Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 10/19/99
      Contact:                           Carol Dotson   132

REACH  PROGRAM AND FRATERNITY PARTNER FOR SUCCESS 
     HAMMOND -- Academic success is the goal of the members of Kappa Alpha fraternity
at Southeastern Louisiana University. The entire fraternity has enrolled in the university's
REACH program to improve their academic standing. 
     Reach is an acronym for Reinforcing Education and Achieving Collegiate Horizons.  The
program was originally created to assist students on probation, to help them successfully appeal
to return to school. Over 80 percent of students who enroll in the program for one semester raise
their grade point averages.              
     Brad Dieutto, a junior from Slidell and president of Kappa Alpha, said the motivation to
participate in REACH came from concern about members' academic performance.  "We realized
we were not meeting the goals we had set for ourselves, so we're trying a new approach," he
said. "We want to motivate everyone to participate to do this as a group, and we always want to
set a standard for excellence.  It's not that we're not about having fun, but our biggest priority
right now is grades. Participating in REACH will help each member realize his academic goals."
     Twenty five students are participating and will attend weekly individual sessions and
group sessions twice a month. Each session will focus on an academic topic such as test anxiety,
stress management, choosing a career, learning styles, problem solving and relationship skills.
     This will be the first time the REACH program has worked with a Greek organization
and director Amy Livingston is excited about the possibilities.  
     Livingston is hopeful this will start a trend for Greek organizations. "One segment of our
program focuses on wellness and specifically alcohol abuse, so we think it can be a positive
influence in several ways," she said.  
     In July, Livingston and Jackie Dale Thomas, director of leadership development,  traveled
to Scotland to give a presentation on the program at the International First Year Experience
conference. REACH was lauded for its use of collaborative efforts through Student Affairs and
the Graduate Counseling department and as a model for other programs.
                                          -SLU-
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