Volume: 59 Issue: 9

Volume: 59 Issue: 9

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

driftwood.uno.edu

SEX SMART?

ILLUSTRATION BY TRAVEN STOUT

Campus resources available if you know where to look

BY ANNA GOWIN Features Editor With the release of Trojan’s annual Sexual Health Report Card came the news that UNO was ranked within the bottom ten universities in the country for sexual health, out of the 140 surveyed.

Trojan says that the rankings are based on how well schools meet a set of eleven criteria, largely centered around the services offered by campus health centers. Criteria listed on the Sexual Health Report Card include hours of operation, contraceptive availability, condom availability, HIV/STI testing onsite, outreach programs from peer groups and sexual assault resources.

Currently, Student Health Services is only open during the week, from 7:30-4:30, by appointment only. And while the school does offer STI testing on-campus, HIV testing is only available off-campus, through resources like the NO/ AIDS Task Force.

All of these are considered strong blows against UNO’s sexual health ranking, especially at a time when 1 in 4 students has an STI, according to Stanford University’s Sexual Health Peer Resource Center.

With the limit of services available to be provided

by Student Health Services, most of the responsibility for campus sexual health and campus attitudes towards sex rely on other initiatives campus-wide.

For example, the Human Sexual Behavior course offered through the psychology department. PSYC 1520 is a class available to students in any degree program and to many, like junior psychology major Penny Metzger, presents one of the greatest resources regarding sexual health on campus.

The syllabus for the class covers everything from various types of

contraceptive options, things like condoms and IUDS, to important information about STI contraction and symptoms, as well as more specific insight into the nature of human sexual tendencies.

“I think the university could do a

titudes about how they think about sex.

UNO’s Student Activities Council provided another opportunity to change people’s outlook on sex in their recent event, Sex Signals.

Sex Signals, led by Miranda LeBeau, cultural chair of SAC, used comedy to present topics like consent and initiating in an accessible way.

A large part of sexual awareness is consent. The most recent statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimate that between 20 and 25 percent of students will be a victim of sexual violence at some point in their collegiate career.

This is where campus resources like UNO Women’s Center can be integral for students.

Beth Blankenship, director of the Women’s Center, said that helping

“I think the university could do a better job at making it known that resources... are available to students.”

- Penny Metzger, Psychology major better job at making it known that resources, especially like this class, are available to students. Talking about sexual taboos and why they exist, in addition to health information, was really helpful for me,” said Metzger.

Metzger also said that the ability to ask questions in regards to things like gender identity and sexual orientation helped change people’s at-

provide resources for survivors of sexual assault is one of the most important initiatives at the Women’s Center.

“Our main role is to connect students to on-campus and off-campus such as the counseling center here,” Blankenship said.

However, sexual assault outreach is far from being the only service offered by the Women’s Center.

“Anything from breast exams to tampons to birth control,” said Lauren Burgess, a student worker in the Women’s Center, “You name it and the Women’s Center has a resource on it.”

Burgess said that students looking for access to things like contraceptives are common for the office, “We provide ways to get in contact with resources like Planned Parenthood and participating hospitals.”

LeBeau and SAC also hosted a forum about Planned Parenthood as a part of their “Cultural Conversations” discussion series.

Continued on page 4

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

OPINION

COLUMNS Media is a scapegoat for world’s issues

BY CHARLES NICHOLSON Managing Editor When I watched the video of Deven Guilford, the 17-year-old that was shot and killed by a police officer during a traffic stop, I saw two parties that were to blame. One of them was (obviously) the officer who handled the situation very inappropriately. The other would be Guilford who tried to fight a battle he couldn’t win, at least outside the courtroom. Yet, everyone keeps reminding me that there is yet another to blame: the media.

Citizens have engaged themselves in the conversation dealing with the major unrest inflicting the country. In between the issues of police brutality and mass shootings, people are looking for the main source of these issues and somehow the media keeps popping up in these conversations. The reason is sensationalism.

It’s true; I will admit that the media has their ways with giving a lot more exposure to these events than most would care to consume. One thing I remember specifically that drove me up the wall was CNN’s coverage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 that mysteriously disappeared over the Indian Ocean. I swear that was their main headline for at least two months, as if nothing else was going on in the world.

Even the Guilford shooting can be viewed as whoring out terrible

events for ratings. The shooting was the talk of the town in October but videos of the shooting can be found on Youtube as early as June.

Why the delay? Likely because excessive force by officers of the law is a current hot topic. They have to keep the conversation going, even if it means bringing up old news (or so they believe).

What I think a lot of us seem to be forgetting is that the media does

not create news, they report it. As an aspiring journalist, I’m forced to question my career endeavors because I don’t want to be seen as a source of blame for the death of countless people just because I’m telling you it happened. It’s important that the masses stay informed and if the media chooses to be neglectful in what they report, then they aren’t doing their job. So if the media isn’t directly involved,

why do people think they should still take the fall?

Clearly we are redirecting our efforts away from the true causes, simply because we can’t solve them (or more like, we don’t know how to). Police brutality is an issue that has recently resurged since its last peak in the ‘60s. We are coming along with solutions in body cameras, reconstructing police training and more police involvement in the community. Even with these solutions, there doesn’t seem to be much decline in police power trips, most recently indicated by the assault of the student at Spring Valley High School by an officer on Oct. 26.

Then there’s racism. Racism is an issue that has plagued human history for as far back as we can remember, and we’ve been fighting it for just as long. Yet it’s still deeply embedded in our society even today and the end of it is nowhere in sight.

To get to the point of my rant: it is wholly irresponsible and highly dangerous for us to be attacking one issue to solve another. You wouldn’t solve your math homework by writing a thesis for your English class. And you wouldn’t blame a friend for a school shooting just because they told you about it. So the next time you find yourself looking for responsibility in tragic events, remember who pulled the trigger.

Gentlemen, please reconsider wearing flip flops

BY ANDREW LABORDE Driftwood Staff Flip-flops, slaps, slides or stepins have been around for a while.

I’m pretty sure we can date them as far back as the ancient Egyptians thousands of years ago. They are ideal for the beach and can be seen on the feet of many people, especially those Margaritaville-lovers like good ole Jimmy Buffet.

I am simply here to implore the men of the community (ladies you are excused) to stop wearing these terrible excuses for footwear. We are closing in on Thanksgiving and I still see almost grown men wearing these hideous rubber things around. Why? They look terrible on you, bottom line. And if anyone wearing those slider sandals that look like shower shoes with crew cut socks, just recommit yourself to invest in some sneakers. ‘Cause I am sure that the Jordan socks and sandals combination is about five years too old, but I digress.

I myself do not own a pair of “slaps” because I like to feel useful when I leave my house. If someone needs help carrying something down the stairs, flip flops provide zero stability for your soles and

leave your toes exposed. If there is an emergency in a building on campus, you may need to move with some conviction. And you

might have to usher ladies and children to a safe area. Flip-flops do not give one the fortified “step” in the right direction that sneakers or a pair of boots do.

When wearing these atrocities, your feet are literally hairs away from collecting all the grimy business that shoes are meant to protect. Tennis shoes and boots are meant to protect your feet, gentlemen, and they give you a sense of

style that flip flops never will. Nobody ever asked you, “Hey, where did you get those slaps?” I am pretty sure your answer is the same as all the other goobs: “Oh, um, the five dollar rack at Old Navy.”

Just for the record, I am only condemning the thong flip-flop, even the ones that have leather sewn onto the surface to make it look like nice footwear. I am giving all other sandals a pass for now.

Gentlemen, I have noted some of you wearing these things and it tells me this: you simply cruise through your day hoping nothing eventful happens. I am not insulting your character or your work ethic. I am simply questioning if you have 30 seconds in the morning to lace up some leather. Ditch the flimsy rubber. Ladies get the reprieve because wearing these paper-thin protectors has become part of their wardrobe. Men, do not conform to the ease that it takes to slide your foot into a flip-flop.

In conclusion, flip-flops should be worn only at the beach, guys, and not to your 11 am class in the Liberal Arts Building (because we all know that is not the most sanitary place on campus).

CORRECTIONS • On the front page of issue 8 (October 28), the issue number was misprinted as issue 7.

• On the front page of issue 8 (October 28), Tony Micocci was misquoted saying, “In 1983, we offered the only Bachelors of Arts in art administration in the state of Louisiana...” He actually said, “Since 1983, we have offered the only Masters in Arts Administration in the state of Louisiana...”

• On page five of issue 8 (October 28), “UNO represents at New Orleans Film Festival” was written by Chloe Gagnon, News Editor.

PERSPECTIVE

BY LINDSAY ALEXANDER

EDITORIAL BOARD 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|AnnaGowin•••••••••• driftwoodent@uno.edu Photo Editor | Traven Stout • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • tstout@uno.edu Web Editor | Ave Maria Bordenave • • • • • • • • • abordena@uno.edu Reporter | Andrew LaBorde • • • • • • • • • • • • • • atlaborde@uno.edu Reporter | Mia Lett • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • mlett@uno.edu Reporter | Tishawn Mitchell • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • tratcliff@uno.edu Illustrator | Lindsay Alexander • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lralexa1@uno.edu Illustrator | Barrington Hebert • • • • • • • • • • • • bkhebert@uno.edu Advertising Manager | Lili Harrison • • • • • driftwoodads@uno.edu Marketing Manager | Zachary C. Guntner • • driftwoodpr@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.

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NEWS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

3

For liberal arts graduates, job prospects prove promising

BY MIA LETT Driftwood Staff Liberal arts is a discipline that many students choose because they are passionate about the humanities. However, it can be considered impractical compared to a degree in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines.

But students need to know: is a liberal arts degree worth it?

Recently, The Atlantic published an article titled: “America: Abandon Your Reverence for the Bachelor’s Degree” in which it criticized our nation’s dependence on the 4-year degree, and our lack of reverence for technical training.

The Detroit Free Press published a feature last week: “The liberal arts degree needs a makeover,” which

discussed the need for a revamp on how we see the liberal arts degree.

The writer, Wayne M. Raskind, argues that the liberal arts degree, though valuable, needs to be marketed differently in order to keep students interested.

The good news is, there are liberal arts faculty at UNO who are adamant about the benefits and opportunities a liberal arts degree can offer.

History majors, for example, are getting local jobs as instructors, historical tour guides, archivists, curators and oral historians for example.

Since tourism is the one of the top industries in New Orleans, history majors are finding more opportunities in New Orleans than if they were to look elsewhere for employment.

Dr. Connie Atkinson, associate

professor of History said, “You can train an engineer and he’s gone. You train scientists, they’re gone. You train somebody in Louisiana history, they’re staying and paying taxes for another 45-55 years.”

Atkinson is able to name 20 out of 21 recent graduates who are now working in areas that utilize their major. “People want to know our story,” she said. “It’s something you can sell. It’s the economic engine of our state.”

The outlook for Political Science is looking positive as well.

Scott Nolan, a Ph.D candidate and instructor lists the areas in which a graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science can find work: “federal, state and local government; business; international and nonprofit organizations; political campaigns and polling; journalism;

pre-collegiate [high school] teaching; research and higher education.”

Nolan offers websites, organizations and resources students can use to help them find a job. In fact, the Liberal Arts Department has statistics, trends and a list of organizations where graduates have found work. They have data on every liberal arts discipline at UNO. Mei Ellis, a student worker in the Liberal Arts Department gathers data on the trends for each discipline. She is able to identify which profession has a strong, good, or fair outlook and what specific jobs students are finding job.

In English, for example, Ellis finds there are overwhelming trends in education, law, publishing and journalism, and the job prospects are considered good for students post grad.

Urban planning is a field with a variety of options—transportation, facilities GIS analysis, and administrative work. Ellis notes the odds are strong for alumni to find work specifically in urban planning.

So Raskind may be right. A liberal arts degree may just need a marketing makeover. The employment outlook may not be evident as it is for the STEM professions, but there are options out there.

If you are a liberal arts student and want to know what’s out there post-graduation, your best bet is to contact your department, or the Liberal Arts Department. They are the experts in the field, and they have more than enough resources to guide students in the right direction.

MAN ON THE STREET In what grade do you remember having sex education? Do you think schools are doing a good job of educating students about sexual health?

TIFFANY HARRINGTON

AARON MEYER

BROOKE MCNEELY

DREW BROWN

WYNTON THOMAS

Sixth or seventh grade.

I guess it depends where you are. Schools in the south did a sufficient job for me. The role was fulfilled as much as possible for being such a generalized and sensitive subject.

Sixth grade.

I think so, but I think the responsibility should fall on the parents or guardians to answer in depth questions.

Ninth grade.

To an extent, yes. Middle schoolers aren’t getting the education they need. They could definitely improve, maybe by sharing real-life stories or situations, like the really scary stories. Kids need to be aware of the dangers that surround being sexually active.

Sixth or seventh grade.

It seems like they are on the right track. As long as they remain sensitive...it is really the parents’ responsibility, but some children may not have that option to learn from their parent.

Definitely before college!

Freshman or sophomore year in high school. In Texas, they are doing an awesome job. In New Orleans, I hear they aren’t doing that great of a job.

Photos by Helen C. Reed

CRIME SCENE DO NOT

CROSS CRIME SCENE

• On Oct. 19, a Privateer Place resident filed a complaint against an ex-boyfriend after receiving a disturbing phone call which threatened her safety.

• On Oct. 23, Thomas Ginther Jr. violated a protective order prohibiting him from being on campus and is now wanted by local police. He drives a 1990s silver Volvo station wagon.

• On Oct. 31, UNOPD sent an email warning students about a black vehicle that drove down Leon C. Simon and shot pellets from paintball guns at two UNO students. The two students were treated a hospital for injuries.

CAMPUS CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, NOV. 4

THURSDAY, NOV. 5

SATURDAY, NOV. 7

MONDAY, NOV. 9

TUESDAY, NOV. 10

Books and Brownies Sale Stop by the fourth floor of the library where the Friends of the UNO Library will be selling used books and baked goods. Admission is free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Fifteenth George G. Windell Memorial Lecture in European History The lecture will feature the emigration and resettlement of Jews post-World War II. Reception begins at 5 p.m. and the lecture begins at 8 p.m. at the National World War II Museum.

Privateer Volleyball Come support the Lady Privateers as they go up against Sam Houston State. Admission is free and the game is from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the Human Performance Center

Presidential Search Committee Public Forum The search committee will allow questions and comments from the public regarding potential candidates for the President of UNO. The forum is open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Homer L. Hitt Alumni and Visitor Center.

The Bullet, The Ballot and The Boycott A lecture centered on racist violence directed at Africans, Palestinians and other non-Jews. The lecture is from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Kirschman Hall 129.

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

NEWS

“UNO for Bernie Sanders” acts to engage political dialogue amongst progressives

BY CHARLES NICHOLSON Managing Editor Last Wednesday, Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders held his National Student Town Hall online livestream event.

UNO was one of nearly 300 campuses to organize a group viewing thanks to the new organization UNO for Bernie Sanders. In the UC Ballroom, students watched the nearly two-hour event, in spite of troubles with the stream. They also took the time to discuss their concerns as they relate to being students, having political awareness and the presidential election, as well as show their support for the Vermont senator.

Sanders addressed the issues that were at the base of his platform, many of which are detrimental to the future of the youth.

“What many people don’t know is that in the last 30 years, there has been a massive redistribution of wealth in this country,” said Sanders about wealth inequality. “Problem is the redistribution went in the wrong direction. It went from the middle class to the top one-tenth of one percent.”

He also tackled the issue of funding higher education, one of the largest concerns of college students, by bringing up his proposal to make colleges tuition-free.

“If our economy today and in the future is going to be success-

ful in creating decent-paying jobs, we need to have the best-educated workforce in the world. And if that is the reality, it is beyond my comprehension why today in America, hundreds of thousands of bright and qualified young people are unable to go to college for one reason... their families lack the money,” said Sanders.

Sanders continued, “Today, a college degree is the equivalent of a high school degree [compared to 50-60 years ago]. That is why when we talk about public education, we have got to understand that the first grade through the twelfth grade is not good enough. We need to make public colleges and universities tuition-free.”

The event continued as Sanders discussed family values, race relations, climate change and other issues. He also answered some student questions regarding topics such as Islamophobia and human trafficking.

Andrew Smith, de facto president of UNO for Bernie Sanders, explained what he hopes to achieve with the organization.

“Honestly, I think just getting people interested enough, passionate enough to participate at all is a victory,” said Smith. “The primaries aren’t even until next semester, but we’re hoping to have a voter registration drive. You have to do it before the primary itself and the elections are March 7. So we’re

Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders openly supports the end of restrictive marijuana legislature.

Photo courtesy of Bernie Sanders

hoping to get people involved, get them registered to vote. Raise some kind of political awareness.”

UNO for Bernie Sanders isn’t an official organization just yet, working with only three members.

However that didn’t stop Smith from putting on the viewing and raising awareness of the Sanders campaign.

Smith believes that some good can come from keeping an open dialogue.

“Whenever I see political organizations when I’m walking around campus, I always talk to them. The fact is a Bernie Sanders supporter like myself is never going to get along with a Libertarian, rather, we’re never going to agree on

anything,” said Smith. “But I think having a contentious, somewhat argumentative conversation, even if you can’t resolve the differences, is much better than having no conversation.”

Smith agrees with Senator Sanders that involvement in politics is an American duty, even among the country’s youth.

WebSTAR adds new tool for students’ benefit

BY ANDREW LABORDE Driftwood Staff College students all around the country ask themselves the same question: “What classes do I need to graduate?” This question lingers primarily among upperclassmen, but all students should be aware of the classes they need to take in order to complete their areas of study.

With the implementation of the Degree Audit on WebStar last year, students can see exactly what requirements they need to fulfill in order to graduate.

The Degree Audit is a real-time electronic means for students to discover what classes they need to complete their graduation requirements.

On WebStar, the Degree Audit

interface is called the Academic Advisement module.

Edward Garcia, the Associate Registrar for Degree Audit, said the primary benefit of the Degree Audit is transparency.

“With the Degree Audit, I want an advisor and a student able to sit together and not have to play the ‘searching game’ with courses. I want all the rules, requirements, etc. to show up right away on one screen and allow both parties to know exactly where the student stands on his/her journey to graduate,” said Garcia.

“The first big hurdle was how were we going to design this thing.

We were given that all curricula in the catalog were to be separated into 3 categories: General Education Requirements, Major Requirements and Other Requirements.

Luckily, we started about the same

time the 2014-2015 catalog was being designed so we got plenty of help from academic affairs and the colleges,” said Garcia.

Before the current interface on WebStar, Garcia was not in charge of the process.

“We had some serious catching up to do in terms of digitizing our processes. We were still dealing with paper forms that had to be walked across campus, 16-bit systems that maintained our diploma, etc. It was time to upgrade everything, and that we did,” said Garcia.

Kimberly Echols, who serves as the Graduation Coordinator, said they cleaned up the degree audit interface this summer to make it easier to see for students and advisors so they know exactly what the student needs.

Echols’ primary responsibility

is handling the exceptions that the various colleges within the university communicate to her. The college sends her a degree audit exception request and she puts it in the system as a completed requirement.

“The goal is to eventually have it linked with registration so that you can click and say ‘hey, I need to take this, let me see what’s available and what times are available’ and tie it in into registration,” said Echols.

Echols highlighted a portion of the Degree Audit on WebStar that contains a “what-if” scenario for those students who want to change or add concentrations, minors and majors.

“You can do a Degree Audit for changing majors and see exactly what’s fulfilled and what you have left,” said Echols.

Transfer students can see what courses from their previous institution will be applied to their degree plan and what courses will not be applied. Echols said she hears from the transfer students the most.

“When transfer students come in, their advisors are pulling up their Degree Audit once [students] get their transfer credit in and showing them exactly what they need,” said Echols.

Another benefit that Echols explained is the accreditation of the university. The university gives degrees based on what they see in a catalog and its requirements. The Degree Audit is one of the reasons UNO has its accreditation as a university.

Echols said, “All students should be using the Degree Audit because it is the official graduation clearance document for the University.”

Sex Smart?: Campus resources available if you know where to look CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 According to Burgess, when students come looking for contraceptives, the Women’s Center

will often put students in contact with either Planned Parenthood or UNO’s Health Center.

“Those resources are often the most accessible for students,” Burgess said.

When the cycle of sexual health finds its way back to Student Health Services, it can be easy for students to ignore the other resources available on campus in the matter of improving their sexual

health, even with the availability of outreach programs and sexual assault resources.

More information about Student Health Services can be found at studenthealth.uno.edu, or in their

office, UC 238. More information about the Women’s Center can be found at www.uno.edu/womens-center/, or in the Women’s Center, located on the second floor of the Earl K. Long Library.

FEATURES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

5

“Whose Lives Matter” seminar initiates passionate discussion on police brutality

BY MIA LETT Driftwood Staff On Tuesday, Oct. 27, Iota Phi Theta’s chapter hosted a seminar inspired by the recent police brutality cases surfacing in the media.

The question and answer panelist discussion sparked a heated debate in the audience.

Host and President of Iota Phi Theta, Langston Williams said, “The event was prompted by the recent videos surfacing on, not only the girl who was slammed out of her desk at school, but also Sandra Bland, the man who was shot seven times and a taser planted by the body, the Hispanic man that was shot a number of times while his hands were up, a story I saw on the news in the Cove, and a friend of mine in Baton Rouge, who was a Caucasian male, body slammed in front of a bar by the police with no

cause.”

Williams asked a series of general questions regarding police brutality to the six panelists on stage: Marvin K Crayton Jr., Delvonte J Smith, Anastasia R Bennett, Nicholas J Wallis, August Darbonne and Officer Kevin Collins.

The audience was asked to listen and save their comments and questions for the end.

However when the panel was asked, “What can we do to protect ourselves?” Kevin Collins, an officer with Covington Police, said: “If victims of brutality were compliant, they wouldn’t experience police brutality.”

This initiated a heated discussion amongst the audience on who is responsible for the incidences of police brutality. The discussion went back and forth between the panelist and the audience. The panelist put a lot of the blame on the media’s de-

sire for ratings.

But Officer Collins did draw some attention to the offenders of police brutality: “Police cannot use stress as a reason [for police brutality].

We are trained for that. Good police officers take their job seriously.” He also felt that poor training had much to do with police brutality: “Police brutality is directly related to poor training,” said Collins.

What didn’t come up from the six panelists, however, was Black Lives Matter, the movement that one would have assumed to be the inspiration behind the title of the seminar.

But Quest Riggs, an audience member from the Students for Justice in Palestine brought that up: “The question about why we know about police brutality more, none of you said The Black Lives Matter Movement, which seemed really strange to me. You all bring up the

media like the media wants us to go crazy, and the media wants us to stir up a race war. That’s kind of ridiculous. The whole reason that we know this about this hot-button issue is because people went out there and demonstrated and fought back against all this blatant injustice.”

Riggs also saw the solution of compliancy as victim-blaming.

“I feel like the compliance thing is totally victim-blaming…basically you are saying that if you don’t comply, you die,” said Riggs.

The seminar created a forum to discuss an issue that is important, particularly for the black community. However, the tendency from the panelists to explain away the challenges that have arisen from the recent cases in the media demonstrated the need for more discussion.

David Stephens, a UNO graduate student who plans to pursue post-graduate studies in African

American Literature, later commented on the event: “The event, while provocatively named, did not live up to the expectations I had for it. The panelists, well-meaning as they were, were not, in my opinion, adequately informed on the current issues of police brutality…I believe conversations like this need to continue to be held, but perhaps with better informed panelists. We are on a campus of professors and educators, as well as students who are actively involved in social issues. I think utilizing these people would create for a deeper and more progressive discussion.”

Williams was happy with the event and plans to do another one: “I think the event went very well... many people were passionate about the topic and gave great input. I am looking forward [to] the opportunity to host another forum.”

Taekwondo students form recreational club at UNO

BY TISHAWN MITCHELL Driftwood Staff Edgar Avila Jr., a senior majoring in history, had been taking Taekwondo classes at a martial arts school in Metairie when he noticed something striking about his peers: almost all of them were students at UNO, just like himself.

“I decided that it would be a more affordable and convenient experience if we started a club and trained at UNO,” Avila said.

With this notion in mind, he went on to help form and become

president of UNO’s very first Taekwondo Sports Club.

Courtney Constant, biology major and vice president of the club, had been helping her father teach Taekwondo at the same school when she was approached by Avila about forming the organization.

“I loved the idea of starting a Taekwondo club on UNO’s campus,” Courtney Constant said. “By starting the club, we would be able to provide other people the opportunity to learn and train in Taekwondo.”

The club, which officially kicked off in September, currently has 13

members.

According to Tim Constant, Courtney’s father and head instructor of the UNO Taekwondo club, reception has been great.

“Students come to class enthused and ready to learn,” Tim Constant said.

In addition to offering one of the most affordable Taekwondo programs in the state, “another advantage of someone taking Taekwondo with us,” Mr. Constant added, “is the convenience of having our training sessions on campus. This allows students to be in walking distance of where they train.”

While UNO’s Taekwondo Club shares the same traits as the more traditional Taekwondo programs, they both train students in the arts of kicking, blocking and striking-the difference between the two, Avila stated, is the ambiance.

“We invoke a relaxed atmosphere for our students to learn.

We create a close-knit, family-like atmosphere that keeps our students comfortable, focused and excited.”

UNO students are encouraged to sit in on a Taekwondo Sports Club class and check it out; the first session is free. Should they decide to join, membership dues are a one-

time uniform fee of $20 and a fee of $60 per semester, which can be broken into payments of $20 a month.

“Typically, Taekwondo schools will range from $75 to $175 a month, while we are only $20 a month,” said Courtney Constant.

No previous martial arts experience is necessary to join.

For more information about the UNO Taekwondo Sports Club, visit www.uno.edu or stop by the UNO Recreation and Fitness Multi-purpose Room 2 on Tuesday from 5 - 6 p.m. or on Saturday from 11a.m.-1 p.m.

6

FEATU

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

WORSHIPPIN

Student Legal Services

SPONSORED BY: UNO STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

What we do:

• Give legal advice • Write letters and negotiate on your behalf • Assist withdrafting of wills, living wills, and powers of attorney

We cannot: • Represent you in court • Advise you on any dispute you have with the UNO administration, a UNO faculty or staff member, or another student

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URES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

7

NG THE MUSIC

filled City Park to see artists like Joey Bada$$, Yelawolf and The Joy Formidable (left to right) perform at the 2015 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience on Friday before Halloween

Photos by Traven Stout

8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

ENTERTAINMENT

Rain and mud stole show of Voodoo

PHOTOS BY TRAVEN STOUT

BY ANNA GOWIN Features Editor FRIDAY, OCT. 30

Morning: My first day at my first Voodoo started early. Me and my motley crew showed up to the festival grounds around 12:30, even though apparently the cool kids don’t come until fashionably later.

But the sparsely populated grounds worked to my advantage as we bolted our way to the Carnival stage in time to catch the back-end of a set by Bantam Foxes. A local three piece rock outfit my friends and I had followed since freshman year up on stage at Voodoo? Absolutely crazy. And man, did they rock it for the thirty or so people that were there that early.

After filling my water bottle at the handy Mio stations I decided

to take advantage of the lack of crowds and eat some food. It was lunch time, after all.

I started with a classic: charbroiled oysters from Drago’s, which shockingly at $9 weren’t one of the priciest items up for grabs.

They were delicious, which was to be expected for a restaurant that’s been cranking out massive quantities of one well-executed dish since they opened.

Unfortunately, my two steak tacos from La Taqueria were not nearly as satisfying. While the tortillas were clearly fresh, and the salsa verde was bursting with flavor, the meat itself was aggressively tough.

A mark of event-scale cooking, for sure.

But regardless, I was able to walk up to both places and place my order without a line and get my food almost instantly.

Afternoon: After stuffing myself, the crew and I set up camp at the back of Le Plur for a few hours. We sat and basked in the sunshine we knew wouldn’t last until tomorrow.

We grooved quietly to Earmilk Sessions. Then, around 3 we lazily migrated to Flambeau, stopping again by the food vendors. This time, I tried a bacon ranch mac and cheese cream puff from Puffs of Doom. It was just as indulgent as it sounds.

A majority of this time before the sun began to set was spent walking around the grounds, people watching and pointing out costumes, as well as catching snippets of whatever artist might be playing.

In all honesty, this is my favorite way to be a festival-goer. It’s what I have dubbed, “The Nomad.” The Nomad is constantly experiencing: tasting new foods, meeting new people and looking at new things.

Night: Seated on a small hill stage-left of Carnival, we planted ourselves for Joey Bada$$ and the Soul Rebels. From here, I caught the remaining bits of Gerard Way’s performance on Altar (a positive side effect of the otherwise irritating City Park sound-bleed) and smiled when he dedicated a song to those suffering from mental illness.

Joey Bada$$ was everything I wanted and more from a Voodoo performer, electric and engaged.

The sea of people who were busy vibing and putting their hands in the air were obviously feeling very similar.

From there, it was a straight shot to Altar for Modest Mouse, an indie remnant from my more emo high school years. They played all the crowd pleasers, but honestly seemed a bit jaded, minimally interacting with the crowd.

And then it was Florence + The Machine. A band I have followed, nay, worshipped since the release of their first album, “Lungs.” I let myself get swallowed by the crowd, something I normally hate, to the tune of Florence Welch’s magnetic energy and angelic voice.

The group’s booming sound was perfect for such a large outdoor venue, and the scale did nothing to stop Florence from running around the stage, jumping off the stage and even shedding articles of clothing while imploring audience members to do the same. (Which I did. I’m not ashamed. What happens at Voodoo stays at Voodoo).

All in all, it was the perfect experience to end the first day, and as I was being hustled out sardine-style with everyone else, I felt myself riding high on the positivity of the day.

Even if my feet were killing me.

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ENTERTAINMENT

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

9

Fest 2015 despite great performances

PHOTO BY JOSH BRASTED

BY NIGEL WASHINGTON Editor-in-Chief Rain cut a potential three-day weekend of music at the 2015 Voodoo Music + Arts Experience at City Park down to just two as thunderstorm and showers rolled through and changed the landscape.

Despite the weather, days one and two saw great performances in rain, shine and sludge.

FRIDAY: DAY ONE

Coming into the weekend, forecasts predicted a calm before the storm, with Friday looking to be a clear day before scattered showers, thunderstorms, high winds and possible tornado watches began to creep toward the city on Saturday and continuing on Sunday.

Excited fans streamed in early on the opening day. Vendors lined the opening walkway with decorative clothes, jewelry, blankets and other items. Funyuns and Icebreakers offered free products and Pepsi created an ambiguously purposed ‘art dome.’

The early shows of the day set the tone as each stage had great performances. Joshua Chereny, who was playing his very first festival, seamlessly weaved in and out of dubstep, chillwave and up-tempo mixes with fans beginning to flock to Le Plur and wait for the bigger names later in the day.

At the Altar stage, New Orleans’ own Flow Tribe brought color, energy and a classic sound to Voodoo’s main stage. With the group dressed in colorful suits filled with designs, Flow Tribe grooved with its signature funk and jazz sound.

Traveling the festival grounds to different stages proved difficult, and sometimes dangerous. Walking with eyes up would certainly lead to an unexpected drop with random ditches and holes scattered around the open space. Tire tracks made from the festival ATV’s would make the situation worse.

Festival-goers carefully maneuvered through City Park to see their favorite artists, and the trek was well worth it for Joey BadA$$ and the Soul Rebels.

The Soul Rebels opened the set on their own with a rendition of Kanye West’s “Touch the Sky” before bringing out the Brooklyn-born Joey Bada$$. The group opened off “Save the Children” and other tracks from Joey’s debut album “B4.da.A$$.”

The collaboration between the Soul Rebels’ rebirth jazz sound with

PHOTO BY BARRY BRECHEISEN

Joey’s New York flow created a great, unique sound that could only be felt from the fans in attendance, who were very receptive to the mix of both styles.

Jack Ü, the amalgam of dubstep superstars Diplo and Skrillex together, absolutely owned the Le Plur stage for the day, as a headliner should. A massive crowd of costumed fans raged and moshed recklessly.

Finishing the first day of Voodoo was Florence and the Machine on the main stage, Altar, and lead singer Florence Welch did so in spectacular fashion. Her voice moved the crowd and her energy was un-

During Veridia’s set at the Flambeau stage, the sun actually came out of its mask and brought energy into the crowd. The crowd danced and rejoiced in the good fortune.

Fantastic Negrito helped the congregation praise at the Altar. Oakland’s own Negrito brought his own form of blues to the Big Easy and won the crowd with both his music and spoken word sermons about life in between each song. During one of those sermons, Negrito told the crowd: “Don’t be on your knees.”

A male in the crowd responded, “Praise the Lord!”

Negrito didn’t scan the stage as much as other performers, but

PHOTO BY TRISH BADGER

slip and slide with a pizza inflatable and a large crowd gathered around them.

With the rain now at a light drizzle, fans draped in their ponchos-which Santigold jokingly called “trash bags”—tried to dance the rain away. Santigold helped the cause during her set, playing some old songs as well as some new ones from her upcoming album.

After handing out donuts to a drenched and muddied crowd, Santigold invited a few fans in the crowd to come up on stage and dance while she performed “Creators.”

With multiple outfit changes and

Festival-goers gather around the Altar stage to see Florence + The Machine, the closing act on opening night.

Photo by Josh Brasted

matched by any other performer of the day. Welch, painted with Day of the Dead face paint, frolicked barefoot back and forth across the stage, and even jumped off the stage to get closer to her fans. One person in attendance was gifted a flower wreathe that was on Welch’s head while she performed “Rabbit Heart (Raise it Up)” from her 2009 album “Lungs.”

Florence and the Machine had one of, if not the best, sets of the day and capped off an all around great opening. The good weather made fans optimistic for Halloween night, but most were still very aware of the possible conditions.

SATURDAY: DAY TWO

Early on Halloween morning the clouds were also playing dress up and getting into the Halloween spirit, dressing in black and casting a shadow over City Park.

Rain came and went sporadically throughout morning and even past noon. It seemed as if the early reports would be a big trick and treat festival-goers with another beautiful day.

he still gave a lot of energy to the crowd. The white and black face paint he had at the beginning of the show was completely gone 20 minutes into his set.

Not long after Negrito wrapped up, dark clouds began to fill the sky. The sun became a commodity as festival-goers began to speculate the worst was finally here.

Rain began to pour down, and people began to take shelter at whatever tents they could find. The ground soon became a muddy mess, and grass seemingly disappeared with every drop of water that hit the ground. Mud puddles were scattered across the compound and no one could guess how deep they were until they stepped in it.

Voodoo quickly became The Walking Mud, with some festival zombies drenched and caked in dirt still tried to catch their favorite bands.

Minutes before Santigold started her show on the Altar stage, people could be seen playing in the mud and making the most out of the situation, even one group created a

her unique sound, Santigold’s bubbly, energetic personality injected life back into a crowd that was dampened by the weather.

Closing out the night was Ozzy Osbourne accompanied by Tom Morello, Geezer Butler and Slash.

Osbourne and crew opened with “I Don’t Know,” and then followed suit with “Mr. Crowley.”

The head bangers in front me raged recklessly, and the middle-age moms behind me did the same. The crowd loved Ozzy and Ozzy loved them right back as knelt down and hailed his soggy fans.

The show raged on, with light drizzles continuing throughout the rest of the performance. Some festival-goers had already begun to pour out. It was clear what the conditions would look like the next day, as the people were slipping and sliding their way to the gate.

While many hoped the rain would give up and the sun would shine for the final day of Voodoo, sadly that was not the case.

SUNDAY: DAY THREE

It rained throughout the night

PHOTO BY PATRICK AINSWORTH

and into next morning. The Ludlow Thieves were minutes before their set when Voodoo brought down the hammer.

The festival decided to cancel the final day due to rain and flash flood warnings.

“Fan safety is the top priority for the producers of the festival and current conditions at City Park do not meet our standards for maintaining a safe experience,” Voodoo Fest officials said in a press release.

Anyone who attended day two of the festival can attest to the conditions. The mud was a definite hazard and cancelling the final day was the right call, even though rain slowed and ultimately stopped in the next few hours.

The Voodoo Twitter account shared pictures of City Park, showing a drowned field with little to no stable ground. Another full day of fans testing the field could have led to injury, something the festival crew did not want.

Possible festival-goers took to Twitter to express their disappointment for acts like Zac Brown Band, Deadmau5, Chance the Rapper, Third Eye Blind, Post Malone and many others not being able to perform.

Other bands like Quickie Mart, The Ludlow Thieves and Slightly Stoopid who were slated to perform on Sunday managed to arrange venues elsewhere and perform for either a small fee or with a Voodoo wristband.

Title Fight even played a house show that night for $5, tweeting out the address and time on their Twitter account.

Regardless of the shuffling and rescheduling, the final day being cancelled was depressing for many fans, myself included. Sunday looked to be a great day lineup-wise. Sadly, we’ll never get to see it.

However, the first two days were something special. The beautiful weather on day one led to great acts across the boards.

While day two was slowed down by the rain and mud, crowds still made the most of the situation and had in the sludge. Seeing people jump in puddles as daughter and father, and friends sliding across mud lakes with a pizza warmed my heart like no other.

Hopefully next year the weather will hold off so we can get a full Voodoo weekend experience. This year’s two-and-done festival still feels like getting raisins in your candy basket.

10

LAGNIAPPE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

Illustrated by Lindsay Alexander

PRIVATEER POOP

Illustrated by Barrington Hebert 11/2/2015

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Answers will be published online on Friday via our Instagram account:

C A R N I V A L D A Z T F U A

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P X F H H E E D I G H E M E R

M I H A P L H S E Z B D T C G

ALTAR ALTAR CANCELLED CARNIVAL CARNIVAL FESTIVAL FESTIVAL FLAMBEAU FLORENCE FLAMBEAU

JACKU LEPLUR MUD UNODriftwood OZZY RAIN SANTIGOLD

J W H L Z F F Q T M G L G N I

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FLORENCE JACKU LEPLUR MUD OZZY

C T Z H Z U I Y J O Y B K F H

E A Z C R G S L A S H B O B T

L R O X O M R X O O D O O V K

L Q M L W L M O D B D Y H U D

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D F C J O Z S A G A M S X M R

RAIN SANTIGOLD SLASH VOODOO WORSHIP

SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015

11

Nepalese students win ISO World Cup

BY ZACH LETO Driftwood Contributor On Saturday, Oct. 24, the International Student Organization put on their annual Soccer World Cup at the field in the quad under overcast skies from the approaching remnants of Hurricane Patricia.

Nischal Adhikari, a Nepalese junior, accounting major and ISO president, was in charge of putting the event together. It was the organization’s largest event and fundraiser of the fall semester, and it showed by the 70+ people that popped in throughout the day.

Most of the funds raised will go towards International Night, ISO’s largest event of the year, set in the spring.

“International Night has been here for more than twenty years,” Adhikari said. “We won the best event award last year. It attracts more than 800 people every year.

We have food, performances and everything.”

International Night is in the future. On this day, Adhikari was set on making the World Cup as enjoyable and exciting as possible.

Adhikari was unable to determine when the annual event began, but he estimated it has been around for ten years with continuing growth and involvement from students both international and local.

“Our mission is to bring international and American students together to celebrate the diversity that we have at UNO,” Adhikari said.

“It actually broadens the horizons, getting to know people, and that’s what we want – to have a friendly environment because UNO is known for commuting students.”

Teams began filing in to play at around ten in the morning, with games eventually starting just before eleven. In all, there were about 35 players that constituted the five teams present: Team LASA, Team Nepal, Team Africa, the Amigos, and Tres Leches.

Each team brought their own flare and were represented by specific colors.

Team LASA, a collection of

UNO students pose after the annual International Student Organization (ISO) World Cup. Nepal and Africa were in the championship match, Nepal won 1-0. All funds raised will benefit International Night, ISO’s largest event of the year.

Photo by Zach Leto

students from the Latin American Student Association, was in green and had the largest cheering section with them.

Team Nepal was in blue. They were the goofiest bunch out there, constantly stealing the megaphone away to give play-by-play for the other teams and shout obnoxiously when there was a goal scored.

Team Africa was in gray, and consisted of several students in the Intensive English Language Program, IELP. When they weren’t on the field, they could be found staying loose by smiling and dancing on the sidewalk next to the field.

The Amigos were in navy and more intense than the other groups.

They set the tone on the field with a physical style of play.

Tres Leches was in red and offered the widest array of players on their team in terms of age and

nationality.

Early pleasantries were exchanged and games began. The games were just for fun and bragging rights, but that wasn’t always clear based on the play on the field.

Teams were getting into it: celebrating goals, hustling down loose balls, and making some on-the-line plays. The passion was evident in every player’s expression.

None of the bad blood lingered far outside of the individual matches which was helpful in maintaining the fun, competitive essence of the tournament.

“This is to try to bring people from different countries together because it’s soccer,” Adhikari said.

“It’s that game that binds different nations together. We wanted to have that spirit.”

The spirit and binding nature of the world’s most loved sport was

evident. Despite the dozen languages being shouted on the field, the physical language of soccer was universal and unifying. Few things bring people together like a shared beloved pastime.

The championship came down to Nepal and Africa. Nepal had speed and chemistry on their side while Africa held the upper hand in size and strength. All of those are integral to success, but after three 45 minute games over the course of four hours with no substitutes, endurance would be the key determinant to success.

It was a tight match all along, but a first half goal by Nepal would eventually put them over the top with a score of 1-0 as they held off strong attacks from Africa to the bitter end.

Celebration ensued.

The Nepalese team hip-hip-hoo-

rayed several of their teammates and hoisted the trophy proudly over their heads.

It was a small victory for Nepal, but one that might have brought comfort and unity to each of the students. After all, it was just last spring when many of their lives were tragically altered following the earthquake that struck their homeland.

The two championship teams were endowed with medals and Domino’s gift certificates in honor of their efforts on the field.

Despite only one team being able to claim victory, in the end everyone was a winner thanks to Domino’s providing pizza for the after party.

As it turns out, pizza and soccer have a lot in common: the ability to unify and deeply satisfy the hearts of people.