sam Houston Memorial Museum will remind Texans of those
flags as part of an exhibit on display beginning Monday (Oct.
29) in the Katy & E. Don Walker, Sr., Education Center's
Exhibit Gallery.
The independence of Texas is partly told by the story and
change of the different flags of Texas within the last 150
years, according to David Wight, museum curator of exhibits.
“The Flags of the Texas Revolution” is comprised
of limited-edition replicas created by the Gallery of the
Republic in Austin with the help of the State Archives. Only
one original of these historic flags still exists and currently
hangs in the State Capitol, Wight said.
Among the flags in the collection are Captain Scott’s
Flag, a navy flag with a white star and the word “Independence”
written underneath; the Gonzales Flag, a white flag with a
cannon and the words “Come And Take It” written
on it; and the Dodson Flag, recognized as the first “Lone
Star” flag.
The exhibit will be on display through Nov. 26.
For more information, call the Sam
Houston Memorial Museum at 936.294.1832.
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Music Faculty To Perform
‘Monster,’ Voice Concerts
The SHSU Faculty Brass will conjure up songs from the past
on Halloween night as one of several concerts hosted by the
School of Music for the week.
The Halloween Monster Concert, which will be held at 7:30
p.m. in the Recital Hall, will include “the scarier
movements” of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures
at an Exhibition,” some Renaissance music by Samuel
Scheidt, and selections from “Pirates of the Caribbean,”
according to Randy Adams, associate professor of trumpet and
brass area coordinator.
“Our final number is a Halloween story about a scary
old house haunted by broken down brass instruments,”
Adams said. “It's a take-off on an old 1940's radio
show ‘Lumpy Brannum and the Pennsylvanians.’
“It's sure to bring a smile to both young and old,”
he said.
The SHSU Faculty Brass is comprised of Adams and Steve Warkentin
on trumpet, Peggy Demers on horn, Henry Howey on trombone
and Bob Daniel on tuba.
Admission is free.
On Thursday (Nov. 1), the faculty members will present their
“Various Voices,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital
Hall.
Faculty members Mary Kay Lake, singing soprano; Kathy Daniel,
playing flute; Patricia Card, playing clarinet; and Ilonka
Rus, playing piano, will perform “gorgeous works for
voice and piano,” including Aaron Copland’s “As
It Fell Upon a Day,” Gary Schocker’s “Airheads,”
and David Rubenstein’s “Flames,” according
to Card.
In addition, the quartet will perform “Stopping by Woods
on a Snowy Evening” by Jett Hitt, a former SHSU theory/composition
faculty member.
The performance is free and open to the public.
“Various Voices” will also be performed during
the Artists Series as part of the Texoma National Association
of Teachers of Singing at Southern Methodist University in
Dallas on Nov. 9.
Other concerts for the week include a chamber orchestra concert
on Tuesday (Oct. 30), at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall; and
a choral concert on Saturday (Nov. 3), at 7:30 p.m. at the
University Heights Baptist Church.
For more information, call the School
of Music at 936.294.1360.
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ROTC Ranger Challenge Brings
Home The Gold
 |
| Cadets compete in the first aid obstacle
course as part of the Camp Bullis Ranger Challenge. The
co-ed team won first place in the course. |
Sam Houston State University's Ranger Challenge Team showed
they were “Army strong,” finishing first and fifth
in a competition at Camp Bullis, Texas, Oct. 12-14.
The male and co-ed teams, "consisting of the some of
the best cadets SHSU's Military Science program has to offer,”
competed against 21 other universities from Texas, Oklahoma,
and New Mexico, according to Lt. Col. Rick King, chair of
the military science department.
The SHSU Co-ed Ranger Challenge Team won first place overall
for co-ed teams, also winning first place streamers in the
Army physical fitness test, the first aid obstacle course,
and M16 disassembly/assembly.
The SHSU Male Ranger Challenge Team placed fifth overall among
the male teams and also won a first place streamer for M16
disassembly/assembly.
“We had a great group of cadets that gelled well from
the get-go,” said team coach Gabe Gonzales. “The
results are a reflection of the training that these cadets
put in every morning and afternoon for seven weeks. We train
to higher standards so that when it is game day, we can perform
at a higher level.”
The SHSU Co-Ed Ranger Challenge Team is comprised of cadets
Monica Lim, Emily Miller, Rhett Sanders, Artem Richards, John
Girton, Ashley Livasy, Austin Harms, and Wayne Salizar.
The SHSU Male Ranger Challenge Team is comprised of cadets
Christopher Weinbel, Johnathan Crane, Mark Richardson, Andrew
Enriquez, Patrick Nguyen, Arthur Tovar, and James Decell.
"The SHSU Army ROTC has not placed first in this competition
since 1996," King said. "This is an outstanding
achievement for our cadets."
The Ranger Challenge team met for physical training every
morning and lab every afternoon for seven weeks, training
hard for the eight events of the competition: the Army physical
fitness test; a 10K (6.2 mile) ruck march; patrolling, land
navigation, and first aid written test; the hand grenade assault
course; first aid obstacle course; day orienteering; M16 disassembly/reassembly;
and night orienteering.
“Though the training was often long and painful, the
hard work paid off at competition,” King said. “They
gave it 110 percent, strengthening the SHSU ROTC Bearkat Battalion's
already strong reputation for being one of the best and leading
ROTC programs in the nation.”
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McNair Program Gets $924K
For Refunding Grant
The U.S. Department of Education has awarded SHSU’s
Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program a $924,000
grant.
The four-year grant provided $231,000 beginning this fall.
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
is designed to provide low-income, first-generation and ethnic
minority undergraduate students with effective preparation
for doctoral study.
SHSU’s McNair Program encourages graduate studies by
“providing opportunities for undergraduates to define
their goals, engage in research, and develop the skills and
faculty mentor relationships that are critical to success
at the doctoral level,” according to program director
Lydia Fox.
Fox said the program’s students have consistently met
its objectives at a higher rate of completion than the average
performance of other McNair Programs across the nation.
“Besides the services mentioned before, the McNair Program
affords students the opportunity to travel to conferences
to present their research and to visit graduate programs of
interest to them,” she said. “It also provides
students with personal mentoring, a lending library, a computer
resource lab, graduate school application fee waivers and
a discounted waiver for the GRE (Graduate Record Exam).”
The program’s faculty advisory board includes the original
authors of the grant proposal, including Kandi Tayebi, who
also serves as principal investigator; Bernice Strauss, Alice
Fisher and Beverly Irby.
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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. 26, 2007
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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