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Opera Workshop presents Evangeline
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Graduate student wins scholarship |
Southeastern's Golden Silence remembers deceased
1)
2)
1) Bruce and Rosalie Myrick of Hammond participate in Southeastern's annual Golden Silence held on campus Tuesday evening (March 24). The memorial event includes a recitation of names of Southeastern faculty, staff, students and alumni who died in the past year. The Myricks attended in memory of Bruce's brother, John Myrick Jr.
2) Participating in Southeastern's annual Golden Silence memorial on Wednesday evening were, from left, Florence Bonaccorso Folse, her three-year-old son Joseph Folse, and sister Kathryn Rose Bonaccorso, all of Baton Rouge. The family attended the event in memory of the late Ernest Bonaccorso Jr., who died recently.
Southeastern to present trumpet recital featuring John Holt
Southeastern's Department of Fine and Performing Arts will present a trumpet recital
featuring John Holt, chair of instrumental studies at the University of North Texas,
on Tuesday, March 31.
The free recital will be held at 7:30 p.m. in Southeastern's Pottle Auditorium.
A masterclass for students will be held at 2 p.m.
Holt is associate professor of trumpet at UNT and has served as principal trumpet
with the Dallas Opera Orchestra since 1989, where he has received several opera service
awards. He has performed on numerous recordings with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra,
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Opera Orchestra and the Voices of Change. He
has been recorded on six solo recordings, all on the Crystal Records label.
His visit is being coordinated by Logan Place, Southeastern instructor of trumpet,
who said Holt is "the consummate musical artist, having appeared as a soloist with
orchestras throughout the country and Europe."
Place said the program includes standards of the trumpet repertoire, including
"Sonata" by Kent Kennan, "Lento et Scherzo" by J.E. Barat, "Legende" by Georges Legendre,
and "Concerto for Trumpet" by Alexander Artutunian.
Southeastern safety specialist to receive national educator award
A Southeastern specialist in workplace safety will be recognized with a major award
by the American Society of Safety Engineers at the organization's professional development
conference in June in Dallas.
Lu Yuan, a certified safety professional, associate professor and coordinator
of the university's occupational, safety, health and environment program, will be
honored with the association's Outstanding Safety Educator Award. The award is named
after Dr. William E. Tarrants, a long-time contributor to the advancement of safety
and health program accreditation.
"Dr. Yuan played an integral role in helping the occupational, safety, health
and environment program receive its national accreditation by ABET, one of the world's
leading accrediting agencies for applied sciences," said Sebastian van Delden, head
of the Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology. "He has excelled
as an educator, teaching at all levels of our OSH&E curriculum, and provides innovative
student engagements through hands-on experiences and valuable internship opportunities."
Yuan was nominated by Lance S. Roux, certified safety professional and the principal
consultant at SafetyPro Resources in Baton Rouge, who recommended Yuan due to his
teaching effectiveness, scholarship, and service to the profession.
Roux, who is the area director of the American Society of Safety Engineers, said
Yuan has completed several funded research grants on various aspects of workplace
safety, published articles in professional publications, and has served as an ABET
program evaluator. Roux said he is a trusted advisor and educator of future professionals
in safety, health and environment safety officials and enthusiastically promotes collaboration
with local industry to help ensure overall assurance of the program quality.
Yuan holds the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors Professorship
and in 2012 received the Langlois-Weigand Award from the ASSE Greater Baton Rouge
Chapter for his roles at the university and for being a trusted advisor and educator
of future safety professionals.
Fine and Performing Arts presents Mabel Kwan on piano
Southeastern's Department of Fine and Performing Arts presents Mabel Kwan on piano
as a part of the Guest Artist Series.
Kwan will perform Wednesday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m in Pottle Auditorium. Kwan and composer
Ray Evanoff will also present a master class in Pottle Auditorium at 3 p.m. the day
of the concert.
Kwan has performed throughout the world, both as a soloist and a member of Ensemble
Dal Niente, as part of the International Summer Courses for New Music at Darmstadt,
UNRULY Music Festival, MusicArte Panama, SALT Festival, MATA Interval Series, PianoForte
Chicago's Experimental Piano Series, Sonic Fusion Festival and others.
"Mabel Kwan brings a unique thoughtfulness to the piano that makes her visit
to Southeastern an exciting, significant offering to the area's artistic community,"
said Fine and Performing Arts Interim Department Head Kenneth Boulton.
Kwan will present a program of compositions, including world premieres by Kari
Besharse and Philip Schuessler, both faculty members of the music program at Southeastern.
The performance is in conjunction with FOCI Arts and Lyceum Arts and Lectures.
FOCI (facilitating original creativity inclusively) is a New Orleans-based organization
devoted to the contemporary arts.
For more information, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at 549-2184.
Southeastern dancers, choreographers overcome weather challenges to attend ACDA Conference
Winter weather may have halted travel for some, but it didn't stop the creativity
and learning for Southeastern dance faculty Skip Costa and Martie Fellom, along with
four Southeastern students traveling to attend the 2015 South Region American College
Dance Association (ACDA) Conference in Clarksville, Tenn., earlier this month.
"Southeastern was the first school to arrive; and we learned that Austin Peay
State University had closed and would remain closed for several days due to eight
inches of snow," Fellom said. "This meant that the conference could not take place."
Fellom said that the group, consisting of Faith Allen and Christa Clement Sevin
of Ponchatoula, Lindsy Brown of El Paso, Tex., and Joseph Matherne of Luling, were
airborne enroute to the conference and never received the message that the university
was closed.
"The four-day conference was compressed into two days," she said. "Even so, it
was still an enriching experience filled with master classes, concerts, adjudication
feedback sessions and meetings."
Fellom said much of the cost associated with the trip was paid by student self-assessed
fees and grants.
University dance faculty from the region and guest artists offer classes and
lectures during the conference, Fellom said. There are also informal concerts performed,
and Southeastern student Brown was selected to present her work "The Book of Life,"
with all four student attendees performing it.
Southeastern selected two works to perform for adjudication at the conference:
Allen's solo work "Time," and Costa's piece "Courage, Hope, Strength."
"One of the highlights of the conference is the Gala concert, in which the adjudicators
select several pieces to represent the best works at the conference," Fellom said.
"Skip's piece was chosen for the Gala because, in the words of one of the adjudicators,
'It was elegant in its simplicity and beautifully crafted.'"
A panel of judges selected a total of eight works out of 31 dances performed
at the conference to be showcased at the gala performance on the festival's final
day.
DANCERS BRAVE SNOW TO ATTEND CONFERENCE – Dance faculty member Skip Costa, far left, and Southeastern students Faith Allen, Christa Clement Sevin, Joseph Matherne and Lindsy Brown attended the 2015 South Region American College Dance Association (ACDA) Conference in Clarksville, Tenn., earlier this month. In spite of eight inches of snow and the closure of Austin Peay State University, the conference site, they were able to still attend and preform at the conference, which was compressed into two days, rather than the normal four day conference.
Opera Workshop to present world premiere of Evangeline
Southeastern's Opera/Music Theatre Workshop will present the world premiere of Evangeline by esteemed American composer Gwyneth Walker on Thursday, April 2, at 2 p.m. in Pottle
Music Annex Recital Hall.
The free performance, said Director of Opera Workshop Charles Effler, is based
on the famous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and will last under an hour. The
music is all newly composed; the words are those of the Longfellow poem as adapted
by Walker.
"Dr. Walker was in Baton Rouge for a composer's residency in March 2014 and visited
the town of St. Martinville, La. While there she saw the famous Evangeline Oak and
was introduced to the legend," Effler said. "It captivated her imagination immediately."
Effler attended a concert of Walker's music that culminated her residency, and
after the concert asked her if she would compose a short chamber opera. Effler had
met Walker the previous day when she visited Southeastern to hear the choirs and students
perform some of her music.
"She was very impressed with the students and told me of her interest in the
Evangeline story," Effler said. "Through emails over the next several days, she said
that she might be able to start work on it sometime in 2015. About mid-summer that
had changed to 'I plan on having the opera finished by January 2015.' By early fall
the due date was pushed up even further to Halloween."
In the end, it was mid-October when Effler received an email with the finished
score attached.
Opera Workshop welcomes back guest stage director Rachel M. Harris for this production.
Harris has directed several Opera Workshop productions including La Périchole, Fairy Tales: Hansel & Gretel and Cendrillon, The Pirates of Penzance, Street Scene, Die Fledermaus, and The Marriage of Figaro. She also directed Opera Workshop's recent concert of opera scenes and arias, Opera by the Slice.
The student cast is Kalee Broussard, "Narrator" (Destrehan), Analynn Sober, "Evangeline"
(Lake Charles), Mindy Guidroz, "Benedicta" (Houma), Jonathan Dupre, "Gabriel" (Luling)
and Brent Goodrich, "Father Felician" (Sulphur). Effler will serve as the vocal coach
and pianist for the performance.
The performance is sponsored by Opera Workshop, the Southeastern Lyceum Arts
and Lectures Committee and private donations.
There is no admission charge.
For more information about the Opera/Music Theatre Workshop, contact Effler at
ceffler@southeastern.edu.
Southeastern hosts Technology Career Fair
Southeastern hosted its second annual career fair for technology on Wednesday (March
25), attracting more than 30 area employers looking to fill numerous positions in
high-demand tech fields.
A collaborative effort between the Office of Career Services and the Department
of Computer Science and Industrial Technology, "Tech-Connect 2015" had approximately
350 students who participated this year, according to Director of Career Services
Kenneth Ridgedell.
Ridgedell said Tech-Connect offered two main components for employers deciding
to participate – a mini career fair from 9 a.m. to noon and optional, same-day on-campus
interviews for employers.
"At least 45 students were interviewed the day of the fair for specific post-graduation
positions by potential employers, and 19 interviews were scheduled for this week,
representing a 64% increase in the number of on campus interviews held last year,"
he said. "This increase is a testament to the continued strong demand for technology
majors in our region."
The fair showcased the university's computer science, engineering and industrial
technology, and occupational, safety, health and environment (OSHE) majors.
"We held this special career fair because of the very high demand for these graduates
in the region," said Computer Science and Industrial Technology Department Head Sebastian
van Deldan. "It made sense to offer this new technology-specific recruiting event
in order to provide employers interested in recruiting with an opportunity to do so
face-to-face in a career fair setting."
In addition to the regular Southeastern Career Fair held each September, Ridgedell
added, this fair allows tech companies an opportunity to interact with Southeastern
students every six months.
"Moving forward, our plan is to continue to offer the annual, university-wide
career fair in the fall, where all students are provided the opportunity to network
with and be recruited by approximately 150 companies across all industries, and this
technology-specific career day in the spring."
For more information about Tech Connect or Career Fair, contact Ridgedell at
kridgedell@southeastern.edu or 549-2121.
CONNECTING WITH TECHNOLOGY – Lance Gisclair, left, a computer science major from Prairieville, speaks with Emile
Combe of Laitram about job opportunities with the company. Laitram was one of more
than 30 area companies that participated in the second annual Tech Connect Career
Fair held at Southeastern on March 25.
Southeastern vocalists claim awards at singing competition
Eleven Southeastern vocal performance students were finalists – including five first
place winners -- at the recent Louisiana Chapter of the National Association of Teachers
of Singing (NATS) competition held on the Southeastern campus March 14.
Receiving first place nods were Alex Williams of Kentwood, currently enrolled
in the Southeastern Community Music School, first place, high school male category;
Ivan Stroup of Des Allemands, freshmen men; Rachel Denton of Jena, sophomore women;
Ben Vollentine of Covington, junior men; Ryan Thomas of Hammond, upper student adult;
and Analynn Sober of Lake Charles, upper division, musical theater.
Other Southeastern students being recognized were Faith Entrekin of Luling, third
place, freshmen women; Lauren Gibson of Walker, second place, sophomore women; Stephanie
Arledge of Walker, third place, junior women; Dana Arthur of Abita Springs, second
place, senior women; and Kalee Broussard of Destrehan, second place, graduate women.
The auditions were judged by voice tachers from the NATS Louisiana Chapter. Students
participated in lectures and master classes as part of the one-day conference.
Members of the Southeastern voice faculty who contributed to conference events
included Kristen Marchiafava, Joy Ratliff, Alissa Rowe, Stephen Rushing and Kay Schepker.
The collaborative pianist staff included Irina Cunev, Chuck Effler and Raisa Voldman.
Bookstore hosts Wainwright book signing
The Southeastern Bookstore hosted a book signing for Katie Wainwright, a 1976 Southeastern
graduate with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, on Thursday, March 26.
According to the book jacket, Wainwright's book, "Pohainake Parish," is the story
of Hannah Kelly, a divorced mother of two teenagers, who gets elected to the bankrupt
Pohainake Parish Council. The former housewife, who spent her days baking cookies,
running carpools and attending PTA meetings, is soon overwhelmed by the problems and
decisions the council must make.
Occupying the chair next to hers is Captain William Fleming, fortyish, single,
handsome, a playboy who ran for office on a dare, never expecting to win. As the council
members deal with jails, escaped convicts, piled up garbage, disintegrating roads,
and lack of resources, Hannah's serious attitude clashes with Captain Fleming's devil-may-care
stance.
The conflict between them escalates to the breaking point. Hannah's heroic attempts
to comply with the demands of public office, while at the same time striving to maintain
a stable family life, are the familiar struggles politicians face daily. Tempered
with southern humor, the sad truths of ignorance, inefficiency, graft, nepotism and
other woes of governing are exposed.
Anyone who has been elected or is considering a political run would profit greatly
from Hannah's story. From side-splitting funny tales to troublesome and tragic incidents,
presiding over a small Louisiana parish is a condensed version of what happens at
every level of government, from local to national.
Wainwright's book is available at area retailers.
SOUTHEASTERN ALUMNA PENS BOOK - Mary Thomas, left, gets her copy of "Pohainake Parish" signed by Southeastern alumna Katie Wainwright during the Bookstore's book signing event on Thursday.
Sims Memorial Library Introduces Flipster™, a new way to access digital magazines
Southeastern faculty, staff, and students will soon be able to access their favorite
digital magazines at no charge, thanks to a Small Project Student Technology Fee grant
awarded to Sims Memorial Library. The grant will cover a one year pilot project to
begin May 1 and end April 30, 2016.
Flipster from EBSCO, Inc. is a next-generation digital magazine service that
allows people to browse the latest issues of popular magazines. It offers an easy,
browseable reading experience.
Users can browse magazines by category, as well as perform searches for specific
periodicals. An online newsstand provides a carousel of the most recent issues, as
well as a carousel of all issues allowing for quick access to magazines. The table
of contents contains links to quickly go to articles of interest and hotlinks within
magazines are hyperlinked, opening in separate tabs when clicked. In addition, there
is an option to zoom in and out for better readability.
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to take a brief five-question survey
intended to identify the types of popular magazines that will be available on Flipster.
All responses will be anonymous. The survey will be available until Friday, April
17, and can also be accessed from the library's website or Facebook page.
For more information, contact Janie Branham at jbranham@southeastern.edu.
Graduate student wins scholarship
Sigma Tau Delta and the Southeastern English Club congratulate graduate student Marley
Stuart on winning a $4,000 Sigma Tau Delta Nation Graduate Student Scholarship over
the weekend.
The news was announced at the Sigma Tau Delta national convention in Albuquerque,
NM, where Southeastern's Xi Rho chapter also had student presentations by member Cody
Love and alum Amber Silvers and roundtable discussion with chapter president, Ashley
Reed, secretary, Abbie Chaisson, and faculty members George Dorrill, Chris Genre,
Sherri Craig, Rebecca Rushing, and Mary Mocsary.
The Xi Rho chapter also won the yearly skit t-shirt contest with the help of
member Steve Savoi and alum Austin Payne.
Camp Discovery: A Summer Camp for Academically Gifted/Advanced Students
Camp Discovery is offering an exciting enrichment program for high-ability students,
grades 1-6 in the 2014-2015 school year.
The theme this year is "Change." Ever wonder how something can start as a caterpillar
then emerge as a beautiful butterfly? Or wonder about how the character in a story
can be so cruel and mean then by the end of the story becomes a hero? We will do fun
projects and activities that help us learn about change. Come explore the process
of change with us.
The camp runs from June 8 - June 25, Mondays through Thursdays, 8 a.m – 12 p.m.
at the Southeastern Laboratory School. The cost is $175. If registering multiple children
from the same household, the cost is $160 per child.
Registration deadline is June 3 with a first-come, first-served policy. For additional
information and an application, contact Susan Zimlich at susan.zimlich@southeastern.edu.
This Week in Athletics
The Southeastern baseball, softball, tennis and track teams will all be in action
during this week in Southeastern Athletics.
Both the SLU baseball team (22-8, 9-3 Southland) and softball team (14-18, 9-2
Southland) have won their first four Southland Conference series of 2015 and host
key three-game league series this week.
The Lion baseball team will welcome Northwestern State for a three-game series
that opens with a 6 p.m. contest on Thursday. The series continues on Friday at 6
p.m. with Saturday's series finale set for 2 p.m. Friday is also Autism Awareness
Night AKA "Light it Up Blue". Fans and students are encouraged to wear blue to "light
it up blue" for Autism Awareness. Partners from Bayou Booksellers, SOAR, and Autism
Answers of LA will be in attendance to raise awareness during the game. Baseball players
will wear puzzle-piece ribbons.
The softball team will host Lamar for a three-game set at North Oak Park. The
series opens with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday and concludes with Saturday's 11
a.m. contest. "Bingo at the Ballpark" will be featured at Friday's softball games
and Saturday's baseball game, and fans will have a chance to win cash and prizes from
Southeastern Athletics. Thursday and Friday at baseball and Friday at softball will
also be Cane's Challenge nights, as fans will have the opportunity to win a free combo
at participating Raising Cane's with the purchase of one of equal or greater value.
The tennis team (8-4, 3-3 Southland) has a busy week ahead. SLU will start the
week on Monday with a 6 p.m. match at Jackson State, before heading to Baton Rouge
on Wednesday for a 2 p.m. match at Southern. On Friday, SLU returns home to host Stephen
F. Austin for an 11 a.m. match, before closing the week's action on Saturday with
an 11 a.m. match versus Northwestern State at the Southeastern Tennis Complex.
The track and field teams will compete in two different meets this week. Some
members of the Lions and Lady Lions will travel to Gainesville, Florida to compete
in the Florida Relays, which run Thursday through Saturday. Other members of the SLU
track and field teams will stay closer to home, participating in the Battle of the
Bayou on Saturday at LSU.
All of this week's baseball games will be broadcast live in the Hammond area
on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net, where LionVision subscribers can access a live video stream of all of this week's
baseball and softball action.
Monday, March 30
Tennis, at Jackson State, Jackson, Miss., 6 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1 Tennis, at Southern, Baton Rouge, 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 2 Baseball, vs. Northwestern State, Alumni Field, 6 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision)*
- Cane's Challenge Track and Field, at Florida Relays, Gainesville, Fla., All Day
Friday, April 3 Baseball, vs. Northwestern State, Alumni Field, 6 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision)*
- Autism Awareness ("Light it Up Blue")
- Cane's Challenge Softball, vs. Lamar (DH), North Oak Park, 4 p.m. (LionVision)*
- Bingo at the Ballpark
- Cane's Challenge Tennis, vs. Stephen F. Austin, Southeastern Tennis Complex, 11 a.m.* Track and Field, at Florida Relays, Gainesville, Fla., All Day
Saturday, April 4 Baseball, vs. Northwestern State, Alumni Field, 2 p.m. (KSLU) (LionVision)*
- Bingo at the Ballpark Softball, vs. Lamar, North Oak Park, 12 p.m. (LionVision)* Tennis, vs. Northwestern State, Southeastern Tennis Complex, 11 a.m.* Track and Field, at Florida Relays, Gainesville, Fla., All Day Track and Field, at Battle on the Bayou, Baton Rouge, All Day
Southeastern home events in bold
* - Southland Conference contest
Professional activities
Dr. Hye-Young Kim (physics) presented an invited talk at the colloquium of the Physics Department at
the University of New Orleans on March 25. The title of the talk was "Molecular Dynamics
Simulation Study of Self-Assemblies Composed of Small Biomolecules."
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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