The Informer - Lamar State College-Orange

Welcome Back! (cont.)original 11th class day, we still wereable to achieve a record fall enrollmentof 2,149 students. Once classesresumed on October 6, only a coupleweeks later things were in a manageablestate for both students and employees.Faculty and staff worked diligentlyto accommodate employeeswhose offices were damaged, as wellas students whose course materialswere destroyed.Before Ike, our numbers were stillon track to be our highest fall enrollment.Dr. Gunter commented on themain factors that contributed to ourincreasing numbers:“We have expanded our offeringsboth within programs and with newprograms. We have increased theenrollment (increased capacity andallowed more students into the program)in competitive entry programssuch as nursing and will be adding anew dental assisting student cohortin January. “She also mentioned that the campusexperienced an increase in co-enrolledstudents who are still in high school, inaddition to an increase in online enrollmentdue to the convenience and lessmoney spent on gas, food, etc.After Ike’s surge had receded, our“mud-slingers,” especially the ComputerCenter, Cindy Wyles, securityand maintenance, and the Business Office,took their time in sorting throughsoggy files, furniture and equipment.Once it was safe to return to campus,faculty and staff banded together forthe greater good of the college, whilealso being mindful of everyone’s externalsituations. Nearly four months later,things are looking on the bright, and abit chillier, side. I would like to extenda special thanks to everyone who hasmade our post-Ike progress possible.Above: Can you spot the boots?Below: Linda Burnett, Linda Cheatham, andMary Beth Derouen take a break from therummage to enjoy some pizza and soda.The Haps (cont.)Former congressman J. C. Wattsserved as the speaker for this fall’sDistinguished Lecture Series. In frontof over 600 guests at the LutcherTheater, Watts delivered a charismaticspeech filled with personal anecdotes,life lessons, and the main issues afflictingthe American public.As a businessman, pastor, formercongressman and football phenom,Watts explained how his background,especially being an athlete, shaped hischaracter. Born in Eufaula, Oklahoma,he is a big believer in in hard work,sacrifice, and commitment – the valueshe learned in rural America, the valueslearned from his parents, grandparents,coaches, the values that providedhis foundation. In his book, What ColorIs a Conservative, he writes:“...I know exactly where I came from.I know because every decision Imake every day is based on the valuesand lessons I learned growing upon the poor side of the tracks in adusty little Oklahoma town thatmost people have never heard of andnobody can spell right the first time.”Watts’ speech was empowering,as he encouraged the audience to takea step back and think about our future,not as Republicans or Democrats, butas Americans.The lecture was a success, and welook forward to seeing everyone atthe next Distinguished Lecture Seriesin April 2009 featuring Ed Begley Jr.(continued on pg. 3)The Informer ~ Page 2 ~ December 2008

The Haps (cont.)The Dental Assisting Programcelebrated Breast Cancer AwarenessMonth for the second consecutiveyear. In conjunction with AlliedHealth, the students passed out sweettreats, lemonade, informational pamphletson breast cancer awareness, andraffle tickets for various prizes. Sincethey were set up in the lobby of thelibrary building, they caught the attentionof everyone coming and going.filled with games, candy, contests,sweet treats, balloon animals, and inflatablestations. SGA created a minihaunted house under the StudentCenter terrace, using garbage bags, asmoke machine, special lighting effects,and costumed characters jumping outinto the open. Upward mobility nursingstudents held a cake walk competition,with cakes, cupcakes, and cookiesas prizes. Kids made multiple roundson the inflatable slide, the “Adrenalineoutside was the best idea. Being outdoorsin the open gave the kids morefreedom to run around and provided amore cohesive flow for the differentbooths and activities set up on thelibrary lawn.“Octoberfest Under the Stars”was just what the community neededfor this year’s young, and old, trick-ortreaters.Due to the damage fromHurricane Ike, the Student Center thatheld Octoberfest in past years was inno shape to house the event. However,campus leaders felt that it wasstill important to have the activities.With a lot of phone calls, research,and collaborative efforts from facultyand staff, Octoberfest 2008 was revivedwith an even better outcome.Between 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., thecollege’s lawn transformed from areasof green grass to a complete fun zoneRush” obstacle course, and the lasertag tent.Faculty and staff also participatedwith several games and giveaways,including balloon animals, bean bag andring toss contests, temporary tattoos,candy bags, and finding candy in a haystack.Towards the end of the event,Wendy Elliott announced the costumecontest, which was held in differentage groups. SGA members voted ineach category, and winners receivedprizes for having great costumes.De’Awn with Buddy Aucoin (l) from EducationFirstFCU and Amelia Wiggins (r) from the Stark Museum.LSC-O held its first “MovieNight” on the evening of November22, with “Iron Man” as the featurepresentation. MadNonnie.com cameand set up a huge inflatable screen onour front lawn and played some greatmusic as guests awaited the start of themovie. The EducationFirst FederalCredit Union kindly donated enoughpopcorn and soda for 200 people, andthe Stark Museum handed out informationon upcoming exhibits. WendyElliott provided some hot chocolate tokeep everyone warm as the temperaturedropped during the evening. Althoughit was a bit chilly, people stillcame out with their lawn chairs andblankets, while some watched themovie drive-in style.As the candy ran low and the inflatablesbegan to sink, the lawn wasstill scattered with kids that did notwant the evening to end. Most of theattendees agreed that having the eventWe were able to show a greatmovie and give out some great prizes,as well as provide a free event for thecommunity to enjoy on a Saturdaynight. Be on the lookout for our nextmovie night in the spring!The Informer ~ Page 3 ~ December 2008

SPOTLIGHTCarolyn Flippen, director of theDental Assisting Program, was oneof four recipients of the Julie andBen Rogers Community ServiceAward. The other recipients wereConrad Cooper of LSC-PA, LeslieDelong of LIT, and Les Warren of LU.Carolyn is a very giving and caring,yet modest, individual. She is highlyinvolved with public outreach and educatingothers about dental healthmeasures in addition to recruiting studentsby promoting LSC-O in thecommunity.In conjunction with LSC-O, sherepresents the college at local schoolsand daycare centers to share informationon oral hygiene. She also attendssafety fairs to promote oral care anddiscuss the dangers of smoking andtobacco products. For the past twoyears, she has headed the celebrationof Breast Cancer Awareness month.In the community, Carolyn volunteerswith the reading program atBuna Elementary School. Twice ayear, she and her husband, Dr. JamesFlippen, go above the call of duty bycollecting clothes,blankets, food,and toiletries.They then travelto Beaumont andHouston to passout those itemsto the homeless.During theawards ceremony,Dr. Shahansaid that Carolynis so dedicated toserving others,that after Hurricane Ike left all but onecampus building flooded, the Flippenswere some of the first on campus tosee how they could help.The four Julie and Ben Rogers CommunityService Award recipients pose with theirrespective presidents and Regina Rogers.“After pulling out wet flooring,she didn’t miss a beat before beingmoved into a temporary classroomwhere she went right back to makingimpressions on her students – andtheir teeth,” Dr.Shahan said.We applaudCarolyn for herservice to thecollege and thecommunity.The Rogersfamily establishedthe awardin 1979 to encourageLamarfaculty and staffmembers to volunteertheir services and talents tobenefit the community. The LU Foundationmaintains an endowment thatprovides for the award.November was a busy month forLSC-O’s Speech and DebateTeam. The team went to Tyler JuniorCollege for two tournaments, theTexas Intercollegiate Forensic AssociationFall Tournament and Tyler JuniorCollege Individual Event Tournament.Andrew Gibson received a 10thplace speaker award, and took 2ndplace in the state in CommunicationAnalysis. In the TIFA tourney, LSC-Owas the 1st Place Individual EventsSweepstakes Limited Division Championsfor 2008. In the second tourney,he placed 3rd in CommunicationAnalysis and Impromptu Speaking.The team also traveled to LSU -Shreveport for the Red River SwingSpeech and Debate Tournament,where they won the tournament! Outof 30 colleges and 265 competitors,our Andrew Gibson took 1st PlaceSpeaker over the whole tournament inindividual event and debate points!The Star Service RecognitionProgram recognizes and expressesgratitude to LSC-O employees whoseactions go above and beyond in workingwith faculty, staff, students, and/orothers. At a recent faculty meeting,Dr. Shahan was presented with aplaque for his hard work in getting usback on track after the hurricane.Once again, he showed his dedicationand appreciation for LSC-O employees.Thanks and congrats Dr. Shahan!Steve Hodges’ exhibit, “SteveHodges-Recent Works,” has been ondisplay in our library since early September.Retired Lamar art professor,Hodges, husband of Lisette Hodges, isa native Port Arthuran who has livedand worked in Louisiana, Florida, andNew York. In addition to the Beaumontcampus, Hodges also taught atLSC-PA and LSC-O.Since his first solo exhibition inPort Arthur in 1958, Hodges has beenexhibiting his paintings regional andnational competitions, galleries, andmuseums. He describes his latest workas “a series of highly-stylized and wildhairedsingle human figures.” His workis in many private and public collections,including the New Orleans Museumof Art and the Art Museum ofSoutheast Texas in Beaumont.The Informer ~ Page 4 ~ December 2008

You Don’t Say?Matt McClure, director of theMath and Science Program and biologyinstructor, published a research papertitled “Snapping Shrimp from the DampierArchipelago Expedition, WesternAustralia” in August 2008. He workedwith Dr. Mary Wicksten of TexasA&M University to perform research;they identified the species of snappingshrimp that were collected from theDampier Islands expedition.Matt has published 11 papers inpeer-reviewed journals. His researchhas mainly been associated with snappingshrimp and their taxonomy andpopulation biology. Among otherthings, he has named and publishedtwo new species, Alpheus angulosus in2002 and Alpheus hortensis in 2003.He has been published in the US, Mexico,Australia, and the Netherlands.Community ServiceSGA held its annual food driveagain and it was a great success - twolarge boxes of non-perishable fooditems were collected. Proceeds weredonated to Orange Christian Services.Around campus, there have beentwo toys drives for this holiday season- one held by the sociology department,which ended already, andnow the Orange County Blue Santadrive. Please look for the large boxesand give a donation for those in need.On December 1 - 2, the LifeShareBlood Center was on campus for theblood drive. They also had centersset up on other Lamar campuses. Thetation to the Bridge City communityby Hurricane Ike. The club met andvoted to designate the Bridge Citylibrary as the charity of their donationfor this year. Our very own CharlotteChiasson, who serves as the treasurerof the Friends of the Bridge City PublicLibrary, had been in contact withthe Caprice Civic Club’s treasurer,Phyllis Payne. Caprice made a generousdonation to the Friends group,who will use to money to replacebooks and computers.Our very own library is collectingbooks for local libraries that wereseriously impacted by HurricaneIke. Normally each year round theholidays, the library collects children’sbooks for the AAUW group, “A Bookof their Own” but this year we arecollecting books for the libraries inBridge City and Orange. The averagecost of a basic elementary school librarycollection is $80,000.00. Weare looking for new and/or gently usedbooks. LSC-O has agreed to store theon-site crew was very helpful and patient;we look forward to seeing themagain in the spring!The Caprice Civic Club of Dallasis an organization of 32 women thathas been in existence for nearly 60years. Through two Bridge City residents,the group learned of the devasbookscollected until the schools havea place to house their materials.This year, we have a newlyelected SGA. The SGA strives torepresent LSC-O students and servesas a liaison between students and administrationand all student organizations.The members are:Chris Williamson, PresidentMinh-Nhat Duong, Vice PresidentKristina Manuel, SecretaryJoe Peevey, CommunicatorBalie Viator, SenatorHeather Hardin, SenatorHaylee Taylor, SenatorKristina Peoples, SenatorLogan Steward, SenatorThai Phan, SenatorJason Pachar, SenatorGreg Perry, SenatorKassey Humberson, SenatorSally Pope, RepresentativeThis group of students is verypresent on campus and regularly performsservice activities in the community.They recently volunteered at theLions Club Carnival and took part inour movie night, in addition to hostingtheir annual food drive (see“Community Service.”)Lauren Davis, daughter of AngelaReeves, received a Bravo Award fromthe Orangefield ISD for scoring thehighest possible score on the readingcomprehension section of the 7thgrade TAKS test. Only five students inher grade received this honor.The Informer ~ Page 5 ~ December 2008

New Faces...New SpacesAlthough some are newer than others, I’d like to put faces to the names of all those who have joined the LSC-Ofamily since February 2008. If you have not been formally introduced to the employees pictured below, please takea look and say “hi” the next time you see them around campus.Julie CamaraCustomized TrainingCoordinator,Education(Photo Unavailable)Angela ColeInstructor of LVN(Photo Unavailable)De’Awn BarkersDirector,Public InformationRobin ClementsAdministrativeAssistant II, OIRETom ConleySystems Analyst IIICandace DenisonAccounting Clerk ISusan DormanAdministrativeAssistance,WorkforceDevelopment(Photo Unavailable)Crystal KibodeauxClerk II, Library(Photo Unavailable)Rocky MelderInstructor ofProcess Technology(Photo Unavailable)Kungwha KimLibrary TechnicalServices ManagerGary MartinInstructor/Directorof MLABMike McNairDirector,Arts & Sciences DivisionJennifer PetitjeanWeb Administrator(Photo Unavailable)Elizabeth PresslerLearning LabManager(Photo Unavailable)Courtney MummeyClerk II, AdmissionsClint ReadingInstructor of BiologyDr. Jerry SanfordInstructor ofNutritionStephanie TownsendAccountant IHere are the employees that have recently been promoted. Let’s give them a pat on the back for their hard work!Erica Dumes - Accounting Clerk II Diana Kinto - Financial Aid Advisor Jessica Porter - Accounting Clerk IVAubrey L. Schubarth - Technical Services Librarian Lynn Scales - Administrative Assistant II, Financial AidMary Helm - Administrative Assistant II, Computer Center(There is also a host of part-time faculty that we would like to thank for being a part of our college community.The Informer ~ Page 6 ~ December 2008

DECEMBER EVENTS4 Lutcher Theater presents “Jason and the Argonauts”5 LSC-O Holiday SocialThe Brown Center, 7:30 p.m. - Midnight16 & 18 W.H. Stark House Holiday Open House (free)5 - 8 p.m.18 Lutcher Theater presents the musical comedy“The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee”12/22-1/2 LSC-O Holiday BreakJANUARY EVENTS5 Classes resume14-15 Lutcher Theater presents “Drumline”19 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday20 First class day for spring semester and 8-weekSession I23 Fall 2008 CommencementSeason’s Greetings!Wishing you and your families Happy Holidaysand a prosperous New Year!Don’t forget to get your copy of the first edition of theLAMAR STATE COLLEGEORANGECAMPUS COOKBOOKBooks are tentatively scheduled to be available for sale on December 12/17 for only $10.Be on the look-out for an email announcing their availability. Proceeds will go towardsLSC-O scholarships and a percentage will be donated to local charities.The Informer ~ Page 7 ~ December 2008