Honors Wednesday Memo
Opportunities and Information for Honors Students
edited by Lakin Stevens
Volume 5, Issue 21
February 16, 2021
Dear Honors students,
Are you yearning for action?
Spend an Honors semester studying the Grand Canyon IN the Grand Canyon? Present at a Sustainability conference or at the delightfully titled "Courage of Critical Thinking" Symposium hosted by our own wonderful Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures? Submit your work to an Honors literary arts journal? Apply for a scholarship to study in Japan? Attend and maybe speak at the first-ever App State Town Hall meeting co-hosted by our Student Government Association, our Staff Senate, and our Faculty Senate?
Or donate, volunteer, drop-in, explore, connect? Read on!
Jeff
Honors student Connor Ranes is running for Student Body President alongside Ben Negin as Student Body Vice President. Ranes has participated in the Student Government Association (SGA) for as a senator for two years and their platform focuses on sustainability, parking reform, mental health resources, and diversity and inclusion. Photo taken February 5, 2022. Photo submitted.
Upcoming Opportunities:
Dean Jeff is happy to help you apply; send him an email at vahlbuschjb@appstate.edu.
Grand Canyon Semester
The Grand Canyon Semester hosted by Northern Arizona University offers honors students and honors-eligible students from across the country the opportunity to investigate the landscape, cultures, and politics of the greater Grand Canyon region. Students with a wide variety of interests and passions join faculty in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities to investigate how humans impact, manage, interact with, and value the natural world. Students will enroll in five courses: peoples of the southwest, environmental conservation on the Colorado Plateau, environmental policy, integrative seminar: Grand Canyon as Text, and directed study: undergraduate independent research project. Learn more and apply here by Feb. 18.
2022 Virtual Southeastern Student Sustainability Conference
The 2022 Virtual Southeastern Student Sustainability Conference brings together student EcoReps, sustainability interns, faculty, and staff advisers from around the region for peer leadership training and collaboration. The conference will be held over six weeks with six sessions with each having a specific theme. To present at this conference, presentations should focus on peer engagement, strides in sustainability on and around your campus, and the difficulties of your journey. Submit this form here by March 1 to present. Email with any questions or concerns here.
DLLC Annual Symposium: “The Courage of Critical Thinking”
The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures of Appalachian State University will be hosting its third annual symposium on March 31 and April 1. Faculty, undergraduate and graduate students, and members of the local community are invited to submit proposals for presentations. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, thought processes and the courage of critical thinking; technology and social media; the meaning and purpose of education; politics in the classroom; and dynamics of privilege and power. Submit by March 4 and learn more here. Questions can be directed here to Dr. Adrienne Erazo.
Submissions Open for Sanctuary Literary Arts Journal
The Sanctuary Literary Arts Journal of the Southern Regional Honors Council is a student led literary and arts journal. Submissions are collected, reviewed, and then published by Honors Program students. Submit your work by March 5. Learn more about the journal here.
Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship Program
The US-Japan Council has opened the application period for the Toshizo Watanabe Study Abroad Scholarship Program for the 2022-23 academic year. The scholarship provides financial assistance, including full cost of attendance to the study abroad program of the applicant’s choice, to undergraduate and graduate students for a semester or year-long study abroad program in either the United States of Japan. Apply by March 7 and learn more here.
Stay in the Know:
Appalachian State Town Hall Meeting
The Student Government Association, the Staff Senate, and the Faculty Senate of Appalachian State University will hold a town hall on Feb. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in Belk Library Auditorium. The topic of the town hall will be “where is App State headed”? Specific topics will address the university’s mission, diversity and inclusion, the university’s financial resources, town-grown relations, and sustainability and climate change. The meeting is designed to listen to the voices of those in the Appalachian State and the town of Boone communities. Attend via Zoom here. Contact Dr. Louis Gallien, faculty senate chair, here with any questions.
The Code Red Project
The Rho Theta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is collect winter garments, blankets, and feminine hygiene products. All donations will be going to the local Boone community. Drop off items at the Belk Library, the Multicultural Center, or the Convocation Center. The project will accept donations until Feb. 28.
Major and Career Exploration Drop-In Appointments
The Career Development Center is offering major and career exploration drop-in appointments to help students talk about how to select a major and choose a career path. Sessions are Tuesday 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., Wednesdays 1:00 – 2:00 p.m., and Thursdays 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. at the Career Studio in the Career Development Center Room 222 Plemmons Student Union. Contact Michael Rybak here with any questions. Join virtually here.
Office of Sustainability Weekly On-Campus Volunteer Opportunities
The Office of Sustainability offers weekly on-campus volunteer opportunities. Join the weekly Wednesday campus clean-up from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Help out in the Food Hub and Free Store on Tuesdays from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m. and Thursdays 10:45 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Meet at the Office of Sustainability located at the bottom of East Hall for all volunteer opportunities.
Career.Connect
The Career Development Center presents Career.Connect on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Grandfather Mountain Ballroom. All industries and all majors are featured on Feb. 23 and building sciences, applied design, and sustainable technology are featured on Feb. 24. Join the event to network, research career options, and find a job or internship with a top employer in your field.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors College Executive Assistant Jessica Yandow placed first in Hunter Equitation
Photo features Jessica Yandow riding Cookie, her trainer’s horse, at the Winter Hunter Show on December 18, 2021. Photo submitted.
Jessica Yandow, Honors College executive assistant, competed in the Winter Hunter Show at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Mocksville, North Carolina, on December 18, 2021. Yandow competed in two classes: Hunter Equitation and Pleasure Hunter, placing first and second respectively. After a 14-year break, Yandow began training and riding again in February of 2019. The Honors College prioritizes community engagement and encourages students and staff alike to develop their personal passions and expand their experience by investing time in activities beyond the academic world.
Read more about Yandow’s accomplishments here.
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!