Fall 2012
Vol. 2
Department of History
Xavier University of Louisiana
“To Promote a More Just and Humane Society”
Greetings From the Chair
Dear Friends of the History Department,
Last year was an exciting year in the Department of
History and we look forward to an even greater 2012-13 school
year! Our students, alumni, and faculty have shared adventures and
penned new success stories. During the past few years we have
sought ways to meet the needs and interests of our students more
effectively and made immense changes to our curriculum. We have
added 11 new courses that cover a wide range of new perspectives
on world history and other topics of interest. Faculty and students
believe that we must think globally and act locally to understand
and interact successfully within our increasingly complex global
environment. Travel to the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Italy,
Spain, and Cambodia confirm the globalizing interests of our
department while partnerships with non-profit agencies allow us to
make an impact on and give back to our
local community.
Newsletter
CLIO’S NOTES
Upcoming Events
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Honda Campus All-­‐Star Quiz Bowl Team tryouts, Oct. 26. Phi Alpha Theta Induction Ceremony, Oct. 30, 5 p.m. UC Spring Pre-­‐Registration, Nov. 5-­‐9. Please see your advisor Career Services Workshop: Internship 101, Nov. 8, 12:00-­‐1:00 pm. UC 205 Teach for America Info. Session, Oct. 23, 6-­‐8 p.m., UC 205C National Association of African American Studies & Affiliates conference, Baton Rouge, Feb. 11-­‐16, 2013 (deadline to submit abstracts is Friday, 9 November, 2012) Gates Millennium Scholarship applications due, Jan. 16, 2013 Student scholarship continues to be prolific.
Students worked with faculty on research
projects and presented papers at the Festival
of Scholars conference. Excellent work
indeed! We strive to create even more such
opportunities in the future and encourage all
present and future students to come to us
with your ideas.
The changes in the department are happening at a rapid pace. If you
graduated, come by and see us and let us know what you are up to.
If you are a student at Xavier today, we are pushing you toward
graduate and professional programs because we want to help you
become successful in whatever you choose to do. If you are thinking
of joining the Xavier family please come to see us and give yourself
a chance to see how studying History at Xavier University of
Louisiana will be the best decision that you ever made!
Let me congratulate you for all of the great things that you have
already accomplished and thank you in advance for all you will
surely achieve in the coming year.
-- Dr. Steven J. Salm, Dept. Chair
(L-­‐R) Evan Pipion, Gold Digga, Vonora Lewis, and Jeremy Montgomery at a student recruitment fair in 2012. Join us on Facebook
PRESERVATION HALL
The History Department is pleased to announce an exciting
partnership with Preservation Hall, a music venue founded in
1961 to honor New Orleans music. Students of HIST2415
(Introduction to Historical Research and Writing) will have the
opportunity - both this semester and in the future - to assist in
the Hall's effort to organize their historical materials and work
towards establishing an archival collection for this incredible
music hall that has supported traditional jazz since it was first
opened by Sandra and Allan Jaffe.
(R) Kortez Williams and Blake Wilson relaxing in the
back courtyard of Preservation Hall on their first visit to
see the band perform and tour the facility.
STUDENT NEWS:
(L) Jeremy Oatis (‘13) spends his summers as
director of NOLAFusion, a program at Urban
Impact Ministries, an
inner city ministry in
Central City New
Orleans. NolaFusion
gives youth groups an
opportunity to serve God
in an environment very
different from their own.
It gives them the chance
to see what urban
ministry looks like and
interact with people of
different cultures.
(R) Jeremy
Montgomery (‘13)
travelled to Italy during
Summer 2011 with a
group from Xavier.
During this time, he
visited Rome, Vatican
City, Florence,
Tivoli, and Pompeii.
When he graduates,
Jeremy plans to
teach English in Japan for one year through the JET
Program.
Jayla Jones (‘13) engaged in an internship at the
Amistad Research Center and processed the records
of the Auxiliary of the National Medical
Association, which are 11 linear feet and date from
approximately 1937-1997. Thanks to her assistance,
the Center will be able to make the collection
available to members of the Auxiliary when they
visit New Orleans for their annual meeting during
the summer of 2012.
Evan Pipion ‘14) was awarded the prestigious
UNCF/Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship.
As a Fellow, Evan participated in the Summer
Institute at Emory University, receives semester and
summer stipends to assist with research costs and
graduate school preparation, and draws on an
annual travel budget for research and conference
presentations during his remaining time at Xavier.
The program, intended for those planning to pursue
a Ph.D., helps prepare students for the challenges of
graduate school by providing opportunities to
sharpen their research, writing and presentation
skills, and gain a better appreciation of scholarly
research.
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“A history degree creates a formidable foundation for students entering law school.
The rigorous reading requirements are analogous to law school courses.
Professors in the History Department passionately push students to
reach new heights of academic success.”
--Christopher Bordenave (XU, ‘08)
The Ohio State University, Moritz College of Law (‘12)
THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
**Would you like to help commemorate the 200th anniversary of the
Battle of New Orleans? Planning for the commemoration is underway,
and your input is requested. To find out more about
the meetings and to participate in the brainstorming,
join the Facebook Conversation**
(R) Catherin Peña and
Benjamin Moore with Dede
Mirabal, the sister of three
women murdered by the
dictator Rafael Trujillo for their
opposition to his regime on
November 25, 1960. The date
of their deaths is now
International Violence Against
Women Day. The photo was
taken at the family's home,
now a museum, in Salcedo,
Dominican Republic.
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CONGRATULATIONS!
Recent inductees into Phi
Alpha Theta, the History
Honor Society, include:
Lauren D. Ausama
Kaitlyn Gaddis
Felicia Hood
Laura Parish
Valencia Potter
Shantel A. Ragland
Blake Smith
Ashley Varnardo
Erin Vincent
Haroon Waseem
Kelsey Wiliams
(L-R) Blake Smith, Laura Parish, Kaitlyn Gaddis, Jayla Jones,
Felicia Hood and Haroon Waseem are the Fall 2011 inductees to
Phi Alpha Theta.
Please join us at our next induction
ceremony, Oct. 30th, 5 pm in the UC
THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS!
2011-12
Shawnna Peters (‘15)
Kiara Roberson (‘15)
Felicia Hood (‘13)
Evan Pipion (‘14)
2012-13
Ciera Hampton (‘16)
Angel Wiles (‘16)
Andrea Stewart (‘15)
Kiara Roberson (‘14)
Evan Pipion (‘14)
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(L) Whitney Plantation: Students from a Louisiana
History class and the History Club visited the
Whitney Plantation, a privately owned museum
dedicated to the history of slavery in Gramercy,
LA, to learn about antebellum life on a sugar
plantation. Students had the opportunity to meet
Dr. Ibrahima Seck of the University of Dakar,
Senegal who has done extensive research on
Whitney Plantation slaves and their African roots.
ALUMNI NEWS:
Kaylin T. Ewing (2004) finished
her M.A. in History at the
University of Memphis in 2006
and is expecting to complete her
Ph.D. in May 2013. Kaylin
received the Major L. Wilson
Graduate Paper Prize for the best
paper in the Department of History
at the University of Memphis and
served as president of the Graduate
Association for African American History. She also
holds a teaching position within the Department of
African and African American Studies.
Kamili Hayes (2004)
completed his Ph.D. in United
States history from Emory
University in December 2010
and is an Assistant Professor of
History at Benedict College in
Columbia, South Carolina.
Rolando Urbina (2005) received his Juris
Doctorate from Southern University Law Center
and is now employed as an attorney at the 19th
Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.
Remeka Jones (2008) is completing an MPH
degree at LSUHSC- School of Public Health,
Health Policy and Systems Management
Christopher Bordenave (2008) received his Juris
Doctorate from The Ohio State University, Michael
E. Moritz College of Law in 2012 and will practice
law in Los Angeles, California.
Stephanie Warfield (2008) joined Teach for
America in 2008 and taught 6th and 7th grade
science for three years in the Jefferson Parish Public
School System. She was named Teacher of the Year
at Henry Ford Middle School for 2010-2011. She
spends her free time volunteering at Touro
Infirmary, assisting hospital staff in the Emergency
Department, and mentoring students on weekends.
She also organized a community health fair for the
Central City area of New Orleans.
Chianta Dorsey (2009) is pursuing a dual degree
Master's in Archives Management and History at
Simmons College in Boston.
Joe Drexler-Dreis (2009): received his Masters of
Arts in Religion in theology from Yale Divinity
School in May 2011 and is now pursuing his Ph.D.
in theology at KU Leuven in Belgium.
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Michael
Caldwell Jr.
(2011) earned the
distinction of
being included in
the 2011 edition
of Who’s Who
Among Students in American Colleges and
Universities. Michael is now attending Loyola
University College of Law and served an internship
with the State Department’s African Affairs Bureau
at the Consulate in Harare, Zimbabwe during
summer 2012.
(below R) Cassandra Shepard (2010) with Dr. Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir at a conference. Cassandra completed
her M.A. in History at the University of Chicago and is now enrolled in a Ph.D. program in African American
Studies at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
(L) Students and Faculty members visit
with Dookie Chase at her restaurant
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FACULTY NEWS:
The Consul of Ecuador in New
Orleans and the Republic of
Ecuador, Ministerio de Relaciones
Exteriores invited Dr. Sharlene
Sinegal DeCuir (L) to participate
in a December, 2011 International
Conference on People of African
Descent in Quito, Ecuador. Her
paper, “American Civil Rights
Movement: The African American
Struggle in the United States,” was
the only presentation by an
American at the conference.
Dr. Gary Donaldson has published a second edition of his book, Making of Modern America:
The Nation from 1945 to the Present (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2012).
Dr. Elizabeth Manley worked with a group of students to draft a proposal for a faculty-student
research trip to Cuba. Through collaborative writing and editing practices, the students drafted a
proposal that was well received and will hopefully result in funding. In the last few years, Dr.
Manley has received four Mellon grants to mentor undergraduate students in research
opportunities and has taken students to perform fieldwork in Dominican Republic. She also
offers a Service Learning course called New Orleans and the Caribbean: Food, Music, and
Festival Culture that involves Xavier students serving as mentors to kids in the Roots of Music
program. Dr. Manley published an article, “Intimate Violations: Women and the Ajusticiamiento
of Dictator Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic, 1940 – 1961,” in the July issue of The
Americas.
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Dr. Steven J. Salm received a grant from Mellon to explore new pedagogies
in teaching. For this grant, “Teaching History as Mystery,” he taught his class
on Colonialism in the Modern World ‘backwards,’ beginning with the present
and moving backwards through time to understand the past. Dr. Salm recently
finished his sixth book, Globalization and the African Experience (co-edited
with Emmanuel M. Mbah and published by Carolina Academic Press, 2012).
VOL 3, FORTHCOMING FALL 2013
Current Students and alumni, please provide updates and contribute stories
to be included in the next newsletter. Send to Dr. Steven J. Salm at
sjsalm@xula.edu.
Contact Information:
Dr. Steven J Salm
Chair, Department of History
Xavier University of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans, LA 70125
Phone: 504-520-7581
E-mail: sjsalm@xula.edu
Xavier University of Louisiana
Department of History
1 Drexel Drive
New Orleans, LA 70125
Main: 504-520-7581
E-Mail: history@xula.edu
Copyright 2012
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