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Volume 60, Issue 10
SU wins SWAC title
Top-seeded Gonzaga awaits
Thursday, March 21, 2013
the official student newspaper of southern university and A&m college, baton rouge, louisiana
Campus Life southerndigest.com
Page 2 - Thursday, March 21, 2013
Campus Briefs
southernuniversitybookstore The Bookstore hours for Spring Break, March 29- April 7, will be from 9am - 3 pm, Monday - Friday. Bookstore will be closed on Good Friday, March 29th .
today The Nutrition Zone Does high blood pressure run in your family? Are you looking to lose weight in a healthy way? Do you have an interest in preventing or managing any nutrition-related health issues? Stop by the Nutrition Zone can meet your needs. Dietetic interns and senior dietetics can offer weight, height and BMI measurements, dietary analysis, nutrition counseling and nutrition and wellness education classes. The Nutrition Zone is open every Thursday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. in 154 Thrift Hall.
SGA Spring 2013 Filing Week All Positions are up for grabs this Spring including SGA President, SGA Vice President, Miss Southern, Chief Justice, Class justices, AWS President, AWS Vice President, Men’s Federation President, Men’s Federation Vice President, Class presidents, Class Vice Presidents, Class queens and Class Senators. Pick up a packet from the SGA Conference room 227 or the office of student programs room 203 on the second floor of Smith-Brown Memorial Union between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Completed packets must be submitted by 5 p.m. March 22.
Opportunities to Study Abroad Want to travel and study? Want to gain some language skills and credits? Study abroad with the Center for International Education. You could spend this summer in Belize, Senegal, China or Liberia. Trips range from $3,000-$3,500 and financial aid can be used to study abroad. For an application contact 225.771.2613.
Attention Prospective Spring 2013 graduates If you think you may graduate this semester, Make sure you don’t miss grad prep days at the bookstore. You can order invitations, announcements, class rings, caps and gowns on March 26 and 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information contact the bookstore at 225.771.4330.
New services at John B. Cade Want to try out a tablet? Check out a Kindle Fire from the library. Need a quiet place to study and use the computer? Individual and group study rooms are available for 3 hour checkout. Faxing and printing services are now available in the 1st floor copy center. Need to do an job interview via skype, there’s a room for that. For more information in these new services visit the Ask Here desk at John B. Cade. All you have to do is show your valid SU ID.
Wesley Foundation Come join us at The Wesley Foundation at Southern University and A&M College for Sunday worship on 1st and 3rd Sundays at 5 p.m. Looking for a place to study the word? Join us for Bible Study Wednesdays at 6:30p.m. The Wesley Foundation is located at 748 Harding Blvd. Next to Villa Apartments and across Harding from the football practice field. For more information contact us at 225.778.0076.
Sociology Club meetings The Sociology Club will hold weekly meetings from 5-6 pm on Thursdays (twice a month) in Higgins room 218.
SUS Day at the Capitol Save the date…Southern University System Day at the Louisiana State Capitol, is Wednesday, April 10.
Bookstore hours The Campus Bookstore is open Mondays through Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information about specials and updates like the bookstore on Facebook at www.facebook.com/
Writing Proficiency Retake Graduating Seniors can retake the Writing Proficiency Tuesday April 16 at 9 a.m. in Harris Hall
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926 Room 2024. If you have any questions regarding the WPE, students may email Mrs. Wellons, florence_wellons@subr.edu. 2013 ETS Presidential Scolarships Sophomores and juniors at Southern University are invited to apply for a 2013 ETS Presidential Scholarship for HBCU Students. This scholarship program recognizes students who have established a record of outstanding academic performance in college, both overall and in their major field, and who exhibit an interest in leadership in their chosen field. Applicants must be recommended by the Southern University Chancellor for their outstanding academic college performance. The awards will be meritbased full-tuition scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year. Scholarship recipients will be required to participate in a conference at ETS, where they will discuss their undergraduate study and body of work with one another and experts in their chosen fields. Travel and other expenses incurred for participants taking part in this forum will be included as part of the scholarship. ETS will provide travel and lodging arrangements for forum participants. Eligibility Requirements Full-time student progressing toward a bachelor’s degree in any discipline, Hold sophomore or junior standing at the time of application and Possess a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50/4.00. It is essential that applicants already have demonstrated academic excellence and/or creativity in some subject area of inquiry. An example would be experience or achievements in research. The ETS Presidential Scholarship is designed to recognize students at HBCUs who have challenged themselves with their academic programs and who demonstrate a passion for learning. The scholarship is seeking extraordinary students who demonstrate their achievements through both their curriculum and their co-curricular activities.
ETS Presidential Scholarship will consider both “well rounded” people who have contributed in many different ways to the lives of their schools or communities, as well as those who have pushed a single endeavor to the highest level of recognized achievement. Co-curricular successes can come in a variety of forms. Examples include cooperative education experiences, student teaching, and active involvement in political campaigns, internships and research. An institution can nominate three students for the ETS Presidential Scholarship Program. An internal, ad hoc committee will select the three Southern University applicants. Students can be nominated or may apply. In either case, the following must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., Thursday, March 21, 2013:Updated résumé Unofficial transcript One letter of recommendation/support/endorsement from a faculty member, department head or dean who is most familiar with the student’s academic work, leadership and co-curricular activities Personal statement All information should be submitted by the stated deadline to: Dr. Ella Kelley, Dean, Dolores Margaret Richard Spikes Honors College Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Room 301, J. S. Clark Administration Building Inquiries or related questions should be addressed to Dr. Kelley via e-mail at Ella_Kelley@subr.edu or by phone at 225-771-3033/225-771-3041.
ISSN: 1540-7276. Copyright 2013 by The Southern University Office of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Southern University and A&M College. All articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Southern DIGEST and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without the written permission from the Editor in Chief and Director of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is published twice-weekly (Tuesday & Thursday) with a run count of 5,000 copies per issue during the Southern University - Baton Rouge campus fall, spring semesters. The paper is free to students, staff, faculty and general public every Tuesday & Friday morning on the SUBR campus. The Southern DIGEST student offices are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. The offices are located on the first floor of T.H. Harris Hall, Suite 1064. The Southern DIGEST is the official student newspaper of Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Law School lot closure The foot bridge ( LAW SCHOOL WEST LOT ) will be closed due to construction effective Friday, March 15. The construction project will last at least 30 days. In the event this date change, you will be notified. Committee Meetings The Facilities and Property Committee and the Legal Affairs Committee of the Southern University System Board of Supervisors are scheduled to meet today. The Facilities and Property Committee with meet at 1 p.m. and the Legal Affairs Committee with meet at 2:30 p.m. The SU Board will hold additional committee meetings and its regular session Friday, March 22, 2013, beginning at 9 a.m. All meetings will be in the Board Meeting Room, 2nd Floor, J.S. Clark Administration Building, on the Southern University campus in Baton Rouge. To access the agendas and documents, click on http://www.sus. edu/PageDisplay.asp?p1=4387. Half Price Fridays While there is no class on Fridays, Smith-Brown Memorial Union is open. Burger Klng, The Bowling Alley and Lacumba’s playpen are open. If that’s not enough to bring you out of your room Lacumba’s playpen and bowling are half price on Fridays.
Articles, features, opinions, speak out and editorials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administration and its policies. Signed articles, feedback, commentaries and features do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, staff or student body. Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone (404) 679-4500, Website: www.sacscoc.org. MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Southern University and A&M College, an Historically Black, 1890 landgrant institution, is to provide opportunities for a diverse student population to achieve a high-quality, global educational experience, to engage in scholarly, research, and creative activities, and to give meaningful public service to the community, the state, the nation, and the world so that Southern University graduates are competent, informed, and productive citizens. Website: www.subr.edu.
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News
southerndigest.com
Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Page 3
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Scriven motivates, talks success
inside Track readies for Tiger relays
Sprinters look to improve pg.4
Jags to face the Bulldogs
See the Jags place in the bracket pg.4-5
SU & Gonzaga by the numbers See the stats
pg.5
Monroe & Scriven come to SU CNN’s Monroe talks skills & Scriven talks about jobs pg.6
Jags win SWAC, react to selection
See Photos of the week pg.7
Brittany Patterson The Southern Digest
Seeking out problems and fixing them or ‘intellectual curiosity’ is one of the top five traits employers look for. Darryl Scriven, entrepreneur and motivational speaker discussed skills and traits to secure a job and offered advice on how to find your genius, Friday. According to Scriven, there are five traits that all interviewers look for in employees: seeking professionalism, enthusiasm, self-monitoring, intellectual curiosity, and determination. Intellectual curiosity means seeking out problems and solving them. There are certain keys that a student must have to be successful. Scriven distinguished between a good and bad day. “The only difference between a good day and a bad day is your attitude…. And attitude is everything,” Scriven said. He advised the students in attendance that your attitude determines the course of your life. “If life is aight, then that’s because your attitude is aight.” Scriven said that as long as an individual follows the crowd, that individual would never see their full potential. “The only way you can reach your full potential
preview the upcoming season pg.8
Spring Football warms up
See the battles for play pg.9
Jindal scissorhands Caesar talks making the tough calls pg.10
What’s holding you back?
Are you getting in your own way? pg.11
BP trial continues La. unemployment rises, payroll drops pg.12
and that’s being relentless,” said Scriven. Scriven said that you just couldn’t pursue perfection; you have to be relentless in all that you do. Scriven said that sometimes when people tell me my limitations he blocks them. Trolan Goffney, a senior English major from Crowley, La. said she learned to go beyond others limitations on her dreams. “I learned to follow my dreams. I learned not to let anyone put a limit on what I can do,” Goffney said. Scriven said, “ Let’s do an attitude check.” With this statement, Scriven encouraged the audience to shout, “Yes!!” and “Clap hard five times” every time he said, “Go!” as an attitude check. Scriven said that when people met you, they are not checking for your clothes, but your attitude. “I became a speaker because as a professor, I had to speak to people’s mind, but now I can speak to their heart,” Scriven said. Scriven said we have two motivators in life and we should choose love over fear. “There’s love and there’s fear... do everything you do out of love no matter how long it takes do it.” Scriven was the first speaker of the Astonished Speaker series hosted by Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE) in the Global Communications room in T.T. Allain Hall.
La. high court reviews Jindal policy Janet McConnaughey The Associated Press
Readying for the Spring game
is by finding your genius,” Scriven said. Alvin Thomas, a senior English major from Baton Rouge said he was motivated by Scriven’s speech. “I thought the motivational speech was very uplifting. The speaker himself instilled in me motivation that I will use for years to come,” Thomas said. Scriven was able to clarify his myths of the relationship between success and intelligence. “I now know success has nothing to do with how smart you are, but its about finding your genius. In other words, what you are good at? I’m excited because now I’m on a quest to find my genius,” said Thomas. Finding your genius means not just being academically smart or athletic. “When you find your genius, you can have whatever you like. When you find your genius, you are no longer competing, but in a class to yourself,” Scriven said. Chris Thompson, a sophomore engineering major from Gonzales, La. believes if you think it can come true. “You have to open your mind up and if you think it, it can come true,” Thompson said. Scriven said when you are relentless you are willing to sacrifice for success. “There’s some levels of success you have to want it so bad that you are willing to sacrifice for
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday began reviewing the constitutionality of two centerpieces of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 2012 legislative agenda: the expanded school voucher program and a measure to change retirement plans for future rank-and-file state workers. State judges in Baton Rouge found both unconstitutional on technical grounds. The voucher program was found unconstitutional because money for it came from the “Minimum Foundation Program” formula that provides state money to public school systems, a judge found. Another judge found that the retirement program violated the state constitution because it was passed by simple majorities rather than twothirds votes. The justices did not say Tuesday when they will rule, but they had been asked to fast-track the retirement case because it is scheduled to affect people hired after July 1. It was put on their docket so fast that they hadn’t had time to read the legal briefs filed with the court. During arguments over the voucher program, which came first, several justices read aloud the state Constitution’s statement that money from the MFP shall be used for public elementary and secondary schools. “How do you get around the constitutional requirement that it has to be for public education?” Justice Jeannette T. Knoll asked Jimmy Faircloth, a private attorney working for the state. She read the section and rephrased her question: “What is your argument in the face of that?” Faircloth said the requirement was met when the state allocated money to city and parish school systems. Other schools that are not part of those systems, such as a state school for the blind and one for arts and sciences, already get money under the program, he said. Those are public schools, but the state also provides money for textbooks at private and parochial schools. The voucher program started in New Orleans in 2008, but the Legislature didn’t use MFP money for it, as it did when the legislature expanded the
program statewide this year for lower-income students at schools with a state rating of C, D or F. Such schools make up 63 percent of Louisiana’s 1,303 public schools. The state is paying about $25 million in tuition and fees this year for more than 4,900 students at 117 private or parochial schools. Names such as St. Alphonsus School, New Orleans Adventist Academy, Conquering Word Christian Academy, and New Orleans Jewish Day School make it clear that more than 100 of them are religious schools. Zinnetta Martin, 36, who works in accounts receivable at a workers compensation company in Baton Rouge, was among people who watched the hearing from an overflow courtroom. She said she used the program to move her children, Reagan Preston, 8, and Robert Preston, 11, from Greenbrier Elementary to Hosanna Christian Academy. Reagan was doing well but Robert had flunked the language section of the standardized test that Louisiana uses to decide whether children move up a grade, she said. Robert is doing much better, she said: “He’s combining complete full sentences.” Hosanna’s website says it’s affiliated with Hosanna Assembly of God. “I’m Catholic. I think it’s more Methodist. But it works out fine,” Martin said. “They’re really enjoying learning about the Bible.” State District Judge Tim Kelley ruled Nov. 30 that both the voucher law and the funding formula are unconstitutional for two reasons: They give private and parochial schools money required by the state constitution to go to public schools, and they divert tax money from local school districts. Faircloth said the local systems don’t lose any money because the state cannot allocate their taxes. Robert Hammonds, representing several school boards, said the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education did reduce payments to local school boards by $13 million of the $25 million that went to vouchers. “They say, ‘We can’t get your money. But we can reduce payments to the local system by the same amount,’” he told the justices. Kelley didn’t rule on whether the state could spend other money on private school tuition, as
it did in New Orleans from 2008 through the last school year. “What’s to prevent BESE from ... creating a pool outside the Minimum Foundation Program?” Justice John Weimer asked. The board wasn’t given that choice, Faircloth said. Scott Richard of the Louisiana School Boards Association said afterward that he couldn’t tell from the justices’ questions which way they were leaning. “And I would not presume to predict their verdict,” he said. The retirement bill calls for employees hired after July 1 to get investment accounts rather than monthly retirement payments based on salary and years of employment. Unlike people with traditional 401(k) plans, Louisiana’s employees would never lose money for investment slumps. The switch would apply to rank-and-file state employees and university staff — not to law enforcement or other hazardous-duty workers nor to public school employees. Supporters say it would rein in the costs of retirement programs that are billions of dollars short of the money they’ll need to pay for all benefits promised. Opponents said the new investment account wouldn’t give state workers enough of a safety net. Judge William Morvant’s ruling against the plan hinged on the Jindal administration’s use of an outside analyst who predicted big savings when the Legislature’s retirement analyst said the new plan could be more expensive than the present system. A two-thirds majority vote is needed for bills that will increase costs. Lawmakers could decide which analysis to use because the Constitution describes the legislative auditor as “a fiscal adviser” rather than “the fiscal adviser,” Skip Phillips, a private attorney working for the state, told the justices. They can choose among analysts when voting on the plan itself but the auditor’s “note” controls whether a majority or a two-thirds vote is needed, said Robert Klausner, representing the State Retired Employees Association.
Sports southerndigest.com
Page 4 - Thursday, March 21, 2013
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Banks, Jaguars seek upset in NCAA Aristide Phillips The Southern Digest
After a nail biting 45-44 victory over Prairie View A&M in the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship the Southern Men’s basketball team now faces a huge task that has never been accomplished in NCAA Tournament history. As the 16th seed in the West Regional, the Jaguars avoided having to play in the first four as they punched their ticket to go dancing in Salt Lake City to face No. 1 seed Gonzaga today. The game can be seen on TBS and Tipoff is slated for 3:10 pm Central time. Jaguars finished the season with a 23-9 record and a 15-3 record in conference play and hasn’t been to the tournament since 2006, when they lost to Duke in the first round. The Jaguars win over Prairie View A&M might have not been as impressive to some viewers but Southern’s men’s basketball second year head coach Roman Banks felt that the close win help build the Jaguars character and confidence, and playing against the overwhelming favorites, the Jags will need that confidence. Although the odds are greatly against the Jaguars, noting that a 16seed team has never defeated a No. 1 seed. Twenty years ago, 14th-seeded Southern faced a strong third-seeded Georgia Tech squad in the first round of the tournament. The Jaguars stunned the Yellow Jackets 93-78. “This program has always in the past been one of the best programs in the state, and I had to let the guys understand that make sure that they know the tradition of the team that went to the tournament and you have to understand that first,” Banks said. Banks will be making his first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a head coach. He served as an assistant at Southeastern Louisiana when the Lions reached the tournament in 2005.
The Jaguars leading scorer has never has been in the starting lineup. Junior Malcolm Miller is averaging 16 points and shoots 45.8 percent from three-point range coming off the bench for the Jaguars. Senior guard Derick Beltran is the other player averaging in double figures with 15.9 points per game, along with pulling down 4.4 rebounds per contest and knows that this game is extremely important not just for him, but the team. “We worked so hard all season and its something that we worked for all season and I’m just excited about it and give them a fight,” Beltran said. The Jaguars have three seniors and one junior in the starting lineup, and has quality wins over Texas A&M and Texas Southern this season. “If our backcourt is pretty consistent and pretty good for us we’ll have a chance, but I think against this ball club our perimeter guys may be just as athletic as those guys.” Banks said. Gonzaga, (31-2) located in Spokane, Wash., finished the regular season as the number one team in the country according to the Associated Press rankings and is lead by long blonde haired junior Kelly Olynyk. Considered by many pro basketball analysts as a first round draft pick, Olynk has been a big reason for the bulldogs’ success averaging 17.5 points and 7.2 rebounds. “Olynk is a great talent and he’ll definitely be a matchup problem for us, he’s a guy that can step away from the basket and can also score around the basket. He is definitely unusual, we haven’t seen a guy like him all year long so he’s the main thrust behind that team.” Banks said. The Jaguars will have to rely on their stingy man-to-man defense that has boosted the Jags to the top ranked scoring defense in conference play. Banks is hopeful that the early season trials has prepared the team for this movement, a moment that the program hasn’t been able to witness in seven years.
Above, Southern University head coach Roman Banks walks across the court during practice for a second-round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Wednesday, in Salt Lake City. Left, Southern’s Malcolm Miller goes to the basket during practice ahead of a second-round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Wednesday, in Salt Lake City. Southern is scheduled to play Gonzaga today. Rick Bowmer/ AP Photos
Track warms up for relay with weather Aristide Phillips The Southern Digest
The Southern Track and Field team will look to continue to burn up the track as they will travel less than 20 minutes to Bernie Moore Stadium for the LSU Relays Friday and Saturday. Field events are slated to start at 4 p.m. and track events are scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm Friday. In the Jaguars last meet at the Louisiana Classic Track and Field Meet at Louisiana Lafayette, the men’s sprinters showed that they are more than what their fifth place finish at the Southwestern Athletic Conference Indoor Championship displays. “We are one month really away from SWAC championships, and this will give us a good idea of where our team is at mid-point and
what we need to do in these next 30 days to get them to compete in the championship,” track and field head coach Brian Johnson said. The Men sprinters, where highlighted by Sprinter Devin Jenkins’ first place finish in both the 100 meters (10.38) and 200 meters (22.11). Jenkins’ performances hold the fifth (200m) and seventh (100m) positions on the NCAA Division I National rankings performance list. Johnson feels really good about the first year sprinter and said that he is looking forward to him doing even better this weekend. The freshman from Kapolei High School, located on the Island of Oahu in Hawaii wasn’t finished, he added a first place finish as a member of the Jaguars 4x400 relay team with teammates Lemanuel Mosley, Daniel Simon and Benjamin Edmonson, who finished with a time of 3:14.55, and that time is ranked as the
20th best in the country. “We got to get that time to drop down though, we’re 20th in the country right now but we’re really trying to get to that 3:09-3:08 mark,” said Johnson. Jaguar success didn’t stop with sprinters at the Louisiana Classic; redshirt freshman Harold Fluellen took second place in the 110-meter hurdles and distance runner Willie Williams placed third in the 3000m Akil Bennet and Joshua Albert finished second and third in the Long Jump. The Lady Jags performed well following their third place finish at the SWAC Indoor conference championships. Danielle McKinney had a personal best jump of 36-05.00 in the Triple Jump and Reyna Anderson finished 4th place in the 200m (24.89). Katelyn Roth, a Central Arizona College
transfer, placed fifth in the Hammer Throw at a distance of 156-04ft. Jordan Fordham, Raquel Simms, Alaysia Hampton and Tyler Johnson completed the women’s 4x100 relay team and together finished fifth. “They are just a bunch of diamonds in the rough. The women’s team has come a long way from when we first got them in August until now. They are working hard to get better,” said Johnson. This weekend, the weather is expected to warm up and Johnson feels that the weather will help the jaguars drop a nice time so that they can put themselves on that national map. “We haven’t run a 4 by 4 in warm weather yet so we’ve been running in the cold or at night time so hopefully this weekend at LSU it’ll be warm when we run at 4 o’clock,” Johnson said.
The senTInel of an enlIghTened sTudenT Body sInce 1926
Tony Gutierrez/AP PHOTO Southern’s Javan Mitchell (44) celebrates after scoring against Prairie View A&M in the first half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament, championship game Saturday.
SOUTHERN (23-9) Location:: Baton Rouge Nickname Coach: Roman Banks. Nickname:: Jaguars. Coach: Conference Conference:: Southwestern Athletic. Bid: SWAC champion. Region: West. Seed: No. 16. Region Tournament Record Record:: 1-7, 7 years. Last NCAA Appearance: 2006. Scoring: Team (67.7); Derick Beltran 15.9; Malcolm Miller 15.8; Scoring: Javan Mitchell 9.5; Jameel Grace 9.2. Rebounds Rebounds:: Team (35.2); Brandon Moore 7.1; Malcolm Miller 6.0; Javan Mitchell 4.9; Derick Beltran 4.5. Assists/Turnovers: Team (11.4/10.9); Jameel Grace 3.6/2.0; Assists/Turnovers: Christopher Hyder 2.5/1.1. 3-pointers: Team (.362); Malcolm Miller 87; Derick Beltran 76. Last Ten Ten:: 8-2. The Skinny: Skinny: Roman Banks has taken Jaguars from last to first in two seasons with a SWAC championship. —The Associated Press
GONZAGA (31-2) Location:: Spokane, Wash. Nickname Nickname:: Bulldogs. Coach: Mark Few. Conference Bid: WCC champion. Conference:: West Coast. Bid: Region: West. Seed: No. 1. Region Tournament Record appearance 2012. Record:: 17-15, 15 years. Last appearance: Scoring: Team (77.6); Kelly Olynyk 17.5; Elias Harris 14.9; Kevin Scoring: Pangos 11.5; Gary Bell Jr. 9.2. Rebounds Rebounds:: Team (37.3); Elias Harris 7.4; Kelly Olynyk 7.2. Assists/Turnovers: Team (15.2/11.2); David Stockton 3.3/1.2; Assists/Turnovers: Kevin Pangos 3.2/1.4; Gary Bell Jr. 2.3/1.2. 3-pointers: Team (.371); Kevin Pangos 70; Gary Bell Jr. 53. Last Ten Ten:: 10-0. The Skinny: Skinny: Zags, with few weaknesses, ended the regular season No. 1. A mid-major is the No. 1 seed in the West Region. —The Associated Press
Thursday, March 21, 2013- Page 5
speakers & selection
Above, CNN’s Bryan Monroe speaks Monday in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union’s Cotillion Ballroom. Monroe gave advice to Southern University political science and mass communication majors with his 12 things to do now including “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable and read voraciously.” Below, Darryll ‘Doc” Scriven discusses relationships and his life as a author in the Global Communications center in T.T. Allain. (Photos by Evan Taylor/DIGEST)
Roman Banks and the Jaguars celebrate SWAC victory. (Tony Gutierrez/AP Photos) Jags rejoice as they are selected for NCAA tourney Sunday, Chancellor James Llorens and Glenda Llorens congratulate and celebrate with the Men’s basketball team. Senior guard Derick Beltran, head coach Roman Banks and senior guard Jameel Grace speak with the press at TJ Ribs after the selection celebration. (Evan Taylor/DIGEST)
Page 8 - Thursday, March 21, 2013
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Players step up as season approaches Daniel Joiner
The Southern Digest The Jags are looking to improve on their previous (4-7, 3-6) season. They will return eight starters on the offense and seven on the defensive side of the ball. We will look at some of the questions facing Coach Odums going into his first spring game. This will be the Southern Jaguars’ first spring and spring game under Dawson Odums as head coach. Odums was thrown into the interim head coaching position after the first two dismal performances of the 2012 season by the jags. He then led the jags through a rollercoaster season with many highs and a few lows. The offense is implementing a no-huddle offense for the upcoming season and senior quarterback Dray Joseph will look to lead the offense. Last season, Joseph threw for 2,511 yards, 25 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions. Lee Doss is the biggest returning receiving threat for the jaguars. He led the Jags in receptions (68), receiving yardage (698), and receiving touchdowns (8) last season but suffered a sprain knee injury that will cause him to miss the remainder of the spring. With Doss out, doors have opened for other receivers to step up; Joseph the signal caller is enjoying the chance
to work with the younger players. “Doss got hurt, but I think as a team that made us better, and it gave other guys chances to get evaluated and gave me a chance to find out who I can trust,” said Joseph. The Jaguars will try to improve their running game, after a last finish in the South Western Athletic Conference last year. Darius Coleman, who clocked significant field time last year will be returning, and Leonard Tillery a former McKinley High School standout is turning heads in spring practice. The Jags also return four out of five starters to their offensive line and there is a lot of depth, talent and time before the final 5-man unit is set. The experience up front should provide a boost to the running game and total offensive balance. “The line has done a great job this spring with the help of coach Berry. He came from a program where he gave up a minimum amount of sacks so I think with the help of him, the line has no chance but to get better,” Joseph said. The defense will also have experience on their side. The defense played well at times last year, but they were inconsistent week to week. The defense allowed an average of 378.2 yards per game last season, which was in the middle of the pack in the SWAC.
Trevor James/DIGEST Quarterback Dray Joseph makes a bullet pass to tight end Rashaun Allen during scrimmage Friday. The strength of this defense will be the linebackers. This is the deepest and most experienced group on the team. They will be led by Anthony Balancier, after leading the team in tackles last season. Javon Allen, Franchot West, Detraine Lindsey, and Daniel Brown all contributed last year from various linebacker positions and will be returning with a year of experience and confidence under their belts. This unit will probably play a bigger role in how the team attacks offenses and lines up than any other unit. “The defense has been doing good but we’re still making a lot of minor mistakes like missing tackles and missing interceptions, but something
like that we can work on,” said Balancier. The defensive line has experience on the ends, but is inexperienced inside. The defensive line returns both ends Kadeem Lewis and Arthur Miley. The defense lost their Nose Tackle and playmaker Casey Narcisse from last season, and the question of his replacement will fall primarily between Justin Woods and Gabriel Echols. The biggest question for this unit is whether they can find a solid replacement for Narcisse to go along with their experienced players on the edges of the line. The defensive backs will be the unit with the most concerns; losing four seniors that saw steady playing time. Senior cornerback Virgil Williams will look to lead a group.
He has started at cornerback since his first game as a freshman, and been a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball, and on special teams as well. The other cornerback position is up for grabs, but will probably be a battle between Marquon Webster and D’Andre Woodland who both received playing time last year. The safety positions are also spaces to fill. South Alabama transfer Dionte McDuffy has been a playmaker in practice and looks to be a candidate to start at strong safety. “The new guys are outshining some of the guys who have been here for years and that’s a good sign that the coaches have done a good job recruiting in the back end,” Balancier said.
Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Page 9
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
THE DEFENSE
The Jaguar defense is returning seven starters from last year’s squad. Southern finished at the bottom half of the standings in total defense in 2012, allowing opponents 378.2 yards per game. The least of the defense’s worries will be at the linebacker spot, where three of their four starters from last year are returning along with four additional players seeing the field at the position. Positions battles that will be heated going into the spring and summer will be at the secondary positions.
SECONDARY: After losing four seniors who saw playing time last season, an intriguing position battle has arisen to fill in cornerback spots. Cornerbacks Marquon Webster and D’Andre Woodland each saw action at the corner spot last season and are competing for the spot opposite of rising senior Virgil Williams. The strong safety position is vacant, but former Evangel standout and South Alabama transfer Dionte McDuffy has impressed so far in the spring and could fill that spot.
LINEBACKERS: The Jaguars will have a good mix of linebackers coming back.
Leading tackler Anthony Balancier returns for his senior season and will be joined by Javon Allen and Franchot West. Daniel Brown and Detrane Lindsey both have had reps at practice and both saw the field last season as well.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Starting defensive ends Kadeem Lewis and Arthur Miley
return, and rising senior Dion Palmer could become part of the rotation. The position that is up for grabs is at the nose tackle position. Sophomores Justin Woods and Gabriel Echols could fill that void.
OFFENSIVE LINE: The offensive line is deep and the battle to find a starting five is a good
problem to have for the first-year O-line coach Chennis Berry. The team expects rising senior Aaron Hall back from last year’s season-ending ACL injury, adding depth to a unit that returns four starters and three backups that saw significant playing time in 2012.
RECEIVERS: Doss, who led the SWAC QUARTERBACK: Joseph, a rising senior, emerged as
the definite starter last season. The West St. John product averaged 228 yards passing per game, finishing 2012 with a SWAC-best 25 TD passes and only seven INTs.
in receptions last season, is sitting out the spring with a sprained knee. Doss is expected to be 100 percent for the fall, but the offense will have to find a way to replace Hawkins and Berry. Six-footfive junior Bradley Coleman has seen an increase in reps at practice and seems to be coming into his own, but other spots in the WR corps are wide open.
RUNNING BACK: The Jaguars lost two seniors, but backs Darrius Coleman and Terence Clayton are set to return. Redshirt freshman Lenard Tillery, a former McKinley High standout, has turned heads during the spring.
THE OFFENSE
The Jaguar offense returns eight players from last season, including AllSWAC second-team QB Dray Joseph and All-SWAC first-team WR Lee Doss. The offense led the conference in total offense and total passing yards last season, but was also dead last in rushing. Key position battles for the spring will be at the running back and wide receiver positions. Seniors Michael Berry and Charles Hawkins — and their combined 1,165 yards and 13 TDs — are gone, and spots behind Doss are up for grabs. A bright spot for the Jaguar offense this season will be in the trenches. The offensive line is returning four of their five starters from last year’s squad, and is welcoming in LSU transfer Corey White. —COMPILED BY DIGEST STAFF
Commentary southerndigest.com
Page 10 - Thursday, March 21, 2013
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Talking Politics with Caesar Smith Jr.: Jindal scissorhands and Leadership advice for SU Governor Jindal has the scissors and no one has seen the writing on the wall, until now. It has been written before, time and time again. The governor, like most Republicans is pro-business, even though it is at the cost of those who live here. Private businesses taking the place of government provided social services will be more expensive in the long run, ultimately cutting service to the poor, underprivileged, and those who are too young or ignorant to understand. I agree with his plan to save the state money, his way of doing it is where the disagreement is. State workers will be forced out, freeing the state of $400 million in payroll and benefits and ridding us of the charity hospital system we once knew. The governor’s proposed budget strips the state of its responsibility of funding for hospitals in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Lafayette, Houma, Bogalusa, and Lake Charles, which will ultimately cost 5,000 state employee jobs. There are questions that need to be asked. One of those questions from the dollars saved should be: will it be put into higher education? Not only that, will higher education get protection from being privatized? Those are certainly questions that need to be asked. Among these questions, “What are the estimates from the proposed tax plan which increases the state sales tax by 47%?” Will it be ample enough to cover any negative effects from the income tax being eradicated? When things like this occur and it goes unchallenged or not voiced by the public, these are times the public does not fully understand what is about to occur. It should also raise the question of when they want to do away with regulations. When it comes to Jindal’s “flatter tax”
evidence, according to the Advocate, it has shown those earning less than $16,000 per year will pay 10.6% of their income, currently the average Louisiana family pays about 10.1% of its income in taxes, while the wealthiest Louisiana families pay only 4.6% of their income in state and local taxes. When he proposed his tax bill a familiar smell came from the bullpen. I suspected the wealthy and businesses would pay less leaving the working people to pay more. The proper thing to do would be to have a “flat tax” with no exemptions, which would be the ideal and more balanced approach. It looks as if the legislators will hear a lot from me during this legislative session as I call them out during the committee meetings set to take place. There have been additional arguments, including one added to the Louisiana Supreme Court’s hearing docket challenging Bobby Jindal’s 401 (k)-type retirement plan for new state employee hires. The Retired State Employee Association of Louisiana won a lower court ruling when a state district judge agreed that the “cash balance” plan did not get the constitutionally required two-thirds vote for passage. The Jindal administration appealed the decision to the state’s high court; the court accepted the argument and requested all briefs in the case be filed by Monday, “in light of this expedited docket setting.” The pension plan was the only part of Jindal’s retirement system overhaul that passed in the 2012 legislative session. It is scheduled to go into effect July 1, absent an adverse court ruling. It seems the governor has or refuses to use his office to its full extent to benefit the state and its people; think of it as a car crash, you know you have to keep moving, but can’t help
Caesar Smith Jr. staring. While the governor is using part of his “platform” to save the state money, the question is what part of it includes laying off his employees? Platforms are great; if they are followed. Speaking of platforms, in the spirit of unity and politics this week during filing week and in the upcoming elections next month; one should understand what they are getting into. Please understand the rights and responsibilities of the office being sought. Please be aware of budgets, meetings, deadlines, and the rigorous schedule that will immediately become a reality in the event of a win. Know the constitution as it pertains to the Student Government Association. Know there are those who understand their full responsibility and of those who hold office because they have every right to have the office holder impeached for being irresponsible. Not passing a budget can get one impeached. Ignorance of a position does not excuse one from the responsibility, after all, that individual sought the position, in doing so, they should also seek all the position’s demands. In addition to being criticized by the media, have thick skin, be able to communicate and have an open line of communication with them.
The greatest thing to do would be to have a communications officer relay all events to media outlets with event cancellations and updates sent regularly. Many run for office because they are popular among their peers, because it can give them a push into a number of organizations or for a nice look on a resume. Holding office is more than holding a position. Many have held positions in past and present SGA administrations with great promise, in some cases that is all it was “a promise,” a promise to do nothing. Personally, I looked for the “one” I voted for in the last round of elections to actually to do something and I have been disappointed. Let down, not surprised, but most certainly disappointed. Some individuals are not leaders, they seem to get blinded by a dream and are removed from reality, which can be seen by what has been practiced while they have been in office and it has been a waste; a waste of time, a waste of a vote for a truly talented person who could have taken office and thrived. Some are born leaders, others achieve it, and others have it thrust upon them. Those people are exemplary and have a passion for what they do as well as those they represent. Very few have lived up to that, it is hard to find an individual with those qualities who seek office. In the spirit of honesty and adoration, I look at the wonderful job Sara Martin is doing, she fits the ultimate description of a leader. She is fair, without bias, knows policy and gets the job done. A classic example of her leadership rests in her current SGA position, how she conducts and runs senate meetings. She is a class act. Be a challenge!
Serious Answers to your SEXtions: Date Rape is more common than you think, be careful College can be a time for young adults to explore their sexual desires. Unfortunately, exploring these desires can take a frightful turn if you are not careful. Date rape is when someone you know socially forces you to have sex when you do not want to. This includes someone you know at school, at work, someone you meet at a party, or even your partner. Women between the ages of 15 and 24 are at the highest risk for date rape. Mostly women are victims of date rape, but it can happen to men also. Physical and verbal threats, blackmail, alcohol, and drugs can all be used to force or coerce someone into having sex. Date rape is not just sexual intercourse; it can involve any kind of sex, like oral or anal. Even if you agree to have sex with someone and decide to stop, and they force you to keep going, it is considered rape. Avoid date rape by being extra cautious when you go out. If you are going out on a date with someone you do not know very well, go out in a group or double date until you know your date better. Make sure you have your own transportation and always take your cell phone. Be careful about inviting someone you do not know into your home; this is where most date rape happens. Never spend alone time with someone you
acid (GHB), and ketamine are most commonly used date rape drugs. These can be easily mixed in drinks making a person black out and forget events that happen. People that have been given these drugs also have report feeling paralyzed. When you go out to a bar or a club, look out for your friends and make sure that everyone gets home safely.
Kate McConnell feel uneasy about. Listen and trust your gut instincts. Spiking a drink is common in sexual assault. If you go to a bar on a date, buy your own drinks and keep an eye on them. Be suspicious if someone buys you a drink and it is not what you asked for. Keep your drink with you. If you go to the bathroom or to the dance floor, finish or throw away your drink. Never share or exchange drinks with anyone. Feeling drunk more quickly than you would expect is a symptom that your drink has been spiked. You could also feel lightheaded and have problems with your hand eye coordination. Wild behavior and lack of self-control are symptoms as well. Drugs can also play a role in date rape. Rohypnol (“roofies”), gamma-hydroxybutyric
If you have been forced into sex against your will, remember it is not your fault. Talk to someone about what happened. You are not alone. Above all, be safe and conscious about who you are getting sexually involved with. Trust your instincts. Always use a condom and get tested. You only have one life to live, so never do something you will regret.
Commentary southerndigest.com
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Thursday, March 21, 2013 - Page 11
Climbing up, Are you getting in your own way? 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
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The spring semester is going by faster than Peter Rabbit running from Mr. McGregor (look it up). For some of us, this semester will be the last in our four-year or longer college sprint to graduation; which is freedom and the start of our lives. For others, graduation means that the real world is waiting to hit them with a ruthless and aggressive reality check that they have no preparation for whatsoever. Having said that, I ask you…. what’s holding you back? I ask that because myself along with the rest of ‘generation Y’ have the opportunity and resources to shape the world for the next century. The problem is as revolutionary as we can and should be; we seem to be on cruise control instead of full speed ahead. I‘ve come to find out that people of older generations like the ‘baby boomers’ tend to look at this generation as babies who claim to be adults, despite constantly have to be bottle-fed. I talk to these people all the time that say, “I just don’t understand this generation…. In my day we protested and fought for what we wanted.” Think about it, how many times have you complained about something but you’ve never done anything to change it? You get mad about failing classes but you didn’t even take the time to study for them or attend class. You’re upset about not being able to get jobs but you pass up on various internship opportunities that can give you the chance to build your network to get jobs (part-time outside of your field) because you feel like you shouldn’t do
Marcus Green anything for free. Here’s some reality for you my friend, you probably own the new iPhone don’t you? You know that $200 phone, you bought instead of getting those books that you needed for a class that you are now failing. Have you ever stopped to think that the reason why you’re in your current situation (especially if it’s bad) is because you’re the problem? We all have challenges and obstacles that we have to overcome but if you are your biggest problem, than of course everything else in your life will go wrong. When I talk to ‘Baby boomers’ and ‘generation X’ and hear how disappointed they are in my generation, I sometimes sit back and wonder…. Am I one of these people that they are talking about? I know I’m hard working but I often ask myself, am I doing enough? Am I good enough to take this certain step? If I take this step, will I fail? About seven years ago, I suffered the
loss of a loved one. You know, that one person who knows you inside and out. Knows your attributes and flaws but still pushes you to be ‘your best’ even when you don’t want to. Now I ask myself if I’ve ever really gotten over it. I say that because have I know you’ve also asked yourself where you would be in your life if certain events never occurred. This constantly goes through my mind. Knowing that my loved one would have wanted me to go on and pushed me along the way I do so. At a crossroads facing graduation and finding my purpose; college is just another step that I have to take in faith. As a young black college student trying to take full advantage of my education while, trying to figure out my purpose in life… I find that I don’t have time to ponder on these things as the harsh realities of life like bills, and just trying to stay alive in a world where 80-year-old women are being shot to death while sitting on their porch reading the bible. We all know by now that time is something we just don’t have. You can’t get someone to give you a job then make a job for yourself. You tired of being in school? Knock them classes out and graduate. And if you’re just sick and tired of being sick tired then pray on it and let it go. You only live once…. don’t hold yourself back from living every moment of your life and reaching your full potential.
Understanding HIV/AIDS, getting tested Every day someone is diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Children, men and women, black or white, the virus can be contracted by anyone at anytime. It is important for all of us, especially those who are sexually active, to be well educated on HIV/AIDS. Scientists believe HIV came from a specific kind of chimpanzee in Western Africa. The virus could have been spread when humans hunted and ate infected animals. Present studies indicate that HIV may have transferred from monkeys to humans as early as the 1800s. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus. It can only infect human beings. It weakens the immune system by destroying important cells that fight diseases and infections. HIV can go without notice in a person for long periods of time. AIDS stands for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome. A person cannot inherit AIDS, but it can be acquired after birth. AIDS is contracted when your immune system is not working the way it should.
Kate McConnell It is a syndrome because AIDS contains a wide range of complications and symptoms making it so complex. AIDS is the final stage of HIV. People at this stage have badly damaged immune systems, which puts them at risk for various infections. Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV. The Center for Disease Control estimates that there are more than 1 million people in the United States living with HIV. 1 in 5 people living with HIV are unaware of their infection. Gay and bisexual men of every race are the most severely affected by HIV.
By race, African Americans face the most HIV burden accounting for almost half of the percent of people with HIV in the United States. HIV can be contracted through sexual contact, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, injection drug use, and even by blood transfusion or organ transplant. Blood, semen, pre-seminal fluid, breast milk, vaginal fluids, and rectal mucous are body fluids that can contain high levels of HIV. If you are sexually active, you can reduce your risk of HIV by using condoms correctly and consistently. It is also important to know your HIV status and your partner’s HIV status. The Center for Disease Control recommends that you get tested every 3-6 months if you are sexually active with more than one partner. Remember to know who you are getting sexually involved with. Be safe at all times, and use your gut instinct. If it does not feel right, do not do it. Use a condom and get tested. You only have one life to live so never do something you will regret.
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Page 12 - Thursday, March 21, 2013
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Claims against BP contractors dismissed Michael Kunzelman The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS— A federal judge conducting a trial to assign fault for the nation’s worst offshore oil spill dismissed claims Wednesday against a BP contractor and the company that made a key safety device on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering the disaster. After plaintiffs’ attorneys rested their case Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier ruled there was no evidence that BP’s drilling fluids contractor M-I LLC made any decision that led to the blowout of BP’s Macondo well. Barbier dismissed all claims against M-I on the 15th day of the trial. The judge also agreed to rule out punitive damages against Cameron International, the manufacturer of the blowout preventer on the ill-fated Deepwater Horizon rig, which was rocked by an explosion and fire in 2010 that killed 11 workers and touched off the enormous spill. “I have not heard or seen evidence that would in any way support a finding of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of Cameron,” Barbier said. The judge was acting on requests by M-I and Cameron to have claims against them dismissed. The two Houston-based companies have been bit players at the trial, which has centered on the actions and decisions of employees of energy giant BP, rig owner Transocean Ltd. and cement contractor Halliburton. M-I is a wholly owned subsidiary of oil field services firm Schlumberger. Two M-I employees, Gordon Jones and Blair Manuel, were among the 11 workers killed in the blast. BP, Transocean and Halliburton made similar requests Wednesday for Barbier to dismiss gross negligence and punitive damage claims against them, but the judge said he wasn’t ready to rule on them at this stage of trial. Barbier is hearing testimony without a jury. Barring a settlement, he could decide how much more money the companies owe for their roles in the disaster. BP could be on the hook for nearly $18 billion in
penalties under the Clean Water Act if the judge finds that it acted with gross negligence. After Barbier’s rulings, the trial’s fourth week continued with more testimony by witnesses for Transocean, whose chief had executive testified Tuesday. BP and Halliburton also will call their own witnesses later in the proceedings. Barbier has heard testimony by more than a dozen witnesses called by the Justice Department and private attorneys for Gulf Coast residents and businesses. The plaintiffs’ lawyers rested Wednesday after their last witness, a former Halliburton laboratory manager, finished testifying. Earlier Wednesday, well control expert Calvin Barnhill testified he didn’t see any evidence that rig workers sacrificed safety in a rush to complete a job that was behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget. Transocean president and CEO Steven Newman had testified Tuesday that he believes his company’s employees on the rig should have done more to detect signs of trouble before the blowout. However, he said the Swiss-based drilling company didn’t identify any internal “management failures” that led to the disaster. Also on Wednesday, a federal grand jury handed up an indictment containing new allegations against former BP engineer Kurt Mix. Mix was charged last year with deleting text messages about the company’s response to the Gulf oil spill. Wednesday’s new indictment accuses him of also deleting about 40 voicemails from a supervisor and roughly 15 voicemails from a BP contractor. Mix, of Katy, Texas, pleaded not guilty in May to two counts of obstruction of justice after he was charged with deliberately deleting more than 200 text messages to and from the supervisor and more than 100 to and from the contractor. Mix doesn’t face any new counts in the superseding indictment. Prosecutors claim he deleted the messages to prevent them from being used in a grand jury’s probe of the spill. Mix’s attorney didn’t immediately respond to a call and email seeking comment.
Above, an oil-soaked bird struggles against the side of the HOS Iron Horse supply vessel at the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana. Barbier is hearing the case without a jury. The trial is designed to identify the causes of BP’s well blowout and assign percentages of fault to the companies. Left, Steve Newman, president and CEO of Swissbased Trancocean Ltd., leaves Federal Court after testifying in New Orleans, Tuesday. Transocean was the owner of the rig Deepwater Horizon, which was being operated under contract to BP when BP’s Macondo well blew out on April 20, 2010, setting into motion events that led to the nation’s worst offshore oil spill. The Deepwater Horizon sank two days after the blow out. Gerald Herbert/ AP Photos
La. unemployment rises while payrolls drop Jeff Amy
The Associated Press Louisiana’s unemployment rate rose to 5.9 percent in January and it was the only state to register a significant loss on a separate survey of payrolls. Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers released Monday show Louisiana unemployment rose from 5.6 percent in December, but remained below the 7 percent level of December 2012. Louisiana payrolls fell by 12,500 jobs in January from an all-time high of 1.95 million in December. Payrolls remained 18,000 jobs above the 1.91 million level of January 2012. The number of unemployed Louisianans rose to 124,000. That’s up from 117,000 in December, but down from 145,000 in January 2012. The number of people who said they had a
job fell by fewer than 3,000 in January 2013. But more were looking with Louisiana’s labor force rising to 2.09 million, the highest level since November 2005. During a threemonth period after Hurricane Katrina, the state’s labor force topped 2.1 million. It’s never been that high before or after. “The growth of our labor force and the high number of people who are working are indicators our economy is continuing to grow,” Louisiana Workforce Commission Executive Director Curt Eysink said in a statement. Revised numbers released this month shows that the state’s unemployment rate has been falling steadily since peaking at 7.8 percent in late 2010. If the January 2013 number holds, it would be the first time that the jobless rate has risen in Louisiana in more than two years. The unemployment rate is calculated by a survey that asks how many people are
looking for a job. A second survey each month asks employers how many people are on their payrolls, a measure that many economists look to as their top labor market indicator. When adjusted to cancel out seasonal fluctuations, total Louisiana payrolls fell to 1.93 million. Payrolls fell in every major business sector, with the professional and business service sector falling by the largest share, nearly 1.5 percent. Overall, jobless levels rose in 25 states in January, fell in eight and were flat in 17. California and Rhode Island were tied for the highest jobless rate at 9.8 percent, while North Dakota again had the lowest rate at 3.3 percent. The national unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent in January from 7.8 percent in December. It remained below the 8.3 percent level of January 2012. Parish level unemployment rates are not
adjusted to cancel out for normal seasonal fluctuations. They rose in all 64 parishes in January from December, as is normal as retailers lay off extra holiday help, but only 11 parishes had higher jobless rates than a year ago. The only urban area where joblessness rose over the year was Shreveport, where unemployment increased to 7.6 percent in January in the three-parish area. East Carroll Parish had the highest jobless rate at 18.5 percent in January, while Lafourche Parish had the lowest at 5.1 percent. The broadest measure the unemployed includes people who are looking for work only sporadically, have given up looking or are working part time because they can’t find a full-time job. That figure averaged 11.9 percent in Louisiana during 2012, the most recent numbers available. Nationwide, that broad measure averaged 14.7 percent during 2012.