Southeastern Louisiana University Magazine - Fall 2015

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Florida Parishes

R EG I ON A L B E E P OP U LAT I ON S

Christmas Carols

Southeastern keeps the region’s storied history alive, pg. 18

Studying bee populations with far ranging effects, pg. 26

Do you know their real meaning? pg. 36

PERMIT NO. 51 HAMMOND, LA

Office of Advancement, SLU 10293 Hammond, LA 70402 southeasternfoundation.org

F A L L

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SUCCESS: Southeastern’s graduate program in education

listed as one of the top 50 in the nation, and the only program listed from Louisiana

S O U T H E A S T E R N

L O U I S I A N A

U N I V E R S I T Y

M A G A Z I N E

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY S P R I N G

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M A G A Z I N E PRESI DENT

Dr. John L. Crain PROVOST & VIC E PR E S I D E N T FO R ACAD E MI C A FFA I RS

Dr. Tammy Bourg VIC E P R E SID EN T FO R AD MI N I ST R AT I O N & FI NA NCE

Sam Domiano VIC E P R E SID E N T FO R U N I V E R S I T Y A DVA NCEM ENT

Wendy Lauderdale, CFRE Florida Parishes article, pg. 18 VI C E PR E S I D E N T FO R ST U D E NT A FFA I RS

Dr. Marvin Yates EXEC UT IVE D I R ECTO R , PU B L I C & G OV E R NM ENTA L A FFA I RS

Erin Moore Cowser D IR ECTO R , MAR K E T I N G & CO MMU N I CAT I ONS

Mike Rivault D I R ECTO R , PU B L I C I N FORM AT I ON

Rene Abadie PH OTOG RA P HY

Randy Bergeron CO N TRI B U TORS

Tonya Lowentritt, Kemmler Chapple Kandace Formaggio Sarah Gromko

Letters: Southeastern Magazine welcomes letters of 300 or fewer words. Letters may be used for publication unless the author states that it is not to be published. Letters may be edited for publication. Send submissions to Editor, Southeastern Magazine, Office of University Advancement, SLU 10293, Hammond, LA 70402 or mrivault@southeastern.edu.

Printing and distribution for the Southeastern Magazine provided by the Southeastern Foundation – southeasternfoundation.org.

COVE R PH OTO : Bee specimen from Dr. Janice Bossart’s collection.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY F A L L

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M A G A Z I N E

Following Hurricane Katrina, Southeastern opened its doors to hundreds of college and university students from throughout the area who wanted to continue their academic pursuits, even when the institutions in the Greater New Orleans area shut down for the semester. Faculty and staff volunteered to help those displaced students settle in at Southeastern. Many stayed on at the university as permanent students.

table of contents 18

26 6

AN D R E COU D R AI N

36

26

B EES A RE F LYIN G

Southeastern awarded its tenth Golden

Southeastern Associate Professor gets

Ambassador Award to Andre Coudrain recently

N E W T H E AT R E D E S I G N P RO G RA M

11

The College of Arts, Humanities &

15

Social Sciences launched this first in the nation program

B E ST I N T H E N AT I ON

18

F LOR I DA PAR I S H E S H I STORY

Regional history is being studied, archived and kept alive by the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies

42

HUNTING FOR VIN YL

One faculty member's passion for finding vintage music on vinyl

LION S EXC EL IN C LA SS

While athletic success has been strong

The Small Business Development Center was named best in the nation

34

grant to study regional bee populations with far reaching implications

46

recently, our Lions are also excelling in the classroom

G IVING BAC K

The spirit of philanthropy is strong among our students

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president’s

MESSAGE

Alumni, Friends and Supporters, Now that we are in the heart of fall after the long summer, most of us are looking to the holiday season and realize that the end of the year is just around the corner. The time is upon us when we make sure we have all of the past year’s tasks sewn up and are ready to move into the new year.

On a university campus, things operate a little differently, however. Our calendar revolves around the “academic year” that begins in the fall and ends in the spring. It is a unique rhythm of life that shifts one’s focus to a slightly different axis.

I’ve always felt this is an important distinction surrounding university life. The very calendar we live by is centered around the way we provide education for our students. We are, quite literally, driven by academics – and that is good.

If we were a business, academics would be our product.

This involves much more than just a teacher in front of a class. It involves the very heart of who we are as a

university. Here at Southeastern we focus on being the best we can be in each academic discipline we offer.

We select our professors and instructors carefully, we cater our approach to our students, we provide hands-on experiences in most areas, and we don’t settle for second best. I’ve been on this campus for over 30 years and have always been proud of the education we provide.

This level of excellence is featured in this magazine. The focus of this issue is to highlight just a small fraction of the academic success we have nurtured and provided to our students. From research grants to faculty awards, and from innovative degree programs to partnerships, you will see some of our excellence on display here.

As I have noted before, please take the time to read and learn more about your university, then pass it on and spread the word. You are one of our greatest assets to let the world know how truly great Southeastern is.

John L. Crain P RESI DENT

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

OUT

Davon Mitchell

&

ABOUT

Junior // Finance

currently involved in Theta Chi fraternity, Orientation Leader ‘15, and also the Interfraternity Council

in 15 words or less, what is great about Southeastern?

The learning environment is friendly and like a family, but still really strong academically.

favorite thing about major?

The great thing about being a finance major is that the professors are very helpful and understanding. They really motivate me, and I know my degree is going to be applicable to the real world.

FAVOR IT E SP OT

HOW SOUTHEA STERN HA S C HA NG ED ME:

ON CA MP US

Coming to Southeastern helped me step out my comfort zone and really made me become more social and an overall more well rounded person.

My favorite spot on campus would have to be the Student Union. All the food in one location - who wouldn’t like that!

DR EA M JO B

My dream job is to be a financial manager.

WHAT D O YOU THINK OF SOUTHEA STERN’S FAC ULTY?

I like how caring each of my professors has been toward me. They actually care about our success.

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SOCIAL

MEDIA

FOLLOW @OURSOUTHEASTERN ON

POSTINGS & COMMENTS FROM YOU

161 @oursoutheastern "Now that's a #southeasternselfie! Photo by Jessica Thomas while practicing stunts with Sean Reliford for next month's cheerleading tryouts."

SOUTHEASTERN ON FACEBOOK

89

126

@oursoutheastern “Southeastern students are leading the effort to create and maintain an on-campus garden to nourish the university community. Email communitygarden@ southeastern.edu to learn more.”

@oursoutheastern

“Check out this view of campus from 1,000+ feet! Thanks for sharing, @forever. kristin!" #southeasternselfie #mysoutheastern”

“ I was there!

First day Freshman.”

“I am so proud that the only

time SLU's Greeks are in the news it's for something good!

– Barry Brown // COMMENTING ON THE THROWBACK PHOTO TO THE LEFT.

– Jan Tedder Labbé

COMMENT ON POST ABOUT GREEK WEEK AT SLU

“ Proud to be an SLU alum!

L I O N U P! ” – Lauren Ricks Berry

"Welcome back Lions, have a great first day!

Throwing it way back on this Wednesday to the first day of classes in 1975."

– Southeastern LA University Foundation

“ Proud of my alma mater, in support of @FLOTUS’s #ReachHigher encouraging students to pursue higher education. #LionUp” – Robin Roberts TWITTER

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

FACEBOOK

”

“ SLU BUSINESS DEPARTMENT

LINKEDIN

- more specifically the Accounting/Finance department was a wonderful experience for developing professional/technical skills for career development. Other opportunities included recruitment from local accounting firms and career guidance from professors.”

“A GREAT PLACE TO LEARN!” -Kendrick Williams

-Michael Ginel // ACCOUNTANT AT LUCID

CAPITAL ONE

“Southeastern Louisiana University is a great college.

They are organized and very well funded. Very special university that cares about their students and the overall staff on the campus.”

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ON

LINKEDIN

-Veronica G CO-FOUNDER OF WP VALET

“SLU = Greatest University ever!”

“I graduated May 18th, 1975 with Governor Edwin Edwards giving the Commencement Address. Boy those were the days. SLU Rocks.”

-Robert McNamara AUGUST 19

– Kenny Bankston // REPLY TO THROWBACK POST TO FALL 1975

“Southeastern earns numerous recent accolades and awards.”

“Lion Pride!

Great work guys.”

SOUTHEASTERN.EDU

– Craig Greer REPLY TO IMAGE OF SOUTHEASTERN BASEBALL TEAM WINNING SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE

“Everyone that I've talked to that attended Southeastern tells me how much they loved the school!”

- Catherine Steib FACEBOOK FA L L 2 0 1 5

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NEWS

in LEARNING

SOUTHEASTERN HONORS ANDRE COUDRAIN as Golden Ambassador

COUDRAIN HONORED – Hammond attorney Andre Coudrain, right, accepts the Golden Ambassador Award from Southeastern President John L. Crain in a ceremony held on campus. The award is one of the highest honors offered by the university and recognizes service, achievement, and humanitarian efforts.

Former Southeastern and University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett praised Coudrain’s wise counsel and calmness in handling any problems that arise.

“He leads in his own humble way and always goes above and beyond what is asked of him,” Moffett said. “He truly is an ambassador for Southeastern and all university students.”

Hammond attorney Andre Coudrain was awarded Southeastern’s Golden Ambassador Award, one of the highest honors the university bestows, in a ceremony held in April at the President’s Residence.

“We give this award very infrequently, which speaks to its significance,” said President John L. Crain, noting that only nine other individuals have been honored with the award.

The award honors alumni, community leaders and friends of the university who have brought distinction to themselves and to the university through service, outstanding achievements or humanitarian efforts. The first award was presented to the late Louisiana Sen. John J. Hainkel Jr. “For as long as I have known Andre, I have never met anyone – and this is absolutely true – who said something negative about him,” Crain said. “Over the years I have called on him frequently for advice and direction about something pertaining to the university, and the discussion always turned back to what is best for the students.”

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“Southeastern has done so much for me, from the time I was a student here, where I met my wife Kelly, to today,” said Coudrain, who served as the Student Government president and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in government in 1979. “I always encourage students to come to Southeastern, to study here and graduate. I thank the faculty, staff and administration of Southeastern and encourage our community to participate in the university’s activities, to come to events here, to buy tickets, to be involved in their university and donate when possible.”

Coudrain served on the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System from 1996 to 2014, during which time he served as both Vice Chair and Chair of the board.

Over the years, he also chaired several board committees, including Finance, Legislation and Academic and Student Affairs.

After attending graduate school at Southeastern, he enrolled in Loyola University Law School, receiving his Juris Doctorate in 1983. He has served as the Hammond City Attorney since 2003 and maintains a private practice of general civil law with the firm Cashe, Coudrain and Sandage. He currently serves on the Diocese of Baton Rouge School Board for Catholic Schools, on the board of St. Thomas Aquinas Regional High School and as a trustee and member of the Holy Ghost Parish Finance Council.

SOUTHEASTERN, BRCC S I GN 2+2 AGREEMENT O N CO MPU TE R SCI E N CE PROGR A M S

Southeastern and Baton Rouge Community College have signed a“2+2” articulation agreement designed to facilitate the transfer of BRCC computer science students into Southeastern’s undergraduate programs.

Officials at both institutions said the agreement provides a seamless transition for students graduating with computer science associate’s degrees from BRCC who intend to pursue bachelor’s degrees at Southeastern in computer science and information technology programs.

A 2+2 program is a cooperative endeavor between a two-year community college program that offers associate degrees and a four-year institution that provides students with an easy transition through the sharing of application and admissions information, transcripts and other records.

Students at BRCC will take 60 credit hours, which includes most of their general education coursework, such as math, English, science, social studies, humanities and basic computer science. Their remaining 60 hours at Southeastern will focus primarily on computer science coursework, addressing algorithm design and analysis, programming languages, operating systems, software engineering and other advanced computing topics.

“This partnership gives students in the region an additional educational pathway to pursue a high tech career in computing,” Crain said. “With the high demand for application developers and software engineers in south Louisiana now, we are very excited to see this partnership formalized.”

“This agreement represents another sign of cooperation between Louisiana institutions intended to advance the success of higher education students at both the community college and university levels,” said Southeastern President John L. Crain. “It also addresses important workforce development and technology issues for the state.”

“This is an exciting journey for both institutions. A partnership with Southeastern will open up more avenues for BRCC students to achieve their dreams of furthering their education.

It also provides opportunities for students who may not have otherwise considered completing a bachelor’s degree,” said BRCC Chancellor Andrea Lewis Miller.

Also signing the agreement on behalf of Southeastern were Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Tammy Bourg and Dean of the College of Science and Technology Dan McCarthy; signing for BRCC were BRCC Chancellor Andrea Lewis Miller and Dean of the STEM Division JoDale Ales. Under the agreement, students who complete two years at BRCC and earn an associate’s degree in computer science can easily transition into Southeastern computer science bachelor’s degree programs, which include pre-MBA and scientific concentrations or a bachelor’s degree in information technology.

SLU, BRCC SIGN AGREEMENT Southeastern Louisiana University President John L. Crain and BRCC Chancellor Dr. Andrea Lewis Miller sign a “2+2” agreement between the institutions that facilitates seamless transfer of BRCC computer science students into Southeastern’s four-year programs.

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student union continues to expand and renovate The Southeastern War Memorial Student Union completed Phase II of its renovation and expansion with a renovation and relocation of the Bookstore, enhancement and relocation of student meeting rooms, student services offices and more!

SOUTHEASTERN’S FIRST ANNUAL DAY OF GIVING – SUCCESS! of

$101,034 RAISED IN 24 HOURS #BESTDONORSEVER

In recent years, universities nationwide have held a day when they encourage new and previous donors to contribute to their institutions within a specific

24-hour period. The intent is to focus all communications media in order to garner the attention of as many people as possible to give on that one day.

Southeastern had its first annual day of giving, called “All In For Southeastern” on May 24. As with other universities, the main goal was to encourage new donors and re-ignite the interest of past donors. With the communications effort focused primarily on email and social media, donors, friends and alumni

NEWS

in LEARNING

were encouraged to use social media to share and promote the event to their own network of friends. With a modest goal for this first year, the actual success was far greater than imagined. Over 150 donors together donated $101,034.

Funds will go toward immediate scholarship needs as well as academic program needs. Thank you!

SAFETY EXPERT RECEIVES national educator award

Lu Yuan, a certified safety professional, associate professor and coordinator of the university’s Occupational, Safety, Health and Environment program, was honored with the American Society of Safety Engineer’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, former head of the Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology. “He has excelled as an educator, teaching at all levels of the OSH&E curriculum, and provides innovative student engagements through hands-on experiences and valuable internship opportunities.”

Roux said he is a trusted advisor and educator of future professionals in safety, health and environment and enthusiastically promotes collaboration with local industry to help ensure overall assurance of the program quality.

Yuan also has been awarded the Langlois-Weigland Award by the Greater Baton Rouge Chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers and was also cited for his role in helping Southeastern’s program obtain its recent ABET accreditation, for his research on ergonomics in construction and library environments and for being a trusted advisor and educator of future safety professionals.

Yuan was nominated by Lance S. Roux, certified safety professional and the principal consultant at SafetyPro Resources in Baton Rouge, who recommended Yuan for 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.

Lu Yuan, right, instructs student Keaton Northington of Covington on the use of a hydraulic hand dynamometer, while fellow student Alyssa Ybarra of Slidell records the data. Both are students majoring in Occupational Safety, Health and Environment at Southeastern.

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NEWS

in LEARNING

FACULTY EXCELLENCE WINNERS Every fall, several members of Southeastern’s faculty and staff are recognized with the President’s Award for Excellence in several categories: Artistic Activity, Research, Teaching, Faculty Service, and Unclassified Staff Service.

The recipients of this year’s awards are:

PHILIP SCHUESSLER, EXCELLENCE IN ARTISTIC ACTIVITY Music Instructor, composer and pianist Philip Schuessler was honored for his impressive output of more than 75 commissioned works and compositions, especially in the areas of acoustic and electronic music composition. Last year he co-produced and performed on a new album (Embers: Music for Saxophone with Piano and Electronics) featuring current and former members of Southeastern. He and his wife Kari Besharse have also co-founded Versipel New Music, an organization dedicated to presenting high-quality and innovative performances of new classical music in the area.

KYLE R. PILLER, EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH Professor of Biological Sciences and Ichthyologist, or fish specialist, Kyle Piller has earned an international reputation for his studies on fish diversity, ecology and genetics. His main areas of research include the study of fish diversity in Mexico and Central America involving more than 16 research expeditions to Mexico and Central America and the population genetics of maritime and freshwater fishes. He is the recipient of one of the largest individual grants in Southeastern history, a three-year, $607,000 grant awarded by the National Science Foundation in 2014.

PAULA VARNADO-SULLIVAN, EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING Professor of Psychology Paula Varnado-Sullivan originally worked in medical settings before finding her niche in teaching college-level students. A specialist in treatment of eating disorders, depression and anxiety, she has trained numerous undergraduate and graduate students while engaging them in scholarly work. She created a group for her students called “Research Incubator for Psychology Students” (RIPS) which helps to facilitate undergraduate research activities.

She is also the faculty sponsor for the local chapter of Psi Chi, the national student honor society of psychology.

KRISTIN WHITTY, EXCELLENCE IN FACULTY SERVICE Associate Professor of Nursing Kristin Whitty is known for her volunteerism since becoming involved in the American Red Cross and working in emergency hospital facilities following Hurricane Katrina. Trained in ARC disaster courses, she now serves on the board of the ARC Capital West Chapter and chairs the organization’s primary fund-raising activity. She had additional disaster training through Homeland Security, which certifies her to teach students in disaster nursing. She is also a member of the board of the Louisiana Emergency Response Network as a representative of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing.

CAMILLE MONIOTTE, EXCELLENCE IN UNCLASSIFIED STAFF SERVICE Camille Moniotte, director of Safety and Hazardous Material Management, is charged with ensuring compliance with all aspects of the campus safety program, while offering her skills and knowledge to the community. She contributes to the community by training science teachers in the area on hazardous waste and lab safety; working with the Tangipahoa Parish Emergency Group for Hurricanes; and serving as the chairperson of the Hammond Safe Communities Committee, a group instrumental in obtaining the Safe Communities Award from the National Safety Council. She is also an active volunteer with organizations such as Special Olympics and the Hammond Ballet Company.

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

SOUTHEASTERN NOW OFFERING STUDIES in theatre design

STAGE PREPARATION – Southeastern Instructor of Costume Design Mignon Charvet, left, works with student Brei-Linn Golchuk of Lafitte to prepare Captain Hook’s costume in preparation of the Southeastern Theatre’s production of “Peter & Tink.” The university began a concentration in theatre design in the fall 2015 semester.

A new program in theatre design – presently the only one of its kind in the country – is now being offered at Southeastern this semester. The concentration will be offered through the Department of Fine and Performing Arts’ bachelor’s degree program in art.

“The program developed from numerous inquiries we’ve received in recent years from students interested in pursuing a professional career in the field. It also reflects a new spirit of creative and productive collaboration between our art and theatre faculty members,” explained

Kenneth Boulton, former interim head of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

“This concentration captures a number of students who in the past would have pursued a theatre concentration within the university’s General Studies program,” he said, “particularly those who have a talent for artistic conception and design. The program is poised to be a powerful addition to Southeastern’s workforce connection to the state’s booming film, theatre and entertainment industry.”

The program represents a strong interdisciplinary approach, he explained.

Students will experience a thorough immersion in the fundamental art foundations curriculum during the first two years, while the final two years will include specific courses in theatre history, stagecraft, costume and makeup design, advanced sculpture and play production.

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NEWS

in LEARNING

Professor named Fellow

OF NATIONAL NURSING ORGANIZATION Lucie J. Agosta, an associate professor of nursing at Southeastern, has been named a 2015 Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.

The designation recognizes nurse practitioner leaders who make outstanding contributions to clinical practice, research, education or policies designed to enhance the mission of the association, explained Eileen Creel, head of the Southeastern School of Nursing.

Agosta is one of only two nurse practitioners from Louisiana selected as a 2015 Fellow. She will be among the 70 NPs from throughout the nation recognized at the AANP’s conference.

“Dr. Agosta is widely recognized for her work as a staff nurse and clinical educator of graduate students seeking to become nurse practitioners,” Creel said. “As nurse practitioners begin to play a more critical role in the health system, educators and mentors such as Dr. Agosta are an important element in the future of the profession.”

Agosta joined Southeastern’s faculty in 2007 and serves as coordinator of the Family Health Nurse Practitioner track in Southeastern’s School of Nursing graduate program. She is a recipient of the Nightingale Award from the Louisiana Nurses Foundation as Advance Practice Nurse of the Year. A member of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, she has also been honored with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners State Award for Excellence.

THREE BIOLOGY PROFESSORS AWARDED EM ERITU S HON OR S William P. Bond, William “Nick” Norton, and David M. Sever, retired members of Southeastern Louisiana University’s Department of Biology were awarded emeritus honors at the university’s annual Faculty-Staff Convocation Friday, August 14.

Bond served at Southeastern for 44 years. During his tenure, he earned the President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service in 2005. In 2009, he was elected to the Southeastern Athletic Hall of Fame and was a faculty representative to the Trans America Athletic Conference and the Southland Conference. He served as vice president of the Southland Conference as well.

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

Norton retired from Southeastern after serving as a member of the department for 37 years. He was department head and Director of the Institute of Biodiversity and Interdisciplinary Studies, where he administered the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program. Norton also played a key role in building Southeastern’s Electron Microscopy Center.

Sever also retired after serving as head of the department.

With an expertise in reproductive anatomy of vertebrates, he is internationally recognized as one of the most important salamander biologists in the world. In 2013, he was recognized by the Herpetologists’ League as its Distinguished Herpetologist, a title held by only 32 other scientists.

NEW MEDIA & ANIMATION PROGRAM AGAIN C ITED AS ON E OF BEST IN T H E SO UT H , NAT I O N

CREATING IN 3-D – Nicholas Guillory, a Southeastern senior majoring in New Media and Animation, uses the visual art lab’s new Oculus Rift headset in a virtual reality project he is developing while art Professor John Valentino checks his work on a monitor.

The New Media and Animation program at Southeastern has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year by the website Animation Career Review as one of the top animation and game design schools in the United States and the Southern region.

Initiated in response to regional workforce demands in recent years only a few years ago in the university’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts, the program was ranked 15th in the South and 47th nationwide by the website.

“This honor once again affirms the superb work being generated by the students and faculty in this dynamic segment of our art and design unit,” said Ken Boulton, former interim head of the Department of Fine and Performing Arts.

“It is recognition that is highly deserved.”

Professor John Valentino said the computer studios and other equipment available – including the addition of virtual reality equipment used in gaming and other art forms - are among the best, providing students with valuable experience that easily translates into workforce skills. The program combines artistic talent with technical proficiency.

ACR formulates its rankings by taking into account academic reputation, feedback from industry firms on the programs they value highly, the depth and breadth of the program, and geographic proximity to the industry’s leading firms. Also considered is the value of the program as it relates to tuition and indebtedness.

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YOU S A I D I T

a [ somewhat ] scientific P OLLING of ALUMN I

I WOULD RATHER:

22.5% SURF THE INTERNET 41.7% WATCH TV

I HAVE BEEN TO homecoming activities on campus

61.7% YES

35.8% READ A BOOK

38.3% NO DO YOU HAVE KIDS?

74.4% YES

FAVORITE

vacation spot?

HOW MANY? 1

18.6% 2 47.8%

3

23.9% 4 6.8% 5+

38.2% BEACH 29.1% MOUNTAINS

2.9%

WILL YOU BE TRAVELING

over the holidays?

7.8% BIG CITY 10.7% WHAT’S A VACTION?

11.8% YES, BUT NOT TOO FAR 27.9% YES, OUT OF STATE 38.6% NO, MY FAMILY IS CLOSE BY 21.7% NO, HOME IS THE BEST PLACE FOR THE HOLIDAYS 14

SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

S OU T HEA S T ER N S M A L L B U S I N ES S D EV ELOP M EN T C EN T ER

Recognized as B E S T I N T H E N AT I O N

Southeastern’s Small Business Development Center was recognized as the best in the nation by the U.S. Small Business Association at the SBA’s annual awards held at the White House in early May. The award was presented by SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet as part of the SBA’s recognition of National Small Business Week. Present to accept the award on behalf of Southeastern were Director William Joubert, Assistant Director and Training Coordinator Sandy Summers, and Business Consultants Wayne Ricks and Brandy Boudreaux.

All four staff members are graduates of Southeastern business programs.

The previous week, the Southeastern SBDC received recognition at the Louisiana Governor’s mansion for earning top state and multi-state regional awards as the best unit in those areas.

“This award recognizes the tremendous emphasis that Southeastern places

in helping to build the economic development of our region, which is actually a part of our mission,” said John L. Crain, Southeastern president. “After years of commitment to assisting our area businesses and industries, we are proud to be recognized at this high level.”

U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise said the Southeastern SBDC has been a champion for small business, “IT WAS A GREAT HONOR TO CONGRATULATE DIRECTOR WILLIAM JOUBERT AND HIS TEAM AT THE LSBDC IN PERSON FOR RECEIVING THIS MUCHDESERVED NATIONAL AWARD,” SCALISE SAID. “AS THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR LOUISIANA’S FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, I AM PROUD TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE THE LSBDC TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE THE BUSINESS

Congressman Steve Scalise congratulates center director William Joubert

COMMUNITY BY ADVOCATING FOR LEGISLATION THAT GROWS A MAIN STREET ECONOMY INSTEAD OF A WASHINGTON, D.C. ECONOMY.” continued on pg. 16 >>

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Business owner Kim Walker conducts a class for entrepreneurs at the SBDC

“We are extremely proud of Bill Joubert and his staff,” added SBA Louisiana District Director Michael Ricks. “Southeastern’s SBDC has been a consistent top performer over the years in a state SBDC network widely recognized across the agency as exceptional. It is truly a remarkable achievement to be acknowledged best of the best.”

Joubert said over the past 10 years, since the center has been located in the university’s Southeast Louisiana Business Center, the SBDC has assisted more than 3,600 clients, aided in the development of more than 220 new businesses and expansions, helped businesses create 2,500 new jobs, and helped obtain more than $328 million in capital formation.

Southeastern operates one of 10 SBDCs in Louisiana and approximately 1,000 in the nation. The group serves the five-parish region of Livingston, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes. The Southeastern SBDC has operated for more than 20 years as a champion for small businesses throughout the region.

Accepting the SBA award are Wayne Ricks, Brandy Boudreaux, Sandy Summers, and director William Joubert

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

DID YOU KNOW?

620

faculty members

academics by the numbers

average class size

24 20 to 1

152

Academic programs majors, minors, and concentrations

teacher to student ratio

270 online/distance education courses

36th ranked nursing program

in the U.S valuecolleges.com

fea ture

STORY

A Unique Place I N T H E NAT I O N

by Rene Abadie & Mike Rivault

Southeastern’s Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies preserves the story of the Florida Parishes

Most people are well acquainted with the history and culture of New Orleans and Acadiana, but lodged between the two areas lie the far lesser-known Florida Parishes. Consisting of eight parishes from the Northshore of St. Tammany to the Feliciana parishes near Baton Rouge, the Florida Parishes have a history set apart from the rest of the nation. The culture of the region is different from any other in Louisiana, and its stories are ripe with international involvement and intriguing incidents and characters.

Unfortunately, most people don’t know much about it.

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Preserving History & Culture, Expanding Knowledge Southeastern serves as the repository and center for the study and preservation of this region’s uniqueness. The Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies is housed in the Sims Memorial Library and is the only place in the nation that focuses on the study of the Florida Parishes region. Started in 1984

by Southeastern history faculty member Dr. Joy Jackson, the Center began largely as a repository for photographic collections and oral histories. As it grew, the opportunity to have it serve in greater capacities became obvious.

After Jackson died, Dr. Sam Hyde, an Amite native and Southeastern associate professor at the time, stepped up, took the reins and has worked for nearly 20 years to grow the Center to educate the people of Louisiana with the rich history and sometimes wild stories associated with the region. With a passion to fill the void in knowledge about the region, Hyde—now Southeastern’s Leon Ford Endowed Chair in Regional Studies and Director of the Center—and Assistant Director Dr. Keith Finley, knew the importance the Center could play.

The collections of the Center have grown to capacity. “We have people call or come in weekly who want to donate their historical artifacts, photos, letters and collections. We are about to run out of space.”

This demonstrates the critical need for the Center. A great, diverse history exists and the region’s population does not want it to fade away. Currently, the Center houses archival pieces from the dawn of the West Florida Republic (the independent nation that was created in 1810) all the way to collections about the regional involvement in President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. It also houses rare artifacts that tell the material culture stories of the area’s many subcultures.

Hyde says a major problem still remains to be tackled – most Louisiana history textbooks either quickly gloss over the region’s distinct history or ignore it entirely. To this end, Hyde and the Center have published multiple books and scholarly articles to bridge some of the outreach and advocacy needs. The Center also produces a newsletter (Centerpiece) and an annual academic journal (Southeast Louisiana Review).

“We really transformed the Center into an academic and popular resource. We focused on expanding the archival holdings, publishing books and articles, creating film projects and creating a robust research center,” says Hyde.

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STORY

Telling Stories One of the main efforts focused on outreach to a more general audience is the series of documentaries that appear on the Southeastern Channel entitled Florida Parish Chronicles. “People today watch TV far more than they read,” observes Hyde, “so this has been great exposure to the history of the area as well as the university. It’s a great vehicle to help explain the culture and history of Louisiana, especially of this part of the state. It has helped call attention to the dramatic pattern of development that occurred in our home region.”

The first program started in 2004, shortly after the creation of the Southeastern Channel, the university’s cable-access education station. Since then, 17 shows have been produced, many collecting awards for production and promotion, including International Communicator and Telly awards, and an Emmy nomination.

“The station needed programming, so General Manager Rick Settoon started working on the project,” Hyde explained. “Rick developed the production, and I came up with the specific topics, which I researched, wrote and narrated.”

Hyde admits the initial episodes were like picking low-hanging fruit. “Those initial episodes were so close to me that I could almost write them right out of my head with very little additional research. Now we are getting into more complex topics that require considerably more research. It’s important that we be as accurate as we can because it is part of the historical record.”

Hyde, the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Foundation for Historical Louisiana, uses his graduate assistants and others on his staff to dig up facts and to help locate photos to illustrate the stories.

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They have access to the vast collections of photos that are housed in the archives of the Center, and Hyde has excellent relationships with other archivists at area universities.

The more prominent programs produced over recent years include an episode on the civil rights struggle in the Florida Parishes, two on the crime and criminals of the area, and one entitled “Who Killed the Kingfish?,” the story of the assassination of Gov. Huey P. Long.

“One of the most exciting was our recent episode on the Breland murders, which took place around Tickfaw,” recalls Hyde.

The crime, which occurred in the early 1900s and involved the murders of several members of the Breland family, is considered one of the most mysterious and diabolical crimes in Louisiana history. The episode took over a year to produce and included interviews with six people. “Of course everyone had different stories. In a case like this, we have to go back to the newspapers and court records of the time. The episode generated the most responses we have ever had.”

The series receives many comments and compliments from the public who are glad to see answers to questions about the area’s history.

“The stories aren’t always flattering, but they are exciting,” he adds. “History has lots of dark shadows.”

Hyde feels the documentaries provide great exposure to the history of the area as well as the University. “It helps attract additional collections and collectible items, as well as donations.

It has a very powerful effect.”

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Graduate assistant Lindsay Marshall, center Assistant Director Keith Finley, student worker Yana Uvarova, and Director Sam Hyde

Working Region-Wide to Ensure the Future The Center’s mission is to preserve and promote the history and the cultures of Louisiana’s Florida Parishes, southwestern Mississippi and surrounding areas. Hyde is constantly working to partner with other regional historical groups and museums to ensure that the work done has a network of outlets and that word is spread on all fronts.

Media recently have been reaching out to the Center, in turn.

From national publications like the New York Times to the History Channel, Southeastern as a whole has benefited from being at the heart of this effort.

“We’ve worked with all of the regions’ museums and many other groups to create a West Florida Republic Trail that tourists can follow from St. Francisville to Slidell. We are home to the Southeast Louisiana Historical Association, as well as significant members of the Gulf South Historical Association,” says Hyde. The goal is to ensure that the Center reaches beyond its walls and its academic focus. The singular purpose of the storytelling—from all the books published, through the Florida Parish Chronicles, to the Tourism Trail—is outreach.

“We have to move to a point where this region’s history is incorporated into each and every one of Louisiana’s historical narratives. All of our state’s students need to know about this and value the culturally unique place in which they live.” The first goal will be met, according to Hyde, when the textbooks include the Florida Parishes as a unique region with its own story to tell, and the people of this state and region value that legacy. Ideally, this will provide for the realization of the second goal: a new museum and nationally-recognized destination that ensures the permanence of the story of the Florida Parishes and its people.

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But it doesn’t end there.

Florida Parishes - did you know?

The region was not a part of the It was its own independent

LOUISIA N A P U RCH A S E .

nation before Texas.

It was the ONLY PL AC E in the United States to be governed by all of the major European colonial powers.

It had one of the

HIG HEST RATES

of violent, feud-related deaths.

It was where a movement was started that ultimately REM OVED S PA I N A S A CO LO NI A L P OW E R from the .

entire western hemisphere

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LOOK AT

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THE NEW STUDENT UNION RENOVATION CONTINUES AND HAS GREATLY IMPROVED STUDENT-CENTERED AREAS AND OFFICES FA L L 2 0 1 5

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WORKING TO UNDERSTAND

Regional Bee Populations

BY TONYA LOWENTRITT

When most people think of bees, they think of the taste of good honey, a bee landing on a flower, or getting stung as a curious child. However, bees are an integral part of our global ecosystem. Hundreds of varieties of vegetables, seeds and fruits are dependent on bees for pollination. Livestock are often dependent on bee-pollinated forage plants. In the United States, the value of bee pollination on an annual basis is in the billions of dollars. But bees are in trouble.

Popular media has covered the declining bee population on a global scale for some time, and the southeastern United States is seeing the same decline. Answers and solutions are few, but a few scientists are working to understand the problem.

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Graduate studvent Eric Van Gorder An evolutionary ecologist at Southeastern is in the midst of a project to compare and survey bee communities in area conservation habitats in southeastern Louisiana.

Working with a grant from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Janice Bossart is performing a systematic survey of the native bee fauna in Southeast Louisiana. The grant funds are also allowing Bossart to include Eric Van Gorder, a graduate student from Fuquay Varina, N.C., as well as several undergraduates in her work. “This survey of the native bee populations in vulnerable habitats will have multiple tangible benefits for conservation management in Louisiana,� Bossart said.

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The project is intended to address several priorities identified by the Louisiana Wildlife Action Plan, Bossart explained, including surveys of bee populations, a critical but understudied insect.

“These surveys will generate data on the distribution and abundance of various species with a primary aim toward identifying rare,

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habitat-restricted and/or declining species,” she added.

In fact, Bossart said that a few interesting identifications have already been made from some uncommon species, one of which has only been collected from Louisiana only once before decades ago.

Her team recently collected a couple of cleptoparasites – bees that lay their eggs in the

nests of other bees forcing the other bees to take care of their young.

“The project also presents a unique opportunity to explicitly assess how certain bee species in Louisiana have fared over the past decade,” she said.

Bossart predicts the study should generate a wealth of valuable information to conservation stakeholders, including species’ checklists and inventories, species abundance data, locality and geospatial data, photographs and field notes, project reports and scientific publications.

“Insects in general are understudied and underdocumented relative to other animals, but are critical components of ecosystems,” she said. “Survey data are essential for determining species that warrant conservation attention,” she said. “Insects are sensitive indicators of environmental

change, and surveys like this have the power to reveal species that can ultimately be used to quantify and track the biological and ecological condition of Louisiana’s habitats that may be of conservation concern.”

Van Gorder and Bossart searching for specimens

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SOUTHEASTERN’S ‘YOU BE THE CHEMIST’ ENCOURAGES STEM INTEREST

by Kandace Formaggio

“Science is the key to our future.”

This simple yet poignant idea from nearly everyone of a certain generation’s favorite childhood "science guy," Bill Nye, conveys the importance of providing excellent science education to our youth. However, from 20102014, ACT data show that the interest of Louisiana high school graduates in STEM careers has dropped below the national average.

This begs a timely question: how can we get young people thinking more about science? Southeastern’s answer: give them outlets early on to learn and experience how fun science can really be.

Southeastern professors David Norwood and Georgina Little have embraced the idea of exposing students to science at an early age.

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Since 2010 they have partnered with the Tangipahoa Parish School System to coordinate the “You Be the Chemist Challenge,” a physical sciences competition hosted by the Southeastern Department of Chemistry and Physics. YBTC is a national contest created by the Chemical Education Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to enhancing science education in every generation.

With financial support from Bercen, Inc. a Denham Springs chemical manufacturer that has partnered with Southeastern for years, the university and the TPSS host a district YBTC competition where 300 students in grades 5-8 from 18 area schools are invited to compete each year.

“Students are first given a written test in their schools, and the highest scoring students are selected to attend the event at Southeastern. Here they get to compete against students from other schools,” remarked Cecilia Lanier, Tangipahoa Parish School System STEM Coordinator.

Similarly, students compete at the district level by first taking a written examination; the top 30 students then participate in a quiz-bowl type event where they get a chance to showcase their chemistry and physics knowledge.

The top three students of the quiz-bowl advance to the state competition, and the top student from each state earns an all-expense paid trip to the national YBTC challenge.

According to Lanier, this event is a great way to pique students’ interests in chemistry and physics before they take these courses in high school. Former Hammond Junior High School student and Challenge veteran Isabella Hood said YBTC helped develop her interest in the sciences and influenced her to enroll in a more difficult STEM program at her junior high. “YBTC got me excited about taking extra math and science classes to better prepare me for high school and college.”

A science competition is not the only thing students get to experience at YBTC. Students in the Chemistry and Physics Department create a funfilled day of hands-on experimenting and learning, where they can see and experience science in action.

“What’s nice about YBTC is that it targets kids at an age before they’ve become afraid of chemicals and chemistry; we tap into their natural curiosity,” added Little, Southeastern chemistry instructor and coordinator of the event. She continued, “We’ve had them make their own slime from polyvinyl alcohol that they get to keep, and we’ve made invisible ink messages from phenolphthalein.”

Participants also get to make marbleized paper with shaving cream and food coloring, see the cool things

liquid nitrogen can do to everyday objects, and watch the amazing color changes of acid-base reactions.

These are things students don’t get to experience at school, Little says, as she walks around to see eager faculty and undergraduates immersed in an activity. “They look downright giddy, and that kind of passion is contagious,” she added.

Members of the community including industry representatives from Bercen, Inc., LIGO Livingston, and the Hammond High Robotics Club also meet the excited students to talk with them about careers in the sciences and opportunities to develop their science skills further in high school.

YBTC is not only a learning experience for the young people who attend, but it is also a teaching aid for the number of chemistry and physics undergraduates who lead experiment stations at the event. After running experiments at YBTC for the last three years, senior biochemistry major Binit Sharma Poudel commented, “My favorite part of the program is the liquid nitrogen station where we can talk with the young students and actually show them the different cool aspects of science.”

Flowers said he feels programs like this that encourage STEM are wonderful.

While participating in YBTC, he had a great time showing kids the fun of chemistry.

Both Lanier and Little observe that students are getting very excited about this event, and interest is spreading beyond the event day. Some schools, including Ponchatoula Jr. High School, have even created their own YBTC year-round clubs, where students start doing chemistry experiments and preparing for the challenge long before the competition takes place. This is the perfect outcome: Southeastern prompts STEM interest in students in the region that benefit the students, the school system, regional industry and the University as well.

Programs like this will continue to cultivate and prepare students for fulfilling and challenging lives as young scientists.

Recent Southeastern chemistry graduate Deshae Sorrells said, “Kids of any age can become interested in science if we can show them real world cases that are exciting.” Likewise, chemistry graduate and current Duke University doctoral candidate Patrick

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media SHELF

WHAT IF

Plato were alive today?

by Rene Abadie

If Plato were alive today, what would he think of our modern times? Specifically, how would he react to a modern world where secularism and religious fundamentalism are dividing us ever more deeply?

Southeastern Psychology Professor Matt Rossano thinks that modern science and society pose a serious challenge to Platonic ideas, a challenge the ancient philosopher would have welcomed. However, at the same time, he said, modern science and society can be critiqued using Platonic ideals.

Rossano’s latest book, Seeking Perfection: A Dialogue about the Mind, the Soul and What It Means to Be Human, seeks to do just that.

“Today, Plato has become a statue. We forget that he was a real man and that he lived a fascinating life,” Rossano said. “He wrestled and wrote poetry as a youth, and he fought in the Peloponnesian War.” After the war, he was briefly associated with the Thirty Tyrants who ruled Athens. He quickly recognized their brutality and corruption and severed his ties with the group, though this did not end Plato’s involvement in politics. He made a series of excursions to Sicily where he sought to mold a true philosopher king, Dionysus II of Syracuse. When that attempt failed, he was arrested and nearly sold into slavery. Powerful friends had to engineer his escape by boat back to Athens.

“I always wondered what he must have been thinking about on that long boat ride home, and that’s where the book begins,” Rossano explained.

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The book is not set in ancient Greece, but instead in modern times. Plato – who lived between 428 and 347 BCE – was actually a nickname, his birth name being Aristocles. The name “Plato” referred to his broad build. Rossano takes liberties in the book, renaming him Paulo Aristocles.

“As he returns to Athens, ‘Paulo’ engages in a series of dialogues with the ship’s crew and captain, addressing issues of religion, science, secularism, and the uniqueness of the human mind,” the author states. “How would Plato react to a modern world where secularism and religious fundamentalism are growing, while the gap between the human mind and the animal mind is narrowing?”

In the book, Rossano takes some creative license mixed with real history, science and philosophy, addressing that question in a narrative/dialogue format.

“Contrary to what some may think, Plato translates well into modern times,” he said. “He translates into any era because ultimately he was an idealist. He sought perfection. We may disagree with how he defined that, but if so, he forces us to propose an equally defensible alternative. In any time or place, engaging in that dialectic process is ennobling.”

Rossano is also the author of Supernatural Selection: How Religion Evolved, published by Oxford Press and Mortal Rituals: What the Story of the Andes Survivors Tells Us about Human Evolution published by Columbia University Press. His latest book, Seeking Perfection, is available through Transaction Publishers.

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after OFFICE

HOURS

It’s All In The Hunt

by Mike Rivault

Associate Professor of Acting James Winter is good at what he does. He’s a teacher, but also a professional actor, writer and director of both film and stage. The native Long Islander has written and published plays and textbooks, lived and worked abroad, traveled extensively and has called Louisiana home for over 15 years.

But lurking beneath his professional accolades and notables is a man on the hunt. Unlike most Louisiana hunters, though, he doesn’t squat in a duck blind or climb a tree stand waiting for the next buck to pass. He hunts garage sales, international second hand stores, outdoor markets and holes-in-the-wall where something good may be hiding among the dust and knick-knacks.

His target - vintage vinyl albums and records.

“I had a small collection of albums from high school, but unfortunately, I lost the collection when my house was destroyed by Katrina,” said Winter.

From there his interest was renewed when an anonymous student left a vinyl Pink Floyd album on his desk in what he assumes was a post-semester thank you gift.

“I figured I needed something to play it on, so I picked up a new turntable.

From there things have progressed at an accelerated rate,” he recalls.

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Winter’s hunting, though, is not specifically about value or a particular niche or genre; it’s about the listening.

Most of his music time is spent listening to the unique sound that vinyl provides. So, while he is open to almost anything, it usually has to be an album he wants to hear.

“Music is something I take great pleasure in when away from school.

Since I really got into collecting, records are my primary means of listening to music when I am at home. So, first and foremost, I’m just looking for albums I like listening to and don't yet have. The second factor is uniqueness,” he noted.

Uniqueness can certainly be in the eye of the beholder, but Winter noted that travelling abroad makes for great opportunities to find quality.. some of the most unusual finds are procured overseas.

“Nearly all of my favorites are records I’ve found internationally,” he said. “I just picked up this weird collection of Creedence Clearwater Revival songs in East Berlin. It must’ve been a holdover from the cold war because all the writing on the album is in Cyrillic. So it looks cool, plays wonderfully and has a lot of great songs on it.”

While it is still all about the hunt and finding something he’d like to listen to, the hunt is not arbitrary. Winter has areas and genres that he hopes to find in his search. Early rap, hip-hop and jazz are in his sights for future acquisitions.

“A lot of the great early rap and hip-hop albums are old enough to have been released on vinyl. I'd love to get my hands on some from that era. I'd also like to acquire some more of the great jazz albums. Both of these genres can be hard to find used and in good condition,” said Winter.

Winter found a nearly pristine White Album from the Beatles at a market in London, which has become his most listened to album, as well as possibly the most valuable. He quickly notes that other collectors would be envious when they find out what a good deal he got on this one. While admitting he should seal it up and keep it for future grandchildren due to its value he said, “I love it and play it often. It just sounds so good.”

There are a few albums that he really hopes to find, but it always is about the hunt, the joy of discovery and the music he likes. When asked if he has listened to his entire collection, Winter responds, “for better or worse, yes.”

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Christmas Carols, do you know their meaning?

by Rene Abadie

Christmas is just around the corner and that means Christmas carols.

You know the words and you know the melodies, but do you know what they all mean?

Southeastern Communication Professor Joseph Burns researched the topic thoroughly for a presentation he made at the university’s annual Fanfare festival last year, a fall celebration of the arts, humanities and social sciences.

Burns explained that many people can get the wrong idea by going solely according to the title or lyrics. For example: In “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen,” he singles out the comma placement.

“It has nothing to do with happy, merry men. It was first published in the mid-1700s and is referenced in Dickens’s ‘A Christmas Carol,’” explained Burns, who produces the weekly radio show Rock School on the university’s station KSLU-FM. “The word ‘merry’ means strong or mighty as in ‘Merry Old England,’ and the word ‘rest’ means to keep or make. So the title translates to ‘God keep you mighty, gentlemen,’ and refers to the lamplighters and additional men hired to patrol during the holidays.”

“You may sing ‘We Three Kings,’ but you should recognize that in Matthew 2:1-12 there are no references to the number three, kings, the Orient, or their names,” Burns states. “The passage suggests the men were Magi, those who studied the stars. Also, they came from the East, which most likely was Persia or present day Iraq. And the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar came from an early 6th century Greek manuscript.” “’Good King Wenceslas’ is a great song as well,” Burns said, “except St. Wenceslaus I, on whom the song is based, was the Duke of Bohemia, not a king. Luckily Holy Roman Emperor Otto I posthumously conferred on Wenceslas the title of ‘king.’”

The song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” almost never got recorded, he said. Written in 1943 by Kimball Gannon about a soldier writing to his family, no music publishers wanted to touch it, thinking it would have brought people down during the holiday.

“Luckily Gannon was a golfing buddy with Bing Crosby, who recorded it on the B-side of the highest selling single of all time, ‘White Christmas.’ A song no one wanted sold 50 million copies,” he said.

Before 1857, Santa did not land on your roof, but on your lawn, as in the phrase “When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter.” Burns said the switch came when the song “Up on the House Top” was written by Benjamin Hanbly and recorded by a multitude of singers, most notably Gene Autry in 1953.

He’s been landing there since.

The carol “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is a relatively new classic released in 1962 by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Baker. Burns said they were asking if you heard a bomb, and the song was written as a cry for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Burns asks why Alvin wants a Hula Hoop in the Chipmunk’s Christmas? It’s because the song was released in 1958, and the number one selling toy that year was…you guessed it, a Hula Hoop.

“You can use this to sound informed this year about Christmas carols,” Burns adds. “So Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way which, by the way, is not a Christmas song. It was written in 1857

by James Pierpoint for his Boston Sunday School Thanksgiving celebration.”

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OUT

there

Area Youth Zoom into Careers

By Sarah Gromko Each summer Southeastern hosts its Zoom into Careers workshop series.

For four weeks in June, 7th through 12th graders from the southeastern Louisiana region willingly abandon their summer vacations and late mornings to temporarily experience adulthood and meeting deadlines to complete industry-specific projects. Choosing from workshops at one of the three Southeastern locations, these students began to discern their post-high school directions through industry experience, teamwork, and project completion.

Each of the seven workshops’ curricula are drawn from Southeastern’s own courses. The names of each workshop incorporate the overall program title “Zoom into Careers” to become Zoom into a particular topic. For example, the popular offerings of Zoom into Animation, Zoom into Photography, Zoom into Television, and Zoom into Theater were brought back this year. The formerly distinct Zoom into Automotive Technology and Zoom into Industrial Engineering workshops combined their efforts this year into the multi-faceted workshop entitled Zoom into Industrial & Engineering Tech.

Recognizing the increasing need for new graduates in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the variety of workshops this year was expanded to include Computer Science and Environmental Sciences. The latter garnered special interest from Bercen Chemical of Denham Springs, which generously sponsored the program to help reduce enrollment fees for interested students.

Led by instructor and forestry specialist Dr. Rebecca Effler, the participants were given the opportunity to explore a wide array of career options within organizations such as the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Environmental Quality, and to become familiar with environmental stewardship, policy, and law. According to Effler, they were given “hands-on experience through identification of forest and wetland plants, uploading local satellite imagery to obtain environmental information.”

Turtle Cove Environmental Research Center, Southeastern’s Wetland Research Facility in Manchac Swamp, was also utilized for a day of the workshop.

Charlotte Collins, director of Non-Credit Programs at Southeastern, emphasized the importance of teamwork within the workshops. Each workshop’s final project required knowledge in multiple facets of its respective industry.

Zoom into Theater, which ended with a student-produced event in Southeastern’s 455-seat Vonnie Borden Theatre, required combined efforts in playwriting, acting, and design (scenic, costume, props, etc). The sold-out Zoom into Animation workshop required intensive instruction in character design, storyboarding, and narrative structure.

Participants showcased their animated shorts and projects to friends and family the final day. Southeastern Channel General Manager Rick Settoon and his Zoom into Television students fully

produced a two-minute news story segment that aired on the channel and was put on Southeastern’s website, while the Zoom into Computer Science students produced their own games with storylines and animation.

The final projects weren’t confined to media. Zoom into Computer Science students also set up their own businesses. Using professional software, they created logos, business cards, letterhead stationery, brochures, and even business websites and videos.

Exposure to modeling software that creates 3D engineering drawings allowed Zoom into Industry & Engineering Tech to fulfill its title’s promise. It covered extensive ground, including building circuits, creating industrial molds, and ultimately creating a solar collection device.

Many adults work half their careers before fully understanding how their personalities and talents can most benefit the workforce. By offering professional exposure and experience to this age group, Southeastern aims to better prepare a new generation of professionals. Focus on the industries of technology and media allows students to acquire cutting-edge skills, while discovering the delicate art of time management and collaboration.

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ATHLETICS

Lions in the Pros

by Kemmler Chapple

Recently Southeastern Athletics has produced several student-athletes who are having success at the next level. These former Lions have used the tools they learned in Hammond to ply their craft professionally.

Robert Alford, Atlanta Falcons

The two highest profile players are former baseball player Wade Miley and former football player Robert Alford. Miley, who hails from Loranger, La., is in the midst of his fourth full season as a Major League Baseball starting pitcher. In 2012 he was named the Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks after finishing the season with a 16-11 record.

Miley, a 2014 inductee into the Southeastern Athletics Hall of Fame, went through a major career change prior to the 2015 season. He switched leagues and became a member of the rotation of the Boston Red Sox. In his first season in Beantown, the former Lion southpaw has posted a 9-9 record as of mid-summer 2015. Miley has been a solid performer throughout his professional career. He has won 47 games as a MLB starter and has struck out 605 batters in 778.1 innings pitched.

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Alford is currently playing his third season with the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons. Named FCS Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, he was the 60th overall pick in the 2013 draft. His second round pick was announced by Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders. Alford has made an immediate impact in his first two seasons in the league. The former Hammond High Tornado played in all 16 games as a rookie, then earned a starting spot heading into year two. In 2014, Alford started 10 games before an injury ended his second season prematurely. In 26 career games, he has five interceptions.

Another former Lion is looking to join Alford in the NFL. Quarterback Bryan Bennett, who helped the Lions to consecutive Southland Conference championships and the first two FCS playoff appearances in school history, started the season attempting to earn a roster spot with the Indianapolis Colts.

The 2013 Southland Player of the Year was one of three quarterbacks on the Colts’ roster along with All-Pro Andrew Luck and longtime NFL veteran Matt Hasselbeck.

Bennett, who hails from Granada Hills,

Wade Miley, Boston Red Sox California, made his NFL preseason debut on August 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bennett played the entire second half under center for the Colts. On his first drive, he led Indianapolis on a methodical 14-play, 80-yard scoring march – the team’s only touchdown drive of its preseason opener.

“IT’S GREAT FOR US TO HAVE OUR FORMER STUDENT-ATHLETES EXCEL PROFESSIONALLY,” SOUTHEASTERN DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS ARTIGUES SAID. “WHEN WADE SIGNS A BIG CONTRACT WITH THE RED SOX OR ROBERT STARS WITH THE FALCONS, SOUTHEASTERN IS MENTIONED AND THAT’S GREAT PUBLICITY FOR SLU. IT’S NOT JUST A PLUS FOR OUR ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT, BUT IT’S ALSO BENEFICIAL FOR OUR UNIVERSITY AS A WHOLE.” Several other Lions are chasing their professional dreams. Former Lion baseball players Brock Hebert, Andro Cutura, Andrew Godbold, Jake Johnson, Kevin Carr, Tate Scioneaux and Kyle Keller are climbing the minor league ranks. A pair of 2014-15 men’s basketball seniors – DeVante Upson and Onochie Ochie – have signed professional contracts to play overseas.

QB Bryan Bennett

It’s great for us to have our former student-athletes excel professionally... It’s not just a plus for our Athletic Department, but it’s also beneficial for our university as a whole.

”

Jay Artigues, Athletic Director

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ATHLETICS

Isiah Corbett, Southland Conference student-athlete of the year

In the past two years, the Southeastern Athletics Department has won seven Southland Conference championships. The competition field has not been the only place where the Lions and Lady Lions have excelled, as 2014-15 saw SLU student-athletes put together impressive performances in the classroom as well.

During the 2014-15 season, 184 student-athletes earned spots on the Southland Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. To earn a spot on the list, student-athletes had to maintain a 3.0 grade point average or better. Of the Lions and Lady Lions honored, 34 earned 4.0 GPAs. “Our primary goal for all of our student-athletes is for each one to walk across the stage and receive a diploma,” Director of Athletics Jay Artigues said. “We also want each of them to have a championship ring on their fingers. The dedication to academic excellence our student-athletes have displayed is the expectation.”

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Perhaps the student-athlete that embodies the dedication Artigues speaks of is Renee Villarreal of the women’s tennis team. The Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico native has maintained a 4.0 GPA as a finance major. For her efforts, she has been named to the first team Southland Conference All-Academic and CoSIDA Academic All-District VI in each of the past two seasons. She also will be the president of the Southeastern Student-Athlete Advisory Committee in 2015-16.

Villarreal’s success in the classroom has been matched by her performance on the court. In her three seasons, she has posted a 55-6 record in singles play, earning first team AllSouthland Conference and All-Louisiana honors each of her three seasons. The well-rounded Villarreal has been named the Southeastern Female Student-Athlete of the Year each of the past two years.

“Renee has been an outstanding representative of our program and university since the day she set foot on campus,” SLU head tennis coach Jason Hayes said. “Her

Lions in the Classroom

by Kemmler Chapple

dedication to her academic and athletic performance has been tremendous. Renee represents everything we want out of our student-athletes, and we are fortunate to have someone of her caliber leading our team.�

Renee Villarreal

In the fall, Southeastern linebacker Isiah Corbett was named the Southland Conference Football Student-Athlete of the Year. Corbett was one of three student-athletes from the Lion football program to earn Academic All-Southland Conference honors, along with Joe Graves and Jacob Newman.

The Southeastern golf team placed a school record four student-athletes on the Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar list. Southeastern was represented by senior Grady Brame, senior Baptiste Courtachon, junior Lawrence Allan and junior Eamon Bradley. Brame and Courtachon were repeat selections, and the Lions were represented on the list for the 11th consecutive season. Southeastern is one of only seven schools in Division I to have four or more players on the list with only East Tennessee State having more with five.

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CLASS

notes

K E E PI N G

in touch

‘ 6 9 | D O N A L D G EO RG E , professor at The Crane School of Music, SUNY-Potsdam, with Lucy Mauro on the piano, has produced a new CD, Return to Old Ireland: Music of Mary McAuliffe. The CD was released

by Delos Productions. ’ 73 , ' 9 7 | C H A R L E S " T I G E R " E DWA R DS , reporter and sportscaster for the St. Tammany Parish Public School television station, Channel 13, was honored by the New Orleans Press Club with a first place award in the category of General News TV Writing. ’ 74 | DAV I D V I A L of Hammond has been appointed to serve on the board of directors of the Tangipahoa Parish Economic Development Foundation. ‘ 8 7, ' 9 6 | STAC I S U L L I VA N has been named Chief Nursing Officer for Lane Regional Medical Center in Zachary, La., where she oversees all aspects of nursing care for the hospital. Prior to her appointment, she was the Vice President of Infant and Pediatric Services at Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge. She is an advanced nurse practitioner. ’ 8 9 | M E L I SSA T RY N I EC K I B O R D E LO N has been named President and Chief Executive Officer of the Greater Hammond Chamber of Commerce after having served for several years as Director of Programs and Events with the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce. She has also worked as the Annual Fund Director at Southeastern, Director of the Lionettes dance team, and as a member of the Southeastern Alumni Association. ’ 93 | BA R RY L . D U N L A P of Walker has published a new children’s picture book, Mr. Mosquito, a bilingual tale about a misunderstood, French-speaking Louisiana mosquito. The book is written in English with French subtitles and was illustrated by Ellen Howell. It is available as an e-book or paperback at Amazon. ’ 93 | M I C H A E L “ B R E N D E N ” S I M O N E AUX , a physics teacher at Dutchtown High School in Ascension Parish, was awarded the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. He is one of only two teachers in Louisiana to receive the national honor. The honor comes with a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation. An avid musician, he earned a master’s degree in music education from Southeastern. ’ 9 6 | TA N YA L E A D E R , Vice President of Sales for the St. Tammany Tourist Commission, is one of only 20 industry professionals to be a part of the Louisiana Tourism Leadership Academy Class of 2015. ’ 9 8 | S H E R RY K A I R D O L F B E A R D of Baton Rouge has been named Director of Broadmoor Presbyterian Preschool. Beard taught four-year-olds at the school for 10 years. ’ 9 8 |S H A RO LY N H A R RY- C H I S H O L M , principal of Lexington, N.C., Middle School has been named the 2015 Lexington City Schools Principal of the Year. She is a 21-year veteran of the education profession. ’ 9 9 | K AT H RY N L A N E , P H . D. , Chair of the Department of English, Foreign Languages and Humanities and Assistant Professor of English at Northwestern Oklahoma State University recently received the John Sheffield Teacher of the Year Award at the annual Northwestern Foundation and Alumni Association Awards Ceremony. She has taught English at Northwestern since 2011 and was named Department Chair in 2014.

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’ 9 9 | PAU L R I G G S J R . , C PA has been appointed to serve on the Accounting and Auditing Committee and the Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. He is Audit Director for the Hammond firm, Durnin & James CPAs. ’ 9 8 | C H R I ST I N E B ROW N PAT R I C K has been named the new office manager for the Ponchatoula Chamber of Commerce. She previously worked as the executive officer of the Tangipahoa Home Builders Association. ’ 0 2 | B R A N D I S PA R KS BA SSO, M . D. , has joined North Oaks Primary Care Clinic in Denham Springs. She is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and completed her internship and residency through Baton Rouge General Family Medicine. ‘ 0 6 | ROSS C U R R I E R of Hammond has been appointed Head Football Coach for Sumner High School. He has served as an Assistant Football Coach for several years and as Head Track Coach last year. ‘ 0 6 | S M I T T Y S M I T H , M . D. , has joined Family Medicine Physicians in Hammond. Certified by the American Board of Family Practice, he earned his medical degree with honors from LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans in 2011. ‘ 0 7 | M A R K A R M O U R I I of New Orleans is now at Xavier University of Louisiana Athletics Department as Athletic Trainer. He formerly worked as a trainer for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans and as a training assistant during the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl championship season of 2009. ‘ 0 7 | E R I N W H E E L E R , P H . D. , has been appointed the Assistant Vice President for Academic Support services at Kentucky State University. She previously was a biology instructor at Southern University in Baton Rouge. ’ 0 3 , ’ 0 4 , ’ 0 7 | RO B E RT L A N D RY, an attorney in Houma, La., received advanced level training

in driving under the influence cases from the American Association of Premier DUI Attorneys.

He is the co-author of the only comprehensive book on Louisiana DWI law, DWI Handbook: the Ultimate Guide to Louisiana Drunk Driving Laws. ‘ 1 1 | C H R I STO P H E R T H O M A S , O. D. of Hammond received the Doctor of Optometry

degree from Southern College of Optometry in Memphis. Thomas graduated with cum laude honors. ‘ 1 3 | E M I LY N I C H O L S O F Z AC H A RY, L A . , has been appointed a member of the Zachary

Police Department as a police officer. She graduated officer training at the Capital Area Regional Training Academy in Baton Rouge in June 2014. ‘ 1 3 | B R I N E T T E T H O M P SO N , R N , has been appointed Director of Nursing at Lallie Kemp

Medical Center in Independence, where she began her nursing career as a staff nurse in 1995. ’ 1 5 | PAU L R I V E R A , a recent graduate in communication, has joined KLTV in Tyler, Texas, as a

reporter/multimedia journalist. Previously he served internships at WBRZ-TV and WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge and WDSU-TV in New Orleans.

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giving BACK

GIVING BAC K

SOUTHEASTERN PITCHES IN FOR NEPAL

RE ME M BE R I N G N E PA L Students and members of the Southeastern community gathered in the Student Union mall for an evening candlelight vigil in memory of the victims of the earthquake in Nepal.

It has been well-noted through the generations that Southeastern is a family. One thing that has always set it apart from many universities and colleges is the friendly and caring nature of its culture and people. That familial bond, beyond imparting book knowledge alone, is also about teaching Southeastern students to serve others and be hands-on about it. This spring, when the nation of Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, it became quickly evident that this spirit of serving and giving was strong here at Southeastern.

When news reached Southeastern about the earthquake, students and the rest of the Southeastern family rallied together to contribute what aid it could gather.

Nepal is the home country for the largest segment of Southeastern international students, with slightly more than 100 students attending the university. Many are from the capital city of Kathmandu and its surrounding

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area. In recent years, the university has attracted more and more Nepali students, both undergraduate and graduate. “I was shocked and devastated by the news," said Suraj Ayer, a graduating senior in chemistry and a native of Nepal.

Like other students from Nepal, he tried to reach his family with little success.

Later, most found out their families were generally safe, although dealing with the effects of collapsed buildings around them.

Ayer, a former president of the Nepalese Student Association at Southeastern and this year’s Man of the Year for the Division of Student Affairs, moved fast in launching a fundraising effort to help in the recovery work in his native country. He opened a GoFundMe account to collect funds from the members of the university and community that would be donated to volunteer organizations in Nepal.

The group created an immediate physical presence and placed fundraising stations in the Student Union and in other locations on campus for multiple days.

This outreach also served to educate Southeastern’s students about the disaster that seemed very distant to most.

The strong response by the university population further demonstrated that the family is important. The students’ efforts were a fast success and impressed university administration, as well as the Southeastern Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation is the key non-profit organization that supports the university significantly through fundraising. At its spring meeting, the Board agreed to help the students’ initiative by adding to the effort. The Foundation was able to present a $4,000 check to Nepali students as a match for contributions to the GoFundMe account.

HE LP FOR N E PA L The Southeastern Foundation Board of Directors approved $4,000 in matching funds to assist the student-led fund drive for the people of Nepal. Pictured are, from left, Vice President for University Advancement Wendy Lauderdale, fund initiator Suraj Ayer, Nepalese Student Association President Binit Sharma Poudel, and Foundation Chair Cynthia Nesser.

“The goal was to raise funds to provide support to organizations that will contribute to the continuing recovery and help in the long-term needs of those affected by the disaster,” said Ayer, who graduated this past May. The students also conducted fund raising activities at the Student Union and throughout the campus. Nearly $15,000 was raised through their efforts.

In addition to raising relief funds, the Nepalese students also gathered in the Student Union where they conducted a candlelight vigil for the victims of the earthquake.

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2005 A

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SOUTHEASTERN MAGAZINE

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T H E

S T O R M

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY S P R I N G

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M A G A Z I N E PRESI DENT

Dr. John L. Crain PROVOST & VIC E PR E S I D E N T FO R ACAD E MI C A FFA I RS

Dr. Tammy Bourg VIC E P R E SID EN T FO R AD MI N I ST R AT I O N & FI NA NCE

Sam Domiano VIC E P R E SID E N T FO R U N I V E R S I T Y A DVA NCEM ENT

Wendy Lauderdale, CFRE Florida Parishes article, pg. 18 VI C E PR E S I D E N T FO R ST U D E NT A FFA I RS

Dr. Marvin Yates EXEC UT IVE D I R ECTO R , PU B L I C & G OV E R NM ENTA L A FFA I RS

Erin Moore Cowser D IR ECTO R , MAR K E T I N G & CO MMU N I CAT I ONS

Mike Rivault D I R ECTO R , PU B L I C I N FORM AT I ON

Rene Abadie PH OTOG RA P HY

Randy Bergeron CO N TRI B U TORS

Tonya Lowentritt, Kemmler Chapple Kandace Formaggio Sarah Gromko

Letters: Southeastern Magazine welcomes letters of 300 or fewer words. Letters may be used for publication unless the author states that it is not to be published. Letters may be edited for publication. Send submissions to Editor, Southeastern Magazine, Office of University Advancement, SLU 10293, Hammond, LA 70402 or mrivault@southeastern.edu.

Printing and distribution for the Southeastern Magazine provided by the Southeastern Foundation – southeasternfoundation.org.

COVE R PH OTO : Bee specimen from Dr. Janice Bossart’s collection.

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY F A L L

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M A G A Z I N E

Following Hurricane Katrina, Southeastern opened its doors to hundreds of college and university students from throughout the area who wanted to continue their academic pursuits, even when the institutions in the Greater New Orleans area shut down for the semester. Faculty and staff volunteered to help those displaced students settle in at Southeastern. Many stayed on at the university as permanent students.

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PAID

Florida Parishes

R EG I ON A L B E E P OP U LAT I ON S

Christmas Carols

Southeastern keeps the region’s storied history alive, pg. 18

Studying bee populations with far ranging effects, pg. 26

Do you know their real meaning? pg. 36

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Office of Advancement, SLU 10293 Hammond, LA 70402 southeasternfoundation.org

F A L L

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SUCCESS: Southeastern’s graduate program in education

listed as one of the top 50 in the nation, and the only program listed from Louisiana

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