35 Tuesday . October 10, 2017
The Glory Days:
JAGUARS WIN
14
see “Gaining Ground” page 4
Volume 69 . Issue 6
www.southerndigest.com
Dorm Blaze: White Hall Update Las Vegas:
A Deadly Massacre
BY YASMERE RASHADA
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
Former SU Drum Major Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane BY DEVON FEDRICK
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
Southern University and A&M College has changed a lot over the decades, but one thing that has stood the test of time is the inspiration and entertainment that is The Human Jukebox. Larry McCaleb, drum major of the The Human Jukebox in 1973, spoke of his experience as a Southern University (SU) Knight, and how he used his role as a drum major to develop leadership qualities. During a rainy game at Jackson State University, McCaleb prepared to lead the band onto the field for the halftime show. The band had been in the stands all night and it was time to perform. As he came from under the goal and made his way onto the field, McCaleb described how the rain was still pouring down and with all the water and mud, he began to slip and fall backwards. While reaching out desperately trying to catch his balance he fell into a backbend. “All I could see was the stadium lights, and my whistle was full of rainwater and all I could do was use my baton to let the band members know that it was time for us to come onto the field,” said McCaleb. He stood up, made the aboutface turn, pointed, and the band proceeded onto the field. That single night marked the beginning of a trend that would become a signature move for all drum majors to come. When questioned on how it feels to know that he started the backbend, which is now such a worldly recognized trend, he replied, “Well when you See MEMORY LANE page 3
Jaguars across campus were shocked to hear that a fire began in Horace G. White Hall, the men’s dormitory located on the outskirts of campus. The fire began on the second story, in bedroom 214 on Thursday, September 28. Luckily, the inhabitants of the room were not present at the time that the blaze started. Freshman Mechanical Engineering major and occupant of White Hall, Douglass Smith, described the disbelief that circulated within the dorm when word of the blaze first spread, noting that residents who were lounging downstairs scoffed at the notion of a fire, until clouds of smoke began billowing from the stairs. Firefighters responded fairly quickly, spraying their hoses at the site until the flames and smoke finally dissipated. Fortunately, nobody was harmed during the incident. However, the same cannot be said for the state of the dormitory, or for the condition of the residents’ property. Smith related his own struggles that resulted from the fire, saying, “I had to be moved to Grandison Hall, and I had to get all my clothes washed two or three times to get the smell of smoke out.” All of the students affected by the blaze have been relocated to new housing sites around campus. Despite these hardships, many of White’s occupants were able to maintain a positive outlook about the situation. Sophomore, Artis McCoy, whose room was located in the vicinity of the fire, said that the water from the sprinkler systems and the firemen’s hoses damaged some of his belongings. Though he noted that while he was slightly saddened by the loss of a few things, McCoy said, “Things can be replaced, so it’s all good.” Word of the fire spread and rumors quickly began to circulate about how it started. While the cause of the fire has
BY ALEXIS FINDLEY
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
not been officially confirmed by any authorities in White Hall, the most widely accepted and probable cause was of an electrical nature; faulty wiring located underneath a tenant’s bed was said to have been the kindling for the blaze. Brandon Jones, the secondyear Business major who was a resident of room 214, expressed his thanks that the damage was not more widespread. However, he did express some displeasure at
(DIGEST ART)
how the university handled the recovery process. “I think Southern could have handled the situation better after the fire. They didn’t accommodate my roommate and I immediately after; it took them a while to help us.” This incident has prompted many to question the current state of the dormitories. If faulty electrical engineering was the cause for such an See WHITE HALL page 3
Remnants of the firefighters’ efforts to the subdue the blaze that took place in White Hall on Thursday, September 28. No injuries were reported. (Jacqueline Morgan/DIGEST)
Fifty-eight people were killed and nearly five hundred people are recovering from a massacre shooting on Sunday, October 1, 2017 while attending a country music concert, in Las Vegas, starring American country singer, Jason Aldean. According to Las Vegas authorities, at around 10 p.m., multiple shots were reported coming from the direction of Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The shooting lasted approximately 11 minutes. It was deemed the deadliest mass shooting in US history. The gunman, Stephan Paddock, a 64-year-old retired accountant, selected the room at the Mandalay Bay due to its vantage point of the concert area down below. There in his room on the 32nd floor, Paddock fired shots out of the windows into a crowd of approximately 22,000 people. FBI Deputy Director, Andrew McCabe, told CNBC that the lack of motive was a surprise in this mass shooting. “This one [case] is somewhat different than many of the ones we’ve dealt with in the past, because we don’t have any immediately accessible thumbprints [figuratively] that would indicate the shooters ideology or motivation, or really what compelled him to get there,” says McCabe. Authorities believe that Paddock acted alone, and the FBI is still going through the gunman’s communications, financial records, interviewing known associates and reviewing video surveillance in order to piece together his motive. Evidence shows that Paddock carefully planned the shooting; he purchased 33 firearms, mostly rifles, between October 2016 and September 2017, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) spokesperson, familiar with the investigation. He checked into the room days in advance, stashing weapons and ammunition. Some had been fitted with a bump-stock that allows bullets to be fired rapidly. In addition, Paddock had set up cameras inside the hotel suite, in the hallway, and one in the peephole for viewing outside See MASSACRE page 3
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA