SHSU
Update For Week Of Sept. 16
Filipino Dancers To Perform
 |
Dancers from Palawan State University in the Philippines
will give the SHSU and Huntsville communities a glimpse of
various world cultures with two performances on Thursday and
Friday (Sept. 20-21).
The Sining Dance Company will perform dances that span a
wide array of cultures “that have been dominant in
the Philippines over the century,” on Friday, at 7:30
p.m. in the Killinger Auditorium.
“They do an indigenous Filipino dance that includes
tinikling, where they have long bamboo poles that they clap
together in a kind of three-beat rhythm and dancers move on
the floor in between the bamboo poles,” said Dana Nicolay,
associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and professor
of dance.
“It’s a really beautiful dance,” he said.
“There’s more to it than just the physical dexterity
of it, there’s really beautiful movement that goes along
with it as they dance.”
Other dances in the company’s repertoire include a wedding
ceremony dance, as well as dances from Thailand, Cambodia,
the Spanish flamenco, a Dutch folk dance, American dances
and newer contemporary dances.
As a preview of sorts, the company will give an outdoor performance
on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Farrington Pit, during which
they also will perform some of their contemporary works that
may not be shown at the Friday night concert, Nicolay said.
Admission to both performances is free.
The Palawan State delegation, which is located in Puerto Princesa,
will be on the SHSU campus all week with the help of vice
president for Academic Affairs and provost David Payne.
During their visit, they will be actively engaged in SHSU’s
dance program by both teaching from their repertoire and participating
in classes on campus to learn from SHSU’s repertoire.
For more information, contact the dance
program at 936.294.1875.
Back to top
Students To Get More Than 100
Choices At Expo
More than 100 companies and organizations will be scouting
out potential employees during the 2007 Career Expo on Wednesday
(Sept. 19).
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Houston school district,
CenterPoint Energy, numerous banks and police departments
from many of Texas’ metroplex areas will be among those
available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day in the Johnson Coliseum.
“If students register on ‘Jobs 4 Kats’ (before
the expo), they can get a specific, detailed list of the companies
that are coming, what majors they are looking for and what
positions they are hiring for, full-time, part-time or internship,”
said Vinessa Mundorff, Career Services employment specialist.
Students also can register on Jobs 4 Kats after the job fair
to find that information.
All attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring
multiple copies of their résumés.
In addition, to ensure that students’ résumés
are in order for the expo, Career Services will host its second
“Résumé Rescue” on Monday (Sept.
17), from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LSC Mall Area. In the event
of rain, experts will critique student résumés
in the LSC Atrium.
For more information, call Career
Services at 936.294.1713, or to sign up for Jobs
4 Kats, visit https://www.myinterfase.com/shsu/student/.
Back to top
ADAI To Show Effects
Of ‘Calories On The Rocks’
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Initiative will show students
how weight gain can come not only from poor diet and exercise
patterns but from drinking as well during “Calories
on the Rocks” on Tuesday (Sept. 18).
Students can learn how many beers add up to one pound of weight
gain at 3 p.m. in Lowman Student Center Room 315.
“Many students do not realize the amount of sugar or
empty calories they are consuming in alcoholic beverages,”
said Michelle Lovering, ADAI proactive prevention chair. “Whether
one would consider the drink ‘sweet’ or not, alcohol
is basically sugar without nutrients.
“For some students, part of the weight gain can be attributed
directly to an increase in alcohol consumption,” she
said.
“Calories on the Rocks” will explore the caloric
values of many favorite drinks, such as the number of beers
that equal one pound of weight gain multiplied by 4-5 years
in college, for example.
“We will discuss how many hours of vigorous physical
activity it would take to counterbalance a night of heavy
binging,” Lovering said. “My hope is that if the
overall negative health effects of alcohol consumption don't
dissuade some of our students' behaviors, that this information
about weight gain due to alcohol would lead them to make better
decisions.”
The program is part of the ADAI’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
org_aai@shsu.edu.
Back to top
Professor Planning London
Trip For May 2008
Theatre patrons will have the opportunity to watch SHSU
actors perform in an outdoor park in London, as well as tour
the city and travel with the actors, with a trip being organized
by assistant professor of theatre Ron Song Destro.
The group will explore the city May 21-28, 2008, and watch
the students perform a Shakespearean comedy in an outdoor
park as a learning experience, according to Destro.
“I myself studied acting in London and have always been
a huge advocate of students learning the ‘British’
approach to doing theatre in addition to our own ‘methods,’”
Destro said. “I'm also a big advocate for travel as
a great educational tool.”
Destro has been working on a study-abroad plan for SHSU actors
to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, considered
the best of its kind in the world.
“Until that program gets initiated, if it ever does,
I thought the second-best plan would be to take a group of
our talented students to London to show the Brits how good
American students are at doing the Bard, and also to give
our kids a chance to ‘tread the boards’ of a London
stage,” he said. “It will enhance their education
and their résumés.”
The cost of the trip, open to both members of the Huntsville
and university communities, will be between $1746 and $1805,
depending on the number of travelers who participate, and
includes round trip airfare; a double occupancy room at a
three-star, centrally-located hotel in London; breakfasts;
and transportation to and from the London airport and the
hotel, Destro said.
The sign-up deadline is Oct. 15, and there is no limit to
the number of travelers who wish to participate.
For more information, call Destro
at 936.294.1338.
Back to top
Association Accepting
Reservations For New York Trip
The reservation deadline for this trip was extended to Nov.
1.
The SHSU Alumni Association will take a bite out of “The
Big Apple” with a trip to New York City for its annual
reception in December.
The reservation deadline is Nov. 1 for alumni and friends
who would like to travel to New York for the reception.
The annual Alumni Reception and Dinner in New York City will
be held on Dec. 7 at the historic Waldorf-Astoria hotel. The
reception will begin at 7 p.m., followed by dinner.
The event is open at no charge for SHSU alums and friends
who might like to make the trip.
Travel packages start at $975 per person, and arrangements
can be made through Laura Floyd with Advantage Travel in Huntsville
at 866.758.5466. Dinner reservations must be made separately
through the Office
of Alumni Relations.
For more information, call 800.283.7478.
Back to top
SHSU Band Director To Discuss
Roots
Alfredo Vélez, III, SHSU assistant professor of music
and associate director of bands, will share his roots on Wednesday
(Sept. 19).
The lecture, part of the Grassroots speaker series, will be
held at 5 p.m. in Academic Building IV's Olson Auditorium.
Vélez directs the Symphonic Band, Basketball Bands
and the Bearkat Marching Band.
Before coming to SHSU, he held positions at Texas A&M
University-Kingsville, the University of North Texas, Texas
Christian University and with the Plano school district, where
his concert, jazz and marching bands were widely recognized
for their outstanding performances, according to a biography
on the School of Music Web site.
Vélez received his bachelor and master’s degrees
in music education from Angelo State University.
After the lecture, a meet-and-greet with refreshments will
be held in the Student Advising and Mentoring Center, located
in Academic Building IV Room 210.
The event is sponsored by the academic support programs of
the Student Advising and Mentoring Center; the Elliott T.
Bowers Honors Program; Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority,
Inc.; and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement
Program.
For more information, contact Bernice Strauss, director of
academic support programs for the SAM
Center, at 936.294.4455.
Back to top
Student Activities To Show
Funny Side Of Money
James Cunningham, an award-winning speaker and author, will
make money and financial issues a laughing matter with “Funny
Money” on Tuesday (Sept. 18).
The informative, “‘fun’-ancial seminar”
will be held at 6 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Using wit, comedy, and a multimedia presentation, Cunningham
teaches the essential skills in earning, spending and saving
money properly, first guiding participants to financial stability
and then taking it to the next level: achieving great wealth
and prosperity.
While undergraduate credit debt decreased by 7 percent from
2001 to 2004, the average outstanding balance for undergrad
credit cards was still $2,169, according to a 2004 credit
card study by Nellie May, a Sallie Mae student loan company.
Additionally, undergraduates reported the freshman year as
the most popular time for obtaining credit cards, with 56
percent reporting having obtained their first card at the
age of 18.
Because students are often bombarded by credit card companies
that visit campuses to solicit students with offers of T-shirts
or food for signing up, it’s important to make sure
students understand everything that goes with obtaining a
credit card, according to Angie Burns, assistant director
for Student Activities.
“We want students to learn to budget, spend and save
money effectively so they don’t go into debt while in
college,” she said.
Cunningham has performed his seminars at campuses across Canada
for the past eight years.
Among his accolades are two-time “Lecture of the Year”
award and another “Lecture of the Year” nomination,
as well as a “Comedian of the Year” nomination
by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities.
In addition, he wrote and performed his own hour-long comedy
special titled, “James and the Giant Speech,”
for the Comedy Network.
For more information, call the Office
of Student Activities at 936.294.3861.
Back to top
Tour To Give
‘MoonDreams,’ ‘Autumn Sky’ Info
The physics department will give the public a tour of “what’s
currently up in the autumn night sky” with its planetarium
series program beginning Friday (Sept. 21).
The “Autumn Sky” and “MoonDreams,”
which shows attendees which constellations, stars and planets
they can expect to see in the upcoming weeks, will be held
at 7 p.m. in the Planetarium, located in Farrington Building
Room F102.
"MoonDreams" tells the story of Perseus and Andromeda
and talks about our moon and where it comes from, as well
as introduces other moons in the solar system, according to
Michael Prokosch, staff aide for the physics department.
In addition, each show will include a discussion about this
year’s Dec. 24 Mars Opposition and the "Mars Hoax,"
an e-mail that circulates every August making exaggerated
claims about the planet's visibility from Earth, Prokosch
said.
The show will last approximately one hour.
The Planetarium seats up to 29 visitors and includes a dome
that is approximately 18 feet in diameter and more than 20
feet high in the center, according to Prokosch.
Admission is free.
Other showings for the semester will be held Oct. 12, Nov.
16 and Dec. 7, all at 7 p.m. The December show will also include
information on the annual Geminid Meteor Shower, the best
night of which will be Dec. 13 at about 10 p.m., and why it
is unique compared to other meteor showers, Prokosch said.
For more information on current show times for the Planetarium
or the Observatory, call 936.294.3664 or e-mail
Prokosch at vis_mwp@shsu.edu.
Back to top
SAM Center Offers Grad School
Advice
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will give students
considering graduate school all of the information they need
with an informational seminar on Thursday (Sept. 20).
The presentation, which will include a question-and-answer
session, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Lowman Student
Center Room 315.
Among the topics that will be discussed are financial aid,
organizing applications and the grad school timeline.
Space is limited, and students should call or stop by the
SAM Center to sign up.
For more information, or to register, call 936.294.4444 or
visit the SAM
Center, in Academic Building 4 Room 210.
Back to top
Group, Students To
Share Story With Children
College of Education students and SHSU Phi Kappa Delta members
will join hundreds of thousands of teachers across the country
in reading “The Story of Ferdinand” on Thursday
(Sept. 20).
The Kappans and SHSU students will read the story as part
of Jumpstart's “2nd annual Read for the Record”
all over central Texas, according to Phi Kappa Delta president
Maggie McGuire, who said she, along with many other professors
on campus, assigned their students to do so as a class project.
“Students currently enrolled in many classes within
the college will be reading the story at their field base
site,” she said. “I have students reading in Huntsville,
Madisonville, Klein, Magnolia, Montgomery, College Station,
Livingston, Conroe and Splendora schools.”
Read for the Record is a campaign that aims to create the
largest-ever shared reading experience, during which as many
people as possible read the same book on the same day.
The Future Educators Association, the student division of
PDK, is collaborating with the Pearson Charitable Foundation
to encourage participation in the event, McGuire said.
In last year’s inaugural campaign, more than 150,000
people participated and more than $500,000 was raised to support
Jumpstart’s early education work through sales of the
selected book, according to the PDK Web site.
“The Story of Ferdinand,” published in 1936, is
the best-known children’s book written by American author
Munro Leaf, which tells the story of a bull who would rather
smell flowers than fight in bullfights.
Anyone, even non-members, can participate in the event by
reading the book to a group of children, or even to one child.
Those would like to participate should contact McGuire so
their participation can be recorded.
Phi Delta Kappa is an honor society of professional educators
that supports many activities involving schools and their
students. Membership is open for professional educators from
their student teaching year on.
For more information, contact McGuire at mam013@shsu.edu
or 936.294.4638.
Back to top
Education Recognizes
Four For ‘Outstanding’ Work
Four College of Education professors were recognized for
their outstanding work in the areas of service, research,
grantsmanship and teaching on Aug. 17.
Eren Johnson, Bill Edgington, Shirley Johnson and Joyce McCauley
were selected by their peers to receive the awards, for which
they were presented trophies during the college’s fall
faculty meeting.
Johnson, professor of curriculum and instruction who is retiring
this year after 26 years at SHSU, was recognized for her outstanding
service.
“Eren Johnson spends many hours advising, assisting
and supporting the post-baccalaureate students as well as
the graduate students in our department,” said Daphne
Johnson, associate professor of C&I. “Her selfless
service to our department and the university are priceless.”
With 20 journal publications, a dozen published book reviews
and numerous conference and workshop presentations, Edgington,
associate professor of curriculum and instruction, was honored
for his research.
“Bill Edgington has created an extensive research agenda
at SHSU,” said Mary Ann Bell, associate professor of
library science. “Through many years of service at SHSU,
he has produced many publications, involved himself in focused
topical research and delivered national and international
presentations.”
In the past four years, assistant professor of educational
leadership and counseling Shirley Johnson has written and
received five grants, earning her the award for grantsmanship.
“Shirley Johnson is making a name for SHSU across the
state with her grants writing,” said Judy Nelson, EDLC
assistant professor.
“Johnson has been a critical part of a total effort
aimed at researching and securing grants for the university,”
said Sue Horne, EDLC lecturer.
A teacher for more than 38 years, 13 of which have been spent
at SHSU, Joyce McCauley, associate professor of language,
literacy and special populations, was recognized with the
teaching award.
“You can’t be with Dr. McCauley more than just
a few minutes without seeing that she is one person who knows
her field, who is truly interested in the welfare of her students
and who believes that teaching is the most important and fulfilling
profession in the world,” said Dana Carpenter-Baker,
instructional specialist at Aldine school district.
Back to top
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.
Back to top
- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Frank
Krystyniak, Julia May,
Jennifer Gauntt
Sept. 14, 2007
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
|
