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
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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
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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