ByLion--December 5

IN THIS ISSUE ... 

Faculty, Staff Open House

Commencement traffic changes

Toys from the Heart needs toys

Columbia presents "The Nutcracker"

Marsh has play produced

Music of guitar quartet featured on CD

PPR Training for Supervisors

Southeastern in the news

Professional activities


Annual Faculty/Staff Holiday Open House   President's residence
Please mark your calendar and plan to drop by the annual Faculty and Staff Holiday Open House at the President’s Residence on Wednesday, December 7, between 3:30 and 5 p.m.


Traffic changes planned for Southeastern Commencement   
Motorists and visitors planning to attend Southeastern’s commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 10, should anticipate heavy traffic and route changes affecting University Avenue (Hwy 3234) between Interstate 55 and North Cherry Street.
     Mike Prescott, director of University Police, said the section of University Avenue between West Tornado Drive and SGA Drive will be restricted from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. that day. Local traffic will be allowed to proceed on University Avenue for as long as possible, but will be diverted through the campus as congestion increases.
     Prior to commencement, the University Center parking areas are expected to be filled very early and all traffic on University Avenue will be diverted. Eastbound commencement traffic will be diverted to West Tornado Drive for parking at the University Center and westbound commencement traffic will be diverted to the campus at SGA Drive.
     Southeastern Lion Traxx shuttle busses and several golf carts will be in operation before and after the ceremony to accommodate anyone parking in outlying areas or needing special transportation assistance. Shuttle stops will be marked with signage and/or canopies.
     Drivers not attending commencement are asked to use U.S. 190 (Thomas Street and Morris Street) or Natalbany Road (Hwy. 1064) to avoid University Avenue traffic. Southeastern students wishing to return rental textbooks on Saturday, Dec. 10, should wait until after 2 p.m. to do so.


‘Toys from the Heart’ reaches registered capacity, donations needed   Kiwanis donates to Toys from the Heart
Southeastern’s annual “Toys from the Heart” holiday toy drive has reached its maximum capacity of 400 registered children and is in need of donated toys.
     Southeastern’s Greek organizations Kappa Alpha Psi, Delta Sigma Theta, and Zeta Phi Beta,along with the Recreational Sports and Wellness department and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs (MISA), have teamed up to collect toys for underprivileged Hammond children. The event is also sponsored by Sweetwater Campground in Loranger, as well as Lion Athletics.
      “We reached our maximum capacity of 400 registered children in just three days,” said Eric Summers, MISA director. “While this unfortunately illustrates how great the need is, it is also a wonderful opportunity to be able to impact the lives of so many children.”
     Summers said the students are asking the Hammond community and all Southeastern departments, faculty, staff and students to make a donation of a toy or a monetary donation toward the purchase of a new toy.
     One such community organization, Kiwanis of Hammond, has already stepped up to the plate.
      “Kiwanis decided to donate $500 to the Toys from the Heart project and assigned it to the Student Athletic Advisory Council (SAAC),” said Joe Morris, member of the Southeastern accounting faculty and Kiwanis board member. “The SAAC is buying toys to be distributed from this donation and other donations it has collected.”
     New, unwrapped toys may be delivered to donation boxes located in the Student Union Mall Nov. 28-Dec. 1 and Dec. 5-8. Donation boxes are also located at the MISA office and inside the Pennington Student Activity Center.
     Toys will be given to registered families Dec. 13 from 1-5 p.m. at the Pennington Student Activity Center.
     For more information about “Toys from the Heart,” contact the MISA office at 549-3850. 

GIVING TO NEEDY CHILDRENSoutheastern accounting faculty member and Hammond Kiwanis board member Joe Morris, center, presents a $500 check to the Southeastern Student Athletic Advisory Council for the purchase of new toys for the annual Toys from the Heart drive. On hand to receive the donation are Leslie Rolling, left, senior women’s administrator and SAAC advisor, and John Roberts, president of SAAC.


Columbia Theatre to present holiday classic ballet   Katia Garza and Balazs Krajczar
For the ninth consecutive year, Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts will present Hammond Ballet Company’s “The Nutcracker.” Due to the show’s popularity, the downtown Hammond theatre is offering two performances on Dec. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m.
     “Watching this classic ballet come to life for new audiences each year is a wonderful way to start the season,” said Columbia Theatre Interim Director C. Roy Blackwood. “The music alone will take people through memories of Christmases past. Hammond Ballet, featuring professional dancers in the lead roles, does such an honorable job of bringing fresh energy to this holiday favorite. It will be a treat for all of us.”
     The role of Clara will be performed by 12-year-old Teddi Elizabeth Rayborn of Ponchatoula. The daughter of Lori and Ted Rayborn, Teddi is a 7th grade student at Oaks Montessori School and a dance student at A Touch of Class in Ponchatoula. Last summer she spent five weeks at Central Pennsylvania Ballet’s summer program and was also accepted to the American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive.
     Cast with mostly local children, the ballet will also feature two guest artists: Katia Garza as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Balazs Krajczar as the Nutcracker. 
     Originally from Piedras Negras Coahuila, Mexico, Garza began her training in Monterrey, Mexico, at the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey. Upon graduation, she joined the Ballet de Monterrey and became a soloist after six months. She was a finalist at the 2002 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Miss., and in 2010 received the Outstanding Female in the Arts Award for Hispanic Women that make a difference in central Florida. This is her 10th year with the Orlando Ballet as a principal dancer.
     Krajczar studied at the Hungarian Dance Academy and later danced with North Carolina Dance Theatre II, Columbia Classical Ballet and Tulsa Ballet. He was awarded the third prize at the 2004 International Ballet Competition in Vienna, Austria, and was a finalist at the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Miss. He is currently in his third season with the Orlando Ballet.
     Tickets for the Nutcracker, $26 Orchestra, $32 Loge, and $20 Balcony, are available at the Columbia Theatre box office, (985) 543-4371, or online at columbiatheatre.org. Box office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and one hour before performance times.

VISIONS OF SUGARPLUMS DANCED IN THEIR HEADS - Southeastern’s Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts will present Hammond Ballet Company’s “The Nutcracker” Dec. 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. Cast with mostly local children, the ballet will also feature two guest artists: Katia Garza as the Sugar Plum Fairy, kneeling, and Balazs Krajczar as the Nutcracker.


English instructor has play produced in New York CityKnights of the Square Table cast   
Knights of the Square Table, a play by Southeastern English instructor Alan Marsh, was recently produced at the American Theatre of Actors, a combination of four theaters in New York City.
     According to Marsh, the play – which was performed in one off and three off-off Broadway theaters -- is basically a verbal version of Fight Club, the movie starring Brad Pitt in which men join an underground club and fight each other.
     “In my opinion, the idea of men fighting in any way, whether physically or mentally, is about competition, testosterone and men looking for an identity,” Marsh said. “I think it’s some type of dominance thing, but mostly about identity.”
     Marsh frequently collaborates with colleague Dayne Sherman, associate professor and coordinator of user education at Southeastern’s Sims Memorial Library. Upon reading a 10-minute version of the play, Sherman encouraged Marsh to put everything on the back burner and work solely on the play.
     “Apparently he was right because I sent it to James Jennings, president of the American Theatre of Actors. He liked the play and said it was out of the box, but it needed to be at least 30 minutes long to be produced,” Marsh said. “I lengthened the play, and it graduated to the pool of consideration for directors, at which point is was selected for production.”
     The play premiered in November in New York City, where Marsh traveled to see it and meet with the play’s director Daniel Roberts.
     “The director loved the play so much that he asked me to make it longer,” Marsh said. “A play on Broadway is normally an hour and a half. Currently ‘Knights’ is about 35 minutes. So that’s the next project – to make the play even longer.”
     When seeing the play performed, Marsh was impressed by the enthusiasm and talent displayed by the actors.
     “The best part was seeing my work come to life of stage. They did a great job with the play.”
 
KNIGHTS OF THE SQUARE TABLE – Backstage at the American Theatre of Actors are the cast of Knights of the Square Table. From left are Vance Bradford (Brian), Ron Barba (John), Meryl Sykes (Carol), Alan Marsh (playwright), Elaine Stenson (Donna), Nikki Gold (Bridgette), David Cochran (Robert), Daniel Roberts (director), and James Jennings (producer).


Backstage meeting leads to recording for Southeastern Guitar Quartet   David Bryan and Patrick Kerber
Christmas arrangements by Southeastern guitar faculty members Patrick Kerber and David Bryan have been selected to be part of Holiday CD for Los Romeros, a Grammy-award winning group.
     “Produced by Deutsche Grammophon, the premier recording label for classical music, ‘Christmas with Los Romeros’ is a combination of four pieces previously recorded for a Southeastern Holiday CD,” Kerber said. “When the group heard the recordings, they asked for more.”
     It all started when the Southeastern Guitar Quartet – former Southeastern graduate student Matthew Aguilar of Walker, former music major Matthew Spears of Shreveport, and guitar faculty members Bryan and Kerber -- was invited to perform at the University of Southern California in 2008. There Los Romeros heard them play and members of the group were impressed.
     Last January Los Romeros came to play with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, where Kerber went for a backstage visit. The conversation eventually led to a request for music from the quartet.
      “They asked how the quartet was doing; at the time, we had disbanded,” Kerber recalled. “They were disappointed to hear that, because they wanted some music from us. That’s how it all came together to use some of our previously recorded arrangements.”
     The pieces featured on the CD include Kerber’s arrangements of “The Little Drummer Boy,” Christmas Time is Here,” and “Joy to the World,” and Bryan’s arrangements of “Carol of the Bells,” and “Away in a Manger.”
     Kerber said some of the pieces are available for preview at www.deutschegrammophon.com.
      “The original CD, ‘Holidays at Southeastern,’ which also features the Concert Choir and other Southeastern student soloists, can be heard each year during the holiday season on the university phone system,” Kerber added. “Call and ask to be placed on hold.”

REVIEWING THE MUSIC– Guitar arrangements by members of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Guitar Quartet will be featured on a holiday CD called “Christmas with Los Romeros.” Reviewing the music are, from left, David Bryan and Patrick Kerber, Southeastern music faculty members and two composers for the CD.


PPR Training for Supervisors   
The Training Section of the Human Resources Office will offer a training program for supervisors who are required to conduct Performance Planning and Reviews (PPRs) on classified employees. Scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 8, the session will be held in the Human Resources Office Conference room from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
     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.
Southeastern in the news   

WAFB.com
Southeastern presents Nutcracker
http://tangipahoa.wafb.com/news/arts-culture/51406-southeastern-presents-nutcracker


Professional activities   
Dr. Pierre Titard (Accounting & Finance) received recognition as an FBI Knowledge Award Finalist at FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC in November. Co-recipients were Special Agents Kelly Bryson and Sidney Reed of the New Orleans Field Office and Professors Joseph Lambert and Joyce Lambert of the University of New Orleans. They were among 12 finalists out of approximately 150 submissions. Their submission was entitled “Accounting for Crimes–FBI New Orleans Teams up with Local Accounting Professors to Address White Collar Crimes.”
     Dr. Francesco Fiumara (Languages and Communication) is the author of the recently published contribution “La biblioteca italiana dei romanzi cavallereschi spagnoli e il suo genere editoriale,” which recently appeared in vol. 61 of the international Journal Romanistisches Jahrbuch. In this article, Dr. Fiumara explores one of the main aspects of the popularization of Spanish chivalry novels in 16th Century Italy and the mechanism that made it possible for Italian publishers to transform those works into commercially appealing volumes by providing them with a series of highly recognizable features that eventually created the publishing genre known as “genere editoriale cavalleresco.”
     Dr. Richard A. Schwartz (Fine and Performing Arts) was awarded his third United States Patent (#8,058,542) on Tuesday, Nov. 15. While his first two awarded U.S. Patents are based on musical intonation training devices, his third awarded patent details a jazz education method comprised of scales, chord progression techniques and sequences of patterns.


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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