Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences

DSBS Notes DSBS Notes DSBS Notes VolVolVol. 2 . 2 . 2 Issue Issue Issue 2 2 2 summer summer summer 201520152015

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communication studiescommunication studiescommunication studies

mass communicationmass communicationmass communication

speech pathologyspeech pathologyspeech pathology

s o c i o l o g ys o c i o l o g ys o c i o l o g y

political sciencepolitical sciencepolitical science

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DSBS NotesDSBS NotesDSBS Notes News from the Division of Social & Behavioral SciencesNews from the Division of Social & Behavioral SciencesNews from the Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences

XAVIER BOARD OF TRUSTEES GREENLIGHTS SPEECH PATHOLOGY GRADUATE PROGRAM Master’s in Speech Pathology Planned for 2018

T his February, the Xavier University Board of Trustees approved a Master of Science degree in Speech Pathology. This move followed a two-year feasi-bility study by Xavier’s Department of Speech Pathology to determine if

there was a need for this type of graduate program.

Dr. Nancy Martino, who is leading the graduate program’s development, says that in addition to addressing Xavier’s mission by preparing leaders in the field, Xavier’s program will respond to increased nationwide demand for speech-language pathologists. Speech-language specialists are needed due to a growing number of communication and swallowing related conditions affecting the large, aging baby boomer population. Speech-language pathologists are also in demand in the pre-kindergarten population with children who have communication disorders related to language-based literacy skills. In addition, there is a nationwide shortage of speech-language pathologists from underrepresented backgrounds.

Xavier is the perfect setting for increasing clinically competent speech-language pathologists of color, due to its undergraduate Speech Pathology program’s long history of working with children from minority groups. Dr. Martino noted that for

the past thirty years, Xavier’s program has trained Xavier stu-dents who have had clinical experiences in the New Orleans public schools, Head-start centers and the local Veteran’s Ad-ministration Hospi-tal.

Approval from the Board is the first step in a two-and-a-half year process of ac-creditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissions on Colleges and the American Speech Language Hearing Association. The first cohort of students is expected to enroll in the fall of 2018.

WELCOME! DSBS welcomes new Mass Communication Department Head, Dr. Tia Smith. Dr. Smith comes to XULA from the University of the West Indies.

DSBS SPEND A DAY EVENT In March, the Division of Social & Behavioral Sciences hosted high school students from across the New Orleans metropolitan area to experience a day in the life of a DSBS major of their choice. Students dined with a major in the U.C., attended classes, and chatted with faculty to learn more about their major.

I n s i d e :

Speech Pathology Graduate Program ‘Dolled Up’ at DSBS Banquet Department News Scholarly News and Notes Honors and Awards

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222 DSBS Notes DSBS Notes DSBS Notes VolVolVol. 2 . 2 . 2 Issue Issue Issue 2 2 2 summer summer summer 201520152015

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Banquet Committee members Sabrina Washington and Kristin Williams

DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS Communication Studies: Highest GPA: Emerald Dukes Aspiring Researcher: Kynisha Christmas Service Excellence: Ebony Artis Social Justice Award: Andre Morgan Outstanding Minor: Kayla Irby

Mass Communication: Overall: Kendall Lawson, Kareka Green, Reyale Jones, Brie Merritt, Dominique McCaskill Highest GPAs: Keshante Horton (overall) Kareka Green (senior) Dominique McCaskill (senior) Jerome Brown (junior) Jadzia James (soph) Tatyana Aubert (freshman) Best in Broadcasting: Justin Grier Best in Public Relations: Dominique McCaskill Best in Print: Kaelin Maloid

Political Science: Highest GPAs: Taqiyyah Elliott (freshman) Sierra Blanchard-Hodge (soph) Eric Craig (junior) Evangeline Dech (senior) Most Improved: Brandon Blakely Most Engaged: Chianna Hart Outstanding Leadership: Cierra Wilcox Outstanding Service: Eric Craig Supreme Sacrifice in Beating the Odds: Felicia Woolens

Psychology: Student of the Year: Jusiah Prowell Highest GPAs: Bryan Redmond (freshman)

Beverlin Del Rosario (soph) Alinna Sam (junior)

Khalil Thompson (senior) Researcher of the Year: Khalil Thompson Outstanding Service: Ricaylah Citizen Creative & Critical Thinking: Chinyere Okafor

Sociology: Academic Leadership: Sharmaine Russ Outstanding Freshman: Javonte Vaden Outstanding Senior: Antanious White Outstanding Researcher: Victoria Jones Public Sociology Award: Ranesha Turnipseed Highest GPAs: Alana Peck Skky Martin Rayonna Adams Speech Pathology: Highest GPAs: Amithyse Moore (senior) Cecily Williams (junior) Kevin Thomas (soph) Kiarra Hill (freshman) Outstanding On Site Clinician: Amithyse Moore Outstanding Off Site Clinician: Sabrina Washington Most Engaged: Kevin Thomas Most Promising Underclassman: Morgan Dillard

DSBS GETS ‘DOLLED-UP & DECKED OUT’ AT 2ND ANNUAL GALA

T he academic year ended with the Second Annu-al DSBS Awards Banquet. This year’s theme was “Dolled Up & Decked Out.” About 100 majors

from across the six DSBS disciplines gathered for din-ner, awards, and a graduation ceremony charging sen-iors with responsibility to enact Xavier’s mission.

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Congratulations DSBS ‘15 Graduates

Mr. Arnold Crump and seniors following Rose Ceremony

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COMMUNICATION STUDIES FACULTY NEWS Dr. Dominique Gendrin Retires after a Quarter-Century in Higher Education

D r. Dominique Gendrin retired in May and was awarded the rank of Professor Emeritus. With twenty-five years in higher education, sixteen of those at Xavier, Dr. Gendrin served as the anchor for Communica-tion Studies through its most transformative period in Xavier’s history.

Many of the courses that students identify as most helpful when they graduate from Xavier and enter the workforce – Interpersonal Communication, Intercultural Commu-nication and Small Group Communication – were designed and introduced by Dr. Gen-drin. It is largely because of her curriculum innovation that Xavier students (and facul-ty) now recognize and embrace that the study and practice of communication trans-cends the act of public speaking.

Throughout her career at Xavier, Dr. Gendrin has earned the University’s highest re-search honor, the NCF Faculty Excellence in Scholarship award, served as Chair of the Department of Communications and Head of the Department of Mass Communication, served as Associate Director for the Center for Undergraduate Research, and served on Xavier’s Rank and Tenure Committee.

Dr. Gendrin has taught students and colleagues alike what it means to promote a more just and humane society through a career in higher education.

Dr. Liz Edgecomb Served as Ethnography Division Vice-Chair Dr. Liz Edgecomb completed a year as the Vice-Chair of the Ethnogra-phy Division of the Southern States Communication Association (SSCA). In this role, Dr. Edgecomb coordinated every ethnographic research presentation at the 2015 SSCA Conference in Tampa, FL. She will serve as Chair of the Ethnography Division in 2015-2016.

Dr. Louis Receives UNCF/Mellon Faculty Residency Fellowship Dr. Ross Louis received a UNCF/Mellon International Faculty Residen-cy Fellowship to fund his project “Performative Moments of Presence and Place in Richard Wright’s Haiku.” Louis will spend part of the summer at the Incident. Res Residency program in France investi-gating sites at which author Richard Wright composed over 4,000 haiku near the end of his life. Louis will write an article on this topic.

Dr. Chandler Stars in “Vagina Monologues” Dr. Kimberly Chandler appeared in the Ashe Cultural Arts Center’s production of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” in April. The performance was held in coordination with the internationally ob-served “V Day,” a global call to end violence against women.

Flanagan receives NCF Teaching Award Dr. Lisa Flanagan received the Norman C. Francis Faculty Excellence Award in Teaching for junior faculty. Initiated in 2009, the awards include a monetary gift of $5,000, some of which is spent on Dr. Flanagan’s teaching projects. Dr. Flanagan was recognized for her innovative and creative teaching approaches at every level of Com-munication Studies coursework, her sustained and meaningful ser-vice-learning partnerships that advocate for environmental justice, and her significant investment in working with students outside of class, especially at performance festivals.

xaviercommunicationstudies

@XULACommStudies

“THIS OTHER WORLD”

C ommunication studies minor Mia Ruffin (English) and Theol-ogy major Thomas Nash per-

formed “This Other World,” a research-based performance scripted and di-rected by Dr. Ross Louis at Xavier’s Art Village in March. The performance ex-plored Richard Wright’s haiku poetry

with scenes from his Native Son and Black Boy, while also con-sidering the au-thor’s writing process, forma-tive experiences with race identi-ty, and iconic scenes from his literature.

PATTI PACE PERFORMANCE FESTIVAL Xavier’s Performance Studies Laboratory, including Communication Studies faculty Dr. Lisa Flanagan, Dr. Liz Edgecomb and Dr. Ross Louis, along with Dr. Robin Vander (English and African American and Dias-pora Studies), hosted the Patti Pace Performance Festival in February at the Marigny Opera House. The national festival featured guest scholar, Dr. Michael Bowman (LSU), who lectured and offered a work-shop on experimental tourism to undergraduate and graduate stu-dents from ten universities. Xavier students who had completed or who were enrolled in Communication Studies courses with a perfor-mance focus participated.

www.xula.edu/communicationstudies/

STUDENT INTERNS WITH CENTER FOR RESTORATIVE APPROACHES

C ommunication Studies senior Kynisha Christmas will spend the summer interning with

the Center for Restorative Approach-es, a New Orleans non-profit that helps K-12 students resolve conflict by building problem-solving and decision-making skills that result in better con-nections, less conflict, and a healthier community.

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MASS COMMUNICATION MAJOR GARNERS SEVERAL AWARDS AND HONORS

D ominique McCaskill is one of seventy university students se-lected to attend one of Google's 2015 AdCamps. She has earned an all-expense paid trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan to learn about Google's marketing strategies, to compete in case com-

petitions, and to network.

McCaskill also received a 2015 LA GRANT Foundation Scholarship. Along with $2,500, scholarship winners receive a trip to Chicago to participate in career building activities including a wel-come dinner with a keynote speaker, two daylong career and professional development work-shops, and a schol-arship and donor

recognition reception.

In addition, McCaskill was selected as the recipient of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana’s (PRAL) $1,000 William Michelet Scholarship. This is the first time that a Xavier student has received this scholarship since the award was established in 1994.

SPRING PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGNS CLASS TEAMS UP WITH GOOGLE CLP

I n the spring semester, the Department of Mass Communication Public Relations Campaigns class (MSCM 4060) partnered with Google Community Leaders Program (Google CLP) to heighten awareness about free digital tools designed to help small businesses and non-profit organizations thrive.

As a capstone course for the Strategic Communication sequence, students operate as a full-service public rela-tions firm. The team named themselves “Top Coat Communications” (TCC), pitched their skills and ideas to the client, and then created and implemented a detailed public relations plan.

The culminating event for the campaign was the free “#GetConnected Google CLP Block Party.” where more than fifty small business owners learned how to use tools to transform their businesses. The students were impressive,” said Ian Rosenburg, Google CLP leader. “We were beyond pleased with their profes-sionalism, ideas and energy. They exceeded our ex-pectations.”

Team members were: Misha Batiste, agency direc-tor, Dominique McCaskill, agency assistant director, Fran Pirkl, senior account executive, JaLissa Latson, junior account executive, and Sirdaria Williams, so-cial media manager. Sheryl Kennedy-Haydel teaches the course.

M A S S C O M M U N I C AT I O N AWA R D E D G R A N T

T he Mass Communication department was awarded a 2015-2016 Louisiana Board of Regents grant for $159,893. Dr. Shearon Roberts wrote the grant and will serve as Principal Investigator. Mr. Arnold Crump will assist Dr.

Roberts in administering the grant. This award funds upgrades in three areas. First, the grant will fund a new iMac computer lab for multimedia instruction for Mass Communication majors and minors. The grant will also furnish 5 multimedia suites in the Mass Communication Department for student projects and innovation. Fi-nally, the award will upgrade the television studio for digital capabilities. Imple-mentation will run through June 2016.

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Mass Communication Major Dominique McCaskill ‘15

Top Coat Communications” (TCC) team members

FESTIVAL OF SCHOLARS Dr. Shearon Roberts mentored students who partici-pated in the Mass Communication Department Panel: Young People and News Engagement in a Digital Age. Presenters included Jasmine Francis, Christin Cham-pion, Ashlee Hill, Candice Noel, Justin Grier, Jirah Mikle, Kendall Lawson and Keshante Horton.

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POLITICAL SCIENCE CELEBRATES THE CLASS OF 2015

T he political science department honored the Class of 2015 with a reception in April. At the 2015 Baccalaure-ate and Awards Ceremony six political science graduating

seniors were honored: Chianna Hart received the Louis Israel Award; DeVon Pruitt received the Alphonse Pierre Auguste Award; Felecia Woolens won the Walter J. Barker, Sr. Award; and Cierra Wilcox, Jade Crutch, and Evangeline Dech all received the University Service Key Award. Three graduates will be head-ing to law school: Evangeline Dech, Michael Moore, and Ja’Keria McCowan. Senior Cierra Wilcox will continue her train-ing in service with the U.S. Coast Guard. Jade Crutch will be teaching English in France. Chianna Hart is returning to Illinois before following her post-baccalaureate dreams.

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Above: Recent graduate, Greg Jones is pictured with fellow TLIP interns, the Gover-

nor of Texas (seated) and Texas Senator Ellis to the right of the governor .

Fol low us!Fol low us!

www.xula.edu/political-science/index.php

ERIC CRAIG NAMED TOM JOYNER FOUNDATION HERCULES SCHOLAR

S enior Political Science major, Eric Craig has received a $1,500 scholarship from the Tom Joyner Foundation and has been named a Hercules Scholar. Craig currently holds a 3.85 GPA . After earning his degree at Xavier, he plans to attend graduate school to further

his knowledge within political science. At Xavier University, he has worked in different capaci-ties for the Xavier Herald. Eric was recently named a Top 5 Journalist and a Top 3 Feature Writ-er at the Southeast Journalism Conference for colleges and universities. In addition to his jour-nalistic pursuits, he serves as the Vice President of the Public Policy Club, a member of Pi Gam-ma Mu, and a DSBS Peer Mentor. Eric holds several other community posi-tions back in his hometown of Los Angeles.

LEGAL BRIEFS The Pre-Law Club held its 2015 induction

on April 22. Dr. Pamela Waldron-Moore accompa-

nied 19 students to this year's Law Day at Southern University in Baton Rouge. The students ranged in classification from freshman to seniors and were from five different disciplines: History, Mathe-matics, Mass Communication, Business, and Political Science.

Three political science alumni graduated from law school, earning their J.D. de-grees: Brittani Melvin, Zachary Carroll, and Xavier Semien. Monika Arceneaux passed the bar in both Georgia and Loui-siana.

ALUMNI NEWS

C ongratulations to alumni Bailey Smith and Kevin Wiles, who

completed masters degrees.

IN OTHER NEWS... Dr. Willie Gin has received a grant to participate in the Policy Analysis and Research seminar sponsored by the Rand Founda-tion in Santa Monica, CA. Dr. Pamela Waldron-Moore has been invited to address this year's participants in the semi-nar, as well.

The Political Science depart-ment developed a new net-work /internship relationship with the local Homeland Securi-ty office. Two officers from the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) attended the last depart-mental meeting held in April to introduce students to internship opportunities and career op-tions associated with the OHS.

Right, Top from left to right: Dr. Megan Osterbur, Cierra Wilcox, Evangeline Dech, Michael Moore, Ja'Keria McCowan, Jade Crutch, Dr. Pamela Waldron-Moore, Chianna Hart (behind), Dr. Russell Frazier, Dr. Willie Gin.

Right, Bottom: Dr. Waldron-Moore smiles with pride as she stands with her Political Science graduates just moments before the 82nd Commencement of Xavier University of Louisiana. From left to right: Cierra Wilcox, Ja'Keria McCowan, Dr. Pamela Waldron-Moore, DeVon Pruitt, Michael Moore, and Gregory Jones.

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Left: Pre-Law Inductees from left to right: Aja McCoy; Brittney Gibson; Elorm August; Club Adviser Pamela Waldron-Moore; Jodi Hill; & Shelby Santiago.

http://www.xula.edu/political-science/index.php


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NEUROSCIENCE OPPORTUNITIES EXPANDING IN PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT Curriculum, undergraduate research, collaborations, and grants offer synergies

N euroscience is an expanding interdisciplinary field with exciting applications for Biology, Chemistry, Phys-ics, Computer Science, Speech Pathology, and Mathematics, as well as Psychology. In recent years, facul-ty interest and students’ enthusiasm for neuroscience have increased Xavier’s psychology department ‘s

engagement in this field. In addition to lab research, neuroscience academic opportunities are expanding at Xa-vier as well. Psychology faculty members are working to formalize a Neuroscience track within the major, with the goal of developing a Neuroscience minor. Last spring, Dr. Jeremy Cohen offered a new course, Clinical Neuro-psychology. This course joins existing neuroscience offerings: Comparative Psychology, Physiological Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and Psychopharmacology. Interested students should come visit us in Xavier South!

Neuroimaging lab draws students from across campus

D r. Jeremy Cohen is continuing to engage students in his human neuroimaging research. Cohen joined Dr. Anderson Sunda-meya (XULA Physics) in the HBCU-

UP program funded by NSF in Spring 2014. Dr. Cohen wel-comed back three HBCU-UP student researchers for the 2014-2015 academic year. The interdisciplinary nature of neuro-science was highlighted by diverse student backgrounds – psychology, biology and chemistry. They analyzed and sub-mitted research data concerning insular cortex anatomy in individuals with Alzhei-mer’s disease, Mild Cog-nitive Impairment, and normal aging. Their poster presentation was accepted to the South-eastern Psychological Association annual meeting in Hilton Head, where they presented their research in March 2015. In Fall 2014, Dr. Cohen’s lab group also began a project emphasizing cognitive and affective neurode-velopment. Student researchers also completed targeted data collection of insular cortex anatomy in Autism Spectrum Disorder compared to healthy controls; statistical analyses are on-going. After Khalil Thompson and Armond Collins went on to graduate school and medical school, respectively, Dr. Cohen welcomed three new members: Hakeem Brooks (BUILD Scholar, Biology), Bria Landry (HBCU-UP, Psychology), and Bianca Shrestha (HBCU-UP, Engineering) joining Taylor Smith (HBCU-UP, Chemistry). The team is working with new semi-automated whole brain structural and functional image processing techniques to understand changes in neural net-works associated with brain development.

Neuromusicology lab helping seniors and students

D r. Katherine Eskine’s Neuromusicology lab explores the effects of music on executive functions, attention, memory, problem

solving, and creativity in older and college popula-tions. In May, the Neuromusicology lab presented research on the effects of music listening on college students’ creativity at the 27th Association for Psy-chological Science Annual Convention in New York. Led by Ashanti Anderson, they found that when students listened to Macklemore, their scores on a creativity measure increased compared to their cre-ativity scores after listening to classical or babble.

Dr. Eskine and the Neuromusicology lab are also examining the effects of music in older adults suffering from dementia. Anecdotal evidence sug-gests that music can improve behavior and mood in at least some people with dementia. The Neuro-musicology lab suspects that this effect is more powerful when participants are exposed to their preferred music and that cognition as well as mood and behavior will be improved. This project’s re-search assistants Chinyere Okafor (CUR), Jeanette Vernon (CUR), Ariana Mitchel (MARC), and Zaharra Withers (BUILD Scholar) have been learning neuro-psychological testing and patient rapport, both valu-able skills for graduate or medical school. In this within subject study, participants suffering from mild to moderate dementia complete neuropsycho-logical testing before and after listening to music they enjoy and babble to examine effects on execu-tive functions, attention, memory, and problem solving. This fall the Neuromusicology lab will be expanding the scope of their research by adding a live music condition.

XAVIER PSYCHOLOGY WELL REPRESENTED IN AP PSYCHOLOGY EXAM In June, more than 500 psychology high school teachers and college professors converged on Louisville, KY, to en-gage in the annual ritual of scoring the free response (essay) portions of Advanced Placement Psychology exam. This year, more than 280,000 high school students took the exam in hopes of receiving college credit, and several Xavier Psychology faculty played integral roles in the reading. Dr. Wyndi Ludwikowski attended for the second consecutive year as a reader and was in charge of reading exams for eight hours a day, for seven days straight! Dr. Elliott Hammer, who has attended the reading since 2001, as-sumed the title of Question Leader this year. In addition to assuring the quality of the rubric used to score the es-says consistently, he consulted with readers on difficult cases and reported scoring to the test administrators. Finally, Dr. Elizabeth Yost Hammer completed her 4th year as Chief Reader, in which capacity she oversaw the entire operation. With so many readers and exams, this is obviously quite an undertaking, but the three faculty report that they do it for the love of psychology and the strength of the relationships they build over those days.

@XULAPsychology@XULAPsychology

Neuroimaging Lab Researchers: Khalil Thompson, Dr. Jeremy Cohen, Taylor Smith, Armond Collins, and Kwame Jackson

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Social Policy class poses with

Judge Chase.

BEVY OF ALUMNI EARN GRADUATE DEGREES

C ongratulations to former majors and minors who completed graduate degrees:

Sika Koudou ‘07, Ph.D. in Sociology, Johns Hopkins University Courtney Thomas PSYC ‘10, Ph.D. in Sociology, Vanderbilt University

Bre’on Kelly ‘11, Masters in Social Work, Southern University New Orleans Domonique Bartley ‘12, Masters in Public Administration, Clark Atlanta University Teri’ Graham ‘12, Masters in Public Health, Mercer University Julien Grayer ’13, Masters in Sociology, University of Alabama, Birmingham Marquisha Johns ‘13, Masters in Public Health, Saint Louis University Kelly Allison PSYC ‘13, Masters in Social Work, Louisiana State University Congratulations and best wishes also go to Sade Wilson Anumudu ‘14, who will begin a Masters in Public Health at the University of California in Berkeley, and to Julien Grayer ‘13, who will pursue a Ph.D. in Sociology from University of Missouri.

RESEARCH METHODS INFUSED WITH HANDS ON LEARNING

S tudents in Dr. Amy Bellone Hite’s research methods class and sta-tistical software lab put their

knowledge and skills to use while experi-encing life as social researchers. They attended the Southern Sociological Soci-ety Annual Meeting in New Orleans and designed and administered their own survey to evaluate Xavier’s new campus-wide recycling program. Hite says that these types of experiences not only

make learn-ing more mean-ingful, but are also what gives Xavier-ites an edge in gradu-ate school.

Sociology majors Dwanna Ealy ‘15, Kelvanisha Williams ‘17, and

Sharmaine Russ ‘17 enjoy the French Quarter.

SOCIOLOGY FACULTY MEMBER SPENDS JUNE IN NEW YORK CITY Associate Professor Chris Faircloth spent June at New York University as a Scholar-in-Residence through the Faculty Resource Network. Dr. Fair-cloth’s project was an initial exploration into the literature on representations of health and illness in popular culture, his main interests in the field and one that has never been studied. Dr. Fair-cloth worked with research consultant, Dr. Julie Livingston, a MacArthur Genius Fellowship recip-ient, and accessed the enormous resources of

Bobst Library at NYU. This baseline work will allow Dr. Faircloth to build a project which he looks to expand into conference presenta-tions, for teaching Sociology’s Health, Medicine & Society concentra-tion, and eventually a full-length manuscript.

Dr. Faircloth reports that the Scholar in Residence program was a wonderful research experience, but also an opportunity to experi-ence the East Village on a daily basis and explore New York City. He also connected with other scholars from political science, psycholo-gy, and even chemistry.

Dr. Faircloth poses in in NYC’s East

Village

www.xula.edu/ sociology/index.php

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SOCIAL POLICY SPEAKER SERIES

D r. Silas Lee’s Social Policy course featured a series of New Orleans policy leaders as guest speakers. Dr. Lee believes it is imperative for

students to have opportunities to see how real-life leaders grapple with and shape policy in their daily lives. The series also gives students ample opportu-nities to network with local leaders in their fields. This semester’s guests included: Civil Court Judge Tiffany Chase (pictured left) educator Angela Kinlaw; CEO of New Orleans Business Council, Coleman Ridley; Tonia Moore from Tobacco Free New Orleans; and Judge Judy Reese.

Plenty to Smile About XU Psych major and

native New Orleanian Dr. Courtney Thomas will begin her career as a sociology professor at

the University of Kentucky.

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ALUMNI PROFILE Name: Melanique LaBeaud Fairman, AuD

Program of Study at XU and Graduation Year: Speech Pathology - 2010

What did you do after graduation from XU?: After graduation, I took a year off to ob-serve and practice in my intended field of study. While applying to graduate schools for the Doctor of Audiology program, I interned at ACL Hearing and Balance in Baton Rouge, LA. There, I was offered the opportunity to get more familiar with hearing and balance testing procedures and protocols, patient care, and hearing aid technology.

Program of Study and Graduation Year from Professional School: Doctor of Audiology program at the University of Florida - 2015

Where are you currently working?: During my 4th year externship, I worked for the Georgia Hearing Institute, an affiliate of the ENT Center of Central Georgia. Upon graduation, I was offered a full time position to work for the facility in an effort to expand their second location by offering services with a full time Audiologist on staff.

How did Xavier help you get to this point in your career?: My educational experience at Xavier University of Louisiana afforded me the opportunity to not only study the science and ethics of Speech Pathology but also Audiology at the undergraduate level. The partnership Xavier University has allowed with other outside clinics such as the New Orleans Veterans Administration Hospital, Louisiana State University Speech Pathology and Audiology program, and New Orleans Speech and Hearing Center, allows students first hand and even hands on experience with the field.

Anything else that you would like to add?: Dr. Nancy Martino, Dr. Joe Melcher, and Dr. Catina Peoples have each had a hand in preparing me academically and supporting me through my endeavors. I really appreciate their wisdom, patience, encouragement, and continuous mentoring while completing my goals.

COMMUNICATING STRONGER: MY JOURNEY FROM NEW ORLEANS TO ABU DHABI BY LORI VAUGHN, M.A. SLP-CCC

A s speech language pathologists, we work hard to bridge the gap that links students, clients, and patients to an overall level of communication proficiency. Our desire is always to meet

the individual needs of those we treat. In the process, there are times that we can become jaded by the politics that we come up against, become frustrated with the lack of parental/client cooperation, or emotionally drained by the limited improvement associated with our more severe clientele. At such times, a moment of refreshing is some-times the best action to take in restoring momentum & motivation. This spring , I was provided the opportunity to visit The United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is a country located in the southeast end of the Arabian Peninsula on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. Upon my arrival into Abu Dhabi, I was immediately captivated by the beauty of the landscape, the breathtaking national monu-

ments, and the innovative style of modern architecture. Although my eyes appeared as saucers for most of my eight-day trip, I was looking for more. Then, I found the very thing I needed among native and expatriate (otherwise known as expats) professionals of education in the country. Through them, I learned that although this very young country is filled with all that is modern, it is still developing in the areas of special education, special needs resources, and initiatives for persons with disabilities. I also learned of the limitations and hardships the many pro-fessionals that are attempting to make a difference in this country face. In addition, there are many individuals struggling with disorders who are not receiving attention that we often expect in the areas of diagnosis and treatment. Upon my return, I experienced a refocus not only toward my clients, but also to the children back in the UAE. There was a time in the history of our country, when we ne-glected and were confounded by those we deemed abnormal. Since that time, we have taken aims to provide the support needed for public awareness, compassion, ac-

ceptance, and treatment for those individuals. I am both optimistic and hopeful about being a part of this coun-try’s move toward its natural progression in attitudes and actions surrounding its most vulnerable.

SPEECH PATH SENIOR GARNERS UNIVERSITY HONORS

T he 2015 Bac-calaureate and Awards

ceremony honors the best and the brightest of each year’s gradua-tion class. Taylor Ven-ice-Martin (Speech Pathology ’15) was in that number this year. Venice-Martin received the Univer-sity Service Key, a trophy for her student leadership and service, and the Sister Beatrice Jefferies award for being a lead-er and always willing to help during her four years at Xavier. Venice-Martin was active within the Xavier community serv-ing on Xavier Activities Board, including taking on the role as president her sen-ior year. Additionally, she helped to plan the Martin Luther King Day of Service.

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Lori Vaughn is a part time clinical supervisor in the Xavier University Speech and Hearing Clinic.

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R E C E N T D S B S P R E S E N TA T I O N S Xavier psychology major Ashanti Anderson, Xavier psychology professor Katherine Eskine, and Tulane psycholo-gist Ed Golob presented “Music listening, semantic memory, and creativity” as a poster at the 27th Association for Psychological Science Annual Convention, in New York, NY.

Psychology professor Jeremy D. Cohen and his research lab students Khalil Thompson, Kwame Jackson, Armond Collins, and Taylor Smith attended the Southeastern Psychological Association Annual Meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina. They presented their research as a poster entitled “Insular volume reduction in Alzheimer’s dis-ease compared to Mild Cognitive Impairment.”

Political Science professor Willie Gin presented a paper entitled “Big Data and Racial Order: Informational Rich-ness in the Context of Institutionalized Racism” at the Western Political Science Conference in Boulder, Colorado.

Psychology professor and Xavier CAT director Elizabeth Hammer traveled to Seattle to present “Metacognition to enhance student success” at the Northwest Conference on Teaching Introductory Psychology.

Mass Communication professor Sheryl Kennedy-Haydel shared her research on “How Women at Bennett Col-lege Discussed Race, Politics & Community Building in their Student-Run Campus Newspaper from 1930 – 1939” with audiences at the AEJMC Midwinter Conference in Norman, Oklahoma, as well as at the National Association of African-American Studies & Affiliates National Conference in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Political scientist Megan Osterbur traveled to Chicago for the MPSA Conference to present a paper entitled “Where Babies are Made: De-terminants of Surrogacy Policy Around the Globe.” Political science major Jodi Hill also presented a research poster at MPSA entitled “Explaining the Variation in the Protection of Women’s Reproductive Rights Across OECD Welfare States through Convergence Theory.”

The 40th Annual Meeting of the Caribbean Studies Association was held in New Orleans. Among Xavier faculty in attendance, mass com-munication professor Shearon Roberts presented a paper entitled “Presentando ‘Sin Patria’: Una Comparación de reportajes de la Ley 169-14 en los medios de comunicación del CARICOM, Haití y la República Dominicana.” Roberts also presented a paper at a symposium in Los Angeles (Public Diplomacy and Development Communications: Inter-sections, Overlaps and Challenges). Her presentation was titled “Media Roles in Haiti’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction: A Comparison of State-Owned and Mainstream Media.“

Psychology professor Lisa Schulte presented a poster on “Contemplative practices in the classroom: Effects on objective versus subjective well-being” at the SETOP conference.

R E C E N T D S B S P U B L I C AT I O N S Amy Bellone Hite (SOCI) coauthored a chapter (with Elizabeth Fussell) entitled “Disaster, Reconstruction, and Racialization: Latinos in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.” It appears in a Katrina 10th Anniversary volume edited by Jeannie Haubert entitled Rethinking Disaster Recovery: A Hurricane Katrina Retrospective (New York: Lexington Books).

Elizabeth Hammer (PSYC) and her co-authors (W. Weiten and D.S. Dunn) published the 11th edition of their textbook, Psychology Applied to Modern Life ( Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning).

Elliott Hammer (PSYC) and coauthors Laurie O’Brien, Donna Garcia, Glenn Adams, J. Guillermo Villalobos, and Patricia Gilbert published an article in the latest issue of Social Psychology Education entitled “The threat of sex-ism in a STEM educational setting: the moderating impacts of ethnicity and legitimacy beliefs on test perfor-mance.”

Megan Osterbur (PSCI), Elizabeth Hammer (PSYC), and Elliott Hammer (PSYC) published the results of a re-search collaboration in an article entitled “Does Mechanism Matter? Student Recall of Electronic versus Hand-written Feedback.” It appears in the International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (Volume 9, Issue 1).

Shearon Roberts (MSCM) finished her first year of teaching while publishing two journal articles. “The Role of State-Owned Media in Haiti’s Post-Earthquake Reconstruction” appears in Media and Communication (volume 3, issue 2). Another article, “Then and Now. Framing U.S. Occupation in Haiti’s Media” was published in the Journal of Haitian Studies (volume 21, issue 2).

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STUDENT PRESENTS WEBINAR ON DEPRESSION

S ociology major Alana Peck conducted a

webinar on her re-search for the More-house School of Medi-cine Department of Psychiatry & Behavior-al Sciences’ HBCU– Center for Excel-lence in Behavioral Health. Her presen-tation, “A Students Perspective: Tips for Combating Depression” included her research on depression and behavioral health in young women across race. This research was previously presented at the Mid-South Sociological Associa-tion's Annual Convention.

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P I G A M M A M U C H A P T E R I N D U C T S T H R E E N E W M E M B E R S International Social Science Honor Society Inducts second class

P i Gamma Mu, an international social science honor society has three new members. Psy-chology majors Armond Collins, Amber Teresa, and Betool Ridha were inducted on April 27 and join Xavier’s chapter as the second class in it’s young history. The mission of Pi

Gamma Mu is to encourage and recognize superior scholarship in social science disciplines and to foster cooperation and social service among its members. Pi Gamma Mu serves the various

social science disciplines which seek to understand and explain human behavior and social relationships as well as their related problems and issues.

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S T U D E N T M E D I A AWA R D S Xavier talent recognized by several groups in varied media

X avier Student Media brought home a number of awards in early 2015. The Xavier Herald received six awards in the Better College

Newspaper competition. First place awards included: best feature story, Anthony Lotten; the Gary Hebert Award for most effective use of graphic design on a single page, Nick Davison; and individual color photo, Eric Craig. Third place award included: most effective use of graphic design on a single page, Leah Labat; feature photo, Eric Craig; and staff generated black/white ad, Herald graphics team.

At the spring Southeast Journalism Conference con-vention in Atlanta, Ga., Ariel Jallah-Norfleet ’15 cap-tured second place in the highly competitive on-site TV reporting contest. Other SEJC winners included: Craig, best feature writer, third place; and Davison, best news graphic designer, eighth place. Craig also was a finalist for College Journalist of the Year. The student media delegation stopped in Selma, Ala., where they covered a unity march with more than 2,000 partici-pants. The team included XTV’s Jallah-Norfleet, Herald editor-in-chief Craig, staff members Davison, Hill and Maloid, and advisors Melinda Shelton and Arnold Crump. The National Newspaper Publishers Association Foun-dation awarded MSCM sophomore Kaelin Maloid, a $1,000 scholarship for her work as a rising young jour-

nalist, which she will receive for the fall 2015 semester. Ash-lee Hill, a senior, re-ceived the NNPAF award in 2014.

Freshman Kaelin Maloid and Junior Ashlee Hill display the

array of awards received by the Xavier Herald

D S B S S P I K E S I T B I G I N FA C U LT Y V O L L E Y B A L L TO U R N A M E N T

T he DSBS Faculty Volleyball team, “They Hate Us ’Cause They Ain’t Us,” participated in the Univer-sity wide faculty volleyball tournament. DSBS

received second place honors. Team members (pictured left to right below) include Drs. Wyndi Ludwikowski, Willie Gin, Elliott Hammer, Katherine Eskine, Brian Turner, and Nancy Martino. Below, they are seen cele-brating their victory against Fine Arts and Humanities.

Above: Flanagan with com-mencement speaker Attorney General Eric Holder; Top, Right: Flanagan with commencement speakers Dr. Vartan Gregorian and Magic Johnson; Right: Flanagan celebrates with Com-munication Studies colleagues Dr. Dominique Gendrin and Dr. Ross Louis

DR. LISA FLANAGAN WINS NCF TEACHING AWARD DSBS faculty member claims top honor for second year in a row Full story on page 3

Alejandro “Al” Perkins, PSCI '99, a partner with Hammonds, Sills, Adkins, & Guice Law Firm

in Baton Rouge, has been appoint-ed National Bar Associa-tion (NBA) deputy gen-eral counsel for 2015-16


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DSBS STUDENTS LEAD NORDC COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA ARTS SUMMER CAMP

T eaching teenagers to become smart consumers and content producers across social media platforms was the focus of the Smothers Academy Communication and Media Arts Camp sponsored by the New Orle-ans Recreation Development Commission. Xavier Department of Communication Studies assistant pro-

fessor Dr. Kimberly Chan-dler designed the summer program’s curriculum and Chandler Education Solu-tions, LLC employed four Xavier students as camp fa-cilitators. Southern Universi-ty-New Orleans’ College of Business and Public Admin-istration hosted the camp for sixty teenagers.

Pictured, left to right, are: Sirdaria Williams, Justin Grier, Smothers Academy co-founder Kemic Smothers, Candice Noel and Antanious White. Williams, Grier and Noel are Xavier Department of Mass Communication majors, and White is a May 2015 sociology graduate. Photo by Melinda L. Shelton.

Division of

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S everal DSBS students are spending the summer studying abroad. Sociology major Skky Martin is interning in the Dominican Republic. Mass

Communication major Jalissa Latson is participating in a study abroad program that will take her to London, Paris, Prague, & Berlin. Psychology majors Amber Dominique and Ricayla Citizen are spending their sum-mers in Mexico and Peru, respectively.

Participating in the Confucious Institute’s summer pro-gram in Boading, China were Director of Student Me-dia. Ms. Melinda Shelton. political Science major Eric Craig, and Psychology major Jusiah Prowell ‘15. The

program, sponsored by Xavier and Hebei Uni-versity’s Confucious Institutes included travel, as well as language and cultural immersion experiences.

Among faculty, Dr. Amy Bellone-Hite repre-sented DSBS during spring break to develop study abroad ‘Memoranda of Understandings’ with universities in London and Paris. Drs. Pamela Waldron–Moore and Dr. Ross Louis both traveled to France for scholarly projects. Dr. Nancy Martino traveled to Honduras to offer speech and language therapy services.

FESTIVE DANCING IN CHINA

Xavierites practice

diplomacy skills by showing off their dance moves.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER! The DSBS Peer Mentoring Program completed its first successful year.

The program will resume in September. Several current

mentors will continue to serve in that role, while some of their

mentees will move on to become mentors. The program is for DSBS

first-time freshmen, upperclassmen, and faculty.

Pictured here is the first cohort of mentors and mentees at an end-of

-the-year breakfast selfie.

DSBS STUDENTS, FACULTY TRAVEL THE WORLD


Campus Location:

Xavier South

909 Jefferson Davis Parkway

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Visit Us! http://www.xula.edu/dsbs Phone: 504-520-5054

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