Southeastern NEWS
                    Southeastern Louisiana University
                    Public Information Office
                    SLU 10880, Hammond, LA 70402
                    504-549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
                    
   Date:  2/26/02
      Contact:      Rene Abadie     (1)

GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY HELD FOR LIVINGSTON PARISH LITERACY AND
TECHNOLOGY CENTER

     WALKER -- With gold ceremonial shovels in hand and green construction hard hats in
place, officials with Southeastern Louisiana University, the Livingston Parish School Board and
other dignitaries officially broke ground Tuesday (Feb. 26) for construction of the Livingston
Parish Literacy and Technology Center.
     The 39,000 square foot center, located on a 24-acre school board site along Hwy. 190 in
Walker, will offer family literacy programs and math, science, technology and environmental
education for K-12 students. 
     The unique cooperative project - which was developed jointly by Southeastern and the
Livingston Parish School Board - is the result of a case settlement in 1999 presided over by U.S.
District Judge Richard T. Haik Sr. of the Lafayette-Opelousas Division of the Western District of
Louisiana.  In the environmental class action suit known as Combustion, Inc., more than $131
million were distributed to plaintiffs. Haik sought to recognize the class as a whole - in this case,
all the residents of Livingston Parish - and ordered that $4.5 million in residual dollars from the
settlement be used for construction and operations of the center. The Livingston Parish School
Board allocated another $1 million for the Center.
     The Center will feature a distance learning center; conference room; lecture hall; eight
general use  classrooms, two with compressed video capability; two computer lab-classrooms;
biology, mathematics and chemistry laboratories; and offices for Southeastern and Livingston
Parish faculty and administrators. The facility was designed by Buddy Ragland of the Baton
Rouge architectural firm Robert M. Coleman and Partners with engineering studies by Alvin
Fairburn and Associates.
     "This is a momentous occasion," said Southeastern President Randy Moffett. "This
Center will make a positive difference in the education, economy, and quality of life of
Livingston Parish residents and businesses. It will play an invaluable role in promoting higher
standards in critical areas such as early literacy, teacher development, and workforce quality."
     Moffett said that while credit for the new center must go to many people at Southeastern
and the Livingston Parish School System, special thanks has to be extended to Judge Haik and
former Southeastern President Sally Clausen, now head of the University of Louisiana System.
     "These are two individuals who do not understand the words 'no' or 'we can't,'" Moffett
said. "Judge Haik and Sally Clausen are personifications of determination. The persistence, the
determination, the vision of these two people provide the very foundation for the Livingston
Parish Literacy and Technology Center."
     Moffett and Livingston Parish Superintendent Warren Curtis both recognized the area
legislative delegation, the Louisiana Board of Regents and the University of Louisiana Board of
Supervisors, who all supported and encouraged the development of the center. Also singled out
for their roles were Denham Springs attorney Calvin C. Fayard Jr., the lead plaintiffs' attorney in
the case; attorney Patrick Juneau of Lafayette who served as special master in the case; Elizabeth
"Tuppy" Dougherty, former federal court clerk; and Rogers Pope, former superintendent of the
Livingston Parish School System. 
     "This Center is the culmination of years of effort by many people who put the interests of
education first," said Curtis. "The one intent throughout this whole process was to develop a
center that will positively impact students, education, and the economic development of
Livingston Parish."
     He said the facility will not only offer opportunities for teacher and adult development in
Livingston Parish, but will also provide much-needed vocational, math, science and technical
instruction to keep students in school and better prepare them for the workplace or college.
     "Our teachers will benefit from the professional development opportunities that will be
offered at the Center," Curtis added. "The adults and families in the parish will gain from the
parenting and literacy programs and other continuing education programs. And of course, our
students will benefit from the educational opportunities designed to improve our high school
graduation rate, workforce development and college preparation."
     In a special announcement at the ceremony, Moffett said the Center will include a "Hall
of Memory," specifically requested by Haik, that will explain the Center's origins. The
memorial, which will include an interactive kiosk, "will help preserve for the future the words
and memories of those associated with this case and the ultimate development of the Center. It
will be a lasting tribute to those who suffered damages from this environmental harm and to the
many who contributed to the Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center.
     "Judge Haik saw the important role that education can play in helping heal the
environmental disaster and improving the quality of life for all residents and businesses," Moffett
added. "He recognized that education would be the key to preventing future environmental harm.
We hope that by offering specific programs for the young people of the parish as well as other
citizens, we will create a better understanding of the impact environmental issues have on our
daily lives." 
-SLU-
Press release available online at www.selu.edu/NewsEvents/PublicInfoOffice/newsp02.html