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Convocation rescheduled
Southeastern’s annual Convocation, originally scheduled for Friday, August 19, was
canceled due to the impact of the flood across our region. The Convocation will take
place at 11 a.m. on January 6, 2017, the Friday before regular classes for the spring
semester are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, January 11.
Please plan to attend the Convocation as we will recognize recipients of the
President’s Awards for Excellence, Emeritus recipients and faculty and staff for their
service of 25, 30, 35 and 40 years. As always, the annual picnic lunch will occur
immediately following the Convocation.
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Southeastern Chamber Orchestra to perform Nov. 15
 The Southeastern Strings Chamber Ensemble will perform a fall concert on Tuesday,
Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. in the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown
Hammond.
Titled Musically Speaking, the program will be conducted by Southeastern Professor of Music and Conducting
Yakov Voldman. General admission tickets are $10 for adults; $5 faculty, staff and
non-Southeastern students. Southeastern students and non-SLU students are admitted
free with their student ID cards. Tickets are available at the Columbia Theatre box
office at 220 East Thomas St. or at the door on the night of the concert. Call 543-4371
for ticket information.
“We have planned an exciting selection of music that will feature several solos
by members of our faculty and select students,” Voldman said.
The performance will start with “Simple Symphony” by Benjamin Britten, a central
figure in British classical music; Antonio Vivaldi’s “Concerto for Two Cellos in G
minor,” featuring cello performances by Southeastern lecturer Dan Cassin and student
Adrain Harabaru of Moldova; and Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s “Chaconne,” with performances
by award-winning student violinist Sungkyung Woo of South Korea.
Also on the program are Josef Suk’s “Serenade op.6;” Pablo de Sarasate’s “Romanza
Andaluza” with student Marta Turianska of Ukraine on violin; “Ragtime” in memory of
George Gershwin by Valeri Saparov; and C.M. von Weber’s “Clarinet Quintet op.34” featuring
a solo by student Jang Hyun Kim of South Korea.
The concert will conclude with Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango” and Henri Vieuxtemps’
“Souvenir d’Amerique” featuring music faculty Victor Drescher on the clarinet and
Zorica Dimova playing violin.
For more information, contact the Department of Fine and Performing Arts at 549-2184.
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Southeastern scientist awarded NSF grant for chemical research
Southeastern Associate Professor of Chemistry Thomas Sommerfeld has been awarded a
$101,786 grant from the National Science Foundation.
The three-year grant will allow Sommerfeld to investigate how extra electrons
aid in breaking chemical bonds while also providing undergraduate students with real-world
learning opportunities.
“Chemical bonds are electrons that are shared between atoms,” Sommerfeld said.
“They can be thought of as a glue that holds the atoms in a molecule together.”
He explained that the bonds can be weakened by both too little and too much “glue,”
and weakened bonds then be cleaved during the permanent motion of the atoms. Among
examples of how this reaction is seen is in damage to living tissue by radiation in
cancer therapy with electron beams.
In his research, Sommerfeld will try to identify reliable, cost-efficient methods
of developing novel computer simulation methods that characterize the electron emission
from unstable molecules.
His grant allows the employment of several undergraduate chemistry students to
work with him on the project.
“The project allows me to introduce undergraduates on mini-projects that are
indirectly related to my research first,” he said. “These projects can be addressed
with standard quantum chemistry methods so that students learn the research techniques
step-by-step. It’s a great opportunity that only a few undergraduate chemistry students
experience.”
 MOLECULAR RESEARCH – Southeastern Associate Professor of Chemistry Thomas Sommerfeld, right, talks with
senior chemistry major Joshua Melugin of Gonzales about the computer simulation research
work they are doing under a grant from the National Science Foundation.
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Philanthropy Week scheduled
Southeastern’s annual Philanthropy Week will be held Nov. 7-10 with the intent of
promoting the spirit of giving and raising awareness of campus initiatives.
The four-day event will include a blood drive with door prizes on Monday, a chance
to write thank you cards to active duty military and veterans and a food giveaway
on Tuesday, a black light volleyball tournament on Wednesday and a campus wide “Anything-But-Cans”
food drive on Thursday. Food collected will support the Student Food Pantry.
According to Director of Development for the Office of University Advancement
Lynn Horgan, encouraging students to contribute their time, talent or treasure, no
matter how little or much that might be, builds the foundation for a lifetime of giving
back. The Office of University Advancement promotes these campus giving initiatives
in conjunction with National Philanthropy Week.
This is the fourth year the Office of University Advancement has conducted Philanthropy
Week, and new this year is the ABC Food Drive on Thursday in the Student Union Mall
from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Student Food Pantry needs microwaveable and convenience
items like cereal, pasta, pasta sauce, fruit cups, box meals, peanut butter, popcorn,
crackers, etc.
“The Anything But Cans Food Drive is a competition between campus divisions,”
Horgan said. “The division that contributes the most food will get a great trophy
and bragging rights until next year. But the big winners are the Southeastern students
who depend on the Student Food Pantry. One only needs to volunteer there a couple
of hours to know the difference we are making in the lives of the students who use
the Food Pantry. They depend on it!”
For more information, contact the Southeastern Foundation at 549-2239 or email
lionlegacy@southeastern.edu.
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Southeastern Foundation and marketing class partner to host ABC Food Drive Nov. 10
As part of the Southeastern Foundation’s Annual Philanthropy Week, the office has
partnered with students in April Kemp’s Marketing 314 class to host an “Anything But
Cans” Food Drive to benefit the Southeastern Food Pantry. With November being a month
of giving, individuals can give back on campus Thursday, Nov. 10, by bringing donations
to the Student Union Mall from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Items needed are any items but cans as the Food Pantry is already full stocked
with canned goods. These items include, but are not limited to: peanut butter, jelly,
crackers, microwaveable entrees and soups, fruit cups, cookies, snacks, chips, breakfast
and power bars, toaster pastries, instant oatmeal, honey buns, macaroni and cheese,
rice and dried beans, boxed soy, rice, coconut or dairy milks, and sports drinks.
To make the food drive interesting, there will be separated bins as a competition
to see which group can donate the most goods. Bins will be divided by Student Organizations/SGA,
Greeks, Men’s & Women’s Sports, Faculty and Staff, and Housing. Which group will win?
Stop by to drop off your items and see who brings in the most items. The winning group
will receive a trophy and bragging rights until next year’s competition.
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Southeastern music students take top two spots in state MTNA competition
Two young musicians who have traveled thousands of miles to study at Southeastern
have demonstrated their skills and experience by claiming top places in statewide
competition.
Sophomore Anastasiia Pavlenko of Zhytomyr, Ukraine, took first place in the Young
Artist-Piano competition at the Louisiana Chapter of Music Teachers National Association’s
recent statewide competition held at Centenary College in Shreveport. She will compete
in the MTNA South-Central Regional Competition in January. Junior Natalie Timotina
of Chisinau, Republic of Moldova took second place. Both are piano performance majors.
Music instructor Laura Pray joined the faculty in August and began working with
Pavlenko and Timotina, who had been preparing for the competition with a previous
professor. She coached them through the final stages of preparing their programs and
supporting them on the day of the competition.
“They are both hard workers and excellent young musicians,” Pray said. “I was
extremely proud of their performances at the competition. Not only were their performances
technically superior, but they were highly musical as well.”
How did two young pianists from such distant nations come to study at Southeastern?
“When I was home, I realized the world is so much more than what just surrounds
me. I knew that if I wanted to experience the world, I had to take some action,” Pavlenko
said. “By that time, I already knew a few people who were studying at Southeastern
and how much they enjoyed it. I saw the many opportunities they had to gain precious
musical experience.”
“I had heard from a few students who had come to Southeastern a couple of years
ago and who said how much they really enjoyed the experience,” Timotina said. “I always
wanted to travel, especially if I could have a chance to get more experience as a
musician. I saw this as a perfect opportunity.”
In the competition, Pavlenko played several selections, including pieces by Bach,
Beethoven, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. Timotina performed selections from Debussy, Muczynski,
and Beethoven’s “Waldstein” sonata.
“Ms. Pray is a very talented, supportive, dedicated and inspirational piano professor,”
said Pavlenko. “Even in the short time she worked with me, she helped me make my program
for the competition worthy of first place. I am very glad to be a student in her studio.
I am extremely honored to represent Louisiana at the regional level of the MTNA piano
competition, and I will do my best to bring good news again in January.”
“It’s been such a pleasure working with both young musicians this semester,”
Pray said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what the future has in store for both Anastasiia
and Natalia. I know they will continue to thrive at Southeastern.”
 MUSIC COMPETITION WINNERS – Southeastern music students Natalia Timotina, left, and Anastasiia Pavenko, right,
received the top two awards in the Young Artist-Piano competition hosted by the Louisiana
Chapter of Music Teachers National Association at Centenary College. With them is
music instructor Laura Pray.
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Football, Inside Southeastern Football with Ron Roberts, Cate Street Seafood Station,
11 a.m.
