By Dr. Terrence Frazier, director of multicultural affairs

Happy New Year’s, parents! It was a great 2011 for the Office of Multicultural Affairs. One of our outstanding achievements came when the SFA NAACP Chapter won the statewide Ericka Cain College Chapter of the Year Award. The chapter was recognized for its outstanding contributions to the enrichment of the youth through leadership in programming, advocacy, education, activism and community outreach.

To continue the celebration, NAACP and OMA would like to invite parents to the NAACP Black History Month Gala Dinner at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. The event is a semi-formal dinner hosted in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. Tickets are $20 for non-students. You can purchase your ticket at the BPSC information desk/university ticket office by calling (936) 468-3401.

Our keynote speaker for the evening will be Kevin Powell. Powell has lectured on multiculturalism, American and Black American History, the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the state of hip-hop, and redefining American manhood. He is an activist, writer and businessman and in 2010, was a Democratic candidate for U.S. Congress in Brooklyn, N.Y. A fixture on the pop culture landscape the past several years, Powell was a cast member on the first season of MTV’s “The Real World”. He has hosted and produced programming for HBO and BET, written a screenplay, and hosted and wrote an award-winning MTV documentary about post-riot Los Angeles. Of his life’s work, Powell says simply, “My life-calling is to be a servant for the people, period. Money, fame, status, personal achievements and all that means very little to me when pain and suffering are still real on this planet. I am interested in the powerless becoming powerful.”

Sydni Mitchell - SGA President

Sydni Mitchell, SFA’s student body president and graduate assistant in the Office of Student Affairs Programs, was recently offered a full scholarship to attend the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference.

The annual conference, set for March 4-6, takes place in Washington, D.C. Mitchell is one of 200 student government presidents nationwide selected to attend, and the scholarship covers all costs for travel and the conference. More information about the AIPAC conference can be found at http://www.aipac.org/about-aipac.

Mitchell, a graduate student in the Master’s of Public Administration program, is also a former student member of the SFA Board of Regents.

“We are always thrilled to see our students receive opportunities like this,” Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service, said. “Sydni will be able to make so many valuable connections and bring back great experience to use in her involvement at SFA.”

Free tickets are available for the men’s game against Sam Houston State University at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25, and the women’s game against Texas A&M Corpus Christi at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28. Both games will take place at SFA’s William R. Johnson Coliseum.

A free printable ticket can be downloaded here (http://www.nacogdoches.org/forms/2012CramtheColiseum_Ticket.pdf) and more information about the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce can be found here (http://nacogdoches.org/index.php).

Cram the Coliseum is a program of the SFA-Chamber Connection Committee.

The fair begins at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 24, on the first floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center. Student organizations will be separated by categories, and fair maps will be available at the Involvement Center in BPSC 1.204 during the event.

Organizations at the fair will represent academic and professional opportunities, cultural programs, Greek organizations, religious groups, and special interest organizations. There is something for everyone at SFA, and students are strongly encouraged to come explore their options and find their fit.

For more information, contact the Involvement Center at (936) 468-6721.

Jeff Briggs

Jeff Briggs, the president of SFA’s Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa in 2010-11, was recently awarded an Omicron Delta Kappa Foundation Scholarship.

The ODK Foundation chose 20 students out of more than 140 applicants to receive scholarships to help fund their graduate studies. Briggs, who graduated from SFA in 2011, is a first-year medical student at the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine in Fort Worth and will receive $1,000 toward his studies.

“We were thrilled to hear that Jeff had been awarded an ODK Foundation Scholarship,” Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service, said. “SFA’s ODK members are an amazing group of students, and it is always encouraging when their accomplishments are honored by the ODK national office and foundation.”

Omicron Delta Kappa is SFA’s leadership honor society and is housed within the Office of Student Affairs Programs. Students interested in applying for membership in ODK should have a 3.0 or higher GPA and be a junior, senior or graduate student with leadership experience. Applications will be available Jan. 18 at www.sfaodk.org.

Trisha O'Connor - Spirit Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach

Position:        Spirit Coordinator and Head Cheerleading Coach

Department/Office where you work: Student Affairs/Spirit Programs

Number of years at SFA: I have been coaching at SFA for seven years, but I also attended SFA the four years prior, so 11 years total.

Educational background: Bachelor’s degrees in Child and Family Development and Psychology

Tell us how you came to work in your current position:

I was a member of the cheerleading program for four years prior to graduation in 2005. From the moment I became a member of this program, I knew that I wanted to be a part of the coaching staff. After graduation, I approached the head coach at the time, Brad Patterson, and Assistant Director of Student Affairs Michael Preston and let them know that I would like to stay at SFA as a member of the professional staff. At that time, I was hired as the assistant coach for the large coed team. Soon after, the all-girl cheerleading coach resigned and I was given that program as the head coach. After my first year as assistant and head coach in the SFA Cheer Program, the other head coach resigned and I applied for the position of spirit coordinator and head cheerleading coach, and that’s where I am today!

What do you love about working at SFA?

I love my students! I could not ask for a better group to work with. They are highly motivated, work hard and are very much an extended family for me.

What’s one thing you wish you could tell SFA students and parents?

To the students, I would like to say that it’s okay, and encourage them to ask for help. If that is from your professors or other professional staff, if you need help with academics, personal issues or anything else, ask for help. To parents, I would like to say that it’s okay to let your kids handle some problems on their own. Now, this is not to say that your kids no longer need you or want you to help, but sometimes they need to stand on their own two feet, make mistakes and become successful on their own merit. In the end, it will not only help prepare them for life after college, but it will also mean so much more that they have been able to figure out how to handle situations and still reach their goals.

What do you like to do in your free time?

In my free time I enjoy reading. I read at least a handful of books at any given time and enjoy true crime and non-fiction reading the most. I also enjoy watching television, sewing and any sporting events and activities.

The event will partner with the City of Nacogdoches Parks and Recreation Department for service projects at the city’s many parks and recreation facilities. The theme of the event is “Reflecting. Renewing. Leaving a Legacy.” About 150 student volunteers are needed to take part in projects such as park cleanup, painting, and landscaping. Participants will receive a free lunch and event T-shirt.

For the third year, SFA has received grant funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service to support the MLK Day programs. Numerous other colleges across the nation participate in the annual event.

The first MLK Day of Service at SFA in 2010 focused on helping Nacogdoches schools prepare for the new semester. This included painting benches, creating leadership-themed art projects and revitalizing landscaping. The 2011 event focused on projects at nursing homes and senior centers.

“It’s exciting that SFA students can be part of such a widespread movement to remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through giving back to their community,” said Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service at SFA. “By focusing on the city’s outdoor areas this year, the entire community will be able to see the impact of our students’ service.”

Bouldin said she hopes students will also pause to think about their own personal legacies, including the impact they will have at SFA and what they will leave behind after graduation.

Participating students will be assigned to teams as they arrive at the Twilight Ballroom. Groups will be chosen randomly to give students the opportunity to work with people with whom they don’t regularly interact. Spots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, so Bouldin suggests arriving as close to 10:30 a.m. as possible to secure a spot.

“We want to accommodate everyone who wants to participate, but once the spots are full, they’re full,” Bouldin said.

Dr. Nina Ellis-Hervey, professor in the SFA human services department and school psychology program, will serve as keynote speaker for the MLK Day of Service opening ceremonies.

Congress passed legislation in 1983 to commemorate the life of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. In 1994, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which falls on the third Monday of each January, was named a national day of service and is sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change.

“We are so excited that students once again have the chance to make a difference in the community through the MLK Day of Service,” Bouldin said. “We hope this event continues to grow and benefit the community in many ways.”

In the case of inclement weather, the make-up day for this event will be Saturday, Jan. 21.

For more information, contact Bouldin at (936) 468-1088 or jfbouldin@sfasu.edu.

-SFA-

Contact:

SFA Public Affairs

(936) 468-2605

It’s not too late for students to turn in their fall volunteer time sheets. The Office of Student Affairs Programs – Leadership and Service is still accepting records of students’ volunteer service for the summer 2011 and fall 2011 semester.

“Students are encouraged to turn in time sheets twice a year in order to give us an idea of how we’re progressing toward meeting our overall service-hour goal,” Jamie Bouldin, assistant director for leadership and service, said.

Time sheets are available here (http://www.sfasu.edu/studentaffairs/97.asp) and they can be e-mailed to sfavolunteers@gmail.com.

Hours are tracked each year beginning in March. Fall time sheets should include any community service that took place from March 2011 through the end of November 2011. For freshmen or transfer students, this can include hours served during high school or at other universities, as long as you are not receiving credit for these hours for the PVSA program at another institution.

Spring time sheets will track volunteer hours accrued from December 2011 to March 2012.

“Turning in the volunteer hours halfway through the year also helps students keep a more accurate record of their service,” Bouldin said. “When it’s March and you start trying to remember what you did in October, you end up either guessing or just leaving the service off your time sheet. By turning in time sheets now, you only have to worry about tracking your spring hours from this point on.”

The time sheets also help track which students and student organizations are eligible for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. The PVSA honors individuals who serve at least 100 hours and groups that serve at least 200 hours in one year. Honorees are invited to the annual ODK Leadership and Service Awards and given a certificate and pin.

“Students should remember that any amount of service, large or small, is very valuable, and we want to count it all,” Bouldin said. “If a student can only find time to do 10 hours of service each semester, that’s still 20 hours of service over the year that has gone to help their community or someone in need. Plus, if all SFA students found the time to give just a few hours of service, it would add up to tens of thousands of hours. Every little bit counts.”

However, Bouldin said, students have to turn in records of their service in order for the hours to be added to the overall count of SFA’s service hours.

“Even if your time sheet only has what feels like a few hours on it, we encourage you to submit it anyway,” Bouldin said. “It’s still an important and valuable contribution, and we want to know about it.”

Campus Recreation opens the spring semester with two big events, Zumbafest and Blizzard Beach Party.

Zumbafest is set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, in the Campus Recreation Center Courtyard. Zumba is a fusion of Latin and international music that features high energy dance training to tone and sculpt the body.  This “feel good” workout will leave you energized and ready for more.  Join us and our Zumba instructors for this fun workout!

Blizzard Beach Party is set for 8–10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 19, in the Campus Recreation Center Courtyard and Outdoor Pool. Come enjoy this festive beach party in the middle of January!  Roast yummy s’mores over our fire pits or take an icy dip during the Polar Bear Plunge in the Outdoor Pool. The large capacity spa will open as well.

Campus Recreation’s Outdoor Pursuits programs have several trips coming up. For more information on any of these trips, contact Outdoor Pursuits at outdoorpursuits@sfasu.edu or (936) 468–6055. Upcoming trips include:

• Mountain Biking at Tyler State Park  – Feb. 11
• Guadalupe River Paddle – Feb. 24–26
• Spring Break at Big Bend National Park – March 10–17
• Fishing with SFA Bass Club – March 24
• Easter Trip: Hiking and Mountain Biking in Palo Duro Canyon – April 5–8
• Easter Trip: Horseshoe Canyon Climbing – April 5–8
• Sea Rim Beach Trip – April 27–29

There are several important meetings and activities for Intramurals taking place early in the spring semester. These include:

• General Officiating Meetings – 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, in the Recreation Center Meeting Room. This meeting will present officiating employment opportunities and answer questions about officiating.
• Basketball Officiating Clinic – Jan. 23–26 in the Recreation Center Meeting Room. Learn to officiate basketball! No experience needed. We will teach you everything you need to know. Participants must attend all parts of the clinic.
• Racquetball Doubles League Registration – Jan. 23–26 in the Recreation Center Lobby.
• Men’s and Women’s Basketball Registration – Jan. 23–26  in the Recreation Center Lobby.