Latest news with #UniversityofLouisiana
American Press
01-07-2025
- General
- American Press
Tommy Richard Hymel
Tommy Richard Hymel, 95, of Lake Arthur, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, in Lafayette. Born on June 23, 1930, in Lake Arthur, he was the beloved son of the late Willie and Melissa Richard Hymel. A proud graduate of Lake Arthur High School, Tommy furthered his education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, receiving a bachelor's degree, and McNeese State University, receiving a master's degree in education. He honorably served in the United States Air Force and is a Korean War Veteran. Tommy dedicated his life to learning and education. He was Principal of Lake Arthur Elementary School, Assistant Principal at Lake Arthur High School, served as a guidance counselor, and taught adult literacy. He was a skilled gardener like his father and an avid genealogist who was always proud to share a story about his family's origins. Tommy was preceded in death by his parents, Willie and Melissa Hymel, and his siblings, Willie Hymel Jr., Sidney Hymel, Joyce Stagg, and Gloria Crochet. Tommy is survived by his sisters, Patsy Gauthier and Roberta 'Bobbie' Wade, and generations of nieces and nephews who will cherish his memory. In accordance with his wishes, no formal services are scheduled. Cremation has been entrusted to Johnson & Brown Funeral Home of Iowa. Words of comfort may be shared with the family at Facebook: Johnson & Brown Funeral Home.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal to ban DEI college courses, state policy dies in Louisiana Legislature
A brick wall sign marks the entrance to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus on May 15, 2025. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) The Louisiana Senate has refused to refer a bill targeting diversity, equity and inclusion to a committee where it could be debated, an unusual move that essentially means the proposal will die on the vine. House Bill 685 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, would have banned DEI practices across state government and prohibit state universities and colleges from requiring certain race and gender-based curricula for undergraduate students. It narrowly passed the House last month after a hours-long debate in which Black lawmakers called the bill 'racially oppressive.' 'We couldn't figure out which committee to refer it to,' Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said Monday in an interview. Chenevert said she was disappointed her bill didn't get a Senate committee hearing, adding she would consider sponsoring the legislation again in the future. 'Sometimes it's not about getting all the way through,' Chenevert said. 'Maybe it's just bringing up the topic and having some … open conversations about it.' The legislation was originally debated in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, because its original version only prohibited DEI practices in state agencies. During that hearing, it was amended to restrict college curricula but it was not sent to the House Committe on Education, which handles proposals on curricula and higher education. 'To the extent the bill intended to prohibit the inclusion of certain concepts which are unrelated to specific courses or programs it would be unnecessary as professional best practices already set that standard,' LSU Faculty Senate President Dan Tirone said in a statement to the Illuminator. House Bill 685 was introduced in the Senate on May 20, with more than three weeks left in the legislative session during which it could have been debated in committee, a necessary step before it can get a Senate floor vote. But as the final week of committee meetings passed, Chenevert's proposal remained unreferred. 'I think it's unnecessary,' Henry said, adding it was the Senate's decision, not just his, to stall the bill. 'An enormous amount of people from both parties expressed their reservations.' Chenevert's bill had the support of Gov. Jeff Landry. 'If the governor wants to institute that, he can do an executive order,' Henry said of the legislation. If it had become law, the bill would have prohibited required classes that cover any of the following subjects: Critical race theory White fragility or white guilt Systemic racism, institutional racism or anti-racism Systemic bias or implicit bias Intersectionality Gender identity Allyship Race-based reparations Race-based privilege The legislation would have allowed any of the subjects to be taught if it was 'included at the discretion of the faculty member, is not prescribed by the institution as a program requirement, and is part of a broader pedagogical objective.' Opponents of the bill said even with this language, the legislation could have had a chilling effect on faculty's academic freedom and freedom of speech. The Louisiana chapter of the American Association of University Professors sent a letter to lawmakers asking them to oppose the bill. 'This legislation would stifle the 'marketplace of ideas' and infantilize our students, forcing faculty to avoid concepts the legislature dislikes and presenting only those that have gained their favor,' the letter reads. 'This is antithetical to freedom in a democratic society and hurts our students as they transition into fully enfranchised citizens.' The Southern University Foundation, which is affiliated with Louisiana's largest historically Black university, also opposed the bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Major tweaks to TOPS scholarships in Louisiana scrapped due to cost
The University of Louisiana Monroe library, photographed from Northeast Drive. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator) Louisiana lawmakers have advanced a new TOPS award for high-performing students, scrapping language from an original proposal that would have dramatically changed the popular scholarship program. House Bill 77 by Rep. Chris Turner, R-Ruston, was amended Tuesday in the House Committee on Appropriations because it would have increased state spending nearly $50 million annually at a time when lawmakers are working under budget constraints. In its current state, Turner said his proposal comes with a $12 million cost that can be covered with unused TOPS awards. Originally, Turner's bill would have created a flat rate for each level of TOPS award rather than a unique allotment for each school. The new rate would have meant students at LSU, its two medical schools and the University of New Orleans would pay more out of pocket, while students at other Louisiana schools would pay less. The provisions drew the criticism of Phyllis Taylor, whose late husband Patrick F. Taylor was responsible for the creation of the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, a merit-based scholarship program for Louisiana students who attend in-state schools. With the new amendments, Turner's bill creates the TOPS Excellence award, which is available to any student with a 3.5 grade point average and a score of 31 or higher on the ACT. The scholarship will equal tuition and fees at the public university the student chooses or $12,000, whichever is less. The new Excellence award would go to students who enroll in college starting in the upcoming fall semester or later. Turner added amendments to his bill that incorporate language from House Bill 70 by Rep. Ken Brass, D-Vacherie. It would expand the number of students eligible for the TOPS Tech award, which covers up to two years of study in a skill or occupational training program. The bill will next be debated on the House floor. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Lafayette Public Schools, ULL announce Spring Break schedules that begin Friday
Students across Lafayette Parish will get some time off as all public schools prepare to close for spring break. Lafayette's Easter/Spring Break for K-12 will be April 18 to 25, according to the Lafayette Parish School Board's website. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette's Easter/Spring Break for students will be Friday through April 27. Administrative offices will be open from April 22 to April 25. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lafayette Parish schools, UL Lafayette announce Spring Break schedules
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Artist Steven Schneider draws inspiration from daily living, nature
TUPELO – Ringed by trees on the 10-acre property he shares with his wife, Steven Schneider can simply take a peek from the studio he built next to their Colorado-inspired stone-and-wood home for inspiration. Stepping out onto the back porch with a commanding view overlooking the vast agricultural fields stretching below and into the horizon, the clear turquoise of the pool is inviting, albeit it's still a bit too cool to take a dip. "It's beautiful out here, isn't it?" he says. "See that cedar over there? I think I'll paint that soon." The setting is ideal for Schneider, who is in his element. At 70, he has an infectious enthusiasm. His eyes sparkle while describing some of his acrylic canvases. "I've been through an evolution ... mostly based on nature references," he said "I tend to go back to landscapes. It's a familiar thing. Growing up in south Louisiana, I'm greatly in love with nature. It feels good." A pre-med major with a fine art minor while in college, Schneider had a revelation while going through the rigors of his studies. While his 3.5 GPA was good, he didn't have the passion for medicine. And his art was as constant companion. "I piddled in watercolor and this and that ... and I realized I wasn't going to medical school," he said. "The art people were so much more fun, and I blame music, too, since I play a little." After graduating from the University of Louisiana, he was associated with a gallery in Lafayette, and it didn't take long for one off his paintings to capture the interest of a buyer. "The gallery called and said, 'Somebody's really interested in your painting and wants to meet you and talk about it,'" he said with a sigh. That wasn't something he was exactly thrilled to do. "My initial thought this would be easy. I could stay at home, do these pictures and these paintings and just send then to galleries, and they sell and they send me a check," he said. "It never really worked out that way." Eventually, he overcame his own hesitation to meet and greet his potential buyers. 'I realized later on that more and more people want to engage with you, the process, what you're all about, and in most cases it's a personal thing if they're going to purchase," he said. "I'm OK with that after 40 years of doing that." Planting the seed Schneider tapped into his affinity for the creative process starting at an early age. "I drew like so many artists, and started drawing as a kid, and discovered I had an aptitude," he said. "I remember in the fourth grade, I was out on the playground drawing, and the teacher put my piece up and asked, 'Who did this?'" That drawing, a house, planted a seed that has blossomed into a career that now finds his artwork viewed and purchased from Oxford Treehouse Gallery in Oxford, Fischer Galleries in Ridgeland, Justus Fine Art in Hot Springs, and Greg Thompson Fine Art in Little Rock. He has been inspired by a range of artists — Georges Braque, the founder of Cubism; Van Gogh and his colorful impressionism; surrealists like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp; the abstract expressionism of Han Hofmann and the graphic styles of Andy Warhol and Franz Klein; and others. After earning a fine arts degree, Schneider studied advertising design and went into business with his brother. He later opened an ad agency, but after two years, his urge to paint was greater than ever. He wanted to be seen. "All along I was doing my art and painting, and so what I would do was keep contacting galleries and do my art," he said. "So, when I left the ad agency, it was just me. I would do an advertising piece get some money to get some chickens to throw in the freezer, buy some canvases go paint, have an art show, sell a few pieces and go back and forth between graphic design and painting. So, I guess I've been doing that since the age of 25." And he was no starving artist. "I always managed to eat. Advertising paid the steady money," he said. One person who took interest in Schneider was his wife, Cynthia, who he met at a charity event in Lafayette, some 22 years ago. She was intrigued when she first heard about him. "I'd always heard about this very elusive, hidden away artist, a total man of mystery," she said. Cynthia owned a restaurant at the time, and the couple later moved to Donaldsonville, Louisiana, in 2004, where they opened the Schneider Art Gallery and Grapevine Cafe and Gallery and often held events together. "It was really neat," Steven Schneider said. "Have a little wine, a little art. It really paired well." Schneider's style Schneider's art can't be put in a single box, given his various influences. He describes himself as being "compelled to observe and document daily living." He said he draws inspiration from both the "natural and spiritual realms." His interest in plein air forms a base for his landscapes, with planar shapes combined with realistic impressions. "I did plein air painting for a while, and it's something I really enjoyed I have a lot of plein air friends but realize there are thousands of them, and I'm just OK," he said. "Within the past four years, I've tried to push a little more unique and personal." A painting he's working on is inspired by the natural beauty of the Ozarks in northwest Arkansas, where the Schneiders lived for a decade before moving to Tupelo last year. This particular piece is an homage to the Lost Valley Trial in the Buffalo National Forest, the most popular hike in the Ozarks. With sheer rock faces, flowing water and a forested landscape, the trail is being interpreted by Schneider with the blue of the sky, the brown shadowed rock and the green trees playing off each other. Some of his paintings are referenced by photographs, and with his graphic designer skills, he's learned to manipulate the shapes and colors in order to get it to where he wants to be with his paintbrush. "I've done oil, watercolor, 3-D assemblies. Acrylic works for me. I've gotten to the point where I can develop colorizations that mimic texture and depth," he said. Another landscape — called simply, Trace — is inspired by the Natchez Trace. It recently hung at the GumTree Museum of Art in Tupelo, and it speaks to his use of light and shadow. "The colors just sizzle off each other," Schneider said. "After years of studying art theory and plein air outdoor painting, no longer are all the shadows dark and there's just not much light ... now the shadows are luminous. "I like the light and focusing on an area where everything else sort of contributes to the lit areas," he added. "You want people to look at a painting and go, 'Wow, that's cool.' I keep wanting to get to that point where people are compelled to look at it and say, 'Wow, for some reason, I really enjoy looking at it.'" Schneider also has surrealistic paintings like a fireworks stand that caught his eye after a wedding, or a series of paintings of antique vehicles from a junkyard. What he paints is what he would want to hang in his own home, "Things that are cool and intrigue me." For example, there is a 60-by-60 painting of his Martin guitar which he admits is for a very specific audience. Retirement is just a word, not a vocation, but he is trying to be "sort of retired." However, he also feels like he has a lot more time to devote to painting. "My focus for image making is to interpret and communicate more effectively, while my goal is to reveal some truth that initiates interaction and conversations," he said.
