April 26 Southern Digest

STATE & NATION

Jindal opens session

STATE & NATION

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

ALSO: Jags to host Alcorn State. pg. 5

Icons exhibit shows lives of duo. pg. 6

elvis, ali photos tell stories

banks picked to revive hoops

Budget first up for Legislature. pg. 4

estABLished in 1928

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TUESDAY, APRIL 26, 2011

Three remain for post by norman J. dotson Jr. DiGEST EDiTor-iN-ChiEF

With the chancellor search drawing to a close three finalist have been pegged for the chancellor’s position.

Current chairman of the Physics department Dr. Diola Bagayoko, former Southern University graduate studies dean James Llorens and outgoing Savannah State president Earl Yarbrough Sr. After a week of interviews with the top six finalists that the search committee was

LLorENS

presented with by the search firm the committee met after the final interviews Wednesday to decide on which three candidates’ names to give to president Mason to present to the Board of Supervisors at the final board meeting of the spring this Friday.

Each committee member voted on every candidate presented and Llorens led the pack with 12 votes, Bagayoko followed close behind with 11 votes, and Yarbrough received nine.

“I think we have a great diverse array of candidates for

VOL. 57, ISSUE 17

BAGAyoKo

the president to consider and recommend to the Board of Supervisors,” said Demetrius Sumner, Student Government Association president.

“I will go back and meet with student leadership and get their thoughts now that we are down to three and that candidate will be the one that I push for.

It will be purely the desires of the students, that’s how I will operate.”

Each candidate has gone through a one on one interview with all constituents that will be affected by their appointment

yArBroUGh

to the chancellor’s position of SUBR’s campus. Committee co-chairman Pat Magee has faith that the process that has been done will yield positive results in the end.

“The committee as a whole decided that these were the three worthy candidates that deserve to go up before the board,” said Magee.

Magee holds that a brighter day will come to SUBR and that he will work diligently with whoever becomes the next chancellor in order to make that happen.

‘Color of Dance’ displays levels of expression by norman J. dotson Jr. DiGEST EDiTor-iN-ChiEF

The Color of Dance was the theme of this year’s dance presentation from all of the dance classes on campus last Thursday night.

“This semester I decided to showcase the different elements of dance, the different colors of dance, the different people of color in dance and to show how dance can bring different levels of expressions,” said Nena Gipson.

With over a dozen different dances featured in the performance, the different styles that included aerobics, Latin, African, folk, and many more. Each dance was choreographed by Mrs. Gipson and her individual classes and also featured different props to accompany each of the classes various scenes. Many students also performed dance solos that photo by norman J. dotson Jr./digest they choreographed themselves for the A student teaching his classmates the the boot scoot boogie in the “Boom Boom room” scene of last Thursday night’s The Color of dance showcase. showcase.

“Lots of prayer, lots of patience, and lots Also Lewis Hightower, VerJanis Peoples, of work,” said Gipson about the work and appreciation to various people who were dedication put into getting the showcase instrumental to the development of the and Grover Harrison III also received prepared. “It took extra hours after work, of dance programs in some way. One recipient awards for their involvement in the course, we started two weeks before spring was Brenda Brown who taught dance and production of the showcase.

“My philosophy that I apply to dance break and had practices all the way up until swimming previously here at Southern is ‘Dance, Love, Sing, Pray, and Live’ the ten o’clock at night. We had to dig through University.

“The Color of Dance was dedicated same thing Ms. Brown taught me and still all the rubble in the back of the gym to find different supplies and props to create the to Brenda Brown who was my former keep till this day,” said Gipson.

The dance classes have a showcase in instructor,” said Brown. “We didn’t tell her scenes for our show.” both the fall and spring semesters.

Also Gipson presented plaques of so it would be a surprise to her.”

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Trivedi lays out goals for next year by samantha smith DiGEST STAFF WriTEr

This year has been an eventful year in the life of Southern University, what with the fate of SUNO hanging in the balance to the state budget cuts that threaten the SU system as a whole and the search for a new chancellor in full swing. The faculty senate has had a role in the governance of Southern University.

Dr. Sudhir Trivedi stepped into the role as faculty senate president in 2008 and was reelected in 2010. Since taking over as president of the senate his goals have been simple yet persistent.

He wants to empower the faculty and to move the senate towards more shared governance where the faculty has a say in all matters pertaining to the institution.

“My goals have been persistent, empower the faculty so that they can feel it has a say in the administration of the institution,” said Trivedi He added; “Once you have done that all the other things automatically follow.”

In keeping with his goals to empower the faculty, Trivedi has implemented a new policy for the election of chairs and is working towards the completion of a revised faculty handbook. The faculty senate has also conducted two program reviews to evaluate low- completer programs as advised by the Board of Regents.

“We have accomplished many things, we have had setbacks, but we continue to diligently work on the things positively,” said Trivedi Trivedi explained his hopes for the future of the senate; “I think that some changes should be made in the tenure and promotion process, In particular, in the grievance process. Those are the sort of things I am trying to address.”

Dr. Trivedi shared his thoughts about the campaign to Save Our See trivedi page 3

CAMPUS BRIEFS...............2 STATE & NATION.............4  A & E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NEWS.............................3  SPORTS......................5 VIEWPOINTS......................7 U N I V E R S I T Y ,

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Campus Briefs TODAY maymester

Maymester courses will be completely online at SUBR from May 16-June 4. Preregistration is under way and space is limited.

Maymester courses are open to all students across the country and the course commitment is six days a week.

Students must have a desktop or laptop computer with Microsoft Office 2007 or higher.

Webcams may be required depending on professor.

Blackboard 9.1 is the learning management system and Maymester requires Internet Explorer 8 or 9 with up-to-date Java. on campus students: ease your burden For easter break

On campus students, Residential Life is recommending that you ease the burden of moving at the end of the semester by taking some of your belongings home for Easter holiday. This can help to make your move out process smoother.

Start getting your housing in order for the Summer and Fall 2011 semesters and Get your financial aid paperwork completed.

Any questions or concerns regarding the process can be directed to Residential Life at 225.771.3590 or visit www.housing.subr. edu.

Fresh campus

Please join Southern University and A&M

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College System; Agricultural Research and Extension Center in creating a Fresh campus.

Find out the details of the Tobacco education initiative at www. myfreshcampus.com. For more information on how to get involved please contact Linda Brown or Fatemah Malekian at 225.771.2242.

“AIDS: A Nation in Crisis” during the University’s Summer 2011 session.

The course will be taught

by Dr. Leah S. Cullins, APRN, MSN, FNP-BC, and Assistant Professor in the Southern University School of Nursing. Includes discussion and analysis of history and epidemiology of HIV, Explore the HIV testing process including private and governmental influences, and importance of health education in maintaining prevention.

visual arts eXhibition 2011

The Visual Arts Gallery in Frank Hayden Hall will host works from the Seniors in Visual Arts in their Senior Student Visual Arts Exhibition.

The exhibit will be in the gallery until April 27.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Put it in the...

Campus BRIEFS

choices eXhibition in suma

The Southern University Museum of Art along with Curator Randell Henry is featuring the art of influential African American artists in the Choices exhibit until May 30th.

This exhibit features such artists as John Thomas Biggers, Artis Lane, and Sam Gilliam.

The exhibit marks the 10-year anniversary celebration on SUMA. For more information call 225.771.4513.

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Letter to the editor

s.o.s day at the capitol

Join the Southern University System for Support Our Southern Day at the Louisiana State Capitol, Tuesday, April 26. Displays open in the Capitol’s Rotunda at 9 a.m. and the Rally on the Capitol steps begins at 10 a.m. Come join the system in the fight to preserve out history and protect our future. aids online course in school oF nursing

The School of Nursing will offer the online course,

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Norman J. Dotson Jr.

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NEWS Tuesday, April 26, 2011 - Page 3

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Morris Brown, feds prep for debt deal By errin haines the associated press

ATLANTA — Morris Brown College is expected to settle nearly $10 million in debt for pennies on the dollar in an agreement pending with the U.S. Education Department, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

In the April 7 letter, the Education Department said it will forgive more than $9.4 million in debt, provided Morris Brown pays the remaining $500,000. The deal would help the historically black institution overcome a major hurdle in its efforts to regain accreditation.

“We have been working on getting this debt addressed for a year,” said Morris Brown College President Stanley Pritchett.

“This is a game-changer for the college. There are other financial challenges, but this will help to open the door ... to resolving our other issues.”

Department of Education spokesman Justin Hamilton told The Associated Press that the agency could not comment on the agreement directly.

“We’re aware of the situation,” Hamilton said. “We do recognize the important role of historically black colleges and the need to help preserve their important legacy.”

Pritchett said the settlement agreement could be finalized as soon as May 1 and that the payment would be due within 90 days of the signed deal. The letter, signed by Department of Education counsel Russell B. Wolff, says the agreement must also be approved by the Department of Justice.

Known for producing many of Georgia’s black educators, Morris Brown College was founded by former slaves in 1881 and has roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Audits done by the Education Department of the college’s finances for the years between 1999 and 2004 uncovered the debt.

The debt represents years’ worth of unused federal aid that the school was supposed to return to the government. Typically, the government gives schools money at the beginning of the academic year for student aid and other purposes. When any of that federal money is left over at the end of the year — sometimes because fewer students than expected need assistance — a school is required to give money back to the government.

Morris Brown lost its accreditation in 2003, after President Dolores Cross was forced to resign from the college. In 2006, she pleaded guilty to allegations of financial

Audit questions SU Lab spending under ex-director by the associated press

A state audit raises questions about more than $60,000 in expenses by a former director of the public school run by Southern University in Baton Rouge.

The Legislative audit says Derek Morgan made disbursements from a Southern University Laboratory School account totaling more than $60,000 that may be personal

in nature.

In his response to the audit, Morgan said he reimbursed the school by cashier’s check to cover the expenses listed as questionable plus $469 more.

Morgan also said he now has limited access to school records and therefore is limited in his ability to prove the reasonableness of expenses.

Morgan left the school last year, saying he wanted to look at other job opportunities.

get online @

photo by david goldman/ap photo

Morris Brown College is seen Friday in Atlanta. Morris Brown College could soon settle nearly $10 million in debt for pennies on the dollar in an agreement pending with the U.S. Education Department. The Associated Press has obtained a letter dated April 7 from the Education Department that says it will forgive more than $9.4 million in debt, provided Morris Brown pays the remaining $500,000.

mismanagement, but has since denied any wrongdoing, saying she took a plea deal to spare her family a public trial in an effort to move on with her life.

The scheme contributed to Morris Brown’s massive debt, which currently totals around $30 million.

The school owes money to vendors and other creditors.

Pritchett, who came in as interim president in 2008, says most of the debt is about a decade old.

With the loss of accreditation, the school has been ineligible for federal student aid and struggling to survive with a skeleton campus and enrollment. Today, the college has three majors — down from 48 — and

trivedi from page 1 Southern; “We are passing through very difficult times. It’s hard to find a friend in the Board of Regents, the Governor’s Office or the Legislature, aside from the Black Caucus,” Said Dr. Trivedi. He went on to say, “What we need to do as a Southern family is stick together and we need to fight to preserve us. We need to fight to keep SUNO, because what happened to SUNO today will happen to us tomorrow. The day is not too far.”

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85 students, a shadow the 3,000 students Morris Brown boasted at the height of its enrollment.

Meanwhile, the school has teetered on the brink of extinction but has found a way to survive. The campus was nearly shuttered two years ago after the city demanded a $380,000 overdue water bill, but Morris Brown held two rallies to raise the money to settle the debt. Alumni have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to keep the school afloat.

Jerry Howard, a 1970 graduate of Morris Brown, donated $50,000 after learning of the school’s efforts to dig itself out of debt. The Social Circle, Ga., native retired last year as senior vice president of corporate affairs for

Marathon Oil corporation after 35 years with the company and has since turned his attention to helping to save his alma mater.

“I haven’t contributed as much as I probably could have over the years,” Howard told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Monday, estimating that he may have given the school a total of $1,000 in the years since graduation and prior to last month’s large donation. “I’m looking to make up for that. I hope it serves as a catalyst for other alumni. I really believe we have a great window of opportunity here to eliminate a substantial amount of debt here. We’re going to give it our best shot.”

state & nation Page 4 - Tuesday, April 26, 2011

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Jindal opens session By melinda deslatte the associated press

Bitter redistricting work behind them, Louisiana’s lawmakers opened a new twomonth session Monday for their next unpleasant task: balancing next year’s budget and closing a $1.6 billion shortfall.

In an opening speech to the House and Senate, Gov. Bobby Jindal offered few details about PHOTO BY arthur d. lauck/ap photo his financial recommendations and didn’t weigh in on the Gov. Bobby Jindal, left, and Rep. Girod Jackson, D- Harvey visit on the House Floor after he addressed the most divisive proposals facing Joint Legislative Session Monday. Jindal called for a balanced budget without raising taxes. lawmakers. Instead, he gave a vigorous defense of his Lawmakers have filed 841 bills so far for consideration for parish councils on aging.

—Boost the state’s property tax exemption for opposition to tax increases in an in the regular legislative session that begins Monday. Some address that resembled more of are arcane or only affect one municipality, while others are homeowners. a stump speech than legislative more sweeping or divisive. Among the proposals would: —Raise probation and parole fees. guidance.

—Put limits on the pay packages of higher education —Spend nearly $25 billion on state agencies, services “Tax increases kill jobs. Tax and programs in the fiscal year that begins July 1, while system presidents and public college leaders. increases kill opportunities. closing a $1.6 billion budget gap with a patch of one-time —Toughen Louisiana’s immigration laws.

Tax increases hurt economic funds, cuts and other financing changes.

—Open more records of the governor’s office to public development. Tax increases —Consolidate the historically black Southern University scrutiny. hurt our ability to attract new at New Orleans with the largely white University of New —Limit how much state spending can grow each year businesses to Louisiana,” Jindal Orleans. The new college would be called the University of and make it tougher for lawmakers to use one-time money said. He added, “The people of Louisiana at New Orleans and would be under the University for continuing state government expenses.

Louisiana trust themselves with of Louisiana System.

—Ban abortion in Louisiana and make doctors who their money more than they trust —Merge the governing boards of four-year universities perform abortions and women who have them subject to us.” feticide charges. into one management board.

The Republican governor —Require President Barack Obama and other presidential —Raise tuition for college students. spent much of his 21-minute —Loosen the rules for some colleges and universities, candidates to prove their U.S. citizenship before their names talk by recapping achievements giving them exemptions from the job protections, can be included on a state ballot. and railing against Washington, purchasing provisions and construction rules that govern —Provide for the placement of a Ten Commandments D.C., spending and debt levels, other state agencies. monument at the Louisiana Capitol. as he campaigns for re-election —Repeal a law that allows public school science teachers —Redesign political district lines for the state House, this fall. state Senate, congressional seats and the state Board of to use supplemental materials in their classrooms beyond Lawmakers from both parties Elementary and Secondary Education. state-approved textbooks. said they had hoped to hear —Prohibit discrimination based on sexual identification.

—Raise the state’s cigarette tax. more about how Jindal was —Ban cell phone use while driving.

—Give tax breaks to an array of businesses, including approaching one of the toughest those in the digital media industry, those that grant high—Ban smoking in bars and casinos. fiscal years the Legislature has paying jobs with benefits and those that develop software.

—Allow concealed weapons on college campuses. faced in decades.

—Require welfare recipients to be drug tested.

—Give sales tax exemptions for breastfeeding items and “Typically, we’d hope to get “I expected to hear more prisons to drum up one-time New Orleans with the nearby more details about the plans for the session, about the plans specifics,” said Rep. Brett cash for the budget, to again University of New Orleans.

Asked to describe Jindal’s raise tuition on college students for the budget,” said Sen. Mike Geymann, R-Lake Charles.

The governor didn’t talk about and to merge the historically speech, Sen. Lydia Jackson, Michot, R-Lafayette, chairman of his proposals to sell three state black Southern University at D-Shreveport, called it “total the Senate Finance Committee.

avoidance,” saying the governor missed an opportunity to talk to state residents about reductions of services and programs.

“It might be easy to run against Washington. Unfortunately, we need governance in Louisiana,” Jackson said.

The session must end by June 23.

Jindal has proposed a budget approaching $25 billion that would cut funds for charity hospital care, education programs for at-risk youth, parks and museums, and state employees. To make the numbers work, Jindal’s spending plan anticipates millions of dollars that still need separate legislative approval and, in one case, backing from voters in a statewide referendum this fall.

The governor briefly described his budget as preserving funding for education and avoiding another round of cuts to the rates paid to private health care providers for taking care of Medicaid patients. He said it reduces the use of one-time money for ongoing expenses, though lawmakers in the House still worry that the amount proposed is too high.

“This is a good budget that protects our priorities and allows us to continue to move forward, allows us to continue to create jobs for our children and grandchildren,” Jindal said.

Critics have called the financing plans shaky, based on contingent funding that has yet to get the required legislative approvals. The new fiscal year begins July 1.

While haggling over the budget is the centerpiece of the “fiscal session,” lawmakers also will consider bills to ban abortion, place the Ten Commandments on capitol grounds, toughen immigration laws and require presidential candidates to prove their U.S. citizenship before their names can be included on a state ballot.

They also will weigh whether to deepen the budget cuts and give out an array of tax breaks proposed for businesses, property owners, parish councils on aging, historic renovations and school supply purchases.

Mississippi reaches highest mark since ‘37

photo by paul coletti/ap photo

The Quad Cities River Bandits and the Peoria Chiefs play a game Wednesdayinside Modern Woodmen Park in Davenport, Iowa. The rising flood waters of the Mississippi River surround the stadium which is protected by a flood wall.

VICKSURG, Miss. (AP) — The National Weather Service has forecast that the Mississippi River will crest at 52.5 feet in Vicksburg on May 13, the highest level since 1937.

“We’ve got water coming down on top of heavy rain,” Marty Pope, senior service hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, told the Vicksburg Post.

“It’s looking pretty bad right now. We have lots of rain to come, too.”

The Mississippi River at Cairo, Ill., at the confluence with the Ohio River, stood at 53.5 feet overnight Sunday, 13.5

feet above flood stage, and it was predicted to crest there May 3 at 60 feet.

The stage at Vicksburg stood at 39.2 feet Monday. It reached 43.3 feet on March 31.

In 1937, the Mississippi River topped out at 53.2 feet. In 2008, the river reached 50.9 feet, the highest since 1973 when it reached 51.6 feet.

The benchmark 1927 flood reached 56.2 feet on today’s gauges.

Pope said that 5 to 8 inches of rain were predicted over the next three days from southwest Arkansas to the Ohio River Valley.

In Vicksburg, precautions were being taken.

LeTourneau Technologies equipment was being moved to prepare the low-lying oil platform fabrication yard for a repeat of 2008, when the plant shut down for about two months.

“It’s not the first time, but we’re preparing for a flood,” plant manager Bo-D Massey said. “We’re continuing our manufacturing to the best of our ability.”

Eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers quarter boats were headed upriver to help fight the swelling Mississippi River.

SPORTS

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 - Page 5

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SU picks Banks to revive men’s hoops By morrIs DILLarD diGest sports editor

Two days after the Southern University Board of Supervisors’ Athletics Committee deferred the principles regarding the termination of former men’s basketball coach Rob Spivery, they moved quickly to fill the vacancy.

The athletics department announced Thursday that Southeastern Louisiana assistant coach Roman Banks, 41, will become the new head coach of the men’s basketball program.

Banks was an assistant at Southern from 1996-2002, where he spent five years under Tommy Green, one-year under Ben Jobe and once an interim head coach.

He was responsible for the recruitment of two-time Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year Adarrial Smylie and Dionte Harvey, the 1997-98 SWAC Newcomer of the Year.

“It’s been one of my dreams to coach there,” Banks said. “I had a lot of family members to play there. I was a basketball coach there and use to work in the system.

I always thought Southern was one of the blue-prints of being one of the better mid – major programs in the state of Louisiana.”

Banks has strong ties to SU that goes beyond his coaching days. His father, SU

Hall of Famer Cleophus, played basketball for the Jaguars. Former SU standout, and current Scotlandville High boys’ basketball coach, Carlos Sample is his brother.

Another SU Hall of Famer, Bob Love, is Banks’ godfather.

“I’ve been attracted to this program since I started coaching,” Banks said. “I knew the tradition of this program and I knew where this program used to be. I think right now it’s dusty and muddy.”

Banks will officially take over the program May 1 replacing Spivery, who was informed March 18 of the university’s decision to terminate his employment.

Spivery had one year remaining on a contract, which paid him $125,000 per year. He became Southern’s coach in 2005.

In his first season, he led the Jaguars to a 20-12 record and their first Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles since 1993.

Since then, the Jaguars have gone 8-23 in 2008-09, 5-25 in 2009-10, and 4-26 in 2010-11.

The NCAA docked the men’s basketball team two scholarships last year because of its low Academic Progress Rate, a system used to assess how well teams retain players and keep them on course to graduate.

Hall, Jags look to continue hot play against Alcorn St. By morrIs DILLarD diGest sports editor

As 27-year head coach Roger Cador offense struggles to show consistently at the plate, his first baseman Frazier Hall refuses to give into the trend.

Hall, whose team swept Jackson State in its traditional two-game interdivision series last weekend, was named one of 10 national finalists for the Senior Class Award, sponsored by Lowe’s — which is given annually to one senior athlete in college sports.

“It’s an honor to be nominated with nine other guys around the whole United States,” he said after the Jaguar’s 7-5 win over The Tigers Saturday evening. “It’s definitely something I’m proud of. I’ll love to have it.”

Hall, the 2009 Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year, is one of two athletes from Louisiana nominated for the award. Louisiana Tech’s Clint Ewing is the other. Candidates must be seniors. Fan voting is counts for one-third of the total.

The remaining two-thirds is determined

by NCAA Division I coaches and media.

He leads the SWAC in runs batted in (49) and homeruns (9)-surpassing last year’s season total of eight.

He’ll try to continue his surge Tuesday when the Jaguars host Alcorn at 6 p.m.

Tuesday in Baton Rouge.

Even though a series against JSU was what the Jags needed, whom snapped a two losing streak which included a 6-2 lost at Alcorn six days ago, leaving runners left

on base has been an ongoing problem for Hall and others.

“Our concentration is lacking,” Cador said, whose team is .500 in their last four games. “We’re pulling off too many pitches.

In the beginning of the year, we had great success trying to take the pitches up the middle.”

Southern, the SWAC leader in on-base percentage (.403) and runs scored (288), has stranded 42 base runners during that four game stretch which included eight against Alcorn.

“It’s always good to have ups and downs because then you know where you are,” Hall said. “If everything’s down then you have zero confidence. Heart is going to be our biggest thing. As long as we have heart it’s going to work for us.”

Southern is batting .175 over the last four games. Hall went 2 of 4 with three runs scored Saturday. The veteran slugger has three hits and four strikeouts in the last 13 at-bats.

“Only two guys on the team gone hit homeruns consistently, Frazier Hall and Wilmy Marrero,” Cador said. “The other kids, I just need them to stay on top of the ball. If we do that we’ll be very good.”

The Jaguars hitter’s had little success against Alcorn in their first meeting.

They went 4 of 32 with four walks and six strikeouts. Their leadoff hitters, Ozzie Lamis and Kyle Smith have been left on base six times during its stretch. Smith is fourth on the team in on base percentage at .429 and Lamis is sixth at .404. Lamis has scored three runs during the stretch.

Photo Courtesy oF hammonD DaILy star

southeastern Louisiana assistant coach roman Banks, shown here at the side of Lions head coach Jim Yarbrough, has accepted the head men’s basketball coaching position at southern — along with the task of reviving a once-proud progam now on hard times.

The low APR score could cause Southern to face a one-year postseason ban next season. SU had an APR of 847, below NCAA requirement of 925, which can result in penalty to the department.

“The university has set some things

in place that I think are very good,” Banks said. “I also think from a coach’s perspective, being in the business for a while, it’s important that myself and my staff know where the kids are academically as we’re recruiting.”

arts & entertainment Page 6 - Tuesday, April 26, 2011

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Photos tell stories of icons By kathy matheson the associated press

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — In a culture saturated with celebrity magazines, paparazzi and red carpets, it’s hard to imagine capturing an image of a young Elvis Presley alone on the sidewalk in New York. Or a picture of Muhammad Ali at play with neighborhood kids in a parking lot.

No screaming fans, no camera flashes, no entourages.

These unguarded moments are among dozens featured in “Ali and Elvis: American Icons,” a pair of photography exhibits sharing gallery space through May 15 at the James A. Michener Museum in Doylestown, Pa., about 25 miles north of Philadelphia. This is the first time the exhibits have been displayed together.

The Smithsonian-curated “Elvis at 21” show offers a glimpse into Presley’s life just as his star begins to rise. Needing publicity photos, Presley’s record company hired photographer Alfred Wertheimer in 1956 to shadow the rock-n-roll prince who would become The King.

Wertheimer had extraordinary access, said Smithsonian project director Marquette Folley.

“After this year, 1956, no one can ever get this close again,” Folley said. “The walls go up.”

The images of Ali, taken by multiple photographers, chronicle his years from teen boxer to his reign as The Greatest to a beloved figure battling Parkinson’s disease. They were first displayed at a Hofstra University symposium on Ali in 2008.

Putting the exhibits together was simply an effort to take a broader look at the concepts of fame and the making of icons, said Brian Peterson, chief curator at the Michener Museum.

Certainly the two superstars had similarities. Both sons of the South, Presley and Ali enjoyed worldwide popularity but also alarmed some people with their swagger and attitude — Elvis with his thrusting pelvis and use of African-American rhythms in his music, Ali with his braggadocio and conversion to Islam.

Wertheimer’s 56 images — most enlarged to 3-by-4-foot prints — capture Presley’s electrifying stage persona but also his more intimate moments: standing in solitude in front of New York’s Warwick Hotel; sprawling on a couch reading fan mail; and interacting with his family.

Wertheimer also chronicles

PHOTO By matt rourke/AP PHOTO

Visitors view photographs at the James A. Michener Museum in Doylestown, Pa. Two American superstars have crossed paths in suburban Philadelphia at the museum, where a pair of photography exhibits called American Icons offers a peek into the lives of Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali.

one summer week that found the American idol rehearsing alone at a piano for an appearance on Steve Allen’s show in New York, kissing a giddy fan backstage in Richmond, Va., and splashing in his swimming pool at home in Memphis, Tenn.

“I was basically putting Elvis under my microscope,” Wertheimer, now 81, told The Associated Press. “He permitted closeness.”

The bulk of “Muhammad Ali: The Making of an Icon” features shots of the heavyweight champ in and around the ring: training

in Miami; absorbing blows from George Foreman in Zaire; and looming over a floored Sonny Liston in Neil Leifer’s famous frame from 1965.

But the exhibit starts with less familiar and more personal images from when Ali was known as Cassius Clay — shadowboxing with his family, preening in front of a mirror and riding a bike with adoring local children. It ends with pictures of Ali the celebrity and humanitarian, lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta and receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Curator Hava Gurevich said the power of the 50-image show lies in its combination of fine art, documentary and news photography.

“It’s like a kaleidoscopic view of Muhammad Ali’s life,” Gurevich said.

Peterson, the Michener curator, said he didn’t find out until after booking them that Presley and Ali had actually crossed paths.

Elvis visited Ali’s training camp in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains and gave him a rhinestone cape; Ali gave The King an autographed pair of gold boxing gloves.

VIEWPOINTS

Tuesday, April 26, 2011 - Page 7

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Are we are who we say we are?

“We live in the already with the vision of the not yet.”

—Unknown Isn’t it such a dismal image to know that the same group of people that are expected to come to an institution of higher learning and produce tomorrow’s leaders is the same group of people that portray the image of someone without any understanding of being civilized?

Let’s define civilized: having an advanced or humane culture or society, polite; well bred; refined.

Is this really what should be expected of an individual attending a Historically Black College that has been around since April of 1880? Was this part of the vision of P. B. S. Pinchback, T. T. Allain, Erick J Gilmore and Henry Demas Anthony Lawless when it was labeled as an institution “for the education of persons of color” at the 1879 Louisiana State Constitutional Convention? If this is the case, are we really living up to what was expected of us by our forefathers?

We parade around this campus as if to say that everything is delightful and we have arrived. There is no since of

urgency. We portray this disheartening illustration of hopelessness with our exposing apparel from men, as well as women and our non-attendance to the much-needed help provided for us by individuals with our future in mind.

Our blinders are well intact; covering our realization from ascertaining the idea that if we are to ever move forward as a renowned university producing some of the best citizens in the world, we are to grasp a hold of education as if it is our only life line. It must be the essence of our existence, especially during this dispensation of time. There are wars and rumors of wars. This goes without mentioning countries such as Mali, Niger and Sierra Leone where the literacy rate is below 25 percent.

The opportunity to gain an understanding of the inner-workings of our society’s machine is an everrewarding experience. Yet, this is not the impression one receives when he visits Southern University-Baton Rouge.

Instead, you are able to see students in obviously inappropriate clothing speaking of material that has no place whatsoever in the higher education

arena. In other cases, you can walk into a class that starts at 8 a.m. and notice that half of the students that are registered for the course are nowhere to be found. There can be a function that is intended to develop the professional entity of a student that will not be considered for an alternative of going to a party or a pageant that has no substance towards the future of what that person came to Southern University for, initially.

As the title states, “Are we who we say we are?” Are we living up to the ideas that were thought of before most of us were born? We are attendees at an institution of higher learning and our main priority is not to attend every party that comes about. Our main agenda is also not to make sure that we hurry to graduate without any looking into what is next. Our vision should ensure that we are prepared to donate immense amounts of beneficial substance to this constantly changing world. There are more resources aboard our campus than our imagination will ever be able to create. It is our job to seek them out and use them to the uttermost without

hesitation.

Imagine this coming to fruition: “Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, Louisiana students record one of the highest graduation rates in the history of HBCUs. This institution is also the leading producer of black engineers, doctors, lawyers, and educators. Not to mention, the Cancer Research Center has been named one of the country’s leading platforms for natural medicine development regarding AfricanAmerican epidemical diseases such as breast and prostate cancer.” Sounds great doesn’t it. This is because it is what we all want, but the next question is, “Are we willing to take on the amount of work needed to make this imagination a reality?” It is our responsibility to make our time at this great institution worthwhile and an impactful moment in the history of Southern University and Agricultural & Mechanical College at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Russell J. Ledet Chemistry/Biology major Baton Rouge

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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-mail 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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