Only 53 percent of black men at Nicholls come back to school after their freshman year, so the University is starting a new mentorship program, CROWN, to tackle the issue. Becca Dill has the story.
_____________________________________________________
The US Department of Justice has teamed up with several state agencies to help ensure people with serious mental illnesses have the opportunity to live in a community setting. Matt Doyle has the details.
_______________________________________________.
The summertime is here and while kids may be enjoying time away from the classroom, but as Kevin Barnhart explains, the experts say it’s an important time to make sure they stay engaged in learning.
Cut 3 (24) “Im Kevin Barnhart”
______________________________________________
Nicholls State is launching a new program, called CROWN, aimed at helping young black men stay at college, and finish their degree. After reviewing information from last year, the university discovered that only 53 percent of African American men returned after their freshman year. CROWN administrator Dr. Sean Chadwell says young black men are often the first members of their family to go to college.
Cut 4 (09) “…think of it as theirs”
The program pairs freshmen with upper classmen who will mentor and guide the students through their early years, introducing them to the campus, and helping them to feel welcome. Chadwell says there was a lot of enthusiasm from older students to participate in the program.
Cut 5 (12) “…like other students”
Chadwell says there’s another benefit to the program: it really doesn’t cost the university, its all-volunteer.
Education research indicates that students who have a family history of educational attainment have a higher rate of college graduation than first generation college attendees, and Chadwell says even if a student was a high performer in high school, they can still struggle in college if their a first generation college student.
Cut 6 (10) “…with their peers.”
The program was modeled after similar efforts at UAB and Purdue that have found success.
__________________________________________________
The summertime is here and while kids may be enjoying time away from the classroom, the experts say it’s an important time to make sure they stay engaged in learning. So what are the best ways to do that? The State Department of Education’s Rebecca Kockler says it is important for adults to keep learning exciting for kids during the summer break.
Cut 7 (08) “…help them do that”
It’s not enough to just help children find the resources they need. Kockler says adults should join the conversation.
Cut 8 (12) “…about what they are learning”
So where do you find math and reading learning tools for children? Kockler says the answer may be as close as being in the palm of your hand.
Cut 9 (09) “…to keep practicing”
___________________________________________________
The US Department of Justice has teamed up with several state agencies to help ensure people with serious mental illnesses have the opportunity to live in a community setting. The agreement follows a review by the DOJ in December of 2016 that claimed the state was unnecessarily relying on nursing homes to serve people with serious mental illnesses. So what does the timeline for the transition look like? Executive Counsel for the Department of Health, Stephen Russo, explains.
With the current situation with the state’s budget, Russo does see a potential benefit in the transition.
Cut 11 (06) “…a nursing home setting.”
The Department of Health has begun it’s assessments of the more than 2,500 mentally ill people currently residing in nursing homes. Russo says that the skilled professionals are working on the case.
Cut 12 (12) “…subject matter experts.”
Russo says that the option to stay in a nursing home setting will be available.
_________________________________________
Researchers say the Gulf of Mexico “Dead Zone” off the Louisiana coast is expected to be larger than Connecticut by the end of July. The dead zone is an area with little oxygen, which drives away aquatic life. LSU Professor Dr. Eugene Turner says the size fluctuates, but has trended up over the years.
Planting season fertilizers, and other chemicals are dumped every year into waterways that feed into the Mississippi River, eventually making their way down into the delta. Turner says it’s been going on for hundreds of years.
While the dead zone isn’t dangerous to humans, and even still might have some fishing in it, Turner says there’s still some real damage going on at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
___________________
Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry will be back with New Orleans through 2021 after signing a two year contract extension after having one of his best years as a head coach, and one of the best years in New Orleans basketball history. Locked on Pelicans Publisher Jake Madison says Gentry’s piloted the team through a rollercoaster season, starting with a first half that included a radically different roster.
Then the season flipped when Center Demarcus Cousins went down, and Gentry was able to throw together a completely new system in just a matter of weeks that carried New Orleans deep into the playoffs, and led to a sweep of the Trailblazers.
Gentry will have a chance this offseason to build on a promising year, and his early free agency moves should give us a good idea of just what kind of team he wants to take forward. Madison says we’ll be attracting a very specific kind of player.
_____________________