The Future is Virtual: DoIT Departmental Updates

Southern University’s Information Technology department are always developing new ways to stay up to date with these new technologies. This is with a goal of bettering teachers, students, administrative personnel, and security personnel’s daily lives.

In an effort to highlight all the recent and upcoming Information Technology updates, the Digest conducted an interview with a few admins from the IT department. They are described as Ms. Rachel Carriere, who was the university’s first webmaster and has been the director of Web Application Services since 1998. Mr. Lloyd Allen, who is the director of Network Services, has served as the director of Network Services for more than ten years here at Southern University. As well as Dr. Gabriel Fagbeyiro, who has served as associate vice president, and chief information officer since 2015.

The first upcoming IT project that was discussed was Virtual ID. Dr. Fagbeyiro saw the idea at a conference and immediately put the idea into motion here at S.U.

Ms. Carriere explains, “It would be connecting the current ID that you guys have with the [student] portal, so if anyone loses their ID, you don’t have to spend money to get a new one.” With this new virtual ID students can now use their phones to scan it anywhere such as at the union, football games, and more! Despite the fact that physical IDs are not going out of style, the virtual ID aims to make students’ lives easier on campus. The IT department is working with student affairs

This past Monday, SU’s chapters of Be the Match and NAACP hosted a panel discussion with one member of each of the Divine Nine sororities and fraternities: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc., Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. Each member was given the opportunity to give advice on all-around health, such as sexual health, physical health, mental health, and so forth.

The audience was also able to ask questions and give advice. Questions such as ‘What does mental health mean to you?’, ‘How do you think we should get people to give blood to Be the Match?’, and ‘What’s some advice for good sexual health?’ were asked.

In order to properly discuss Black health and wellness, it was imperative to accompany this topic with this topic in relation to the Be the Match program at Southern University.

Be the Match is a national marrow donor program that works diligently to connect patients suffering from leukemia, sickle cell, and other life-threatening diseases with a donor match to potentially save a life, including our student body.

Haley Wesley, the current senior class president, and Auriyonne Lopez, the current Miss Freshman, brought along their own stories of being a sickle cell survivor and how students could possibly “be the match” by becoming a donor.

Director

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

STUDENT MEDIA OFFICE

Jermaine Proshee

Publications Mgr. Devin Hadrick

CONTACTS (area code 225)

Student Media Newsroom

Advertising Office

Director’s Office 771.5812

Staff Writers

DeBrandin Brown

Deidrick Johnson

Nodea Sewell

Taniya Nichols

Laila Hazel

Alexis Easton

Kailen Bourne

Sandy Huggins

Thomas Walker, III

Kynnedi S. Jackson

Christopher Toler, Jr.

Aaliyah Bennett

Ashiriah Williams

Jalyn Jacobs

Kameron Williams

Jaidyn Nix

Kara Porter

Sara Griffiths

Taniyah Nichols

Isaiah Clay

Jasmine Meriedy

Staff Photographers

Terren Thomas

Justin Moore

Christian Phillips

Stefan Davis

Terae Collins

Amaya Rosser

Taylor Haywood

Jakayvion Ashley

Clementine Rice

J’Me Bryant

Submissions Policy

The Southern DIGEST welcomes letters from readers commenting on current issues and other matters of general interest to the SU family and public. We set aside this space to publish these letters for others to enjoy. This newspaper is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on its editorials, commentaries, ans speakouts. The Southern DIGEST reserves the right to edit any contributions and or reject them without notification. Authors are encouraged to limit the length of submissions to 300 words. Letters should not include libelous statements. Offensive and personal attacks will not be permitted. The DIGEST will not print “open letters” addressed to someone else. All contributions must be type written, signed and must include the author’s address and phone number. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Southern University students should include their majors, hometowns and year in school. When referring to specific DIGEST articles, please include the date and title. All materials should be directed to the editor in chief of The Southern DIGEST, P.O. Box 10180, Baton Rouge, La. 70813. Materials may be delivered by hand to the DIGEST office located in Suite 1064 Harris Hall or can be e-mailed to digest@subr.edu.

Publication Associations

The Southern DIGEST is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), Associated Collegiate Press (ACP), College Media Advisers Association (CMA), Full member of the Associated Press (AP) and the Louisiana Press Association (LPA).

The Office of Student Media is a department in the Division of Student Affairs.

She also shared the changes she has proposed to the department. “I’m serving my second semester as Interim Chair of the MCOM Department. It is my priority to move the department forward. This begins with putting students first in every decision.”

Previously, she was a professor for the department before being appointed chair. She provides assistance with resources to help students who are interested in the radio field. The department offers concentrations in broadcast, print, and public relations. “We plan to re-visit our curriculum to ensure that our courses are on par with the practices of the industry for print and broadcast journalism as well as public relations.” Having radio courses also gives Mass Communication students a chance to expand their horizons and put their interest in more than their focused concentration.

Several students have concerns regarding scholarships and internships to help them after graduation. However, professors feel to introduce the virtual ID very soon. Hopefully it will be put in motion as soon as the next fall semester.

The next upcoming IT update is the upgrading of Southern University’s wireless networks. Southern has already replaced several of their main core switches which service banner, wi-fi, and other network services. Between this semester and this summer there is going to be a massive increase in the internet connection going from 20 gigabits to 100 gigabits.

The IT department has the objective of adding 50 additional outdoor access points to the 1,090 already spread throughout campus. The goal is to serve more Wi-Fi in those outdoor areas where most students hang out.

With an upgrade in the network is the distribution and core switches. “ One of our highest traffic areas is our distribution switch in Totty Hall, which feeds everything back there,” Allen states. The distribution and core switches are both being upgraded from 10 gig connections to 100 gigs. Lloyd Allen mentions they and consists of children from S.U. System students, faculty and staff, and our local and surrounding communities.

In addition to ensuring education and care, the Laboratory is fortunate to offer families tuition and fee options that allow all socioeconomic backgrounds.

The children are learning using a Creative Curriculum for infants through kindergarten while also using Frog Street for the Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 classes.

“At the SUCDL we want to ensure that each child enrolled in our Laboratory knows that they are an asset to this world and that their potential is limitless. Our goal is to always provide a place of unconditional love, respect, and limitless materials and an opportunity to experience high-quality instruction. We provide hands-on experiences for students through involvement in they are giving the necessary resources to prepare students for their future careers. MCOM junior students Joshua Williams and Deanna Moncriffe stated how they feel about the effort from the department. “I do believe that they prepare us for our careers in the future, especially the younger professors. Unfortunately, our department does not offer scholarships,” Williams stated.

“I am getting prepared for my future career to a degree. Just being at the university in our department it’s always a stay ready so we don’t have to get ready. However, I do believe we have a lack of resources. The equipment we have is old or sometimes ineffective. I also have not received any scholarships or internships from the MCOM department itself but I have received interactions outside of the department,” said Moncriffe.

Dr. Cynthia Stephens, a mass communication professor said, “We have the resources, but some students are not aware of the resources we have provided. We let them know we are implementing updated equipment for the studios and clubs that are provided. It is up to the students to check into those resources.”

Some students also feel that while other departments are having opportunities handed to them such as business expos or career fairs, the mass communication department does not get the same support.

“As Interim Chair, I plan to make scholarships a priority so that students in good academic standing can have a source of opportunity outside of the ones offered by the University. I’m proud that I was able to secure a $2,000 scholarship for a student experiencing financial hardship this semester. A non-profit organization out of Texas, The Butler Family Foundation made that help possible. “I look forward to gaining the support of other organizations to increase our scholarship giving,” says Dr. Campbell.

As for special events, the Mass have been working with the Louisiana Optimal Networking Initiative to upgrade the connection.

Another upcoming IT project is called CampusESP. Campus ESP is essentially a parent portal that is being unveiled sometime this summer. It’s essential for students who wish to keep their parents in the loop about things moving on with them on campus. This will be completely up to the student if they wish to share with their parents, and the student has full control over what the parents will see.

The last upcoming IT update will be the upgrading of campus security. Mr. Lloyd states, “We are replacing/installing 530 updated cameras throughout campus. These updated cameras are significant upgrades from the old cameras that were bought some time ago.”

What will these updated cameras allow one to do? They have built-in analytics that allow for a person search and facial recognition. This greatly improves the safety of Southern’s campus as if something were to happen wrong, the system can notify the police by using community and professional activities,» Dandridge explains.

SUCDL’s teachers and staff are wellequipped, knowledgeable, and collectively have more than 40 years of expertise in early childhood education. More than half of SUCDL personnel are alumni of the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences with a specialization in Child Development at Southern University A&M College. To impact the lives of each child and their families, our team wants to ensure that we are completely competent to provide excellence in teaching.

SUCDL’s sustained success is due to a dynamic team of early childhood educators. This team works relentlessly to ensure that we address the cognitive, emotional, and physical development of our students individually and collectively.

SUCCESS from page 1 a picture of them in the system and be able to quickly locate someone. This information of course will be exclusively available to campus security, protecting the privacy of students, faculty, and administrative. Information technology is working on numerous projects to keep the campus safe and secure.

Communication Department hopes to bring back its annual Spring Awards Luncheon/ Senior Banquet this semester. An MCOM Career Seminar with guest speakers and student workshops will hopefully make its way back in the Fall of 2023. A MassComm Hall of Fame event is also in the works.

As of now, there are five active clubs provided for students to get the experience they may need to pursue their career: Public Relations Students Society of America, Public Relations Association of Louisiana, Baton Rouge Area Association of Black Journalists, Mass Comm Club, and On This Bluff Production Organization.

With the updates provided by the chair, a professor, and opinions from students of the mass communication department, we look forward to these updates coming into action. We also look forward to more opportunities for students to pursue their careers after graduating from Southern University.

Southern University’s Information Technology department is constantly working to evolve and push out new things for the campus. They have already created great features such as the Student Portal, MySU mobile app, Banner9, and Degreeworks which allows students to see their degree plan.

Since Dr. Fagbeyiro, Mr. Allen, and Ms. Carriere have been serving Southern University for years, they emphasizes hearing more from the students, getting their feedback on these updates, as well as voicing any problems students may have regarding technology. Students can email their feedback to: ITfeedback@subr.edu and call or email the IT helpdesk if they need assistance. Be on the lookout for a plethora of changes coming to Southern University very soon Jags!

DAYCARE from page 1

Dandridge said, “We know that none of this would be possible without the consistent support of our administrative team, who are our most loyal supporters. Dr. Kenyetta Nelson-Smith, executive director, Dr. Renita Marshal, vice chancellor for Academic and Student Support/associate dean director, and last but not least our prestigious chancellordean of our Southern University Research and Extension Center, and the College of Agricultural, Family and Consumer Sciences are among our unrelenting supporters.”

The future of our children lies in what we do for them today. Open enrollment for children opens on April 13, 2023, for the next school year. For more information contact them at (225) 7712081 or suchdvlab@subr.edu.

“Be the Match was implemented on Southern’s campus to create awareness for the sickle cell disease that runs predominantly in African Americans,” stated Taylor Curtis, the current representative for Be the Match, the current secretary for S.U.’s chapter of NAACP, as well as a junior majoring in Elementary Education from Houston, Texas.

Raising awareness on becoming a donor, allowed students to get educated as well as erased fear and stigmas that the Black community has with doctors and giving out blood; as unlawful and unethical experiences in history prohibit forward movement in the Black community, such as the Tuskegee experiment and the case of Henrietta Lacks.

While mentioning resources on campus, students were told about the services of the University’s Counseling Center and another helpful organization on campus.

Mental Milestones Association is an organization that was erected at the end of last year’s spring semester that is “dedicated to helping individuals identify the importance of self-awareness and self-reinforcement.” The organization hosts healing circles, group events, and things alike for community and support.