Messages
from President Randy Moffett
9/8/05,
4:45 p.m.
To our students:
I hope that this message finds all of you safe and sound following
the events of the past week. I know that a number of you and your families
have sustained damage to your homes and property, but to our knowledge
no one has been seriously injured. Our thoughts and concerns are with you
and your families during this crisis.
We are trying to determine the
status of all our students. Please check in with us via our website, www.selu.edu,
or by calling 985-549-2000. We are operating a phone bank with volunteers
who should be able to answer many of your questions.
Classes resumed Thursday, Sept.
8. We know that some of you are still out of the region or may not yet
be able to return to class. Our foremost concern is your safety; please
use your own judgment about returning to campus. Our faculty will work
to accommodate your needs and to make arrangements about making up work.
We are also working to accommodate
many displaced students from other universities. Some will be merged into
our existing schedule. Others will have the opportunity to participate
in a special eight-week compressed term starting Oct. 20. This term is
also an option for our current students.
The campus will be crowded over
the next several weeks and I ask your patience in dealing with any inconveniences.
In addition to welcoming displaced students, Southeastern is also providing
housing and facilities for support personnel who are essential to the recovery
of our region: Entergy, National Guard units, local and state police from
all over the nation, Customs and Border Patrol enforcement officers and
many others. Please show these visitors our sincere gratitude for coming
to the aid of Louisiana.
At Southeastern, we take pride
in our family atmosphere. Hurricane Katrina will put that reputation to
the test. There will be opportunities for our students to assist our neighbors
during this period of distress. I know that you will respond to these challenges
as you always do: with cooperation, eagerness to help, and concern for
your fellow citizens.
Randy Moffett
President
9/7/05,
3:15 p.m.
To our faculty and staff:
The impact of Hurricane Katrina on our region and state has been devastating.
Fortunately, while a number of our faculty and staff have had damage to
homes and property, to our knowledge no one was seriously injured. Here
on campus, we were very fortunate, suffering mainly tree damage and no
structural damage to any buildings.
We are working to help provide
some temporary housing on campus for our displaced faculty and staff. It
is possible that demand may exceed our supply of such space. As such, if
any faculty or staff have space in their homes or other accommodations
that can be used in this effort, please contact Cora Von Aspern (985-549-5920)
who is coordinating this project.
As expected, the hurricane is
forcing us to develop some creative approaches to assisting our students,
some of whom are now temporarily homeless. Hardest hit areas include St.
Tammany and Washington parishes and the Greater New Orleans area. We are
trying to accommodate all of our students’ housing and academic needs.
In addition to taking care of
our own, we are also reaching out to displaced students. These students
are trying to salvage what they can of the fall academic semester. We are
assisting them in applying and registering for classes here. When possible,
we will merge them into existing classes. In addition, we will start a
new Term II semester in mid-October to provide another option for students.
Southeastern is also providing
housing and facilities for support personnel who are essential to the recovery
of our region: Entergy, National Guard units, local and state police from
all over the nation, Customs and Border Patrol enforcement officers, and
many others. Please show these visitors our sincere gratitude for coming
to the aid of Louisiana.
During this crisis, I have had
the opportunity to work with a small corps of faculty and staff who have
put in long hours taking care of the 300 or so students we housed during
the storm and its aftermath and who have assisted in making the myriad
of decisions necessary to keep us focused on returning to some semblance
of normalcy as soon as possible. Special thanks must go to our University
Police Department, Physical Plant and Aramark personnel, who worked through
this period to keep our campus safe and operational.
At Southeastern, we pride ourselves
on our family atmosphere. Hurricane Katrina will put that reputation to
the test. I know that you will respond to this challenge as you always
do: with cooperation, eagerness to help, concern for your fellow faculty
and staff, and reassurance for our students.
Randy Moffett
President
9/9/05,
4:30 p.m.
Apply for graduation by Sept. 22
September 22 is the final day that Southeastern students can apply
to graduate in fall 2005.
University officials said the
original deadline has been extended to accommodate students impacted by
Hurricane Katrina.
Candidates for associate, bachelor,
and master’s degrees can apply for graduation by logging into their Leonet
campus accounts and choosing the ‘Apply for Graduation’ option. Click
here for instructions or by call Southeastern’s Office of Records
and Registration at 985-549-2066/62.
The $35 application fee should
be paid directly to the Controller’s Office, located on North Campus in
the Financial Aid Building.
9/9/05,
4:30 p.m.
Tangi Night cancelled
Due to Hurricane Katrina, Southeastern has cancelled the fall semester
“Tangi Night” informational session for high school students and parents.
Originally scheduled for Sept. 19, the event will hopefully be re-scheduled
in November.
For information, contact TangiNight@selu.edu.
9/8/05,
5:10 p.m.
Insurance information from OGB
The Louisiana Office of Group Benefits (OGB) is reaching out to the
73,000 state and school employees and their families who are displaced
by Hurricane Katrina and who have health insurance through the state of
Louisiana.
OGB announced several changes
to make it easier for displaced state workers and school employees to obtain
health care through its four plans (PPO, EPO, MCO, HMO):
· All plan members
who lived in zip codes starting with 700, 701, 704 and 395 (plus zip code
70377) who want to switch to the PPO or the EPO plans can do so. The EPO
has a nationwide network of physicians and hospitals. Plan members can
contact their agency headquarters or can call OGB for assistance at 1-800-272-8451.
Plan members interested in switching plans can also get help in determining
their new premiums.
· Effective September
14, 2005, PPO, EPO and MCO plan members can print a two-year history of
their medical claims (including lab tests, X-rays and prescriptions) from
the OGB website at www.groupbenefits.org.
This will be especially useful for plan members seeing new providers.
· PPO, EPO and MCO
plan members who use out-of-network pharmacies will not have to pay a penalty
until further notice.
· Plan members in
the EPO, PPO, MCO and Humana HMO plans will be able to refill prescription
drugs without the usual 30-day restrictions.
· United Behavioral
Health has a 24-hour hotline for all OGB members in any plan who have behavioral
issues or who need a list of disaster relief assistance resources in their
area. The 24-hour, toll-free number is 866-615-8700. Additional resources
are available at the UBH website at liveandworkwell.com.
· Plan members in
the FARA MCO can call 1-800-427-4511 for help. FARA has moved its customer
service operation to Lafayette.
· EPO plan members
can call UnitedHealthcare toll-free at 1-866-336-9374.
· Plan members in
the Humana HMO can call the customer service center toll-free at 1-866-427-7478.
9/7/05,
5:30 p.m.
Health insurance links
The following links provide valuable information for employees regarding
health insurance.
www.humana.com/visitors/katrina.asp
www.groupbenefits.org/servlet/page?_pageid=1615&_dad=portal30&_schema=PORTAL30
If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact the
Human Resource Benefits office at 985-549-5655 or 985-5492057
9/6/05,
4:30 p.m.
Southeastern to offer Term II classes
Southeastern will offer a Term II semester beginning Oct. 20 primarily
to assist students whose college studies have been interrupted by Hurricane
Katrina.
“We know that many of our own
students – especially in the Greater New Orleans area, Washington and St.
Tammany parishes – are the victims of considerable damage inflicted by
the hurricane and are finding it difficult to return to school in the immediate
future,” said President Randy Moffett. “In addition, so many community
college and university students at other institutions have had their education
interrupted. The compressed two-month Term II semester will allow them
to obtain some college credits if they cannot attend the entire fall semester.
More than 3,000 current
students had already checked in with the university by mid-morning Tuesday
to provide their status, ask questions, and adjust schedules. The university
is asking all students to check in online at www.selu.edu, by telephone
through the phone bank or in person.
The university also began
processing applications from non-Southeastern students – most from the
Greater New Orleans area – who are looking to continue their college studies
this semester.
9/6/05,
3 p.m.
Nursing courses at BR Center
Students enrolled in NLAB 382, NLAB 473, and NLAB 489 in the Baton
Rouge area and at Lakeview Medical Center in Mandeville should report to
assigned clinical areas on Thursday, Sept. 8.
Students enrolled in NLAB 477
should receive a message from the assigned clinical faculty or may call
the Baton Rouge Center, 225-765-2324.
Students assigned to NLAB 473
and NLAB 489 at North Oaks Medical Center should contact their clinical
instructor of the School of Nursing office, 985-549-3381. |