Special Board Meeting
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SU Board rejects Llorens’ extension
AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!
Ariana Triggs/DIGEST Southern University System President Ronald Mason and Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors Attorney Bridget Dinvaut speak on matters concerning Chancellor James Llorens at the board meeting held in the conference room on the 2nd floor of the J.S. Clark Administration building.
Meagan L. Wiliams EDITOR IN CHEIF Several members of the Southern University Community are saddened yet again in a recent decision made by the Board of Supervisors. After deliberating for hours on whether or not to have Chancellor James Llorens’ contract renewed, the Board of Supervisors voted not to renew the Llorens’ contract. Llorens’ last day as chancellor will be June 30, 2014. The Board and members of the SUBR community met in the J.S. Clark Administration conference room on the
second floor to conduct their “Special Meeting.” This meeting was organized after a number of events that took place in an effort to keep James Llorens as Chancellor of the Southern University flagship campus in Baton Rouge. Over the past few weeks, students, alumni, and faculty members have rallied for Llorens in support of the continuous progress he’s made throughout his tenure as chancellor. A special meeting was called in order to readdress the chancellor’s contract and assess whether or not the
chancellor’s contract should be extended or renewed for an additional three years. The meeting began at 1:31 p.m. with a call to order by the Chairwoman of the Board of Supervisors, Bridget Dinvaut. Reverend Samuel Tolbert was the only member of the board who was absent during roll call. A total of 16 members from the audience wrote down and voiced their concerns to members of the board and provided their solution on what should be done with the chancellor’s position. One of the 16 included Sara Anne Martin, SGA Vice-president who openly
explained why students were in support of Llorens and the accomplishments he’s made thus far. All speakers, except for one, were in favor of the chancellor’s contract renewal. Dr. Sudhir Trivedi, a professor in computer science at SUBR and former Faculty Senate President said that yes, people may like him [Llorens], but liking him will not increase the amount of work he has done for the university as a whole. Trivedi went on to list a number of obligations that Llorens did not fulfill.
Jerry Jones, Jr. Southern Alum
“There are plenty of Chancellors that you [the board] should have fired a long time ago, and did not. Doing this, and doing it to this guy here [Llorens] is unacceptable.”
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White House: Yanukovych not actively Ukraine head Lara Jakes AP NATIONAL SECURITY WRITER The Obama administration signaled Monday it no longer recognizes Viktor Yanukovych as Ukraine’s president. The shift of support for opposition leaders in Kiev came even as U.S. officials sought to assure Russia that it does not have to be shut out of a future relationship with a new Ukrainian government. Yanukovych was widely seen as a puppet
of Moscow against Ukraine protesters who demanded stronger ties with the European Union to boost the faltering economy of the onetime Soviet state. His whereabouts were unknown after he fled the capital Kiev in the wake of deadly protests seeking his ouster U.S. officials said the International Monetary Fund was considering an aid package as high as $15 billion to help stabilize a new, transitional government in Kiev. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the U.S. would provide additional aid to complement UKRAINE Continued A3
AP Photo/Andres Kudacki A protestor holds a banner with the image of Ukraine’s President Yanukovych during a demonstration in support of Ukraine’s protests against Viktor Yanukovych’s government in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014. The protests began in late November in Ukraine after President Viktor Yanukovych shelved a long-awaited agreement to deepen ties with the European Union, but they have been increasingly gripped by people seeking more radical action even as moderate opposition leaders have pleaded for a stop to violence. In the past week, demonstrators have seized government administration buildings in a score of cities in western Ukraine, where Yanukovych’s support is weak and desire for European ties is strong.
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Campus Briefs WHAT’S HAPPENING SENATE MEETING The Student Government Association will hold its senate meeting Tuesday February 25, 2014 in the Harris Hall annex at 6 p.m. CARNATION GIVEAWAY The Alpha Sigma chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. will host the Womens Appreciation Carnation giveaway February 25, 2014. KAPPA WEEK 2014 The Alpha Sigma Chapter of Kappa Alpha Sigma Psi along with the AWS President will host the Love Connection dating game show in the student union at 6:35 p.m. DELTA CORNER The Alpha Tau Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. will open the Delta corner store February 26, 2014. hours are from 12p.m.- 2p.m. MEET AND GREET WITH BEEP B.E.E.P will hold its informational February 26, 2014 at 5:30 in the Harris Hall Auditorium. Students are asked to wear buisness casual attire.
20TH ANNUAL BLACK HISTORY QUIZ BOWL This event is sponsored by the SU Ag Center and will be held Thursday, February 27, 2014 at 3:00PM in the Southern University Ag Center Auditorium. For more information call Dr. Owusu Bandele at (225) 284-0063
Leadership and Success at Southern University are looking for alumni historians to share their story. Contact Anjelica Pierson at (225) 270-7878 or Patrick Batiste at (504) 339-6781 for more information or to schedule an interview. NURSING APPLICATIONS The deadline for the School of Nursing Undergraduate Program is March 1, 2014
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WEAR RED DAY the AWS and Miss Southerns’ royal court are asking students to wear red in honor of the American Heart Association month February 26, 2014. SU MANRRS CHAPTER LECTURE SERIES The Southern University National Society of Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences invites students to attend the Lecture Series February 27, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. in room 191 in the S.U Agricultural research and Extension Center. Guest Speaker will be Honorable Ms. Sevetri Wilson. Lecture series will focus on Professional Development and Leadership. ALUMNI HISTORIANS The National Society of
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the IMF, aimed at fostering Ukrainian economic stability, but it was not immediately clear how much money it would provide. Officials later said any U.S. assistance would seek to help Ukraine through political reforms, in part though investing more in health and education.
The current Faculty Senate President, Dr. Thomas Miller, took a different stance on the chancellor’s obligations. When Miller spoke before the board, he was asked to be seated, because the board felt that he was not adhering to the agenda. “I think the whole issue of the system’s control over the campus is a sensitive issue and it is one that this board tends to shy away from in my opinion,” said Miller. Parents of student jaguars raised concerns about the previous board meeting held in Shreveport. “It should have been held [the meeting] here in Baton Rouge.It’s like they took it to Shreveport where they didn’t have to hear the noise that they are hearing now. said Alonzo Johnson. “There own bylaws state that the chancellor’s appointment would be made from recommendations from the President and faculty. Now how can they hear faculty in Shreveport?” Johnson questioned. Other members of the audience included Louisiana State Representative Attorney Ted James who has followed all of the SUBR community’s activities since the rallying began. “I think that with whatever decision is made today, students should feel that their voices matter. Even if the result is not the desired result, you have encouraged and mandated the board to have a special meeting to
address your concerns,” James said. James ended by reminding students that if in the future they have concerns, they know the proper way to get their voices heard. Dennis Brown, the President of the Alumni Federation and avid supporter of Llorens made an appearance to speak on behalf of alumni around the country. He encouraged the board to briefly imagine if their child was a student who supported Llorens. He wanted them to openly think about and listen to what the students were saying. ”The one thing that Dr. Llorens has done is gained trust, which is a very hard thing to do. He has gained the trust from not only alumni young and old, but he has gained the trust of the student body which is something I have never seen any Chancellor do at this University,” said alum Jerry Jones Jr. “There are plenty of Chancellors that you [the board] should have fired a long time ago, and did not. Doing this, and doing it to this guy here [Llorens] is unacceptable,” Jones ended. Simone Bray, SGA President said that she believes that the board made their decision with their own minds, not with the support or views that students have made aware. Bray also said we [the students] do not feel defeated, and that students still made an impact. Although she does not believe that the board will answer questions, “There is still a fight to be fought,” Bray ended.
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discussions about regional security, including with leaders of other former Soviet states who also are struggling, either politically or economically, against generations of inherent Russian influence. But Psaki said the emergence of a new government is Kiev is not “a zero-sum game for Russia or any other country.” “It’s in all of our interests to support a prosperous future for the country,” said Psaki, underscoring the administration’s intent to acknowledge Ukraine’s desire to seek European aid and partnerships while still, perhaps, maintaining a productive relationship with Moscow. But skepticism remains, including on Capitol Hill. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., urged Russia to refrain from interfering in Ukraine’s transition, noting that the new government in Kiev will “face a months-long process” of reorganizing and regaining the public trust. “Any meddling or economic extortion will not put Russia’s chosen leader back in power or end the protests,” Schiff said. “But it will impair Ukraine’s ability to heal its wounds, and Russia’s efforts to improve its standing on the world stage.”
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Ariana Triggs/ DIGEST Students and faculty listen closely to board members at the special board meeting that was held in the J.S. Clark Administration Conference room on the second floor.
“Yanukovych left Kiev. He took his furniture, packed his bags, and we don’t have more information on his whereabouts,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. “So there are officials who have stepped in and are acting in response to that leadership gap at the moment.” Carney said that although Yanukovych “was a democratically elected leader, his actions have undermined his legitimacy, and he is not actively leading the country at present.” Senior U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, are scheduled to meet with political, business and civil society leaders during a series of meetings in Kiev over the next two days. Top European Union officials are already there. Psaki said Congress must
approve any U.S. aid package, and several lawmakers on Monday called for a quick show of support for Ukraine’s new leaders. “Now more than ever, the Ukrainian people need the continued support of their friends,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement. “The path of reform will be difficult, but if the new Ukrainian government is prepared to make these tough — and, at times, unpopular — decisions, it will need significant assistance from the IMF and the European Union. The United States must be ready to provide additional assistance as well.” The protests in Kiev were sparked by Yanukovych’s shelving of an agreement with the European Union in November and turning instead for a $15 billion bailout loan from Russia. Within weeks, the protests expanded amid outrage over corruption and human rights abuses, leading to calls for Yanukovych’s resignation. Anger boiled over last week after 82 people, primarily demonstrators, were killed in clashes with security forces in the bloodiest violence in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history. Aides said U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke Monday with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in his first of several
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Album of the Week Artist ScHoolboy Q Album Title: Oxymoron Release Date: February 25, 2014
The Harlem Renaissance Courtney Jacobs A&E EDITOR As many black college students know, Black History has paved the way for many opportunities. What many don’t know is that the artistic side of Black History has presented many opportunities to the minority as well. The biggest artistic movement that contributed to what we know of as Black History today would be the Harlem Renaissance. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that flourished during the 1920s. During this time, black historians, sociologists, and writers were able to display their talents and skills. W.E.B DuBois, a Harvard Scholar, met in New York with a group of prominent AfricanAmerican political activists and white civil rights workers to discuss the challenges facing the black community during this time. In 1909, the group founded the National Association for the Advancement of Color People, otherwise known as the NAACP, to promote civil rights and fight against AfricanAmerican disenfranchisement.
During the same time period, Marcus Garvey— who was born in Jamaica— founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL). UNIA-ACL advocated for all people of African ancestry to be reunited into one community with one government. The National Urban League (NUL) was also created by Ruth Standish Baldwin and Dr. George Edmund Haynes, the organization counseled black migrants from the South, trained black social workers, and worked to give educational and employment opportunities to blacks. These different groups helped establish a sense of community and empowerment for blacks not only in New York, but around the country as well. Instead of using political ways to achieve their goals, civil rights activists decided to employ the artists and writers of their culture to achieve the goals of civil rights and equality for all. African-American fine art, jazz music, and black literature were all poured into mainstream culture, which brought attention to an otherwise disenfranchised part
of the American population at the time. The thriving of such a culture in a European-American society became known as The Harlem Renaissance. Talent began to overflow as prominent figures—such as Langston Hughes, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong—pushed art to its limit as a form of expression and representation. According to Biography. com, the magazine Survey Graphic produced an issue on Harlem in 1925, shortly after the success of the Civic Club dinner. The Civic Club was a release party for “There is Confusion,” a novel written by Jessie Fauset. The release party was coordinated by Charles S. Johnson, editor for the magazine Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life. Fauset was the literary editor for DuBois’ NAACP magazine, titled Crisis. Fauset’s novel, published in 1924, is a story about middle class black women. The Civic Club party was a success, and served as a forum for beginning AfricanAmerican artists to meet wealthy white patrons. The party actually launched the
(Photo by William Gottlieb/Redferns) UNITED STATES - MARCH 27: CARNEGIE HALL Photo of Billie HOLIDAY, In 1948 the great Billie Holiday was at her peak both musically and physically and renowed jazz photographer Bill Gottlieb’s picture captures all her emotions
careers of several black writers, including poet Langston Hughes. African-American artists such as Aaron Douglas and Charles Alston have also gotten their start through Charles Johnson, who started publishing the artists as cover art. Using their newfound fame, these artists dived into themes that they found to be a problem throughout the American culture. As the 20’s came to an end, so did the infatuation with Harlem and the movements surrounding it. The Great Depression also played its
part in crushing “The Roaring 20’s,” which brought an end to the indulgence that fueled the energy of Harlem artists. The historical effects that The Harlem Renaissance had on modern society are still in effect to this day. It began to burst the stereotypes of African-Americans. Even though The Harlem Renaissance was centered on music and art, there was also an intellectual force to the movement. The American public, in general, became more accepting of the Black voice in literature, music, art, and society.
Scenes from “Bad Asses” filmed in ROTC Building QUINETTA ARDOIN STAFF WRITER Meeting a celebrity can be extremely overwhelming. Southern University students were able to experience this moment when celebrities Danny Trejo known for starring in “Machete Kills,” and “Spy Kids” and Danny Glover starring in “Lethal Weapon” and “The Color Purple” were on Southern University’s campus filming their latest action flick, “Bad Asses.” “Bad Asses” is the sequel to the 2012 action film “Bad Ass,” directed by Craig Moss, who also directed “The 41 Year Old Virgin, “and “Superbad”. According to Internet Movie Database (IMDB), “Bad Ass” tells the story of a Vietnam veteran Frank Vega—portrayed by Danny Trejo—who becomes a local hero after saving a man from attackers on a city bus and decides to take action when his best friend is murdered and the police show little interest. They messed with the wrong senior citizen. It is also loosely based on the viral AC Transit Bus fight Internet video. Production for the first movie was completed by May 2011 and released on DVD on June 5, 2012. “Bad Ass” was a low budget, yet funny film that apparently made enough money to release two corresponding sequels. “Bad Asses” follows the same main character, but
this time he brings his friend Bernie—portrayed by Danny Glover—along for the ride to clean up Los Angeles. Throughout the early weeks of February, camera crews, film equipment, and star trailers surrounded Southern University’s Army ROTC building, drawing curious onlookers. One of the film producers stopped by two weeks prior and looked at all of the different rooms in search of a place to shoot scenes for the movie. “They needed a police station, and this building served as that police station,” said Captain Gardy Senat. Senat was one of the Army ROTC leaders who was asked to join in the police scenes. Due to their hectic schedules, all staff members politely turned the producers down. Nevertheless, the show was able to go on. The two stars are teaming up to open up a can of butt whooping. Although the trailer preview shows poor representation of the movie’s plot, Trejo and Glover’s skills are vast enough to transcend the flick into another genuinely good buddy film. Viewers of the first movie described it as “full of laughs,” and as the “Grand Torino” of comedies. “Bad Asses” is still in production in East Baton Rouge, and so far there is no release date for the straight-to-DVD feature film.
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This day in Black History:
Rebecca Lee Crumpler becomes the first black woman to receive an M.D. degree. She graduated from the New England Female Medical College. Rebecca Lee Crumpler was born in 1833. She worked from 1852-1860 as a nurse in Massachusetts. image source: http://theburtonwire.com
American Heart Month: Is Your Heart Healthy? Courtney Jacobs A&E EDITOR Although February is known as Black History Month, it is also American Heart Month. It’s important to learn about the risks of heart disease and staying “heart healthy.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, are the number one killers of both men and women in the United States. Being the leading cause of disability, heart diseases prevent Americans from working and enjoying family activities such as walks in the parks, family vacations and Men are twice more likely than women to die from preventable CVD. Also, having a close relative that has heart disease can put one at risk for CVD. One’s race and ethnicity can also affect the rick. According to the CDC, nearly 44 percent of AfricanAmerican men and 48percent of African-American women have some form of CVD. African-Americans are also more likely than any other
racial or ethnic group to have high blood pressure. About 2 in 5 African-American adults have high blood pressure, and fewer than half of them have the condition under control. Many fatal turnouts dealing with CVD can be prevented through healthier habits, living spaces, and better management of conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Controllable risk factors for CVD include diet, physical activity, tobacco use, obesity, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. It’s important to not become overwhelmed. Every healthy choice makes a difference, and whether little or small, it counts in the long run. It’s also important to not get discouraged. If the day’s tasks are too much to handle, remember to take a deep breath, get a good night’s sleep, and continue your task the next day. Finding fun things to do also decreases stress on the mind and the heart. Go for a lunchtime walk, join some type of extracurricular activity, or have a healthy dinner with some family and friends. The more these things are practiced, they will soon become lifelong habits, and in turn will help keep one’s heart healthy as a horse.
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Prevention plans include working with your health team, monitoring your blood pressure, getting your cholesterol checked, eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, and exercising regularly. Limit smoke intake, limit alcohol usage, and if you have diabetes, monitor and manage it carefully. These little steps can make a huge difference in preventing and managing heart disease, and leading a healthy and hearty lifestyle. For more information on CVD and heart disease, visit www.cdc.gov/features/heartmonth/ to learn more.
Female hip-hop artist fights bullying, sexism Steven Rothwell AP BUSINESS WRITER Brooklyn White began rapping to speak the truth and fight bullying. As a 19-year-old black hip-hop artist from Shreveport, she combats stereotypes and hate through lyrical rhymes, and says it fuels her New York City dream. “People say ‘Oh, you’re just doing that because you’re black, or ‘Is that what all black people do?’” said White during a recent interview at Rhino Coffee before moving to the city with which she shares a name. Her answer: “No, not really.” Behind her deep brown eyes is a girl longing to escape her everyday reality. She sits and smiles, and pays attention only to the details that matter. The recent high-school graduate moved recently to Brooklyn, and will be traveling between there and Rhode Island, where a high-school friend attends college. Growing up in Highland, one of Shreveport’s most diverse communities in race and socioeconomic status, White said she heard and saw many forms of music, though her mother, Veronica Lewis, tried to keep her away from more secular and popular tunes. She said she faced racism when middle-school classmates made fun of her “white” mannerisms. “When you’re a little kid it’s devastating,” she said. “I’m black. I know I’m black; you know I’m black. Well what does it mean to ‘sound white?’ What does it mean to ‘act white?’” In gym class, she said, she was often confronted because she sometimes sat with white kids and sometimes with black kids. Classmates would ask, “Who are you?” and “What are you?” “I didn’t know how to respond,” she said. “I was just being myself.” That was when she realized she had a voice to fight the bullying. “So I started rapping,” she said. Her friends started listening. Even her teachers. “Brooklyn White became a seriously popular free-styler as well as music and video producer during her four years at Caddo Magnet,” said teacher Robert Trudeau. “She was a beloved figure because of her wit, her ever-present smile, her exemplary-Magnet costumes and her ability to articulate what her classmates were thinking. “She is not your average rapper. She is a gifted student, an experimental artist and a bit of a pixilated mystery.” White said she doesn’t sugarcoat anything, and as a DIY independent artist, she doesn’t have to. “If I feel like you’re saying something to me trying to make some kind of dig at me, I’m going to let you know,” she said. Her lyrics are raw, and sometimes rough. She intersects
(AP Photo/The Shreveport Times, Henrietta Wildsmith) In this Jan. 24, 2014 photo, Brooklyn White, a hip-hop artist and a recent graduate of Caddo Magnet High School, poses for a photo in Shreveport, La. White moved recently to Brooklyn, and will be traveling between there and Rhode Island, where a high-school friend attends college. gritty, real life poetry with electronic beats in a fluid motion somewhat reminiscent of the popular Iggy Azalea or even a slowed down Nicki Minaj. “She doesn’t beat around the bush,” said friend and producer William Willcox. “She’s very direct and it doesn’t feel forced at all. She’s a rapper as much as she is a soul singer. Her stuff is pretty soulful.” Willcox, of De la Mirdster, worked with White while they were in high school together. His ambient layered tracks help move White’s lyrics, and she is grateful. “William has helped me so much,” she said. “He’s been great.” But it’s not just racism and stereotypes she faces, it’s
sexism, too. White was one of the few female hip-hop artists in northwest Louisiana, which she describes as a man’s world when it comes to making music. “A lot of the males treat me like I’m some kind of subordinate. They treat me like s----,” she said. Her close friend and artist Raiven Williams, of Houston, also saw it hard in Shreveport (as well as other southern cities) to make a name for herself in the “rap game.” “You just have to keep your head high because you know what you’re there to do,” said Williams, 23, who moved to Louisiana in 2005 from California. She said she experienced much of the same adversity, but found acceptance with a group of young artists in Shreveport. She eventually joined Nate Treme, of Shreveport, to form BloodPunch, an alternative hip-hop EDM group. “BloodPunch was one of the first rap groups to really embrace me and expose me to their bracket,” said White. “I’m grateful for that. I thought it was really sweet of them.” White and Williams met in 2013 and worked together on a number of projects and music videos, including “Every Man a King,” a song that looks at both the female and male perspective of music. Williams said she was impressed with White’s social media accolades and the overall work she produced as a solo artist. “She’s taking a risk and she’s excited about a new experience. She’s her number one fan and she’s the one driving her to be as big as she wants to be,” Williams said. “I look at her and I think ‘Wow, you have the courage to do such amazing things at such a young age.’” White said she’s been working toward her New York move for years, with help from her mother. Her mother declined comment. White said her mother supports her decision but stressed the importance of school. “I want to go to Parsons,” she said, confident about the choice though she hasn’t yet applied to Parsons the New School of Design. “I feel like that’s my home.” She said one thing that increased her drive to get to New York was the unexpected death of her close friend and classmate Eric Johnson earlier in 2013 — the first death of anyone close to her. “It just showed me how short life is,” White said. “That’s what propelled me to take my music so seriously. It kind of destroyed me for a brief time.” During that time she wrote “Eighteen,” a song about growing up and being yourself. “I’m eighteen. I’m young, I’m dumb, so what. Making mistakes with every steps that I take, crying, screaming, laughing all the way. I’m eighteen.” She said that the best advice she can give about following your dreams is, “Don’t compromise yourself for anyone.”
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Talking Politics with Caesar Jindal, Minimum Wage and Education Numbers
Caeser Smith STAFF WRITER Lawmakers describe Jindal’s budgeting tactics as “money laundering” While Governor Bobby Jindal was touting his ability to do “fiscally responsible things” on “Face the Nation,” some elected officials were making the opposite case to Mark Ballard of The Advocate. State Treasurer John Kennedy, a frequent Jindal critic, used a barnyard epithet to describe the “accounting gimmicks” Jindal uses in his executive budget to avoid deeper cuts. Brett Geymann, a leader of the “Fiscal Hawk” faction of House Republicans, voiced similar criticisms in somewhat less colorful language. “They’re getting around the law by changing the color of the money. That’s money laundering,” Geymann said. The Advocate’s Sunday editorial took a similar stance, calling the $25 billion executive budget “a mess” and accusing the governor of deploying the same tactics that helped create the mess in the first place. Every reckless shortcut of Jindal’s is still there.
The tangle of cuts and budgetary shifts among various funds, tapping of what were supposed to be longterm investments, one-time money flowing into the operating budget in defiance of every conservative budget principle - this budget continues to “contain some techniques for shortterm revenue enhancements that are not in the state’s best interest in the long term,” in the words of the Public Affairs Research Council. Education Leaders agree that state needs more need-based scholarships Louisiana policymaker should put more money toward need-based college scholarships as a way to improve affordability and access, higher education leaders agreed Friday. The remarks came at a panel discussion at the One Voice Leadership Summit, where outgoing Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell, Baton Rouge Community College Vice Chancellor Albert Tezeno and Southern University System President Ronald Mason agreed that low-income students need relief from the state’s fast-rising tuition. State funding for TOPS, the state’s popular scholarship program, has skyrocketed 253 percent since 1999. Meanwhile, funding for the GO Grant program, which largely aids lowerincome and non-traditional students has remained stagnant for the past several years. No area of state government has been cut more than higher education in recent years, with state support for public colleges and universities falling by $700 million since 2009. While Gov. Bobby Jindal’s latest budget proposes a $142 million increase
in 2014-15, a deeper look inside those numbers found that most of the increase ($88 million) is tied to tuition increases, while another $40 million in “new spending” simply replaces a $40 million appropriation for “operations and maintenance support” that is in the current-year budget. Strip out that money and you’re left with roughly $14 million in actual new financing for the $2.6 billion enterprise that is higher education in Louisiana. New Louisiana Budget project report shows benefits of a higher minimum wage Louisianans of all political stripes strongly favor establishing a state minimum wage of at least $8.50 an hour that would keep pace with the cost of living, according to polling data released as part of a new report from the Louisiana Budget Project. “While some politicians make the minimum wage a partisan issue, the verdict from everyday Louisianans is clear and bipartisan: it’s time to give workers a raise,” Lousiana Budget Project Director Jan Moller said. The report by David Gray, “Louisiana Needs a Higher Wage,” also found that an $8.50 minimum wage would provide an immediate raise for 184,000 workers, create an estimated 1,400 new jobs and pump more than $187 million into Louisiana’s economy. Food for thought: 300,000 - The number of Louisiana children whose parents would be positively affected by an increase in the minimum wage to $10.10 per hour according to the Louisiana Budget Project.
Question of the Day How do you think SU is doing with the celebration of the it’s Centennial thus far?
DERRICK ESPREE DIETETICS SOPHOMORE OPELOUSAS “I feel like Southern could be doing more to celebrate its centennial and getting students and the community involved.”
JAYDE CLEMENT SPEECH PATHOLOGY SOPHOMORE REVERVE “Southern has started off the celebration of the centennial of our history pretty great. The program in the union last week was a great way to learn about the people who left a mark here at Southern.”
RON MAHOMES JUNIOR ATLANTA, GA
MASS COMMUNICATION
“I think Southern University is doing a wounderful job with this campus and keeping up there college conditions. Some of the events they have held have been inspiring to the student body of Southern University.”
TAYLOR YOUNG NURSING FRESHMAN ZACHARY “I think Southern is doing very well. They should keep up the good work for every organization”
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