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Tuesday, November 8, 2011
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voLume 57, issue 14
The Southern Digest will return Nov. 15 check www.southerndigest.com for updates
Desperate times call for fresh prespective
Texas Southern 2-steps past Jaguars
see Commentary, page 7
see Sports, Page 5
Students, faculty views vary on SUBR’s image James teaGue
The Southern Digest
Southern University has taken its fair share of black eyes in the media. From financial aid to student and faculty issues, Southern has always been involved in some type of controversy. The most recent news making headlines was the university declaring financial exigency at the Baton Rouge campus. Many students and faculty members all have their different views and takes on the current situations of Southern and how people outside of the Jaguar Nation talk down about the university. “I feel that I’m being represented by Southern University very well through the advancements and upbringing of the ranks of my major”, said junior mass communications major, Alvin J. Mouton. “All the amenities that I need to get
the job done, I have. Southern is highly resourceful for me, to conquer the outside world with the knowledge I’ve obtained through my representation.” Some students and faculty of
is being treated by Southern in a “a fairly good way.” She speaks about how the school is treating her as far as her skills in the classroom, but also as well as the representation of the whole
that needs to be done in order to represent me as a student in a better light”, Bryant said. Gregory Spann from the business department says that the faculty senate president has
“The president of the system and the Board of Supervisors should be fundraisers and they should have access to the $1.7 million that they have raised, but they don’t because they didn’t raise the money for the school.”
Eva Baham assistant professor, history department
which may not feel real affected by the exigency of the school and that they continue to contribute and move on through the trials and tribulations of Southern. Krystal Bryant, a junior accounting major said that she
student body and faculty. “As far as the College of Business, there are many opportunities and plenty of preparation for my area of study. As far as the university as a whole, there is some work
been keeping the staff updated with what’s going on with the financial emergency. With the major construction happening around campus some students credits the university for their efforts in improving the
campus, however, others don’t see any progress being made. “I feel like Southern is not representing me in a positive,” said Peace Scott, senior architecture major. “I had to deal so much such as getting into school, dealing with the financial aid process. Instead of me enjoying my college years, I have to stress about what else will happen that will affect me since SU is going through these hardships.” Lee Henry, senior business management major, has a similar perspective towards the situations that have come about with the university. “I feel as though Southern University is not representing me to its full potential,” Henry said. “I think that we get very little of no representation from administration to faculty”, said See subr image page 3
Woman accuses Cain of bold sexual advance beth FouhY & JaCk Gillum
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Leaving little to the imagination, a Chicagoarea woman on Monday accused Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain of making a crude sexual advance more than a decade ago when she was seeking his help finding a job. “Come clean,” Sharon Bialek challenged Cain at a news conference in New York at which she described herself as “a face and a voice” to support other accusers who have so far remained anonymous. Cain’s campaign swiftly denied Bialek’s account. “All allegations of harassment against Mr. Cain are completely false,” it said in a written statement. Even so, Bialek’s nationally broadcast appearance on cable television marked a new and — for Cain — dangerous turn in a controversy that he has struggled for more than a week to shed. An upstart in the presidential race, Cain shot to the top of public opinion polls in recent weeks and emerged, however temporarily, as the main conservative challenger to Mitt Romney. Accompanied by her prominent lawyer, Gloria Allred,
Bialek accused Cain of making a sexual advance one night in mid-July 1997, when she had travelled to Washington to have dinner with him in hopes he could help her find work. She said the two had finished dinner and were in a car for what she thought was a ride to an office building. “Instead of going into the offices he suddenly reached over and he put his hand on my leg, under my skirt toward my genitals,” she said. “He also pushed my head toward his crotch,” she added. Bialek said she told her boyfriend, an unidentified pediatrician, as well as a longtime male friend of the episode. Allred, a sex discrimination attorney with Democratic ties, moved preemptively to blunt any attacks on Bialek’s motives. She described her client as a registered Republican, a single mother and a woman with a long and successful work history. Some of Cain’s allies immediately made a target of Allred, a Democratic campaign donor, rather than focusing any anger on Cain’s accuser. Georgia state Sen. Joshua McKoon, who has endorsed Cain, accused Allred of “carnival theatrics” fueled by a partisan
phoTo BY rIChard drews/ap phoTo
Sharon Bialek, left, a Chicago-area woman, prepares to addresses a news conference at the Friars Club, with her attorney Gloria Allred, in New york Monday. Bialek accused Republican presidential contender Herman Cain of making an unwanted sexual advance against her more than a decade ago, saying she wanted to provide “a face and a voice” to support other accusers who have so far remained anonymous.
agenda. “Her involvement makes it clear that it’s a political smear job orchestrated by those on the left because there is nothing more terrifying than Herman Cain as
the Republican nominee,” the Republican lawmaker said. But Doug Heye, a political consultant who is unaligned in the GOP race, said Bialek’s allegations “are different because
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
they involve a name and specific details.” He said Allred’s involvement See CaiN page 3
Campus Life southerndigest.com
Page 2 - Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Classifieds
of George Washington Carver to the USDA Bureau of Plant Industry in the Mycology and Plant Disease Survey. Nov. 8 8 from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. in The Royal Cotillion Ballroom of Smith-Brown Memorial Union. Several of Dr. Carver’s letters to the USDA will be available to be viewed on a table-top display throughout the day.
apartments for rent
The Palisades Apts. 7801 Scenic Hwy., Baton Rouge, La. 70807. 1.866.693.6554.
WANT TO BUY
WANTED TO BUY 1973 SU Jazz Band record album. Also 1950, 1980 45rpm records. Call 225.687.8076.
Back to school special
Campus Briefs
Every Monday beginning Nov. 8, the SU Barber Shop will offer a “Back to school special” $2 off any haircut. For students only during the month of November between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Students should submit this coupon at time of purchase. Ask for Rob. For more information call 225.771.3693.
today Tag! You’re It! Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign
Baton Rouge General’s Pennington Cancer Center has launched a new breast cancer awareness campaign this year called, “Tag! You’re It!” The campaign encourages women to remember the importance of a proper, annual evaluation of their breast health and monthly self breast exams with the help of short message system (SMS) text message reminders. Women interested in registering to receive personalized breast health text message reminders can sign-up at www. brgtagyoureit.org.
November 10 SUBR BEEP CIA Day
SUBR League of BEEP associates will host CIA day on Nov. 10 from 11-12:20 p.m. in T.T. Allain room 313. This is an opportunity to learn about the CIA and it’s many career opportunities. Business, Science, Engineering, Foreign Language, Public Policy, and Technology majors are highly encouraged to attend. Real and Mock interviews will be available on Friday Nov. 11 from 10a.m. to 11:50 a.m. in T.T. Allain room 225. Preregistration is required contact Toni Jackson at 225.771.5883 or via email SUBRBEEP@ gmail.com. Business Professional attire is required.
Southern Niche
Make sure to stop by Southern Niche, a Southern University student operated retail store during their regular store hours. Tuesdays 1:30-5:30 p.m., Wednesdays 10 a.m.-2p.m. and Thursdays 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. The store is located in Room 155 of Thrift Hall. Come and purchase products made by Louisiana entrepreneurs. November 7
November 17
Construction
Freshman Convocation
Steptoe drive in front of the SU Law Center will be closed from Nov. 7 to Nov. 11.
The SU Business and Industry Cluster presents Dr. Alycia Cyprian-Porter speaking about “Ownership of the Journey” Nov. 17 from 11- 12:20 a.m. in Seymour Gym. For more information contact Dr. Dana Carpenter in the University College.
November 8 Global Food Security and Plant Biosecurity Symposium
The SU Ag Center will display and discuss the contributions
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Who’s Speaking Out?
November 18 SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH CONFERENCE
The Department of Psychology are pleased to sponsor the 13th Annual Social and Behavioral Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Nov. 18 in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union Cotillion Ballroom. For more information, please contact Dr. Reginald Rackley (771-2313) or Raven White (raven_white_00@subr.edu). Ag Stars
Calling all Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors … Do you have a 2.5 GPA and no declared major? Pursue an exciting degree in agricultural sciences and become a member of AG stars mentoring program. Ag star participants will earn $1,000 stipend per semester. Apply today in Fisher Hall Room 101. Ronald E. McNair Scholars
Do you have a 3.0 GPA? Lowincome first generation college student? Have a desire to earn a Ph.D. in your discipline? The SU Center for Social Research encourages rising juniors and seniors to apply for the Ronal E. McNair Scholarship. Applicants must have earned at least 60 credit hours. For more information contact Janeal Banks at 225.771.4717.
What direction do you believe the campus is headed in now that they have declared financial exigency??
Mike Mallery
Justin Evans
Lafayette, la. senior marketing
Houston senior business management
“Honestly, the university is at a stand still, but Mallery because this is such a great instituition I’m sure it will move forward.”
“We are at a stand still but i believe the university will move forward in the long run.”
Aaron Miller
Todd Dennis
Fayetteville, NC. senior Business Management
destrehan, la. Senior Marketing
“It is headed in the right direction, plans are starting to be put in place iller for the students success. We as students need to step up and do our part.”
M
Evans
“It’s headed in a positive direction in the hands of the ennis people in charge, they are doing right by the university. But as a whole students and staff need to step up and take back the campus.”
D
Pinkie G. Lane Poetry Contest
Southern University students can start submitting for the Pinkie G. Lane Poetry Contest. Each entrant may submit no more than three (3) poems of no more than 35 lines for each poem. The poems can be on any subject matter and in any format, provided the content is not vulgar or offensive, does not contain profanity, and is the original, individual work of the entrant. Failure to comply will automatically eliminate the entry. Poems must be typed and submitted via email to pinkieglane@cox.net or online at the library’s website www.lib. subr.edu.
ISSN: 1540-7276. Copyright 2008 by The Southern University Office of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Southern University and A&M College. All articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Southern DIGEST and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without the written permission from the Editor in Chief and Director of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is published twice-weekly (Tuesday & Friday) 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.
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
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - Page 3
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Frazier passes away
Cain from page 1
Dan Gelston & Tim Dahlberg
The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — He beat Muhammad Ali in the Fight of the Century, battled him nearly to the death in the Thrilla in Manila. Then Joe Frazier spent the rest of his life trying to fight his way out of Ali’s shadow. That was one fight Frazier never could win. He was once a heavyweight champion, and a great one at that. Ali would say as much after Frazier knocked him down in the 15th round en route to becoming the first man to beat Ali at Madison Square Garden in March 1971. But he bore the burden of being Ali’s foil, and he paid the price. Bitter for years about the taunts his former nemesis once threw his way, Frazier only in recent times came to terms with what happened in the past and said he had forgiven Ali for everything he said. Frazier, who died Monday night after a brief battle with liver cancer at the age of 67, will forever be linked to Ali. But no one in boxing would ever dream of anointing Ali as The Greatest unless he, too, was linked to Smokin’ Joe. “You can’t mention Ali without mentioning Joe Frazier,” said former AP boxing writer Ed Schuyler Jr. “He beat Ali, don’t forget that.” They fought three times, twice in the heart of New York City and once in the morning in a steamy arena in the Philippines. They went 41 rounds together, with neither giving an inch and both giving it their all. In their last fight in Manila in 1975, they traded punches with a fervor that seemed unimaginable among heavyweights. Frazier gave almost as good as he got for 14 rounds, then had to be held back by trainer Eddie Futch as he tried to go out for the final round, unable to see. “Closest thing to dying that I
file/AP Photo
In this March 8, 1971, file photo, Joe Frazier is directed to a corner by referee Arthur Marcante after Frazier knocked down Muhammad Ali during the 15th round of the title bout in Madison Square Garden in New York. Frazier won the bout over Ali by decision. Frazier, the former heavyweight champion who handed Ali his first defeat yet had to live forever in his shadow, has died after a brief final fight with liver cancer. He was 67. The family issued a release confirming the boxer’s death on Monday night.
know of,” Ali said afterward. Ali was as merciless with Frazier out of the ring as he was inside it. He called him a gorilla, and mocked him as an Uncle Tom. But he respected him as a fighter, especially after Frazier won a decision to defend his heavyweight title against the then-unbeaten Ali in a fight that was so big Frank Sinatra was shooting pictures at ringside and both fighters earned an astonishing $2.5 million. The night at the Garden 40 years ago remained fresh in Frazier’s mind as he talked about his life, career and relationship with Ali a few months before he died. “I can’t go nowhere where it’s not mentioned,” he told The Associated Press. “That was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life.” Bob Arum, who once promoted Ali, said he was saddened by Frazier’s passing. “He was such an inspirational guy. A decent guy. A man of his word,” Arum said. “I’m torn up by Joe dying at this relatively young age. I can’t say enough about Joe.” Frazier’s death was announced in a statement by his family, who asked to be able to grieve privately and said they
would announce “our father’s homecoming celebration” as soon as possible. Manny Pacquiao learned of it shortly after he arrived in Las Vegas for his fight Saturday night with Juan Manuel Marquez. Like Frazier in his prime, Pacquiao has a powerful left hook that he has used in his remarkable run to stardom. “Boxing lost a great champion, and the sport lost a great ambassador,” Pacquiao said. Don King, who promoted the Thrilla in Manila, was described by a spokesman as too upset to talk about Frazier’s death. Though slowed in his later years and his speech slurred by the toll of punches taken in the ring, Frazier was still active on the autograph circuit in the months before he died. In September he went to Las Vegas, where he signed autographs in the lobby of the MGM Grand hotel-casino shortly before Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight against Victor Ortiz. An old friend, Gene Kilroy, visited with him and watched Frazier work the crowd. “He was so nice to everybody,” Kilroy said. “He would say to each of them, `Joe Frazier, sharp as a razor, what’s your
name?’” Frazier was small for a heavyweight, weighing just 205 pounds when he won the title by stopping Jimmy Ellis in the fifth round of their 1970 fight at Madison Square Garden. But he fought every minute of every round going forward behind a vicious left hook, and there were few fighters who could withstand his constant pressure. His reign as heavyweight champion lasted only four fights - including the win over Ali before he ran into an even more fearsome slugger than himself. George Foreman responded to Frazier’s constant attack by dropping him three times in the first round and three more in the second before their 1973 fight in Jamaica was waved to a close and the world had a new heavyweight champion. Two fights later, he met Ali in a rematch of their first fight, only this time the outcome was different. Ali won a 12-round decision, and later that year stopped George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in Zaire. There had to be a third fight, though, and what a fight it was. With Ali’s heavyweight title at stake, the two met in Manila in a fight that will long be seared in boxing history.
emergency placed on the backs of the faculty and the academia. “The president of the system and the Board of Supervisors should be fundraisers and they should have the access to $1.7 million that they have raised, but they don’t because they did not raise the money for the school,” said Baham. Even with the negativity
some still believe that there is still hope for Southern to grow out of their current situation. “If the financial exigency leads to the reconstruction and betterment of Southern University, then it is a positive step for the institution”, said English professor, Vonsha Henderson. With all of the opinions
around the campus, it is clear that many have mixed views on the rebuilding of Southern. It’s going to take some time in order for the school to really get back to the way things were. “They are not doing their best right now,” said George Herman, junior finance major. “But they have the potential to do much better.”
SUBR Image from page 1 chemistry professor Conrad Jones. “I feel that the Facultysenate is very representative of the faculty. As faculty members, we should have much more say and input into what goes on academically”. Eva Baham, assistant professor in the history department believe that there shouldn’t have been a financial
“is going to make some people disbelieve the charges out of hand because of the side show she creates. But Herman Cain has to be clear and convincing in his response.” Even before Bialek stepped forward, presidential rival Jon Huntsman and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour had publicly urged Cain to address sexual harassment allegations in greater detail. It wasn’t clear whether he would. After spending much of last week denying accusations, he told reporters who sought to question him Saturday night, “don’t even go there.” Cain had an evening appearance scheduled on the Jimmy Kimmel show, his only public event of the day. According to lawyer and client, Bialek was employed for parts of 1996 and 1997 at the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association, an industry trade group that Cain headed at the time. She said she first met him at an organization convention, interacting with him several times over the course of a few days. After she was fired from her job about a month later, she said her boyfriend told her, “Herman seems to think highly of you. Why don’t you contact him?” That led to a trip to Washington about a month later, where she recalled that Cain upgraded her hotel room to a suite, and made his unwanted sexual advance. She said she asked Cain what he was doing, and recalled he replied, “You said you want a job, right?” Given her experience and those of other accusers, “I want you, Mr. Cain, to come clean,” she said. “Just admit what you did. Admit you were inappropriate to people.” She added: “Mr. Cain, I implore you: Make this right so that you and the country can move forward and focus on the real issues at hand.” The denial from Cain’s campaign was as unequivocal as the allegation. “Just as the country finally begins to refocus on our crippling $15 trillion national debt and the unacceptably high unemployment rate, now activist celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred is bringing forth more false accusations against the character of Republican front-runner Herman Cain,” it said. “Mr. Cain has never harassed anyone.” Before Bialek stepped to the microphone, the allegations involved two women who had worked at the National Restaurant Association, both of whom filed sexual harassment complaints. A third woman told The Associated Press last week that she considered filing a workplace complaint against Cain over what she deemed sexually suggestive remarks and gestures that included a private invitation to his corporate apartment.
State & Nation southerndigest.com
Page 4 - Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Audit: Shaw overbilled state
Company wants to tap Mojave water aquifer Garance Burke & Noaki Schwartz
The Associated Press
CADIZ, Calif. — Off historic Route 66 in the heart of the California desert the barren landscape of dry scrub and rock abruptly gives way to an oasis of tall green trees heavy with lemons and grape vines awaiting next month’s harvest. Some believe this lush farm in the unlikeliest of places also sits atop a partial solution to Southern California’s water woes. By tapping into an aquifer the size of Rhode Island under the 35,000-acre Cadiz ranch, proponents say they can supply 400,000 people with drinking water in only a few years. If the plan sounds familiar, it is. A decade ago, Los Angeles’ Metropolitan Water District narrowly rejected it when it faced widespread environmental opposition. A scaled back version has resurfaced with a greener pitch, momentum from five water agencies and what the company claims is better science to win over skeptics. “Do we need additional water supplies? Yes. Do we need groundwater storage? Yes,” said Winston Hickox, a Cadiz Inc. board member who headed the California Environmental Protection Agency. “The question is ‘OK, environmental community, what are your remaining concerns?’ I don’t know.” But conservationists including the Sierra Club remain worried. Critics say the company
has misrepresented the size of the aquifer and that mining it could harm the threatened desert tortoise, bighorn sheep, as well as the nearby Mojave National Preserve which has some of the densest and oldest Joshua tree forests in the world. Concerns over rare desert species were also echoed by state Department of Fish and Game biologists in March. Conservationists also worry tampering with an aquifer in a place where water is so scarce could cause dust storms. “There’s a lot of unknowns here but we think this project has the potential to adversely affect air quality, draw down water resources and alter the flow of groundwater beneath the Mojave Preserve,” said Seth Shteir with the National Parks and Conservation Association, which plans to scrutinize an environmental review of the project, expected to be released this month. Groundwater has long played a part in the West’s age-old water wars, which are increasingly being waged underground. These large unseen reserves of underground water nourish a place that would appear to most observers as dead. California has few regulations when it comes to groundwater pumping, according to Carolyn Remick, who heads the Berkeley Water Center at the University of California. Consequently it is often weaker local agencies that largely oversee such extraction, leading to a raft of problems ranging from groundwater contamination to overpumping and ground sinking.
Cain Burdeau
The Associated Press
PHOTO BY Chris Carlson/ap photo
Seth Shteir, a California Desert Field Representative for the National Parks Conservation Association, poses for a picture in a natural spring at the Mojave National Preserve near Kelso, Calif. By tapping into an aquifer the size of Rhode Island under a 35,000acre Cadiz ranch, proponents say they can supply 400,000 people with drinking water in only a few years. “There’s a lot of unknowns here but we think this project has the potential to adversely affect air quality, draw down water resources and alter the flow of groundwater beneath the Mojave Preserve,” says Shteir, whose association plans to scrutinize an environmental review of the project, expected to be released this month.
Last year a conservation group sued the state water board in an effort to force the agency to regulate groundwater pumping that has depleted Northern California’s Scott River, threatening salmon populations. In arid Kern County, north of the Mojave Preserve, a local water utility filed suit against wealthy farming interests claiming their enormous withdrawals of water lowered the water table and caused service disruptions. Cadiz officials say they are aware of the concerns and promise an extensive monitoring system. The water in question begins in springs high atop desert mountains and travels under the Cadiz ranch before it resurfaces in dusty
lake beds dozens of miles away where it evaporates. The plan could cost as much as $225 million to sink 34 wells into the desert and build a 44mile pipeline along a railroad right-of-way that intersects with the Colorado River Aqueduct. In dry years, water would be pumped to burgeoning communities in Southern California. During years with above-average rainfall, Colorado River water could be pumped to the aquifer for storage. Proponents say the water would offer a muchneeded alternative to boost supplies in a region hard hit with water cutbacks during the state’s recent three-year drought.
Total arrests down, felony percentage up in N.O. Kevin McGill
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — A crime watchdog group in New Orleans says the city’s police department is making fewer arrests overall while concentrating more on felonies. The nonprofit Metropolitan Crime Commission’s study, released Monday, says arrest totals declined 45 percent from a peak of more than 30,000 in the second half of 2009 to less than 17,000 in the first half of this year. However, the percentage of felony arrests increased in that period to 19 percent of the total from 12 percent. The crime commission had been critical in the past of the
police department spending time on arrests for outstanding traffic warrants and minor offenses and said the figures in the report are a move in the right direction. Last year, the City Council approved a policy allowing many minor offenses to be handled with municipal court summonses instead of arrests. “If we are going to attack the crime problem in New Orleans, it has to be done through felony arrests,” the commission’s president, Rafael Goyeneche, said in a news release. “Felony arrests and convictions are our only opportunity to remove violent and repeat offenders, long term, from the community.” The commission report noted
fluctuations in the numbers of new felony cases accepted for prosecution by the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office under Leon Cannizzaro, who was elected in November 2008, and in the numbers of closed felony cases. “There have been numerous changes within the DA’s Office and the system is attempting to establish a new equilibrium,” Goyeneche said. In the second half of 2010, accepted and closed felony cases spiked to their highest levels since the beginning of 2009. The first half of 2011 had the fewest numbers of accepted and closed felony cases over the past two and a half years. Possible factors cited in the report include a diversion
program including supervision and counseling as an alternative to trial, and a program to dismiss cases that were old and could no longer be prosecuted. However, the commission also noted a 20 percent dismissal rate in the first half of 2011, up from rates of 11 percent to 14 percent in the second half of 2009 through 2010. It said that could indicate a need for better screening to keep “nonviable” cases out of the court system. Chis Bowman, a spokesman for Cannizzaro’s office, said the diversion program and the office’s concerted effort to dismiss cases it inherited that were past the time limit for prosecution, especially non-violent crimes, is the main reason behind the dismissal rate.
NEW ORLEANS —The Shaw Group may have overbilled the state about $500,000 after it was hired by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration to build $250 million worth of sand berms along the Gulf of Mexico to block oil spewing from an out-of-control BP well from washing ashore, according to the state legislative auditor. A legislative auditor’s report Monday said Shaw billed the state between June 2010 and August 2011 for $251 million — $12.2 million for labor and $238.8 million in other costs — and that about $495,000 worth of invoices either should not be paid or should be paid only with more documentation. The audit found problems with bills for material and equipment, travel charges and reimbursable expenses. The berm project, which involved moving huge amounts of sand from the Mississippi River out to open water along the coast, has been regarded as a colossal waste of money because the sand islands probably did little to stop oil from coming ashore. Last December, a presidential commission set up to investigate the BP oil spill called the project “underwhelmingly effective, overwhelmingly expensive.” BP PLC gave Louisiana the money to build the berms. The state agency overseeing the berm project, the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, asked the legislative auditor to help vet Shaw’s invoices. “There were definitely some errors and exceptions that we called into question,” said John L. Morehead of the legislative auditor’s office. But he did not characterize the overbilling as egregious. The report did not provide examples or go into the details of the overbilling. State and Shaw officials said they were working through outstanding bills. “Considering the emergency conditions and the massive size of this effort, we were able to keep billing exceptions to a fraction,” said Garret Graves, a top aide on coastal affairs to Jindal. So far, he said the state has refused to pay about $200,000 of the outstanding bills. The Jindal administration continues to defend the berm work, arguing that putting all that river sand onto the coast is helping restore badly eroding barrier islands. “There is sand in the system that was not previously there,” said Robert Routon, a project manager with the Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, the agency overseeing the berm project.
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tuesday, November 8, 2011 - Page 5
Tigers 2-step past Jaguars in Texas Morris diLLard
The Southern Digest
HOUSTON — Texas Southern and Southern faced off in a slugfest Saturday, but the Tigers prevailed with a stout defense in the fourth quarter 29-15. Last Saturday’s home finale win over Alcorn State was a bit of relief for the Jaguars, who lost their its previous two games by four points. “Offensively, Riko really threw the ball well really bouncing back from a sour week before, … of TSU said. “ Our receivers were catching the ball. The offensive line was protecting and keeping themselves in front of people bodies.” Saturday’s defeat at the hands of the Tigers marked the fourth time the Jaguars loss back-toback games under second-year head coach Stump Mitchell. In the past four weeks, the Jaguars have dropped heartbreaking games to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Prairie View and now Texas Southern — three contests decided by a total of 18 points. “Riko Smalls, he was the
difference in the ball game for us,” Mitchell said. “He led his team on a couple of drives of 90 yards. He did it both with his legs and also with his arm.” Smalls was dynamic Saturday, completing 26-of-39 passes for 365 yards, the most passing yards allowed by the Jaguars defense, which was atop the conference in pass defense before Saturday. He totaled four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing score that extended the Tigers first half lead 15-0. While Smalls kept Mitchells’ defense busy, the Jaguars offense stalled, converting 4 of 12 thirddown conversions. The Jaguars woes’ rushing the ball continued, PHOTO By THOMaS B. SHea/aP PHOTO/HOUSTOn cHrOnicle gaining 12 yards on 14 attempts. Texas Southern wide receiver Artie Collins (10) breaks the tackle of Southern linebacker Franchot West While Smalls’ grab most of the (51) during an NCAA college football game at Delmar Stadium in Houston. attention passing and running the ball, the Jaguars offense our quarterback than we’ve had receiver Artie Collins for a 22-7 lead. yards with the help of a 13-yard The Jaguars offense quickly touchdown pass by Smalls to answered with offensive spurts of in the past and he wasn’t able to its own. Freshman quarterback make some throws when we had answered with a 24-yard score, extend the Tigers’ lead 29-15 with set up by a 49-yard kick return 1:31 remaining in the quarter. JP Douglas, who started for the guys open,” Mitchell said. Time was on the Tigers’ side Douglas threw for 207 yards and by cornerback Virgil Williams third straight week, connected that positioned the Jaguars in the final period, as Texas with wide receiver Jared Green two scores, but was sacked twice. Southern ran out the clock, After halftime, the Tigers’ firmly back in the game. for a 50-yard touchdown score The Tigers capitalized on its yielding the Jaguars to six yards in the second quarter on a seven- emerged from the locker room, scoring on its first drive, a 46- last drive in the third quarter, of total offense before the end of play, 82-yard drive. “They put more pressure on yard touchdown pass by Smalls to marching down the field 99 regulation.
Culture southerndigest.com
Page 6 - Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Jackson doctor convicted in drug death Linda Deutsch
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson’s doctor was convicted Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s death for supplying an insomniaplagued Jackson with a powerful operating-room anesthetic to help him sleep as he rehearsed for his big comeback. Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, sat stone-faced, his chin held high, as he heard the verdict that could send him to prison for up to four years and cost him his license to practice medicine. He was handcuffed and immediately led off to jail without bail to await sentencing Nov. 29. The verdict marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture’s most shocking tragedies — the 2009 drug-overdose death of the King of Pop at age 50 as he was about to mount a series of heavily promoted concerts in London that he hoped would turn his career around after a slide prompted by child-molestation allegations and years of bizarre behavior. A shriek broke the silence in the packed courtroom when the
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jury’s decision was read, and the crowd outside the courthouse erupted in cheers. Jubilant Jackson fans sang “Beat It” and held signs that read “Guilty” and “Killer.” Drivers honked their horns. Members of Jackson’s family wept, and his mother, Katherine Jackson, said, “I feel better now.” His sister La Toya said she was overjoyed and added: “Michael was looking over us.” Members of the jury were escorted from the building and not available for comment. Murray’s lawyers also left without saying anything. The jury deliberated less than nine hours after a six-week PHOTO By cnn, pool/ap photo trial that depicted Jackson as a In this frame grab from video, deputies place handcuffs on Dr. Conrad Murray after his conviction on tormented genius on the brink of involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of pop star Michael Jackson, in Los Angeles Superior Court what might have been his greatest Monday. Murray was Michael Jackson’s physician when the pop star died in 2009. triumph but for one impediment Jackson died. And his lawyers dose, only whether he was pressure to convict.” — extreme insomnia. “This man didn’t deserve Prosecutors portrayed Murray blamed Jackson for his own primarily responsible for the this. They needed a scapegoat,” as an incompetent doctor who death, saying the singer gave singer’s death. Deputy District Attorney said DiGiacomo, a former Long administered propofol — an himself an extra, lethal dose David Walgren extended his Island, N.Y., teacher’s aide who extremely potent anesthetic while Murray wasn’t watching. Prosecutors said that theory sympathies to the Jackson said she didn’t believe Murray normally used during surgery — in Jackson’s bedroom without was crazy, and in any case, they family, who “lost not a pop icon, did anything to intentionally harm Jackson. adequate safeguards and botched argued, Murray should not have but a son and a father.” Testimony came from medical In Las Vegas, a former Murray his care when things went wrong. left Jackson alone. The jury was not asked to patient and current friend, Donna experts, household employees Murray, who did not testify, told police that he administered determine whether Murray DiGiacomo, sobbed and said the and Murray’s former girlfriends, only a small dose on the day actually gave Jackson the fatal jury was under “overwhelming among others.
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The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - Page 7
Desperate times call for fresh perspective 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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Now that we are seven days into financial exigency, we ask ourselves how did we get here? How do we get out? What does this mean for Southern University? How will this affect me as an individual student, faculty member, staff member or employee? Throughout the next 23 days we must decide where to go from here … what steps and in what direction should we take? Desperate times don’t call for desperate measures but, fresh perspective and approach. Fresh perspective and approach to stale issues and problems. We have to re-think the way we address revenue, spending, travel, and salaries. We have to re-evaluate the way we classify jobs, their importance, hierarchy, and value. We have to consider sacrifices for the whole university in order for the united body to prosper. Not just cuts to the faculty, continuation of furlough for staff, layoffs, and consolidation of colleges. We have to think outside the box to approach the problems with registration, retention, graduation, and student involvement. This is not something that can be solved in 30 days, only an approach and plan can be developed but the issues didn’t happen overnight and can’t be solved that way. It is critical that no matter the decisions made that the administration; faculty, staff, and students make them together. If we
Evan Taylor are not on one accord it will only delay the process. As long as all parties have equal representation and voice the democratic system should be able to decide on a solution to these problems. Without one united front we will just be fighting each other. How did we get here? No one really knows speculations of inaccurate policies from the Board of Supervisors, lack of leadership in administrative roles, misappropriation of funds, decrease in student enrollment, low graduation rates, formula funding, or a combination of more than one factor. But, the buck should stop here. How do we get out? Definitely not by cutting certain entities out during solicitation for input. Not by excluding the foundations of the institution in the processes and decisions. We need a united front with new ideas and new solutions to our old problems. What does this mean for Southern University? Is it bankruptcy?
Not quite. But, it does give the administration powers they did not have before concerning termination and restructuring. There needs to be a policy and procedure for financial exigency put together by each affected party. Faculty, students, staff, etc. need to have a procedure and that needs to be negotiated to a compromise. The interests of every one should be addressed and considered. How will these affect individual parties? This can decide whether a tenured faculty member has a job. This lowers job security for staff members and employees. This plan can decrease the amount of time a laid off faculty member, staff member, or employee has to make arrangements for a new job. Exigency can deter new students from applying to this university in fear of the survival of the campus and the relevance of their future degree. Exigency can deter students from graduating from Southern University because of consolidated programs and cancelled programs. Exigency can mark Southern University as an example of a failed system. Beyond the brand of exigency, it’s important for a fresh perspective to leadership, organization, structure, fundraising, revenue, spending, recruitment, retention, and graduation. If we want to place Southern University where we envision it, we have to see it, act on it, and accomplish it.
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Page 8 - Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
U.S. curbs college visas
Drought, demand from China drive up pecan prices Janet McConnaughey The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Expect to pay more for pecan pie this Thanksgiving thanks to drought in parts of the South and big demand from China. The average retail price for a pound of pecans rose from $7 in 2008 to $9 last year, and it’s expected to be about $11 this year, said Jeff Worn, vice president of South Georgia Pecan Co., which processes 40 million to 50 million pounds of pecans a year in Valdosta, Ga. The price increase has him and others in the industry worried that people will stop buying the nuts. “In an already suffering economy, how long will people be able to pay that much for pecans?” asked Worn, whose customers include the WinnDixie and Publix grocery chains, big-box stores Sam’s Club and Costco, and food manufacturers such as Russell Stover and Sara Lee. Pecans are the only major tree nut native to the U.S., which produces about 80 percent of the world’s crop. The harvest season begins in the fall in Georgia and Florida and ends in February in New Mexico. Georgia is usually the biggest pecan producer. Other top states include Arizona, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Drought dramatically reduced the pecan crop in many of those states this year. Production in Texas, which has had a record drought, dropped the most, from 70 million pounds last year to an estimated 40 million pounds this year. In Louisiana, production plunged from 20 million pounds last year to an estimated 9 million pounds this year. The entire U.S. crop is expected to be less than 252 million pounds this year, roughly 14 percent smaller than
last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Pecans are “alternate-bearing” trees, with good crops tending to be followed by smaller crops. In general, odd years should be better, according to the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, but this year’s harvest has been reduced by drought. “I’ve been farming for 60 or more years, and this is the driest I’ve ever seen,” said Ben Littlepage, a grower in the central Louisiana town of Colfax. “The bayous are completely dry.” Without enough rain, trees drop nuts early. The nuts also don’t open when it’s too hot and dry — and open husks are needed for mechanical shelling. “If they remain in that green shuck for a long period of time they sprout,” Littlepage said. He expects to get only about a quarter of his typical harvest this year. A bigger reason for high pecan prices is strong demand from Asia. China typically buys a fifth of the U.S. crop. The nuts are especially prized during the country’s two-week New Year celebration in January or February. Pecans have been popular in Asia since growers and shellers responded to flat domestic sales with aggressive overseas marketing in the past decade. Sales in China and Vietnam climbed from less than 10 million pounds a year in the early 2000s to nearly 89 million pounds in 2009. Exports to Asia dropped some last year, but total exports rose from 143.5 million to 146.7 million, with Europe and Mexico accounting for much of the increase. Hilton Segler, executive director of the National Pecan Growers Council, estimated China would buy 50 million to 60 million pounds of pecans this year, and other countries would buy about 40 million
Holbrook Mohr
The Associated Press
PHOTO By Brenden Neville/AP Photo/The ADvocate
In this Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 photo, Charles Johnson dumps freshly harvested pecans into a bucket while collecting them from under a pecan tree in south Baton Rouge, La. Johnson said he will spend all day under a good tree, picking pound after pound of pecans from the ground. The average retail price for a pound of pecans has climbed from $7 in 2008 to about $11 this year and some in the industry worry that people will stop buying the nuts.
pounds. Asked about her current price, Mississippi grower and retailer Suzanne Powers replied, “Are you sitting down?” A 12-ounce bag of plain pecan halves is going for $11 at her Delta Pecan Orchard in Tutwiler, Miss. Last year, the same-size bag went for $9.50. Farmers, however, typically get much less than the retail price. They averaged $2.30 per pound last year for nuts in the shell. This year, prices are running from $1.25 to $3.50 a pound, with most varieties starting above $2. Worn, the pecan company executive from Georgia, said retailers who sell bagged pecans are likely to be hardest hit by increased prices. Food manufacturers who use pecans probably can manage more
easily. “When you’ve got an ingredient customer like Sara Lee, or let’s say McKee Foods — Little Debbie — they’re able to average that price in with other ingredients,” he said. At Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge, La., owner Felix Sherman Sr. said the price of nuts is one reason he had to raise the price of a 9-inch pecan pie about 15 percent this year, to $12.95. He makes about 500 pecan pies for the Thanksgiving season and about an equal number during the rest of the year. Sherman said prices for everything seems to be rising, so he thinks people will understand. Pecans are “just a small luxury. It’s a comfort item. And of course,” he said hopefully, “Thanksgiving and all, they’d be a staple they’ll have to have.”
Court to look at life in prison for juveniles The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to decide whether juveniles convicted of killing someone may be locked up for life with no chance of parole, a follow-up to last year’s ruling barring such sentences for teenagers whose crimes do not include killing. The justices will examine a pair of cases from the South involving young killers who are serving life sentences for crimes they committed when they were 14. Both cases were brought by the Equal Justice Initiative in
Montgomery, Ala. The institute said that life without parole for children so young “is cruel and unusual” and violates the Constitution. The group says roughly six dozen people in 18 states are under life sentences and ineligible for parole for crimes they committed at 13 or 14. Kuntrell Jackson was sentenced to life in prison in Arkansas after the shooting death of a store clerk during an attempted robbery in 1999. Another boy shot the clerk, but because Jackson was present he was convicted of capital murder and aggravated robbery.
Evan Miller was convicted of capital murder during the course of arson. A neighbor, while doing drugs and drinking with Miller and a 16-year-old boy, attacked Miller. Intoxicated, Miller and his friend beat the man and set fire to his home, killing the 52-yearold man. Miller’s friend testified against him, and got life in prison with the possibility of parole. The high court has moved toward judging juveniles less responsible than adults when considering severe sentences. The high court ruled out the use of the death penalty for people under 18 in 2005. In May 2010,
the court said that teenagers may not be locked up for life without a chance of parole if they haven’t killed anyone. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority opinion in both of those decisions. “The identical analysis which led to the results in those cases logically compels the conclusion that consigning a 14-yearold to die in prison through a life-without-parole sentence categorically violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments,” Miller’s lawyer Bryan Stevenson said in court papers. The Supreme Court should “make that logical conclusion the law of the land.”
JACKSON, Miss. — The State Department put a freeze Monday on expansion of a program that lines up summer jobs in the U.S. for foreign college students, citing persistent complaints about young people getting ripped off and exploited. At issue is the J-1 visa program, which began in 1963 as a way to encourage cultural understanding by allowing young adults from other countries to spend their summers living, working and traveling in the U.S. Nearly a year ago, The Associated Press reported numerous abuses, including cases in which students were put up in shabby, crowded apartments and forced to work grueling hours at backbreaking, menial jobs for $1 an hour or less. Some ended up going to homeless shelters for food or a place to sleep. At least one woman told the AP she was beaten and forced to work as a stripper in Detroit in 2005. The State Department, which oversees the program, said Monday that is it limiting the number of future participants to this year’s level, or about 103,000 students, and that it has temporarily stopped accepting any new “sponsors” — companies that help students arrange for visas and find jobs and housing in return for a fee. Most of the abuses have been blamed on unregulated, thirdparty labor brokers who work with the students, but critics say the sponsors have done little to protect them. In the meantime, the State Department said, it is taking a closer look at the program’s regulations. Under the program, foreign students are granted visas for up to four months and often land jobs at hotels, resorts and restaurants. Participation has boomed from about 20,000 students in 1996 to a peak of more than 150,000 in 2008, and roughly 1 million foreign students have taken part in the past decade. Last summer, after years of complaints about abuses, the State Department revised it rules to shift more responsibility onto its 53 designated sponsors. “Yet, despite these new regulations, the number of program complaints received this year continues to remain unacceptably high and includes, among other issues, reports of improper work placements, fraudulent job offers, job cancellations upon participant arrival in the United States, inappropriate work hours, and problems regarding housing and transportation,” the State Department said Monday in announcing the freeze in the Federal Register.