Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 4, Issue 27
March 31, 2021
Dear friends of and participants in Honors education,
Sitting down to write for the Honors Wednesday Memo each week is one of my favorite parts of being dean of the Honors College. I never struggle for material; I do struggle with choosing among our many great opportunities and important things to say. But this week even choosing is easy. Please read Dr. Garrett McDowell's spotlight story here today on Appalachian and Honors College alumna Madison Armstrong 17' and the New York Times editorial she co-wrote with Dr. Jennifer Carlson of the University of Arizona on the trauma of gun violence. Thank you, Madison!
Jeff
Honors sophomore Lillian Hlavin visited Linville Falls with her family on March 30, 2021. Photo submitted. Submit your photos to honors@appstate.edu!
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
WE COACH Wellness Planning
Wellness and Prevention Services offers the program WE COACH (wellness educators creating opportunities and casting hope) to provide students peer-to-peer wellness coaching. In these one-on-one meetings, students can find advice on how to plan and find motivation that makes lasting change while they struggle with zoom fatigue, adding variety to life, prioritizing asynchronous classes, staying active, eating healthy, managing stress, and getting enough sleep. Make an appointment here.
Summer HON Seminar: Rhythm & Revolution
This summer the Honors seminar Rhythm & Revolution: Cuba is being offered in the first summer session. In this program, Honors students will earn 6sh of credit for both HON 2515 and HON 3515 seminars. Learn how to dance and eat like a Cuban. Learn about Cuba’s history from a Spanish colony to a Marxist-Leninist state. This program will be fully online—a virtual immersion in Cuba and its culture. No knowledge of dance or Spanish necessary. Read more here and contact faculty instructors Emily Daughtridge or Joseph Gonzalez with any questions.
Applications Open for the Student Conduct Board
The Student Conduct Board is an organization that seeks to educate peers about rights and responsibilities at Appalachian State University, uphold community behavioral standards, and implement the Code of Student Conduct. There are three boards: Student Conduct Board, Academic Integrity Board, and University Conduct Board. Apply by April 1st here and contact Jason Turcios with any questions.
Writing Opportunities for Digital Magazine Burnaway
Burnaway is a digital magazine of art and art criticism, focused on arts and culture of the American South. Carolinas editor Susan Mackey ’13 Appalachian alumna of art history and gender studies invites students write for the journal. Read more about the opportunity here or contact Susan Mackey if you are interested.
Bystander Intervention Training with Hollaback
Hollaback, an organization focused on teaching people to take action against harassment of marginalized groups, is offering free training sessions in response to the rise in Anti-Asian American and xenophobic harassment. Trainings offered are on bystander intervention, conflict de-escalation, and response to harassment. View the upcoming training session dates and times here.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Dean Jeff urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. And each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
To receive an invitation to a thesis defense this semester, please write to honors@appstate.edu.
Caleb Wright
3:00 – 4:00 pm April 8th
Presenting “The Effects of U.S. Events on Sentiment Relating to Minority Groups on Twitter”
Stay in the Know:
NC Prisons and COVID Event
Join several guest speakers from those involved in the North Carolina prison system as they discuss the impact of COVID-19 on North Carolina prisons. The event is titled “NC Prisons and COVID: Advancing Corrections During a Pandemic.” Attend virtually here on April 6th at 5:00 pm. Contact Dr. Barbara Zaitzow or Dr. Cathy Marcum with any questions.
What’s Next: Life After Graduation
Offered by the Social Work Care Collaborative at the BCHS Interprofessional Clinic, this group will help graduating students discuss life after graduation. Join in for one hour meetings on Tuesdays at 4:00 pm to address anxiety, finding housing, lifestyle adjustments, transition from student to professional, high expectations, managing finances, and more. Join here and contact the Social Work Care Collaborative with questions.
LGBT and BIPOC Health Awareness
Join Wellness and Prevention Services in conversations and activities during their LGBT and BIPOC Wellness and Health Awareness Initiative. From March 22nd to April 30th, various activities such as fitness classes, communities panels, and connection spaces will be hosted. Explore the calendar here and contact Kiauhna Haynes with questions.
Indian Ocean Currents Conversation on Aesthetics and Cultural Studies
The Indian Ocean Currents are a series of conversations funded by Ashby Dialogues at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The third and final conversation will focus on aesthetics and cultural studies in Indian Ocean worlds, featuring Dr. May Joseph (Pratt Institute), Dr. Mira Rai Waits (Appalachian State), and Dr. Neelofer Qadir (UNCG). Attend here at 4:00 pm on April 7.
University Forum Lecture Series: Finding Expression in Contested Public Spaces
Join Dr. Spoma Jovanovic and panelists Dr. Martha McCaughey (sociology), Dr. Adam Hege (Public Health), and Dr. Brian MacHarg (Academic Civic Engagement) in a discussion of finding expression in contested public spaces and finding pathways to free speech and civil engagement. Attend this free public event as a part of the University Forum Lecture Series here at 6:00 – 7:30 pm on April 7th.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors Alumna Madie Armstrong Featured in NYT for her Op-Ed
Photo of Madison Armstrong. Photo submitted.
Honors alumna Madison Armstrong ’17 has co-authored with her doctoral research advisor, Dr. Jennifer Carlson, an op-ed featured in the New York Times titled “We’ve Spent Over a Decade Researching Guns in America. This is What We Learned” on March 26, 2021. In her doctoral work at the University of Arizona (UA), Armstrong is a research assistant with Dr. Jennifer Carlson, associate professor in the School of Sociology and jointly in the School of Government and Public Policy at UA. Armstrong graduated with Honors from Appalachian State with a bachelor of science in political science with a concentration in American politics and minor in sociology.
Read the full story here.
Have news to share? Submissions can be made to honors@appstate.edu. Any content received by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday will be considered for the following week’s issue.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!