Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 7/10/98
      Contact:                           Carol Dotson   135

GREEK SYSTEM AT SLU TAKES ON AMERICA READS PROJECT
     HAMMOND, LA -- Community service for some college Greek fraternities and
sororities is usually a small part of their organization's activities. But for the nineteen Greek
organizations at Southeastern Louisiana University, community service is one of their main
focuses and the entire Greek system at Southeastern is collectively getting involved in the
America Reads program.
     America Reads is President Clinton's nation-wide initiative to ensure that all children can
read well and independently by the end of the third grade. 
     Southeastern's Interfraternity Council (IFC) president Brett Duncan says planning began
in the spring semester to get Greeks participating in America Reads. Southeastern President Sally
Clausen met with Greek organization presidents to tell them about the program and hear their
ideas. Training sessions were begun and Duncan says he expects new placements to begin in the
fall.
      "We want full participation and so far, every group has agreed to participate. There were
already some individual Greeks involved in the program, but we wanted a larger effort. Too often
Greeks get bad publicity and not enough credit for the good things they do. Community service
is
an important aspects of our fraternities and sororities and we're all trying to focus more our
organizations' values.
     Sigma Gamma Tau fraternity, which has been working with D.C. Reeves Elementary
School  in Ponchatoula, plans to incorporate America Reads activities into their current efforts.
The fraternity has worked with the school for the past four semesters, according to Sigma
Gamma Tau president Mike Bass.


                                                     -more-

SLU Greeks/ADD ONE                       
                                         

     "We ask the teachers to do a wish list of what they want and need for their classrooms,"
said Bass. "That can range from painting the classroom to reading to the students and we try to
do what they need. When we decided on this project we wanted to go where there was a need for
a group like ours and since there are no male teachers at Reeves we felt we could contribute as
male role models for the students. In the beginning most of the guys were kind of macho and
couldn't see themselves with a bunch of kids, but the experience has changed them. The kids
really look forward to them coming and when you have all these kids screaming your name and
just excited that you're there, it's a good feeling. We've gotten as much out of it as the kids and
we're hoping to integrate the America Reads program with the activities we're already doing."
     "We're hoping that every fraternity and sorority will have the same type of positive
experience as Sig Tau," said Duncan. "We have commitments from 30-40 people this summer to
go through the training and we're planning to have more training sessions in the fall. This is
something we can do as a Greek system throughout the year and each group can take ownership
in the program."
     The America Reads program at Southeastern is also looking for community volunteers
for the summer and next fall. If you would like to volunteer, call JoAnn Robisheaux at 549-5275.


                                  -SLU-
                                    
                                    
        This press release is available on the World Wide Web at
         www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsm98.htm