The Perot Theatre is one of Texarkana’s oldest cultural icons. Located downtown it is one of the oldest landmarks being established in 1924. People often forget about it because it can be overshadowed by the Cinemark or attribute it to “The Nutcracker” ballet performance. However, it is more than just a building downtown to take your prom photos at.

Last weekend they showed the cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The film is interactive and viewers purchased kits containing props. “People were very enthusiastic and they sang and danced along with the movie,” said Andrea Loredo.

For all the music enthusiasts, the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and Pianist Andrew Staupe will be performing “Metamorphosis” on November 5, 2022. 

It’s not all music and musicals. The Perot Theatre can also bring tricks, jokes, and pranks. Comedy magician Grant Freeman will be coming to Texarkana to perform “An R-Rated Magic Show” on November 12, 2022. This show will be full of surprises and hilarious spectacles.

The Perot Theatre is also gearing up to get into the holiday season.“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” musical will perform on November 18, 2022. Following that month, the Texarkana Community Ballet will showcase our city’s youth in “The Nutcracker” on December 2-4, 2022. To finish the year, the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra will perform “Christmas at the Perot” on December 11, 2022.

The Perot Theater has been a staple of entertainment in Texarkana since 1924 and it’s important to support local art and history. Make sure to grab your tickets before it’s too late! For more information visit https://www.perottheatre.org.

Looking to join a club, make some new friends, or hear different insights on a particular subject? You can get all of that and more from the common reader book club. This club is deigned to give students the opportunity join a community and hear other individuals opinions as well as voicing your own on a particular subject. This semester the book chosen by the faculty members is “Heads of the Colored People” written by Nafissa Thompson-Spires. This book is filled with many short stories about black lives and the struggle and injustices they experience. Following reading the book, students, faculty, and sometimes a guest speaker will meet in a classroom and have a campus wide discussion. 

“It’s really the idea of trying to figure out ways to try to help us come together as a community so that we can meet each other, so that we can have these conversations,” said Doug Julien. The common reader book club is a way to take a break. Take a break from the day to day work and do something fun. Students will get the opportunity to meet other people from outside their major and see different perspectives on the same topic in a way that maybe they wouldn’t have even thought about to look at it before. This year, they have a large focus on transformative text and social responsibility. 

When you bring a group of people together and give them a topic to study, it is likely that someone will have been able to pick up on or see something in a different light than another did. “She saw something and the way she answered made me see something in the text that I hadn’t seen,” said Julien. That is the amazing thing about a club like this. We often can be very narrow minded and taking a moment to listen to others and listen to how they interpret something gives us a chance to be a little more open and less narrow in our thinking. 

The faculty members have taken an older idea and branched it out into something new. This is actually the first time that they are trying out this idea as a book club. Prior to this semester, it was a class that freshman were required to take called IS 1100 class. With it being new the attendance is spotty and always ranging in numbers. Julien hopes to expand and make it more well known. In order to do that he would like to place a whiteboard at the front of the main buildings with a list of the days events. All of them, not just based off the common reader book club. With having a whiteboard with the days events it is more targeted. People are able to just focus on what is going on that day, rather than having all of this “noise” distracting them. 

One challenge this club faces is the time it occurs at. Julien mentions it being during a time when students and faculty are able to take a lunch break. Some people don’t mind having something to do during that time, but he does feel like that is a part of the lack of participation. He also feels like it is already difficult to get people to come to classes and events in general. If a communal meeting area like a pizza place or a coffee shop were to be brought to campus, the club would probably move to a place like that to create a more casual environment. Another challenge for the members is figuring out a way to more incorporate the zoom students into the discussion and bridge the gap between the zoom and the in person experience. They do plan to get theses kinks worked out to where everyone can partake equally. 

Whether you commute or live nearby there is options to attend. They offer this club on zoom and in person. “The language that I sort of adopted over time is like, try to be a merchant of opportunity, I’m selling opportunities, not successes, not any of those kind of things,” said Julien. Take this opportunity to try something new, to branch out, or just as a learning experience. Join us in UC 210 from 12:20 to 12:50 every Tuesday! Anyone is welcome. 

Kris Williams is a 30 year old culinary arts student graduate from Texarkana Arkansas who is employed as a chef in the TAMUT kitchen cooking for students. He cooked for his family when his mom was injured growing up, then attended culinary school in September of 2007, where he learned how to cook international food as his passion. “…one whole semester was nothing but international recipes and foods and that was amazing.”

He uses his extensive knowledge of food in addition to his social skills in order to brighten the days of students. “Baking and cheesecakes, I love making desserts…” The company Chart Wells caught his eye once he graduated, and he decided to help them provide better and healthier food to students where he could. 

Although he despises the heat of Texas he doesn’t want to go anywhere else professionally since he feels that he is much better suited to this community. He feels that the people here have a tight knit community and he’s proud to have contributed to it. “If we’re talking straight professionalism, I wouldn’t go anywhere else…”

            “I’m learning from the library, I’m learning from people in the library, I’m learning from students out here,” Jeanette Mitchell says.

Jeanette is TAMUT Circulation Supervisor in the John F. Moss library. She has been serving here for almost eight years, but before being surrounded by books, she already had an interest. “I like reading about different real lives, if I read about somebody that actually experienced it, then I can get an understanding of what it was really like.” “Reading memoirs of other people interest me, when I can find a book that is pertaining to a historical lifestyle.”

            Serving in the library does not stop there though, “my hobby is just exercise, anything that will condition my heart,” “I may ride my bicycle about 13 to 15 miles, or I will go to the track and run bleachers,” she mentions. Being active is her way of living, “If its active, if it’s fun, if I’m having fun and at the same time exercising, I’m all for it!”

“But, when it comes to life, tread lightly.”

            Whether it’s reading, running or doing whatever she puts her mind too, Jeanette said, “my biggest accomplishment in life is being a mother and being able to teach my sons how to live a meaningful life,” a lesson she is teaching students here. Mitchell says, “we didn’t come here with an instruction book, we got to figure things out.”

Dr. Jaime Cantrell is an Associate Professor of English and the Director of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexualities Studies Program at Texas A&M University Texarkana (TAMUT). Dr. Cantrell teaches various courses including ENGL 2326: American Literature, WGSS 1301: Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies, HUMA 1301: Introduction to Humanities I, and various other English courses. 

Dr. Cantrell says that one of her favorite classes to teach is ENG 450: Studies in Genre/Poetry, which teaches students about the different types of poetry and the different approaches that students may take while reading poetry. “I’ve seen students in that class weep over the most beautiful language,” Dr. Cantrell said.  

From 2014-2018, Dr. Cantrell began working as  Visiting Assistant Professor of English at the University of Mississippi. Then in 2018, Dr. Cantrell joined TAMUT as an Assistant Professor of English, and a Faculty Advisor, Spectrum. “I wouldn’t say that I ‘decided to become’ an English professor,” Dr. Cantrell said. “It just happened to me along the way of my graduate career.” 

Invited contribution to “The Bohemian South, Chapel Hill”: UNC Press, 2017, p. 107-127, and “Out of the Closet, Into the Archive: Researching Sexual Histories”, eds. Amy L. Stone and Jaime Cantrell are only a few titles that she has worked on. She has been a part of essays and reviews that cover topics ranging from feminism, sexuality, and various other topics. “ [My] work is politically, pedagogically and philosophically informed by feminist goals and agendas that are both intersectional and interdisciplinary,” Dr. Cantrell said.

Amber Galvan is the Athletic Academic coordinator at Texas A&M University Texarkana (TAMUT). Galvan, who is going on year 8 at her position at the school, has seen many changes since she first arrived. She has witnessed the construction of the soccer field, the  Building for Academics and Student Services, and The Patterson Center as well as the addition of nine athletic programs. Galvan started her teaching career in Hobbs, New Mexico where she taught special education, and where she met her husband, Michael Galvan. 

Amber and Michael have been happily married for years, and have had the pleasure of working alongside each other at TAMUT and The University of the Southwest. Michael, who is the athletic director (AD) at TAMUT, was offered the job after his success at Southwest. This move opened the door for Amber to step in as Athletic Academic Coordinator, and for the idea of athletics to be a part of TAMUT. Amber and Michael, although the titles they have are important, are viewed by most students on campus as  motherly and fatherly figures. When asked about this Galvan commented, “There has to be a sense of trust, the students here on campus, those are somebody’s kids and I think you have to love on them when they need it, but also have to be able to have the tough conversations and help guide them as well.” 

As an Academic Advisor of the student athletes of TAMUT, Galvans main job is to make sure that all the student athletes are eligible to play and to make sure they stay on top of their school work throughout the year. She is busy throughout the entire school year, whether she is making schedules for students, helping with the recruiting process, dealing with transfers, or just helping with events around campus, she is always involved and doing something throughout the course of the year. She hopes that the University continues to grow and improve as it has her whole stint at the school. When asked about the addition of new programs like football, cheer, and band, Galvan jokingly commented “when that day comes, they are gonna need more than one of me.” 

The desire to keep pushing and elevating students to do well not only in school, but life after school is a big driving force that keeps Amber rooted in her job. Amber said that there is no rush for her to leave, or look for other job opportunities, because she is comfortable where she is and feels that she is doing what she is meant to be doing.

Trevon Jamison
MCOM 310

Faculty Interview

Sheri Brady, Administrative Assistant 2 at Texas A&M Texarkana works in the student life lounge area of the UC building on campus. Her favorite thing about the college are the students who attend. One piece of advice she would give to students would be to “Check your ace email regularly.” She Said. Sheri has been in Higher Education for over 30 years. She doesn’t consider anything hard about her job, because she loves it so much. Making IDs for students is the easiest part of the day. She gets to meet and interact with students.
Before starting a career at TAMUT she was a hairstylist for 10 years and enjoys watching sports. One piece of advice she would give staff at TAMUT is to “Get out and meet students.” She Said. With sports starting around the campus that is a great time. If she could change one thing about sports. “It would be for the tennis team to have a court so they could gain more support.” she said. Taking everything one day at a time If you need help with anything on campus students don’t hesitate to come to student life and meet Sheri Brady.

When Drew Morton was a freshman he said to his girlfriend, “I want to become a film professor.” A few years later he proved to his girlfriend, now wife, by receiving his Ph.D. in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of California-Los Angeles. He is an associate professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) since 2012. Hopefully, he will become a full professor in 2023.

Dr. Morton teaches a Popular Culture and Media class where students delve into the world of comics. However, Dr. Morton finds the right sub-interests and subtly teaches them about other subjects such as First Amendment rights and how different types of media can cross through different platforms. “You can kinda trick them into learning,” said Dr. Morton.

Dr. Morton enjoys the culture here at TAMUT. He also appreciates the diverse set of students. “We have so many people from different walks of life,” said Dr. Morton. “It’s much more down to earth and ego doesn’t get in the way,” in regards to the students. He sees a little of himself in the first-gen college students who do not have a chip on their shoulders.

He published a book titled “Panel To The Screen,” which discusses the relationships between comic books and films. He is currently working on another book about the comic series “Watchmen.” In his free time, he works on personal projects such as his idea for a horror film and photography. 

Taylor Hall

Imagine going to school, being a single mom, having a full time job, and running an organization, Taylor Hall does that and so much more. She is working on her Master of History with an end goal to hopefully become a college professor. Life really changes the things we think we want, for example, in Taylor’s case, she originally wanted to become a lawyer, or move over seas to teach English for a couple of years. Her life took a turn and she had a kid. Hall talks about how kids are life altering for the better and she wouldn’t change it for the world. Her kid is now two years old and made her so much stronger and given her all the happiness she could ever want. She doesn’t regret any choices her younger self made, because if it weren’t for those, she wouldn’t be doing the things she gets to do now. It’s hard for her to even imagine her life without her son, Patton.

“It’s so hard to find really like cute little boy clothes, you’re stuck with either doing dinosaurs, animals, or like Nike apparel,” said Hall. After a lot of research was done  she was able to get a business license to start this online venture. She named it PG Styles, with the hope to get those stylish boys clothes out to the people around her. The name stemmed from her son, and is actually his initials. One day, if she ever has the time, she hopes to expand and make that business into an in person store or wherever else it takes her. This started as a side business for her when she was a stay at home mom and she was taking a break from her schooling. She would like to see it grow but it isn’t on her top priority list. 

Taylor Hall is a woman of many skills. Besides her clothing business and school, she works for the Miller County Sheriffs office. There, she spends her day preparing paperwork for the judge and prosecutors office. About once a week she will actually sit in on criminal court. Following the court session, she will assist with making sure the inmate gets back to the jail. “It’s always interesting and definitely um.. crazy, uh.. but fun and I love what I do,” said Hall. She says that this is not a forever job but it will work for now. Her father is actually a state trooper and he got word about this opportunity and through word of mouth, she was able to score the job. 

Having family in the first responder field and being around that field herself, Hall took part in creating an non profit organization. This organization is called Beyond the Badge. Beyond the Badge focuses on helping and raising money for police and other first responder fields in and around Texarkana. Anyone can join and take part in the things they do. To raise money the will put on fundraisers. Some of their fundraiser include: golf tournaments, selling t-shirts, raffles, and many more. Any money that they raise goes directly to the cause and none to themselves. However, there is a $25 a year fee for members and that money will go toward buying t-shirts and snacks for meetings. The meeting happen usually once and month and there they will make game plans for the events to come. There is a lot of behind the scene jobs that the board members will take part in during their spare time. Hall, specifically is in charge of the social media, marketing and membership management. She has taken a lot of the marketing skills she learned from this organization and applied that to her boys clothing business as well. 

“If any little thing had gone differently, like, we wouldn’t be where we are today” said Hall.