University Press Orientation 2019

2019 ORIENTATION ISSUE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Newspaper of Lamar University

Summer 2019

WELCOME TO LAMAR

Cardinal family encourages freshmen to join community Lamar University will welcome incoming students with “Week of Welcome,” a celebration of new beginnings and student involvement, starting with move in and running through the first tailgate and football game of the season.

“Week of Welcome is a week of events and opportunities for students to meet other Cardinals, learn about the campus, and ways to get involved,” Brandie Van Zanden, director of new student and leadership programs, said.

All events are free for new and returning students. Week of Welcome will be fun for everyone.

Expect free fun, free food, and free giveaways throughout the week.”

Week of Welcome is a series of planned events, covering everything from academics to organizations and social events, designed specifically for new students and showcasing the possibilities of what their college

experience could look like. While, there are many activities and events geared toward first-year students, she said, the events are free and open to all students.

Other activities include, Academic Success Conference, Casino Night, Big Red Take Off, Freshmen Convocation, The Setzer Take Over, and more.

Sports games to organized games.

We’ll have workshops. The students have a lot of fun.

“There are so many things that happen in that first couple of weeks to really showcase Lamar University, but also, the main thing is for students to get to know other students, staff and faculty, and get involved. It’s really to highlight one week of transitioning to Lamar, so we give (students) multiple ways that they can do that with a lot of fun.”

Building relationships within the Lamar community, both in and out of the classroom, is important for new students to enhance their overall college experience, Van Zanden said.

“A lot of these activities will give students an opportunity to get to know one another and build friendships and community on campus,” she said. “So even if you’re a commuter, you’ll be able

“We have a very full schedule of events,” Van Zanden said.

“There will be multiple opportunities for student involvement — lots of fun to be had, from Rec

See WELCOME page 2

Residence Life enriches college life Living on campus is a beneficial experience that can broaden your perspective and help you discover who you are during your college years, Mary Atkinson, director of housing and residence life, said.

“There are many benefits to living on campus,” she said. “It takes away that big commute, so the time that you would spend getting to class is significantly less just by living on campus. There are also a lot of programs and services that are offered.”

Atkinson encourages students to reside on campus to strengthen their independence and to forge a stronger sense of identity.

“This is such an exciting and critical time for students because they are getting to learn what it means to be a part of a community,” she said. “You have the freedom to choose your social circle and your career path.

When you live on campus, you live with a diverse group of your peers. It helps to put your situation into a

Financial aid fulfills students’ needs

broader perspective.”

Life in the residence halls is not without rules. The Residence Life Handbook, located on the Housing and Residence Life website (www.lamar.edu/residencelife), serves as a guide to on-campus living for student residents, including detailed community standards that each resident is expected to follow.

“We expect that all on-campus residents become familiar with the policies and community standards detailed in the Residence Life Handbook and that they consider the needs of other residents and balance those needs with their own,” Atkinson said. “On-campus residents should hold themselves to the highest standards of academic, personal, and social integrity.”

Making your neighbors feel comfortable, respected, and welcomed within the residence hall is essential

The experiences associated with higher education may be more than a family can afford. If so, students and their families should know that they may qualify for financial aid.

The office of financial aid is located at 200 Wimberly on the Lamar University campus. The staff is prepared to help students with their financial aid questions.

They provide information in all incoming students’ orientation packets that has lists of websites needed to complete the financial aid application process.

“Often, the first question students ask is how to apply for fi-

See RESIDENCE page 7

See AID page 2

Opportunity knocks University’s Advising Center helps freshmen, sophomores engage “Advising is one of the most significant components of a student’s college experience,” Melinda Finkle, interim director of the Undergraduate Advising Center, said. “For new students, their academic advisor is one of their primary connections to Lamar.”

The Undergraduate Advising Center provides academic advising and support for all freshmen and sophomores.

Finkle said she encourages students to see their advisor year-round.

“Advising is more than schedule building and registering for classes,” she said. “Advisors help students navigate the university environment and connect them to campus resources that will help them succeed academically.

“We want students to really get to know their advisor and share their concerns and goals.”

Finkle said she views advising as a partnership.

“Advisors work with the students to match their interests and goals with opportunities at Lamar,” she said. “Advisors share information and discuss options, so that students can make a decision. Every student has a designated advisor based on their major.”

The advisor’s connection with the academic department is important, Finkle said.

“The advisor helps students get connected with their major, build relationships with the faculty, and understand their degree plan and departmental expectations,” she said.

“Advisors will follow-up with

www.facebook.com/UPLamar

students throughout the semester to make sure they are taking advantage of the opportunities.”

The goal of the advising cen-

ter is to help students create a plan of action to make the most of their years at Lamar.

The Undergraduate Advising Center is open from 8 a.m.

www.lamaruniversitypress.com

to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information, call 409-880-8822 or visit lamar. edu/advising.

www.twitter.com/UPLamar

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Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

B&N campus bookstore has what you need The Barnes & Noble campus bookstore is the one-stop shop for all of your Cardinal school spirit gear. The bookstore is the official carrier of all custom regalia for the school, and of course, your one-stop shop for textbooks.

Stop by for the latest items from Under Armour and Nike, along with shopping for school supplies, snacks and many other items.

During the regular fall and spring semesters B&N is open from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Fridays. Check out their website for store hours during, summer, holidays, and graduation. Summer hours are 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The bookstore features two websites, one specifically for clothing geared for alumni and parents and not textbooks, and another for students.

The Barnes & Noble bookstore mobile app is another way to shop and includes a special offer with a new download giving a 25 percent-off coupon available in store or online.

To download the app, search My College Bookstore at the app store or on Google Play and fill out the information for Lamar University. The clothing only

site is at lamar.shoptruespirit. com and the student site is at lamar. bncollege.com. Orders can be shipped for delivery or picked up at the store.

Barnes & Noble partners with Lamar University to get textbook orders in several months before each semester starts in order to ensure that students

have all pricing and ISBN information on their website for purchase.

“Barnes & Noble at Lamar University is a proud partner of Lamar University,” store manager Laura Forgey said, “Our job is to provide superior service to our campus community. We do this with textbooks, school sup-

plies and school spirit items.”

Each purchase, whether instore or online supports Lamar financially according to a Barnes & Noble press release.

“We price match amazon. com, bn.com and the offsite bookstore on textbooks,” Forgey said. “We price match rental or purchase books.”

AID from page 1 nancial aid,” Carly Broussard, executive director for scholarships and financial aid, said.

“To apply, students must first be admitted to Lamar University. Next, they should complete the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at fafsa.gov. We recommend students use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, if possible, to speed up and simplify the process.

“Once the FAFSA is processed, the student will receive an email to their Lamar

Forgey said to look forward to some fun events for students such as a VIP night, a Halloween costume contest, a de-stress event, and other events throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.

For more information or just to look around visit the Barnes & Noble store in the Setzer Student Center.

WELCOME from page 1 University email address letting them know what additional documents are required.

Students must then log into their Self-Service Banner account to complete and submit the required documents.”

After all needed documents are submitted, students are sent an email, notifying them to log into their Self-Service Banner to review their Financial Aid offer. There are different kinds of aid that have different eligibility requirements.

Aid depends on many different factors like the household income, how many people are in college in the household, and if the student is Pell Grant eligible.

The standard options are Pell Grants, state and university grants, and subsidized and unsubsidized loans. If enough funds are not available or eligibility requirements are not met, there are also Parent Plus loans available to parents and students based on credit scores.

Lamar University also has scholarship opportunities that students may apply for at lamar.edu/myscholarships, but like other aid, the requirements vary.

Besides standard loans and scholarships, students are encouraged to look to their community for scholarships — churches and other community organizations often have small monetary scholarships or can help with books or fees.

For more information, visit lamar.edu/financialaid.

to have a community on campus when you come. If you’re a resident student, it just enhances your experience overall. By introducing students to all of the possibilities up front, students can more readily choose and create the experience they want to have and find the opportunities best suited to them.

“One of the biggest messages that we tell students at orientation is ‘Get involved.’ Transitioning into college can be really stressful, but meeting people through fun events can help combat the stress of the experience and make students want to be involved on campus.”

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ORGANIZATIONS

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Summer 2019

SGA gives students a voice The Lamar University Student Government Association offers a voice to students.

“A really neat part about SGA is that you can bring up different issues, then depending on how those issues fit into current policy, some things can change, some things cannot,” Edward Doan, 2019-20 SGA president, said. “We see what students want, then see whether or not it can fit into the university’s agenda and work that to fit student’s agendas as well.”

Doan said one of the biggest things he hopes to convey in his tenure as president is student empowerment and transparency.

“One thing that a lot of the students at Lamar realize is that

even if you don’t get something changed, you can at least talk to administrators about it,” he said.

“That part is limitless. If you talk to the right people and approach them in the right manner, you can talk to the university about anything. Whether or not they’ll do something about it is a completely different issue.

“The ability to do that is really powerful, because a lot of times administrators don’t know what’s going on. Just by bringing something up, it opens up the avenue for change. Any major movement always starts with awareness.”

Student government holds open sessions and town hallstyle meetings with student legislators to communicate with

Even if you don’t get something changed, you can at least talk to administrators about it.

— Edward Doan SGA president 2019-20

their constituencies. Positions for which one may serve include organization representative, class senator, college senator, Supreme Court justice, among

others.

“As president, I hope people remember me as someone who cared about the other students,” Doan said. “I looked up to older people that I met when I first came here and seeing how much they gave and how much they got back, and I hope to inspire the next generation of Lamar students to do the same.”

The Student Government Association represents all students on a wide array of issues. Students are urged to serve on the Academic Affairs, Campus Sustainability, Legislative Affairs, Student Engagement, Public Relations, and/or Dining Services student advisory committees, regardless of experience or major.

2019-20 SGA president Edward Doan

For more information, visit www.lamar.edu/sga, or e-mail edoan@lamar.edu.

Join the SGA portal on OrgSync at lamar.orgsync.com/ org/sga to stay up-to-date on all events/activities.

CAB offers fun for everyone

Cardinals Activities Board hosts’ free events for students to enjoy fun experiences outside of the typical learning environment.

CAB is the student programming board for Lamar that is composed of an executive board that research, plan, and run all the events. There is also a chance for students to join CAB on the volunteer board. These students help run the events and gain volunteer hours by working in their office and event.

The main mission is to provide a fun and engaging atmosphere that provides and encourages campus spirit and life.

CAB hosts annual events such as Homecoming, Big Red Mani and help organize events like Big Red Take Off and De-stress week. They host several other events throughout the year such as movie nights, variety acts like hypnotists, comedians, talent shows, do it yourself craft events, games and tournaments.

CAB strives to build spirit and life and is always open to new ideas and programs. If you have anything you would like to see on campus contact one of the executive members to share your idea or join the membership board today.

For more information, call 409-880-8723 or visit lamar.edu/cab and follow them on social media at LamarUCab. The CAB office is located in the Setzer Student Center Room 270.

Greek life enriches college experience

More than 200 organizations promote student involvement

Now that you’re part of the Cardinal Nation, make the most of your college experience by getting involved and joining a student organization.

Lamar University has a variety of ways to get involved outside of class, with more than 200 registered student organizations, including departmental and professional groups, honor societies, mutual interest groups, religious organizations, service-oriented groups, fraternities, sororities, spirit organizations and sports clubs.

The underlying purpose of student organizations is to contribute to the classroom by providing support groups for students with common needs and interests, improving leadership and communication skills, allowing students to apply learned concepts in a real setting, teaching self-discipline, initiative and responsibility.

Participation in student organizations helps students to develop friendships, gain new skills that can be transferred to careers and network with faculty, staff and employees, as well as serving as a campus resource to

faculty, staff and other students.

The Office of Student Organization is 260 Setzer Student Center and students are encouraged to become part of OrgSync, LU’s online community, for student organizations and university departments.

“We encourage everyone to explore OrgSync,” Elizabeth Jeanes, marketing coordinator, said. “Students can create an account by visiting LU Connect and clicking the OrgSync button. Students will use their LEA username and password to set up their profile.”

Once students have an account, they can check portals for registered student organizations, learn about volunteer opportunities and track extra-curricular activities.

“Join at least two student organizations — one for your major and one for your hobby,” Brandie Van Zanden, student organization services coordinator, said. “Build your new on-campus family through student organizations.”

For more information about student organizations, visit lamar.edu/studentorgs, or call 409-880-8722.

“Greek Life offers a deeper connection to students’ collegiate experience,” Gabriela Kalil, associate director for Greek Life, said. “Joining a sorority/fraternity offers the whole package of a social experience as well as a professional one. By the time our members walk across that stage, our chapters have shaped them into the men and women of tomorrow’s society.

Joining Greek Life is joining a family, you’ll have a new community behind you.”

Kalil said that Greek Life began because students wanted to have a greater experience during their collegiate years.

“Our organizations were created to provide students with a community to develop them into young men and women,” she said. “Our individual purposes may vary, but we are all united on the core principles and values of scholarship, leadership, sisterhood/brotherhood, community involvement in the form of philanthropy and service, and professional development. We provide an environment where students can develop into good stewards of our community and find their hearts among their brothers and sisters.”

Each chapter provides opportunities for members to further their passions, Kalil said.

“Within leadership opportunities, members can develop their skills as event

programmers in planning large scale events, they can work on their interpersonal communication skills as membership relations chair, they can also serve as president of their whole chapter or campus community,” she said. “Our focus on career and professional development helps our members with internship opportunities and jobs after graduation.

“Joining a fraternity/sorority provides you with life-long friends all over the world. You’ll always have the shared connection of being a member of a valuesbased Greek Lettered organization. As our students move on to their next journey after Lamar, they always have the support and comfort of their brothers and sisters from Lamar as well as those nation-wide.”

Greek Life values community engagement and strives to leave an impact on the Lamar community, Kalil said.

“On top of community engagement, our students know how to make the most of their experience in a fun and social aspect,” she said. “From mixers, formals, date-parties, BBQs, stroll/step competitions, athletic outings and so much more, our students know how to engage and provide the fun aspect for the student body.”

For more information, call 409-8801734, or visit students.lamar.edu/ studentengagement/greek-life.

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Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Be Aware, Be Alert, Be Safe COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT HELPS KEEP CAMPUS SAFE

Hector Flores, Lamar University Chief of Police, said the department engages the community in various ways to keep our campus safe. “Our emphasis is ensuring that LUPD is a part of the community,” he said.

Flores cited the Peelian Principles, developed by Robert Peel in 1829, as a guide to policing, specifically principle No. 7 which states: “Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”

Flores said he is also a big proponent of intelligence-led policing. “It’s a combination of community-orientated policing, problem solving, and data analysis,” he said. The LU police department holds a citizen’s police academy every Fall semester as a way of involving the university community in campus safety.

“We have various officers

from the agency who teach classes over topics of law enforcement — from basic patrols to penal code, traffic law to investigations — each topic is covered in a different week,” he said. “It’s not a police academy that certifies you. It is a community engagement tool we utilize to share information so that our community better understands what we are doing and how we operate.”

Students can register for the class, which will be offered in the fall. It’s also available for faculty, staff and alumni.

Lamar’s police department also hosts two extensive safety classes. The first is the Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE). The second is Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) which teaches students what to do to defend themselves against an attack. Other basic safety classes are available upon request.

LUPD maintains three levels of safety, security, and enforcement. The mid-level of security is the Campus Safety Officers, or CSOs. These are non-commissioned officers employed by LUPD, who respond to non-criminal incidents, such as motor-vehicle assists, unlocking doors, safety escorts, and non-emergency calls. “We have a professionalized campus safety officer program. It’s an auxiliary to our police patrols,” Flores said. “We

Lamar University has installed new flashing crosswalk signs to aid student safety. rely heavily on uniformed presence to deter criminal activity in and around campus. Our CSOs are always on foot patrols and bike patrols. They are non-commissioned, so they don’t carry a gun, but they are trained in OC (pepper) spray, handcuffing, CPR, and tactical trauma care.”

Lamar officers are commissioned through the State of Texas, they patrol on and off campus, but have a focus at Lamar. Guards are posted in every residence-hall building.

CSOs run shuttles from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. and

are also available for courtesy calls or vehicle assistance at all times. For non-emergency officer assistance, call (409) 8807777.

“We have three levels that we’ve implemented,” Flores said.

“You can think of it as concentric circles of safety. Our police officers, the campus safety officers, and the residence-hall security guard program.” “The plan is to have people in buildings, people on foot patrol, bike patrol, and the officers working the perimeters. All of these things help us prevent crime.”

Flores said, LUPD uses social media to help students with issues and alerts. “We use Facebook and Twitter to put out safety notices, so when a something that can impact our community happens, or something we feel the campus needs to know about, we will put it on our Facebook besides emailing it out — it’s a great resource,” he said.

To view safety tips and more information about LUPD, like their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter @LamarPD, or visit their website lamar.edu/police.

For more, call 880-8307.

LiveSafe app, new lighting and crosswalks, boost safety

Lamar University has adopted LiveSafe, a new safety app specifically designed for college campuses to create a safe college experience.

LiveSafe allows users to contact LUPD, and also to contact facilities and maintenance as well as IT. “Sometimes you’re walking around and realize a little piece of concrete fell off a column or something,” Daniel McLemore, associate director of marketing and communications, said. “Students can snap a photo of it immediately and it goes to the LUPD dispatch, and then they can issue a work order to have something repaired.”

The app allows users to report suspi-

cious or dangerous activity.

“Let’s say they see an assault case or something else going on,” McLemore said, “They can grab their phone and start sending that to LUPD discreetly.”

LiveSafe features include “Watch Me Walk” and “Watch A Friend Walk” programs. The features allow individuals to be monitored as move around campus.

“You can actually give someone access to the GPS on your phone,” Sgt. Jarrod Samford, LUPD public information officer, said. “If you’re on Lamar’s network, as far as LiveSafe, you can open that up to somebody that you feel secure giving your GPS to. You can add or remove who you want

to. It opens up a map and they can actually see you walking from the building going to your vehicle as a dot.”

Notifications that the campus is shut down or classes are canceled will be sent through the app, as well as instructions on what to do for any emergency procedure.

Students who use the shuttle or live on campus, will be able to access routes, times and GPS location of the shuttle.

The LiveSafe app is free and available from the Google Play or App Stores. Registration is through Lamar email.

In addition to the LiveSafe app, Lamar University’s facilities and maintenance has installed improved lighting and crosswalk

features.

“There are 18 lights that were installed along Rolfe Christopher, and there will be more installed with the new project for the G-2 parking lot and Iowa Street,” David Martin, interim associate vice president, facilities management, said.

Flashing crosswalk signs have been installed around campus.

“Additionally, we have installed 39 new Blue Light emergency phones,” Martin said. “These phones are cellular and solar powered, enhancing the overall reliability of the older phones they are replacing.”

For more information visit www. lamar.edu/campussafety.

5

HEALTH

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Summer 2019

Student Health Center covered by professionals Lamar University offers enrolled students medical care, psychological care and health education services through the Student Health Center.

“We function like a primary care physician’s office,” Shawn Gray, Student Health Center director, said. “We see coughs, colds, flu, sniffles, abdominal pain, GI upset, urinary tract infections, the usual stuff — that type of stuff that you would go to your family physician for. We also do both men and women’s health, including pap smears, STD screenings and HIV testing. In cases of emergency we stabilize the patient and call 911 for transport to a local emergency room.”

The Health Center also has counselors available for mental health issues.

“We want to make sure the kids are safe, first and foremost,” Gray said. “We want to make sure that they’re healthy psychologically. We understand that we’ve got students that come from all over the world, and at 17, 18, 19-yearsold they’re going straight from mom’s house to living in a foreign country. They don’t know anybody and barely speak the language. You need to talk to somebody, and that’s what we’re there for.”

The Health Center operates by appointment and charges a $10 co-pay for each visit, which goes to the student’s account and is due by registration for the following semester.

Physicians or nurse practitioners can write prescriptions for students, and many of those medications can be picked up at the Health Center’s in-house pharmacy.

“We provide some birth control pills, creams, antibiotics, eye drops, anti-fungals and female-type medicines,” Gray said. “We do not carry controlled substances. We are able to offer those medications to the students at a reduced cost.”

Marie Murray, certified health education specialist, provides campus-wide health education programs, which are often held at various locations around campus. Her department also hires students as Peer Health Educators or “Healthy Cards” to help plan and deliver programs.

The Health Center has its own website, dept.lamar.edu/healthcenter, and has links on Lamar’s Web site to assist students when they are unable to schedule an appointment. Students can access a “Self-Care Guide,” geared toward medical concerns, and a “Stress Management” link, which focuses on counseling and psychological issues, by going to Lamar’s website under “Current Students” and then “Health and Fitness.”

“This is great stuff,” Gray said. “You can type in what you want, and it’ll give you symptoms, causes, treatment, questions to ask, what to do, when to come see us, and self-care. It goes through lots and lots of common illnesses — very helpful.”

The Health Center staff are ready to provide quality health care or answer questions at any time, Gray said.

“No matter how insignificant you think the illness is that you have, let my professionals help you,” she said. “If it’s not a big deal, that’s great. That makes us happy, too. What you think may be a cold may be the beginnings of something horrible, and we can help you stop that.”

For more information, visit lamar.edu/ healthcenter.

Heather Reading, clinical assistant professor/audiologist, works on a hearing aid in the audiology lab.

Speech and Hearing clinics provide conscientious care

Lamar University’s department of speech and hearing sciences hosts an Audiology Clinic and a Speech-Language Pathology Clinic where student clinicians are committed to providing quality care to their patients.

“Providing accessible services to the campus and surrounding community is important to us,” Karen Whisenhunt Saar, director of the Speech-Language Pathology Clinical Services, said. “The scope of practice expertise among our faculty is broad and could stand up against many of the best programs.

As a result, our students are gaining excellent practical and theoretical skills and assist us in providing thoughtful and evidence-based practice to all of our clients.”

A newly renovated clinic and upto-date equipment provides students, faculty and the surrounding community access to best practice in speech-language pathology and

Audiology Clinic services include:

• Hearing screenings for newborns through adults • Industrial hearing evaluations • Diagnostic hearing testing for newborns • Comprehensive pediatric and adult hearing evaluations • Hearing aid evaluations, • Cochlear implant mapping • Sells assistive listening devices and hearing protective devices.

audiology.

Speech-language pathology services include assessment and intervention for pediatric through geriatric clients. Provided services include speech and language therapy for children and adults, college success programs for students with autism disorders, social cognition intervention, an aphasia conversation lab that includes communication groups, a technology group, a book club and diagnostic services during the long semesters and summer sessions.

The clinic also provides stuttering therapy, an achievement through collaboration program, dysphagia, voice and vocology lab and an accent modification program. Services are free to students, staff and the community.

“We are dedicated to providing the highest standard of care in both speech-language pathology and audiology,” Whisenhunt Saar said.

The Audiology Clinic also offers a wide variety of services in diagnostic testing and treatment for pediatric through geriatric patients.

Services include hearing screenings for newborns through adults, industrial hearing evaluations, diagnostic hearing testing for newborns, comprehensive pediatric and adult hearing and hearing aid evaluations, cochlear implant mapping and the sale of assistive listening and hearing protective devices.

Audiology services provided to students and faculty are covered under general fees and university

Speech Pathology Clinic services include:

• Aphasia Conversation Lab • Stuttering Therapy (and a summer camp) • Achievement through Collaboration • Summer Articulation Bootcamp • Dysphagia (swallowing disorders) Clinic & Lab • Voice and Vocology Clinic/Lab • Accent Modification Services The SLP clinic also offers various camps such as language enrichment and literacy camp throughout the year at different times.

contracts. Paid services are open to the community upon request.

Both the speech-language pathology and audiology clinics work together with the local library system twice a year to provide feedback to parents during a local information and play days. The department also provides several study abroad programs and student led groups such as the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA).

The clinics are located at the corner of Rolfe Christopher Drive and Iowa Street. The speech-language pathology clinic is open MondayFriday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., while the audiology clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For more information or an appointment, contact Tammy Frederick at 880-8171.

Medical insurance student plan available

Lamar University students can purchase medical insurance through Academic HealthPlans. Insurance coverage is annual with several pay options available. They offer plans for students, student and spouse, or student, spouse and child.

“We encourage students to look

at the Academic HealthPlans if they don’t have insurance,” Shawn Gray, Student Health Center director, said. “Everything that a student would come to the Health Center for is covered 100 percent, except for over-the-counter and prescription medications.”

International students are re-

quired to carry medical insurance through Academic HealthPlans.

Information about Academic HealthPlans is available in the Student Health Center, on the Student Health Center website at lamar.edu/healthcenter or at www.academichealthplans.com/la mar.

Counseling services available Graduate students in the Psychology Clinic offer counseling services free of charge.

The clinic holds no restrictions on how many sessions clients can attend.

Beth Aronson, associate professor of psychology, said the clinic takes both students and people in the community as clients.

“We treat a range of disorders,” she said. “We treat anxiety, depression, relationship issues — we do couples therapy. We do a lot of work with people who have test anxiety or have anxiety about doing a presentation in class. Lots of folks come in for that. Or we work with people who just want to figure out what their goals are, things that they just want to have somebody to think something through with.”

Talking things through helps you see things in a new way, Aronson said.

“It opens up possibilities for change that you might not have been able to see by yourself,” she said. “It’s a fresh perspective, and sometimes we also have some research-sup-

ported tips and tricks that might be helpful that people don’t know about until they come in.”

Aronson said that the clinic has created a new collaboration with a Veteran’s Affairs staff member to provide cognitive reprocessing ther-

apy to veterans and first responders with PTSD. To make an appointment, or for information, visit the Psychology Clinic at 200 Social and Behavioral Sciences, or call the clinic at 409-8807783.

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Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Meningitis vaccinations required

The Lamar University shuttle has mobility access to cater to all students.

Lamar shuttle provides equal access for students

The Lamar University Police Department and the Disability Resource Center have partnered to provide the campus with an accessible shuttle for all students.

“We have a shuttle that has an accessible chair lift,” Kyle Mutz, DRC director, said. “There are three spots for someone who uses a wheelchair, power chair or other mobility device, and they can ride it with their friends — it’s not just for students with disabilities, it’s for everybody.”

Mutz said that the shuttle is part of an initiative to make Lamar a more accessible campus.

Lamar University and the Division of Global Diversity, Inclusion and Intercultural Affairs strives to celebrate its diversity and the accessible shuttle helps

ensure everyone has access to everything Lamar University has to offer.

The shuttle was commissioned after student concerns that the previous shuttles could not provide transportation to those using mobility devices. Former student, Jamarcus Corks, raised his concerns with Mutz, who then began to work with Hector Flores, LUPD chief, to design the shuttle’s weekly route and to run the service.

“The other main difference between this shuttle and the preexisting shuttles that run into Beaumont for shopping, is that Monday through Friday from 8 to 5, (the shuttle) runs all over campus,” Mutz said. “Students can ride it from building to building,

dorms to other places on campus, and it also picks up students from some of the other housing areas on campus. It’s exciting, because this is the first time we have had something operate within the campus.”

Mutz said that the shuttle also works to bus students to events such as graduation or sporting events.

“Students can call the number under parking and transportation to have the shuttle pick them up,” he said. “They can also download the Lamar University app and see the schedules for the shuttle. Students can also call in off-peak hours and the shuttle will come pick them up.”

For shuttle service, call 409880-7551.

Incoming Lamar University students need a vaccination against bacterial meningitis to attend on-campus classes.

Universities across Texas must comply with the vaccination regulations for admission set forth in Texas Senate Bill 1107, Shawn Gray, Student Health Center director, said.

“Any new student to an institution of higher learning, public or private, will be required to show evidence that they have received a meningitis vaccine within the previous five years if they are under the age of 22,” she said.

The law also applies to students returning after a break in enrollment for at least one fall or spring semester, Gray said.

“There is an option (for students to decline a vaccination) for reasons of conscience or religious reasons, or if it is a detriment to their health,” she said. “If they choose to opt out, there are certain papers that they have to fill out.”

The Student Health Center offers a meningitis vaccine to students. Students can call the health center for an appointment Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Charges will be applied to their student account.

“There is a 10-day waiting period before you can attend classes from the time you receive the vaccination, because it takes 10 days for the vaccination to take effect,” she said. “And before on-campus students can move in and get their key, they have to be admitted to Lamar — and they cannot be admitted without this vaccination.”

Students can provide proof of vaccination with a Lamar immunization record/medical exemption form, an official immunization record, an official school record or a document signed by a physician, designee or public health official.

Proof of an exemption may be provided with an immunization record/medical exemption form, an affidavit provided by a physician or a conscientious exemption form from the Texas Department of State Health Services at https://corequest.dshs.texas.gov.

LU students may submit proof of vaccination or exemption by e-mail to immunization@lamar.edu, in person to the Records Office in 102 Wimberly or by mail to Office of Admissions, P.O. Box 10009, Beaumont, TX 77710.

For more information on the vaccination requirement and to access the immunization record/medical exemption form, visit beacardinal.lamar.edu/acceptedstudents/bacterial-meningitis-vaccination.

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

Page 7

A New Makers Space Science and Technology Building promotes innovation The new Science and Technology Building, located near Monroe and Campbell halls, officially opened its doors in April. The structure is the first fully academic new building on the campus in more than four decades.

The modern building accommodates the various needs of the STEM fields, with its modern labs, cold rooms, state-of-the-art “Makers’ Space,” 3D printer and more.

“This Science and Technology building encompasses approximately 83,000 square feet,” LU President Kenneth Evans said.

“It holds seven instructional labs, 14 research labs, a large project and instruction room, as well as a ‘Maker’s Space,’ that is full of really incredible, cool tools, that student teams can use in working together in ideation prototyping a really fascinating project in a cross interdisciplinary fashion.”

Evans said the facility is critically important to the campus as LU continues to advance its footprint in the STEM curriculum and research fields. “(The building) will additionally support four interdisciplinary research teams, provide research and instructional labs for all science disciplines impacting students — freshmen all the way through the doctoral level,” he said. “Research teams will involve faculty and students from four values and five academic colleges, cover topics such as natural remediation solutions, rural health care, automated device development, and technologically advanced educational techniques.”

In addition to its state-of-theart technological facilities, the new STEM building offers a wide variety of art.

In 2010, the Texas State University System initiated the one percent rule, a state mandate that requires universities that construct any buildings over a million dollars to set aside one percent of the cost for the purchase of art.

Kim Steinhagen, co-chair of LU’s Public Art Committee, worked with LU’s First Lady Nancy Evans and other faculty members to formalize and set requirements for purchases.

“We look for art that would be accessible to everybody,” she said. “We want things that are diverse and done in a lot of differ-

ent media. We want art made by artists who are exhibiting nationally, are in regional art museums and galleries, and have work in art museums.”

The committee set a $500,000 budget to purchase art for the Science and Technology building.

Included in the art collection is a 25-feet by 12-feet wide mosaic mural by artist Dixie Friend Gay. There is also a sculpture in the north lobby by Steve Murphy as well as an outdoor kinetic sculpture by New Orleans sculptor Lin Emery.

Other pieces, including a painting of egrets by LU alumnus John Alexander, are spread throughout the building.

Steinhagen said she hopes the various types of art in the building will inspire innovation in the students.

“I hope it sparks creativity,” she said. “It makes you appreciate your surroundings that you’re looking at something that has been created. The whole point of that building is that it’s a ‘makers space,’ where students will have projects and problems they will have to solve. They are going to have to be creative in there, and with science you have to be able

to step out of the box.

“Art gives you that different venue and a different way of looking at things. Whether it’s abstract or realistic, it’s a creative way of looking at life. We need creativity in everything we do. I hope the art will put the students in a beautiful setting and help them to be creative in what they are doing.”

Marcus Rodgers, junior mechanical engineer student, said the new Science and Technology Building is a step in the right direction for LU. “This building makes large strides towards modernizing our university STEM programs,” he said. “The interior and infrastructure are centered around fresh, out-of-the-box ideas to change the way we approach problems. I think the Science and Technology Building is a great opportunity for collaboration and innovation at Lamar University.”

The newly constructed Science and Technology Building, above, is the first fully academic building built on the Lamar campus in 40 years.The 25-foottall mosaic mural, right, is just one of the multiple pieces of art that adorn the new facility.

RESIDENCE from page 1 in a community atmosphere within which you will be getting to know your neighbors, Atkinson said.

“Having the opportunity to meet and interact with students from all walks of life of different races, sexual orientations, ages, and backgrounds gives resident students a broader perspective on domestic and global issues

that students who do not live on campus are less likely to receive,” she said.

Atkinson said there are various support services that are provided to students, and residential students are in the best position to benefit from these services.

“There are many support services available to students to

help them to be successful,” she said. “Tutoring, writing center services, career exploration services, student health services, mental health counseling services, and student employment opportunities are only a few ways LU works for the students.

However, living within just a short walk of these resources, on-campus residents are in the

best position to utilize these services, many of which are included in tuition and fees.”

Atkinson said she urges students to take advantage of the life lessons that on-campus living can teach.

“Everyone, at some point in their lives, wants to be independent,” she said. “And while living on campus, you get the ex-

perience of being independent while still in a structured environment that allows you to learn those life lessons, but there is someone here to address issues that you might have and give you some guidance along the way.”

For more, call 409-8808550, or visit lamar.edu/resi dence life.

8

LU HISTORY

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Summer 2019

L.R. Pietzch

C.W. Bingman

Lamar builds from humble beginnings Lamar is a state-supported university with more than 14,000 students, a 230-acre campus, and about 120 substantial buildings. OK, so that isn’t hot news. Everybody knows that, you say?

What everybody doesn’t know is that Lamar first sprang — er, toddled — to life as a tiny junior college holding classes on the third floor of a local high school.

The Board of Trustees of the South Park Independent School District, one of three school districts in the city, simply voted in 1923 to open a junior college, and then proceeded to do so.

It was a bold move. There was only one other publicly supported junior college in the state, in Wichita Falls, and it was only a few months old. Nobody knew if the far-from-wealthy South Park School District could support a junior college, but the school board, under the leadership of Superintendent L.R. Pietzsch, who became the first president, was confident that the experiment would work. C. W. Bingman was made vice president. A new South Park High School had just been built, and the junior college would hold classes on the third floor.

If the experimental new college failed, the third floor could be used by the high school.

The college didn’t fail. By the second year, more than 200 students were applying for admission. Summer sessions were started and have continued until the present. In its second year, the college was accredited by the Texas State Department of Education. Young colleges didn’t usually gain accreditation so soon, and it was considered quite a tribute to the administration and faculty.

According to John Gray, a student in the first session and later president of Lamar, two members of that faculty went on to become presidents of major universities.

“Dr. Grayson L. Kirk, my government and political science teacher, later became president of Columbia University in New York City,’” Gray said, “and Dr. C. A. Whybum, my mathematics teacher, became president of Texas Tech University in Lubbock.”

Since the college was supported by the South Park taxpayers, residents of the district were charged no tuition, only a matriculation fee of $5.

Nonresidents were only charged $10 a month for tuition and could pay by the month if they chose. This made

for resentment among the students from the other school systems. Some of them even started moving into the South Park area when they graduated from high school, or claiming the street address of relatives within the system, to avoid paying the college tuition.

There had always been a lot of rivalry among the school systems, especially between the Beaumont and South Park districts, and in 1930 the Beaumont School District started talking about opening a junior college of its own. The talk came to nothing, however, and the districts finally decided that one college in Beaumont was enough.

Whether all the talk was a contributing factor isn’t clear, but things really began to change out at the junior college, starting with the name of the place. A contest was held in 1932 to choose a new name, with a year’s scholarship going to the winner.

Otho Plummer, who had already graduated from the college, won the contest with the suggestion of Lamar College, in honor of Mirabeau B. Lamar, second president of the Republic and generally considered the father of public education in Texas.

(Plummer later became a member of the Lamar Regents.)

The junior college had fielded a football team from 1923 to 1926, playing two or three games a year against area high schools and the freshmen teams of four-year colleges.

But after a couple of seasons of low attendance, football was dropped after the ’26 season.

In 1932, football was reinstated at Lamar, and young John Gray was hired as head coach and athletic director. Gray changed the team’s name from the original “Brahmas” to the “Cardinals,” and the team colors from maroon and gray to red and blue. (Later, during the ’60s, the colors were changed to red and white.)

In 1933, a new administration/ classroom building was built next to the South Park High School, and was soon followed by another new building. Lamar finally had a campus of its own, separate from the high school, although the two still shared a football stadium and other athletic facilities.

Operating a college was pretty expensive even then. The expense was a drain on the South Park system, and besides, the trustees wanted to widen the scope of the college and expand it. The only way they could do that

The S’Park Plug

John Gray

was to make Lamar an areasupported college, completely separate from the South Park school system.

With that idea in mind, they bought a 58-acre tank farm on the present university site from the Texas Oil Co. in 1938. In 1940, the French, Beaumont, and South Park school districts voted in a city-wide election to jointly form the Lamar Union Junior College District.

New college buildings were constructed on the tank farm site. All the oil storage tanks were drained and leveled, except for one huge earthen tank just south of the present Ty Terrell Track. This tank collected rainwater, debris, and snakes for several years, until the surrounding mire of oil and water became solid enough for demolition to begin.

The land was well worth the inconvenience, though, considering what Lamar wound up paying for it.

“After we bought the land,” Gray said, “another oil company asked to lease the mineral rights. Since Texaco had sold us the land, we offered them the lease first. They said they had already checked out the land, but to go ahead and take the other company’s money.

“The other company drilled where the outdoor swimming pool is now, but of course no oil was found. They had paid us $40,000 for the lease; and since the land only cost us about $25,000 after clearing it, we made a profit of $15,000.”

During the World War II years, vocational classes were taught 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with about 15,000 people graduating from welding, shipbuilding, and other technological short courses.

After the war, a movement was started to make Lamar a state-supported college. The movement turned into, a real Texas-style political dogfight. No senior college had been established in Texas in 25 years, and

O.B. Archer opponents claimed that if Lamar were permitted to expand, every junior college in Texas would want to do the same. This, they said, would bankrupt the state educational system.

The proponents won out — eventually. A bill was passed in 1947 to create Lamar State College of Technology, but the bill died because the state comptroller said there was not enough money to put it into effect. The bill was passed again in 1949, and Lamar was given $1 million for building expenses.

By September 1951, Lamar started its first four-year classes, becoming the first junior college in Texas to expand to a senior college. The graduate school was established in 1962, with master’s degrees being offered in several fields. In 1971, Lamar offered its first doctoral degree, in engineering, and on Aug. 23, 1971, Lamar officially became Lamar University.

On Sept. 1, 1995, Lamar University merged with the Texas State University System. In its development into a major Texas university, it has gained a reputation for high teaching standards which co-exist with a relaxed and open relationship between students and teachers.

In recent years, the school has seen a series of construction, including the Reaud Administration Building, the Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship, and major renovations to the Setzer Student Center.

With faculty and administrators coming up with new initiatives all the time, the university is far from finished growing.

— This story has been updated from a series of University Press archive stories

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

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LU BUILDING LEGEND

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www.lamar.edu/university-press

Page 10

Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Reaud Building gateway to campus The Wayne A. Reaud Building is a landmark building on campus, Craig Ness, vice president for finance and operations, said. Constructed in 2016, the building is home to the Reaud Honors College, as well as a number of administrative offices, classrooms and an event center.

Any university that has an honors college should be proud, and it is a special recognition to have a named honors college, Ness said.

“Honors colleges present opportunities to students that they wouldn’t get without an honors college,” he said. “Honors colleges are places where people exchange ideas. If

you’re sitting around the Honors College, you’re talking about thought, and to students outside your major.”

The Reaud Building is part of the development of the main entrance to Lamar University on the south side of campus to act as a gateway for future visitors to the university. The development includes reclamation of a former industrial site and the construction of a welcome center to begin in fall 2019.

“The Reaud Building and the neighboring Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship, were the first new structures in a couple of decades,”

Ness said. “The Science and Technology Building was completed this spring, and all together these additions demonstrate the vibrancy of Lamar. They show that Lamar is in the 21st century, and that the community values Lamar.”

Ness said that campus improvements like these benefit the students.

“When you have a building like the Reaud Honors College, CICE across the street and the Science and Technology Building, it makes the campus attractive,” he said. “It attracts attention from the community and donors, and increases the value of (a Lamar) degree.”

CICE promotes entrepreneurship The Center for Innovation, Commercialization and Entrepreneurship is a partnership between the College of Business, College of Engineering and the Southeast Texas business community.

The building houses 18 offices and conference rooms, four laboratories, three training rooms, an event center, a modeling and simulation center, and many more features.

The center is a conduit for industry and university interaction, including projects, on-going research, student experiential learning, special events and training.

“This building really changed the way we think on campus,” LU President Kenneth Evans said. “So much that we have done on campus with research and development and the funding of research is now focused on cross-dis-

ciplinary initiatives.

“We are breaking free of the silo mentality that has so been a part of what the campus environment has been about. Why do we do that? Because the problems we face today are messy. They are going to require all the talent in this room and more to fix.

Pursing it from one orientation simply is not going to be enough.

“The contributions we’ll make to Southeast Texas will be great because we’re able to deal with messy problems with the amazing people that we will assemble in this building.”

Paul Latiolais, director of the CICE, said the new building will serve the region and the university through economic expansion industry advancement and workforce development.

“The main areas of the

center reflect the mission of Lamar University – economic development, industry collaboration, faculty and student innovation and community relations,” Latiolais said.

“The CICE is also a showcase to industry were innovations and technologies can be shared between industry and Lamar University in an agile environment that

encourages peer-to-peer and industry collaboration.

“Industry experts from around the region can interact with business innovators and faculty to

develop projects programs and products that address real needs.”

For more information, visit www.lamar.edu/ commercializationcenter.

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

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Theatre & Dance offers cultural enrichment The Lamar University Department of Theatre & Dance provides a broad education across its disciplines. Students can build strong relationships and be a part of more than just a learning experience.

“Being a part of the perform-

ing arts builds a particular skill set that can be applied to almost any discipline,” chair Golden Wright said. “As artists, we create, collaborate and work with other artists on a regular basis.”

“Students learn how to take constructive criticism or cri-

tiques and apply them on a regular basis, and they find that being an artist is about the journey and not about the destination. We provide a sound foundation for students to build a future.”

The department offers students the opportunity to experience all aspects of theatre and dance. LU students will be a part of the only program in the United States that combines theatre and dance into this kind of pre-professional program.

The students, regardless of their emphasis, take classes in acting, design and dance.

“For someone interested in pursuing acting, design, and dance, we provide a strong pro-

gram that gives you a solid background in both theatre and dance,” Wright said. “When you come in as a major, you choose one of those three tracks. Each major will refine their skills through a variety of course in that particular track taught by processionals that are currently practicing their craft.”

Wright said that students from any major would benefit from an acting class. “I can’t think of any major in which you are not going to have to get up and present your ideas, talk to a group of people or sell clients on a product,” he said. “Confidence is typically the most important thing behind qualifications. The confident person who can come

into the room and sell you on him or herself, or the product, is the person who is going to get the job.”

“We have open auditions for all of the shows in our season,” he said. “We routinely have people who are not LU students cast and perform in our productions. This builds community, enriches the productions and experiences on our stages. This is good for our students and the local community. We encourage our students to perform with local community theaters and dance companies as their schedule permits.”

For more information, like the department’s Facebook page, or call 409-880-8037.

Art, Dishman reflect international trends

Lamar University aims to introduce its students and the surrounding community to the worlds of contemporary art and professional art making through the Dishman Art Museum and the LU art department.

The Dishman offers students the opportunity to experience diverse styles that reflect international trends, and strives to appeal to all art majors, as well as other majors on campus.

Dennis Kiel, Dishman Art Museum director, said the facility tries to appeal to all majors, with exhibits that relate to engineering or nursing, speech and hearing.

“We attract people who normally wouldn’t come here, and maybe have never been here,“ he said. “We focus on all mediums, so we do exhibitions of painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography and fibers.”

The Dishman showcases student work as well, with the senior thesis exhibitions at the end of the spring and fall semesters.

The museum also shows films, hosts classes, lectures, events and competitions for

school organizations, as well as local institutions, and hosts a silent auction for Le Grand Bal, the annual fundraiser that benefits the College of Fine Arts and Communication.

LU’s Artist Common is a student organization that organizes local exhibitions and hosts special events on campus and in the community. Students do not have to be an art major to join the organization.

“The Artists’ Common manages the student organization lounge gallery in the art building,” Donna M. Meeks, art department chair, said. “These are areas of changing exhibitions throughout the year. All are welcome to hang out. It’s quiet and nice. Sometimes we have openings and movie nights.”

The department also has other groups that specialize in specific areas.

“We have the Lamar University Design Studio, and that really caters to the needs of the graphic design students, they plan activities and conference attendance, and fundraisers,” she said. “They bring in speakers on graphic design, and they

actually pick up and do pre-professional jobs for different community entities as a fundraiser.

“We have the NAEA Student Chapter, which is the National Art Education Association, and that’s where our student teachers who are learning to be art educators are getting opportunities to attend conferences and have pre-professional activities that they plan. The Texas Atomic Iron Commission, which is a statewide organization, (allows) our students participate in iron pours in different places.”

Meeks said the art department’s main focus is making sure students have pre-professional opportunities.

The art department offers courses in painting, sculpture, printmaking, graphic design, photography, ceramics, art education, drawing, art history and other studio arts. Students have access to the department’s dark room facilities, a digital printing lab, a graphic design lab, a foundry for welding and poured metal castings, and ceramics, woodworking and printmaking studios.

Meeks said the department also offers classes specifically for non-majors, including an art history minor.

“Many of our entry level courses are available to nonmajors, so if you are looking for an elective experience, you can take Photo 1, Drawing 1 and Design 1, without needing a prerequisite,” she said.

All students are encouraged to visit the Student Organization Lounge Gallery located in the atrium of the art department building.

Student sculptures stand in front of the Art Building’s SOL gallery.

“The SOL Gallery is completely reserved for student exhibitions,” Meeks said. “It’s student run and student focused. Students are welcome to come during business hours to see what’s hanging in the gallery.”

Meeks said that the visual arts are an important part of one’s education.

“I do believe art enriches our lives,” she said. “Whatever you

are going to be in life, if you take the time to participate in the arts you are going to have a richer human experience.”

For more information, visit fineartscomm.lamar.edu/dishman-art-museum.

For more information about the art department, like their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter @artlamaruni or visit, dept.lamar.edu/cofac/deptart.

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Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

Music carries school beat

Lamar University’s Mary Morgan Moore Department of Music offers a variety of performance and scholarship opportunities to all students. Students are not re-

quired to major in music to perform in the bands and choirs, but the different ensembles do have different placement assessments.

“We offer a lot of ways to be in-

volved in making music,” Eric Shannon, director of athletic bands, said. “All of our different areas, whether it be piano, percussion, opera, choir or one of our bands, are very active and give students opportunities they wouldn’t get otherwise. The main thing we want students to know is that you do not have to major in music to join our bands, choirs, or other music offerings.”

During the fall, the largest and most visible ensemble is The Showcase of Southeast Texas marching band, which is comprised of students from more than 45 majors and 84 high schools.

The marching season lasts from mid-August until mid-November, and rehearses 4 to 8 hours a week, depending on the week.

All new members in the marching band receive a $500 scholarship, which will increase every season they perform in the group, up to $1,550. The band performs at all home games and select away games. For fall 2019, the band is slated to give performances at Texas A&M, Sam Houston State, Region 10, and Mardi Gras in New Orleans in February, 2020. To join the marching band, visit www.lamar.edu/marchingband and fill out the online commitment form.

When it comes to joining an “indoor band,” Shannon said that

students go through a single ensemble placement audition for the concert bands and the Jazz Band.

This audition determines which ensemble a student will perform in and what chair they will be.

This audition takes place during the first days of the fall semester.

The Wind Ensemble is the top concert band on campus, followed by the Symphonic Band. They are conducted by Andrew McMahan, director of bands, and Shannon, respectively. During spring semesters, the band program offers a third band called the University Band, also directed by Shannon.

The top jazz band is directed by Rick Condit, director of jazz studies. The second jazz band is directed by Tim Dueppen.

Information for the audition can be found at www.lamar.edu/ bands.

Lamar University boasts two choirs — the smaller A Cappella Choir and the larger Grand Chorus. The A Cappella Choir holds one major performance each semester and makes several appearances each year throughout the community. There are 24 students in the A Cappella Choir, and membership is by audition only.

The Grand Chorus is open to all and provides students with the opportunity to perform a major choral work each semester. No audition is required to join Grand

Chorus. Contact James Han, director of choral activities at 409880-8144 for more information.

The department also offers lessons for non-music majors if there are any remaining seats in a course.

“We have other courses that non-music majors take, like flute lessons, voice lessons, piano lessons, whatever their specialty is,” Shannon said. “We love it when non-music majors participate with us — we’d like to see more non-majors use music as a way to supplement their education here at Lamar University. That’s what we’re here for. After spending hours studying, don’t you want to take a break and make music with your friends?”

Shannon said the music department is still working to grow the size of the marching band.

“It doesn’t matter what your skill level is in marching band,” he said. “You just need prior band experience. We want students to get involved and do something they will love — and they’ll love it, even if they don’t know it yet.”

Performance opportunities are plentiful in the music department and Shannon said he encourages students to participate, show spirit and “Be the music” at Lamar University.

For more information, visit www.lamar.edu/music.

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

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Center of Student Life Setzer Student Center features food court, meeting rooms, activities

One of the showpieces in the center of campus is the Setzer Student Center. The building features media rooms, a ballroom, various student organization offices and workspaces, as well as a food court and lounging areas.

There is additional outdoor seating for students to have more quiet space to come out and read a book or drink a nice cup of coffee from Starbucks, Terry Mena, dean of students, said.

Inside, to the right of the Quad entrance, is a graband-go outlet, next to the Barnes & Noble Bookstore.

The building also features a room where parents can feed their children — women may use the room to breastfeed, or men may use it to feed their children privately.

The SSC features media rooms, which students and organizations can request at no charge for meetings and events.

“On the first level, there’s about eight media rooms,” Mena said. “On the second level, there’s another six or seven more, bringing the

total number to around 16 to 18 rooms.

“Student organizations can schedule these rooms through OrgSync. They are free because the students are already paying for it through the special charge on their accounts. If there is a special event that requires a set up different than the preset, or additional audio/ visual technology, then there will be a charge.”

The building maximizes technology with outside sound equipment for student organizations, and a strong Wi-Fi connection.

The SSC food court, located in the northwest portion of the building, features Jason’s Deli, Panda Express and Chick-fil-A. “We have the food court with a lot of seating, plus there will be a seating area right outside in the courtyard,” Mena said. “In the back of the food court, (underneath the second-floor balcony) there is seating with places for students to plug in their phones.”

There is a gaming room off of the food court. Groups

can request access for tournaments and such.

“It’ll be a free gaming area where students can bring their own PlayStation or Xbox, and hook them up to the preset monitors,” Mena said.

The Student Government Association, Cardinal Activities Board, Greek Life, SSC administration, the vice president of student engagement and the office for the dean of students are on the second level.

“In addition to the offices, there is a student organization workspace that has at least five rows of work stations with computer terminals and phone lines for student organizations to utilize,” Mena said. “There are also lockers lining the walls which students can rent for their organizations, and a storage room for organizations to store materials.”

Mena said that the Setzer Student Center serves as a hub for student life and activity on campus that provides students with an optimal space to relax and get involved.

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Summer 2019 • UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE

College experience provides growth, independence, future quality of life Now is the time of year when millions of students are doing the same thing you are: preparing for fall classes. College Orientation, for many students, is the culmination of several months, or even years, of planning with so many hopes and high expectations pinned to the college experience.

The college experience has always been more than just going to classes and earning a grade. It has always been about being exposed to new things and new people.

In short, the experience is about — experiences. It’s a time for checking out new groups and new interests, trying things that have always piqued your interests. College is the first time many of us will go outside the bubbles of our little world.

That being said, most of us are here because a college degree is highly desired and highly valued in the workplace and for our careers.

College graduates, on average, earned 56 percent more than high school grads in 2017, according to data compiled by the Economic Policy Institute.

That was up from 51 percent in 1999 and is the largest such gap in EPI’s figures dating to 1973.

Additionally, EPI found college graduates were unemployed at half the rate of non-degree workers from 19992017.

College grads have long enjoyed economic advantages over Americans with less education. But as the disparity widens, it is doing so in ways that go beyond income, from homeownership to marriage to retirement.

Education has become a di-

College graduates, on average, earned 56 percent more than high school graduates in 2017.

— from the Economic Policy Institute

viding line that affects how Americans vote, the likelihood that they will own a home and their geographic mobility, according to the Pew Research Center’s annual report on social and demographic trends.

The decision to attend college is one of the biggest decisions a family can make — one that will have life-changing implications. When trying to decide about this important, and expensive, decision, the question ultimately comes down to this: what is the purpose of a college education?

If you believe, as many do, that the sole purpose of higher education is to prepare you for a career in your chosen field, then your choice is clear: find the Lamar University program that will best prepare you for that career.

But wait, you say, shouldn’t I try to get into Stanford or Harvard? Won’t I get a better education and, therefore, have a

Looking to

better career?

Maybe. Maybe not.

You will discover that most prospective employers aren’t impressed with a fancy name on the diploma. They only care that you have a degree — and at first, your work performance. It will be that and character on the job that matters to them.

Lamar offers a number of programs for academic course counseling, career guidance, networking opportunities and academic support services to assist students in meeting their educational goals.

A university education is also about so much more than preparing you for your chosen career. College is a time of personal and spiritual growth, too — it is where lifelong friends are found and values are embedded.

It is vital that students and their parents think about these ideas at least as much as they do the academic part of the equation.

Take control of your education and future, and begin your professional network if you haven’t already. Start by finding out what your instructors are like. Faculty members, especially those in your chosen field, can have a huge influence on your studies and experience.

You can find out what they’ve published, what courses they teach, and which books they require for those courses.

You can find much of this information on the faculty member’s page in the university’ directory or on the departmental web pages.

Second, find out what campus life is like. What sorts of clubs and organizations are there? What is dorm life like?

What fraternities and sororities are all about?

The Cardinal Activities Board sponsors and hosts- numerous events each semester and it’s easy to get involved.

Follow official Lamar University social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and, as always, check the University Press website for news at www. lamaruniversitypress.com.

Students wishing to join an on-campus organization can eliminate the paper trail and any possible confusion by visiting OrgSync.com, Lamar University’s campus information management system, through the student portal.

OrgSync is designed to centralize campus involvement. It allows 24/7 access to informa-

tion about student organizations, as well as a calendar reminding students of upcoming campus and community events.

Forms for award applications and leadership events are also available on the website.

OrgSync provides a link to every student organization on campus. If students are unable to attend a meeting, they can access any information that they may have missed, as each organization can post their minutes from each meeting. There is also a function that enables the organization’s leader to send a mass text to all the members.

A college education takes place as much outside the walls of the classroom as inside.

But it is up to you to be the best Cardinal you can be.

MAKE A DIF FFERENCE? Join our LU SOCIA AL WORK DEGREE PROGRAM Graduates work in:

• Hospitals and Healthcare • Military Agencies • Private Practice • Child Welfare • Schools • Mental Healtth • Substance Abuse • Criminal Justtice & Reform • Community Development CAN BE LICENSED UPON GRADUATION

Contact us: socialwork@lamar.edu Dr. Gummelt, Director (409) 880-8568 lamar.edu/socialwork

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STAR Services support student success

Starting college is an exciting new journey and as with any endeavor, guidance is key to reaching goals and aspirations.

Lamar University understands the importance of providing support for students to attain their college degrees and offers a variety of programs to help students succeed.

“The mission of STAR Services is to assist students in reaching their academic, personal, and professional goals,”

director Rachel Hoover said.

“We connect students with experienced peers, faculty and staff who guide them in growing their skills to succeed at Lamar University.”

Student Tutoring And Retention (STAR) Services provides sustained support, guidance, resources, and information to help students achieve their educational and lifelong ambitions.

“Over 1,500 students used one of our many resources last

fall alone, including tutoring, academic coaching, group sessions, peer and professional mentoring, and workshops,” Hoover, said. “We support a diverse group of learners, and, overwhelmingly, students report that they would utilize our services again or would refer a friend.”

STAR Services provides support for undergraduate Lamar University students through a variety of programs, including

Positive peer pressure promotes ‘Healthy Cards’ Lamar University’s peer education program, ‘Healthy Cards,’ was founded on the idea that students can be highly effective in educating their peers, by influencing their attitudes and beliefs, especially concerning health related issues.

“It’s actually something that’s done in lots of universities across the country,” Marie Murray, health education specialist, said. “I am only one health educator, so the idea is to have students teaching students because they can cover more ground and reach more of the student population and have greater impact, even if it’s just through word of mouth.”

Lamar’s “Healthy Cards” develop and present educational programs to the campus community on a variety of topics such as alcohol awareness, substance abuse, sexual responsi-

bility, STDs, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and a variety of other topics relevant to Lamar students.

Members of “Healthy Cards” serve their fellow students by developing relationships with their peers while exemplifying leadership in program development and implementation and effective dissemination of information in formal and informal interaction.

“The power is in the packaging of the message,” Murray said. “Having peers present pertinent health information has more credibility with students, as they are more likely to listen to their friends and feel freer to ask questions.”

Students are required to go through an application and interview process, and once hired must complete a certification course and attend weekly train-

ing, as well as attend leadership conferences to qualify as peer education counselors.

The application process is open to anyone on Lamar and LIT campuses because the Student Health Center serves both campuses and Murray said they want to serve the entire Lamar community.

“What we’re looking for is not necessarily a background in health,” she said. “We are looking for people skills and presentation skills because peer educators need to be able to discuss sensitive issues in a non-judgmental way.”

Students who are interested in becoming peer educators should go to the Health Center’s website at lamar.edu/ healthcenter for applications and information or call the Lamar Student Health Center at 409-880-8466.

individual tutoring, coursebased group learning sessions, The Academic Success Conference, the workshop series, REDtalks, Cardinal Communities, and the LU Success academic coaching program.

“Working as an LU Success Partner allows me to work with and essentially coach students on campus to help them excel academically and find their niche at Lamar,” Omar Hamza, sophomore chemistry/pre-med major, said. “The satisfaction of watching my students progress into leaders is absolutely priceless, and I hope to continue learning from and helping students throughout my time at Lamar.”

STAR Services also offers individual, group and walk-in tutoring for most undergraduate subjects on the first floor of Gray Library.

“I tutor because I like being able to help people with things they have been struggling with,” Rachel Millwater, who tutors mechanical engineering and math, said. “I like seeing people have an epiphany when something clicks for them.”

Through Cardinal Communities, students are grouped together according to major or interest and have weekly access to peer and professional mentors.

“Working as a peer mentor for Cardinal Communities is one of the most fulfilling jobs that I have ever had,” peer mentor Brandi Anderson said. “Seeing freshmen make friends and become comfortable here at Lamar is amazing to watch and be a part of.”

Students can get connected with STAR Services through Week of Welcome events, including the Academic Success Conference that will be offered on Aug. 24, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Through workshops and activities, students will connect with fellow students, faculty, and staff, and learn strategies for college success.

Students are also invited to visit The LU Tutoring Center to meet the staff and set up appointments. Students can also request a tutoring or academic coaching session or register for the Academic Success Conference through the STAR Services website at lamar.edu/stars.

“Students who utilize our programs make important connections and earn higher grades than students who do not use our programs,” Hoover said.

STAR Services programs are provided at no additional charge to all Lamar students.

For more information, call 409-880-7201 or visit lamar.edu/stars.

‘Cardinal Communities’ leads students on path to success Cardinal Communities (CCs) is a learning program new program that was launched in 2017 and has served more than two thousand students since its inception. Student feedback from the program shows that 90 percent of its students would recommend the program to their friends (44% response rate).

Celine Hodge, assistant director of quality enhancement program, said the main goal of the program is to get new students acquainted with each other and the university.

“We have Cardinal Communities that are major based and others that are theme or interest based,” Hodge said.

“The structure of the community is about 20 students or less. We have a faculty or staff mentor for each community and we also have a peer mentor.”

The community requirements are that students meet once a week with their mentors for an hour and to take one or two classes together.

“We have a few different models,” Hodge said. “If the community is major based, we offer options such as a single course all the way up to a full block schedule. The theme-based communities have the chance to engage in a civic service as a group. The living learning communities live in the same dorm hallway. Through all these different social practices, students have the ability to connect while learning about the world and one’s place in it.”

Hodge said the program mainly reaches out to freshman and transfer students, but can make an impact that lasts through senior year.

“I know a lot of students will be afraid to join,” she said.

“Don’t be afraid. You will measure the payoff of being in a Cardinal Community extremely quickly. You will be able to network with like-minded students, faculty and other students that have been in your shoes.”

For more information visit lamar.edu/cardinalcommunities. More information can also be found on their Instagram page, lucardinalcommunity.

Disability Resource Center advocates, accommodates

VA office aims to serve

The office of Veterans Affairs is a unit of Lamar University’s Division of Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Intercultural Affairs.

The Veterans Affairs office assists all students attending Lamar University using education benefits under the Department of Veterans Affairs Educational Assistance Programs and Texas Hazlewood Exemption Act in the pursuit of bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees. Its goal is to provide the pertinent information re-

quired to all VA students attending Lamar University.

Veterans are afforded the same rights and must meet all academic requirements, and maintain the same academic standards as any student attending Lamar University.

The office is located in 101 Wimberly Building. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

For more information, call 409-880-7198, or email va@lamar.edu.

Lamar University and the Disability Resource Center is committed to supporting students with disabilities through the appropriate use of advocacy, accommodations, and supportive services to ensure inclusive access to campus courses, services and activities. If you have a disability or know of someone who might have a disability and could possibly benefit from our resources please feel free to stop by our office. Everything is confidential and we look forward to speaking with you.

The Disability Resource Center is a unit in the Division of Global Diversity, Inclusion, & Intercultural Affairs and is located in the Communications Building Office 105.

For more information, call 409-880-8347, or email DRC@lamar.edu.

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Gray Library fits all study needs Lamar University’s Mary and John Gray Library is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. until 11:45 p.m. It opens Friday at 7:30 a.m. and closes at 5:45 p.m. Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and Sunday hours are 2 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.

STACKS The library has almost a million volumes available in print.

“The library stacks are where we have a majority of collections arranged by the Library of Congress by classification number,” Karen Nichols, coordinator of reference services, said. Nichols said the books are grouped into broad subject areas. The third floor is the first floor with stacks, and they go all the way up to the fifth floor. There are posts on each floor with the break-down of call numbers.

“So, if a student is looking for U.S. History, it will be in the E’s

on the third floor, and there they will find books around it that discuss Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. It lends itself to browsing the shelf,” Nichols said. The stacks also have bound journals and magazines.

REFERENCES There is a reference area in room 105 on the first floor of the library, where a reference librarian is available to help locate a book or article, and to help students with research for a paper.

There are also librarians available through instant messaging. Simply visit the library homepage at library.lamar.edu under “Ask A Librarian.”

can request a particular item from the reserve desk on the second floor. The library will then locate another library that has the requested item.

“Typically, turnaround for Interlibrary Loan is 24 to 48 hours for articles and three to five days for books,” Nichols said.

BASIC LIBRARY INFO The circulation desk is cur-

rently located in the lobby of the library but due to the addition of a full-service Starbucks, which is projected to open during the fall semester, the circulation desk will be moved into the area behind the computers on the first floor. The first floor printers will be moved to the left.

To get on any library computer or to log on to the print server, students must know their LEA

username and password. Students are allowed to check out a maximum of 25 books, and each checkout period lasts three weeks.

Students can check out books at the circulation desk in the lobby of the first floor, and they must have a Lamar ID. Books can be renewed online.

For more information, contact the reference desk at 409-8807264.

INTERLIBRARY LOANS Interlibrary loans is a service offered when the library does not have an item that is needed for research. Available online through the library’s home page, students

A full Starbucks coffee bar is located in Gray Library’s lobby where students can relax and enjoy a beverage and a snack while studying.

Writing Center locations help students develop skills

Lamar University’s Writing Centers guide students through the writing process.

Their services include brainstorming, organizing, content revising, grammar usage and editing.

“Anybody can come to the Writing Center, regardlesss of major or classification, “Marianne LaChance, Writing Center tutor, said. “The Writing Center helps students of all writing levels.”

LaChance said that the Writing Center can help students on assignments from a variety of courses, not just English classes.

“A common misconception about the Writing Center is that you have to have a completed paper,” she said. “Although we can look at your completed paper, but we can also help with brainstorming.”

Students should not be discouraged from coming to the Writing Center by the mindset

that they are bad writers, DJ Alexander, Writing Center tutor said.

“A lot of people come to the Writing Center and tell us that they are bad writers,’” DJ Alexander, Writing Center tutor said. “Our goal is to encourage writers of all levels to keep a positive mindset and continue to further their writing skills through the use of the Writing Center.”

Students can receive up to three hours of tutoring each week, either by walk-in or making an appointment online. Appointments can be made for 30 minutes or an hour, with an hour being the maximum the Writing Center can do in one day.

Online tutoring is offered through Blackboard for students unable to meet in person.

The Writing Center has two locations, one location on the first floor of Gray Library and

one on the main floor of Morris Hall.

The Writing Center in Gray Library is open Monday

through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, call

409-880-8571 or 409-8807344, or contact Jennifer Ravey, Writing Center director, at jennifer.ravey@lamar .edu.

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Career Center assists professional development The Center for Career and Professional Development provides students with many opportunities to develop their personal brand and guide their journey along their chosen career path.

“Oftentimes, students do not think about utilizing our services until their last few semesters or shortly before graduation — we really want to see students earlier in their college experience,” director Jocelyn Robbins said. “The center has dedicated career consultants available to meet with students to discuss career options and industry trends to guide students on a path to success.”

Students arriving to campus unsure of their major, or those that have maybe started coursework in a major and are now thinking of switching majors, benefit from our career assessment tools. Career consultants will assist students in exploring potential career opportunities and discuss academic matches to these opportunities. Other services that the center provides are résumé and cover letter critiques and mock interviews.

“The majority of students that I meet with need interview assistance,” Haley Tyson, senior assistant director, said. “It’s an area where many people are deficient.

Mock interviews are a great way to practice and get feedback. In-

terviewing is a skill like anything else, ‘Practice makes perfect,’ we’re here to help.”

The center works throughout the year to organize and plan events for students to have the opportunity to network with employers, Robbins said. Career fairs are held in the fall and spring semesters, but there are other events students should consider attending. Coffee and Connect is an event held each semester which provides students the opportunity to practice their networking skills and receive feedback from attending employers. While the intent is skill development, job offers have been received in the past.

Students interested in searching for employment, including part-time, full-time, internship and co-op opportunities should check out Handshake, a free database which allows employers to post positions to Lamar students and alumni. Students can log in and utilize search features to identify internship and job opportunities, and set up alerts as positions matching their criteria are posted.

“Students can connect to opportunities across the globe from over 300,000 employers, including all Fortune 500 companies,” Angie Thomas, associate director, said.

Tyson said sometimes students just need a little bit of guidance.

“Getting started with us early is critical,” she said. “Your future is not something that is forged overnight. We should be a part of the process from the beginning.

From career exploration to internships and job search, we can assist students with building confidence to ensure they are prepared and successful when seeking their future professions.”

The Center for Career and Professional Development is located

in 102 Galloway Business Building.

For more information, call 409-880-8878, or visit lamar.edu/careers. The center can be found on LinkedIn and followed on social media, @LamarUnivCPD.

Academic Success Plan offers variety of resources Lamar University has an admissions opportunity for students who do not fully meet the criteria for unconditional university admission.

“We recognize that standardized test scores aren’t always the best indicators of students’ abilities,” Daniel Bartlett, interim executive director of student success, said. “If students submit an SAT score of 880 or higher, or an ACT score of 17 or higher, then LU wants to give them a chance to succeed.”

Bartlett said that the univer-

sity will present students an Academic Success Plan. Students will work with their academic advisors to identify goals and strategies for success.

“We encourage students to meet regularly with advisors and faculty,” he said. “We’ll help you identify resources that can help.

“This is a great opportunity.

We want students to truly embrace that and understand what it means. Students themselves have to take responsibility for their academic work.”

Students who enroll on the

conditional admission Success Plan must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA within their first academic year in order to continue enrollment at LU. “We want students to be successful,” Bartlett said. “This offers a chance to students who really want to come to Lamar and make the most of their university experience. We have resources and people who care and genuinely want to help.

“We want students to take that opportunity and make the most of it.”

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

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Reporting History ‘S’Park’ of campus journalism kept ‘UP’ for 95 years From The S’Park Plug to the University Press, Lamar’s student newspaper is still hitting on all cylinders after 93 years of publication. Some of those years, it has hit on four, some on eight, and, in recent years, perhaps even 12. But some years, especially during the Great Depression, it was lucky to be hitting on two.

When South Park College, now Lamar University, began in 1923, a Student Publications Board was appointed to study the “wishes and abilities” of the students and the need for a student newspaper. The committee decided that, indeed, the school needed a newspaper. The committee and the student body thought its title should be a namesake for the college, and, consequently, they came up with the contraction for South Park and the word “Plug” to indicate action — hence, The S’Park Plug. Elery Holland was named the first editor. The staff managed to publish four issues for 1923-24, quite an accomplishment for a fledgling little school. E.C. Brodie, an English professor, served as the first faculty adviser.

The Board also decided the school needed a yearbook and named it The Navigator.

During the Flapper era and before the collapse of the Stock Market on Oct. 28 and 29, 1929, student publications flourished. But during the 1930s, money was hard to come by. The newspaper, which was renamed the Lamar Cardinal in 1933, did manage to keep going, but staffs were not able to bring out issues on a regular basis.

The newspaper was renamed The Redbird in 1940, but during World War II, newsprint and staffing were not available, so the newspaper suspended publication for what Americans called “The Duration.”

In 1946, however, the Depression and World War II were over, and Student Publications got back to normal. The newspaper started publishing an edition every other week, and The Navigator started appearing every year. These changes were made to try to establish a separate identity for the college from the South Park school district, which had been its parent.

By the mid-1950s, The Redbird was publishing weekly.

When Lamar gained university status in 1971, the student body voted to change the name of the newspaper to the University Press to give the newspaper an identity correlating with the school’s new status. The name was chosen by then editor Julian Galiano. The Julian M. Galiano Memorial scholarship was created in 2016 to award students pursuing journalism careers.

In 1976-77, the UP, as it is popularly called, began publishing twice weekly — every Wednesday and Friday.

From 1976 until 1985, the University Press published a slick magazine, also named Cardinal. The publication won every award given to magazines by the Southwestern Journalism Congress and the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, including sweepstakes (highest points scored by any magazine) for six of its nine years in existence. Again, in 1985, a financial crunch hit the Golden Triangle owing to falling oil prices and Student Publications cut costs by canceling the expensive slick. Later, a newspaper magazine called UPbeat was started as a supplement, more in keeping with today’s trends.

In the meantime, the University Press has grown into one of Lamar’s showpieces. It is the largest student-run business on campus, and it has become one of the most respected student newspapers in the country. Since 1977, the University Press and its magazines have garnered more than 1,200 awards, including first place for Best Non-Daily Student Newspaper in 1994 and 2005 from The Associated Press Managing Editors of Texas and first places in many other competitions.

The UP has averaged almost 30 awards a year in those 40 years. The newspaper staff competes yearly in multiple student and professional organization competitions including the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association, the Press Club of Southeast Texas, the Houston-area chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and others, regularly earning awards against seasoned professional journalists.

The staff consistently attracts some of the best students on campus and is open to students from all majors. These staffers have gone on to become leaders in the media industry, including the staffs of all three dailies in the Golden Triangle, teachers of journalism in most of the Golden Triangle high schools, CNN, Turner Broadcasting, The Associated Press, the Houston Chronicle, the Dallas Morning News, editors of in-house publications, heads of advertising agencies, and the list goes on.

The UP also consistently attracts one of the most diversified staffs, both ethnically and culturally, of any organization on campus. In addition, international students have been represented on staff over the years from countries that include, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Sweden, England, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Australia, Vietnam, Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, India, France, Cuba, Pakistan, Iran, Zimbabwe and Thailand.

Howard Perkins was director of student publications from September 1976 to May 2011. He served as president, vice president, scholarship chairman, and adviser-of-theyear chairman for the Texas Intercollegiate Press Association. He was elected Adviser-ofthe-Year by that organization in 1979 — a lifetime award.

In 2011, the Howard A. Perkins Scholarship was created and is awarded to the editor each year.

Director Andy Coughlan has been with the UP for 25 years, first as assistant director and as director since 2013. Stephan Malick, a former UP editor with 18 years of journalism education under his belt, returned to the UP in 2015 as assistant director.

The editor for 2019-20 is Olivia Malick, Beaumont junior.

“Working at the University Press has been by far the best part of my college experience,” Malick said. “The skills that you learn and the

opportunities that you are given here are priceless. You learn how to work in a real newsroom by producing real content. We are in an interesting era of news — it’s fascinating to be a part of.”

Although the name “S’Park Plug” died many years ago, it remains apropos in describing the tradition that students have continued in making the UP something of which the University is quite proud.

The press gives students the opportunity to have their voices heard.

Every writer here is a part of Lamar history — there’s a chance to make a real difference on this campus.

— Olivia Malick 2019-20 editor

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Global Classroom Study Abroad program fosters cultural awareness, growth

Incoming students have many opportunities to enhance their education and receive scholarships through experience and travel with the Lamar University Study Abroad program, available to all interested students.

“I think that Lamar University, in the past six years, has grown dramatically in the field of international education,” Kyungsik Irene Shim, director of international engagement and study abroad, said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, but I think that Lamar has successfully got through the first stage of international awareness or internationalization. For a smaller university, it has done a great job.”

Students seeking information can visit the study abroad office in John Gray Center, 108 Herman Iles Building A, or on the web by searching Global

England

Lamar, which will link students to the study abroad social media pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

There are Lamar University study abroad scholarships/ grants available to students. All students have access to funding resources, such as the Study Abroad Fee Grant, so they should be taking advantage of the opportunities.

All full-time students in good academic standing who will be going on an LU program for academic credit can receive the Study Abroad Fee Grant.

Additional scholarships are available for study abroad, including the Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarship, which many Lamar University students have received in the past and there are around 20 scholarships listed on the office of study abroad’s website.

For details on more than 20 other scholarships offered through Study Abroad, visit the scholarship page on their website lamar.edu/study abroad.

“In the 2017-2018 academic year, LU sent 130 students on study abroad programs,” Shim said. “One of the things I like to encourage students (to do) is to look at a study abroad in their early years in college. If they wait until they are a junior or senior, then it is much harder to incorporate a program that fits their need.”

Students who want a longer experience studying abroad have several partner institutions from which to choose.

With these exchange partners, Lamar students pay tuition and fees to Lamar University, but take their classes overseas in English for a semester or an academic year.

Chungnam National University and Seoul National Uni-

Japan versity of Science and Technology in Korea are for students in STEM fields. ESC Rennes School of Business is an international business school in Rennes, France. Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Germany, is for communications and political science majors.

“The perception of study abroad, for some students, is traveling instead of an educational investment,” Shim said.

“This skill and professional attitude from interacting with people from different cultures will become a part of you, and gives the student a valuable tool for success in the workplace.”

For more information, like the study abroad Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Youtube channels at Global Lamar, call 880-7013, or visit, lamar.edu/studyabroad.

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The Montagne Center holds more than 10,000 fans for Cardinal and Lady Cardinal basketball.

LAMAR CARDINAL SPORTS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Lady Cardinals are led by head coach Aqua Franklin, who will begin her first season with the team in fall. Lady Cards finished their 2019 season under former head coach Robin Harmony 24-7 (17-1 in Southland Conference). LU won a Southland Conference regular-season title for the second time, making it to the tournament for the fourth year in a row before losing to University of South Alabama in the semifinals. The Lady Cardinals posted a home record of 14-1 and finished with the best conference RPI record of 63.

MEN’S BASKETBALL The men’s basketball team finished their 2019 campaign 20-13 and 12-6 in conference. Head coach Tic Price will be entering his sixth season with the Cards.

The Cardinals also received a spot in the Southland tournament before falling to s in the first round.

VOLLEYBALL LU volleyball team is coached by interim head coach Michelle Kuester, her second year as a head coach. LU finished the season 7-20 overall and 4-12 in conference. The Lady Cards announced three new players for the 2019 roster — Kaitlyn Gil from Port Neches-Groves High School in Port Neches, Malaysia Murdock from Mansfield Legacy High School in Mansfield and Trinity Sanders from Hendrickson High School in Pflugerville.

FOOTBALL LU head coach Mike Schultz finished his second season 7-5 overall and 6-3 in conference after falling to Northern Iowa.

The football team finished third overall in the Southland Conference. Offensive Lineman senior Garrett Bowery was named SLC Offensive Lineman of the Year and Defensive end senior Dedrick Garner was named Honorable Mention All-SLC. TRACK/X-COUNTRY The men’s and women’s track and

cross-country teams are led by coach Trey Clark. In 2019 eight Cardinals received medals in the Southland Conference Tournament with the women’s team finishing in ninth and the men’s fini overall.

Five students succeeded to the NCAA Prelims — junior Jordan Rowe, junior Javon McCray, senior Matthew Arnold, sophomore Webster Slaughter and sophomore Migle Muraskaite. Muraskaite is the sole female student-athlete competing for Lamar at the West Pre-Lims. Senior sprinter/jumper Thai Williams was names NSCA Strength and Conditioning All-American as well as female strength and conditioning athlete of the year.

BASEBALL In 2019, Lamar finished 18-36 and 921 SLC. The Cardinals got off to a strong start after winning three straight games in their opening tournament against LIU Brooklyn, but fell to Tulane in a doubleheader.

SOFTBALL The Lady Cardinals finished their 2019 season 23-34 overall, 14-13 in conference under head coach Amy Hooks. Junior Jade Lewis was named SLC Newcomer of the Year and First Team honors, junior Shannon Klaus was named Second Team and Shaina Amir was named Honorable Mention All-SLC honors.

WOMEN’S GOLF The Lady Cardinals golf team earned a fourth-place finish at the Southland Conference Championship for the third consecutive season under head coach Jessica Steward. Senior Elodie Chapelet earned SLC All-Academic team honors for the second consecutive season. Sophomore Carson Racich was named SLC Newcomer of the Year, Chapelet earned First Team AllSLC honors, and Racich, junior Eva Martinez and freshman Laura Pasalodos-Barcelo all earned Honorable Mention All-SLC. MEN’S GOLF The men’s golf team is led by head coach

Jessie Mudd, who joined the school in 2015. The team advanced to the Southland Conference Tournament for the fourth time finishing second at the SLC Championship. Junior Cody Banach, freshman Hugo Hellman and freshman Kevin Lee each earned honors for Lamar. Banach and Hellman earned second team honors while Lee earned third team honors. Banach, along with senior Sam Dumez and sophomore Nikolai Schaffrath earned Second Team SLC All-Academic honors.

SOCCER Head coach Steve Holeman led his team to 12-6-2 overall and 7-2-2 in conference.

Senior Kelso Peskin garnered United States Coaches All-Midwest Region honors for the second time and earned Third Team All-Midwest Region honors. She also earned first team all-conference honors for the second time in as many years. Senior Juliana Ocampo and sophomore Lucy Ashworth were named to the Southland Conference All-Academic First Team. The team also announced five new players for the 2019 roster — Meg Sheppard from Nederland High School in Nederland, Paloma Martinez from Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School in Beaumont, Wasila Diwura from Navarro College in Corsicana, Kaisa Juvonen from Tampere Sports Academy in Tampere, Finland and Chamelle Wiltshire from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.

TENNIS The men’s tennis team finished 6-18 overall and 1-4 in SLC. LU made it to the Southland Conference Tournament under head coach Scott Shankles. Sophomore Carlos Paton Canal was named first-team All-Southland Conference. Sophomore Nicholas Mayr and freshman Joshua Taylor were both named second-team. Paton Canal and Mayr were also named 2019 Academic All-Southland Conference team.

The women’s team finished 8-14 overall and 5-6 in conference under head coach David Wong. The Lady Cardinals advanced to the Southland Conference Championships before falling to Abilene Christian.

Lamar Softball Complex Vincent-Beck Stadium The home of Lamar University baseball since 1969, Vincent-Beck Stadium was originally named Cardinal Field. The facility was renamed in 1981 to honor Al Vincent and Bryan Beck. Seating capacity is 3,500.

Vincent was a former professional player and manager in the Texas League. He served 16 years as a special assistant coach at Lamar, ending his tenure in 1989. He was inducted into the Cardinals Hall of Honor in 1980.

Beck is a former member of the Lamar University System Board of Regents.

The park is symmetrical with the distances to the outfield fence being 325 feet to the corners, 380 feet to centerfield, and 370 in the power alleys.

Vincent-Beck has played host to the Beaumont Golden Gators and Bullfrogs (professional baseball) and the Junior Olympic Baseball Super Series for 1992 and 1993.

The Stadium played host to the 2001 and 2002 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament. The Cardinals used the home field advantage in 2002 by winning the tournament championship and advancing to the NCAA Regional in Austin.

The Lamar Softball Complex, built in 2014-15 is located next to the Lamar Soccer Complex. The stadium features permanent seating for 467 fans, including 150 chair back seats. The stadium also features a grass berm located behind the outfield fence. which extends from the left field line to mid right center field. The stadium also features covered seating, field lighting, bullpens, dugouts, a press box, a covered hitting area, and an electronic scoreboard.

Thompson Family Tennis Center The "Thompson Family Tennis Center," named for Jennifer (Hebert) and Greg Thompson, includes a pro shop and a stateof-the art electronic scoreboard capable of keeping scores remotely for up to six matches at once. In addition to serving as home to the Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs, the facility is open to the entire Lamar University community and has 16 courts in all, with five stadium courts.

Provost Umphrey Stadium

When the Lamar University Cardinals returned to the gridiron, it was, in large part, thanks to the generosity of donors like Walter Umphrey and his partners at Provost Umphrey law firm. In recognition of a $3 million gift from the Beaumontbased law firm and an additional $1 million gift from Walter Umphrey and his wife Sheila, the renovated Cardinal Stadium was renamed Provost Umphrey Stadium.

The renovated stadium features all new bench and chair-back seating, new restroom and concession facilities, a new concourse area, and increased handicapaccessible seating areas. In addition, the installation of new lighting and a Matrix field turf playing surface provides a stateof-the art venue that will not only hold up to challenging weather conditions, but also allow the stadium to be a multi-use facility.

Furthermore, thanks to a $1 million contribution from Education First Federal Credit Union, Provost Umphrey Stadium features a state-of-the-art, video-integrated scoreboard. The video board offers complete flexibility, with the capability to show one large single video image, multiple video images, and a combination of live or recorded video with real time scores and stats, out-of-town game information, sponsors’ messages, graphics and animation.

The stadium’s capacity is 16,600.

Montagne Center The Montagne Center, which opened in 1984, is a showplace for Lamar University.

Designed especially for the basketball program, the 10,080-seat arena serves the university’s needs in various ways.

In addition to housing most of the athletic staff, the facility is used for concerts, commencements, banquets and other large-audience events. All continuing education classes and some physical education classes are also held in the center.

The largest, single-construction item in the 80-plus year history of Lamar, the Montagne Center was built in just 18 months (from June 20, 1983 through November 1984). The facility originally seated 8,000, but capacity was expanded in 1985. It is located on MLK Parkway, just across from the main campus.

In addition to offices, rooms and the main playing court, other features include two perimeter courts, a VIP room, the Cardinal Club Room, a players’ lounge, a study hall and a scoreboard complete with a message center.

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Recreational Sports, housed in the state-of-the-art Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center, offers students an opportunity for fitness and social interaction.

Rec Sports aims to get students involved The Sheila Umphrey Recreational Sports Center offers multiple outlets for students to participate in recreational sports activities, facilities, programs, and services.

“The building has many amenities,” Art Simpson, director of recreational sports, said. “We have multiple racquetball courts, and basketball courts, badminton, an indoor soccer arena, free

weights, cardio equipment, weight machines, an interactive piece of equipment called the Octagon, a climbing wall and a group fitness room.

“In the fall, we plan to have 20 to 25 group fitness classes offered for any of the students. We have Zumba, kickboxing, power yoga, belly dancing, and cycling classes.”

In a typical week, the facility is open

from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

The center also houses a food court, where students can buy sandwiches, chicken wraps and smoothies. There’s a lounge area, with games such as billiards, air hockey and an outside patio area where s’mores are served once a week.

Not only does Rec Sports provide an assortment of workout equipment, but it also provides intramural sports for those looking to be a part of a team.

“We’re going to have flag-football, volleyball and indoor soccer,” Jason Harrington, intramurals and sport clubs coordinator, said. “We’re bringing back cricket, and we’ll do Archery tag.

“Just get engaged. The Rec Center is a great place to meet people and relieve some stress. You should definitely stay active, and this is a great place for it.”

The Recreational Sports Center is located at 4405 Jimmy Simmons Blvd.

For more information, visit www.lamar.edu/students/student-engagement/recreational-sports, or call 880-2306.

UNIVERSITY PRESS ORIENTATION ISSUE • Summer 2019

Lamar University’s Alma Mater

Lamar, to thee we’re singing.

Voices raised on high.

We will forever love thee, Laud thee to the skies.

We will ever need thee As our guiding star.

To us, you’ll always be Our glorious Lamar.

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‘Lamar, to thee we’re singing’ Math professor’s ‘Smartt’ contribution lives on in alma mater Whenever Lamar University holds an event, students, faculty and staff take a moment to sing the school’s alma mater.

But few know the story of the man behind the song.

Gilbert Rhodes Smartt was a math professor, who wrote and composed Lamar’s school song.

The school was opened in September of 1923 as South Park Junior College. In 1940, the French, Beaumont and South Park school districts voted in a city-wide election to jointly form the Lamar Union Junior College District.

After World War II, a movement was started to make Lamar a four-year, state-supported college.

In 1949, a bill was passed to create Lamar State College of Technology.

Lamar became a four-year college in 1951. John Gray, Lamar’s president at the time, decided that the school needed an alma mater, so he went to Smartt.

Smartt, who had no formal musical training, agreed to write the song. His wife, Kathryn, assisted him in the composition.

“He didn’t have a music education,” she said, “but he was very musical. He just had a talent for that.”

Smartt, shortly after composing the song, was killed by a drunken driver while on his way to Dallas.

He was 38 years old. He and Kathryn had two sons, who were 5 and 9 at the time of his death.

In 1955, Kathryn married Cleo Creamer of Beaumont. Smartt and Kathryn, both of whom grew up in Tennessee, worked as a musical team in constructing the piece. He wrote and sang lyrics while she composed and played the piano accompaniment.

“We both came from very musi-

Gilbert Rhodes Smartt

cal families,” she said.

She had a strong musical background, majoring in music and working as a piano teacher. She was a longtime pianist at the First United Methodist Church in downtown Beaumont.

She said it did not take them long to write the song. When Smartt, who sang with the Esquires, a Beaumont singing group, and in the first United Methodist Church choir, presented the work to the board, board members agreed to use the song as Lamar’s alma mater.

Kathryn said Smartt had several other songs published, although he never envisioned music as a profession.

“He just enjoyed writing music,” she said. “He wasn’t that interested in a music career.”

During World War II, Smartt worked at a shipyard in Orange, building ships to replace those destroyed by Japanese forces. After

the war, he came to Lamar to teach.

Mrs. Creamer said Smartt, who started teaching when he was 17 and still in school, was as gifted in teaching as he was in music.

“He was a perfect teacher,” she said. “He never looked down on kids who had trouble in math.”

She said Smartt’s patience with frustrated students was especially important after the war when many young men were just returning from overseas and attending classes on the GI Bill.

Smartt’s patience also kept him busy with projects that many people might avoid. One of his favorite activities while a student at the University of Texas was working on a math problem that had never been solved.

“He loved the challenge of it,” she said. “I still don’t think anyone has solved that math problem.”

Mrs. Creamer said Smartt’s advice helped her support herself and her two boys after his death.

“I am so thankful to him for making me finish my education,” Mrs. Creamer said.

“He made sure I finished school.

That was very important after he died because I had to make a living.”

She taught third grade in the Beaumont Independent School District for 16 years before accepting a teaching position at a school for the deaf in Beaumont, where she taught for eight years.

She said both of her sons, Dan, the older of two, and Bill, inherited Smartt’s natural musical talent as well as his love for music.

Smart’s contribution to Lamar lives on in every voice that sings the alma mater.

— This story is from the University Press archive.

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