The February 1 Issue of The Southern Digest

STATE & NATION

gov’t says cut down on salt

SPORTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Jags look to add beef in recruiting. pg. 5

Also: DIGEST food review. pg. 6

Comcast-nBC deal complete

trenches priority for Su

New guidelines for sodium intake. pg. 4

estABLished in 1928

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2011

VOL. 57, ISSUE 4

Jindal to push for increases

Gospel concert stirs SU By norMan j. DotSon jr. diGest editor-iN-chieF

Praise and worship was the aim of the two-day gospel extravaganza hosted

by Southern’s own Baptist Student Union (BSU) last week in the F.G. Clark activity center. Thursday night featured Bishop Joseph Walker III from Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville, Tenn., and Friday featured three-time Grammy winner Donnie McClurkin.

Each night featured talented performers in gospel music and dance, each showcasing the different ways of giving praise and honor to God. This was BSU’s first time holding an event of this scale. BSU received help from the Student Government Association and administration, and brought in an estimated amount of $12,000 dollars from the two nights combined.

“I wanted to do something big. Not only for BSU but for those students here at Southern who needed some

By MelinDa DeSlatte the associated press

photo By norMan j. DotSon jr./DigeSt

three-time Grammy award winning gospel singer donnie Mcclurkin performs for the crowd at the preaching and praise extravaganza Friday night after delivering a powerful and emotional sermon on keeping the faith.

sort of guidance,” said Pastor Keith Branch, director of BSU. “When I came into BSU I came with the goal of saving and helping as many students as I possibly can.”

Branch also stated that in his mind student well-being came first above anything else.

He also stated that he hoped to attract more attention to the BSU by bringing in some “big names” in the gospel realm.

“I also wanted to push the message that BSU is open to any student of any denomination.

We are only concerned with guiding students through life and any troubles that may befall them,” Branch stated.

The activity center was filled with over 200 students, faculty, administration, and others from around the community.

Michelle Hill, vice chancellor of enrollment management, gave the welcome for Friday nights featured guest followed by a presentation of a key to the city to McClurkin by Councilwoman C. Denise Marcelle.

McClurkin gave an inspiring

sermon on the role of the church in the lives of everyone and how putting one’s faith in someone who is down and out could change their life for the better.

He retold a story about helping a prostitute get off the streets by putting his pride and reputation aside for the better good.

“It was late at night and I just left 7-Eleven and there she See gospel page 3

Sharpton to speak at SU diGest NeWs serVice

Radio host and author, the Rev. Al Sharpton will speak at Southern University at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the F. G. Clark Activity Center.

Sharpton’s appearance is part of the 2010-2011 Chancellor’s Lecture Series.

Rev. Sharpton, who was named Alfred Charles Sharpton, Jr. at birth, is best known for speaking out against police brutality and racial injustice.

The Brooklyn, N.Y. native is the host his own radio talk show, Keepin’ It Real and makes regular guest appearances on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, CNN, and MSNBC. As a child, Sharpton was ordained as a Pentecostal minister and began preaching in local churches. He founded the National Youth Movement after

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graduating from high school and worked as a tour manager for singer James Brown and toured with gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.

Sharpton gained national prominence in 1986 when he led a “Days of Outrage” protest in response to the Howard Beach racial killing in which three black men leaving a pizza parlor were assaulted by a group of bat-wielding white youths. One man was killed when he was chased into traffic and run over by a car. The protest shut down traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge and halted subway service in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Sharpton also made an unsuccessfully run for president of the United States in 2004.

This year’s slate of speakers included personalities such as Talib Kweli, Sister Souljah and Julianne Malveaux.

INSIDE S O U T H E R N

photo By Stephen j. Boitano/ap photo

in this photo provided by NBc television rev. al sharpton speaks on NBc’s “Meet the press” in Washington.

Gov. Bobby Jindal said Monday that he’ll ask lawmakers to again boost college tuition and fee costs for students and to give schools more freedom from regulations governing purchasing and construction projects.

Jindal also is reviving a proposal to merge Louisiana’s five college management boards into one, after a similar measure failed last year.

The governor announced his legislative agenda at a meeting of the higher education boards and college system presidents. The ideas will be considered in the regular legislative session that begins April 25.

Jindal described the proposals as ways to help campuses offset cuts, give them more management flexibility and improve performance in a state where the six-year graduation rate is the second lowest in the South.

“Many of our performance measures and outcomes are still unacceptably low. We still have more work to do to serve our students to ensure they get a quality education,” he said.

LSU Chancellor Mike Martin said in a statement that Jindal offered “thoughtful initiatives that will set Louisiana on a long-term path to a high-performing higher education system.”

The proposals aren’t as farreaching as some university leaders and supporters had wanted for fee hikes and removal from state regulations. Jindal also couldn’t say how much money the measures would raise, except to say it would be “tens of millions of dollars.”

More than $310 million in state funding, or about 18 percent, has been stripped from colleges in the last two years and more cuts are expected in the new fiscal year that begins July 1. College See jindal push 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 ,

B A T O N

R O U G E ,

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THE SOUTHERN DIGEST 4 - DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2

MoStly ClouDy

THURSDAY, FEB. 3

ClouDy

FRIDAY, FEB. 4

ShoWerS

partly ClouDy

HI - 46° / LO - 30° 40% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 55° / LO - 34° 10% CHANCE OF RAIN

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Classifieds

Correcting Fragments and Run-ons: Feb. 1 at 11:30 a.m.

•Understanding and Utilizing the Past Tense: Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.

•Writing Topic Sentences: Feb. 18 at 11 a.m.

•Comma Errors: What are Commas Really: Feb. 24 at noon All the workshops will be held in Room 2024 Harris Hall. Seating is limited to 18 students per workshop.

serving up sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, snacks and beverages every Wednesday from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. starting Feb. 2.

Café Lacumba is located in 161 Pinkie E. Thrift Hall (between Tourgee A. DeBose Hall and James Blaine Moore Hall). For more information, please call 225.771.4660.

foreign language SeMinarS

reDiStriCting SeMinar

College Quick Stop 1091 Swan Ave. Groceries, Household Items, ATM, prepaid minutes & hot food!

Call today 225.775.4443.

Your One Stop Shop

apartMentS for rent

Apartment for rent.

Spacious 2 bedroom unit.

Reasonable price. Limited offer. 278.1818.

Campus Briefs TODAY the BuSineSS SiDe of faShion

The Living Learning Communities, Office of Career Services, the Beta Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, and the Alpha Tau chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority present The Business side of Fashion. Tuesday, Feb. 1 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of Smith-Brown Memorial Union at 6 p.m. an eVening of afriCanaMeriCan CineMa

The History Department, Student Historical Society, Pi Gamma Mu International honor society, and Southern University Speech and Debate team presents African American movie screening Feb. 1 and Feb. 15 from 5-7 p.m. in J.K Haynes Nursing Auditorium. graMMar WorKShopS

The English Department is offering Grammar Workshops during the month of February.

The workshops will be facilitated by Professor S. Tohline and are a great review for Freshman Composition and the Writing Proficiency Exam.

They are offering the following workshops: •Understanding and

The foreign language department presents student development workshops to assist students today and Thursday, Feb. 3.

•Today, Dr. Sybil Jackson Carter will host “Effectively maximizing the power of the internet in foreign language learning” from 1111:45am in Room 319 T.T. Allain. Dr. Irma F. Cobb is hosting “Foreign language learning and non-traditional students/ students with special needs” form 11:5012:10pm in Room 323 T.T. Allain.

•On Thursday, Professor Warner Anderson will be hosting “The world is your classroom: study abroad with Southern University” from 11am11:30 am. Dr. Carmen Del Rio host “National Student Exchange Program” seminar from 11:30 am-noon. Dr. Linda Lassiter will host “Seniors for success” from noon-12:30pm.

All Thursday seminars are scheduled for Room 323 T.T. Allain.

FEBRUARY 2 CafÉ laCuMBa

Come join your colleagues and faculty for a delicious and healthy lunch! All items are made fresh and can be enjoyed as dine-in or on the go.

Café Lacumba will be

SATURDAY, FEB. 5

FEBRUARY 4 The Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Southern University Law Center present a Redistricting Seminar, Friday, Feb. 4 at the Cotillion Ballroom.

The event is free, but registration is required at: www.llbc.louisiana.gov.

For questions or inquiries, please call: 225.342.7342.

to become a Ronald McNair scholar. Students will gain a stipend, mentored research experience, graduate school visit assistance and GRE preparation assistance.

Students must have a 3.0 GPA, be a first-generation college student, have earned 60 hours of college credit and have the desire for a Ph.D. Applications are due March 31.

Contact Veronica Freeman at 225.771.4717 or come by Room 208D Higgins Hall to pick up an application.

What’s the quickest way to get news and events to the student body?

Put it in the...

FEBRUARY 11 lane poetry ConteSt

Dr. Pinkie Gordon Lane, Southern University’s nationally honored poet, was a Louisiana Poet Laureate and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D from Louisiana State University.

Dr. Lane also served as chair of the English Department at Southern University from 1974-1986. This is an invitation for “budding bards” to create and submit original poems on a subject of their choice. The deadline for submission is Friday, Feb. 11. Poems can be submitted either via email (pinkieglane@cox.net) or online at the library’s website www.lib.subr.edu.

MARCH 31 ronalD e. MCnair SCholarS prograM

Students are encouraged to submit an application

Campus BRIEFS Fax your campus event to The Southern DIGEST at 771-5840 Deadline for announcements are three days prior to the publication date.

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sUite 1064 – t.h.harris haLL p.o. BoX 10180 – BatoN roUGe, La 70813 225.771.2231 phoNe / 225.771.5840 FaX WWW.soUtherNdiGest.coM 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 & Friday) with a run count of 6,000 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 & Friday 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.

PUBLICATION ASSOCIATIONS the southern diGest is a member of the Black college communications association (Bcca), National association of Black Journalists (NaBJ), University - Wire Network (U-Wire), associated collegiate press (acp), college Media advisers association (cMa), society of professional Journalist (spJ), Full member of the associated press (ap) and the Louisiana press association (Lpa).

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director - tBa assistant director - tBa publications asst. - Fredrick Batiste advertising Mgr. - camelia Jackson CONTACTS (area code 225) advertising office - 771.5833 diGest Newsroom - 771.2231 student Media services- 771.5812 the Jaguar Yearbook - 771.2231 YearBooK Newsroom - 771.5829 eGo Magazine Newsroom - 771.5829 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 land-grant 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.

The Office of Student Media is a Division of Student Affairs.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Norman J. dotson Jr.

CULTURE EDITOR patrick Galloway

MANAGING EDITOR evan taylor

LAYOUT EDITOR trevor James

COPY EDITOR erica s. Johnson

DIGEST STAFF WRITERS samantha smith

PHOTO EDITOR david clark iii

DIGEST PHOTOGRAPHERS robert Florida Jr. polite stewart

SPORTS EDITOR Morris dillard A&E EDITOR Billy Washington

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rates do not apply to students who are representatives & employees of the company. in the event an error is made in a classified ad, immediate claims and notice must be given within 15 days. the diGest is only responsible for oNe replacement or run in the next publication. classified are due oNe WeeK prior to run date. paid classified can be ordered by contacting the student Media advertising Manager at 225.771.5833.

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PAGE 2 / CAMPUS BRIEFS all submissions must be received by 3 p.m. each Friday for Tuesday’s Issue and by 3 p.m. each Wednesday for Friday’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.

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gospel from page 1 was out there on (the) streets working, so I stopped and started talking to her. Now the clerk in the store knows me and sees me, the pastor, talking to prostitute,” McClurkin said. “So I had a decision to make, my reputation or the life of someone else. So to save her soul I cast pride aside and helped her out.”

McClurkin goes on to tell that he gave her $50 for a hotel room, took her to the hotel and paid for the room although he had already given her the money.

He told the woman to call his church in the morning because he would have something for her. He admits that he had nothing for her initially but after a day or so he managed to get his members to help out.

“I went to bible study and said tonight we aren’t having bible study, we’re having bible practice,” he said as he explained the situation. “People all throughout the church hopped to give to this girl.”

He was able to get her off the streets, get her new clothes, and a job.

“Come to find the prostitute, which most people would look down on, could type 70 words a minute,” said McClurkin. “Faith works in mysterious ways, one day she was on the streets turning tricks and two days later she is an executive secretary.”

The most touching part of that night is when McClurkin retold the story of his rape by his uncle right after the death of his brother. As he walked through the crowd giving a brief depiction of the traumatic event, tears filled the eyes of those listening to his story.

“Now I don’t want you to feel bad for me, its ok that it happened because it only brought me closer to God,” McClurkin ended.

He retold that story to show that with faith anyone could make it out of any troubles in life. He ended his sermon and said, “Now I want to sing” and quickly changed the mood to that of an upbeat celebration of love, life, praise and worship.

BSU plans to hold this event every year along with their weekly midday fellowship every Wednesday at noon at the T.J. Jemison Baptist Student Center located across from the tennis courts on Harding Blvd. They encourage everyone to come hear the word, great music by its own praise team, and enjoy great food afterwards. All of which is free of charge.

Columbia case tests changes

jindal push from page 1

By jennifer peltz the associated press

NEW YORK — They were students who juggled an elite education with criminal extracurriculars, dealing an array of drugs from Ivy League dorm rooms and frat houses, prosecutors say.

But beneath the surface of academic success, some of the Columbia University students charged in a campus drug takedown struggled with substance abuse, their lawyers say. Attorneys for two of the five students plan to ask a court to prescribe treatment instead of prison — one of the most high-profile tests so far of a recent overhaul of New York’s once-notoriously stringent drug laws.

The outcome will be watched closely by opponents and proponents of 2009 changes to mitigate what were known as the Rockefeller drug laws. Backers called the lesser punishments a more effective and humane approach to drug crime; critics said they gave drug peddlers a pass.

With the bid for what’s known as “diversion” to treatment, the Columbia bust “is probably the case that’s going to cause light to be shed on what these new laws mean: When diversion is appropriate, and what the Legislature intended when it cut back so drastically the Rockefeller laws,” said Marc Agnifilo, who represents one of the students, Christopher Coles.

Coles and fellow students Harrison David, Adam Klein, Jose Perez and Michael Wymbs were arrested in December, have pleaded not guilty and are due back in court in March. Authorities called the arrests one of the largest drug takedowns at a New York City college in recent memory, and the prestigious setting made the case a media magnet.

Each student made some of the 31 sales in which an undercover officer bought about $11,000 worth of marijuana, cocaine, LSD, Ecstasy and prescription stimulants over five months, authorities said.

Drugs,

photo by tina fineberg/ap photo

Columbia University student Michael Wymbs, left, is escorted from the New York Police Department’s 25th Precinct in Manhattan after he and four other students were arrested on drug charges in New York. According to their attorneys, the five Colombia University students who ran the campus drug ring are wrestling with their own drug habits and would be better served by entering treatment rather than going to prison.

paraphernalia and more than $6,600 in cash were found in the students’ rooms, according to the office of special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan.

Prosecutors have indicated they’re likely to add to the charges, but at least for now, only David faces mandatory prison time if convicted.

In 1973, Nelson Rockefeller, governor at the time, pushed strict laws through the Legislature that he said were needed to fight a drug-related “reign of terror.” Critics long complained the laws were draconian and racist and filled prisons with people who needed treatment, not incarceration.

The 2009 revisions took away some mandatory minimum terms — after the harshest terms were eliminated in 2004 — and let hundreds of nonviolent drug offenders seek to shorten their sentences. The latest changes also gave judges more latitude to send nonviolent offenders to treatment programs or other alternatives to prison, on the premise that addressing addictions would do more to change some offenders’ criminal behavior than would locking them up.

Coles and Wymbs hope a judge will use that discretion to channel their cases to a special

drug court, their lawyers said. Drug court defendants generally undergo a year or more of treatment and may end up with their charges dismissed or reduced to misdemeanors.

To their lawyers, Coles and Wymbs are ideal candidates to illustrate the drug law reform’s rehabilitation-minded message.

Coles, 20, is charged with selling marijuana and pairing in some amphetamine sales with Perez. An anthropology and political science major involved in a campus effort to combat sexual violence, Coles told police he sold drugs to pay tuition, prosecutors said.

But Coles’ lawyer said the student was in the throes of a roughly $70-a-day marijuana habit. It had become so problematic that his father had called Columbia to express concern, Agnifilo said; a university spokesman declined to comment.

Wymbs, charged with selling LSD and Ecstasy, also has “a demonstrable problem with some substances,” said his lawyer, Michael Bachner, declining to be more specific.

A senior applied-mathematics major, Wymbs, 22, worked as a biostatistician for a cancerresearch program last summer and plans to apply to graduate school, his lawyer said.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH Today in History

Poet and writer Langston Hughes was born in Joplin, Mo. Hughes was inspired and influenced by Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Carl Sandburg, and Walt Whitman. Hughes is known for his extensive collections of insightful descriptions of Black America. Today in history we remember Langston Hughes’ writing, spirit, and words. Famous poems: Shakespeare in Harlem, Montage of a dream deferred. Famous plays/dramas: Black Nativity, Mulatto, and Simply Heavenly.

officials have eliminated lowparticipation programs, shrunk course offerings, and cut majors and student services.

Jindal’s chief of staff, Timmy Teepell, said the governor will propose a budget that keeps state funding cuts to higher education below 10 percent. That could mean a cut of up to $93 million, according to the Board of Regents.

The idea greeted most coolly by university leaders was the merger of the college boards.

Louisiana currently has four university systems with separate management boards, and a fifth board, the Board of Regents, that oversees them all. A similar bill failed to even get out of committee last year, though it was sponsored

by House Speaker Jim Tucker and backed by Jindal.

“The system you are working within is not designed for consistency or clarity,” Jindal told the members of the five different boards Monday. He said later, “We think more of these dollars should go into classrooms.”

Southern University System President Ronald Mason said he doesn’t think the management structure is the most pressing problem facing higher edu-cation.

That’s a position echoed by several higher education leaders, who say a board merger wouldn’t improve the performance of schools and could absorb time and distract from other attempts to make improvements.

Among the tuition and fee proposals outlined Monday, Jindal said he’ll seek to: —Standardize tuition at the state’s community colleges, increasing schools to the highest tuition charged at a community college today, at Louisiana Delta Community College in Monroe.

—Rework the way students are charged tuition. Currently, students pay a flat tuition rate for 12 hours per semester and above.

Jindal wants to move that to 15 hours per semester, so students would pay for an additional three hours per semester before they hit the flat rate.

—Increase a previously enacted “operational fee” charged to students, so that the 4 percent fee rises as tuition rises each year.

State Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, called tuition increases a “tax on the aspirations of students.” But Mason called tuition and fee increases for students unavoidable because of budget reductions.

Those increases would come on top of tuition hikes already enacted that are boosting student costs by up to 10 percent a year for six years, through a law passed last year called the GRAD Act. In exchange, the schools had to agree to reach certain performance benchmarks to keep the tuitionraising authority annually.

The governor also proposed changes to what he called “red tape” for campuses, including allowing the schools to carry over self-generated dollars from year to year, giving them more freedom from state oversight in purchases and building projects and shrinking their civil service requirements.

STATE & NATION Page 4 - Tuesday, February 1, 2011

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Cut down on salt, government says

By MARY CLARE JALONICK the associated press

WASHINGTON — You should eat less salt, the government says. A lot less.

It won’t be easy. Consumers will need help from food companies if they are going to meet the government’s ambitious new goals, announced Monday, for half of Americans to reduce the amount of salt they eat by more than half. Most salt intake doesn’t come from the shaker on the table; it’s hidden in foods such as breads, chicken and pasta.

Many of the rest of us need to cut back on sodium, too, the government said. And we still need to just plain eat less, especially fats.

The new dietary guidelines, issued every five years by the Agriculture and Health and Human Services departments, are telling people who are 51 and older, African-American or suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease to cut the amount of sodium they eat daily to little more than half a teaspoon.

That group includes about half of the population and those

who are most at risk of having higher blood pressure due to the amount of salt they eat.

For everyone else, the government continues to recommend about a teaspoon a day — 2,300 milligrams — or about one-third less than the average person usually consumes.

A number of major food makers have announced plans during the past few years to cut sodium in their products as pressure from health advocates, consumers and regulators has built.

Kraft Foods Inc., ConAgra Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., Heinz Co., Campbell Soup Co. and Bumble Bee Foods Inc. are some of the companies that have committed to lowering sodium levels. But it’s often a multiyear process to dial down the sodium, largely so consumers do not detect the changes in taste.

It’s unclear if those incremental changes will be able to cut enough to satisfy the new guidelines. The Food and Drug Administration has said it will pressure companies to take voluntary action before it moves to regulate salt consumption.

Melissa Musicker, director of nutrition and health policy

at the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the nation’s largest food companies, says companies will reduce sodium as consumers increasingly demand it. She said that in past years consumers may have avoided products labeled low in sodium. Now, consumers are interested in them.

“They are specifically purchasing those products and

photo by manuel balce ceneta/ap photo

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack listens during a news conference at George Washington University in Washington Monday announcing new dietary guidelines to help Americans make healthier food choices and confront obesity epidemic.

they are enjoying them,” she said. “Companies are in the business of giving consumers what they are looking for.”

Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, says the heightened interest in

the dangers of too much sodium could help somewhat. But she believes the FDA will have to take action for the companies to reduce enough salt to matter.

“The companies are only going to do it if there’s a really strong push,” she said.

SPORTS

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 - Page 5

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Linemen priority for Jags

Johnson, SU track ready for season By sPEnCEr thomas

By morris DillarD

digest Contributing writer

digest sports editor

The coaching staff of the Southern University football program has difficult decisions to make for Wednesday’s annual recruiting bash in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Student Union on the Southern University campus.

What makes their decision difficult is replacing veterans up front like first-team ALL-SWAC offensive lineman Ramon Chinyoung and defensive tackle Jordan Miller, which becomes intriguing when you consider Chinyoung and Miller were selected to play in the 2010 Russell Athletic HBCU Bowl.

“We have a fairly young team and there were some dying needs,” wide receivers and recruiting coordinator Eric Dooley said Monday. “We need offensive and defensive linemen. We went through hundreds of players to try to get that guy that fit our program.”

Another factor in the equation, Southern’s offense allowed 26 sacks and ranked last in rushing yards per game (90.4).

And, ranked fifth in rush defense (148.3) and ninth in scoring defense (33.8).

With the start of the signing period beginning Wednesday, the interesting question going forward is how many players will ink letters of intent to play for Southern in the fall.

Photo By aPril BUFFington/DigEst FilEs southern offensive lineman Lee almanza blocks delaware state’s Quintin Fortes as quarterback Jeremiah Mcginty downfield. the offensive and defensive lines are a priority for the su coaching staff on the recruiting trail as national signing day nears.

“This year we had a whole year to assess the situation,” Dooley said. “Last year, I was the only guy hear and the rest of the guys had to hit the ground running.”

Southern signed 34 players last year, and Dooley expects the 2011 class to be large as well.

“Now you have built the foundation of your team,” he said. “Last year’s recruiting class and this year is going to be a big makeup of what (head) coach (Stump) Mitchell is looking for.”

And at this point, the staff will

concentrate most of their attention on the “discipline factor” Mitchell wants to instill in the program.

“I think they got it when you talk about the transition with coach Mitchell hitting the ground the way he had to hit it, it seemed as though we didn’t have a good start,” Dooley said. “I thought we did.

We shouldn’t been measured last on wins and losses, we should’ve been measured on how the team came together and how well they grasp (Mitchell) was trying to instill in them.”

TSU, Jackson State remain tied for first digest news serViCe

Southern did some watching Monday as Texas Southern and Jackson State ended the first round of Southwestern Athletic Conference play tied for first place.

In Houston, Travele Jones’ 18 points led TSU (10-10, 8-1) past Alabama State 73-59. In Jackson, Miss., Jenirro Bush’s 22 and Grant Maxey’s 18 powered JSU (12-9, 8-1) past Arkansas-Pine Bluff 86-64.

Mississippi Valley State and Alabama A&M kept pace with road victories as well. The Delta Devils (8-14, 7-2) pounded Grambling State 94-74 while AAMU (9-9, 6-3) defeated Prairie View A&M 62-53.

The Jaguars (4-17, 2-6) were idle Monday after falling 7063 at Alcorn State Saturday.

Marquiz Baker’s 21 points helped Alcorn snap a fourgame losing streak.

TSU 73, Alabama St. 59 HOUSTON — Kevin Galloway added 15 points and Lawrence Johnson-Danner had

14 to help the Tigers.

Tramaine Butler led the Hornets (6-16, 3-6) with 17 points.

Texas Southern took control of this one early by quickly building double-digit lead and shot 51 percent in winning for the eighth time in nine games.

The Tigers led 12-0 2:49 into the game, went into halftime up 41-32 and led by 18 after intermission.

Alabama State got as close as four twice in the first half and cut the gap to 43-35 early in the second, but Texas Southern responded with a 12-2 run and led by double digits the rest of the way.

Jackson St. 86, UAPB 64 JACKSON, Miss. — Jackson State shot 65.5 percent (19 of 29) in the second half. After the Golden Lions (4-17, 4-5) got within two, 49-47, with 13:31 remaining, Tyrone Hanson and Christian Williams scored six points each in a 14-2 run over the next 4:13 that made it 63-48.

The Tigers’ lead reached 8655 with 1:42 left.

Jackson State had a 16-point

first-half lead, 29-13, with 7:29 left, but Ricky Parks scored 10 points for the Golden Lions the rest of the way until intermission to cut it to 37-28.

Savalace Townsend scored 19 points to lead Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Parks had 13 and Allen Smith 11.

Hanson added 15 points for Jackson State.

turnovers, but the Delta Devils did a better job of capitalizing on Grambling’s mistakes.

They scored 27 points off Tiger turnovers while Grambling scored only 10 off MVSU. Justin Patton led all scorers with 31 points and also had 11 rebounds for Grambling (3-18, 1-8), which lost its sixth in a row.

Donald Qualls added 18 points.

MVSU 94, Grambling St. 74 GRAMBLING, La. — D’Angelo Jackson scored 22 of his 28 points in the second half and Mississippi Valley State cruised to a 94-74 victory over Grambling State Monday night.

Paul Crosby and Falando Jones each added 17 points for Mississippi Valley (8-14, 7-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference). Grambling kept it close for the first 10 minutes, but fell behind for good on Kevin Burwell’s free throw with 9:25 left. The Delta Devils dominated the rest of the half, outscoring the Tigers 28-11 until halftime, and led 44-26 at the break.

Each team committed 19

AAMU 62, Prairie View 53 PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Cornelius Hester scored 15 points and Casey Cantey posted 11 points and 11 rebounds to lead Alabama A&M. The Bulldogs used a 14-2 run early in the second half to open a 41-27 lead, their largest of the game. Prairie View (6-16, 3-6) came no closer than five points and not until the final 1:05.

Bo Amusa had 10 points, six during the momentumchanging run, for AAMU. Hester also had four steals.

Brandon Webb and Michael Griffin were the top scorers for the Panthers with eight points apiece. Griffin also had eight rebounds and four assists.

The season has finally arrived and SU’s men’s and women’s track teams are definitely ready for action.

While under the direction of interim head coach Brian Johnson, the Jaguars are determined to earn their respect on the track as well as in the field this year. After competing in the 2010 Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship and finishing eighth, the Jaguars come into the 2011 season looking to take home a SWAC title.

“I’m focused heavily on finishing better than eighth place on both the men and women sides,” Johnson said.

“To win it all would have to be the ultimate goal.

Johnson said his first priorities winning the trust of the team and getting the athletes to adjust to him.

“Trust plays a huge factor for me,” he said. “If I can do that, everything else will fall into place.

Johnson spoke highly of his athletes and expressed his passion for the sport itself.

For a former Jaguar that has performed at the sport’s highest levels, he said there is no pressure at all adjusting to his new role.

“I believe you block out pressure and just do what you have to do,” he said. “I like to consider it ‘walking the talk.’”

After being a part of Team USA for the 2005 World Outdoor Championships and the third Jaguar to win a NCAA indoor title, Johnson brings plenty of experience to the field.

Johnson said he is preparing for the task as if preparing for the Summer Olympics. He expects his team to prepare the same manner in the upcoming season.

“You have to warm up correctly, eat right, things of that nature. Getting up four hours before competing definitely makes a difference,” he said. “As long as you stick to those basics, things will work out.’’

Johnson has his eye on winning it all this year. Hopes of taking a HBCU like SU to the level of a LSU or Texas A&M inspires him to push his athletes to do their best.

He credits his mentor Boo Schexnayder and friend Pat Riley for a great deal of advice and experience that he’s received along the way.

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Comcast in control of NBC

Bravo Cucina tempts palate

By ryan nakashima ap business writer

LOS ANGELES — The nation’s largest cable TV company, Comcast Corp., took control of NBC Universal after the government shackled its behavior in the coming years to protect online video services such as Netflix and Hulu.

The deal closed shortly before midnight EST on Friday.

The takeover gave the cable-hookup company 51 percent control of NBC Universal, which owns the nation’s fourthranked broadcaster, NBC; the Universal Pictures movie studio and related theme parks; and a bevy of cable channels including Bravo, E! and USA. The combination had raised fears that Comcast might abuse its control of NBC Universal to favor its most valuable customers: the 23 million who rely on it for cable TV service and the 17 million who pay for Internet connections.

But the Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission imposed conditions that prevent Comcast from keeping to itself NBC Universal’s popular shows such as “The Office” and movies including “Despicable Me” for the next several years.

NBC’s “30 Rock” on Thursday night spoofed Comcast’s impending takeover from General Electric Co. As a clock bell sounded, a neon “GE” atop an office building fizzled out and was replaced by a “K” inside a

By billy washington digest a&e editor

swoosh resembling Comcast’s logo.

“Wow, out with GE, in with Kabletown,” said Tina Fey’s character, Liz Lemon. “Seems like one of us should sing ‘The Circle Game’ right now.”

Conditions imposed on Comcast were serious, though.

Regulators forced Comcast to make the full suite of NBC Universal content available as a single package to online competitors on terms comparable to those reached with more established rivals such as Dish Network Corp. and DirecTV. NBC Universal is also expected to match new deals for smaller chunks of programming between other media firms and online video providers if it has comparable programming on hand. As an example, NBC Universal

might have to make the Bravo channel’s “The Real Housewives of New York City” available to Netflix Inc. if Viacom Inc. cuts a similar deal for MTV’s “Jersey Shore.”

The company also had to give up the decision-making power associated with its 32 percent share of Hulu, the online video service it co-owns with The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Providence Equity Partners.

Hulu is one of the services that makes viewing “30 Rock” possible online.

The rules highlight the new battleground for entertainment in the home between traditional power players such as Comcast, which has lost subscribers in the economic downturn, and companies such as Netflix, which added them with its cheap service and compatibility with a range of devices.

Book explores class division in African-Americans By billy washington digest a&e editor

Our ancient ancestors wrote upon the prestigious and glorious temples of Egypt, “Know Thy Self.” We as African American scholars of higher learning seldom analyze ourselves thoroughly by reflecting upon our identity within America, and asking questions pertaining to our true selves. By matriculating through the only HBCU system in this nation, it should be our duty and obligation to enlighten ourselves on our history to better grasp an understanding of our rich African culture.

E. Franklin Frazier, author of The Black Bourgeoisie (pronounced boo r-zhwahzee), wrote a 10 chapter reference book addressing the middle class status in Black America and the struggle of Black American’s search and appreciation of their culture and heritage. Written in 1957, The Black Bourgeoisie is just as relevant today as it was during Frazier’s era. This book gives a

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thorough in-depth analysis of the “bourgeois negro” (a term often attributed to middle class Blacks) and the role they play in American society. Frazier explains that role is only a small one within the world of “make believe” and insignificant in sight of the white race.

The Black Bourgeoisie is divided into two powerful sections: “The World of Reality” and “The World of Make Believe”.

The first part gives elaborative examples and references on the development of the Black middle class. From the creation and fall of the Freedman’s Bank, to the migration of Blacks to northern cities. Frazier covered the African Americans’ quest for status.

In Chapter 6, entitled Inferiority Complex and Quest For Status, Frazier proposes the main struggle of the black bourgeoisie, which is currently well and alive today. Frazier wrote: “The mass migrations of Negroes to northern cities and the impact of two world wars upon the United States changed the relation of the Negro to

American society. But Negroes have remained outsiders, who still face the problem of being integrated into American society. The black bourgeoisie, who have striven to mold themselves in the image of the white man, have not been able to escape from the mark of racial inferiority.”

Since the black bourgeoisie will never be accepted by white society, African Americans will continue to live in the “world of make believe”, which consists of negro businesses, fraternities/ sororities and articles in the negro newspapers that laud the minute achievements of Black America. If one were to pick up a Black owned newspaper, such as The Weekly Press or The Drum, one would realize that Frazier’s analysis of negro achievements is still present today. Frazier wrote: “With a few rare exceptions the columnists who write for the Negro press reveal the limitations of their knowledge of economic and social forces in the modern world. When they would pretend to be

sophisticated, they exhibit a smart-alecky or bumptious attitude toward sound knowledge. They are generally careful, however, never to offend the black bourgeoisie nor to challenge white opinion on fundamental economic political issues.”

Overall, The Black Bourgeoisie is the written version of Spike Lee’s 1988 movie School Daze, which focused on the HBCU greek and afrocentric experiences amongst the Black middle class.

This read is definitely a must read for all African American’s that consider themselves to be “made” in America. Those who have this mentality may need to look at themselves in the mirror and analyze themselves by reading this truthful, yet powerful and transparent piece.

Hopefully a better appreciation for our history will develop and rather than live in a world of make believe, by attempting to gain acceptance from the white race, we could work towards eradicating the nihilistic threat that haunts our society today.

If you like restaurants like Olive Garden and Carrabba’s then you would definitely want to take a trip to Bravo Cucina Italiana. Bravo is located on Bluebonnet Boulevard adjacent to the previously reviewed Sake.

Bravo has a similar menu and atmosphere to other Italian restaurants but what makes Bravo stand out is the spacious size of the restaurant and its large variety of traditional entrees.

The menu was filled with tempting entrees like the bruschetta with mushrooms and boursin, which is a toasted ciabatta topped with melted Provolone, sauteed portobello, caramelized onions, crushed red pepper, tomatoes garnished with boursin cheese; shrimp or chicken Fra Diavolo Campanelle, which is sauteed shrimp or chicken tossed in a spicy tomato cream sauce with bell shaped campanelle pasta; and the Calamari (squid) Fritti that’s lightly battered and cooked to a crisp brown and served with a creamy horseradish sauce. Again, to stay on he safe side, we tried a seafood entree, the sautéed crabcakes and a simple entrée, which was similar to a pizza, the flat bread roma.

The crab cakes were absolutely “squisito” but the small size didn’t lineup with the price of $20. Not only were the crab cakes petite but the side of potatoes that accommodated the main entrée were nearly as tasteful due to a lack of seasoning. The flatbread roma was basically a sophisticated pizza and the quality of it was not so good as well. The temperature of the flatbread roma was warm instead of hot, which in turn caused to cheese to look not so fresh. Not only was the food average but the customer service was horrible. We had to wait for almost 15 minutes for every request we submitted to our waiter. Maybe it was because it was almost time for closing or it was probably the servers’ first day.

For those who want to experience the upper echelon of Italian dining, Bravo, would be the spot to visit. Even though our visit wasn’t so pleasing and heart stopping, we still give it a B-minus for the spacious area and traditional Italian experience.

VIEWPOINTS

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Grammar: it ain’t much Has anyone ever asked you, “Why you talk so white?” Is speaking proper English, talking white? This is insinuating that Black people do not use correct grammar while speaking. Well, for the most part…it IS true.

I’m not saying ALL Black people speak incorrectly but SOME use improper grammar, they misuse subject verb agreements, pronounce words incorrectly, spell words incorrectly and often don’t read enough to learn how to correct these flaws in the our regular speech.

I haven’t had grammar since freshman year in high school. For some reason the people who plan out what high school students are going to learn think trying to figure out what Shakespeare was thinking in the 16th century is more important than teaching grammar.

Not to fret my faithful readers, I hope these few tips will help someone speak correctly, if not just enroll in the English course 301, Grammar Review.

This is probably the biggest pet peeve of mine: subject-verb agreement.

Have you ever heard someone use “be” instead of is or are? Doesn’t it sound like nails screeching on the chalkboards in

BREANNA PAUL Hayden Hall? For example, “She be talking to him all the time” instead of “She talks to him all the time.”

It seems like some black people always want to make up words. For example, “I’m fitna go to the mall.” When I was in middle school I always said “fitna.” My mom made me put 50 cents into a jar every time I said the word. After wasting about a $3.50, I quickly learned “fitna” was not a word. Maybe we all need a “Fitna Jar” or a jar for whatever word you choose to make up.

Words that already have an “S” on the end usually don’t need another “S” to make it plural. For example, “Johnny, go put on your paintses.” Really paintses?

Why can’t you just say “pants?” I mean isn’t it easier to just say pants?

For some reason, there seems to be a problem with words in the past tense and pronouncing them. There is a reason the –ed is on the end on the word. It’s there because it already happened. Example: “Billy, did you do your homework?” then Billy said, “Mom, I finish already?” Ehh! Wrong answer Billy! But you forgot the –ed!

There are also problems with double verbs. For example, “He had went to the store this morning to get gizzards for the cornbread dressing.” Instead the person should have said, “He had gone to the store this morning to get gizzards for the cornbread dressing.”

Homonyms! There is a difference from “their, there, they’re” and “accept, except.” Here is an example, “They’re going there with their friends.” Another example is “I accept your apology except I don’t think we can be friends.” See the difference?

Finally, just for clarification purposes, “mines” is NOT a word. That is all.

Facebook, Twitter and texting have hindered learning and practicing correct grammar. People are always shortening words to make it faster to type. In a way, these forms of technology are hurting

us when it comes to grammar. How many people have caught themselves typing “ur or urs” instead of yours, or abbreviating words in an email to your professor? How many people have sent that email? How many people got a response? I digress…

It starts with the parents. I know all parents and doting loved ones think it’s cute to use “baby language” to their newborns, but that’s not cute. It’s not cute to say “Awww look at the baby, her/ him so cute!” Because when the baby begins to talk, they start saying and repeating what they heard Then it’s all downhill and there will be a generation of people who use incorrect grammar.

Some might say, “Oh it’s just grammar. It’s not a big deal.” But it is a big deal. How you speak is how people perceive you. People shouldn’t judge you because of your unique name but let’s face it, they do. Do you think the CEO of a Fortune 500 company wants the VP of Marketing confusing “our with hour” on a PowerPoint slide in a sales pitch?

No! So let’s take it upon ourselves and not succumb to the disease of horrible grammar!

Banking business after the meltdown NEW ORLEANS — The recent deal for Mississippi-based Hancock Holding Co. to acquire Gulf Coast rival Whitney Holding Corp. foretells how the postmeltdown future of the banking industry may play out.

Analysts are forecasting more combinations of regional banking players. One of the architects of the $1.5 billion Hancock-Whitney marriage sees community banks playing a bigger role — and likely executing mergers between themselves to provide more lending clout.

And banking centers themselves are changing.

Whitney will be the last of the classic Louisiana headquartered banks that once included such names as First Commerce Corp., Hibernia Corp. and Premier Bancorp. First Commerce and Premier were swept up in the megabank acquisition craze of the 1990s. Capital One Financial Corp. bought Hibernia in 2005.

Hancock bought another pair of Louisiana headquartered banks — American Security Bank and American Bank of Baton Rouge — as it widened its reach in the ‘90s. Whitney pulled off more than two dozen other acquisitions from the 1980s to 2008 to spread across the Gulf Coast — only to become bogged down in the Florida loan debacle.

After Whitney loses its separate identity, the big dog on the block in Louisiana appears to be Lafayettebased Iberiabank Corp., which has a smaller, but feisty rival in its back yard, MidSouth Bancorp Inc. More combinations in the South are inevitable, banking analyst Michael Rose of Raymond James said recently, with Hancock-Whitney likely pointing the way to a new era of mergers and acquisitions following big loan problems in the region and new federal capital requirements.

“It’s going to force more to the altar,” Rose said.

Iberiabank has been expanding throughout the post-meltdown, taking over three failed banks in Florida and one in Alabama with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. agreeing to share in any resulting loan losses. Hancock took over another failed Florida banking company.

But Hancock chief executive Carl Chaney said recently that the FDIC — after shuttering 304 banks since 2009 — is tightening its purse strings, making failed bank takeovers less inviting — and shifting the focus to live acquisitions.

Last week, MidSouth chief executive C.R. “Rusty” Cloutier said his company was “very optimistic about significant

opportunities for unassisted, open-bank acquisitions in Louisiana and Texas” — the company’s home turf.

Chaney said there is a myriad of other reasons for banks to combine — new regulations and the cost that goes with them, the high cost of technology improvements and the fact that banks that took bailout money from the federal government under the Troubled Asset Relief Program are restricted in acquisition activity.

“As the economy heats up a bit, it’s natural for banks to want to take advantage of the opportunities that are in their markets,” Chaney said.

“Banks with TARP will not be able to do that, so that will drive some of the consolidations.”

Hancock plans to redeem $200 million in preferred stock that Whitney issued to the U.S. Treasury to participate in a TARP-related program designed to provide more money for lending.

MidSouth also took money from that program. Iberiabank, on the other hand, took the cash — and then gave it back to the government, saying it came with too many strings attached.

Chaney said that banks that did not take any direct bailout money have won points with customers.

“There is something about regional banking when the country has gone through such a recession,” Chaney said.

“We find that customers are becoming very loyal to those banks that didn’t take TARP funds. We didn’t take them and we are proud we didn’t.”

Although Rose and other analysts suggested there are simply too many banks in the United States now, Chaney said smaller community banks are positioned to play a major role in small business lending. He said he expected some of these banks to combine — but still remain close to their niche markets and small businesses.

Peyton Green, a banking analyst with Sterne Agee & Leach, said there might not be an immediate explosion of acquisitions in the South because the region is still working its way out of credit problems.

“By 2012, it should be an active year.

We’re still in sort of a transition year,” Green said.

Rose is looking for a strong industry comeback in the future. “The South shall rise again and these deals are a way to capitalize on that recovery.”

——— Alan Sayre is the New Orleans-based business writer for The Associated Press.

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