Festivals Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Dr. William Meadows continues writing and public outreach projects

October 28, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. William Meadows, professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology, continues to enjoy a prolific research and writing career.

The University of Texas Press will issue a second edition of Meadows’ “Comanche Code Talkers of World War II” in the fall of 2026. The second edition contains over 60 pages of new material.

The first edition has sold over 10,000 copies, Meadows noted, and still generates requests for him to speak, conduct research, and advise museums, universities, government entities and Native American communities.

Earlier this year, Meadows published a book on Native American hand game traditions. Missouri State’s Emily Yeap recently conducted a radio interview with Meadows about his research for this book.

Missouri State students join in the fun during a hand game. Photo provided by William Meadows.

Day of the Dead festivities set for Nov. 5

October 21, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions (LCR) will once again host Día de Muertos festivities from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom.

The biennial event is free and open to the public.

“Día de Muertos — or Day of the Dead — is a joyful and meaningful celebration that honors and remembers loved ones who have passed away,” said Dr. Vanessa Rodríguez de la Vega, professor of Spanish in LCR.

The festival symbolizes the return of souls to the world of the living, according to de la Vega. “The event encourages reflection on life, memory, and community, reminding everyone that death is not an end but a continuation through remembrance.”

Día de Muertos emphasizes remembrance rather than mourning by combining pre-Columbian Indigenous traditions with Catholic All Saints’ Day customs, de la Vega said. And while the festival is associated primarily with Mexico, it is also celebrated in several Latin American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador and Peru.

MSU’s Spring 2025 Francophone film festival begins Jan. 24

January 15, 2025 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Department of Languages, Cultures and Religions at Missouri State University announces its annual Albertine Cinémathèque Francophone film festival, opening Jan. 24, 2025.

Organized by Dr. Antoinette Barffour, associate professor of French and Applied Linguistics, this year’s festival selections reflect a wide range of cinematic styles, including fiction, documentary, repertory and animation.

“The LCR department invites all MSU students to participate in our festival to enrich their language, cultural and historical knowledge through the viewing and discussion of diverse and dynamic French and Francophone films,” Barffour said.

MSU earns festival host honors again

MSU has hosted the festival multiple times and was selected to host the 2025 program as well.

“Once again, MSU was selected from among a competitive field and awarded a grant to host the festival,” Barffour said.

The festival is sponsored by a cooperative partnership between the Albertine Cinémathèque film festival, the Franco-American Cultural Fund, and the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) – an agency of the French Ministry of Culture.

One goal of this partnership is promote French-American Cultural Exchange (FACE) in Education and the Arts by showcasing French and Francophone cinema for American colleges and university campuses.

The festival is open to the entire MSU community: students, faculty and staff. Those interested can sign up to participate in an online discussion of each film.

MSU students enjoy successful Wellness Week

October 28, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance recently celebrated its fourth annual Wellness Week with a variety of new speakers and events.

Woman standing at lectern making a presentation — Laura Foster, from MSU’s Counseling Center, presented a session on “Combating Social Anxiety.” Photo credit: Azaria Hogans.

Held Oct. 7-9 this year, the event included sessions ranging from “Tennis Ball Massage” and “Nutrition for Actors” to “Restorative Yoga,” “Managing Depression” and “Pet Therapy Social Hour.”

Several campus organizations also participated, including the Counseling Center, Disability Resource Center, the Mary Jean Price Walls Multicultural Resource Center and the Career Center.

Assistant Professor Azaria Hogans, Wellness Week committee chair, estimated around 200 people attended the three-day event.

Event organizers added prize giveaways from Laurel Spa and Lash Studio to this year’s lineup, something that students “have been particularly excited about,” Hogans said.

The Pet Therapy Social Hour was another popular event.

“We had lots of students come by to see Boris the cat and Paige the dog,” Hogans said.

2024 World Language Day “Just for Fun” recruiting event big success

May 13, 2024 by Lynn M. Lansdown

The Department of Languages, Cultures, and Religions (LCR) hosted its “2024 World Language Day—Just for Fun” recruitment event April 16 in the PSU Ballroom.

Over 400 high school students from across the Ozarks attended the event.

The organizers, Cristina Sepulveda-Hinojosa, Dr. Maria Alejandra Cerdas Cisneros and Jeff Loughary, along with LCR department head Dr. Stephen Berkwitz, started planning the event in October 2023.

“It took us almost six months to organize it,” said Sepulveda.

The purpose of the event is twofold, Sepulveda added. One goal is to encourage or motivate students to attend Missouri State University. The other is to encourage students to study languages.

“[We want to] motivate them to continue studying a foreign language and make them aware of the advantage they will have professionally by studying a foreign language,” she explained.

three teens sitting on floor doing an activity — High schoolers enjoyed foreign language activities like relays, karaoke, dances and crafting.

Interdisciplinary and community outreach key part of event

One of the early goals of the planning committee was to reach out in an interdisciplinary capacity to academic departments outside of its college home in the Reynolds College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities (RCASH).

“We thought about which departments could gain from prospective students who can speak foreign languages and therefore invited them to join our event,” Sepulveda explained. “Now we realize that it was a success, and we are happy to have done it that way.”

“It has been an enriching experience working with international business, hospitality and education, because we have realized that by joining forces, we also increase resources and the possibility of success. We all benefit,” she added.