President Randy Moffett, far right, and Vice President for Student Affairs Brad O’Hara, far left, congratulate education major Jennifer Louise Soileau of Slidell, center, who was chosen Miss Southeastern 2003 at the annual pageant March 13 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. Also pictured are first runner-up Jessy Shaw, a kinesiology major from Slidell, second from left, and second runner-up Michelle Theresa Berthelot, a nursing major from Violet, second from right. Jennifer Louise Soileau wins Miss Southeastern crown Southeastern education major Jennifer Louise Soileau of Slidell has been chosen Miss Southeastern 2003.      Soileau received her crown from Miss Southeastern 2002, Lindsey Hunter Dykes of Baton Rouge, at the annual pageant March 13 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts.      Soileau won the evening wear segment of the pageant and tied for first place in the personal interview and talent segments with first runner-up Jessy Shaw, a kinesiology major from Slidell, who also was named Miss Congeniality. For the talent segment, Soileau sang Faith Hill’s “Cry.” Shaw danced to Evanesence’s “Bring Me to Life.”      The second runner-up award went to nursing major Michelle Theresa Berthelot of Violet, who also won the swimsuit segment.      The Miss Southeastern pageant is affliated with the  Miss America Pageant system. Soileau will advance to the Miss Louisiana pageant, which will be held in Monroe in June.

Tiny Leon and Phil Graziano Jr. of Murphy's Seafood go over plans for the Chefs Evening Patron's Party, which will be held at the Leon's Hammond home on April 6.

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SIFE sponsors online auction
The Southeastern Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization is sponsoring an Online Auction between March 24, 2003 and April 2, 2003 at http://exit3.i-55.com/~sife.
     Auction items include electronics, Hammond area restaurant certificates, household items, and more.
     For information, contact SIFE Advisor Dawn Wallace at 549-2855.

Gautreaux presents reading for Tennessee Williams Fest
Long time Southeastern English professor and acclaimed author Timothy Gautreaux will read from his original fiction at 2 p.m., in the Recital Hall on March 24 as part of the Tennessee Williams Festival on the Northshore. His newest book, The Clearing, will by published by Knopf this spring.

Southeastern’s head football coach, Hal Mumme, was a special guest at Southeastern Head Start’s first Men's Breakfast on March 12. More than two dozen men, the fathers, grandfathers, uncles and stepfathers of Southeastern Head Start children, listened to the coach talk about being fathers, role models and reading literacy advocates. Southeastern Head Start Director Susan Cooper said the breakfast was in conjunction with Head Start’s national Fatherhood Initiative. SLU Gospel Choir to headline Head Start Gospel Fest The Southeastern Gospel Choir will perform at the second annual Head Start Gospel Fest, which gets underway at 7 p.m., March 21, at the Great Covington Center, 317 N. Jefferson St. in Covington.      Southeastern Head Start Director Susan Cooper said the event is sponsored by the Head Start programs in the five parishes -- Tangipahoa, St. Helena, Livingston, Washington and St. Tammany -- of the Regina Coeli Head Start organization. “Several other groups from the area will also be performing, but the Southeastern Gospel Choir is our headliner,” Cooper said.      Tickets for the event are $10 and all proceeds will benefit Head Start.      Prior to the Gospel fest, the Regina Coeli Head Start programs will also sponsor at fish fry from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Greater Covington Center. Tickets are $5.      For additional information, contact Cooper at 985-549-5948.

Southeastern to hold auditions April 4-5 for Oliver!
Auditions will be held April 4-5 for the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts’ summer musical, Oliver!
     Three performances of the musical will be presented June 27-28 at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts. Curtain will be 7:30 p.m. both days, with an additional 2 p.m. matinee on June 28, said Chuck Effler, interim director of Southeastern’s Opera-Music Theatre Program.
     Effler said separate auditions will be held in the Pottle Music Building Auditorium for adults and children. Children entering the third through eighth grades in fall 2003 will try out  from 3-5 p.m. Friday, April 4, and 1-4 p.m. on Saturday, April 5. High school students, university students and adults will audition from 6-9 p.m., Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5.
     Effler said New York City director/choreographer Wendy Taucher, who led the production staff for Southeastern’s acclaimed 2001 summer production of the musical "Annie," will again join faculty and staff to create this summer's Oliver!
     “Southeastern's production will offer area children and adults an opportunity to participate in a fully staged production with orchestra and professionally designed sets, lights and costumes -- and with professional leadership at every level,” Effler said.
     Oliver!, one of music theater's most beloved shows, has been performed around the world since it's London premiere more than 30 years ago. The musical retelling of the classic Charles Dickens novel, Oliver Twist, offers two starring roles for boys (Oliver and The Artful Dodger), plus a large number of leading roles, supporting roles and chorus parts for children and adults.
     “In order to give as many children as possible the opportunity to participate in this major theatrical event Southeastern's production will utilize an expanded children's chorus of 40 or more,” Effler said. “Children entering the third grade or higher in fall 2003 are encouraged to audition, as well adults.”
     Effler said that in addition to acting, community members can become involved in numerous backstage activities such as set building and painting, costume fitting, props acquisition and building, and backstage running crew.
     “These ‘never seen’ jobs are vital to any theatrical production,” he said.
     The Department of Music and Dramatic Arts will produce Oliver! with the financial support of the Southeastern Development Foundation and area businesses. For more information about auditions or to make a tax deductible contribution to the production, contact Effler at 985-549-2249; e-mail ceffler@selu.edu.

Matheny Lecture presents historical Jesus scholar
New Testament and historical Jesus scholar Bart Ehrman will be the guest speaker for Southeastern Louisiana University’s Matheny Lecture Series on Science and Religion.
     On April 10-11, Ehrman, the Bowman-Gray Professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will present three lectures focusing on historical Jesus research and the emergence of Christianity in the first century:
     –  April 10 at 3:30 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre: “Jesus the Apocalyptic Prophet”
     –  April 10 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Albert’s Church across from the SLU campus: “Jesus Through Many Eyes: The Diversity of Our Early Gospels”
     –  April 11 at 10 a.m. in the Student Union Theatre: “The Quest for the Historian’s Jesus.”
     Winner of numerous university awards and grants, Ehrman is the recipient of the 1993 UNC Undergraduate Student Teaching Award, the 1994 Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prize for Artistic and Scholarly Achievement, and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Award for excellence in teaching.
     Since completing his master’s and doctoral degrees at Princeton Seminary, he has published extensively on New Testament and early Christianity subjects. He has written and edited eight books, numerous articles, and dozens of book reviews. His most recent books include Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium and Lost Christianities: The Battles Over Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew.
     In addition to these books, he has also published a college-level textbook on the New Testament and two anthologies of early Christian writings.
     Ehrman has served as president of the Southeast Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, chair of the New Testament textual criticism section of the Society, book review editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature, and editor of the monograph series The New Testament in the Greek Fathers. He is co-editor of the series New Testament Tools and Studies and on several other boards for monographs in the field.
     For more information, contact Matt Rossano at mrossano@selu.edu.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April
Southeastern will join the Tri-Parish Rape Crisis Program throughout April to educate the public and raise awareness about sexual assault.
     Sexual assault awareness ribbons and educational information will be distributed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Student Union Mall.
     For more information or to volunteer, please call Heather at 1-800-572-0083 or Patrick at 985-549-2009.

LEH holds free public grants workshop on campus
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities will hold a special workshop at the Alumni Center on March 28 to help writers, photographers, filmmakers, museums, libraries and other community organizations in the Northshore and Florida parishes obtain grants for their projects.
     The workshop, which is open and free to the public, is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
     For additional information, contact Rhonda Miller at 504-523-4352 ext. 125 or John Kemp at 504-523-4352 ext 116. Please call 549-5312 or e-mail madelmann@selu.edu if you are planning to attend.

Two Southeastern graduate students, pianist Hristo Birbochukov, left, and violinist Alexandru Ureche, will solo with the Southeastern Chamber Orchestra at 7:30 p.m., March 26, at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Hammond. Chamber Orchestra, soloists perform “Old Friends,” New Work The Chamber Orchestra’s March 26 concert will feature four major works, including three “old friends” of music lovers and a newly-discovered work by Rossini.      The free concert, part of the Department of Music and Dramatic Arts’ Encore! spring music series, is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts in downtown Hammond.      Chamber Orchestra Director Yakov Voldman will begin and end the concert with selections from operas, Gioachino Rossini’s “Il Viaggio al Reims,” and Richard Wagner’s “Lohengrin.” Two Southeastern graduate students, violinist Alexandru Ureche and pianist Hristo Burbochukov, will round out the program, joining the orchestra as soloists in works by Beethoven and Rachmaninov.      For additional information about the concert, contact the Southeastern Department of Music and Dramatic Arts, 985-549-2184.

Baraya named one of Louisiana’s top Hispanic citizens
Aristides Baraya, director of Southeastern’s Center for Latin American Business and Development, has been named one of Louisiana’s top 100 successful Hispanic citizens by Vocero News of New Orleans, the largest Hispanic-English bilingual newspaper in the region.
     The designation is intended to recognize the work of area Hispanic leaders in fields such as arts, sciences, business, media and education.
     A native of Colombia, Baraya has played a key role in helping to expand international initiatives at Southeastern. He has helped coordinate visits to the university by a number of international dignitaries, scholars, and artists as well as several programs for Latin American civic and business leaders. He also spearheaded Southeastern’s Latin American Youth Symposium, held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank in New Orleans in 2000.
     An instructor in international business at Southeastern, Baraya has been instrumental in helping the university develop cooperative agreements with the Inter-American Development Bank, the Organization of American States, the State of Cundinamarca (Colombia) and the University of Cundinamarca, as well as agreements with governmental agencies and civic organizations in Costa Rica, Panama and Honduras. Most recently, he helped coordinate a seven-week program in English as a Second Language for 36 Latin American professionals.
     Last year, Baraya was honored by Southeastern when he received the President’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service.
     Vocero News is a weekly newspaper serving the area’s Hispanic community. It is published in Kenner.

“Flood the Field” to honor area policemen and firefighters
Southeastern will again “Flood the Field” when the Lions baseball team meets Connecticut at 6:30 p.m., March 18, at Alumni Field.
       “Flood the Field” is sponsored by Southeastern’s CLAWS Committee, a group of university staff members charged with “Connecting Lion Athletics With Students.”  The committee creates exciting ways to incorporate fun activities with athletic events in order to increase student interest and attendance.
       Once again, Flood the Field will help to support local policemen and firefighters, said CLAWS member Veda Abene, who is chairing the event. Abene said Amite fire chief Bruce Cutrer will throw the first pitch in memory of his brother Joe Wayne Cutrer, who was also an Amite firefighter.  Joe Wayne Cutrer’s family will be in attendance and a moment of silence will be observed in his honor.
       The Emerald Girls, hostesses of Southeastern baseball, will “Pass the Boot” -- a fireman’s boot -- to collect money to be donated to a charity in Joe Wayne Cutrer’s name.
       The girls will also join Southeastern mascot Roomie the Lion atop Bruce Cutrer’s fire truck at University Avenue for a ride to Alumni Field. Children can get their picture taken with Roomie or one of the many fire trucks that will be lined up outside of Alumni Field.
       “Local singing group ‘4eva1’ will sing the National Anthem as area policemen and firefighters create an impressive lineup around the field,” Abene said.
       The first 350 people to arrive at Alumni Field will receive a special Southeastern fan proclaiming “No Lyin’ I’m a Lion’s Baseball Fan.”
       Flood the Field will include between-inning games for all ages. Children can sign up to compete in the “Dizzy Bat” contests, and six Southeastern students will be chosen for a wild wheelbarrow race and a “Fastest Firefighter” race. Area policemen and firefighters will get in on the fun with a strawberry eating contest during the seventh-inning stretch.
       A $100 prize will go to the student organization with the highest attendance.
       For additional information about “Flood the Field,” contact Abene at 985-549-2301.

Travel reminder
In order to receive travel reimbursement for mileage, you must complete Southeastern's Defensive Driving Course every three years.
     If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Brenda Sanders at 549-2089.

Southeastern alumnus and New Orleans television news and weather broadcaster Steve Bellas was among the celebrities joining KSLU staffers such as Rosa Dunn at the microphone last week during the station's annual fund drive. KSLU fund drive continues Faculty and staff can still pledge to 90.9 KSLU Alternative Public Radio's fund drive, which got underway last week with a three-day radio-thon. The fund drive introduced a prestigous addition to the KSLU programming lineup, "A Prairie Home Companion," made possible by last year's successful drive.       The fund drive telephone number is 985-549-2330.        Licensed to Southeastern, KSLU is the only public radio station on the north shore and one of only eight public radio stations statewide. In addition to running public radio programming from Public Radio International, KSLU also features local news and interviews with Mary Pirosko, Rosa Dunn’s "Point of View" talk show, and an eclectic blend of music, including an hour of blues each weekday from 6-7 p.m. on the “KSLU Blues Cruise.” A local music show runs in the evenings, and the station plans to expand local music content throughout the day in the near future.         KSLU also serves as a training ground for Southeastern broadcast communication students, who work behind the scenes and on-air, and are trained by a professional staff.         For additional information about the fund drive, contact Liz Black at 985-549-2330.

Small Business Development Center March 2003 events
The Small Business Development Center will sponsor a number of helpful seminars and workshops this month.
     The Import/Export Series will take place in Room 2 of Southeastern’s St. Tammany Center from 3:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m., March 18-20. Cost is $60, or $120 for entire series.
     March 18, Import/Export Strategies and Market Research -- Topics: The export and import business, keys to success, local and foreign assistance, etc.
     March 19, Pricing, Terms, Quotations, and Customs Entry Procedures -- Topics: Export and import licenses, preparing products for export and import, and the cultural environment of international business.
     March 20, International Banking, Financing, Transportation, and Documentation –
Topics:  International banking in Louisiana, Methods of Payment, International Freight Forwarders and Customs Brokers, etc.
     Additional seminars include:
     March 20, Personnel Issues –  St. Tammany Center, Room 11, 9 a.m. to noon. Cost $20, $10 for members of St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce. Topics:  Finding and hiring the right people, getting the most from your employees, workplace regulations, etc.
     March 27, Writing Successful Proposals – SLU University Center, Room 127, 9-11 a.m. Cost:$5. Topics:  Types of solicitations, types of contracts, writing tips, things to avoid, proposal presentation, etc.
     For more information or to register, please call Sandy Armstead at 985-549-3831.

Left, Bel Arts Trio; right, Jason Vieaux Southeastern sponsors annual Guitar Festival March 24-28 The annual Southeastern Guitar Festival, scheduled March 24-28, will bring to campus eclectic and traditional guitar soloists and ensembles of international stature, said festival organizer Patrick Kerber.      “This year's festival is the first year that we have presented four guest artists,” said Kerber, a member of Southeastern’s music faculty. “It is a testament to the growth of both the festival and the Music and Dramatic Arts Department.”      Kerber said the week will begin with the spirited rasqueados, zapateos, and caste jondo of “Alianza Flamenca,” a group that combines song, dance, and lively flamenco guitar playing. Also on the festival’s “guest” list are guitarists Jason Vieaux, guitarist and performance artist Randy Pile, and the Bel Arts Trio. The trio’s guitarist, Jim Smith, director of the guitar program at the University of Southern California, will also present a master class, and Southeastern faculty member John Crabtree will moderate a guitar composers’ symposium.      “Lali Calix, the leader of Alianza Flamenca, is also offering a flamenco dance class on Monday, March 24,” Kerber said. “What’s particularly neat about the class is that participants who do really well may be invited to dance with Alianza Flamenca during their concert that night at the Pottle Music Building Auditorium.”      The Southeastern Guitar Festival is sponsored by the Campus Activities Board, College of Arts and Sciences, Lyceum Arts and Lectures, and the Southeastern Guitar Club. All festival events are free. Complete schedule

Hammond Library displays Women’s History Month "Altar of Honor"
An Altar of Honor is being set up at the Hammond branch of the Tangipahoa Parish Library, 314 E. Thomas, to honor women during Women’s History Month.
     “This is an altar to honor women who have made a difference in our personal lives, the women who helped shape us into the people we are today,” said Hammond artist and art educator Denise Tullier-Holly. “We want everyone to participate.”
     The Altar of Honor is sponsored by the Southeastern Women’s Coalition, which is hosting Women’s History Month activities. “We have a lot of things going on this month on the Southeastern campus including lectures, performances and films,” said Mary Pirosko, a member of the Southeastern Women’s Coalition and news director at Southeastern’s 90.9 KSLU. “But this particular event, the Altar of Honor, is something we are offering to the community at large. It’s an idea Denise came up with and it’s the perfect way for the entire community to participate.”
      “The Altar of Honor will consist of symbols, reminders of a particular women who have been especially meaningful in our lives,” said Tullier-Holly, who teaches at the Southeastern Lab School. “It could be a photograph, a record, a toy, a book, a piece of jewelry, a knick-knack, a flower -- anything at all.” The item will be displayed and returned to its owner when the exhibit is over.
      The collection for the Altar of Honor will take place from 4-6:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17, at the Hammond library. “We’ll be there to receive the items,” Pirosko said, “and we’re also asking those who bring the symbols to also bring an explanation of the symbol. We want to document the items so that we will have a permanent record of the Altar of Honor. Everyone is invited to participate and to bring a symbol honoring a special woman in their lives.”
     The altar itself will consist of a kitchen table and two ironing boards and will be displayed in the library’s east front window. “We will also have a mirror on the table,” Tullier-Holly said.   “The mirror will have letters etched into the glass so that when you look into the mirror, you will see your reflection, but you will also see the words: ‘You are a reflection of the women in your life.’”
     For additional information on the Altar of Honor, contact Pirosko at 985-549-2330.

Winston, Davis-Jones, headline second week of Women’s History Month
Southeastern’s celebration of Women’s History Month continues this week with a variety of speakers, a film and a special performance.
     The annual month-long celebration is sponsored by the Southeastern Women’s Coalition. All Women’s History Month lectures will take place at 12:30 p.m. on the third floor of the Sims Memorial Library. This week’s speakers are Southeastern head women’s basketball coach Lori Davis Jones on “Forging the Front Court for Female Athletes,” March 17; State Rep. Diane Winston on the “Status of Women in Louisiana,” March 18; and history professor Christopher Leahy on “A Yankee Woman Goes South–The Marriage of Julia to President John Tyler,” March 20.
     The Women’s History Month “Altar of Honor,” a display of personal remembrances of special women,” will go on display at the Hammond branch of the Tangipahoa Parish Library, 314 E. Thomas St., on March 17 and will be available for viewing through March 29.
     The second Women’s History Month film, “Mississippi Masala,” directed by Mira Nair and starring Denzel Washington, will be shown on March 18.
     At noon on Wednesday, March 19, in Pottle Music Building Auditorium, English professor Wade Heaton will present “Clothing of Women of the Ancient World,” an expanded and distaff version of his popular presentation on the history and tradition of the Roman toga.
     Women's History Month began at Southeastern as a class project – a presentation called “Ladies Night Out” – by students in a women's literature class taught by English professor Carole McAllister. The following year’s women’s literature class expanded the assignment into a month-long project. Those class members became the founding members of the “Southeastern Women’s Coalition.”
     Membership in the Southeastern Women's Coalition is open to everyone. Offices are located in Rooms 212 and 211 in Southeastern Hall. For additional information contact McAllister at 985-549-2044 or Mary Pirosko at KSLU, 985-549-2330. Donations to the Women's Coalition may be made through the Southeastern Development Foundation.
     For more information about Women’s History Month, contact the Southeastern Public Information Office at 549-2341. A Complete schedule

Tangi Chapter hosts nights at Columbia, Alumni Field
The Tangi Chapter of the Alumni Association is extending invitations for a night at the theater and a night at the ballpark.
     On April 1, the chapter will host a pre-performance dinner in conjunction with the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts’ musical, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. Curtain for the Broadway hit, which has been described as “Seinfeld set to music,” is 7:30 p.m. Prior to the show, the chapter will host a dinner in the downtown Hammond theater’s first floor conference room.
     The event’s $30 price includes the dinner from 5:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. and reserved seat tickets for the musical.
     Rioting through dating, romance, marriage, lovers, husbands, wives and in-laws, I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change is a musical joyride through the jungle of the modern day mating game.
     The next night, April 2, the Tangi chapter is inviting fans of Lions baseball to join them for “Tangi Night” at Southeastern’s Alumni Field. Participants can view the game from a reserved area on the right field line as the Lions take on Southern Mississippi.
     Game time is 6:30 p.m. The $5 costs includes admission and $5 in “fun money” redeemable for merchandise or concessions.
     Fans who hold Lions baseball season tickets are asked to contact the Alumni Center for details on how they can participate.
     To purchase tickets to these events call the Alumni Center at 985-549-2150 or 800-SLU-ALUM or register on-line at www.selu.edu/alumni.

Community kudos for Southeastern faculty, staff
Congratulations to the Southeastern faculty, staff and alumni who have recently been honored with community awards.
     Southeastern alumnus and University of Louisiana Board member Andre Coudrain and KSLU’s Rosa Dunn were selected by the Junior Auxiliary of Hammond as the 2003 Man and Woman of the Year.
     The award recognizes community members who volunteer time to civic activities.
     Southeastern faculty were also among the recipients of annual honors presented by the Hammond Regional Arts Center. Winners included theatre professor Steve Schepker, design; English instructor Alan Marsh, literature; music professor Yakov Voldman, music, and visual arts professor Gail Hood, visual arts.

Southeastern sponsors forum on U.S.-European relations
The state of relations between the United States and European nations will be the topic of a panel discussion scheduled for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, at the University Center, Room 133. 
      The event, sponsored by the Department of History and Political Science, is free and open to all students and the public. Participants include Southeastern faculty members and four University of New Orleans visiting professors from Europe. A question and answer session will follow.
      “The current tensions in the world related to the situation in the Mid-East have certainly focused attention on international affairs, particularly our relations with long-time allies in Europe,” said event coordinator Judge James E. “Jimmy” Kuhn of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge. “This panel discussion is intended to shed some light on how the events of the past several months are affecting our current relationships as well as the outlook for the future.” Judge Kuhn serves on the adjunct faculty for the Department of History and Political Science.
      Serving on the panel from Southeastern will be Margaret Gonzalez-Perez, associate professor of political science and a specialist in international relations. The European representatives include Heinrich Neisser, who holds the Jean Monnet Chair of Political Science at the University of Innsbruck and is a visiting professor of political science at UNO; Martin David, Ministry of Sciences Fellow at CenterAustria of the University of New Orleans; Peter Berger, professor of economic history at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and Marshall Plan Anniversary Chair in Austrian Studies at UNO; and Guenter Bischof, director of the Center for Austria Culture and Commerce at UNO’s CenterAustria and former associate director of the UNO Eisenhower Center. Each panelist will make an opening brief presentations to be followed by a question and answer session.
      The discussion will be moderated by William Robison, Southeastern professor of history and head of the Department of History and Political Science. Roman Heleniak, Southeastern scholar in residence, will moderate the questioning of panelists.

Parking alerts
Wednesday, March 19:  The Student Union East Parking Area will be closed all day to accommodate individuals who will be attending a function at the Student Union. Additionally, eight spaces in the McKneeley Hall North Parking Area will also be reserved for the same function.
     Thursday, March 20:  Approximately ten parking spaces in the Old Men's Gym West Parking Area will be reserved for individuals attending a function at the 12 Oaks Campus Dining Facility.
     Friday, March 21:  The University Center North and Sections 3 and 7 Parking Areas at the University Center will be reserved for a function that will be held at the University Center.  The event coordinator expects approximately 250 individuals to attend this function.
     Saturday, March 22:  Traffic on Western Avenue-Friendship will not be allowed from 7 a.m. until approximately 9 a.m. to allow schools participating in the Literary Rally and Rock and Roar to drop off students. Once the Literary Rally begins, traffic will be allowed.
     College of Basic Studies faculty are asked to announce to their classes that the UC North Parking Area will not be available for parking until approximately  9 a.m. on the  morning of March 21 (Friday).

Sponsored Research proposal writing sessions
The Office of Sponsored Research and Programs is offering a series of sessions on proposal writing and grants administration. All sessions will start at 1:30 pm in Tinsley Hall, Room 103 beginning Wednesday, April 2 with "Seeking Funding Opportunities." On Wednesday, April 9, the session will be on "Proposal Writing & Budget Preparation" and on Wednesday, April 16, "Grant Administration." Please call 5312 or email madelmann@selu.edu if you are planning to attend.

Unchain My Heart casting call at Southeastern Saturday
The major motion picture Unchain My Heart, the story of Ray Charles’ life, is looking for thousands of people to work as extras on the film, which will be shot in Louisiana this spring. Taylor Hackford, who has directed such films as The Devil’s Advocate, An Officer and a Gentleman, Proof of Life and the locally-shot Everybody’s All-American, will direct the movie and Jamie Foxx will star as Charles.
     In cooperation with the Southeastern Broadcasting Society, the final open casting call for extras will be held Saturday, March 22 at the Vonnie Borden Theatre in D Vickers Hall.
     The film will concentrate on the time period from 1935 to 1979. Recreating the look and feel of those times will be one of the most important challenges for the filmmakers. They are beginning to look for people of all race and ages to play townspeople, churchgoers, concert audiences, policemen, etc., to cover all aspects of Charles’ rise to stardom.
     To participate in the casting call please come to the theatre any time between 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Bring a non-returnable, recent snapshot of yourself. For your convenience, members of the Broadcasting Society will be providing Polaroid snapshots at the casting call for $2 apiece.
     Shirley Fulton Crumley, who has cast such films as Ali, The Patriot and A Time to Kill, will be selecting extras for the film. She and her staff will be on hand Saturday to answer questions.

Coming up...
Calendar and "On Hold" items: Southeastern faculty and staff are encouraged to submit items to the Public Information Office for our weekly calendar of events. Those items will also be considered for use on the university's telephone "on hold" message system, which is updated twice monthly (first and 15th of each month.) Calendar items can be submitted at any time; however, if you want an item to be considered for the telephone message system, it must be received at least one month in advance.
      Please include the following information (Feel free to use items in ByLion's "Coming Up" section as examples): name of event; presenter and/or sponsors; date; time; location (including street address, if event is off campus); admission; contact name and number.
      Send calendar information to publicinfo@selu.edu or call 985-549-2341. (If e-mailing, please include "Calendar" in your subject line.)
      Thanks for your cooperation! If you have any questions, call Christina in the Public Information Office (2341/2343).

This week in athletics
The Lions baseball team hosts Tulane on Wednesday to highlight This Week in Southeastern Athletics.
     The Lions open up the week hosting Connecticut on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Southeastern welcomes the nationally-ranked Green Wave for a game to decide the annual Pontchartrain Cup at 6:30 p.m. The Lions return to Southland Conference play, traveling to Texas-Arlington for a three-game series, beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, the two teams meet at 3 p.m., with the series concluding at 1 p.m on Sunday.
     The softball team travels to Centenary on Thursday for a  2 p.m. doubleheader. On Saturday, Stephen F. Austin will be in town to begin a three-game series with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. On Sunday, the series concludes with a single game at 1 p.m.
     The Southeastern men's and women's tennis teams host Alcorn State on Tuesday at 2 p.m. On Saturday, the Lady Lions will host Texas-San Antonio at 10 a.m., before facing Southwest Texas in San Marcos on Sunday at 10 a.m.
Tuesday, March 18
    Baseball, vs. Connecticut, Alumni Field, 6:30 p.m. Men's and Women's Tennis, vs. Alcorn State, Southeastern Tennis Courts, 2 p.m.
Wednesday, March 19
    Baseball, vs. Tulane, Alumni Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 20
    Softball, at Centenary (DH), Shreveport, 2 p.m.
Friday, March 21
    Baseball, at Texas-Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 22
    Baseball, at Texas-Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 3 p.m.
    Softball, vs. Stephen F. Austin (DH), North Oak Park, 1 p.m.
    Women's Tennis, vs. Texas-San Antonio, Southeastern Tennis Courts, 10 a.m.
Sunday, March 23
    Baseball, at Texas-Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 1 p.m.
    Softball, vs. Stephen F. Austin, North Oak Park, 1 p.m.
    Women's Tennis, at Southwest Texas, San Marcos, Texas, 10 a.m.

Professional activities
Graphic designer Terry Bahm (Public Information) received a Silver Award from the Advertising Federation of Greater Baton Rouge at the association’s recent Addy Awards. She was honored in the “Special Event Material-Invitation” category for her design of President Randy Moffett’s Investiture invitation.
     Matthew Tarver (Student Publications) co-presented two sessions during the 19th Annual Associated Collegiate press National College Newspaper Conference in Seattle from March 6-9. Tarver helped present sessions entitled "How to Get Quality Digital Photographs" and "Photoshop Tips for Photographers and Designers."
     Dr. William Curran (Computer Science) presented his paper entitled “Ethics and the ACM”, at the 41st Annual ACM Southeast Conference on March 7-8, in Savannah, Ga. Also at the conference, Dr. Thomas Higginbotham (Computer Science) presented his paper entitled “Problems Encountered in Distance Learning Computer Science Courses.”
     Dr. Randy Sanders (History & Political Science) recently presented a paper at the Citadel Conference on Civil Rights in South Carolina entitled "'We've Run Out of Courts, We've Run Out of Time:' Desegregation as an Issue in South Carolina's 1970 Gubernatorial Campaign."
     Erica Sharp and Regina Eschette (Biological Sciences) presented the results of their original research characterizing polysaccharides at the 2003 Annual March Meeting of the American Physical Society (3-7 March) in Austin, Texas. The research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. David Norwood (Chemistry and Physics) and supported by the College of Arts and Sciences Office of Student Creative Activities and Research (OSCAR).
     Four business faculty had their research papers presented at the annual conference of the Federation of Business Disciplines, Houston, March 6-7: Yu Hsing (General Business) and Mike Budden (College of Business & Technology), "Impacts of Public Education Accountability Indicators on Test Scores and Policy Implications: The Case of Louisiana"; John Leonard, Sang Lee (General Business) and Joseph Prinzinger, "William J. Baumol: A Nobel Nomination"; Jin Kim (General Business), "The Case of the Internet Twins as a Generalization of King Solomon's Dilemma."
     Faculty members in the Department of Accounting attended and presented papers at the annual meeting of the American Society of Business and Behavioral Sciences in Las Vegas, N.V., February 20-23: Bob Braun and Eddie Davis, "Computer Assisted Audit Techniques: Analysis and Perspectives"; Dean DiGregorio and Rick Simpson, "Seller Financing Real Estate: Strategic and Tax Issues"; Joe Morris, "A Cotton Gin 'Bale-Out' During the Great Depression"; Rick Simpson, "When is a Qualified Covered Call Option a Straddle?"; and Pierre Titard and Dean DiGregorio, "Using Projects to Improve Learning in Accounting."
     Dr. Harrell Weathersby (Human Development) presented a workshop, “Rime Time Reading: Using Paren/Child Reading Programs to Promote Family Bonding as well as Literacy,” at the recent annual “Kids Are Worth It!” conference in Baton Rouge. He also attended the Gulfsouth Summit on Service-Learning, Community Engagement, and Higher Education in Long Beach, Miss., on February 20-21.
     Charles Elliott (Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies/History and Political Science) presented "Regional Promotion and Political Treason: the Wilkinson and Blount Conspiracies in the Context of the Louisiana Purchase" and "Excluded by Treaty, Included by Conspiracies: Louisiana's Florida Parishes, 1803-1810" at the Associated Professional Educators of Louisiana's American Studies Seminar on "Louisiana Conspiracies" held in Alexandria on March 15.