Thursday, January 30, 2014
SGA Townhall Meeting see News, Page 3
see Sports, Page 4
Chancellor’s Letter see Centennial, page 5
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Cancelled Majors:
Louisiana Board of Regents cancels 32 majors at SU Ariana Triggs
The Southern Digest
JOSHUA MCKNIGHT/DIGEST
Winter ice glazes the lunchtables behind Smith-Brown Memorial Union Friday Evening as the winter storm moves through the campus of Southern University. Baton Rouge area residents. Southern University Police Department’s Interim Chief, Joycelyn Johnson discussed the preparations that the S.U.P.D. took for on-campus students. “We are preparing by getting barricades and getting sand delivered in case we need to put sand down on the footpath,” said Johnson. Jordan Hatch, junior civil engineering major from Baton Rouge and commuter student said that the storm gave him the opportunity to work on schoolwork. “I love the fact that the storm came when it did because my tests were postponed so I have
more time to study,” said Hatch. He also said he wished he received a notice from the school and not outside sources. “I am disappointed that I did not receive an alert about school being closed, I found out through the evening news,” said Hatch. Johnson gave advice to residential students to stay inside at all times. “For residential students, I would advise them to stay inside, stay off the road. If there are car troubles, the police will have jumper boxes. There will be police officers here 24 hours,” said Johnson. Communication between residential students and the
S.U.P.D. turned out to be effective. Residential student, Montell Cherry, a junior mass communications major from Clinton said that he received notifications from various sources. “I received emails telling me that school is cancelled for today and tomorrow and to stay inside. Plus the people I follow on social networks informed me,” said Cherry. The Southern University and A&M College System gave continuous updates via e-mail as the storm unfolded. Ice and sleet on roadways and bridges began to melt Wednesday afternoon.
Administration answers student concerns Southern University’s Student Government Association (SGA) held its first Town Hall meeting of the spring semester Tuesday evening in the Cotillion Ballroom, located in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union. The meeting hosted the University’s administrators in an effort to answer student concerns and provide an update for students on several university policies. The panel consisted of President Ronald Mason, Chancellor James Llorens, and representatives from Academic Affairs, Student Affairs,
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see Culture, page 6
Meagan L. Williams The Southern Digest
The Southern Digest
53/39
The Fashion Script
SU students get an unexpected break due to winter storm
Meagan L. Williams
Saturday
www.southerndigest.com
“THE CHILL FACTOR” The Southern University in Baton Rouge community has experienced its second winter storm of the semester. The first winter storm passed through the Baton Rouge campus on Friday, January 24, 2014 with a delayed school closure announcement for 3p.m. because of “snow showers.” Shortly after, another winter storm was predicted for the following week and a precautionary announcement was made on Monday, January 27, 2014 that the SUBR campus would be closed on Tuesday January 28, 2014. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm watch for the Baton Rouge area for Tuesday that would lead into Wednesday morning with the expectation of freezing rain that would transition into snow. Temperatures stayed below freezing for the duration of Tuesday and showers continued into the early morning hours on Wednesday. Ice and snow occupied roadways, highways and bridges throughout the duration of the winter storm with continuous updates on road and school closures. A curfew was not placed on East Baton Rouge Parish as a result of minor traffic on roadways and cooperation from
Friday
Exclusive content
Volume 62, Issue 1
SU rising to the top
Today
Facilities Services, Residential Life and Housing, on campus Police, Student Success, and Food Services The meeting began at 7 p.m. with a greeting from the Fall 2013-Spring 2014 SGA President, Symone Bray, followed by a prayer, introduction of administrators, and a word from a few student leaders. “Tonight is a Town Hall where we’ll have the administrators present. It’s very laid back, not too structured because I want the students to feel comfortable getting to know their administration and be able to talk to them,” said Bray. “We invited every administrator
KAYLA FOSTER/DIGEST
Administrators answer student concerns at the University’s first Town Hall meeting of the semester in the Cotillion Ballroom Tuesday evening, January 21, 2014. who is the head of something of campus,” Bray continued. The question and answer session was anonymously addressed from index cards written by students before the meeting began. The students’ main concerns were the lack of customer
service from several departments on campus, and the lack of knowledge about faculty and staff positions among departments. President Ronald Mason responded by saying, “We have
See
Townhall page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
The Louisiana Board of Regents have officially cancelled 32 majors at Southern University and A&M College as of Spring 2014, with the recent cancellations being the Special Education PH. D program and the Masters in Mass Communications program. However, it is the miscommunication that has the students upset and confused. Rodney Smith, a senior architecture major from Baton Rouge said that it’s a waiting game that is very upsetting. “It made me feel like sh-because you start off in the program and in 2015, you have to either start all over at a different university which is even worse or stay here and get an unaccredited degree. It’s a gamble. It’s like you have to sit and wait until 2015.” Smith said that the College of Architecture informed the students in the program at one time. “They invited all of the classes into a room, and basically read over a note from the dean informing us of the cancellation,” Smith said. The process is proven to be challenging for the students in other programs. Sakawa Baylor, a senior Interdisciplinary Studies major from Dallas, TX said that the process has been quite strenuous. “My major being cancelled is a bit of a headache, because I was in a situation where I had to finish an internship and I was transferring into art from engineering. I filled out all of the necessary paper work. I did it multiple times but was not listed as an Art major on paper. Initially they said a concentration in Art, but now they saying a minor in Art, but I’m going to push for that concentration. I’m going to keep pushing through, things happen. It’s frustrating, but graduating is the goal,” Baylor said. Verjanis Peoples, Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, said most programs See
Majors page 3
Campus Life southerndigest.com
Page 2 - Thursday, January 30, 2014
Campus Briefs COMPILATION YEARBOOKS
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Compilation yearbooks are still available for pickup. Stop by 1062 T.H. Harris Hall from 8am - 5pm.
MEMORIAL MUSICAL
Gregory Jones will host a Memorial Musical in remembrance of the Assistant to Registrar, Cecil L. Johnson, Friday January 31,2014 at New Hope Baptist Church 5856 Greenwell Springs Rd. at 7 p.m
CAREER WEEK
Career week begins February 17-21, 2014. All students are encouraged to sign up at Offices of Career Services and participate.
LAST DAY TO DROP CLASSES
2014 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
February 5th is the last day for students to drop or withdraw from a course.
The first official Centennial Celebration event - The SUBR Student Extravaganza - set for 6 p.m., Tuesday, February 18 in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union.
ATTENTION SPRING GRADUATES
The deadline for 2014 spring graduation applications is February 6, 2014.
2014 CAREER FAIR
The Spring 2014 Career fair will be held February 19, 2014 from 10a.m.-2p.m. at F.G Clark Activities Center. Students are encouraged to come and network with different employers about job opportunities in their field
FRESHMAN CONVOCATION
Southern University and A&M will hold its Freshman Convocation on February 6, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the F. G. Clark Activity Center. Attendance is mandatory for all freshmen.
SU POLICE ENCOURAGING FIRST CALL REGISTRATION
ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS
Student refunds will begin February 13, 2014.
In light of recent shootings on the campuses of Purdue University
Classifieds APARTMENT FOR RENT 1 BEDROOM Ideal for a single student. Rent $400/month. Contact Number (225) 775-2802
HURRY!
and the University of Oklahoma, Southern University’s Police Department is reminding students of the university’s automatic call system, First Call. SUPD encourages students to register for the system and spread the word around campus. Registering for First Call is easy, Johnson said. Students should log onto www. subr.edu and click on student, then proceed to click First Call and complete the required information. First Call is an automated call system that will send out phone calls, emails and text messages to the university students to warn them of dangers around the campus and spell out precautions that should be taken if necessary.
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Who’s Speaking Out? What do you look forward to most during the Spring 2014 semester?
Kayonna Armstrong
Nick Sargent
POLITICAL SCIENCE GRAD STUDENT HOMETOWN: NEW ORLEANS
CHEMISTRY JUNIOR HOMETOWN: CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
“This spring semester I look forward to what’s in store for this years spring fest and of course making a 4.0 GPA!”
“Spring Break”
Kayonna
Tymere Barrett
Crystal X
CRIMINAL JUSTICE FRESHMAN HOMETOWN: MOBILE, ALABAMA
“Basketball season and seeing how far the team makes it, but more important keeping my GPA up.”
Nick
Tymere
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION GRAD STUDENT HOMETOWN: MONROE “Seeing students participate in more events on campus that connects them with the Southern University”
Crystal
Illustration of the week: “WINTER PAINS”
ISSN: 1540-7276. Copyright 2012 by The Southern University Office of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Southern University and A&M College. All articles, photographs and graphics are property of The Southern DIGEST and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without the written permission from the Editor in Chief and Director of Student Media Services. The Southern DIGEST is published twice-weekly (Tuesday & Thursday) with a run count of 5,000 copies per issue during the Southern University - Baton Rouge campus fall, spring semesters. The paper is free to students, staff, faculty and general public every Tuesday & Friday morning on the SUBR campus. The Southern DIGEST student offices are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. The offices are located on the first floor of T.H. Harris Hall, Suite 1064. The Southern DIGEST is the official student newspaper of Southern University and A&M College located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Articles, features, opinions, speak out and editorials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administration and its policies. Signed articles, feedback, commentaries and features do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, staff or student body. Southern University and A&M College at Baton Rouge is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, telephone (404) 679-4500, Website: www.sacscoc.org. MISSION STATEMENT The mission of Southern University and A&M College, an Historically Black, 1890 landgrant institution, is to provide opportunities for a diverse student population to achieve a high-quality, global educational experience, to engage in scholarly, research, and creative activities, and to give meaningful public service to the community, the state, the nation, and the world so that Southern University graduates are competent, informed, and productive citizens. Website: www.subr.edu.
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News southerndigest.com
Thursday, January 30, 2014 - Page 3
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
TownHall from page 1 three kinds of people in the system; people that know what they’re doing and work hard. Then we have people that don’t know what they’re doing and are willing to learn and work hard, and then we have people that don’t give a damn.” “We are trying to make sure we find the people that don’t give a damn and get rid of them so we can get some better people in here,” President Mason continued. To further address customer service concerns, Chancellor Llorens responded by sharing a plan that includes cross training where every individual will learn their job’s responsibilities and be knowledgeable of other departments’ duties as well.
To emphasize the importance of this task, the Human Resources Department has hired a Director of Training to ensure this goal. In honor of Cecil Houston, the former Assistant to the Registrar, a cash reward will be given in his name, the Cecil Houston Customer Service Award, to a faculty or staff member who demonstrates great customer service in the name of the university. It was not stated when the initiative will begin. Some students were there to address particular concerns about facilities in their on campus residences. “I’m here about my concerns for some of my utilities at school. We pay entirely too much money to have to schedule bathes at the campus apartments. I also want to see where I leaders see us in the future,” said Stephanie
Americans react to Obama’s address to nation Andrew Dalton Associated Press
President Barack Obama used his State of the Union address to make his pitch that the nation must address persistent problems, from unemployment to immigration to the gap between rich and poor. Slowed by Congress, Obama vowed that if lawmakers won’t act, he will use his executive power when possible for his plans, which include raising the minimum wage for some workers hired by federal contractors and making it easier for lowincome Americans to save for retirement. The Associated Press spoke with a sampling of viewers from around the country to gauge whether the president succeeded in selling them on his proposals or whether his words fell flat. JOBLESS FIND SOME COMFORT, LITTLE FAITH IN LOFTY WORD. Long-term unemployed listeners said they were happy to in a sense be the stars of the speech, but what they didn’t need was more talk. They needed jobs. “He was talking about me tonight,” said Scott Valenti, a 41-year-old from Woodland Park, Colo. “But I can tell you, I’m no more reassured than when he started.” After years of work, Valenti finally got a bachelor’s degree. After a post-graduation position fell through, he’s been jobless for a month with two teenage children to provide for and a mortgage to pay. “When we look back 40 years from now and say, ‘that Obama initiative in 2014 led to some change,’ well, I’m sure that will happen,” he said. “But I need a job now.” Mary Lynn English, 44, who has pursued more than 100 marketing jobs in recent years without success, said she wasn’t impressed by Obama’s positivity. “All of that is happening in a stratosphere that’s going to take a good long while to get to western North Carolina,” said English, who lives in Asheville. FROM MINIMUM PAY TO ‘STAY OUT OF MY WAY’ Obama made several proposals to reduce the wealth gap, from recommending a minimum wage hike to an “easy to remember” $10.10 to encouraging employers to raise it for their workers without government intervention to pushing a new retirement savingsaccount for lower-income Americans. “Businesses don’t have to wait on Congress to help their employees have a living wage,” said 22-year-old Naquasia LeGrand, who works part time as a fastfood employee at Kentucky Fried Chicken and was happy to hear Obama point to
a pizza store owner who had raised his employees’ wages. LeGrand, of Brooklyn, has campaigned to raise the minimum wage to $15. Alan McIntyre, 43, who’s self-employed and lives in the Mount Airy neighborhood of suburban Cincinnati, called the speech and its economic suggestions “disgusting.” Of Myra, the president’s proposal to help lower-income Americans save for retirement, McIntyre was negative toward the idea of a guarantee that people wouldn’t lose what they put in. He said liberal Democrats “want to talk about how bad off people are and how they can guarantee things for people. I only need you to guarantee one thing for me: that you’ll stay out of my way.” SOME SAY BREAK OUT THE PEN; OTHERS SAY NOT SO FAST When Obama suggested he would use executive power to go around Congress when possible, Dean Weygandt, a 52-yearold electronics technician from Toledo, Ohio, thought it was about time. “I think he’s used executive privilege less than he should have,” Weygandt said. “He’s tried to work with those people,” he said, referring to Republicans in Congress. “There are times before he could have used it and didn’t.” Bill Deile, 70, a retired Army colonel and attorney living in Cape Coral, Fla., said he took notice of what he called a “veiled threat” in the president’s promise to take action when Congress wouldn’t. “That I think, if it doesn’t spur Congress into some sort of action to clamp down on this guy, I think you’re going to see it from the states,” he said. WHISTLING PAST THE BORDER ON IMMIGRATION Regardless of their underlying feelings on immigration, some said the president was too vague. Phil Erro, 69, said Obama forgot or flew past farmers like him and the workers they need. “He’s completely skirted the immigration issue,” said Erro, an almond farmer in California’s Central Valley. “I was disappointed,” he said, adding that he would have liked to see “some notion” about how Congress could reach agreement on immigration reform and that he wanted Obama to push for a path to legal residency that’s short, such as three to five years. Raul Sanchez, 38, a graduate student at the University of Texas, said the president’s words on immigration were “a lot of what I’d heard before.” “I don’t think that he’s put pressure on members of Congress the way that he could have,” he said
Humphrey, a senior Biology major from Alexandria, La. To address this complaint, Eli Guillory, Director of Facilities Services addressed students by talking about the history of the underground pipes and equipment on campus. At this point, it would cost the university millions of dollars to permanently correct all of the piping and industrial problems that are a result of aged underground pipes. With proper planning, it may take years to save enough money to begin repairing underground pipes throughout campus. Students were concerned about available parking on campus, which was addressed by Deputy Administator Kevin Jones who stated that “adequate parking is located near the dormitories in back of campus and that
parking has increased for students with the allowance of parking for nursing students at the nursing building.” Additional student concerns included health insurance, the eruption of concrete and potholes in and around the football stadium, food services complaints and financial aid inconveniences. “You’re going to see a little progress everyday, so that way, the value of your degree will be a little more valuable everyday, because that’s really what it’s about,” said President Ronald Mason. “We’re going to make sure that when you walk out of that door tomorrow or the day after that, your degree will be worth a little more, and a little more, and a little more,” President Mason continued.
Majors from page 1 are terminated because of lowenrollment, and that determining what programs to terminate requires a process. “There are guidelines in order to terminate the programs. It is a process and once the program has been terminated, they [Board of Regents] will send a notice back to the university announcing its terminated, it is posted on the Board of Regents website,” Peoples said. Peoples described the process of notifying students “We will send a notice back to the college and then a notice is usually sent out as
general information.” Peoples said. All programs must have a “teach-out plan” designed to get students who are already in a program that is cancelled out in three years. Another option for students enrolled in programs that was cancelled is for the student to be advised into another program, which is the “advise-out plan”. By these programs being terminated, no new students are permitted to enter the programs, but the students who are already in the programs must be allowed a chance to leave the cancelled programs.
Sports southerndigest.com
Looking for more info on SU athletics? All you have to do is scan the QR code or go to sdjaguarnation.blogspot.com.
Page 4 - Thursday, January 30, 2014
SOUTHERN SCOREBOARD BASKETBALL STANDINGS
MEN’S STANDINGS SWAC Overall W L W L
SOUTHERN 7 Alabama St. 5 Texas Southern 5 Alcorn State 5 Prairie View A&M 4 Jackson State 3 Alabama A&M 3 Miss. Valley St. 2 UAPB 2 Grambling State 0
11 10 11 7 9 10 8 12 6 13 7 12 6 11 6 14 4 15 1 15
WOMEN’S STANDINGS W L W L
SOUTHERN 8 Texas Southern 6 Grambling St. 4 Jackson St. 4 Miss. Valley St. 4 Prairie View A&M 4 Alabama St. 2 Alcorn State 2 Alabama A&M 1 UAPB 0
1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 7
0 11 5 1 9 9 3 7 11 3 6 11 3 6 12 3 4 13 4 9 9 5 4 15 6 3 14 7 1 16
This Week’s Games
2/1 - Alcorn at. SOUTHERN, 3 pm (W) at F.G. Clark Activity Center Legends | Faculty Night 2/1 - Alcorn at. SOUTHERN, 4 pm (M) at F.G. Clark Activity Center
TRACK & FIELD
(Indoor) Thursday, January 30 SOUTHERN at Southern Miss (TBA) Friday, January31 SOUTHERN at McNeese State Invitational (TBA)
TENNIS
Saturday, February 1 UL Monroe at. SOUTHERN 2:30 p.m. Baton Rouge, LA
Southern U.
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
60 - 44
Alabama St.
Jaguars rising to the top Felix Cunningham III The Southern Digest
The Southern University’s Women’s basketball team (8-0, 12-5) remains undefeated and stands strong as the #1 seed in the SWAC. After the win against Alabama State on Monday (60-44), the team has higher expectations for the remainder of the season to achieve the goal of becoming SWAC Champions. Head Coach Sandy Pugh used a different strategy in this game with allowing more players to compete with saying, “I believe that the other women on the team are capable of scoring 20 points a night as well.” The players are very excited about being undefeated but they are very humble about the entire game whether its mistakes or even things to correct. Senior Guard Adrian Sanders said, “It feels good to be 8-0 but we know there are some things that need to be fixed but at the end of the day we are still undefeated and that feels good. We need to correct the things that we’ve done wrong because to think about the things that
Jaguars take #1 seed
were done wrong is hard butits necessary.” Likewise her teammate, Senior Guard Yasmin Fuller said, “We do have a number of things to work on and being 8-0 is not going to make us comfortable.” Despite being in a difficult division, the Lady Jags stand atop of the SWAC with hardly any opposition. Earlier in the season, they picked up the necessary skills from other opponents to challenge the SWAC conference. This new knowledge acquired showed no mercy to the following and upcoming teams and it shows each time they step onto the court. In the SWAC, they’ve averaged about 13 points above the opposing teams this season which is due to the first half being the strong half by leading with points and the second half is played by game control. Fuller said, “It is only good when you’re up in points to use game control in the second half. When 10 seconds are on the shot clock, it’s time to get a bucket and the dry slate occurs in game control.” In this season so far, the Southern U.
COURTNEY JACOBS/DIGEST
Guard Adrian Sanders shoots and scores over two defenders during the Southern vs. Alabama State basketball game in the F.G. Clark Activity Center held on Monday, January 27, 2014.
Lady Jags played with an aggressive approach with other teams to pick up wins but some foul trouble has stopped the momentum of the game and at times brings pressure to the team. The motivation of the team is not on the basis of being undefeated but it is to change and fix mistakes from prior games and move onto future games with higher aspirations. Pugh speaks upon what motivates herself about the
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team. Fuller added, “Likewise what Adrian said we are motivated from the starters to the end of the bench and everyone will contribute because this is a team sport and that’s what a team does.” Pugh motivates having said, “I tell people all the time, I love this. Whether we are 0-8 or 8-0, I still have the same passion about what I do and we have capable athletes that are capable of achieving any goal.” Alabama St.
Felix Cunningham III The Southern Digest
Congratulations to Coach Dawson Odums and the Southern University Football team on a great season that was capped off with SWAC Championship!
We’re #1
The 2013 SWAC Champions (7-1, 11-10) stepped into the #1 seed after the win over #2 seed Alabama State (5-2, 11-7) on Monday night. The clash between SU and ASU (68-55) was a hard fought battle of the SWAC. The tension was felt between both teams on the court and the pressure was felt on both sides. Even after the loss against Mississippi Valley the Jaguars were resilient and pulled off the win, Head Coach Roman Banks said he saw that the team didn’t play with much intensity as in other games, “The boys tried not to make mistakes which made them make bad plays but the intensity was boosted in the second half.” In the second half, they scored 38 points with 43.6% in field goals, 33.3% 3-pt field goal, and 92.9% on free throws, which in the first half, they only scored 30 points. The
COURTNEY JACOBS/DIGEST
Guard Malcom Miller shoots a three pointer during the basketball game between Southern and Alabama State in the F.G. Clark Activity Center on Monday, January 27, 2014. free throw percentage was beyond impeccable. The leaders of the game were Malcolm Miller scoring 18 points, Calvin Godfrey scoring 17 points, and Yondarius Johnson scoring 13 points. The mindset he was hoping for was that they should become loose in the game and combat it with strong adversity and this is due to pre-conference games. Calvin Godfrey and Malcolm Miller talked about the mindset of the team and themselves. Godfrey says, “It’s not what we
are taught at practice but we are taught to play hard at every game and at all times but be loose to make the plays that we need to.” Malcolm Miller stated, “It’s a big win for us but we could do better if we zero in and become a unit so they won’t score on us.” This season the team has played a heavy defensive approach and has used a heavy press to counter each team they faced and conquered in the SWAC. The difference between last season and this season by the coach’s standards is that this year
the Jaguars have more depth and chemistry between the players and the only thing the team had last season was leadership. “This team is what I’m all about and that’s hard work and when we pay hard defensively, we can become electrifying.” Banks adds, “The only thing is that we have to clean up mistakes in the post.” Godfrey says, “It isn’t a confidence boost by us winning this game but we have to stay focused for the rest of this season because we don’t know what’s in store for us.”
Centennial Update
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Thursday, January 30, 2014 - Page 5
Office of the Chancellor P.O. Box 9374 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813
Voice: (225) 771-5020 FAX: (225) 771-2018
January 21, 2014
Dear SUBR Family: Welcome back for the 2014 Spring Semester! I hope that your holidays were wonderful, and I wish for each of you and for the entire SUBR Family a productive and Happy New Year! We now officially announce the beginning of the 2014 SUBR Centennial Celebration marking SUBR’s 100th year on Scott’s Bluff! The anticipation has been building, and we are busy planning and preparing for the first official centennial celebration event – The SUBR Student Extravaganza! This exciting event will be held on Tuesday, February 18, 2014 at 6:00p.m. in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom, Smith-Brown Union. The students are planning a wonderful explosion of talent, creativity and intellect, as they tell the SUBR Story in their own way. Be sure to put this event on your calendar! You should also be reminded that undergirding all centennial events is an ambitious fundraising effort (1) to raise funds for student scholarships and, (2) to cover the costs of all centennial events. I hope that you will all decide to make a contribution. Make all contributions payable to Southern University and A&M College, and, on the memo line, indicate “For Scholarship Fund.” One of our slogans is “One Hundred Dollars for 100 Years.” This may be a slogan that some of you may wish to consider, should you decide to contribute. Anything above or below this amount however would also be greatly appreciated! The giving can now begin, if you have not given already. Feel free to call the Chancellor’s Office at (225) 771-5020 should you have questions. Let’s make this a memorable Centennial Celebration! You should anticipate receiving information about other centennial events as the dates approach. Sincerely, James L. Llorens Chancellor, SUBR P. S.
Very soon, we hope to also announce that you can make your centennial contributions via credit card.
B a t o n R o u g e,
Louisiana
70813 - 0400
[225]771- 2011
“A People’s Institution Serving The State, The Nation, and the World.”
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Culture southerndigest.com
Page 6 - Thursday, January 30, 2014
The Sentinel Of An Enlightened Student Body since 1926
Candlelight vigil held in honor of Dr. King Jaleyah Davis
The Southern DIGEST On last Wednesday, Southern University’s Office of Student Life and members of the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated circled around the Smith-Brown Memorial Union with candles lit in remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr. Father Riley Hartford gave a prayer at the start of the event. The group was then led to the Martin Luther King Jr., Catholic Student Center by one of the members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The hymn “This Little Light of Mine” and protest song “We Shall Overcome” were sang during the short journey. Di’Shun Melbert, president of the Beta Sigma Chapter of Alphi Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., spoke on the importance of living in the likeness of Martin Luther King Jr., and continuing his legacy. After the event, Melbert, a graduating senior from Alexandria, LA majoring in agriculture with a minor in plant and soil science spoke on how pertinent it was to host this event. “I felt the need to put on this event because it’s too often that on our campuses we seem to forget the real reason that we are here, the real reason we have so many rights and freedoms today,” said Melbert. Nicholas Harris, a junior from Rosedale, LA majoring in biology gave a summarized biography of the life and work of Martin Luther King. Guest Speaker, Charles Stokes, who is also a member of Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, Inc. spoke on the importance of the dream and the need to incorporate the values and reach the goals that Martin Luther King Jr. spoke on in our everyday lives. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” This quote only speaks on part of the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about, but still holds precedence today. The “I Have A Dream” speech will be 51 years old on August 28, 2014. Stokes went on further to ask, COURTNEY JACOBS/DIGEST “What are we doing to carry out the dream? What will you do after Students and supporters gather at the Candlelight vigil held today? You have marched, but then Wednesday, January 22, 2014 honoring Dr. King in the Martin Luther what?” Stokes asked King, Jr. Catholic Center. Following Stokes were dance selections by Gold ‘N Bluez Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.recited said. members Khadijah Matthews and “Standing Tall,” a poem by James Darrian Jessie, sophomore Lazhay McKinley, also Miss Black Mackenzie. biology major from Mobile, AL said and Gold 2013-2014. Corvin Heath, a sophomore it was importance of the event. McKinley, a sophomore criminal Justice major from “I think it’s a good idea that they elementary education major from Atlanta, GA, was one of the decided to host this event because Bogalusa, LA spoke on how much many students who attended the a lot of people don’t know about of an honor it is to be able to candlelight vigil. Dr. Martin Luther King. They just represent the Beta Sigma chapter “With what Dr. King has done, know that he’s a black guy that did of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Dr. King’s legacy, and what he has something,” Jessie said. as well as Martin Luther King by done for us, it’s only right that we Augusta Robinson, a graduating performing a dance to “Life Every give honor and thanks to him by senior Biology major from Monroe, Voice” by Aretha Franklin. showing love to ceremonies that LA also a member of Alpha Phi “It was important to me to be pay homage,” said Heath. Alpha Fraternity, Inc. said that able to give back to the fraternity Rodriguez Manuel, a junior Martin Luther King, Jr. made a that gave me this opportunity and biology major from Atlanta, GA way possible for him. to be able to just reference and discussed the impact Martin “Martin Luther King certainly give honor to Dr. Martin Luther Luther King, Jr. had on him. paved the way for me. He taught me King for all he has done for us,” “It had a tremendous impact not to give up most of all and that McKinley said. on me. I was able to reflect on Dr. there’s different ways to approach Gary Williams II, a graduating King’s movement and what he situations. Instead of being violent senior criminal justice major and stood for. It reminded me of his all the time, you can use your mind computer science minor from legacy and that we came a long way and outsmart people,” Robinson Shreveport also a member of Alpha from what we used to do,” Manuel said.
Students explore “Sacred Spaces” Brittany Patterson The Southern DIGEST
Southern University’s College of Education, Arts and Humanities held its art exhibit’s grand opening last Wednesday for the spring semester entitled, “Sacred Spaces.” Students in attendance discussed the artwork displayed in the exhibit. Markesha Perkins, senior education major from Port Allen said that the colors in the artwork caught her attention the most. “The colors are vivid. The brightness of them caught my attention as well as the 3-D effect and digital artwork,” Perkins said. Ron Robinson, freshman mechanical engineering major from Melville, LA said that he loved the art show. “I loved the art show and the great pieces of artwork within it,” Robinson said. Keyshawn Johnson,
freshman criminal justice major from Maringouin LA said that he enjoyed the various artwork in the exhibit. “It feels really good coming to see the different types of paintings,” Johnson said. The featured artists are S.U. alumni and faculty members, Earnisteen Spencer and Eugene Wade. Spencer said that she wanted her artwork to be a conversation between herself and the viewer. “As an artist, I am establishing a visual relationship with the viewer. It is a visual connection,” Spencer said. In 2005, Wade started working on digital artwork. He said that the message in his digital artwork is to show the contributions of African Americans throughout. “I wanted to let people know…not just black people, but people of all races know that we came from a whole history…a civilization of people,” Wade said. The artists also discussed the
KAYLA FOSTER/DIGEST
Students chat with artist Earnisteen Spencer during “Sacred Spaces” art expo last Wednesday, January 22, 2014 held in Hayden Hall.
theme of their artwork. Spencer discussed that the themes as well as the inspiration for them are based on Christianity. “I get my inspiration from contemporary gospel music,” Spencer said. Wade said the theme of his artwork is an African concept known as the MAAT series. “That comes from another country that deals with love, unity and respect,” Wade said. He said he used vivid colors to catch the viewers’ attention. Randell Henry, Associate Professor and Curator of the art exhibit, discussed how he
came up with the title of the art exhibit. “I wanted to title the exhibit, “Sacred Spaces,” because both of the artists’ work were based on religion,” Henry said. The artshow,” Sacred Spaces” is open now and will remain on until February 20. It is located in the Visual Gallery in Hayden Hall. The hours are 10 in the morning to 4 in the evening Monday through Thursday and by appointments on Fridays
THE
Sage Edgerson
The Southern DIGEST
“Whenever I go out, I have to go out as myself.” one of the mantras I say when I think of my style and fashion as it relates to me and everyday life. I believe that they’re too many carbon copies of everything so why not dress like Sage. Self is the most original thing that has been created and though we are made the same, we are not the same. Fashion should be a means to express one’s self without preservations that they aren’t original. With “Fashion Script” I hope to uplift people in pushing the envelope, being true to them, and wearing what they feel how they feel when they feel like it. Life is too short to wear boring clothes and life is definitely about taking chances. Those of us who do and are ridiculed for simply being ourselves are paving the way for the ones who wish too but are afraid of the masses of unfashionable opinions. Experiment with colors, prints, textures, lengths, as long as it makes you happy and you look good in it. Clothing is a direct conversation between you and world, so why not tell the world each day who you are without declaring who you are verbally. Every day you wake up as yourself, so why not dress like you? Be fearless! Stay Fashion forward. XoXo
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Ariana Triggs
The Southern DIGEST
there are many black people who still prefer that term. Professor Sammons seems to think that it’s a generational issue, but I don’t think there is a man or woman of color, old or young, who still prefer that word. The next article was about a fraternity getting suspended because of a Martin Luther King party. Arizona State University’s Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, which was already on probation for fighting with another fraternity prior to this incident, was suspended for throwing the party and mocking black people, dressing clothing and gang colors, along with imitating gang signs, taking pictures and posting them to social networks. At the same time, Garage magazine editor-in-chief Dasha Zhukova posed on a chair made like a black woman
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released by Miroslava Duma, the Moscow-based street style star, former Russian Harper’s Bazaar editor and founder of online fashion publication Buro 24/7. They’ve recently cropped the photo but that doesn’t change the fact of their disregard of a race of people “for the sake of art” and to release it on MLK Day was insult on top of injury. I’ve seen other stories like this in the news, and it is a shame. Have we, as a people come so far just to give up the race now. We can try to not look at the world as black and white as it is, but is what happens when we do our time in this institution, just to come out and not be hired because of the color of our skin (of course we won’t know that’s the reason). We can ignore it as much as we want. We can be cocky and try to fight each individual case or we can stand together and make a difference. We wonder why the older generation talks about us the way they do. It is because we are a generation that lets pop culture rule the world and we can’t stand united. Let’s try not to be that for 2014. For 2014, take a stance because things will only get worse from here. Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. As far as the generation taking over, this is something that we must do.
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Welcome back, Southern Jaguars, to a brand new semester. At the beginning of each semester, I usually write about staying focused and not wasting your time. Something else caught my attention while sitting around with writer’s block, watching The Walking Dead trying to find words to put to paper. I began to reflect on some of the things I have recently seen online, which prompted the words to flow. As I was surfing Facebook, reading and liking statuses and links, I ran across something. There was this article on CNN about the word “Negro” still being on the juror information card that all prospective jurors have to fill out. Raeana Roberson, 25 year-old teacher and a potential juror from New York City, snapped a picture of the juror information card after she crossed out the word “Negro” and wrote “offensive! It’s 2014!” next to it, then posted it on her Facebook page. This surprised me, as we are talking about the court system in 2014, but what I read next was more surprising. In an interview with CNN, Jeffrey Sammons, a professor of history at New York University said the term lost popularity with the arrival of the baby boomers and the black pride movement, but he believes that
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