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Stephen F. Austin State University’s Model European Union team, which consists of nine political science majors within the Department of Government, earned Best Delegation honors at the Midwest Model European Union Competition.

Hosted by Indiana University, the MMEU competition is the second-oldest intercollegiate simulation of the European Union in North America. The purpose of the competition is to increase awareness and knowledge of the EU, its institutions and processes, according to Dr. Steven Galatas, SFA associate professor of government and Model EU faculty advisor.

“The students gained a deeper appreciation for the EU and its role in the world, as well as the importance of the United States and EU relationship in maintaining peace and stability in Europe and globally,” Galatas said.

SFA’s team represented Austria during the competition. Additionally, SFA was asked to assist the University of North Carolina and Florida International University teams who represented Sweden and Belgium, respectively.

The students received their country assignment through a lottery system. The team met regularly beginning in January to review EU legislature processes and research the country’s positions on important or critical issues, including COVID-19 and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Matthew Jennings, who’s role was foreign affairs minister in Austria, and Thomas Martin, who served as chancellor of Austria, each received first place in the competition. Caitlyn Shrewsbury also earned first place for her role as justice and home affairs minister from Austria, and Trinity Altemeyer placed third as economics and finance minister from Sweden.

“I learned how important it is for not only politicians, but also voters in the U.S. to speak to one another,” Jennings said. “Consensus and compromise make the foundation of the European Union, and learning how to understand one another is very important. It’s something I’ll carry with me into my career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army.”

During the competition, students participated in five legislative simulations with the goal of negotiating and bargaining between member states to pass legislation for the EU. It also allowed the students to showcase their knowledge of assigned countries’ policies and affairs.

At the end, participants in each of the five legislative bodies and the European Commission are ranked based on their negotiation and bargaining skills and participation in the debates, among other criteria.

For more information on Model EU, contact Galatas at galatasse@sfasu.edu.

By Nathan Wicker, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Symphonic Band and University Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will perform “a homage to the heavens” during the ensembles’ final spring concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The program, titled “Out of this World,” will feature compositions associated with outer space and the heavens, including “Shared Space” by Ivan Trevino; “We Seven” by Derek Jenkins; and “Sunshine” by Katahj Copley, all performed by the Symphonic Band, conducted by Dr. Chris Kaatz, assistant director of bands at SFA.

The program opens with the University Band performing “Into the Clouds!” by Richard Saucedo; “Darklands March” by Randall Standridge; “Lullaby to the Moon” by Brian Balmages; and Suite from “The Planets” by Gustav Holst, arranged by Johnnie Vinson, all conducted by graduate conductors Abbigail Ramsey and Christina Colley.

Saucedo’s enthusiastic “Into the Clouds!” is a “rousing imagining of the joys of a pilot in flight,” explains Kaatz. In Saucedo’s preface to the score, the composer elaborates that, “There’s nothing like the experience of flight, except possibly the experience of music, and I hope the enthusiasm of both can be found in this piece.”

Vinson’s arrangement of Holst’s “The Planets” features some of the most beloved moments from the composer’s orchestra masterwork, including the lush “Jupiter” chorale and the war-like march from the “Mars” movement, according to Kaatz.

The Symphonic Band opens the second half with an unconducted percussion ensemble piece entitled “Shared Space.” Commissioned by the McCallum High School Percussion Ensemble for its 2015 PASIC showcase, Trevino’s “Shared Space” for seven percussionists explores the idea of the close community that musicians often share. “This is embodied in the lush, interlocking motives played by the ensemble members and the regularly shared instruments throughout the piece with as many as five players on one instrument at a time,” Kaatz said.

Ramsey will guest conduct the Symphonic Band’s performance of Olivia Kieffer’s “…and then the Universe Exploded.” “This exciting post-minimalist work unfolds as a gradual layer of simple rhythmic textures to create a lush, intricate tapestry of grooves,” according to Kaatz.

Jenkins’ “We Seven” draws its title from the book of the same name co-authored by the Mercury Seven, the first U.S. astronauts to fly missions during the “Space Race” of the late ’50s and early ’60s. Jenkins draws the musical material from two main sources: musical cryptograms crafted from the names of the seven astronauts and the famous aria “Un bel dì vedremo (One fine day)” from Giacomo Puccini’s “Madame Butterfly,” a favorite opera of members of the Mercury Seven.

Closing the concert is Copley’s “Sunshine.” Kaatz describes the composer as a “rising star” in the compositional world, with his works receiving performances by ensembles such as the Cavaliers Brass, Carroll Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in his brief five-year compositional career. Despite his young age of 24, Copley has written more than 100 compositions. “Sunshine” is dedicated to the composer’s close friend who helped him out of a dark period in his life. Programmatically, Copley describes the work as “an ode to the sun and the shades it beams throughout the world.”

“This colorfully optimistic work brings the program’s homage to the heavens to an exciting conclusion,” Kaatz said.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

The Jacks of Steel at Stephen F. Austin Stage University will present the traditional soca and calypso music of Trinidad and Tobago, along with versions of rock and pop songs with an island twist, when the student ensemble performs at 6 p.m. Monday, April 18, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

The spring concert will feature steel band favorites “Soca Pressure” and “Rant and Rave,” as well as “some popular songs that will be sure to make you sing along,” according to Dr. James Vilseck, SFA adjunct music faculty member and director of the Jacks of Steel. Soca stands for “soul of calypso.”

“An exciting detail about the concert are two original arrangements composed for the ensemble, including one by SFA student Lauren Dean and one by myself,” Vilseck explained. “I was very excited to help Lauren realize her arrangement, and she did an excellent job in preparing the work for the ensemble.”

The steel band concert experience can be a little different than a “normal” concert, Vilseck said. “If the audience wants to dance along with the music, we heavily encourage it! In the past we’ve brought out the limbo stick for both the members and the audience. We want the audience to have as much fun as we are on the stage!

“Come on out and join us as we celebrate the music of Trinidad and Tobago in this fun night of music,” he added.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. To purchase tickets, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit finearts.sfasu.edu. For additional information, contact the SFA School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

President Scott Gordon and the university have mutually agreed that it is in the best interest of both parties for the employment relationship to end. The Board has appointed Dr. Steve Westbrook to serve as SFA’s interim president until a permanent president assumes the office.

The Board of Regents wishes to thank Dr. Gordon for his services and to acknowledge the accomplishments of his administration, including but not limited to, the University’s success in navigating the disruptions of the coronavirus pandemic, its establishment of a Distinguished High School program, its progress towards the $100 Million comprehensive capital campaign, its focus on engaging alumni and its enhanced relations with community colleges and with both local and state businesses and political leaders.

SFA’s new interim president, Dr. Steve Westbrook, was first employed by the university in 1981, served as vice president for university affairs from 2007 to 2020 and was the university’s interim president following the death of former president Baker Pattillo until Dr. Gordon’s installation as university president. Since his retirement, Dr. Westbrook has continued to serve as an adjunct faculty member and in 2021 was designated by the Board as Vice President for University Affairs Emeritus. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFA and earned a doctorate in higher education leadership from Texas A&M Commerce.