United States Debate Team wins
Montgomery Cup, LSUS represented
(Edinburgh, Scotland) After two very eventful weeks
traveling throughout Ireland competing, the United States
Montgomery Cup Debate Team faced Edinburgh in the
final debate of the 2016 Montgomery Cup. LSUS'
Elizabeth Kemp and UCM partner Tyler Slinkard took the
top spot in the debate giving the United States its final 3
points and a 23-19 overall victory in the Cup. This is the
20th anniversary of the Montgomery Cup and this victory is the 15th for the U.S.
The U.S. team was made up of students and coaches from LSU Shreveport and the University of Central
Missouri. Three students and one coach represented LSUS in the Cup. The students are Elizabeth Kemp, a
graduating Political Science major, Lance Rich, a junior in Computer Science, and John Brown, a junior in
Psychology. LSUS debate coach, Trey Gibson, served as one of the assistant coaches and adjudicators for
the United States team.
The LSUS half of the team will return to Shreveport Tuesday evening arriving around 8pm at the Regional
Airport. They will have little time to soak in this shared victory as they will have to quickly begin
preparations for the 2016 IPDA National Debate Championships that will begin on March 30th.
Students from LSU Shreveport were able to be a part of the U.S. team due to gracious support from the
LSUS Foundation and Noel Foundation, Inc.
For more information about the team, please
contact Brooke Rinaudo at 318.797.5108 or
[email protected].
Photo: Elizabeth Kemp and Director of
Debate, Trey Gibson, climbed Arthur's Seat
in Edinburgh and planted the LSUS flag.
Photo: (L to R) Elizabeth Kemp, John Brown,
LSUS Director of Debate, Trey Gibson, and
Lance Rich visiting the fairy garden in
Blarney, Ireland
LSUS to Host Informational Session on the Sport Administration Degree
Program
Sport Management/Administration has become a very popular degree over the past 10-15 years. On
March 17 from 6-8 p.m. in the Health and Physical Education Building, Room 224, LSU Shreveport faculty
and staff will host an informational session on the Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration
degree, which is part of the LSU degrees at LSUS collaboration.
Dr. Dee Jacobsen from LSU A & M will share information about the benefits of the program, the
procedures involved in applying, the transfer process from LSUS to LSU A & M, and the eight semester
plan involved in the program. Current students, prospective students, parents,
friends, and the community interested in sport related careers are encouraged to
attend.
The Sport Administration degree has two specific concentrations: Commerce and
Leadership. Degree matriculation includes about two years of coursework from
LSUS, then students conclude their studies from LSU A & M without ever having
to move to Baton Rouge. The coursework at LSUS and LSU A & M are online, so
students simply transfer from LSUS to LSU A & M and complete the degree online.
Dr. Jacobsen will also talk with the nine students in the program on the following
Friday morning to discuss their experiences with the degree program and answer
any questions they may have about the transfer process or career opportunities.
March 25 – Campus
Closed – Easter holiday
April 8 – 4th Annual
Campus Cleanup
***For a complete list of
events on campus, visit
lsus.edu/calendar
The program started in the fall of 2014. For more information, please call or
email Dr. Timothy Winter at 318.797.5107 or [email protected].
LSUS Assistant Professor of Digital Arts Designs Website for Indian Tribe
Allen Garcie, an Assistant Professor within
the LSUS Digital Arts Program, had the
pleasure of designing a new website for
the Choctaw-Apache Tribe, an American
Indian tribe located in western Sabine
Parish.
Garcie, who is himself an American Indian,
discovered in December 2014 that he was
an official member of the Choctaw-Apache
Tribe of Ebarb, LA. Upon learning about
this surprising discovery from his parents,
he attended a tribal meeting in Stonewall,
LA that was focused on reaching out to
Tribal members who did not live in Ebarb.
“The Tribe has strict rules for membership
as it’s specifically based on your ancestry,”
Garcie said. “Before someone can become a member, the Tribe traces their lineage to make sure that they
are descendants of the Choctaw-Apache Indians who settled in the region starting in the late 1700’s. My
great-great grandfather was a Choctaw-Apache Indian so this wasn’t too difficult to trace.”
Garcie became interested in learning more about the Tribe and started visiting their website, but he
noticed that it had not been updated in quite a while and was not user-friendly. He talked with the Tribal
Chief, Thomas Rivers, and asked if he could create an updated website with new colors, easier navigation,
and more accessible information.
In June, Garcie started gathering photos and updated information about the Tribe, their events, and
membership, finally finishing the website about seven months later.
“Ebarb, Louisiana, where the Tribe is located, is about an hour away and with my work schedule I miss a
lot of Tribal events,” Garcie said. “I desire to have a relationship with the Tribe and its members as well as
to be a part of their heritage, so creating this website was a way for me to give back and be a part of their
community. It feels great to be involved in creating awareness for them through the website.”
The Choctaw-Apache Tribe was officially recognized by the state of Louisiana in 1978 and is the second
largest of eight officially recognized American Indian communities within the state.
“The new website is extremely important to the Tribe,” Garcie said. “They have been seeking federal
recognition since the 1970s. Their efforts to become federally recognized is further enhanced by having a
current and informative website.”
U.S. recognition of the Choctaw-Apache Tribe would allow the government to recognize the tribe as a
sovereign nation. With this recognition, the Tribe and its members would become eligible for educational,
economic, and other related benefits.
To learn more about the Choctaw-Apache Tribe of Ebarb, LA, visit their new website at www.choctawapache.org.
Friends of the Noel Memorial Library
Help Support the LSUS Noel Memorial Library by kicking off the inaugural event for the Friends of the
Noel Memorial Library! Take the family out to eat at El Chicos on Bert Kouns from 5-10 p.m. on Monday,
March 21st. Mention you are supporting the Friends of the Library. If 100 people attend, El Chicos will
donate 10% of the proceeds back to the Library, which will be used for collection development and
enhancing services.
Want to become a member of the Friends? Get early admission to the Friends Fall Book Sale and
invitations to speaking events. See the Noel Memorial Library homepage for more information. Special
categories are available for those who would like book honorarium and memorial bookplates.
PILOTS TO MAKE 6TH APPEARANCE AT NATIONAL EVENT
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (BRACKET) – The LSU Shreveport women’s basketball team will make their 6th
appearance at the NAIA National Tournament next week at the Silverstein Eye Center Arena. The Pilots
(21-8) will take on a very tough Lyon College Scots club (29-3) on Thursday (March 17) at 2:15 p.m. CT.
This will be one of the busiest weeks for LSUS Athletics as both Basketball teams take the court in
Missouri at the National Tournament while Baseball will play eight RRAC games and Tennis will
play at Centenary.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: The Pilots (21-8) are the eighth seed in the Liston quadrant of the 2016 NAIA
Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship bracket. They will take on the no. 1 seeded Lyon
College (29-3) as both teams are looking for the first win at the big dance. Tip-off is at 2:15 p.m. on
Thursday. The contest will take place in Independence, Missouri, at the Silversteins Eye Center Arena. To
purchase the game to watch online, click here.
MEN’S BASKETBALL: The Pilots (18-13) are the seventh seed in the Naismith quadrant of the 2016
Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship bracket. They will face no. 2 seed
Columbia (28-5). Tip-off is set for 8:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The game will be played at Kansas City’s
historic Municipal Auditorium. To purchase the game to watch online, click here.
BASEBALL: The Pilots (13-6, 3-1) will have two four-game series this week in RRAC play. Today
(Monday) and Tomorrow (Tuesday) they face LSU Alexandria (7-11, 3-1) as the two teams battle for the
advantage in the RRAC regular season standings. First pitch today is at 4 p.m. and tomorrow is at 1 p.m.
with it being a double header both days. These are home games for the Pilots but will be played at
Centenary College’s Shehee Stadium due to a still soggy Pilots Field after last week’s torrential
downpours. To watch this series, click here.
This weekend the Pilots will be in Austin, Texas, to take on the Huston-Tillotson Rams. The double
headers begin at noon on Friday and Saturday.
WOMEN’S TENNIS: The Pilots (2-6) will take on Centenary (0-10) on Thursday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. at
Centenary College.
1. Debate Team Win. Yesterday there
was a great debate to end the
Montgomery Cup at the University of
Edinburgh. The debate ended on a 33 tie, but LSUS' Elizabeth Kemp and
UCM's Tyler Slinkard teamed up for
the win overall. Those 3 points
secured the Cup for the United
States. Earlier, LSUS Coach Trey
Gibson and Elizabeth were climbing
Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh when
they came across two LSU students
studying abroad. (pictured)
2. Decision to Close LSUS. The awful
storms that struck Northern Louisiana this past week once again caused us to have to decide whether or
not to close LSUS. We are provided storm tracking weather maps that help us. We factor what other
institutions are considering doing (for example, I exchanged communications with BPCC President Rick
Bateman and LSUSHS Interim Chancellor Ghali prior to our first closed day). LSU President F. King
Alexander understands that we are in the best position to make the call for LSUS (and then inform him).
Ultimately, we focus on the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Once closed the next decision is when
will we re-open. We know that there are many LSUS students, staff and faculty that continue to be greatly
challenged from the impact of the storms. However, we have re-opened because we believe travel to LSUS
will be safe for most and our campus did not suffer storm damage. In contrast, UL Monroe will be closed at
least through Tuesday. I urge faculty of students and administrators of faculty and staff to be understanding
and supportive of individuals still significantly impacted by the storms. Separate university emails will
cover still impacted individuals and how missed classes will be made up.
3. Memorial Service (at 11:00 a.m.) Through my LSUS Chancellor Facebook page I sadly informed the LSUS
community this past Friday that retired LSUS Professor Donna Lowderback Austin’s daughter, Casey
Mitchell Drawert Ross, M.D. passed away as a result of a domestic violence shooting (which her husband
thereafter took his own life). Casey’s cousin, Kristie Weeks is LSUS Interim Director of Online Learning
and Faculty Development. Yesterday I announced that a memorial service will be held in Shreveport in
celebration of Casey’s life this coming Saturday (March 19) at the Ellerbe Road Baptist Church. The
service will begin at 11:00 a.m. (not 10:00 as I posted). Visitation will be at 10:00 a.m. at the Church. Our
heart and prayers continue to go out to Donna Austin, Kristie Weeks and family.
4. Budget. We are still waiting to learn the budget situation for LSU Shreveport for the current fiscal year now
that the Special Session is completed. As I mentioned last week, the State is still trying to figure out the
impact of the approved legislative bills (and perhaps now also considering the further budget impact from
the past week of storms and flooding here in Louisiana). I expect that students will be able to complete the
semester. Beyond that, our situation remains uncertain, especially for next fiscal year.
5. Go Pilots! Congratulations and best wishes to Women’s Coach Valerie Huizar and Men’s Coach Kyle
Blankenship for the great success of their respective LSUS basketball teams. Both LSUS teams will be
playing this week in their respective NAIA National Tournament of 64 teams (men at 8:45 p.m. on
Wednesday and women at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday). This is the 6th appearance at the NAIA National
Tournament for our women’s team and the 12th straight year for our men’s team. Go Pilots!