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Volume 68, Issue 1
Tuesday, January 24, 2017 Tuesday . February 21, 2017
Unfinished Business: Board of Supervisors meeting
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Volume 68 . Issue 5
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Questions Answered
College of Sciences and Engineering welcomes new Dean: Hello Dean Carriere
SGA Senate talks change
BY CHRISTINA WHITE
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
See BOARD MEETING page 3
BY MORGAN BECNEL-ADAMS SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
According to the College of Sciences and Engineering, the mission of the College is CARRIERE to provide its students with a high-quality education which will enable them to successfully compete within all dimensions, while making significant contributions to society. As the S.T.E.M. programs have combined, the goals are clearly stated. The STEM program consists of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and it is this program that college wants to establish as the infrastructure necessary to maintain and develop high-quality programs, academics, and research. The program ensures that they will increase student outreach, enrollment, and success rates in order to compete nationally. In their plans, the colleges hope to improve recruitment and retention amongst both their faculty, and students as well as enhancing the effectiveness of college administration and governance processes. In 2016, the Southern University Board of Supervisors merged the schools in an effort to stabilize economy programs, create synergy amongst the studies, and to share resources. The college also decided that it would be easier to increase recruitment and the support of alumni if the merge were put in place, making fundraising for scholarship efforts simpler. Aside of the S.T.E.M. programs combining to create what is now referred to as the College of Science and Engineering, the college has welcomed a new dean. Dr. Patrick Carriere, Ph.D.,
PHOTO/BRANDON TUCKER
The Board of Supervisors meeting was held on February 17, 2017 in the J.S. Clark Administration Building. The recipients of the newly established Above and Beyond Award were also in attendance. The winner for the month of January was Business Law Professor of 43 years, Professor Albert Clark. Professor Clark thanked the Board of Supervisors and before taking his seat stated with a grin, “The hardest part of my job is teaching millennials.” Board member, Dr. Leroy Davis chimed in to say, “I only hope you can stay here another fortythree years.” Miss Southern of 1986 and current employee at Southern University New Orleans, Mrs. Linda Frederick, received the award for the month of February. After honoring the Above and Beyond recipients, the Board of Supervisors Chair, Ann A. Smith, took the floor explaining that, “The Above and Beyond Award is meant to inspire and motivate employees. It is a motivational strategy for success.” This award not only motivates employees, but acknowledges and honors exceptional hard work and dedication. The Board of Supervisors proceeded with the meeting by discussing pertinent issues concerning the Southern University campus, one of them being the erosion of the ravine. Agencies have accessed the damage due to flood waters and are working on a plan of action to fix it. There is discussion about declaring it an emergency and political officials have been
Junior, Biology major Felice Thompson-Doyle, facilitates a discussion held during the SGA Senate Meeting held on Tuesday, February 14 in the Royal Cotillion ballroom. (Julian Alvarez/DIGEST)
BY LYONEL NICHOLAS
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
On Tuesday, February 14, the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate gathered in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom for their third meeting of the semester to discuss the state of campus affairs. The meeting commenced
under the leadership of SGA Vice President, Breanna Perkins, as university students and staff alike filled the room to hear senate updates. When the floor was opened to students for public comments, the Cotillion Ballroom fell into silence, something that has not often been the case since the passing of a recent amendment.
Tough Deficits
The amendment in question changed SGA position requirements for President, Vice President, Chief Justice and Miss Southern by requiring a higher GPA, an increase in credit hours and one full year of service in SGA. During the senate’s discussion See SENATE MEETING page 3
Edwards Proposal Hopes to Spare Higher Education BY EDDIE BYNOG
SOUTHERN DIGEST - EDITOR
State legislators met at The Louisiana Capital for the second day Tuesday to try and tackle an estimated $304 million deficit to the state’s 2017 Fiscal Year. In an address to house and senate legislators the night before, Governor John Bel Edwards called the Special Legislative Session which requires lawmakers to balance the budget by midnight, February 22. A week before calling the special session, Bel - Edwards released a proposal to balance the budget that requires using the state’s budget stabilization
fund (rainy day fund) along with a series of cuts from various state agencies to close the deficit. Edwards’ plan will require lawmakers to approve the use of $119.6 million from the state’s Rainy Day Fund, the maximum allowed. According to Louisiana Revised Statute 34:94, the fund allows state legislatures to balance the state budget in times of deficits and requires approval from two-thirds of both the state House and Senate. Almost immediately after Edwards released his proposal to cover the shortfall, it received backlash from Republican house members who want deeper cuts
DIGEST ART
to state services. These legislators, who the governor’s Communications Director refers to as the “caucus of no,” have not put their own bills forward but refuse to support the Edwards plan unless he reduces the amount taken from the RDF and propose cuts to higher ed. See DEFICITS page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
See NEW DEAN page 3