West Texas A&M NewsWire

Broadcasting Program Brings Home Three National Champion Awards

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 16, 2010

CONTACT: Ryan Hazelwood, 806-679-5985, rhazelwood@wtamu.edu

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

Broadcasting Program Brings Home Three National Champion Awards

CANYON, Texas—The broadcasting program at West Texas A&M University continues to make its mark at the national level by bringing home three national championships from the Annual National Broadcasting Society (NBS) Student Electronic Media Competition March 9-14 in Dallas.

Each year the program earns top awards at the national competition, and this year was no exception. In addition to the three national awards, the group also took two top awards in the “on the spot” competition. WTAMU also earned its 14th Model Chapter of the Year Award and was named a runner up for a community service award.

“It’s amazing when you see the level of competition at NBS on a national scale,” Ryan Hazelwood, broadcast engineer and NBS adviser, said. “I am so proud of these students for their work, and the way that they represented WT and the Panhandle in front of a national audience while competing with the likes of the University of Miami, UNC, Marshall and other great universities that usually get a little more attention because of their size.”

In all, six entries from WTAMU were up for national awards, and the program brought home coveted national champion prizes in three categories—video documentary, overall web design and audio drama program. The three national champions are listed with each student’s hometown, classification and major.

National Champion Video Documentary—”Through the Eyes of Africa”
Canyon
Niki Brown, a December 2009 graduate in broadcasting
Pampa
Johnny Story, a May 2009 graduate in broadcasting
Sunray
Andrew Brown, a May 2009 graduate in broadcasting

National Champion Overall Web Design—KWTS-FM www.wtamu.edu/kwts
Perryton
Jay Gurley, a senior broadcasting major

National Champion Drama Program—Audio—”Rotten Education”
Corpus Christi
Tyler Sweeney, a junior broadcasting major
Fort Stockton
Luisa Mireles, a sophomore broadcasting major
Hereford
Ricky Mariscal, a junior broadcasting major

Students also competed in the “on the spot” competition, where entries are produced at the convention. WTAMU students earned top prizes in two categories—news package and short film, comedy. Winners are listed by hometown, classification and major.

On the Spot Competition—News Package
Corpus Christi
Sweeney
Guymon, Okla.
Travis Ruiz, a sophomore broadcasting major

On the Spot Competition—Short Film—Comedy
Amarillo
Christopher Jenkins, a junior broadcasting major
Fritch
Lori Rozzell, a senior broadcasting major
Guymon, Okla.
Anthony Collins, a junior broadcasting major
Lubbock
Jonathan O’Neill, a junior broadcasting major

Finalists for national awards are listed by category, hometown, classification and major.

Finalist—News Package—video—“Construction”
Amarillo
Anthony (Chase) Horn, a junior broadcasting major
Sunray
Brown

Finalist—Station Imaging—“President’s Sweeper”
Corpus Christi
Sweeney
Fort Stockton
Mireles
Fritch
Jessica Hill, a freshman broadcasting major
Plainview
Jeff Horne, a sophomore broadcasting major

Finalist—Movie Trailer—“Amored Ghosts”
Amarillo
Zack Keenan, a junior broadcasting major

—WTAMU—

Vela Wins In Run-Off Election

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 11, 2010

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

Vela Wins in Run-Off Election

CANYON, Texas—Tim Vela, a senior speech communication major from Dalhart, will serve as the next student body president at West Texas A&M University after taking 53 percent of the votes in a March 9-10 run-off election.

A run-off election was called because voting from the March 2-3 student government election failed to give a simple majority to any of the three candidates running for the student body president position. Vela received 382 votes in the run-off election, and his opponent, Ben Abiola, a junior corporate communication major from Arlington, received 341 votes or 47 percent of the ballots cast.

Vela currently serves as student body vice president. He is a member of Alpha Tau Omega and Circle K International. He was named Senator of the Year for 2008-2009 and was the recipient of the Alpha Tau Omega community service award for 2008-2009.

As president, Vela will preside over the executive branch of the Student Government, serving as the principal liaison between WTAMU students and the faculty, staff and administration. The president also is responsible for appointing students to University standing committees and is accountable for seeing that all provisions of the WTAMU Constitution are faithfully executed.

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Student Awarded Mayborn Scholarship

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 9, 2010

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Student Awarded Mayborn Scholarship

CANYON, Texas—West Texas A&M University student Katelyn Garrity has been named the recipient of a Frank W. Mayborn Scholarship award in the amount of $3,000.

The Mayborn scholarship is part of the Frank W. Mayborn Award for Community Leadership which was established in 1992 in memory of the late Frank Mayborn, publisher of the Temple Daily Telegram. The Frank W. Mayborn Award for Community Leadership is awarded annually to a publisher or newspaper executive, and the 2009 recipient is Les Simpson, publisher of the Amarillo Globe-News. Each year, the recipient of the award chooses a Texas college or university to receive the $3,000 scholarship award, and West Texas A&M University was Simpson’s choice.

WTAMU communication faculty members met and unanimously selected Garrity as the scholarship recipient. She learned she had been awarded the scholarship from Dr. Trudy Hanson, head of the Department of Communication, and immediately shared the news with her mother.

“Katelyn Garrity’s determination to make a difference by her involvement with news media is one of the reasons she was selected for the Mayborn Scholarship,” Hanson said. “I was familiar with her work as editor of the Randall High newspaper but even more impressed by her passion for writing as a student at WTAMU. She took part in a Skype conference the faculty search committee had with a candidate for a faculty position, and Katelyn’s questions to the candidate were some of the most thoughtful and thought provoking asked during the conversation. She has a passion for journalism that is revealed in all of her mass communication course work.”

One stipulation of the scholarship is that the recipient be classified as a senior, but WTAMU officials were given special permission by the Texas Daily Newspaper Association to grant the award to Garrity even though she is classified as a sophomore.

“I was thrilled to find out I had been chosen,” Garrity said. “It’s really an honor, especially since the award is supposed to go to a senior.”

She is a sophomore mass communication/print media and political science double major from Amarillo. She graduated from Randall High School, where she served as editor of the school newspaper, and she currently volunteers on the WTAMU paper, The Prairie. Garrity maintains a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the Attebury Honors Program. She one day hopes to be a political correspondent.

—WTAMU—

WTAMU Professor Authors Book on Marriage and Family

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 3, 2010

CONTACT: Dr. Jenifer Kunz, 806-651-2597, jkunz@wtamu.edu

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

WTAMU Professor Authors Book on Marriage and Family

CANYON, Texas—Marriage and family are examined in a new book by Dr. Jenifer Kunz, professor of sociology and head of the Department of Psychology, Sociology and Social Work at West Texas A&M University.

The textbook, THINK Marriages and Family, was published in January by Pearson Education, Inc. The 360-page book covers 16 chapters on topics ranging from choosing a partner, violence and abuse in marriage and families and successful patterns of commitment.

“The book is an overview of American marriage and families today,” Kunz said. “It’s content the students can relate to and take home with them. That is when the learning begins, when they see how it can apply to everyday life.”

Each chapter begins with a synopsis of a movie that relates to the chapter topic as well as everyday life. The movie Raising Helen introduces the chapter “Single-Parent Families, Remarriage and Step Families” and My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the opening for the chapter on “Choosing a Partner.” Text throughout the book is supported by graphics and photos that include Michelle Obama, Angelina Jolie and many other current news makers.

Kunz joined the WTAMU faculty in 1993. Her areas of specialization include marriage and family, and she has made numerous presentations on the subjects both nationally and internationally. Her articles and publications also have appeared in many academic journals and books. Kunz has served as an international visiting professor at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and also as a consultant and facilitator for various government and independent agencies.

She received her Ph.D. from Brigham Young University in 1994.

—WTAMU—

B&W Pantex and WTAMU to Study Effects of Wind Energy Projects on Wildlife

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 3, 2010

COPY BY: Laura Bailey, 806-477-3794, LBAILEY@pantex.com

B&W Pantex and WTAMU to Study Effects of Wind Energy Projects on Wildlife

CANYON, Texas—B&W Pantex is partnering with West Texas A&M University (WTAMU) to study the effects of wind turbines and associated infrastructure on wildlife at Pantex. The contract for evaluating the wind farm’s effects on wildlife began this past fall and will continue through the next five years.

The Pantex Site Office is in the process of designing, constructing, operating and maintaining a renewable energy source and its associated distribution infrastructure on Pantex property and nearby land. This makes this research project timely and necessary.

“The project is not only important to Pantex’s responsibilities, but is very timely in light of the magnitude of wind energy development that is occurring in the Texas Panhandle,” said Jim Ray, B&W Pantex’s wildlife biologist. “Although there is some information on impacts of wind turbines on birds and bats, Pantex and the wildlife management and research community need comprehensive, defensible information on the effects that wind farms have on wildlife mortality in this region, and whether or not some species will avoid areas with wind farms.”

Pantex is delighted that WTAMU’s Department of Life, Earth and Environmental Sciences has been contracted to partner in this work. Dr. Raymond Matlack, associate professor of biology, along with Ray will conduct pre-project monitoring and at least four years of post-construction monitoring on the effects of installed wind farm infrastructure on wildlife. The study will focus on birds or bats in our region.

The research is very much needed, and gives WTAMU wildlife students experience with fieldwork on major issues facing the Texas Panhandle, the wind energy industry, as well as development of green energy in general.

“Both undergraduate and graduate students will be involved in all aspects of the research and will benefit greatly from the experience,” Matlack said. “This project is unique because it provides students with skills they are unable to gain from other projects in progress at WTAMU.”

Wind energy has become such a large industry that these experiences are vital in today’s job market.

“Both WTAMU and Texas Tech University hold a good track record in working with us on Pantex wildlife projects,” Ray said. “We’ve received solid results, and working in the Pantex environment gives students a pretty unique experience that would be hard for students to get elsewhere in the region.”

B&W Pantex has contracted with these universities in collaborative studies that have included research on invertebrates (spiders, insects, etc.), amphibians, reptiles, birds, prairie dogs, burrowing owls, bobcats and, now, wind farms and wildlife.

Matlack holds a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife biology (Kansas State University, 1994), Masters of Science degree in biology (KSU, 1997), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in biology (KSU, 2001). Matlack has worked at WTAMU since 2002 and has conducted research on ringtail, porcupines, bats, bobcats, small mammals, and birds since arriving in the Panhandle.

Ray holds a Bachelor of Science degree in range and wildlife management (Texas Tech, 1987) and a Master of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences (South Dakota State University, 1990). A native of Dalhart, Ray is a 20-year veteran of the Panhandle’s wildlife management and research community. The first half of his career was with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and he has been with Pantex since 1999.

—WTAMU—

Deadline Approaching for Chi Omega Golf Tourney

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

March 3, 2010

CONTACT: Krista Carver, community service chair, 903-738-3342, kncarver1@buffs.wtamu.edu

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

Deadline Approaching for Chi Omega Golf Tourney

CANYON, Texas—The Upsilon Zeta chapter of Chi Omega at West Texas A&M University will sponsor its Fifth Annual Chi Omega Golf Tournament to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains on Saturday, April 10 with a shotgun start at Comanche Trail Golf Course.

Registration deadline for the four-person scramble is March 20. Entry fee is $70 per person which includes green fees, cart, lunch and prizes. Sponsorship opportunities also are available.

The WTAMU chapter sponsors the event every year to fulfill a child’s dream through Make-A-Wish. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Texas Plains grants wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions and this year, Chi Omega hopes to raise enough money to grant the wishes of two children. Last year the group raised more than $7,000 and granted the wish of a child with a Disney cruise.

For more information about registration or sponsorship opportunities, call Krista Carver, community service chair, at 903-738-3342.

—WTAMU—

Huckabee to Speak at WTAMU

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Feb. 22, 2010

CONTACT: Dr. Jim Calvi, 806-651-2674, jcalvi@wtamu.edu

COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu

Huckabee to Speak at WTAMU

CANYON, Texas—Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is coming to West Texas A&M University Wednesday, March 31 as part of the University’s Centennial Distinguished Lecture Series.

He will bring a lifetime of varied experiences to the podium when he presents “The Pursuit of the Presidency and the Perfectly Insane American Process” at 7 p.m. at the First United Bank Center. He is an author, preacher, politician, musician, political commentator and marathon runner. He currently serves as host of the number-one rated weekend show “Huckabee” on the Fox News Channel and can be heard three times daily on the “Huckabee Report” on the Citadel Media Network.

“As part of the Centennial Celebration, the Distinguished Lecture Series Committee wanted a person of national prominence for our Centennial speaker,” Dr. Jim Calvi, associate dean of the College of Education and Social Sciences and chairman of the Centennial Committee, said. “We are looking forward to the insights that only a former presidential contender can bring to our campus.”

Huckabee began his political career in 1993 when Arkansas voters elected him lieutenant governor in a special election. He was elected to a full four-year term in 1994 but only served two years when, in 1996, he became governor of Arkansas after his predecessor resigned. In 1998 he was elected to a full four-year term as governor, attracting the largest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas. The popular governor was re-elected again in 2002. During his tenure as governor, he was named one of Governing Magazine’s “Public Officials of the Year” for 2005, and Time Magazine recognized him as one of the five best governors in America.

He continued his political career in 2008 as a hopeful for the Republican nomination for President. He finished second behind John McCain but created HuckPac to help fellow Republicans running for offices around the country.

A good part of his professional life was spent as a pastor and denominational leader, and he was the youngest president ever of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. He’s also a bass player and performs in the rock-n-roll band Capitol Offense. The band has played for two presidential inauguration balls and has opened for such names as Willie Nelson and Charlie Daniels. He also performs on his weekly Fox News show with the house band, The Little Rockers. In 2003, Huckabee was diagnosed with Type II diabetes and since then, he has lost more than 100 pounds and completed several marathons.

As an author, Huckabee has written several books, and one, Do the Right Thing, spent seven weeks in the top 10 of the New York Times Best Seller List. Other titles by Huckabee include Character Makes the Difference, From Hope to Higher Ground, Kids Who Kill, Character is the Issue, Living Beyond Your Lifetime, Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork and A Simple Christmas.

The event is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 6 p.m., and seats are on a first-come-first-served basis. Immediately following his lecture, Huckabee will be available to sign books in the First United Bank Center, Buffalo Room. For more information, call Calvi at 806-651-2674.

—WTAMU—