Last Meeting Recap and New Information

Hello!

First and foremost, the ASA officers would like to thank everyone who came out to the Pizza and Game Night on Friday! We had an excellent turn out and really enjoyed socializing with everyone over games and food. :-) The group was a fun mix of new and familiar faces and there was never a dull moment!

Dr. Dunstan tries a hand at Cards Against Humanity

It was a full house!

We also have the department to thank for ordering tons of pizza and providing water, plates, and napkins for us! It was an all-around fantastic evening and we hope to bring more fun events like this to you guys throughout the semester. 

Now, to recap a few important points from Friday...

First... An ASA sign-up sheet was at the front of the room near the pizza during Friday's meeting, so anyone who signed that sheet will receive an email from Bethany sometime Monday (1/30) night regarding upcoming meetings and volunteer opportunities. If you did not sign the sheet but would like updates on the information, shoot an email to anthropeopleunt@gmail.com, or drop a message at our website linked here. 

Second... Our President, Cesar De La Portilla, is presenting this Friday, February 2nd at 5pm in BLB035 over Meme Culture. It doesn't matter if you find memes hilarious or you hate memes, bring your favorite/least favorite meme to the meeting on Friday to discuss the humor behind memes! See the flyer below.

Third... The 2nd Annual Applied Anthropology Expo is Thursday, February 16th in Union 333. This exposition is a great opportunity to hear from anthropologists who are currently creating solutions to relevant, pressing world issues. If you've ever wondered how to answer the infamous "Anthropology? What are you going to do with that...?" this expo will get you thinking about how anthropology can be used in a variety of different fields. Here is the departmental flyer for this event:

We will have volunteer opportunities available for this event! There was a sign up sheet at the meeting on Friday, but if you missed the list or weren't there to let us know, stop by the message option on our website or shoot us an email. The thinks to both are listed above. Again, this event is Thursday, February 16th from 1-5 pm in Union 333. 

That's it from us right now! Enjoy your week guys, and keep a look out for the email sending tonight! See you Friday!

UNDERGRADUATE PIZZA PARTY

Hello ASA-goers! It's been awhile...hope everyone is doing well. A few updates for the new year from the ASA:

First... Last semester, the department hosted a competition between the undergraduate and graduate anthropology students for the UNT Food Pantry. Whoever donated the most items to the collection bins at the department won a free pizza party, and the undergrads claimed the prize! Thus, the first event ASA is hosting for the spring semester is a Pizza and Game Night.

TOMORROW, Friday 1/27 in BLB060 from 5-7, we will be eating FREE pizza and playing games such as Cards Against Humanity, Jenga, Phase 10, Scattergories, and Yahtzee! If you donated to the bins during the fall semester, this party is for YOU! If you didn't, that's okay too! Feel free to stop by BLB060 to eat pizza and play games with fellow majors, minors, and enthusiasts! All are welcome.

Second... The ASA started a WEBSITE over winter break! For now on, our blog will be used for posts about upcoming events, recaps of meetings, videos of student presentations, news from the department, and pictures/updates from field trips and volunteer events. If you would like more information regarding the logistics behind the ASA, how to join, who are officers are, our purpose, what we do, etc., please visit our new website here. 

Third... Over winter break our officers got together to restructure the ASA for Spring 2017. The ASA group in the fall was not nearly as active as planned, but we would like to make up for this by creating a lot of really interesting activities for this semester! Our Google Calendar is updated with our current plans for the spring, but be on the look out for announcements regarding new volunteer opportunities, student presentations, movie and bowling nights, and possibly a field trip to see Bill Nye the Science Guy give a lecture in Dallas...! We are anticipating a great semester and hope for a huge turn out! :)

That's it for now, guys! Remember to check the blog and our other social media sites frequently! Until next time!

Wanna Talk Superheroes?

Happy (rainy) Tuesday, readers! I have an exciting opportunity to introduce to you all.

Our amazing VP of Community Service and Outreach, Jena Chakour, is working on her honors thesis this semester and needs our help! If you would be interested in contributing to her research by discussing your opinion of superheroes with her, please reach out to her and let her know! It doesn't matter if you're a SUPER fan or didn't even know there was a difference between Marvel and D.C., all knowledge-level volunteers are welcome. See the flyer below for more details.

All students interested can contact Jena at her email address, ginachakour@my.unt.edu, or via text message at 940.312.9952. 

Updates for the week of 11/07

Hey Anthros! There's quite a bit going on with the ASA this week so here's the info!

First on the agenda... This week is our second special event of the semester called Meet An Anthropologist. We will have a few guest speakers from the anthropology department come in to talk to us about their careers. This is an incredible opportunity for exposure to different career options in the social sciences, so don't miss out! Come hang with us in BLB035 at 5 pm. The officers will provide tacos so enjoy free food while you listen to our amazing panel of guest speakers! See the flyer below for details.

Next, as many of you already know, the Anthropology Department was chosen to represent the UNT Food Pantry for the month of November. The UNT Food Pantry was established by the Dean of Students to help combat hunger and address food insecurity in students. Help us collect items for the pantry, whose cause is extremely important! The graduate and undergraduate students are competing to collect the most food, and right now we are neck-and-neck. The ASA officers went out this weekend and purchased $100 worth of food to help stock the pantry and defeat the grad students. 

Current Graduate Donations on Top, Current Undergraduate Donations on Bottom

Any and every donation helps, guys! Even if all you can bring is one canned good or a single pack of instant rice. The pantry accepts canned chicken or tuna, peanut butter, low-sodium canned vegetables, low-sugar canned fruit, popcorn, soup, instant rice, beans, chili, pasta sides, nuts, mashed potatoes, fruit snacks, granola bars, boxed cereal, oatmeal, crackers, pudding, toothpaste, tooth brushes, and feminine hygiene products. Donate to our box in the department, or bring your contributions to the ASA meetings for your officers to deliver them for you. We'll have a donation box at all meetings between now and when the CONTEST ENDS ON DECEMBER 2ND. Winners get a pizza party, complementary of the department! 

Lastly, the ASA now has a GroupMe for all of our organization's updates! Please send your phone number to our VP of Public Relations, Bethany Trent, via email at bethany.trent94@gmail.com or over Facebook messenger to have your number added into our GroupMe account. For any questions, as always please feel free to email us at anthropeopleunt@gmail.com. 

Update for October 21st

Happy Friday everyone! Today we have a few important updates for the ASA...

First, one of our bigger events of the semester, "Life After College," is TONIGHT in the BLB 035 location at 5:00 pm. We advertised on Twitter and Facebook this week and sent an email out through anthropeopleunt@gmail.com, but for those of you that missed this information, Life After College is an event we hold each semester that focuses on what your options are after graduating with you BA in Anthropology. Tonight's series is focused on graduate school, so bring questions for our panel. Out guest speakers will be Dr. Davenport and some students from the Graduate Anthropology Student Association. See the flyer below for more information.

Second, The Larry Lee Naylor Memorial Scholarship applications are now available for the 2016-2017 academic year. Larry Lee Naylor was a founding chairman of the Anthropology Department, and now his legacy is honored by a $1,000 scholarship given to one undergraduate anthropology student. To pick up an application, go to the Anthropology Department front desk in Chilton 330Q. There are a few selection criteria a student must meet in order to be considered:

1. Applicants must be enrolled as full-time undergraduate students in the Anthropology Department
2. Awardee must maintain full time enrollment of at least 12 hours per semester, unless she/he has less than 24 hours remaining in his/her degree program
3. Applicants must have taken at least 2 anthropology courses (9 hours) and must also have at least a minimum GPA of 3.0 at UNT at the time of their application for Naylor Scholarship
4. Applicants must demonstrate "leadership" in some way. "Demonstrating leadership" does not require that they applicant have a "title." Leadership will be measured by accomplishments that forward goals of a group, organization, or other entity that serves the public good, broadly speaking. Examples of leadership include, but are not limited to, involvement in a student organization at UNT, extensive volunteer activity either through a UNT organization or an organization in the grater community. 
5. Special consideration will be given to students who can describe a significant obstacle that they have overcome on their way to academic and personal achievements.

To apply, please submit:

1. The application from the department with all fields completed
2. A statement of approximately 500 words, double-spaced, single side only explaining how your achievements fit the criteria described above. Please focus on personal and leadership criteria. This statement should be on separate sheets of paper, with your name in the upper right hand corner.
3. An up-to-date resume or CV
4. A letter of recommendation that specifically addresses the leadership component of this scholarship application. The writer should be in a position to evaluate and speak knowledgeably about your contributions.
5. A copy of your unofficial transcript, with all of the anthropological courses you have taken highlighted.

ALL OF THIS INFORMATION MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE ANTHROPOLOGY DEPARTMENT (330Q CHILTON HALL) NO LATER THAN 5 PM ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH. NO LATE APPLICATIONS, EMAILED APPLICATIONS, OR INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Last, The Department of Anthropology is sponsoring the UNT food pantry for the month of December. This means we need to collect a lot of food! The department is hosting a competition between the undergraduate and the graduate students, with faculty on each team. Winning team will get a pizza party, complementary of the department! See the flyer below for more details.

You can bring items to the department in Chilton 330, OR you can bring items to the rest of the meetings now thru November 18th and the ASA officers will have a box to collect food in that we'll take to the department.

As always, if you have any questions about this information or feel concerned because you're not receiving email updates, shoot me an email at anthropeopleunt@gmail.com and we'll get everything squared away. See everyone tonight! 

Weekly Updates from the Anthropology Department and the ASA

Hey Anthros! 

I hope everyone is doing well. Just a quick reminder about what's on the agenda for the week...

Some of you may have already heard about this in your classes, but tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5th the Anthropology Department is hosting a seminar with a guest speaker titled Development Disorders: Crists of Impoverishment Among Tribes in India at 3:30 PM in CURY 103.

The guest speaker at this seminar is Dr. M. Romesh Singh, an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Hyderabad, India. Dr. Singh's research focuses on Business Anthropology, Indian Society, Tribal Studies, and Development Anthropology. This seminar is expected to be very interesting and all anthropology students are encouraged to go if possible. 

As for the ASA this week, our 3rd general meeting of the semester is coming up this Friday, October 7th. Same time, same place... 5pm in BLB 035. Please come hang out with us while we talk anthropology and upcoming events such as Make A Difference Day and Life After College. 

***If you are interested in volunteering with the ASA for Make A Difference Day on Saturday, October 22nd from 9am-2pm, please shoot me a quick email at bethany.trent94@gmail.com so I can get a headcount for the center of leadership and service.***

That's it for this update! As always, if you have any questions send an email to anthropeopleunt@gmail.com or message us on social media. Have a great week everyone! Hope to see you all at the seminar as well as Friday's meeting. :-)

Fiji Meeting Recap and Weekly Agenda

Good morning! I hope everybody is enjoying the first chilly day of fall this year.

First on the agenda, a recap:

Last week's meeting was very informative. We heard from Bridget, Sarah, and Lauren, three undergraduate students that traveled with the UNT Anthropology Department to Fiji this summer. They put on an excellent presentation. We learned about each of their individual roles in Fiji this summer, including interesting stories about experiences with Habit for Humanity, squatters, living conditions in Fijian slums, interning with international universities, and run ins with the Fijian government.

                                       Pictured: Officers Bridget and Sarah

                         Pictured: Fijian currency, jewelry, and cannibal forks

We also learned about Fijian geography, ceremonies, food, language, customs, and about the study abroad process at UNT. 

For more information regarding the Fiji trip or how you can get involved with the study abroad program, please send us an email at anthropeopleunt@gmail.com. This email sends directly to all six of our officers, so you're guaranteed to get a response from someone who can either help you directly or get you in touch with the correct faculty member. 

For this week:

This Friday there will be an off-week meeting at 5pm in BLB 035, but the activity has yet to be decided. Be on the lookout for an update about this Friday's meeting. It will either be a movie night or a study group night. 

There is a poll up on the Facebook group about volunteering for UNT Make A Difference Day. Make A Difference Day is a day of community service where UNT student orgs do volunteer work at various Denton county non-profits. This semester, Make A Difference Day is on Saturday, October 22nd from 9am-2pm. If you would like to volunteer with us, please vote on Facebook, message us on Facebook, direct message on Twitter, or email me at anthropeopleunt@gmail.com. Registration closes this Friday, September 30th, so I'm trying to get a headcount!

Have a great week guys! See you on Friday.