By ERIN BASS

Staff Writer

Six out of 11 $500 scholarships from the Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System have gone to Tech students.

Three of the six honored were Kevin Allen, a junior biology education major; Amy Darter, a senior elementary education major; and Kathy Hall, a junior elementary education major.

Andrea Moore, a senior speech, language and hearing therapy major; Marguerite Ruiz, a senior elementary education major; and Erin Willie, a junior elementary education major, were also awarded.

Allen found out about the scholarship opportunity through an e-mail sent by the Financial Aid Office; otherwise, he said he would not have known.

Allen's desire to teach has been influenced by his mother, but also because he sees education as a cure for ignorance.

"I think education can solve a lot of society's problems," Allen said.

"If we can teach people about different cultures, they would be more informed, and ignorance wouldn't be that big of a problem."

One education major from University of LouisianaÐMonroe, Grambling State University, Nicholls State UniversityÐThibodaux were invited to the scholarship presentation.

Southeastern Louisiana UniversityÐHammond and McNeese State UniversityÐLake Charles also had an education major invited.

The scholarships were awarded at a joint meeting of the Board of Supervisors and Louisiana Board of Regents on Oct. 29 at Southeastern Louisiana University-Hammond.

"It is a lot of pride for Louisiana Tech and for the College of Education that these six students received 55 percent of the scholarships awarded," Dr. Jo Ann Dauzat, dean of the College of Education, said.

"They are not just scholars, but servers of the community and student leaders."

The 11 students' applications were chosen from the 36 applications received.

Eligibility requirements included a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and at least 45 credit hours.

The students were awarded based on their applications, letters of recommendations and essays on the importance of the teaching profession.

The scholarships were awarded in honor of the late State Superintendent of Education Dr. Thomas G. Clausen, who died in February 2002 after a battle with cancer.

Thomas Clausen was also the brother of Dr. Sally Clausen, UL System president.

Clausen said when her brother died, their family and his wife requested that people make donations to a fund that was created in his memory rather than the traditional floral arrangements people usually send.

"[Thomas] always said if you have good teachers, you have good students, which leads to greater opportunities," Clausen said.

"He thought, along with my mother and father, that teaching is the most essential profession and without it, others would not exist."

Clausen said she thought the Tech honorees were very ambitious, and any parent will be lucky to have teachers like them educating their children.