Everything Nac

It’s big. It’s purple. It’s the Lumberjack Express. This spring Stephen F. Austin State University rolled out its newest endeavor — the Lumberjack Express mobile food lab.

As the only one of its kind in Texas, this learning laboratory provides students in the School of Human Sciences a taste of the real world.

“There are only a few food trucks nationally that are utilized as an academic laboratory,” said Dr. Lynda Martin, director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences. “It has been so exciting watching the students make the Lumberjack Express their own and seeing how the campus community has responded to this new learning experience.”

Four faculty members from the School of Human Sciences were instrumental in bringing the Lumberjack Express to campus: Dr. Chay Runnels, hospitality administration program coordinator and associate professor; Dr. Donna Fickes, clinical instructor; Todd Barrios, chef instructor; and Justin Pelham, clinical instructor.

In recognition of their work, they were recently awarded a Bright Spot award by the SFA Faculty Senate, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the SFA vice presidents.

While attending the National Restaurant Association’s annual show a few years ago in Illinois, Runnels noticed a food truck with a university logo on it. This sighting sparked an idea.

“We began researching the possibility of a mobile food lab that would be a true learning laboratory. From the beginning, we had a lot of support from administration,” Runnels said.

Soon, wheels started turning — literally, as faculty members and students worked to bring the food truck trend to campus.

“We had many meetings. We worked with an undergraduate student to develop a business plan, and we researched other food trucks and institutions that had something similar to what we were proposing,” Runnels said. “It’s been a learning experience for us all.”

Once SFA’s Board of Regents approved the purchase of the mobile food lab in January 2018, Fickes began coordinating the development effort. In addition to teaching, Fickes contacted people in the industry and worked with faculty members to ensure the new mobile food lab would meet program needs.

Barrios worked on creating the kitchen’s layout, as well as selecting the kitchen utensils. Pelham represented the food, nutrition and dietetics program in helping select the menu items.

A mobile food management course was developed that focuses on the food truck industry and directly ties in with the Lumberjack Express. Students in other areas, such as event planning, also have the opportunity to use the Lumberjack Express for coursework.

“Our goal is to provide students a timely, transformational learning experience. The food truck trend has grown into a food truck culture,” Fickes said. “It is a viable way for someone to enter the hospitality industry with fewer expenses and immediate return on investment. Providing our students an environment where they can learn through trial and error puts them a step ahead of their competition.”

Service at the Lumberjack Express began in February. Much like the Culinary Café, the Lumberjack Express is a student-run operation. Hospitality majors, under the direction of Barrios, prepare the meals every Tuesday and Thursday. The cuisine is based on various themes, such as Latin, Texas barbecue, Asian, Creole and Mediterranean. Music streaming from the Lumberjack Express and smiling faces inside the truck greet customers picking up their food.

“The students love working on Lumberjack Express and have taken immediate ownership of it,” Fickes said. “Guests have been very positive about student interactions, and they have loved the street food creations we are serving.”

The Lumberjack Express also will be utilized at outreach and recruiting events, such as career and college fairs and Showcase Saturday. Pelham also plans on using the lab for cooking demonstrations in the community during the Cooking Matters Program his students host annually.

To learn more about the Lumberjack Express and to purchase tickets, visit sfasu.edu/lumberjackexpress.

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host a photography workshop to share methods for taking and editing photographs of flowers.

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon May 11 at the Brundrett Conservation Education Building, Room 101, at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Dr. Thomas Willis, retired physician and experienced general photographer, will explore the principles of photography with emphasis on techniques for close-up imaging, selective focus and composition. All levels of photographers are welcome and will be able to improve their skills. Some of Willis’ images can be seen at tomwillisphotography.com or tomwillisphoto.com.

Participants will have the opportunity to photograph cut and native flowers at the PNPC. They should bring a camera or cellphone, and a laptop is optional. Digital cameras also are available for loan. Willis is offering a bonus “editing hour” from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. for participants who would like to learn more advanced post-processing skills.

Cost for the seminar is $25 for SFA Gardens members and $35 for nonmembers. Space is limited, and preregistration is required. To register or for more information, contact the SFA Gardens education office at (936) 468-4129 or sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of English and Creative Writing will host David J. Peterson, inventor of languages for television and movies, at 6:30 p.m. April 22 in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 142.

Peterson’s talk, “The Art of Language Invention,” will discuss his process for creating languages. Peterson has invented numerous languages, most notably Dothraki and High Valyrian for HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”

Dr. Jessie Sams, SFA associate professor of linguistics, believes Peterson’s presentation will provide unique insight into the way society uses language.

“Because language is so integral to our daily lives, we can all learn something by taking a step back and asking questions about why we say things the way we do or why we have a particular word in our language,” Sams said.

According to Sams, Peterson’s work highlights the connection between languages he creates and those in the fictional worlds who speak those languages.

“The more you learn about the expressions in a language, the more you can understand how speakers categorize and understand the world around them,” Sams said. “Culture and language are inextricably linked. They reflect each other.”

Peterson’s talk will be particularly engaging to anyone interested in the invented languages he has created. In addition to “Game of Thrones,” Peterson has created languages for Marvel’s “Thor: The Dark World” and “Doctor Strange,” the CW Television Network’s “Star-Crossed” and “The 100,” and more. He has authored two books: “The Art of Language Invention” and “Dothraki: Living Language.” He also is creating Duolingo courses for some of his languages.

This talk is free and open to the community. For more information, contact Sams at samsj@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-2180.

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

Engaging in students’ learning process and seeing the growth they experience when taught to think critically and creatively ranks high among the rewards of teaching for Jackie Rosenfeld, dramatic writing and theatre appreciation instructor in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre.

“I see education as a continuous conversation with everyone taking part,” she said. “It is crucial for students to be participants in this conversation and to take an active role in their own learning.”

In order to achieve this, Rosenfeld creates a classroom environment that is respectful and attuned to the needs of each individual class.

“I believe that good theatre and thoughtful learning most often result when participants feel uninhibited and unbound,” she said. “When students are confident and enthusiastic about learning, we are all successful.”

Earning a B.A. in drama from Angelo State University and an M.F.A. in playwriting from Texas Tech University, Rosenfeld’s plays, such as “keepingabreast” and “Queen of the Mist,” have been produced nationwide, including three off-off -Broadway productions. An audiobook of her play “keepingabreast” is available on Audible. She also directed the School of Theatre’s pilot radio drama production of O. Henry’s “Gift of the Magi,” adapted by SFA Playwright-in-Residence Jack Heifner.

In the fall of 2017, School of Theatre Director Cleo House Jr. accepted Rosenfeld’s proposal to produce a 24-hour Theatre Festival in SFA’s Downstage Theatre.

“Throughout my years at SFA, I became aware of a lack of opportunities not only for our playwriting students to see their work performed, but also for our acting and directing students to work on new plays,” she said. “Having worked as a playwright and advisor of a similar festival while on the faculty at Texas Tech, I knew this to be a unique opportunity for student playwrights, directors and actors to collaborate on a collection of short productions.”

Being forced to work within a set of established limitations of budget (none), time (24 hours) and resources (a short play, a few props and costumes, and actors) allows the students to maximize their imagination, creative abilities and team-working skills, Rosenfeld explained. The result: Two highly successful theatre festivals. Plans are underway for the 2019 event.

This semester, Rosenfeld created a script-reading course offered through independent study for students looking to expand their knowledge of contemporary plays. Students are assigned eight award-winning plays by a diverse group of playwrights written since 2013. The course utilizes quizzes and discussion to assess critical thinking and understanding.

“While our students read a great number of plays, most are classics considered to be in the cannon, and thus very few are contemporary and even fewer are written by women and playwrights of color,” she said. “This course provides them with the ability to leave SFA with the knowledge to discuss contemporary works at interviews, auditions and graduate school.”

This innovative approach to teaching earned Rosenfeld one of SFA’s 2019 Teaching Excellence Awards. The Teaching Excellence Award is based on knowledge of subject matter, quality of lectures and assignments, enthusiasm for teaching, commitment to continuous improvement, contribution to the quality of teaching at SFA by assisting and encouraging other faculty members, and interest in and availability to students.

“I am so honored to receive this kind of recognition from the university,” she said. “Teaching is my greatest love, and this award is a great way to learn it’s reciprocal.”

By Robbie Goodrich, director of arts information for the Stephen F. Austin State University College of Fine Arts.

The Symphonic Band and the University Band at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “Poetic Lines” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Some selections on the program draw inspiration from artistic text, according to Chris Kaatz, assistant director of bands at SFA and director of the Symphonic Band.

Under the direction of graduate conducting student Gary Jones, the University Band will open the concert with “Arsenal” by Jan Van der Roost. Composed for the 50th anniversary of the ‘Harmonie van het Spoorwegarsenaal’ (railroad arsenal) based in Mechelen, Belgium, “Arsenal” has been described as a “stately concert march with beautiful themes and a broad melody in the trio.”

The second piece by Robert Sheldon is the one-movement work “Choreography,” commissioned by the Association of Texas Small School Bands in 2008 for its All-State Band. Written in overture form, the piece draws its inspiration from dance movements found in contemporary stage, ballet and theatrical productions.

Also on the program, Ryan George’s “Café 512” is a dance-like, energetic piece built on a motivic phrase based on a 5+1+2 note grouping (512 being the area code for Austin) and is structured in A-B-A form.

University Band will end the first half of the concert with Randall Standridge’s energetic “Steel.” Third in the composer’s “machine” series, “Steel” contains “exciting percussion writing, interesting use of syncopation, motivic development, and multiple time signature changes.”

The Symphonic Band’s portion of the program “explores works that draw inspiration from various mediums of artistic text,” said Kaatz. The second half opens with David Maslanka’s “Mother Earth,” a “dark and brooding” piece inspired by a poem by St. Francis of Assisi. The composer describes it as “an urgent message from Our Mother (Earth) to treat her more kindly!”

Eric Whitacre’s lush and pensive “Lux Aurumque” follows the opening fanfare. The lyrics of the work’s original setting for a cappella choir are from a poem by Edward Esch describing heavenly light.

John Zdechlik’s “Chorale and Shaker Dance” is the central piece of the concert’s second half. Written in 1972, the work uses the Shaker hymn “Simple Gifts” as one of its two primary melodic components, the other being the originally composed chorale, which opens the work.

The concert closes with John Philip Sousa’s “El Capitan,” a 6/8 march that was extracted from the composer’s operetta of the same name. The original work is set in 16th-century Spanish-occupied Peru and tells the story of a viceroy who disguises himself as a rebel leader named “El Capitan” in order to foil a plot against his people. The comical drama of the operetta is represented in Sousa’s tuneful melodies, playful use of dynamics and inclusion of a 2/4 trio, Kaatz explained.

The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Office of Multicultural Affairs at Stephen F. Austin State University will host its final Brave Space Series of the spring semester at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17, in the Baker Pattillo Student Center Multimedia Room. The series’ discussion will focus on interracial relationships.

“For this month’s Brave Space, we will explore mental health, societal and family influences, and breaking barriers within an interracial relationship,” said Allynn Shaffer, OMA student ambassador.

Each month, OMA’s Brave Space Series provides a forum for open and honest discussion regarding topics that are often difficult. In an effort to promote positive dialog, participants are encouraged to share their opinions and perspectives about interracial relationships.

The discussion is free and open to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. For more information, visit http://www.sfasu.edu/multicultural/480.asp.

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