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Holiday decorations go green
In an effort to save on operating expenses, Southeastern’s holiday decorations this year will feature the usual greenery but fewer lights.
Traditionally, the university has outlined its perimeter buildings in white lights during the Christmas holidays. This year the university will forgo the lighting and emphasize decorations that feature wreaths and greenery.
“With the current state budget situation, it’s important that we save our operating dollars whenever we have an option,” said President John L. Crain. “I think our campus community and university neighbors who have delighted in the lights over past years will understand the current situation.”
Crain said the regular campus lighting will remain on during the holidays as a matter of safety. The move will also reduce demands on physical plant staff, which has suffered loss of personnel due to the budget cuts and would usually provide manpower for hanging the holiday lights.
In addition, this year the university will not send out holiday greeting cards nor distribute Southeastern ornaments to faculty and staff, which had been done as an expression of appreciation in the past. While both have traditionally been paid for with non-state funds from the private Southeastern Development Foundation, Crain said the savings – estimated at a few thousand dollars – will be channeled instead into additional scholarship support for students via the Southeastern General Scholarship Fund.
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Relay for Life news
The Relay for Life teams did an awesome job and had fantastic activities. As of today, over $190,000 dollars has been turned in and a little more is expected. We didn’t quite hit our goal of $200,000, but it’s an incredible accomplishment and we thank you.
Relay for Life team award winners were:
Most Creative Campsite:
1st- Cashe, Coudraine and Sandage
2nd- PHAC’s (Pink Hats Against Cancer- First Community Bank)
3rd- Paris Parker
Most Laps:
1st- Delta Tau Delta- 324
2nd- TPSS- Hammond High-286
3rd- AT’s (Athletic Trainers) Against Cancer- 143
4th- Walkers for Trixie- 130
5th- TPSS Vinyard Elementary- 121
Corporate Awards:
1st- TPSS- $26,236.25
2nd- NOHS- $23,476.18
3rd SLU- $23,423.67
Spirit Award
Southeastern-Tech Team
The Relay for Life Tech Team will be at Cate Square Park this Sunday, Dec. 5, from 1 – 4 p.m. (weather permitting) taking photographs at the Gazebo. If you would like us to capture your family for a holiday card come by and see us. For a $15.00 donation we’ll take 20 photos and give them to you on CD. For more information please e-mail techteam@selu.edu.
‘Shining Stars’ concert showcases Community Music School violinists
Violin students of Southeastern’s Community Music School will shine in a special concert Nov. 29.
Their free concert, “Shining Stars,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
The concert features soloists Gabriela Carter and Ashley Johansen, Madisonville; Umika Kuroda, Mandeville; Soojin Lee, Covington; Lydia Newton and Wesley Newton, Ocean Springs, Miss.; Chloe Williams, Griffin Wiemelt and Riley Wiemelt, Mandeville;.
The young violinists, who are from the studio of CMS violin instructor Jivka Jeleva, will perform as soloists with members of the Southeastern Chamber Orchestra conducted by Yakov Voldman.
“The soloists are ‘the most dedicated’ of the CMS’s young violinists,” said Jeleva. “The concert is the opportunity for them to be rewarded for their hard work.”
The concert also features the CMS String Ensemble and the “Dancing Fiddles.” Jeleva said the famous fiddle tunes performed by the Dancing Fiddles incorporate intricate choreography that gives the young performers an innovative and fun twist to violin playing.
Founded in 1996, Southeastern’s Community Music School offers children and adults private and group music lessons taught by Southeastern faculty members, graduate students and community professionals.
English instructor wins fiction prize for novel
David Armand, an instructor in English, has earned the George Garrett Fiction Prize presented by the Texas Review Press for his novel The Pugilist’s Wife.
The award is given annually to an unpublished short novel or collection of short stories based on a competition evaluated by a series of judges affiliated with Texas Review Press, part of the Texas A&M press consortium. The award is named after the late poet laureate of Virginia, George Garrett, who excelled in a wide variety of writing including novels, short stories, plays and screenplays, poetry and biography.
The Pugilist’s Wife will be published next year by the Texas Review Press.
A native of Folsom and resident of Hammond, Armand received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in English at Southeastern. In 2003 he received the university’s D Vickers Award for Creative Writing and in 2006 completed his thesis – a collection of short stories called Mae’s Blues – under the direction of Southeastern Writer-in-Residence Tim Gautreaux.
In addition to his teaching duties, he serves as managing editor for Louisiana Literature, Southeastern’s nationally-recognized literary journal. He also works with Southeastern’s Early Start program by visiting local high schools and offering students feedback and instruction on their writing.
“We’re very proud that David Armand is gaining recognition for his writing,” said David Hanson, head of the Department of English. “David has already earned a reputation as an excellent teacher; we chose him as a key member of our English Early Start team. He has given invaluable support to Louisiana Literature and the Louisiana Literature Press. It's impressive that his work takes its place alongside the distinguished winners of the George Garrett Prize, who have included Thomas Cobb, author of Crazy Heart, and William Neal Harrison.”
FE-Lions Champagne Bingo reserved tables on sale
Reserved tables are on sale now for the annual “Ladies Champagne Bingo” fundraiser, sponsored by the FE-Lions, the popular social organization for female fans of Southeastern athletics.
Ladies Champagne Bingo is scheduled for Jan. 22, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Southeastern’s Twelve Oaks. All proceeds from the event benefit Southeastern athletics.
The event features champagne, orange juice, mimosas and a light lunch served by the Southeastern Lion football players, silent and live auctions and eight games of bingo.
“Since its inception in 2004, Ladies Champagne Bingo has grown each year to become one of the most anticipated fundraising events on Southeastern’s campus,” said Alumni Director Kathy Pittman. “There will be food, lots of entertainment, and, of course, champagne and bingo. There are a limited number of tables and they sell quickly, so it’s best to reserve one early.”
Tables with seating for eight are $290 each, and attendees must be at least 21 years of age. For table reservation or more information, contact the Alumni Center, 549-2150.
English Day
The Department of English and Sigma Tau Delta held its 25th English Day for visiting high school students and their teachers on Nov. 8. Four local high schools (West St. John High, Covington High, Ponchatoula High, and Fontainebleau High) sent a total of 55 students to attend open English classes, literature and college-themed workshops.
Not only did the visiting high school students benefit from English Day, but high school teachers who brought their students attended teacher-centered presentations on MLA and college readings by faculty. Five members of the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project presented a panel on “Best Practices in Teaching Writing.”
All students participated in expository, technical, or creative writing contests. Poet Alison Pelegrin spoke during the luncheon about the applicable nature of studying English, citing the department’s new publishing studies minor as a prime example. Awards were also presented during the luncheon to students who excelled at the writing contests.
Languages and Communication Fall 2010 Senior Colloquium
The Department of Languages and Communication Senior Colloquium was held Thursday, Nov. 11, in D Vickers Hall. Colloquium is a rite of passage for all communication majors, as graduating seniors present their thesis papers before an audience and defend their research techniques and observations to faculty respondents.
Communication seniors who presented their thesis papers this fall were: Fay Boudreaux, Christopher Brannon, Cory Briscoe, Sean C. A. Doss, Angela Fontenot, Justin Johnson, Tyra Y. Mitchell, Megan Mosher, Jeffrey Pohlmann, Kayleigh Richard, Monica Roca, Justin Thymes, and Jennifer Weatherly. After all the theses were presented, faculty respondents offered feedback.
Lucia Harrison, head of the department, presided over the opening ceremony and announced the winners of the Top Paper Award: Megan Mosher, 2nd from left, and Christopher Brannon. Mosher’s winning paper is titled “The Great Love/Hate Relationship: An Examination of Public Perception and Newspaper Ethics.” Brannon’s winning paper is titled “I’d Rather Die than Give a Speech: A Look at the Effectiveness of Cognitive Therapy in Reducing Communication Apprehension.”
Undergraduate Coordinator Claire Procopio, far right, and communication faculty member Suzette Bryan, far left, were honored with expressions of appreciation from the senior students.
Computer Science and Industrial Technology holds advisory committee meeting
On Friday, Nov. 5, the Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology held its annual advisory committee meeting at the University Center. Representatives from academia, government, industry and commerce joined the department faculty to discuss the programs which it offers. The representatives provide the department feedback on how well it is preparing the students for the workforce. This feedback is used to improve the quality of education the department provides.
The general assembly was addressed by Dean Dan McCarthy, who emphasized the importance of the partnership between committee members and the CSIT department. Department Head Cris Koutsougeras described the state of the department and how the advisory committee impacts the programs offered.
Breakout sessions were held for computer science, engineering technology, industrial technology and OSHE subcommittees. Program specific issues were discussed, including program changes made over the past year and performance of graduates and interns employed by the representatives.
Many representatives are Southeastern graduates. Among them is Calvin Fabre, who not only volunteered his time to serve as chairman of the advisory committee, but also made a generous contribution of $1,000 to the department developmental fund. Fabre, of Envoc Software Developers, remembers his time at Southeastern fondly, culminating with his 1990 B.S. in computer science.
From left: Richard Owens, Robert Broome, and Robert Owens of Qinetiq North America have served on the advisory committee for a number of years. The Owens brothers are Southeastern CS Alumni.
Schools say grad rates skewed - universities rap criticism as flawed
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/109783954.html
SLU nixes holiday lights, cards to save money
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/109784579.html
Loranger High students take SLU science tour
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/livingston_tangipahoa/110504974.html
52% of grads not counted: incomplete picture of university success
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2010/11/26/top_stories/education/5708.txt
SLU finds value in biodeisel
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/latest/110808569.html?showAll=y&c=y
Christmas cuts at SLU (WVLA-TV, Baton Rouge)
http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/christmas-cuts-at-slu
PeopleSoft Grants Module Training
The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs and the Office of the Assistant Vice-President for Finance will present a hands-on training regarding how to enter grant proposals and route for university approval using the PeopleSoft Grants Module. This training is required for all Principal Investigators who will be submitting grants proposals starting in 2011.
Training is scheduled in the LEO Lab, room 204, McClimans Hall on the following days and times:
Monday, Nov. 29, 9 – 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 30, 9:30 – 11 a.m. and 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 1, 9 – 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 – 3 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 2, 9:30 – 11 a.m. and 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 3, 9 – 10:30 a.m.
Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. Please contact Vicki Alford at ext. 3243 to register. Additional trainings will be announced as they are scheduled.
The Department of Mathematics hosted an Integration Bee on Nov. 12. A total of 41 students registered for the event. There were 28 students remaining after 10 preliminary rounds.
The following students qualified for the final round: Sujan Pant, Sunil Shahi, Bishwas Ghimire, Bimal Kunwor, Saket Khatiwada, Ramesh Shrestha, Umesh Sedhain, Ashmin Pathak, Sylvia Charchut, Mohan Kunwar, Blaise Heider, Johnny Hoffstadt, Millard McElwee, Parker Melech, Ashley Jones, Sandesh Kharel, Jubin Rajbhandari, Chad Sziszak, Pratik Ghimire, and Kelly Shakya.
Bimal Kunwor won the competition and an award of $100. Sujan Pant, last year's winner, took second place and received $75, and Bishwas Ghimire won the third place and a $50 award.
Chefs Evening is Sunday, April 3
Chef’s Evening restaurant of the week:
La Caretta
When dining choices take you away from home or work, please patronize this friend of Chefs Evening. While there, let the owner and chef know how much you appreciate their loyal support of the university by their participation in Chefs Evening year after year.
Human Resources news
The Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP) and the Human Resources Office are sponsoring a free seminar open to all employees called “Individual Differences and Diversity in the Workplace.”
The class is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 9 from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m in the University Center, room 139 and will examine the ways we handle the individual differences of people in the workplace. Participants will learn how and why we have different perceptions about people and how those perceptions can affect teamwork and productivity in positive and negative ways. Participants will practice dealing with different dimensions of diversity in structured exercises and learn how to create a climate in which all employees’ contributions are recognized and appreciated.
Pre-registration and supervisory approval are necessary for attendance. For more information and to register, please contact Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu or at extension 5771.
Hammond
Notarial Prep Course (15 Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m.)
The course prepares students for the notary exam scheduled June 4, 2011. Topics include: duties of a notary, contracts, juridical acts, donations and sales, wills, miscellaneous acts, and more. Students are responsible for ordering their books prior to the beginning of class. Once registered, students will receive information about ordering books. The cost for the course is $575, and the books required for the course cost an additional $270.
MandevilleMicrosoft Project 2010 (Dec. 3, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
In this instructor-led course, students will be led with through the process of building and modifying a schedule using hands-on exercises including: adding tasks, organizing these tasks in a work breakdown structure (WBS), sequencing (adding task relationship), creating and assigning resources, organizing project information, updating the schedule, and generating reports. The cost for this workshop is $170.
Project Management (Nov. 30 & Dec. 1, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
The course prepares project managers and others planning on pursuing a career in project management with skills and tools to successfully plan, manage, and deliver project on time and within budget. The cost for this workshop is $695.
Notarial Prep Course (15 Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m.)
The course prepares students for the notary exam. The course topics include duties of a notary, contracts, juridical acts, donation, wills, miscellaneous acts, and more. The cost for this course is $575, and the books required for the course cost an additional $270.
WalkerACT Test Preparation (5 Thursdays, beginning Jan. 13, 5 – 7 p.m.)
The course is designed to help high school students develop the skills to improve ACT scores, emphasizing Mathematics and English. If paid and registered one week prior to start of class, students will receive ACT prep book at no additional cost. The cost for this course is $250.
To register, or for further details on these or other courses that are available please visit:
Hammond- www.selu.edu/es Mandeville- www.selu.edu/stc Walker- www.selu.edu/livingston
Faculty Excellence news
Workshops offered this week include:
On-the Go: Printing Your Blackboard Grades - Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2-2:30 p.m. or Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2-2:30 p.m.
Science & Religion Brown Bag Discussion - Thursday, Dec. 2, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
For additional information, check the Center's calendar on our web site at www.selu.edu/center.
The Southeastern men’s and women’s basketball teams will continue non-conference play during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
The Lions (3-1) open their week on Wednesday, hosting Dillard at 7 p.m. in the University Center. Southeastern will hold a canned food drive in conjunction with Wednesday’s game. Every fan that brings two canned goods will receive a discounted ticket, while each canned good will be exchanged for a raffle ticket for a drawing for a $50 gift card.
It will also be Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night and all Southeastern faculty and staff will receive free admission by presenting their university ID. Southeastern will hit the road on Saturday, facing Central Florida at 4 p.m. in Orlando, Fla.
The Southeastern women’s basketball team (5-1) has only one game on tap next week. The Lady Lions will be in Lafayette on Sunday to face Louisiana-Lafayette at 2 p.m.
All of this week’s basketball games will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
Wednesday, Dec. 1Men’s Basketball, vs. Dillard, University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU)
Saturday, Dec. 4Men’s Basketball, at Central Florida, Orlando, Fla., 4 p.m. (KSLU)
Sunday, Dec. 5Women’s Basketball, at Louisiana-Lafayette, Lafayette, 2 p.m. (KSLU)
Southeastern home events in bold
Professional activities
Dr. David Norwood, Jean Fotie and Debra Dolliver (Chemistry & Physics) supervised the presentations of eight undergraduate students who have performed research under their direction at the 3rd Annual University of Louisiana at Lafayette Undergraduate Research Invitational. Amber Bordelon made an oral presentation, and the following students made poster presentations: Arjun Pandey, Bijay Bhattarai, Patrick Flowers, Sumit Libi, Saurav Malla, Kaitlyn Dreux, and Kristin Allen.
Dr. David Gurney’s (Mathematics) paper “A Second Course in Statistics: Linear Statistical Models” has been published in the 2010 JSM Proceedings.
Drs. Alan Cannon, Kent Neuerburg, Gary Walls, and Linhong Wang (Mathematics) attended the Southern Regional Algebra Conference, Oct. 15-17. This year’s meeting was held at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Walls presented a paper entitled “Rings associated with abelian covers of groups.” Wang presented “Prime ideas of q-commutative power series rings.”
Dr. Hye-Young Kim (Physics), Dr. Thomas Sommerfeld (Chemistry), Adam Dillon (physics, junior) were invited as a group to attend the Education Workshop (Nov 13-16) of the SC10 (Super Computing) conference of 2010 at New Orleans, and participated in various sessions on the state-of-the-art tools and curriculum developments in computational science using High Performance Computing resources.
Becky Sue Parton and Robert Hancock (Education and Human Development) attended the National Center for Technology Innovation conference in Washington, DC Nov. 15-16. Everyone who received a Steppingstones grant or a Tech in the Works grant this year was required to present at the conference. Parton and Hancock presented "Lambert Libris: Interactive Books for Deaf Children and Their Parents" and "Vision 3D: Digital Discovery for the Deaf—”Lambert’ Project Results." All participants (which included the general public) were then asked to vote on the projects. The Parton/Hancock team was selected as the 2nd place winner of the NCTI 2010 Bright Ideas competition.
Carolyn Blackwood (Freshman Success) recently chaired a session on Legislation: Federal and State Law Advocacy at the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Conference in Phoenix, Az. In December she will complete a two-year term on the IDA Board of Directors and Executive Committee having served as Branch Council Chair. In 2011 she will continue for one year as Branch Council Past Chair.
Dr. Marc Riedel (Sociology and Criminal Justice) presented a research paper on "Elderly Homicide and the Implications of the Increase in Edlerly in the Coming Decade" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in San Francisco and fulfilled several other responsibilities. As Chair of the Awards Committee for the Homicide Research Working Group, he presented the 2010 Block Award for an outstanding dissertation on homicide to Patrice K. Morris, Rutgers University. He participated in a workshop as a member of the American Sociological Association’s Task Force on Sociology and Criminology Programs. As one of his editorial duties, he attended a meeting of the Editorial Board of the journal, Homicide Studies. He and other authors were honored at a reception sponsored by Oxford University Press for their contributions to Oxford Bibliographic Online.
Dr. John Boulahanis (Sociology and Criminal Justice) presented a paper titled "Assessing Fear of Crime in New Orleans: A Pre- and Post-Hurricane Katrina and Rita Analysis" at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology on Nov. 19 in San Francisco.
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 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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