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SHSU Update For Week Of Jan. 18

Jan. 16, 2015
SHSU Media Contact: Tammy Parrett

Seminar To Teach Students Leadership Skills

The ability to lead is one of the most important qualities a college graduate can have when looking for a job. Three distinguished Huntsville leaders will share essential skills that will help students to be successful leaders on Wednesday (Jan. 21) during the fifth annual “Learning to Lead” seminar.

Sponsored by Career Services, the Center for Leadership and Service, and the College of Business Administration, the seminar will be from 3:30-5 p.m. in the Smith-Hutson Building’s Mafrige Auditorium.

This year’s speakers will include Roland Hendricks, finance director for Dow Chemical; Debra McCammon, director of Hospitality House; and Mike Yawn, director of the SHSU Center for Law, Engagement and Politics.

The workshop is designed to provide students with a comprehensive look at leadership skills and to show how these skills influence students’ careers and involvement in the community.

Hendricks has worked for The Dow Chemical Company since 1980 and has served in his role as finance director and Texas manufacturing controller since 2003. An SHSU alumnus, Hendricks is a member of the Sam Houston Alumni Association, the Sam Houston President’s Circle, and the Sam Houston College of Business Administration advisory board.

McCammon has spent more than 25 years training and developing people into leaders. She served as a consultant for the Woman’s Missionary Union of Texas, providing leadership training to women. Since 2009, she has served as director of the Hospitality House in Huntsville, a non-profit ministry that offers complimentary lodging and meals to visiting families of locally incarcerated prisoners.

Yawn has been a professor of political science since 2001. He has served on many local boards, including the Huntsville YMCA and Friends of the Sam Houston Memorial Museum. Widely published in academic journals, newspapers, magazines and trade papers across the state of Texas, Yawn also is a clinical professor of political science at SHSU.

For more information, contact Career Services at 936.294.1713.

Mass Comm To Host Film Screening Of ‘15Malaysia’

The College of Fine Arts and Mass Communication will host a free screening of the film series “15Malaysia” on Wednesday (Jan. 21) at 7:30 p.m. at the Gaertner Performing Arts Center. Admission to the event is free.

Pete Teo, producer of the "15Malaysia" series. —Submitted photo

“15Malaysia” is a revolutionary film series consisting of 15 short films featuring popular Malaysian actors, musicians and spiritual and political leaders. The films, which are between three to seven minutes in length, focus on a variety of sociopolitical issues central to modern society, including corruption, freedom of speech, racism, religion and cultural identity.

Since the films were originally created for Internet distribution and didn’t have to be approved by their government, the Malaysian filmmakers and directors had a lot more latitude in how they wanted to depict the socio-political issues in Malaysia.

“In terms of film, local production on TV is under such strict censorship…that what comes out is very difficult for people to relate to,” Pete Teo, producer of the series, was quoted in an AP report. “I think when you are on the Internet, because there is a lack of that sort of regulation, people tend to…be more honest.”

Following its August 2009 release, “15Malaysia” quickly became an unprecedented cultural phenomenon in Malaysia. At its peak, the project’s YouTube channel was the 10th most watched of its kind in the world; its official Facebook page boasted more than 100,000 fans; and online “15Malaysia” banners bearing the words “Voices Of New Malaysia” were embedded in 54,000 blog entries. The project also encouraged participation across Malaysian society by curating diverse, user-created films on its website.

For more information on the event, contact the College of Fine Arts and Mass Communicationat 936.294.2340.

Students Showcase Work From A ‘Fresh Perspective’

These works by Erika Aguirre (above) and Colton Clifford (below) will be among those presented for "Fresh Perspectives in Clay," Jan. 22-31 in the Student Satellite Gallery. —Submitted photos

The SHSU Student Satellite Gallery will host work created by 11 art students at the “Fresh Perspectives in Clay” exhibit, which will be on display from Jan. 22-31. An opening reception will be held Thursday (Jan. 22) at 6 p.m.

Student artists Erika Aguirre, Colton Clifford, Shelby Coleman, Theresa Goolsby, Frank Graham, Jerry Gardner, Haden Henderson, Caroline Long and Juanita Rodriguez will showcase work created during their beginning ceramics course in fall 2014.

Student artist Amber Eggleton will also display work created during an independent study in ceramics in fall 2014.

Each of the artists’ work utilized a new and innovative approach to using clay as a material, according to Annie Strader, assistant professor of art. “Artists pushed beyond traditional uses of clay, combining ceramic forms with unconventional materials such as moss, fake hair, found objects, and video to create sculptural objects and installations,” she said.

The SHSU Student Satellite Gallery is located at 1216 University Ave., in downtown Huntsville.

For more information on the exhibit, contact Strader at 936.294.1322.

Faculty, Friends Recital Is ‘All About That Brass’

The School of Music will warm up for the semester with a faculty recital given by Peggy DeMers and visiting artists Eleanor Elkins and William G. Rose on Thursday (Jan. 22) at 7:30 p.m. in the Gaertner Performing Arts Center Recital Hall.

The recital will comprise of a variety of horn, trombone and piano works, including: “Toccata,” by William Rose; “Five American Folk Song Sketches,” by Brad Edwards; “My Spirit Be Joyful,” by Johann Sebastian Bach; and “Adagio et Allegro Molto er Re Majeur Double concerto,” by Austrian composer Michael Haydn.

DeMers is an associate professor of horn at SHSU, who joined the faculty in 1991. She currently serves as principal horn of the Lake Charles Symphony. She has served as a guest artist at the Assisi Performing Arts Festival in Assisi, Italy since 2004 and has recorded a number of tracks for film soundtracks.

Elkins has been a professor of piano in a number of states, including universities in South Dakota, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Texas. She is a Lake Charles native who earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Barnard College, and her Master of Music degree and her Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Rose is an associate professor of music at McNeese State University. He serves as principal trombonist with the Lake Charles Symphony and has worked with many distinguished musicians, including Les Elgart, Slide Hampton, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and Skitch Henderson.

Admission to the recital is free.

For more information, call the School of Music at 936.294.1360.

Faculty Showcase Art In Annual Exhibit

A piece of art by faculty member Matthew Weedman. —Submitted photos

Twelve faculty members in the Department of Art will present their work in animation, sculpture, video, painting, photography, drawing, and graphic design in the 55th Annual Faculty Exhibit beginning Thursday (Jan. 29).

The exhibit, on display through March 4 in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, will include works from Jack Barnosky, Kate Borcherding, Chuck Drumm, Rebecca Finley, Michael Henderson, Taehee Kim, Annie Strader, Anthony Watkins, Tony Shipp, Matthew Weedman, and Willie Williams.

Taehee Kim's sculpture will also be among those on display for the 55th Faculty Art Exhibit.

“The exhibit provides an excellent opportunity for students, faculty and staff from across the university and the community to experience the work of our very talented faculty and provides a peek into the current state of the art world without leaving Huntsville,” said Strader, assistant professor of art and 3G committee chair. “Each year, approximately half of the faculty exhibits their work, allowing each individual artist to exhibit a larger amount of work providing more insight into each artists practice.”

Melissa Mednicov, assistant professor of art history, will moderate a panel discussion with the Barnosky, Borcherding, Finley, Shipp and Williams on Jan. 29, from 5-6 p.m. in Art Building E Room 108. The artists will discuss their artistic process, their motivations for becoming an artist, their definition of an “artist,” why they chose these works for the exhibit, and how they relate to their oeuvre.

An opening reception will follow from 6-7 p.m. in 3G.

On Feb. 19, Henderson, Finley and Williams will discuss their works in an informal question and answer session at 5 p.m. in the gallery.

For more information, contact Strader at 936.294.1322.

Local Vendors To Bring The Goods For Annual Trunk Show

The Department of Athletics, along with Strategic Marketing Affiliates, will host the second annual SHSU Local Licensee Trunk Show Thursday (Jan. 22) from 1-4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.

The event is designed to provide campus buyers an opportunity to meet with local vendors in a private, personal setting. There will also be a raffle at the end of the show where buyers can win an array of items donated by vendors.

“Many who make purchasing decisions for their department have only met or spoken with their vendors through email or telephone conversations,” said Kimberly Spino, athletics department corporate partnerships and licensing coordinator. “It gives them a chance to see a variety of merchandise that vendors can make for their departments.”

The trunk show also serves as a networking event, where vendors can check out the competition, see what other vendors are offering, and meet with prospective buyers. Vendors often bring extra props, including clothing racks and pop-up tents to display goods such as apparel, jewelry, engraved items like picture frames, blankets, keychains, trophies, banners, and many more items.

Thirteen vendors have registered for the event, including BearkatGear.com, C.C Creations, Barefoot Athletics, Tough Shirts, and The Urban Circle.

“One of the great things we learned last year is that campus buyers didn’t realize the variety of vendors and items available to them in the Huntsville area,” Spino said.

There is no cost to buyers or vendors who choose to attend the event.

For more information, contact Spino at 936.294.2796.

Museum Hosts Weekend Demonstrations

The Sam Houston Memorial Museum is known for being a great place to visit when you want to learn about the history of Gen. Sam Houston and his family. However, it also provides guests unique opportunities to experience aspects of “old-fashioned living” firsthand.

photo of front entrance to the museum Each Saturday, visitors are treated to demonstrations on a variety of trades from the 19th century, which can be seen between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the grounds of the museum.

The museum’s blacksmithing; spinning and weaving; woodworking; and kick wheel pottery-making demonstrations give visitors a glimpse of a time where everything from clothes to furniture was made by hand.

Upcoming events include a blacksmithing demonstration on Saturday (Jan. 24) between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Joshua’s Forge; spinning and weaving on Saturday (Feb. 7) between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the porch of the Woodland Home; woodworking at the Guerrant Cabin (Feb. 14) between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and kick-wheel pottery on Saturday (Feb. 21) at Potter’s Shed.

Demonstrations are free. Guests who wish to visit the museum as well will be charged $5 for adults and $4 for children. All SHSU students receive free admission to the museum.

For more information, contact Megan Buro, museum marketing coordinator, at 936.294.3839.

Survey Reveals College Students More Likely To Be Stalked

College students are at higher risk for stalking than the general public, but are less likely to report the crime to police, according to a study by the Crime Victims’ Institute at Sam Houston State University.

woman peeking out through window blinds “Majoring in stalking: Exploring stalking experiences between college students and the general public,” co-authored by Patrick Q. Brady and Leana A. Bouffard, found that stalking was more prevalent among college students than the general public.

While 4.3 percent of college students experienced the crime in the last 12 months—compared to 2.2 percent of the general public—only one-quarter of college victims filed reports with police, compared to 32 percent of the general population. The study is based on data from the 2006 National Crime Victimization Survey’s Stalking Victimization Supplement.

Stalking, defined as a repeated course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear, is a crime in all 50 states. This crime most commonly occurs between current or former intimate partners, with the highest rates of offenses between 18 to 24 years old.

With advances in technology, stalking offenders also can now pursue their victims through new media, with one in every four incidents using electronic devices such as GPS, audio-video recording, social networking sites, or surreptitious software.

“Given the pervasiveness of the issue, campus administrators, school personnel and public safety officials must consider the seriousness of the crime and tailor their efforts to proactively address stalking among college campuses and the general public through effective strategies of prevention and intervention,” said Bouffard, CVI director.

Public college campuses also face new mandates to assist victims and promote education on stalking under the Sexual Violence Elimination Act and the Clery Act. This legislation also targets issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault and dating violence.

“The findings from the current analysis suggest that more is needed to build the capacity of universities and public safety officials to systematically address the barriers that inhibit victims from reporting,” said Brady, an SHSU graduate student. “Additionally, universities need to ensure that they have the resources necessary to appropriately respond to reports of stalking and other forms of interpersonal violence.”

The Stalking Resource Center recently released a guide that can help assist universities develop a model stalking policy for college campuses.

Today@Sam Seeks Spring Calendar Info

The university Communications Office is now collecting information on campus events for its spring calendar pages.

Departmental calendars or events can be sent to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu or faxed to 294.1834. Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.

Information collected for the Today@Sam calendar pages, at shsu.edu/~pin_www/calendars, is used by various media outlets, as well as the Communications Office for news stories and releases.

All information, including story ideas and update items for Today@Sam, should be sent a minimum of a week in advance of the event in order to make necessary contacts and write a story.

To see a full list of the Today@Sam submission guidelines, or to access submission forms for news or feature stories, calendar submissions, or hometown releases, visit shsu.edu/~pin_www/guidelines.html.

For more information, call 936.294.1836.

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/~pin_www/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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Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu