The Southern Digest March 1, 2012

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Volume 58, Issue 8

The Southern Digest will return March 13 check southerndigest.com for updates

SU cagers set for finales; football back to business see Sports, Page 5

Media advocacy = social advocacy see Commentary, Page 7

Leaders talk CATS future

Campus crime still low

Evan Taylor

Overall crime statistics continue to remain low for Southern University since 2010 according to a recent annual report being prepared

by SUPD. Crime offenses with high ratings in 2010 such as robbery and drug law arrests have declined drastically from double digits to single digits. There were a total of 11 robberies reported in 2010 and nine robberies reported in 2011. Three of the armed robberies conducted in 2011, are still under investigation.

In preparing the 2011 report, burglary leads the board with a total of 35 reported incidents with an outstanding number of 29 of those offenses being carried out in campus residence halls.

“There is no way for us to predict crime but we are looking at being proactive and tightening up security in all phases of the campus,” said Lt. Floyd Williams, acting captain of the crime division.

SUPD police chief, Capt.

Ronald Stevens, informed The Digest last year of plans to build a friendly communal environment between the police and the SU community, especially with students.

“We’ve been working adamantly with student affairs with Mr. Brandon Dumas and he is supposed to be working with admissions but we haven’t received a date yet,” said Williams.

In the preparation of the 2011 crime stat report there have been no reports of arson or motor vehicle thefts compared to reports made in 2010.

Since 2008, there have been no reports of murder/ non- negligent homicide, non-forcible rape, negligent manslaughter, hate crimes, or liquor law arrests made.

There hasn’t been a report of forcible rape or sexual assault since 2009. There were a total of two incidents reported in 2011 which both occurred on campus.

“This doesn’t mean rape and sexual assault is increasing but

Billy Washington The Southern Digest

The Southern Digest

Southern University students, along with the group Together Baton Rouge, met Tuesday to speak about a collective effort to save CATS transportation.

The group working to reform CATS will host an event at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6 at The T.J. Jemison Baptist Center to educate everyone about CATS reform and get students registered to vote.

“Most importantly we want to have students on one accord to make a positive impact,” junior mass communication major from New Orleans Willie McCorkle said.

April 21 is the date for voting in favor or against the CATS reform. Students will be able to vote at F.G. Clark Activity

photo by keldric nash/digest

Student leaders from the various organizations on campus attend a meeting leading up to the March 6 campuswide forum on transit crisis and April 21 election to the keep the transit system from shutting down in July. Along with discussing ways of getting all the students to vote, they also emphasized the importance of the upcoming election becuase the students and community will be effected pending the outcome.

Center.

“I feel as though this is a crisis that greatly affects and potentially handicap the students of Southern University,” said Ebony Yarbrough, a junior English major from Baton Rouge.

There will be a competition conducted for organizations to garner 300 voter registration cards in an effort to get students

registered for the ‘critical’ election.

“The way Southern can really make more of a difference is by organizing the student body and getting them registered,” Broderick Bagert, lead organizer for Together Baton Rouge said.

After students register the next part of the program is to bring students to vote for the

improvements on the ballot.

“Once the registration deadline rolls around we will have to think hard about how to turn people out. This could have such a devastating effect on Southern with no longer having the Southern shuttle.

That could be a way to energize See CATS Future page 3

Tureaud: history, progress cumulative Evan Taylor

The Southern Digest

photo by keldric nash/digest

The guest lecturer of the Chancellor’s Master Class Series, A.P. Tureaud Jr. was the first African American undergraduate student to attend LSU. He was also a co-author of the book “A More Noble Cause”. One of the many things he discussed during his lecture was the struggling times he had to endure while living on campus due to his race.

A.P. Tureaud Jr. discussed his experiences working to integrate Louisiana State University and the efforts of his father, A.P. Tureaud Sr. as a civil rights attorney at the Chancellor’s Master Class series.

Tureaud Jr. engaged students in dialogue concerning standing on the shoulders of others and the cumulative effort of contributing to history and society.

“History is a cumulative thing, progress is a cumulative thing. I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did unless others were prepared for the legal battles and challenges. I didn’t do this by myself, I had other people working with me to do it. You just build from one another. It’s cumulative,” Tureaud Jr. said.

Co-author of ‘A More noble cause,’ the story of A.P. Tureaud Sr.; Rachel Emanuel, Southern University Law Center director

of communication and development support reflected on the lecture.

“I think it was great and I really enjoyed the engagement of the students and what they questioned Tureaud about and even the faculty member’s input. He had a lot to share and I know he said a lot but, you never know what’s on the minds of the people in the audience so, it was good to hear that feedback,” Emanuel said.

Chancellor Llorens reflected on the story of A.P. Tureaud Sr. told by A.P. Tureaud, Jr. and the ‘historical perspective’ behind the lecture and in advances made from both the father and sons efforts.

“The lecture was excellent.

I was impressed with what he went through and how he presents that experience to the students and how he presents the long range impact of what See Tureaud page 3

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

See Crime Low page 3

Campus Life southerndigest.com

Page 2 - Thursday, March 1, 2012

Classifieds

SU Wesley Foundation

The Southern University Wesley Foundation is accepting HOUSE FOR SALE donations of non-perishable House for sale in Melrose and canned foods for their food Subdivision. 3 Bedroom, 2 drive. They will be accepting full baths. Call Mr. Jackson donations until April. Worship 225.288.5187. services are on Wednesdays at noon.

Campus Briefs Café Lacumba

today

Come join your colleagues and faculty for a delicious and healthy lunch! All items are made fresh and can be enjoyed as you dine in or on the go. Café Lacumba will be serving sandwiches, wraps, salads, snacks and beverages every Wednesday from 11 am- 1:30 pm. Café Lacumba is located in 161 Pinkie Thrift Hall. For more information call 225.771.4660.

Retool your school

Continue to vote to see Southern get a facelift. Vote at retoolyourschool.com to help Southern University succeed. Vote everyday because every vote counts. Southern University is currently in 5th place.

Campus Access

Harding Boulevard will be the sole entrance/exit between the hours of 6 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Vehicles entering the campus during those hours must stop at the Checkpoint prior to entering the campus. On weekends the Mills Avenue entrance will remain closed from 6 p.m.

Friday until 5 a.m. the following Monday morning.

Please contact Lt. Floyd Williams at 771-2770 for more details.

Live Text codes for first time freshmen and first time transfers

League Play has begun for Intramural Basketball. All games are played on Fridays in Seymour Gym. For more information contact Coach Robinson at 225.771.3212.

Blues for Alabama Sky

MLK Catholic Student Center

The theatre department presents “Blues for an Alabama Sky” tonight until Mar 3 at 7:30 pm in Hayden Hall. Admission is $3 for Students and $5 for general admission. The play was written by Pearl Cleage and

The St. Joseph Chapel/ MLK Catholic Student Center offers Sunday mass service at 11 am and daily mass at 12:10 Monday thru Friday. Confessions are by appointment.

CATS reform meeting

AARP Internship Opportunities

The SU CSS offers a free paper service. You can have your paper reviewed for clarity, grammatical errors, sentence structure, etc. CSS will also be offering English workshops every Friday at 10 am. CSS will be offering seminars to assist students with topics such as discovering their learning styles, study skills, to stress management. Contact CSS for more information on any of these programs and for tutoring questions at 225.771.4312 or stop by 107 in Stewart Hall.

Intramural Basketball League

march 6

Graduate School Critical Dates

Center for Student Success

LiveText Subscription Codes for First-Time Freshmen and First-Time Transfer Students are available until March 1 from 10am-12noon and 2-4p.m.

Monday-Thursday in Room 155 of W.W. Stewart Hall.

Table Tennis Tournament

Smith Brown Memorial Union presents a table tennis tournament on March 14 from 6-9pm in Lacumba’s Playpen.

Register for the tournament until March 9 for only $5.

Awards and Prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place. Come out and show off your skills.

LaCumba’s playpen, Union Bowling Alley and Burger King will be open Fridays until 3pm.

LaCumba’s playpen and the bowling alley will offer half price Fridays.

A list of critical dates is in the graduate school office.

Who’s Speaking Out?

set in 1930’s Harlem.

There will be a discussion and meeting concerning CATS reform for Baton Rouge at T.J Jemison Baptist Center at 6:30pm on March 6. Students, faculty and staff are invited to get more information on how to contribute to the effort of registering and voting for the continuation of CATS service in Baton Rouge. Transportation will be provided to and from the event from the back of campus that evening beginning at 5:30pm.

Union Fun Fridays

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

AARP Baton Rouge is looking for advocacy interns. Seeking part-time interns to work 20 hours a week for 14 weeks as a part of the advocacy team. This internship is paid with flexible hours. Applicants are required to be currently enrolled senior or pursuing a Masters in political science, law, business administration with the ability to commit to AARP goals, priority issues, communication skills, and MS office suite and online tool proficiency.

Qualified candidates send a letter of interest and resume to nmcpherson@aarp.org.

Ag Stars

Calling all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors with a 2.5 GPA and no declared major.

Want to pursue an exciting degree in agricultural sciences?

Want to be an Ag Star mentor?

Ag Star participants can earn $1,000 stipend per semester.

Apply in Fisher Room 113.

What do you know about the NAACP or the National Urban League?

Raven BradyParker

Sabrina Jones baton rouge freshman biology/ education

baton rouge sophomore Nursing/pre-med

“I’m a member of the NAACP here at Southern; it is a nationally- Brady-Parker recongnized organization that strives to improve and advance the lives of minorities.”

“In recent days, I don’t know the NAACP. I know Jones Dr. King and Rosa Parks, but the NAACP hasn’t done anything major recently.”

Patrick Batiste

Rayrence Marcelle

New Orleans Junior Music

Little Rock, Ark. Junior therapeutic recreation

“I don’tknow much about it.

It would be nice to see it more though.”

“They made a big impact in the 60s, but now they they haven’t made much impact.”

Batiste

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.

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Marcelle

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Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Page 3

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Book vouchers spark student uproar Christie Carral

The Southern Digest

Last semester, students were in an uproar after being notified through e-mails and phone calls from Southern University informing them of an overpayment in their refund checks.

Due to an error that occurred in the Banner data system, the money from students’ book purchases at the SU Bookstore did not get taken out before the checks were disbursed.

According to the university’s website, www.subr.edu, Banner is an integrated information system made up of finance, human resources and student modules.

Banner was implemented to allow users 24-hour access to university financial information, to manage personnel information across the SU system and to allow faculty, staff and students 24-7 online access to the information they need including financial aid data, course information, class rosters and class availability.

According to Demetria George, bursar at the Comptroller’s Office, since the students are unable to pay back the overpaid amount last semester, the deduction would be taken from the spring

“It is covered by your refund ... Once we issue it, it is up to the Comptroller’s Office to collect it.”

Lawrence Buggage Financial Aid advisor

semester’s refund checks.

“I may as well wait on my refund check because they don’t give me all my money,” said Paige Myers, a junior fashion merchandising major from Baton Rouge.

Another student, Airanee Galmon, a sophomore apparel merchandising major from Baywood, La., said she received a book voucher but did not get her remaining balance.

Galmon stated that she only spent a little over $300 in the bookstore last semester. She said she had a $100 at least left from her voucher and it did not return to her refund.

According to the Financial Aid Office, refund checks this semester were disbursed starting on Feb. 10.

Financial Aid advisor Lawrence Buggage said in order for a student to receive a book voucher, their financial aid must be enough to supply a voucher.

“It is covered by your refund,”

he said.

According to Buggage, most students that receive financial aid are eligible for book vouchers.

“You must have enough funds to secure it,” said Buggage.

Buggage also stated that over 2,100 students received book vouchers for the spring 2012 semester.

“Once we issue it, it is up to the comptroller’s office to collect it,” said Buggage.

When students receive their book vouchers and take them to the bookstore to be processed, the bookstore then sends the information to the comptroller’s office.

According to the information released by the cashiers in the comptroller’s office, students that were overpaid during the fall semester last year, they were given an outstanding balance on their accounts in the Banner system.

“I remember the students complaining about that,” said

John Dyar, SU Bookstore manager.

Dyar stated that there were many students asking him questions about the overpayment on their checks.

He stated that he knew nothing of the matter.

With the error that occurred in Banner that did not properly deduct the students’ money from their account for their books, the university was unable to pay the bookstore their money last semester.

According to Dyar, the university has a contract with the bookstore for students to get book vouchers to purchase their books early.

Book vouchers are issued at certain dates so that students are eligible to purchase books with money from their refunds.

With the bookstore being in contract with the university, students that receive financial aid are given a $500 stipend, only if they are eligible, to purchase most of their books.

Crime Low from page 1 we will continue to encourage people to report it more,” said Sgt. Kevin Johnson, SUPD Deputy of Administration.

The most recent public arrest made, which occurred on Jan. 19, 2012, involved two male SU students and one former male student who were accused of committing a robbery while armed by Washington Hall dormitory around 10 p.m. The incident caused SUPD to set up the Harding Boulevard checkpoint early, closing the campus at 6 p.m. The

armed robbery incident is currently under investigation.

SUPD is also in the process of having laptops in every vehicle that will read license plates and check criminal backgrounds. There are discussions of having a criminal in-house data base system, investigative division, a bicycle division, and a motorcycle division.

“By July 1 we should have our investigative division set up, we will try to have a person who is motorcycle

qualified to focus on traffic control, and have identified our information technology guy to move in that area. We want different levels of policing but we also want to be seen more and become community friendly officers,” informed Williams.

Overall crimes that have been investigated by SUPD have a 80 to 90 percent clearing rate according to SUPD reports.

CATS Future from page 1 people. Plus with the notion that if it passes it will so significantly improve services,” Bagert said.

McCorkle one of the chairpersons hopes that Southern will benefit but, also the Baton Rouge community.

“I hope this is will put Southern in a positive light and do something positive for the campus and Baton Rouge area,” McCorkle said.

Attendees and participants can gain more information at the March 6 meeting on how to join the competition and effort.

“We have all student leaders on board. This is a two stage campaign first, we need to get students registered to vote and the second part is to get students to turn out to vote,” McCorkle said.

The competition ends on March 15 and organizations will submit their registration cards each organization is expected to collect 300 voter cards.

According to competition rules, “All teams are responsible for having each registration card completely filled out. The team that exceed the quota with the most cards will have a bus named in their honor and a year of bragging rights.”

Together Baton Rouge is working with leaders at Southern to minimize the ‘devastating effect’ on the students if CATS service is terminated.

Together Baton Rouge aims to have 20,000 voters across Baton Rouge cast ballots making each vote cast worth $1500.

For students interested in attending the March 6 meeting transportation will be provided to and from the event starting at 5:45 p.m. that evening.

For students, faculty or staff who will be in the Baton Rouge area during spring break, early voting will take place April 7-14 at 10 sites around the city.

Tureaud from page 1 he did and more importantly the perspective he brings to what his father did for the State of Louisiana,” Llorens said.

Marlin Hollins a senior business management and marketing major from Jackson, La. Was inspired and informed by the lecture.

“To be the first AfricanAmerican at an all white institution, when prestigious HBCUs were available at his tangible reach. He story was inspirational because even today African-American males are scared to make that step, they feel they have to go to HBCUs because they don’t have the exposure,” Hollins said.

Hollins mentioned Tureaud

Jr. paved the way for other African Americans to follow, continuing the theme of cumulative effort of the prosperity of society.

“Students can see it’s a part of history and how things have changed. Hopefully they can understand what contributions they can make to continue the work that I benefited from and we are all a part the continuation of human development and civilization,” Tureaud Jr. said.

He emphasized how students can continue this development and the role of universities and their students to contribute.

“It’s an ongoing activity. As university students they will carry on the story to others.

Throughout their work, exposure to people in their jobs, social life, and in their role as leaders. That’s why we are at universities to be leaders in small and large ways. You are the future,” Tureaud Jr. said.

Emanuel discussed that challenges are still present and how important it is for generations to do their part in ‘running their race.’

“You may not be a lawyer but, you can support a movement in numerous ways. It is always another generation that can hand over the torch, run their race and pass it on to the next generation. We all stand on the shoulders of others, that’s all a part of making life better for

everybody,” Emanuel said.

Llorens addressed the importance of exposure in the lecture series and the future of the series.

“It’s important that students get exposure to folks from all walks of life that have accomplished things and to talk about the experiences it benefits the student population.

We look for people with fresh, youthful perspective to what our students will encounter when you get into society after they graduate reaching across all aspects; music, literature, art and music and the political world,” Llorens said.

This lecture is the beginning of the Chancellor’s Master Class series.

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The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Attorney General reviewing NYPD spying complaints Eileen Sullivan & Pete Yost The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Months after receiving complaints about the New York Police Department’s surveillance of entire American Muslim neighborhoods, the Justice Department is just beginning a review to decide whether to investigate civil rights violations.

Attorney General Eric Holder told Congress the status of the review Tuesday.

The announcement bothered some Democrats, who said they were under the impression the Justice Department had been reviewing the matter since last late last year.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press show that the NYPD has built databases pinpointing where Muslims live, where they buy groceries, what Internet cafes they use and where they watch sports. Dozens of mosques and student groups

have been infiltrated, and police have built detailed profiles of Moroccans, Egyptians, Albanians and other local ethnic groups. The NYPD surveillance extended outside New York City to neighboring New Jersey and Long Island and colleges across the Northeast.

Holder told Congress that police seeking to monitor activities by citizens “should only do so when there is a basis to believe that something inappropriate is occurring or potentially could occur.”

Holder responded under questioning by Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., who as an infant was sent with his parents to a Japanese internment camp during World War II and has compared that policy to the NYPD’s treatment of Muslims.

The attorney general was on Capitol Hill to discuss the Justice Department’s federal budget.

Holder did not suggest that a Justice Department

PHOTO BY mary altaffer/ap photo

Fatima Akbar, center, marches with her son Shafiyu, 11, left, and Ayesha Mohammed, right, towards the New York Police Department headquarters during a rally asking for the resignation of NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly and NYPD spokesperson Paul Browne, in a demand for independent community control of the NYPD, and a well-funded oversight mechanism with subpoena power in New York. Thirtythree civil rights groups from around America complained to the New York attorney general Friday about police documents that showed the New York Police Department recommending increased surveillance of Shiite mosques based solely on their religion. The letter urged Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate NYPD’s surveillance operations, which monitored entire neighborhoods and built databases about everyday life in Muslim communities.

investigation of the NYPD was imminent. Over the last six months, the AP has revealed the inner workings of secret programs of the NYPD, built with help from the CIA, to monitor Muslims.

French Quarter residents attack noise issue Kevin McGill

The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — An acoustics expert hired by some New Orleans residents says sound from music clubs in some neighborhoods — particularly the French Quarter — regularly exceeds legal noise limits.

The report from Houston-based CSTI Acoustics found excessive noise even in a mostly residential area of the quarter, blocks from the famously raucous bars on Bourbon Street.

Wednesday’s release by a residents’ group called “Hear the Music, Stop the Noise” comes as city officials and residents attack the noise issue on different fronts. A manager for one club goes to the city’s municipal court in March on a complaint that music blasting from the club was so loud that a police officer outside couldn’t hear his radio. A hearing on another Bourbon club by the city’s alcohol control board was postponed Wednesday but will likely be rescheduled soon.

Among the noisy areas cited in the CSTI report by noise control expert Arno Bommer is one near Dr. Travis Kenny, who says there were no music bars near his home on Esplanade Avenue when he moved there in the early 1980s.

Now, Kenny is asking the city for permission to build a wall on his property to block sound from a nearby club. He’s already been turned down by

New Orleans’ Vieux Carre Commission, which oversees architectural matters in the historic area. He hopes to get permission from the City Council on Thursday to build the wall.

Bommer’s report says noise from a music club near Kenny’s home exceeded the city’s legal maximum during a check last month when measurements were taken from sidewalks and a balcony at nearby buildings. A call to the club was not immediately returned.

Some residents and city officials say the noise problem has been made worse by increased use of bigger and louder speakers, which some clubs aim or place outdoors to blast music in hopes of attracting crowds.

“The owners seem to think they’re drawing customers by playing the music as loud as possible,” Kenny said in a recent interview.

That’s one of the issues City Council member Kristin Gisleson Palmer hopes to address as she works on proposed amendments to the city’s noise ordinance. A law governing the placement of speakers, making sure they are away from open doors, is a relatively simple way of addressing the issue, she said, noting that it would simplify enforcement by negating the need for police officers to try to measure sound levels. “A police officer can walk in and you don’t have to worry about having a sound meter or anything like that,” she said.

“I don’t know even if the program as it has been described in the news media was an appropriate way to proceed, was consistent with the way in which the federal government would have done these things,” said

Holder, who was born in the Bronx and described New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly as a personal friend. “I simply just don’t know the answers to those questions at the beginning stages of this matter.”

sPOrts southerndigest.com

the sentinel Of an enlightened student BOdy sinCe 1926

thursday, MarCh 1, 2012 - Page 5

Jags back at work

Jags look to gain steam

ariStiDe phillipS

ariStiDe phillipS

The Southern Digest

With the speculation of Southern head football coach Stump Mitchell going to St. Louis being laid to rest, football fans — and the team itself — can finally place their focus back on the progress of the 2012 Jaguar football team.

The Jaguars opened spring practice a week ago looking to improve upon last year’s disappointing season.

When asked if there will be any possible position battles during the spring Mitchell responded, “definitely.”

Last year the Jaguars were ranked last in the 10-team Southwestern Athletic Conference in total defense and allowed running backs to have a field day against them, giving up an average of 186 yards per game.

But not all is bad with the defense, the Jaguar pass defense ranked third in the SWAC only allowing quarterbacks to only 190 yards per game.

The Jaguars lost five seniors on the defensive side of the ball, including All-SWAC first-team linebacker Jamie Payton.

Mitchell will be looking for someone to help fill that void at linebacker, and players like Larry Johnson who played big in the Jackson State game and showed promise when on the field and Javon Allen who has been impressive to Mitchell.

“Javon, I think he’s going to give linebackers a battle to see how much he can play,” said Mitchell. “Javon has been at

The Southern Digest

PHOTO By TreVOr James/digesT

Quarterback J.P. Douglas makes a short route throw during the Jaguars first spring practice last Wednesday. The Southern coaching staff made improving the offensive line one of its main priorities during spring drills.

Southern for three years but this will be his first year playing football.”

The Jaguars will only lose one player from the secondary in Demetric Rogers, but will have talent to replace with players like Mychal Bell and Kevin King.

“The secondary is going to be opened up I expect to see Kevin King come along and compete with a corner or two,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell felt the need to address his team defensively, and did just that. Nine of the 15 recruits that signed letters of intent are on the defensive side of the ball. Of those nine defensive signees, six are on the defensive line.

“All of the freshman we signed we are looking for them to assist

us in some matter,” said Mitchell addressing the possibility of any new recruits or possible walkons.

In the spring everyone has the chance to familiarize themselves with the playbook and also prove that that they belong and Mitchell understands the value of have walk-ons.

“We take the walk-on process as a serious process, we evaluate the guys and give them an opportunity to play and eventually we end up putting those guys on scholarship so it’s a great opportunity to have walkons that are capable to playing,” said the third year head coach.

Offensively the Jaguars will be looking to address the offensive line and improve in the running

blocking game.

The Jaguars placed dead last in the SWAC in rushing yards per game, only being able to muster up 63 yards per game.

“Offensive linemen, I’m really pleased with Eric Juneau, I really didn’t think he play offensive line, of course he has to get stronger but he has great feet he’s got soft hands in case we have to move him back to tight end,” said Mitchell.

When Mitchell was asked if there was anything he wanted the public to know about his team was “This is the year, I think we have the parts we need in order to be successful and get Southern back on the winning track. I’m excited and looking forward to the season.”

Southern seeks to end season on high note ariStiDe phillipS

The Southern Digest

After a sluggish performance against Alcorn State, the men’s basketball team is looking to bounce back and finish strong this weekend playing, their final two games of the season against Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern.

The Jaguars take on PVAMU tonight at 8 p.m. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center and play TSU Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

Last Saturday, the Jaguars (15-14, 11-5 Southwestern Athletic Conference) were not prepared for the game plan of Alcorn State (9-19, 6-10 SWAC) and fell 60-40, but firstyear head coach Roman Banks wants to get that loss out of the heads of his players and focus them on the new task at hand which is winning these last two games and giving the Jaguars their first wining season since 2005-06 season.

“We don’t have anything else to play for,

this is our tournament and we have to finish up well at home I thought it was important to focus on this week,” said Banks addressing the media on the importance to win their last two games.

Banks was address by the media about the upcoming Saturday game against Texas Southern and only address that subject for a brief moment saying that he wanted to take these last two games one at a time.

Prairie View A&M (13-16, 9-7 SWAC) lost to the Jaguars earlier in the season 7365 and are currently in fourth place in the SWAC standings and are looking to take down the second-place Jaguars.

For the most part the this basketball season has been a revitalizing one, students came out in support of the team, and the Southern basketball program needed this support.

Coach Banks said he expected to win a few games and sneak up on a few teams and mainly wanted to focus on getting the program on the right track and he certainly doing just that.

“If anybody ever ask any of us if we thought that we would be here at this point playing for second in our league and had a chance at first basically the first three quarters of the season I don’t think any of us would have thought that,” said Banks.

The Jaguar basketball team have been battle tested not just this year but the for the past four seasons, these players haven’t really had the taste of success at the collegiate level.

“More than anything we have to bring some more extra energy into this week’s contest at home and try to finish out energized with an renewed spirit,” said Banks addressing what the Jaguars need to do in order to taste that success that they want.

When Banks was asked about how the fans have been this season for the Jaguars he said “Jaguar Nation has been great this season we have gotten excitement back in the building and hopefully as it relates to recruiting the fan base will come back out and be here back the house for our last home games.”

The Southern women’s basketball team battled through bouts of inconsistent play, attrition and injuries throughout the season to get to the end with a chance to clinch a share of the Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title and lock up a high seed in next week’s SWAC Tournament.

However, as the Jaguars (12-11, 11-5 SWAC) enter their final two home games of the regular season, one person is not satisfied with their current position — head coach Sandy Pugh.

“Most coaches would be happy if all of those things happened to them and they were still sitting in second place,” said Pugh Wednesday, noting the Jaguars lost three guards who were suppose to play this year. The injuries began piling up during the season, forcing Pugh to burn redshirts to have available players that could contribute.

“I’m not real happy with being in second place, its not a familiar thing,” she said. “You might as well be last, because either way it goes your still losing.”

Southern finishes the regular season this weekend at the F.G. Clark Activity Center, beginning with tonight at 5:30 p.m. against Prairie View A&M (12-15, 9-7) and ending Saturday at 2 p.m. against Texas Southern (4-23, 2-14).

Pugh is a winner the last time the Jaguars were under .500 was the 2007-08 year and with four SWAC regular season championships, four NCAA Tournament and two Women’s NIT Tournament appearances under your belt, you always have high expectation for your team.

This year the has not been the season Jaguars fans are accustomed to, The Jaguars have had problems controlling the ball averaging 19 turnovers a game.

“Understanding intensity and taking care of the basketball have been issues for us the entire season,” said coach Pugh.

Southern has one the SWAC regular season two years running and this year the Jaguars will need a lot of help in order to three peat, they will need to win their last two games and will need Mississippi Valley State to lose its next game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff which is unlikely knowing that Golden Lions have one lonely win this year.

Culture southerndigest.com

Page 6 - Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Students mixed on iPad3 debut Billy Washington The Southern Digest

The buzz is becoming louder surrounding the release of Apple’s iPad3 and SU students are marking their calendars.

Online tech forums, tech blogs and tech news commentators have announced that the release of the iPad3 will be released in March.

According to The Huffington Post, Apple is scheduled to make a presentation to the public on March 7 at a special event. The event is scheduled to be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco at noon.

SU students are skeptical about the release of the iPad3, assuming that there won’t be many major updates.

“The release of the iPad3 is only an attempt to compete with the Kindle Fire and I really don’t care for the release because it’s the same product just altered a bit,” said Ryan Ward, a sophomore mass communications major from St. Louis.

Students also aren’t that interested due to the lack of appeal and purpose of the glowy device. The hype is supposedly

a waste of time according to students.

“They come out every four months with a new thing and they needs to stop,” said Marissa Roberson, a junior nursing major from New Orleans.

“I don’t have either on but I would like one. I’d rather invest in a Mac,” said Destinie Hammond, a sophomore mass communications major from Opelousas, La. Some aren’t fazed by the hype at all.

“To be honest it really don’t matter. If you got an iPad or an iPad2 it’s all the same thing,” said Quinton Veals, a senior history major from Baton Rouge.

The iPad 3 has several anticipated updates such as Siri (the digital personal assistant), a new screen design, and a larger camera. Many tech experts believe the iPad3 will definitely feature a retina display which doubles the resolution and quadruples the amount of pixels according to an apple blog rumor but students think differently.

“I’m tired of Apple coming out with new stuff because it’s all the same thing to me,” said Shaundai Jordan, a junior nursing major from New Orleans.

‘Safe House’ intensity filled Billy Washington The Southern Digest

PHOTO By elise amendola/ap photo

A student unpacks her new iPad at Burlington High School in Burlington, Mass. Apple is inviting reporters to an event next Wednesday in San Francisco. An image on the invite showing part of an iPad screen suggests it’s to announce a new model.

There have also been rumors of the iPad3 being smaller in size with an anticipated low price to accompany it. The mini idea is supposedly a method to compete with the chic and slicker Amazon Kindle Fire and Barnes and Noble Nook devices. According

to International Business Times the Apple will lower it’s price for the iPad3 to $399 and will measure at 7.85 inches.

Reports show that Apple has sold an estimated total of 25 million iPads to since its debut in April 2010.

Malaysia bans Erykah Badu show over Allah tattoos Sean Yoong

The Associated Press

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Muslim-majority Malaysia on Tuesday banned a planned concert by Erykah Badu after a photograph appeared showing the Grammy-winning singer with the Arabic word for Allah written on her body.

The American R&B singer was scheduled to perform Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur, but some Muslim groups said Badu was an unsuitable role model for young Malaysians after seeing a publicity photo of her with what appeared to be temporary tattoos of the word Allah on her bare shoulders.

A government committee that monitors concerts decided to forbid Badu’s show because she has “offended the religious sensitivities” of Muslims by posing with such tattoos, an Information Ministry official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make public statements.

The 41-year-old, Dallas-born singer had already arrived in Malaysia. She can remain here as a tourist but will not be allowed to perform, the official said.

Information Minister Rais Yatim confirmed the decision on his Twitter account.

Razman Razali, managing director of the show’s Malaysian organizer, Pineapple Concerts, said his company was in contact with government officials and hopes the ban will be reversed.

Badu is “worried and dismayed,” Razman told The Associated Press. She was slated to perform in an auditorium that can hold about 3,000 spectators.

It was the first concert by a Western performer to be banned in Malaysia in recent years. Several other stars, including Gwen Stefani and Avril Lavigne, were warned by officials to dress modestly for their shows to proceed.

The photograph of Badu, which also appears on her

get online @

PHOTO By elise amendola/ap photo

A student unpacks her new iPad at Burlington High School in Burlington, Mass. Apple is inviting reporters to an event next Wednesday in San Francisco. An image on the invite showing part of an iPad screen suggests it’s to announce a new model.

official fan website, attracted attention after Malaysia’s most widely read English-language daily, The Star, published it Monday.

On Tuesday, the newspaper apologized to Muslims for what it called an “oversight,” saying

it deeply regretted any offense sparked by the photo, which was “inadvertently published.”

The Home Ministry summoned The Star’s editors to explain the photograph, which caused some Muslim activists to demand the newspaper’s suspension.

www.southerndigest.com

Threaded with corruption, high-intelligence government agencies, and fast action packed combat scenes, Safe House meets the criteria of creating an “edge of the seat experience.”

Garnering a total of $42 million on its February 10 debut, Safe House is currently listed in the box office’s top five while sharing a high-ranking status with Act of Valor and Tyler Perry’s recent release, Good Deeds. Lead actors Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds make a good team by rekindling a similar plot and motif from the 2002 Academy Award winning Training Day. Tobin Frost, played by Washington, is a former CIA legend that turned to the rebel side because of corruption within the agency. While under high surveillance from the CIA, Washington is followed by several foreign intelligence agents in South Africa to recover a chip with top-secret information. He is then captured and sent to an American government Safe House, where he meets the rookie safe house keeper Matt Wesson, played by Reynolds.

The rising climax begins with the Safe House being invaded by spies who were searching for Frost whether dead or alive. After the smoke cleared, all of the professional agents were dead, leaving Wesson with the responsibility of bringing Frost into custody.

Throughout the tedious agenda of returning Frost to American custody, Frost, in an unexpected way, teaches Wesson about disloyalty and betrayal within the CIA; thereby, creating an ironic ending for viewers.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, 53 percent of viewers like Safe House and Flixter.com viewers gave it a 70 percent like rating. Critics also acclaim that it was a movie of “sheer brute energy” and gives viewers “no chance to get bored.”

If the same criteria from the Academy Awards in 2001 will be used for next year’s Academy Awards, Safe House has a pretty good chance of bringing a gold plated statuette home.

Commentary southerndigest.com

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

Thursday, March 1, 2012 - Page 7

Media advocacy = social advocacy SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY SUITE 1064 T.H. HARRIS HALL POST OFFICE BOX 10180 BATON ROUGE, LA 70813 PHONE: 225.771.2231 FAX: 225.771.5840 ONLINE @ www.southerndigest.com

STUDENT MEDIA OFFICE

Director....................................................... TBA Publications Asst..................Fredrick Batiste Business Manager..............Camelia Jackson

CONTACTS (area code 225)

Student Media Newsroom............771.2231 Advertising Office.......................... 771.5833 Student Media Services.................771.5812

SPRING 2012 STAFF

Editor-in-Chief.............................. Evan Taylor Managing Editor....................................... TBA Copy Editor................... Norman J. Doston Jr. Photo Editor............................... Trevor James Staff Writer............................... Christie Carral Staff Writer................................Tyrone Carter Staff Writer...............................Marcus Green Staff Writer............................ Lauren Johnson Staff Writer.................................. Raees Malik Staff Writer............................ Aristide Phillips Staff Writer.................................Jessica Sarpy Staff Writer........................... Samantha Smith Staff Writer............................... James Teague Staff Writer.......................... Billy Washington Staff Photographer....................Arielle Burks Staff Photographer.......................Talor Kinzy Staff Photographer....................Keldric Nash Staff Photographer...................Ariana Triggs

SUBMISSIONS POLICY

The Southern DIGEST welcomes letters from readers commenting on current issues and other matters of general interest to the SU family and public. We set aside this space to publish these letters for others to enjoy. This newspaper is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on its editorial and opinion pages. The Southern DIGEST reserves the right to edit any contributions and or reject them without notification.

Authors are encouraged to limit the length of submissions to 300 words. Letters should not include libelous statements.

Offensive and personal attacks will not be permitted. The DIGEST will not print “open letters” addressed to someone else. All contributions must be type written, signed and must include the author’s address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Southern University students should include their majors, hometowns and year in school.

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

Editorial policy

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

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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 Journalists (SPJ), Full member of the Associated Press (AP) and the Louisiana Press Association (LPA).

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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.

The Office of Student Media is a division of the Office of Student Affairs.

Media Advocacy is defined as the strategic use of mass media to advance a social or public policy initiative.

Media advocacy allows the activists and community members to influence the decisions of the public through sharing information in a medium.

The media has power to influence the decisions of the public and help them to prioritize the issues of the time. Media advocacy is important and significant to informing society of current issues that need to be addressed.

Media advocacy is significant because it’s an integral part of society and without it media can be biased and miss out on important issues.

Communities and organizations receive attention and promote goals through advocacy.

Anyone can participate and media advocacy is a way for media attention to be re-directed. Media advocacy is another example of democracy and allows attention to shift to societal issues that can be solved with community participation.

According to Lawrence Wallack, Media advocacy is significant and plays a role in creating debate and conversation in the public. “Media advocacy can be a significant force for influencing public debate, speaking directly to those with influence, and putting pressure on decision makers.”

(Wallack, 1994) This is important to Southern University’s existence and prosperity.

Evan Taylor Wallack also outlined the goals and objectives of media advocacy. “First, media advocacy uses the media to place attention on an issue by bringing it to light.

Second, media advocacy holds the spotlight on the issue and focuses in on “upstream” causes.

Third, media advocacy seeks to advance social or public initiatives as a primary approach to the problem.”

We need to be able to advocate for societal issues inside and outside of the media. The media and society have to work together to address the issues hindering progress.

There is an importance and need for media advocacy in different situations and industries. Media advocacy addresses issues in society that may not be addressed outside of the media.

Advocacy has the power to provoke solutions to society’s problems and action in both grassroots activism and policy making.

This advocacy leads to political uprising, policy changes, and awareness campaigns. With successful actions in media advocacy an issue can be shared with the world and provoke action to address it.

Through cases and campaigns media advocacy has proven its definition.

The “strategic” use of mass media referred to as media advocacy draws attention to social issues to institute social reform. Through this advocacy participation has been evoked in multiple communities and cities.

Media advocacy has served as a democratic outlet for all members of society who feel disenfranchised and underrepresented.

Media advocacy has served as a catalyst to share insight and provoke policy action. It has served as the first step into finding solutions for issues affecting society as a whole. Media advocacy is more than important and has an empirical need.

Without media advocacy some of the cases and issues would have never been brought before the public for them to decide.

Without the original strategic mention in mass media members of society may have never known. Media advocacy will always serve as a option for people to participate in media, policy, and community change.

Make the decision today whether the issues are important enough to make moves and the media and the world will take notice.

Page 8 - Thursday, March 1, 2012

The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926

At least 3 dead as storms pummel South Sheila Burke

The Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Severe storms raking a wide swath of the South with damaging winds killed at least three people Wednesday in Tennessee, battered homes and businesses in Kentucky and knocked out power to thousands of people across the region.

Authorities also said at least a half dozen people were injured by the rapidly moving storms that dumped pingpong ballsized hail in some areas and were accompanied by downpours, thunder and lightning.

The weather was part of a vast system that spawned tornadoes earlier in the day in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas, killing nine.

The system threatened to bring more damaging winds and rain to the Southeast amid warnings the region “could definitely get a tornado here and there,” said Ryan Jewell, a meteorologist with the Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma from the storms.

In Tennessee, seven homes were destroyed and about 50 damaged in Cumberland County, Jill Lewis of the county Emergency Management Agency said. Emergency crews worked after nightfall to rescue injured people trapped inside homes.

A medical helicopter was seen helping some of the injured.

Doug Scarlett of the Cumberland County American Red Cross said a shelter was being set up in anticipation of some victims being left homeless.

“We have no idea what the damage is because this happened just before dark,” he said.

Already, it appeared to be the most deadly weather outbreak in Tennessee since 37 people

PHOTO By darrin phegley/the gleaner/ap photo

Judy Hudnall sift through the debris left from Wednesday morning’s storm in Henderson Ky. Wednesday.

Waves of strong storms ripped roofs off homes, apartment buildings and a bank and destroyed several buildings in north-central Kentucky.

died in tornadoes last April 2728. Tennessee is one of the U.S. states considered by experts most vulnerable to tornadoes.

National Weather Service spokeswoman Brittney Whitehead of Nashville said survey teams would head out after dawn in Tennessee on Thursday to evaluate damage and determine if tornadoes in fact had touched down.

“We’ll know more tomorrow,” she told The Associated Press.

Tornado watches had been in effect for much of the day Wednesday in large areas of Tennessee, where high winds flattened trees and tore roofs off buildings. Some power lines were downed. The cells moved at up to 75 mph across Tennessee, accompanied by thunder and lightning and scattered hail.

“The storms just made a terrible

racket,” said Sandra Goldston, who sought shelter with her dog Gigi under a bead in her home outside Crossville, Tenn.

Elsewhere, tornadoes struck in four counties in Kentucky, including LaRue County, about 55 miles southwest of Louisville.

Twenty houses were destroyed or severely damaged there.

“The path that this storm took could have been very devastating,” said Tommy Turner, the judge-executive in LaRue County. “Approximately a tenth of a mile north of where this storm hit was a large day care. About a tenth of a mile south, there are three schools.”

Turner said he has asked the Kentucky National Guard to help provide security in the aftermath.

In Kentucky, mobile homes and houses were flattened in

Henderson, Elizabethtown and Hodgenville, officials said. A tornado with winds of 125 miles per hour hit Elizabethtown.

“It picked the whole building up,” said Jim Owen, whose father owns Harry Owen Trucking, which sustained heavy damage.

“It would take a group of 20 men five days with equipment to tear that down.”

Three trailers parked in a lot outside were pushed into each other, toppled like dominoes.

State police went door-to-door, checking on residents in areas where roofs had been lifted off.

In Hodgenville, home to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Park, Paul Mayfield picked through what remained of his garage. Vinyl siding was wrapped around his SUV. The storm came while he was at work and his wife dove

into a closet when insulation began pouring out of the living room ceiling, he said.

Down the street, resident Adonna Gardner was hauling what remained from her halfdestroyed house into waiting pickup trucks as she prepared to move in with her parents temporarily.

In Henderson in western Kentucky, a tornado with winds of 90 mph destroyed five houses near the Ohio River and damaged two others. Two residents were taken to local hospitals with injuries, said Larry Koerber, the local emergency management director.

The National Weather Service also confirmed a tornado in Grayson County.

Farther west in Kentucky, two people were rescued after getting trapped in a mobile home that was toppled by fierce winds that hit McCracken County before dawn, said Paul Carter, the local emergency management director. They were taken to a hospital with serious injuries, he said.

Four others suffered minor injuries when their mobile home was destroyed, Carter said.

“It’s a miracle that the family got out,” he said.

The storm blew off a church steeple and damaged or destroyed about eight homes in a rural section of the county.

The Midwest and South will get a reprieve Thursday, the meteorologist Jewell said, ahead of a strong storm system expected Friday. It is forecast to take a similar path as Wednesday’s storms but has the potential for even more damage.

In north Alabama, students were sent home early because of the threat of severe weather.

“Friday, you’re right in the bull’s eye,” he said.

GOP race on pace for summer delegate fight Stephen Ohlemacher The Associated Press

WASHINGTON —Mitt Romney got two important wins in the Arizona and Michigan primaries, but he better pick up the pace if he wants to lock up the Republican nomination for president before the party’s national convention in late August.

Voters in 11 states have gone to polls and Romney has won six of them. Perhaps even more important, he has won 51 percent of the delegates at stake in those contests.

But at that pace, the former Massachusetts governor won’t ever win enough delegates in the primaries and caucuses to clinch the nomination. He would need help from Republican National Committee members who automatically attend the convention and can support any candidate they choose.

Even without reaching

the 1,144 delegates needed for the nomination, Romney could potentially build an insurmountable lead and become the obvious nominee. But his slim margin for error, inability to build lasting momentum and trouble connecting with the party’s conservative base provide incentives for the other three candidates to stay in the race.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum says it’s down to a two-man race, trying to make the case that he’s the candidate who can rally the anti-Romney forces within the Republican Party. Santorum has halted Romney’s momentum before.

After Romney posted big wins in Florida and Nevada, Santorum upended the race by sweeping the Feb. 7 caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota and nonbinding primary Missouri.

“A month ago they didn’t know who we are, but they do now,” Santorum said Tuesday night after

narrowly losing to Romney in Michigan.

Romney and his aides repeatedly have said their campaign is built for the long haul, with more money and a more extensive organization than his rivals.

“On to the March contests,” Romney said, looking ahead to voting in 10 states next week on Super Tuesday.

In race for delegates, Romney leads with 167, including endorsements from RNC members. Santorum has 87 delegates, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has 32 and Texas Rep. Ron Paul has 19.

If Romney and Santorum keep winning delegates at their current pace, Romney’s lead would grow to more than 240 delegates by the end of March. By the end of April, his lead would be about 320 delegates.

“What I think happens over the course of March is, one or the other candidates will build such

a lead that the world recognizes that that’s going to be the guy,” said John Ryder, an RNC member from Tennessee who served on the panel that wrote the party’s rules for awarding delegates. “There’s a point at which it becomes mathematically impossible, or unlikely, for any of the other candidates to overtake the leader.”

Some 2,286 delegates are slated to attend the party’s national convention in Tampa, Fla.; 2,169 of them are at stake in the primaries and caucuses in each state. The RNC delegates make up the other 117. It takes a majority of the delegates, or 1,144, to win the Republican nomination for president.

So far, the vast majority of RNC members are taking a waitand-see approach. Romney has endorsements from 18 of them, Gingrich has three and Santorum and Paul have one apiece, according to a survey by The Associated Press.

On Tuesday, Romney picked up 29 delegates in Arizona’s winnertake-all primary. In Michigan, he won the statewide vote but split the state’s 30 delegates with Santorum because Michigan awarded most of its delegates based on results in individual congressional districts.

Several factors are helping turn the race into a long march.

Nearly every state uses some sort of a proportional system to award delegates, so even losing candidates can win a significant number. As long as at least three candidates stay in the race, it will be difficult for one candidate — even a successful one — to win much more than half the delegates.

In 2008, 13 states awarded all of their delegates to the statewide winner. This year, only seven states plan to award their delegates winner-take-all, if Idaho is included, with its unique caucus system that the state GOP says will probably result in all of its delegates going to one candidate.