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Dear Southernites:
Congratulations to our men's basketball team for winning the SWAC tournament and representing us well in the NCAA tournament! Alums from the Midwest and all over the country were able to join the team in Dayton, OH as they took on Holy Cross. The team came up short, but we are so very proud of them! The ladies' basketball team made a great showing in the SWAC championship and the WNIT tournament. We are likewise so proud of them.
The "March Madness" has been a welcomed break from the legislative sessions. We ended the special session last week and began the regular session Monday. The dust is still settling from the attempts to fill the budgetary gaps of this fiscal year and the new fiscal year that begins July 1st. But, there is no rest for the weary. With the legislature five days into the 85-day regular session, we understand our legislators and the governor have a tough job. Southern has already scheduled its annual SU Day at the Capitol for 1:00 pm, March 31st. Even though it filled much of the budgetary gap for this fiscal year, the state still appears to have a $70 million deficit for the remainder of this fiscal year. We are hopeful that the cut to the Southern System will be bearable.
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| | East Baton Rouge Parish Chapter Vice President Kestee Weir presents Alumnus of the Year award to President Castille |
| | SU alumni enjoying mixer at Martha's Bistro |
Friday night, the Federation continued its Founders' Day celebration with an Alumni Mixer at Martha's Bistro in Zachary. So many local chapters held Founders' Day celebrations in their cities around the country. I'm sure you could feel, like I could, the Jaguar Spirit flowing all across America this week. Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of serving as the keynote speaker for the East Baton Rouge Parish Chapter Annual Breakfast at Mt. Pilgrim Baptist Church. There were about 400 people in attendance including many local community leaders, members of the clergy, and alums from near and far. The highlight of the event was Devon Gales and his parents who joined us. It was heartwarming to watch the crowd immediately rise and applaud when they entered the building. I would like to again thank the chapter for naming me "Alumnus of the Year" during the breakfast. It was quite the surprise, and I will deeply cherish this honor.
Finally, this week I met with a group of students who were very passionate about the proposed Gateway Project. It is a project to create an attractive entrance on Harding Blvd. into the Baton Rouge campus. The University had proposed that the $1.2 million project be funded by student fees, which required a vote of the students earlier this week. The students had varying opinions about the project and ultimately voted not to approve the fee. However, what I most admired about the discussion was the student engagement. I believe the future of Southern is in good hands. Our future alums are not apathetic, but rather they are concerned and engaged.
The future is bright, Jags and Knights!
Preston
Preston J. Castille, Jr., JD
National President
HBCU Alumni Coalition President | 
