Volume: 59 Issue: 15 by Driftwood

Volume: 59 Issue: 15

FEBRUARY 3, 2016

driftwood.uno.edu

Privateers cheer as UNO defeats McNeese State on Homecoming night BY NIGEL WASHINGTON Editor-in-Chief With homecoming décor draped all around the Lakefront Arena and students tailgating in the parking lot, the Privateers looked to cap off the celebratory week on a high note against a McNeese State team that had won three out of its last four games until that point. With three Privateers earning double-digit numbers in scoring and another earning a new career-high in rebounds, UNO (712, 3-5 Southland) rode past McNeese State (5-12, 3-5 Southland) with a 76-64 win on Saturday. After a steal and a huge fast break dunk over a Cowboy defender with seven minutes remaining in the second half, junior Erik Thomas (pictured left) played sparkplug for a Privateer team clinging to a one point, 4948, lead.

“We knew we needed a play,” coach Mark Slessinger said. “We were in this run where we were trading baskets back and forth and we needed something, either an incredible defensive play or an incredible offensive play, to catapult us forward.” Senior Kevin Hill and junior Christavious Gill proceeded to take over after Thomas’ momentous play. Gill scored six of his eight second half points on back-to-back three-pointers. Hill struggled coming off the bench in the first half, only scoring two-points on 1-for-4 shooting, but came alive when his name was called in important minutes of the second half. Slessinger said during practice, Hill aggravated an ankle injury he has been fighting all year, and despite a bad bone bruise, the x-rays came back negative and he was able to play in his final Homecoming game.

“He has big guts and a lot of heart,” Slessinger said. “He came back, never missed a practice, kept the great attitude he’s always had and was ready to compete and do everything that we needed to do. It was really important for him to come back and have a good day. He really showed us his toughness.” The 6-foot-7 forward didn’t look hobbled at all as he ran the floor and finished strong at the rim. He scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half while grabbing two rebounds. “The second half, other than that three, four minute stretch where we just turned over the ball carelessly and got away from an attacking offense that we play, I think we just got away from who we were,” Slessinger said. “But once we got that going again we played unselfishly, we moved the ball, and that was a big key. That, and having a good fast break and transition offense.”

After regrouping and regaining control, UNO would extend their second half lead even further in the final minutes and gave a home crowd of students, faculty and alumni who skipped a night of parades a lot to cheer for. “It was great,” Slessinger said of the homecoming crowd. “Our Student Leadership Office and Alumni Affairs did an amazing job, just having so much activity going on all week and we are able to get it kicked off with a great win on Monday and then a unbelievable concert after that and all the stuff that happened this week for the students, and we’re glad we can finish it off the right way with a win today for them.” “It was just a great crowd, I think the alumni that came back had a great time and really enjoyed it, and I think our students that were here had a good time so it was a good night all around.” Senior film major Meara McNitt (pictured right top) was

crowned Homecoming queen while senior computer engineering major Vantonio Hall (pictured right top) earned Homecoming king honors. Prior to the game, the Homecoming court was honored at center court. Thomas led the Privateers in scoring with 16-points on 7-for10 shooting. He also nabbed eight rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block on 27 minutes of play. Sophomore forward Travin Thibodeaux set a new career-high with 13 rebounds while contributing eight points and two steals for the night. Gill scored 15-points on 5-for11 shooting and tied junior Nate Frye with a team high four assists. As a team, UNO shot 44.8 percent from the field and scored 50 points in the paint. The Privateers followed their 12-point win with a ______ against Nicholls State on Monday. See page 11 for our recap.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

OPINION

COLUMN

Memes, tweets ruining rap culture

BY NIGEL WASHINGTON Editor-in-Chief Twitter is undoubtedly the king of social media. Everyone uses it to share their opinion, spread news and entertain with all types of multimedia. While the platform has benefitted users in many ways, it has also become a huge burden, which most people don’t realize. Twitter has found its way into hiphop and is ruining one of the most underrated aspects of the genre: beefs. Those of you who aren’t sleeping under a rock and give the occasional swipe up on Twitter may have seen a few exchanges between Wiz Khalifa and Kanye West, two popular rappers with awkward ties to socialite model Amber Rose. Long story short: ‘Ye was confused about Wiz and his “KK” tweets (KK is a strain of weed, not Kim Kardashian… in case you were wondering too), slan-

dered Amber, Wiz (his pants) and their child Sebastian in a series of about 18 tweets, Amber responded with a jab at ‘Ye’s sexual predilections too graphic to repeat here and Twitter proceeded to explode. Memes flew over everyone’s timeline as this rap beef between artists turned into a Photoshop contest between tweeters, everyone looking for the funniest picture to gain retweets and followers. While Kanye continued to pour water on the grease fire with every tweet, it was the audience who essentially took over the beef with all the jokes being thrown around. Sadly, this is nothing new. Meek Mill and Drake had a similar situation last year that made twitter go crazy for weeks, and Rick Ross and 50 Cent have been fighting with pictures and tweets for months now. Rap has always been considered a “contact sport,” and it’s the beefs that force MCs to put on their helmets and shoulder pads. Now, rappers put on racing gloves so they don’t get cramps desperately trying to finesse the 140-character limit. And instead of the hottest song or bar being the reason a rapper gets to hold his fist in the air for a victorious battle, it has now come to who has the funniest memes in what determines a victor. The fans always decided the winner, but we’re not comparing music in any way. The music isn’t even a factor between two artists, and it’s all so reminiscent of every Bravo reality

show ever created. While we must thank Twitter for all the positives, we also have to condemn it for the negatives. I will forever hold a Twitter grudge for destroying rap beefs in hip-hop. We need real rap feuds in hip-hop again, not watered-down popularity contests that lets rappers hide behind pictures instead of laying it all on wax. We’re not talking a subtle change of culture. This is the complete annihilation of a major factor in arguably the world’s most popular genre of music, a factor that is now being largely ignored by today’s younger fans. Even longtime rapper The Game, who is also a victim of letting his accounts do the talking instead of his music with his ongoing beef with Young Thug, admitted this new form of “beefing” is wack in every way. “WTF happened to REAL hip hop & the classic way of handling rap feuds?” The Game said, coincidentally on Instagram. “Never thought I’d see the day when rap beefs were won over iPhone apps & [expletive].” That’s what it has come down to, sadly. Ironically, one of Drake’s diss tracks towards Meek Mill, “Back-to-Back”, is up for a Grammy this year for Best Rap Performance, which is the first diss track ever nominated for a Grammy. Maybe this starts a growth of diss tracks over diss memes, but at this point, it seems like an uphill battle.

COLUMN

An appreciation of campus beauty

BY THANH NGUYEN Driftwood Contributor “Oh yea, I’ve been to Princeton University, Colorado Boulder University, and Duke University. You won’t believe how very unbelievably beautiful their campuses are. It’s like everything is designed to maximize intellectual pursuits of students, from a garden, to a little pond, to a bench…” a friend of mine who has immense wanderlust and takes huge pride in traveling to all the most beautiful places once told me. “And how’s your campus? Is it nice?” She asked after her little soliloquy.

I felt a tinge of discomfort answering this question. UNO’s campus does not have the most magnificent scenery or antique buildings, but it is special and beautiful in its very own way. Just like that of a person, the façade of a school is not as important as the experience and memory we hold of it, and here at UNO, I’ve had very endearing memories. I remember staying up to 1 a.m., and it was raining outside, the kind of drizzle that went on through the night. On the fourth floor of North Pontchartrain Hall, I could see the New Orleans area up to the Crescent City Connection, a whole city humming softly with the sound of rain. I stood there with a cup of hot chocolate, glanced indolently at the city and listened to gusts of wind rattling nearby trees, and it felt beautiful. I remember walking along Lake Pontchartrain with my friend in the last day of last spring semester. She was about to go back to Vietnam, and she wanted to say goodbye. She said she would miss UNO dearly because of all the fun we had here, the friends she made and the view of the lake. Every

time she got upset about something she would walk along the lake for a while, and everything would seem alright again. There she felt peaceful and relaxed, and I don’t know if there’s any place she could feel like this back home. I remember reading books with my friend on the fourth floor of Kirschman Hall. At sunset everything outside was imbued with brilliant reddish light. “Would you look at that,” I said. We gazed at the sunset and suddenly fell silent in contemplation, each with his and her own thoughts, our minds wandering with the last light of the day. I don’t remember what I was thinking then, but it was very pleasant. Beauty is a vague and elusive concept, but in this case I think the cliché is true: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” The UNO campus may not be as glamourous as Ivyleague schools, but it has a kind of serenity that is very lovely to me. However, this train of thoughts required too much talking, and I felt a bit exhausted listening to my beauty-loving friend, so I simply said: “Yea, it’s nice”. Nguyen NT is a junior in Finance at UNO. He is from Vietnam.

PERSPECTIVE

Illustration by Barrington Hebert

Nigel Washington Editor-in-Chief driftwoodeditor@uno.edu Charles Nicholson Managing Editor driftwood@uno.edu

Visuals Director | Grant Campbell • • • • • • driftwoodart@uno.edu News Editor | Chloe Gagnon • • • • • • • • • • • • • • cprange@uno.edu Features/Ent. Editor | Anna Gowin • • • • • driftwoodent@uno.edu Photographer | Helen C. Reed • • • • • • • • • • • • • hreed1@uno.edu Web Editor | Ave Maria Bordenave • • • • • • • • abordena@uno.edu Reporter | Lones Gagnard • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lgagnard@uno.edu Illustrator | Barrington Hebert • • • • • • • • • • • bkhebert@uno.edu Illustrator | Jared Buck • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • jbuck@uno.edu Business Manager | Matt Stennis • • driftwoodbusiness@uno.edu Faculty Adviser | Vickie Kennedy • • • • • • • • • vkennedy@uno.edu

Driftwood is produced solely by students of the University of New Orleans. Driftwood publishes every Wednesday during the fall and spring semesters with the exception of holiday breaks and midterms/finals week. Editorials are the opinions of the Driftwood editorial staff and do not reflect the opinions of the University of New Orleans, its administration or staff. Letters to the Editor and columns are the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinion of the Driftwood editorial board. All letters to the Editor are subject to editing for length, style and grammar. Please limit letters to 500 words. Submissions can be emailed to driftwoodeditor@uno.edu and must be sent no later than 5p.m. on the Monday before publication. 2000 Lakeshore Drive, UC 252, New Orleans, LA 70148 (504) 280-6377

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

UNO FCU holds first annual umbrella contest BY CHLOE GAGNON News Editor The UNO Federal Credit Union is holding an umbrella decorating contest with cash prizes for UNO staff and students who are members of the UNOFCU and student organizations. Lauren Huner, member service representative of the UNOFCU said: “It kind of started up as something that we wanted to do to kind of get the organizations [on campus] involved but also the members because with the university and everything we wanted to bring morale back up.” Anyone who wants to partici-

pate, can decorate an umbrella and submit it to the FCU on campus. “They can decorate it whether it’s Mardi Gras or not even Mardi Gras as long as it’s something that represents either the organization or a member themselves,” said Huner. Submissions were due Monday Feb. 1 by 3:30 p.m. and an event will be held to pick the winners on Thursday Feb. 4 from 11 a.m.- 1:30 p.m. “We’ll have hot chocolate, music [and] king cake. At that time, anyone who has decorated an umbrella or anyone who’s coming to the event can vote which umbrella they think is the best. First, second and third place will win a [cash] prize. First place is $250. Second

place is $150. And third place is $100.” Huner explained that the bank staff chose umbrellas to decorate instead of another object “because of the New Orleans second line. I don’t even know exactly how the tradition started, but it started way back when. Typically, the person that’s leading the second line would have an umbrella and everybody behind them would wave a handkerchief in the air. It became a New Orleans tradition that anywhere you go whether it’s a wedding or a funeral or Mardi Gras, there’s always going to be the New Orleans second line, and it’s just a way to bring people together.”

Photo by Grant Campbell Mardi Gras decorated umbrella with a Zulu coconut designed by a staff member of the UNO Federal Credit Union.

MAN ON THE STREET

What is your favorite Mardi Gras parade and why?

BRITT BAUDIER Senior, Psychology

TALLES AUGUSTO SARAIVA Junior, Civil Engineering

Endymion because it’s the most extravagant parade. The riders throw really awesome things and the floats are well decorated.

Barkus, ‘cause I like dogs. Dogs are cute.

Photos by Grant Campbell

ELIZABETH FRANCIS Freshman, Computer Science

KYLE HYMEL Senior, I.D.S.

JENNY LE Freshman, Computer Science

Zulu because I love catching coconuts.

Endymion lights + music + night time - cool vibe.

Selene because my family has performed and been going to this parade for years.

CRIME SCENE DO NOT

CROSS CRIME SCENE

• On Jan. 20, a Sodexo employee reported someone using marijuana in the Math building in room 110. When UNOPD arrived at the scene, a female student was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute. • On Jan. 20, a vehicle crashed into a traffic light on the intersection of Leon C. Simon and Founders Road. • On Jan. 21, a Privateer Place resident reported a sexual assault by an acquaintance which occurred early December 2015. • On Jan. 21, a Privateer Place resident reported his parked car in uptown stolen. The vehicle was found on Pratt Drive with major damage to the passenger-side of the car after it was crashed into a tree. • On Jan. 21, the Privateer Place sign was damaged by a hit and run. The witness that reported the incident described the vehicle that fled the scene as a dark colored Ford Expedition SUV. • On Jan. 22, a light pole was knocked over by strong winds on Founders Road.

CAMPUS CALENDAR WED., FEB. 3 DISNEY COLLEGE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM INFORMATION SESSION For those looking to apply for the Disney Internship, join Celyn Boykin, the director of UNO Career Services and Dr. Kim Williams, the Disney College

Program Advisor for important information regarding the program. The session is for 12:00 p.m. in UC 208.

INNSBRUCK SUMMER PROGRAM TABLING Looking for an engaging and new experience this summer and need to pick up credits while you’re at it? Come to the

quad from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and learn about the Innsbruck Summer Program.

a.m. to 12 p.m. to learn about their recruitment season.

both the Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras holidays. There will be no classes.

UNO AMBASSADORS RECRUITMENT TABLING

MON., FEB 8 TUE., FEB 9

WED., FEB 10

To learn about the UNO Ambassadors and how they help represent the university both on and off campus, come to the library breezeway from 11

MARDI GRAS HOLIDAY The university will be closed for

ASH WEDNESDAY MASS Celebrate the start of Lent this Ash Wednesday at the Newman Center from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Ashes will be distribut-

ed at noon, the only time the Newman Center will be giving ashes.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

NEWS

Newly opened center aids teachers and students

Photo by Grant Campbell Elizabeth Blankenship is the coordinator of the Center of Teaching Innovation.

BY LONES GAGNARD Driftwood Staff Elizabeth Blankenship is the coordinator of the newly opened

Center for Teaching Innovation. “My role as coordinator is to collaborate with the faculty and sources within and outside of the university, to find resources to help our faculty evolve and continue to excel,” said Blankenship. While the workload of students is rigorous, teachers are constantly doing their own research and finding a way to connect that research back to their students. “We are a research university, so our faculty generally have to balance continuing research and investigation in their own fields with teaching, mentoring, supervising theses and dissertations, serving as advisors to student groups, acting in administrative role,” said Blankenship, “all of that adds up.” The CTI aims as not only a database for teachers, where research on their studies and student teachings can be compiled, but also as a place where students can come to

attain ways of learning they otherwise would not have access to. “It’s really easy to get comfortable in the silos of our own classrooms, our departments, and not see the interdisciplinary nature of our students’ undergraduate experience, so that’s why we want to develop resources and methods including workshops, online seminars, data analytics, research and articles on best practices,” said Blankenship. According to Blankenship, not only does the CTI want to teach students in the most effective way they know, but they also would like for students to finish school in as little time as possible. “Our goal is to keep pace with changes in the workplace, changes in the way students are prepared before they reach our classrooms – and sometimes underprepared – and to ensure that students who invest their time and money make it

through and cross that stage in four or five years. The more we can do to use data to find where students find themselves adrift or struggling and to use good pedagogy to keep them on track, then the better the outcomes are for our students,” said Blankenship. The CTI also brings technology into the fold to help students study and learn through electronic means they already use on a day-to-day basis. “[Students] are familiar with multimodal formats, meaning they’ve experienced a range of styles in their secondary school courses, including lots of small group collaboration, hands-on projects, computer-based exercises and simulations, along with lecture and note-taking,” said Blankenship. The entirety of this center rests on one word, sharing. If the teachers share what they know with students who then share it with each

other, not only is this vital information being passed through the university, but also teaching career paths may be realized when students teach students all that they have learned. “Our faculty transmit knowledge to students from all sorts of backgrounds, at levels from freshmen to Ph.D. candidates, while creating knowledge in their fields through research and publishing, so the CTI’s mission is to find ways to support them in doing that,” said Blankenship. CTI aims for ideas to bounce and for grades to soar through student-teacher collaboration. With everyone working in unison, the University of New Orleans would be on the ascent for the first time in much too long. The Center for Teaching Innovation is located in the Liberal Arts Building in room 136.

Search committee announces IST relaunches UNO’s finalists for UNO presidency Print & Copy Center BY CHARLES NICHOLSON Managing Editor On Thursday, Jan. 28, the semifinalists gunning for the presidency at UNO were announced by the search committee. Cutting them down from ten to five, these are the finalists:

GLEN H. COPE

Currently the provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri at St. Louis, she was previously employed at the University of Illinois at Springfield as the dean of the College of Public Affairs and Administration. Cope earned her MPA in Public Administration in 1972 from Syracuse University and her Ph.D. in Public Administration in

1981 from Ohio State University.

JAIMIE L. HEBERT

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University, Hebert has been a faculty member at Sam Houston since 1995 and a full professor since 2004. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in Statistics from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

ANDREW D. KOPPLIN

Served as first deputy mayor and chief administrator officer for Mayor Mitch Landrieu for over five years. He has previously worked at Teach for America as a senior advisor and chief executive officer from 2008 to 2010. Kopplin earned his master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

JOHN W. NICKLOW

Currently UNO’s very own provost and vice president for academic affairs, he took up the same positions at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Nicklow earned his bachelor’s and master’s in Civil Engineering from Bucknell University in 1993 and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University in 1998.

JOHN V. WHITE

Strategic adviser to the president of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. He was previously UNLV’s dean at their William S. Boyd School of Law. White spent 15 years as a professor of law at LSU and earned his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1991.

BY ASHLEY LARSEN Driftwood Contributor Out with the old and in with the new. The new IST Print & Copy Center opened on Jan. 4, and students can expect a pretty major change from the previous UNO Copy Center. “We have lowered prices tremendously,” said the site manager, Morgan Starwood. In addition to slashing prices, black and white prints now retail at 11 cents and color at 69 cents, and the center will no longer be accepting cash payments. Instead, students can pay in credit, debit or The IST Print & Copy Center will be offering a lot of the same services that students have enjoyed in the previous years; including, black, white and color prints, finishing services, binding, faxing

and oversized printing. The copy center can print on up to 11X17 paper, but can accommodate special requests like posters and banners. In addition, students can email their project ahead of time and then pay when they come and pick it up. “We can ensure a one hundred percent guarantee job,” said Starwood. The new hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. However, in “special situations” the copy center will stay late if one calls or emails ahead of time. IST is a national company with two other local centers--one in downtown New Orleans and the other in Jefferson. The IST Print & Copy Center can be reached via email at UNOCopy@istmanagement.com or by phone at (504)280-3955.

Odyssey brings voice of millenial generation to today’s issues BY CHARLES NICHOLSON Managing Editor In the age of growing social media platforms where the information superhighway is broad with accessible sources of knowledge, comes a new website where news meets personal outlook merge: Odyssey. “Odyssey is an online news/content website. Kind of like Buzzfeed or Huffington Post, but different in that rather than being driven by what’s hot at the time, it’s driven by what the contributors want to write about,” said Meara McNitt. McNitt, a senior and film major, is the social media coordinator for Odyssey at UNO. She communicates through other social media,

such as Facebook and Twitter, to get the word out about Odyssey and its articles. Odyssey looks to “share the chorus of millennial voices,” as stated by their website. The organization, based in multiple different colleges and universities, uses content providers and readers, mostly between the ages of 18 and 34, to drive interest. “The readers are going to be what determines what’s a successful topic. So, writing for Buzzfeed, the editor would be like, ‘Hey, Donald Trump is a really hot topic right now, you’re gonna go write about Donald Trump,’” said McNitt. “But with the Odyssey, you come and say, ‘I’m really interested in writing about the wacky weather changes.’ And then we’d

go: ‘Okay then, write about it.” The trick to Odyssey is that articles won’t be reached to readers easily, especially when the site boasts over 6000 content creators. For an article to access more people, it must be shared by more readers. The more people who read an article and share it, the more it will be read. McNitt said that there are no prerequisites to writing for the Odyssey, outside of basic writing skills. “You don’t have to be an english major or anything, but you have to be a decent writer and a student,” said McNitt. “It’s not paid, but they do have internship positions within the division…and among UNO students there are competitions each week and whoever’s article gets the most

views gets $20,” McNitt said about the benefits to joining Odyssey. Odyssey is a relatively new social media site, coming off its beta in June 2014. The site has marked its new territory at UNO only just this semester. The UNO branch is currently looking to swell its staff Those looking to join Odyssey are free to contact McNitt (mdmcnitt@uno.edu) or visiting the Odyssey website at http://www. theodysseyonline.com. “I just want students to be looking out for [Odyssey] and to know that it’s something that’s going to be fun for them and to enhance their UNO experience,” said McNitt. “We have the Driftwood, which talks about UNO itself and the Odyssey is more of a personal experience.”

Photo by Juan Pablo Madrid Meara McNitt is the social media coordinator for the UNO sector of Odyssey.

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

University provides resources for assault survivors

Photo by Grant Campbell Amy Anderson King, one of UNO’s Title IX coordinators, is one of the biggest advocates for students on campus.

BY ANNA GOWIN Features Editor Sexual violence, especially on college campuses, is something people hope they’ll never experi-

ence. But for the people who survive those experiences, as well as the people in their lives, there are resources available here on UNO’s campus. Dr. Brett Kemker and Amy Anderson King are the university’s Title IX coordinators and devote time to working with federal mandates to create a safe environment on campus where students feel safe reporting sexual violence. “We’re sort of used as an example throughout the UL System,” Kemker said, “because of our precedents for handling these things. Students who come through King’s office are offered the opportunity to formally or informally report the circumstances of their particular incident (sexual violence is a term that encompasses various forms of misconduct, such as harassment, stalking, coercion or even assault). But she also wants students to know that they don’t have to report an incident in order for resources to be available. “A student might say ‘I don’t

want to pursue this legally, or even through the student code of conduct, but I live on the same floor in Pontchartrain Hall as the person, and I’d like to be moved.’,” King said. And she and Kemker have the power to offer students those interim measures regardless of whether or not a student may decide to pursue their report on campus or through UNOPD. In addition to changing housing arrangements, Kemker has said that there are a variety of other interim safety measures that can be taken on a student’s behalf: “We fulfill student’s requests to the Nth degree,” he said. This includes changing class schedules, offering personal counseling and even sometimes working with Aramark to adjust work schedules. “It depends on what the student’s needs are,” King said. “I couldn’t envision a request that we couldn’t work with in some way, shape or form.” But King also wants students to know that when they come forth to

her, she has to act on it in some way. Both she and Kemker, as Title IX coordinators, are a “non-confidential reporting option,” as defined in the university’s Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Resolution Procedures. “If a student came in and was like ‘I need to tell you about something that happened,’ that usually signifies to me that I need to toss it out there that I am a mandatory reporter…what you tell me I have to act on,” said King. But students can keep any information they wish confidential, especially if they don’t wish to file a report. Confidential resources on campus do exist if a student is looking for a personal advocate rather than action. Candace Stanton is listed as the university’s Confidential Advisor and is there for students who need personal help without action being taken. And the services UNO offers to create a safe and open culture doesn’t end there. Kemker and King are working with Everfi, a

company that creates modules for online training in regards to sexual assault awareness and procedures. In the next few months, the office of Student Affairs will unveil surveying for both students and faculty. “They are a tried and true, very successful company that has these modules already built,” Kemker said. Luckily, the new modules can be integrated with existing online systems. “We can do surveys to see what levels of awareness our community is already in.” “We need to make sure we’re collecting data so that we can revamp and revise and regroup,” King said. The ultimate goal is to make sure that students are taken care of, regardless of the circumstances. That way students feel safe coming forward about their experiences. “It’s our job to make people feel comfortable and make sure they have the resources they need,” Kemker said.

“Risky Business” offers safe space for students to take risks BY ALEXANDRA GARCIA Driftwood Staff A new showcase called “Risky Business,” created by Sarah Beth James, a theatre graduate student, has an incomparable philosophy. There are extraordinary experiences in life that you can only have through a willingness to take risks. It is the showcase’s job to not necessarily prevent it from being scary, but to provide a safe and supportive environment to take those risks. In the normal, competitive, environment students face in school, it is difficult to take risks without affecting grades, reports, a group project or even the possibility of passing the class. This showcase is a great way to take those small risks that will help someone decide if the bigger risk is worth it; an opportunity that many

students deserve to have in this tumultuous trial-by-error time in our lives. As James put it, “We wanted a venue without any kind of stakes or any kind of consequences: no grades, no money involved like box office tickets, or anything. We wanted a venue that was completely free and open for experimentation.” Anyone and everyone is able to sign up to “perform” in the showcase. The meaning of “perform” can range from testing out a monologue, doing a presentation, trying a comedy act or calling a girl out on a first date (which has happened). If a performer so chooses after finishing a piece, they can feel free to ask the audience for feedback and pointers or simply walk off the stage. The stage used is a black box theatre which is a small, intimate setting where a performer will not feel

overwhelmed. It is a place where students have the opportunity to fail or succeed without any high stakes and an audience that will understand. “Risky Business” makes a year this spring semester with new additions to it, like the Lakefront Players, the theatre club at the University of New Orleans, to the beginning of these showcases, helping to attract more audience and performers. However, it is by no means exclusive to liberal arts majors. “I would love to see it branch out even more. I think people don’t realize that it’s open to anyone and everyone…We love to have students from all walks of life and we have had several different majors come and play and try out different things,” James said. In a commuter school such as UNO, it is not as easy to advertise, so combining with another club

helps to get the word out to more people. The hope is to have “Risky Business” live on past the impending graduation of its leader, James. It started out as a collaboration with her and the theatre department, but she has made it flourish with the hopes of passing it on to the current and future students of UNO. A place that will remain for taking those risks. “A place for people to jump off the proverbial cliff and fall on their face and fail gloriously and people will support you in that endeavor,” James said. If anyone is interested in attending or performing, “Risky Business” is every other Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Performing Arts Center building, room 121, otherwise known as the Lab Theatre.

Photo by Grant Campbell Sarah Beth James is a theatre graduate student, and creator of “Risky Business”

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

FEATU

KING AND QUEEN CROWNE

Photos by Barrington Hebert and Sanjiv Pradh Page six from top left, clockwise: Meara McNitt and Vantaonio Hall were voted as 2016 Homecoming king and queen on Saturday. Junior Tevin Broyles fights through the McNeese State defense. Sophomore Randi Brown drives past the Cowgirls defense. The 2016 UNO Homecoming court was announced during halftime of the girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contest. Page seven from top, clockwise: Peter Fos poses with the new Homecoming queen. The Privateer student section cheered throughout the night. Junior Erik Thomas rises up and attacks the rim.

URES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

ED AT HOMECOMING FINALE

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

ENTERTAINMENT

A definitive ranking of Mardi Gras throws Features Editor Here it is, for those of you who are looking to trek your way to a Mardi Gras parade this coming Fat Tuesday: my personal guide to the season’s throw and trinkets, ranked from worst to best. Admittedly, if you’re new to the area, or just visiting for the season, all of these throws will be indefinitely more valuable and exciting to you than they are to me, a long-since-jaded local. But for those of you in the same parade float as me, you might identify with some of my rankings. 5. Plastic Beads - Anyone who grew up in the New Orleans area has at least one giant bag of generic beads sitting around collecting dust. While the strands might be fun to wear as a badge of honor leaving

the parade route, once the season is over, there’s nothing to be done with them (with the exception of some especially...creative Pinterest projects). Sure, some are cooler than others, but at the end of the day, they’re almost always something that can be bought in bulk from the Mardi Gras superstore, and I’d rather not waste the space is my Rouses bag. 4. Thongs/Garters - *shudder* Even if I didn’t find this inherently kind of weird, someone please tell me what I’m supposed to do with a tissue-thin pair of synthetic panties that smells suspiciously like 190 Octane and underarm sweat. 3. Doubloons - The only pro about catching doubloons at a parade is that they’re unique to each krewe and each yearly theme. However, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve dug out my winter coat

only to sink my hands in the pockets and discover the doubloons of yesteryear. Seriously, this is an annual tradition for me. It says something about the ultimate usefulness of doubloons, despite how cool they might be at the time. Honestly, I’d rather find usable currency in my coat pockets. 2. Cups - “Anna,” you’re probably thinking, “cups? Are you serious?” To which my answer abso-freaking-lutely. Cups are pretty awesome, in my personal opinion. Not only are they customized to every krewe and every parade, but they are (drumroll please) actually useful! Throw them all in the dishwasher and you now have a stack of non-breakable party cups that also remind you of a successful Carnival season. Sounds like a winner to me. 1. Specialty Throws - No surprise here. Everyone knows the

Black Mirror: the dark side of sci-fi

BY THANH NGUYEN Driftwood Contributor Since the advent of the Internet and modern electronic devices there have been thousands of sci-fi books and movies criticizing or glorifying every aspect of the coming age of technology. As a fan of sci-fi I thought there would be nothing new to see but only reused ideas when I started watching Black Mirror, a highly praised TV series about the dark side of technology. However, after watching it, I was left in awe, and a little bit disturbed because of its relevance and truthfulness to our modern society. Each episode of the series touches on many profound philosophical issues such as justice, identity, existence, consumerism, death and more. There are currently seven episodes , and it’s important to note that each of them has its unique setting, cast, and story. Here are my three favorite ones. Season 2, Episode 1: Be Right Back. The young Martha and Ash are happily in love and they decide to move in together to a country cottage. Ash then dies tragically in an

Photo courtesy of Zeppotron

accident. At Ash’s funeral Martha’s friend Sarah talks about a service that allows people to communicate with deceased ones by using their online data and social networks. Martha refuses and is appalled by such service. One day she receives a message from Ash and realizes that Sarah has signed her up for the service. Martha is displeased initially but gradually enjoys and relishes her online conversations with the “animated” Ash. It isn’t long before Ash tells her there’s a way he can physically be there with her, but is it really a good idea? The idea that a clone can use information about you on the Internet to replicate your personality is interesting and quite disturbing. If it has enough information, how would someone be able to distinguish between you and the clone? Season 2, Episode 2: White Bear. Victoria awakes dazed and confused, with a headache and pills spilled on the floor. A television nearby flickers a strange sign, but she remembers nothing. Outside she meets Jem, who explains that the signal on the television set originates from the White Bear transmitter. It has somehow turned most population into voyeurs who only

watch and film as deadly hunters seek and kill of those unaffected by the signal, such as Victoria and Jem. After narrowly escaping the hunters, they seek to destroy the transmitter. However, as they reach White Bear, Victoria is revealed as not a victim, but an atrocious villain. This episode raises questions about justice and identity. If a person doesn’t remember committing a heinous crime, is he or she still responsible for it? Season 3, Episode 1: White Christmas. In a remote snowy cottage, Joe and Matt shared an intriguing Christmas meal together, exchanging ominous tales of their earlier days in the outside world. Matt tells of the job in which he provided guidance for men to approach women using implanted eyes and hidden earphones. One instance ended tragically with a woman killing Matt’s customer then committing suicide, as Matt tried to erase all evidence of having been involved. Joe then reluctantly shares the story of his transgression, one including the death of an old man and innocent child. In my opinion this is the best episode, full of interesting concepts, one of which is consciousness replication. In this future a person can make a digital copy of his or her consciousness and force it to serve the real user through psychological torturing. A user controls everything within the digital copy’s existence including time, thus one minute in real life can be stretched to one thousand years in digital time. To most people the replicated consciousness is just a bunch of electrons and not a human being, so there should be no ethical issue. However, the pain and suffering of those replicas are so real to us in the movie that we have to question ourselves: what really makes us human beings? Moreover, if we are omnipotent in the replicas’ world, does that make us God?

Photo by Helen C. Reed Float riders toss throws ranging from the good, to the bad, to the ugly.

creme de la creme of Mardi Gras trinkets are the ones you have to fight for. Muses shoes, Zulu coconuts, even the handcrafted throws of krewes like Chewbaccus and ‘tit Rex. I’m a sucker for anything

that the riders obviously handcrafted and are proud of. Those are the kinds of throws I don’t regret holding onto, because they remind me of what Mardi Gras can still mean to the people in this city.

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ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

GRAMMYs Schmammys: Entertainment versus artistry BY MINDY JARRETT Driftwood Staff On Feb. 15, the majority of Americans will gather around their televisions to witness the annual showing of what The Recording Academy has self-deemed as “Music’s Biggest Night.” This trend began in 1959, when the Second Annual GRAMMY Awards show was first televised, and has gained popularity since. According to the official GRAMMY website, the purpose of this annual awards show is, “for honoring achievements in the recording arts and supporting the music community.” But who exactly does The Recording Academy consider to be “the music community”? While

the academy claims honorees are chosen “without regard to album sales or chart position,” Billboard charts prove otherwise. For example, this year’s nominees for Song of the Year are “Alright” (Kendrick Lamar), “Blank Space” (Taylor Swift), “Girl Crush” (Little Big Town), “See You Again” (Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth) and “Thinking Out Loud” (Ed Sheeran), all of which have peaked top ten positions on Billboard charts, excluding “Alright” (no. 81) and “Girl Crush” (no. 18). So why does it seem that chart performance reflects the show? Brent Rose, assistant professor of music theory, jazz history and saxophone at the University of New Orleans said that this is not unintentional. “The reality of today’s music market is being

skewed. Shows like American Idol creates pop stars and the GRAMMYs just prolong that. They determine what pop culture is and shove it down our throats.” While it appears that the Recording Academy is honoring artists for their art, what they’re actually doing is using the artists as pawns in an effort to control music sales. Can we even consider this type of music as a form of art anymore? That’s a loaded question. Rose, whose CD, The Unexpected Gift, is “all New Orleans-influenced” and “a combination of Latin Jazz, Brazilian and Funk” music, explains that this “loss of edge” music experienced isn’t anything new. “Duke Ellington realized that swing was a business. Jazz itself was the art form. Music started to lose its edge and its art. As soon as

it became about trying to make the audience dance, rather than to simply create a form of art, it fell. And then it became cliquish into the Bebop-era and continued losing from there,” Rose said. The New Orleans music scene is a prime example of music that is art, as opposed to the sales-driven music that is honored at the GRAMMYs. While The Radiators, Galactic and The Meters are band names that most New Orleanians recognize, they might not be so familiar in other places around the country. The difference, Rose argued, lies in the performance. “New Orleans is unique in its artists. We don’t see pop artists come out of here. New Orleans musicians want the audience to be a part of the experience. They use that energy to inspire

their performance. It comes from the outside rather than pop stars that channel energy from inside out.” This no doubt is reflected in the performances on display at the GRAMMY Awards every year. Showy performances, televised red carpet arrivals and star-studded audiences boost television ratings that fund the Academy throughout the year. “I have a few friends who’ve won GRAMMYs in the past,” Rose explained, “but they were presented their awards the day before the big show you see on TV.” Obviously viewers want to be entertained – this is, after all, the entertainment industry – but it appears that the cash cow that is the annual GRAMMY Award Show has other purposes.

LAGNIAPPE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

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2/1/2016

Solutions for Distr

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1 6

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Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.59)

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Tue Jan 26 00:19:33 2016 GMT. Enjoy! Answers will be published online on Friday via our Instagram account:

Y D Z M G Q R K M P R W K T M

Q R A F W W T I A R O K N S R

S G O Y G U J R S R I E A R N

M S N T A N A C H K D S L W E

DISS DISS INNOVATION INNOVATION KING KING MIRROR ODYSSEY MIRROR

PARADE PRESIDENT QUEEN RISKY UNODriftwood THROW UMBRELLA VICTORY

I O I D C D B T O I Y W L E N

R Y T D E I Z U S V V G E G X

R L S Z Y H V E B H L N R Z B

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R E R D O P D L I F F K M N U

ODYSSEY PARADE PRESIDENT QUEEN

Y E S S Y D O Y I P N Q U I Q

Q U E E N R W R A A J F J L F

X K H B A U Q Y I W I X M J W

A B H T H X G V Y I A R V U U

I N N O V A T I O N E C S N P

V X Y Z U T N L H J P G P Z Y

RISKY THROW UMBRELLA VICTORY

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Brown sets new career-best, Lady Privateers still fall in OT BY NIGEL WASHINGTON Editor-in-Chief Despite a tremendous effort by UNO’s leading scorer Randi Brown, the women’s basketball team couldn’t finish the game on a high note as they fell to McNeese State in overtime, 77-74. With Brown already at 39 points for the game, Davenport leaned on her throughout the night and into the overtime period as UNO (6-12, 3-6 SLC) was faced with a one-point, 75-74, deficit against the Cowgirls (14-7, 6-3 SLC) with only 22 seconds left. Brown had been making her shots from all over the court, including two last-minute three pointers to end the second and third quarters. With the ball in her hands, Brown made what would have been the go-ahead basket, but a traveling call negated the basket and gave the

Cowgirls possession with less than a minute remaining. After McNeese drained both free throws and took a 77-74 lead, Brown heaved a desperate threepoint attempt from just inside the half court line as time expired to possibly force another overtime period. Brown hit a game-winner in similar fashion last month against Stephen F. Austin, but the she couldn’t repeat the same magic as her shot bounced off the rim. The Lady Privateers were up by 10 at the end of the third quarter, but McNeese had begun to control the boards and earn second chance points, and the trend continued in the fourth quarter. McNeese would outrebounded UNO 28-14 in the second half with 15 offensive rebounds and 12 points second chance points. With the second chances, the Cowgirls quickly erased the lead

with multiple three-pointers from Jayln Johnson, who is fourth in the southland conference in scoring. Johnson made three of McNeese’s four fourth quarter three-pointers. They made seven in total during the second half. “My number one key to the game was to guard the three point line and we gave up 27 points from three and we lost by three points,” said head coach Keeshawn Davenport. “We guard the three point line, we win by double-digits.” Brown, who is currently second in the Southland conference in scoring, finished the night with a new career-best 39 points while shooting 50 percent from the field. “What can I say? She’s a warrior,” Davenport said. “Right now she wants it and she’s carrying this team. When I need a bucket I’m putting the ball in Randi’s hand and everyone else move out the way.” “I’ll trust her until the last min-

Photo courtesy of UNO Athletics | Clem Barbazon Sophomore guard Randi Brown scored career-high 39 points against McNesse State.

ute.” As a team, the Lady Privateers shot 38 percent from the field. After a rematch against McNeese

State on Tuesday in Lake Charles, the team will travel to Conway for their second matchup of the season versus Central Arkansas.

UNO wins three straight in 21-point rout versus Nicholls State BY NIGEL WASHINGTON Editor-in-Chief The UNO men’s basketball team are now on their three-game winning streak after a 74-53 victory over Nicholls State on Monday in the Lakefront.

At the half way mark of the first period the Privateers were down by 17-15 to the Colonels. After two consecutive three-pointers from Gill and freshman Cameron Reed, UNO went on a tear as their lead grew to 18 points at the end of the first half. The Privateer lead would swell to

its highest point at 26 with one minute left in the game before Nicholls free throws ended the game with UNO taking a 21-point victory. Four Privateers hit double-digit figures in scoring with junior Christavious Gill leading the way with 17 points. Head coach Mark Slessinger

said: “We had very unselfish play across the board tonight. We found guys in the right places. They executed offensively and this is a tough team to score against.” UNO shot 40 percent from the field and swiped away 13 steals from the Cowboys. The 21-point win is the team’s

second largest winning margin for the season, second to the 33-point victory against Blue Mountain College In December. The Privateers will start a twogame road streak against Central Arkansas on Saturday. Tip is scheduled for 4 p.m.