Everything Nac

A wide range of topics concerning women in leadership, health and wellness, and other women’s issues will be discussed during the fourth annual Women’s Empowerment Summit, hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 19.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s summit will be held via Zoom.

Veronica Beavers, OMA director, is excited to host an event that empowers women and educates the community on issues women face every day.

“During this summit, we want attendees to connect with others who are striving to make an impact, learn professional development skills, discuss the issues women are facing today, learn tips on improving personal wellness and much more,” Beavers said. “Regardless of gender, I believe everyone can benefit from the summit.”

Dalila Reynoso will kick off the summit as the opening speaker. Born of undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Reynoso is a mother and activist in Tyler who imagines a world without borders. She works to help individuals trying to navigate the complicated and ever-changing U.S. immigration laws.

Elena Carraway will close the summit. A mentor, preacher/teacher and leader, Carraway can discuss myriad topics, such as practical life skills, student programming, public speaking, career planning, advocacy, parenting and more. Carraway serves as an advocate for community youth programs, safe houses, shelters, prisons and organizations.

The opening keynote presentation will begin at 9 a.m. followed by breakout sessions at 10 and 11 a.m. The noon lunch break will be followed by a women’s network session at 1 p.m. and a third breakout session at 1:45 p.m. The closing speaker session will begin at 2:45 p.m. Breakout session presenters are a mix of SFA faculty and staff and community members.

The summit is free and open to the public. To register and obtain the meeting link, visit sfasu.edu/oma. Those who register by March 5 will receive a gift pack that they may pick up from the OMA office the week of the summit. For more information, contact OMA at (936) 468-1073 or oma@sfasu.edu.

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

The Singin’ Axes and Kantorei choirs at Stephen F. Austin State University will present the program “Choose Something Like a Star” featuring music set to poems by Robert Frost and Walt Whitman at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 2. The concert will be livestreamed only and accessible at music.sfasu.edu.

The choirs are directed by Dr. Tod Fish, associate director of choral activities at SFA.

Fish said he chose this theme because the poems of Frost and Whitman “speak to the heart of America, but in different ways.”

“Frost’s poetry deals with depiction of ‘ordinary’ rural life. He was skillful in his ability to represent a wide variety of human encounters. His poetry may seem simplistic to some, but I love it because I can see the scenes depicted in each one of the seven poems clearly.”

“Choose Something Like a Star” is the title of the final movement of “Frostiana,” which is American composer Randall Thompson’s setting of seven Frost poems.

Fish sees Whitman’s work as “completely different” than that of Frost.

“He celebrated America and himself as a messiah-like figure in the poetry realm with his writing,” Fish said. “Whitman’s poems are considered copiously democratic and egalitarian – he did not believe in equality in his everyday life – which led to his claim as the ‘first poet of democracy.’

“I feel that Frost and Whitman embody the ‘American voice’ in their poetry,” he added. “Critics believe that even though the temperament and character of their writings were different, both wrote for all the American people and dealt with the nature of human relationships.”

The Kantorei treble choir and The Singin’ Axes tenor-bass choir will sing all seven movements of “Frostiana.” The work has three pieces for mixed choir and two each for the treble and tenor-bass choirs by themselves.

The concert will conclude with Howard Hanson’s setting of two Walt Whitman poems in “Song of Democracy.” The Hanson work will feature SFA staff collaborative pianist Dr. Thomas Nixon. The concert also features student conductor Alexandra Patin, Texas City junior.

To access the live concert free of charge, visit music.sfasu.edu the night of the concert. For additional information, contact the School of Music at (936) 468-4602.

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Lumberjack Express food truck patrons can purchase a special dessert created by Chef Todd Barrios, clinical instructor of human sciences at Stephen F. Austin State University, and his culinary students in honor of Girl Scout cookie season.

“It’s been fun creating ice cream based on the cookie flavors,” Barrios said. “We are looking forward to adding this to our offerings on the Lumberjack Express.”

On Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch, patrons visiting the student-run mobile lab can purchase two scoops for $2 cash. Upcoming flavors include:

Marshmallow S’mores
Strawberry Shortbread
Caramel DeLites and Coconut
Lemonade Cheesecake
Maple Toast-Yays!
Peanut Butter Sandwich and Almond
and Peanut Butter Patties Vanilla.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer Girl Scouts are able to sell cookies this year. To support the organization, restaurants nationwide are buying boxes of cookies and converting them into delicious desserts, said Dr. Chay Runnels, professor and interim director of SFA’s School of Human Sciences.

“Many restaurants in cities across Texas and the nation are putting Girl Scout cookie-inspired desserts on the menu this season,” she said. “It just allows our students to have fun with unique ingredients and keep up with current culinary trends.”

It also offers SFA students a chance to serve a dessert that was removed from the Culinary Café menu when the pandemic forced it to switch from in-person to takeout service.

“Chef Todd and the culinary students are known for their ice cream, and since the Culinary Café has gone to a takeout model, the students have been unable to offer ice cream as a dessert on the regular menu,” Runnels said.

Lumberjack Express is open from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays by the Education Annex Parking Lot No. 15 on campus. Reservations are highly recommended, but walk-up orders can be purchased with credit card only. Each meal is $8, and only 60 meals will be sold. Patrons must follow the COVID-19 drive-thru and walk-up procedures.

Culinary Café is open from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Drive-thru meals can be picked up in the Education Annex drive-thru portico, located at 1620 Raguet St. For walk-up service, pick up your meals at the purple tent in front of the Education Annex’s north entrance.

View menus and purchase tickets at sfasu.edu/culinarycafe and sfasu.edu/lumberjackexpress. For more information, call (936) 468-4502.

Girl Scout cookies will be sold in Nacogdoches and the surrounding areas through March 23 by local Girl Scouts.

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