The January 29 Issue of the Southern Digest

STATE & NATION

SPORTS

VIEWPOINTS

President seeks bipartisan help. pg. 4

Former coach award namesake. pg. 5

SU’s survival depends on it. pg. 7

obama urges fight for agenda

it’s time for unity

winless Braves on tap for su

estABLished in 1928

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010

VOL. 55, ISSUE 4

Taylor speaks to students

By Breanna paul diGest opiNioNs editor

Susan L. Taylor, a licensed cosmetologist, freelance writer, and former editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine spoke to students, faculty and staff of Southern University as well as citizens of Baton Rouge on January 27, in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the SmithBrown Memorial Union as a part of the 2009 – 2010 Chancellor’s Lecture Series.

The 2009 – 2010 Southern University Royal Court hosted the event. Miss Senior, Elyssa Lassiter was the mistress of ceremonies. Miss Junior, Kenya Warren gave the purpose.

SGA Vice-President, Langston Williams recited a poem entitled, “I am not a statistic.”

Mystee Burrell, liberal arts major performed a song, “Step out on faith” along with back-up singers.

Before addressing the audience, Taylor thanked Chancellor Kofi Lomotey and his wife for inviting her to speak. “I long to be before young people and to listen to you,” said Taylor.

Taylor spoke about accepting the responsibility the challenges that her generation has

left behind. She apologized numerous times throughout her lecture to the young people in the audience for the many things that her generation, “The Baby Boomers” has to apologize for. “We (Baby Boomers) have dropped the baton and I apologize for the brokenness that my generation has left,” said Taylor. Taylor did make note of the good news. “You are the good news, the students here at not statistics,” said Taylor.

Taylor pointed out the National Cares Mentoring Movement, which she founded and left Essence Magazine to run. Taylor talked about how after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, she had to make the Annual Essence Festival a “party with a deeper purpose.” Taylor urged every able Black person to mentor where possible. “Did you know that the first people called to mentor are white women, then white men, then black women and finally black men?” Taylor wants to reverse that. “We need Black men to stand up,” Taylor said.

Taylor asked “How do we begin to clean up the mess?”

The mess Taylor spoke of was the ones that she and students who are in college have left behind. “Failing schools are a

pipeline to prison,” said Taylor.

Taylor mentioned a study which found that 85% of Black fourthgraders are reading below level and 58% of Black fourth-graders are functionally illiterate.

“The challenges we have are not fault, but they are your responsibility.” Taylor declared that these are not the harshest or hardest times. She encouraged people to know their history and how Black people have suffered for the freedoms that we take for granted. “We need to reap the benefits that we have.”

Taylor is asking President Barack Obama to adopt the National Cares Mentoring Movement which calls for one small church to adopt one classroom. “They need to make sure the teachers have chalk and the children have books.

We don’t need to settle for this.” Taylor also mentioned how people raise money for the “Pastor’s 25th Anniversary” when children in nearby schools can’t read on their grade level.

Taylor made note of the big breach between middle class affluent and poor Blacks. “We get a little bit of education and start moving away from our See TAYLOR page 3

photo By norman j. Dotson jr./Digest

essence Magazine editor emerita susan taylor autographs a book for a southern University student Wednesday. taylor spoke during the spring semester’s first installment of the chancellor’s speaker series, urging students to accept challenges left behind by baby boomers.

Senate back to business By norman j. Dotson jr. diGest editor-iN-cHieF

photo By norman j. Dotson jr./Digest

student senator demetrius sumner gives his opening remarks about his resolution to impose a delay on pay increases to the student senate. the senate returned to business thursday, discussing issues affecting sGa and the student body financial aid, renovations and repairs to the smith-brown Memorial Union and money management. the senate discussed six pieces of legislation during the meeting.

It was business as usual during the first meeting of the semester for the Student Government Association Senate Board yesterday evening. The Senate met in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union where they discussed issues regarding much needed improvements around campus, money management, and other concerns of the student body.

The first resolution brought into order was authored by Senator Julien Singleton and called for improvements in Financial Aid and Housing Department, Union Bowling Alley, classrooms, and parking on the campus of Southern University. According to the resolution

the Financial Aid Department, which is the first impression and most important step for students, and the Housing Department are the first steps for any student attending Southern University.

Senator Singleton also expressed renovation concerns to the Union Bowling alley in his resolution so that the Women’s Bowling Team can have an area on campus for their use.

“The Southern University Women’s Bowling Team can be stress free from paying thousands of dollars a semester to practice at other bowling alleys wherein can host their own leagues and/or tournaments and students See SGA page 3

THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE DIGEST WILL BE FRIDAY, FEB. 5.

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THE SOUTHERN DIGEST 4 - DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY, JAN. 30

clouDy HI - 45° / LO - 31° 20% CHANCE OF RAIN

Classifieds apartments for rent

Move-in special $99 dep. Everything new. 3 blocks off SU campus. 1 bdrm $525. 2 bdrm $625.

H20 & trash incl. No pets.

Call 928.0444.

apartments for rent

Southern University.

1 and 2 bdroom/1 bath starting at 395/250 dep. Call 357.1594 or 775.1008.

entertainment

Models & talent showcase. Seeking actors, singers, dancers & models for an opportunity to go to Hollywood & New York.

Please call 225.810.3715.

Campus Briefs TODAY help miss southern assist st. juDe

Drink a lot of soda?

Don’t know what to do with those can tabs? For every gallon of can tabs collected, you will give a sick child a free chemotherapy treatment. Save your tabs and turn them in on the second floor of the SmithBrown Memorial Union at any time or at the Letter Writing Party March 4.

Beep meetings

BEEP Meetings are held every Tuesday at 11 a.m. in T.T. Allain Room 222.

These meetings are open to all majors. For more information contact Toni Jackson at 225.771.5640 ext. 222 or at subeep@ subr.edu.

SUNDAY, JAN. 31

mostly clouDy

HI - 53°/ LO - 35° 0% CHANCE OF RAIN

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.

Mondays-Thursdays 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.

FEB. 2 Bowling tournament

The Smith-Brown Memorial Union presents a Black History Quiz Bowl Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Cotillion Ballroom. css seminars

The Center for Student Success is offering a seminar, “Discovering your Learning Style” on Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at Lawless Auditorium in Stewart Hall.

CSS will also offer the “My Game Plan” seminar Feb. 1 at 4 p.m., Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. at Lawless Auditorium.

FEB. 3 collegiate 100 BlacK women

The Collegiate Black Women of Southern University presents “Self Love: I Don’t Need Anyone’s Approval” Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in Room 313 T.T. Allain Hall.

MONDAY, FEB. 1

TUESDAY, FEB. 2

partly clouDy

few showers

HI - 62° / LO - 45° 10% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 65° / LO - 46° 30% CHANCE OF RAIN

Month Historical Movie Night Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in Classroom 1 in John B. Cade Library. The movie that will be shown is “Mississippi Burning.”

FEB. 26 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 is $25 before Feb. 26 and $30 after February 26, 2010. 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.

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FEB. 4 historical moVie night

The Southern University chapter of Iota Phi Theta presents the Black History

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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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NEWS

Friday, January 29, 2010 - Page 3

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SENATE from page 1 that live on campus can have an extra recreational activity absolutely free,” stated in the resolution.

It was decided that voting on this resolution be postponed until a later date.

The next resolution brought to the floor was one that requested that Southern University advocate a commencing phase to the Intramural Complex and Lacumba Habitat. The resolution stated that students deserve a concrete introduction and conclusion by a representative to answer questions. According to the resolution ever since 1993 students were paying $15 dollar Intramural Complex fee a semester to pay for an eight million dollar Student Intramural complex and increased to $54 in 2004, also since 2004 students were paying a two dollar Lacumba Mascot fee a semester through tuition for a $1.5 million live mascot and habitat. This resolution was moved to be handled by the SGA Athletic, Academic, and Administration committee (AAA committee) at the committee’s next meeting.

Senator William Burrell authored a bill known as the “Access for All” bill that would calls for two polling sites for students during General Election.

“The Student Senate believes many commuter students and students whose classes are located in the buildings on the eastern side of campus choose not to participate in the General Elections due to the fact that the only polling location on campus is not in a convenient

location,” the bill stated and went on to say “Therefore, by adding an additional polling location, student participation in the General Elections will increase and the voting results will more accurately reflect the true desires of the student body.”

The bill proposed that the North Endzone facility at A.W. Mumford Stadium be the target area for an alternative polling location or some other nearby location if this area is not permitted for use. This bill was passed with unanimous consent from the Senate and will begin during this spring’s General Election period.

One of the final issues brought to floor were the “temporary pay overloads” given to select system employees presented by Senator Demetrius Sumner.

“The Southern University System office has failed to fairly and proportionately absorb the budget cuts as a means to alleviate the impact such cuts would and could have on other departments of the system,” the resolution stated.

According to the document more than $34,000 in “temporary pay overloads” to system employees during this systemwide budget cut. The resolution proposed imposing a system wide delay on pay increases and non-contractual bonuses during this tough financial crisis facing the university and was passed with unanimous consent.

TAYLOR from page 1 people,” Taylor said. Taylor also told the audience how education was a weapon.

“It is not a gift that you can use,” Taylor said.

Taylor told everyone how they were a “divine original” and encouraged everyone to give yourself to yourself.

“You need to learn to love what God made and speak to love yourself.” She told everyone to learn how magnificent we are. She encouraged everyone to be proactive. “Everything in this world belongs to you, you just have to go and get it,” Taylor said.

Leadership, according to Taylor, is hiring the smartest people and treating them well. “If you are preparing yourself for leadership, you have to lead your own life,” Taylor said. “If you can’t get your right, forget about leading anybody else.” Taylor spoke about suffering also. “Suffering is a choice. Suffering is deciding that you will stay in that place,” she said. She urged everyone to have gratitude for your life.

Taylor specifically told young women, “everyone does not deserve a front seat

in your life.” She also spoke about how we wake up to people who shouldn’t even be in our life. “Do not lay where you are not adored,” Taylor said. She also encouraged everyone to not lay with anyone that you don’t want in your life forever. Taylor wants everyone to learn the universe of pleasure between holding hands and consummating.

Taylor told everyone of what they owe to the community. “Education belongs to the community,” Taylor said. “We owe something for the space we take up.” She urged everyone to clean the mess up.

Towards the end of her lecture, Taylor posed the question “Who are we?” Taylor told everyone that our people were people who refused to die. “We are not the victims; we are the strongest of the strong.”

After her lecture, the Royal Court presented Taylor with a birthday cake commemorate her birthday on January 23.

The Chancellor’s Lecture Series is funded by Title III, whose main focus is to give students opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.

state & nation Page 4 - Friday, January 29, 2010

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Obama urges fight for agenda

Scheme meant to embarrass Landrieu by the associated press

By charles babington associated press WRITER

WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama voiced determination Thursday to change the tone of Washington politics and urged Republicans to get “off the sidelines” and help fix health care and other problems.

Stopping on his way out of a town hall meeting in Tampa, Fla., Obama hammered again on his State of the Union message — insisting that voters and politicians needed to “start thinking of each other as Americans first.”

Obama and Vice President Joe Biden were in Florida to announce $8 billion in federal grants for high-speed rail projects nationwide — part of his push to combine spending on infrastructure with job creation.

Obama also used his first State of the Union speech Wednesday to push nervous Democrats to forge ahead on health care, despite voters’ worries and opposition from newly strengthened Republicans.

On Thursday, he turned emphatically toward Republicans and implored cooperation.

“Our political dialogue in this country has always been messy and noisy,” Obama told the crowd at the University of Tampa.

“We’re all Americans. We all should

PHOTO BY susan walsh/ap photo President Barack Obama gestures on Capitol Hill in Washington Wednesday after delivering his State of the Union address.

anticipate that the other person, even if they disagree with us, has the best of intentions.

We don’t have to call them names. We don’t have to demonize them.”

Hanging over the Obama agenda and wobbly support among Democrats were fears fueled by events such as last week’s stunning GOP victory in the Massachusetts Senate race.

That setback may have cost Democrats their filibuster-proof Senate majority, Obama said, but “we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills.”

He accepted partial blame for the deep troubles facing his health care push, but he implored lawmakers to finish the task rather than yield to public opposition.

“The longer it was debated, the more

skeptical people became,” Obama told the joint session of Congress and a nationwide TV audience. But health care problems will continue for millions, he said, and “I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.”

House and Senate Democratic leaders are scrambling to see if they can salvage the ambitious health care package, which Republicans almost universally oppose.

Obama offered no new strategies for overcoming the steep parliamentary and political hurdles they face.

The president devoted most of his speech to job-creation proposals, such as eliminating capital gains taxes on small business investment and extending tax breaks for businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.

Threats put school on edge By meghan barr associated press WRITER

NELSONVILLE, Ohio—An attacker could find many places to hide at Hocking College, a campus carved into a forest in the Appalachian foothills. And with the threat of a mass killing looming over black students at the community college, Allen Edwards is steering clear of the trees.

“I don’t feel too safe walking by the woods,” said Edwards, a 19-year-old black student from Canton. “There’s woods everywhere. And somebody could be out in them, and I don’t know.”

The FBI is investigating a threat scrawled last week on a bathroom wall warning that black students would be killed Feb. 2. It bore the trademarks of just another casual — though chilling — threat of violence on a college campus, but students here aren’t taking any chances.

At least two black students have withdrawn permanently from school out of fear for their safety, and another dozen have moved out of the dorm where the

file photo by jay laprete/ap photo

Students enter Hocking Heights residence hall at Hocking College Wednesday in Nelsonville, Ohio. Two black students have withdrawn from the Ohio technical college and several others plan to miss class after a message scrawled in a dormitory bathroom made a racial threat.

The message found Friday in a men’s residence hall at Hocking College said black students would be killed on Feb. 2.

threat was found, officials at the two-year technical college said. Some students seem unperturbed, but others say the threat has brought simmering racial tensions to the surface.

The school confirmed Tuesday that the threat said black students would be killed Feb. 2. At least one subsequent note reading “kill the n------” was reported.

Hocking covers hundreds of densely treed acres in the Wayne National Forest about 60 miles southeast of Columbus.

The campus overwhelms Nelsonville, an economically depressed rural town plagued with heroin addiction and unemployment.

About 400 of the school’s 6,300 students are black, many of whom are foreign exchange students from the Caribbean.

NEW ORLEANS—Four conservative activists accused of trying to tamper with a senator’s phones were just trying to record embarrassing undercover video of her staff ignoring phone calls from constituents angry that she supported health care reform, one of their attorneys said Thurday.

The four, including activist James O’Keefe, known for posing as a pimp and using a hidden camera to target the community-organizing group ACORN, were arrested Monday after targeting Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in a New Orleans federal building.

Attorney J. Garrison Jordan denied they were trying to disable or wiretap the phones in Landrieu’s office.

“You’re dealing with kids,” he said. “I don’t think they thought it through that far.”

Instead, Jordan said, they hoped to get embarrassing video footage of Landrieu’s staff handling constituent calls. Her office received complaints last month that callers opposed to her health care stance couldn’t get through.

Landrieu was not impressed with Jordan’s explanation.

“Attorneys are hired to spin for their clients,” she said Thursday in an interview in Washington.

“Good luck.”

Protesters marched in front of Landrieu’s office in Baton Rouge in December to criticize her support for Senate health care legislation and complain that they couldn’t get through on her office phones. Landrieu said at the time that her office received a high volume of calls.

“Our lines have been jammed for weeks, and I apologize,” Landrieu said in interview with The Advocate of Baton Rouge in December.

Jordan said his client, Robert Flanagan, the 24-year-old son of a federal prosecutor in Louisiana, did not intend to break the law when he went into the office posing as a telephone worker.

No matter their intentions, the four face the serious charge of entering federal property under false pretenses for the purpose of committing a felony, which carries up to 10 years in prison.

They are free on $10,000 bail.

Investigators are aware of Jordan’s explanation, but are pressing ahead to see if that was indeed the men’s motive, a senior federal law enforcement official said Thursday.

SPORTS

Friday, January 29, 2010 - Page 5

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Jaguars look to snap skid Southern turns attention to Saturday’s tilt against winless Alcorn State By jUstin wooten DIGEST SPORTS WRITER

After a nationally televised game, Southern couldn’t get over their five-game losing streak and losing 8 of the last 10. The Jags started the game with a 13-6 run over the hornets of Alabama St. But after that, the hornets (8-10 , 5-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) outscored the Jags by 28 points to close the half at 42 to 23, behind the hornets guard Menji Mundadi’s 29 points. In the second half, the Jags cut the lead down to 10 with 3:39 left in the game after Jazz Williams free throw from a foul. But the Jags couldn’t close the gap, losing 77-60. Menji Mundadi finished the game with game high 29 points and shot 7-14 from the 3-point line.

“I was really focused,” Mundadi said after the game.

The Jags (3-17, 1-7) have lost five games in row and nine of their last 11 overall.

Team captain Doug Scott, who posted doubledoubles in Southern’s last two games, said after the game that the team has to keep up its defensive intensity up for the entire game.

“Me being captain I fell like I have to step up since Ernest (Jones) is no longer a part of the team.”

SU has fallen behind by double digits in the first half in each of the last two games. Head coach Rob PHOTO BY APRIL BUFFINGTON/DIGEST Spivery after the ASU game that getting down Southern’s Doug Scott shoots two as Jackson State’s De’Suan Dixon early affects the team offensively. tries to block. The Jaguars host winless Alcorn State Saturday.

National coaching award named in Jobe’s honor DIGEST NEWS SERvIcE

BOSTON— In its continued effort to recognize some of the greats that have coached the game, CollegeInsider.com announced the creation of the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year award.

“Coach Jobe is one of the great coaches of our time,” says CollegeInsider.com cofounder Joe Dwyer. “If he had coached at a high profile program he would be a household name. Today’s game needs more people like Ben Jobe. He is a success as both a coach and a person. He truly is a legend in every sense of the word.”

The 77-year old Jobe, who spent the majority of his career coaching at historically Black Colleges, won 524 games in 31 years. He is best known for his accomplishments at Southern University.

During a ten-year stretch (1986-1995) he took the Jaguars to four NCAA Tournaments and one NIT appearance. he never posted a losing record during that tenure.

“This is such an honor for me,” says Jobe.

“So many people have helped me throughout my career and they are the reason for this award. People like John McClendon, Clarence `Big House’ Gaines and so many others have helped to get where I am today.

I have been truly blessed. This is the biggest honor I have ever had.”

Jobe’s coaching career began at Nashville’s Cameron High School in 1959. His very first team won 24 games, a school record. One year later he went to West Africa to coach junior college ball. In Sierra Leone, his team

posted back-to-back undefeated seasons.

He returned to the states to coach at Talladega in 1964. Throughout the 1960s and in the decades that followed, Jobe established himself as a program builder.

He changed the fortunes of Alabama State and South Carolina State where he took the Bulldogs to five NAIA Tournaments in five seasons. In 1979 Jobe took over at the University of Denver. The program had suffered through 11 straight losing seasons, but under Jobe’s guidance the Pioneers finished 15-12 in his first season.

One year later Denver won 20 games and had its first postseason invite since 1947.

Jobe went on to the NBA’s Denver Nuggets (assistant coach and director of player personnel, 1980-81); Georgia Tech University (assistant coach, 1981-82); and Alabama A&M University (head coach, 1982-86). At A&M he posted a record of 83-36 in four seasons, taking the Bulldogs to three SIAC championships and two NCAA Division II tournaments.

During the early 1970s Jobe was also a member of Frank McGuire’s staff at the University of South Carolina, a staff that included Bobby Cremins and Donnie Walsh.

“It is an honor to be included in this prestigious panel to commemorate the impressive career of my friend, Ben Jobe,” says Donnie Walsh, General Manager of the New York Knicks. “Ben was not only a great coach, but a wonderful mentor for generations of young athletes. I consider it a privilege to have a vote for Coach of the Year honors.”

The Jags will next play host to a winless Alcorn State Saturday at 4 p.m. The Braves are currently on a 24-game losing steak and have not won a SWAC road game since winning at Alabama State in January 2009.

The Jags are currently second to last in the league, with their only win coming against archrival Grambling State. Winless Alcorn (021, 0-8) is last in the SWAC. The Braves have struggled on the road in conference so far this season, losing by an average of 24.7 points in four games this season.

The Braves are led by senior guard Jonathan Boyd, who leads the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game. The Jags will also have to keep a body on Braves junior center JaMarkus Holt, who leads the team in rebounding (9.5 rbg) and second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game.

Holt also has six double-doubles so far this season and has eight double-digit rebounding games this season.

Southern swingman Tony McGilveary did not dress because of a bruised thigh he suffered against Alabama A&M Saturday afternoon. He is expected to be ready for action.

Meanwhile, the Southern women’s team (126, 6-2) look to continue its hot play against the Lady Braves (4-11, 4-3). Owners of a six-game winning streak, an SU win would match the women’s best winning streak since pulling off two separate seven-game streak en route to the SWAC Tournament title in the 2005-06 season.

viewpoints Page 6 - Friday, January 29, 2010

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Answering questions concerning SU The leadership of the Student Government Association held a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday.

Several issues were raised in the lively and well organized discussion with students, staff and administration representatives. (Faculty leaders were invited, but were unable to attend.)

One of the recurring themes in the meeting was the inadequacy of communication on the campus. The calling of the Town Hall meeting by the SGA leadership was one attempt to address this concern.

The establishment last year of the weekly Monday Morning Memo is another attempt at improving communication. We are also not scheduling classes on Thursdays from 11 a.m.12:20 p.m. in order to create a common time for meetings and other forums. Indeed, we are attempting to improve communication on campus, but the message at the Town Hall meeting was that we need to redouble our efforts.

This article is one small attempt in that regard. In it, we alert readers to issues on campus and we attempt to respond to some of the concerns raised at the Town Hall meeting. More articles will appear in the DIGEST addressing these and other issues of concern to students and other members of the Jaguar Nation. We thank the DIGEST staff for providing this forum for this discussion.

——— Why is the budget of our campus being cut so much? Who is doing this to us?

Southern is a public state higher education institution. It is funded principally with state funds. The state is currently experiencing an extreme budgetary crisis as is the entire country. Louisiana simply does not have sufficient funds to operate the state, including those agencies that are state funded.

The governor has emphasized that he will not raise taxes to address

the budget shortfall. Therefore, he has decided that the only way that budgetary shortfalls can be addressed is by cutting the budgets of those programs and institutions that receive their funding from the state. The state constitution, as it is currently written, protects all state agencies from extreme budget cuts except higher education and the Department of Hospital and Health Services. These two agencies continue to bear the heaviest cuts of all state agencies.

For so long as the governor and the Legislature do not change the constitution to allow required budget cuts to be more evenly and fairly allocated across all state agencies, SUBR and all state higher education institutions will continue to experience disproportionately high budget cuts.

Accordingly, SUBR and other state higher education institutions will continue to struggle for survival.

Why can’t Federal Student Aid refund checks be issued earlier?

According to the Federal Student Aid Handbook, “a student is not considered to have begun attendance if a school is unable to document the student’s attendance in any class.” As a University, our objective is to disburse refund checks to all of our students eligible to receive those checks as early as possible without exposing the University to any liability for overpayment errors. A student’s refund check cannot be processed until all of the student’s instructors have submitted attendance verification reports that indicate the student has attended all of his/her classes at least once.

What is the attendance verification requirement for colleges and universities?

Federal Student Aid programs are administered under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The guidelines state the following: At all schools, after the start of classes, Title IV funds should not be disbursed without schools confirming that students have begun attendance.

What are the consequences for disbursing federal student aid funds without verifying student attendance?

KOFI LOMOTEY SUBR CHANCELL OR

SUBR is responsible for any funds disbursed due to an error by the university. Consequently, if SUBR disburses financial aid refunds without having verified all students’ attendance and any students are later found to be ineligible to receive the funds, the university would be in error for failing to verify all students’ attendance and would have to repay the U.S. Department of Education. In recent years SUBR has had to repay more than $600,000.

What needs to be done to get federal student aid funds disbursed to students earlier?

The key to earlier disbursement is getting things done sooner. For example, students must attend classes earlier. We have been told that some students have been overheard to say that they don’t plan to go to class until the 14th class day. If that is true, those students’ class attendance will not have been verified and they will not receive a federal student aid check until they attend all of their classes.

Also, some faculty members have said that they don’t report attendance until the 14th class day. If they do not, the refunds due students in their classes will not be processed until those instructors submit their attendance reports.

Why is LiveText necessary?

Our accrediting body, the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS), requires SUBR to provide evidence that it “engages in ongoing, integrated, and institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation processes that (1) incorporate a systematic review of institutional mission, goals, and outcomes; (2) result in continuing improvement in institutional quality; and (3) demonstrate the institution is effectively accomplishing its mission.”

LiveText is an outcomes assessment management system. Assessment is the process we use to determine whether we, as a University, are keeping our commitments to our mission, vision, goals and objectives.

We know how well we are doing by setting outcomes (goals and objectives) and assessing (measuring) our progress toward achieving them.

We use assessment data to evaluate our performance and to make changes to improve ourselves.

We want to build a culture of assessment at SUBR. LiveText is designed to enable us to generate student assessment and outcomes/ standards assessment reports by course section, courses, degree programs, departments, and university using term and student demographic profiles. Our goal is for LiveText to be used campus-wide as an academic resource in courses and educational and social networking.

This is totally consistent with the chancellor’s emphasis on assessment of academic outcomes throughout the lifelong learning continuum.

Imagine being able to produce an electronic portfolio that will enable you to provide prospective employers and investors evidence of what you have learned and accomplished at SUBR. Imagine SUBR being able to take potential donors, prospective students and interested employers of students located anywhere in world on a virtual exhibition of our students’ accomplishments with documentation.

When we fully implement LiveText all of this will be possible at SUBR. Why are some faculty upset with the campus administration?

Some faculty are upset with the administration for at least three reasons. First, they contend that they were not consulted prior to the determination of areas to be cut in the mid-year budget cut this year.

Second, they are concerned because one of the mid-year cuts is a slight (approximately 20 percent) cut in summer pay for faculty. (Keep in mind that faculty are nine-month employees.

Teaching in the summer is not a right or an entitlement; it is a privilege.)

Finally, some faculty are upset because, while it is normal for

promoted faculty to receive raises, those faculty who were promoted effective this year have not yet received raises; their raises — along with the raises of all civil service employees — were included in the budget cut that took effect this past fall.

What is a student ombudsman?

The student ombudsman, ombudsperson, is a neutral or impartial dispute resolution practitioner whose major function is to provide confidential and informal assistance to the university’s students. The ombudsperson role has a long and honorable tradition as a means of protecting against abuse, bias and other improper treatment or unfairness.

Serving as a designated neutral, the ombudsperson is neither an advocate for any student nor the university, but rather, an advocate for fairness who acts as a source of information and referral, and aids in answering individual’s questions, and assists in the resolution of concerns and critical situations.

In considering any given instance or concern, the rights of all parties that might be involved are taken into account. The office supplements, but does not replace, the University’s existing resources for conflict resolution. Generally, the student ombudsperson: • Provides impartial and confidential consultation to students who are aggrieved or concerned about an issue • Remains independent, neutral and impartial and exercises good judgment • Assists inquiries in interpreting university policies and procedures • Provides assistance to inquiries by clarifying issues and generating options for resolution • Consults with appropriate faculty/staff to develop strategies for complaint resolution • Formulates, manages, and monitors the overall goals, direction, programs, and budget of the office • Ensures the integrity of the office maintained by all ombuds office staff through independent, fair process, neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality and timely attention to the resolution of issues while treating all students with dignity and respect.

VIEWPOINTS

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20 Questions I’M JUST ASKING STATEMENT

I’M JUST ASKING is for entertainment purposes only. These remarks do not represent the opinions of the DIGEST staff, Southern University or the Office of Student Media Services.

1. Aren’t you glad Raising Cane’s has this new Caniac Club thing going on?

2. How many times have you gone?

3. Which location did you go to first? Plank or Government?

4. If you went to Plank first, were they out of cards?

5. Will Raising Cane’s run out of chicken like KFC? 6. Are you going to Corporate today?

7. How many e-mails did you use that haven’t used in years?

8. Better yet, how many e-mail addresses did you create?

9. Isn’t it against a few of the band members’ parole to be leaving the state?

10. Oh wait, never mind, isn’t it a part of their community service?

11. Who tried to use their book voucher to pay for the Honda trip?

12. When do the book vouchers expire?

13. Who has filed their taxes yet?

14. How many people are getting refunds?

15. How many people owe money?

16. Who claimed their best friend’s sister’s godmother’s grandchild?

17. Are people still looking for children to claim?

18. How many people are claiming random children?

19. Isn’t that illegal?

20. Who is using their refund check to pay for a trip to Miami?

Read the Digest at WWW.

southern digest .com

Ujima — collective responsiblity SPEAK OUT

Historically Black Colleges and Universities across America are at the most crucial and critical stages financially. One by one, our colleges are closing down because of being “tuition dependent.”

This problem illustrates the importance and magnitude of collective responsibility.

Before I decided to attend Southern University in 2004, I was informed by many people who elaborated about their hardships of attending SU. I decided to attend anyway, only to experience the problems for myself.

I should have listened; however, I do not regret being apart of the Jaguar Nation. We all have been through many obstacles such as registration confusion, customer service problems and receiving an enormous amount of parking tickets, but people cease to realize the process of matriculating through four to five years of SU’s madness is only molding us into stronger people for America’s workforce.

Attending SU requires a

BILLY WASHINGTON lot of patience, endurance, and perseverance which are three qualities required for the real world and life period.

We, the student body and Alumni, point the finger at SU, for their financial problems not realizing some of the blame is on us.

We, are known as the Jaguar Nation because we look out for other graduates when we leave; however, we fail to give back to our schools.

Tuition dependency should not be the problem of SU being on the verge of closing down. Not only should we give back, after graduating, we should conduct fundraisers every year until we get out of the deficit. This task may be hard to complete but it can be accomplished if

we live by our motto: “One accord, One SU”. The finger pointing has to stop. We need to analyze ourselves before we criticize each other. We’re family. Instead of worrying about refund checks being mailed off on time or the student seat section being changed, not saying that the issue was petty, we need to work on generating our own funds.

If we take a look back at the developmental stages of HBCUs, the attitude and “mindframe” back then for African Americans were to be government dependent.

Prime example, Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskeegee University, raised a total of 2 million dollars in 1915, which is equivalent to 17 million today. Somewhere down the line we became LAZY. So, Kwanzaa has passed; however, let us remember the principal of Ujima (Swahili for collective responsibility) and accept the current financial situation as OUR problem.

The problem may seem hard to solve but there is always a formula to solve them.

Facebook: Tsk, Tsk, Tsk! What are you doing?

Dang why does Facebook have to be so nosy?

Facebook has taken over the world! So here are a few tips about making Facebook better for you and your 2,732 friends that you don’t know: 1. Don’t like your own status. We already know you like it because you wouldn’t have posted it if you didn’t. DUH! 2. Don’t update your status more than 3-4 times a day. If you do so, you might as well get a Twitter account because Twitter openly accepts multiupdaters. I once updated my status multiple times a day, but then realized I was becoming annoying with people who did that so I decided to stop. Come on now, everyone knows the person who fills their minifeed with nonsense!

3. Don’t update your status about any drama that’s going on in your life with any of your Facebook friends. This will lead to a status war and more drama and then someone posting a status that will probably look like this, “Shout out to all my haters! HI HATER!” That’s not a good look, because you probably won’t

BREANNA PAUL say what you posted to that person.

4. Don’t use an unnecessary middle name or a have a fake first name. No one knows who “DymeDiva Jones” is!!

It’s also annoying to have “ChocolateBarbieMizzes Williams” add you as a friend? Who are you? If you want to have all those extra names and alias’ then get a MySpace or Twitter.

5. Don’t send 5,389,509 party invitations or messages. I guess party promoters don’t realize that if you bombard people with messages, invitations, status updates and for the bold ones wall posts then you probably won’t have that many people attend your event. Most people delete party promoters if they send to many messages!

6. No one needs to know when you are taking a bath or that you went to the mall with your mom. That’s just

something you need to keep to yourself or update on your Twitter.

7. For the couples out there, no one needs to see pictures of you kissing or in the bed lying next to each other. Most likely, all of the people who matter in your life know that you are together therefore there is no need to broadcast that all over the World Wide Web. 8. Also, what’s up with these couples posting, “I love you bae” or “I miss you” or “Call me.” Don’t y’all have cell phones?

There’s no need to Facebook that. Let me give you a hint, if he or she is not answering your calls or texts, chances are they are NOT going to check their Facebook to see if you sent them a message or wrote on their wall.

9. Don’t repeat statuses.

We all saw it. If no one comments the first time, your “friends” are not going to comment on the next few updates.

I hope someone has a learned a valuable lesson in “Facebooking.” Because I really don’t want it to go down like MySpace did.

What did you take from the State of the Union Address?

BY trevor james Digest Photographer

khalid washington shreveport freshman biology

“Obama kept it real about the problems we face and a sure fire way to rebuild washington America, It’ll take time but I believe in him.”

marina waters breaux bridge freshman family & consumer sciences

“I found Obama’s speech to be very insprirational, waters As president he’s taught me nothing is impossible and impossible is nothing.”

yasha clark new orleans freshman political science

“I think it was very motivational, especially for college students. clark Our problems are rarely addressed, and hopefully his changes will bring progress because things are getting worse.”

SUBMISSIONS POLICY

The Southern DIGEST welcomes letters from readers commenting on current issues and other matters of general interest to the SU family and public. We set aside this space to publish these letters for others to enjoy. This newspaper is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on its editorial and opinion pages. The Southern DIGEST reserves the right to edit any contributions and or reject them without notification. Authors are encouraged to limit the length of submissions to 300 words. Letters should not include libelous statements. Offensive and personal attacks will not be permitted. The DIGEST will not print “open letters” addressed to someone else. All contributions must be type written, signed and must include the author’s address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed.

Southern University students should include their majors, hometowns and year in school.

When referring to specific DIGEST articles, please include the date and title. All materials should be directed to the editor in chief of The Southern DIGEST, P.O. Box 10180, Baton Rouge, La. 70813. Materials may be delivered by hand to the DIGEST office located in Suite 1064 Harris Hall or can be e-mail to digest@ subr.com.

Editorial policy

Staff editorials represent the opinions of the author and the majority opinion of the Southern DIGEST Student Editorial Board, which is comprised of the student staff of editors and columnists. The Southern DIGEST provides an open forum to educate, inform and enlighten the students, faculty and staff at Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.

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