On March 10, the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences will inaugurate the new Walker Percy Center for Writing and Publishing. The event will feature reminiscences of Walker Percy and a screening of excerpts from Walker Percy: A Documentary Film. The documentary by award-winning filmmaker and New Orleans native, Winston Riley, tells Percy’s story with archival film, excerpts from Percy’s work, and interviews with family, friends and scholars. Interviews include Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Robert Coles, Tom Cowan, Paul Elie, Richard Ford, Linda Whitney Hobson, Walter Isaacson, Bunt Percy, Phin Percy, Ben C. Toledano, Jay Tolson, and Loyola’s very own Marcus Smith, Emeritus Professor of English.

Director of the Center, Mary McCay will introduce the filmmaker, who will speak briefly about his film; Marcus Smith, and Patrick Samway, S.J., Percy’s biographer, will share reminiscences of Walker Percy.

Here is a clip from the documentary:

The Inauguration will take place in Nunemaker Auditorium, Monroe Hall at 7 p.m. on March 10.

When Professor Erin Dupuis told the Dean’s office about the fundraiser put on by Psychology students, we just had to blog about it.  Here’s what she wrote:

Psychology students recently raised over $1600 for Haiti Relief. The Psychology Club and students from three psychology classes worked for over two weeks to raise money. Students held bake sales, sold t-shirts, went door-to-door, and put out donation cans. Faculty members from the psychology department baked many tasty goodies for the Psychology Club’s two-day bake sale. The money raised for Haiti Relief will be donated to the American Red Cross and to Catholic Relief Services.

Keep your eye out for more fundraisers in the future. Students from Social Psychology will be implementing their knowledge of various class topics to help them raise money for organizations throughout New Orleans including Habitat for Humanity, St. Bernard Rebuild Project, and the Hope Lodge. Remember, if you see them, that even a penny will help!

The College of Humanities and Natural Sciences pre-law program is booming!  In the past several months, SGA has begun working on establishing a pre-law mentoring program, a new website devoted to pre-law has been created, new reference guides and LSAT study guides have been ordered at the library, and a new pre-law counselor has started, yes, me. Learn more about me and explore pre-law at Loyola by clicking here.

There are exciting things happening in the law school and post law school world too.  Many law schools are reconsidering their curriculum – moving toward a more practical approach to studying the law, similar to medical school residencies.  New laws providing for loan forgiveness in certain circumstances have passed, and more and more opportunities to do good through the practice of law are being created.

Unfortunately, the bar exam is as difficult as ever!  But don’t let that deter you.  If you are interested in going to law school, come see me and together we can map out a plan to make the application process tolerable, and maybe even a little fun!

On November 12, 2009, Loyola held its first Phi Eta Sigma induction since Hurricane Katrina.  There were a total of 364 students who were eligible for membership.  151 students applied for membership and were recognized at the ceremony.  This year’s induction ceremony honored all eligible students who applied for membership since 2004.

Phi Eta Sigma is a national honor society dedicated to the recognition and promotion of high scholarship and service based on grades calculated at the end of the freshman year. In order to be eligible for Phi Eta Sigma, a student must have earned a minimum 3.5 GPA at the end of their freshman year.

The induction ceremony took place in Roussel Performance Hall and was followed by a catered reception.  Among the speakers were the Grand Secretary-Treasurer of the National Office, Provost Kvet and HNS’s very own Gail Reynolds who promoted the reactivation of the chapter and put together the induction ceremony and reception.

Among the benefits of membership is eligibility for thirty-five scholarships of $6,000 each, thirty-five scholarships of $1,000 each, and one scholarship of $10,000.  Members applying for scholarships must be nominated by their chapter.  Applications will be available in the College of Humanities and Natural Sciences Dean’s office in January 2010.  The deadline to apply for a scholarship is March 1, 2010.

Congratulations to all inductees!

The College of Humanities and Natural Sciences Dean’s office decided to start a blog in order to share with you all the innovative programs, events and classes we offer.  The College seems to be undergoing a renaissance of sorts.  Last month for example, the College hosted an Arabic poetry reading, a talk about the physical and chemical constraints on dinoflagellate ecology (not the ecology of surviving dinosaurs, but rather that of microscopic algae) in the Gulf of Mexico, a lecture on human rights, the controversial scholar Zizek (who lived up to his reputation), and a discussion on literature, indigeneity and change in Guatemala, just to name a few.

Our students are interviewing with Teach for America, speaking at conferences, publishing essays, and traveling around the world.  Our professors are taking their classes to cemeteries (not to bury students, but to learn the history of New Orleans), putting them on stage, and teaching them how to make diesel fuel.  Our staff has brought back the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and is revamping the pre-law program, among other initiatives.

If you are involved in a program, course or event you’d like to tell the world about, please send a line to cruzline@loyno.edu