Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s fashion and interior design student organizations are sponsoring the “Green is the New Black” recyclable fashion show this fall as the community event for the Blue Jeans Go Green Denim Recycling Program.

The show will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom.

The non-refundable entry fee for designers is $20. The top 15 designs will be featured on the runway and others will be displayed on mannequins as an exhibit. Entries are due by Friday, Oct. 9. SFA faculty and staff members, students, and community members are invited to attend.

The cost of admission to the show for individuals is one piece of used denim clothing, and families are asked to donate a minimum of two pieces. There will be denim dropboxes located at the entrance to the Grand Ballroom.

Jamie Cupit, SFA human sciences instructor who is overseeing the fashion show, is looking forward to showcasing the students’ work as well as engaging the community. Cotton Inc. from New York will be on campus to film the show as promotion for Blue Jeans Go Green.

“This is an excellent opportunity to market SFA since we are one of three universities in the country participating,” Cupit said.

Students of all majors are encouraged to enter designs. Designs this year will be Halloween costumes rather than traditional apparel. All entries must be constructed from recyclable materials with one component of the costume being recycled denim. The show will be suitable for all ages, Cupit said.

“There is a dual purpose for this show. One, we want to collect denim for Blue Jeans Go Green. Two, we want to increase awareness of and promote sustainability by encouraging attendees to think ‘outside the box’ this year when planning Halloween costumes,” Cupit said.

The prize for first place is $500, second place is $300 and third place is $200. There will be prizes, giveaways, refreshments and more during intermission.

Cupit said the fashion and interior design student organizations also have invited sustainability clubs and organizations to showcase the work they do on campus by setting up booths around the room. There will be an exhibit featuring head-to-toe recycled denim fashion looks created by Nacogdoches High School students in fashion design classes. One of these students will win $250 based on attendee votes at the show.

For more information, contact Cupit at jrcupit@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University hospitality students attended the first Houston Tourism Summit last week at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. SFA students Phillip Richardson, Rana Alshami, Jennifer Moore, Taylor Sieling, Drs. Gina Causin and Chay Runnels, and Brook Holiday networked with more than 700 hospitality industry professionals and attended sessions focused on tourism research, online marketing, tourism trends and event design.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s hospitality administration program is heating things up with a new outdoor kitchen equipped with two grills, two refrigerators, burners, an outdoor sink and a pizza oven.

All of the outdoor kitchen equipment is transportable and has self-contained preparation and cooking stations. The outdoor kitchen is located behind the Culinary Café on SFA’s campus.

Dr. Chay Runnels, hospitality administration program coordinator and graduate program coordinator, boasts the many opportunities this new equipment will offer students.

“We are really trying to push our students’ comfort level and let them think bigger,” Runnels said. “We are always sitting around dreaming, hoping we can expand our program and reach, and I think this equipment helps us do that.”

The new equipment will enable Chef Todd Barrios, clinical instructor, to teach students new cooking techniques. For example, the iron plate burner set will be used to teach pan searing, blackening and sautéing techniques. The state-of-the-art grills have infrared burners for the rotisserie, which is a technique students may be unfamiliar with. Students also will learn to cook with a convection oven by using the new pizza oven.

“Our main focus is to give SFA students opportunities to learn something different as well as offer additional opportunities for hosting events for our student organizations,” Barrios said.

Runnels said tickets for the Culinary Café sold out in 53 minutes this semester; moreover, the program is looking for additional ways to showcase the students’ abilities to a wider audience with the outdoor kitchen.

“We want to use the space as much as we can, and we have a lot of students who aspire to become event planners and want to be able to utilize their skills,” Runnels said. “The outdoor kitchen is another way for students to learn about equipment they can use in real life.”

For more information, contact Runnels at runnelsc@sfasu.edu.