The Southern Digest

STATE & NATION

grad rate no reason to merge

SPORTS

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Jags open at Tulane. pg. 5

Escaping poverty is all on you. pg. 7

only you can change things

su tennis opening season

SUNO community rallies. pg. 4

estABLished in 1928

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011

VOL. 57, ISSUE 3

36 SUBR programs up for review By norman j. dotson jr. diGest editor-iN-chieF

respective universities,” Vanderbilt said.

The Unsung Hero Awards were presented by the Student Government Association Presidents. The awards were followed by an audience sing along of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

“Students gained a sense of unity and pride,” said Stacia S. Hardy, Director of Student Programs and Resources, BRCC. Attendees described

The Board of Regents announced Wednesday that nearly 459 academic programs could possibly face termination or consolidation.

This academic program review is an attempt to streamline those degree programs with lowcompletion rates across the state.

For the Southern System, 53 programs are up for review with seven from Southern in Shreveport, 10 from SUNO, and 36 from SUBR. Unlike the previous two reviews this one will contain much different standards. This review will be based on the average rate of completion of a program over a period of three years, whereas previously the time period was five years. There will be no exclusions of any programs this time meaning that majors, such as English, can be terminated if they fail to meet requirements.

“We’ve got to make education important,” said board member Roland M. Toups. “It shouldn’t be how many we graduate but how relevant our college education is today.”

To avoid possible termination or consolidation there are certain standards that need to be met which vary between the different degree levels. Undergraduate programs must, on average, have eight completers a year or at least 24 graduates within three years.

Master’s degree programs would need five completers a year or 15 graduates within three years, and doctoral programs would need two completers or six graduates in three years.

Out of the total 459 programs being reviewed there are 88 associates, 246 baccalaureate, and 125 graduate programs.

The largest amount of degree programs up for review comes from the University of Layfette system with 212 in total.

See HerOeS page 3

See 36 prOgramS page 3

photo By david clark iii/digest

From left, chancellor Kofi Lomotey, sGa president demetrius sumner, Vice chancellor of Finance and administration Flandus Mcclinton and executive associate to the chancellor Michelle hill meet to discuss the process of refunding student balances to southern University students.

Officials answer refund questions By david clark iii diGest photo editor

Last week, students became enraged at the calculations suggested by administrators that the release refunds on February 11th would be only to students who have activated their Higher One Jaguar Blue Cards.

Thursday afternoon Chancellor Kofi Lomotey and other administrators met to discuss the process of financial aid refund checks.

“Anyone with Pell Grants and loans who have twelve or more credit hours as well as students with 6 or more credit hours and loans only, will have their funds released on the February 7,” said Ursula Shorty, Director of Financial Aid.

Those that are caught between 6 and twelve credit hours with Pell Grants or loans will have their refunds recalculated and adjusted.

The federal government mandates that schools receiving federal funds must complete enrollment verification for all students as soon as the 14th day of class.

“Southern University has compressed to a three-day process,” said Michelle Hill, Executive Associate to the Chancellor.

“We’ve got to take more seriously the responsibility of notifying students as early as possible when to anticipate when refunds will be available.” Lomotey said, “We will advertise the actual date.”

“The bulk of student (refunds) will go out with first batch on February 7th,” said Flandus McClinton, Vice Chancellor for

Finance and Administration.

Schools such as LSU who forgo the enrollment verification process until after refunds are dispersed take on huge responsibility and a heavy chance at experiencing the “financial aid hustle.”

The “financial aid hustle” allowed students to falsely enroll in colleges or universities to collect a refund check then disappear without correct information to collect on debts.

“Once Southern had to pay back over $600,000 in funds released to students who didn’t meet enrollment requirements.

We will not assume such risk again.

This money comes out of the University See refund page 3

Unsung heroes honored at ceremony By evan taylor diGest MaNaGiNG editor

A sense of community was honored on behalf of three unsung heroes at local universities during The Unsung Hero Awards in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

The celebration acknowledged an overlooked hero from three institutions.

Sandra Williams, Associate Dean of Liberal Arts at Baton Rouge Community College; Joseph Triagle, Owner, Sterling Studios, Louisiana

State University; and Linda Wilkins, Travel Supervisor, Southern University Baton Rouge, were each honored for their contributions to their respective schools in Martin Luther King’s legacy.

“The unity between all the universities was a beautiful thing. It was amazing.” said Kenya Warren, Miss Southern University 20102011, “It exemplified the unity we should have between the universities. This is furthering the relationship between the universities.”

Chancellor Kofi Lomotey

along with representatives from other schools spoke and honored those who followed King’s legacy at SUBR, LSU, and BRCC. “This event was an opportunity (for) all three institutions to show that they do have a sense of unity,” said Jonas Vanderbilt, Director of Student Programs at SUBR. Vanderbilt said the main purpose of the event was to honor King’s purpose and remind everyone of unnamed heroes that are here today.

“They have touched the lives of students in their

CAMPUS BRIEFS...............2 STATE & NATION................4  A&E............................6 NEWS.............................3  SPORTS....................5 VIEWPOINTS......................7

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THE SOUTHERN DIGEST 4 - DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY, JAN. 29

partly cloudy

SUNDAY, JAN. 30

scattered t-storms

MONDAY, JAN. 31

scattered t-storms

HI - 69° / LO - 51° 20% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 70° / LO - 43° 60% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 64°/ LO - 50° 60% CHANCE OF RAIN

Classifieds

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 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.

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.

FEBRUARY 11

Students are encouraged to submit an application 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 firstgeneration 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.

apartments for rent

Apartment for rent.

Spacious 2 bedroom unit.

Reasonable price. Limited offer. 278.1818.

Campus Briefs TODAY JANUARY 29

intramural BasketBall league

League play begins Jan. 29. All games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays in Seymour Gym. For more information contact Melvin Robinson at 225.771.3212.

FEBRUARY 1 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 6p.m.

FEBRUARY 2 Billiards tournament

Come out and test your skills. Smith-Brown Memorial Union is hosting a Billiards Tournament on Feb. 2 in LaCumba’s playpen from 6-9pm.

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

Come join your colleagues and faculty for

lane poetry contest

Dr. Pinkie Gordon Lane, Southern University’s nationally honored poet, was a Louisiana Poet Laureate and the first AfricanAmerican 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. 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 Correcting Fragments and Run-ons: Feb. 1 at 11:30 a.m.

•Understanding and

TUESDAY, FEB. 1

partly cloudy

HI - 69° / LO - 48° 10% CHANCE OF RAIN

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

Call today 225.775.4443.

Your One Stop Shop

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MARCH 31 ronald e. mcnair scholars program

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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.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Norman J. dotson Jr.

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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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Higher ed timeline unknown

HEROES from page 1

By melinda deslatte the associated press

The chairman of Louisiana’s college governing board said Wednesday he’s not sure that a new higher education commissioner will be chosen by the start of the legislative session, despite another looming round of college budget cuts.

“Obviously we would like to have a commissioner as soon as possible. However, it’s more important that we get the right person than it is to try to rush the process,” Robert Levy, chairman of the Board of Regents, said in an interview.

The regular session of the Legislature begins in April.

The state has been without a higher education commissioner since July, when Sally Clausen resigned after being sharply criticized for quietly retiring from her job and then being rehired without ever telling the Regents. Lawmakers refused to approve the salary proposed for a temporary commissioner, leaving the position vacant.

The higher education commissioner is the state’s chief policy leader for public colleges and top coordinator among the four public university systems.

The Regents board hires the commissioner.

Whoever is chosen as the new leader will arrive on the job amid budget disputes, proposals to raise student tuition and fees and a controversial debate about merging the University of New Orleans with Southern University-New Orleans.

refund from page 1 Operating Fund,” Lomotey said.

However with an estimated 5,300 students eligible for a financial aid refund, students are now unsure of how they are going to find money for their current university bills.

Fifty-one percent of students enrolled in the fall semester have activated their Jaguar Blue Cards. This percentage includes fall graduates or those who do not receive refunds.

If a student has not activated his or her Jaguar Blue Card he or she must activate it now. If a student has not received a card, he or she must go to the second floor of the J.S. Clark Administration Building and rerequest the Jaguar Blue Card.

Those who do not activate their card or request direct deposit will have to wait an additional 21 days to receive a paper check.

Students with no show or blanks were purged on the night of Jan. 27. All students are able to view their attendance on JagNet.

photo by denis farrell/ap photo

Students from a school adjacent to the hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela, fondly known as “Madiba”, is said to be undergoing routine tests make their way past a giant get well card Thursday.

South Africa says ‘no need to panic’ over Mandela By donna bryson the associated press

JOHANNESBURG — Anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela was starting his third day in a Johannesburg hospital Friday, but the South African government says there is no need to panic.

In a statement late Thursday, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe offered no specifics on why Mandela, 92, was taken to the hospital Wednesday, but said he was undergoing specialized tests.

Motlanthe, acting president while President Jacob Zuma attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland and then headed to a weekend African Union summit in Ethiopia, referred to Mandela’s history of respiratory problems. Mandela contracted tuberculosis during his 27 years in prison.

“There has been mounting concern about the health of the former President Nelson Mandela,” Motlanthe said. “Medically there is no need to panic.”

Motlanthe is scheduled to brief reporters on Mandela’s health later Friday.

Motlanthe’s statement was the first substantive word on Mandela’s condition since he entered Milpark Hospital Wednesday.

Mandela’s office released only a brief statement Wednesday, saying the visit was for routine tests and that Mandela was in “no danger

and is in good spirits.” The relative silence surrounding Mandela’s hospitalization had led to speculation about his condition.

Mandela undergoes regular hospital checkups, but his latest visit has stretched into an unusually long stay. Journalists have been camped outside the hospital and outside his Johannesburg home. At the hospital, they have watched Mandela’s relatives and friends enter for visits. Zuma was being updated while abroad by the defense minister, whose department is responsible for current and former presidents’ health care, Zuma’s office said.

The White House said President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama’s thoughts are with Mandela.

Mandela was jailed for 27 years for his fight against apartheid. He became South Africa’s first black president in 1994 and stepped down after serving one term in 1999. He largely retired from public life in 2004.

The public has seen only glimpses of him recently, such as in November, when his office released photos of a private meeting between Mandela and members of the U.S. and South African soccer teams. The teams had just played a match in his honor.

Mandela also appeared at the closing ceremony of the World Cup in July, waving to the crowd as he was driven in a small golf cart alongside his wife, Graca Machel.

Potential scams top 7K NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The $20 billion fund responsible for compensating victims of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill has received more than 7,000 potentially fraudulent claims, many of which have been referred to the Justice Department for criminal investigations, the fund’s administrator told a Senate panel on Thursday.

Attorney Kenneth Feinberg, who is overseeing the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, said of more than 481,000 claims filed, 7,575 are considered potentially fraudulent. The Justice Department has already indicted eight claimants.

The fund was set up in August to handle thousands of claims for compensation from residents, business owners and fishermen

across the Gulf Coast and beyond who can prove they suffered financial losses from BP PLC’s April 20 oil well blowout off the coast of Louisiana. The Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 rig workers and sent millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf.

Feinberg testified in Washington on Thursday before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Lawmakers criticized Feinberg’s operation of the fund and the slow pace of processing claims, questioning his commitment to transparency.

Feinberg’s Washington law firm had been receiving $850,000 a month from BP for its work.

the event as enjoyable and enlightening.

“This was a visual event that showed the unity between the three schools. It also showed the commitment to the success of our students and continuing Dr. King’s legacy,” said Cerise Edmonds, Coordinator of Cross Cultural Affairs at LSU. Hardy expressed the importance of seizing the opportunity to attend educational and uplifting networking events. “(Students not in attendance) missed a unique opportunity to fellowship and unite with their fellow collegians,” said Hardy.

For those who missed the event Warren encourages students to come next year for the next celebration.

“If you didn’t come this time. You should make sure you come next year,” said Warren.

Warren explained the importance of unity between universities and the need for events with a united university front.

“The unity between the three institutions should be committed to. I’ve been trying to search for other ideas to team up with LSU and BRCC. For all of us to come together to do something,” said Warren.

Vanderbilt discussed the possibility of more events like this for the semester.

“We will definitely have more events like this one.

Students can look forward to the events for black history month,” said Vanderbilt.

Students were inspired to continue to work in unity between campuses and continue to aspire to carry on Martin Luther King’s legacy.

Refreshments were served and students and attendees representing each school were able to network.

36 programs from page 1 “Each campus has until the end of February to agree to terminate the program, recommend consolidation of the program or defend the continuation of each program identified as lowcompleter,” according to a press release from the Regents.

The board will vote in April concerning the low completer degree programs that are recommended by the staff.

“We will require systems and campuses to vigorously defend any request to continue a lowcompleter program by the use of clear data and analysis to overcome the presumption against maintaining a low productivity degree,” said Levy.

“In addition to this effort at improving productivity, the board will make additional recommendations that support the overall goal of increased educational attainment.”

A general breakdown of the review process is available online at www.regents.state.la.us under Academic Affairs.

STATE & NATION Page 4 - Friday, January 28, 2011

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Ukpolo: Low grad rate no reason to merge By kevin mcgill the associated press

NEW ORLEANS — Hundreds of students, faculty and alumni of Southern University-New Orleans rallied Wednesday to protest a proposed merger of SUNO with the neighboring University of New Orleans.

Gov. Bobby Jindal last week asked the state’s top higher education board, the Board of Regents, to do a study of a possible merger ahead of the spring legislative session. Lawmakers’ approval would be needed for a merger and opponents at Wednesday’s meeting made clear they will lobby against it.

“If we allow the state to take this institution, then as a community and as a people, we have failed our children,” Faculty Senate President Joseph Bouie said.

SUNO and UNO are a short distance from each other. Both campuses were flooded when levees failed during Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. SUNO shows lingering physical affects from the storm, with many classes still held in trailers.

Jindal’s proposal, which would need two-thirds approval by the state House and Senate, would remove SUNO from the Southern system and UNO from the LSU System, merging them into one institution that would be run by the University of Louisiana System.

Low post-Katrina enrollment and low graduation rates at both schools were among reasons Jindal gave for considering the merger.

SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo said neither was a legitimate reason for a move that he said would damage SUNO’s mission to provide higher education opportunities to the economically disadvantaged.

While Jindal said the graduation rate was 5 percent, Ukpolo’s statistics showed the 2008 graduation rate was just under 7 percent. No surprise, he said, since the 2005 storm drove

photo by ted jackson/ap photo

The assembly of SUNO alumni, friends and students show their support during a rally at Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO) Wednesday.

The chancellor of Southern University of New Orleans says the historically black school’s low graduation rate is no reason to merge it with the neighboring campus of the University of New Orleans.

away many students temporarily or permanently. “It’s directly impacted by Katrina,” he said of the rate.

The rate also is based on the number of people who get degrees within six years, Ukpolo said. That leaves out others who take longer to get a degree.

Still, Ukpolo said, enrollment is bouncing back. Projected spring enrollment of 3,500 is a 71 percent increase over the semester following Katrina.

That figure would bring SUNO to about 96 percent of its preKatrina enrollment.

Ukpolo predicted graduation rates rebounding in two years into the teens — still low but more in line with pre-Katrina rates.

However, Southern supporters

said there are more important reasons than graduation rates for keeping SUNO a separate, historically black university.

At the rally in the gym, state employee Anthony Jeanmarie described himself as a 35-year-old senior who dropped out of college as an immature 19-year-old. He said he now has a son who also attends SUNO as a freshman.

With his wife in nursing school, the psychology major said he doesn’t think he could afford another institution, nor could he find one where the faculty is flexible enough to let him occasionally bring his two smaller children, ages 7 and 6, to class.

“If not SUNO, where?”

Jeanmarie asked the cheering crowd.

Regents to discuss SUNO/ UNO merger Feb. 8 by the associated press

The Board of Regents will hold a special meeting Feb. 8 to discuss a controversial proposal to merge the University of New Orleans campus with the historically black Southern University at New Orleans campus.

Regents Chairman Robert Levy announced the meeting Thursday.

A Colorado consultant is studying the potential merger and the movement of a merged campus to the University of Louisiana System. Levy says the consultant — Dennis Jones, president of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems — will discuss his initial findings at the February meeting.

Gov. Bobby Jindal asked Regents to study the idea and present recommendations by March 1, with legislation to be considered in the session that begins in April.

Black lawmakers and SUNO leaders oppose a merger.

Army initiative may be a model By susanne m. schafer the associated press

photo by george burns/ap photo

In this photo taken Jan. 21, 2011 and provided by Harpo Productions Inc., talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, right, poses with first lady Michelle Obama during taping of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” at Harpo Studios in Chicago. The show aired nationally on Thursday.

FORT JACKSON, S.C. — First lady Michelle Obama said Thursday that the military’s push to turn recruits into health-conscious warriors could be a model for making people across the U.S. more focused on fitness and nutrition.

Obama, who has made battling childhood obesity one of her signature causes as first lady, visited the Army’s largest training post at Fort Jackson outside Columbia to see what the Army has done, from more rigorous training drills to fatfree milk in its mess halls.

“I’m very excited,” Obama told Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who has worked to overhaul both the soldiers’ diets and exercise programs. “I am fascinated by what you’re doing.”

A lack of fitness is “not just a health issue but a national security issue,” she said, and the military’s health initiatives could be a model for youngsters elsewhere.

Hertling gave the first lady a military-style briefing, accompanied by colorful slides beamed on three large screens hung on the walls, that detailed how the nation’s obesity problems create problems for the Army.

Kids are spending too much time in front of TV and computer screens, not getting enough exercise and drinking too many sugary soft drinks, Hertling said. He said that makes their bones too fragile for military lifestyles.

New soldiers are given exercises for core body strength and stamina. Mess halls now feature more dark greens, whole grains and no-fat milk, he said.

Fort Jackson’s commander, Maj. Gen. James Milano, said the first lady’s visit would be a big boost for military families, particularly those who have endured years of deployments and separations.

SPORTS

Friday, January 28, 2011 - Page 5

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Tennis opens season By morriS dillard

Bowling heads to Pa. tourney

digest sports editor

digest news service

The 2010-11 tennis season opens Saturday when Southern travel to the Tulane University in New Orleans.

The reigning Southwestern Athletic Conference champions won a second Historically Black College University National tennis title at the 10th annual tournament last fall and will return this weekend at Tulane.

“We’ve competed at that tournament for some years’,” coach Jeffery Conyers at Wednesday’s practice. Last year and this year we were finally able to win it. It’s definitely an honor to be able to go there and come out the top team.”

Conyers, a four time SWAC coach of the year, said he gave his team an option to choose between the HBCU and local tournaments because of the amount of funds that were available this year.

“They said no coach; we want to go to the HBCU and try to repeat,” he said.

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The 2011 Kutztown Invitational, featuring Southern University and 27 other teams, will be streamed live on bowl.com.

The event will take place Jan. 28-30 at Hiester Lanes in Reading, Pa. Live coverage will begin at 11 a.m. on Jan. 28 with six fourgame Baker format matches and continue at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 29 with six five-player team matches.

The bracket competition, which features best-of-seven Baker matches, will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 30.

“We look forward to a successful broadcast of this NCAA event and are constantly looking at more opportunities to promote the USBC and NCAA’s partnership in bowling,” USBC Collegiate Manager Gary Brown said. “This is just one more example of USBC’s dedication to promoting all aspects of college bowling, including NCAA competition.”

USBC has provided coverage of two USBC Collegiate events already and will wrap up regular-season coverage on Feb. 19-20 at the Backhaul Direct Hoosier Classic in Indianapolis.

Post-season events that will be shown live on bowl.com include the NAIA Invitational from April 1-3, the USBC Intercollegiate Team Championships from April 21-23 and the USBC Intercollegiate Singles Championships on May 23-24.

Since its debut in 2009, more than a half a million bowling fans have tuned in to watch free live bowling events on bowl.com.

photo coUrteSy oF JeFFrey conyerS the defending swac champion southern women’s tennis team opens the 2011 season at tulane saturday.

Indeed they did.

Wednesday, Conyers discussed how fortunate he was able to recruit players that are able to perform academically and athletically to fit inside his program.

“They’re a bunch of players here that can be on the court by themselves and they don’t skip a beat when they’re out here unsupervised,” he said.

He also spoke about the upcoming matchup, he expressed the team was anxious for the moment to arrive.

Conyers led Southern en route to a ninth tournament title when they defeated Jackson State last season for the women’s tennis championship.

“Practice started in September,” he said. “We’re going at Tulane real hard and get that anxiousness out of their system and get ready for SWAC play.”

Despite five matches before the SWAC East/West RoundUp, Conyers seems extremely confident in his teams’ abilities and chances for another

conference title.

“We’re looking to go out there and bring another title to the university,” he said. “I definitely feel as though we’re the best team in the conference, there’s no way that we can’t make another push for the championship.”

The SWAC East/West Round-up begins Friday Feb. 25-27 in Little Rock, Ark. Southern was the only women’s team to finish the round-up undefeated last season.

Superdome getting spruced up, upgraded By tHe associated press

NEW ORELANS — A giant excavator on Wednesday demolished metal risers that had supported the second-tier seating inside the Louisiana Superdome since the huge stadium’s opening in 1975, part of the last phase of an $85 million renovation to spruce up the arena and add more concession stands and thousands of new seats.

Workers with huge saws and crowbars busily reduced the risers into piles of debris to be hauled away.

The Superdome will present a totally new look to those attending the 2012 BCS Championship game, the men’s NCAA Final Four in 2012, and the Super Bowl in 2013, said Doug Thornton, vice president of SMG, the company that manages the Superdome.

“There is definitely going to be a wow-factor,” Thornton said.

“When you come in the door you are going to see a completely different Dome. The entire configuration on the lower bowl will be changed from an oval to a rectangle.”

The first phase of the upgrade added 16 new private box suites and a new press box.

The work — part of the 15year lease extension between the

Saints and the state — completes the Superdome’s renovation project for the 36-year-old building that was wrecked by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

That new configuration will allow the addition of 3,500 new seats on the ground level, and allow the building of a new “club area,” with 4,500 larger leather seats with cup-holders, and a private club for the use of those ticketholders.

arts & entertainment Page 6 - Friday, January 28, 2011

‘Speech’ leads in Oscar nods

School spirit can be fashionable for the evening. SU’s Fashion: the external bookstore carries clothing reflection of internal wants, for both men and women feelings, culture and taste; donned with the Southern also known as the air that jaguar, SU logo and blue and keeps me breathing. If a gold colors. fashion column would be We’re not just talking accepted at any HBCU in the sweatshirts and pants nation; Southern University here. Sara Price, a A&M would lead the pack freshman business with all its Pretty management major Wednesday glory. from Houston was There is no seen wearing the doubt that the denim-blue V-neck men and women with a blazer at SU enjoy their and fitted jeans, fashion freedoms. demonstrating that From the unique ERICA S. SU apparel can be classmate who business-casual pines for the next JOHNSON and stylish; two terms day of class so his that wouldn’t have been only-wear-once-a-semester associated with university ensemble can debut; to the clothing two years ago.

Union-loitering onlooker Buyers are finally listening who waits to ostracize the to consumers, and HBCUs funny dressed kid walking are quick to pick up the by (I can’t help myself market. Logos aren’t just for sometimes either).

Gucci bags and Louis Vuitton No matter where you scarves. Stylishly supporting fall on the fashion totem your school is a non-verbal pole your interests will be way to recruit onlookers. addressed via weekly Digest “We get the hottest stuff each publications. So from my year.” SU bookstore manager fashion faux pas friends to John Dyar said of the apparel my fashionista frienemies: options currently offered. hello, and let’s get started.

Producers of the clothing It’s clear fashion has include Victoria Secrets, evolved beyond runway exclusives and boutique buys Russell Athletics, Nike and when you can walk into your Champion. Dyar attributes the growing fashion-forward local university bookstore school apparel to the and walk out with an outfit

By david germain ap movie writer

photo by NORMAN J. DOTSON JR./digest Show your love for SU by purchasing an official SU shirt from the bookstore. Twenty-five percent of all shirt sales are donated to student programs here on campus.

students themselves. “(SUBR) was one of the first HBCU schools to have (the Victoria Secrets line),” Dyar said. Students asked where the new clothes were, Dyar said and in response SU requested them.

Not only is SU providing season relevant clothing, they are rewarding the students who support their university.

Twenty-five percent of proceeds from the “official

SU Shirt” are forwarded to student programs.

Adding hints of culture and background has always been an eclectic twist for fashion followers. With bold, interesting, wearable fashion, fashionistas everywhere can begin to tread on new territory combing name brand university apparel with everyday wear to create community friendly fashion.

Andrews shares lessons during signing By evan taylor

digest managing editor

Dianne Andrews discussed her inspirations and lessons learned during her book signing and book talk in John B. Cade Library.

The book talk is one of the activities planned in the library for the semester.

“Change is the stepping stone to your future,” said Dianne Andrews, Author of Third Man Out and Gumbo for the Heart, Motivational quote writer, and CEO of Home Health Solutions, LLC. She spoke of her transition from working under an employer to starting and working in her own business.

“I wanted my own business.

It was a big transition I realized that I couldn’t move like I wanted to. The biggest transition was dealing with a

difference in cultures,” said Andrews.

She discussed her inspirations behind each book and took listeners on a journey to understanding life in a deeper and more productive way.

“I wrote Third Man Out about five years ago. When my mother was sick. It took me into another world. With a lot of vivid imagination I created the best man in the world. It was my therapy from my situation,” said Andrews.

She continued to discuss her most recent book “Gumbo for the Heart” a collection of stories about “turning lemons into lemonade.”

Andrews shared, “I felt this book was so needed. At every stage of life it tells you that you are not alone. It inspires you to overcome and it’s all about trial and triumph. It features a lot of good people’s stories.”

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Andrews continued to share her outlook and perspective on life and her work as a writer of motivational quotes.

“I have a formula for success.

Success equals 3D plus 3P plus N. The three D’s are desire, decision, and determination.

The three P’s are planning, purpose and physical wellness, and the N is networking.

With this formula you can be successful,” said Andrews.

She also shared how in order to be successful we must change minds and change attitudes.

“That is how you prove who you are. Being the best at what you do,” said Andrews.

Emma Bradford Perry, Dean of Libraries for SUBR agreed and encouraged students to follow the advice of Andrews.

“Dianne has given excellent advice. Hopefully you will follow that because, it will take you a long way,” said Perry.

Perry continued to share the importance of holding your tongue and proving your point without saying a word.

“You have to learn to smile and you have to learn to shut up sometimes and think of the proportions we were given our body parts. Two ears and one mouth,” said Perry.

Andrews expressed her interests in reading to understand what makes people tick and remembering to be one’s self.

“I love to read things like Patti Labelle’s autobiography because I like to know what makes people tick. You have to remember to stay true to yourself no matter what choices you make, even the mistakes,” said Andrews.

The library has planned to host more book talks and signings with authors at the library.

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Queen Elizabeth II’s dad, Albert — the gentle, stammering Duke of York — never was meant to be king. And from Hollywood’s early honors this season, a drama based on his life never seemed destined as heir-apparent at the Academy Awards.

Yet “The King’s Speech” took a step closer to the best-picture crown Tuesday, leading the Oscars with 12 nominations and gaining momentum against the online chronicle “The Social Network,” which had previously ruled the awards season.

Hollywood’s top prize on Feb. 27 now seems like a twopicture duel between stories about a monarch who lives in terror of a 1930s tool of mass communication - the radio microphone - and a college kid who helped define the Internet era by inventing Facebook.

Also nominated for best picture are the Western “True Grit,” second with 10 total nominations; the psychosexual thriller “Black Swan”; the boxing drama “The Fighter”; the scifi blockbuster “Inception”; the lesbian-family tale “The Kids Are All Right”; the survival story “127 Hours”; the animated smash “Toy Story 3”; and the Ozarks crime thriller “Winter’s Bone.”

“The King’s Speech” is a pageant in the truest Oscar sense, with pomp, ceremony and history like past best-picture winners “The Last Emperor,” “Lawrence of Arabia,” “A Man for All Seasons” and “Shakespeare in Love.”

It’s also an intimate, personal tale of love and kinship as royal Albert (best-actor front-runner Colin Firth) is buoyed by the devotion of his wife (supportingactress nominee Helena Bonham Carter) and makes an unlikely friend out of a commoner, his wily speech therapist (supportingactor contender Geoffrey Rush).

“It’s a very, very human story.

After all, how many of us are so blessed that we go through life without having to overcome some kind of personal obstacle?” said “The King’s Speech” writer David Seidler, who grew up with a stammer himself and earned a nomination for original screenplay.

Seidler said young people who were reluctant to see a historical film “end up absolutely loving it and wanting to see it again, because they understand the emotions of being teased, being bullied, being marginalized, and they really understand the power of a supportive friendship.”

VIEWPOINTS

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Only you can change things One can blame an entire culture for their failure, much like African Americans do when they are faced with the question “why they are in poverty?”

However, a great number fail to realize they’re given the opportunity to make it out of poverty. The schools with the worst reputations from kindergarten into the 12th grade give the opportunities.

But, because you didn’t make it, the white man held you down. No, the illusion that something is to be given to you is what held you down.

I’m not perfect. I mess up.

I make mistakes. To admit to what you’ve done and make an honest effort towards fixing it is the plan and only thing that should be on your

TREVOR JAMES mind.

Things seem hard to make it, whoever said it’d be easy?

In life it takes work for one to achieve anything, even the simplest of task requires work. If you were able to wake up this morning you have energy, one of the requirements to do work.

If you’ve been blessed with the ability read, write, add, subtract, multiply, divide, walk, talk and think, what’s stopping you from setting forth a positive plan to

succeed?

Most of you readers are in or have been in college, so you’ve already taken the first step out of poverty.

For some reason a few students believe their supposed to be given grades and a degree and sent out into the world to represent themselves, the university they get their degree from, any organization they may have joined and their families … all the while knowing nothing. Why? Only because they sat around expecting to be given success and everything else that comes with it.

Ever since that 40 acres and a mule promise, some of us have been sitting back waiting for it. Everyone has or will meet that one person that is going to tell you or

show you there is a way to make it.

The individual being told that only hears about the success and sees the success of the present and does not take the liberty to find out the path taken to receive it.

That person that you idolize went through each and every step and took hold to each and every opportunity they were given to reach that success.

Work is what it’s going to take to get what you want and supply your needs.

So the real question here is simple: Are you willing to go through what it takes and work for that house, nice car and good job that is going to get you out of the poverty you have been placed in?

Letter to the editor Comments made at last week’s Senate Meeting would lead the student body to believe that the Student Judiciary is out to impeach the SGA President and negatively affect the stability of student government. These allegations are absolutely false.

The job of the Student Judiciary has always been to uphold the university’s constitution, bylaws, and election code to better serve and protect the student body. Why such allegations were made, that question remains unanswered.

However, it was ironic to hear that the judiciary was being accused of trying to impeach the president

when during the impeachment trial last semester; the Student Judiciary unanimously voted NO against the impeachment charges.

Also, Members of the Student Judiciary have attempted to reach out and have an organized meeting with the SGA president to discuss solutions, still no response.

The student Judiciary does not want the students of Southern University to go this entire semester without an active Judiciary. Such a move would cause an imbalance in the structure of student government and the student body. Our SGA president has the power to appoint someone to these vacancies, but chooses not to.

SPEAK OUT What is not getting paid until you get your refund check?

BY brandi morrison

digest staff writer

kiana pierce dallas senior Music education

“Rent,books, food, supplies, gas and Praxis Test.” pierce

chaz handy baton rouge senior psychology

handy

The Student Judiciary did nothing, all that we asked was for a fair and balanced process in which the new Chief Justice nominee could be chosen. Unfortunately, this process did not happen.

The voices of the few will continue to be heard, as long as they are voices of truth and fairness and the Student Judiciary will continue to fight on behalf of the students to see that the Chief Justice position is properly filled and the Judicial Branch is back in full effect.

Yours in Blue and Gold, Nykeisha T. Bryer Senior Class Justice

“My laptop needs alot of work done and it is very expensive.”

derika allen winnsboro graduate student criminal justice

allen

“Rent, car note, insurance, utility bills, books and cellphone bill.”

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