Sul Ross State University
A Member of the Texas State University System

News Release for Feb. 1, 2010

GROUNDWATER LECTURE FEB.12 AT SUL ROSS

Environmental historian Dr. Megan Benson will discuss “Groundwater War! Law, Politics and the Texas Rule of Capture” Friday, Feb. 12 at Sul Ross State University.

Benson’s lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Morgan University Center’s Espino Conference Center. There is no admission charge.  Her talk is sponsored by the Excellence in West Texas History program of Angelo State University, a program that emphasizes the sharing of the finest new Texas historical research with the community. The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Big Bend Studies and Sul Ross.

Benson will describe the courtroom drama and explain the politically charged environment that gave birth in 1904 to the controversial “rule of capture,” known colloquially as “the law of the biggest pump.”

Groundwater provides more than 60 percent of Texas’ water needs. Unlike surface water, which can be managed for the general public interest through applicable laws, groundwater is controlled by the controversial “rule of capture,” which provides absolute control of groundwater to the owner of the overlying land. Under this rule, the landowner can pump groundwater with few restrictions and little regard to neighboring properties, or to the resource itself. The rule is applied in Far West Texas to sell groundwater to distant municipalities such as El Paso and Midland.

How did this “rule of capture” come to be? Does this early 20th-century ruling serve Texas and Texans well today?

An expert in the history of water law, Benson received her Ph.D. in American History from the University of Oklahoma in 2003. Recipient of the 2009 Fellowship for Excellence in West Texas History from the West Texas Collection of Angelo State University, her fellowship research explores the intersection of Texas groundwater law with the Ogallala aquifer, lessons which apply directly to the Trans-Pecos region of Texas.

Benson received the 2002 Edward Everett Dale Award for Best Dissertation in Western History from the University of Oklahoma, and the 2008 Vivian A. Paladin Award for best article from Montana Magazine: The Magazine of Western History for her two-part article, “The Fight for Crow Water.”

In addition to her Friday evening talk, Benson will be interviewed on Talk at Ten on KRTS Marfa Public Radio, 93.5 FM, on Friday morning, Feb. 12.

For more information, contact Melissa Keane, (432) 837-8836, or mkeane@sulross.edu.

SUPER SATURDAY EVENTS FEB. 20 FOR PROSPECTIVE SUL ROSS STUDENTS

Prospective students and their families can explore educational opportunities and campus life at Sul Ross State University during Sully’s Super Saturday, Feb. 20.

Check-in and registration begins at 9:30 a.m. in the Morgan University Center. The opening assembly will include a greeting from the Sul Ross President Dr. Ricardo Maestas; Dr. David Cockrum, Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs; and Gregory Schwab, associate vice president for Enrollment Management.

The tentative schedule also  includes a campus tour and information on major requirements, degree programs, sponsored activities and course offerings. Information on admissions, financial aid, housing and student activities will be provided.

A lunch will be prepared by Campus Dining Services. Visitors may also choose to attend women’s and men’s basketball games between Sul Ross and Concordia University-Texas in the Gallego Center, at 1 and 3 p.m. or several other activities, including: a hike up Sul Ross Mountain, Planetarium presentations and tours of the Turner Range Animal Science Center and the Museum of the Big Bend.

Students and guests staying overnight may obtain complimentary tickets for the Sul Ross Theatre production of “The Private Lives of Private Spies,” playing at the Granada Theatre, downtown Alpine.

For more information, contact the Sul Ross Office of Recruiting, 1-888-722-7778 or (432) 837-8050 or email the Sul Ross Ambassadors at ambassad@sulross.edu. Details are also online at www.sulross.edu/sully.

“THE PRIVATE LIVES OF PRIVATE SPIES” AT GRANADA FEB. 19-28

Comedy, romance and espionage meet under the covers as “The Private Lives of Private Spies” premieres Feb. 19 at the Granada Theatre, downtown Alpine.

Performance times will be at 8:15 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Feb. 19-20 and 26-27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 and 28.

Written by Sul Ross State University graduate Joseph Matthew Hardison, the play features two secret agents in a combat of romance. The saga includes jokes related to events from the Cold War of the 1970s to the most recent local calamities.

For more information, contact (432) 837-8219 or email droman@sulross.edu.

NELSON CONTRIBUTES CHAPTER ON WOLVES IN COWBOY POETRY

Dr. Barney Nelson, Sul Ross State University associate professor of English, will publish a chapter in a new Blackwell Companion to the Literature and Culture of the American West edited by Nicolas Witschi.

Nelson’s chapter, entitled “The Nature of Cowboy Poetry,” discusses the abundance of nature imagery and especially the positive characterization of wolves and coyotes. The collection is scheduled for publication in 2011.

“When the editor asked me to contribute, I thought I had nothing new to say about cowboy poetry,” said Nelson, “However, about the same time I began to collect poetry about predators for a literature class. I was surprised and soon intrigued by the huge selection in the older poetry. It seemed that almost every poet and every poem mentioned coyotes or wolves and always in a positive light. I expected the older poetry to be condemning.”

The chapter compares the nature imagery to haiku and the acceptance of nature’s dark side to Robert Frost. The importance of lyricism is illustrated by a corrido duet described by J. Frank Dobie between coyotes and Mexican cowboys. Nelson also compares identification with the wolf’s howl to Native American warrior songs and discusses it as working-class sympathies.

“The essay is truly fantastic, exactly what the collection needs!” said Witschi. “I very much enjoyed reading it, learned quite a lot, and think the book will be the better for it…the essay is truly wonderful.”

During the contract signing, Nelson was also able to retain copyright to the chapter. She has published several journal articles on cowboy poetry and hopes soon to put together a new book of her own on the topic.

Blackwell Companions are prestigious collections published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing headquartered in London and partnered with 665 academic and professional societies. Blackwell published over 805 journals and 650 text and reference books in 2006, across a wide range of academic, medical, and professional subjects, and had 990 staff members with offices in the US, UK, Australia, China, Denmark, Germany, Singapore and Japan.

Nelson said, “I feel honored to be invited and even more so to have the chapter accepted. I preach the importance of research to my students, and this project brought that home once more. As many years as I’ve been reading, writing, involved with, and trying to interest Lobos in poetry, I had never noticed all those hard-working, lonesome coyotes and wolves singing and loping through the poems until I did the research. Research gives you the support you need to publish your own thinking.”

For more information, contact Nelson, (432) 837-8154 or bnelson@sulross.edu.

HARVESONS CO-AUTHOR CHAPTER IN WILDLIFE HABITAT BOOK

Sul Ross State University faculty members Dr. Louis Harveson and Dr. Patricia Moody Harveson

recently co-authored a book chapter in a publication by the University of Arizona Press.

The Harvesons, along with Melanie A. Culver, Cora Varas and Bonnie McKinney, wrote “Connecting Wildlife Habitats across the U.S.-Mexico Border” in the book, Conservation of Shared Environments: Learning from the United States and Mexico.

Louis Harveson is a professor of Natural Resource Management and director of the Borderlands Research Institute at Sul Ross. Patricia Moody Harveson is an assistant professor of Natural Resource Management.

For more information, contact Louis Harveson, (432) 837-8488 or harveson@sulross.edu; or Patricia Moody Harveson, 837-8826 or pharveson@sulross.edu.

GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE AT SUL ROSS

Beginning Fall Semester 2010, annual fellowships of $8,000-$10,000 each will be made available to a minimum of five promising graduate students with unmet financial need. All eligible students are invited to apply.

Deadline for application submission is April 1. Application materials and detailed information about the fellowship program are available at www.sulross.edu/graduates or by calling Graduate Center Developer Pamela Pipes at (432) 837-8247.

The fellowships are funded by a U.S. Department of Education Title V grant, awarded to Sul Ross in October 2009. In addition to direct support to low-income graduate students through fellowships, Sul Ross’ grant, “Puertas Abiertas” (Open Doors), is designed to increase  Hispanic and low-income students’ attainment of graduate degrees and provide new pathways to these degrees for students through distance education.

SUL ROSS HOSTS CERAMICS WORKSHOP FEB. 6

Guest artist Gery Henderson, Austin, will present a ceramics hand building workshop Saturday, Feb. 6 at Sul Ross State University.

The workshop, free and open to students and the general public, will be held  from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in the ceramics annex. A potluck lunch will be served at noon.

For more information, contact Jim Bob Salazar, (432) 837-8405 or jsalazar@sulross.edu.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION GOLF TOURNAMENT FEB. 13 IN WESLACO

The South Texas Chapter of the Sul Ross State University Alumni Association will host its third annual Golf Tournament Saturday, Feb. 13 at at Tierra Santa Golf Course in Weslaco.

The South Texas Chapter has been providing scholarships for students from across Laredo to Corpus Christi to high school students.

For more information, contact Mario Garica, (956) 351-2187.

STUDENTS TURN GLASS TO BLING IN MID-WINTER JEWELRY CLASS

by Jason Hennington, News Writer

During the Mid-Winter semester at Sul Ross State University, students turned glass to class via the Fused Glass Jewelry course.

The class, which is a spinoff of the Fused/Slump Glass course, gave students a chance to be creative in designing jewelry. Jim Bob Salazar, associate professor of Art and director of the Ceramics Gallery, instructed the class in efforts to offer a fun course to fill the Mid-Winter format.

“I was just trying to develop something new to the students,” he said. “Something to fill the crunch time schedule.”

The students learn glass-breaking techniques, kiln programming, and basic fuse concepts.

“This is the third time it has been offered, so the class is defined by this point,” Salazar said.

Students were given specific sizes for producing each piece. As the class progressed, the sizes increased, and each student was required to produced 80 pieces for a final grade. Despite the short time limit, each student finished the assignment.

“They had three nights of studio production, and three nights to have everything ready,” Salazar said.

Students first learned glass breaking, and then firing programs. Salazar explained that 100 to 150 pieces were fired in the kiln each night. After learning the basics of the class and beginning to work, the students were able to complete their projects, and were happy about the results.

“The first realization was when the kiln opened for the first time,” Salazar said. “The end product was spectacular. It blows their mind with the realization that they could do it and get a great product.”

Students made pieces that ranged from earrings to barrettes to pendants and pins. Salazar said students generally enjoy the class and some have repeated it several times.

“The administration likes it because it brings in good enrollment and fits the Mid-Winter schedule, and the students like it too,” he said. “I had a lot of fun teaching it and I’m looking forward to the next time.”

Salazar is planning to offer the course again next Mid-Winter, and is hoping to offer the Fused/Slump Glass course in 2010.

For more information, contact Salazar, (432) 837-8405 or jsalazar@sulross.edu.

Photo: Jewelry including berets, pins, pendants, and earrings from the Fused Glass Jewelry class offered during the Mid-Winter semester at Sul Ross State University. Photo by Ivonne Arellano.

Photo: Student produced Fused Glass Jewelry on display for the final. Photo by Ivonne Arellano.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER URGES SUL ROSS COACHES, STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE TEAM SUCCESS

by Jason Hennington, News Writer

According to Rob Miller, team success extends far beyond the playing field.

Miller, a nationally-recognized motivational speaker, urged Sul Ross State University coaches to stress teamwork on and off the athletic fields and courts. He recently addressed Sul Ross faculty, staff and student-athletes about team work, sportsmanship, and personal responsibility.

“What makes a team great?” he asked. “A team that reaches full potential. If your team is going to be great, we have to be committed.”

Miller mentioned two ways to know if a team is great: no regrets and staying in each other’s lives. He described  the multiple teams he competed on, and how he knows where the majority of his past teammates are now. Miller also addressed how to make a team reach full potential, beginning with the coaches.

“There are four things that make a team become great,” he said. “Two for the players and two for the coaches.”

Miller explained that coaches have to intentionally coach and gain support from the school, while student athletes have to show ownership and leadership of their teams, and make good choices every day.

“For potential to happen, the most talented player has to be the hardest worker,” he said.

Miller then instructed coaches to write down their three most talented players and three players with the best character. He then asked if the names matched up. After explaining the difference in the lists, he asked if the hardest worker on the team was on either list. Miller explained that character is one of the most important parts of a team, and referred to groups such as Future Farmers of America (FFA) as great teams.

“Some of the best teams we see have nothing to do with sports,” he said.

He then gave three reasons to help change character in order to help a team.

“Players will be on teams the rest of their lives, it helps the team get better, and it helps the team reach potential,” Miller explained.

Miller stressed that players with good character is better for the team in a number of ways, and coaches have to help players understand that, regardless of what level they are coaching.

“Coaching is coaching no matter the level,” he said. “I went from coaching high school to coaching college to coaching six and seven year old girls, and it was awesome!”

Coaches were challenged by Miller to help their teams reach full potential. He explained that coaches need to be clear when talking to their players, and said that trust is a big issue on teams.

“When you have trust in the team you play for each other, with no trust you play for yourself,” Miller said.

He also stressed that coaches need to know what their program stands for, and make sure that is what they are trying to achieve.

“Want your team to commit to something special,” he said. “Something so special it’s different, something so different that it’s noticeable, something so noticeable that it’s appealing.”

Miller then went on to explain his six levels of coaching, and how each affects a team.

“The first level, which lasts about 15 minutes, is ‘I Am Coach,’” he laughed. “This is where you get creditability from being called coach.”

The second stage was the Prove It stage, where he feels many coaches lose players. This is where coaches sacrifice their principles to win, and change just to win.  The next stage was the Status Quo stage.

“This is where coaches say I don’t have to get any better,” he said.

Coaches sometimes get comfortable in this stage, and Miller feels this is the most difficult stage to get out of. The next stage is the Burnout stage, and coaches no longer have enthusiasm for coaching. Next, coaches face the I was Coach Stage, where they revolve in and out of coaching. The final stage of coaching, and the stage Miller said coaches want to reach, is Coaching with Significance.

“This is where you teach player something that last forever,” Miller said.  “And also stay in their lives.”

Miller ended his motivational speech explaining the difference between leaders and managers, along with trying to define character in a student athlete.  Miller gave three examples he feels will make a team better.

“Teachable spirit, work habits, and the right kinds of confidence makes your team better and closer to reaching full potential and becoming a great team,” Miller said.

BLACK STUDENT ASSOCIATION MEMBERS TOUR THE FORT DAVIS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

Photo: Students in Sul Ross State University’s Black Student Association (BSA) recently visited the Fort Davis National Historic Site in Fort Davis.The students toured the fort and learned about African American Buffalo Soldiers and how they lived from 1867-1885. Students who attended included (clockwise from left) Deshonna Hill, Odessa; Earnest Jones, Boerne; DeAndre Hoffman, Los Angeles, California; Tim McaWain (guide), Ivonne Arellano, Tornillo; Jonathan Smith, Galveston; Tynna Holmes, El Paso; Sharoya Hall, San Antonio. Photo by Jason Hennington.