Columbia Theatre’s “Silver Screen” series continues Columbia Theatre’s “Silver Screen” series continues today and tomorrow (March 21
and 22) with “City Lights,” a Charlie Chaplin film. Show time is 7:30 p.m. each night. The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) attempts to procure money in order to restore sight
to a blind flower girl in this funny and heart-warming silent film. The Tramp is variously
a street sweeper, a boxer, a rich poseur, and a rescuer of a suicidal millionaire.
His message is unspoken, but universally understood: love is blind. Tickets are $9 adults, $7 seniors and students, and $6 for kids 12 and under. For more information or tickets, call the box office at 543-4371.
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Department of Fine and Performing Arts presents annual guitar fest
Music from a variety of cultures and historical eras, as well as music from Louisiana
composers, will be the focus of the 17th annual Southeastern Guitar Festival. “It is a testament to the university’s mission to lead the educational, cultural
and economic development of southeast Louisiana that we have been able to present
this festival for 17 consecutive years,” said Patrick Kerber, guitar instructor and
festival coordinator. “The goal is to offer students and the community a venue that
showcases the guitar’s versatility and scope in our diverse, modern music culture.” Sponsored by the Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the Southeastern Arts
and Lectures Committee, and the Southeastern Guitar Club, the festival will launch
March 23 with a performance by two Southeastern alumni – guitarist David Bryan and
soprano Jessica Davis Bryan - and will run through May 3. Both guest artists are assistant
professors of music at William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Miss. “This will be a wonderful way to begin our guitar events this year with a beautiful
program of music,” Kerber said. “It’s always something special when a husband and
wife team is successful performing together, and David and Jessica make it happen.” All events are free, open to the public, and scheduled as follows: • March 23, 10 a.m., Pottle, room 151; Masterclass with David Bryan – Southeastern
students will perform and receive instruction shared with their peers and an informal
audience. • March 23, 7:30 p.m., Pottle Auditorium; Guest Artist Concert – Southeastern
alumni guitarist David Bryan and soprano Jessica Davis Bryan return to Southeastern
to present a varied performance of music for solo guitar and voice and guitar. • April 4, 7:30 p.m., Pottle Auditorium; Faculty Recital – Patrick Kerber – A
solo guitar featuring music from the English Renaissance, German Baroque, Italian
Classical, and Romantic and 20th Century Spanish traditions. • April 20, 7:30 p.m., Pottle Auditorium; Southeastern Guitar Ensemble – The
ensemble performs music for guitar trio, guitar with trumpet, and ten guitars with
music from German, Baroque, French Impressionist, Argentine Tango, 20th Century Spanish,
and American jazz composers. • May 3, 7:30 p.m., Pottle Auditorium; All Styles Night – The popular event features
guitar music of all styles: folk, pop, jazz, classical, and original music performed
by Southeastern students, non-music faculty and local area musicians. For more information, contact Kerber at 549-2886 or pkerber@southeastern.edu.

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Southeastern students sponsor farmers market March 23 The Southeastern student organization Reconnect will sponsor a farmers market in
front of the Student Union on Wednesday, March 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The only student-run farmers market on a college campus in the state, the event
features food sales from area farmers, food samples, arts and crafts, homemade soaps,
and much more. Vendors returning this year include Blue Ribbon Pies, and Stephanie Travis’ jams
and jellies, Pride Café with smoothies, Johndale Farms with strawberries, and Berryhill
Farms with bread and hummus. Several new vendors include Sacred Earth Bars, Sprouts
NOLA, and the Milk Lady. The Southeastern Ceramics Club will be displaying and selling
pottery items. “Our main thing is ‘Come eat with us!’ because we are going to have local, sustainable
food for the students and faculty,” said Alexis Taylor, vice president of Reconnect. A student environmental club, Reconnect participates in the Real Food Challenge,
a national effort among college students to promote the use of locally grown, healthy
and sustainable food products.
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Southeastern librarians author book on Hammond Two members of the staff at Southeastern’s Sims Memorial Library have authored a
book on the history of the city of Hammond. Library Director Eric W. Johnson and Catherine H. Tijerino, head of cataloging,
selected the photos and wrote the book “Hammond,” part of the book collection of Images
of America published by Arcadia Publishing of Charleston, S.C. Arcadia is the largest
publisher of local history works in the country. The largely pictorial book covers the history of Hammond from its founding to
1950 and includes nearly 220 photos collected from historical archives and private
collections. Informative captions accompany each photo. “We received tremendous assistance in putting this book together,” Johnson said.
“Special recognition goes to Drs. Sam Hyde and Keith Finley of the university’s Center
for Southeast Louisiana Studies, who permitted us access to the various historical
photo collections they maintain. The Judge Leon Ford III collection in the center
was the source of many of the photos we used.” Johnson said local historians C. Howard Nichols and Tom Davidson were especially
helpful in sharing their extensive knowledge of the local history. The book is available at area booksellers and other stores, through Amazon and
from the publisher at acadiapublishing.com. The two authors are scheduled to do a book signing at Southeastern’s bookstore
on Tuesday, April 12, from 1 to 3 p.m.
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Southeastern's Chefs Evening a hugh success More than 400 participants attended Southeastern’s signature fund-raising event for
academic departments and scholarships, Chefs Evening, held at the university’s Student
Union Sunday, March 13. Both new and perennial favorite restaurants brought forth some of their best
creations for tastings by attendees, said Lauren Williams, coordinator of the event.
In addition the event showcased an impressive emphasis on wine and food pairings,
featuring wines from around the globe. A new event preceding Chefs Evening, the President’s Wine Tasting, was sponsored
by Whitney Bank and hosted by Southeastern President John Crain where a group of sponsorship
guests tasted and chose the wines to be featured at the event. “Sponsoring the President’s Wine Tasting was a great way for Whitney to help
support the university and Chefs Evening,” said bank representative Cindy Shelton. Andre Theriot of Wells Fargo and R.K. Hoddinott III of Merrill Lynch sponsored
the wines featured at the President’s Toast event and the President’s Wine Table at
Chefs Evening. Coordinating the wines were Southeastern alumnus and restauranteur
Gino Marino of Baton Rouge and wine specialist Bret Smith of Republic National Distributing
Company. The auction featured an innovative online mobile bidding platform allowing those
unable to attend the event an opportunity to participate by bidding from home. Offered
along with the live auction were the silent auction of a large array of items, the
Corks and Kegs basket raffle, and the Ultimate Wine Raffle with the winner taking
home an assortment of 30 select wines. Patrons at the event selected winners of the annual Taster’s Choice Awards, vendors
recognized for special excellence. These included Keith Young’s Steakhouse, Main Dish
Award for their version of shrimp remoulade; Cocoa Bean Bakery & Café, Dessert Award
for a chocolate cake confection; and Aquistapace’s Supermarket for Best Presentation
for a display of cheese, fruit and wine. “We couldn’t be successful without the generous contributions of the restaurants
and vendors from around the region who participate in Chefs Evening,” said Vice President
for University Advancement Wendy Lauderdale. Participants included Aquistapace's Covington Supermarket, Benedicts Catering,
Cate Street Seafood Station, Champagne Beverage, Coca Cola Distributing, Cocoa Bean
Bakery & Cafe, Crescent Bar, Don's Seafood, Eddie's Frozen Custard, Gnarley Barley,
IronHorse Sports Bar and Grille, Jacmel Inn, Jim Carey Distributing, Keith Young's
Steakhouse, PJ's Coffee-University Ave and W. Thomas, Raising Cane's, Rotolo's Pizzeria,
Southeastern Catering, The Boston Restaurant, The Steakhouse, Tope la Restaurant,
and Trey Yuen. Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Lynn Horgan cited the assistance
of corporate sponsors in making the event possible, including Regions Bank, Whitney
Bank, First Guaranty Bank, La Capitol Federal Credit Union, American Bank and Trust,
Entergy and North Oaks Health Systems.
Wine tasting sponsors – The wines featured at the President’s Toast and the President’s Wine Table at Chefs
Evening featured wines from around the globe. Pictured are, from left, R.K. Hoddinott
III of Merrill Lynch, President John L. Crain, and Andre Theriot of Wells Fargo. Hoddinott
and Theriot sponsored the wines featured at the event.

Tasting the wine – The President’s Wine Tasting, a new event preceding Chefs Evening was sponsored
by the Whitney Bank and held at the President’s Residence where guests tasted and
selected the wines to be served at the event. Among the participants were, from left,
Cynthia Nesser, chair of the Southeastern Foundation; Vice President for University
Advancement Wendy Lauderdale; Gino Marino of Gino’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge; President
John L. Crain; wine specialist Bret Smith of Republic Beverage Distributing Company;
and Whitney Bank representatives Cindy Shelton, Daryl Ferrara and Joey Marino.
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ByLion takes a break ByLion will not be published during Spring Break. The next edition will be Monday,
April 4.
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Award winning writer Kevin Wilson featured in Southeastern’s ‘Common Read’ program Kevin Wilson, author of the award-winning collection of stories, “Tunneling to the
Center of the Earth,” and the novel “The Family Fang,” will visit Southeastern March
21 as part of the institution’s Common Read program. Sponsored by the Department of English and the Southeastern Writing Center, Common
Read provides students and community members the opportunity to read selected works
and then meet a contemporary author. Events that day include student presentations on the author’s work at 9:30 a.m.,
an 11 a.m. question and answer session with the author, and a 6:30 p.m. public reading
by Wilson followed by a book signing and reception. All events are open to the public
and will be held in the Student Union Theatre. “Tunneling to the Center of the Earth,” is Wilson’s 2009 collection of stories,
which won the Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Shirley Jackson
Award. His fiction has been published in publications like “Ploughshares,” “Tin House,”
and “One Story,” and has been featured in “New Stories of the South: The Year’s Best.”
His novel, “The Family Fang,” was recently adapted for the screen by actor/director
Jason Bateman. Wilson teaches at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., where he lives
with his wife, Leigh Anne Couch, and their two sons, Griff and Patch. “For several years now, we’ve sponsored a Common Read program, featuring a prominent,
contemporary author, and it always serves as an exciting experience for our students,”
said Department of English Head David Hanson. “By meeting and talking with an author
who they’re studying in class, students gain a rare opportunity to see deeply into
an author’s life of writing.”
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‘Why don't trees reach the heavens?’ is topic of Southeastern biology lecture Did you ever wonder why trees only reach certain heights? Or if they have nerve signals
and can feel pain? Southeastern Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Volker Stiller will discuss
these and other questions about plants at the next Southeastern Science on Tap presentation
scheduled at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5, at Tope Lá Catering, 113 East Thomas St.
in Hammond. Sponsored by the Department of Biological Sciences, the lecture is free
and open to all ages. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. “Plants are quite complex, and many people are not aware of their capabilities.
One feature that sets them apart from animals is that they are stuck in one spot and
need to make do with the resources they have available,” said Stiller, who specializes
in plant anatomy and the transport of water and nutrients in plants. Stiller said the title of his presentation, “Why Don’t Trees Reach the Heavens”
is based on an old German proverb that “The good Lord will ensure that trees will
not reach heaven.” “I’ll discuss the importance of various constraints that limit the height growth
of trees, ranging from nutrient availability, old age, hydraulic constraints, and
even divine intervention,” said Stiller. “We’ll look at the possibilities of plants
nurturing their young and what happens when plants come under attack. When we mow
our lawn, does it cry for help?” Stiller earned his undergraduate degree in forestry at the University of Göttingen
and later received his doctorate in plant ecophysiology at the University of Bayreuth
in southern Germany. He moved to the United States to work as a post-doctoral research
at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and joined the Southeastern faculty in
2003. For information on future Science on Tap presentations, contact the Department
of Biological Sciences at 549-3740.
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Call for student presentations There is still time for students to participate in the sixth annual Southeastern
Students’ Research, Creative, and Scholarly Activities Showcase scheduled for Tuesday,
April 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This non-competitive event will display conference posters, publications, and
other visual presentations. All disciplines are welcome. This year, the showcase will be held in conjunction with Southeastern’s Real-World
Ready (RWR) one-day student conference. The Office of Experiential Learning is hosting
this event in rooms adjacent to the ballroom and will include formal oral presentations
and other sessions designed for showcasing RWR events. The application deadline is Wednesday, March 23. For full information and to register your presentation, please visit the Office
of Sponsored Research and Programs’ web page http://www.southeastern.edu/admin/osrp/index.html.
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Southeastern sophomore wins a top prize for writing at national conference A Southeastern sophomore English major has won a top award at the recent annual conference
of the international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta held in Minneapolis. Taylor Oakley won first place in the category of Critical Essays with her paper
titled “#WeNeedDiverseBooks Everywhere.” She received a $600 award. A native of Oklahoma who resides in Mandeville, Oakley is studying creative writing
with a minor in professional writing. She is a member of the theater honor society
Alpha Psi Omega and the service and honor organization Gamma Beta Phi. She works for
the Department of English on its Digital Humanities Project.
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Southeastern professor, grad students prep Loranger debaters Students in the Loranger High School Debate Club got valuable assistance from Southeastern
College of Education faculty and graduate students as they prepared for a regional
debate competition held recently in Baton Rouge. Professor of Teaching and Learning Celina Echols and graduate students Jordan
Ahrend and Hanna Gautreaux worked with the Loranger students along with their debate
coach and teacher Tyra Starkey. The team provided peer mentoring and valuable feedback
to the debate club students during practice sessions prior to the competition, which
was held in late February in Baton Rouge. Echols said the debate was based on a mock trial and held at the 19th Judicial
District Courthouse. The Loranger students competed against other high school teams
in actual court rooms acting as attorneys and witnesses. “Student learning occurs both inside and outside of the classroom,” Echols said.
“Clubs offer students opportunities that foster critical thinking, planning, organizational
and communication skills that promote both mental and social development.” Echols said research shows that students involved in debate show increases in
literacy scores by 25 percent, grade point averages by 10 percent and overall high
school graduation rates.
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Female activists, artists and innovators celebrated
The Library of Congress—Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) program at Southeastern
organized a table display celebrating famous female activists, artists, and innovators
during the month of March. Southeastern’s TPS staff generated an interactive game which showcased inspirational
women whom were pioneers in many diverse fields in celebration of Women’s History
Month. Jane Addams, Florence Nightingale, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Helen Keller,
and Ethel Waters were among the featured women. On March 17, teacher candidates viewed the display and used their prior knowledge
and critical thinking skills to pair each woman to their own influential quote. The
display was available for viewing in the Teaching and Learning TEC building on Southeastern’s
campus. Table displays will occur on a monthly basis. Images and upcoming events
can be viewed on the TPS Facebook and Twitter page @TPSSoutheastern.
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Let’s Talk: Art continues The fourth lecture in the series “Let’s Talk: Art,” sponsored jointly by Southeastern’s
Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the Hammond Regional Arts Center, and the
Friends of Sims Library, will be held on Wednesday, March 23 at 5 p.m. at the Hammond
Regional Arts Center in downtown Hammond. Ceramicist Lynda Katz will discuss the work of “Adelaide Alsop Robineau, Turn-of-the-Century
Artist, Craftswoman, and Pioneer in the Studio Pottery Movement.” At the turn of the century, the decoration of pottery was seen as the appropriate
role for women in the ceramic arts. Robineau broke the mold (so to speak) and was
one of the first women of her era to create porcelain pottery from start to finish,
from throwing on the wheel, to decorating, to glaze formulation, to firing. Along
the way she created one of the most iconic works of 20th Century Ceramic Art, the
Scarab Vase, also known as the Mona Lisa of Ceramics. For more information, contact Irene Nero at 549-2299. Future talks include: Michael Ledet, “Recent Works,” April 14, 5 p.m. at HRAC;
Lily Brooks, “Visible Remnants,” April 27, 5 p.m. at HRAC; and Hammond Art Guild Members,
“Celebrating 54 Years with the Hammond Art Guild,” May 11, 5 p.m., at HRAC.
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