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Annual Faculty and Staff Holiday Open House scheduled
The annual Faculty and Staff Holiday Open House will be held at the President’s Residence
on Wednesday, Dec. 7, between 3:30 and 5 p.m. We hope to see you there!
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Student involvement leads to successful Philanthropy Week
 Southeastern students and faculty embraced the spirit of giving during the Office
of University Advancement’s Philanthropy Week, a four-day event that culminated in
the donation of 82 pints of blood, 300 thank-you cards sent to active military and
veterans, and the contribution of over 2,000 food items to stock the Student Food
Pantry.
Student organizations, campus housing students, athletics, Greeks and various
departments of faculty and staff competed to donate the most food to the Anything
But Cans food drive held on Nov. 10.
The Southeastern Lab School and Holy Ghost Catholic School also participated
by holding their own food drives in appreciation of the Southeastern students and
athletes who volunteer in their schools.
The Anything But Cans food drive was coordinated by the Office of University
Advancement’s Lion Legacy Student Association with the support of April Kemp’s marketing
314 class in the College of Business with a goal of adding variety to the pantry’s
food selections.
Faculty and staff won the competition by a large margin, with the Division of
Administration and Finance winning a first place trophy for the most items donated.
Among the major contributors were the Office of Multicultural and International Student
Affairs, Athletics, the College of Business, Physical Plant Services, Purchasing,
Environmental Health and Safety, Facility Planning, the Library, and the students
of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association.
Students, faculty and staff also participated in a blood drive facilitated by
The Blood Center during Philanthropy Week. Through the blood drive, 82 pints of blood
were collected. Those who donated had a chance to win one of four door prizes, including
a wireless Bluetooth headset, an Amazon Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice control, and
two $50 Visa gift cards.
While the blood benefitted the local community, and the food benefitted Southeastern’s
food pantry, another event promoted giving back on a national scale. In honor of Veterans
Day, students and faculty wrote thank you cards to active military and veterans and
enjoyed complimentary hamburgers and hotdogs provided by the Office of University
Advancement and served by Lion Legacy members.
All 300 thank you cards were filled out by the end of the event. Olivia Habetz,
student philanthropy coordinator, said the event attracted a lot of interest, and
many participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to acknowledge the service
of military men and women.
The Office of University Advancement’s Lion Legacy Student Association also hosted
a black light volleyball tournament during Philanthropy Week. The event served a dual-purpose
of giving back to Southeastern students with a night of music, food and friendly competition,
while at the same time raising awareness and contributions for student philanthopy
initiatives. Four teams participated in the tournament, held in the Kinesiology Gym,
and two teams took home trophies.
ABC FOOD DRIVE WINNERS - The Division of Administration and Finance won the ABC Food Drive with the most
contributions collected.
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Southeastern honors alumnus Alario for Lifetime Achievement
Louisiana Senate President John A. Alario Jr. will be honored by his alma mater with
a Southeastern Louisiana University Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the university’s
commencement ceremonies at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the University Center.
That morning the university will confer more than 1,000 degrees on students who
are graduating with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
A 1965 graduate of Southeastern, Alario is being recognized for his lifetime of
public service including his 45-year tenure in both the Louisiana House of Representatives
and the Senate, as well as his civic service with numerous non-profit organizations.
“President Alario truly deserves this recognition, which is one of the highest
honors the university has ever bestowed,” said Southeastern President John L. Crain.
“His distinguished career in public service and his unifying influence have served
Louisiana well especially during contentious and difficult times. Our state has struggled
with economic and budget challenges in recent years. I have no doubt those issues
would have been even more treacherous had it not been for the leadership and wisdom
of John Alario.”
He has previously been recognized by Southeastern with its Golden Ambassador Award
in 1998 and was named the Southeastern Alumni Association’s 1981 Outstanding Alumnus
of the Year.
Alario is a tax consultant and owner of John A. Alario, Jr. Tax Service in Westwego.
He is the dean of the Louisiana State Legislature, having served nine terms as the
representative of House District 83 and currently in his third term as senator for
District 8. He is the first Louisiana legislator to serve twice as Speaker of the
House and twice as President of the Senate, and is the only legislator to serve multiple
terms as both Speaker of the House and President of the Senate.
Alario currently serves on several key bodies in the Legislature including the
State Bond Commission, the Revenue Estimating Conference, and the Joint Legislative
Committee on the Budget.
His civic activities have included service on the boards of the Louisiana Epilepsy
Association, the Task Force for Juvenile Facilities, the Louisiana Kidney Foundation
and the West Jefferson Metroplex Civic Center Committee. From 1979 to 1985, he served
as chairman of the Louisiana Exposition Authority, the body overseeing the 1984 World’s
Fair in New Orleans.
His recognitions include receiving the Jefferson Parish Public School System Distinguished
Citizen Award; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Champion Award; and Legislator
of the Year awards from the Professional Firefighters Association, Police Jury Association,
Louisiana State Troopers Association, Louisiana Federation of Teachers and Association
for Retarded Citizens. Additionally, he has received the West Jefferson High School
Outstanding Alumnus Award and the Hale Boggs Outstanding and Dedicated Service to
Community Award, among many others.
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Commencement traffic changes planned
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.
Louisiana State Senator John A. Alario Jr. will receive Southeastern’s Lifetime
Achievement Award and provide remarks at the ceremony, where more than 1,000 students
will receive associate, bachelor, master and doctoral degrees at the 10 a.m. ceremony
in the University Center.
Harold Todd, director of University Police, said the section of University Avenue
between West Lion Lane 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 fill
early, and all traffic on University Avenue will be diverted to main campus via North
General Pershing Street and SGA Drive. Eastbound commencement traffic will be diverted
to West Lion Lane for parking at the University Center, and westbound commencement
traffic will be diverted to the campus at SGA Drive.
“Traffic will begin to get heavy early in the morning,” said Todd. “We anticipate
the parking areas around the University Center to be filled before 9 a.m.”
Additional parking spaces around the University Center will be set aside for
vehicles with appropriate handicapped placards. Individuals requiring handicap accommodations
should try to arrive as early as possible.
Vacant parking spaces in the Southeastern Oaks/Greek Village complex will also
be used for this event. Residents are requested to use the back gate near the laundry
facility and maintenance warehouse for entering and exiting between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Southeastern Lion Traxx shuttle buses will be in operation before and after the
ceremony to accommodate those parking in outlying areas or needing special transportation
assistance, Todd said. Shuttle stops will be marked with signs 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 that day should wait
until after 2 p.m. to do so.
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