Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 5, Issue 5
September 15, 2021
Message from Dr. Garrett McDowell
Dear Honors students, colleagues, and community,
Today, I gave myself twenty minutes to sit and breathe, deeply. I believe exercises in interiority
are one of our greatest acts of service and a gateway to all learning.
These days, I am, like many of you, holding a lot of tension. As a reaction to all the stressors, my body clings with intensity to the tension resulting from constant trauma. For twenty minutes today, I set the intention of letting go. It seems easy but it is not! Rather, it is an exercise of reminding different parts of my body, repeatedly and several times over, to release tension.
When I take twenty minutes, it carries well beyond and makes the difference in the rest of my day. Here is some of what I get from this exercise:
- Awareness of when I hold tension and an ability to let it go
- Deep intuitive knowledge and what Williams and Newton (2007) call “pure seeing”
- The ability to feel and respond to inevitable stressors without reacting in fight, flight, or freeze
- The ability to be available to and present with others
Within the Honors community in my role as academic mentor, staff member, and in teaching Honors seminars, this is the conversation with which I am always engaging. To join or to collaborate, email me. And, if you are new to contemplative practices, I encourage you to join a Koru Mindfulness class for students offered by the Office of Wellness and Prevention Services.
Warmly, Dr. Garrett McDowell
Appalachian Hall casts a rainbow on the floor of the Honors College. Photo submitted.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
New Honors College Anti-Racism Library
Located in the Honors College Library on the top floor of Appalachian Hall, Honors students can now borrow and read books about American social movements, marginalized communities, and identities that have been historically excluded from mass media representation. This is a student-driven project developed and organized by Honors College Vanguard members: Sophie Cole, Hannah Joyner, Brendan Meckler, Abbey Putnam, Morgan Ray, and former Honors College student Mackenzie Fizet. Read more about the library here.
Apply to be a SOUL
Applications to be a Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader (SOUL) are open October 15th through November 12th and Honors College staff members are looking to make referrals. SOULs are hired for an academic year to help facilitate orientations for new students, organize icebreakers, educate new students on a variety of information related to Appalachian State, supporting the class registration process, and much more. The Honors College also has an Honors SOUL. To apply click here or contact an Honors College staff member so we can make a referral and give you a recommendation.
15th Annual Homecoming Blood Drive
Sign up to donate blood at the 15th annual Homecoming Blood Drive held September 21st from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm at the Holmes Convocation Center. The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Donors get a free t-shirt. Click here to apply and enter the sponsor keyword “appstate” to make your appointment. Read about COVID-19 safety protocols here and check donor eligibility here.
Part-Time Jobs Fair
The Career Development Center is hosting a Part-Time Jobs Fair where you can meet with on-campus departments, off-campus businesses, and non-profit organizations. Join in Grandfather Mountain Ballroom in the Plemmons Student Union on September 22nd from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm. Find details here.
Blowing Rock Art & History Museum Opportunity
The Blowing Rock Art & History Museum (BRAHM) has an upcoming exhibit called “Jagged Path: the African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance.” This exhibit will be featured from April to October in 2022. BRAHM has a need for interns to cover the fields of art history, music history, music theory, public history, GIS, website design, and grant management. For more information, read here and contact Willard Watson with any questions.
Stay in the Know:
Let’s Talk: Informal Consultations with a Counselor
Counseling and Psychological Services offers informal, drop-in consultations for currently enrolled students to speak with a counselor for support, resources, and casual conversation. Let’s talk consultations are free, confidential, and offered on a first-come, first-served basis on Tuesdays from 1:00 – 3:00 pm and Wednesdays 2:00 – 4:00 pm in the Watauga River Room (102) in the Plemmons Student Union. Find more information here.
Dr. Anette Gordon-Reed’s Campus Visit Postponed
Dr. Anette Gordon-Reed’s visit to campus as a part of the University Forum Lecture Series on November 4th has been postponed until Fall 2022. Dr. Gordon-Reed is a Harvard History Professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. View details here.
Events with Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics
The Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) is excited to embark on a campus-wide journey to reintroduce itself and invite students, faculty, and staff to join them on their mission to strengthen, leverage, and amplify high caliber sustainability research at Appalachian State. This fall, RIEEE is hosting several events including: the CONCERT Awardee Showcase Session on September 17th at 9:30 am; the RIEEE Webinar Series: An Introduction and Welcome Session on September 24th from 1:00 – 2:00 pm; and the RIEEE Working Groups: An Organizing Framework for RIEEE Research Development Support on September 28th from 2:00 – 3:00 pm. Read more about these events here.
Sex and the Pandemic: Online Speaker Series
Sex and the Pandemic is part of an online speaker series at Ryerson University. Upcoming next is the topic forms of intimacies with speakers Idil Abdillahi, Marty Fink, Tali Cherniawsky, and Darius Bost on September 17th from 1:30 – 3:30 pm. Read more details and view the series schedule here.
Judith Butler and Mel Y. Chen on Gender Politics and Pandemic Time
In conjunction with the UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) exhibition “New Time: Art and Feminisms in the 21st Century,” Judith Butler and Mel Y. Chen lead a conversation “Gender in Time” to discuss a range of concerns that the pandemic has highlighted: shifting challenges for women and racialized queer, trans, and disabled communities; queer and crip time; differing valuations of productivity; and the transformations of regimes and cultures of care in the pandemic. Join the free public online event here on September 20th at 3:30 pm EST. Find more details here.
In the Honors Spotlight
Julianna Roupas finds inspiration for medical career in Honors seminar taught by Dr. Chris Osmond
Appalachian State University alumna Julianna Roupas ’21, of Charlotte, earned a self-designed B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in studies of integrative health sciences, as well as a minor in Spanish. She graduated summa cum laude from App State in May. Photo submitted.
While at App State Julianna Roupas ’21 spent three semesters in the Honors College where she took interdisciplinary Honors seminars including HON 2515: Narratives and the Caring Professions taught by Dr. Chris Osmond, associate professor in the Department of Leadership and Educational Studies. In that course that she solidified her desire to pursue a medical career. Roupas is currently attending Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. She graduated summa cum laude in May, earning a Bachelor of Arts in interdisciplinary studies with a focus in studies of integrative health sciences, along with a minor in Spanish.
Read the story here and the full story here in AppalachianToday.
Have announcements 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.
Have a story to share? Share what you have done, what you are doing, or what you will be doing by submitting a story here.
To stay in the know, learn about opportunities, and take part in the Honors community, find us below!