The SFA flag is flying at half-staff today in honor of student Dorothea “Janie” Arriola, first-year agriculture student from Nacogdoches, who recently passed away.

For information about funeral details, contact the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs at (936) 468-7249 or dosa@sfasu.edu.

Chosen for their excellence in teaching and innovation in research, two SFA faculty members will be honored Dec. 14 during the 31st annual SFA Gala.

Deans and chairs from 33 departments across SFA’s six colleges nominated faculty candidates who they believe should be recognized for their outstanding teaching and research initiatives. This year, Dr. Jason Reese, associate professor of management and marketing, was selected to receive the 2019 Faculty Achievement Award for Teaching. Dr. Daniel R. Unger, professor of spatial science and the Kenneth Nelson Distinguished Professor, was selected to receive the 2019 Faculty Achievement Award for Research.

The Gala cocktail reception begins at 6 p.m. and will be followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Entertainment will be provided by Royal Dukes of Houston, a high-energy band playing music from pop, rock and jazz to rhythm and blues, funk, and Motown.

Tickets are $175 for orchestra seating and $125 for ballroom seating.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call April Smith, associate director of development, at (936) 468-5406.

Dr. Michara Delaney-Fields recently began serving as SFA’s new assistant dean of the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

“In this role, it is my goal to create a network of caring responses to our diverse student body,” Delaney-Fields said. “This would be enacted by ensuring critical services and programs are accessible to all students, as well as increasing their knowledge of the resources available to them.”

“Diversity is a call toward action,” Delaney-Fields said. “To enact diversity, we must be inclusive. To be inclusive, we must be equitable. Diversity and inclusion should not make a majority of our students feel intruded upon or a minority of our students feel neglected. It should be natural and business as usual. This position will create this network of caring responses for all of our students through the SFA Way, which highlights the five principles of respect, caring, responsibility, unity and integrity.”

Geology and forestry students enrolled in meteorology and weather and climate courses will present posters during the Forum on the Weather.

The come-and-go event is scheduled from 1 to 2:15 p.m. today in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, Room 2.106.

SFA’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture will host an undergraduate research showcase from 1 to 5 p.m. today.

Research posters from the disciplines of environmental science, forestry and spatial science will be on display in the Forestry Building, Room 117. The top three posters will be selected by a faculty member panel to advance to the university-wide Undergraduate Research Conference held in spring 2020.

The posters will cover an array of topics, ranging from the presence of microplastics in area water bodies to the use of spatial science technology for historical preservation.

Following the viewing, a reception sponsored by the timber company Weyerhaeuser will be held, and winners will be announced.

For more information on the conference, contact Dr. Sheryll Jerez, associate professor of environmental science and chair of the undergraduate research showcase committee, at jerezs@sfasu.edu or (936) 468-6614.

For the first time, graduate students and faculty members from the Department of Psychology and the Department of Human Services are collaborating to present school psychology research from 4:30 to 7 p.m. today in the Human Services Building.

Graduate students in the Department of Human Services will present posters outlining trends in psychology and related fields at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby.

Dr. Sarah Savoy, associate professor of psychology, will present her recent projects at 6 p.m. in Room 321, and school psychology faculty members will be on hand to discuss their research.

For more information, email Robbie Steward at stewardrj@sfasu.edu.

The planetarium in SFA’s Cole STEM Building will offer two shows on Saturdays starting Dec. 7.

The planetarium has public shows every Saturday with group shows available throughout the week upon reservation.

“The Secrets of Gravity – In the Footsteps of Albert Einstein” will be presented at 3 p.m., and tickets are $3. Geared toward children but open to all ages, the show takes viewers on a journey through space and time to learn about gravity.

“Solar Superstorms” is scheduled for 4:30 and 7 p.m. Tickets to this show are $6 for adults and $4 for children, students, and faculty and staff with ID.

“This show contains some of the best visualizations of the inner workings of the sun that I’ve ever seen,” said Ed Michaels, planetarium director. “Brace yourself for the onslaught of the next solar superstorm.”

The shows will be offered weekly through Jan. 25, except for Dec. 28 through Jan. 4.

To obtain more information, make a group reservation or view the schedule, visit planetarium.sfasu.edu.

Human Resources will offer its monthly professional development training Dec. 17.

This month, training includes "Assertive Communication" for administrative staff and "Managing Employee Leave" for managers.

For session details, visit myTraining in your mySFA account, and click “Browse for Training.”

SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 in the Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, located at 2900 Raguet St.

Dr. David Creech, professor emeritus and SFA Gardens director, will present “Reconnaissance in the Pursuit of Knowledge is Seldom Wasted: New Plants for a 21st-Century East Texas.”

For more information, call (936) 468-4129, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

SFA's College of Sciences and Mathematics’ Office of the Dean and the STEM Research and Learning Center will host an open house from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow in the Cole STEM Building, Room 406.

Holiday refreshments will be served.

SFA - 114 vs. Arlington Baptist University - 49

Mariachi Los Leñadores, a student-run organization and ensemble at SFA, will present “Una Noche De Serenatas” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, in the Music Recital Hall in the Wright Music Building.

“One of the traditions in the Mexican culture is to serenade a loved one with a mariachi,” said Dr. J.D. Salas, associate professor of tuba in the SFA School of Music. “This recital will serve as a serenade to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities following the group’s fall semester of rehearsals and performances.”

The concert is free to attend; donations will be accepted. For more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

SFA's School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of the documentary “The Music of Silence” at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Directed by Michael Radford, “The Music of Silence” is based on the life of Italian opera tenor Andrea Bocelli, who was born with an eye condition that eventually leads to blindness. The film, starring Antonio Banderas and Toby Sebastian, chronicles Bocelli’s life from his childhood to becoming one of the world’s most-renowned opera singers. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Bocelli and Anna Pavignano.

For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

SFA’s School of Music will present its annual Holiday Celebration at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, in Turner Auditorium.

A highlight of the program will be a performance of “Christmas Cantata,” or “Sinfonia Sacra,” by Daniel Pinkham. The concert also will feature works by Dominick Argento, Felix Mendelssohn, George Frideric Handel, Eric Edward Whitacre and Giuseppe Verdi, along with seasonal favorites.

The celebration will showcase the SFA A Cappella Choir, Men’s Choir, Women’s Choir and SFA Brass ensemble. Conductors will be Dr. Michael Murphy, director of choral activities at SFA; Dr. Tod Fish, associate director of choral activities; and graduate conductors Jacob Rivas of The Colony and David Zielke of Albany, Oregon. Accompanists will be SFA collaborative pianists Dr. Ron Petti, Dr. Thomas Nixon and Hyun Ji Oh.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407, or visit finearts.sfasu.edu.

It turns out that Twiggy, the SFA squirrel, is not the only adorable, acorn-loving critter on Instagram.

While on a walk in the woods, Igor Grishin found Chippy, who at the time had a leg injury. After Grishin nursed the squirrel back to health, the fluffy fella became a part of the family. Now he can be seen lounging on pillows, eating fruit and being roommates with a cat.

To read more, click here, or visit Chippy's Instagram.