’ THE LION S ROAR S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S IA NA U N I V E R S I T Y
Hammond, LA
July 11, 2017
Gary and Randon maintain Lion Pride LARSHELL GREEN Editor-in-Chief
Both Miss Southeastern 2017 Kristyn Gary and alumna Miss Southeastern 2015 Emily Randon gained accreditation during the 2017 Miss Louisiana Pageant. Gary and Randon competed in Monroe, Louisiana for the pageant from June 22-24. Gary was the recipient of the Women in Education Scholarship and received a $500 scholarship for competing in the pageant. Gary feels that she discovered more about who she was and who she wants to be as a person while gaining a newfound knowledge of community service. “I don’t think that I would change anything about the pageant,” said Gary. “It was definitely a learning experience for me, and I am thankful for the lessons I learned, the people I met and the overall experience.” With a commitment to necessary rehearsals and appearances, Gary admits that she and other contestants were not able to get much sleep in preparation for their respected categories. “The pageant took a lot of physical and mental preparation,” said Gary. “I had to make sure that I had the necessary wardrobe, prepare myself for the interview, practice my talent and practice for every other part.” The Evening Gown portion of the competition was Gary’s favorite category of the pageant. “My favorite category was probably Evening Gown,” said Gary. “I loved being able to show my calm and elegant side. I also loved that my FleurDe-Lis Princesses were able to come on stage with me for Evening Gown.” Randon recently graduated from the university in May 2016 with a degree in kinesiology and a concentration in exercise science. During this year’s competition, Randon received the Preliminary Lifestyle and
Sophomore early childhood education major and current Miss Southeastern Kristyn Gary received the Women in Education Scholarship. Alumna and former Miss Southeastern 2015 Emily Randon advanced as 2nd runner up in the 2017 Miss Louisiana Pageant. Although neither woman won the crown, they plan to compete next year and take the lessons and experiences that they gained this year into consideration. Courtesy of Steven Palowsky Photography, LLC. Fitness Award, was named a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math semifinalist and ended the pageant as 2nd runner up to newly crowned Miss Louisiana Laryssa Bonacquisti. “I am so proud of myself for consistently placing top three at Miss Louisiana each year I have competed,” said Randon. “I am a three time 2nd runner up, and to me, that is a huge accomplishment. I am so thankful.” Randon was eligible to run for Miss Louisiana 2017 after being named as Miss St. Tammany Heritage 2017. In that pageant, she was recognized for winning awards in Lifestyle and Fitness and Talent. Although Randon did not
take home the crown, she gained lessons that she values during her experience. “Just like with any sport or competition, I have learned that you can’t win every time,” said Randon. “Each girl walks away a winner because of everything we have gained in the process. I have gained friendships, memories and skills that will stay with me the rest of my life. That makes me feel like a winner.” The Talent portion proved to be the portion that Randon enjoyed the most and targeted her preparation towards. “I have been a ballerina for over a decade and a ballet teacher in the Hammond area for the past five years,” said Randon. “It is always a goal of
mine to share my love of ballet yet make it entertaining for an audience that may not know anything about ballet or the classical arts. Because talent is worth the most points, I spent much of my time practicing in the dance studio.” Contestants are expected to showcase most of their qualities in a nonverbal way during Miss Louisiana. Although she does not have any regrets about the outcome of the pageant, Randon hopes that the judges recognized her best attributes. “I am a kind, caring, independent and hard working person, and it was a goal of mine to show that to the judges,” said Randon. The 2018 Miss Louisiana Pageant will be Randon’s last
chance to compete because of the Miss America System’s age limit of 24. “I would love the chance to compete for my dream job one last time,” said Randon. Gary enjoyed her overall experience at the competition and hopes to return next year to compete for more scholarships and to make more friends. She was previously unaware of details about the pageant’s dayto-day operations. “I was surprised to find out that the Miss Louisiana Organization is made up of volunteers,” said Gary. “They all generously give up their time to make sure that our experience is as great as possible.” Although Gary’s main focus over the course of the
competition was competing for the title of Miss Louisiana, her birthday was on the last day of the competition. “Our wonderful hostesses got a birthday cake for me and all of the contestants sang happy birthday to me,” said Gary. “They really made my birthday special. My family and I also celebrated after the pageant.” Being Miss Southeastern 2017 has prepared Gary in a variety of ways to compete for a crown on a larger scale than at the university. “I created my platform, raised funds for service projects and began focusing more on current events,” said Gary. “Miss Louisiana does everything that local titleholders do, just on a larger scale.”
Faculty hirings affected by budget Preparing for a storm amid new season ANNIE GOODMAN Staff Reporter
Due to budget cuts over the years, the university has had to be cautious when filling vacancies in staff. “Loss of state operating dollars in past years has strained Southeastern’s budget across the board,” said Erin Cowser, Executive Director of Public and Governmental Affairs. “Every department and facet of the university has endured reductions in resources. We have worked diligently to be good stewards of all resources available. One of the things we’ve done is to be cautious in filling vacancies that occur through retirements and resignations. For faculty vacancies, any request to fill a vacant position has to be justified based on student enrollment and compliance with accreditation standards.” Cowser feels that though the university has lost faculty, it has maintained valuable faculty members. “All departments and programs are affected by the challenges presented by the budget cuts endured over the last several years,” said Cowser. “All programs have faced challenges in terms of retaining existing faculty and recruiting new faculty. We are very fortunate to have retained some of our most qualified and experienced faculty. Likewise, we are fortunate to have been able to recruit some well-qualified new faculty. Those programs where the supply and demand inequity is greatest are most challenged in terms of recruitment and retention. For example, computer science is an academic program that has experienced growing demand for qualified faculty. As a result, faculty in that discipline are difficult to
recruit and retain.” This year, however, the legislative session ended without any cuts to higher education funding. “Higher education in Louisiana has been able to let out a collective sigh of relief this year,” said Cowser. “This is one of the first years in many that we are not having to try to address reductions in state support. We are concerned, however, that any reprieve may be temporary given the ‘fiscal cliff’ next year.” Cowser believes things are starting to move in the right direction for higher education but there is still uncertainty. “Our funding has been stabilized but at such a level that Louisiana institutions remain funded at one of the lowest levels in the entire country,” said Cowser. “Although budget stability is essential, and we are extremely grateful to the governor and many legislators for achieving that outcome in this recent legislative session, one of the first obstacles we’ll encounter going forward is the fiscal cliff that looms in the 2017-18 fiscal year when temporary sales tax measures expire leaving a gaping $1.2 billion hole in the budget.” Cowser remains hopeful for the future of higher education. “Even a temporary break in the seemingly endless budget cut monotony is welcome,” said Cowser. “Our University of Louisiana System President Jim Henderson summed up our current position well. ‘While we still trail our competitors in terms of resources per student, the stability in state funding and the fulfillment of the TOPS promise position our universities to deliver an even greater return on investment,’ he said. ‘Through this work, we laid a foundation upon which a stronger Louisiana will be built.’”
Weather
Tuesday H 90 L 73
ZACHARY ARAKI Staff Reporter
Students and faculty are encouraged to take the necessary safety precautions for the hurricane season. The Atlantic hurricane season ranges from June 1 to Nov. 30. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Hurricane Center, the season peaks around Sept. 10. While Louisiana is subject to severe storms, such as Hurricane Katrina and the 2016 flood, the university is not as vulnerable as coastal communities. “The effects are relative to the veracity of the weather situation,” said Executive Director of Public and Governmental Affairs Erin Cowser. “Sometimes there are limbs that blow down and affiliated power outages. Thankfully, Southeastern is situated far enough inland that storm surge is not a threat.” The first step to storm safety is being informed. Students and faculty are urged to register with the emergency alert system. Instructions for signing up can be found by clicking the “Emergency Alert Sign Up” link at the bottom of the university website. “It’s wise to have a hurricane
Index
Wednesday H 92 L 73
Campus Life.................................2 Opinions.....................................3 A&E............................................4
Horoscope, Crossword, Sudoku....5 Sports.........................................6 News..........................................8
kit packed with essentials and important paper documents,” said Cowser. “Backing up important electronic data is always a smart move. You should make a communications plan with family for after the storm. It’s recommended that an outof-state contact be set in case communication within the state is difficult if not impossible. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security has a nice app, Get a Game Plan. It’s free, and it can walk you through steps you can take for your personal safety and hurricane preparations.” Emergency guides are available online. In cases of emergency, the university has over 40 Code Blue emergency phones around campus and speakers that can broadcast sirens or voice alerts. “The protocols and responsibilities are outlined in the university’s Emergency Management Plan,” said Cowser. “The mission of this plan is to protect the health and safety of the campus community by coordinating disaster preparedness planning, risk mitigation, response, emergency communication systems and incident recovery activities.” The University Police Department, the University
Counseling Center and other departments on campus are available to assist in the case of emergencies. Annette Baldwin, a counselor at the Counseling Center since 2003, has seen students come in after a crisis and try to adjust. “When you think of storms like last year or storms like Katrina, a lot of times your community is disrupted,” said Baldwin. “We’ve had families that have had to relocate, so those typical family traditions like if you always got together with your family and extended family, well, now they don’t live locally anymore. A lot of times people have to go through a grief process depending on their variables of what they lost and then again recreating or re-adjusting to a new normal.” Preparation and response plans are reviewed for any necessary modifications based on past storms. “While countless properties throughout the region suffered from last year’s flooding, Southeastern’s buildings were spared,” said Cowser. “Our Emergency Management Plan and MOU’s with partner agencies in the aftermath of severe weather are reviewed annually for any needed updates, tweaks or additions.”
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