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Tuesday, April 28, 2015
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Volume 64, Issue 11
State of Emergency Unexpected weather sweeps across the bluff
Nepal on ‘war footing’ to restore order; earthquake toll passes 3,800
By LAQUENCIA PARKER DIGEST NEWS EDITOR
Southern University officials issued a shelter-in-place for students, staff and faculty Monday morning after severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. Strong winds downed trees, and rain caused heavy flooding on roads surrounding residential areas, stranding some students in their residence halls. Louisiana State University cancelled its classes for the day in the early morning, with high water and felled trees across the campus. Some students reported seeing up to two feet of water in some areas. Various debris forced some roads to be shut down while nearly 20,000 residents of East Baton Rouge were without power. Entergy acknowledged that some power outages might not be resolved until this morning. Despite the severity of the weather and the notice for students to immediately seek shelter, Chancellor Flandus McClinton sent emails to students, advising them to take caution, but notifying them in bold, capital letters that classes were in fact not cancelled. Many students took to social media in response to the announcement, sharing their displeasure at being expected to reach classes in such conditions. Many memes were created, some with pictures of people in boats, with the caption “On my way to Mayberry”, others asking whether or not food would be delivered to the residential area. Classes were cancelled early in the afternoon, a result of the unsafe traveling conditions created by the weather. Jordan Dukes, a junior Electrical Engineering major felt students should not have been urged to attend classes in such severe weather conditions. “I felt that for a minute, Southern didn’t take a second to think of the severity of the weather, and the fact that people’s lives were at risk,” said Dukes, who also felt that the quality of communication between administration and the student body could have been improved, along with the way the situation was handled. “I think Southern should take the time to implement a working system for situations such as this, for future reference,” added Dukes. “Southern may have one, but as a student I should be more aware, just in case.” Dean of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Marcus Coleman said his first thought as an administrator was for the safety of the students on campus. When the storm and tornado warning was first issued, Coleman took it upon himself to patrol the outside of the student union, warning and ushering
By Pratibha Tuladhar Deutsche Presse-Agentur
our schools alive, so that we will be able to ascend to the level of excellence that we always talk about.” The rally held on April 22nd brought representatives and students from all of Southern Universities campus sites. Wesley Bishop, a representative from Southern University in New Orleans, touched on the
KATHMANDU, Nepal _ Aid efforts ramped up in Nepal on Monday as the country tried to recover from the weekend’s earthquake, but thousands prepared for another night in the open as the official death toll climbed past 3,800. The Interior Ministry said 3,837 had died and around 6,800 people had been injured in Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake. Besides of fear caused by numerous aftershocks, people camping in open spaces were suffering a combination of rain, hunger and thirst. “There is no space. So at least 50 people are crammed in an open area in our neighborhood,” said Pramod Karki, who was staying in a camp near his house in the capital’s Kalanki district. “Lightning and thunder. Haunting feel to the city, yet tens of thousands _ or most of city _ out on streets, under tarps,” Kathmandu-based writer Kashish Das Shrestha tweeted. Hospitals damaged by the quake were treating patients in improvised outdoor clinics, while streets near Kathmandu’s Teaching Hospital were lined with vehicles as people continued to bring the injured. Chief Secretary Lilamani Poudel asked all government employees and bodies to work to help the injured and the displaced. Mass cremations were being held in some places in the capital, with the government saying they were a necessary measure to prevent disease from spreading. The Tourism Ministry said it was also focusing on rescuing the foreigners trapped around the country, including people on climbing expeditions. “We rescued around 82 people from the Everest base camp yesterday,” ministry secretary Suresh Man Shrestha said. “There are 18 dead bodies on Mount Everest, but we brought down only the wounded. Hopefully there will be no more casualties.” “We are also using smaller helicopters and those from the Indian army too for rescue. We are focused on the Everest region and on Gorkha, Dhading, Nuwakot and Sindupalchowk districts.” Dramatic footage emerged from Everest on Monday, showing an avalanche rise like a cloud of smoke and then crashing down and engulfing the campsite.
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Alliyah Moore/DIGEST Southern University students trek through one of many locations scattered with fallen tree limbs and leaves on campus.
Alliyah Moore/DIGEST A fallen tree limb and other deris lay on the footbridge leading to Mayberry Dining Hall as a result of the inclement weather that hit the Campus of Southern University . students indoors. Addressing the concerns of students in regards to the cancellation of classes, Coleman said, “Even though students received a message saying that classes were still going on, that same message also said shelter in place,” said Coleman. “Students had no reason to be
outside. If you see it’s pouring down raining and there are black clouds, you just don’t come outside.” Coleman finished. Chancellor McClinton was unavailable for comment. Classes are scheduled to resume today at 8 a.m.
No Funds, No Future: Southern University stands firm at the capital By DESTINY SMITH DIGEST NEWS WRITER
On April 22, at 3 p.m. over 300 students, alumni, staff, and supporters within the community gathered outside of the capital building to rally against legislators decreasing the budget allocated to the Southern University System. This marked an important milestone in the fight against budget cuts. Southern officials showed their commitment
to the cause by making sure students who wanted a chance to be a part of this movement had the opportunity to show up by designating two buses to transport students to and from the capital building. Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Dr.Leon Tarver, summed up a few collective thoughts of attendees when he spoke and said, “Southern University counts. We want to take today to join hands with our sister campuses and do what we need to do to keep
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