Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s May commencement will be held in four separate ceremonies as a result of the expansion of Johnson Coliseum, which began last summer.

Degree candidates will participate at either 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 8, or 9:30 a.m. or 2 p.m. Saturday, May 9.

Seating at the coliseum, which typically has capacity for 7,200 guests, is temporarily reduced due to construction.

“While we are incredibly excited about the improvement and expansion of the coliseum, the construction has temporarily caused a significant number of guest seats to be inaccessible,” said Dr. Scott Gordon, SFA president. “Because of this, and in the interest of safety for our faculty, staff, graduates and their guests, we have decided to hold the ceremonies over a two-day period.”

On Friday, May 8, the 4 p.m. ceremony will recognize candidates from the College of Fine Arts and the James I. Perkins College of Education’s Department of Elementary Education and Department of Secondary Education and Educational Leadership.

The 7:30 p.m. ceremony also will recognize candidates from the Perkins College of Education. Candidates participating are students of the Department of Human Services, the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science, and the School of Human Sciences.

At the 9:30 a.m. ceremony Saturday, May 9, candidates from both the Nelson Rusche College of Business and College of Sciences and Mathematics will be honored. Candidates from the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture and the College of Liberal and Applied Arts will participate in a 2 p.m. ceremony.

All ceremonies will be streamed on the SFA Facebook page, facebook.com/sfasu. For more information about the events, visit sfasu.edu/registrar/455.asp.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens, the Pineywoods Audubon Society and the university’s student chapter of the National Association for Interpretation are sponsoring the annual Backyard Bird Bonanza from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 15 at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

This free, outdoor event will include activities designed to increase knowledge and appreciation of birds for youth and adults. A variety of fun, hands-on learning activities will be set up, including using binoculars, learning bird identification skills, playing bird games and making bird-related crafts. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department nongame ornithologist Cliff Shackelford will lead guided hikes along the trails of Tucker Woods at the PNPC.

In addition, guests are invited to participate in citizen science as they help count bird species for the national Great Backyard Bird Count with assistance from experienced birders and Shackelford. With bird populations declining, this form of citizen science serves as a valuable tool to measure the health of bird populations and inform citizens how to protect birds and support their habitats. In February 2019, more than 160,000 participants across the globe shared their local snapshots of bird populations — the largest Great Backyard Bird Count to date.

Winter is the ideal time for bird-watching, and the PNPC is a haven for local birds. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. The event will be held rain or shine.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada and international partners are leading the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is powered by eBird, and the count is made possible, in part, by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

For more information, call (936) 468-1863, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Watch for bluebirds and many other species during the Backyard Bird Bonanza, an event sponsored by SFA Gardens, the Pineywoods Audubon Society and the university’s student chapter of the National Association for Interpretation. The free event is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.

Stephen F. Austin State University faculty, staff and preservice teachers, as well as local teachers and high school students, will have a rare opportunity to work with Naomi Shihab Nye, the Young People’s Poet Laureate of the United States, Jan. 21-22.

The author of poetry collections, including “19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East,” “You and Yours” and “The Tiny Journalist,” Nye also will perform a reading for the public.

“I can’t overstate how incredible it is to have her visit SFA and Nacogdoches,” said Dr. Heather Olson Beal, professor of secondary education in SFA’s James I. Perkins College of Education. “To have such a prolific, renowned writer here is really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

From 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 21, Nye will conduct a free, interactive professional development training for SFA faculty, staff and preservice teachers, as well as local teachers, in Room 212 of the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center. Participants will work in small groups using Nye’s poetry across content areas and grade levels.

On Jan. 22, Nye will lead a writing workshop at Nacogdoches High School for participants of the SFA Barrio Writers program. As a chapter of the national Barrio Writers organization, SFA’s program has hosted 30 East Texas students for a week every summer since 2015 to focus on literature and creative writing. Olson Beal is a writing advisor for the program, which is tailored to students ages 13 through 21.

After the workshop, SFA Barrio Writers program participants will help Nye conclude her visit with a free, live reading for the community from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Judy B. McDonald Public Library in Nacogdoches.

Nye is a Palestinian American and the first Arab American to be selected as the Young People’s Poet Laureate. She spent her adolescence in both Jerusalem and San Antonio and lived several years in Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

Nye is considered a “wandering poet,” one interested in travel, place and cultural exchange.

“Her work, which includes children’s picture books, young adult fiction, poetry collections and novels, is particularly timely considering recent events in Iran,” Olson Beal said.

Nye lives and works in San Antonio.

For more information on these events, contact Olson Beal at olsonbehk@sfasu.edu.

By Jo Gilmore, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Stephen F. Austin State University Office of Multicultural Affairs’ sixth annual Diversity Conference will highlight the difference between discussing and demonstrating diversity.

“We talk about diversity, but is this diversity we speak of an actual representation of the diversity people see?” said Jalon Berry, OMA assistant director. “That’s why this year’s conference theme is ‘Diversity vs. Diverse-I-See.’”

Through the conference, the OMA aims to spread diversity and inclusion on the SFA campus and within the Nacogdoches community by inviting speakers to present diversity-related information and experiences to conference attendees.

“Our goal is to educate attendees that being passionate about social justice, diversity and inclusion by serving as an ally is more than just a verbal commitment,” Berry said. “It means that one must engage in actual work to showcase their commitment.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Michara Delaney-Fields, SFA’s newly-appointed assistant dean of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Delaney-Fields oversees services and programs that provide access to all students, including Counseling Services, Disability Services, the Veterans Resource Center and Health Services.

Throughout the day, presenters will host breakout sessions on the second floor of the student center discussing various issues, such as fat shaming, gender, race and more.

The sixth annual Diversity Conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Grand Ballroom. Check-in and on-site registration will be from 8:30 to 9 a.m.

Registration is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided to those who pre-register. Registration is available at sfasu.edu/oma.

For more information, contact the Office of Multicultural Affairs at oma@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-1073.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.