reported. Previously, he served as
Provost at Wilkes University in
northern Pennsylvania and before
that as Dean of the Misher College
of Arts and Sciences and Professor
of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
erret is also a scientist, who taught
and led research laboratories as a
ember of the faculty at Tulane
niversity and also at Clark Atlanta
niversity, where he was also chair
f the department of chemistry.
“I would like to congratulate and
welcome Dr. Verret to the Xavier
family,” said Michael Rue, chair-
man of the Board of Trustees in a
statement. “While there were a
number of highly-qualified candi-
dates, Dr. Verret stood out for his
proven leadership and experience
expanding enrollment and increas-
ing graduation rates. His record of
achievement, personal history, and
values set him apart as the clear
choice to carry on the ideals that
our founder, St. Katharine Drexel,
and our longstanding president, Dr.
Norman C. Francis, wove into the
fabric of this institution.”
“I am very pleased Dr. Verret has
been selected for this phenomenal
opportunity. While his departure is
a loss for Savannah State
University, he is a proven leader in
higher education and is definitely
prepared to uphold and advance
the strong legacy of the legendary
Xavier University,” said Dr.
Cheryl D. Dozier, president of
Savannah State University.
Verret was identified through a
national search that followed the
September 2014 announcement
that Francis would be retiring on
June 30. During this period, the
ield of potential candidates was
arrowed from an initial pool of
ore than 300.
“I am deeply honored to be elect-
d as the next president of Xavier
and am excited to engage the entire
Xavier community in envisioning
future that sustains the universi-
ty’s distinct mission in a changing
higher education environment and
that responds to societal need,”
said Verret. “Upon arriving in this
country as a refugee from Haiti in
1963, I was supported by many
who nurtured my love of learning
and science and gave me the
encouragement and confidence to
persevere. During my tenure at
Xavier, I will continue paying it
forward, helping generations of
young people realize their dreams,
regardless of their backgrounds.”
This is the first time the Xavier
Board of Trustees has ever selected
a new president. In 1968, the
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament,
the religious order that established
the university in 1925, promoted
Francis to the post of president. He
was the first lay, first male, and
first African American head of the
university.
Verret and Francis met following
the search committee’s recommen-
dation, the school said.
“I ammost pleased to welcome Dr.
Verret to Xavier. I have complete
confidence that the Board of
Trustees made a wise decision, and I
know that Dr. Verret will carry on
the mission and values of this insti-
tution far into the future,” said
Francis.
“From its beginning, Xavier has
been dedicated to empowerment of
the underserved and voiceless
through education, which is a vital
instrument of societal strength and
justice. In this regard, Xavier’s
purpose remains relevant, and I am
eager to sustain and strengthen it,”
Dr. Verret said last week. “I have
been shaped by the encounter of
faith and reason, as a student of the
Jesuits at the former Brooklyn
Preparatory, of the Sisters of St.
Joseph, and before then, by the
Fathers of the Holy Spirit.”
Verret does appear to be uniquely
qualified to lead the academic pow-
erhouse founded by St. Katharine
Drexel and build upon its reputation
as the top producer of Black doctors
and one of the top training grounds
for pharmacists of color.
Verret earned his undergraduate
degree cum laude in biochemistry
from Columbia University and a
Ph.D in biochemistry from the
Massachusetts
Institute
of
Technology. He was also a post-
doctoral fellow at the Howard
Hughes Institute for Immunology
at Yale University and at the
Center for Cancer Research at
MIT. As a biochemist, his research
interests have included the cyto-
toxicity of immune cells, biosen-
sors, and biomarkers. He has pub-
lished in the fields of biological
chemistry and immunology.
As a scientist, Dr. Verret will
build on Xavier’s strong standing
in graduating students in the
STEM fields. He has helped devel-
op programs to prepare STEM
teachers, secure tuition support for
teacher certification in STEM fields,
and affirm joint instructional and
research programs. He has promot-
ed global initiatives in public health
and on international science efforts,
and as chair of the Chemistry
department at Clark Atlanta
University, he increased research
efforts representing more than $9.7
million of extramural funding.
Throughout his career, Dr. Verret
has worked to build bridges across
disciplines, recognizing that the
significant questions and societal
challenges require knowledge and
analysis across many fields. He has
promoted interdisciplinary curricu-
la
between
Liberal
Arts,
Humanities and Sciences that
address the interplay of culture,
science, and society and prepare
students in all disciplines for lead-
ership roles.
Dr. Verret has served on the fac-
ulty at Tulane University, the
Misher College of Arts and
Sciences at the University of the
Sciences, Morehouse School of
Medicine, and Clark Atlanta
University, in addition to holding
academic appointments as profes-
oing in the wrong direction for
ears…Women in Louisiana make
n average a lower ratio of what
en make than anywhere in the
nited States.”
According to stats compiled by
eth Willinger, Ph.D, Louisiana
omen earn on average 67 cents
n the dollar compared to men.
aken on a parish-by-parish
asis, Orleans has the best num-
er at 80 cents, followed closely
y Jefferson at 79 cents. The
orst number is in Assumption at
5 cents.
Caucasian women on average
arn 69.7 percent of what Cau-
asian men make in Louisiana.
frican-American women make
9.7 percent of what white males
arn. The percentages for Asian-
merican and Hispanic women are
1.3 percent and 53.6 percent,
espectively.
Julie Schwam Harris, the co-
hair of the Legislative Agenda for
omen, emphasized that the bill
stablishes a process for resolving
omplaints and allegations of dis-
rimination that helps parties avoid
oing to court. She said a common
omplaint among the bill’s detrac-
ors is that it will encourage law-
uits. But Harris said this is not the
oal of the bill and not a realistic
ear.
“We believe that lawsuits rarely
enefit those employees just trying
o get fair wages - they are costly
nd time consuming and people
an’t afford to engage in them for
rivolous or unfounded reasons,”
aid Harris.
Two years ago, Act 374 estab-
process for state employees. SB
219 will expand that to include
Louisiana workers. Camille
Moran, Louisiana Pay Equity
Lobbying Director, said no equal
pay lawsuits have been filed since
that law took effect.
The complaint resolution
process has multiple parts. First, if
an employee feels she is being
unfairly paid on the basis of her
gender, she must write a letter to
employer stating her case. The
employer must respond in a timely
manner. If the employer agrees, the
issue ends right there.
If that doesn’t resolve the
problem, the employee can
request an independent third
party evaluation from the
Louisiana
Commission
on
Human Rights. If the arbitrator
rules in favor of the employee, it
sends a strong message to the
employer that the issue needs to
be rectified. But if the employee
loses, it will likely make the
employee realize that the case
would probably not hold up in a
court of law. However, if either
party wants to go to court, they
still have the right to do that.
Harris said it’s important to
keep the employers involved in
the process. She believes that
most companies don’t intention-
ally discriminate. There can be a
number of factors involved, from
employees being hired at differ-
ent times to outdated attitudes on
gender (e.g. ignoring the fact
that many women are now heads
of household in a way that was-
n’t the case decades ago). But
just because it’s unintentional
doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be
“The fact of discrimination is the
problem (not intent),” Harris said.
“You don’t need to go to court.
What you need is the proactive
involvement of the employer in
establishing equal pay.”
The bill’s protections do not
apply only to women. If a man
feels he is being discriminated
against because of his gender, he
can also seek a resolution via the
bill’s procedure.
“This is equal pay for equal
work for everyone,” Moran said.
Advocates of the bill say equal
pay is not just good for women; it’s
good for the state’s economy for a
variety of a reasons.
“It improves employee morale
and retention, and helps the bottom
line,” said Margot Dorfman, CEO
of the U.S. Women’s Chamber of
Commerce. “It puts more money
in the family’s pockets to purchase
goods and services otherwise not
afforded.”
The next step for the bill is the
House Labor Committee. The
committee could vote on the bill as
early as this week. Harris advised
women across Louisiana to con-
tact the members of the commit-
tee and make their voices heard
on the issue. Contact information
for these legislators can be found
at
legis.la.gov
(click on house
committees, then click on labor
committee).
“Women need to be given a
chance; this legislation needs to
be given a chance,” Moran said.
“It’s a step in the right direction.
We want to keep the momentum
going.”
Phone calls to Sen. Murray’s
office were not returned at press
Page 9
May 18 - May 24, 2015
THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY -
YOUR MULTICULTURAL MEDIUM
ho’s your favorite father? Give him recognition at annual celebration
New Orleans, LA—This
Father’s Day, some devoted dads
in New Orleans will get more
than just a new tie.
The sixth annual Favorite
Fathers Celebration, an event co-
sponsored by the New Orleans
Fatherhood Consortium and Ashé
Cultural Arts Center, will high-
light a group of fathers from
throughout the region who are
making vital contributions as
both parents and as members of
the community.
The groups say they are hoping
“to honor men who are making a
difference in the lives of women,
children, families, and communi-
ties across our great city of New
Orleans.”
Those fathers chosen to be hon-
ored will be selected from a pool
of nominations from the general
public.
A media release issued from the
groups said: “We want you, and
members of your agency, school,
and/or church to nominate fathers
to receive recognition that is,
most likely, long overdue. This
powerful event spotlights men
across the city of New Orleans
that model positive fatherhood
behaviors that help families and
communities to enjoy the safety
and security of their existence.”
Continued from Page 1
ontinued from Page 1
Xavier names new president
qual pay bill passes in La. Senate
sor of chemistry and biochemistry
at Savannah State University and
Wilkes University.
“This is one of the most impor-
tant decisions that the Xavier
Board of Trustees has ever had to
make, and we made it fully know-
ing its significance to the future of
Xavier and the nation. We remain
deeply thankful to the Xavier com-
munity for the valuable guidance
they have provided us over the
course of this most important
endeavor. The unanimous election
of Dr. Verret is an indicator that the
Xavier community’s voice was
heard loud and clear,” said
Gladstone Jones, III, who chaired
Xavier’s
Presidential
Search
Committee.
“The Sisters of the Blessed
Sacrament celebrate the appoint-
ment of Dr. C. Reynold Verret. We
are confident that the depth and
breadth of his experience as well as
his appreciation of Xavier’s unique
mission and Catholic identity have
well prepared him to be its next
great president,” said Sr. Patricia
Suchalski, president of the Sisters
of the Blessed Sacrament.
Xavier University, the nation’s
sole Black Catholic institution of
higher learning, has been the top
producer of Black medical doctors
for more than two decades and has
also distinguished itself as one of
the country’s top producers of
pharmacists of color.
Dr. Norman Francis, a Lafayette,
La., native, has been credited with
expanding Xavier’s Carrollton
campus, recruiting and cultivating
a staff and team of educators and
administrators to attract the best
and brightest minds in college,
building a new state-of-the-art
Convocation Center and rebuilding
Xavier after Hurricane Katrina
flooded 80 percent of New Orleans
in 2005.
Francis, who earned a bachelor’s
degree from Xavier, was recently
awarded an honorary degree by
Dillard University.◊
The release went on to say,
“Fathers are the foundation of
strong families. While father
absence in families continues to
be a problem, there are countless
numbers of men who have digni-
fied themselves by being great
fathers to their children.”
Favorite Father nominees must
meet the following criteria:
May or may not be residing
with their children
May or may not be married
Must be a positive role model
There are no income criteria for
favorite father candidates
There is no age limit and the
individual does not have to be the
biological father
Other qualities, the group says,
that a responsible father exhibits
include: Being a good role
model; working in partnership
with the child’s mother; consis-
tently demonstrating love an
support of his children; being
motivator/encourager; spendin
time with his children and partic
ipating in school, sports, an
church related activities; protect
ing child’s welfare; being trust
worthy; and valuing the impor
tance of education.
A reception and recognition cer
emony will be held Friday, June 1
from 6-8:30 p.m. at Ashé Cultura
Arts Center.
The deadline to submit a nomina
tion is Friday, May 22. For mor
information about Favorite Father
or to submit a nomination, contac
Petrice Sams-Abiodun via email a
callin
(504) 864-7086 or submit an appli
cation
online
a
cy/favorite-father-nominations
.◊
The New Orleans Opera
Association announced last week
the creation of an annual youth
vocal competition for all Louisiana
high school students.
The competition is open to stu-
dents in their sophomore, junior or
senior year enrolled in a Louisiana
high school.
The competition is a collabora-
tive
effort
with
Loyola
University’s College of Music and
Fine Arts and Preparatory
Program, Newcomb Department of
Music at Tulane University, and
New Orleans Center for Creative
Arts (NOCCA). The competition
will be held yearly, moving back
and forth between the venues of
Loyola, NOCCA, and Tulane.
The Opera Association expects
the competition to greatly benefit
Louisiana’s young vocal students
and “promote artistic excellence,
provide financial support to young
vocalists, and encourage young
local singers throughout the entire
State of Louisiana,” according to
their press release.
At the competition, the finalists
will be asked to sing three songs
from standard classical literature
where one selection is either in
Italian, French, or German an
one selection is in English
(However, one selection may b
from a musical.) A master class i
planned as well and judges wil
give vocal insights and encour
agement to the finalists on th
day of the competition.
Judging of the completion wil
be handled by professionals in th
field of opera and will focus o
“quality of voice, musicality
technical skill, diction, interpreta
tion, and presentation.” Only 3
students will be chosen to partici
pate, and ten will receive a
award as finalists.
One male and one female vocal
ist will be awarded first place an
each receive a prize of $1,000
Second place winners (one mal
and one female) will each receiv
an prize of $500.
The deadline for submission i
September 4, and the youth voca
competition date is set fo
Saturday, October 17, in Rousse
Hall at Loyola.
The competition is free and ope
to the public. NOOA says tha
application information will b
made available on their website a
◊
Youth vocal competitio
seeks new talent
