STATE & NATION
SPORTS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Talkfest ends with no results. pg. 4
SU women nurse half-game lead. pg. 5
Group drops knowledge through art. pg. 6
obama: health pact in doubt
artwork raises awareness
1st-place jags head to alcorn
estABLished in 1928
WWW.SOUTHERNDIGEST.COM
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010
VOL. 55, ISSUE 8
13 names in pot for SU post By norman j. dotson jr. diGest editor-iN-cHieF
photo By norman j. dotson jr./digest
robert clayton, a dHr international consultant, presents the thirteen candidates to the presidential search committee thursday afternoon.
The Southern University Presidential Search committee met Thursday to hear reports from the consultants of DHR International on system presidential candidates. DHR International has been a leading, privately held provider of executive search solutions with more than 40 offices spanning the globe. Board Member Walter Dumas, before departing to handle a pressing issue, expressed to the committee that they should take into consideration the fact whether or not each candidate has at least read the Postsecondary Education Review Commission bill. “My feelings are that if you haven’t read the Tucker Commission, then I’m at a loss with you,” said Dumas before exiting the conference room. Many other board members felt that just reading the bill isn’t enough to make a candidate qualified to become system president. “To just have read the Tucker Commission is sort of irrelevant to me, whether they can lead us to the environment the it outlines is much more important,” said board member Adam Knapp. Thirteen candidates have completed their application and designated that their names be brought in front of the board for evaluation to determine whether or not they should continue in the pursuit of the presidency. Each candidate has submitted a full application consistent with the requirements published through the search committee’s website as well as other media
outlets. These thirteen candidates include: •Adesoji Adelaja, Ph. D; John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy, Michigan State University •Belinda Childress Anderson, Ed. D; former president, Virginia Union University •Mohammad A. Bhuiyan, Ph. D; Director and Endowed Prof. of Entrepreneurship, Fayetteville State University •Charles A. Green; retired president, Bermuda College •Leonard L Haynes III, Ph. D; Senior Advisor of Postsecondary Education, U.S. Department of Education •Robert R. Jennings, Ed. D; Partner, GEM Learning Academy •Gerald D. “Jerry” Jensen, JD; President and CEO, Siskin Children’s Institute •Carolyn W. Meyers, Ph. D; President, Norfolk State University •Roosevelt Newson Jr.; Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Bowie State University •Kenneth Reeves; Vice President, Vice President of Human Resources, Textron Inc. •Kevin U. Stephens Sr. MD, JD; director, City of New Orleans Health Department •Karl S. Wright, Ph. D; former president, Florida Memorial University •Marvin L. Yates, Ph. D; Vice President of See search page 3
College Goal Sunday helps potential students By mary daVis diGest MaNaGiNG editor
The Southern University office of Financial Aid hosted the third College Goal Sunday in the Cotillion Ballroom Sunday. “This is the university’s second time hosting the event,” said Melanie Amrhein, Executive Director for the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. The program allowed students and parents alike to find out more about the FASFA application process. The doors were open to all students, though the audience was composed mostly of graduating high school seniors and their parent(s). This program was also open to all students, regardless of the institution the student looked to enroll. “I’m glad to see parents and students wanting to get help now,
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instead of waiting until the summer or the beginning of the semester,” said Raymond Clark, Assistant Director of Southern University’s Financial Aid. The program began with Clark welcoming all attendees. The program proceeded with presentations from Edith Cox, Assistant Director of Financial Aid at Xavier University of Louisiana, Erica Hughes, Clark and Amrhein. In his presentation, Clark, who had been coordinating the event since the fall, informed students to remember the deadline to complete the FAFSA application for the Fall semester is July 31. Hughes picked up informing the audience that is important that the student name placed on the application matches the name found on the student’s social security card. Also, Hughes stated that prior to beginning the application process, young men 18 and older who have
INSIDE S O U T H E R N
photo By kenyetta m. collins/digest
southern University Financial aid adviser Jason Haynes assists an incoming freshman with her financial aid during college Goal sunday.
need registered to vote need to register for selective services, and my do so by visiting www.sss.gov. Also, students were advised to check with their respective universities’ financial aid office to assure that the
university didn’t have any addition requirements. “I think the program was good”, See goal page 3
CAMPUS BRIEFS...............2 STATE & NATION................4 A & E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NEWS.............................3 SPORTS......................5 VIEWPOINTS......................7 U N I V E R S I T Y ,
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THE SOUTHERN DIGEST 4 - DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY, FEB. 27
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Classifieds
Southern University’s Spanish Club, meets Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in Room 320 of T.T. Allain Hall. If you are unable to attend the meetings but still like to participate, please send your name, contact number and valid e-mail address to SouthernUSpanishClub@ gmail.com
apartments for rent
Tired of student housing? Free rent specials. 1.866.972.5495.
house for sale
3143 Kimberly Dr. 3 br, 2 baths. $126,200. Please call 225.505.6232.
Campus Briefs TODAY peer tutoring
Peer tutoring is available in the Center for Student Success in Stewart Hall Room 107. Available hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. MondaysThursdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays. Follow the Center for Student Success on Twitter to see exciting upcoming events: www. twitter.com/jaguar_nation. Baptist student union
Want to become a member of the Baptist Student Union? Want to fellowship with other students during the week? Need a place to worship? Need a place to attend for bible study, special events and trips? Need a quiet place to study? Need a place to relax and watch television? Join the T.J. Jemison Baptist Student Union, located at 724 Harding Blvd., across from LaCumba’s Den and the tennis courts. For more information, call 225.774.8924. los jaguares latinos
Los Jaguares Latinos,
pi gamma mu
Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society in social sciences, is inviting juniors, seniors and graduate students to join. Students must be in the upper 35 percent of their class, have a gradepoint average of “B” or better and 20 semester hours in social science courses. There is an international initiation fee $40 and an additional local chapter fee of $10. If you are interested in joining Pi Gamma Mu pick up an application from Dr. Shawn Comminey, Louisiana Epsilon Chapter Adviser, in Room 429 of Higgins Hall. MARCH 1 css seminars
The Center for Student Success is offering its “Reducing Test Anxiety” seminar MondayThursday at Stewart Hall’s Lawless Auditorium. CSS is offering the seminar Monday at 4 p.m., Tuesday at 2 p.m., Wednesday at 1 p.m. and Thursday at 3 p.m. The seminar is designed to teach students creative ways to reduce test anxiety.
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MARCH 3 c.o.B. student conVocation
The College of Business Student Leadership Council will hold a twopart student convocation in Room 313 of T.T. Allain Hall. All business majors are strongly urged to attend. Freshmen and sophomores will meet Tuesday at 3 p.m., while juniors and seniors are scheduled to meet Wednesday at 3 p.m. Important dates and opportunities will be discussed. For more information, contact Toni Jackson at 225.771.5460, ext. 222. louisiana cpa taX hotline
The Society of Louisiana CPAs will sponsor its annual Louisiana CPA Tax Hotline Wednesday from 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Callers can expect to spend five to ten minutes with a Certified Public Accountant and get free, professional assistance with basic personal or corporate tax questions. The Louisiana CPA Tax Hotline can be reached by dialing tollfree 1.877.852.1040 (in the New Orleans area 904.1111). Phones are only operational during hotline hours, but the LPCAs website (www.lcpa. org) features many helpful tax season resources including a free tax saving tips brochure ready for download. BudgetBall competition
Do you have a small team interested in winning $500? Participate in the Budgetball Competition
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For more information call 225.771.2230 or mail your subscription payment of $40 to: The Southern Digest Subscriptions, PO Box 10180, Baton Rouge, LA 70813. Business, cashiers checks and money orders accepted only. No personal checks or credit card orders accepted. Make all payments to The Southern Digest.
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sUite 1064 – t.H.Harris HaLL p.o. BoX 10180 – BatoN roUGe, La 70813 225.771.2231 pHoNe / 225.771.3253 FaX WWW.soUtHerNdiGest.coM
March 13 for your chance to do just that. The Southern University Law Center Clinical Education Department, the Financial Literacy Project and the Sports and Entertainment Legal Association are sponsoring this competition. In Budgetball, teams of 6-10 members compete in a game that combines physical play with fiscal strategy. The game is a noncontact sport that is similar to Ultimate Frisbee and flag football, but does not require any physical skill. The deadline for registration is March 3. For more information, contact Sonja Cajuste or Sirena Wilson at 225.771.3333. MARCH 6 race for the cure
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Walk/ Run will be held on March 6 at 8:30 a.m. Registration for the event is now $30. For more information visit the Facebook group: Southern University—Race for the Cure Walk, email su.komen@gmail.com or contact Breanna Paul at 225.625.4252. MARCH 20
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 bi-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).
ADVERTISER MEMBERSHIPS the southern diGest subscribes to the american passage, alloy M+M, 360 Youth, Zim2papers, all campus Media, ruxton Group and college publishers on-Line services. STUDENT MEDIA OFFICE www.subr.edu/studentmedia director - tBa assistant director - tBa publications asst. - Fredrick Batiste advertising Mgr. - camelia Gardner CONTACTS (area code 225) advertising office - 771.2230 diGest Newsroom - 771.2231 student Media services- 771.3004 the Jaguar Yearbook - 771.2464 YearBooK Newsroom - 771.4614 eGo Magazine Newsroom - 771.4614 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.
2010 SPRING DIGEST STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Norman J. dotson Jr.
A&E EDITOR Billy Washington
MANAGING EDITOR Mary davis
DIGEST STAFF WRITERS Morris dillard Briana Brownlee patrick Galloway evan taylor
COPY EDITORS Kenyetta M. collins erica s. Johnson PHOTO EDITOR april Buffington
DIGEST PHOTOGRAPHERS trevor James Justin Wooten
LAYOUT EDITOR darrius Harrison
PROOFREADER darryl J. edwards
OPINIONS EDITOR Breanna paul
jaZZ Brunch & silent auction
The Southern University Center for International Education will hold its Sixth Annual Jazz Brunch and Silent Auction Saturday, March 20 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union from 10 a.m.1 p.m. The brunch is held annually to raise money for scholarships to support students and faculty members as they participate in the center’s Study Abroad programs held in Mexico, Africa, China and Belize. The international education program also assists faculty members in their quest to work in other countries as well as those from other areas who come to the U.S. The silent auction includes items from various countries and other items donated by local patrons. Tickets are $35 each, and the amount is tax-deductible. For more information, call 225.771.2613.
PAGE 2 ANNOUNCEMENTS & PAID CLASSIFIED INFO CLASSIFIED the southern diGest is not responsible for the contents, promises, nor statements made in any classified and reserve the right to reject any ad request with explanation. No classified ads will be accepted or processed over the telephone and must accept the type font sizes of the diGest. aLL cLassiFied MUst Be paid iN adVaNce BY casHiers cHecK or MoNeY order. No persoNaL cHecKs accepted. students must have proper id and phone numbers to get student advertising rates. 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 225.771.2230.
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.
NEWS
Friday, February 26, 2010 - Page 3
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goal from page 1 said parent Carolyn Williams. However, according to Williams “I think they did a little too much reading and should develop a more initiative way of doing things.” Mail-outs were issued informing students of the event. Southern University was chosen out of 17 other possible sites throughout the state. Other sites include Grambling State University, St. James High School and Delta Community College. “I think we had more attendees this year. We sent out correspondents to religious organizations and high schools telling them when the event will take place,” said Ursula Shorty, Director for Southern University’s Office of Student Financial Aid. Throughout the program different Financial Aid Staff
members assisted Clark in giving away door prizes. The recipient of all awards was chosen completely at random, by matching the last four digits of the ticket they received upon entering the room, to the ones being called by the hosts. High school senior Luke McKnight won two door prizes early on. The program closed after the financial aid staff awarded their final door prizes, one in the amount of $500, the other for $2000. LOSFA presented the Louisiana Association of Student Aid Administrators’ Mildred D. Higgins Scholarship Award in the amount of $500. The funds for the one time award will be dispersed to the institution the student enrolls into. Rolanda Davis, senior at Baker High School won
the $500 scholarship. Davis intends to pursue a Degree of Nursing at BRCC. The other scholarship was presented by Southern University and was in the amount of $1000 for two semesters. The winner of this award, Josh Smith is undecided as to which university he wants to attend, but has narrowed it down to Southeastern Louisiana University, LSU and SU. “Winning the scholarship has given me something to think about,” said Smith. Smith is a senior at Scotlandville High School and plans to pursue a career in either business or kinesiology. The College Goal Sunday is a nationwide effort to help familiarize students with the FASFA application process and the importance of the completing the form.
In the state of Louisiana, the program is funded through the LUMINA Foundation for Education. The grant, written by the Office of Student Financial Assistance offered about $150,000 to be used over the course of 3 years. The estimated cost spent per program is $50,000. Though this is the last year the program is covered by the grant, Amrhein says there are hopes of continuing the program in the Baton Rouge area. “I think it (the program) went better this year. I hope that the even continues to grow,” said Clark. The university staff and LOSFA worked in partnership with Wal-Mart, Raising Canes, Sams, LASFAA, and Miss Black Louisiana. “I would like to thank the
Administrative Office, who assisted with volunteers; Office of Student Affairs, who provided refreshments, and the SU bookstore for the door prizes,” said Shorty. The financial aid office is offering what they call, “help sessions” to student organizations, athletes, band members, and any other department on campus. The help sessions are to help students do their FASFA. Students interested in the help session are advised to make an appointment with Clark. Also, the financial aid staff is looking to extend efforts of helping students with their FASFA application by setting up tables in the Union sometime in March. FASFA deadline for the summer, fall, and spring semesters is March 31.
search from page 1 Academic Affairs, Southeastern La. University Degree qualifications were also brought into question, a few candidates did not meet the preferred degree specifications. The board did decide that although a doctoral degree was preferred they are however not required. Due to the absence of a few board members, the concern about completing the evaluation of the candidates was
an important factor to the consultants. Robert Clayton pushed that the board members find a way to complete their evaluations by the end of business today so that they can stay on what he called an “aggressive timeline.” “We want to be in position by Monday to give back to you all considered to be the most favorable candidate,” said Clayton. “If there are those who can not complete
by close of business Friday so be it but Monday we are going to give you the benefits of our deliberations, you have got to stay on your aggressive timeline.” According to Co-Chair Domoine Rutledge the committee has been challenged to narrow the number of candidates down to about 3 to 4 names to send to the Board of Supervisors who will ultimately choose the next system president.
When asked whether or not student opinions would be involved in the process Rutledge stated “I think it would be appropriate when we got that close to a decision that there should be some sort of student forum where they as well as others could come ask questions.” These meetings are always open to the public to come sit in and give their input on this situation.
state & nation Page 4 - Friday, Febraury 26, 2010
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Obama: health deal doubtful By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR & jennifer loven associated press WRITERs
WASHINGTON—After a day of debate and disagreement, President Barack Obama concluded Thursday’s unprecedented live talkfest on health care with the bleak assessment that accord between Democrats and Republicans may not be possible. He rejected Republican preferences for seeking a step-bystep solution or simply starting over. Obama strongly suggested that Democrats will try to pass a sweeping overhaul without GOP support, by using controversial Senate budget rules that would disallow filibusters. And then, he said, this fall’s elections would write the verdict on who was right. “We cannot have another yearlong debate about this,” Obama said at the end of a 7 1/2hour marathon policy session. Neither side gave much ground, sticking mostly to familiar
arguments and talking points. The president urged Republicans to “do a little soul searching” but said majority Democrats would decide quickly how to move forward on a priority that has eluded leaders for half a century. “This will take courage to do,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. said in her own closing speech. “But we will get it done.” With the conversation veering between mind-numbing detail and flaring tempers, Obama and his Democratic allies clashed with congressional Republicans over the right prescription for the nation’s broken health care system. Though there was much talk of agreement, each side held onto long-entrenched positions that left them far apart. Democrats seek a kind of broad remake; Republicans favor much more modest changes. “We have a very difficult gap to bridge here,” said Rep. Eric Cantor, the No. 2 House Republican. “We just can’t afford this. That’s the ultimate
PHOTO BY PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/ap photo
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., right, and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, center, listens to President Barack Obama during a health care reform meeting at the Blair House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
problem.” With Cantor sitting in front of a giant stack of nearly 2,400 pages representing the Democrats’ Senate-passed bill, Obama said cost is a legitimate question, but he took Cantor and other Republicans to task for using political shorthand and props “that prevent us from having a
conversation.” And so it went, hour after hour at Blair House, just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. It was essentially a condensed, one-day version of the entire past year of debate over the nation’s health care crisis, with all its heat, complexity and detail, and a crash
course in the partisan divide. Obama and other Democrats argued that a broad overhaul is imperative for the nation’s future economic vitality. The president cast health care as “one of the biggest drags on our economy,” tying his top domestic priority to an issue that’s even more pressing to many Americans.
Convicted ex-Klansman sues FBI Claims government used mafia hit man during investigation By holbrook mohr associated press WRITER
file photo by john amis/ap images for sprite
In this photograph taken by AP Images for Sprite; Members of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority from the University of Arkansas celebrate being named the winner of the Sprite Step Off competition with a grand prize of $100,000 in scholarships, triumphing in the largest prize pool ever of $1.5 million in scholarships and 80 teams competing from 40 universities.
Step show prize to be shared after Internet stir By dionne walker & kate brumback associated press WRITERs
ATLANTA—After days of controversy over a white group’s win in a step competition, sponsor Coca-Cola says the second-place team will share top honors. Coca-Cola said in a statement Thursday that a review of the scoring from Saturday’s national contest revealed a “scoring discrepancy” that it declined to explain. This is the first year of the Sprite Step Off competition, but
step contests are typically dominated by black sororities. Step is a historically black art form of rhythmic stepping and clapping. A YouTube video of the winning performance by a group of white Zeta Tau Alphas from the University of Arkansas generated hundreds of comments, some of them inflammatory. Coca-Cola said Thursday the Alpha Kappa Alpha team from Indiana University, whose members are black, would share first place.
JACKSON, Miss.—A former Ku Klux Klansman convicted in the 1964 slayings of three civil rights workers has sued the FBI, claiming the government used a mafia hit man to pistol-whip and intimidate witnesses for information in the case. Edgar Ray Killen, an 85-year-old former saw mill operator and one-time Baptist preacher, was convicted in 2005 of manslaughter based in part on testimony from a mistrial 40 years ago in Mississippi. The lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court seeks millions of dollars in damages and a declaration that Killen’s rights were violated when the FBI allegedly used a gangster known as “The Grim Reaper” during its investigation. “Money is secondary, we really just want the truth out,” said Robert A. Ratliff of Mobile, Ala., who represents Killen. “What we’re looking for is the complete, unredacted FBI file. Stand up and tell us what happened.” Killen has maintained his innocence in the killings. He is serving a 60year sentence at a prison in central Mississippi. Ratliff said one of the defense lawyers, the late Clayton Lewis, who represented Killen and several others in a 1967 federal trial was a paid FBI informant. And, he said, known gangster and killer Gregory Scarpa Sr. was hired by the FBI allegedly for $30,000 to coerce witnesses to tell where the bodies were
buried and who put them there. The FBI has never acknowledged using Scarpa. FBI spokeswoman Deborah Madden had not seen the lawsuit and had no immediate comment. Killen walked out of federal court in 1967 because the jury couldn’t reach a verdict. Some of the information and testimony from that trial was later used to convict him, when many witnesses were dead and he no longer had the chance to question his accusers, Ratliff said. Some of that testimony was based on information gathered by Lewis and Scarpa, he said. Stories about Scarpa, who died in 1994, has been the stuff of gangland lore. But in 2007, Scarpa’s mistress testified in an unrelated case involving an FBI agent. Linda Schiro said she came to Mississippi with Scarpa and he once shoved a gun into a Klansman’s mouth to get information for the FBI. Her entire testimony during that trial was later questioned, though, and an FBI agent accused of conspiring in a mob murder spree was cleared. Still, after that trial, New York Supreme Court Justice Gustin Reichbach said he was troubled by Schiro’s testimony and referenced the Mississippi Klansman story. “That a thug like Scarpa would be employed by the federal government to beat witnesses and threaten them at gunpoint to obtain information ... is a shocking demonstration of the government’s unacceptable willingness to employ criminality to fight crime,” the judge said.
SPORTS
Friday, February 26, 2010 - Page 5
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SWAC leader SU to face Alcorn By morris DillarD digest sPorts Writer
The Southern University women’s basketball team is three wins shy of clinching the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title, along with the top seed in the upcoming SWAC Tournament in Shreveport. In many other ways, perseverance can steer them in that direction. Southern (17-8, 11-4) heads into Saturday’s game against Alcorn State (6-17, 6-9) atop the conference standings. However, that lead is only a half-game over Prairie View A&M (13-10, 10-4) and Alabama A&M (14-9, 104) with three games left on the Jagaurs’ schedule — including home games next weekend against PV and Texas Southern to close out the regular season. “It’s going to be a battle these last three game,” assistant coach Carlos Funchess said. “As a coach, you look at it one game at a time.” First things first, SU must
get past a Lady Braves team fighting for its postseason life. Alcorn is in a three-way battle for one of the final two SWAC Tournament berths with Mississippi Valley State (9-17, 6-9) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff (7-18, 6-9). The trio are one game behind Alabama State (914, 6-8). Southern routed Alcorn 7043 in their earlier meeting at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. However, the road has not been totally good for Southern. “It’s tough on the road,” said assistant coach Carlos Funchess. “Defensively, I think we been solid; offensively we been up and down.” The Jaguars head into Saturday’s game 6-6 away from the Minidome. Southern split a 65-62 loss at AAMU with a 4441 at ASU over the weekend. SU led the Lady Bulldogs 5548 with 5:29 left in regulation before AAMU outscored the Jags 12-7 for the win. SU led Alabama State 40-28 before the Lady Hornets went on a 13-4 run in the final 6:37.
SPORT SHORTS digest neWs serVice
Hall earns first SWAC POTW of season
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Southern University’s Frazier Hall has earned the SWAC first Player of the Week honor in 2010, for his play in last weekend’s MLB Urban Youth Invitational. Hall hit .364 with two runs scored and six RBI in games vs. UCLA, Cal-State Northridge and Bethune-Cookman. In his top game of the week, the junior from Baton Rouge went 2-for-5 with three RBI in Southern’s 12-9 come-frombehind win over Cal State Northridge. The Jaguars return to action today with a 1 p.m. exhibition against Baton Rouge Community College at Pete Goldsby Field, followed by a home tilt Tuesday against Loyola-New Orleans. photo by april buffington/DigESt
southern’s ashley augerson goes up for basket over alcorn state’s Kiara ruffin (12) and 24 amanda davidson (24) during the first meeting between the teams. the sWac-leading Jaguars head up to the reservation saturday to take on the Lady Braves while holding a half-game lead over Prairie View and alabama a&M.
SWAC Tournament hopes getting slimmer for SU By justin wooten digest sPorts Writer
With three games left in Southern’s season, the Jagaurs find themselves on the outside looking in on the SWAC Tournament. Southern (4-23, 2-13) travels to The Reservation Saturday to take on last-place Alcorn State (1-27, 1-14) two-and-a-half games behind Grambling State (6-16, 4-10) for the eighth and final spot in the tournament. The Jags need to win Saturday and sweep Prairie View A&M (14-11, 9-5) and Texas Southern (12-14, 8-6) in the final two regular season games —along with hope for a Grambling meltdown in the Tigers’ final four games— in order to reach Shreveport for the tournament. Southern defeated Alcorn 84-75 at the Minidome in the teams’ earlier meeting. “We can’t take them for granted,” Jags swingman Jazz Williams said. “We just have to outwork them and make (center) JaMarkus (Holt) work.” The Jags’ road troubles continued in Alabama last weekend, getting swept by both Alabama A&M and Alabama State. Southern has now lost six straight in conference play, including 10 straight away
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Mitchell to get same salary as Richardson
New Southern University football coach Stump Mitchell will be paid the same salary as his predecessor, Pete Richardson. Southern Athletic Director Greg LaFleur said on Wednesday that Mitchell got a three-year contract at $200,000 per season with a fourth year as a mutual option. Richardson, who spent 17 years as Southern’s coach, was paid $200,000 for his final seasons. He retired after last season and was replaced by Mitchell, a former Washington Redskins assistant coach, in January. LaFleur said Mitchell will have $400,000 available to pay his assistant coaches. Richardson had $335,000 to spread among six assistant coaches last season.
SU falls to NW State photo by D’MarCo Craft/thE hornEt tribunE
the southern ball club must defeat alcorn state saturday and sweep Prairie View and texas southern next week, along with get hope for outside help, to clinch a sWac tourney spot.
from the Minidome and 20th-straight loss overall. The Hornets became the fifth team in the league to sweep SU in the regular season, winning 73-64 in Montgomery despite SU having five players in double figures. SU
has not beaten ASU in the Acadome in over a decade. “We just started the game off slow,” guard Brandon White said. “We’re still getting to know each other, and that’s really been the main problem all season.”
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The SU softball team fell 9-4 to Northwestern State Wednesday. Southern (0-7) was led by Victoria Stewart, who finished the game with three hits and two runs batted in. Audrey Phillips ended the game with a run and a hit. Brittany Hymes recorded a run while and Chastoni Jones add an RBI and two runs to her stat sheet. Joei Glynn picked up her fourth loss of the season after facing 31 batters. The softball team’s next action comes this weekend at LSU’s Tiger Invitational. SU opens play today against Jacksonville State at noon, followed by a game against LSU at 5 p.m. SU will take on Houston at 11 a.m.
arts & entertainment Page 6 - Friday, February 26, 2010
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Student group uses art to beautify, give deeper meaning By billy washington digest a&E editor
The Scotlandville community has a rich history, hidden behind the potholeridden roads and run down business. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, blacks owned their own businesses, families were close knit, and the community as a whole looked after each other. The streets were clean, homes were maintained, and blacks appreciated and valued education. Today, Scotlandville is flooded with drugs, homes are being taken by the city, and the importance of education is taken for granted by our generation, but a developing student organization, named K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self) has made a positive and productive step towards bringing the importance of education back and self pride back within the Scotlandville area. Scenic Highway is known for being an industry highway lined up with tire shops, mechanic shops, beauty salons and barbershops, but the community is missing a certain element that makes a community and that is beauty. K.O.S. took the initiative to paint a mural on the corner of Scenic Highway and Osprey Street. An Olmec head, along with an illustration of a Sankofa bird, is vividly shown next to a beauty salon building with a bold statement above the painting,
which reads, “We Came B4 Columbus”. Travelers, headed towards Baker, can easily see the mural. The painting turn heads because people are unaware of the meaning and message hidden behind the mural, which was a clever plan devised by the members of K.O.S. to motivate people to conduct further research on the two images. “The Olmecs were an ancient civilization that traveled from Africa to the western hemisphere over a thousand years before Jesus and we just wanted to enlighten the Scotlandville community about that part of history many of us may never have heard of”, said Perry Brooks, a SU alumni and member of K.O.S. The concept of the mural, which is also painted above the Sankofa bird, is to look to our past to find our future. “Hopefully this will raise the awareness of the community and our history in general and the fact that we were here before Columbus is often hidden from us, so the whole concept is for our community to look into their past to find their future,” expressed Ses- I Ra, SU alumni and sketcher of the design. This startling part of history, which is hidden from many school history textbooks, is finally coming to fruition with the contributions made by many scholars, such as Ivan Van Sertima, yet
photo by april buffington/DIGEST
Members of the K.O.S. group hope their mural painted on a building at the corner of Scenic Highway and Osprey Street inspires as much as it beautifies.
this significant information still has not been incorporated into the public school curriculums. “The phrase is true, we did come before Columbus”, stated Wesley Thornton, a sophomore psychology native of New Orleans. “Our people need to understand the stones of the Olemc heads are our history.” continued Thornton. The murals’ goal is to also attract mainly the youth of the Scottlandville community. “Images speak to you”, said Karenka Williams, native of Baton Rouge and member of K.O.S. “When people see this image they (the youth) will realize this is
something from our past and hopefully it will tap into their curiosity and conduct research,” continued Williams. Children are always researching over the Internet but the mural is supposed to motivate and encourage children to utilize their available resources, such as YouTube and Google, to analyze their own history. “The mural is primarily for the children of the community,” said Amber Owens, SU Law School major and native of Pittsburgh. “ I think children, instead of adults, will pass the corner and wonder what the image is and hopefully internalize the information they find.”
VIEWPOINTS
Friday, February 26, 2010 - Page 7
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“That Old Southern Spirit” is missing Throughout the course of my almost 20 years of living, my life has basically revolved around Southern University. My mother and father both graduated from Southern University. All of my maternal aunts and uncles graduated from here minus one and my paternal aunt graduated from here (my paternal uncle graduated from LSU). Most of my cousins graduated from here. Needless to say, I have a lot of ties to this university. Let’s not forget about football games. I was born in May; therefore I attended my first football game when was 4 months old. My brother was born in September and went to the Bayou Classic. My immediate family and I also were featured in “The Advocate” for tailgating. We had a motor home and tailgated at every home game and most of the away games at spot 52 by the
When people think about black history the first thing that comes to mind is African American achievements, but the month of February is a time to reflect on “Black” history. This means we should give homage to those who participated and contributed in the civil rights movement, the Antebellum period, and ancient civilizations within the continent of Africa. During the 28 days recognized as black history month, we are usually informed of the same people year after year. For example, the most common names that come to mind during Black history month are Martin Luther King Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, and etc. We seldom hear about The Noble Drew Ali, Nat Turner, David Walker, Marcus Garvey and a plethora of other contributors to Black history. I honestly believe the reason we seldom hear of the people I previously listed is because they were considered to be “revolutionary.” Someone does not want us to know about these individuals, because they fear of riots. Why would a riot
get online @
BREANNA PAUL flag pole in the Mini-Dome parking lot. For homecoming, we would stay overnight. We had a set breakfast menu and different menus for each game. All my parents’ friends would come and spend the day with us. My grandparents would come. It would be a family affair. My mother worked for Southern for 10 years. I spent many days doing my homework in her office listening to student-athletes fight for their eligibility to play their respected sport. All of them wanted to “do their university proud.” I always dreamed of
coming to SU. I thought it was the best place ever. It was so fun and had a great atmosphere. Everyone seemed so happy and glad to be a part of the Jaguar Nation. Students, alumni and everyone who attended the games had so much pride. To make a long story short, I didn’t come to SU right after high school. I went to Clark Atlanta University for my freshman year and then transferred here after my freshman year. My, how things have changed from when I was a little girl to now, me being a sophomore here. Student’s pride is now almost nonexistent. When I was growing up, the basketball games were a full house. You had to get there early just so you wouldn’t have to sit in the yellow bleachers. Very few students have “school spirit.” Nowadays, no one goes to the games (mainly because
Where’s the love? BILLY WASHINGTON occur? Maybe a riot would occur because we, as African Americans, have been lied to over and over. Our history, which is a crucial and critical part of a human being formulating an identity, has been stripped from us. We have been ignored by the government whenever we make demands. We have been abused, misused, and now we are confused, but if we were to find out about our late and great “REVOLUTIONARIES” all hell would break loose. For example, during J. Edgar Hoovers time as the Director of the FBI, Black Nationalists groups were springing up everywhere across the nation, there were many black nationalist groups such as the Black Panther Party, US, The Nation of Islam, Republic of New Africa, and many other groups that demanded a change. Hoover and the FBI
feared that riots would occur throughout the states and they also feared they would lose the fight; therefore, they created COINTELPRO which was a counterintelligence program designed to neutralize leaders of the black movement. (Don’t believe me? Look it up for yourself. ) During that time we were organized. We were fighting for a real revolution, a complete change, but the enemy won because of the massive flooding of drugs in our communities, which has our brothers locked up, strung out, or dead. Which in turn, leads to broken homes and single mothers and the revamped Willie Lynch perpetual cycle continues. It is up to us to stop the “family breaking” cycle by researching the current problems of Black America. If you can’t find a problem, here are a few: According to Jawanza Kunjufu, author of Solutions for Black America, 1 out of 3 African American males is involved in the penal institution and it is projected that by 2020 2 of 3 African American males will be incarcerated. Twenty percent of African American Adults
the men suck). And the only thing on everyone’s mind is refund checks. No one seems to care that the “Ole Southern Tradition” is going down the drain. Now that I have named all of the problems, how do we change it? We have to go back to the ‘90s and even before were Southern was fun. When students were able to participate in extra-curricular activities AND still go to class and get their school work done. We need to care about our school. This starts with little things like picking up trash. Has anyone seen the parking lot of Shade and Totty? I’m sure you can find a bag from every restaurant on the ground in the parking lot. We need to get back where we were and care about what’s ours. I mean you pay to go here, so let’s start caring about our university so it can be here for OUR children to attend.
and 50 percent of African American children live below the poverty line. Forty percent of the homeless are African Americans. African Americans constitute 12 percent of the population, but African American males account for 43 percent of HIV cases and African American women are 64 percent. All of these problems can be solved if we pick up where our true revolutionaries ceased. People develop a negative connotation of the term “Revolution” because of the social propaganda of revolutionaries being militant. I believe they were militant but the main element they possessed was LOVE. Fred Hampton LOVED his people. Stokely Carmichael LOVED his people. Geronimo Pratt LOVED his people. Everyone has heard of the gnomic saying, “LOVE CONQUERS ALL”; therefore, I challenge everyone within the Jaguar Nation to reflect deeper during the remainder of Black history month and ask yourselves: Is the current condition of African Americans acceptable? What can I do to make a change? The Revolution can only begin with YOU and LOVE.
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SPEAK OUT Do you feel SU students, faculty and staff lost its pride?
BY trevor james Digest Photographer
alton scott II Slidell, la. freshman nursing
scott
that can.”
“I feel the faculty and staff have pride, but the students don’t. We have problems, but never try to solve them or take them to people
austin hickerson baton rouge freshman mass communication
“As a whole, I feel the students have hickerson because no one is taking action towards making campus life better.”
jamal thomas new orleans freshman computer science
thomas
students.”
“I think student pride has left due to the university’s failure to meet its promises to the
evan cooper beaumont, texas freshman marketing
cooper
“I feel the faculty and staff have pride but the students will have to gain it with longevity.”
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The Southern DIGEST welcomes letters from readers commenting on current issues and other matters of general interest to the SU family and public. We set aside this space to publish these letters for others to enjoy. This newspaper is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on its editorial and opinion pages. The Southern DIGEST reserves the right to edit any contributions and or reject them without notification. Authors are encouraged to limit the length of submissions to 300 words. Letters should not include libelous statements. Offensive and personal attacks will not be permitted. The DIGEST will not print “open letters” addressed to someone else. All contributions must be type written, signed and must include the author’s address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Southern University students should include their majors, hometowns and year in school. When referring to specific DIGEST articles, please include the date and title. All materials should be directed to the editor in chief of The Southern DIGEST, P.O. Box 10180, Baton Rouge, La. 70813. Materials may be delivered by hand to the DIGEST office located in Suite 1064 Harris Hall or can be e-mail to digest@ subr.com.
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Staff editorials represent the opinions of the author and the majority opinion of the Southern DIGEST Student Editorial Board, which is comprised of the student staff of editors and columnists. The Southern DIGEST provides an open forum to educate, inform and enlighten the students, faculty and staff at Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.
Page 8 - Friday, February 26, 2010
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