Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           publicinfo@selu.edu
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 5/22/00
      Contact:                           Christina Chapple   1

Editors: Photo accompanies release   Please note local interest
CLAUSEN, STUDENT MEET ABOUT THE BIG SWITCH THAT WASN'T
     HAMMOND -- Sometime things just don't quite work out as planned.
     Southeastern Louisiana University senior Tracy Grant of Tickfaw had the winning ticket last
semester in the university's annual "Big Switch" fund-raiser. Sponsored by the Southeastern
Student Foundation to help raise money for scholarships, the Big Switch gives a student the
opportunity to be president for a day   and vise versa.
     In the past, the event has been a perennial success, not just in adding to scholarship coffers,
but also in boosting awareness of the roles president and student play in the university family.
     It's always a challenge to fit the Big Switch into President Sally Clausen's crowded calendar.
This year, it was an equal challenge to find a suitable day when Grant could trade places with the
lady at the top.
     By the academic year's end in May, she and Clausen had given up trying to find a time when
their schedules would mesh. They did find time, however, for a quick get-together in the
president's office, where they laughed ruefully about the Big Switch That Wasn't.
     "This is an example of how busy students are today," Clausen said, as she handed Grant a
gift basket of Southeastern "goodies." "Very few students just attend classes. They have
additional responsibilities that really keep them on the go."     
     Grant, a biology major who has her sights set on a career in dental hygiene, explained that
she is planning a wedding in August, works part-time at Coach House Gifts in Hammond Square
Mall and, at the time she won the Big Switch, also had a campus job in the Public Information
Office. She was also taking some crucial senior-level courses. "I needed to be in class to take
notes!" she said.
     Clausen said her past Big Switch experiences have been an eye-opener. "I don't think we
appreciated each other enough. I had no idea how hard students work and they got a good look at
what the president does."
                             -SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu./NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp00.htm