The presentation will include: an overview of the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory; a discussion of drug trends in Arkansas (with specific local data); prescription drug abuse information; and other current topics.

The public is welcome to attend. For more information, call (870) 235-4322.

The $2,500 grant proposal was written by Christensen and psychology major Keri Humphries, of Camden, during the summer.

“Keri was the logical choice to coordinate this grant as she contributed creative ideas for student service-learning options,” said Christensen. “We hope to teach students that one person can make a positive impact, especially related to our grant theme, hunger.”

One project incorporated into the grant is a campus wide food drive, “We Can Canned Food Drive,” open to all student organizations. The drive began October 1 and concludes on October 30. All donations will benefit the Stew Pot of Magnolia, a community organization which serves hot meals daily and is celebrating their 25th anniversary. Students involved in this project have been volunteering about five hours weekly throughout October.

Sixteen student organizations have signed-up to participate in the contest. Additionally, the psychology and criminal justice departments will contribute 1707 cans to the student organization can auction held on the “We Can” Facebook page from noon to 6 p.m. Monday, October 27.
The student organization that collects the most cans wins a $500 prize. Those who would like more information can join the Facebook group, “We Can Food Drive,” or contact Student Affairs at (870)235-4925. Student Affairs, as well as Brookshire’s, have played partnership roles in this project.

An education day will be held November 4 with students from development psychology presenting their research about the impact of hunger through a lifetime, explained Christensen. The students will use slam poetry, skits, public service announcements and other creative media. Also on November 4, Heifer International, a non-profit organization whose goal is to help end world hunger and poverty through self-reliance and sustainability, will provide the keynote for the event. The winner of the $500 cash prize for the most cans collected will be announced as well.

For more information about the project, contact Christensen at (870) 235-4934.

To register send an email to epkardas@saumag.edu and use “GRE Registration: as the subject line. A limited number of spaces are available and the registration deadline is noon Friday, September 26.

Dr. Chrisanne Christensen, a professor in the behavioral and social sciences department, said this opportunity is a rare one that should be taken advantage of for students who are interested in getting into a competitive graduate program.

“The test is free and students will have the scores returned to them,” Christensen said. “It would be a great opportunity to find out what their strengths and weaknesses will be on the test.”

“It is going to be really quick and convenient to register on campus, and this way people don’t even have to worry about going downtown to do this,” Thomas said. “Plus, it won’t be long until the election and we want to stress to students the importance of making their voices heard.”
While people are registering to vote on Wednesday, a mock presidential election will be held. The results of who would be president if SAU were the only deciding body will be made public after votes are tallied that afternoon, Thomas said.

In addition to these activities, an expert panel will also speak on issues as well as their views on the candidates. The panel will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in Foundation Hall in the Reynolds Center. The panel will include Mark Trout, instructor for business and marketing, David Talley, local attorney and adjunct instructor in the College of Business, Claudell Woods, an associate professor of history, geography and political science, Jan R. Duke, assistant professor and chair of behavioral and social sciences in the College of Liberal and Performing Arts and Dr. Paul Babbitt, an assistant professor history, geography and political science. Babbit is teaching a course about the 2008 presidential election which allows students to compare the election to past elections.

“We have had a number of lively, though civil discussions and I can say without
hesitation, the thoughtfulness and sophistication of the class’s analyses of the election
season far surpasses anything you would find on television newscast,” Babbitt said.

This is the third year that Constitution Day has been recognized on the campus of SAU. The day recognizes the day the American Constitution was ratified in 1787.
This event is being sponsored by the SAU history and political science department, the Student Activities Board and Students for a Better Tomorrow.

Date: June 5, 2008
Contact: Rebecca Bell
Phone: (870) 235-5011

For Immediate Release

Workshop exploring Arkansas’ connection to the global economy to be held at Southern Arkansas University

MAGNOLIA — A training workshop for teachers with students in kindergarten through 12th grade will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 8 through 10 in the Agri-Business building on the campus of Southern Arkansas University.
This workshop is titled “What’s Happening? A Global View” will cover topics in globalization for educators at every level to assist in teaching and learning. A fee of $25 which covers training materials should be sent to Economics Arkansas, P.O. Box 3477, Little Rock, Ark., 72203.
Participants will be mailed a $150 stipend upon successful completion of the workshop and eighteen hours of staff development will be provided. There is a limit of 45 people to the class. If interested, please visit www.economicsarkansas.org for information regarding registration or contact Donna Wright at (501) 682-4230.

“The Closeline Project” is a traveling exhibit of approximately 300 hand decorated items of clothing, each representing a life lost due to domestic violence in Arkansas over the past 10 years.

“April is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, so we were pleased to be able to schedule this exhibit to visit Magnolia and SAU,” said Deborah Wilson, SAU psychology instructor. “An average of 30 Arkansans are killed each year from domestic violence. This exhibit helps to remember the victims while raising awareness about domestic violence.”

The display includes a shirt remembering Brittany Pater of Magnolia. Pater’s story and the stories of the other victims are hanging with their respective shirt on display.

Wilson recalled her first viewing of the exhibit, and described it as a “powerful, unforgettable display.”
The event really hit home for her when she discovered a shirt representing a woman she knew. “It brought up a lot of emotion. I stood there thinking about her and what she went through,” said Wilson.

The exhibit is sponsored by the Arkansas Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ACADV) and the Women’s Crisis Center in Camden. It is free and open to the public.

SAU students and faculty will be assisting in arranging and repacking the display both days. “We are actively involved in the issues we teach [in the psychology department at SAU],” said Dr. Chrisanne Christensen, psychology professor. “That is really important to us.”

The lecture, “Overrepresentation of African-American Student Athletes in Division 1A Sport Programs: Route to Success or a System of Cordoning Off?” will be delivered by Dr. Earl Smith, professor of sociology and the Rubin Distinguished Professor of American Ethnic Studies at Wake Forest University. He is also director of the Wake Forest University American Ethnic Studies Program.

Dr. Smith is the former chairperson of the department of sociology, Wake Forest University, from 1997-2005. Prior to his appointment at Wake Forest University, Smith was dean of the division of social science at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) in Tacoma, Washington. He also served as chairperson of the department of sociology at PLU. Professor Smith has numerous publications in the area of professions, social stratification, family, urban sociology, and has published extensively in the area of the sociology of sports. His most recent books are: “Race, Sport, and the American Dream” (2007) and “African American Families” (2007), which he co-authored with Dr. Angela J. Hattery. Dr. Smith will be the Lindsay O’Connor Professor of American Institutions at Colgate University in 2008-2009.

The lecture, sponsored by the Honors College and Multicultural Services, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Linda Tucker, assistant professor of English at (870) 235-4210.

Volunteer Management 101 is free and open to the public. Topics to be addressed include: keys to a successful volunteer program, how to motivate volunteers, how to recruit volunteers, ensuring volunteer success and recognizing volunteers.

“This is mainly for community groups who want to learn how to use volunteers,” said Kimberly Keith, director of Community Solutions and an instructor in the department of behavioral and social sciences at SAU. Community Solutions is a service of the department of behavioral and social sciences. The mission of the group is to help identify social service needs in southern Arkansas and develop services to address social problems and community development.

Volunteer Management 101 is a prerequisite to the Certified Volunteer Management Program, a nationally recognized certification in volunteer management. Volunteer Management 101 is provided by the Arkansas Division of Volunteerism and hosted by Columbia County Community Connections.

Reservations are required by Monday, October 8. Participants will need to bring $5.40 for their lunch in the Reynolds Center. Please call Keith at 235-4933 or email her at klkeith@saumag.edu.

Brandon, an associate professor of anthropology at SAU and the Arkansas Archeological Survey’s Research Station in Magnolia, was appointed by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe this month to serve on the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission. The commission’s main charge is to promote a suitable statewide observance of the Civil War’s 150th anniversary from 2011 to 2015. Brandon is one of only four members of the 16 member commission to be hand selected by the governor.

“I’m honored to be a part of the commission, but it is going to be quite a lot of work to organize and promote a state wide set of programs to remember the Civil War,” Brandon said. “One of the great things about being on the Sesquicentennial Commission is that it gives me the opportunity to promote the Civil War and help interpret the parts of the Civil War that people don’t think about. A lot of it took place in Arkansas, especially southwest Arkansas.”

After working for a decade in Northwest Arkansas in a community called Van Winkle’s Mill Community inside Hobb State Park in Benton County, Brandon set his sights on southwest Arkansas, particularly the area of Historic Washington in Hempstead County. He suspects that his project in northwest Arkansas, which eventually led to the creation of a historic trail there, as well as his dedication to doing archeological research in the 11 counties that make up southwest Arkansas, are the reasons he received the nomination.

Brandon divides his time between teaching anthropology classes in the spring at SAU and conducting archeological research in southwest Arkansas. The lion’s share of his work has been in studying the 19th century as well as the Civil War period. Brandon has almost 17 years of experience in the field of archaeology and has been involved with projects in a total of 13 southeastern states. He has also authored or co-authored publications and/or technical reports on research in seven of those states and has a strong background in both the academic and private sectors.

For more information about the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in Arkansas, go to www.arkansaspreservation.org/preservation-services/sesquicentennial-commission/.

Dr. Chrisanne Christensen, associate professor of Psychology at SAU, said she wrote a grant proposal after informally surveying students in three upper level psychology classes about what they considered to be the top ten social and global issues of today. What she discovered disturbed her because students appeared to be disengaged about issues such as hunger, homelessness, poverty and violence, and more strongly connected to issues of their age such as music downloading, Internet blogs and cheating.

The result was the application and notification of the grant.

Christensen said the grant will impact the students in behavioral and social sciences and will involve honor students from this department conducting research. The goal of the grant, and hopefully similar grants to follow, is to impact the views of students in a positive way.

“We are trying to encourage students to be aware of issues going on locally and in the world,” she said. “We want to explore avenues to encourage a larger base of students to be agents of change.”

Christensen said she plans to write additional grants to allow the program to continue. This is only the first step, she said.