Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University produces champions in many areas, including academics and athletics. Now, SFA students and faculty and staff members have another area in which they excel — recycling.

Members of the SFA community recently learned that for the second consecutive year the university won first place in the Southland Conference RecycleMania tournament.

RecycleMania is a friendly competition and benchmarking tool for college and university recycling programs in the U.S. and Canada to promote waste reduction activities on their campuses.

During an eight-week period in the spring, schools reported the amount of recycling and trash collected each week. Then, the schools were ranked in various categories based on which school recycled the most on a per capita basis, as well as which school had the best recycling rate as a percentage of total waste.

Additionally, the schools were ranked on which school generated the least amount of combined trash and recycling.

SFA competed against other schools in the Southland Conference and received first place with a grand total of 39,530 pounds of recyclables from February to April 2017. In the per capita classic category, which includes paper, cardboard, bottles and cans, SFA recycled 7.15 pounds per person. SFA recycled 3.95 pounds per person of corrugated cardboard.

“I am so thankful for the students and faculty and staff members who participated in SFA’s recycling initiatives and increased our recycling by 5,000 pounds from last year’s final score,” Jenna Gonyea, SFA Dining’s sustainability student intern who led the charge for SFA’s tracking in the competition, said. “I can’t wait to see what the coming years hold for our recycling efforts on campus.”

Overall, SFA diverted more than 26 percent of material from the landfill.

Candace Bell, marketing manager for SFA Dining Services, echoed Gonyea’s praise of SFA stakeholders. “I want to thank everyone who participated in supporting this program,” Bell said. “There were several initiatives that helped lead to the overall success of RecycleMania, including installation of new recycling bins in residential halls, academic, auxiliary, recreation and other buildings on campus. Ultimately though, it’s the students and faculty and staff members who use these receptacles that make it successful.”

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 8, in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St. Dr. Dennis Werner, horticulture professor in Raleigh, North Carolina, will present “Is Redbud the Next Crape Myrtle?”

Born and raised in York County, Pennsylvania, Werner gardened at an early age and grew up exploring the fields and woodlots of South Central Pennsylvania. These interests led him to complete a bachelor’s degree at Pennsylvania State University and then master’s and doctoral degrees at Michigan State University with an emphasis in plant breeding and genetics.

Werner was hired at North Carolina State University in 1979 to teach and conduct research in peach breeding and genetics. His efforts in this area have led to the development of numerous peach cultivars that are widely grown in the Southeastern U.S. In 1998, his research efforts shifted to ornamental plant breeding and genetics, focusing on Cercis (redbud) and Buddleja (butterfly bush).

In 2013, the American Horticulture Society awarded him the Luther Burbank Award for extraordinary achievement in plant breeding. He has twice received the North Carolina State University Outstanding Teacher Award.

An avid gardener, Werner’s home landscape includes a 2,000-square-foot herbaceous perennial border and a diverse collection of woody shrubs and trees. He has been a long-time friend of the JC Raulston Arboretum and a member of the American Society of Horticultural Science. He was named a fellow of ASHS in 2011.

The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month and includes a rare-plant raffle after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public, but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.

Parking is available at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center and Raguet Elementary School, located at 2428 Raguet St.

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Parastoo Nikravesh, a Stephen F. Austin State University mass communication junior from Jacksonville, Texas, was awarded the Founders’ Scholarship from the Headliners Foundation of Texas, a non-profit organization promoting excellence in journalism.

The scholarships are annually awarded to Texas journalism students who demonstrate excellence in school and journalistic writing, editing, or video and multimedia production.

Dr. John Hendricks, chair and professor in SFA’s Department of Mass Communication, praised Nikravesh for her work ethic and dedication to the field.

“She is the epitome of a great student,” Hendricks said. “Parastoo has an incredible work ethic and is a leader among her peers. She is most deserving of this scholarship.”

As a student journalist, Nikravesh serves as the editor-in-chief of The Pine Log, SFA’s award-winning student newspaper. Previously, she served on staff as a contributing writer, staff writer, news editor and managing editor.

“Coming to SFA has given me great experience because there’s focus on the individual,” Nikravesh said. “I’ve spent more time creating relationships with my peers and professors than I imagine I would have at a larger school.”

Nikravesh’s passion for journalism is longstanding. In high school, she worked on the student yearbook as a copy editor and editor-in-chief. She also competed in University Interscholastic League journalism events such as news and feature writing.

Professionally, she works for The Odyssey Online, where she posts weekly articles about a variety of topics from entertainment to politics.

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” Nikravesh said. “Working for The Pine Log and studying journalism at SFA only makes me more certain I’m on the right path.”