Southeastern Louisiana University

Southeastern hosted the Tangi Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association, one of the university’s official philanthropic partners, on Friday (April 15).
     The walk began at 11 a.m. at the Pennington Student Activity Center. Seventy participants enjoyed walking around campus in the beautiful weather for a good cause.
     The event raised approximately $7,000, which is more than the amount raised last year.
     Cardiovascular diseases contribute to more than 1.4 million deaths annually, including more than 15,000 Louisiana residents. The American Heart Association donates over $3 million annually to research projects in the Greater New Orleans area.
      The American Heart Association is the oldest and largest national non-profit voluntary health organization in the world, dedicated to reducing disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers.
At left: Heart Walk participants register to participate in the Heart Walk at the Pennington Student Activity Center on Friday.

Finley featured speaker at historical group’s meeting April 19
Southeastern historian Keith M. Finley will be the featured speaker at the annual spring meeting of the Southeast Louisiana Historical Association Tuesday, April 19.
     The dinner meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the Hammond Regional Arts Foundation Building, 217 E. Thomas Street, Hammond. There is no charge for members, and spouses are welcome to attend for $10. Tickets to the event for the general public are $15.
     Finley’s presentation is based on research for his award-winning book “Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938-1965.” In his presentation, he will discuss how the actions of Southern senators in the fight against civil rights legislation affected social developments at the local level, including Louisiana’s Florida Parishes. According to Finley, white southern resistance to civil rights ran the gamut from extremism to moderation.”
     An instructor of history at Southeastern and assistant director of the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, Finley was awarded the D.B. Hardeman Prize for his book, which was published by LSU Press in 2008. The prize is given for what is considered the best book that focuses on the U.S. Congress in the fields of biography, history, journalism and political science.
     The Southeast Louisiana Historical Association is composed of regional cultural and historical enthusiasts and is domiciled at Southeastern’s Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies. The organization is open to any individuals interested in the history of the region. Membership is $25 per year and includes the annual edition of the regional journal “Southeast Louisiana Review and the newsletter “Centerpiece” as well as a ticket for the annual meeting.

Southeastern students to perform day of service at the ‘Big Event’
Approximately 300 Southeastern students hit the streets of Hammond Saturday (April 16) for a day of service called the “Big Event.”
     The students worked at over 20 job sites on the university’s campus, as well as at local businesses and non-profit organizations.
     “We wanted to show that Southeastern students care and want to give back to the community. We wanted to establish good relations with the people here who support our university,” said William Takewell, Big Event coordinator. “It was also a unifying experience for the students involved.”
     He said this year students worked at agencies such as Headstart, CASA, Council on Aging and food pantries.
     The event was started at Texas A&M University 28 years ago and has spread to more than 80 universities nationwide. It is considered one of the largest service days among college students.

Salute to the Eagles coming to the Columbia Theatre
The music of one of the most successful American bands of all times will be celebrated in one performance only at Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. Hotel California: “A Salute to the Eagles” is scheduled Sunday, May 1, at 4 p.m.
     “A great reputation and audience acclaim stamp Hotel California as the ultimate salute to the Eagles,” said Columbia Theater Interim Director Ken Boulton. “By blending extraordinary vocal and musical talents, Hotel California faithfully and accurately reproduces the sound of the Eagles’ studio recordings, while recreating a classic sound that undeniably transcends the boundaries of Rock, R&B and Country.”
     Tickets for Hotel California: “A Salute to the Eagles” range from $28 - $36 and are available at the Columbia Theatre box office on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. or by phone at (985) 543-4371. Patrons may also get tickets online at www.columbiatheatre.org.

Phi Beta Delta Honor Society Induction

Phi Beta Delta is an honor society for international scholars. Its members include international students, students who have studied abroad, students who major or minor in foreign languages, and faculty and staff who work in the field of international education.
     Southeastern’s chapter, Eta Xi, is new this semester and held a ceremony to induct its founding members on March 27 at 6 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom.
     The student inductees were Rachel Carazo, Devin Champagne, Katherine Hutchinson, Christy Hutchison-Whited, Yihao Li, Camilo Martinez, Erica Morse, Stacie Ray, Jennie Stewart, Dipika Timilsina, and Whitney Tisdale.
     The faculty and staff inductees, who serve as the advisory team and work in all aspects of international education at the university, include Amber Brown of International Admissions; Brendan Daigle, administrative assistant for Multicultural & International Student Affairs; Dr. Lucia Harrison, department head of the Department of Languages and Communication; Dr. Kent Neuerburg, director of the Honors Program and International Initiatives; and Dr. Eric Summers, director of Multicultural & International Student Affairs.
     One of Phi Beta Delta’s first initiatives is a graphing calculator loan program. International students in need of a graphing calculator can check them out through the office of Multicultural & International Student Affairs for one semester. Other projects and programs will be forthcoming in the fall semester.

Inductees pictured are, front row, from left, Stacie Ray, Dipika Timilsina, Katherine Hutchinson, Amber Brown, Brendan Daigle, and Dr. Lucia Harrison. Back row, from left, are Dr. Kent Neuerburg, Whitney Tisdale, Camilo Martinez, Erica Morse, Jennie Stewart, Devin Champage, Rachel Carazo, and Christy Hutchison-Whited.

Student receives national recognition for programming
Southeastern sophomore Ashish Acharya was recognized with the Outstanding Student Programmer of the Year Award by the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities.
     Acharya was nominated by former Campus Activities Board (CAB) Director Jason Leader earlier this year and was selected from a large pool of nominees by the national campus activities organization. The group provides services for university programming departments throughout the nation.
     CAB is a Southeastern organization that plans and presents special campus events, such as the university’s Gumbo Ya-Ya celebration in the fall, Jam the Jungle for Lion basketball, and the Strawberry Jubilee, an annual spring event.
     “I never expected it,” says Acharya, a native of Katmandu, Nepal. “I was just looking for a normal student job when I started working for CAB, but I love what I do. I am honored to receive this award, and I am more than obliged to work even harder.”
     Acharya and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Jim McHodgkins attended the APCA convention in Atlanta in late March at which Acharya received the award.
     “Ashish goes above and beyond,” says McHodgkins. “He wants to make sure everything is perfect and he wants to work out different ideas. It’s a great honor and it really says a lot about him.”
     Acharya, who is majoring in accounting and finance, has been working with CAB for a year and a half. He has put together several events that have been big successes on campus, including a performance by the hypnotist Sailesh, who preformed to a packed house last month.

Bunko for Basketball returns May 7

Tickets are now on sale for the fourth annual “Bunko for Basketball,” a scholarship fundraiser for the Lady Lions basketball program.
     Sponsored by the Lady Lions’ mentoring and support group PRIDE (Positive Role Models Involved in the Development of Excellence), Bunko for Basketball will take place Saturday, May 7 at Southeastern’s Twelve Oaks.
     Tickets for the evening of fun and fundraising are $30 per person for the adults-only event, which will feature hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a silent auction. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with Bunko games beginning at 7 p.m.
     During the event, PRIDE will also draw the winning ticket for a Cali Classic 50 scooter, provided by Big Easy Scooters and Cycles of New Orleans. Scooter raffle tickets are $5.
Bunko and scooter raffle tickets can be obtained from PRIDE members and at the Athletics ticket office in the Dugas Center 985-549-LION or 1-866-LION-TIX. For information, contact PRIDE Chair Patsy Causey, 985-345-8133.

Student community service project set May 1
Students from LT 301 – Organizational Leadership will host a community service project on May 1 to benefit local animal shelters. “GREEKS Cause for D.A.W.G.S (Dog Adoption/ Awareness With Greek Students)” is scheduled from 2 to 5 p.m. on North Campus in the Office of the Controller and Records parking lot.
     The event includes a hidden talent pet trick contest, a smooches from pooches best kiss contest and a project ruff-way cutest costume contest. Pet portraits and prizes will also be available, and each Greek organization will have a booth. The Southeastern family is invited and encouraged to attend to show these students their support.
     For more information, contact Pam Prescott at pprescott@selu.edu.

Southeastern fraternity named a top ten chapter
For the third year in a row, Southeastern’s Epsilon Phi Chapter of Delta Tau Delta has been awarded the Hugh Shields Flag, a designation given to the top 10 chapters in the national fraternity.
     The award is based on overall performance and programming in the areas of academics, finances, recruitment, membership education, operations, campus leadership, service and alumni relations.
     Gene Pregeant, chapter advisor, said Epsilon Phi was recognized especially for its recruitment and academic performance and for its participation in Adopt-a-School, the national philanthropy of the fraternity. The chapter worked closely with its adopted school, Natalbany Elementary.
     “Winning the Hugh Shields Flag again is a huge honor,” said Chapter President Brandon Colletti. “It is the result of countless hours of hard work and dedication by the entire chapter. Everyone has made the past year unforgettable, and we are still working as hard as ever in hopes of winning again next year.”
     In addition to its Adopt-A-School project, the chapter participated in a number of other community service activities, including Relay for Life, Adopt-a-Street, the Disposable Heroes Project, and Haiti Relief. The chapter also performed campus service work at the Southeastern Laboratory School and at Chefs Evening, the university’s annual fund raising event.
In the area of academics, the chapter’s cumulative 2.837 GPA placed the members first among other Southeastern fraternities.
     Above: Members of Delta Tau Delta include, back row, from left Jim Ledet (Alumni), Malcolm Young-Hernandez and Michael Rivas. Second row, from left Daniel Thorton, Rafael Salcedo, Patrick Amie, Josh Price, Marc Vedros, Tyler Rogers, Landon Andries, Ross Barbier, Brandon Colletti, Charles “Tiger” Edwards (Alumni), Elliot Barcelona and Jordan Leggett. Third row, from left, David Lashuto (Alumni), Gene Pregeant (Alumni/Chapter Advisor), Jeremy Stoufflet, Dustin Wesley, Johnny Braud, Hunter Carter, M.J. Ahmad, Ian Doran, Daniel Tanner, Anthony Calcagno (Alumni), David Gutekunst and Tom Calamia (Alumni). Front row, from left kneeling, Chase Lawson, Branden Summers, and standing, from left, Joshua Thibodeaux, and Matthew Hein.

Students celebrate Earth Day
Graduate students Megan Faunce, left, and Ashley Broussard talk to Martha Provost about recycling products at Earth Day held in the Student Union Mall Tuesday. Communication graduate students spent the day with local sponsors sharing “green” tips and environmental information with students on campus. Earth Day at Southeastern was coordinated by the Organizational Communication graduate program and students in the Public Campaigns class.

PPR Training for supervisors
There will be a training program for supervisors who are required to conduct Performance Planning and Reviews (PPRs) on classified employees. Offered by the Training Section of the Human Resources Office, the session is Tuesday, April 19, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in the Human Resources Office conference room.
     To register for this program please email Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu or phone extension 5771. Pre-registration is requested for this class.

Science Olympiad held Saturday

Chandler Davidson, left, and Anthony Atkinson, students at I.E. Lewis School in Ruston, prepare their catapault in the "Storm the Castle" competition at Saturday's statewide Science Olympiad held on the Southeastern campus Saturday. Students from schools around the state participated in the annual event, which is chaired and organized by Linda Munchausen of the Department of Chemistry and Physics.
     The students were finalists in the state Science Olympiad, which Southeastern has hosted for the past several years. Teams were chosen for the state championship after finishing in the top five at regional competitions.
     Students competed in several dozen events that use the format of popular board games, television shows and athletic games to test their knowledge of science disciplines such as biology, earth science, chemistry, physics, computers and technology.
     The event was sponsored by Valero.

Students shore up wetlands with recycled Christmas trees
Despite losing state funds that included placement of recycled Christmas trees in the wetlands this year, a group of Southeastern students picked up the slack and carried out the project themselves.
     “With the cuts in the state budget this year, our annual grant to place Christmas trees in the wetlands and to plant marsh grasses got cut,” said Robert Moreau, director of Southeastern’s Turtle Cove Environmental Research Station, located on Pass Manchac between lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain. “But volunteer businesses and Tangipahoa Parish helped us by serving as collection points for the trees, and our students helped to place them as part of their course work in environmental awareness.”
     Ever since 1994 in St. John the Baptist Parish and 2000 in Tangipahoa Parish, Moreau and Fred Stouder, Turtle Cove marsh restoration coordinator, have deployed discarded Christmas trees and planted various types of marsh grasses. To date, over 20,000 marsh grasses – such as bulrush, roseaucan, cutgrass, smooth cord and even Cypress trees – have been planted in the area known as the “Prairie” in St. John and on West Jones Island in Lake Maurepas.
     “Both programs have been funded by the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources at $18,000 each per year and got high marks on evaluation,” Moreau explained. “The money just wasn’t available this year, but we were determined to continue at least a portion of this successful work through our students’ efforts and volunteer assistance.”
     Businesses that served as dropping off points for the discarded trees included Middendorf’s restaurant in Manchac and Lowe’s Home Improvement in Hammond. Lowe’s also donated all trees that went unsold at the end of the season.
     Each spring Moreau teaches an undergraduate environmental awareness class where students study a range of topics covering ecological problems. Their service work in placing the discarded trees and planting marsh grasses reinforces in the field what they learn in the classroom. This year, 26 students from the class worked on three different deployments, which involved loading the Turtle Cove pontoon boat with the trees, riding out to the sites on West Jones Island in Tangipahoa and then deploying the trees to help build up the shoreline.
     “Unfortunately there were no funds to purchase marsh grasses for planting as had been done in years past for both the Tangipahoa and St. John parish programs,” Moreau said, “but at least the Christmas tree portion of the project was continued.”
     “The students gain a real appreciation and understanding of the damage that is ongoing in our wetlands,” Moreau said. “And they recognize that their efforts in helping to restore the shoreline are important.”

Above: Southeastern students this semester have worked in the wetlands around Lake Maurepas to deploy discarded Christmas trees on West Jones Island. Hauling trees are, right to left, Brittany DePhillips, Patricia Beavers and Johnny Babin. Working on the Turtle Cove pontoon boat are, from left, Turtle Cove Director Robert Moreau, Michaela Mayers and Brady Radosti.

Southeastern in the news
2 SLU Business Center staff honored
http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/livingston_tangipahoa/2-SLU-business-center-staff-members-honored.html

Connect to SLU via iPhone app
http://www.hammondstar.com/articles/2011/04/13/top_stories/education/5649.txt

Southeastern students perform day of service
http://tangipahoa.wafb.com/news/community-spirit/southeastern-participating-big-event/48657

EDITORIAL: Stretch of the legs (Southeastern)
http://www.hammonddailystar.com/articles/2011/04/17/opinion/editorials/8641.txt

Dr. Connie S. Logan Research Day
Southeastern School of Nursing faculty shared nursing research during the Dr. Connie S. Logan Research Day on campus April 8 entitled “A New Decade for Nursing Scholarship: Embracing Challenges and Opportunities.” The conference was co-hosted by the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Chapters, Rho Zeta of Southeastern and Epsilon Nu of LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC). The conference is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Connie S. Logan of the Southeastern School of Nursing. The luncheon is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Linda Corson Jones of LSUHSC.
     Focus of the program was to provide nurses, nurse researchers, and nurse educators the opportunity to network and explore current research findings. The keynote address, “Meeting the Challenges in Nursing Research, Practice and Education over the Next Decade…Look to the Jambalaya” was presented by Richard Ricciardi, PhD, NP, with the Center for Primary Care, and Clinical Partnerships at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The endnote address, “Nurses in Louisiana Embracing the Opportunity to Lead Change and Advance Health.” was presented by Cynthia Bienemy, PhD, director of the Louisiana Center for Nursing.
     Southeastern faculty members presented several presentations including:
Socialization of Second Degree Nursing Students, by Lorinda Sealey and
Susan Pryor;
Perceptions of Nursing Faculty in Teaching Second Degree Nursing Students,
Donna Hathorn;
Reflections on the Caring Power of Patients at the End of Life, Cathy Cormier, LSU
Alexandria, and Mitzie Meyers;
Stigmatization of Overweight Patients by Nurses, Eileen Creel and Ken Tillman;
Baccalaureate Nursing Students’ Perceptions of a Community Health Service Learning
Experience, Kristin Whitty of Southeastern and Cathy Cormier, LSU-Alexandria;
A Virtual World Consortium: Using Second Life to Facilitate Nursing Journal Clubs,
Karen Rice, Ochsner Medical Center-New Orleans, and Luanne Billingsley;
How Cultural Factors Hinder or Facilitate Safety Training of Vietnamese-American
Fishermen, Ann Carruth, Lorinda Sealey of Southeastern and Jeffrey Levin and Karen Gilmore, Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education;
A Quality Improvement Project to Examine the Use of Bed Alarms on a Medical-
Surgical Unit., Julie Castex, graduate nursing student in the Southeastern Adult Clinical Nurse Specialist track.

Extended Studies news
All locations
ACT Test Prep Course
This course assists high school students develop the skills to improve ACT scores, emphasizing mathematics and English. If paid and registered one week prior to the start of class, students will receive ACT prep book at no additional cost. Test date is June 11. This course will be held from May 12 to June 9 in Walker and Mandeville and from May 9 to June 6 in Hammond. The cost is $250 in Walker and Hammond and $275 in Mandeville.

Hammond
Instant Piano for Busy People (April 21, 6 to 9:30 p.m.)
In just one enjoyable evening, learn enough secrets to make piano playing a part of life, learning chords, not notes. Participants at the beginner level will learn all the chords needed to play any song, any style, and any key. The instructor will collect $25 in class for a book and a 68 minute practice CD. The cost is $55.

Zoom into Careers (Career Workshops for High School Students, June 20 – 23)
Zoom into Culinary Arts (June 20-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Southeastern’s White Hall, $280/$295.)
Students can get a taste for a career in the culinary arts. With over 15 years of experience, Chef Kevin Foil will organize participants into various positions needed to run a successful kitchen.

Zoom into Inventing (June 20-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Southeastern’s Anzalone Hall, $280/$295.)
Michael Beauvais, assistant professor of industrial technology, and other design professionals, will teach the fundamentals of sketching, and building parts and solid models using the modeling software AutoDesk Inventor.

Zoom into Photography (June 20-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., St. Tammany Center, $280/$295.)
Led by certified professional photographer Chuck Billiot, students are taught the instructor’s “dare to be unique” approach to learning skills directly applicable to a career as a professional photographer.

Zoom into Television (June 20-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Southeastern Channel, Southeastern University Center; $280/$295.)
Students attracted to careers in front of or behind the camera gain experience in producing news story packages at the Southeastern Channel. Workshops will be led by General Manager Rick Settoon, and students will produce a two-minute news story segment that will be aired on the Southeastern Channel and Southeastern’s Web site.

Zoom into Theatre (June 20-23, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Southeastern’s Vonnie Borden Theatre, D Vickers Hall; $280/$295.)
For students who see themselves in lights, this workshop is a hands-on approach covering all aspects of theater. Students work with theatre professionals to get a true taste of what goes into creating a live theatrical event. The workshop culminates with a short public performance.

An overnight option is available for workshops held in Hammond.

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

This week in Athletics

The Southeastern baseball, softball, tennis and track teams will all be in action during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
     The Lion baseball team (24-13, 10-8 Southland) has four games on tap this week, starting with a 6:30 p.m. game on Tuesday night at Tulane. Southeastern opens a three-game Southland Conference series on Thursday, hosting league foe Texas A&M-Corpus Christi for a 6 p.m. contest. The series continues on Friday at 6 p.m. and concludes on Saturday at 2 p.m. All four games will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
     The softball team (17-21, 7-11 Southland) hosts four games at North Oak Park this week, beginning with a 6 p.m. non-conference contest versus South Alabama. Stephen F. Austin will visit Hammond for a three-game league series, beginning with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday. Saturday’s series finale is scheduled for 12 p.m. Live stats for all of this week’s action will be available at www.LionSports.net.
     The Southeastern women’s tennis team (8-13, 2-9 Southland) will close out its 2011 campaign this week. The Lady Lions will face Xavier (N.O.) at 4 p.m. on Tuesday in New Orleans.
     The Southeastern men’s and women’s track and field teams will continue outdoor competition this week. The Lions and Lady Lions will compete in the LSU Alumni Gold meet on Friday and Saturday in Baton Rouge.

Tuesday, April 19
Baseball, at Tulane, New Orleans, 6:30 p.m. (KSLU)
Softball, vs. South Alabama, North Oak Park, 6 p.m.
Women’s Tennis, at Xavier (N.O.), New Orleans, 4 p.m.

Thursday, April 21
Baseball, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Alumni Field, 6 p.m. (KSLU)*

Friday, April 22
Baseball, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Alumni Field, 6 p.m. (KSLU)*
Softball, vs. Stephen F. Austin (DH), North Oak Park, 4 p.m.*
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, at LSU Alumni Gold, Baton Rouge, All Day

Saturday, April 23
Baseball, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Alumni Field, 2 p.m. (KSLU)*
Softball, vs. Stephen F. Austin, North Oak Park, 12 p.m.*
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, at LSU Alumni Gold, Baton Rouge, All Day

Southeastern home events in bold
* - Southland Conference game

Professional activities
The Charlotte Observer interviewed Dr. Rhett Allain regarding his blog “Dot Physics on Wired.com.” The full interview can be found online at http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/04/11/2214704/discover-magic-of-science-with.html.
     Dr. Birgitta Ramsey (English) participated in the 2011 CCCC Convention in Atlanta, April 6-9. The title of her conference paper was “Soft or Too Soft: Level of Tolerance in Different Research Traditions.”
     James De Franceschi, Dr. Pierre Titard, and Dr. Harold Davis, (Accounting) will have their paper titled “Exam Fairness: The Effect of Blue Paper Versus White Paper on Student Performance” published in the upcoming issue of The Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice.
     Dr. Andrew Traver (History and Political Science) has published a book chapter entitled “The Forging of an Intellectual Defense of Mendicancy in the Medieval University” in the text The Origin, Development, and Refinement of Medieval Religious Mendicancies (Brill, 2011).
     Kathleen Campbell (Educational Leadership and Technology) presented “Growing Your Educational Leadership Master’s Degree Program” for the Louisiana Council of Professors of Educational Administration (LCPEA) at Ruston, Louisiana on April 7-8. The paper was co-authored by Felicia Blacher-Wilson (Educational Leadership and Technology).
     Dr. Michael Bisciglia (Sociology and Criminal Justice) presented a research paper titled “An Exploration of the Index of Qualitative Variation as a Within Measure of Segregation and Its Impact on Hispanic Homicide” at the annual meeting of the Southern Sociological Society in Jacksonville, FL.

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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