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Exclusive content @
Friday, September 9, 2011
www.southerndigest.com
Volume 57, Issue 3
Students concerned over BOS decision see News, page 3
Today
Obama lays out jobs plan to Congress see State & Nation, page 4
Remembering ...
•New Orleans tribute to 9/11 through service. Citizens can help refurbish buildings, help with landscaping, or cook and bake for local emergency workers. Children are encouraged to create banners or write thank you notes to police, firefighters, and other emergency professionals. Contact via e-mail servenola@nola.com to volunteer or for more information. •Cathartic Art an art exhibit in memory of September 11 will continue to be exhibited at Louisiana’s West Baton Rouge Museum. Artists entered work based on personal memories, reflections or emotions about the tragic terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The museum will honor local police, firefighters, and emergency workers from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on September 11th. •A 10-year anniversary commemoration ceremony featuring a military band performance will be held at
the National World War II Museum, 945 Magazine St., New Orleans. 8:30 - 10 am on Sept. 11, 2011. •The Westwego Farmer and Fisheries Market remembers September 11, 2011 and salutes all first responders with a special ceremony and live entertainment by Al “Lil Fats” Jackson. Sept. 9 (7-10 pm); 484 Sala Ave., Westwego, La. •A Remembrance Garden, created in tribute to first-responders, will be dedicated as part of a Remembrance Ceremony at the Oakwood Shopping Center on Terry Parkway in Gretna near the Crescent City Connection Mississippi River Bridge ramp by La Quinta. Participants include the Jefferson Choral Group, the Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, the Terrytown Volunteer Fire Department, local officials and Oakwood employees. Sept. 11, 2011 at 10 am. •A Patriot Day ceremony will be held on Sept. 11, 2011
Jaguars feeling pressure heading into SWAC opener see Sports, page 5
at the Memorial Plaza in Slidell’s Heritage Park, which is near the park’s entrance. The event will include an American Legion Riders honor ride, a 21-gun salute, speeches, a moment of silence and the ringing of bells. Sept. 11, 2011 (6:30 pm); Memorial Plaza, Heritage Park, Slidell, La. •Patriot Day at the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge honors those who died due to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 as well as past and present veterans. At the opening ceremony, special mention will be made of the Louisiana victims of 9/11: Lt. Michael Scott Lamana (USN), Kevin Wayne Yokum (USN), Louis Calvin Williams, Leo Russell Keen, and Robert J. Hymel Then the annual Freedom Walk will begin. Free and open to the public. E-mail BRFreedomwalk@cox.net for more information. Celebrations will begin at 8:30 am on September 11, 2011.
the official student newspaper of southern university and A&m college, baton rouge, louisiana
Campus Life southerndigest.com
Page 2 - Friday, September 9, 2011
Classifieds
Back to School Special in SU Barber Shop
Every Monday beginning September 12th the SU barber shop will offer a “Back to School Special”. Students can receive a $2.00 discount off a student haircut. This special is only during the month of September between the hours of 11a.m.3p.m. Students should bring in this coupon and ask for Rob to redeem the discount. For any questions call 225.771.3693
TUTORING
Tutors needed!! Volunteer to help your fellow students and student-athletes. Call 504.534.8338.
apartments for rent
Immediate occupancy @ The Palisades Apts 1.866.936.5544.
Campus Briefs today
SEPTEMBER 12
Gleaux jags part ii
AWS, Men’s Federation, and Miss Southern presents GLEAUX JAGS. The OFFICIAL 1st Home Game Party. #SUfriday Style!! September 9, 2011 in Seymour Gym. DJ Kutpro on the 1’s and 2’s. Admission is $1 with your voter registration band and $3 without. All proceeds will go to Miss Southern’s Up Till Dawn and Save Our Southern fundraisers. TO GLEAUX RIGHT, WEAR WHITE.
SGA campaign week
Your candidates for SGA elections will be looking to snag vote in Fall 2011 Campaign Week. All students should come to Smith-Brown Memorial Union on September 16 to cast their ballot for the cabdidate to best do the job. Let your voice be heard. Campaign week will be September 12-16. All students must have valid SU ID to vote and will vote based on classification.
First Emmanuel Baptist Church
Reading Comprehension
Dr. Charles Southall III and the First Emmanuel Baptist Church Family invite students to come fellowship every Sunday at noon. Transportation will be provided from Southern University campus in the circle in the back of campus at 11:15am Sunday mornings. Please contact the church 1-866-524-8891 to schedule pick-up on Sundays and contact Rev. David S. Jackson at 225.205.9736 or Bro. Eric Peters at 504.939.2149 for more information. The church us located at 1933 Wooddale Blvd. Baton Rouge, LA 70806.
Learn the techniques to actually understand and apply the readings from a textbook. The Center for Student Success will be hosting a seminar called Reading Comprehension in Stewart Hall Auditorium. The seminars will be held on September 12 from 4-4:50 p.m., September 13 from 2-2:50p.m. and September 14 from 1-1:50 p.m. Critical Thinking Skills
Come learn how to use what you got to get to what you want. The Center for Student Success will be hosting a seminar called Critical Thinking Skills in Stewart Hall Auditorium. The seminars will be held on September 12 from 4-4:50 p.m., September 13 from 2-2:50p.m. and September 14 from 1-1:50 p.m.
Peer Tutoring
Center for Student Success is offering Peer Tutoring in Stewart Hall Room 107 Monday through Fridays from 8:00 am to 5:00pm. Any tutoring sessions after 5pm Monday through Thursday will be held in John B. Cade Library until 9:00pm.
Coach stump mitchell show
Alpha Media invites Southern University faculty, students, and alumni to the taping of the
Coach Stump Mitchell show at DJon’s Restaurant located at 5255 Florida Boulevard every Monday at 7:00 p.m. SU fans, Come out to the Coach Stump Mitchell Show on Monday September 12 at D Jon’s Restaurant, you can enter a chance to win a “Coors Light VIP Flyaway Package” to the Atlanta Football Classic to watch your Southern University Jaguars battle Florida A& M Rattlers. Prize package includes two (2) airfare tickets, hotel accommodations for 2 nights and gameday tickets along with access to the Coors Light Tailgate Party. You can be on TV when you compete to be The GREATEST Fan of Southern University in 60 seconds hosted by Kingi Knox on the “Coach Stump Mitchell Show”. Facebook Kingi Knox at facebook.com/kingi.knox for details. Also, visit www. thegreatestfan.tv to register to win great prizes and download great ringtones!. SEPTEMBER 14 SU Career Day
Southern University’s Career Day will be Wednesday, September 14 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. at the F.G. Clark Activity Center. For more information, call 225.771.3922.
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Who’s Speaking Out? What do you remember about September 11? Charburn Richardson
Willie Smith
amite, la. senior rehabilitation counseling
New Orleans Senior Computer Science
“This was a devastating and traumatic event Richardson that brought endless amounts of turmoil to our community due to the many lives that was ceased that day.”
“ I remember sitting in my sixth grade class Smith being shocked at what I was veiwing on the TV screen.”
Kedric Nash
Valonda Golden
Alexandria senior computer science
Milwaukee junior rehabilitation
“Septemeber 11, 2001 changed the whole world Nash because of the many lives that was lost due to a sensless act of terrorism.”
“I was in my eighth grade social studies class as my olden classmates and I watched the towers falling and silently prayed for the many lives that was lost during this tragedy.”
G
open Auditions
Auditions, open to the community, for a multiracial cast in Alice Childress’ Wedding Band; A Love/Hate Story in Black and White will be held Wednesday and Thursday, September 14 and 15 from 3-6 p.m. in the theatre, Room 50 of Frank Hayden Hall, (Elton G. Harrison St.) Southern University Campus Baton Rouge. An 8 year-old Caucasian female and a 10 year-old African American female are included in the cast of 11 characters. For more information, contact Dr. Aileen Hendricks at 225-771-3190 or 771-5847.
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
Friday, September 9, 2011 - Page 3
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Students react to BOS vote
Jindal faces no wellfunded challengers
The Southern Digest
Melinda Deslatte
Samantha Smith
Students express strong concerns about the uncertainty surrounding the fate of Southern University’s budget issues after the Board of Supervisors’ decision against financial exigency. In a locked vote of 6-6 the board denied the Chancellor’s proposal for financial exigency. The board then gave the chancellor the authority to make any necessary cuts to balance the budget. Chancellor James Llorens was given an extension by the Board of Regents to present a balanced budget to them by Wednesday before the end of business. Board members showed their belief in the future of Southern in comments made after this historic vote, “Southern hasn’t lost its substance. Southern is still a strong institution what we have to do is tell the true story of what Southern is. We have a great story to tell,” said Myron Lawson, Board of Supervisor member. “Being a proud Southernite myself, what I learned at Southern was honesty, integrity and having a word,” said Patrick Magee implying his love for Southern University. Student Government Association president, Demetrius Sumner explains to the board his reason for voting no to financial exigency,“ The student overwhelming opposition to this issue led me to vote in any other manner,” he said. Students share mixed feelings about the board’s decision and are concerned about the upcoming budget cuts and how they will affect campus life.
The Associated Press
photo by norman j. dotson jr./digest
Johnny Anderson, a former Board of Supervisors chairman, expresses his disapproval of filing financial exigency. Anderson charged the board with taking the easy way out instead of putting forth the effort to find alternative ways to balance the budget.
Jessica Johnson, an elementary education major from Baton Rouge, is concerned that more classes will be cancelled due to deeper budget cuts. “I just don’t want any of my classes to be cut and no more majors to be eliminated,” she said. Desmond Ford, a junior from Newellton, La, believes that the chancellor’s proposal to declare financial exigency was a scare tactic used to pressure the faculty. He said, “I feel like it was all a bluff. The people in power are being greedy and preying on the teachers and staff.” Deidrick Hunt, criminal justice major from Baton Rouge had mixed feelings about the boards decision. He said, “I am not sure about how I feel about the board’s decision but I expect a lot of budget cuts.” Tristen Fox, a junior from Kentwood, La, feels that the administration is not considering what is best for the students. She felt that her opinion really didn’t matter to the administration and that they would make the decision that they wanted
anyway. “I feel that we didn’t get anything accomplished. We still have unresolved problems. What’s next?” said concerned student, Montrice Willis as she offered a few suggestions for dealing with the budget pitfalls, “Instead of cutting faculty we need to address the real budget drains, athletics and Southern Lab to name a few, and look at those to see what can be changed in those areas,” she said. Timothy Pickett, SGA director of finance, says that the vote was a positive step, but is concerned about the outcome if the budget isn’t balanced. He questions what would happen if the budget is not balanced in time. When asked about a recovery plan for S.U., Pickett had this to say, “I believe that Southern can recover to its past status of ten thousand students enrolled, its going to take time. It has become SGA’s focus to help recruit more students and to retain the ones that we have.”
Students debate Blackboard, LiveText Sam Ross
The Southern Digest
Blackboard and LiveText are two of the most popular educational databases used in today’s college arena abroad and here at Southern University. According to the official Blackboard Learn website, its software works with clients to develop and implement technology that improves every aspect of education through connecting more effectively. Its competitor, LiveText is a leading provider of campus-wide solutions for strategic planning, assessment, and institutional effectiveness that over 500 national and international colleges and universities utilize currently, according to the official website. Some of the benefits that come with LiveText include its files being backed up and accessible, it being environment-friendly by eliminating the need for work to be physically submitted, and it showcasing work for students and teachers for potential
future employers. A LiveText subscription is also good for five years. To many students here, LiveText, which was implemented at Southern in 2009, seems to be Blackboard with a $100 price tag. In a group survey conducted with 20 students, more than half of the students surveyed said they prefer Blackboard as opposed to LiveText. “I don’t think we need both [Blackboard and LiveText]. LiveText, to me, is a watered down version of Blackboard,” said Ashley Willis, a senior secondary education major from Loreauville, La. In the survey, more students said that they feel Blackboard is easier to use because it is more commonly used amongst professors on campus. In addition, students said they have only used LiveText for, on average, two courses during their entire tenure here. “I’ve used Blackboard for most of my classes [but] I’ve only used LiveText for two classes,” said
Jasper Knighten, a senior Civil Engineering major from Amite, La. In the minority of students who favored LiveText, senior business economics and finance major, Melinda Victor, said “I actually favor LiveText because it allows you better communication with your professors as well as minimizes paper usage.” However, all of the students in the survey agreed in a resounding “NO” that it is not necessary to have both Blackboard and LiveText services. The lack of knowledge for the two services could be a large reason to their sentiments. “Blackboard Learn and LiveText are both tools in the academic arsenal of our faculty that perform different critical roles. They are more complementary of each other than overlapping,” said Sarah Spland, SUBR Coordinator of Training and User Support Services. According to Ronnie Foster, SUBR LiveText Assessment Director, a committee at the
university sought out to find advanced software and found LiveText to be the best choice back in 2009. In regards to whether or not students would still be required to use Blackboard Learn services in the future with the implementation of LiveText, Spland shared that there will always be a place for learning management systems such as Blackboard in the academic environment. According to Spland, LiveText helps the university collect critical data required for the evaluation of the university’s strategic plan and institutional effectiveness. This data is also critical for accrediting agencies, such as The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS). In relation to inquiry on students being incompetent in knowing how to use LiveText, Foster explained that when students register for LiveText, there is a tutorial available on the website.
Gov. Bobby Jindal faces a slate of nine opponents on the Oct. 22 ballot, but none with the statewide name recognition or the hefty war chest to mount a significant offensive against the Republican’s bid for a second term. As qualifying neared its end Thursday evening, the only challengers registered against Jindal had raised at most a few thousand dollars for their campaign efforts so far, and several are repeat candidates who have run for other statewide posts multiple times without success and without an organized campaign. They include four Democrats, one Libertarian and four without party affiliation. None has launched TV or radio ads or a large-scale media blitz against the governor. New Orleans multimillionaire John Georges, who was defeated by Jindal four years ago, decided against entering the governor’s race. The Democrat could have self-financed a significant challenge. “I have given the race for governor serious consideration, and although our polling shows I would be able to give Governor Jindal a tough race, there is simply not enough time to organize a statewide campaign,” Georges said in a Facebook posting Thursday announcing his decision. Georges said, “I will be in a better position in four years.” Among the most visible challengers to Jindal is special education teacher Tara Hollis, of Haynesville, who has traveled the state and launched a vigorous Internet campaign effort hoping to drum up financial support and attention. Others running for governor include Ron Ceasar, of Opelousas, who made a failed attempt to recall Jindal earlier this year; Scott Lewis, of Baton Rouge, a Libertarian who has run twice for secretary of state; Androniki “Niki Bird” Papazoglakis, a Democrat who is the policy director of a nonprofit organization fighting domestic violence and sexual abuse; and Trey Roberts, of Gretna, a history teacher who calls himself a “conservative tea party Democrat.” Though Jindal has raised more than $14 million for his race and has high approval ratings in recent polls, the contenders said they thought the governor was vulnerable and could be defeated with grassroots campaigns.
State & Nation southerndigest.com
Page 8 - Friday, September 9, 2011
photo by kevin lamarque/AP PHOTO
President Barack Obama delivers a speech to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington Thursday. Watching are Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner.
Cut taxes, Obama tells Congress in $450B jobs plan Ben Feller
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Attacking a deepening jobs crisis, President Barack Obama challenged a reluctant Congress Thursday night to urgently pass a largerthan-expected $450 billion plan to “jolt an economy that has stalled.” He urged lawmakers to slash Social Security taxes for tens of millions of Americans and for almost every business to encourage hiring. “Stop the political circus,” an animated Obama told a joint session of Congress in a nationally televised speech. Over and over he implored lawmakers to “pass this jobs bill.” Open to discussion but making no promises, Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Obama’s ideas would be considered but the president should give heed to Republicans’ as well. “It’s my hope that we can work together,” he said. In announcing a plan heavy on the tax cuts that Republicans traditionally love, Obama sought to achieve multiple goals: offer a plan that could actually get through a deeply divided Congress, speed hiring in a nation where 14 million are out of work, shore up public confidence in his leadership and put Republicans on the spot to take action. The fate of economy will define Obama’s re-election bid, but he sought to dismiss that element as political fodder that means nothing to hurting Americans. Obama never estimated how many jobs would be created by his plan, which also includes new federal spending for construction, hiring and an extension of jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed. Despite his promise that it would all be paid for, he has not yet released the details on how. His message was unmistakable to the
point of repetition, as he told Congress more than 15 times in one way or another to act quickly. That was meant as direct challenge by a Democratic president to the Republicans running the House to get behind his plan, especially on tax cuts, or be tarred as standing in the way. The urgency of the jobs crisis is as pronounced as it’s been since the early days of Obama’s term. Employers added zero jobs last month. A whopping number of Americans — about eight in 10 — think the country is headed in the wrong direction and Obama’s approval ratings are on the decline. In the House chamber, Obama received a warm response but then the usual political pattern took hold, Republicans often sitting in silence on the applause lines that had Democrats roaring. Boehner had chummy moments with Vice President Joe Biden at his side before the speech but was somber over Obama’s shoulder as the president spoke. “The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours,” Obama said. “The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy.” The newest and boldest element of Obama’s plan would cut the Social Security payroll tax both for tens of millions of workers and for employers, too. For individuals, that tax has been shaved from 6.2 percent to 4.2 percent for this year but is to go back up again without action by Congress. Obama wants to deepen the cut to 3.1 percent for workers. Obama would also apply the payroll tax cut to employers, halving their taxes to 3.1 percent on their first $5 million in payroll. Businesses that hire new workers or give raises to those
they already employ would get an even bigger benefit: On payroll increases up to $50 million they would pay no Social Security tax. Obama proposed spending to fix schools and roads, hire local teachers and police and extend unemployment benefits. He proposed a tax credit for businesses that hire people out of work for six months or longer, plus other tax relief aimed as snaring bipartisan support in a time of divided government. The White House put the price tag of Obama’s plan at $447 billion, with about $253 billion in tax cuts and $194 billion in federal spending. The president said he would make his case to the public and will waste no time taking his sales pitch on the road. His first stop will be on Friday at the University of Richmond in the Virginia congressional district of House majority Leader Eric Cantor, a frequent critic of the president’s policies. Politics shadowed every element of Obama’s speech. He appealed to people watching on TV to lobby lawmakers to act. He did the same thing before his speech in an email to campaign supporters, bringing howls of hypocrisy from Republicans who wondered why Obama was telling them to put party above country. The American public is weary of talk and wary of promises that help is on the way. And the window for action is shrinking before the 2012 presidential election swallows up everything. Under soaring expectations for results, Obama sought to put himself on the side of voters who he said could not care less about the political consequences of his speech. “The next election if 14 months away,” Obama said, adding that the people who hired every elected leader in the room need help “and they need it now.”
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Friday, September 9, 2011 - Page 5
SPecial Section southerndigest.com
Page 6 - Friday, SePtember 9, 2011
the Sentinel oF an enlightened Student body Since 1926
Reliving instead of remembering Sept. 11 Amy Westfeldt
The Southern Digest
NEW YORK — The planes will crash. You’ll hear police sirens, the voices of those who lived and many who didn’t. You’ll feel like you’re in the buildings. And then they’ll fall. There’s long been talk of a room in the Sept. 11 museum that will look something like this. Planners spoke years ago of an “immersive” area where visitors will hear, see and know what Sept. 11 really felt like. Maybe you’ll hear Brian Sweeney, a passenger on United Flight 175, calling his wife minutes before his plane barreled into the World Trade center’s south tower. “Jules, it’s Brian. Listen, I’m on an airplane that’s been hijacked,” his voice cracks. “If things don’t go well, it’s not looking good, I just want you to know I absolutely love you.”
Or Betty Ong, a flight attendant on the second plane that was steered toward New York, talking about a stabbing in business class, a hijacking and something that had been sprayed around the cabin. “We can’t breathe,” she says. An immersion room? Who needs one. Ten years after it happened, Sept. 11 is everywhere. It’s difficult to move around the country and not experience a sliver of it — the day — in some way. To some extent, the entire nation remains an immersion room. Look no farther than your smartphone, where StoryCorps promises an oral history for every victim on a 9/11 memorial app. More than half a million text and pager messages sent that day are online, courtesy of Wikileaks. (“DO NOT GET ON THE PATH TRAIN...THE WORLD TRADE CENTER IS ON FIRE,” reads one. And there’s “President has been rerouted wont be returning
to washington but not sure where he will go.”) The Internet Archive just put 3,000 hours of footage online of a week of Sept. 11, 2001, coverage beginning that Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. You can watch the twin towers vaporize into a dust plume on 20 different U.S. and international networks, and hear television anchors struggle to make sense of that incomprehensible event as it happens. Television brought the 2001 attacks to the world in real time, and forever linked the thousands who lived through it and the millions who watched. It became a collective experience, and, from every angle, one of the most digitally documented events ever. And so it remains. Abraham Zapruder’s grainy film of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination is invaluable, but it’s just one, heavily analyzed angle. There are no emails from Pearl Harbor or
D-Day, no text messages from the passengers of the Titanic sent as the great ship went down. So Sept. 11 will always be different, for the generations that follow. More people will be able to see it and curate their own Sept. 11 story from a wealth of sources. We will never be too far from this past. For those who lived through it, we can re-experience it on demand, as often as we want. And this anniversary, again, we’re doing it. When it comes to the day, and everyone returns to the day, Sept. 11 is relived more than it is remembered. Why else is it that when the topic comes up in conversation, the first story is one’s own. Were you there? Did you know anyone who was? In the era of 9/11, Wikileaks and a minute-to-minute news cycle, we crave information, and authentic experience. So our experience, and everyone’s experience, is of enormous value.
It was a shared one. And maybe we just can’t understand it still and need to look again. This anniversary, everyone’s looking for 9/11 stories, authentic, up close and personal stories: the survivors, the families, the transformed, the winners, the losers, and the dead. And we’re looking for how it affected everyone. The AP posted the question on Facebook, asking people around the world to describe their most vivid memory of 9/11. The answers came within minutes, visceral, you-are-there remembrances as if it had just happened yesterday. Jeremy Suede, now 28, lived in Santa Clara, Calif., at the time. His mother banged on his door to awake him and put him in front of the television. “I got to the tv just in time to see the second plane hit and then See reliving
9/11 page 7
remembering 9/11 southerndigest.com
the Sentinel oF an enlightened Student body Since 1926
reliving 9/11 from page 1 I watched in utter disbelief as they fell,” he writes. “I remember feeling so helpless and it was the first time in my life something major had happened.” “The Day-9/11.” That’s the title of the memorial museum’s dayof section, which won’t open for a year. As it’s described online, it will present the events as they happened, moment by moment. “Using artifacts, images, video, first-person testimony, and real-time audio recordings from 9/11, the exhibition will provide insight into the human drama under way within the hijacked airplanes, the twin towers, and the Pentagon.” Families had long asked for an exhibit like this, so people would know and understand what happened. Charles Wolf, who lost his wife at the trade center, says it’s going to be rough. But “we don’t want this to be forgotten.” The Sept. 11 museum is by no means the first to recreate or simulate cataclysmic American experiences. It’s something Americans love — under the right, and sometimes delicate, circumstances. Civil War re-enactors gather on battlefields every year to feel what their predecessors felt in the midst of the fight, even though their weapons are filled with blanks. Videogames like “Call of Duty” simulate what it’s like to be an American soldier in the middle of modern warfare, be it Afghanistan or Iraq. At the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, visitors can peer into the hotel room
where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. In Dallas, in the former Texas School Book Depository Building, you can stand steps from where Lee Harvey Oswald did when he aimed at the president. Back in the 1960s, the Cedar Point amusement park had a San Francisco Earthquake Ride modeled after the 1906 disaster, where fiery buildings would look like they were falling down as visitors hurtled in a car down a dark track. At Universal Studio theme parks, tourists survive the frighteningly real (tornadoes), the once real (dinosaurs) and the fancifully fictional (the villains of “Shrek”). At Orlando, Fla., visitors can go to “Titanic: The Experience.” They board the ill-fated ocean liner, tour staterooms, eat dinner, and touch a frosty stand-in for an iceberg. They are assigned passengers’ names and find out at the end if they’re among the 700 or so who survived or the 1,500 who drowned on that night in 1912. How many years away are we from an interactive experience, or an “attraction,” in which people go into a reconstructed World Trade Center and try to get out. Fifty years? Twenty? Ten? It could be called “Escape from the World Trade Center.” And everyone who goes could finally know what Sept. 11 really felt like. ——— EDITOR’S NOTE — Amy Westfeldt has covered post-Sept. 11 issues from New York since 2003 and is the 9/11 anniversary editor for the AP.
Friday, SePtember 9, 2011 - Page 7
Sports southerndigest.com
Page 8 - Friday, September 9, 2011
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Mitchell, Jaguars feeling pressure Morris Dillard
The Southern Digest
After only one loss, head football coach Stump Mitchell and his players are feeling the pressure. The Jaguars (0-1) haven’t won a game since October 9 of last year, applying pressure heading into Saturday’s Southwestern photo by david clark iii/digest Athletic Conference opener Southern head coach Stump Mitchell (far right) told members of the media Tuesday that his ball club has against Alabama A&M. to find a way to win as the Jaguars head into Saturday’s home opener against Alabama A&M. Southern finished 2-9 last year and opened this season with a 33-7 loss to Tennessee to turn the ball over an we had Wallace stripped quarterback suffered a disappointing-season Dray Joseph, then linebacker opening loss in a nonconference three turnovers.” State in last week. TSU defensive back Joseph Wilson Robinson fell on the game was in 2008 at the Mitchell understands the situation he is in. He also Wylie returned an interception ball to preserve the Tigers 27-0 University of Houston. The loss, naturally, inspired the Jaguars. understands it is not exactly 59 yards for a touchdown halftime lead. “Going into any game you In fact, they defeated their first on SU’s opening possession. alluring. “We have to find a way to Then, with Southern at the know you need to eliminate the four conference opponents after win, that’s the bottom line,” he Tigers 43 with two and a half turnovers,” he said. “We’ll work said. “We knew going into the minutes left in the first half, to get things corrected.” See Pressure page 9 The last time the Jaguars ball game we could not afford defensive lineman Lamar
SWAC coping with academic woes, bans David Brandt
The Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. — The academic failures of Southwestern Athletic Conference schools have crippled some of the league’s most popular, moneymaking programs heading into the football season. Three SWAC schools — Jackson State, Southern and Grambling — have received postseason bans in either football or men’s basketball for failing to meet the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate standards. The APR is the NCAA’s gauge for academic performance, awarding points for academic eligibility and retention. Southern became the first school banned from the postseason in both football and basketball for APR issues. Administrators, coaches and players say the embarrassing See SWAC
Woes page 9
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Friday, September 9, 2011 - Page 9
SLU too much for Lady Jags
Pressure from page 8
Digest News Service
Southeastern Louisiana’s hot hitting spoiled Southern’s home opener Tuesday at Seymour Gymnasium. The Lady Lions (2-7) swept the Lady Jaguars 3-0, taking decisions of 25-20, 25-14 and 25-23 to drop Southern to 0-5 on the season. Payton Mitchell led Southern with 10 kills while Chanda Journet had 21 assists and four aces. The Lady Jags hit .085 (1611-59) after the first two sets and finished at .157 for the match (28-14-89). Southeastern had its best single-match performance since 2004 at Southern’s expense, picking up 46 kills on 95 attempts. The Lady Lions finished the match with a .400 percentage. Courtney Donald and Elizabeth Ramee picked up 13 kills each. Southern returns to action this weekend in Thibodaux, La., as part of Nicholls State’s PRO-MAG Colonel Classic. Other teams in the tournament include Southwestern Athletic Conference rivals Alabama State and Jackson State. South
photo by TREVOR JAMES/DIGEST
Southern’s Ja’Quincia Williams spikes over a Southeastern Louisiana defender during Tuesday’s home opener.
Alabama rounds out the twoday round robin tournament. Tournament play begins today with the Lady Jags taking on the
host Lady Colonels in a 10 a.m. Access geauxcolonels.com to watch the match online.
Nonetheless, the SWAC’s presidents took the NCAA’s ban a step further in hopes their efforts will turn a short-term loss into a permanent solution. Since the SWAC doesn’t compete in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, the league presidents extended the NCAA’s ban to the conference championship game. The SWAC’s presidents also voted to ban Southern and Grambling from the conference basketball tournament. That policy will extend to any other teams that are banned by the NCAA in the future. SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp said the decision wasn’t difficult. “It wasn’t a lot of fun and nobody wanted to do it, but I absolutely believe we did the right thing for the league by sending a message that we must meet the NCAA’s standards,” Sharp said. “We know there are challenges, but we must get better.” The three schools must improve quickly. The next punishment in the NCAA’s fourstep APR process is its most severe: Restricted membership, which would mean losing Division I status. And meeting those standards is not getting any easier. The NCAA recently approved a measure that would increase
the needed four-year minimum rolling average from 925 to 930. Jackson State, Southern and Grambling all submitted APR improvement plans to the NCAA this summer. Sharp said plans for the individual schools vary slightly, but all include reallocating resources to concentrate more on academics and also raising grade point average requirements for incoming transfers and freshmen. Finding ways to produce the needed APR gains dominated the SWAC’s summer meetings. Bernard Franklin, the NCAA’s executive vice president for student-athlete affairs, met with the presidents and athletic directors from the SWAC and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to discuss some of the issues unique to HBCUs. He said the most common issues have been a lack of stability in leadership, academic mission and a lack of financial resources. But he doesn’t see them as insurmountable. “The academic performance program was never established to be a punitive process,” Franklin said. “We want these schools to succeed.” And that could start impacting how coaches in the conference recruit. Mississippi Valley football coach Karl Morgan said he
that loss. “One thing about Southern, they’re going to always play hard and they are going to try and play physical,” AAMU head coach Anthony Jones said. Against Hampton last week, the Bulldogs, who were 3-8 a year ago, blew a 17-point lead and controlled the clock, but failed to make the highlight reel play before losing 21-20. “They taught us something and hopefully we’ll learn from it and be able to grow from it,” Jones said. Mitchell contest that Joseph will remain as the starting quarterback for the Jaguars against A&M (0-1). Joseph finished 9 of 18 for 122 yards and an interception. He was replaced for backup J.P. Douglas, who then threw a 66-yard touchdown to Jordan Bilbo in the third quarter. “Dray is my quarterback, he just missed a couple throws last week, but he’s a guy that is a great competitor,” Mitchell says. The Bulldogs ranked third in rush offense and defense a year ago, but allowed 248 yards on the ground last week. SU allowed 342 rushing yards last week and gained 300 yards of total offense, 37 rushing yards and 263 passing yards. “We know there’re going to try and run the ball for the simple fact we gave up over 300 yards rushing this past weekend,” Mitchell says.
photo by paul beaty/ap photo
Alabama A&M quarterback Deaunte Mason right, talks with head coach Anthony Jones left, after scoring a rushing touchdown against Hampton last week in Chicago.
“We’re going to have to be able to control the clock. Our best thing is probably going to be the passing game.” The Jaguars lost to TSU playing without three tight ends with academic and NCAA issues. They have to rebound quickly against the Bulldogs this Saturday for their home opener. Fans are encouraged to wear all white to match the team’s all-white uniforms for the game. “I know this is going to be their home opener and conference opener,” Jones said. “I’m expecting a very, very tough football game just like last year.”
SWAC Woes from page 8 situation must change, and change quickly in the SWAC, which is comprised of predominantly Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It won’t be easy. Over the past few decades, much of the success and notoriety has faded for these HBCUs — which have produced football giants like Jerry Rice, Walter Payton and Eddie Robinson. The reasons are many and sometimes complicated, including a lack of financial resources and integration. Southern football coach Stump Mitchell said none of that matters. “One thing I know that the NCAA doesn’t want to hear about is a lack of resources, we can’t do this or we can’t do that,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to figure out a way to get this done.” But the reality for these cash-strapped schools is the postseason bans are another harsh setback. Jackson State and Southern will miss the football postseason while Southern and Grambling will miss the men’s basketball postseason. All three schools have also lost scholarships and practice time. The three programs are arguably the most popular and successful in the 10-team league, with passionate fan bases that often travel well.
understands the need for reform, but academic performance alone won’t keep coaches employed. “Let’s face it — we have to win,” Morgan said. “And to do that at this level, most of our schools rely on transfers from BCS schools and second-chance kids. But we’ve got to be more careful. (The changes) make you less inclined to take kids you might think are an academic risk, that’s for sure.” But Prairie View A&M President George Wright said that philosophy isn’t consistent with academic mission statements throughout the conference. To him, including his school in with the likes of Duke, Stanford and the Ivy League doesn’t make sense. Wright worked as a professor and administrator at Duke, Kentucky and Texas before arriving at Prairie View. “I’m very proud of Prairie View’s academics, but part of our mission is to provide education for the underserved and to provide second chances,” Wright said. “Our athletes are consistently exceeding the graduation rates of our regular students. But then the NCAA says we’re not doing our job. That’s where I say wait a minute — you’re making us out to be some kind of failures. I just don’t believe that’s true.” The gulf in financial resources
at HBCUs continues to be gigantic, and the gap between them and BCS schools widens every year. While BCS schools have millions to spend on academic endeavors for athletes, SWAC schools must be much more frugal. The University of Mississippi’s athletic budget for the upcoming fiscal year is about $47 million, a number that doesn’t include all private donations. Jackson State’s budget is just over $6 million. With such minimal funding, there aren’t many resources for the presidents to reallocate to fix the problem. Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault said he noticed a few changes around campus after the APR announcement, including more tutors and more reminders to keep grades up. But when it’s all said and done, Therriault said players and coaches need to get it done themselves. “We have to be responsible for us,” Therriault said. “Seniors have to show freshmen how it’s done and there’s got to be personal accountability. Nobody holds your hand at this level. We’re the ones responsible for making this situation better, getting rid of the knuckleheads and making sure we leave Jackson State in a good spot.”
Culture southerndigest.com
Page 10 - Friday, September 9, 2011
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
“The Help” a must-see for all Breanna Paul
The Southern Digest
A book written by Kathryn Stockett turned into screenplay directed by Tate Taylor has turned into an educational, uplifting and sometimes controversial movie. When I first heard about The Help, I instantly knew it would be a movie that I would need to see. Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan was a woman who had finally stood up for herself against her mother, Hilly Holbrook and the Jim Crow laws in the Deep South of Jackson, Miss. My maternal grandmother and paternal great-grandmother were maids. They dealt with women like Hilly Holbrook, who thought their “roses” didn’t stink and women like Elizabeth Leefolt, who didn’t have their own mind. They were Yule May, women who would do anything to provide for their children. They were Minny, women who said what was on their mind and didn’t care who disagreed. They were Aibileen, women who had endured the loss of a child but
still managed to get up every morning to raise someone else’s child. They were Constantine, women who wanted to provide a better life for their children, not in a city as prejudiced Jackson, Mississippi. Tate Taylor did an awesome job connecting the movie to the book, but in his own way. For the most part, the characters were the same. Skeeter’s mother still had cancer. Hilly was still a bey-otch, but WORSE in the movie. Minny was still a spitfire and had a hard time keeping her thoughts to herself. Aibileen was still a quiet woman who had her share of trials and tribulations but remained faithful to God. It’s safe to say that The Help raised women like Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt’s children. Mae Mobley (Elizabeth’s child) even told Aibileen, “You’re my real mommy, Aibee.” They fed these children, they potty-trained them, they taught them selfrespect. Aibileen also told Mae Mobley, “You is kind. You is smart. You is important,” everyday because she saw that
photo by dale robinette/ap photo
In this file film publicity image provided by Disney, Octavia Spencer, right, and Viola Davis are shown in a scene from “The Help.” “The Help” has stayed on the job over Labor Day, finishing as the No. 1 film for the third-straight weekend. According to studio estimates, the acclaimed drama about Southern black maids took in $19 million over the long holiday weekend.
her mother didn’t love her. All while their mothers were busy establishing “Home Health Sanitation Initiatives”, planning benefits for the “Poor Starving Children in Africa” and playing bridge once a month. Some critics say that Black men were not portrayed positively in the movie. The
Report: Feds transferred T.I. over business flap Greg Bluestein
The Associated Press
ATLANTA — Grammy-winning rapper T.I. was sent back to federal prison after corrections officials discovered that a manager and a TV producer were with him on a luxury bus as he transferred to a halfway house in Georgia, according to documents obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The two were not authorized to travel or conduct business with T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris, during the 375mile journey last week from the Arkansas federal prison to Atlanta, the Department of Justice incident report said. It said T.I. indicated he was discussing a new reality series and book with the individuals but said he wasn’t being interviewed. T.I. had been released a month early from his sentence for violating probation, and a VH1 reality show and book deal were announced within hours of his release. But his attorney, Steve Sadow, said the rapper didn’t violate prison rules because those deals already were finalized. “There wasn’t any business to conduct,” he said. “These were just two people riding back with him.” The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment and the performer remains in federal custody. There will be a hearing in which federal authorities will review the potential violation and determine if T.I. can return to the halfway house, Sadow said.
T.I. made the trip with his wife, Tameka Cottle Harris, manager Brian Sher and producer Cris Abrego, who is co-president of 51 Minds Entertainment, which specializes in reality TV shows, according to letters provided to the AP. Sher and Abrego said in letters sent to Bureau of Prisons officials that they visited with T.I. a few times before his release and no business was conducted during the trip. T.I.’s business attorney, Jonathan Leonard, said in a letter sent Tuesday to federal officials that the TV deal was negotiated and signed in late July and processed through his office. The book deal with HarperCollins Publishers was sealed in June 2011, he said. “It appears that some of the information listed in the report was obtained from internet reports and not from Mr. Harris,” Leonard said in the letter. Cottle Harris said in a letter that her husband’s team decided the bus would be safer and make it more difficult for paparazzi to pull up next to the vehicle and take pictures or record video. T.I. initially served about seven months in prison in 2009 after he was arrested for trying to buy unregistered guns and silencers from undercover federal agents. He was on probation after he was released and ordered not to commit another crime or to illegally possess any controlled substances. He then was arrested in Los Angeles in September 2010 after authorities said he was found with four ecstasy pills.
movie was not about the men. It was about the women. It was about the women who endured hell and high water from white women who thought they were better than them because they had lighter skin tones. I would imagine that Jackson, Mississippi is probably still a tad bit racist. How can you NOT
be? Jackson State University, a historically BLACK university, is located at 1400 LYNCH Street. The bowling alley that J-State’s Women’s Bowling Team uses is named Cotton Bowl Lanes. Bottom line, The Help is a movie that everyone should see.
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Friday, September 9, 2011 - Page 11
Where is our peace? 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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As the American nation approaches the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, many questions continue to swirl through my mind. Will there ever be peace amongst and between all nations? Why is there poverty within every country/nation? Will there ever come a time when the whole world isn’t controlled by an elite few who are significantly wealthy? Will there ever come a time when people forget about earning a certain status on the so-called “socioeconomic ladder of success”? Can wealth and education be distributed equally among all nations; thereby, forcing the eradication of poverty, greed, and war while also leveling competition, justice and authority? All of these questions revolve around the tenants of HOPE, PEACE and LOVE and these tenants are desperately needed in this era of protests, wars, and mass violence; the Era of Revolution. The events of 9/11 not only shocked America, but it also affected the entire world. It was a time when the most powerful nation in the world was hit with an unexpected horrifying blow which killed thousands of Americans
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and devastated an entire country. Americans and civilians worldwide were filled with confusion. Feelings of anger, rage, and sadness covered the entire world that day and the gloom and despair from that tragedy continues to linger year by year. America sought revenge when Bush declared war against Iraq (a very poor country) and the Al Qaeda frame of mind, leaving Americans to believe that war was the appropriate action. Should America have declared war or could other methods been considered? Now, 10 years later, Osama bin Laden, founder of Al Qaeda, is dead; the end to the
Deal or No Deal
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Billy Washington
9/11 “cloud of fear” hanging over America or in other words, mission accomplished. America is supposedly now safe again but America has gained more enemies than ever before and threats of other terror attacks is expected to happen in the future. This perpetual cycle of wars and corruption will continue until America and other countries realize peace will never come into fruition with conformed ideologies surrounding war. Who ever said or proved that war solves international affairs or promoted international diplomacy? As we reflect upon the replay of the world trade towers being hit by planes killing innocent people, the horrid images of people scurrying from wreckage, and the surreal images of ground zero, we should also reminisce on Dr. King’s dream for peace, after the recent unveiling of his memorial in Washington, D.C. Americans and human beings of all nations desperately need to rekindle the ideas and philosophies of HOPE, PEACE, and LOVE which will, someday, smother the flames of bigotry, power, and control.
Welcome to Deal or No Deal, The State of Louisiana Higher Education Edition ... Where you just have to answer one question … Deal or No Deal? First choose a case for yourself. Choose wisely because this case will be off limits to choose until the end, and if you choose incorrectly during the game you will be stuck with the amount that is in your case. The cases are numbered 1 through 10. You must choose wisely… cases are filled with decisions on the higher education system. Financial Exigency, Declines in Enrollment, Furloughs, Lay-offs of personnel, budget cuts, cutting academic programs, liquidating athletics, increase in tuition and fees, ineffective administrative offices, and last but, not least a productive and effective institution of higher learning. Welcome to the game … Southern University … choose wisely and try not to eliminate your top case. Since you have so many members of the Jaguar Nation you may allow different players to play on your behalf. First, we have SU System President Mason choosing case No. 4… and that’s budget cuts from the state of Louisiana. Sorry but, you still have your highest case on the board.
get online @
Evan Taylor You can consolidate the system as the state plans to rid the state of “unnecessary institutions.” No Deal! Next, SU Chancellor James Llorens please select a case. You have chosen case No. 8 after considering every case and your chances… you have selected declaring Financial Exigency for the main campus. Sorry again, but you still have your highest case on the board. You can declare financial exigency or continue by using the powers the state gives you to balance the budget. No Deal, the Board of Supervisors intervenes! Now, Faculty Senate President Sudhir Trivedi you are next. You have chosen case No. 6… that one contains Faculty furloughs. Glad to get that off the board, your highest case is still on the board. I know that can be
disappointing do you feel faculty will sign into furlough or would you like to overthrow your administration? No Deal! Oh, it’s the Student Government Association President Demetrius Sumner… choose wisely Mr. Sumner you are selecting a case on behalf of yourself and all the Southern University Baton Rouge students. You have chosen case No. 2 an increase in tuition and fees to compensate the budget short fall. Demetrius I know you don’t like doing that, you can stick with that or choose to switch this case for liquidating athletics. No Deal! Wow, the cases are being selected in your favor for restructuring and rebuilding. The students have stepped up to the podium ready to select the next case… case No. 1 (makes sense because the students should be No. 1 in the minds of administrators, faculty, and staff). And in case No. 1 is a decline in enrollment due to panic and inefficiency. Are you just going to jump ship? No Deal! The Southern University team is choosing wisely to bring back Southern to the top but, what will they choose when it comes down to the final cases? Deal or No Deal? You decide.
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