The Lion's Roar 09/10/2019

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HAMMOND, LA

SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

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

Mr. Southeastern pageant returns SHAELYN MARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

2019 Miss Southeastern Louisiana University Chelsey Blank will host a new event to raise money for her platform. Blank explained why she was encouraged to start the Mr. Southeastern pageant. “I co-hosted the Special Olympics Queens Booth in May of this year,” said Blank. “Since that was not specifically for Down Syndrome Awareness, I decided to start the Mr. SLU pageant to raise money for my platform. All proceeds will go to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater New Orleans along with the money I’ve raised over my reign.” In the past years after each pageant Miss Southeastern did not have a specific event to promote their platform on campus. Blank wishes to change this by creating the Mr. Southeastern pageant as a tradition for the future Miss Southeastern. Blank hopes the future Miss Southeastern will continue the Mr. SLU pageant to continue to raise awarness and fund for their platform of their choice to gain more support and awarness on campus. Mr. SLU pageant will be very similar to the Miss Southeastern pageant. On the day of the event the contestants will compete by introducing themselves, answering on-stage question, showcasing talent, and presenting formal wear/ social impact statement. To help the judges get to know the contestants prior to the pageant, the participants will turn in a one page biography that they can glance at. The pageant will be judged Dr. Gabe Willis, the dean of students; James Winter, the artistic director of the Colombia Theatre for the Performing

Arts; Jeremy Jackson, and Nancy Whann Down, Syndrome Association of Greater New Orleans Board Member. Blank has mixed emotions about the upcoming event. “I’m most excited to see these men show off their talents,” said Blank. “I think talent is the way people truly express themselves, and I can’t wait to see them have fun with it. I’m nervous only because it is the day before fall break. I’m hoping this will not severely impact the attendance.” Johnathan Zeringue, a junior nursing majo,r is one of the contestants who will be participating in the Mr. SLU pageant and has similar feelings. “I am most nervous about the talent competition because I will be going up against a great group of guys who each want to display their skills with the audience, and I will have to showcase my talent to the best of my ability in order to compete against them,” said Zeringue. Zeringue explained why he was interested in competing in the competition. “Southeastern is like my home away from home,” expressed Blank. “I want to represent my university to the best of my ability, and I feel if I was chosen as Mr. Southeastern, it would give me the opportunity to show school pride and raise awareness about my social platform that I choose.” Blank is hoping to have bookstore gift cards for the runner ups and a scholarship for the winner of the pageant. The crowned Mr. SLU will also be invited to ride in the Homecoming parade with Miss SLU. Zeringue is excited to see what he will take away from the experience. Late in October 2007 Jordan Beard, Michael Kyles, Skler Stroup and Corey Brown were among the first contestants to vie “I hope to build on my confidence by competing for the title of Mr. Southeastern. Back then, Kyles won over the audience and the judges to be the first to hold the title. This year the pageant returns for both fun and a good cause.

see MR SLU, pg. 2

Establishing and building credit: why and how? SHAELYN MARTINEZ STAFF REPORTER

David Faucheux, instructor of management and business administration, talks to students about expanding professional skills at a seminar earlier this year. Southeastern Education majors will have the opportunity to gain practical experience similar to this in the classroom through residency programs. FILE PHOTO/THE LION’S ROAR

University debuts re-branded teacher residency program DYLAN MECHE STAFF REPORTER

Education majors will now have the opportunity to gain more practical experience in the classroom. The Louisiana Department of Education recently introduced new requirements for the student-teaching program for all education majors, now rebranded to the piloted teacherresidency program. Similar to the original program, education students intern at a school in one of the seven parishes that participate and are mentored by the teacher. The rebranded program has made several changes to the original in order to better prepare education students for a career as a teacher. Dr. Paula Calderon, the dean of the College of Education, explained what is different about the program. “A few years ago, the Louisiana Department of Education wanted to make sure that all the undergraduate teacher preparation programs went from one semester of student teaching to an entire academic year, or two semesters of student teaching.” said Calderon. “They would be very much like a teacher-in-residence, hence the term residency.” Calderon emphasized that the Louisiana Department of Education made these changes in order to give education students

more practical experience in the classroom before they apply for a job. “Ordinarily, students would finish all of their course work through their nextto-last semester in their curriculum, and then they would student-teach in their final semester,” explained Calderon. “This redesigned program expands student teaching so that course work compliments what students experience in the classroom. We had to redesign some of courses in order to accomplish this goal. For example, the things that students learn in their senior methods course, which is taught during the first semester of residency, are being put into practice through this new program.” Since the program has extended the time education students will be student teaching, Calderon feels they will be able to better connect with the students in their assigned classroom and obtain a better understanding of what the job of a teacher will entail. In regards to why the Department of Education felt the need to rebrand the program, Calderon explained that they wanted to give more priority to practical experience and practice rather than content. “The pendulum swings every once in a while where this is concerned” said Calderon. “Once upon a time, teacher-education programs relied very much on practice. The pendulum swung back in the ‘90s towards a more content-focused curriculum. Less

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emphasis was placed on practice because the Department of Education felt the need to prioritize content. Recently, the pendulum has swung back towards practice.” The university started to slowly implement the program four years ago on a volunteer basis, anticipating Department of Education would change the program. Calderon said that the students who volunteered for the program reported feeling more prepared for a future career in teaching. “The teacher candidates who volunteered to partake in the revamped program came back and gave positive remarks” said Calderon. “They felt more comfortable with the classroom environment and felt more prepared to go into the classroom. Now, when they interview for jobs, they can say they have two semesters of practice in the classroom rather than just one.” Allison Hausknecht, a junior special education major, feels the rebranded teacher residency program will help her become more prepared for a future career in teaching. “This change will give Education students an opportunity to see the students progress the whole year and not just for one semester,” explained Hausknecht. “We really get to see what the full progression of the children will be. I, personally, have not started student teaching yet. However, I am really excited for the opportunity to see children progress for two semesters.” Index

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Campus Life ................................2 Opinions ....................................3 A&E ...........................................4

Horoscope, Crossword, Sudoku ...5 Sports & Fitness ..........................6 News .........................................8

Learning about credit and how it impacts the future can be an important life skill for students to learn while in college. The transactions students make to finance their education builds up a personal credit history. Rakesh Duggal, professor of finance, reasoned why he thinks it is important for students to build credit. “Most individuals borrow money to finance their education, or buy houses, cars etc.,” said Duggal. “Also, most small business owners borrow funds to run/grow their businesses, and banks often use their personal credit history for lending decisions.” Many banks reach out to to students in their region to help them learn about good credit

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habits. Chase Bank offers information on their website for students wanting to gather more information. Regions Bank in Hammond also provides information through their website on how students can benefit from learning more about establishing and building credit. According to their website, “the Regions Next Step Financial Learning Center offers a selfpaced series of interactive videos covering financial wellness tips and action plans designed to help you make the best choices for you and your family.” Dr. Lou Le Guyader, associate professor of accounting, believes that parents are the first stepping stone to learning about establishing credit. “I believe that parents should be the first contact with lessons

see CREDIT, pg. 2

Volume 91, Issue 4 A Student Publication www.lionsroarnews.com lionsroar@southeastern.edu


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