How do I decide what to major in if I don’t even know what I want my career to be yet?
SMU News Being the first to go to college can be hard. SMU senior, Kaityln, shares her TOP TEN TIPS to help you through the experience. Watch
First in her family, finding her place
SMU News Originally Posted: December 9, 2019 The daughter of a single mom who worked two jobs to support her family, Kaitlyn Contreras was determined to attend college. “I knew I wanted to go to college; I just didn’t know how,” she says. “But I followed the advice of my grandmother. She never went to school and never learned to read or write, but she taught me to always ask questions.” As an eighth-grader, Kaitlyn began asking questions, seeking a more challenging high school than the one in her neighborhood. What Kaitlyn couldn’t know then was that asking questions would open the door to unique opportunities. READ MORE
Texas has been ground zero for capital punishment for over 40 years
Dallas Morning News Originally Posted: December 1, 2019 Dec. 1, Rick Halperin, director of the SMU Human Rights Program, co-authored by Roger C. Barnes for a piece about Texas being “ground zero” in the U.S. for carrying out capital punishment. Thus far in 2019, there have been 20 executions carried out in the United States. Eight of them have been in Texas. There are four more executions scheduled in the country by year’s end, and one of them is to be carried out in Texas. Since the death penalty in the U.S. was reinstated in 1976, there have been a total of 1,510 executions. A staggering 566 of them have been in Texas. In other words, Texas has been ground zero for capital punishment for over [...]
Texas shouldn’t teach students that Palestinians are the bad guys [Opinion]
Houston Chronicle Originally Posted: July 25, 2019 Sanaa Ghanim is a senior in the Southern Methodist University Human Rights Program, where she is researching the role of education in shaping perceptions of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She enters law school in August 2020, and plans to concentrate on international law. The Texas state curriculum for high school social studies leaves students with the impression that conflict in the Middle East boils down to this: The Palestinians are the bad guys, and the Israelis are the good guys. The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies used to require that public school teachers “explain how Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict.” In November, the Texas State Board of Education [...]
Congratulations to Hunter Kolon and Amanda Oh. They were recently awarded the Hatton Sumner Foundation Scholarship.
Tower Center Blog Originally Posted: July 8, 2019 The John G. Tower Center for Political Studies is thrilled to announce the recipients of The Hatton Sumner Foundation Scholarships. SMU incoming seniors Hunter Kolon and Amanda Oh were awarded scholarship that will support their interests in diplomacy and international affairs. READ MORE
Congratulations to all the Hilltop Excellence Awards Winners
Dedman College News Originally Posted: April 18, 2019 On Monday, April 15, SMU celebrated students and faculty that have made significant contributions to the University at the Hilltop Excellence Awards. Congratulations to all the award winners! Below is a list of winners, * are Dedman College faculty and students. The Dr. James E. Caswell Award : Rani Vestal. Emmie V. Baine Legacy Award : *Andrea Salt. A. Kenneth Pye Outstanding Greek Leader Award : *Jackson Hughes, N'dea Fleming, *Melissa Kraft, and *Ashley Mai. The Extra Mile Award : Ira Greenberg, *Ross Sloan, and Megan Murphy. The Sheri Mooney Memorial Recognition : Eliana Yellin, *Smythe Mullikin, and Tejumola Longe. The Outstanding Faculty/Staff Volunteer Award : Kathy Hubbard of the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership. Outstanding Senior Woman [...]
Today, March 5: SMU Giving Day
One day. For 24 hours on March 5, the entire SMU community will come together to give back and celebrate the causes we care about – supporting students, improving cities, educating teachers, fighting for justice, fueling champions – together, the possibilities are endless. Please consider supporting a Dedman College cause: Dedman College Scholars Dean’s Research Council SMU Human Rights SMU Fund for Dedman College Data Hackathon Challenges: Dean’s Research Council Match Gifts made to the Dedman College Dean’s Research Council will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000. Thank you to generous donors, Dr. Anthony Aramoonie ‘94 and Nicole Aramoonie for making this possible! Dedman College Scholars Challenge Support scholarships and help us meet the challenge from longtime SMU supporters Carl Sewell ’66 and Peggy Higgins [...]
Survivors of Nazi occupation host discussion at SMU about anti-Semitic violence
Fox 4 Originally Posted: November 17, 2018 October’s massacre at a Pittsburg synagogue has focused new attention on the rise of anti-Semitic violence. This week, a couple who lived through Nazi occupation during World War II encouraged some SMU students to speak out against that kind of hatred in the world. Beate and Serge Klarsfeld are trying to teach a new generation about the evil of anti-Semitism. "It is important to give them the experience of our actions,” said Serge Klarsfeld. Klarsfeld witnessed his father being taken from their home in France after Nazis invaded. He and his wife have since spent the past five decades seeking justice for victims and survivors of Nazi war crimes. "When we began it was not the same world it [...]
Meet Benjamin Chi, Human Rights Fellow 2017-18
Dedman College News Originally Posted: November 9, 2018 By: Ryan Garrett In the 2017-18 academic year, SMU Human Rights Fellow Benjamin Chi fought to change the Texas Family Code, advocating for underage youth without guardians to give consent to their own medical care, which would allow them to attend school and improve public health. “Working as an SMU Human Rights Fellow has been the most formative experience of my undergraduate experience,” said Ben. Inspired to study human rights through his parents’ experiences of living in poverty until their thirties, Ben has been collaborating with homelessness advocates, state government officials, healthcare specialists, and youth experiencing homelessness. In the 2014-2015 school year, 113,000 students were identified as homeless, according to the Texas Homeless Education Office, an organization [...]