The August 30th edition of The Southern Digest

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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

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Volume 57, Issue 1

Group seeks to rename Danziger bridge see State & Nation, page 4

Today

Jags’ defense shines in final scrimmage see Sports, page 5

Bey’s baby bump tops VMAs see Culture, page 6

Faculty, administration in Mexican standoff

Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi uses a caulking gun during Monday’s Faculty Senate meeting to demonstrate his opinion on how Southern University System President Ronald Mason Jr. is using financial exigency like a gun to force the faculty into taking furloughs.

Both sides posturing as Wednesday’s financial exigency vote looms Norman J. Dotson Jr. The Southern Digest

The Mexican standoff between the faculty and administration is nearing its climax Wednesday when the Board of Supervisors votes on whether or not to declare a financial emergency at SUBR. The faculty senate met yesterday to discuss what happened in the Shreveport board meeting and to discuss possible actions to be taken after this Wednesday’s board decision on the financial state of the university. Many faculty members expressed their disgust with how the administration is handling this situation.

“We need to think about what the consequences will be to this university by coming up with a reorganization or restructuring plan and the restructuring that needs to be done is in administration primarily,” said Thomas Miller, vice president of the faculty senate. “That’s where all the money is bleeding from,” Miller said angrily to the crowd.

Miller went on to say that the administration itself should take cuts first and then the faculty would agree to take cuts. He also stated that the faculty could not be tricked into doing anything hinting at the contract changes made by the administration concerning voluntary furloughs.

Earlier this year the faculty was given a chance to take furloughs voluntarily, however, after a few faculty

PHOTO BY norman j. dotson jr./ digest

To paint a picture depicting how Trivedi sees system president, Ronald Mason Jr., utilizing financial exigency he pulls out an empty caulk gun to represent a real gun comparing Mason’s tactics to that of mugger taking money from faculty and staff alike.

anger about the possibility of faculty members being fired without proper notice who have worked at SUBR for many years.

Emotions ran high when Student Government Association president, Demetrius Sumner, was asked why he initially supported the

fi•nan•cial ex•i•gen•cy \fi-NAN-chul ex-EH-gen-CEE\: imminent financial crisis which threatens the survival of the institution as a whole and which cannot be alleviated by less drastic means than layoffs members signed the original contract there are claims that the contract was altered to give the impression that the furloughs had to be done.

Sudhir Trivedi, faculty senate president, spoke about how the system office never made a “good faith” effort to raise or seek out other means of producing funds to help with budgetary strain facing the university.

“Assuming that this is a real gun, financial exigency is basically ‘How much money do you have? Give me your money’” Trivedi said pointing the gun into the crowd. “Financial Exigency!

That is the hallmark of this chancellor and this president folks from day one,” Trivedi yelled turning the caulking gun onto himself.

Trivedi expressed his

furloughs.

“I sat in those budget meetings and I went with what I was initially given, and the options given made this venture sound like the only way,” Sumner said. “It wasn’t until later on that myself and others found this not to be true.”

Many faculty members drilled Sumner about that fact and made it very

difficult for him to plead his case. Toni Jackson, staff senate president, defended Sumner saying that if it were anyone else in that position they would have made the same choice. Sumner has publicly voiced his opinion against these furloughs.

“I am in support of what is best for the university,” said Sumner.

According to Eva Baham, history professor, the system president and his personnel make equivalent or more than the president of the United States and his cabinet.

If the faculty and administration cannot come to an agreement on a balanced budget the Board of Supervisors will vote to declare a financial emergency Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the board meeting room at the J.S. Clark Administration Building.

Late registration comes to an end Wednesday Billy Washington & Olivia Brock The Southern Digest

Southern University’s late registration will end Wednesday.

The Financial aid faculty will resume back to regular business hours in their normal location following this Wednesday.

“We were implementing Banner, but we did not get a chance to do anything until late summer, that’s why we are behind,” said Ursula Shorty,

Director of Financial Aid. The campus has been in an uproar, gearing students up for the Fall 2011 semester.

Most conversation on campus was pertaining to financial aid and the many dilemmas that are behind it. Some students encountered several issues while accepting aid awards online and those issues couldn’t be resolved, due to the financial aid office being temporarily located in Seymour Gym. “A road map for students to know the procedures should

be implemented and deadlines should be imperative,” Shorty said.

There was also trouble in communication between students and financial aid workers.

“Technology and resources should be improved and students should be aware of their responsibilities,” said Shorty.

The slow and overwhelming process also has to do with the office being under staffed.

“There are currently 13 people on our staff, with three vacancies

waiting to be filled,” said Shorty.

Crystal Devon Lark-Hayes, a sophomore elementary education major from Orange County, Calif., described the financial aid process in her own words.

“The process was long and drawn out,” said Lark-Hayes.

They should have trained their staff before we got here, Lark-Hayes commented.

Some students thought the process was actually smooth compared to previous years on the bluff like Carlos Rodriguez,

the official student newspaper of southern university and A&m college, baton rouge, louisiana

a business graduate student from Dallas.

Some students were just outright disgusted with financial aid and the SU system. “Financial aid is stupid. They are always giving people the run around, said Jeremy Jason, mass communication grad student from New Orleans.

By students submitting their requested forms on time, and constantly checking their campus e-mail; camping outside and waiting in long lines can hopefully be avoided next year.

Campus Life southerndigest.com

Page 2 - Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Classifieds

will be held August 31 from 1-1:50 p.m. in Stewart Hall Auditorium.

RESTAURANT

AWS presents What’s your party?

Papa Stopa’s Pizzeria. Pizza, salads, pastas, tacos & burritos.

Bad to the bone BBQ ribs & chicken. 225.778.0780. We cater to SU. 10% discount students & faculty with ID. By popular vote: #1 SU, #2 Mayor Kip Holden, #3 Papa Stopas.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.8:30 p.m.

The Association for Women Students is giving the students the opportunity to understand how students relate to different party affiliations in Higgins Hall room 118/119 at 7pm.

Learn to vote on your ideals / principles and not just party apartments for rent affiliation. Bring an open mind.

Apt. homes available @ The Many issues and concerns Palisades. 1.866.936.5544. will be addressed. The key to being knowledgeable about the Campus Briefs issue is to be aware of varied perspectives. Register to vote today at the event and receive an SU voter registration armbandHIV/AIDS Prevention Party The Southern University your armband will give you Center for Social Research exclusive access to parties, will be hosting a HIV/AIDS prizes, and travel parties. More prevention kick-off party in details will be discussed.

Smith-Brown Memorial Union SEPTEMBER 1 at 10am in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom.

SU Counseling Center Meet and Greet

Peer Tutoring

Southern University Counseling Center is hosting an annual meet and greet from 11 a.m.-3p.m. on Thursday, September 1. All students are welcome. Come get information about the counseling center, its services, and enjoy food, sodas, and music. For more information about the counseling center call 225.771.2480.

Center for Student Success is offering Peer Tutoring in Stewart Hall Room 107 Monday through Fridays from 8:00 am to 5:00pm. Any tutoring sessions after 5pm Monday through Thursday will be held in John B. Cade Library until 9:00pm. august 31 Discover your learning Style

Qualifying tests for continuing education Stipends

Do you learn better by hearing, seeing, or doing?

Have you ever wondered why your friend or classmate seems to learn material in a different way than you? If so, this session is designed with you in mind to help you discover your own learning style. This session will be Wednesday, August 31 from 1-1:50 p.m. in Stewart Hall Auditorium.

Association for Women Students is offering a stipend for Junior and Senior female students to take the GRE, LSAT, GMAT, or MCAT. Qualified applicants should possess a GPA of 2.8 or above, a personal statement of interest, a resume, a letter of recommendation from a professor, and a selected post-graduate institution.

Applicants will be reviewed and selected by a faculty panel. Applicants must turn in all requested documents

by September 30, 2011 to be considered. For any questions please contact AWS via e-mail

S.I.G.I. 3: Are you sure of what you want out of College?

In order to successfully maneuvering through college you must first know where you are heading. This session

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Who’s Speaking Out?

awssubr10-11@gmail.com.

Back to School Special in SU Barber Shop

Every Monday beginning September 12th the SU barber shop will offer a “Back to School Special”. Students can receive a $2.00 discount off a student haircut. This special is only during the month of September between the hours of 11 a.m.-3p.m. Students should bring in this coupon and ask for Rob to redeem the discount. For any questions call 225.771.3693.

SEPTEMBER 2

How much are you worried about the financial exigency talk?

Charissa Carroll

Imeni Robinson

chicago sophomore chemical engineering

Chicago Sophomore history

“All areas of Southern University will Carroll be affected. The school should ask for assistance instead of solvinig the problem themselves.”

“I feel that the financial exigency will put Robinson a burden on the students and faculty of Southern University.”

Table Tennis Tournament

Come out and test your skills against the best in LaCumba’s playpen in Smith-Brown Memorial Union on September 7 from 6-9 p.m. Registration is $5 per person and all participants must register

by September 2. Awards and prizes will be presented the first, second, and third place winners.

Jamie Payton

Khalid Washington

Gonzales, La. senior criminal justice

shreveport sophomore computer science

“I’m worried that my degree would be meaningless when I graduate.”

Payton

SEPTEMBER 6

“I feel that it would cause us to possibly become bankrupt and be in a financial deficit.”

Washington

Billiards Tournament

Come out a show everyone what you’ve got in LaCumba’s playpen September 21 from 6-9 p.m. in Smith-Brown Memorial Union. Registration is $5 per person and all participants must register between September 6 and 15.

Awards and prizes will be given to first, second, and third place winners.

Let your voice be heard!

Send a...

Letter to the editor

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News southerndigest.com

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - Page 3

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

PHOTO BY gerald herbert/ap photo

Caryan Hurst, 2, granddaughter of Lower 9th Ward resident Robert Green, who lost his mother and niece in Hurricane Katrina, walks with an umbrella during a second line commemorating the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Monday.

Katrina’s 6th anniversary finds Gulf Coast on mend Cain Burdeau & Kevin McGill

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — The Gulf Coast mixed somber ceremonies with New Orleans’ signature flair to mark the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and honor those killed during the catastrophic storm that drowned much of the region’s dominant city and devastated coastal towns in Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana.

Monday marked the passage of six difficult years of rebuilding for the region, which is showing signs of a strong recovery from the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The storm killed more than 1,800 people, a majority of them in New Orleans where water filled up the city after levees and floodwalls built by the Army Corps of Engineers failed.

Despite the hardships, many residents were upbeat.

“We’re coming back, one house at a time, just like the community was built so many years ago,” said Ronald Lewis, 60, who lives in New Orleans’ Lower 9th Ward and runs a Mardi Gras Indian museum called the House of Dance and Feathers. He was one of the first residents to build back after Katrina.

To commemorate those lost in Katrina, Lewis and his Original Big 9 Social Aid and Pleasure Club marched a secondline down one of the only streets rebuilt in the neighborhood’s worst-hit area and hung a new wreath on an oak tree for one member’s mother and niece killed in the storm. The wreath changing has become a yearly ritual for the anniversary.

It wasn’t an altogether sad event, with people coming out of their homes to dance to the music and greet friends.

Tamika Shelling, a 32-year-old bus driver who grew up in the Lower 9th, sat and waited for the second-line to pass.

Since Katrina, she doesn’t live in the

neighborhood anymore, but she likes to return on the storm’s anniversary because it’s an occasion to see old friends, neighbors and family. “You see a lot of people you haven’t seen in years,” she said.

Also Monday, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and his sister, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., joined hundreds of people for a walk to the top of a bridge in the Lower 9th Ward where a bouquet of flowers was tossed into the Industrial Canal. The floodwalls along the canal burst open during Katrina and led to deadly flooding.

Similar events were held elsewhere on the Gulf Coast. In Biloxi, Miss., the names of storm victims were read aloud as about 100 people gathered in prayer at the Katrina Memorial site on the Town Green.

At the University of New Orleans, the commemoration was more academic than emotional at a symposium to discuss a new book on the recovery by the Brookings Institution and the nonprofit Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. The meeting focused on government and civic improvements driven by a populace that’s more engaged since the catastrophe.

“The region is well positioned to be a model of rebirth as long as it doesn’t let this early progress slip,” said Amy Liu, of the Brookings Institution, and an editor of the book “Resiliency and Opportunity.”

The reforms in New Orleans include the creation and funding of an inspector general’s office to oversee city contracting and an independent police monitor to help reform a scandal-plagued police department; a complete overhaul of the education system and a proliferation of independently run charter schools; and an evacuation system that takes into account the needs of those without cars or easy access to transportation.

Panelists said Katrina provided an

emotional impetus that allowed reform efforts to gain traction.

“There’s about a one-letter difference between an engaged citizenry and an enraged citizenry,” said Tulane University’s David A. Marcello, author of a chapter on ethics. “And rage unquestionably fueled a considerable amount of the reform impulse and the engagement that came after Katrina.”

“You can’t sustain rage or engagement indefinitely,” Marcelo added. “You have to use those moments to create systems that will endure.”

Despite other troubles that have beset the region, such as last year’s oil spill, it looks like the Gulf Coast is on the mend.

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour said that six years ago it looked like “the hand of God had wiped away the coast.” Today, he continued, visitors to the Mississippi coast “can’t tell anything ever happened because it’s been rebuilt.”

“Naysayers predicted our city’s best days were over. We knew better,” said U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans.

Still, residents and politicians alike acknowledged there’s a lot left to do.

President Barack Obama promised to help the region “come back stronger than before” while praising “the grit and determination” of the Gulf Coast’s residents. He said his administration helped the recovery along by cutting red tape to free up recovery money and broke “through gridlock” to help thousands of displaced families find homes.

Still, it’s not as rosy in many neighborhoods like the Lower 9th Ward where the recovery has been very slow.

The neighborhood has lost about 14,000 residents.

“It’s pretty slow,” said Henry Holmes, the 77-year-old owner of Eatin’ At Holmes, a restaurant he ran before Katrina. Without flood insurance for his business, he said he had spent his savings to get his restaurant reopened.

State & Nation southerndigest.com

Page 4 - Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Group seeks Danziger change

Irene death toll now at 38 The Associated Press

Mary Foster

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — The African American Leadership Project wants the Danziger Bridge renamed for the two men killed there by New Orleans police days after Hurricane Katrina.

Ronald Madison and James Brissette were killed on the bridge.

The community activist group planned a meeting and ceremony to announce the proposal at the foot of the bridge later Monday, the sixth anniversary of Katrina.

Member Walter Umrani said the group has strong community support for the effort and will soon contact the City Council and state Legislature about the proposed change.

Five current or former police officers were convicted of civil rights violations in the killings of Madison and Brissette, and the wounding of four other civilians who were walking on the bridge less than a week after the Aug. 29, 2005, storm. The jury agreed that the officers shot the six people without provocation, and then embarked on a cover-

PHOTO BY matthew hinton/ap photo

Lance Madison, left, gets a hug from prosecutor Cindy Chung next to lead prosecutor Barbara “Bobbi” Bernstein, right, in front of Hale Boggs Federal Court Friday, Aug. 5, 2011 in New Orleans, La. Madison, whose brother, Ronald, was shot and killed on the Danziger bridge by New Orleans Police Sept. 5, 2005, and who was jailed for allegedly shooting at police thanked the jury and the federal authorities who brought the case, while noting he will never get his brother back.

up that involved fictitious witnesses, falsified reports and a planted gun.

Sgts. Kenneth Bowen and Robert Gisevius, Officer Anthony Villavaso, former Officer Robert Faulcon and retired Sgt. Arthur Kaufman have since appealed those convictions.

“We don’t mean this to show we are against the NOPD,” Umrani said. “It is to be an important reminder for everyone of what

happened and the improvement of the justice system in New Orleans since then.”

Renaming the bridge would require an act by the Louisiana Legislature. State Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, who represents part of eastern New Orleans, said if it came to a vote in the House he would support it.

“I am definitely in support of something that honors all those people shot on that bridge,”

Badon said Monday. “I support the move, but it doesn’t go far enough. I know we can’t name the bridge after all of them, but we could erect a memorial at the foot of the bridge for all of them.”

Although he found support for the proposed change, Umrani said among the poor and disenfranchised there was doubt that the government would go along with it.

MONTPELIER, Vt. — The full measure of Hurricane Irene’s fury came into focus Monday as the death toll jumped to 38, New England towns battled epic floods and millions faced the dispiriting prospect of several days without electricity.

From North Carolina to Maine, communities cleaned up and took stock of the uneven and hard-to-predict costs of a storm that spared the nation’s biggest city a nightmare scenario, only to deliver a historic wallop to towns well inland.

In New York City, where people had braced for a disastermovie scene of water swirling around skyscrapers, the subways and buses were up and running again in time for the Monday morning commute. And to the surprise of many New Yorkers, things went pretty smoothly.

But in New England, landlocked Vermont contended with what its governor called the worst flooding in a century.

Streams also raged out of control in upstate New York.

In many cases, the moment of maximum danger arrived well after the storm had passed.

sPorts southerndigest.com

the sentinel of an enlightened student Body since 1926

tuesday, august 30, 2011 - Page 5

Jags’ defense shows teeth in scrimmage Morris diLLard

The Southern Digest

Southern defensive coordinator O’Neill Gilbert walked off the field at A.W. Mumford Stadium with a sense of satisfaction going into the Jaguars’ season opener against Tennessee State.

The Jaguars’ defense held their offensive counterparts to two scores during last weekend’s Fan Day scrimmage, which included performances from the Human Jukebox, cheerleaders and unveiling of the new Columbia blue jerseys the team will wear this season.

Southern opens the 2011 season Saturday in Nashville, Tenn., at the 13th Annual John Merritt Classic.

“They’ve done exactly what I want, exactly what we expect of them,” second year defensive coordinator O’Neill Gilbert said after Saturday’s scrimmage.”

“It’s been a great camp. A lot better than last year.”

Among the offensive highlights, quarterback Dray Joseph connected on two touchdown passes to LaQuinton Evans and Charles Hawkins against the No.2 defensive unit. But there were no long runs of note and, when

the scrimmage concluded, the defense shut out the offense on consecutive drives.

The question is, with four days before their season opener, are the Jaguars gameready coming out of their final preseason tune-up?

“We’ll be ready to go as a whole,” Gilbert said after the scrimmage. When we get off that bus Saturday in Nashville, we’ll have bad intentions.”

For the Jaguars, who finished 2-9 last season, allowed 33.8 points per game last season, which was ninth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

The defense kept the offense under siege, which included an interception and return by Kevin King during the first half of the scrimmage.

“I like the energy those guys have,” second year coach Stump Mitchell said after the scrimmage. “There want me to be calm. I’m different when its practice time because that’s when we have to try to aim for perfection.”

SU’s defense forced consecutive three-and-outs and also came up with short situation stops against a struggling inexperienced offense. Gilbert held a brief

PHOTO By TReVOR James/DIGesT

Linebacker Robert Sanchez wraps up running back Jerry Joseph during Saturday’s Fan Day Scrimmage.

Southern opens the 2011 season Saturday against Tennessee State at the John Merritt Classic in Nashville, Tenn. Kickoff is 6 p.m.

meeting during intermission to talk to his unit.

“We just have to stay focused,” Gilbert said. “We wanted to correct our mistakes and make the necessary adjustments so we can go out there and win ball games.”

Other defensive highlights included a punishing tackle across the middle of the field when Evans met safety Jeremy Coleman. Evans struggled to stand on his feet before being helped off the field in the first half.

“I seen an attitude change and that’s the main adjustment we needed to make,” Gilbert said. “Our number one thing was our attitude so I’ve seen that adjustment and from there we’re going to do wonders.”

Culture southerndigest.com

Page 6 - Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Sentinel of an Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Beyonce baby tops VMAs Nekesa Mumbi Moody The Associated Press

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s offspring doesn’t even have a name yet, but it was the indisputable breakout star of Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards, upstaging everyone, even Katy Perry’s win for video of the year.

Perry, who had the most nominations coming into the show with 10, came away with three moonman trophies, including video of the year for the inspirational clip “Firework.”

“I feel like I’m doing something right when I sing that song,” said Perry, conservatively dressed in a cotton-candy pink jacket, a skirt and something best described as a Green Bay Packers cheesehead decoration.

But the night’s big news came from Beyonce, who stole the show before it even began when she announced on the black carpet that after more than three years of marriage, the dazzling couple had produced the ultimate allstar collaboration. Dressed in a loose-fitting, off-the-shoulder red gown, she clutched the baby bump that so many celebwatchers had been predicting since the two wed.

Later, Beyonce performed “Love on Top,” and if Twitter hadn’t already spread the news, her outfit gave clues to her impending motherhood; instead of her typical sexy outfits, she dressed in conservative spangled tux - but still danced around in her signature stilettos.

Beyonce didn’t utter a word about the pregnancy, but ended the number by taking off her jacket and rubbing her swollen belly; in the audience, an elated Jay-Z hooted and clapped for his wife as Kanye West hugged him.

In an instant, Beyonce and her soon-to-be child managed to overshadow the night’s events. Lady Gaga’s much-hyped opening number, during which she performed as a greasy, leather-jacketed male alter-ego during a performance of “You and I,” became less interesting.

So did the evening’s meticulously planned wild moments, from Nicki Minaj’s origami-like outfit to a dance-off between the members of Odd Future and Jack Black, Will Ferrell and Seth Rogen.

There was one apparently unscripted moment during JayZ’s performance with Kanye West of “Otis,” off their charttopping joint album “Watch the

Throne.” Near the end of the song, someone tried to walk on the stage, but was quickly apprehended by a crew member as a bemused Jay-Z looked on. It was the second time Jay-Z had someone walk on unannounced during an MTV performance; two years ago, it was Lil Mama.

Britney Spears captured the night’s first award, for best pop video, and later was honored with an MTV Video Vanguard award for her visual legacy. Lady Gaga, sticking to her genderswitch shtick, leered at Spears as she paid tribute to her.

“She’s a pop music legend, and the industry would not be the same without her,” Gaga said. “I used to hang pictures of her on my wall and touch myself when I was in bed.”

Later, Gaga fished for a kiss, but as Spears leaned in, she quickly pulled back, reminding viewers, “I’ve done that before.”

The show at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles had no official host, though comedian Kevin Hart delivered an opening monologue and was featured in a series of vignettes during the show.

Adele had perhaps the highlight of the night as the seven-time nominee delivered

Did media go overboard with Irene?

David Bauder

The Associated Press

NEW YORK — The clouds from Hurricane Irene had barely dissipated before a chorus of critics began suggesting that television networks had gone overboard hyping the storm before and during its march up the East Coast.

For days, The Weather Channel and cable news networks reported on little else.

Ultimately, they were affected by the unpredictability that is the nature of tropical storms. Irene largely spared New York City, where much of the media attention had been focused, while causing significant damage in places where it was unanticipated: Who planned for torrents of water in Brattleboro, Vt.?

One media critic, Howard Kurtz, of The Daily Beast, called the coverage “a hurricane of hype.”

Manhattan resident Josh Hull, who left his downtown home to ride out the storm with friends on the Upper East Side, said broadcasters blew the storm way out of proportion.

“I get that news is a business, but drumming up ratings at the expense of 28 million people is beyond the pale,” Hull said. “My family, who all live in another part of the country, were worried sick all weekend while I slept right through the worst of it.”

The coverage became more a form of entertainment and less of a public resource, said Lise King, a fellow at Harvard University.

“The two agendas cannot co-exist, as one serves to lead citizens into calm action and the other is meant, by nature,

to drum up emotional responses in order to keep the viewer tuning in,” she said.

Media organizations defended their coverage, in some cases angrily. NBC News anchor Brian Williams recalled talking to a meteorologist from The Weather Channel on Wednesday night and said he had “never heard him so dire.”

Networks took cues from public officials, like when New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg ordered unprecedented evacuations and a full-scale public transportation shutdown in the nation’s largest city.

Criticism that the coverage was overblown is the worst kind of Monday morning quarterbacking, said Phil Griffin, MSNBC chief executive.

“There’s just an unpredictability about this stuff,” Griffin said. “Suppose someone tells you there’s a 1 in 10 chance you’re going to have a tire blow out on your car. Are you going to drive home on it, or are you going to fix the tire? You’re probably going to fix the tire.”

The perception that the storm wasn’t a bad one came because glass did not come flying down from skyscrapers onto the streets of Manhattan in high winds, he said. There’s a much different perception in flood-ravaged New Jersey towns, for instance, or in the hundreds of thousands of homes without power.

Of course, where was the image of the storm created in the first place?

The Weather Channel began casting aside its regular schedule for nearconstant storm updates three days before Irene’s initial landfall on North Carolina. The network has more than 200 meteorologists on staff and worked hard to keep its coverage factual and

PHOTO By matt sayles/AP PHOTO

Beyonce performs at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles.

a powerfully understated performance of “Someone Like You,” off her top-selling “21” album.

Chris Brown also wowed with an aerial number, soaring above the crowd in between highstepping choreography.

Commentary southerndigest.com

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - Page 7

It’s getting hot in here 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

FALL 2011 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................................Morris Dillard Staff Writer........................LaTreshia Douglas Staff Writer............................ Lauren Johnson Staff Writer.......................... Torrance Latham Staff Writer................................. Breanna Paul Staff Writer....................................... Sam Ross Staff Writer.......................... Billy Washington Staff Photographer.......................Talor Kinzy Staff Photographer....................Keldric Nash

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.

Editorial policy

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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Financial Exigency, furloughs, bankruptcy, and accreditation have been filling the hallways of Southern University. Not only is outside physically hot and the humidity is so thick you can cut it with a knife … so is the tension of students, faculty and staff.

Sidebar conversations echo through packed classrooms and students clearly elevate their voices as signs of emotion when discussing financial aid, packed and canceled classes, and threats to close the school.

The financial climate change that affected the American stock market, pensions, social security, and the unemployment rate is now standing in the face of the new Southern University administration saying, “Here I am.”

Without warning and without anticipation Southern University faces another shortfall to the already stretched paper-thin budget.

Thinking conceptually; we live in a quick-fast, present moment, instant gratification world; where if it doesn’t cook itself or it’s ready in 90 seconds is the norm. Principles and concepts have no value or validity and opinions

Evan Taylor and scandals take flight.

In our world as long as you have money, you have happiness. In our world your money is more valuable than your time. In our world courtesy and chivalry don’t exist.

Times are too serious for stagnation and pessimism. As information floods in through the television and radio we need to be able to decipher it and research it’s validity and value. Information is valuable ... Imagine something in your life that is not made up of information. The Internet is the world wide web of information. Books, filled with information. Magazines

sometimes useless but, nonetheless information. Television and radio shows, again information.

Our society is lazy and is willing to disseminate useless and false information, and we wonder why people don’t really know what’s going on or don’t understand. We fill our minds, our family’s minds, our friend’s minds, and the minds of those we associate with false and opinionated information.

As financial exigency, furloughs, bankruptcy, and loss of accreditation fills the hallways of Southern University, the Board of Supervisors meetings, The upper offices of the administration building, the faculty senate meetings, and classrooms alike; we need to be inhaling that information and taking it back to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and professionals with insight on our situation.

If you think that the financial climate of Southern University and other HBCUs and America as a whole is going to change with everyone jumping ship … the global climate isn’t going to be the only thing heating up.

Just more of the same Every year students at Southern University and A&M College experience problems with Financial Aid, it’s been like this for a while now.

This is nothing new.

So why is everyone surprised?

I know this is an institution of higher learning and we should strive for excellence yadda, yadda, yadda.

But I believe this has been going on since the 1980s when my parents attended Southern.

Some things never change.

However this is something that should change. Students, don’t you get tired of waiting in long lines in the Seymour for hours on end just to be told that you need another form and to come back tomorrow.

Not to worry, they’ve given you a gold or black ticket!

Employees, don’t you get tired of working through lunch breaks, seeing the faces of students when you tell them that they forgot to sign their promissory note and to come back tomorrow and working long hours asking, “What’s your student number?”

This is not all the University’s fault.

Students, we need to take responsibility of our own problems.

College, but Southern especially gives us the opportunity to find the perserverance, determination and persistence you need to make it at Southern.

get online @

Breanna Paul But let me ask these few questions, how many students who waited in line at 3am, called Channel 9 News or were turned around because Seymour was at capacity filled out their FAFSA after the deadline?

How many waited until the week before school to check on Financial Aid Status?

How many caught an attitude with workers thinking that’ll scare them into processing your work?

I could go on and on…

Maybe THIS is why students say, “Once I get my diploma, I ain’t giving Southern one red cent.” A good number of students go through hell and high water during every Registration Week and Alumni Presidents wonder why the alumni aren’t giving back.

Would you want to give money to a place where people who are supposed to put the students first but, never

answered the phone, returned emails, processed paperwork, lost paperwork, etc.? Well I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t.

What’s that Kwanzaa word? Ujima!

Yeah, that’s it! It means Collective Work and Responsibility, to build and maintain our community together and make our brothers’ and sisters’ problems our problems, and to solve them together.

We need to work together. Like the past SGA President, Stanley White said (many times), “One accord on the yard!” Students need to fill out their FAFSAs on time and check on their status before Registration Week. ALL university employees (not just those in the Office of Financial Aid) need to return after their lunch break, answer telephone calls and emails; you know things that are in their job description.

We are all dependent on each other.

We all need to be more patient with each other.

But through it all, the students love #TeamSU and have a lovehate relationship with the staff, faculty and administrators. We love Southern! And we hate when people who know nothing about the University talk about it!

O Southern, Dear Southern, we owe our all to Thee. In downfall or victory, we’ll always loyal be.

www.southerndigest.com

Page 8 - Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926