NE graduate, poet to give reading, coffeehouse talk
A TCC Cornerstone Program graduate who is now a faculty member and published author and poet will be the featured guest at Coffeehouse Conversations on NE Campus Sept. 27.
The program, featuring Kelly Holt, who earned her master’s at the University of Houston, will be at 6 p.m. in the J. Ardis Bell Library. Holt will read her work for 30 minutes and answer audience questions.
Holt’s published works have appeared in the American Literary Review, Allegheny, Fugue and also in the NE literary journal Under the Clock Tower. She currently teaches writing and English literature at TCC.
“Students will benefit from the poetry session by listening to live poetry, connecting with the literary community and asking the writer about the publishing process,” said Rebecca Balcarcel, associate professor of English and event coordinator.
This will be the second year of Coffeehouse Conversations, a monthly event bringing local artists and students together hosted by Cornerstone, TCC’s honors program. For more information, contact Balcarcel at rebecca.balcarcel@tccd.edu.
—Shameaka Jones
Student stress can be relieved during math workshops
Opportunities for students to be heard, express feelings and open up about their math struggles will soon take place.
Math Anxiety?, a student seminar, is scheduled noon-1 p.m. Sept. 22 in the SSTU Texas Room on South Campus. Maggie Foster, South math instructor, will conduct the seminar with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation and handouts.
“She gives study tips, test tips and talks about the math lab,” said Jasmine Tuya of the center for academic success.
Tuya said students often request the class. The math department tries to hold it every semester, but this semester will differ in making the class available to evening and weekend students.
—Alma Sosa
NE competition seeks want-to-be published authors
NE Campus students can become published authors, but only if their works are finished and submitted by Nov. 5.
Each semester for the past 10 years, the NE English department has sponsored a writing competition that encourages students to write creatively and outside their school assignments.
“We want to recognize the creative writers on our campus and give them a chance to shine,” said Rebecca Balcarcel, associate professor and competition director.
Students may enter poems, stories or essays. Cash prizes will go to the two top entries in each category. The works deemed best in each category will be considered for publication in Under the Clock Tower, the NE literary journal.
Students can upload their works to http://undertheclocktower.submittable.com/submit.
Entrants may write on any subject, but Balcarcel said that two themes usually dominate.
“We [English faculty] see a lot of love poems, I’m afraid, and many about faith,” she said. “Love and faith are good topics, but writing must be fresh and specific.”
Balcarcel said she also expects to see a fair number of what she calls “alarm clock stories,” ones in which the first scene is of the main character waking up in the morning.
Questions about the competition can go to Balcarcel at rebecca.balcarcel@tccd.edu.
—Anderson Colemon
Seminar can help students define success’ meaning
Students will be told about the link between positive self-esteem and success on NE Campus Oct. 2.
NE counselor Anita Peters will begin her discussion of What Does Success Mean to You? by asking attendees to explain what success means.
“You need to define what success is to you,” she said. “Just to say you want to be successful isn’t enough … what does it mean? They [students] need to know what success means. Otherwise, they don’t know what they’re aiming for.”
An understanding of success, she said, needs to be accompanied by a belief that it can be achieved.
“They need to take a look at their strengths and abilities and see how those can be used to get them to where they want to go,” she said. “The huge thing is that they need to believe in themselves and that they’re capable of obtaining success in their lives to achieve success.”
—Anderson Colemon
NW speakers aid leadership skills in presentations
The first of seven presentations in the NW Student Leadership Academy, The Challenge of Leadership, will be presented Sept. 25.
Vesta Martinez, NW director of student development services, will address what it means to be a leader and examine leadership styles in the first module.
“All students would benefit from this,” she said. “It would prepare them to be leaders on their campus, in their community and in the workplace. The feedback has been very positive.”
The presentations are interactive workshops with different activities and discussions at each step.
“The later modules deal more with skill building, public speaking and conflict management,” she said. “We’ve had three students completely finish the academy, and they all came back to be mentors.”
The two-hour session begins at 2 p.m. in WACB 1123.
The presentations begin in the fall and end in spring and occur once a month usually during lunchtime. The Student Leadership Academy is open to all TCC students.
—Tabitha Redder
Safety precaution tips taught during South workshop
As emergencies and disasters can happen at any time, South Campus will host a Know What to Do Lunch and Learn Safety presentation Sept. 20.
Kirk Driver, TCC emergency management coordinator, will discuss the difference between emergencies and disasters and explain how they are managed.
“We look at what we want you to do and that leads into our simple philosophy of the following: Think. Prepare. Act,” he said. “If you apply this philosophy, you will know what to do.”
Driver began as a firefighter and has held key positions in emergency management including working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Although safety is a serious issue, “we use animation, videos and pictures to make you laugh while you learn,” he said. He also will “offer trivia questions and a special prize at the end of the presentation.”
Sponsored by health services and student development services, the presentation is noon-1 p.m. in the SSTU Forum Room on South Campus. Pizza and drinks will be provided.
—Maria Asprilla
