SFA University
October 9, 2020 - The Stanley Center for Speech and Language Disorders at Stephen F. Austin State University has received a 2020 Speak Out and Loud Crowd grant from the Parkinson Voice Project, the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in the world dedicated to helping individuals with Parkinson’s disease improve their speech and swallowing.
The SFA clinic is one of only 248 hospitals, university speech therapy clinics, private practices and nonprofit organizations worldwide to receive this funding. The grant provides free Speak Out training for the clinical instructors and graduate students in SFA’s speech-language pathology program. It also funds materials that are used in the Speak Out and Loud Crowd programs.
“Up to 90% of people with Parkinson’s are at high risk of losing their ability to speak, and aspiration pneumonia caused by swallowing issues accounts for 70% of the mortality rate in this patient population,” said Parkinson Voice Project Founder and CEO Samantha Elandary. “Awarding these grants substantially increases access to quality speech treatment to those living with Parkinson’s.”
East Texas has a large population of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, according to Deena Petersen, clinic director.
“We are fortunate to be trained in the Speak Out program to help these clients communicate better,” she said.
The clinic offers free therapy sessions to East Texans with Parkinson’s disease to help them learn how to speak with intent, Petersen said.
“People with Parkinson’s disease do not realize they are speaking softly and people cannot hear them. In the Speak Out program, clients become more aware of their speech and learn that when they speak, it must be with intention.”
In addition to individual Speak Out sessions, the Stanley Center for Speech and Language Disorders offers the Loud Crowd program, which is a maintenance program for patients with Parkinson’s disease offering ongoing vocal practice, accountability, support and encouragement. When clients complete the Speak Out program, they transition to Loud Crowd.
The Parkinson Voice Project’s grant program honors Dr. Daniel R. Boone, a world-renowned speech-language pathologist and voice expert who recognized in the late 1950s that individuals with Parkinson’s disease could improve their communication if they spoke with intent.
For more information on the clinic’s services, call (936) 468-7109.
Second eight-week semester begins Oct. 15
October 7, 2020 - After transitioning a considerable portion of courses to distance formats as a result of the pandemic, Stephen F. Austin State University has multiplied its fall course section options significantly, announcing that it will be offering 201 course sections during its second eight-week fall semester.
This increase means students interested in enrolling in the second half of fall have dozens of courses from which to build an ideal schedule.
The second eight-week fall semester begins Oct. 15; however, students may register online through Oct. 19.
Students also may continue to register Oct. 20 through 22 by filling out a special permit form. A link to the form is located in mySFA by clicking “Registration Request Form” in the “Register” box under the “Registration” tab. Directions for submitting the form are included in the link.
“We have had an amazing response to our new eight-week semester options and are thrilled we are able to offer so many more courses during the fall’s second half,” said Dr. Steve Bullard, provost and vice president for academic affairs. “The eight-week option, coupled with added course sections, means Lumberjacks have more flexibility to build a schedule that works for them — and potentially finish college in less time!”
For more information on fall registration, visit sfasu.edu/registrar/687.asp. If you’re not currently a student, apply to SFA today at ApplyTexas.org.
October 6, 2020 - The Stanley Center for Speech and Language Disorders at Stephen F. Austin State University is now providing in-person as well as teletherapy appointments for clients of all ages.
Services include evaluation and treatment of individuals who have difficulty communicating due to articulation, voice, fluency, language or cognitive impairments (for example, post-stroke issues or traumatic brain injury) or who have issues with swallowing.
Speech and language evaluations are $75, and speech therapy sessions are $15 per session. The clinic also offers student and employee rates as well as sliding-scale rates based on annual income.
In addition, the clinic provides speech therapy to those with Parkinson’s disease at no charge via face-to-face and teletherapy sessions.
As the pandemic continues, clinic staff members are following COVID-19 guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Deena Petersen, clinic director.
“We’re wearing face shields, using plexiglass barriers, sanitizing frequently and screening all clients before they enter the clinic,” she said.
Students in SFA’s graduate speech-language pathology program conduct all evaluation and treatment sessions while being supervised by a licensed speech-language pathologist, according to Petersen.
For more information, call (936) 468-7109.
September 29, 2020 - While many people consider math a subject that transcends languages, math students still need to solve word problems and justify their answers. Thus, their teachers need to develop language as well as teach math concepts.
To help teachers do just that, Dr. Jim Ewing, associate professor in the Department of Education Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University, has self-published two new books on English-language learners. Both build on his highly regarded primer, “Math for ELLs: As Easy as Uno, Dos, Tres.”
Ewing released the primer in February to help teachers who work with the three quarters of ELLs who speak Spanish at home. The book describes developing a positive math mindset in ELLs, providing access to content and engaging them in productive struggle, among other topics.
Choice magazine called the book “invaluable to both pre-service and in-service teachers, as well as those studying bilingual education and English for speakers of other languages.”
Building on “Math for ELLs,” Ewing recently released two more books that apply the theories from his first to help teachers working with ELLs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Math for Hispanic ELs: A Teacher's Guide for the Classroom and Distance Learning (K-2)” features lesson plans and word problems for students in kindergarten through second grade, while “Math for Hispanic ELs: A Teacher's Guide for the Classroom and Distance Learning (3 to 5)” focuses on students in third through fifth grade.
“I guide the teachers in meeting the math needs of emergent bilingual students in the classroom, online and without Wi-Fi,” Ewing said. “I specifically focus on Latinx students.”
All three books are available on amazon.com.
For more information, email Ewing at ewingjs@sfasu.edu.
Dr. Jim Ewing, associate professor in the Department of Education Studies at Stephen F. Austin State University, has published two new books that “guide teachers in meeting the math needs of emergent bilingual students in the classroom, online and without Wi-Fi.”
By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.
September 29, 2020 - The Stephen F. Austin State University rodeo team has gained a competitive advantage in the arena thanks to a spur board and mechanical bucking machine donated by a group of 31 SFA Rodeo Club alumni and past coaches.
“We’re just grateful and blessed that we now have the support we’ve longed for in regard to making sure our program continues to excel,” said Rachel Clark, SFA coordinator of student publications and Rodeo Club advisor and team coach.
Clark explained that the spur board is an A-frame structure that allows competitors who ride bareback, saddle bronc or bulls, known as roughstock riders, to practice their form and spurring technique without the use of livestock. The mechanical bucking machine provides the same experience while also mimicking the movement of a bucking bull or horse.
The donors, comprising alumni from across Texas, independently launched the donation campaign and raised $4,000 to purchase the equipment without the knowledge of Clark or Rodeo Club members.
“These pieces of equipment are just more pieces of the puzzle that help us recruit top-notch students to come to SFA for the academics and the rodeo program,” Clark said.
The equipment is housed at the Equine Center located at SFA’s Todd Agricultural Research Center.
“We are getting interest from roughstock riders to come, so the fact that we have these pieces of equipment makes it a lot easier for them to actually commit to SFA because they have the means and the equipment to practice on and be prepared,” Clark said.
To learn more about the SFA rodeo team, contact Rachel Clark at clarkr1@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-468-3770.
The Stephen F. Austin State University rodeo team received a donation of a spur board and mechanical bucking machine from a group of 31 SFA Rodeo Club alumni and past coaches. The equipment, housed at the Todd Agricultural Research Center, will allow students who ride bareback, saddle bronc or bulls, known as roughstock riders, to practice their form and spurring technique without the use of livestock. Pictured from left are Suzanne George, Cotton George, Burt Hairgrove, Wayne Robinson, Gil Masters, Jim Broom, David Gregory, Richard Girard, Rachel Clark and members of the SFA rodeo team.
Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: fullersa@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1185.
September 24, 2020 - A select group of theatre students at Stephen F. Austin State University have embraced performing virtually as the chosen delivery form for their art as they present the first play of the School of Theatre’s 2020-21 Mainstage Series, and they are learning some valuable lessons along the way.
Students will present a virtual-only performance of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play “No Exit” Sept. 24 through 26. Not knowing what COVID restrictions might still be in place in the fall, the play’s director, Dr. Inga Meier, assistant professor of theatre at SFA, planned for the show to be virtual from the beginning. Taking place in hell, “No Exit” can actually benefit from the virtual setting, she said. And the students who earned roles in the play couldn’t agree more.
“It is surprising to me how easy it is to become invested in the scene, even though you aren't in the room with your scene partners,” said Nacogdoches senior Alexis Beck.
Alexis Beck
“No Exit” finds three strangers encountering one another in a strange room and trying to make sense of their new surroundings and the lives that have led them to this place. While the play lends itself to virtual delivery, there are aspects of live theatre that cannot be replicated online.
“I think what has been the biggest adjustment to make for me personally is the lack of physical interaction with everyone involved,” said Colby Green, Carthage senior. “I’ve always been someone who enjoys the non-rehearsal related parts of rehearsal as much as the actual work that goes into the production, meaning the connections made with cast mates and conversations during breaks before and after rehearsal … the normal moments of interaction and connection that you don’t really realize are happening at the time. They’re still there but are much harder to replicate in a virtual setting.”
Colby Green
Fellow actor Triston Haq, Baytown junior, echoed Green’s comment.
“The most glaring difference for me is the connection between actors,” he said. “Usually, in an in-person production, the way that actors make up life onstage is through connection, such as really looking at your partners and acknowledging their presence. It's different in the virtual setting, because in order to look like you're looking at the other actors, you usually have to look away from them and send your intent in the opposite direction. It's definitely challenging and different. But I like to think of it as a sort of training. I mean there are professional actors in film who now have to stare at tennis balls with faces drawn on them and give million dollar performances because of CG (computer generated imagery).”
Trison Haq
One of the most surprising aspects of presenting this play in this format “is the heightened sense of confinement that the camera brings,” Haq said. But the camera serves a unique purpose in “No Exit.”
“For the most part, we're staying fully within this square of what the camera can see, and we can only act within that confined space,” he said. “I think that sense of confinement and the ‘eye’ of having the camera constantly looking at you helps facilitate the dread and the feeling of being in a kind of social hell.”
“At first I was extremely apprehensive about the whole ‘being on camera’ part of this production,” Green said, “but it is turning out to be much less of an issue than I thought. I was worried that my personal discomfort with having the immediate feedback that comes with seeing yourself as you’re working would present a huge hurdle that I had never really worked with before. But I think the issue of self-consciousness, and the need to work around it in order to adjust to this new normal that is the theatre world right now, has really allowed me to confront some things that have been holding me back as a performer. I believe that, in the long run, working on this particular show and this character, especially through the lens of my own issues with self-perception, is allowing me to work a lot more deeply than would have been possible otherwise.”
The students have yet to encounter the challenge of performing without a live audience. Green said she is one of “those actors” who loves live theatre. “But I’m definitely very excited and grateful for the opportunity to challenge myself as an artist and push the boundaries of my comfort zone a little bit,” she said.
Being flexible and able to adapt quickly are requirements in live theatre, and the limitations that COVID has placed on live performance have reinforced that.
“Theatre has always been and always will be a constantly evolving art form, and its ability to adapt is one of the most amazing things about it,” Green said. “The world of entertainment has had to make some drastic adjustments in the past several months. Even with so many innovations that we’ve already seen, we’re making new discoveries and finding new solutions at every rehearsal. It’s a very valuable opportunity to grow as an artist. This virtual process has taught me that we are more than capable of working through problems and of making discoveries that we wouldn’t have made otherwise had we not been presented with these circumstances.”
“I think exploring new ways to do theatre is always beneficial,” Beck said, “and because of all this chaos, we now know that yes, indeed, theatre can be anywhere!”“I'm just excited to tell stories and act again,” Haq said, “and I hope that everyone who watches us has as much fun as we've had rehearsing it all.”
The virtual performance is at 7:30 nightly for the three-night run. To purchase online access, which starts at $7.50 with additional donations accepted, visit boxoffice.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 Monday through Friday for online purchasing questions. Livestream access sales end at 1 p.m. daily during the run, and links are emailed after 4:30 p.m. each day. For more information about the School of Theatre, visit theatre.sfasu.edu.
September 23, 2020 - In August 2020, Kasey R. Golden was nominated, then selected to serve as the 2020-2021 student representative to the Stephen F. Austin State University’s Graduate Council. The council is the primary advisory body for graduate education at the university and makes recommendations on all aspects of graduate education throughout the university. This council is composed of ten elected and appointed graduate faculty members and one graduate student as an active member representing the graduate student body. In addition to serving on the committee with graduate faculty and staff, Golden, as the student representative, is the chair of the Student Affairs Committee. The committee is tasked with increasing student involvement and soliciting and reviewing nominations for both the Outstanding Thesis and Outstanding Graduate Student Awards. In acceptance of this position Golden said, “What an honor! Thank you so much for this opportunity. I look forward to working with graduate faculty and staff to enhance graduate education across the university.”
In May of 2020, Golden’s hard work and determination earned her the Ima Hogg Scholarship. The Hogg Foundation awards the Ima Hogg Scholarships to graduate social work students who have committed to joining the mental health workforce after graduation. One student is selected from each social work master’s program across the state of Texas. Each are chosen for their potential to bring renewed energy to the Texas mental health workforce. “After exploring other helping professions, I know I have found a home in social work. I appreciate this opportunity and look forward to all I will accomplish in mental health care in rural East Texas.” Golden stated.
“The SFA School of Social Work's Graduate program prepares leaders for the social work profession,” says professor and director of the MSW Program, Dr. Emmerentie Oliphant. “Ms. Kasey Golden is an example of an excellent leader who is passionate about social work. She is dedicated to make a difference in the lives of people and communities. I know she will become a leader in the social work profession."
Golden was a 2009 graduate of Center High School, 2011 graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, and a 2015 graduate of Florida Coastal School of Law. Golden currently serves as a graduate assistant at SFASU’s school of social work. She will continue her social work education this fall and plans to graduate in May 2021 with her Master’s in Social Work. Upon graduation, Golden hopes become a Licensed Master Social Worker and to provide mental health services to the East Texas area. She also intends to continue to advocate for fair immigration policy and better access to mental health service for the people of East Texas.
September 22, 2020 - Zola Emile Avery is kind of like a founding father. He was part of the inaugural 1923 class at what was then Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College, played for the university’s first football team, and was a charter member of a campus literary society. Known as Zoomie for his skill on the gridiron and the basketball court, he graduated in 1927 with a degree in agriculture.
If those were the only accolades he’d accumulated, then they would be enough. As SFA approaches its 100-year anniversary, people like Avery, those who helped establish the university, will get their second 15 minutes of fame. But with Avery, his influence goes well beyond what he did in sports and in the classroom.
Over four decades after his death in 1977, Avery’s imprint endures as three generations of his descendants – and more than likely a fourth in the coming years – have gone to SFA for their education. Two of them, granddaughter Maggie Brown at the Early Childhood Lab, and great-granddaughter Stephanie Weatherford ’08 and ’11, at the Academic Assistance and Resource Center, are still on campus.
But they are just two of many. In addition to Brown and Weatherford, Avery’s SFA tree includes granddaughter Marsha Thomas Kemp ’76, great-granddaughter Megan Kemp Young ’05, great-granddaughter Shannon Brown ’06, great-grandson Dusty Brown ’09 and ’11, great-great grandson JT Weatherford, who attended the Early Childhood lab, and in-laws David Kemp ’72-74, Kenneth Brown ’76, Aaron Young ’91-93, and Shea Weatherford ’03.
Avery’s only daughter, Nacogdoches-born Betty Avery, passed away in April. The emotions and recollections caused by her death sparked a renewed interest in family history and, in particular, the history of her father. Stephanie Weatherford, who had never met her great-grandfather, started asking around and digging into records. With help from SFA staff, she found photos and old yearbook listings. More importantly, she found a kinship dating back to the 19th Century, to Avery’s father, patriarch Joseph Avery.
“The best part about all this is that I feel a greater connection to my family,” Weatherford said. “Learning that education was so important to my family as far back as my great-great-grandfather made me proud. Education is my passion. It’s who I am and it’s why I work for SFA.”
Born in Nacogdoches on Sept. 12, 1902, Avery was among the youngest of 12 siblings. Grounded by the encouragement of father Joseph, all of them earned college degrees. It was this culture of learning and education that was probably behind Avery being named after French writer Émile Zola. In a twist, at some point Avery rearranged his name to Zola Emile so that he didn’t have the initials E.Z. Avery, of course, could not escape the Zoomie nickname.
Avery’s college career includes being a captain and coach of the football team, which during his era played opponents like Center High, Beaumont Junior College, and Hillsborough Junior College; a member of the basketball team; two years with the President Press Club; one year as business manager of Pine Log; and three years as a charter member of the Thomas J. Rusk Literary Society, formed in 1923 to foster public speaking and debate.
After graduation Avery went to work for Social Security until mandatory retirement at age 65. He and wife Rena, who met while students at SFA, had one child, Betty, a graduate of Baylor University. Though Avery and his wife eventually settled in Dallas and lived there for the rest of their lives, important family ties remained in Nacogdoches. Rena was related to J.E. Kingham, founder of the J.E. Kingham construction company, which built a big portion of the SFA campus.
Maggie Brown remembers her grandparents as a “second set of parents” and went with them for visits to Nacogdoches throughout her childhood. When it came time for college, SFA was a natural choice. When Avery passed in December 1977, Brown was taking her finals. The family waited until after she had finished to tell her the news.
Brown said she has plenty of memories of her grandfather, but one stands out from the rest.
“He always had his head in a book,” Brown said. “You knew education was important to him and his family. We are his legacy. We’re still here after all these years.”
More than 40 years after his death, the legacy of Zola Emile Avery, a member of SFA’s inaugural 1923 class, is alive and well. Holding a yearbook photo of Avery in his football uniform are, from left: Avery’s granddaughter, Maggie Brown, great-granddaughter Stephanie Weatherford ’08 and ’11, and great-great grandson JT Weatherford.
September 21, 2020 - Stephen F. Austin State University has announced it will hold traditional in-person commencement ceremonies for December 2020 graduates with a number of new measures aimed at helping ensure attendee safety.
Additionally, May and August 2020 graduates are invited to participate in the December ceremony. Both of these commencement groups’ graduation ceremonies transitioned to virtual formats after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the spring.
“As an institution of higher education, we know graduation is one of the most important events for the entire campus community,” said Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. “It’s the crowning achievement of years of hard work for our students, and a time of particular pride for our faculty and staff. We are so excited to be able to provide an in-person ceremony this December.”
Seating in Johnson Coliseum will be adjusted to help ensure physical-distancing requirements are met, and all attendees will be required to wear face masks.
Graduates and their guests must present tickets to enter Johnson Coliseum. Tickets are free but will help university officials ensure the venue is not overcrowded and that adequate spacing can be maintained during the event. Each graduate will be allotted one ticket for themselves and a maximum of six guest tickets for their respective ceremony. Students must reserve tickets by 5 p.m. Nov. 20.
Graduates may reserve tickets by completing a Commencement Registration Form. Students will receive instructions on how to access the form via email.
May and August graduates who wish to participate in the in-person December ceremonies must notify the Office of the Registrar by Nov. 1. Instructions on notifying the registrar were emailed to eligible students.
The winter 2020 commencement ceremonies will take place Friday and Saturday, Dec. 11 and 12. May and August graduates, as well as candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, will participate at 3 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11. Candidates from the College of Fine Arts, as well as the College of Liberal and Applied Arts, will participate at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11.
Three ceremonies will take place Saturday, Dec. 12. The first will begin at 9 a.m. and will honor candidates from the Rusche College of Business and the Department of Human Services and Educational Leadership.
The second will begin at noon for candidates in the Department of Education Studies and the Department of Human Sciences. The final ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. and will honor candidates from the College of Sciences and Mathematics, as well as the Department of Kinesiology.
All ceremonies will be streamed live on the SFA Facebook page, facebook.com/sfasu, for guests who are unable to attend for scheduling or health reasons.
For more information about the events, visit sfasu.edu/registrar/455.asp.
For SFA Director of Student Engagement, work is based on experience.
September 18, 2020 - Saville Harris meets a lot of students.
Saville Harris, assistant director of student engagement and Greek life, is one of four President’s Achievement Award recipients for 2020, as recently announced by Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president.
In his role as assistant director of student engagement and Greek life, and in the years leading up to his current position, Harris has befriended, inspired and even consoled hundreds of Stephen F. Austin State University undergrads.
The names and faces might change each year, but Harris’ go-to mantra remains the same: “A few simple words can make someone’s day.”
Harris is one of four President’s Achievement Award recipients for 2020, as recently announced by Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. Harris, known for his towering height and booming personality, has been winning campus awards since 2012. But this year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, perhaps news of the accolade arrived a bit more sweetly than it had in the past.
“I was shocked,” he said. “It made my heart smile.”
Reading through Harris’ résumé takes a few minutes: adjunct professor of kinesiology, author and presenter of scholarly publications, Purple Santa actor, orientation facilitator, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity member, Jack Camp and Spirit Rally host, and lifetime member of the SFA Alumni Association. He also was recently appointed to the committee leading the search for SFA’s next vice president for student affairs.
The question should be, what hasn’t he done? And the simple answer is, earn his PhD. But if you ask him, that just might be the next frontier.
According to the letter of nomination, Harris is “a living, breathing definition of what SFA stands for in our mission statement and goals.” He has definitely earned that characterization, but that’s not why he came here. Harris, then a teenager coming to grips with the fact that his gridiron dreams had been shattered by a serious injury, followed his older brother Robert to Nacogdoches from hometown Livingston in 2006.
After earning his bachelor’s in 2010, he considered leaving. He applied for and received callbacks for a few jobs. But a campus contact convinced him to stay in town for his master’s, and since 2013, he has established himself as a fixture in student engagement. Along the way he fell in love and married wife Ashley, herself an SFA alumna, and had two daughters, ages 1 and 7. In his spare time, he operates a food truck, Big Fella’s BBQ, which in normal times can be found on weekends at Fredonia Brewery or the Nacogdoches Public Library.
By any measure, Harris has a great life, one that started 14 years ago when he headed north on Highway 59.
“Everything that I wasn’t, I found here,” he said.
While that may be true, it’s not the whole story.
His parents, Florida and Sylvester Harris, own and operate a restaurant in Livingston, Florida’s Kitchen. Since Harris is only 32 years old and the restaurant has been around for 35 years, it’s safe to say that Harris grew up in the hospitality industry. And that experience helped shape who he is and what he means to SFA.
“It taught me how to work with people,” he said. “You have to learn how to take the good with the bad and learn how to make people happy. I learned that at an early age. You can always treat somebody well.”
By Richard Massey, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University
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