Category Archives: A&M

NSLS Dinner on November 12

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The TAMU-T Chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success is hosting a social event November 12, 2019 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm in the Tri-State Iron and Metal Atrium. All current and new members are welcome to attend to get to know each other and share their goals.  TAMU-T NSLS now has around 260 campus members.

NSLS believes that people can accomplish more together than they would achieve alone. They encourage success-oriented individuals to come together to help one another succeed. Phillip Derouen, the NSLS Chapter President, will officiate the event which will include helpful information from successful speakers. Dr. Kevin Ells will give a presentation on what it takes to be a good leader. NSLS members Bethany Melton and Matthew Edwards will also be on hand to share their success stories and tell why they joined NSLS and how it has helped them.

The attire is business casual and food will be provided, so come on out for a night of fun and networking.

Veterans Week

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Veterans Day is Monday, November 11, 2019. To honor our veteran students and the many veterans in our community, the Student Veteran Association (SVA) is hosting several activities this week. Veterans Day is to honor the military service members who have served and were honorably discharged or retired from the military.

Saturday, November 9 is the Veterans Day Parade held in Downtown Texarkana. The parade starts at 11:00 am. The SVA will have a float honoring our veterans. If you missed the parade there are plenty of other events you can attend to show your support.

Monday, November 11 from 3pm–9pm Golden Corral will be honoring our veterans with a free meal. Volunteers are needed to help with seating and other tasks. If you are not available to volunteer, a donation bucket will be available with the proceeds going to our local Disabled Veterans Chapter.

Tuesday, November 12 is the Bake Sale from 10am–2pm in the lobby area of the UC building. All proceeds will go to the SVA to help support programs for student veterans. Help is needed for providing baked goods to be sold.

Wednesday, November 13 the SVA will be cooking hamburgers and hotdogs along with providing yard games. Games will be from 10am -2pm and food will be served from 11:00 until gone. “Burgers, hotogs, drinks, and chips, for a bargin price of Free”, Mr. Hernandez said. “This is the SVA club’s way of thanking the campus for their support” VA’s Mobile Vet Center will be visiting the campus (adjacent to the BASS Building) during this event as well. The mobile center provides assistance and referral for veterans needed benefits and counseling if needed.

Thursday, November 14 is Movie Night from 7pm-11pm held in UC 217. Pizza and popcorn will be provided. The movie showing is Neighbors 2, a comedy about a couple trying to sell their house with a sorority next door. Help is needed for setup and clean up afterward.

Friday, November 15 is the Flag Ceremony Event from 10am-1pm at Eagle Hall. This event is to recognize student and community veterans. Cupcakes and punch will be provided. Guest speaker is Retired Col. Wiggins. Help will be needed for escorts, setups, and cleanup.

Show your support by helping, if you can, with any of these events this week. To find out more information about these events and how you can help contact Robert Hernandez at the Veteran Services Center located at 132 in the BASS building.

A&M TXK Homecoming Highlights

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Homecoming week always ends with a football game, right? It’s basically a rule in Texas. Texas A&M University-Texarkana does things a little differently, closing out the spirit week with fútbol (soccer) games.

TAMUT’s soccer teams are in the thick of their season. With only a few conference games left, every match is extremely important. Both men’s and women’s teams have had their ups and downs throughout the beginning of the school year. It has become a tradition on TAMUT’s campus to host homecoming soccer games to engage students and boost school spirit around the beginning of October.

Homecoming week is usually filled with fun student activities and dress up spirit days while the soccer teams train to battle it out on their home field in front of their biggest crowd of the season. This year’s homecoming was exciting and one to remember on and off the field.

The outcome of every game has become crucial for the TAMUT soccer teams as the Red River Athletic Conference tournament approaches. Teams must rank in the top six of their conferences to make it into postseason play. It’s every team’s dream to win the conference tournament, take home a ring, and continue on to nationals. Both teams stepped onto the field ready to fight for a homecoming win against Louisiana State University-Shreveport and the fans were given two very intense matches.

Photo by Suzanna Summerlin

The women’s game was back and forth. TAMUT’s Alex Martinez sent in a cross in front of the goal and one of the LSUS defenders accidentally scored an own goal, giving TAMUT the lead. The rest of the game was intense as fouls became more frequent. Martinez accumulated two yellow cards, which forced her off the field so TAMUT played one member down for the remaining 30 minutes of the game. LSUS took advantage and scored a goal in the last few minutes of the game, sending the match into “golden goal”: first team to score wins. LSUS had a hand ball right on the 18-yard box, giving TAMUT a free kick right in front of their goal. TAMUT stormed the field after Emily Juarez scored off the free kick– bringing the final score to 2-1.

Photo by Amanda Johnson Vaughan

It is tradition to introduce homecoming court between the men’s and women’s games and announce the homecoming king and queen winners. School organizations such as Campus Rec and the Path Program submit nominees, who are voted on by the student body to narrow down to the final five of homecoming court. Ellie Kemins and Zak McCarthy, king and queen last year, escorted TAMUT’s president Dr. Emily Cutrer to the middle of the field to crown the 2019 winners. After a drumroll from the crowd, Philip Derouen and Sharnell James were named homecoming king and queen.

The men’s game began quickly after the homecoming announcement. The game started off intense. LSUS scored in the first ten minutes but TAMUT’s Yassin Ghasemi tied it before halftime by scoring off a penalty kick. LSUS fought back with another goal at the beginning of the second half, but Ghasemi tied it up again to keep it interesting at 2-2. The game got rowdy as players and fans almost broke out into a fight after LSUS scored a third goal. Play continued after the referees calmed everything down and LSUS went on to win 4-2.

Photo by Amanda Johnson Vaughan

It was an eventful week on TAMUT’s campus as another homecoming is put in the books. Both teams played their hearts out for their student body and left it all on the field. The women’s team earned their first conference win, making their record 1-3, while handing LSUS their first conference loss. The men’s team has started to catch momentum and has a bright future ahead of them if they continue to play with such passion. Good luck to both teams as they finish out their seasons and to the student body as they buckle down for midterms.

NSLS Gives New Leaders a Boost

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The National Society of Leadership & Success (NSLS) has officially paved its way into a new semester to do what they have never done before at Texas A&M University-Texarkana.

The first event that new members went to was Orientation. This semester, Orientation dates were October 3rd & 7th. During Orientation, students learned the steps of the leadership development program and the schedule of events for the semester. On October 3rd, new members eager to discover their inner leader came to their first event of the semester. At the beginning of the night they were shy, but the time they left, they were ready to discover their wildest dreams.

The next event on campus was Leadership Training Day, on October 10th or 17th, where student members attended an interactive video training session to identify their goals and overcome obstacles. This introspective seminar helped members identify their true passions and strengths while creating action steps to achieve their goals.

Darrylynn Dean is the new Society Events Chair for NSLS. Ms. Dean plans to help people reach their full potential by hosting events for all chapter members. On November 12th, Dean plans to host a formal event where members can interact and grow into their leadership qualities. She will invite a guest speaker to talk about “The Mindset of Growth”. “I feel like it was one of my callings to influence people. I want to help people discover themselves. I am really passionate about it”, Dean said.

The National Society of Leadership Success

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The National Society of Leadership & Success (NSLS)

The National Society of Leadership & Success is coming back to campus bigger and stronger than ever before on campus. It is still the largest organization on campus and the chapter still plans to outgrow themselves each semester.

 In addition to honorable distinction, the NSLS provides a step-by-step program for members to build their leadership skills through participation at their campus or online. Upon completion of the program, members receive their leadership certificate and take their place among the top student leaders at their campus and across the country. Members are able to list their affiliation on all statements of personal accomplishment, including their resume.  

Membership is for life and provides access to benefits including scholarships and awards, exclusive on-campus events, employer recruitment through an online job bank, and discounts on computers, textbooks, grad school prep courses, insurance and much more. Once you have paid your registration fee, you are considered a member (also known as pre-inducted member) with access to certain benefits. In order to become an inducted member, you must complete the following steps: 

  1. Orientation: the first meeting that occurs each semester and will give you access to all the information you need about the program in order to successfully complete the steps for induction as a member.
  2. Leadership Training Day: an interactive video training session with a workbook designed to help you identify and overcome any obstacles that may interfere with obtaining your goals. This introspective seminar helps you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and lastly to shift your focus toward your real passions. 
  3. Three speaker broadcast events: you will watch some of the world’s most successful motivational speakers discussing topics related to leadership, identifying goals, facing challenges, personal growth, and successfully transitioning from college to career.
  4. Three Success Networking Team meetings: bring together groups of students that work together and provide peer coaching on achieving goals. You can discuss goals, desires and expectations, set timelines and hold each other accountable for achieving what you want. The Success Networking Team provides members with a support network of like-minded goal-oriented students on campus.

Once you complete these steps, you will be invited to an induction ceremony where you will receive your membership kit.

The NSLS Chapter at Texas A&M University-Texarkana currently has 324 members in total. However, the chapter expects a significant jump in that number over the next month. The chapter sent out 618 invitations this past Friday, September 6th and so far, the chapter has already 11 joins in just 3 days! Members who received an invitation have until October 3rd, 2019 to accept the invitations.  Just next month, Emily Page, Bethany Melton, and Philip Derouen to attend a conference in Houston Texas to bring back more ideas from chapters nationwide right back to Texas A&M University-Texarkana! Emily Page and Bethany Melton were two of the first inducted members on campus since the chapter started in 2018 and they both moved up to serve on the Executive Board. It will Emily’s first semester to serve on the Executive Board and she could not be more excited! “I’m so happy I said yes and I don’t regret the decision at all! I’m beyond happy and thankful to work alongside both of y’all” Emily stated. as she is getting prepared for the conference in Houston.

The NSLS is the nation’s largest leadership honor society. Students are selected by their college for membership based on either academic standing or leadership potential. Candidacy is a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction. 

 

Can I Have My Class Ring, Now?

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As I finish up my junior year here at Texas A&M University- Texarkana I have been counting down the days until my ring ceremony where I will receive my own class ring. While counting down the days I have also been finishing finals… i.e.: this blog post. As I sat to write about something, anything, I couldn’t stop thinking about class rings and how differently our small campus celebrates the tradition vs. the TAMU- College Station campus. I decided to investigate TAMUT traditions and why the campuses celebrate so differently.

My grandfather, both my parents, and all three of my older siblings graduated from TAMU. When my parents attended TAMU, class of ’84 and ’85, class rings weren’t a big deal but they ordered them anyways. Proof they attended “the best university in the world.” By the time my older siblings ordered their ring, class of ’11, ’15, and ’16, Aggie Ring Day had become a weekend long event with family reunions and parties. However, TAMUT holds a small ring ceremony the day before graduation with little to no celebration outside of the ceremony. What’s different from TAMU and TAMUT class rings, why does one student body seem to value and celebrate their class ring so much more than the other?

Quickly after I began my research, I found my answer. TAMUT doesn’t value the class ring any less, but it is such a small and young campus it hasn’t had time to form traditions around the milestone. We have a little over 2,000 undergrads and only 60-80 rings are purchased per year at our small campus. However, TAMU has over 53,000 undergrads and about 94% of those students order a class ring (Whitlock, 2018).

While I was investigating ring traditions I saw a quote from the executive director of alumni relations at Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi, Russel Wagon, regarding class rings; “of course it symbolizes achievement in education, but it means a little something different to everyone” (Whitlock, 2018). I was stunned at this comment for a second, how could a class ring mean something other than when and where you graduated? Then, another second went by and I completely understood. For as long as I can remember I’ve looked at my parent’s hands and seen an antiqued gold ring on their right hand; as I got older my siblings earned their identical rings one by one. I wanted one. Well, tomorrow, May 16th, I’ll get my own ring. Mine is a little different than my family members and there won’t be a weekend long celebration like there would be in College Station, but it doesn’t have any less value. In fact, mine will probably be prettier.

Curfew on the Courtyard

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When you think about college one of the first things that comes to mind is freedom. Freedom to make your own decisions and do what you want to do. So it’s pretty safe to say that a curfew is not what most people think of when they consider college. However, a curfew is exactly what Bringle Lake Village residents got when a new policy started being enforced on the courtyard at the dorms.

As of September 9, 2019, an existing policy stating that the courtyard and volleyball court would close at 10:00 p.m. started being enforced  For the past few years, the courtyard and volleyball court remained open 24 hours a day, so when the news of a curfew on the courtyard spread through the dorms, it seemed as though the world was ending for most residents.

One of the most common complaint from students is that “It wasn’t like this last year”. When asked about the sudden enforcement of the rules, Residence Life Coordinator Cali DiOrio – Saye said, “The rule has been there for years and no one has enforced it or made an effort to change it. We are just enforcing the rules.” Page eight of the Bringle Lake Village Housing Guide, on the school website, states “The courtyard and amenities are available for student use between the hours of 9 a.m.-10 p.m. daily in accordance with quiet hours. Please see the Pool Rules for other guidelines.”

The rule may seem like a nuisance for some residents, but the only way the rule is going to change is if they make an effort to change it. “Every student has a voice and every voice matters. A lot of our peers were disappointed in a decision that resulted in the closing of Bringle Lake Village’s Courtyard and its amenities by 10 p.m.,” said Student Government Association President Jarrell Lawrence. “Student Government Association and Residence Hall Association were created in order to have a direct line from student voices to the administration. It is vital that we remember times change and generations change. Every incoming class is different, and we believe that all decisions in our university should be made with the intent to enhance the student experience, while preparing us for the real world.”

Until students actively try to make a change, the rules are going to stay the way they have always been. If you want to make a change, contact a member of the Student Government Association or the Residence Hall Association and see what you can do to help.

Step UP! to being a Leader

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College could be a tough time for new students as they make a transition from high-school. At Texas A&M University-Texarkana it is our duty as students and faculty to make sure everyone is in a safe environment. In order to fulfill that goal, the Step-UP! Program was enacted. 

“Step UP! is a prosocial behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others. It received a NASPA Gold award and recently was identified as a ‘Best Practice’ by the NCAA Sports Science Institute of national and international scholars,” according to the organization’s Website. The goals of Step UP! are to raise awareness of helping behaviors, increase students’ motivation to help, developing their skills and confidence when responding to problems or concerns, and to ensure the safety and well-being of self and others.

The Step-UP coordinator will work with the counseling services team to raise awareness on important topics such as sexual assault, drug and alcohol awareness, leadership, goal setting, mental health, and motivation. The counseling services staff at Texas A&M University-Texarkana include: Mr. Corey Robinson, Mrs. Brianna Taylor, and Mrs. Courtney Thomas. The Counseling Services team will be hosting various events and tables at the University to give students the resources they need so that they are educated and prepared if they need to STEP UP in any situation. “It allows our students to be educated and well equipped to manage anything that comes their way. We just want the absolute BEST for our students,” counselor Corey Robinson said.  

Most problematic behaviors on college campuses involve bystanders. The Step UP! program provides a framework explaining the bystander effect, reviews relevant research and teaches skills for intervening successfully using the 5 Decision Making Steps, and the S.E.E. Model (Safe; Early; Effective). Students are encountering multiple situations where bystander intervention would be appropriate including, among other things, alcohol abuse, hazing, eating disorders, sexual assault and discrimination.

In reality, most unfortunate results are preventable. It is our utmost passion to help students learn strategies and techniques to intervene directly or indirectly in both emergency and non-emergency situations. At Texas A&M University-Texarkana, the counseling staff just want the best for their students and they will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

Check out the video below to get a glimpse of Step UP! in your community:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=DfeYatFeFSM&feature=emb_logo

Riding the Athletics Bus to OK

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Does a two day trip to Oklahoma with over forty of Texas A&M Texarkana’s soccer players sound like a good time? There’s WiFi on the chartered bus. There are plug outlets every other row of seats. There’s even a bathroom in the back, a nice little closet with a toilet that does not flush located right behind the men’s team! If you’ve never been on one of these away-game-trips, buckle up. You’re on one now. 

Walters carries the ball up the field against SCU. Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

Madison Walters began her journey at TAMUT in August of 2016 at her first preseason training camp for the Women’s Soccer team. Since then, she’s grown as a student athlete and been named team captain. We’ll be following Walters on her last preseason away trip of her career to play against Southwestern Christian University and Oklahoma City University.  

Rise and shine! It’s 5:30 A.M. and it’s time to get moving. Walters is on the chartered bus surrounded by her teammates by 6 A.M. Everyone quickly dozes off to sleep after the team prayer and the 6 hour drive began. “My whole body hurts,” Walters commented during the pit stop the bus took at the halfway point of the journey as she stretched her legs. The bus made a brief stop for lunch before heading to the field so the women’s team could begin to warm up. 

After a 3-1 win against SCU, Walters was exhausted, playing the full 90 minutes. She changed into clean, dry, clothes and sat with her team to watch the TAMUT men’s team win 2-1 in overtime. The bus smelled of sweaty trash as both stinky teams piled onboard to head to the hotel. Walters was dead asleep by 10 P.M. after the teams ate a feast at Golden Corral.

The next morning the hotel lobby was packed with soccer players as they ate breakfast before loading the bus at 10:30 A.M. The teams were eager to play as they arrived to the OCU field around noon. Walters was frustrated after the women lost 2-1 in overtime. She led the team towards the locker rooms to shower off before watching the men’s team battle it out on the field. 

Photo by: Suzanna Summerlin

After two frustrating loses against OCU, the bus loaded up with freshly showered athletes and began the 6 hour trek home. A hectic pit stop at Chick-fil-a was made for dinner– restaurants usually struggle to handle the soccer program and their large appetites. “I want to be home already,” Walters said as she opened up her laptop to begin a Kinesiology test; putting in earphones to drown out the noisey men’s team. The bus arrived safely to campus around 1 A.M. and the bus unloaded quietly as everyone headed their separate ways. 

Just like that, Walters’ last preseason away trip was over. “Next week is going to be brutal,” Walters sighed as she looked over the soccer schedule. The women’s team has a week off from games before conference play starts and they’ll put in work until it’s time to load the bus again.

NSLS Connects Campus to Houston

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The National Society of Leadership & Success is coming back to campus bigger and stronger than ever before on campus. It is still the largest organization on campus and the chapter still plans to outgrow themselves each semester. The NSLS is the nation’s largest leadership honor society. Students are selected by their college for membership based on either academic standing or leadership potential. Candidacy is a nationally recognized achievement of honorable distinction.

In addition to honorable distinction, the NSLS provides a step-by-step program for members to build their leadership skills through participation at their campus or online. Upon completion of the program, members receive their leadership certificate and take their place among the top student leaders at their campus and across the country. Members are able to list their affiliation on all statements of personal accomplishment, including their resume.  

Membership is for life and provides access to benefits including scholarships and awards, exclusive on-campus events, employer recruitment through an online job bank, and discounts on computers, textbooks, grad school prep courses, insurance and much more. Once you have paid your registration fee, you are considered a member (also known as pre-inducted member) with access to certain benefits. In order to become an inducted member, one must complete the following steps: 

  1. Orientation: the first meeting that occurs each semester and will give you access to all the information you need about the program in order to successfully complete the steps for induction as a member.
  2. Leadership Training Day: an interactive video training session with a workbook designed to help you identify and overcome any obstacles that may interfere with obtaining your goals. This introspective seminar helps you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and lastly to shift your focus toward your real passions. 
  3. Three speaker broadcast events: you will watch some of the world’s most successful motivational speakers discussing topics related to leadership, identifying goals, facing challenges, personal growth, and successfully transitioning from college to career.
  4. Three Success Networking Team meetings: bring together groups of students that work together and provide peer coaching on achieving goals. You can discuss goals, desires and expectations, set timelines and hold each other accountable for achieving what you want. The Success Networking Team provides members with a support network of like-minded goal-oriented students on campus.

After completing these steps, applicants will be invited to an induction ceremony to receive a membership kit.

The NSLS Chapter at Texas A&M University-Texarkana currently has 324 members. However, the chapter expects a significant jump in that number over the next month. The chapter sent out 618 invitations on Friday, September 6th and received 11 joins in  3 days. Members who received an invitation have until October 3rd, 2019 to accept the invitations.

Next month, Emily Page, Bethany Melton, Darrylynn Dean, and Philip Derouen (the writer of this article) plan to attend a conference in Houston, Texas to bring back more ideas from chapters nationwide right back to Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Emily Page and Bethany Melton were two of the first inducted members on campus since the chapter started in 2018 and they both moved up to serve on its Executive Board. Fall 2019 is Emily’s first semester to serve on the Executive Board and she says she could not be more excited. “I’m so happy I said yes and I don’t regret the decision at all. I’m beyond happy and thankful to work alongside both of y’all,” Emily said.