April 9, 2004

Faculty/Staff Footnotes

Jacee Bergeron joined the Division of Institutional Advancement in the Office of Publications and Marketing Communications as web designer. Bergeron graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern Mississippi in the Honors College with degrees in graphic communication and sociology. She has worked as a web designer at the University of Southern Mississippi and at the Neill Corporation, the world's largest AVEDA distributor and promoter of the salon and spa industry.

Dominique Custos, professor of law, participated in a conference held at Montpellier University School of Law in France, devoted to the March 2003 amendment to the French Constitution. In November, Custos delivered a paper titled "The French People and the Overseas Populations." In December, she sat on a doctorate dissertation defense jury, as one of two "rapporteurs." The candidate, G. Coralie, defended his work on "The Institutional Evolution of French Overseas Departments: from Assimilation to Differentiation."

Nancy Dupont and Mary Blue, associate professors of communications, presented "Harder Than It Has To Be: Teaching Broadcast Journalism and Broadcast Production When the Real World Invades the Ivory Tower" at the Southeast Colloquium RTVJ Division in March in Tampa. They received honors for the Top Faculty Paper at the Conference. The paper examined the unique teaching opportunity that the resignation of Bernard P. Knoth, S.J., offered. The professors said that the students, were journalists, witnesses and viewers, and they had the rare opportunity to compare television news coverage with the truth as they were able to observe it.

In February, Henry Gabriel, DeVan Daggett Professor of Law, presented a faculty colloquium titled "International Electronic Commerce: Basic Principles and the Recent Work of UNCITRAL" at the Center for Commercial Law at Queen Mary College at the University of London. He also was a visiting lecturer at the University College Faculty of Law at the University of London. He has completed a text co-authored with William Henning of the University of Alabama titled Analysis of Amendments to Uniform Commercial Code Articles 2 and 2A that is being published by Lexis Books. He also has recently completed the second edition of The ABC's of the UCC with Linda Rusch, professor at William and Mary, which is being published by the American Bar Association Press. The Louisiana Legislature to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws also has reappointed him.

Faculty and staff presented the following sessions at the Gulf South Summit on Service-Learning, Civic Engagement, and Positive Youth Development held in New Orleans in March: Eric Gorham, interim assistant provost, "A Political Theory of Service Learning in Higher Education;" Mukul Bhalla, associate professor of psychology, Melanie McKay, director of Writing across the Curriculum, and Carol Jeandron, director of service learning, "Strengthening Educational Institution and Community Connections with Service Learning;" Kimball Marshall, professor of marketing, and Jeandron, "Business Student Service Learning Experiences: Risks of Conflict Rooted in Contrasting Dominant Social Paradigms."

Louisiana Outside Counsel Health and Ethics Foundation Distinguished Professor David Gruning's article, "The Reach of Review: Of Judges, Cases, and Constitutions," has been published in 37 La Revue Juridique Themis 317, 329.

Mary Troy Johnston, associate professor of political science, is one of 40 academics and business leaders invited to a roundtable discussion on transatlantic relations at Oxford University in Oxford in August. Johnston chaired a panel titled "Transatlantic Security Relations: Is there Life After Hegemony?" at the International Studies Association convention in Montreal in March. She also presented a paper at the convention.

Kathryn V. Lorio, Leon Sarpy Professor of Law, was a panelist at the recent symposium, "Marriage Laws: The Effects of Recent Judicial Intervention Regarding Liberty and Marital Legislation," sponsored by the Tulane Federalist Society and the LSU Federalist Society. Her subject was "Analyzing Recent Case Law: Lawrence v. Texas and Goodridge v. Massachusetts." The symposium was held at Tulane Law School in January.

M. Isabel Medina, Ferris Family Distinguished Professor, was a panelist at the Tulane ­ LSU Federalist Society symposium, "Marriage Laws: The Effects of Recent Judicial Intervention Regarding Liberty and Marital Legislation." Medina appeared on two panels, one exploring proposed constitutional amendments prohibiting same-sex marriage and the second exploring policy issues on same-sex marriage. Medina was quoted in an article in The Times-Picayune, and her presentation was discussed in a Clarion Herald editorial. She has agreed to write an essay on same-sex marriage for the Louisiana Law Review for its same-sex marriage symposium issue.

In March, Medina presented a paper for comment in a symposium hosted by the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal on the recent Supreme Court decision of Demore v. Kim. In that case, the Supreme Court upheld mandatory detention of permanent resident aliens during removal proceedings (before a final order of removal/deportation has been entered) without a bond hearing. The Georgetown Immigration Law Journal will publish the paper later this year. Medina's piece, "Real Differences and Stereotypes: Two Visions of Gender, Citizenship and International Law," will be published by the New York City Law Review this spring in its Ruth Bader Ginsburg symposium issue.

Jim Viator's article, "Marbury and History: What Do We Really Know About What Really Happened?" has been published in 37 La Revue Juridique Themis 317, 329 (2003). Viator presented a short paper in January at the ACLU forum on the Patriot Act. His presentation was titled, "When and How Did We Lose James Madison's Fourth Amendment?" In January, Viator joined professors Lorio and Medina in the symposium by Tulane-LSU Federalist Society Colloquium on "Marriage Laws: The Effects of Recent Judicial Intervention." Viator's remarks concerned the advisability and necessity of the Federal Marriage Amendment and the constitutionality of the Federal Defense of Marriage Act.