ByLion -- July 14
 Circle's
facelift 'shifts' some parking to McClimans During the summer, a major landscaping project is underway in Friendship Circle, while workers are swarming over West Strawberry Stadium to complete a new press box, hospitality suites, club seating and other fan-friendly amenities in time for the first home football game on Sept. 13. When fans turn out to tailgate and enjoy the $12 million renovation of the 71-year-old stadium -- the campus's second oldest building after McGehee Hall -- they will also find new features in an even older landmark, Friendship Circle, the Western Avenue oval anchored by venerable Friendship Oak. The goal is to turn the scenic circle into an even more inviting and park-like setting. Ken Howe, director of facility planning, said attractive brick seating walls will be added at the center and east and west ends of Friendship Circle, extending a landscaping theme already in place at nearby Dyson and Pottle Halls and the Pottle Performance Circle. Interior parking has been removed, he said, making the heavily-traveled circle safer for both pedestrians and drivers. Faculty and staff who previously used the circle's 81 interior parking spots will now find 90 spaces for their vehicles (plus five handicapped slots) in the nearby McClimans Hall lot, which was previously alotted to upperclass student commuters. Those students are now parking their vehicles in the new intermodal parking garage and are more likely to utlize perimeter parking, thanks to the popularity of the new Lion Traxx shuttle service. Once the garage is completely opened this fall -- students began using three of the four floors last semester -- Southeastern will have a total of 7,319 parking spaces, including 1,447 for faculty and staff. The total is up from 6,536 parking spaces in fall 2007. Table of Contents Check out the carpool messageboard Faculty and staff who want to carpool to soften the blow of gas prices, reduce commuting expense or do their part to help the environment can test out the new online Carpool messageboard. The messageboard has been created as a "one-stop shop" for connecting faculty, staff and students who want to team up for carpooling. The system allows users to determine their own criteria for choosing a fellow commuter. The new messageboard will be promoted to the entire campus community in August. Making it available to faculty and staff, however, provides the opportunity to work out any "kinks" prior to the announcement. Check it out and address your questions or comments to carpool@selu.edu. Table of Contents  Business
students visit ChinaTwenty-four business students participated in the university's first study abroad program to China in May. The trip, led by Mike Jones, associate professor of marketing and finance (far right), included five days in Beijing and five in Shanghai. The group toured businesses, government and historic sites. Highlights included visits to the Hyundai auto plant, the Lenovo (formerly IBM) computer headquarters, the site of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Shanghai Museum, and the Great Wall. "The group witnessed firsthand the results of the most explosive economic growth for a country in history, including the positive and negative impacts of that growth," said Jones. "The students learned about government policy, culture, history, their economy, and the current family life of Chinese people, including their hopes and dreams. One student told me this was by far her most interesting, educational, and life-changing experience, with memories that will forever be top of mind." Table of Contents Columbia/Fanfare to unveil new Web site When you log on to columbiatheatre.org this year, you won't just see the exciting upcoming seasons of Fanfare and the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. You'll also discover a whole new Web site. The online home of Southeastern's 23-year-old October arts festival and its downtown Hammond performing arts complex has undergone a complete redesign. The new site, scheduled to be launched in mid-July, will boast an elegant new look and many new interactive features, all created to better serve patrons, said Fanfare/Columbia Director Donna Gay Anderson. "Columbia has grown and now our Web site has caught up," Anderson said. "Our new site will contain more information and graphics than ever before and will present the opportunity for donors to contribute on line. From our site, the visitor can easily link to other Southeastern sites and the sites of our guest artists. It is an enhanced experience." Online visitors will still find the detailed calendars and performance descriptions and online ticket purchasing options that the old site offered, but they will also be able to sign up for e-mail updates, request a brochure, or download a season ticket order form, said Columbia Marketing Director Michelle Biggs, who worked with the Baton Rouge graphic design firm Covalent Logic to create the new site. She said the new columbiatheatre.org also makes it easier for patrons to donate to Fanfare or learn about sponsorship opportunities. And, with a click or two, local schools can make reservations for Education Outreach school performances. The Web site has a complete history of the Columbia, built as a movie house 80 years ago and rescued, restored and reopened by Southeastern and community partners in 2002, plus information and forms on facility usage and rental for the Hainkel Performance Hall or the Columbia Conference Center. "The new Web site will really allow us to strengthen the connection we have with our patrons," said Biggs. "At any time they will be able to log on and view upcoming event information, purchase tickets, or make a donation. And coupled with our monthly e-mail newsletters and other marketing and publicity efforts, the community will always be informed about the great events happening at the Columbia." Table of Contents   From
left, David Lichtenstein, Hope Williams
Two join athletics administration Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann announced Tuesday the addition of two senior staff members, each with ties to the state. Joining the Athletic Department is Baton Rouge native David Lichtenstein, who will serve as associate athletic director for external affairs, and Hope Williams, who worked at UNO and will serve as assistant athletic director for academic success. The hiring of Lichtenstein and Williams are both subject to approval from the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors. Lichtenstein, a Baton Rouge High graduate, will oversee all aspects of the athletic department's external relations, including tickets, fundraising, marketing and promotions. Lichtenstein, a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators, spent the previous four years as assistant director of athletics at Morehead State. Lichtenstein joined the MSU staff after serving as director of marketing and promotions for the athletic department at Northern Illinois. He also has served as assistant athletics director for marketing and promotions at UTEP, marketing and promotions manager for athletics at South Dakota State, as a marketing coordinator for athletics at New Mexico State, and in the athletic marketing and promotions departments at Oregon and at LSU. Lichtenstein assisted in all phases of the MSU athletic program, especially in the areas of marketing, promotions, corporate sponsorships and event management. He was instrumental in fundraising campaigns for MSU athletics, including the development of the annual Eagle Excellence Auction and Golf Tournament. Lichtenstein holds a bachelor's degree from Arkansas and a master's degree from Ohio State. He was a letterwinner in swimming, beginning at Tulane before finishing at Arkansas. Williams, a Chicago native, spent the past two years at Colorado before returning to Louisiana. Williams, who worked at UNO in 2005, was an associate director of academic services at CU where her responsibilities included serving as lead academic coordinator for football as well as academic coordinator for women's basketball and volleyball. She also coordinated the mentor/tutor program in the Herbst Academic Center. Prior to her service at CU, Williams was director of student athlete support services at UNO, where she served on the Chancellors Diversity Cabinet and directed the academic unit for athletics before and after Hurricane Katrina, guiding the Privateer men's basketball team to its highest semester cumulative GPA in recent history. In the 2007-08, Williams was selected to participate at the NCAA Leadership Institute for Ethnic Minority Males and Females. The yearlong institute was held at the NCAA National Headquarters in Indianapolis and included four sessions throughout 2007-08, and a week-long session in July 2008. From 2001-05, Williams was on the athletics student services staff at Iowa where she served as assistant director and lead Academic coordinator for Hawkeye football and women's basketball. She also assisted with coordinating the Student-Athlete Minority Focus Group. In addition to her athletics responsibilities, Williams served as treasurer of the African American Staff Council at Iowa. Her work prior to Iowa includes more than 16 years in college and university student development and athletics academic support. She worked at Northern Illinois as academic coordinator for student-athletes, Augustana College as assistant dean of students, and Marycrest College as director of academic advising. She also served as an intern for the Chicago Bears during the 1998 football season. A 1985 graduate of St. Ambrose University, Williams played on that school's first women's basketball team. In 1995, she participated in the inaugural NACWAA/HERS Institute for Administrative Advancement. She also holds a Certificate in Community Development Finance from Harvard. Table of Contents AT&T grant to use cell phones to recruit Prospective Hispanic and hearing-impaired students will have a high-tech way to tour Southeastern's campus, thanks to a $23,000 grant from AT&T to develop an interactive campus tour guide. Southeastern plans to have the "Campus Virtual Mobile Tour Guide" project completed within the next year with a goal of reaching out to more diverse and underserved groups that would not otherwise have a way to tour Southeastern's campus. Becky Parton, assistant professor of educational technology and co-advocate of the project, said Southeastern is working closely with the Louisiana School for the Deaf and schools in heavily-Hispanic areas of New Orleans to promote higher education and outreach among those populations. Through the grant, "We will be purchasing numerous cell phones with access to GPS, which we will then loan to prospective students when they visit Southeastern," Parton said. She said the GPS-enabled cell phones will track the student's location and deliver important information about specific buildings directly to the phone's screen. "The phones will deliver information inside and outside of important campus buildings and depending on their language needs, give detailed information about campus 'hot spots' in English, Spanish or American Sign Language," Parton said. Parton said "hot spots" will be placed on the exterior of buildings to signal when a student has arrived at their location and deliver automated text messages to the rented phones. Mounted barcodes inside buildings will also provide access to informational text messages. The student will be able to take a picture of an indoor barcode just like a normal cell phone picture and deliver information in the same form as the external "hot spots." Parton and Jason Hancock, assistant professor of educational technology, wrote the grant with the intent of reaching across language barriers by using state-of-the art technology and devices that are easily accessible to the university and prospective students. The AT&T grant is providing funds to purchase the cell phones and develop the GPS technology throughout Southeastern's campus. Parton said the multilingual tour guide would be the first time many students are able to tour a university without a language barrier, which may spark their interest in pursuing a higher education. Table of Contents  Harvey
Kliebert, left, owner of Kliebert's Alligator and Turtle Farm in Ponchatoula,
shows host Corey Broman-Fulks the nature of young alligator scales and jaw
strength in the debut episode of the Southeastern Channel's "Northshore
Gems."
Channel airing new travel show Northshore Gems, a new show about tourist attractions and interesting places on the north shore, is airing at 8 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays on the Southeastern Channel on Charter Cable Channel 18. The first episode of highlights Kliebert's Alligator and Turtle Farm in Ponchatoula and the Global Wildlife Center near Folsom, including a behind-the-scenes tour revealing the attractions' history and wildlife. "Northshore Gems is basically a travel show about the north shore for local viewers," said channel General Manager Rick Settoon, the show's executive producer. "There are a number of unique and interesting places to visit in this area, including some hidden gems. We believe this show will increase awareness of these treasures so that community viewers can take advantage of such recreational opportunities." "With so many summer vacation trips being curtailed because of gas prices, these attractions are great for one-day family outings," he added. Settoon said new episodes of Northshore Gems will air quarterly. The show is hosted and produced by Southeastern Channel news anchor and reporter Corey Broman-Fulks. In the first episode, Broman-Fulks' visits the gator ponds at Kliebert's where he finds alligators from three-to-17 feet long, some 50 years old. Owner Harvey Kliebert discusses how his family started growing alligators in the 1950s while the alligator was on the endangered species list. Within a year the Klieberts were harvesting 3,000 alligator eggs per year. According to Kliebert, his family business helped save alligator species in Louisiana. Kliebert also demonstrates how his farm has met international market demands for alligator hides, meat and novelty items. Tour guide Kris Schilling leads Broman-Fulks through the various alligator ponds, discussing alligator eating habits and growth patterns. He points out that the highlight for tour groups from as far away as China and France is the 50-year-old pond where the oldest and largest alligators reside. At the Global Wildlife Center, Education Director Christina Cooper takes Broman-Fulks on a private tour featuring up-close looks at the diverse array of wildlife on the 900-acre range. Global Wildlife is home to more than 4,000 animals from African, Asian and Australian continents, including zebras, antelope, kangaroos and llamas. "It's the first time anyone has tried to put this many species together in a free-roaming environment," says Cooper. She also takes Broman-Fulks to points popular with tourists, such as stations where they can hand-feed giraffes, camels and ostriches. The Southeastern Channel can be seen on Charter Cable Channel 18 in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany and Livingston parishes and on Channel 17 in Washington Parish and on the Internet at www.selu.edu/tv. Table of Contents North Oaks Clinic hosts babysitting class at Livingston Center North Oaks Clinic and North Oaks Community Education have scheduled another free "Super Sitter Babysitting Class" on Friday, July 25 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center, 9261 Florida Boulevard in Walker. Preteens and teens, ages 10 to 14, are invited to learn babysitting techniques and skills from North Oaks Health Educators during this free, 1-day course. The class is designed to prepare participants for the many responsibilities involved in the business of babysitting. Hands-on opportunities to practice basic infant care, as well as learn first aid techniques and CPR/choking intervention for infants and children, will be provided. Registration is limited to 25 participants, and parents/guardians will be required to sign their children in and out from the class during drop off at 9 a.m. and pick up at 4 p.m. A complimentary lunch will be provided. This presentation is part of North Oaks Clinic's ongoing "Especially for You" health education series. To register for the Super Sitter Babysitting Class, call North Oaks Specialty Clinic in Walker at (225) 664-9618 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. Table of Contents  Pole
vaulter Olympics boundSoutheastern track and field volunteer assistant coach Erica Bartolina cleared 14 ft. 11 in. (4.55 m) in the pole vault at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials, earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team and a trip to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing next month. Bartolina, who is in her third year as a volunteer assistant coach with the Lions, missed most of 2005 and 2006 competition due to injury. However, the Corvallis, Ore. native, who is married to Lion assistant track coach Michael Bartolina, boasts an impressive career in the pole vault. Bartolina placed fifth in the event at the 2007 U.S. Indoor Championships and turned in a career-best fourth-place finish at the 2005 indoors. The first female pole vaulter in Texas A&M history, Bartolina holds the Aggie school record of 13 ft. 3.75 in. (4.06 m). Next up for Bartolina will be her first career Olympics. The games of the 29th Olympiad are set to begin on August 8 in Beijing. Table of Contents Beth Calloway receives fellowship to attend Holocaust education seminar English instructor Beth Calloway received a fellowship to participate in the Memorial Library Summer Seminar on Holocaust Education in New York City July 7-19. Calloway was one of 20 fellowship recipients selected by the Holocaust Educators Network in partnership with the National Writing Project. Calloway is a teacher-consultant with the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project, one of more than 175 sites of the National Writing Project, a professional development network dedicated to improving the teaching of writing in the nation's schools. Seminar participants will receive a $1,000 fellowship, free housing at Columbia University, and a generous stipend for round-trip airfare and meals. It is sponsored by the Memorial Library and by Lehman College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Although prior experience teaching the Holocaust is not necessary, participants are asked to teach about the Holocaust during the 2008-2009 school year. "One of the reasons I was interested in applying to the seminar is because of my renewed interest in the Holocaust after visiting the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam and the Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany a couple of summers ago," Calloway said. "I'm hoping to take what I learn this summer and use it in my freshman composition classes." Founded in 1992, the SLWP offers teachers opportunities for personal growth through Summer Institutes and in-service programs and is home of the nationally acclaimed "New Orleans Writing Marathon. Table of Contents Student achievements Papers written by students in Dr. Mike Budden's Marketing 650 class have been accepted for publication. "An Investigation into Credit Card Debt Among College Students" was accepted by Contemporary Issues in Education Research. The student authors are Brian Waterwall, Tiffany Giardelli and Dylan Williams. Giardelli and Williams graduated in May. “The Role of Color and Packaging in the Marketing of Chocolate” has been accepted for publication in Southeastern's Journal of Business & Economics Research. The authors are Breda Kovac, Nina Knavs, and James Waltner. Professional activities Drs. Anna Kleiner, Bonnie Lewis, and Molly McGraw (Sociology and Criminal Justice) participated in a research panel discussion, "After the Storm: Community Partners Discuss Food System Analysis of Southern Louisiana," at a meeting of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society in New Orleans (with David Coffman of Second Harvest, Toni Sims of UL-Lafayette, and Simone Camel of Nicholls State). David Sever (Biological Sciences) and six graduate students, Dustin Siegel, April Bagwill, Mallory Eckstut, Laura Alexander, Angelle Camus, and Colby Morgan, had a paper published in the current issue of Journal of Morphology (Vol 269 pp. 640-653), entitled "Renal Sexual Segment of the Cottonmouth Snake, Agkistrodon piscivorous (Reptilia, Squamata, Viperidae)." Dr. Lucia G. Harrison (Foreign Languages) co-edited a book titled Women's Voices and the Politics of the Spanish Empire: From Convent Cell to Imperial Court (University Press of the South, 2008). She also published the book chapter titled "Travesías de una mujer judía en busca de libertad: Beatriz de Luna" about the life and contributions of a XVI century Jewish woman. Dr. William F. Font (Biological Sciences) presented a paper entitled: "Discrimination in Hawaiian Streams: Not All Hosts Treat Camallanus cotti Equally" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Parasitologists in Arlington, Texas on June 29. Kathryn Munson (Sims Memorial Library) presented a poster session titled "Technology Training for the Information Commons" at the American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim, Calif., on June 30. Karen Jung and Kathryn Munson (Sims Memorial Library) presented a poster session titled "Virtual Technology Training for the Information Commons" as part of the Association of College & Research Libraries Learning Virtually program at the American Library Association annual conference in Anaheim, Calif., on June 28. Dr. Becky Sue Parton and Dr. Robert Hancock (Educational Leadership and Technology) presented "Vision 3D: Digital Discovery for the Deaf and Louisiana Initiative for Technology Exploration with the Deaf" at the International Symposium on Instructional Technology and Deaf Education in Rochester, N.Y. on June 23. Table of Contents ByLion is published weekly online (bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@selu.edu, SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to Public Information Office in East Stadium. Submission deadline is noon on Friday. Contact: Christina Chapple, chapple@selu.edu, 985-549-2341/2421. Return to By-Lion directory |