| IN THIS ISSUE ... | ||
Champagne Bingo a success
The FE-Lions alumni chapter's Champagne Bingo Jan. 24 at the Southeastern Grand Ballroom
was a blast for a good cause. Approximately 542 women attended the fundraiser, which
raised about $38,000 for the Southeastern athletics program. Attendees 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."
Pittman said there were 100 more volunteers this year than last, including waiters
from Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and alumni former football players.
For more information about the FE-Lions, call the Alumni Association at 549-2150.
1) 
2)
1) LION STYLE - The ladies from one table show off their coordinated hats at Saturday's Champagne Bingo.
2) HATS OFF TO THE WINNERS - Winners of Saturday's hat contest are, from left, Lisa Himber, most beautiful, DeCha Sanson, most creative, and Pam Rogers, best ensemble.
Musical duo scheduled at Southeastern January 28
Guest artist the Iktus Duo will perform a recital at Southeastern on Wednesday, Jan.
28, at 7:30 p.m. in the Pottle Music Auditorium. From New York City, the duo specializes
in engaging new and recent music for flute and percussion and features Chris Graham,
percussionist, and Hristina Blagoeve on the flute.
The free concert will feature music from the world premiere of "The Witch on
Bear Mountain" by Southeastern Instructor of Music Philip Schuessler. Selected students
will also participate in the performance with Cornelius Cardew's graphic score "Treatise."
The ensemble has performed at the Versipel New Music Festival in New Orleans, has
given numerous educational outreach presentations, and performed last fall at the
Neighborhood Classics Series (a series dedicated to underprivileged students in New
York) and Suffolk Community College in Long Island. In 2014, they won the Ackerman
Chamber Music Competition.
The Iktus Duo has also performed at the Con Vivo New Music Series in New Jersey,
Bulgarian Consulate in New York, and Spectrum NYC.
For more information, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at 549-2184.
Artificial Christmas trees available
Need a tree to give your office green and gold cheer next holiday season? University
Housing has several lightly used artificial trees available. Please contact University
Housing at 2118 or email universityhousing@southeastern.edu by Friday, Jan. 30, if
your department is interested in a tree.
Southeastern chemistry professor serves as science coach
A Southeastern chemistry professor is lending his knowledge and expertise to reinforce
science instruction at a local Montessori elementary school.
Professor of Chemistry Thomas Sommerfeld volunteered to serve as a science coach
for the year to Oaks Montessori School in Hammond offering his services after obtaining
a small grant from the American Chemical Society. The American Chemical Society Science
Coach program supports teacher-chemistry professional teams for one school year with
$500, which can be used to purchase chemicals and supplies for the school.
"I function as a facilitator for the fourth through seventh grades," Sommerfeld
said as he observed the children measuring the time it takes for a baking soda tablet
to react with vinegar. "I observe and interact with the kids, asking them questions
and answering their questions."
Sommerfeld received his introduction to the Montessori Method when he came to
Southeastern in 2006 and enrolled his son Niles at Oaks Montessori School in pre-K.
"It's a very interesting approach to education," he said. "The students are taught
to be self-motivated and self-organized. They learn early on to take responsibility
for their learning. Their work is guided, but not by someone who pushes them. It would
be a difficult approach to get into if not started from the beginning."
Sommerfeld said he hopes by observing and interacting with younger children,
he will gain insights that help him improve guided inquiry activities for his undergraduate
students.
Oaks Montessori teacher Christine McTopy said having a professional such as Sommerfeld
is a big help to her as a teacher. Sommerfeld helps in selecting activities and tailoring
them to the needs of her particular students.
"The students also love having someone like Dr. Sommerfeld present the experiments,"
she said. "Working handson with the experiments encourages further curiosity. With
Dr. Sommerfeld here in the classroom, he can address any questions with the students."
TAKING MEASURE – Southeastern Professor of Chemistry Thomas Sommerfeld observes an experiment being conducted by Christopher Massa, center, and Patrick Pierce, students at Oaks Montessori School in Hammond. Sommerfeld is serving as an American Chemical Society Science Coach at the elementary school this year.
Issues in Contemporary Education to present program on Autism Feb. 3
Issues in Contemporary Education is a collaboration of the Department of Educational
Leadership and Technology and the Department of Teaching and Learning in the College
of Education. It is a bi-monthly series of presentations and discussions on educational
issues presented by faculty from the two departments or by guest speakers on hot topics
in education for school principals, assistant principals, teachers, counselors and
parents.
The next presentation in the series is scheduled on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 4:45
p.m. in the Teacher Education Center, room 1005. Refreshments will be served from
4:15-4:45 p.m., followed by the presentation at 4:45 and a question and answer session
at 5:15 p.m.
Chris Francl, a program facilitator with the LA Autism Spectrum and Related Disabilities
(LASARD) Project at the Human Development Center, LSU Health Sciences Center will
present "Autism: Identifying Effective Practices, Sorting through the Claims of Evidence
Based Practices." The presentation will focus on defining what evidence based practices
(EBPs) are and the methods for identifying them.
Francl will discuss and provide examples of selected practices, strategies for
their implementation and offer resources that provide the latest in research and practice
in Autism Spectrum Disorders.
University faculty and students, as well as P-12 principals, teachers and counselors
are invited to attend.
Science on Tap lecture to focus on parasites
Southeastern's next Science on Tap seminar, scheduled Tuesday, Feb. 3, will focus
on parasites.
The informal presentation – titled "People, Pets and Parasites" -- by Southeastern
Professor Emeritus of Biology William Font will be held at 7 p.m. at Tope lá Catering,
113 East Thomas St., in Hammond. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The presentation is free
and open to all ages.
"Parasites play a major role in human disease throughout the world. The most
deadly human parasites, such as the several species that cause malaria, kill more
than 600,000 people every year," said Font.
He said even in the U.S., parasites are common and abundant, and include pinworms,
head lice, itch mites and ticks to name a few.
"Parasites are so successful because they have evolved numerous methods of transmission,
such as contaminated water that has been shown to have 'brain eating amebae' in municipal
water supplies," he added. "Insects, ticks, mites and mosquitos can be vectors, injecting
disease-causing organisms when they bite humans."
In his talk, Font will discuss the parasites that infect humans and our companion
animals and will address methods of treatment and prevention of parasitic diseases.
The Science on Tap lecture series is sponsored by the Southeastern Department
of Biological Sciences. For more information on future presentations, contact the
Department of Biological Sciences at 549-3740.
Acting for Kids' Confidence
Brandi Ehrhardt Saucier, Dates Vary Depending on Location
This program is a mixture of acting, drama and improvisation designed to create confidence and self-esteem within children. It was designed with many objectives in mind, including the following:
Create a sense of confidence and self-esteem
Promote quick thinking and healthy interactions with others
Encourage students to be leaders among their peers
Provide a healthy outlet for creativity and energy
Replace negative self-images with positive self-images
Prepare students for school projects, speeches, and even future job interviews
Notarial Preparation
Dates Vary Depending on Location
This course is an introduction to and education for a Louisiana State Notary- Public. It is designed to help students successfully pass the statewide Louisiana Notarial Exam. However, it is also a great refresher course on Civil law basics and sound notarial practice for commissioned notaries and attorneys as well.
Project Management Professional
Trey Miller, February 5 - 13
The goal of Project Management Professional is to prepare project managers and others planning on pursuing a career in project management with test knowledge and tools to successfully pass the PMP Certification Exam. The course is based on Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge. All sessions can be virtually accessed, but must be attended online at the same times.
This Week in Athletics
The Southeastern basketball and track teams will continue play during this week in
Southeastern Athletics.
The Lions (5-13, 2-3 Southland) will host a pair of Southland Conference games in
the University Center this week. On Monday, SLU will welcome Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
to town, before hosting Northwestern State on Saturday. Both games will tip off at
7 p.m.
The Lady Lions (6-11, 2-4 Southland) also have a pair of Southland contests on
their home court this week. On Thursday, McNeese State comes to town for a 7 p.m.
matchup. The Lady Lions face the league leaders and defending Southland Tournament
champions in Northwestern State at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. Junior guard Peaches Anderson
(Thursday) and senior forward Annessa De La Cruz (Saturday) will be this week's Spotlight
Players of the Game and the first 100 fans will receive trading cards featuring that
game's Spotlight Player of the Game courtesy of PRIDE.
Saturday will be both Military Appreciation and St. Joseph's Day at the University
Center. Fans with a valid military ID will receive free admission. Those fans associated
with St. Joseph's Catholic School will receive a discounted ticket and admission to
head coach Jay Ladner's pre-game Hardwood Club speech. For both midweek basketball
games, fans will have the opportunity to win cash and prizes courtesy of Southeastern
Athletics by playing Bingo.
The SLU track and field teams will continue the indoor season this week. The
Lions and Lady Lions head to Lake Charles to compete in the Cameron Communications
McNeese Indoor II on Friday.
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, where live stats and live video (LionVision subscription required) will also be
accessible. Saturday's basketball doubleheader will be televised on tape delay by
the Southeastern Channel.
Monday, January 26 Men's Basketball, vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision)*
- Bingo
Thursday, January 29 Women's Basketball, vs. McNeese State, University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision)*
- Bingo
- Peaches Anderson Trading Card Day
Friday, January 30 Men's and Women's Track and Field, at Cameron Communications McNeese Indoor II, Lake
Charles, All Day
Saturday, January 31 Men's Basketball, vs. Northwestern State, University Center, 7 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision) (SE Channel)*
- Military Appreciation Day
- St. Joseph's Day Women's Basketball, vs. Northwestern State, University Center, 4:30 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision) (SE Channel)*
- Military Appreciation Day
- St. Joseph's Day
- Annessa De La Cruz Trading Card Day
Southeastern home games in bold
* - Southland Conference contest
Professional activities
Dr. Jean Fotie (Chemistry and Physics) and his former research student Suraj K. Ayer published a
paper titled "Synthesis and crystal structures of methyl 3,4,5-frimethoxybenzoate
and 1,2-dihydro-2,2,4-trimethylquinoline derivatives" in the Journal of Chemical Crystallography 2015, 45(1), 1-8, with collaborators from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
The paper can be found through http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10870-014-0556-9#page-1.
Mohammad Y. Saadeh (Computer Science and Industrial Technology) published the article "Synchronizing
Bus Dispatching to Minimize Waiting Times at Transfer Nodes Using Genetic Algorithms"
in the Journal of Traffic and Logistics Engineering Vol. 2, No. 4, December 2014.
Dr. Debra Jo Hailey and Dr. Stacy Garcia (Teaching and Learning) presented with their colleagues Dr. Michelle Fazio-Brunson
of Northwestern State University and Patricia Alexander of Natchitoches Parish Schools
at the Southern Early Childhood Association Conference in New Orleans, Jan. 15-17.
The focus of their presentation was, "Front Porch Stories: Lessons Children Learn
from Family Stories," using storytelling as a way to promote literacy, connect the
home and school environment and support national standards.
Dr. Debra Jo Hailey and Dr. Stacy Garcia (Teaching and Learning) co-authored the article, "Andy the Duck Goes Digital: A Language
Experience" with colleagues Dr. Michelle Fazio-Brunson, Patricia Alexander, and Mary
Beth Van Sickle. The paper will appear in Language Experience Forum Journal, an on-line peer-reviewed journal of the International Reading Association's Language
Experience Special Interest Group.
Dr. Chance Harvey (English) has published the Foreword for a recent edition of George Washington Cable's
Strong Hearts. 1899. New Orleans: Pelican Publishing Company, 2014.
C. Roy Blackwood (Columbia Theatre/Fanfare) has for the past year served as chair of the Louisiana
Presenters Network and, as such, represents that body on the board of directors of
the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts. In this capacity and in conjunction with the
Louisiana Division of the Arts, Blackwood is developing the Gulf States Presenters
Network comprised of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. At a recent organizational
meeting he was named chair of the tri-state consortium. The mission of the GSPN is
to provide greater booking opportunities for presenters and more performance opportunities
for artists. This activity has come to the attention of not only SouthArts, which
is offering support, but also of the National Endowment for the Arts. In particular,
Dr. Jane Chu recently named director of the NEA, loves the model and has suggested
that the NEA may offer support for the LPN/LDOA initiative. The practical benefit
to the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts lies in lower booking costs and a
broader range of artistic presentations for our patrons. "It is a very exciting time
to be involved in the arts in the South," said Blackwood. "With seed money from state
agencies, grants are being secured, along with private dollars in support of this
initiative."
ByLion is published weekly online (bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@southeastern.edu, SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to University Marketing and Communications Office in East Stadium. Submission deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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