Volume: 59 Issue: 1 by Driftwood

AUGUST 26, 2015

Volume: 59 Issue: 1

driftwood.uno.edu

K AT R I N A X Evoking memories on anniversary

Charles Nicholson Managing Editor On Aug. 29, 2005, devastation and despair fell upon the city of New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina made landfall with its 174 mileper-hour winds and a nearly 30-foot storm surge. Ten years later, that devastation has not been forgotten, especially by those most affected by it. As the nation looks back on that unfortunate time, so must ‘the Heartbeat of the Crescent City’, the University of New Orleans. Just as any establishment that faced the full force of Katrina, the UNO lakefront campus was in ruin. However, that didn’t stop classes from resuming for long. “When the storm hit, most everybody associated with the university evacuated. By the time we realized how severe it was, wherever we were, the biggest challenge was trying to locate faculty, administrators and students,” said Kevin Graves, Interim Dean of the College of Education and Human Development, as well as the College of Liberal Arts. Graves has been a faculty member at UNO for nearly 35 years and a dean since 2004. Graves and his colleagues at the time were pressured to make sure faculty and students alike were okay. At this point, UNO was still a part of the Louisiana State University system and the UNO faculty were allowed to work from there to begin their recovery process. “Baton Rouge was pretty well protected from adverse effects of

University avoids dreaded departmental cuts

the aftermath of the storm and there is a (UL) system building on the LSU campus. And the LSU system gave UNO basically a conference room to set up shop...to try to reach out and contact all these people. And so we endearingly referred to that room as the ‘War Room,’” said Graves. In the “War Room,” the chancellor, vice chancellors and administrators worked to get a network going to connect the UNO faculty, all while working off of laptops. With enough time and effort, they came to some success. “We couldn’t get in contact with people’s cell phones, we couldn’t get cell phone coverage. But we found out that text messages would go through more likely than a regular phone call. So we started to immediately put together a new fall semester in which students would be able to take courses online,” said Graves. Many professors, wherever they evacuated to, continued to teach their classes online. Students were, however, not limited to online courses. Any student who enrolled in a university, even out of state, was able to attend tuition-free so that they could complete their fall semester. The administrators contin-

Tori Bush Driftwood Staff As the fall semester of the new school year begins, it is clear there are significant budget cuts for this school year. However, there is a sigh of relief that more severe decreases did not come to pass and the academic colleges of UNO are able to focus on providing quality education. “I’m feeling more positive,” said

ued to work out of Baton Rouge until early October when they moved to the Jefferson

campus. “I made my first trip (back) here, in about mid-September, under police protection

and national guard support to retrieve files and information that we needed. You have to understand that we left that Friday afternoon before the storm hit on Monday unsure of what was before us and I frankly fully expected we’d be back on campus (sooner). If not for the levees failing, we would’ve been,” said Graves. Even though the administrators were hard at work right after the storm passed, the fall semester didn’t start back up until Oct. 10 that year. UNO was, however, the first university in the city to resume classes, in any manner, while other schools like Tulane and Xavier didn’t start until January. Though it was a tight fit, classes did take place during that three-month timespan, with finals taking place between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Thanks to all of the perseverance and dedication between students and faculty, approximately 700 UNO students graduated in January of 2006. “I will always look to the ingenuity of the administration of that time. We were committed and dedicated to the UNO students and we did everything we could to empower

our faculty to teach online, to come back and teach in the Jefferson center so that our students could have a fall semester. And they did.” While the administration of the time must be applauded for their work in restarting the fall semester, there is still the question of just how prepared UNO was for a situation like this. “I don’t believe it was as well-defined as it should have been,” said Graves regarding how UNO prepared for Hurricane Katrina. “ But what we learned from that experience was that our evacuation system and hurricane preparedness needed to be very detailed, which it is now. We have more resident students now than we did then. So now, as a result, our first response is to get our resident students in Pontchartrain Hall to a safe place.” UNO and New Orleans as a whole have benefitted from updated disaster preparation and recovery as well as improvements in the levees and flood mitigation. But Graves believes there’s another important issue that needs tackling. “I think one of the overarching problems in terms of hurricane season is complacency. It had been 40 years since we had a significant storm with Hurricane Betsy in 1965,” said Graves. “I remember vividly that afternoon leaving the campus when a member of the Geography faculty came in with a map he printed off the internet and said to all of us in the college office ‘I think this is gonna be bad.’

Steve Johnson, Dean of the College of Sciences. “There are challenges ahead so we need to focus on enrollment and retention and providing great services.” While the official budget for UNO is not yet approved, the Office of Business Affairs reported that approximately $117,000 was lost from the budget this year due to cuts in higher education from state lawmakers. The total budget for this year is approximately $101 million,

down from approximately $102 million last fiscal year. While these cuts are still significant, it is much less than many anticipated this past spring when state lawmakers threatened to cut 20 percent of UNO’s budget, approximately $20 million. Many cuts were made across the state due to a $1.6 billion deficit in the state budget. Peter J. Fos, President of UNO said, “We appreciate the difficult

choices made on behalf of higher education by members of the legislature. Because of their diligence and creativity, the state’s colleges and universities were able to avoid the most dire budgetary predictions in the short-term.” While budgetary cuts of $117,000 are significant, few of those cuts were made directly to academic programs.

Continued on page 3

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Letter to the Editor “Budget cuts” is a term that is all too familiar for the average college student. Whether the student be an undergrad or graduate, all have faced increased tuition, inexplicable fees, and reduced monetary awards. As a graduate assistant, I wanted to seek out answers as to why certain things were cut, specifically parking decals for graduate assistants. In pursuit for my answers, I was met with phones hanging up, rude comments, emails going unread, and countless excuses that would make you want to roll your eyes. As a university which holds many national rankings, which can be viewed under “UNO at a glance” on the home page, one should expect the administration team to be remotely helpful to the students which got them there. My first thought would be to call the department which issues the decals and enforces the campus parking. Eventually I got in contact with Officer Fisher, head of the decal division. As someone who swore and oath to protect and service this campus, he could only respond by saying that question is “above my pay grade.” I was then put on hold so he could put the phone down so he may talk to his colleagues about receiving such a phone call he could not answer as “it is above my pay grade” and I should have wasted Dr. Fos’s time as “he makes the rules.” Ultimately, that phone call ended in Officer Fisher hanging up on me.

This issue is still ongoing. Next, Amanda M. Athey emailed me on my faculty email to say the following: “In consultation with Campus Police and Business Affairs the Executive Director of the Graduate School determined that the practice of issuing staff decals to graduate assistants was neither necessary in terms of demand for parking spaces nor economical in terms of the fiscal operations of the University.” I then replied for a more specific answer. After several days, many follow up emails and calls to Ms. Athey, she asked for an apology in replying late as “Today (Friday) is the due date for students to make payment and I have been fully engaged in late admissions and graduate assistantship processing.” My question was asked on a Monday. She further explained the reason to this graduate assistant cut to be on total enrollment being below 10,000 students. UNO has always been under 10000 students since Katrina though, so why make these cuts in 2014? If we are paying for the highest tuition rate and faced with the most loss of university amenities ever recorded, should we as students have the right to ask questions to those in charge? Sadly, no, we do not have that right.

OPINION

Perspective

Preston Kolby Stock Mathematics Graduate Student Major: Actuarial Sciences

Letter from the Editor

The summer is officially over. I know, it hurts to hear, but with each new school year comes a slew of opportunities to gain new friends and chase new opportunities. My chase for new and exciting opportunities started in the 2015 spring semester when I decided to place myself in the running to become the new editor-in-chief of the Driftwood newspaper. I am honored to be able to call myself the new editor-in-chief of the Driftwood and excited for the new school year. Before I was selected for this

position I knew what I wanted to accomplish: provide the best newspaper possible and create engaging content for our school and community. As a staff writer I wanted to achieve this at some point in my time at the Driftwood and my goal hasn’t changed. Throughout the summer my staff and I have been brainstorming different ways to bring you interesting and informative content, and we have some exciting, new plans that we will be showcasing this semester. Start off by following us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@unodriftwood) where we will be updating you on everything you need to know and keeping you informed on everything within the city. Next, check out our redesigned website for photos, videos and content from our weekly paper. While all of our articles in each week’s issue will be on our website, there will be some things that are website exclusive and can only be found online (and did I mention that it’s mobile-friendly?). Those are just a few things we have worked on this summer to de-

liver a newspaper that will keep you entertained and informed throughout the year. The UNO community is filled with talented students of diverse backgrounds and skills. Each of us brings something to the table here, and it’s important that we do our best to enhance our university and ourselves by doing extraordinary things. As editor, I have taken on the task to create the best college newspaper we can offer. With so many other great college newspapers in our state, you all deserve something to be proud of and it’s our responsibility to bring that to you. I’m proud of our current staff and I have no doubt we will reach our goals. And while we reach our goals, we’d love to see you all reach yours. So from one UNO student to another, here’s to a year of success. Nigel Washington Editor-in-chief

STAFF The Driftwood is the student run newspaper of the University of New Orleans. We publish every Wednesday with the exception of mid-term and finals weeks and official holiday breaks. All submissions are subject to editing by Driftwood Staff. The Driftwood office is located in room 252 of the University Center, 2000 Lakeshore Drive University Center 252 New Orleans, LA 70148 Staff may be reached by phone at 504-280-6377 or email driftwoodeditor@ uno.edu or Online at driftwood.uno.edu.

Nigel Washington Editor-in-Chief Charles Nicholson Managing Editor Anna Gowin Features Editor Entertainment Editor Chloe Gagnon News Editor Grant Campbell Visuals Director Traven Stout Photo Editor Dillon Orgeron Business Manager Zachary C. Guntner Marketing Manager Lili Harrison Advertising Manager

Ad sales inquiries should be directed to

Ave Maria Bordenave Web Editor

driftwoodads@uno.edu

Christopher Walker Videographer Vickie Kennedy Faculty Adviser

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Katrina X

University avoids dreaded departmental cuts

Evoking Memories on Anniversary

From page 1

UNO will balance this budget reduction by not filling vacant administrative and faculty positions in the coming semester. Dean Johnson said cuts to the College of Science were minimal. In fact, new faculty were hired this summer to replace previous instructors. This may be due in some part to grants such as the $1.5 million Howard Hughes Medical Institute Grant the College of Science recently received. The grant will assist UNO with improving student persistence in studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), and reinvigorate introductory science courses. Perhaps the College of Liberal Arts will offer the most fundamental changes this coming year. Kev-

He explained to all of us why he was reaching that conclusion and I will remember that discussion for the rest of my life because he was right on target. And there were a number of people who said ‘We’ll be back on Monday. It’s not gonna be a problem.’” It’s an understatement that Hurricane Katrina greatly affected New Orleans and the UNO community and in some ways, we’re still recovering. Join us in next week’s issue as the Driftwood explores how UNO has changed in the decade since the storm.

in Graves, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Interim Dean of Education said that the 12 liberal arts departments held within Liberal Arts will be reorganized into three schools including a School of the Arts, a School of Social Sciences and a School of Humanities by the end of this year. If all goes according to plan, next year the College of Education will become a School of Education within the College of Liberal Arts. This overhaul will streamline administration and allow resources to go more directly to students. Further, it will allow academic departments to break down traditional barriers between departments so that more interdisciplinary learning can be encouraged. Graves stated, “the greatest beneficiary of

this reorganization above all else is the student.” John Williams, Dean of Business Administration said their department is actually growing. Enrollment is up this year, especially in the Accounting Department and Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism (HRT) Administration Department. Williams went on to say that HRT has 100 percent placement of students in jobs. Furthermore, a new bachelor’s degree in Health Care Management will begin this year as a response to growth in the biomedical industry in New Orleans. NOLA.com reported that “Louisiana, over the past seven years, has already cut more money, on a per-student basis, from higher education than almost any other state

in the country. Since 2008, the state has slashed higher education funding by $673 million.” Since the recession, while most other states have increased their education budgets, Louisiana, Wisconsin and Illinois have made the steepest cuts to higher education in the nation. Financial support to universities decreased more than half during Jindal’s administration. While UNO breathes a sigh of relief this fall, there are some who wonder what next year’s legislative session will bring. As President Peter J. Fos said, “We recognize that state funding for higher education will always be accompanied by uncertainty, so we continue to look for ways to make UNO more self-sufficient.”

Man on the Street

How has your school experience been affected by budget cuts?

Savannah Flores, Freshman

Sabrina Cuevas, Freshman

Saul Jackson, Senior

Gabrielle Raedison, Senior

Austin Clements, Senior

I am a big fitness person, and they haven’t updated their [gym] equipment in years. That is a serious health hazard to the community of the school.

Well, I would have hoped that the bathrooms and classrooms were cleaner.

I have a couple of friends with children who attended this school. The budget cuts ended up cutting out the day care center on campus and putting a whole bunch of additional stress on my friends to find a baby sitter and obtain an education.

Budget cuts have caused more harm than help to the students and having to pay more tuiton isn’t the only solution. The same goes for program cuts. I have had friends who had to change majors because of this.

Every music teacher keeps trying to use the same dry marker.

CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS •

•

On Aug. 3 at approximately 6 p.m., residents of a Privateer Place apartment returned to find their television and computer monitor missing from their living room. UNOPD received a call from the mother of student reporting

Aug 26 A Resume That Works: Resume and Cover Letter Workshop - Students get a chance to learn what makes a good resume. The workshop will cover how to best communicate skills and education, what information goes into a resume and discuss what a cover letter is. The workshop will be in UC 206 from 1pm2pm.

•

that her son received a disturbing text message from a friend on Aug. 6. The message contained a picture of a gun with no words. The friend was a former resident of Privateer Place. On Aug. 11 at approximately 5:48 a.m., a Privateer Place

CRIME SCENE DO NOT CROSS resident awoke to someone attempting to enter her apartment through the second floor balcony door. After the resident called campus police, the subject was apprehended without incident. The subject allegedly lost the key to his apartment

•

and had mistaken the complainant’s balcony for his own. On Aug. 11 at approximately 9:40 p.m., a UNOPD officer discovered that a door and wall at the rear of the Amphitheatre stage had been defaced with graffiti.

•

-Compiled by Charles Nicholson

CAMPUS CALENDAR Aug 27 Panhellenic Sorority Recruitment - Open to all women enrolled in the university, this two-day recruitment process let’s recruits meet sororities, learn what they do and decide if they are ready for Greek life. Registration is $25 and students must be full-time with a GPA of 2.5 or higher. Recruitment will take place in the UC at 5pm. For more info, contact greeklife@uno.edu.

Aug 28 Hurricane Katrina Memorial - In the Quad from 10am2pm, Theta Xi will be raising awareness of Hurricane Katrina victims whom are still without homes while taking donations in support of Habitat for Humanity.

SGA Senate Meeting - From 2pm-3:30pm, stop by the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Senate meeting to learn about the student legislative department and

how you can participate in SGA. Contact SGA@uno. edu or visit https://www. facebook.com/UNOSGA for more info.

Evening Cookout - Celebrate the end of the first (full) week of classes with free barbecue and good company while talking about how your first week went. The cookout will take place from 6pm-8pm at the Pontchartrain Hall courtyard.

On Aug. 17, three iMac computers were reported stolen from Liberal Arts Room 138. There was no sign of forced entry.

Aug 29 UNO Day of Service- Join members of the UNO community as we honor Katrina’s anniversary by doing community service projects at Einstein Charter Middle school. The day will go from 8:30am-12:30pm followed by lunch and entertainment. www.katrina10.org/serve for more information.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

NEWS

UNO students help rebuild Nepal, one ‘phase’ at a time Tishawn Mitchell Driftwood Staff

On May 12, UNO Senior Shaswot Khanel was on his way to his home city of Kathmandu when he got news that it had been rocked by a major earthquake. “I had to catch a flight in a couple of hours when I heard about it,” recalled Khanel, who is President of the Nepalese Student Association of New Orleans. “A lot of my friends were sleeping. I decided not to bother them. Like, why wake them up to give them such bad news?” For Khanel, NSANO Vice-President Pratik Pouydal and the other 40 or so UNO students who call Nepal home, the news was especially devastating. It was the second time in less than three weeks that a major earthquake had shaken several districts of their native country. “We were really scared. If the first one had weakened everything up, the second would have destroyed it. That’s what we thought.” The combined figures from the two major quakes are staggering: over 8,500 people were killed, thousands more injured. Aftershocks and mudslides added to the leveling of more than half a million homes across Nepal. At least 430 historical buildings, monuments and temples were damaged. Those stats, Khanel insists, could have been much worse. If a good thing came from having the natural disasters happen back-toback like that, he argues, it was the fact that by the time the second earthquake struck, the majority of the homes that would eventually collapse were vacant because of the quake that came before it. “People were already outside of their houses; only a few had gone back in. A lot of them were outside, so lives were saved.” After receiving word, once again, that their own families were safe, Khanel, Pouydal and other members of NSANO continued their efforts to raise money and

awareness on campus in wake of Nepal’s newest disaster. While preparing for finals, the students held three on-campus fundraising events, raising thousands of dollars for much-needed relief. The Nepal Earthquake Relief GoFundMe campaign, which was already in full swing after the first earthquake, saw a spike in contributions. “The response we received from the UNO community was really good. Everyone who knew was supportive; everyone who knew really cared. They came to us, they asked us about it, and they really showed their support. A lot of people asked how they could help, like by donating money or stuff, whatever they could. A lot of teachers helped us with our coursework and exams. They really accommodated us,” Khanel said. Meanwhile in Nepal, disaster relief was broken down into two phases. The first phase, “Relief,” supplied victims’ immediate needs like food, water, toiletries, blankets, medical supplies and tarpaulin tents. Pouydal, who was in charge of NSANO’s relief efforts during Phase I, made sure that the distribution of money raised from campus fund raising and the GoFundMe campaign, about $4,000, went where it needed to go. “All the money we had, we just sent it in, to help people survive,” said Pouydal. When Khanel arrived in Nepal for Phase II of the process, “Rehabilitation,” one month had already passed since the first earthquake in April. “Most people were back in their homes by the time I went. The basic need was not there anymore. Shops were open,” Khanel said. So he and his team helped set up 27 temporary shelters for the victims of the village district of Kavre. They specifically chose this district because of its inability to recover as quickly as Kathmandu had, and its remote location in the hills. “The problem we had back home is, we didn’t have a disaster team like FEMA there. There were

Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Himalaya Association More than half a million homes and over 400 buildings and monuments were damaged in the Nepalese earthquake. UNO students traveled there during the summer to provide support.

a lot of response teams individually, but no one to communicate with. The government was shut down. So, what happened was a lot of places accessible by roads received a lot of aid, while other parts of the country did not receive attention at all,” Khanel said. Kavre was one of the districts hardest hit by the earthquakes. Almost four months have passed since the first earthquake struck in Nepal in April, and Phase II is ongoing. The GoFundMe campaign originally set up by NSANO has ended, but students who still want to donate money can do so by going online to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund at pmnrf.gov.in. Another way to help Nepal’s recovery efforts, Poudyal urged, is to support the country through tourism. “There are 75 districts in Nepal; only 12 were affected. That’s a very small portion of Nepal. People tend to focus on the bad side, but right now, Nepal is still good.”

For more information about the Nepalese Student Organization of New Orleans and what it does, visit the organization’s Facebook

page at http://www.Facebook.com/ NsanoUNO, as well the Student Organization site at www.uno.edu.

Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Himalaya Association The Nepalese Student Association of New Orleans successfully raised and distributed about $4,000 during Phase I recovery.

English professor earns national recognition for upcoming manuscript Lones J. Gagnard Driftwood Staff

Photo by Lynda Woolard Carolyn Hembree’s manuscript coming in Spring 2016, has already recieved the 2015 Trio Award and the 2015 Marsh Hawk Press Rochelle Rather Memorial Award.

UNO English professor Carolyn Hembree has won two national awards for her upcoming manuscript “Rigging a Chevy into a Time Machine or Other Ways to Escape a Plague,” a book inspired by family roots, murder ballads and time travel. “One element of [the book] is going to deal with time travel, to some extent it messes with physics and is arranged like an automobile manual. It’s a novel in verse in a lot of ways and centers around an accursed wanderer who psychically travels time.” Hembree said the book also deals with Stephen Hawking’s questions about time and quantum mechanics. “The book takes place

in Appalachia, which is where my family’s been since before the revolutionary war.” Hembree’s inspiration for the book came from the landscape of where she grew up as well as the folklore of her birthplace and relatives’ dialect. “I made a total of three trips back to central and east Tennessee to do my research.” Hembree did research on and wrote two works at once. Her first book, “Skinny,” was published in Sept. 2012. “Skinny” and “Rigging a Chevy” both revolve around characters who go on epic voyages, while Hembree says the latter has a more anchored, deliberate narrative quality. “Both books are free verse collections that use familiar poetic kinds: aubade, fable, necrology, spells, sonnets, along with prose poems. The forms are

various, but structured because we know free verse doesn’t mean free.” Apart from what inspires her, Hembree needs a main sense to help her learn and observe. “I’ve always learned by sight, I can look at a page of something and I can see it again in my head quickly. Through ‘Rigging a Chevy’ I learned something I never believed I could do, which is establish a sustained narrative arch over the course of a book. It was something I learned through 12 years of work and effort.” This is not a book that will teach you a lesson, but one that will leave you feeling exactly the way Hembree wants you to, “I want you to feel like the top of your head was taken off.” Carolyn Hembree hasn’t taken any breaks and has created a

brand new multi-genre class for the fall semester, Intro to Creative Writing. “My teaching comes back to Theodore Roethke’s idea that the goal of the workshop is for each student to pursue his/her own bent and to have set exercises that help writers create their own discipline.” Intro to Creative Writing will be a workshop where each student works on and learns new genres through interesting ways. Notable writers and publishers will guest teach genres explaining what the writing style is all about and also to educate young writers on the entire publishing process. Students will be able to get a first-hand look at what it takes to be published and network with professional writers all while working on their craft.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

FEATURES

LGBT progress spawns new course Mia Lett

Driftwood Staff

Prison officials at Louisiana State Penitentiary attribute the decrease in violent crime to its Moral Rehabilition program

Photo courtesy of the Angolite Prison Magazine

New course opens students’ eyes to reality of prison system Zoe Colmenares Driftwood Staff

Ben Weber, a visiting lecturer in the History Dept. will be teaching a course that focuses on Angola prison and mass incarceration in Louisiana. The course is part of a national public history project coinciding with the History and Sociology Departments at UNO, the Midlo Center, the LCCR Juvenile Justice Project and the Ashe Cultural Arts Center using Louisiana as a focus site. The class allows for students to interact with the prisoners by visiting the penitentiary and doing public events, ultimately giving the students a better connection with their learning. “We are putting the local history in global perspective by looking at the comparisons with international policing in prisons over time,”

said Weber. By interacting with the cultural center, the students are given feedback by the community about their own work. “It’s important that they are using language that is respectful and appropriate and that we include the input from the community. What we submit not only represents UNO, but New Orleans, and ultimately Louisiana as a piece of this national exhibit,” he said. By collaborating with the UNO library as well as the Angola prison museum, the students are offered a wide variety of information about Louisiana’s prison system. “Part of the work we are doing with them is digitizing and preserving the work and all kinds of historic images. They have a wealth of primary sources and other things related to the history of Angola,” Weber said. Once this

information is obtained, the students of UNO will have access to it for other projects. The sources can eventually be used for work on PhDs, graduate studies and masters. According to Weber, the incarceration rate in the United States is an issue that is finally getting the attention it deserves and by putting the facts out in public it forces others to think about the problem. He said there are two main stances on the prison systems in the U.S., and how they should be handled. The first would be to slowly release non-violent offenders and prisoners with minor drug charges. The other, from radical prisoner abolitionists, would be to completely get rid of the United States prison system. “We didn’t try to ameliorate slavery, eventually it was just gotten rid of. We didn’t try to fix Jim

Crow, eventually it just had to be gotten rid of. There is a strong case to be made about the prison system,” said Weber. These are only a few of the topics covered in the class. Teaching the class isn’t Weber’s first experience with the system; when teaching high school in East Los Angeles he knew students who were in and out of the local jails, and by visiting his students he learned more about the department and how the youth was being treated. He eventually wrote his dissertation on incarceration and convict labor in the U.S., Panama and the Philippines. Unlike Weber, some of his new students might not be directly affected by the prison system, but by taking the class, they will gain experience to relate to those who have.

Course teaches students to effectively utilize social media Andrew LaBorde Driftwood Staff

With the professional world evolving more and more to include digital and social media, the needs of students are changing to include ways to use these platforms effectively. English 2155, Intro to Professional Writing, taught by Doreen Piano, is coming to classrooms for the first time this fall. The class will introduce students to different genres of writing required by professional workplace environments. The objective of the class is to expose students to different uses of social media as a critical and rhetorical tool; specifically the limitations of social media, the rules, the audience and analyzing how professionals use social media. Among the social media applications that will be examined include YikYak, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit and Facebook.

An additional goal of the course is to explore where social media came from and learn the ethics of writing on these platforms. Dr. Piano’s area of research includes exploring digital and non-academic literacies. Currently, she is performing a prolonged study of graffiti and street artists. “What’s striking is how social media, especially Instagram, has become central to creating a global community of street artists and graffiti writers as well as those like me who take photos of their work,” said Piano. She emphasized the importance and utilization of the hashtag on various social media platforms, calling hashtags “the new grammar.” One assignment may include exploring various hashtags to see where it leads in that particular social media. Dr. Piano has been teaching and using social media in her classes since Hurricane Katrina where she used a blog, but now she is teach-

ing a class completely dedicated to it. Piano said social media is not a trend, so it is important to know how to use it and use it well. She also said teaching social media is all about who is going to read and respond to specific content. Piano constructs questions such as: how do I compose this so I get the desired reaction? Or how can I make this tweet (Twitter) persuasive enough to get retweeted or more users following me? “UNO should be teaching courses like this in order to prepare students for their post-university life and how to utilize social media at more than the level of entertainment,” stated Piano. Granted there are Twitter accounts created specifically for entertainment, but if someone is responsible for promoting a business or political cause through social media, they need to know who their audience the audience is. Use of social media is influen-

tial now because of its role in political movements and activism, like the upcoming presidential elections or the growing “Black Lives Matter” movement. Using social media can be a double-edged sword, a fact that Piano recognizes. Distractions and multi-tasking are among the negative effects of using social media, but more importantly, writing ethically and accurately tops the list of requirements for positive sharing on social media. “The surprise of social media is finding things you wouldn’t find anywhere else,” said Piano. Other than required first year writing courses, Piano requires an open attitude and a desire to learn through reading and lectures about issues pertaining to social media. Her class blog from Hurricane Katrina can be found at http:// www.writingkatrina.blogspot. com.

Scott Nolan, a UNO Ph.D. candidate and instructor, is teaching LGBT Politics this fall—a course which is the first of its kind for the Political Science Department, and aims to educate students on the political issues that surround the LGBT community. “The timing is about right,” said Nolan, the man behind the implementation of the course. With the recent Supreme Court ruling legalizing gay marriage across the county, and the general increase in social tolerance and acceptance of the gay and lesbian community, a course in LGBT Politics makes perfect sense. “No social movement in the history of the United States has made as much progress, as quickly, as the gay and lesbian movement,” said Nolan. And the students in the course want to be a part of the progress. Devin Gaeta, a junior sociology major, was enthusiastic to take the course as soon as he saw the advertisement posted around campus: “The issues have been near and dear to my heart for a long time. My best friend in high school was trans [gendered], so I have been really exposed to the issues and have been really excited to learn more.” Ally Daily, a senior Education major and president of UNITY (an on-campus organization that promotes awareness and a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community) admits that she has a lot to learn about LGBT politics, but she is eager to: “the minute I saw it, I had to take it,” Daily said. LGBT Politics is attracting both local and international students from a variety of disciplines. Though UNO has had courses in other departments that have addressed the issues of the LGBT community, until now, the university has never had a course specifically on LGBT politics—a particularly unique quality because of its emphasis on the history and politics of the gay and lesbian movement. “[LGBT Politics] is looking at the political movement—the way that gay and lesbian people have mobilized along with their straight allies for collective action to achieve meaningful policy goals,” said Nolan. Nolan hopes the course will be offered again in the future, but for now, he is enthusiastic about educating his students on issues that he believes promote inclusion and understanding. Nolan said, “I support anything that brings gay and lesbian people together. The more we talk about issues, the more we talk about a community, the better off we are. People don’t do well left in isolation, and information and education doesn’t flourish in isolation.”

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

FEATURES

Photo by Christy Lorio The beautiful town of Cobh is one of the places students in the Cork Writing Program had the opportunity to visit.

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FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Photo by Traven Stout

The gorgeous landscapes of Austria, and other Study Abroad locations, provide a one-of-a-kind learning environment for UNO students.

View across the Grand Canal of the church of San Simeone Piccolo in Venice, Italy.

Photo by Traven Stout

Photo by Traven Stout The charms of local towns are what students call the best part of Study Abroad.

S E E TH E W O R L D W I TH UNO! SUMMER STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS

Glories of France students in Paris

Financial Aid & Scholarships A number of funding opportunities are available . For more information, please contact us or visit: http://inst.uno.edu/scholarships.

In the rain forest of Costa Rica Posing at the gate to Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto, Japan

W H E R E C A N Y O U S T U DY ? Innsbruck, Austria San Ram贸n , Costa Rica Prague, Czech Republic Montpellier, France Brunnenburg, Italy Rome, Italy

Gladiator School on the UNO-Rome program

Kyoto, Japan Cork, Ireland

h t t p : / / w w w. i n s t . u n o. e d u

Students on the Innsbruck program hike in the Alps.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

Study Abroad offers invaluable learning environments worldwide

overseas can far outweigh the cost. “It’s a big price tag, but think Editor-in-Chief about how much you’re getting out of it. Your getting so much more Over the summer, UNO students than just taking two classes. It’s packed their bags and pursued their this great experience that you’ll education across the globe for a take with you for the rest of your month as they participated in the life,” Lorio said. Study Abroad program. The UNO Study Abroad website UNO’s Study Abroad program lists around 22 scholarships and offers programs in seven different award opportunities available countries to students with the that students can take advanpossibility to travel and earn tage of to reduce the cost of course credit. Students may their trip. choose from programs offered Along with earning college in Austria, Czech Republic, Jacredit, students are able to pan, France, Costa Rica, Italy, work with each other as well and Ireland. as other professors, both from Each destination offers difUNO and the country they are ferent courses that are tailored visiting, to enhance their skills to that specific country. For inand work in a more hands-on stance, students who decide to environment. travel to Montpellier, France Even with the cost and the would have the option of takmonth away from home studying a variety of French coursing, Lorio would recommend es about the language, French this opportunity to any stufilms and wines of the world. dents interested. Senior English and Film ma“I would highly recommend jor Christy Lorio decided to doing it at least once. It’s restudy in Cork, Ireland and take ally enriching. It’s really cool advantage of the writing workbeing able to meet people from shop offered there all over the countries,” Lorio For Lorio’s first time out of said. “I feel like it was 100% the states, she said she didn’t feel Photo by Traven Stout out of place in a completely new The Study Abroad program sent UNO students worth it...You’re not going to be to seven different countries this past summer able to go and spend a month in environment. a different country and get that “I felt really comfortable there, including Austria and Ireland. learning experience.” especially since English is the Students are responsible for any Interested students can find more language that they speak,” Lorio necessary textbooks and airfare. It information about UNO’s Study said. “I felt like overall it was a may seem a bit pricey for students Abroad program on the UNO webreally good first experience out of to take six credit hours, but most site inst.uno.edu. the country since there wasn’t a lanstudents agree the experience they guage barrier.” Each study destination has differ- gain while earning college credit

Nigel Washington

ent prices and they are all subject to change from year to year. The Study Abroad program can cost anywhere between $4,000-$5,000 per student. The price includes tuition, room and board, three meals a day, laundry, any class required field trips as well as two weekend field trips, a welcome party, reception and accident insurance.

Bringing a touch of home to on-campus living Anna Gowin Features Editor

As the first week of classes rounds itself out, many students find themselves staring at unpacked boxes and wondering how a dorm room or first apartment could ever feel like home. Even veteran students can struggle with returning in the fall. However, it definitely isn’t impossible. Here are some small things that can help you ease into the transition from home to ‘dorm sweet dorm’. Create a (kind of) firm schedule It is important, especially in the beginning, to allow yourself a lot of flexibility as a student. It is the nature of life, and college life in particular, to require changing things up. But there are certain things that can really benefit from being specifically planned. For example, designating one day of the week for cleaning your room/ common area, and another for doing fun, relaxing things all day long. This can help create a sense of consistency, something a lot of students miss while at school. Treat Yo’ Self It’s no secret that being broke and having to budget comes handin-hand with being a college student. That, however, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t allow yourself cer-

tain pleasures in life. Maybe a box of your favorite childhood cereal, some instant cocoa or a tube of cookie dough tucked into your mini fridge could soften the blow after a particularly rough day. Embrace your homesickness Kids at camp have the right idea when they tuck photos and mementos from home away in their duffel bags; keeping things around that will remind you of home is nothing to be ashamed about. Everyone has things they can’t bring with them to college. But that’s what pictures are made for. Maintain your space Don’t be afraid to tell your roommates that they aren’t allowed in your room, or that you need a certain amount of alone time every now and again. They’ll understand, and have been waiting to tell you the same thing. Make new memories As cliched as it is, there really is something to taking the time and energy to make yourself a new home at college. Whether that bond comes out of a campus organization or just sitting in the hallway is up to you, but don’t be afraid to make new connections here. This college thing really can be as fun as everyone tells you.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Movie Review: The Gift

Courtesy of STX Entertainment

Christopher Walker Driftwood Staff

You’re sitting around a campfire in the middle of the woods, surrounded by a group of close friends, the night enveloping everything other than the flickering light from the flames. Your friend, always the storyteller, has the group immersed in the beginning of a ghost tale. You’re hooked. The atmosphere is set, your friend knows how to tell a story, you’re on the edge of your seat, and you can’t wait to hear it play out. About ten minutes in, your friend’s story doesn’t seem to be going anywhere fast. But that’s OK, you know your buddy is saving the really good stuff for later, and when it comes, boy oh boy are you are going to be blown away. Hell, you’re glad he didn’t throw out all the big guns in the beginning. He knows how to build suspense. Twenty minutes later, the story has barely picked up speed, and your back is starting to ache. You find yourself zoning off, watching the fire rather than paying attention to the story. But, snapping out of it, you remind yourself to pay attention. Even though the story is nearing its end, you’re sure there’s going to be a magnificent payoff after all this time. There’s no way your buddy has anything less than grandiose fireworks for the closer. Another ten minutes in, the story’s ended and you find yourself thinking that your time would have been better spent getting to know that cutie across the campfire. That scenario is approximately what sitting through The Gift felt like. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it. I wanted to be scared, thrilled, entertained, or at the very least not feel like my time could have been better spent elsewhere. But that’s an accurate description of the experience. The film’s premise has Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall moving into their new home in California, Bateman just having gotten a cushy new job with prospects of moving up in the company. Rebecca stays at home designing, although what it is she’s designing exactly is never deemed important enough to divulge. (Architecture? Clothes? They never tell.) The happy couple hopes to start a family soon, and seem well on the track to fulfillment when Bateman runs into an old high

school acquaintance, Gordo “The Weirdo” (played by Joel Edgerton, who doubles as director). Gordo seems far more interested in rekindling their relationship than Bateman, who wants nothing more than to let his past stay buried. Lo and behold, “The Weirdo” lives up to his name, and his obsession with the couple festers, growing more and more fervent with each passing “gift” he leaves on their doorstep. And the deeper Gordo wedges himself into their life, the more strained Bateman and Hall’s relationship becomes, particularly when Gordo hints at the darker parts of Bateman’s past he’s been hiding from Rebecca. “You may be done with the past, but the past isn’t done with you.” Intriguing premise? Very much so. Well executed? Sure. So why does the film leave so many, including this reviewer, disappointed? The most obvious flaw, and arguably most important, is the casting. The only on screen presence that doesn’t feel woefully miscast is Hall as the timid housewife, and given the amount of screen time she has, it’s sad that she never develops beyond the “timid housewife” archetype. Bateman isn’t bad, and kudos to him for successfully shedding the funny guy image, but he fails to draw the audience in, make them root for him, or really sell his darker side towards the end. And while Edgerton does a fine job directing, he absolutely should have opted out of the spotlight, avoiding the recent slew of actors-turned-directors, and been content behind the camera. His performance as sociopath Gordo isn’t just a weak point of the film; it drags his decent movie into mediocrity. He’s neither convincing nor interesting as a sociopath, building to little more than a nuisance in the film’s two hour running time. Below the surface, The Gift’s screenplay admirably opts for the long, slow buildup over the cheap shock and surprise of many horror-thrillers, a risky move considering the short attention span of the 21st century audience. And while the well-executed slow burn will always beat the fleeting thrill of shock value, it only works if the fuse ignites in the last act. And unfortunately for the audience, and the film, it never does. With a disappointing, needlessly ambiguous, and muddled climax coupled with uncertain themes, the film limps at the end when it should have sprinted. All criticism aside, The Gift really isn’t a bad movie. It’s just not particularly good. Not boring, but not particularly entertaining. It’s stuck in the middle of genres, trying to find a persona that works, flailing around awkwardly hoping one will stick and work. Is it worth the two hours it takes to watch it? Yes. Is it worth twelve dollars and a trip to the theatre? Probably not. It’s condemned to the lowly place in cinema known as “if it’s on Netflix, it’s worth a look.” And that’s a sad place to be for a movie with so much potential.

ENTERTAINMENT

Driftwood online gets redesigned for fall

Courtesy of Driftwood Newly designed logo for social media use.

Chloe Gagnon Driftwood Staff

The Driftwood website was revamped for the fall semester to make way for the newspaper’s newly growing digital media sections; the new efforts include things like video news, entertainment reviews and articles that will run as online exclusives. Senior Zach Guntner, currently the Marketing Manager for the Driftwood, started work on the new website. He said he saw the website “as an opportunity to really improve the number of people that would pick us up and the number of people reached on a weekly basis.” He said he also thought it was a necessity on the grounds being that “the internet [is] a major release on news on a

constant basis.” Guntner brought in Walker, who self-taught himself web design and got a new website up and running in two months’ time. Walker is the Driftwood’s Head Videographer. The website URL is driftwood. uno.edu but they are considering changing the website URL to .com. If they made this change, Guntner said, “we could also be advertised through google and people can research us a lot easier and I think that will also help our clientele base be maximized.” Walker virtually modified the entire website. “Literally everything’s changed—the format, the intuitiveness, it looks contemporary, it works on mobile, it just totally different. I’ve changed the structure of it around so that when you hover over news, there’s

different categories instead of just clicking on news and then there’s all of them sorted by most recent where[as now] you can actually do local, national. Same thing with entertainment. It’s sorted by movies, music, everything,” said Walker. He made the website mobile friendly so anyone can access it on their cell phones whereas before they couldn’t, and readers will be able to access all past and future issues as well. New editor-in-chief Nigel Washington felt improving the website was of the utmost importance. “[Redesigning the new website] was one of our top priorities this summer,” Nigel said. “The internet is a huge factor in journalism nowadays, and it was absolutely necessary that we updated our site for ourselves and our readers.. It’ll be a big piece at the Driftwood.” To help bolster the website the Driftwood will also feature videos, something the Driftwood has never done before. “We are looking to get out [our first video] within the next two weeks for sure” said Walker. The video component is something the Driftwood has never included before, but Walker and Guntner have plans for videos about on-campus news, breaking interviews, sports coverage, staff and student spotlights and festivals around New Orleans. To keep up with Driftwood online, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in addition to checking out the newly redesigned website at www.driftwood.uno.edu

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LAGNIAPPE

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Illustrated by Lindsay Alexander

Illustrated by Hayden Guthrie

s c i Com

Sayings from Sid Circleton

Solutions for D

What We O

sudoku

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6 2

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9 5

2 1

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word search

Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.59)

Answers will be published online on our Instagram account: UNODriftwood

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/sudoku on Tue Aug 25 03:01:34 2015 GMT. Enjoy!

I F K E T T I F A L L N N U P

P N S C A N T R O N I P O P D

P I T O U J O H G A B R I P O

S R H E R R D K R C R O T E O

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AMPHITHEATER AMPHITHEATER COVE COVE DORM DORM DRIFTWOOD DRIFTWOOD FRATERNITY FRATERNITY GALLEY INNSBRUCK GALLEY INTERNATIONAL INNSBRUCK LAFITTE INTERNATIONAL LAKEFRONT LIBRARY MILNEBURG MOODLE ORGANIZATION PONCHARTRAIN

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LAFITTE LAKEFRONT LIBRARY MILNEBURG MOODLE ORGANIZATION PONCHARTRAIN PRIVATEER

S O M O O D L E R C N L R M L

P T N O R F E K A L S A O A W

A M P H I T H E A T E R L N R

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M I L N E B U R G Y E L L A G

PROFESSOR SCANTRON SCHOLARSHIP SORORITY SYLLABUS UPPERCLASSMAN WEBSTAR

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

SPORTS

A look into the Saints’ roster halfway through the preseason

to return from back surgery and later tearing his meniscus during the regular season. He has yet to play this preseason, but the Saints have depth at the safety position so it would be best to work Byrd back slowly so that he isn’t at risk for another injury. If he is to return to his Pro Bowl form, he will need to get out and practice on the field for a few weeks before jumping back into any games. Andrus Peat, Offensive Tackle – Peat hasn’t necessarily been terrible, but he has been pretty inconsistent throughout his two Photo by Christopher Walker preseason appearances. Against Running back Khiry Robinson stiff arms a defender and looks upfield. the Ravens, the coaching staff had him line up at right tackle and later off the line and charge into the opmoved him to the blind side where Zachary C. Guntner ponent’s backfield. If his two ACL he performed well. But in his Driftwood Staff tears stay behind him, he could second game against the Patriots, have a very productive career in he lined up on the right side and Half way through the preseason, the league with his development in looked pretty pedestrian, causing a number of players on the New stopping the run and pass defense a few concerns with his technique. Orleans Saints roster have stood coming along quicker than anticiHe has huge upside, but as the out causing reason for optimism pated. 13th overall pick in the draft, he and concern for the fans as well as Brandin Cooks, Wide Receivhas been expected to progress at the organization. er – After breaking his thumb a quicker pace than what is being Here are five players whose last season, Cooks has come out shown on the field. stock are going in the right and on fire this preseason. Though Josh Hill, Tight End – Following wrong directions as the 53 man his production was predicted by the Jimmy Graham trade, everyone roster deadline is only two weeks many in the fantasy football world, was talking about how Hill was away. you never know how coach Sean going to pick up where Graham Five-Up Payton will spread the ball around. left off. There never should have Damian Swann, Cornerback – Cooks seems like the most reliable been any talk about that due to So far, Swann has registered six option on the field at receiver by a his inconsistency with catching tackles and one of the team’s two landslide, so it may be one of the the ball, wide open passes at that, interceptions, and is looking more only Saints receivers you should and his blocking being sub-par. NFL ready than P.J. Williams who expect to see as a consistent threat Because of this, Benjamin Watson was drafted two rounds ahead of to any defense they come across should be named the official starter him. Swann should get an opporthis season. for 2015. The depth behind Watson tunity this year when the starting Max Unger, Center – Not many isn’t that strong either, and if defense is healthy and playing in Saints fans were happy to see Marcedes Lewis or Vernon Davis nickel and dime formations on a Jimmy Graham go to Seattle, but gets released then they should be weekly basis. It may be an uphill the Saints might have gotten the quick to receive an invite to try out battle for him, but he is definitely for the Saints’ roster. no slouch as he has shown so far in best value in that trade. Unger has been a Pro Bowl player for Nick Toon, Wide Receiver – the preseason. Toon was expected to step in Kasim Edebali, Defensive End – the Seahawks and has helped aid as the Saints’ slot receiver this Despite being only his second year them in pass protection while also creating running lanes for Marseason, but has failed to do so, in the league, only creating 26-year old questions if Edebali he will even seems to make the show great final roster. athleticism He is almost and awarenon-existent ness while on when on the the field. He field and has six total can’t seem to tackles so far gain sepainto the preration from season and defenders or has also been contest for able to catch jump balls, up to plays even with his that have larger stature. developed Defenbehind him sive Depth while starting Photo by Christopher Walker – It couldn’t off on the necessarily be defensive line. Safety Pierre Warren covers Patriots’ corner Robert McClain on a punt return. pinned on just The team may one or two players, but it should look to implement him a bit more shawn Lynch. He has been under be looked at as a whole. The only into their scheme on third downs the microscope this preseason to time that the backup defense has to get after the quarterback, but it determine if he can live up to high shined is when the Saints forced would be great if he could channel expectations in New Orleans and an interception against the Ravens some of that speed into strength so far he is doing just that. Without during the first preseason game. which would get him on the field Unger, the Saints could very well In addition, the defense has yet during first and second downs. be struggling to score, but so far it to produce a sack this preseason. Hau’oli Kikaha, Linebacker/DeNeedless to say, if a number of the fensive End – A lot of analyst were looks like Brees might be able to play at a high level for a few more Saints’ starting defense gets injured critical of the Saints for drafting years. then the team will struggle to win Kikaha in the second round of the Five-Down games this year. draft this offseason, but so far he Jarius Byrd, Free Safety – Byrd looks like a steal. Like his time at couldn’t stay on the field for the the University of Washington, he entirety of 2014 due to struggling thrives off of his initial burst to get

Summer Sports Wrap-up Nigel Washington and Zachary C. Guntner Driftwood Editors

Men’s Basketball Former New Mexico State University basketball assistant Bil Duany joined the UNO basketball team as a new assistant coach. The Privateers hosted their 11th annual Special Olympics All-Star Game.

Women’s Basketball The Lady Privateers acquired two new players over the summer in 6-foot-1 forward Shania Woods and 5-foot-7 guard Danielle Wright. Head women’s basketball coach Keeshawn Davenport received a three year extension to keep her in Privateer blue. Davenport has been the team’s head coach for 13 years and her new extension retains her services with the team until 2017-2018.

Baseball Senior pitcher Daniel Martinez capped off his summer league competition by being named Texas Collegiate League Pitcher of the Year while starring for the Acadiana Cane Cutters, finishing with a league high eight wins. Former UNO Baseball player Wally “The Whip” Whitehurst was inducted into the All-State Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame on August 8th. The former star pitcher led the University of New Orleans to the first College World Series appearance for a Louisiana school for Coach Ron Maestri in 1984.

Track & Field Sophomore Alexia Fortenberry and Head Coach Benjamin Dalton were selected to represent team USA at the World University Games in South Korea. Coach Dalton helped team USA take home one-bronze, two-silver, and a gold medal from the competition. Junior hurdler Constant Pretorius earned All-Southland Conference Academic Team honors for his 2014-2015 season with a 3.6 GPA.

Volleyball The first competition of the year for the indoor volleyball team will take place in the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament on Aug. 28-29 in Fort Myers, FL.

Tennis The tennis team was awarded for their strong academic performance when the women’s tennis team produced a 3.54 GPA while the men earned a 3.43 GPA by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on the All-Academic list. Both teams and nine individuals qualified for the ITA’s academic awards. The men and women’s tennis team earned a spot on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s All-Academic list. The men’s All-Academic list featured seniors Timo Kranz, Rui Silva and Romain Lefevre were joined by junior Christoffer Applegren and sophomore Luis Albuquerque. On the women’s team it was senior Marta Sans, juniors Soledad Calderon Arroyo, Anja Luethi and freshman Hafsa Laraibi who also made the list.