Today@Sam Article
SHSU Update For Week Of Oct. 2
Oct. 2, 2016
SHSU Media Contact: Teddi Cliett
- Health Center To Provide Free Flu Shots On Campus
- Event To Encourage ‘Difficult Dialogues’ Among Students
- Panelists To Unveil Truth Behind Immigration
- UT Prof To Discuss Terrorist Profiles On Oct. 7
- Friday Forum To Highlight Translated Play
- SHSU German Club To Host Oktoberfest Activities
- SHSU Literary Journal Accepting Submissions Through Oct. 5
- Student Org Treasurers To Receive Professional Training
- Send Update Items, Story Ideas Here
Health Center To Provide Free Flu Shots On Campus
The Sam Houston State University Student Health Center will offer free flu shots to students and faculty starting the week of Oct. 3.
Students on the main campus can receive their flu shot on Monday (Oct. 3) and Tuesday (Oct. 4) from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Mall Area and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Plaza. Faculty and staff can receive theirs on Tuesday (Oct. 11) in LSC Room 320 and Wednesday (Oct. 12) in LSC Room 302 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days.
Students on The Woodlands Center campus can receive vaccinations on Wednesday (Oct. 19) and Thursday (Oct. 20) in the west commons from 3-7 p.m. on both days.
Megan Richardson, Health Center program coordinator, said the vaccine is recommended to stay healthy during flu season.
“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a flu vaccine every season in order to expand protection against the flu to more people and to decrease your chances of getting the virus,” Richardson said.
Richardson said that some people avoid the flu shot because they think the virus can be contracted from the shot itself, which is a misconception.
“A flu shot cannot give you the flu because it contains an inactivated form of the virus, which is not infectious,” she said. “It takes a week or two to get protection from the flu with the vaccine, so someone who does get sick after receiving the shot many have already been infected with the virus.”
Both Walgreens and CVS offer the flu shot at a regular cost of $39.99, so students will save approximately $40 by accessing their shot at SHSU.
Students will need to bring their Bearkat OneCards in order to get the shot and should wear a loose fitting top to allow easy accessibility to the upper arm. Richardson said students should be able to get in and out within 20 minutes.
For more information, contact Richardson at 936.294.4347.
Event To Encourage ‘Difficult Dialogues’
The 2016 presidential race has been arguably one of the most heated and unique ones to date, often resulting in escalated arguments or lack of civic engagement for fear of conflict.
In order to combat those issues, Sam Houston State University’s American Democracy Project, Center for Community Engagement and Global Center for Journalism and Democracy will present “Difficult Dialogues,” an opportunity for the SHSU community to have a safe venue to engage in meaningful and controversial conversation, on Wednesday (Oct. 5) from 2-2:50 p.m. at the College of Humanities and Social Sciences outdoor amphitheater.
“This is an attempt to cultivate an atmosphere of civility with the hope that students, as citizens, can exchange thoughts on the current presidential election,” said Susan Strickland, director of the American Democracy Project. “We hope that students can establish meaningful connections in areas of agreement while respectfully disagreeing on other issues.”
The first session will focus on the current presidential nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but the hosting organizations said they are open to suggestions from the community about other topics for future conversations.
Kelli Arena, executive director of GCJD, said creating an open dialogue applies to all students’ education and life experiences.
“The skills they can pick up while watching people who disagree interact will help them in all aspects of their lives,” she said. “It will be beneficial in the classroom during discussions, invaluable in the workplace and even helpful as they negotiate close relationships.”
Philosophy professor Charles Carlson will moderate the discussion. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact Arena at 936.294.1335 or Strickland at 936.294.3128.
Panelists To Unveil Truth Behind Immigration
Sam Houston State University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences will welcome a panel of immigration experts to discuss the truth behind a hotly debated topic on Wednesday (Oct. 5)
“Myths about Immigration” is from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in CHSS Room 110 as a part of the Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations at SHSU.
College of Criminal Justice Dean Philip Lyons will be the keynote speaker, accompanied by Hipolito Acosta, one of the most highly decorated officers from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as SHSU psychology professors Jorge Varela and Amanda Venta.
“Latino immigration is a controversial topic in the U.S. and is particularly relevant for border states like Texas,” Venta said. “Many discussions about immigration are made even more complicated by inaccurate information. I hope that students, faculty, staff, and community members will come to this event to get hard facts on Latino immigration and learn from experts with decades of experience in this field.”
The controversy of the topic seems to be heightened with the current presidential election underway, which will more than likely be discussed among the panel.
“Our goal is that Dean Lyons will provide all attendees with some background information about Latino immigration, which can serve as the foundation for a thoughtful, respectful exchange of ideas–even those that are hotly debated on the evening news,” Venta said.
Common issues to be addressed include the effects of immigration on the safety and financial health of the U.S.
Attendees will be able to participate in a question-and-answer session after the panel.
For more information, contact Venta at 936.294.2436.
UT Prof To Discuss Terrorist Profiles On Oct. 7
Ami Pedahzur, professor of government and the Arnold S. Chaplik Professor in Israel and Diaspora Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, will discuss results from a study that investigates the use of terrorist profiles on Friday (Oct. 7).
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| Ami Pedahzur |
“The Next Steps in the Quest for Understanding Terrorism,” the Sam Houston State University College of Criminal Justice’s Beto Chair Lecture, will be from 9:30-11 a.m. in the CJ Center’s Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom.
Pedahzur’s study suggests that, in addition to identifying the factors that make an individual willing to participate in violent acts, it is important to understand the different roles and functions engaged in by individuals across terrorist groups. To do so, it is critical to develop a real interdisciplinary framework for studying terrorism.
Pedahzur is the founding director of the Institute for Israel Studies, which pursues research on Israeli social, cultural, political, and foreign relations. His areas of specialty include comparative politics, terrorism, political violence, radicalism, and security studies.
He also is the author of several books, including “The Triumph of Israel’s Radical Right,” “Jewish Terrorism in Israel,” “The Israeli Secret Services and the Struggle Against Terrorism,” and “Suicide Terrorism.”
He also published dozens of articles in such peer-reviewed journals as International Studies Quarterly, Social Forces, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Deviant Behavior, Terrorism and Political Violence, and Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.
Pedahzur received his doctorate in political science from the University of Haifa. At UT, he received the Donald D. Harrington Fellowship, the Raymond Dickson Centennial Endowed Teacher Fellowship, and the President’s Association Teaching Excellence Award.
Pedahzur is currently working on a new book manuscript entitled “The Evolution of Special Operations Forces.”
Friday Forum To Highlight Translated Play
German playwright Georg Büchner died in 1837 before he was able to finish his dramatic play “Woyzeck.”
But the play was published in 1879, and since then, it has undergone a variety of variations, including as a famous opera by Alban Berg.
Nick Lantz, assistant professor of English at Sam Houston State University, has added to those variations and will discuss his translation on Friday (Oct. 7) for the Department of English’s First Friday Forum series.
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| Nick Lantz |
“‘Woyzeck,’ On and On: Theater, Music and Book Design” will begin at 3 p.m. in Evans Building Room 212.
During the talk, Lantz will discuss the translation process, the workshop production of the play, the music, and the design process of the book that documents the project.
As a creative writer, Lantz wanted to reinterpret and expand upon the play instead of producing a scholarly-“correct” version of it, he said.
“I added a second act in which alternate versions of the main characters follow the original plot in different, overlapping directions,” he said.
“The main character of the original, Franz Woyzeck, goes insane, and my version externalizes his seemingly split personality by making those aspects of his mind into separate characters,” Lantz said. “Woyzeck murders his lover, Marie, and in the original version of the play, Marie is not very well developed; so the second act in my adaption focuses more on her as a character, giving her an opportunity to drive the plot.”
The project, which was completed this summer, included contributions by two faculty members and a number of undergraduate students. It was funded by a FAST grant from the SHSU EURECA program.
“Faculty led students in a workshop production of the play, building musical instruments, and designing a book version,” Lantz said. “In addition to the play itself, the book contains photos of the project and four sections contributed by undergraduate students who worked on the project.”
The First Friday Forum series has been offered over the past nine years to allow English faculty, graduate students and invited speakers to present research in literature, language and cultural studies or to read creative work.
All forum activities are open to the public.
For more information, contact Paul Child, series coordinator and professor of English, at pchild@shsu.edu or 936.294.1412.
SHSU German Club To Host Oktoberfest Activities
Oktoberfest will make its way to Huntsville, courtesy of the Sam Houston State University German program and the SHSU German Conversation and Culture Club, on Friday (Oct. 7) at 4:30 p.m. at The Vortexan, at 1237 19th St.
“Oktoberfest will consist of a variety of cultural activities such as games, food, music, and the exchange of language to promote a sense of historic and modern German society,” said Sarah Bivens, president of SHSU’s German Culture and Conversation Club.
Live music will be provided by local bands throughout the evening, accompanied by a Houston-metropolitan Polka dance troupe. In addition, there will be a costume contest for “best dressed Barvarians” as well as games like stein racing and football. Booths will be set up for attendees to learn common German phrases, collect recipes and crafts, and explore different fairytales that have their roots in German literature.
Bivens said that although beer is usually associated with Oktoberfest, there is more to the celebration.
“There will be alcohol provided by The Vortexan to persons of age, but there are also plenty of other activities to consider when thinking about Oktoberfest,” Bivens said. “Germany, particularly Bavaria, is known for its scrumptious meats and other eateries like strudel and pretzels. There will also be opportunities for dancing and singing as well as games and contests.”
The event is open to the public for an admittance fee of $1. Once inside the event, food is free. Persons 21 and older will receive two complimentary beers.
For more information, contact Bivens at seb051@shsu.edu.
SHSU Literary Journal Accepting Submissions
Sam Houston State University creative writers who are looking to get exposure for their work can submit their pieces for consideration by the Beacon: The Sam Houston State Review, the campus literary magazine.
Beacon publishes fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, plays, and art by members of the SHSU community, including students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
It is created through the English department's “Practicum in Publishing” (ENGL 3383) course, which trains students in the history, theory and practice of literary magazine publishing. Students then review, select, and edit the contents for that semester's issue.
Individuals can submit any combination of up to five poems, five pieces of art and one story, essay or play.
“As faculty adviser, my goal is to help the students create a magazine that showcases the best literary talent SHSU has to offer,” said Nick Lantz, faculty adviser and assistant professor of English. “I want as many people as possible to know about Beacon so that it can best represent the diversity of experience embodied in the SHSU community. Most of the writers published in Beacon are students, and for many of them, it's their first publication.
“When I was an undergraduate, I was published by my college's campus literary magazine, and I know firsthand how important that experience can be for emerging writers and artists, how in some cases getting published is what can make someone realize they could be a writer in the first place,” he said.
Submissions are due by Oct. 5 and should be sent as Word document attachments, or jpegs for art, to shsreview@shsu.edu. Submissions are read anonymously.
For more information, or questions about Beacon or the submission process, contact Lantz, at nick.lantz@shsu.edu.
Student Org Treasurers To Receive Training
Most student organizations at Sam Houston State University require a treasurer be one of their elected executive board members. However, the details behind financial operations can often be intimidating to students.
SHSU’s Leadership Initiatives hopes to change that through their training session on Monday (Oct. 3) from 2-3 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Room 315.
Daniel Erickson, student organization specialist, said the training will consist of basic principles of effective budget management.
Some of those basic principals include: opening a bank account, having a yearly budget, creating long and short term goals, income versus expenses, the importance of keeping receipts and logs of transactions, and different options of how to earn more money through on-campus funds.
“Each student organization has its unique challenges,” Erikson said. “Keeping track of dues, payments, receipts, and a budget can be challenging for college students who may not have much experience in those areas.”
The training session is open to any organization wanting to learn more about their financial operations and strengthen their treasury role.
“Some organizations have five members, while others have 500,” Erikson said. “The smaller the organization, the easier budget to manage and control, but a smaller organization also likely means a smaller budget to work with, which can be challenging for any treasurer.”
For more information, contact Erikson at 936.294.3861.
Submit Experts, Story Ideas Here
Are you an expert in a topic might be of interest to reporters? Or even a unique topic? Would you like to have your research interests highlighted or discuss your expertise with reporters seeking interviewees?
The university Communications Office is collecting information and story ideas for its ongoing projects, including the online SHSU Experts Guide, the SHSU home page and Today@Sam.
The SHSU Experts Guide was established as a resource for the media, who turn to university experts lists for potential interviewees for news stories. Faculty who are interested in being a part of the university's database of experts can submit their biographical and personal information, as well as their areas of expertise, through the Experts Guide Submission Form available online at shsu.edu/dept/marketing/experts/submit-info.html.
Other story ideas, both news and features on faculty or student research and accomplishments can be sent to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu. For news stories, please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
All information, including news 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. Feature story ideas for the SHSU home page ("sliders") should be sent a minimum of two months in advance.
To see a full list of the Today@Sam submission guidelines, or to access submission forms for news and feature stories or hometown releases, visit shsu.edu/~pin_www/guidelines.html.
For more information, call 936.294.1836.
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