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Southeastern to honor ABC-TV’S Robin Roberts with jersey retirement
Southeastern will retire distinguished alumna Robin Roberts’ Lady Lions basketball jersey during pre-game ceremonies on Feb. 5 in conjunction with the university’s 2010-11 Women’s Basketball Alumni Day.
Anchorwoman for ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America,” Roberts will see her number 21 jersey unveiled during a special ceremony prior to the Lady Lions’ 3 p.m. contest versus Southland Conference rival Sam Houston State. At halftime, Southeastern will honor her and all other returning Lady Lion alumni.
“We welcome the opportunity to recognize Robin Roberts, who has served as such a great ambassador for Southeastern,” said university President John L. Crain. “Her personal and professional achievements make her a true role model for young women everywhere and an inspiration to us all. We are proud to welcome her back to Southeastern and honor her with the retirement of her Lady Lion jersey.”
Roberts starred for the Lady Lions from 1979-83. She currently ranks among the program’s career leaders in points (1,446, 6th), rebounds (1,034, 5th), games played (114, 4th), field goals made (507, 5th), free throws made (432, 4th) and free throw percentage (72.0, 10th). In 2006, she was named one of the NCAA's "100 Most Influential Student-athletes" in conjunction with the NCAA Centennial Celebration.
A 1983 graduate of Southeastern and a member of the university’s Athletics Hall of Fame, Roberts has worked in broadcasting for more than 20 years and became co-anchor of “Good Morning America” in 2005. During her tenure with GMA, the program has won three consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Morning program.
Roberts began her broadcasting career while at Southeastern, working at WHMD/WFPR Radio in Hammond where she was sports director. She also served as a special assignment sports reporter in 1982 for KSLU-FM, the university’s public radio station. Later she held various broadcasting jobs in Atlanta, Nashville – where she won the “Nashville Scene” Sportscaster of the Year Award – Biloxi and Hattiesburg, Miss. From 1990 to 2005, Roberts was a contributor to ESPN, where her assignments included hosting “SportsCenter” and contributing to “NFL PrimeTime.”
At GMA, she has done extensive field reporting in the Middle East, Africa, and Mexico. Roberts played an active role in ABC News' coverage of the 2008 presidential race, interviewing candidates and a wide-range of political newsmakers and reporting live from Washington, D.C. on Inauguration Day. She was the first journalist to interview President Obama after he was sworn in as resident.
Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2007. Her public battle has been recognized with awards and honors from organizations around the country, including the Susan G. Komen Foundation; the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Program; and Gilda’s Club, a non-profit organization founded by the late Joel Siegel.
In 2005, Roberts found her personal and professional lives collide when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast – a part of the country she called home for most of her life. Following the storm, she traveled to the hurricane zone and reported on the devastation. She also launched “GMA Gets It Done,” a year-long effort to rebuild Roberts’ hometown of Pass Christian, Miss.
For more information on the Southeastern Women’s Basketball Alumni Day or getting tickets to the game, contact Southeastern Athletics at (985) 549-2395 or visit www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern celebrated the legacy of the late Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a candlelight processional and remembrance program last Tuesday.
The event was sponsored by the Kappa Nu Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs.
Duane Donald, coordinator of special projects at Southeastern and Alpha Phi Alpha member, said the fraternity has been actively involved in sponsoring the event because of the important message and legacy King left behind through his life.
“His message still resonates with all Americans, so this was a perfect opportunity for the campus community as well as the surrounding communities to pay tribute to our fraternity brother, Dr. King.”
Participants walked to the War Memorial Student Union, where Alpha Phi Alpha continued the tradition of laying a wreath at the tree planted in Dr. King’s memory in the War Memorial Student Union Park. Shortly after the laying of the wreath, Southeastern alumnus Ron Austin delivered an address. Also an Alpha Phi Alpha member, Austin is the owner of Austin and Associates, a prosperous minority-owned law firm in Louisiana.
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The FE-Lions alumni chapter's Champagne Bingo Saturday at Twelve Oaks was a blast for a good cause. Approximately 500 women attended the fundraiser for the Southeastern athletics program, where they enjoyed bingo games, raffles, live and silent auctions, door prizes and much more.
“This was another record event for us,” said Alumni Director Kathy Pittman. “Everyone had a great time. We really appreciate the campus and community’s support of this fun fundraiser.”
For more information about the FE-Lions, call the Alumni Association at 985-549-2150.
1) Sharon's Sledges's table was the winner of the most creative hat contest at this year's Champagne Bingo. Each guest wore a baseball cap skillfully crafted to look like a lion's head and mane.
2) Champagne Bingo attendees carefully eye their items of interest at the silent auction tables. From right are Hope Williams, Terri Schwell, and Suzanne Gautier.
Reception to Honor Dr. Barbara Moffett and Ms. Denise Lee
The College of Nursing and Health Sciences invites you to a reception honoring Dr. Barbara Moffett and Ms. Denise Lee on the occasion of their retirements. The reception will be held at the Alumni Center on Monday, January 24 from 3:30-5 p.m. Please join us in wishing them well.
Students, parents invited to Southeastern’s Senior Day
High school seniors and their parents are invited to Senior Day at Southeastern on one of two upcoming Saturdays: Jan. 29 or Feb. 19.
Hosted from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. by the Office of Admissions, Senior Day will include tours of the university campus, informational sessions on admissions, financial aid, and scholarships, free food, give-aways and door prizes. Students and parents can also visit with Southeastern faculty and staff, learn about the university’s housing facilities, and browse displays featuring academic programs.
Check-in is scheduled at 10 a.m. at the Pennington Student Activity Center, located on the corner of University Avenue and General Pershing Street. Students can sign up by visiting the “Senior Day” button on the university’s home page, selu.edu. They can also contact Southeastern Admissions at 549-5637.
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1) Kayla Louis of Ponchatoula and Grady Sandidge of Abita Springs rehearse a scene in the Southeastern Opera/Music Workshop’s production of Kurt Weill’s “Street Scene.” The production will run Feb. 2-5 at Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
2) Sarah Bertrand, left, of Covington and Kayla Louis of Ponchatoula rehearse a musical number for the production.
Southeastern announces cast for Opera Street Scene
The Southeastern Opera/Music Theatre Workshop will present Kurt Weill’s Street Scene, considered one of the first of the performance genre known as American Opera, Feb. 2-5 at the university’s Pottle Music Building Auditorium.
Weill, a German-Jewish composer who fled the Nazi regime in the 1930s, selected Elmer Rice’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name as his source material, while enticing Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes to add the everyday language of people of Depression-era New York City.
Opera Workshop Director Chuck Effler said Street Scene opened on Broadway in January 1947. The production won a Tony Award for best original score, which Weill composed.
“Weill referred to his piece as an ‘American Opera,’ meaning an opera that drew upon the formal techniques of European opera but utilized a musical language distinctly American, incorporating jazz, blues and Broadway,” Effler said. “Like Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess, it was originally written for the Broadway stage but has never had a Broadway revival. Nevertheless, both shows have been taken into the repertory of opera companies and performed all over the world.”
General admission tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performances are available at the door at $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, Southeastern faculty, staff, alumni and non-Southeastern students. Southeastern students are admitted free with an ID card.
Street Scene is led by guest director Rachel Harris of Baton Rouge. She has directed Opera Workshop productions in recent years, including The Marriage of Figaro, Die Fledermaus, and last spring’s double bill of Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi.
Cast in leading roles are Sarah Bertrand of Covington as Ann Maurrant, Grady Sandidge of Abita Springs as Frank Murrant, Kayla Louis of Ponchatoula as Rose Maurrant and Joshua Williams of Mandeville as Sam Kaplan. Supporting roles will be played by Damian Faul, Amite; Jordan Leggett, Slidell; Allison Joiner, Ponchatoula; Jonathan Dupre, Luling; Krista Filopoulas, Abita Springs; Mary Malbrough, Covington; Trey Miller, Deville; Bridget Lyons and Whitney Vickers, Ponchatoula; Fiona Allen, Jackson; Kyle Brian, Denham Springs; Oliva Sprick, Kenner; Kalee Broussard, Destrehan; Alyssa Carranza, Lafayette; Audrey Ducote, Zachary; and Ivanna Brooks, Thibodaux.
Three Department of Fine and Performing Arts alumni join the cast of students in the production: Tyler Smith of Baton Rouge, Tyrone Hayes of New Orleans and Scott McDonough of Slidell. Other cast members are CharlotteAnne Barbour, Folsom; Kayla Blanchard, Lafayette; Kim Dupre, Luling; Heather Hand, Denham Springs; Amada Lucas, Albany; Todd Melancon, Prairieville; Luke Nettles, Lafayette; and Geoffrey Thompson, Kenner.
Several actors will play speaking roles: Chris Giffin of Baton Rouge, Drew Zeringue of Pearlington, Miss., Tom Anderson of Hammond, Paul Wimberly Jr. of New Orleans and Michael Warren of Bogalusa.
The cast includes four children in various roles: Connor Scott and Rachael Knaps of Hammond, Tylon Kennedy of Springfield, and Haylee Hue of Gonzales.
Effler is serving as vocal coach and conductor, while Department of Fine and Performing Arts faculty and staff members Steve Schepker, set design, Ellen Sovkoplas, lighting design, and Richard Walsh, costume design, will provide their expertise to the production. Caleb Courtney of Hammond will serve as stage manager.
For more information about the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop or the production, contact Effler at ceffler@selu.edu.
TV sneaks in as part of modern day food pyramid
Television has become a staple in the modern American diet, and the dinner table increasingly has been replaced with the flat screen in the living room, a Southeastern sociologist suggests.
The trend is not a good one, claims David Burley, Southeastern assistant professor of sociology.
“The trend is especially evident when eating out at restaurants,” Burley said. “More and more, it’s rare to walk into a sit-down restaurant and not see a television in some corner playing ESPN, CNN or some other televised program.”
The breaking away from traditional behaviors at the dinner table to watch television has left some, like Burley, concerned.
“Everywhere you eat, you see a TV,” he said. “I ask my students if they have ever been in a public place where there is a television and tried not too look at it. I know that it takes a lot of mental effort not to look. They all smile and nod knowingly.”
He noted the oddity of restaurants striving for uniqueness to attract customers, while maintaining this trait. New restaurants, he said, frequently boast about the sheer number and size of televisions that are available for viewing while you eat.
“We lose a lot when we are busy staring at the television, and one of those things is an appreciation for the food we are eating,” Burley said. “In Louisiana we are known for our food. If you ask anyone who lives in, or has ever visited Louisiana what he or she enjoys about the state, cuisine will always make the list. Our culture of cooking and eating is something that has given us an appreciation for the mealtime tradition, but it’s a tradition at risk.”
Burley said there are also social aspects of eating that are lost when we tune into television. He cites Michael Pollan, author of “In Defense of Food,” who claims that eating together is where we first learn democratic principles.
“The dinner table is where many of us learn the art of conversation and basic levels of politeness, knowing when to speak and when to listen,” Burley said. “Friends and family sharing stories and debating the topic of the day are all part of creating an atmosphere of intimacy and sharing. We learn from others and in the process enhance ourselves; these are the ways we create the good parts of society.”
There are also health concerns associated with this trend. Burley said watching TV draws attention away from what we are eating and how much, pointing out that people tend to eat more when watching TV than when conversing with others.
“The concern is we tend to eat more when we are taken away by the television,” Burley said. “This is not a good practice in a society that has a growing obesity epidemic, as well as dramatic rises in obesity-related diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, which The Centers for Disease Control predicts one of three people will have by 2050.”
While obesity is not caused by having a television in a restaurant or eating around the TV, it certainly is not helping the cause, he maintains. It is the mindfulness of what, how much, and how fast we are eating that is hampered.
“We tend to eat more slowly and less when we dine and interact with others as opposed to eating alone, which we are very likely to do while watching television,” Burley said. “Our bodies digest food and extract nutrients more when we eat slowly. It’s simply healthier to eat with others without watching a screen.”
Burley challenges people to “ask businesses if they will turn off the television.” He looks forward to a day when restaurants will ask you to enjoy their food as well as enjoy each other without the distraction of a television in every corner.
February 15 final day for students to apply for Spring 2011 graduation
February 15 is the final day that students can apply to graduate in Spring 2011.
Candidates for associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees can apply by logging into their LeoNet account and choosing the “Self Service, Degree Progress/Graduation, Apply for Graduation” option. Instructions are available on the “Current Students” link at www.selu.edu. Then click on “Graduation Information – Apply for Graduation” or call the Office of Records and Registration at 549-2066.
The $35 application fee should be paid directly to the Controller’s Office, located on North Campus in the Financial Aid Building.
SLU episodes shown in La. welcome centers
http ://www.2theadvocate.com/news/livingston_tangipahoa/114238644.html
Chefs Evening is Sunday, April 3
Chef’s Evening restaurant of the week:
O'Donnell's
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.
Sympodium Training Workshop (Monday, Jan. 31, 2:15-3:45 p.m.)
All workshops are held in Tinsley Hall, room 103 unless otherwise noted. Registration is required 24 hours in advance of all workshops. To make a reservation, please contact the Center at ext. 5791 or email center@selu.edu.
Walk-ins are welcome, if space is available. Please call the Center to verify. For any questions, contact the Center.
For more information on this workshop, check the Center’s calendar at www.selu.edu/center.
Human Resources news 
PPR Training for Employees
A brief training program on the Performance Planning and Review (PPR) process will be offered to classified employees on Tuesday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., in the Human Resources Office conference room. Topics to be covered include the PPR rating system and its factors, planning sessions, and timetables of which employees should be aware. The training will help classified employees better understand the process which is used in evaluating their performance.
Classified employees planning to attend should get their supervisor’s permission and register by emailing Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu or by phoning extension 5771.
New CPTP Website
The state Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP) has a new website with listings of free professional development and training opportunities for all state employees. Programs are offered statewide, and there is a specific listing of those programs, which will be held on the Southeastern campus.
To view the program listings by city, please go to the following link:
http://www.civilservice.la.gov/training/cptp/courses.asp.
For questions or more information on how to register, please contact Jan Ortego, training manager in the Human Resources Office at extension 5771 or email Jan.Ortego@selu.edu.
HammondNotarial Review (15 Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m.)
The course prepares students for the notary exam scheduled for 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 be sent information about ordering their books. The cost is $575, and the books required cost an additional $270.
Financial Strategies for Retirement (3 Tuesdays, beginning Feb. 1, 6 – 8 p.m.)
The class covers important money management concepts and issues that are important to people at or near retirement. Topics include how to reduce pressures on your retirement income, how to make appropriate health care decisions, especially who will provide care, where you will live and how you will pay for your health care. (May bring spouse at no extra charge.) The cost for this course is $49.
MandevilleDigital Photography for Beginner or Intermediate (Wednesdays, 6 – 9 p.m., beginners Feb. 2 and intermediate Feb. 9)
The beginning course will help those wanting to improve their skills with their digital camera. The course will cover the differences between point-and-shoot vs. SLR, equipment settings, zoom, white balance, and even loading their images onto a computer or a website. The cost for these courses will be $95 each.
Notarial Prep Course (15 Tuesdays beginning Feb. 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m.)
The course prepares students for the notarial exam. Topics include duties of a notary, contracts, juridical acts, donation, wills, miscellaneous acts, and more. The cost for cost is $575, and the books required are an additional $270.
Project Management (Feb. 8 and 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
The course prepares project managers and others planning 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.
Microsoft Project 2010 (Feb. 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
Students will learn to build and modify a project schedule to assist in managing projects. The cost is $299 with the book provided.
Introduction to Computers (Feb. 10 from 9 a.m. to noon)
Students will learn the basic skills needed to get started with personal computers and to work with the various features, tools and options available in Windows. The cost is $90 with the book provided.
WalkerLife and Health Insurance Pre-Licensing (Fridays & Saturdays, beginning Feb. 18 from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
The 40-hour class is presented by the Louisiana Consortium of Insurance and Financial Services and includes material designed to prepare students for the state exam and provides a good education for a career in insurance. Topics include basic terminology, concepts, sales, fundamentals of insurance law, and agent's responsibility. The cost is $230, including materials.
Career Enrichment Program Openings
Safety
Feb. 9 and 16 or March 17 and 24
Location open
Scholarships are available. 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 women’s tennis team opens its 2011 season, while the men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s track and field and women’s track and field teams will also be in action during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
The Lady Lions will make their debut on the court on Thursday, hosting Kennesaw State at 12 p.m. The match will be played at the Stone Creek Club and Spa in Covington.
The Southeastern men’s basketball team (8-8, 2-2 Southland) will open the week on the road, facing Central Arkansas at 7 p.m. in Conway, Ark. On Saturday, the Lions return home to host Northwestern State at 7:30 p.m. in the University Center.
The women’s basketball team (9-7, 1-3 Southland) hosts Central Arkansas on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the University Center. Junior guard Gabrielle George is the Spotlight Player of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive trading cards featuring the Cedar Hill, Texas native courtesy of the PRIDE. On Saturday, the Lady Lions head to Natchitoches for a 2 p.m. league contest at Northwestern State.
Wednesday’s women’s basketball game will be streamed live by the Southeastern Channel (Charter Channel 18), which will broadcast the game on a tape-delay basis the following day. Both of Saturday’s games and Wednesday’s men’s basketball game will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net. Audio from Wednesday’s women’s basketball game will be available at LionSports.net only.
The Southeastern men’s and women’s track and field teams will be back in action this week. The Lions and Lady Lions will compete in the Houston Invitational on Friday and Saturday.
Wednesday, January 26Women’s Basketball, vs. Central Arkansas (Gabrielle George Trading Card Day), University Center, 7 p.m. (SE Channel)*Men’s Basketball, at Central Arkansas, Conway, Ark., 7 p.m. (KSLU)*
Thursday, January 27Women’s Tennis, vs. Kennesaw State, Stone Creek Club and Spa, 12 p.m.
Friday, January 28Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, at Houston Invitational, Houston, Texas, All Day
Saturday, January 29Men’s Basketball, vs. Northwestern State, University Center, 7:30 p.m. (KSLU)*Women’s Basketball, at Northwestern State, Natchitoches, 2 p.m. (KSLU)*Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, at Houston Invitational, Houston, Texas, All Day
Southeastern home events in bold
* - Southland Conference event
Professional activities
Dr. Linda Synovitz (Kinesiology and Health Studies) attended the 2nd Annual International Conference on Health Risks of Youth January 5 -8 in Cancun, Mexico. She presented a research poster coauthored by Dr. Ralph Wood, "Evaluation of Community Abstinence Education Program: Year Three Results." Dr. Synovitz also coauthored a second poster with Dr. Joanne Chopak Foss of Georgia Southern University titled, "Improving Health Literacy to Reduce Health Risk Behavior in Adolescents."
Dr. Jean Fotie (Chemistry & Physics) and collaborators from The Ohio State University School of Pharmacy have published a paper titled “Synthesis and antitrypanosomal evaluation of derivatives of N-benzyl-1,2-dihydroquinolin-6-ols: Effect of core substitutions and salt formation” in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry 2011: 19, 513-523.
Dr. Barbara Forrest (History and Political Science) has published an article entitled "The Non-epistemology of Intelligent Design: Its Implications for Public Policy," in the January 2011 issue of Synthese. The paper she delivered in Brussels in March 2009 at the Second World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research, "Restoring the Enlightenment: The Foundation of American and European Science and Education," has also been published in the conference proceedings.
Herb McGuin (Library) has published an article “The Evolution of Security at Sims Memorial Library: A Case Study” in Library and Archival Security.
Beth Stahr (Library) has published an article “Text Message Reference Service: Five Years Later” in The Reference Librarian.
Dr. Robert R. Kraemer (Kinesiology and Health Studies) was recently notified that his manuscript, “Glucoregulatory Peptide alterations during long-term exercise in young men,” was accepted for publication in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Co-authors of the study include Dr. Roldan Valverde (Biology), Dr. Buddy Sirikul (Kinesiology and Health Studies), Michelle Francois (grad student Kinesiology and Health Studies) and V. Daniel Castracane (Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Odessa). Kraemer was also co-author on two papers with Abbass Ghanbari-Niaki (Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran), “Time course alterations of plasma and soleus AgRP and relationship to ATP, glycogen, cortisol, and insulin concentrations following treadmill training programs in male rats” and “Short, moderate, and long-term treadmill training protocols reduced plasma fundus, but not small intestine ghrelin concentrations in male rats.” The first study was accepted for publication in the journal Hormone and Metabolic Research and the second was accepted for publication in the Journal of Endocrinological Investigation. In addition, Kraemer was notified that “Metabolic Responses to Wii Fit Activity,” a study that undergraduate students Jennifer Worley and Sharon Rogers completed for their honors thesis, was accepted for publication in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Andrew Traver (History) served as an historical consultant for a tour of medieval architecture in Portugal and Spain conducted by Tulane University’s School of Architecture.
David Gurney (Mathematics) gave a poster presentation “GeoGebra Applets for Elementary Statistics” at the 2011 Joint Mathematics meeting in New Orleans, Jan. 7.
Charles Elliott (History and Political Science) is leading “Louisiana Characters: Biographies of the Bayou State,” a six-week, Thursday evenings Readings in Literature and Culture (Relic) program sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Pointe Coupee Parish Library in New Roads from Jan. 20 through Feb. 24.
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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