Southeastern students sponsor Farmers Market Oct. 24 The Southeastern student organization Reconnect will sponsor a farmers market in front
of the Student Union Wednesday, Oct. 24, 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 include Deb’s Designs’ all-natural bath and body products and Mrs. Francis
Chauvin’s homemade pies and shoe sole pastries. In addition to fresh produce, other
items available for purchase include jams and jellies, beef jerky, tea cakes, hummus,
farm-fresh eggs, breads, and popsicles. “The Reconnect Farmers Market is an event where you can interact with local farmers
and vendors, eat a healthy and fresh lunch, or pick up some homemade jewelry or bath
products from your fellow students. It’s a way to shop locally and support healthy
food choices without having to leave campus,” said Diana Taj, public relations coordinator
for 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 Fall Carnival set Oct. 31
Area children are invited to participate in Southeastern’s 14th annual Fall Carnival
Wednesday, Oct. 31, from 5-7 p.m. The university’s Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs, Black
Student Union, the Office for Student Engagement, Recreational Sports and Wellness,
and Project P.U.L.L. are sponsoring the event. The Fall Carnival will take place on the lawn of Southeastern’s Pennington Student
Activity Center, located at 1350 N. General Pershing, and is free of charge. “This is our annual service effort,” said Marjorie Parker, coordinator of Multicultural
and International Student Affairs. “Our goal is to provide all of the typical traditions
of Halloween in a safe, carnival atmosphere.” Although children of all ages are invited to the festivities, the event targets
children in kindergarten through fourth grade and will include games with prizes,
candy, spacewalks, a balloon artist, and much more. Parents and guardians are asked to accompany their children throughout the evening.
For more information, call 549-5703 or email multicultural@southeastern.edu.
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Southeastern alumna awarded scholarship to continue studies in the UK A 2015 Southeastern English graduate is continuing her studies this fall in the United
Kingdom after receiving a prestigious scholarship to study Victorian literature and
culture. Sarah Drago of Springfield was awarded one of only five Vice-Chancellor Scholarships
to attend the master’s program at the University of York in England. “The University of York has one of the top English programs in the world. Their
Victorian department is especially impressive, as it features several of the most
renown scholars in the field,” said Drago. “I plan to specialize in Victorian literature,
so this opportunity is a dream come true.” To be considered for the scholarship, Drago had to submit a personal statement
explaining why she was a strong candidate for the scholarship, how it would help her
achieve future ambitions, and how she planned to cover the remaining tuition fees
and living expenses. The award announcement described the scholarship as one rewarding and encouraging
“exceptionally high achieving students by offering a tuition fee discount to those
expected to achieve AAA at A-level or a first class undergraduate degree or international
equivalents.” Drago credits Southeastern for preparing her to continue her education abroad. “If it weren’t for the Southeastern Honors Award and the TOPS program, I would
not have had the opportunity to travel and now study abroad,” she said. “Because of
Southeastern’s generosity, I was able to travel during my undergraduate career. I
was also inspired by Southeastern’s English Department and their extraordinary professors.
Dr. David Hanson, Dr. Ziba Rashidian, and Dr. Joel Fredell were especially influential,
as they have all traveled extensively.” Upon completion of the one-year master’s program, Drago plans to continue her
studies at the University of York to earn her doctorate and ultimately begin her career
as a professor.
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Teacher education candidates attend conference in Philadelphia Tearing away from the fun, service, and engagement of Southeastern’s most recent homecoming
was difficult for teacher education candidates, Kelvin McCoy, Willique Dyson, Jody
Bennett, and DeJuan James. However, they did just that in order to participate in
a conference that creates a space for active engagement, black male educators, and
those up-and-coming future teachers. The Black Male Educators Convening (BMEC) is an organization on a mission to
triple the number of highly-effective black male teachers in Philadelphia public schools
to 1,000 by 2025. Through a series of programs, including a yearly conference, purpose
career fair, two-year paid summer program, and membership alliance for black male
educators, BMEC is sending a clear message that only 2% of teachers are black and
male—and it’s not enough. Dr. Paula Summers Calderon initiated an effort through USPREP to support five
education majors for the all-expense paid conference. Calderon asked Dr. Celina Echols,
professor in Southeastern’s Department of Teaching and Learning, to facilitate the
process and travel with the students. Southeastern’s teacher education majors had the opportunity to engage with a
lineup that included the following: Dr. John King, former U.S. Secretary of Education;
Marc Lamont Hill, a journalist, author, activist, and television personality; Dr.
Chris Emdin, an associate professor and author of “For White Folks Who Teach in the
Hood… And the Rest of Y’all Too;” Ericka Pittman, chief marketing officer at Aquahydrate
Inc; Shavar Jeffries, American civil rights attorney, and many more. The Southeastern students attending the conference had much to say about the
experience. “Effective educators are needed in teaching and classroom cultures. However,
there are very few African-American male role models who aspire to teach,” said graduating
senior, Kelvin McCoy of Zachary. “Our students need teachers who look like them in
our schools so they can see positive modeling and have someone who understands their
struggles and knows that they can attain that same success with hard work and direction.” “I can’t wait to become an educator,” said student Jody Bennett of Hammond. “Meeting
the former Secretary of Education and other scholars, taking a tour of Philadelphia,
and honing my knowledge about cultural relative pedagogy is preparing me for the classroom
experience.” Students Willique Dyson of Franklinton and DeJuan James of Hammond also expressed
their sincere thanks to the College of Education for creating such a great opportunity.
LION UP WITH TEACHER RECRUITMENT AND PREPARATION – Showing their Lion pride for education are, front row, from left, Kelvin McCory,
Dr. Celina Echols, and Jody Bennett. Back row, from left, are Willique Dyson and DeJuan
James.
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Children, teens can audition Oct. 29 for Missoula Children’s Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland Auditions for the Missoula Children’s Theatre production of Alice in Wonderland will be held Monday, Oct. 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing
Arts. A non-profit educational theater troupe, Missoula Children’s Theatre has been
a hometown arts favorite since 1992, often as part of Fanfare, Southeastern’s fall
arts festival. “Children in grades kindergarten through high school may audition,” said Executive
Director of Columbia Theatre Roy Blackwood. “Approximately 50-60 local students will
be cast to appear in the show with a Missoula tour actor/director. Missoula will cast
the young actors on Monday and get started right away teaching them lines, staging,
songs and movement. By Saturday, the children will be ready to perform, complete with
professionally designed costumes and scenery.” Students wishing to audition must arrive by 4 p.m. and stay for the entire two-hour
session. The first rehearsal begins approximately 15-30 minutes after the audition
and lasts until 8:30 p.m. “Since it is a group audition, no advance preparation is necessary – but a smile
never hurts,” said Blackwood. “Students should just be ready to come and have a good
time.” Rehearsals will be conducted Monday through Friday from 4-8:30 p.m. at the Columbia
Theatre, 220 E. Thomas St. in downtown Hammond. Actors will be dismissed at 6 p.m.
on Wednesday, Oct. 31, so they can participate in Trick-or-Treating. “Although not all cast members will be needed at every session, those auditioning
must have a clear schedule for the entire week and, if selected, be able to attend
all rehearsals required for their role,” said Blackwood. “A detailed rehearsal schedule
will be distributed at the conclusion of the audition.” Alice in Wonderland will be performed at the Columbia Theatre as part of the Pajamas and Play series
on Saturday, Nov. 3, at 2 p.m. All cast members must be available for all scheduled
rehearsals and the Saturday performance. Tickets for the public performances are $17 for adults and $12 for children.
They are available online at columbiatheatre.org or at the box office, 543-4371. The Missoula Children’s Theatre is a non-profit organization based in Missoula,
Mont. This season, more than 65,000 young people across the globe will take to part
in Missoula productions. For additional information, contact the Columbia Theatre at 543-4366 or visit
columbiatheatre.org.
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Southeastern Social Justice Speaker Series welcomes prisons expert Jordan Mazurek
Southeastern’s Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice will present Sociologist
Jordan Mazurek, the national organizer and co-creator of the Campaign to Fight Toxic
Prisons, as Southeastern’s 2018 Social Justice Speaker. Mazurek will present a lecture on Toxic Prisons at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov.
1, at Pottle Music Auditorium on Southeastern’s campus. Free and open to the public,
the lecture will be followed by a free workshop at 2 p.m. in Fayard Hall, room 205.
Professor Marc Settembrino, chair of the Southeastern Social Justice Speaker
Series, said the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons (FTP) seeks to build grassroots organizing,
advocacy, research, and direct action at the intersections of incarceration, health,
and ecology. “Jordan Mazurek has an impressive record of activism and scholarship that will
appeal to Southeastern’s students. I meet a lot of students who want to make a positive
change in their community but don’t know how,” said Settembrino. “Jordan’s lecture
and workshop will be a great opportunity for our students to learn how to do social
justice work. I think our students will be able to relate to Jordan and the work he’s
doing.” “Criminal justice reform and environmental protection are important issues in
Louisiana right now,” Settembrino added. “Jordan’s research and activism blends these
two issues. Overall, I think there’s something for everyone in this year’s social
justice speaker series events.” The Sociology and Criminal Justice Department organizes the annual Social Justice
Speaker Series as a means of bringing nationally and internationally recognized social
justice activists to the Southeastern community. Previous speakers have included Sister
Helen Prejean on the death penalty, Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty and Law Center
on race and racism, and Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink, on war and human
rights. Mazurek is Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctoral Fellow pursuing a doctorate in cultural
and global criminology from the University of Kent and Universität Hamburg, using
his doctoral thesis to explore the spatial and environmental justice implications
of America’s toxic prison system. For more information, contact the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
at 549-2110.
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Quiz Bowl results announced The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the Southeastern Alumni Association hosted
the 17th Annual Phi Kappa Phi Homecoming Intramural Quiz Bowl Oct. 9. After an exciting
series of matches, the following faculty and student teams emerged as winners:
FIRST PLACE STUDENT TEAM - The First Place student team was Jung at Heart (Psi Chi: Psychology honor society).
From left are Executive Director of Alumni Relations Michelle Biggs, team captain
Elizabeth Manuel, Cory Fulks, Savannah Hays, and Phi Kappa Phi President Eric Johnson.
Not pictured is team member Karyn Moore.
FIRST PLACE FACULTY TEAM - The First Place Faculty and Quiz Bowl Champions were Mens sana in corpore sano
(Kinesiology and Health Studies and the Center for Faculty Excellence). From left
are Phi Kappa Phi President Eric Johnson, Executive Director of Alumni Relations Michelle
Biggs, Charlotte Humphries, Dane Bounds, Buddy Sirikul, Eddie Hebert, and Greg Reeves.
SECOND PLACE FACULTY TEAM - The Second Place Faculty Team was The Social Factors (Dept. of Sociology and Criminal
Justice). From left are Executive Director of Alumni Relations Michelle Biggs, Kellen
Gilbert, Robert Martin, and Phi Kappa Phi President Eric Johnson. Not pictured are
Ken Bolton and Lisa Olson.
The Second place student team was the Quizards, a biology graduate student organization
that was unable to attend the award ceremony. Team members included Lindy Muse, Renato
Bruno, Chris Cannon, Emily Bierbaum, and Mark Rimkus.
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