Tag Archives: SAA

SAA Promotes School Spirit

October 22, 2012   tirado

The bonfire was held this past Friday night at the SFA intramural fields by the Student Activities Association and Traditions Council.

SAA members set up their table at the Baker Patillo Student Center Plaza this past week Monday through Friday 10a.m. through 2p.m.. T-shirts were on a first come first served basis.

SFA students took their old college shirts and departed with them to gain a brand new free SFA homecoming t-shirt. Students gave up shirts from schools like, UT Dallas, North Texas and LSU.

It seemed hard for some students to depart with their old college t-shirts, especially one girl who was grasping on to her LSU shirt tightly. Finally she let go and exchanged it. What most students do not know is the t-shirts exchanged with SAA for the bonfire are not all burned. Their t-shirts go to a good cause. They go to those less fortunate.

SAA chooses at least ten Sam Houston shirts and throws those into the bonfire. The rest of the shirts are then donated to those in need. SAA members like Thomas Shannon (freshman and criminal justice major), Cori Jone (freshman and business management major), and Sandra Ramirez (sophomore and English major) take the rest of the donated shirts back to their hometown, or any area outside of Nacogdoches to then be donated to the local thrift stores, homeless shelters and donation centers. Whatever seems fit.

“We donate the rest to communities outside Nacogdoches to get those other college shirts away from SFA!” said Chris Reisinger, SAA member and brother of Sigma Lambda Beta.

This year Aaron Watson performed live after the bonfire pep rally. Aaron Watson is a Texas Country singer with hits “Barbed Wire Halo”, “Off the Record” and “Raise your Bottle”. The loud music along with the SFA purple and red Homecoming fireworks and huge bonfire got the crowd even more riled up.

The Bearcats shirts were thrown into the bonfire to get the SFA student body and Alumni rowdy, proud and loud for homecoming game day this past Saturday.

The tailgate was held at the SFA Ag Pond, across from the Homer Bryce Football stadium. Unlike past years when it was held in a more spacious environment, the commuter lot. Where many fraternities such as Delta Chi and sororities like Mu Sigma Upsilon set up their tents and celebrated their homecoming weekend.

The Lumberjacks defeated the Colonels 44-10 at the Homecoming football game. Junior quarterback Brady Attaway completed 41-of-65 for five touchdowns. Many of the people who attended alumni and students wore their SFA vs. Nicholls State University Burn Shirts to the game and tailgate, and showed their school spirit.

The t-shirt burn event is a new SFA tradition. It did however originally start as burning the college shirts that were exchanged but, in 2007 it was decided it was best to donate them instead.

Traditions at SFA are a big part of being a Lumberjack as well as a big part of the SFA family and entertainment. SAA takes part in hosting many of the SFA traditions as well as their own events like the recent TOMS SOS event and the underwear run.

Join SAA at one of their many events and activities. Become a member and have fun at their big events. Speaking of Big Event. SAA’s yearly community service The Big Event is coming up. Much like MLK Day 2012. Sign up with a few of your friends and help out in a day filled with community service and awareness. SAA encourages everyone to join in their events and tradition, as well as to be active in school and your community.

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Let The Games Begin!

October 14, 2012   fluegel

Freshman Traditions Council member, Sarah Bizzell, was one of many Traditions Council members who put in extra time on Sunday to help create homecoming decorations.

Homecoming week starts this Monday for Stephen F. Austin State University.

The student run organization, Traditions Council, has run homecoming since their formation in 2006. They are responsible for planning and executing a majority of the Homecoming events.

Homecoming court is decided on a point system. Candidates will get points for participating in events in addition to the points they get for popular vote. The top three candidates for Senior King and Queen will then have an interview with a board of faculty and staff members. The interview counts for 25% of the total points, making it the first time that the king and queen will not be solely decided by students.

The Involvement Center is also offering a “board game” style schedule that, once completed, will enter students into a raffle to win 250 dollars or a Kindle Fire. They can pick up the schedule in the Involvement Center. Students take the schedules to the Homecoming Headquarters set up at every event where their “board game” will get the corresponding sticker for that event.

This year’s theme is “Let the Games Begin.”  Decorations will go up Sunday night. There will be characters from different games placed throughout the campus.

“Each day will have its own game theme and the decorations will be dispersed across campus,” said Nicole Lejeune, Vice President of Traditions Council.

The themes for each day (in no particular order) are Pokemon, Scrabble, Monopoly, Dominos, Candyland, and Madden.

 

Monday

Monday morning the Homecoming week starts off with Opening Ceremonies at 10 am at Surfin’ Steve. The court candidates will be announced and the fountain water in Surfin’ Steve will be dyed purple. Online voting on Axes, SFA’s new social network, will be open until 5 p.m. To vote online students can go through MySFA. Here is how students can reach online voting.

  1. Login to MySFA
  2. Click on the “my services” tab
  3. Scroll down and click on the “AXES: The Web Portal for Student Involvement at SFA” link located in the middle of the page.
  4. Create an account (new users only)
  5. Find the link that states “2012 Homecoming Court Election ends 10/15/2012 5:00 PM Vote Now!”
  6. Click “Vote Now!”
  7. Vote for your desired candidates
  8. Students can only vote once, so students who vote online will not be allowed to vote in person.

The organizations competing for the Spirit Organization Award will be announced during the Homecoming Kickoff. Organization boards (ply wood that is decorated by competing organizations) will be presented. The Spirit Organization Award will be decided by a point system just like Homecoming Court. Organizations will gain points by participating in and winning events. Then Kickoff will shift gears. Participating organizations will run game themed tables in the plaza. Students who participate will earn raffle tickets to enter drawings for movies and electronics, like iPod speakers and a printer.

 

Tuesday

There will be a blood drive starting at 9 a.m. and going until 5 p.m. Organizations and court candidates can give blood or have others give blood in their name to earn points. Physical voting for Homecoming candidates on the plaza will start at 10 a.m. A validated student ID must be presented in order to vote.

The day ends with the Amazing Traditions Race, a campus scavenger hunt. The winning team earns the prize of 100 dollars.

 

Wednesday

Voting for Homecoming Court on the plaza continues until 2 p.m. when voting is stopped for counting. The campus recreational center invites all students to come by and tie dye a shirt at 4.

Homecoming Court candidates and organizations can gain points by participating and winning in the ODK (Omicron Delta Kappa, Leadership Honor Society) Trivia Bowl at 5. Groups of 4 to 5 students compete against each other in a battle to see who knows the most trivia.

 

Thursday

The organizations will be competing with each other once again at 2 p.m. on the plaza for the Big Event Food Drive Build. All through the week organizations will be turning in cans for the food drive into the Involvement Center. They will use those cans to build an object pertaining to the theme selected by the judges.

At 5 o’clock the Homecoming Court will be revealed at the Cheer Competition/Court Reveal in the Grand Ballroom. There will be ten students in the court, a duke and a duchess from each class plus a king and queen from the senior class. After the court is reveled organizations will compete by performing their cheer in order to obtain more points in the race for the Spirit Organization Award.

 

Friday

The day starts off with two golf tournaments hosted by the Alumni Association. The tournament for traditional golf will be held at 10:30 in the morning while the tournament of disc (Frisbee) golf will be held at 2 in the afternoon.

At 8:30 p.m. the torch light parade will begin. Glow sticks will be handed out to students. The king and queen and the court will lead the parade with a torch in hand. They will march from Surfin’ Steve down Raguet Street to Starr. From Starr they will head towards the intramural fields to the spot where the bonfire will be held.

After the bonfire is lit there will be a Bonfire Pep-Rally. During the pep rally Lumberjack’s head football coach J.C. Harper will come and talk to all the students and the winner of the Spirit Organization Award will be announced.

At 9:30 after the pep rally local Texas Country star, Aaron Watson, will hold a concert on the intramural fields, hosted by Student Activities Association.

 

Saturday

The final day of the Homecoming week starts at 8 in the morning with a 5k run at the parking lot behind Schlief Tennis Complex on the corner of Wilson and Starr.

Then at 10 o’clock the Homecoming parade will be held on Main Street downtown. Campus and local organizations along with the Homecoming Court will be on floats supporting their organizations and local businesses.

The final event of homecoming will be the football game at 3 in the afternoon as the SFA Lumberjacks face the Nicholls State University Colonels. The Lumberjacks come into the game as the favorite. Lumberjacks are 2-4 (1-1 in conference) while the Colonels are 1-5 (0-2 in conference). Both teams are coming off a game from the same opponent. Lumberjacks played Sam Houston Bearkats on October 6th and lost by eight points. This past weekend the Colonels faced off against the Bearkats and lost 41-0. During half time the homecoming court will be introduced a final time to all those present at the game.

 

For a full schedule of all the events and information or forms to register for the parade visit the Involvement Center or Homecoming web page at http://www.sfasu.edu/studentaffairs/94.asp.

 

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SAA what is it?

September 17, 2012   allen

 

SAA member Darius Moore Junior and Officer Claire Cook working on SAA events for the semester.

Many events held on campus are ran by SAA Student Activities Association is an organization that gets SFA students involved on campus.

“SAA is an organization for you” says Travis Edwards, junior, SAA Officer.

Travis, a Public Relations Chair for SAA is in charge of all publications as such as flyers, t-shirt designs, advertising and coming up with new marketing strategies for students.

SAA stands for Student Activities Association is an organization that provides entertainment outside the classroom to get students involved with the campus community and being active on campus.

SAA was founded by Amanda Horn, Adviser, in 2001.The organization represents energy and school pride as well as student involvement on the campus of SFA. Horn founded the organization to get students out of their room and bring a level of excitement to SFA students.

By Joining SAA, students can achieve leadership, networking, event planning and learning about SFA history. These traits can help students  in their future as far as a career and looks great on a resume. Anyone can join as long as they have a GPA of 2.0 or higher and are enrolled in the University.

SAA consists of over 55 students that plan over 200 events each school year. These events vary from concerts, coffee house events, movies, homegrown events, various contests, sporting tournaments and many more.

The Stephen F. Austin Student Activities Association strives to provide an educational and recreational experience outside the classroom through programs that culturally enlighten, intellectually stimulate and entertain the university community.

Core Values

This organization brings a set of core values that include trust, leadership, truth, courage, pride, creativity and diversity. Each of these core values represent SAA in every way.

  • Trust; SAA members must have trust in each other but the student body must trust them to provide them with great programming while maintaining the proper use of their money.
  • Leadership; A member has to have leadership within the organization that will allow members to lead the campus.
  • Truth; SAA values the ethical decisions and behavior, above all honesty. Members have to be honest with one another and the student body.
  • Courage; Members must posses the courage to try new things and fight for the rights of the student body.
  • Pride; Members must have pride in the university and pride in the organization as well as value and respect the history of the university and organization
  • Creativity; Members must value creativity and innovation. It is very important that they introduce new ideas. This will foster growth and continued improvement.
  • Diversity; Value diversity in not only members but programs that are provided for student body

“I became an officer through a application process and you have to present a presentation in front of the program board and they vote for you to be an officer” said, Travis Edwards.

Of course students have to be in SAA for at least a semester before you can be considered as an officer for SAA but it is a great opportunity and will look exceptional on their resume.

“ It helps me out so much because my major is mass communication and that is already dealing with advertising, communication and graphic design so I am winning on both sides because it’s helping me with my major and I get to increase my skills as a graphic designer,” said Edwards

“SAA brings the campus quality to the students all over campus, it brings diversity for the campus and brings students together,” said Edwards.

Events

SAA works in a way to put on events that they feel students would appreciate and come out and win prizes and cash. The coordinator who throws the event gets an evaluation of how the event went.

If the event succeeds expectations then they eventually throw the event again for the next semester but if it has a negative impact they have a round table discussion about how they can improve the event and make it better for the students.

“I joined because it looked fun and I am a people person I like diversity and love communicating to other people says Edwards.”

Once students become members they are responsible for working a set amount of events each semester. They decide what events you want to work. Members are also expected to promote all SAA events through creative advertising and face-to-face communication. As a member students are also required to attend weekly meetings in order to go over SAA business.

SAA offers many events throughout the semester for students. They offer a movie series throughout every week in the semester for only a dollar if you are an SFA student.

‘’I love the free shirts they occasionally give out I mean everybody likes a free shirt you know” says Chelsea Biley.

The lines always seem to fill up for the free shirts. SAA recently had an event at the campus recreation center where they provided food, music, and snow cones for students.

“It was a real chill event for me and very relaxing it’s so diverse and it’s always fun meeting new people that you never truly see around campus,” said Kayla Borens.

Join SAA

Applying for SAA is a pretty simple process their offices are located in the Baker Patillo Student Center room 3.305 although the application deadline has passed you can still pickup an application for next semester.

“We just want the students to feel like it’s okay to get out of the room and be active and come to events, most of are events are free to student so we always want to welcome the opportunity for them to come and have a good time. For me it is the satisfaction of creating event of your own and seeing it with your own eyes be successful. It is a great feeling when you have a full event with so many people talking and meeting each other it shows they are interested and are open to come back again, “ says Edwards.

SAA entertaining is what they do best! If you would like to contact SAA you can find them on Facebook: SAA SFA Twitter: SAA_1923 or email them at saa@sfasu.edu. SAA is an organization for everybody and they want to be sure that the student body understands that.

 

Allenlarry23@gmail.com

 

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The East Texas Garage Sale

May 01, 2012   Faidat Bakare

Selling it all – The East Texas Garage Sale

Student Activities Association held their annual garage sale last Saturday, April 28, in the student parking commuter lot. The event went on from 7a.m till noon.

From dusty wires, to a $40 iPod  Touch, the sale last weekend was one to go to.  The event was for all residents and students of Nacogdoches, Texas. The lot filled up rather quickly from the beginning of the sale to the near end. Others coming with a mind made up of what they wanted, and some ventured off with only a interest of what there is to offer.

Jessica Ibekwe, a junior from Sugarland, Texas filled three tables with high-priced clothes, expensive shoes, plasma TV selling for a mere $20, and a dining room table set. Her goal was to get rid of everything before she moves off to New York in June.

“I’m getting rid of everything in my house.” She laughs before chiming in. “I only have a two luggage limit, and my home in New York is too small for all of this stuff,” .

A nutrition major with emphasis on psychology, Ibekwe’s next step is to own a 500 calorie or less upscale restaurant. She states that her plans for the restaurant is big and she wants to change our American culture, who are big on fast foods to become more eco-friendly and healthy-living.

“In my restaurant, I want exclusive valet parking, nice low calorie wines and all organic healthy food,” Said Ibekwe. Moving to Brooklyn College next fall semester, those plans of her restaurant will finally go into use.

Lined up for the fashion savvy woman, her table held Jessica Simpson heels, Forever21 dresses, and a nice lamp set that was free of scratches and dents.

“Nothing is wrong with my items,” Ibekwe says. “I just need to get rid of everything! Time is winding down for me.”

She jokes with potential buyers encouraging them to purchase from her. Jaida Taylor, a Dallas Native, junior from SFA bought her plasma screen TV, along with a picture frame and a couple of $3 dressy shirts.

“I wasn’t even expecting to buy anything considering the fact that I as well have a couple of items to sell here.” Taylor states.

Taylor’s table included customizable pieces and old vintage clothing, all going for a $1. Her motive is to sale everything; she complains that her closet is too full of clothes she doesn’t want.

“But when I saw that she was selling her flat screen TV for $20, I couldn’t pass that up.” Taylor is moving to an apartment next semester, sohaving a TV of that size would be beneficial.

“I’m dealing with a small TV dinner screen, so I couldn’t pass up that deal.” She gleams as she held the new TV. She explains that a lot of money was saved.

SAA held a table of their own, selling most of their items for a buck, and some for small change, they too gathered a great deal of money near the end of the event. The items sold came from their lost and found bin in the student center.

Their collection included $1 Vintage Ray ban shades to a bunch of telephone and computer cords that were sold for only a few cents . They sat and mingled among themselves before checking with the rest of the tables.

The East Texas Garage sale is held every spring semester near the end of the school year. If you want to participate next year, simply visit the SAA office in the student center or e-mail Henry Chica, SAA Vice-President.

 

SAA Offices

(936) 468-1222

 

Henry Chica, SAA Vice-President

Henry.Chica2014@gmail.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG4-79R5whs&feature=youtu.be

Faidat.Bakare@gmail.com


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SAA

April 09, 2012   Sunshine Kemp

SAA

Student Activities Association or also known as SAA, is a student run organization that puts together many different activities and events for the students on campus. The moment you step onto the Stephen F. Austin State University campus you feel the presence of SAA all around. They host many different events each semester to allow students to meet new people, and have fun while doing it. SAA’s mission statement from their website reads: ”The Stephen F. Austin Student Activities Association strives to provide an educational and recreational experience outside the classroom through programs that culturally enlighten intellectually stimulate and entertain the university community.”

Every weekend SAA shows movies on the 2nd floor of the Baker Pattillo Student Center in the Theater next to Starbucks. The movies that SAA shows are usually current up to date movies, that were recently released in theaters earlier in the year. SAA tries to make these movie weekends friendly to students by having the tickets to see the movies for $1. Faculty and staff can watch movies for only $2. Not only are the movies cheap for students, faculty/staff, they are at a good price for the public to come see too, for only $3. This makes taking someone out on a cheap date. Especially when being a college student means you are on a tight budget. SAA has the right idea when it comes to showing good movies for a good price. Aside from the variety of movies that are shown each week, there are many different events that brings big turnouts.

Some of the inspiration for these events is drawn from the different television shows many of us like to watch, such as American Idol (SFA Lumberjack Idol), So you think you can dance?, America’s Got Talent (SFA’s Got Talent), and Amazing Race. The fun and competitions don’t stop there, SAA tries to host Open Mic Nights and concerts to enjoy. In years past SAA has brought in many different talents from the Casting Crowns to Miranda Lambert. These concerts were held in the William R. Johnson Coliseum. There have been many different SAA events that my friends and I have attended and been apart of. The events are full of fun and laughs for everyone.

Recently I was invited to the SAA Stroll Off event that a friend was performing in. I went to the event with optimism.  I showed up to the event about 20 minutes early so I could get a good seat. When I arrived there was a line all the way down the hallway and, as time went past the line kept getting longer.  When the audience settled and the show was about to start, almost every seat was filled and the energy in the room was loud. There were about 4 different groups competing for a $400 Grand Prize. With each performance the crowd got louder and more into the performance. Even some member of SAA took part in the action by showing off during intermission.  The final win went to the ladies of Sigma Lambda Gamma.  Here is a short video of the SAA Stoll Off event.

Sigma Lambda Gamma

SAA

In late spring each semester SAA host Springfest. Springfest is a day long event with mud volleyball, concerts, and eating crawfish. This event is one of SAA’s biggest events; it is a combination of everything that SAA strives for. There is never a dull moment when you are attending an SAA event. SAA provides an alternative and safe way to have fun while in college. The members of SAA are great leaders of the school are always open to meeting new people.

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Angry Birds

April 02, 2012   Dustin Anderson

Sophomore Nursing major Myra Wilkerson from Houston, Texas, launches the blue bird on Wednesday during the SAA sponsored Real Life Angry Birds event held in plaza surrounding Surfing Steve on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University

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Building unity SFA style

March 04, 2012   Laura Aguilar

    

           

On February 20, SAA members hoped to set records by having 300 or more SFA students attend the Building Unity by Breaking Records event to win prizes, play games, and most importantly, set a new record.

Clair Cook, host of Building Unity by Breaking Records, was very determined to not only bring the students of SFA together as one student body, but to also achieve the goal to get SFA in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Q: What made you think to do this event?

A: As an SAA member, I try to do events that have never been done before so I wanted my event for this semester to be unique and different and something that the students would be interested in doing. Therefore, I thought trying to get SFA and it’s students in the Guinness Book Of World Records would fit my goals. It was also cheaper to break a record by attendance because no money was needed for supplies.  Obviously sometimes it’s risky, especially with this because people didn’t know what it was and we needed a lot of people, but I like risks.

Q: So exactly how do you get into the Guinness Book of World Records?

A: Well first I went online and there was a ten page form that you have to send to the corporate office, which is in Europe, and just fill in the questions. It asks things like what record you are trying to break, what organization are you with, the date, time, place and so on. After sending the form, you will hear back from them within four to six weeks if they allow you to break the record, in most cases it deals with liability issues. If you are allowed to break the record, then you have to get all the information of the people who attend, take photos, send a video as proof and fill out another form with more details, or you could hire an official for $5,000 to come to your event to make sure you broke a record.  If we did break a record, everyone would have had a confirmation code and you would have been sent a certificate saying that you broke a record, that would have been the official proof to prove you were apart of the activity.

Q: Did SFA make it in the Guinness Book of World Records?

A: Well, what happened with the event was that not enough people showed up, we needed around 300 or so students to come out but only about 60 attended. We sort of improvised and just played games and in between games we did raffles. But maybe in the future we will try to attempt it again and hopefully more people will try to show up because we were competing with a lot of events that night. That night there was a women’s basketball game against Sam Houston, softball intramural games and then people also thought it was going to rain that night so people might not have wanted to go out as well. There was kind of a lot of stuff against us at the last minute.

Q: What types of records were you hoping to break?

A: Well there was eight records in mind that I wanted to break but they were all based on attendance, like the most people standing on their foot at one time, most people high-fiving at the same time, most people whistling at the same time, most people patting their head and rubbing their stomachs at the same time, the largest bare-footed race, thumb wrestling chain. The thumb wrestling chain was the one I was most looking forward too, but when stuff like that happens (not having enough people) you just got to role with the punches and make the best of it.

Q:What games did you play?

A: The first game we played was ninja, ships and sailors and red light green light. The ideas of the games came from team builder meetings I have always gone to, they were always used as an ice breaker so I thought it would be good and fun for everyone to learn new games.

Q: Do you think by the end of the day your event was successful?

A: Nothing happened the way I thought it would happen, but at the same time I do feel like it was a success because my main focus was to make sure everyone had a good time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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SAA excites and entertains with SFA’s Got Talent

February 26, 2012   Sarah Hall

As students slowly fill the SFA theater the room becomes louder and  louder with the excitement in their voices. They are waiting for the Student Activity Association to kick off this semester’s SFA’s Got Talent. You wouldn’t think that 400 students could fit into the theater, but as the night progressed students had to stand along the walls and in the isles just to witness their fellow students preform. Some students were even denied admission because of overcrowding.

Jasmine Taylor, member of SAA and coordinator of the event, proposed SFA’s Got Talent as her semesterly event to SAA last semester and this semester.

“I just wanted put on a talent show because it’s what I did all through high school and I thought it would be really fun, and looking at the crowd I got a lot of people to come out,” said Jasmine.

Performances of all kinds were seen at the talent show, including singing, dancing, spoken word poetry, dance crews and stomp teams. One of the interesting thing about this years event is that students could use Twitter to comment on each performance by using the hash-tag #Sfagottalent. Then MC’s Denis Haggins and Brandy Mathis could read the tweets in between the acts.

Throughout the night Haggins and Mathis entertained the crowd by encouraging them to come to the front and show off some of their dance moves. Music was played, and at first no one would dance anywhere but in front of their seats, but then one brave student ran to the front and wowed the crowed with his talent.

The late Whitney Houston was honored by Greg Yarburough, who sang “I Believe in You and Me,” and Amanda Garcia, who sang “ I Will Always Love You.” An audience member tweeted that Greg “paid great homage to Whitney Houston.”

The judges, former SAA member Carl White and SFA Dance team member Destiny Marie, had a difficult time choosing a first and second place winner. It took several minutes for a decision to be made and while participants were waiting music was once again played for students to sing and dance to.

First place was won by NeNe LaNay, a sophomore from Houston who is majoring in criminal justice. She recited one of her original spoken word pieces. Her words moved the audience and had strong meaning behind them. She delivered her act with confidence and never faltered. LaNay won a trophy and $150 as her prize.

“It feels really great to win because I worked really hard on it,” said LaNay.

Second place was given to the dance crew “Infamous”. They did a spectacular job during their hip-hop and dub-step routine which was set to a montage of different current Rap songs. The group won an assorted prize basket that contained snacks and other miscellaneous items.

Third place was not determined by the judges, instead it was up to the crowd to vote for their favorite performance. All participants lined up in front of the audience and as each name was called, students could clap and yell for the person they wanted to win. After it was all said and done, Amanda Garcia won the crowd favorite award.

According to their website, SAA “strives to provide an educational and recreational experience outside the classroom through programs that culturally enlighten intellectually stimulate and entertain the university community.”

SAA does this through hundreds of events on campus each year. For more information on the Student Activities Association and their upcoming events visit www.sfasu.edu/SAA, visit their office in room 3.305 in the Baker Pattillo Student Center, or give them a call at (936) 468-1222.

You can see a video of the event here:

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SAA’s night to remember

February 20, 2012   Laura Aguilar

SAA\’s Night To Remember Video

 

Thursday, Feb. 16, SAA hosted a prom based event featuring Tje Austin, contestant from “The Voice,” at 7 p.m. in the Twilight Ballroom.

The Austin, singer from Austin, Texas, was in the second season of “The Voice” and had the opportunity to choose between Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine as his coach. Ultimately, Austin participated as a contestant in “The Voice” for several weeks thanks to his coach, Cee Lo Green.

“The Voice” is a new TV show similar to American Idol except the judges judge only on voice; meaning they do not know what the performer looks like until after they are judged. The contestants try out in hopes to be considered in one of four teams that are each coached by different celebrities. The judges are pop star Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, the lead singer of Maroon 5, Cee Lo Green, the singer of Forget You, and Blake Shelton, a famous country singer.

This event included a dinner for two with singing, by Tje Austin, and dancing. The three course meal, provided by ARAMARK, consisted of rolls, Caesar salad, fettuccine alfredo with mixed vegetables and chocolate pie.

Austin was discovered by SFA through the Student Activities Association organization, also known as SAA. SAA offers hands on experience where students are responsible for creating an event, producing a set budget and attendance and meeting those goals. SAA offers affordable movies in the BPSC theatre, bingo nights, karaoke night and much more.

“Every year, selected members of SAA are able to go to a convention called NACA where entertainers and performers get together so that they can be hired to do whatever their jobs are,” said Jessica Hays, junior hospitality administration major and SAA member of two years. “This year, the SAA members were able to see his performance and booked him right away,” she said, “I love how the event worked perfectly with Valentines Day too since it was only two days after Valentines Day.”

With every event comes detailed planning. Hays planed on making the event as formal as possible by decorating the tables with white table cloths, flower petals covering the tables, lighted candles and flower centerpieces.

With a lot of support from friends, Hays was able to meet her goal limit of attendance. The event was set for 40 reservations with each reservation consisting of 2 people. Spaces filled up quickly which made the atmosphere energetic and a success.

“It was a little hard to get people to want to come to my event,”  said Hays “because not a lot of people know who he is.” Hays believes that what made the event possible is how Austin was able to not only perform his own music, but cover music as well.

Austin performed Set Fire to the Rain by Adele, Need You Now by Lady Antebellum and Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars. His music helped set the  romantic mood with acoustic music along with the candle lit dinner.

Hays, who is also studying a focus in event planning, hosted the event. “SAA is perfect for my focus”, said Hays. It gave her the opportunity to work independently and as well as with a team who all helped make her event possible.

“My main focus for this event was the students, I just wanted them to know that SAA cares and are willing to do whatever we can so that everyone can have a good time,” said Hays. “We normally don’t do a lot of upper scale events like this but we just wanted to make sure we give the best to the students.”

luie152000@yahoo.com


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Five Ways to Save

February 19, 2012   Gina Butler

Saving money is at the forefront of almost every college student’s mind. With that said, however, it is only achieved by the dedicated few who know how to cut back without really cutting back. Just as a marathon runner must live and breathe running, those who save money must do the same. Here’s some tips to help aspiring savers get started.

Support the Student Activities Association

The SAA shows movies every Thursday, Friday and Sunday within the BPSC Theater. Known as the SAA Cinema, admission is $1 and snack combos, including a bag of popcorn, drink, and candy of choice, may be purchased for an additional $2. “I went to the SAA Cinema to see ‘Footloose’ with my roommates,” said Mary DePrisco, sophomore, math major. “We all had a great time. You can’t beat a night of entertainment for just a dollar.”

Take advantage of your peers’ strengths

On SFA’s campus, students with skills in almost every field can be found. If graduation photos are needed, there are photography majors willing to help. If event announcements are needed, there are advertising design majors who can take care of that. Since these students are looking to build their portfolios, they often will charge significantly less than professionals in the field. While some students may use photography or advertising design majors to save, Martha Coon, senior, dance major, uses her friend’s skills in a different way. “To save money, I have my friend color and cut my hair,” said Coon. “My friend charges me only $20 for something that could cost hundreds elsewhere.”

Pack it

Commuters who know they have a long day of class ahead may choose to pack their lunch and snacks rather than buy them on campus. For example, a pack of sandwich crackers cost 75 cents in the vending machines located throughout SFA. This same product can be purchased in a 12-pack for $2.28 at Walmart. “I try not to eat out more than once a week,” said Hannah Dunahoe, senior, speech-language pathology major. “You’ll be amazed how quickly fast food or restaurant bills add up. If I do eat out, I’ll take my leftovers home for a few more meals.”

Rent, don’t buy

Many students are now deciding to rent textbooks instead of buying them. According to the Barnes and Noble website, renting textbooks can cost 50 percent less than purchasing new textbooks. While most of the local bookstores offer rentals, some students still turn to online textbook rental sites such as BookRenter or Chegg. “I rent my textbooks from Chegg because they are extremely affordable,” said Tiffanie Cano, senior, fashion merchandising major. “I’ve saved more than $250 just this semester by renting from them. They plant a tree for every book I rent, so I’m also helping out the environment by using their company for my textbook needs.”

Reduce travel time

With resident parking permits costing $95 per year and commuter parking permits costing $70 per year, some students have decided to trade their car keys in for walking shoes. “I like to walk to campus because it saves gas money,” said Dunahoe. “It’s good for your health too.” Since walking is not feasible for all students, carpooling is another option for cutting costs. For some students like Jonathan Tyler, sophomore, theatre and dance major, the trick is to reduce the amount of trips he makes. “If I need to put cash in the bank in Lufkin, I’ll wait until there are a few things I need to do there before I go. Since the dance wear store is also located in Lufkin, I might wait until I need a pair of new ballet shoes. I’ll also see if any of my friends need to go to Lufkin, so I can just carpool with them.”

Jonathan Tyler’s Saving Tips

Gina.N.Butler@gmail.com


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