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Exclusive content @
Thursday, aPril 19, 2012
www.southerndigest.com
vOlume 58, issue 15
SGA Spring Election Section see Pages 6 & 7
Today
SU basketball teams add more talent see Sports, page 9
Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s see Commentary, page 11
State of Southern University and A&M College
A
dmist financial exigency, Southern University stakeholders — students, faculty, administration and the community at-large — face challenges and look to rebuild Southern University. With exigency set to end June 30, plans are being executed to prepare for reorganization to serve more effectively.
Students adjust to changes
State of administration sparks debate chArles hAwKins ii The Southern Digest
Administrators and students differ on beliefs of the current state of the Southern University administration. Although the many changes have occurred with this new administration students still see as not focusing on the right problems on campus. “The administration has a lot of problems, but at the same time they do their job,” said Baton Rouge senior music education major, Skeyron Davis. He later commented on how he felt that Southern University’s administration doesn’t focus on the correct problems. While some students hold
MArcus Green
The Southern Digest
this belief other members of the administration believe their plan that is currently in place is providing immediate help to the students. “I believe that we have spent this academic year working very hard to address inefficiencies in the Southern administrative capabilities that were a result of an outdated system,” said Southern University in Baton Rouge’s Chancellor Llorens. The chancellor also spoke on the plan currently being used has been in the planning stages for the past seven or eight years. Other administrators saw a big change occur in the University when Chancellor Llorens took over that has
departments then it’s the faculty with those departments who should really have a say as how the reorganization should take place.” There are some conflicts among the faculty regarding the merging of departments. “When reorganizing the academic unit you want faculty who are trained specifically in those areas to be making those decisions. The administration is certainly welcomed to make suggestions or maybe even urge faculty to move in certain directions but the faculty should ultimately have the say-so in weather or not these
Southern University students have faced “obstacles” in the past year. This year SUBR Chancellor James Llorens declared financial exigency, faculty eliminations and a four-day class week. Kendrick Woodard, a senior political science major from Shreveport, said, “Being a Southern University student isn’t easy especially when you don’t get financial aid not to mention other various obstacles you face at SU.” As result of the declaration of financial exigency many major and severe cuts in the upcoming reorganization process. Instructors in departments such as English, math, and mass communication have to compensate for the lack of faculty. Jasmine Tate, a junior education major from Baton Rouge said, “It’s very frustrating because the cuts that were made affected students as well because there are certain classes that we need to graduate and there’s no one to teach them.” The lack of faculty isn’t one issue students have to overcome as they face the termination of some of the universities programs. Earlier this month students and faculty faced the proposed closure of the mass communication graduate program. “This is ridiculous, closing the graduate program in mass communication is just going to make it harder for us students who wanted to continue our education at SU,” said Michael
See faCulTy COnfliCTs page 3
See sTudenTs page 3
phOtO by nOrMan j. DOtSOn jr./DigeSt
Chancellor James Llorens speaks to members of the media See adminisTraTiOn page 3 Southern during Monday’s Baton Rouge Press Club meeting.
Conflicts arise amid department mergers JessicA sArPY
The Southern Digest
The faculty senate is an elected body of faculty representing the senate. It gives representation to every college within the university. Every college should have at least one senate member. “We have meetings on a monthly basis throughout the semester. We always have an invited guest and/or a set agenda of issues that we feel we need to address based on the input that we are getting from our constituents,” said faculty senate Vice President Thomas Miller SU invited two members of the national organization
American Association of University Professors (AAUP) to speak to the faculty about reinitiating an AAUP chapter on campus. The AAUP’s purpose is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education’s contribution to the common good. “There is a recommendation from the administration that we go from 44 departments on campus to 15 departments, we’re not talking about closing departments at all, we’re talking about putting multiple programs together under one department head,” said Miller.
The administration as of yet has not given real clarity as to what the details of a university re organization will look like. “It’s rather late in the day for them to still not have told us which colleges exactly are going to be the colleges that represent in to which the university is organized. There’s a big question as to which departments are going to integrate,” said Miller The administration plays one role on campus and the faculty a somewhat different role. The faculty is by definition largely self-governing and it should be. The faculty are the ones who should be making decisions regarding reorganizing,” said Miller “If you want to combine
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
Campus Life southerndigest.com
Page 2 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
Campus Briefs
the go. Café Lacumba will be serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks and beverages every Wednesday from 11 am- 1:30 pm. Café Lacumba is located in 161 Pinkie Thrift Hall. For more information call 225.771.4660.
today SOS Day at the Legislature
Save our Southern (SOS) day at the Louisiana State Capitol starting at 9 a.m. today. Contact the Southern University System office at 225.771.4680 for more information.
Center for Student Success
The SU CSS offers a free paper service. You can have your paper reviewed for clarity, grammatical errors, sentence structure, etc. CSS will also be offering English workshops every Friday at 10 am. CSS will be offering seminars to assist students with topics such as discovering their learning styles, study skills, to stress management. Contact CSS for more information on any of these programs and for tutoring questions at 225.771.4312 or stop by 107 in Stewart Hall.
Attention MCOM Majors
The Southern University Association of Black Journalists are back. Do you see yourself in the field of journalism, do you seek mentors from the professional ranks, or do you want to stand out when you apply for jobs? SUNABJ can help you reach your goals. Come to our next meeting today at 5:30p.m. in Stewart Hall Room 128. Contact Fredrick Batiste at 225.771.5812 or Darrell Roberson at 225.771.2545 for more information.
Bookstore new hours
Campus Access
The SU Bookstore has new hours. The bookstore will be open from 8a.m. until 5p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 9a.m. until 2p.m. on Fridays.
Harding Boulevard will be the sole entrance/exit between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Vehicles entering the campus during those hours must stop at the Checkpoint prior to entering the campus. On weekends the Mills Avenue entrance will remain closed from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. the following Monday morning. Please contact Lt. Floyd Williams at 771-2770 for more details.
Residential Life applications available
The department of Residence Life and Housing announces Summer and Fall 2012 housing applications are available. Go to www.housing.subr.edu; type it, print it, and bring it in by May 1.
SU Wesley Foundation
Southern Artists
Worship services are on Wednesdays at noon. The foundation will also be hosting Throwdown Thursdays at 7p.m. with competitions on Wii Sports, Karaoke, Dance. Spoken word and open mic. Compeition winners will receive $20 gift cards. Refreshments will be sold to support the foundation’s efforts. Call 225.778.0076 for more information.
The Frank Hayden Hall Visual Arts Gallery will exhibit the works of Nathaniel Landry, Antoine “Ghost” Mitchell and Heather Holliday until May 2. Gallery hours will be MonThurs. 10a.m.-4p.m. For more information contact Robert Cox at 225.771.4103. Ronald McNair Scholars
The Ronald E. McNair scholars program invites students with an interest in a Ph. D, 3.0 or higher GPA, first generation college students and students who will have at least 60 hours at the completion
Café Lacumba
Come join your colleagues and faculty for a delicious and healthy lunch! All items are made fresh and can be enjoyed as you dine in or on
of Spring 2012; to apply for the scholar program. Contact Janeal Banks, coordinator in Higgins Hall room 208D.
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Who’s Speaking Out? Who do you think will be a winning candidate for SGA?
Ag Stars
Ag STARS (Shaping Tomorrow’s Agricultural Research Scientists) participants Delane Ross, Adria Smith, Lillian Profit, Patience Muse, Karl Harnsberry, William Lavergne, and Andrea Bridgewater won first and second place in the oral research competitions at the 27th annual MANRRS conference in Atlanta. Calling all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors with a 2.5 GPA and no declared major. Want to pursue an exciting degree in agricultural sciences? Want to be an Ag Star mentor? Ag Star participants can earn $1,000 stipend per semester. Apply in Fisher Room 113. april 24 Battle on the Bluff
HBCU Boxing Presents “Battle on the Bluff” on Tuesday April 24 at F.G. Clark Activity Center. The match will feature Tez “Deuce” Washington and Dwain “Fuse” Fuselier. Admission is $10 and doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Passionate Larry
Devonte’ Glover
Tallulah, La. Junior Nursing
Tallulah, La. Freshman chemistry/ sociology
“Shaquille Dillon will win SGA president Larry because he has the most experience. He is a genuine person with great people skills.”
“I think that Shaquille Dillon is going to win Glover because he is a great candidate and he has held honorable positions on campus.”
Mercedes Wilson
Traharlyn Reynolds
baton rouge Freshman Nursing
New iberia, La. junior english/ spanish
“Personally, I think that Mr. Willie McCorkle will win SGA ilson President because he possesses the necessary skill to make Southern University and our surrounding communities a better place.”
W
“Shaquille Dillon has been making a postive impact since eynolds his freshman year here at southern University. He has worked to become a very well- rounded candidate participating in every way to support SUBR.”
R
april 26 SU Graduate Association
The Southern University Graduate Association will hold a general meeting Thursday April 26 at 5 p.m. in Mayberry’s Magnolia Room. Chancellor James Llorens will be a special guest and refreshments will be provided. Annual Honors Program
The Southern University annual honors program will be held on April 27 at 10:15 am in Seymour Gym. All students that have earned 3.0 or better Fall and/or Spring 2011, you are to be honored. Honorees, parents/relatives and friends are invited to this program.
ISSN: 1540-7276. Copyright 2008 by The Southern University Office of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Southern University and A&M College. All articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Southern DIGEST and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without the written permission from the Editor in Chief and Director of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is published twice-weekly (Tuesday & Thursday) with a run count of 5,000 copies per issue during the Southern University - Baton Rouge campus fall, spring semesters. The paper is free to students, staff, faculty and general public every Tuesday & Thursday morning on the SUBR campus. The Southern DIGEST student offices are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. The offices are located on the first floor of T.H. Harris Hall, Suite 1064. The Southern DIGEST is the official student newspaper of Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Articles, features, opinions, speak out and editorials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administration and its policies. Signed articles, feedback, commentaries and features do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, staff or student body. Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone (404) 679-4500, Website: www.sacscoc.org. MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Southern University and A&M College, an Historically Black, 1890 landgrant institution, is to provide opportunities for a diverse student population to achieve a high-quality, global educational experience, to engage in scholarly, research, and creative activities, and to give meaningful public service to the community, the state, the nation, and the world so that Southern University graduates are competent, informed, and productive citizens. Website: www.subr.edu.
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PAGE 2 / CAMPUS BRIEFS All submissions must be received by 3 p.m. each Friday prior to Tuesday’s Issue and by 3 p.m. each Monday prior to Thursday’s Issue. PAGE 2 is only available to officially registered campus organizations, Southern University Departments. All briefs should include a date, time, contact name & number. Submit announcements to: The Southern DIGEST - Suite 1064 Harris Hall, Attn: PAGE 2 CORRECTIONS Fact and accuracy is our goal and our job. As the voice of the Southern University student body we are committed to ensuring to most fair, truthful and accurate accounts of our work. In the event of an error we will make all corrections on Page 2. Bring corrections to The Southern DIGEST office located in Suite 1064, Harris Hall.
News southerndigest.com
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - Page 3
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Community in need of Jaguar spirit Aristide Phillips The Southern Digest
It’s sometimes said that Southern University has lost that “Ole Southern Spirit,” because of the recent problem build-ups like the declaration of financial exigency and the rising cost of tuition and on top of all of these issues the football team hasn’t defeated it’s arch rival in the Bayou Classic since 2006. Although these problems are prevalent the community that is Southern University is in dire need of good news. Judy Martin-Davis is the Chaplin of the Alumni Center and is better know as “Lady Jaguar” and is at most sporting events believes that the university pride is not gone but it needs to be stirred up. “I became a fan of loving this University for about 26 years now I had to admit that the pride back in the day was an amazing time people pretty much had a lot to
Faculty Conflicts from page 1 things would work,” said Miller. Department merging of this magnitude on a collegiate level is very rare phenomenon. “We don’t know of any other university that has done this, we’ve looked and the only model we could find is some community colleges and so that’s of concern,” said Miller “We need to have a definitive word from the administration now as to exactly how many departments are going to be left at the end of the day and what the reconfiguration is going to look like. “ “They have had plenty of time to make that decision. The faculty hasn’t been consulted on that decision and we should be. Not to protect faculty but to protect the students and this institution,” said Miller. Dismissal of faculty is another thorn in the side of SU’s faculty.
look forward to especially football games the winning environment really,” said Martin-Davis. “I think that if the alumni just pull together and do some positive things to encourage students to come to Southern University that would be the key to igniting the Southern University pride back to where it once was.” With financial exigency looming and teachers being placed under furlough and classrooms being empty on random days leave students second-guessing attending the historically black college. “You have quite a bit of competition out there, for example you have schools like BRCC, students are offered quite the bit of state of the art equipment its just a brand new state of the art new kid on the block school,” said Martin-Davis. Southern has long been a premiere university that provides students a high quality global educational experience to engage students in scholarly, research
and creative activities. Improvements have been made to further improve the mission that SU believes in like improving the light fixtures on campus, the fountain removal project, and the upgrades to the art department. “Southern University is nothing like any other school, you have students who are on the shoulders of those who have passed on to greater careers,” said Martin-Davis. College fan bases are know to depict how together a university is in its entirety, the alumni the students and fans, and Southern University is know for have the best fan base the Southwestern Athletic Conference and among all HBCU’s. “The opportunity is there I just believe if the alumni and other people just pull together and find ways, innovative ways to get students excited and ignited about southern university and stir it up like a good gumbo,” said Martin-Davis.
“I think a committee should be given information along with all the data and supporting evidence to make a case then they decide, but I don’t think it is fair to faculty members simply to be told ‘we’re in financial exigency, we’re so sorry, you wont be with us next year’...”
Thomas Miller Faculty Senate Vice-President “Even though we are in a period of financial exigency, there still need to be a transparent process that will ensure fair play to all faculty member who may be considered for dismissal,” said Miller “As far as I know there have been ten to a dozen individuals whose jobs have been terminated but no rationale for why or how the decision was made.” Miller went on to suggesting a committee be established in regards to the dismissal of faculty. “I think a committee should be given information along with all the data and supporting
evidence to make a case then they decide, but I don’t think it is fair to faculty members simply to be told ‘we’re in financial exigency, we’re so sorry, you wont be with us next year’...” He also questioned the criteria of how these decisions are being made. “Faculty are being dismissed without the being given a clear understanding of what the criteria are for that decision and a committee of peers to review the material and the recommendation if it is coming from the administration,” said Miller. “We should have a
committee of peers assembled, come up with a criteria requiring factual information and evidence for making that kind of decision.” I’m not saying that some faculty members should or shouldn’t get eliminated, what I’m saying is if the administration feels a need to dismiss anyone we should in all fairness know by what criteria they judge because they should all be judged by the same criteria. “We have a very good, very strong faculty that represents this university well,” said Miller.
Students from page 1 Cobbs, a mass communication major from Atlanta. Mahmoud Braima, chair of the mass communication department and professor cited how successful the program has been. “The department has 23 declared graduates and we graduate more than 50 students a year.” Cobbs said he hadn’t heard anything about the closure until right before spring break. “That’s another thing, when students need to know pertinent information, we find out about it too late,” said Cobbs. Students face issues inside and outside the classroom. David Jones a freshmen music education major from Baton Rouge, “This is my first year at Southern and it’s been hard adjusting to living on campus and adjusting to the four day class week.” The Student Affairs division has plans to assist students in developing the resources available on campus. The Associate Vice Chancellor for student affairs, Brandon Dumas said, “This summer, we will make more than $250,000 in residential facilities improvements.” Dumas said that Student Affairs will also make $100,00 in facilities improvements to the Student Union. “We want to bring the central hub of student life into the 21st century in terms of technology and infrastructure.” Student Affairs has recently moved from the J.S. Clark Administration Building Annex into the Smith-Brown Memorial Union. “I sought approval to relocate as we were isolated from our campus’s vibrant student life and the majority of student service offices,” said Dumas. The union now holds the offices of the Associate Vice Chancellor, Dean of Student Life, and the Student Orientation & Leadership Development Coordinator.
Administration from page 1 helped greatly in improving the administration. “Academic affairs new administration started in October 2011 with a charge from the chancellor to address the financial emergency situation in a way that would end the furlough and provide for future growth of the university,” said assistant to the chancellor, Janet Rami. She continued on to discuss how they set out to develop a framework for decision making which would be data driven, evidence based, and outcome oriented. With a new framework currently being executed, administrators spoke on another glaring problem which
need fixing. “We have looked at our entire information technology area and system area in which we hope to see tremendous improvement in,” said Llorens. He eventually would discuss how administration have made changes in the registrar recruiting and administrations by moving admissions into the Registrars Office which this fall we hope to have a new T.H. Harris hall that would serve as a true one stop so that students can go there and take care of any transaction related to registration financial aid, we are looking to move the housing office into that area to. Efficiently planned plans does not fix the bad image of
past administrations when discussing donated funds to the school as well as efforts to better assist students. “I have a few questions about the money, but I feel like that could do a little more to help students,” said Davis. He also relayed thoughts of how the administration is probably very misunderstood by students. Although negative attitudes towards the administration might persist, some administrators speak up while others only respond with better actions to help the university. “Everyone up here has been furloughed in which we rarely get to take the furloughed time off,” said Rami.
She later detailed their duties by stating how it is their role and obligation to provide leadership to faculty and students to moving Southern University forward so it will be here for generations to come. While some administrators spoke on their need for greater leadership during times of furlough, the university’s publicist defended the administration on charges of not being furloughed. “The administration has taken furloughs the last three years, and how everybody’s salary in administration which is above 30,000 and not paid through grants has been furloughed,” said Media Relations Director, Ed Pratt.
Even though its hard times in the administration, Chancellor Llorens spoke on their purpose to the university. “We are aware of our shortcomings and of what we do right,” said Llorens. He lastly discussed how they are here and are trying to make a better environment for the students as well as how they welcome feedback on inefficiencies. For more information on the administration of Southern University students can visit the university’s website or visit the Administrators in the J.S. Clark Administration building at the back of the campus near the Bluff.
Page 4 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Students gain field knowledge Charles Hawkins II The Southern Digest
Leading professionals and government officials amazed students and faculty at the annual Mass Communication Conference in Stewart Hall’s Auditorium Wednesday. Mass communication majors and other interested students left conference ready to engage the real work force in the new media age. Students and faculty all believed they learned a large amount from having professionals in their fields present at this conference. “Students should have gotten great knowledge in their fields,” said Dorothy Watkins, a mass communication graduate student from Baton Rouge. She continued on with how she believes it was a success and how she gained a lot of tips from the Keynote Speaker, Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden. Holden was a former student of the mass communication program at Southern University. Wednesday’s morning conference theme “Operating in A Convergent Media Age” was discussed in Holden’s speech to the conference. Most students were happy to have the presence of professionals from their fields, faculty and the chair of the department enjoyed the organization of the event. “After the morning opening sessions all the three concentrations, broke up into three separate groups and hear from real professionals
in their fields,” said the mass communication chair Mahmoud Braima. He also discussed how each year the conference is held a different Professor has to organize the event with a different focus of one of the three concentrations as the main focus. “Of course it was a success, Dr. Campbell did a great job in organizing the conference,” said Braima. He went on to mention this year’s program was planned by Professor Yolanda Campbell. Even though the conference is only held once annually, students in the undergrad and graduate program believe this conference should be held more often. “It should be something they try to do every year because it gets better each time as well as having more people turnout each time,” said Terry Briggs, a graduate student mass communication major from Natchez, Miss. He added that many non- mass communication students attended from all across the campus as well. While some students would like to see this conference continue to be held others want to see of it could possibly be held once a semester. “I think this should happen more than once a year,” said Keidra Myles, a senior mass communications major from Monroe. She also hopes that next time there would have had less separation of speakers so everyone could benefit from their speeches. Many professionals such
Body image factor in some diets Marcus Green The Southern Digest
photo by keldric nash/digest
Michelle McCalope, a web producer and traffic reporter for WAFBTV, discusses topics with students during Wednesday’s Mass Communications Conference.
as Michelle McCalope, Matt Williams and Lauren Westbrook of WAFB were in attendance as well as Professor Jinx Broussard of The Manship School of Communications at Louisiana State University. Students in attendance were able to meet and network with these professionals in which could lead to future possibilities for experience in their fields. Faculty as well as students left with a sense of urgency and
will to find more information on their job fields. “Based on the feedback students were very attentive,” said Watkins. She continued on about how she was impressed with the questions by students. For more information on the mass communication department persons can visit their department in Stewart hall or check the Southern University website for additional information.
Gov. Bobby Jindal signs voucher bill Kevin McGill The Associated Press At a Baton Rouge Catholic school with New Orleans’ archbishop looking on, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Wednesday signed sweeping legislation overhauling public education in the state while allowing many parents to send their children to private schools at public expense. The bills marked what may be the signature achievement of his young second term. Jindal said they may be the most important he has signed since becoming governor in 2008. He and other supporters of the three bills said they will transform education in a state that traditionally lags most of the nation in school performance. “Ultimately, it will break the cycle of poverty,” Aymond said of the legislation, signed as school children from
Redemptorist Elementary School crowded around the governor at a teacher’s desk. The wide-ranging measures also make major changes to teacher tenure, making it tougher to earn and keep while eliminating seniority protection when teachers are laid off. The measures also give more hiring and firing power to school principals and superintendents, at the expense of locally elected school boards. The bills make it easier to create charter schools — private schools run with broad autonomy from state and local education officials — such as those that have proliferated in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The measures open the way for some students to take part in online classes and enable the state to better coordinate a fragmented system of publicly funded prekindergarten and early childhood education programs.
Parents and teachers may notice few immediate changes to the education system in the upcoming 2012-13 school year. State offficials have estimated as few as 2,000 will take part initially, based on other states’ experience. New charter schools will take at least a year to get through the application and approval process. The earliest a teacher can lose tenure under the new evaluation system is spring 2014. Jindal pushed the bills through the House and Senate in the early weeks of the legislative session — in daylong committee hearings and floor sessions that sometimes lasted past midnight. Vehement opposition from teacher unions and others in the education establishment who had long managed to stave off most voucher programs and erosion of teacher protections. They criticized the record speed at which the bills were
pushed through in a session that doesn’t end until June. They also accused Jindal of advancing the ideas to boost his conservative credentials nationally. Aside from calling the measures unfair to teachers, opponents questioned whether the evaluation methods to be used in rating teachers will accurately measure or help improve student performance. The opponents have raised the possibility of lawsuits on a variety of issues, alleging the voucher bill and changes in the role of school boards may violate the state constitution’s provisions on funding and governance of public education. “Every step of the way, there has been those who have been defending the status quo,” the governor said. Later, Jindal added: “We are very confident the courts will agree with us.”
With the semester approaching it’s end, SU students consider their health during the summer season. Health concerns such as maintaining a healthy weight and body image are taken into consideration when conceiving a diet. Michelle Thomas, a sophomore mass communication major from Houston said, “I’ve been waiting for the summer since January and I can’t wait to hit the beach and show off my new slim figure.” Thomas said that she had gotten really lazy last year when it was cold and had gained at least thirty pounds. “I hate gaining a lot of weight but I love eating food and it was difficult to shed the pounds,” Thomas said. According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (2009-2010), more than one-third (35.7%) of adults in the U.S. are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents ages 2-19 are obese. In order to reduce these numbers many people have resorted to numerous forms of dieting in order to lose or maintain their weight and engage in healthier life styles. Kevin Moore, a junior English major from Baton Rouge said, “I used to eat very healthy because I was an athlete and I wanted to stay fit but lately, I’ve been a bit of a glutton and I eat a lot of fast and junk food.” Moore used to play baseball at his old high school but suffered a knee injury in 2009 before coming to Southern and hasn’t played since. “After I hurt my knee I became depressed and it became real easy to just sit around and eat junk food all day,” Moore said. According to healthydiet-habits.com, there are different types of eaters such as the emotional, stressful and mindless eaters. Cheryl Atkinson, associate professor of the Human Nutrition and Food Division of Family and Consumer Science said, “People must realize that dieting is a lifestyle change, not a one day permanent solution.” According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the long time food pyramid was replaced on June 2, 2011 with a new nutrition guide called ‘MyPlate’. The new guide depicts a place setting with a plate divided into sections of approximately 30 percent grains, 30 percent vegetables, 20 percent fruits and 20 percent protein, accompanied by a smaller circle representing dairy, such as a glass of low-fat/nonfat milk or a yogurt cup.
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - Page 5
Spring SGA Elections southerndigest.com
Page 6 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Today: Miss Southern Revue & Student Electoral Debates; 6 p.m.; Tuesday, April 24: Runoff Debates; 6:30 p.m., Cotillion Ballroom F.G. Clark Activity Center — if necessary Monday, April 23: General Student Elections; 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Wednesday, April 25: Runoff elections; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Cotillion Cotillion Ballroom, Smith-Brown Memorial Union (Only full-time Ballroom— if necessary (Only full-time enrolled students are eligible enrolled students are eligible to vote and must present valid SU ID to vote and must present valid SU ID to cast ballot) to cast ballot)
Shaquille Dillon
Candidates for SGA President
Franklinton, La. junior Political Science “Empowering the students of Southern Dillon University through supporting, planning and networking.”
Dadrius Lanus
Willie E. McCorkle III
Baton Rouge Senior History/ Political science
New Orleans Junior Mass communication
“Ready to Work!”
Lanus
“If not ME, then who? If not NOW, then when? Going to WAR for SU.”
McCorkle
Candidates for SGA Vice-President
Bryson Alexander
Maurlence Martin
Ricardo ‘Chip’ Peters
breaux bridge, La. senior Political Science
Dubach, La. junior Political science
bogalusa, la. senior criminal justice
“Expect More!”
“Rebuilding a new generation.”
“It’s war time. Southern University: A Global Force.”
Simoné Bray
Alexander
Peters
Candidates for Chief Justice
Baton Rouge Sophomore mass communication “Law and Order — Southern Victory Unit.”
Martin
Bray
Candidates for Miss Southern
Vance Mitchell
Joseph Sam
Atlanta junior civil engineering
Opelousas, La. Senior Mass communication
“Save time. Vote better.”
Mitchell
“Justice is coming if Joe Sam’s running!”
Makala Clark
Erin D. Rogers
Baton Rouge Junior Mass Communication
New Orleans Junior biology
Clark
“Join Erin Rogers’ ‘KREWE’ for Miss SU!”
Sam
Rogers
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
AWS President Candidates Jemiela
Castleberry Bogalusa, LA. Junior Social Work
Castleberry Kiersten Victorian Baton Rouge Junior Elementary Education
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - Page 7
Steffen Lewis Shreveport Sophomore Nursing Men’s Federation President (unopposed)
Adrian Carr New Orleans Senior Political Science Men’s Federation Vice-President (unopposed)
Floyd Ford
Victorian
Senior Class Vice-President
Opelousas, La. Senior Agricultural economics senior class president (unopposed)
Julius McCray
Monika C. Briggs
baton rouge junior criminal justice
Wilmer, LA. Junior Political Sciences senior class senator (UNOPPOSED)
McCray Dmitrius McGruder
Amber Trahan Broussard, La. Senior Speech-Language pathology senior class senator (UNOPPOSED)
McGruder
Miss Senior Candidates
Rashieka Blaze
Gabrielle Lewis Winnsboro, La. Sophomore Criminal Justice Junior class vicepresident (UNOPPOSED)
Kaylyn Chriss
Shreveport senior biology
Blaze Arletha Penn
Baton Rouge Sophomore Nursing Miss Junior (UNOPPOSED)
Sherman Gray
Houston Junior Accounting
Penn
Junior Class President
Charissa Carroll
Alexandria, La. sophomore Chemistry/ Chemical engineering
Delhi, La. Freshman Nursing Sophomore Class President (UNOPPOSED)
Nicholas Harris Rosedale, La. Freshman biology Sophomore class Vice-President (UNOPPOSED)
Tyler Thompson
Carroll Lawrence Christy
Baton Rouge Freshman Nursing Miss Sophomore (UNOPPOSED)
Sara Martin
Christy
Denham Springs, LA. Freshman Political Science sophomore class senator (Unopposed)
Page 8 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Sports southerndigest.com
The Sentinel of an Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - Page 9
Banks, Jaguars sign five Aristide Phillips
The Southern Digest
With the loss of veteran frontcourt players from the Southern University men’s basketball team, head coach Roman Banks made adding length to the roster a priority in the offseason. With 6-foot-6 Fredrick Colman and 6-foot-8 Quinton Doggett both exhausting their eligibility, 6-foot-9 forward Madut Bol now stands as the tallest returnee — and the only one taller than 6-foot-6. So far Banks and his staff have signed players on the perimeter that should be able to come in and contribute. Christopher Hyder is a 5-foot10 point guard from Dallas’ South Oak Cliff High School, and is regarded as one of Texas’ top point guards. “He’s very quick with the basketball kind of reminds you of Avery Johnson don’t look to score but can pass the basketball and understand the game pretty well we thought that was important,” said Banks. Hyder was named District 114A player of the year and figures to spell veteran point guard Jameel Grace, who will be a
senior next season and was the only point guard on scholarship. Another player from the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is 6-foot-4 guard Devonse Reed of Wilmer Hutchins High School, was named Texas’ Class 3A player of the year. Reed averaged 24 points and seven rebounds per game, helping lead his team to the Class 3A semifinals. “Reed is a very good scorer,” said Banks. “We felt like we needed scoring on the perimeter, a person that can create his own shot and is a big strong guard that can you can bring to the table.” Banks and his staff were also able to sign Damian Goodman a 6-foot-8 forward from Atlantaarea high school basketball powerhouse Columbia High School. Goodman helped his school to its third-straight Georgia Class 3A state title, and also had 10 rebounds in that championship game. “Damian played at one of the better high school program he will bring some athleticism we try to get some guys that are versatile,” said Banks. Also coming to Southern is Yondarius Johnson a 6-foot4 guard from Pearl River Community College. Johnson, who prepped at Plain Dealing,
played his freshman year at Southwestern Athletic Conference rival Grambling State for a year before transferring to the Poplarville, Miss.-based juco. “He’s a very aggressive player on both ends offensively and defensively, he is the guy that we brought in for maturity on the perimeter and he brings a lot of flexibility that we’re looking for,” said Banks. Southern also received a commitment from Southern Lab’s Lance Bernard, a 6-foot3 guard who helped lead the Kittens to the Class 1A state semifinals. “He’s another 6-3 long guard on the wing that I think will be able to contribute to the program right away as well I’m very pleased about him,” said Banks. Banks said signing another player with size would solidify the Jaguars’ recruiting class. “I’m the one that’s never braggadocious about a recruiting class, because you have guys that you expect a lot out of that don’t get it, and you have some guys that you really thought were just ok and they pick it up, so the proof is going to be in the pudding once they get here and that will determine how good our signing class is,” said Banks.
File photo by keldric nash/digest
Southern men’s basketball head coach Roman Banks picked up committments from five players — including four high school players — in his first recruiting offseason with the Jaguars.
Women’s basketball inks two in-state players Aristide Phillips
The Southern Digest
Women’s head basketball coach Sandy Pugh and her staff have been busy so far this offseason adding needed depth at the guard spot signing two instate athletes. Last Thursday Victoria Davis and Britney Washington both signed letters of intent and will wear Columbia blue and gold next fall. “I’m definitely excited about the ones we got now, we need to get a post player and we have to sign two more guards,” said Pugh. This past season the Jaguars went 13-13 and finished third in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with a 12-6 record and loss in the first round of the SWAC tournament to the Alcorn State team that lost to Southern twice during the regular season. During the season Southern Digest file Photo struggled with controlling the Southern women’s basketball coach Sandy Pugh and her staff kept it local during the recruiting season, ball and struggled with getting getting two in-state players to sign letters of intent. performance from the point Last year Sanders and “Victoria is a point guard she position this year, and hopefully guard spot. “With a couple of injuries, she won’t have to play 30 can shoot the basketball, she can Coleman took turns playing we were forced to play some minutes a game at the PG spot.” handle it, and she can pass it, the point guard role taking the Davis is a 5-foot-3 point guard just coming in if she can give us place of Senior guard Carneta people for more minutes then we needed to,” said assistant from Richwood High School 15 minutes a game that’s going Henderson who was loss for the coach Carlos Funchess. “Adrian near Monroe, and earned All- to take a lot of pressure off of season due to injury. Washington, a 5-foot-10 guard Sanders pretty much had to State honors in Class 3A during Adrian and Kendra (Coleman),” from nearby West Feliciana said Funchess. carry the load at the point guard her junior year.
High School, averaged 32 points per game during her junior year and earned first-team All-State honors in Class 3A. She averaged 26 points and 14 rebounds per game while playing with a broken finger, earning AllState honorable mention in the process. “Most kids wouldn’t have been able to come back from that injury, but she played injured and just showed her character and her toughness,” said Funchess adressing the play of Washington. During this offseason Pugh said that they are looking to address three areas that will help improve the team for next year which are strength and conditioning program, Getting the quality kids in different positions so they are more versatile as they have been in the past, and lastly addressing the point guard spot. “I think we will be in a good place, athletically will be fine, mentally is going to be important and come back with the mind set representing the conference and representing,” said Pugh, “Southern and playing with that toughness and camaraderie we need for them to win a championship, if we satisfy those will be good.”
Page 10 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Commentary southerndigest.com
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Thursday, April 19, 2012 - Page 11
Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SUITE 1064 T.H. HARRIS HALL POST OFFICE BOX 10180 BATON ROUGE, LA 70813 PHONE: 225.771.2231 FAX: 225.771.5840 ONLINE @ www.southerndigest.com
STUDENT MEDIA OFFICE
Director....................................................... TBA Publications Asst..................Fredrick Batiste Business Manager..............Camelia Jackson
CONTACTS (area code 225)
Student Media Newsroom............771.2231 Advertising Office.......................... 771.5833 Student Media Services.................771.5812
SPRING 2012 STAFF
Editor-in-Chief.............................. Evan Taylor Managing Editor....................................... TBA Copy Editor................... Norman J. Doston Jr. Photo Editor............................... Trevor James Staff Writer............................... Christie Carral Staff Writer...............................Marcus Green Staff Writer....................... Charles Hawkins II Staff Writer............................ Lauren Johnson Staff Writer............................ Aristide Phillips Staff Writer.................................Jessica Sarpy Staff Photographer....................Arielle Burks Staff Photographer.......................Talor Kinzy Staff Photographer....................Keldric Nash Staff Photographer...................Ariana Triggs
Can you imagine a paper written with all the I’s missing dots and the T’s as L’s with no line to indicate the consonant? Making the conscious decision to leave out the finishing touches that aid our document to be finalized and readable. We have now hindered our message from being read and understood ourselves before delivering or disseminating the information. We often choose the path more have traveled instead of forging our own. Too often we ignore the past in our present actions and plans for the future. We are choosing to let our story be told by others instead of telling it ourselves. We allow others to disenfranchise and discriminate against us because we would rather progress according to other standards rather than our own. We have stopped setting the rules for our communities and accepted other ways of life to fit in. We have neglected our culture that was stripped from us during slavery, instead of rebuilding it in the generations to come. We have ignored our rich history as more than inferior to accept what others have labeled us. We have chosen to not dot our I’s and cross our T’s. Sometimes you have to make
SUBMISSIONS POLICY
The Southern DIGEST welcomes letters from readers commenting on current issues and other matters of general interest to the SU family and public. We set aside this space to publish these letters for others to enjoy. This newspaper is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on its editorial and opinion pages. The Southern DIGEST reserves the right to edit any contributions and or reject them without notification. Authors are encouraged to limit the length of submissions to 300 words. Letters should not include libelous statements. Offensive and personal attacks will not be permitted. The DIGEST will not print “open letters” addressed to someone else. All contributions must be type written, signed and must include the author’s address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Southern University students should include their majors, hometowns and year in school. When referring to specific DIGEST articles, please include the date and title. All materials should be directed to the editor in chief of The Southern DIGEST, P.O. Box 10180, Baton Rouge, La. 70813. Materials may be delivered by hand to the DIGEST office located in Suite 1064 Harris Hall or can be e-mailed to digest@subr.edu.
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Staff editorials represent the opinions of the author and the majority opinion of the Southern DIGEST Student Editorial Board, which is comprised of the student staff of editors and columnists. The Southern DIGEST provides an open forum to educate, inform and enlighten the students, faculty and staff at Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.
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Evan Taylor decisions that are considered sacrifices for the prosperity in the future. Our ancestors sacrificed their freedom, human rights, civil rights, pride and livelihood for the prosperity of our generations. We who live in a quick fast rumor mill society have not had to fight those injustices, set the stage for battle or even understand the circumstances behind their decisions. So, instead of appreciating the advances in technology, access to wealth, democratic society and ability to lift as we climb; we choose to squander our choices into material. We want designer clothing and accessories to represent ourselves in unofficial capacities. We want luxury cars to drive to the grocery store. We want mansions for a family of
three. We want money and resources that we don’t ever have to share. If we only considered our own present “materialistic” happiness, where does that leave our families 10 years from now? Where does that leave our communities 50 years from now? Where does that leave our society 100 years from now? Do we exist? Are we prospering or staying stagnant? If we choose to dot our I’s and cross our T’s we can change our fate and guarantee we are not the generation that does worse than the previous generation. We can make our mark on society, we can make an impact in our families, communities and country. Be willing to choose for future/ delayed gratification and not just immediate gratification. Be informed about your community and be a change agent and problem solver not problem source. Be involved in the social, political, economical, environmental and/or intellectual climate to aid your peers and the future generations to come. What we do know will be documented and remembered. Let us be remembered for the actions of man towards the greatness of mankind.
Letter to the Editor When I assumed the role of Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs in October of last year, I was keenly aware of the challenges facing the Division and their effect on the ability to effectively serve the student body. Only a few short years ago, I, too, was a student of this great institution. While my student experiences enable me to identify the areas of student life where administrative attention and resources are needed, my academic and professional training have empowered me to provide for their immediate correction. In the effort to strengthen the relationship between the Southern University Administration, the Division for Student Affairs and the student body; I have relocated my department and my office to the 2nd Floor of the Student Union. While my position is administrative, my primary focus has been, and will always be, serving you in the most effective and consistent manner.
It is my judgment that the Student Union should be the heart of campus life and it is critical that we dedicate the time, energy and resources necessary to ensure the quality of this facility. We have begun to make necessary upgrades to the Union to enhance its security and overall appearance. We have begun making significant modifications on the 2nd Floor and have installed new carpeting in all student-serving offices. In the very near future, new, stateof-the-art surveillance cameras will be installed throughout the facility so that students can feel comfortable walking the hallways during the day and especially during late night hours. In the coming weeks, we will be making other modifications aimed to create a more contemporary, modern student facility. We are also identifying new landscaping designs that will not only beautify but also add a natural element to the interior and exterior of the facility. As we generate additional
revenues, we will make further upgrades to the Union our top priority. Please excuse our progress as we work to create a better Student Union, and Division for Student Affairs, for you. Brighter days are before us and a NEW Southern University is on the horizon. If you have questions, comments or concerns about the renovations, or have creative ideas about how we can best serve you, please feel free to stop by the Office of the Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Suite 213, on the 2nd Floor of the SmithBrown Memorial Union. Yours in the Gold and Blue, Brandon K. Dumas, Ph.D. Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Twitter: SU_VCSA
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Page 12 - Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926