Hammond, LA
October 8, 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
Homecoming Week kicks off with a celebration DYLAN MECHE Staff Reporter
The 2019 Homecoming Week has officially begun. The Student Government Association, Campus Activities Board and several other university organizations came together to host the Homecoming Kickoff to commemorate the start of Homecoming Week. The event began as SGA handed out free homecoming T-shirts to students, University Donuts hosted a donut-eating contest, and students and faculty were able to enjoy free pizza and popcorn. Madison Ledet, a freshman nursing major, helped SGA at the event and feels that the Homecoming Kickoff is a great way to start off Homecoming Week. “This event is a great way to spread school spirit and get people excited for all of the events we have planned for Homecoming Week,” said Ledet. “As a freshman, I was really interested in seeing all of what Southeastern has to offer and seeing how much SGA puts into Homecoming each year is really exciting.” Ledet also shared that SGA wants to emphasize to students through Homecoming events that there is more to school than just going to classes. “Through Homecoming Week, we get to promote SGA and get the students excited to be a part of Southeastern,” explained Ledet. “The students are certainly happier because of this and I am very excited for all the great things we have going on throughout the week.” Chris Price, a freshman kinesiology major, expressed that the kickoff made him excited for Homecoming Week. “The kickoff is a lot of fun,” said Price. “Everyone is hanging out, and you get to meet new people, and it is just exciting. I am most excited about the game. It is going to be very fun.” Dakota Bush, a freshman computer science major, echoed this feeling. “Homecoming is a great opportunity for everyone to get involved and just have fun,” shared Bush. “Especially as a freshman, it is a great opportunity for me to grow closer to the campus community.”
The university marked the beginning of Homecoming Week on Monday, Oct. 7. Top left, banners painted by Greek organization are hung in the Student Union Breezeway. Top right, students participate in donut-eating competition sponsored by University Donuts at the Student Union Breezeway. Bottom right, Le’Traven Thigpen, a university alumnus, sets up a table for the Black Family Reunion celebration. Bottom middle, Hay Lion is displayed in front of Mims Hall. Bottom right, Dr. Eric Summers, vice president for student affairs, hands out T-shirts to students in the Student Union Breezeway. Dylan Meche, Andrew Jordan,Prakriti Adhikari,Dr. Lee E. Lind/The Lion’s Roar
Lion Up Recovery becomes state’s first collegiate addiction recovery program DYLAN MECHE Staff Reporter
According to the Addiction Center, college students are twice as likely to struggle with addiction compared to the rest of the nation. In order to combat this, the university has created the Lion Up Collegiate Recovery Program. The program aims to create a safe environment for students who are struggling with any sort of addiction so that they are able to pursue their academic goals without their addiction getting in the way. The program is the first of its kind in the state of Louisiana.
Rehydrate with refill stations
Participants are required to attend weekly seminar classes, “Southeastern Recovery Nights,” that are held monthly, attend at least two recovery meetings per week and meet with an academic advisor each semester. Madison Evans, interim coordinator of the collegiate recovery program, explained how the new program is structured. “This program is for students who identify as being in recovery from a substance abuse disorder or a processing addiction,” stated Evans. “So, that includes Ashlyn Harris, a sophomore elementary education major, refills water in a station by the War Memorial addictions to drug and alcohol, Student Union Breezeway. Several refill stations have been installed across campus in an effort to reduce but we also support students plastic waste. Gabrielle Wood/The Lion’s Roar
see RECOVERY, pg. 5
GABRIELLE WOOD Staff Reporter
Lion Up Recovery has officially launched this semester. The program is the first collegiate recovery program in the state of Louisiana. Dylan Meche/The Lion’s Roar Weather
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The university aims to make the campus more sustainable by adding water refill stations for its students. Currently, the university has 36 water stations around campus and is planning to add more. The refill stations have been provided to make the water on campus cleaner and more accessible to drink. The refill stations have helped the environment on campus, and have saved a lot of money for the Sustainability Center. Alejandro Martinez, sustainability and technology center manager, discussed the effects of these refill stations. “Each station has a quality filter that
removes lead, chlorine and improves the taste and odor of the water,” said Martinez. “Since the installation of the station, over 420,000 of disposable plastic bottles have been reduced to go to the landfill, making a huge impact on the environment. Finally, it saves money and time for the students to buy a bottle.” The Sustainability Center’s platform is, “I Choose to Reuse.” “The purpose of this campaign is to reduce the number of plastic bottles and waste on campus, and litter too,” explained Martinez. “Our campaign has been impacting the community such as St. Albert Catholic Student Center, which decided to change the water fountains, as well as Wesley Methodist Church, who is
Index
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Campus Life.................................2 Opinions.....................................3 A&E............................................4
Horoscope, Crossword, Sudoku....5 Sports & Fitness...........................6 News..........................................8
planning to change theirs soon as well.” In the past, the university has tried to raise awareness for the “I Choose to Reuse” campaign by giving away reusable water bottles to students, faculty and staff. University art students have designed advertisements for this campaign. The university has also partnered with departments such as the Sims Memorial Library, Student Government Association, University Health Center, Southeastern Foundation, College of Business, the Wesley Foundation, Lion Designers and Reconnect. These departments and organizations have helped to contribute in campaigns and initiate new ideas. The Sustainability Center contributed to this campaign last year and measures were taken to ensure a healthy and clean environment around campus. “Last semester, we gave away 1,850 reusable water bottles to encourage students, faculty, and staff to reuse their water bottles and keep them wellhydrated,” said Martinez. The Sustainability Center has made these refill stations easily accessible to all students. Students and faculty requested Martinez to add water refilling stations on campus. “I received at least one call or email each week with the same phrase, ‘What can we do to get a new bottle filling station in our building?’” said Martinez. “Another frequent question is ‘Where are the water fountains?’ “ Martinez informed that water refill stations can be located by visiting the sustainability map. “The easy way to locate them is visiting our sustainability map. Then, select the category ‘Water Station’ and a pin will drop in all the locations where there is a fountain. Select the building, and a picture with the location of the fountain will pop up. See the pictures below.” For more information on refill stations, students can email the Sustainability Center at sustainability@southeastern.edu.
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Volume 91, Issue 08 A Student Publication www.lionsroarnews.com lionsroar@southeastern.edu