Southeastern NEWS

                                                       Southeastern Louisiana University
                                           Public Information Office
                                           SLU 880, Hammond, LA 70402
                                           504/549-2341/fax 504-549-2061
    Date: 05-13-96
      Contact:                           Shanna Sissom Labourdette 101

SCHOOL OF NURSING WINS FIRST PLACE  IN THE NATION
     HAMMOND --  Southeastern Louisiana University nursing students recently won a first
place National Student Nursing Association "Image of Nursing Award" for  their committment to
helping pregnant women in crisis.
     A project headed by seniors Cora Miley and Susan Orman, both natives of Springfield,
involved fundraising and research  on  pregnant women in poverty or troubled situations,  while 
focusing primarily on Tangipahoa Parish. School of Nursing Dean Ellienne Tate said Miley and
Orman's work, which resulted in a video documentary, won the national competetion hands down.
     "This is yet another example of excellence at SLU that has been kept a secret to long,"
said Southeastern President Sally Clausen, who saw the program at a recent honors convocation.
     Latest statistics from the Louisiana Department of Public Health indicate  Tangipahoa has
the highest number of homeless people of all rural parishes in Louisiana, while the state has one of
the highest infant mortality rates in the United States at 10.5 percent. The students said they
recognized the need for services to homeless pregnant women and voted to adopt as a community
service project the Restoration House in Hammond, a privately funded, non-profit home for
women in crisis pregnancies.
     "One of the missions of the Student Nurses Association is to provide community service,"
explained Miley. Student fundraising efforts resulted in a  $560 check to the Restoration House.
The facility also offers pregnancy testing, counseling, and  career planning.  "We try to give them
hope, in addition to meeting their practical needs...we help them calm the situation, so that it
doesn't feel like a crisis anymore," explained Ruby Laborde, director of the Restoration House.
     "At Southeastern, nursing students are taughtt that all people are viewed as unique and
complex beings of innate worth and dignity. As active members of the Student Nurses
Association, students quickly learn that by participating in community service projects, 
 they become an integral part of society. As a result of this broad scop of education, students
actively learn how to make positive changes within society, while maintaining professional
accountability," Orman said.
     The award-winning video production was created with the help of  Southeastern's
Interactive Video Technology,  one of the most advanced nursing education systems in the United
States.                                                     

-SLU-