edited by Kistler Hunt
Volume 7, Issue 26
April 3, 2024
Dear Honors students,
Today’s Honors Spotlight features Honors College student Kathryn Long and departmental Honors student Amarah Din, our 2024-2025 SGA student body president and vice president; congratulations Kathryn and Amarah! In a recent interview with the Appalachian, Kathryn explained their platform encouraging engagement and participation in campus conversations; “How do we leave SGA, but also how do we leave the lives of our students and the town of Boone better than we found it when we got here three years ago.” I hope you took advantage of today’s priority registration period to craft a schedule that allows you to seize opportunities to engage meaningfully with our campus community and beyond. Together, let's embrace opportunities, explore new avenues of learning, and connect with our community to collectively address complex challenges. As always, you can find many opportunities for engagement in this week’s Memo!
Best wishes,
Vicky
Upcoming Opportunities:
Interim Dean Vicky is happy to help you apply; send her an email at klimavw@appstate.edu
RIEEE Webinar: Community Climate Action Plan
The Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) will be hosting a virtual webinar on April 5 at 1:00 p.m. The webinar will provide an overview of the town of Boone’s climate action plan, including the development processes regarding the plan. For more information, contact RIEEE. To join the webinar, click here.
International Education Career Talk
The Office of International Education and Development (OIED) will be hosting an international education career talk on April 5 from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. We encourage those considering careers in international education or English teaching abroad to join. The talk will discuss the variety of job opportunities in international education and provide advice on how to enter the field. For more information, contact OIED.
Wellness and Prevention Services: Sex in the Dark
In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Wellness and Prevention Services will be hosting events throughout the month of April. Their next event, “Sex! in the Dark,” will feature a panel and open discussion about topics related to sexual health. The event will take place on April 10 from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. For more information, click here.
UN Climate Negotiations Program
Applications for ECO 4530: UN Climate Negotiations for Fall 2024 semester are now open. The program is offered through the Walker College of Business and welcomes students from all disciplines. The course familiarizes students with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the annual Conference of the Parties (COP). Each fall, a delegation of students and faculty from App State travel to the COP and participate in the negotiations, which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan from November 9 – November 17, 2024. Applications for the course and the opportunity to participate in the delegation are due April 15. For more information and to apply, click here.
Artist Michael Rakowitz Visit
The Art and Visual Culture program with generous support from the Department of Art’s Smith Gallery and the Honors College, along with grants from the Office of Diversity and North Carolina Humanities, will host Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz from April 23 – April 25. Rakowitz will present on his renowned work, which focuses on themes of activism, as well as his experiences and expertise in his field. A public lecture will be held on April 23 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. In addition, Rakowitz will be a part of a panel discussion coordinated by the students in HON 3515: Ancient Art & Visual Culture in Contemporary Contexts on April 24 from 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. For more information, contact Dr. Erin Peters.
Upcoming Thesis Defenses:
Interim Dean Vicky urges, “Support your fellow Honors College students and faculty by attending Honors thesis defenses! You'll marvel, learn, and grow. With each defense you attend, you'll make your own easier.”
Esme Hernandez-Alvarez
April 5, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Appalachian Hall, Room 185
Presenting “Exploring the Feasibility and Impacts of Tiny Houses for Appalachian State Faculty”
Rachel Leonard
April 5, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Schaffel Recital Hall, Broyhill Music Center
Presenting “The Relevance of Flamenco: A History and Analysis of an Art Form Balanced Between Protest and Tradition”
Stay in the Know:
“Coddling of the American Mind” Screening
The Appalachian Heterodox Community will be hosting a screening of the newly-released film, “Coddling of the American Mind,” on April 4 at 5:30 in the Greenbriar Theatre. Based on a book with the same title, the film covers the activities in the daily lives of college students that can contribute to anxiety, isolation, and polarization. For more information, contact Dr. Kristina Groover.
Healing the Wounds of Violence in Burundi
The Center for Judaic, Holocaust, and Peace Studies will host Janvier Manirakiza and Barry Thomas, who will provide a guest lecture, titled “Healing the Wounds of Violence in Burundi.” The lecture will overview crucial moments in Burundian history, including the ethnic violence occurring in 1972 and 1993. The lecture will take place on April 4 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in Room 114 of Belk Library, with a virtual option available. For more information and to register for the online section, click here.
Immigrants’ Rights Activist Guest Lecture
The Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures will host immigrants’ rights activist Stefania Arteaga on April 9 at 5:30 p.m. Arteaga has documented success in developing grassroots immigrant coalitions in North Carolina. She will present on the current policies surrounding immigration in North Carolina, political campaigns, and the deportation pipeline in the state. For more information, contact Dr. Adrienne Erazo.
Visiting Writers Series: Poet M. Soledad Caballero
The Department of English is hosting its Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, which features renowned authors who present about their work. The next presentation of the Spring semester will feature App State alumna M. Soledad Caballero and her work “I Was a Bell,” which is centered around migrants and the survivors of exile. A craft talk and reading will be held on April 11 from 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., respectively. For more information, click here.
Civil War Speaker Series Presentation
The Department of History will be hosting its Civil War Speaker Series on April 11 from 6:00 – 7:30 in Room 114 in Belk Library. The Series will feature Dr. Angela Esco Elder who will present “Love and Duty: Confederate Widows and the Emotional Politics of Loss.” Elder will show how, in losing their husbands, many women acquired significant cultural capital, which positioned them as unlikely actors to gain political influence, which further impacted the subsequent history of the Confederacy. For more information, click here or contact Dr. Judkin Browning.
In the Honors Spotlight
Honors students elected SGA student body president and vice president
Photo features Kathryn Long (left) and Amarah Din (right). Photo submitted.
For the second year in a row, an Honors College student has been elected as the Student Government Association’s (SGA) student body president for the upcoming 2024-2025 academic year. On March 28, Kathryn Long, Honors College senior and communication sciences and disorders major, and Amarah Din, departmental Honors senior and political science major, were elected to the roles of student body president and vice president respectively. Long served as the Honors College Student Orientation Undergraduate Leader (SOUL) for 2022. Long and Din will serve as the first female student body president and vice president since the 2011-2012 academic year.
Click here to hear more from and about Long and Din, or click here to read the story in The Appalachian by Mia Seligman.
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!