What’s
SPORTS
RECALL PG. 3
UTSA TOO MUCH FOR JAGUARS PG. 4
DACA
INSIDE?
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
NEWS
LONE STARS
Tuesday . September 19, 2017
BEYONCE GIVES BACK PG. 8
University Seeks to Remedy SACS Sanctions
BY BRENNAN MATTHEWS
SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
This past summer, Southern University and A&M College (SUBR) was given a warning by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission (SACS) due to the university’s failure to meet the accrediting body’s standards of a higher education institution during their review in 2015. SACS administered the sanction against Southern University because the university missed the needed benchmarks in relation to its faculty. According to core requirement 2.8 in the SACS guideline handbook, “The number of full-time faculty members is adequate to support the mission of the institution and to ensure the quality and the integrity of each of its academic programs”.
Volume 69 . Issue 3
If SACS feels as though these issues are not corrected by the time of Southern’s next review, the university could be in jeopardy of losing its accreditation that is required for the school to offer degrees and receive federal dollars. Interim Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Dr. Luria Young, explained that there were three programs which SACS targeted the online university for Southern Masters of Business Administration, Engineering, Science, and Computer Science, for not having a sufficient number of full-time faculty. Young explained that errors were made by the university in their review packet pertaining to how they counted their faculty. “We have faculty that teach both the undergraduate and the graduate programs and
we should have double counted those faculty but we didn’t.” This mishap is possibly what cost the university to fall short of SACS faculty Young standards and Dr. Young and her staff are very confident that these issues will be addressed and fixed in the upcoming review. “We began working on this long before it was published,” says Southern University System President-Chancellor and former SACS board member, Dr. Ray Belton. The report in which the university failed the review was filed in 2015 and the university has been working towards
www.southerndigest.com
revising this issue for over a year and a half. Dr. Belton stated that in the past, it was “more cost effective to hire adjunct faculty and parttime faculty as opposed to fulltime faculty because the rate of pay is different.” Belton also noted challenges that higher education in Baton Rouge have faced due to state budget cuts, which played a role in the university not being able to meet SACS requirements. However, the issues that the university had to fix “... were more administrative fixes; I think what we had to do were more managerial things. It was not as if we didn’t have the resources,” said Belton. These administrative issues have been addressed and the Chancellor doesn’t want students and outside the public to think the university “Just
started working on it.” Belton stated, “We have been working on it for just about a year”. The University is now focused on implementing and maintaining Belton their recent managerial and faculty changes. SUBR has taken steps to address this issue by making many parttime faculty members full-time faculty. Dr. Belton insisted that the sanction was nothing that the university was extremely concerned with because the issues could be fixed by making minor changes. See SACS page 3
Organization Fest 2017 LSU Greeks Campus organizations turn out to educate suspended indefinitely student body BY CHRISTINA WHITE
SOUTHERN DIGEST - NEWS EDITOR
The University’s Organization Fest is a day dedicated to promoting the various clubs and organizations available on campus. On Wednesday, September 13, the sidewalks were filled with booths, tables and tents representing campaigners and organizations alike. Students filled the street as DJs and performers kept the atmosphere lively. Under the direction of Coordinator for Student Organizations, Ja’el Gordon, students proudly shared the organizations
that they are a part of. Member of the Black History Club, Dequintal Whitley, encouraged students interested in learning more about African American culture to join the club, saying, “A lot of history is not accurate.” The Black History Club also engages in community service work and projects to help the homeless.” Across from the Black History Club was the Natural Hair Club, represented by CoActivities Coordinator, Adia Rascoe. The Natural Hair Club has been in existence since See ORG FEST page 3
A group of Southern University students stop and chat with the Black History Club during “Organization Alley” Student Organization Fair just outside the student union in the courtyard on September 13. (Shamori Moore/DIGEST)
Phi Delta Theta pledge succombs to hazing injuries BY CALEB PENN
to hazing, but I want to emphasize that this is an evolving situation. We are investigating LSU has announced that freshman, this matter with the utmost seriousness. As Maxwell Gruver, 18, of Roswell, Georgia we have continually warned over and over has passed on Thursday, September 13 again, hazing is dangerous, irresponsible in a “potential hazing and unacceptable and it will not be accepted incident” according to at LSU, period.” the LSU media relations The fraternity has stated that there will be director, Ernie Ballard. a full review of policies and procedures after Gruver was reportedly Gruver’s death. taken from the fraternity The LSU chapter of Phi Delta Theta house and transported to was suspended on LSU’s campus back in the hospital by a person 2004 for low recruitment by the national that was not a paramedic. headquarters and reinstated in 2006. Gruver A preliminary autopsy According to LSU’s student newspaper, The found that Gruver had a, “highly elevated Daily Reveille. blood alcohol level plus the presence of THC Phi Delta Theta has 183 chapters and 95 in his urine,” a statement made by the East alumni clubs throughout the United States. Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office. No cause of These chapters have been involved in death has been released thus far. many controversial stunts. Including one Phi Delta Theta has suspended the LSU instance in which a member of Phi Delta chapter indefinitely. LSU President, F. King Theta at Ole Miss made national headlines Alexander, also announced late Thursday for snapping a hamster’s neck and preceding evening that all Greek activities at the to bite off its head. It was captured in a grainy university were suspended “indefinitely, spring break video that went viral back in pending the results of a thorough 2015. In February, an Indiana University investigation,” he said at a news conference. of Pennsylvania Phi Delta Theta member “We in the LSU community are grieving choked a fellow member to death during a today,” President Alexander said at a fight according to the school’s newspaper; press conference Thursday. “The death of The Penn. Maxwell Gruver was tragic and untimely. A Gruver’s high school released a statement young man’s life was cut short last night and in the wake of his death. we mourn the loss and the possible impact “We are deeply saddened to inform you he may have had on our region and the that Maxwell Gruver, class of 2017, passed world. Our deepest sympathies and prayers away today unexpectedly. Please pray for go to his family and his friends. There are See HAZING page 3 allegations that Maxwell’s death was related SOUTHERN DIGEST - STAFF WRITER
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE, BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA