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Southeastern Channel wins national award for Covid coverage
The Southeastern Channel has won national acclaim for its coverage of the coronavirus
impact on the Northshore.
“Northshore News Update: Coronavirus on the Northshore” has won a national College
Coronavirus Coverage Award given by the Society of Professional Journalists in conjunction
with the Associated College Press, Society for News Design, College Broadcasters,
Inc., and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
The Southeastern Channel was honored from over 700 entries from 258 universities
across the nation as one of three broadcast winners for newscasts during the past
month. Other winners were Cronkite News at Arizona State University and the Northwestern
News Network at Northwestern University of Chicago. Honorable mentions were Annenberg
Media at the University of Southern California, the University of South Dakota, and
Appalachian State University.
The CCC Awards recognize excellence from college journalists for covering COVID-19
on their campuses and in their communities amidst campus closures and continuing online
classes at home, said Southeastern General Manager Rick Settoon.
Settoon said the judges, all professional journalists including those from CNN,
praised the Southeastern Channel as “expertly adapted to excel in this difficult climate,
resulting in a strong, smooth newscast. They have been consistently good every week.
The stories, the story choices, the diversity, the mix- all were excellent.”
“We’re extremely honored to be recognized as best in the nation by the prestigious
Society of Professional Journalists, the world’s largest journalism organization,”
said Settoon. “We’re so proud of our students who’ve stepped up big time to serve
their communities during this crisis while having to complete online classes at the
same time.”
The weekly newscast provides timely information on the coronavirus, specifically
for Northshore residents. It is a condensed newscast that spotlights critical services
for those in Tangipahoa, St. Tammany, Livingston and Washington parishes provided
by specific parish governments, school systems, hospitals, law enforcement, and business
organizations.
The information provided spans everything from coronavirus testing and school
food distribution to small business disaster loans. Also included are phone interviews
with parish and state officials, such as parish presidents Robby Miller of Tangipahoa,
Mike Cooper of St. Tammany, and Layton Ricks of Livingston, and state representatives
Richard Nelson of Mandeville and Randal Gaines of LaPlace.
Others interviewed so far include Dr. Robert Peltier, chief medical officer for
the North Oaks Health System, Director Bill Joubert of Southeastern’s Small Business
Development Center, and Melissa Bordelon, CEO of the Greater Hammond Chamber of Commerce.
Student reporters from the Southeastern Channel’s national award-winning newscast
“Northshore News” have conducted interviews.
Lorraine Weiskopf of Covington covers St. Tammany Parish. Although she graduates
in May, WXXV-TV Ch. 25 (FOX/NBC) in Gulfport, Miss., has already hired Weiskopf as
a news reporter.
“I was thrilled to win this award, especially with many big-name universities
placed alongside us,” Weiskopf said. “My team and I have put a lot of work into this,
and I am so happy to see that it paid off.”
Read more
 SOUTHEASTERN STUDENT FROM ST. TAMMANY PARISH RECOGNIZED FOR CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE – Southeastern student Lorraine Weiskopf of Covington was recently recognized for
her coverage of the coronavirus in St. Tammany Parish on the Southeastern Channel’s
show “Northshore News Update: Coronavirus on the Northshore.” The Southeastern Channel
won a national College Coronavirus Coverage Award given by the Society of Professional
Journalists in conjunction with the Associated College Press, Society for News Design,
College Broadcasters, Inc., and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
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Communication student awarded Washington Media Fellows Scholarship
 Communication major Brianna Hawkins of Carencro was among the spring 2020 Washington
Media Fellows scholarship winners. Receiving a $1,500 scholarship, Hawkins credits
support services at Southeastern for helping her with this achievement.
“I would recommend that everyone use support services on campus when applying
for scholarships,” Hawkins said. “I know that helped me represent Southeastern as
one of 15 univiersities in the country to have scholarship recipients.”
To apply, Hawkins wrote an essay, participated in an interview and submitted
her professional resume and letter of recommendation to the Washington Media Scholars
Foundation. Hawkins said she worked with both Career Services and the Writing Center
to ensure her application was as close to perfection as possible.
Hawkins also represented Southeastern on its journalism team at the Southeast
Journalism Conference in February. She has worked as a staff reporter for the Lions
Roar and is looking forward to a career in public relations.
According to its website, the Washington Media Scholars Foundation works to fulfill
its mission of “creating scholarship, educational and career advancement opportunities
for college students interested in strategic media.”
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Southeastern student earns national OSH&E Scholarship
A Southeastern senior majoring in occupational safety, health and environment has
been awarded a national scholarship from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.
Alison Garaudy of Loranger received the $5,000 award based upon her cumulative
grade point average, a submitted essay on why she entered the program, and her commitment
to obtaining professional certification upon her graduation.
“This scholarship means a lot to me. It has made a substantial difference in
helping to fund my education, and I am extremely honored to be a recipient,” Garaudy
said. “It has also boosted my confidence and helped assure me that my hard work is
paying off. I am happy to know that my voice has been heard and potential was found
in it.”
As an anticipated December graduate, Garaudy wants to apply her newly acquired
knowledge to making workplaces safer and more productive for current and future workers.
“With climate change being such a prominent issue, protecting the environment
is also especially important to me, so I want to make sure any company I work for
is environmentally conscious and doing what they can to protect future generations,”
she explained. “I would love to incorporate more environmental sustainability into
my life and work, and I am very interested in working abroad at some point.”
One of Garaudy’s biggest goals is to influence the safety culture around her.
“I hope to educate the people I work with, so they can have a better understanding
of why we go out of our way to be safe, especially when it seems like extra hard work
for nothing,” she said. “We all have the right to work in a safe environment where
we can stay healthy, but it takes individual efforts to make that happen.”
The Southeastern OSH&E program was recently ranked among the top 20 best values
in OSHE programs in the country by the website collegevaluesonline.com. The ranking
is based on quality of academics; value, which includes tuition affordability and
financial aid; and the calculated average return on investment data, a guide to the
success of students graduating from the program.
The website valuecolleges.com also ranked the program among the top 25 in the
country in best value occupational safety and health degrees. The ranking is based
on reputation, based on “U.S. News & World Report;” return on investment, based on
payscale data; and cost, based on online tuition as reported to IPEDS.
The OSH&E program is nationally accredited by the Applied and Natural Science
Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. The program grew from a two-year associate’s
degree program to a four-year bachelor of science program following considerable input
from managers at area industries who reported a significant need for safety, health
and environmental professionals. The program prepares students for a variety of positions,
including roles of environmental safety and health specialists and safety supervisors.
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Teaching and Learning news
The Department of Teaching and Learning continues to be a leader in the field of teacher
preparation. Faculty redesigned coursework and field experience requirements, prior
to the state-wide requirement for year-long residencies. Working with US PREP, a national
center focused on supporting high-quality university-based teacher preparation, Southeastern
implemented a year-long pilot residency program before it was a requirement.
The residency program is now being rolled out by other universities within the
state, and nationwide. With ongoing experience in supporting teacher candidates through
a year-long residency, Southeastern is sharing its knowledge by supporting other universities
as they prepare to make this same transition.
The Department of Teaching and Learning continues to work collaboratively with
US PREP, and on Tuesday April 28, Director of Clinical Practice and Professional Development
Jordan Ahrend, and Instructor and Site Coordinator Dr. Melanie Lemoine, presented
in the online event, “Partners in Transformation: Interactive Virtual Learning Series
Practice-Based Coursework and Quality Control Gates.”
Ahrend and Lemoine covered topics including curriculum mapping, course alignment
with competencies, candidate competencies, coursework transformation, and establishing
performance gateways.
The online presentation hosted 35 participants from universities in Louisiana
and across the country, including McNeese State University, Portland State University,
Touro University, Texas A&M, Sam Houston, San Diego State University, and University
of the Pacific.
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Honors Program celebrates spring award winners
Unable to host the traditional spring recognition ceremony, the Honors Program announced
its 2019-20 award winners online on April 29. Students submitted videos, biographies,
and photos to create a gallery for the virtual celebration.
Included in the honorees were 10 students completing the Honors thesis this semester.
This is the highest achievement an Honors Program student can attain. It marks them
as dedicated scholars in their chosen majors.
To earn the Honors Diploma students must complete 15 hours of freshman and sophomore
Honors credits, nine hours of upper-level Honors credits in their major, HONR, or
study abroad, and author and successfully defend a Senior Honors thesis.
The following students are on the path to graduating with the Honors Diploma
this semester and will receive two silver honors cords to wear at graduation marking
their achievement: Katelynn Bartholomew, AHSS, Karley Bordelon, AHSS, Pedro Jimenez
Antenucci, S&T, Kristen Johnson, NHS, Grace Klein, NHS, Mollie Millet, AHSS, Surah
Moss Muhammad, NHS, Ryker Rowe, AHSS, Andrew Sherman, S&T, and Lindsey Watkins, AHSS.
The virtual celebration also announced the 2019-20 Honors Student of the Year,
biological sciences major Tyler Tran, pictured below. Each year the Honors Program
selects one student who exemplifies the very best spirit of academic achievement,
community citizenship, and other-oriented service for this award.
“Tyler Tran is one of the best-rounded candidates for this award I’ve ever seen,”
said Honors Director Dr. Claire Procopio. “He’s a great student. He has presented
his research on phylogenetics with Dr. April Wright’s lab at professional conferences.
He is a leader in multiple campus organizations including Honors Ambassadors, DOA,
and BUgS. with a serious service mindset. He balances all of that with working and
volunteering with underprivileged kids to inspire them to pursue STEM careers.”
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A public safety executive and retired U.S. Marshal has been selected as the Southeastern
Louisiana University Alumni Association 2020 Alumna of the Year.
As the pandemic of COVID-19 continues, college students and faculty all across the
world are continuing to put forth an effort to finish the spring semester the best
way they can—despite all the challenges and distractions surrounding them.
Southeastern Channel wins award for Covid coverage
