ByLion -- April 23

 
IN THIS ISSUE ... 
Administrative Professionals Day
Honors convocation schedule
Sympathy for VT family
KSLU contest targets VT fund
'Berry' good time at Jubilee
Nursing stages 'mock fatality'
Kenyan author Ngugi visits May 3
Agreement with Hispanic group
Head Start recruiting young pupils
Lion's Roar wins LPA awards
PPR training for supervisors
Free training seminar
Upcoming SBDC seminars
Aiding leadership programs
'Much Ado' opens Tuesday
700+ visit for Science Olympiad
Alumnus receives PKP fellowship
Student achievements
This week in athletics
Professional activities

Happy Administrative Professionals Day
President Randy Moffett has invited all Southeastern secretaries to join him for an Administrative Professionals Day coffee on Wednesday, April 25, at 9 a.m. in the Alumni Center.
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Colleges plan annual honors convocations
Southeastern's colleges will host their honors convocations this week to recognize outstanding students, including recipients of distinguished academic awards and a number of scholarships provided by generous donors.
     The honors convocation schedule includes:
     Division of General Studies - Tuesday, April 24, 2 p.m., University Center, room 133
     College of Business -- Tuesday, April 24, at 7 p.m., Student Union Theater. (Reception follows.)
     College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences - Wednesday, April 25, 2 p.m., Vonnie Borden Theatre
     College of Science and Technology - Wednesday, April 25, 5 p.m., Fayard Hall, room 107.
     College of Education and Human Development - Thursday, April 26, 11 a.m., Cate Teacher Education Center Kiva
     College of Nursing and Health Sciences - Thursday, April 26, 7 p.m., Student Union ballroom. (Reception at 6:30 p.m.)
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President Moffett speaks at VT memorial

Southeastern students sign card for VTSympathy extended to Virginia Tech family
President Randy Moffett expressed the university's concern and sympathy for the faculty, staff and students at Virginia Tech at a memorial service conducted on the campus on April 18.
     Moffett's remarks are reproduced below:
     I want to thank you for attending this solemn occasion. This memorial service is a small but, we hope, meaningful way for the Southeastern family to express our care and concern for the Virginia Tech family.
     As a university family, we at Southeastern share a certain kinship with the students, faculty, and staff of Virginia Tech University. The tragedy that occurred there Monday morning could happen on any campus. Those students were simply going about their business … attending class, studying for tests … chatting with friends. No one, no one would have anticipated something this horrendous happening on that day.
     But it did happen. And we are all left with a feeling of emptiness while trying to fathom such senseless violence that seemingly was directed at innocent people.
     I am sure those at Virginia Tech have been asking themselves, "Why me? Why us?" The truth is no one can truly comprehend a deranged act of this nature. Harold Kushner, the rabbi who wrote the book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, struggled with this eternal question. He came to the understanding and acceptance that, unfortunately, bad things DO happen to all people … it is part of the human experience.
     We can certainly empathize and sympathize with the Virginia Tech family. It wasn't that long ago that we were faced with our own crisis of monumental proportions. When Hurricane Katrina hit, we saw the outpouring of sympathy, prayers and help that came from all corners of the world. And we saw the positive impact that can be derived from the love and concern of others.
     And that is what we must do … extend our sympathy and our prayers to serve as a source of strength for our friends and colleagues at Virginia Tech. Today, we join others across this nation who are grieving for the Virginia Tech family. Knowing that many others are joined with them during this time of incredible pain will support them as they move through the long, slow grieving process.
     We can all learn from any event, even one such as this. As students and faculty, we need to be aware and cognizant of what is going on with our fellow students and friends. If someone is troubled or suffering in some way, talk to them, and urge them to get professional help that is readily available for them.
     We in administration learn from this as well. We are re-examining our crisis plans and communications methods to determine how we can better communicate within our own Southeastern family when emergencies develop.
     In closing, I ask you to pray that the families and friends of those who died in this tragedy find comfort and solace in knowing that they are not alone in their suffering. Pray for your fellow students remaining at Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech prides itself on its "Hokie spirit." Like you, those students are strong and resilient. They will never forget this moment in their lives, but they will recover. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
     Again, thank you for sharing this occasion with us this afternoon.
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KSLU holds video game fundraiser for Virginia Tech
Southeastern's public radio station 90.9 KSLU will hold a video game fundraiser in the Southeastern Student Union to raise funds for Virginia Tech's Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.
     KSLU's "Guitar Hero Challenge" will be held April 24-25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will test players' skills of the popular video game as they emulate playing lead guitar in a rock band.
     For a $3 donation players will select a song and difficulty level in an attempt to win a variety of prizes including a pair of tickets to this year's New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
     All of the proceeds collected will go to the families of the Virginia Tech victims through the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.
     "It only seemed fitting to donate the proceeds to Virginia Tech" said KSLU Underwriting and Development Representative Chad Pierce. "We strive to do all we can to help our local community. But the families up there are going through so much, we wanted to extend a helping hand to them as well."
     For more information contact Chad Pierce at 985-549-2330 or cpierce@selu.edu.
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Strawberry eating contest Berries at the jubilee

Strawberry Jubilee: everybody had a 'berry' good time
The spring weather was lovely and the juicy red Tangipahoa Parish strawberries were plentiful at the Campus Activities Board's annual Strawberry Jubilee last Wednesday, April 18.
     While just about everybody enjoyed the strawberries, some enthusiastic students (top left) ate more than others -- to say the least! -- as they competed in the annual strawberry eating contest.
    ( Left) Miss Southeastern Kristen Hilliard was on hand to make the first ceremonial slice of the traditional centerpiece of the festival, the giant strawberry cake.
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Nursing students host 'mock fatality' Wednesday at Stadium
Senior nursing students will host a mock fatality presentation as their "capstone" project Wednesday, April 25, from 9-11 a.m. in Strawberry Stadium.
     The goal of the project, presented by Dr. Catherine Holland's Nursing Lab 488 students, is to reach as many area high school seniors and juniors as possible with the message of drinking and driving consequences. Seniors and juniors from Independence, Loranger and St. Thomas Aquinas high schools will attend. The presentation will be taped and distributed to Hammond and Ponchatoula high schools for a viewing at a later date.
     Members of a senior drama class will play the roles of "victims, parents and bystanders." Local dignitaries will also be in attendance.
     Nursing students participating are Ashley Adams, Destrehan; Candece Kilbride, Hammond; Jade Migliore, Montz; Jenna Barois, Buras and Belle Chasse; Laura Reeves, Ponchatoula and Metairie; Shannon Vogt, Slidell; Angela Gottschalk,Covington; and Christine Ragas, Independence.
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Ngugi va Thiong'oKenyan author Ngugi is special Southeastern guest May 3
Internationally known Kenyan author and activist Ngugi wa Thiong'o will present readings from his seventh novel, Wizard of the Crow, at 6:30 p.m., May 3 at Vonnie Borden Theatre.
     Ngugi's visit to Southeastern is sponsored by the Southeastern Writng Center. His presentation, which is free and open to the public, will be preceded by a reception at 5:30 p.m. in the lobby of D Vickers Hall and will be followed by a booksigining. Copies of his books will be available at the Southeastern bookstore and at the presentation.
     Ngugi is currently the Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature and director of the International Center for Writing and Translation at the University of California, Irvine. "Wizard of the Crow" is his seventh novel and his first new work in nearly two decades of exile from his homeland. He has been the recipient of many honors including the 2001 Nonino International Prize for Literature, election as an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and seven honorary doctorates.
     Born in Kenya in 1938, Ngugi lived through the Mau Mau War of Independence, the central historical episode in the making of modern Kenya. He burst onto the literary scene in East Africa with the performance of his first major play, "The Black Hermit," at the National Theatre in Kampala, Uganda, in 1962. In 1964, he published his first novel, "Weep Not, Child," to critical acclaim.
     The year 1977 marked the publication of "Petals of Blood," which painted a harsh and unsparing picture of life in neo-colonial Kenya. The same year Ngugi's controversial play, "Ngaahika Ndeenda (I Will Marry When I Want)," written with Ngugi wa Mirii, was performed in an open air theatre in Limuru.
     For being sharply critical of the inequalities and injustices of Kenyan society, championing the cause of ordinary Kenyans, and committed to communicating with them in the languages of their daily lives, in late 1977 Ngugi was arrested and imprisoned without charge in a maximum security prison. There he wrote the novel "Devil on the Cross" on toilet paper.
     An international uproar -- including protests by James Baldwin and Toni Morrison, along with Amnesty International naming Ngugi a Prisoner of Conscience -- secured his release a year later. He was barred by the state from teaching, but resumed his writing and activities in the theater, continuing to criticize the Moi dictatorship.
     After imprisonment, Ngugi abandoned using English as the primary language of his work in favor of Gikuyu, his native tongue.
     While Ngugi was in Britain for the launching of "Devil on the Cross," he learned about the Moi regime's plans to arrest and imprison him without trial, or worse, eliminate him. This forced him into exile, first in Britain during the 1980s and then the United States after 1989.
     His next Gikuyu novel, "Matigari," was published in 1986. Thinking that the novel's main character was a real person, the Moi regime issued an arrest warrant; on learning that the character was fictional, it had the novel "arrested" and banned instead.
     Ngugi's novels and nonfiction works have been translated into more than 30 languages and include "A Grain of Wheat," "The River Between," "Decolonising the Mind," and "Moving the Center," among others.
     In 2004, when Ngugi and his wife Njeeri visited Kenya after 22 years in exile, they were attacked by four robbers and narrowly escaped with their lives. They continue to live in Irvine, Calif., but have spoken out against the violence and have returned to Kenya to give evidence.
     For additional information, about Ngugi's campus visit, contact the Southeastern writing Center at (985) 549-2076 or writing@selu.edu or Director Jayetta Slawson at (985) 549-5024.
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Massey Villarreal and President Randy MoffettPresident Randy Moffett, right, signs an agreement linking the university and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation in a partnership designed to foster the development of initiatives to aid the growing Louisiana Hispanic business community. Looking on is USHCC Foundation Chairman Massey Villarreal and, back, left, Southeastern Provost John Crain and USHCC Foundation President Frank Lopez.
Southeastern signs agreement with national Hispanic group
Southeastern and the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) Foundation have signed an agreement designed to foster the development of programs and initiatives to aid the region's growing Hispanic business community.
     It is the first such agreement between a Louisiana university and the USHCC and is a recognition of the increasing need for training within the Hispanic business community, said Aristides Baraya, director of Southeastern's Latin American Business Initiative in the College of Business.
     "This partnership represents a great opportunity for us to expand our relationships with the Hispanic business community and chambers of commerce while enhancing the general economic development of the region," said Southeastern President Randy Moffett. "The demographics and population shifts of the area following Hurricane Katrina require initiatives such as this for southeast Louisiana to thrive."
     A key focus of the program is the creation of the Latino Virtual National Business and Training Institute. The institute will develop electronic learning tools and other business-related training resources that will be offered to chambers of commerce and other organizations throughout the nation.
     Other elements in the initiative include:
      the development of student internship programs centered on business, communication and technology training;
      the establishment of a satellite video production studio in Washington, DC, that will focus on developing a dynamic set of educational video programs;
      the creation of five business incubator centers throughout Louisiana to provide space and technology infrastructure resources for emerging businesses.
     "We are proud to partner with Southeastern on this initiative," said USHCC Foundation Chairman Massey Villarreal. "This partnership will enable us to provide the Latino business community with the proper resources to excel and prosper."
     "Hispanic entrepreneurs are key players in the U.S. economy, and I am delighted to partner with our friends at Southeastern to create and implement programs which will positively enhance the Hispanic business community," said Frank Lopez, USHCC Foundation president and CEO.
     The Hispanic community in Louisiana is now estimated to be more than 200,000 with most living in south Louisiana. Last year Southeastern joined with other agencies and organizations to form the Hispanic Business Resources and Technology Center located at Roosevelt Middle School in Kenner. The center provides business seminars and workshops, tutoring and mentoring services for 9th - 12th graders, English language training, and general social services.
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Head Start/Early Head Start applications being accepted
Southeastern Head Start and Early Head Start are now accepting applications for the 2007-2008 school year.
     The programs offer educational and social services to children who are three or four years old before Sept. 30, 2007 (Pre-kindergarten Head Start) and infants and toddlers ages six weeks to three years old (Early Head Start).
     Located since 1999 in a complex at 125 W. Tornado Drive, the preschool has room for 117 preschoolers, and 24 infants and toddlers.
     "Anyone can apply for the programs regardless of their income, however priority points are given to low income families and Southeastern students and faculty," said Director Tammy Earles. "Children with disabilities or special needs also receive priority points and may be considered even if the family's income exceeds the federal guidelines."
     Income guidelines are outlined by the federal Department of Health and Human Services and are based on family size and gross annual income.
     Earles said the program particularly has vacancies for four-year-old children this year.
Appointments are necessary to complete the computer-based application process. For an appointment, call Southeastern Head Start at (985) 549-5948/5949.
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Lion's Roar wins four LPA awards
The staff of The Lion's Roar brought home four awards from the Louisiana Press Association Convention held in New Orleans on April 14.
     The Lion's Roar, edited by Lorraine Favre, a graduate student from Baton Rouge, earned an honorable mention in the "General Excellence" category for the second year in a row. Judges complemented the overall design and effort of the student staff saying, the newspaper was, "One of the only entrants that read cover to cover like a community newspaper. A great product and deserving of recognition."
     Student newspapers from Louisiana State University, Southern University and Loyola University earned first, second and third place standings respectively.
     Senior staff photographer Ally O'Keefe, a graduate student from New Orleans, garnered a third place award in the "Best General News Photo or Feature Photo" category. Her photo of a Southeastern student accompanied a story about Freshman Frenzy, Southeastern's version of freshman convocation.
     Coordinator for the Office of Student Publications Lee E. Lind also won awards in two categories. Lind and student Tim Mitchell, a junior from Abita Springs, teamed up to create a series of Valentine's Day ads which won first place in the "Advertising Idea or Promotion" category. The ads were designed by Lind and illustrated with artwork by Mitchell. Lind also placed second in the advertising "Black & White Over ½ Page" category for an ad he created for Recreational Sports and Wellness.
     "These latest awards show that a group of dedicated students with varying backgrounds can work together to produce a continual body of excellent work," said Director of Student Publications Matt Tarver. "I am proud of their accomplishments and the way our student staff works together. Seeing how many hours our students put into the production of the newspaper each week, it's good to know that this effort is appreciated statewide just as the paper is valued by the students, staff and faculty of Southeastern."
     Eighty-three newspapers, publications and college/university student newspapers submitted more than 4,400 entries for judging in this year's competition.
     The Lion's Roar has received both state and national recognition during the past several years, including a total of 15 awards from the LPA in three years.
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PPR training for supervisors
A training program for supervisors who are required to conduct Performance Planning and Reviews (PPRs) on classified employees will be held on Tuesday, April 24th. The program will run from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Offered by the Training Section of the Human Resources Office, it will be held in the Human Resources Office Conference room.
     To register for the program contact Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@selu.edu or 5771. Pre-registration and supervisory approval are necessary for this class.
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Free seminar: 'Building Better Performance through Employee Skill Development'
The Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP), a part of the Louisiana Division of Administration, is sponsoring a free seminar for supervisors. "Building Better Performance through Employee Skill Development" will be held on Wednesday, April 25 in room 139 of the University Center.
     The one-day class from 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. highlights the fact that managers and supervisors need to ensure that employees have both the necessary job skills and opportunities for learning transfer. The primary purpose of this class is to share strategies and techniques that can be used before, during and after training to ensure support for the transfer of knowledge and skills to improved performance on the job.
     Pre-registration and supervisory approval are necessary for attendance. For more information and registration procedures, please contact Jan Ortego in the Training Section of the Human Resources Office, extension 5771.
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Upcoming SBDC seminars
Upcoming seminars being sponsored by the Small Business Development Center include:
     Tuesday, April 24, Hammond, "Understanding Financial Statements," 4-8 p.m. Cost: $20, $10 for Chamber members. For more information or to register contact the SBDC at 985-549-3831 or sbdc@selu.edu.
     Wednesday, May 2, Mandeville, "St. Tammany West Chamber EXPO," 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Free. Stop by and visit Southeastern SBDC's booth as well as the many other organizations and businesses that will be onsite. For more information about exhibiting or attending please contact the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce at 985-893-3216 or www.sttammanychamber.org.
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Parish leadership programs affiliate with Southeastern
Leadership St. Tammany and Leadership Tangipahoa, two non-profit programs designed to identify and prepare potential new leaders for service in the public and private sectors, have become affiliated with Southeastern.
     Under agreements reached between the university and the organizations, Southeastern will assist in providing general administrative support for the program, handling matters such as registration, class scheduling and providing meeting locations and speakers. The university's St. Tammany Center will coordinate activities for Leadership St. Tammany, while the Southeast Louisiana Business Center will coordinate Leadership Tangipahoa.
     "These programs are proven success stories and we are pleased to become affiliated with the organizations," said Southeastern President Randy Moffett. "These new partnerships tie in perfectly with our mission to help lead the educational, cultural and economic development of the region."
     The programs, which were started by the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce and the Hammond Chamber of Commerce, focus on recruiting emerging leaders from various segments of the community and involving them in public affairs. Through training sessions and individual study, participants are able to identify their own leadership styles while incorporating different leadership techniques.
     "Leadership St. Tammany has been successful in creating a network of informed and committed individuals who are dedicated to the advancement of the parish," said Larry Burch, president. "Graduates of the program have gone on to fill leadership positions in public and private agencies and organizations. The affiliation with Southeastern will give us additional resources to make our program even stronger."
     "We are pleased to partner with Southeastern in helping us coordinate the activities of our program and to continue to produce exceptional leaders that are so important to making our parish thrive," said Ricky Masaracchia, Leadership Tangipahoa president. "The university has the resources to help us groom and prepare individuals who will assume the important roles of leading our parish and communities."
     The programs begin with weekend retreats where participants learn about power, conflict, influence, and decision-making. The retreats also include team building exercises and development of communication skills.
     The programs continue during the year with several full-day training workshops covering a variety of topics designed to provide participants with additional training in leadership skills and increased knowledge of the community
     Both programs are accepting applications for their next class. Applicants are reviewed by selection committees and are evaluated based on their personal long-term commitments to improving the future of the parishes, their record of involvement in community affairs, and their leadership potential.
     Additional information on Leadership St. Tammany can be obtained by calling the Southeastern St. Tammany Center at 985- 893-6251. Individuals interested in information on Leadership Tangipahoa should call the Southeast Louisiana Business Center at 985-549-3831.
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Lydia Caballero and James WinterDirector James Winter and Stage Manager Lydia Caballero of Slidell take notes as the cast of the Southeastern Theatre's production of Much Ado About Nothing does a run-through. The show will be on stage April 24-28 at Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall.
Southeastern Theatre stages innovative production of 'Much Ado About Nothing
Moving a Shakespeare play out of an Elizabethan setting is nothing new. Theater companies do it all the time.
     So, there's nothing that radical about James Winter's idea of placing the Southeastern Theatre's production of "Much Ado About Nothing" in 1920s New York.
     And it's certainly not a new concept for men to play the women's roles in Shakespeare. That, after all, is how it was done in the Bard's day, when only male actors trod the board.
     But, Winter has gone one step further - a giant one. In his April 24-28 production of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies, not only will men play women on the Vonnie Borden Theater stage, but women will also play men.
     "My students say I can't do anything normal," said Winter with a grin.
     In his second year on the faculty of Southeastern's Department of Music and Dramatic Arts, Winter already has innovative productions to his credit such as "Waiting for Godot," "[sic]," and "4.48 Psychosis." He has always wanted to stage "Much Ado About Nothing" in the colorful "flapper" era of the 1920s New York.
     "Almost none of Shakespeare's plays are set in Elizabethan England anyway," he said. "So I never quite understood that purist philosophy that we have to dress according to Elizabethan England. There have been 50 million productions about 'Much Ado About Nothing.' The challenge is to keep it fresh and interesting. What can we bring to it that's different while still remaining true to his work?"
     But, he admitted, he did not originally intend this production to quite this different. "I certainly intended to cast this play as it's written in terms of the gender breakdown," he laughed.
     "When auditions rolled around we just didn't have the male turnout," Winter said. "I looked at my assistant director, and I looked at my stage manager and I said, 'There's only one way to go here. We'll swap."
     Although his inspiration was spawned by necessity, Winter is finding a number of positives in the lemonade-out-of-lemons casting decision.
     "We have a tremendous amount of female talent at this school," he said. "This is a chance to get more of them on stage."
     And, "Shakespeare crossed gender," he pointed out. "This play above any of his plays is really about how one sex views the opposite sex. So, it is kind of a fun take on it."
     How does he think the public will react to his 1920s New York, cross-gender version of "Much Ado About Nothing"?
     "The public is going to find this play funny no matter how we split the cast," Winter said, confidently. "It's just a funny, silly play. I chose it because I wanted to do a Shakespeare comedy and I believe that of all of his plays, this one has the most prose as opposed to verse, which makes it a little bit more accessible.
     "And as popular as it is," he added, "'Much Ado About Nothing' is not done to death like 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' or 'Romeo and Juliet' or even 'Richard III.'"
     Winter stresses that while the casting may be unusual, the intention is not at all to spoof Shakespeare. "This isn't guys in drag," he said. "We are staying true to Shakespeare's story and true to the plot." He instructed his cast, "You're going to be male actors playing women, and female actors playing men, and that's it. You're going to play it as true as you can."
     Pulling off the cross-gender acting has been plain hard work for the cast, requiring a tremendous amount of vocal and physical training. "And that's all that on top of the demands of a five act Shakespearean play, set in the 20s in New York dialect," said Winter. "It's a lot of work for them. They rose to the challenge, which seems to be par for the course around here."
     This unique production has also been a challenge for its stage manager, Lydia Caballero of Slidell. In her third semester at Southeastern, Caballero has been running the demanding back stage operations of Winters' plays since her first days on campus.
     Originally intending to major in mass communication with an eye toward one day becoming a theater critic, her experience with Southeastern Theatre has redirected Caballero's goals toward a professional stage management career. She is getting plenty of experience in "Much Ado About Nothing," which is larger in both scope and cast size than her previous three plays.
     "I started doing theater in high school and absolutely loved it," said Caballero, who had small parts in plays such as "Music Man" and "The Wiz." "I took Jim's introduction to theater class because I needed an art elective and thought it would be fun. One day he stood up and said he needed a stage manager and I agreed to do it, not knowing what I had gotten myself into.
     "I loved it," she said. "It's an entirely different experience than it is being on stage."
     Caballero has proven to be a natural at what Winter calls "the most thankless job in theater." Stage managers, he explained, "are responsible for keeping the communication lines open between everybody, from directors and designers all the way down the line to the actors and to actually running the show. Once this play opens, the director's job is done and the stage manager is the boss. She's got to know the show better than anybody, every aspect of it."
     "I'm really proud of her work," Winter said. "She has the tools and the ability to go out there and do this professionally."
     "What I'm asking the cast and crew of this show to do is above and beyond the usual college level work and I've been on them pretty hard," Winter said. "But, if they stick with me and they trust in what I know they are capable of, I think they're going to do some neat work on this show."
     "One of my biggest kicks here at Southeastern is that I keep raising the bar and the students keep meeting it. I think I'll just keep on doing it until it can't get any higher," Winter said.
     Curtain time for "Much Ado About Nothing" is 7:30 p.m. Tickets -- $10, adults, and $6, senior citizens, faculty, staff, and non-Southeastern students -- are available at the theater box office in D Vickers Hall. Southeastern students are admitted free with their university I.D.
     For additional information, contact Winter at (985) 549-3546 or James.Winter@selu.edu.
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High school students compete in Science Olympiad
More than 700 high school students, teacher-coaches and parents from 29 high schools visited campus Saturday for the annual Science Olympiad, hosted by Southeastern for the fifth consecutive year. Left, Science Olympiad judge Richard Longman instructs Quyen Nguyen on the set up of her structure in the tower building competition held as part of the Science Olympiad Saturday. The goal is for the student-built towers to be able to withstand a prescribed weight before crumbling. Nguyen is a student at Our Lady of Fatima School in Lafayette. Right, Sabrina Roussel (left) and Rachel Lassig, both students at Archbishop Blenk High School in Gretna, perform a chemical analysis on one of the "clues" they were given in the crime busters competition of the Science Olympiad. The Olympiad was directed by Linda Muchausen of the Department of Chemistry and Physics.
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Snapper PocheAlumnus receives national Phi Kappa Phi fellowship
Southeastern alumnus Albert J. "Snapper" Poche Jr. is one of 60 recipients nationwide who have been awarded a fellowship for post-graduate study by the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
     The prestigious fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis for first-year graduate or professional study. Poche, a 2002 Southeastern graduate with a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences, was the Southeastern chapter's nominee for the national competition.
     Poche plans to use the fellowship's $5,000 award to pursue a career in community-based conservation initiatives. The Ponchatoula native will enroll this fall in the graduate program at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy. He resides in Chicago where he currently works for the global engineering-construction firm CH2M Hill.
     Poche is the third Southeastern nominee to receive the Phi Kappa Phi fellowship. Previous recipients have included Sean Patrick Kerrigan of Kenner in 2004, who enrolled in medical school at Louisiana State University, and Richard David Ramsey of Hammond in 1968, who is a professor of general business at Southeastern. Dana Meidinger, a piano performance major from Hammond, also received Phi Kappa Phi's "Award of Distinction" in 2002.
     "We are extremely proud that Phi Kappa Phi has selected yet another Southeastern student for this prestigious honor," said President Randy Moffett. "Mr. Poche was an outstanding student, well-liked and respected by both professors and peers. This honor is a personal tribute to him as well as a testimony to the quality of students who are making Southeastern their university of choice."
     "Phi Kappa Phi's motto is 'Let the love of learning rule humanity,'" said Southeastern Phi Kappa Phi President Donnie Booth, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. "It is very gratifying to our chapter that another of our members has been awarded this prestigious fellowship to further their own personal love of learning."
     As a Southeastern student, Poche received the Department of Biological Sciences' "Outstanding Graduating Senior Award," and held a President's, ExCEL Leadership and other scholarships. He was active in organizations such as Southeastern Orientation Leaders, Gamma Beta Phi and the Student Government Association.
     He also was a research associate in the Biological Science Department's Wetlands Restoration and Ornithology labs, where he assisted with ecological research projects under the direction of professors Gary Shaffer and Phil Stouffer.
     "Snapper Poche conducted a master's degree-quality study while working in my lab," Shaffer said. He said Poche's research project, which involved planting bald cypress at six sites on South Pass to determine the best sites for cypress regeneration projects, "could have important management implications."
     Poche said he was influenced to study biology by his family's experience of losing their commercial fishing livelihood in Lake Pontchartrain because of the decline of the area's natural resources. After graduation, Poche said, "I committed myself to serve others that may be affected by ecosystem mismanagement and took my first step in supporting world conservation initiatives by signing up to become a Peace Corps Volunteer."
     Poche spent two years in the Philippines where he worked for the Katala Foundation, a small nonprofit organization devoted to the conservation of the endangered Philippine Cockatoo.
     Poche said he is seeking a career in international environmental development "as a means to better peoples' lives in the developing world by encouraging environmental conservation."
     "I hope to make a positive impact on the environmental state of our threatened planet," he said.
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Student achievements
Four Southeastern football players, accompanied by Coach Tyronee Willaims, participated in the Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Walk on Saturday, which raised more than $22,000 for Cystic Fibrosis research. Players were Chad Tedder, Demetrious Johnson, Tyler Unsworth, and Kyler Tutor.
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This week in athletics
The Southeastern Louisiana softball team will welcome national power LSU to Hammond during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
     The Lady Lions (27-26, 10-16 SLC) will welcome the sixth-ranked Lady Tigers to town for a 6 p.m. contest on Wednesday at North Oak Park. Wednesday's contest will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 FM and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
     The Southeastern women's tennis team (20-2, 10-0 SLC) will look to earn its third straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, when it faces Texas-Arlington in the Southland Conference Tournament final on Monday. The match was originally scheduled for Sunday, but rain forced the stoppage of action early in doubles play.
     The match will resume where it left off at 10 a.m. tomorrow morning at the UTSA Tennis Center. Should the courts be deemed unplayable, the Lady Lions and the Lady Mavericks will move the match indoors with an 11 a.m. start.
     Fresh off its first SLC series sweep of the season, the Southeastern baseball team (26-16, 9-9 SLC) will attempt to continue its climb up the league ladder this week. The Lions will head to Conway, Ark. for a three-game series with league newcomer Central Arkansas, beginning Friday at 2 p.m. The series continues on Saturday at 1 p.m., with Sunday's finale also set to begin at 1 p.m. All of the weekend's games will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 FM and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net.
     The Southeastern track and field team will compete in its final meet prior to next month's SLC Outdoor Championships this week. The Lions and Lady Lions will head to Beaumont, Texas on Thursday to compete in the Ty Terrell Relays.
     Monday, April 23
     Women's Tennis, vs. Texas-Arlington (SLC Tournament Finals), San Antonio, Texas, 10/11 a.m.
     Wednesday, April 25
     Softball, vs. LSU, North Oak Park, 6 p.m. (KSLU 90.9 FM)
     Thursday, April 26
     Track and Field, at Ty Terrell Relays, Beaumont, Texas, All Day
     Friday, April 27
     Baseball, at Central Arkansas, Conway, Ark., 2 p.m. (KSLU 90.9 FM)
     Saturday, April 28
     Baseball, at Central Arkansas, Conway, Ark., 1 p.m. (KSLU 90.9 FM)
     Sunday, April 29
     Baseball, at Central Arkansas, Conway, Ark., 1 p.m. (KSLU 90.9 FM)
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Professional activities
Alison Pelegrin
(English) read from her work at the offices of the Southern Review at LSU on March 25 in celebration of national small press month. The following weekend she gave a reading at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans, and then at Christwood Retirement Community in Covington. She has been awarded a scholarship to attend Sewanee Writers Conference over the summer, and in recent weeks, seven poems have been accepted for publication in The Southern Review, Cave Wall, and a broadside series in Wisconsin called "Poetry Jumps off the Shelf."
     C. Roy Blackwood (Cultural Resource Management and Visual Arts) recently served as a juror for ArtBreak, a K-12 arts celebration of visual arts, music and literature in Shreveport, La. ArtBreak is celebrating its 24th year with Blackwood having been invited and served 20 of those years, more than twice as many times as any other juror.
     Dr. Kathleen Campbell (Educational Leadership and Technology) published "Louisiana Mentoring Module: Assessing Readiness" for the Louisiana Department of Education in Baton Rouge, La., in 2007. The co-authors are S. Southhall, KT Campbell, S. Guidry and N. Honore'.
     Dr. Rayma Harchar (Educational Leadership and Technology) presented, "Mentor Perceptions of Impact on Leadership Development" at the annual conference of the National Association of Secondary School Principals and National Council of Professors of Educational Administration in Las Vegas, Feb. 23-25.
     Dr. Fred Dembowski (Educational Leadership and Technology) was selected as a member of the board of editors of Mentoring and Tutoring.
     Dr. Jim Walter (English), delivered a paper March 30 during a session on Dante at the annual conference of the Association of Core Texts and Courses in Williamsburg, Va. Entitled "The Soft Song My Canto Sings," the paper examined the paradox that some of Dante's most beautiful prophetic poetry in The Divine Comedy rises out of his encounter with betrayers in the icy bottom of hell. Dr. Walter was also moderator for a panel discussion on "Religious Thought and Texts in Secular Institutions."
     Bev Marshall (writer-in-residence) gave a presentation at the Pop Culture Conference in Boston entitled "I've Got A Secret: A Military Wife's Story." She also appeared on two panels at the Tennessee Williams Literary Festival in New Orleans.
     Co-authors Dr. Barbara Schuldt and Andree Taylor (Management), Duane Donald (Provost Office) and Dr. Jeff Totten of McNeese State University presented "Employment Differences Regarding the Impact of Family and Technology Issues on Sales Careers" at the Allied Academies International Conference in Jacksonville, Fla., in April. The paper is published in the organization's proceedings.
      Through the efforts of Drs. Bonnie Lewis and John Boulahanis (Sociology and Criminal Justice), director and assistant director, respectively, of the Florida Parishes Social Science Research Center, and Dr. Kurt Corbello (Political Science), director of the SLU Poll, Southeastern Louisiana University is now a founding institutional member of the National Consortium of Social Science Research Centers and Institutes. The three faculty members were invited to be individual founding members at the first meeting of the consortium at Duke University, Feb. 22-24, along with top researchers from 15 other high-profile research universities, including Duke, Ball State, George Mason University, Indiana, Mississippi State, Northwestern University, Penn State, Stanford, UC-Irvine, UCLA, UC-Santa Barbara, University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina, and Washington State University. Southeastern and the three researchers were invited after a national search of institutions and researchers with strong track records in social science research.
     Dr. Yanyi K. Djamba (Sociology and Criminal Justice) presented the paper "Social Theoretical Autopsy of Katrina Displacement" at the Disaster and Migration Conference held in Tulane University, New Orleans, La., April 12-14.
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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 noon on Friday. Contact: Christina Chapple, chapple@selu.edu, 985-549-2341/2421.

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