SFA University
Stephen F. Austin State University will hold a dedication ceremony for the 1st Lt. Kile G. West Memorial Obstacle Course at 2:30 p.m. April 29 at the Student Recreation Center on the SFA campus. The course honors West, who graduated from SFA in 2005 and was killed in action May 28, 2007, in Abu Sayda, Iraq.
April 2, 2019 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University will hold a dedication ceremony for the 1st Lt. Kile G. West Memorial Obstacle Course at 2:30 p.m. April 29 at the Student Recreation Center on the SFA campus. The public is invited to attend.
West, who graduated from SFA in 2005, attended the field artillery officer basic course and was assigned to the 1st Calvary Division at Fort Hood. West and four of his men were killed in action May 28, 2007, in Abu Sayda, Iraq, while en route to rescue the crew of a downed U.S. aircraft. West was the first officer commissioned at SFA to be killed in action. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart.
“West absolutely embodied the Lumberjack Battalion’s motto, ‘Be the Best,’” said Maj. James Attaway, SFA chair and professor of military science. “We wanted to do something to honor his sacrifice to our nation and thought it would be appropriate to name the obstacle course after him because it will be regularly used by our cadets.”
Completed in April 2018, the obstacle course was designed by Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rendon, SFA instructor of military science, to help cadets develop the strength, stamina and confidence they need to apply to Air Assault School.
Attaway said the obstacle course requires cadets to literally take a leap of faith to make it over obstacles they may face in life.
“The obstacle course helps cadets conquer their fears by putting them into challenging physical and mental situations. These experiences will help prepare them for challenges they will face as a United States Army officer,” Attaway said.
To learn more about the SFA Army ROTC program, visit sfasu.edu/rotc.
Stephen F. Austin State University elementary education juniors along with Dr. Sarah Straub, assistant professor, have created a Bilingual Education Student Organization chapter in Nacogdoches to promote bilingual education. Pictured from left are officers Valerie Vela, secretary; Sofia Martinez, treasurer; Straub; Brenda Sosa, president; and Miriam Lira, vice president.
April 1, 2019 Nacogdoches, Texas — Imagine being in a classroom where you don’t speak the language. You try to complete your assignments. You try to communicate with your classmates, but you can’t.
“There are a lot of kids coming into Texas who don’t speak English and Spanish learners who are having trouble in the classroom. I was one when I was younger, and I didn’t have the guidance I needed,” said Miriam Lira, a student at Stephen F. Austin State University who has recently been involved with helping create a chapter of the Bilingual Education Student Organization.
Lira, BESO vice president, along with SFA elementary education juniors Brenda Sosa, BESO president; Valerie Vela, secretary; and Sofia Martinez, treasurer; have worked to bring BESO to Nacogdoches. Dr. Sarah Straub, SFA assistant professor in elementary education, helped kick start this organization.
“We weren’t aware that there wasn’t anything out there for diverse and bilingual education, so whenever Dr. Straub brought it up I was shocked,” Martinez said. “We believed we should start the organization here and spread the word about bilingual education.”
Many universities across Texas have a BESO chapter. Martinez explained its goal is to promote bilingual education in the field of education, as well as the diversity of bilingualism.
“I know many Spanish-speaking parents come here and make their children learn English and not Spanish,” Martinez said. “My parents taught me the opposite. They taught me to not be ashamed of who you are. You are Hispanic; you speak Spanish first. Don’t ever let go of that because you will use it in the future.”
Students do not have to speak Spanish to be a BESO member. As a member, students will have the opportunity to attend professional development events specific to bilingual education. For example, Dr. Jim Ewing, SFA assistant professor in elementary education, spoke to BESO members at their first meeting about “Celebrating Nuestra Identidad (our identity): The Various Faces of Bilingualism.”
Erica Bundy, from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University, spoke to BESO members during the second professional development session about “translanguaging” as a way to support bilingual students by empowering them to use all of their linguistic resources.
“Our officers believe teacher candidates should have more of an opportunity to learn about bilingualism and their future emergent bilingual students, and this open professional development opportunity provides that space,” Straub said.
Community service is another important aspect of BESO, and members will have the opportunity to engage with the community in various ways. For example, BESO has a partnership with Absolutely Fiction in Lufkin, and members will conduct bilingual reading sessions and activities this semester.
Currently, there is no membership fee. To join, contact Straub at straubsm@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1723.
By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
March 29, 2019 - Employees from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, an independent bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, recently met with Stephen F. Austin State University Rusche College of Business students to share their insights.
OCC representatives Jennifer Pena, national bank examiner and Longview field office analyst, and C. Welch, assistant deputy comptroller, spoke to students about their work with the federal government. The OCC charters, regulates and supervises all national banks and federal savings associations, as well as federal branches and agencies of foreign banks.
Pena began her career as a banker before joining the OCC in 2008. As a national bank examiner, she has led training teams and training for newly hired examiners.
Welch, a 20-year OCC veteran, worked for many years in Washington, D.C., within the problem bank/resolution division. In her current role, Welch leads a team of 18 bank examiners and supervises 26 banks chartered by the OCC operating in East Texas.
SFA’s Finance Club hosted the event in partnership with the Student Success Passport program. David Kaiser, director of SFA’s Chadwick family banking program, explained this presentation helped introduce students to new career options.
“I believe one of the main takeaways for students is that banking supervision is a viable career and is very attainable for Rusche College of Business graduates. There are real opportunities not only in Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C., but also in places like Longview,” Kaiser said.
SFA offers a Bachelor of Business Administration in banking to help prepare students to fill the growing need for qualified bank and financial services industry personnel. The program combines core coursework in business and finance with a variety of industry-specific courses and learning opportunities. To learn more, visit sfasu.edu/cob.
By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
The Stephen F. Austin State University timbersports team, the Sylvans, claimed its third consecutive victory at the 62nd annual Association of Southern Forestry Clubs Conclave hosted last week by Louisiana State University. In addition to the team’s win, two SFA students set records in the axe throw and bowsaw events. (Click image to enlarge)
March 28, 2019 Nacogdoches — The Stephen F. Austin State University timbersports team, the Sylvans, claimed its third consecutive victory at the 62nd annual Association of Southern Forestry Clubs Conclave hosted last week by Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
“This was the most talented and dedicated team I’ve seen since becoming the faculty advisor in 2012,” said Dr. Jeremy Stovall, associate professor of forestry.
The team competed in a series of challenging academic and physical events against 13 other universities from across the South, including Clemson, Virginia Tech and Auburn.
Although physical events, such as crosscut sawing, axe throwing and log birling, an event in which two competitors run on a floating log with the goal of pitching an opponent into the water, take center stage, excelling in the academic events is a key point of pride for the Sylvans.
“The win in the academic competition really speaks to the strengths of our forestry program and the quality of our undergraduate students,” Stovall said. “This win is coming in the same year our student chapter of the Society of American Foresters won the national quiz bowl and our student chapter of the Wildlife Society won the state quiz bowl.”
As if placing first in both academic and physical events wasn’t enough, two SFA students sealed their positions in Southern Forestry Conclave history by setting records in two physical events.
For the first time in the 62-year history of the Southern Forestry Conclave, Tyler Jones, a junior urban forestry major, threw a perfect score of 15 by hitting five consecutive bullseyes in the axe-throwing event.
“The axe-throw competition was a lot of fun, and my throws went by like a blur,” Jones said. “Breaking the record at my first conclave was such a surprise.”
Senior forest wildlife management major Ian Erickson then broke a 26-year record in the men’s bowsaw event by cutting an 8-inch-square cant in 6.56 seconds.
The Sylvans also were awarded the Sportsmanship Award for the team’s efforts in assisting Louisiana State University in executing the event, as well as for overall professionalism and support of other teams.
While the Sylvans primarily comprise forestry students, all majors are welcome to join. For more information on the Sylvans, contact Stovall at stovalljp@sfasu.edu.
Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: (936) 468-1185 or fullersa@sfasu.edu. Photo courtesy of Rachel Murray.
Stephen F. Austin State University members of The Pine Log staff attended the recent Texas Intercollegiate Press Association’s annual convention and competition in Corpus Christi. Pictured, back row, from left, are Deanna Swindell, staff writer; Shannon Poe, copy editor and life and arts editor; Alyssa Faykus, design editor and social media editor; Gracie Porter, opinions editor; and LaShauna Bell, photo editor; and front row, from left, are Kayleigh East, photographer; Brielle Thomas, ad manager; Meaghan Morton, editor-in-chief; Raquel Torres, web editor; and Ana Conejo, video editor.
March 26, 2019 Nacogdoches — Students working for Stephen F. Austin State University’s campus media outlets were recognized with a combined 20 awards for journalistic excellence at the 2019 Texas Intercollegiate Press Association’s annual convention and competition held March 13 through 16 in Corpus Christi.
The Pine Log, SFA’s student newspaper, garnered eight accolades for content produced during the 2018 calendar year, including overall excellence newspaper, first place overall web design and first place special print design for the 2018 Welcome Edition, which was mailed to the homes of new students in August.
In addition, SFA-TV2 was recognized with three awards for previously published content, including first place in-depth video. KSAU radio received two awards, including second place overall excellence radio program for “Between the Lines.” The Stone Fort yearbook also received two awards for the 2018 edition, including honorable mention overall excellence yearbook.
In the previously published contests, SFA students compete against their peers at institutions with similar enrollment and program size. Ten SFA students attended the conference and participated in on-site contests, competing head-to-head with journalism students from other TIPA member institutions, regardless of size.
For their work in these “live” events, student members of The Pine Log staff received five awards. Recipients were Shannon Poe, copy editor and life and arts editor, first place radio news writing; Meaghan Morton, editor-in-chief, second place magazine design; Ana Conejo, video editor, third place live video news; Alyssa Faykus, design editor and social media editor, honorable mention public relations release writing; and Kayleigh East, photographer, honorable mention feature photo.
In addition, LaShauna Bell, photo editor for The Pine Log, was awarded TIPA’s prestigious Frank Buckley Scholarship.
“The TIPA convention and competition is an opportunity to showcase the work produced by our talented students throughout the year as they gain real-world experience contributing to our on-campus media outlets,” said Amy Roquemore, SFA director of student publications and divisional media and adjunct faculty member in the mass communication department. “These accolades are a testament to the skill and determination of SFA students preparing to enter the mass communication field, and it is a joy and privilege to work with them every day.”
Roquemore accompanied the students to the convention, along with Rachel Clark, SFA student publications coordinator and yearbook advisor.
Morton, a senior mass communication major from Trinidad, represented SFA at the conference for the second consecutive year. She said it was exciting to see SFA student media recognized as being among the best in the state of Texas.
“TIPA is such a refreshing experience for me every year, and I always look forward to sharing it with students who are attending for the first time,” Morton said. “You are among like-minded people who want the same things as you — to win and become a better publication.”
Established in 1909 at Baylor University, TIPA is the largest and oldest collegiate press association in the United States. Approximately 275 students representing 29 of TIPA’s 60-member institutions attended the 2019 conference.
The following is a complete listing of TIPA awards presented to SFA students at the conference:
The Pine Log
- Overall excellence newspaper — staff
- First place, overall design website — staff
- First place, special design print (Welcome Edition) — staff
- First place, radio news writing — Shannon Poe, copy editor and life and arts editor
- Second place, magazine design — Meaghan Morton, editor-in-chief
- Third place, live video news — Ana Conejo, video editor
- Third place, static ad design — Tyler Fisher, former ad manager
- Third place, editorial — Alyssa Faykus, design editor and social media editor
- Honorable mention, editorial — Juwan Lee, former opinions editor
- Honorable mention, public relations release writing — Alyssa Faykus, design editor and social media editor
- Honorable mention, feature photo — Kayleigh East, photographer
- Honorable mention, critical review — Alyssa Faykus, design editor and social media editor
- Honorable mention, feature page design — Meaghan Morton, editor-in-chief
Stone Fort
- Honorable mention, overall excellence — staff
- Honorable mention, yearbook sports page design — Tyler Fisher, former editor-in-chief, and Russell Zahradnik, editor-in-chief
SFA-TV2
- First place, in-depth video — Luke Hamilton
- Second place, feature news video — Casey Cook
- Second place, general news video — staff
KSAU
- Second place, overall excellence radio program — staff
- Second place, advertising PSA audio — Dale Rives
By Amy Roquemore, director of student publications and divisional media and adjunct faculty member in the mass communication department at Stephen F. Austin State University.
March 18, 2019 Nacogdoches – A funny and entertaining musical tale for the entire family is this year’s opera selection to be presented by the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music.
“The Pirates of Penzance” by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan is “good, old-fashioned fun,” says Dr. Debbie Dalton, associate professor of music at SFA and the show’s stage director.
Although the opera is selected to fit the voices the School of Music has in each particular year, “The Pirates of Penzance” was chosen because it is “the most popular and beloved of all Gilbert and Sullivan operettas,” Dalton said.
“The music is beautiful and memorable,” Dalton said. “Audiences will recognize many of the tunes and say, ‘Oh, this is the show that song comes from!’”
Young Frederic has just finished his obligation as a pirate apprentice, Dalton said in describing the story. After 21 years at sea, he looks forward to new adventures on land. He meets and falls in love with Mabel, one of the many wards of Major-General Stanley, but, of course, there are many obstacles to overcome before they may marry.
At the heart of each year’s opera production are student performers and designers, guided by faculty members who direct the musical and visual components. Other music faculty production staff members include Musical Director/Conductor Dr. Pierre-Alain Chevalier, musical director of SFA’s Orchestra of the Pines; Chorus Master Dr. Todd Fish, associate director of choral activities at SFA; and Production Stage Manager and Assistant Director Nita Hudson, voice and opera instructor.
“This is a School of Music production,” Dalton said, “but we hire advanced and capable student designers from the School of Theatre to build the sets, coordinate and build costumes, and design and run the lighting.”
Costume coordinator is Marshall graduate student Jessica Tinker-Akers, who has “single-handedly taken the measurements from head to toe of all 47 in the cast,” Dalton said.
“Some costumes are rented, but most are pulled from stock and altered, if needed, or Jessica builds them,” she added.
Set designer Richard Rogers, junior theater major from Kerrville, is building particular set pieces to compliment the rented backdrops, Dalton said.
“I enjoy working with all of our wonderful students and watching them grow in confidence and ability in the rehearsal process,” Dalton said. “The real joy in this production is having so much fun watching the goofiness of the pirate crew and the policemen.
“After all, who doesn’t want to be a pirate?!”
“The Pirates of Penzance” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 4 through 6, in W.M. Turner Auditorium, 2222 Alumni Drive, on the SFA campus.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for seniors and $7.50 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu or call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407.
Audiences attending “The Pirates of Penzance” will be transported to pirate ships and rocky coastlines when the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s most famous operetta at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, April 4 through 6, in W.M. Turner Auditorium on the SFA campus. Pictured are The Colony graduate student Jacob Rivas; Nacogdoches freshman William Murphy; Hutto sophomore Maiya Williams; Katy sophomore Sara Rosado; Katy junior Megan Bucher; Katy freshman Allison Barentine; and Houston graduate student E.J. Grayson.
March 15, 2019 Nacogdoches — Stephen F. Austin State University’s planetarium in the Cole STEM Building will premiere two new shows Saturday, March 30, offering exciting, educational experiences for viewers of all ages.
The planetarium has public shows every Saturday with group shows available throughout the week upon reservation.
“Earth, Moon & Sun,” geared toward children ages 7 to 13 but open to all ages, will be presented at 3 p.m. Tickets are $3.
“This is a delightful, fast-paced and humorous full-dome show that tackles many of the most baffling concepts associated with the Earth-moon-sun system, including eclipses, lunar phases, the seasonal changing of constellations and the physical nature of the sun and moon,” said Ed Michaels, planetarium director.
“Supervolcanoes” will be presented at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and examines past cataclysmic eruptions on Earth in addition to the volcanic activity on other planets and moons throughout the solar system.
Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for children, students, and faculty and staff with ID and will be available for purchase at the box office 30 minutes before each show. The shows will be offered through May 11, closing April 18 through 20 for Easter.
For more information or to view the schedule or make a reservation, visit planetarium.sfasu.edu.
By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist for Stephen F. Austin State University.
March 13, 2019 Nacogdoches – The Cole Art Center at The Old Opera House, Stephen F. Austin State University’s historic downtown art gallery, will be open regular hours during spring break.
An encore screening of the film “Koo-Hoot Kiwat: The Caddo Grass House” will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24, in Cole Art Center. In the PBS film, which is directed by Curtis Craven, a Caddo tribal elder and his apprentice return to their ancestral homeland in East Texas to direct the construction of a traditional grass house.
Showing in Cole Art Center are the exhibitions “Caddo Contemporary: Present and Relevant” and “Frank Dituri: Il Sacro.” (The Sacred).
Featuring ceramics, paintings, beadwork, stonework and drawings, “Caddo Contemporary” is a collaborative presentation of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and Art Galleries and the Caddo Mound Historic Site in Alto. The exhibition highlights the work of seven Caddo Nation artisans, including Wayne Earles, Chad Earles, Chase Earles, Raven Halfmoon, Yonavea Hawkins, Jeri Redcorn and Thompson Williams. The show closes March 24.
Only a few days remain to see “Frank Dituri: Il Sacro.” (The Sacred), which includes photographs the artist took in Italy over the past few years. The show closes Sunday, March 17.
The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. Regular hours are from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Griffith Gallery in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus will be closed during spring break and will reopen Tuesday, March 26.
All events and exhibitions are free to the public.
For more information, contact the gallery director at (936) 468-1131 or the Cole Art Center front desk at (936) 468-5500.
March 12, 2019 Nacogdoches – Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host its annual Garden Gala Day Plant Sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St., in historic Nacogdoches.
The sale will feature more than 300 varieties of hard-to-find, “Texas-tough” plants, including Texas natives, edibles, heirlooms, tropicals, perennials, shrubs and trees, with an emphasis on pollinator-friendly selections, as well as exclusive SFA introductions. The featured plants are extensively trialed before being offered to the public and are produced by SFA Gardens staff members and volunteers.
This popular event benefits the SFA Mast Arboretum, PNPC, Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden and Gayla Mize Garden, along with educational programs that are hosted monthly at the gardens. Educational programs provided at the SFA Gardens reach more than 15,000 participants annually.
Parking will be available at SFA’s Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center, 2428 Raguet St., and visitors are encouraged to arrive early and bring a wagon to haul their plants.
For more information and a list of available plants, call (936) 468-4404, or visit sfagardens.sfasu.edu two weeks before the sale.
March 12, 2019 Nacogdoches – The School of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University has begun a campaign to fund its scholarship created to honor the late Dr. Alan Nielsen, a former theatre professor and creator of SFA’s cabaret troupe, The Original Cast.
Nielsen passed away on March 26, 2018, in Nacogdoches. He was 72.
During his career at SFA, Nielsen inspired hundreds of students to pursue careers in theatre arts. By building the scholarship fund to an endowment, future theatre students will benefit for years to come from Nielsen’s devotion to theatre education, according to Cleo House Jr., director of the School of Theatre.
“Dr. Nielsen is a legend,” House said. “His influence on the School of Theatre is still felt and talked about to this day. We must do what we can to honor his memory and make sure that students who are representatives of what he stood for, which is being a well-rounded artist and scholar, are recruited and/or awarded.”
Nielsen was born on Jan. 26, 1946, in Oakland, Nebraska. As a young boy, his dream was to be a cartoon animator, but his talent for writing and directing musicals and composing music and lyrics soon emerged. He earned degrees from Concordia Teachers College, the University of Nebraska and City University of New York and went on to teach and become a puppeteer while he continued to perform, write and compose for performance venues such as EXIT (Experience in Theater), Nebraska Repertory Theater, the Chautauqua Tent Tour of Nebraska, NY Choral Society, the Minnesota Musical Workshop and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
He began his 21-year career at SFA in 1990, directing more than 25 plays and creating the traveling musical troupe The Original Cast, for which he both composed and produced their shows.
The Original Cast attracted many of the School of Theatre's best performers, and Nielsen’s legacy lives on in the hearts and talents of the many students that he mentored, according to CC Conn, associate professor in the School of Theatre.
“He touched many lives with his beautiful smile, big heart and unlimited creativity, and he inspired many young artists to go forward into careers as actors, directors, teachers and designers, spreading the love of theatre that he instilled into them,” Conn said upon his passing last year. “His work as a teacher, advisor, mentor, director, actor, composer and puppeteer was unparalleled. He was greatly loved, and he is greatly missed.”
House hopes that the many SFA students who were mentored by Nielsen will use this scholarship opportunity to “give back” to their alma mater and honor a great educator.
“It is one thing to reminisce on days gone by and another to take action to ensure that a legacy is not forgotten,” House said. “I am hopeful that all those who feel like Dr. Nielsen had any influence on them will take up the charge to support creating an endowment in his honor.”
Gifts by check: Checks should be made payable to the SFASU Foundation. Please include a note or write on the memo section of the check Dr. Alan Nielsen Memorial Theatre Scholarship. Mail to: SFASU Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6092. Deliver to: SFA Office of Development, Austin Building, Room 303.
Gifts online: Go to www.sfasu.edu/give. Under Step 1, click Select Other and type in Dr. Alan Nielsen Memorial Theatre Scholarship. Follow the next three steps to make a secure gift online.
Gifts by phone: Call (936) 468-5406 and visit with the Development Office.
Payroll deduction: Call (936) 468-5406 and visit with Sarah Sargent in the Development Office to prepare the payroll deduction paperwork.
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