If the LSU football program were a stock, would you buy or sell? p. 7
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012 • Volume 116, Issue 72
More for your money
Brian Sibille
LSU ranks among best-value SEC schools, hopes to stay affordable
Staff Writer
LSU has been ranked among the nation’s best-value colleges yet again by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. The annual list compares hundreds of four-year public institutions based on cost, financial-aid packages and academic criteria like standardized test scores and graduation rates. Academic value weighs heavier
on the ranking than affordability, according to the Kiplinger website. The University fared better in the in-state rankings this year than last, when it nabbed the No. 76 spot. But LSU fell 12 spots in the out-of-state comparison, dropping to 91st from 79th. Schools are given in-state and out-of-state rankings. In-state rankings consider cost of colleges after need-based and non-need-based grants as well as student debt after
In-state
tuition & fees for ranked SEC schools
2. University of Florida 6. University of Georgia 53. University of Arkansas 57. University of South Carolina 72. LSU 74. University of Tennessee 80. University of Alabama 89. Auburn University
graduation. The same process is used for out-of-state rankings with adjustments for higher out-of-state tuitions. “LSU is the most successful public university in Louisiana by a long shot,” said Chancellor Michael Martin. Martin said the University will maintain its affordable status despite previous and impending budget cuts. Efforts to increase efficiency and authority granted by the LA
The University of North Carolina ranked as the best value in America for both in-state and out-of-state students, with less than $18,000 in total costs per year for in-state students and about $26,000 for out-of-state students.
$5,700 $9,472 $7,174 $10,168 $6,354
GRAD Act 2.0 legislation are some saving methods that could help the University remain affordable, he said. “We’re the best deal the public has,” Martin said. “No one wants to undo that.”
Contributing Writer
Contact Brian Sibille at bsibille@lsureveille.com
Out-of-state
tuition & fees for ranked SEC schools
8. University of Florida 9. University of Georgia 56. University of Arkansas $17,606 67. University of South Carolina $26,352 87. University of Tennessee $25,298 89. University of Alabama $21,900 90. Auburn University $22,890 91. LSU $19,362
“Best Value” rankings according to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine; tuition and fee totals obtained from the official website of each respective school.
Landscape program receives recognition Ferris McDaniel
$27,936 $27,682
$8,480 $8,600 $8,298
ACADEMICS
graphic by MELISSA RUSHING / The Daily Reveille
Six and a half decades after its start, the University program founded by an ambitious New Yorker has blossomed into one of the nation’s premier landscape architecture schools. “DesignIntelligence,” a bimonthly report on architectural trends and practices, ranked the University’s undergraduate landscape architecture program as No. 1 and the graduate program as No. 2 in the nation — just behind Harvard University. According to “DesignIntelligence,” the ranks spawn from surveying landscape architecture hiring organizations that report schools that are best preparing students for their professional future. “We’re proud of what we do,” said Van Cox, interim director of the University’s Robert LANDSCAPE, see page 6
CONSTRUCTION
Makeover approved for stadium Rachel Warren Staff Writer
Take a good, long look at the west side of Tiger Stadium, because by the fall, it will be receiving a facelift. The LSU System Board of Supervisors’ renovation plans will replace the chain-link fence around the entrance to the west side of the stadium with a wrought iron structure, said Herb Vincent, associate vice chancellor for University Relations and associate athletics director. Vincent said the chain-link fence was put up during a previous renovation and was intended to be temporary. “Wrought iron is much more attractive,” he said. He said the University will also create what he called a “Championship Plaza,” similar to the one at
Alex Box Stadium, to exhibit the history of Tiger Stadium and honor important players. The project will also include areas along North Stadium Drive. Vincent said the gates the Tiger Band uses to enter the stadium will be replaced, and the sidewalks along the street will be repaved. Vincent said the project will cost about $8 million and will be funded by the Tiger Athletic Foundation. Construction should begin this semester, and Vincent hopes the project will be completed by football season. “Fans really don’t get a feel for the history of Tiger Stadium right now,” he said. “This will be a much more attractive entrance.” Vincent said the University has seen a demand for more seating in the stadium and has begun studies
on the project’s feasibility. “We need to find out if the cost is justified,” he said. Vincent also said the University will test the ground around the south end zone, where the structure would be expanded, to find out what’s below the surface and if anything can be built on it. Though there has been talk of upper-deck seats and suites, there is no official plan yet. Vincent said there is no timeline for the project, and he doesn’t know when the preliminary plans will be complete. He said matters pertaining to the expansion have been discussed at Board of Supervisors meetings, but nothing has officially been submitted for approval. rendering courtesy of HERB VINCENT
Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com
The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a plan to replace the chain link fence on the west side of Tiger Stadium with a “Championship Plaza” and wrought iron entrance.
The Daily Reveille
Nation & World
page 2
INTERNATIONAL
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
NATIONAL
STATE/LOCAL
Five foreign tourists killed in Ethiopia, two in critical condition
U.S. bans import, transport of snakes plaguing the Everglades
Nine students hurt in BR bus crash, bus driver issued ticket
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Five foreign tourists were killed by unknown armed rebels in Ethiopia’s Afar region in the north, Ethiopian state television reported on Tuesday. The Ethiopian Television, or ETV, cited the Ethiopian Ministry of Defense reporting eight unidentified foreign nationals were attacked near the Eritrean border on Monday. ETV said two tourists were injured severely and have been brought to a health clinic by defense forces. They are in critical condition, the state television said. UK scientists find Darwin fossils lost for more than 150 years
MIAMI (AP) — Federal officials say it’s now illegal to import four types of snakes that have been plaguing the Everglades. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced the ban Tuesday on Burmese pythons, yellow anacondas and northern and southern African pythons. The snakes are also now banned from being transported across state lines. Pythons have become a growing problem in Florida. Many are believed to have been pets that were dumped once they grew too big.
(AP) — A Baton Rouge police spokesman says nine children were treated for non-life-threatening injuries after the school bus they were in crashed Tuesday at an intersection. The Advocate reports the crash happened at 8 a.m. when the bus driver, 60-year-old Bridget Gage, tried to turn left onto Flannery Road from a westbound lane of Florida Boulevard. Cpl. L’Jean McKneely says a pickup traveling east on Florida hit the bus, which had 36 children aboard at the time of the accident. Gage was issued a ticket for failure to yield left turn. Grounded ship in Mississippi River pulled free, no damage reported
LONDON (AP) — British scientists have found scores of fossils the great evolutionary theorist Charles Darwin and his peers collected but that had been lost for more than 150 years. Dr. Howard Falcon-Lang, a paleontologist at Royal Holloway, University of London, said Tuesday that he stumbled upon the glass slides containing the fossils in an old wooden cabinet that had been shoved in a “gloomy corner” of the massive, drafty British Geological Survey. The find was a collection of 314 slides of specimens collected by Darwin and his inner circle.
DITA ALANGKARA / The Associated Press
People ride on top of a commuter train Tuesday in Jakarta, Indonesia. The country has gone to extremes to try to stop them from illegally riding the roofs of trains.
Indonesia tries to deter train ‘surfers’ through dangerous means JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has gone to extremes to try to stop commuters from illegally riding the roofs of trains — hosing down the scofflaws with red paint, threatening them with dogs and appealing for help from religious leaders. Now the authorities have an intimidating and possibly even deadly new tactic: Suspending rows of grapefruit-sized concrete balls to rake over the top of trains as they pull out of stations, or when they go through rail crossings.
FIND A NEW YARD TO BRING ALL THE BOYS TO
Abortion, sterilization order for mentally ill Mass. woman vetoed BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts court on Tuesday overturned a ruling by a judge who ordered a mentally ill woman to undergo an abortion against her wishes and be sterilized. The Massachusetts Appeals Court said the woman, who has schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, had described herself as “very Catholic” and made it clear she did not want an abortion. The ruling reverses a decision by Family and Probate Court Judge Christina Harms, who found the 32-year-old woman incompetent to decide whether to get an abortion.
VENICE (AP) — A coal freighter ran aground near the mouth of the Mississippi River Tuesday and was freed a short while later, but the incident raised fresh questions about cutbacks in the Army Corps of Engineers’ dredging of the river. The 738-foot-long Panamanianflagged ship Rondeau ran aground Tuesday morning on its way to the Gulf of Mexico and later was freed, the Coast Guard said. There were no reports of injuries or pollution.
Today on lsureveille.com Online exclusive - Read about crimes on campus during the winter break.
Get introduced to “The Love Seat,” a new video blog on the LMFAO entertainment blog. Tune in to 91.1 KLSU-FM at 5:20 p.m. for updates on the Tiger Girls. Read the Tiger Feed sports blog for a reaction to Les Miles’ press conference. Get the latest news by downloading the LSU Reveille app in the iTunes Store and Android Market
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY
The Daily Reveille
page 3
Former Blockbuster to become Gameware, Verizon Wireless Emily Herrington Staff Writer
Cell phones and video games will soon replace movie rentals on College Drive. The former Blockbuster location on College was sold and is slated to house Verizon Wireless and Gameware stores, with a possible addition of Panda Express. Walter Salek, senior vice president of brokerage for The Retail Connection, said he purchased the Blockbuster building about a year and a half ago after it went out of business. The existing building will be divided into a Verizon Wireless and Gameware, and pending clearance, there will be an expansion to include a Panda Express franchise, Salek said.
“We certainly want that to happen to have Panda Express, a national Chinese food chain. It’s the largest in the world, so obviously we would want to have them in that location,” he said. The only other Panda Express in Baton Rouge is in the University’s Student Union. Gameware will make a twoblock move from its current location in the College Creek Shopping Center. Gameware store owner Steve Bernhard said the reason for the move is better visibility and greater accessibility. “Where I am now, it’s hard to get in and out, and I’m not facing College Drive, so it’s not as visible,” Bernhard said. The result of the variance request should be determined by the
first week of February, Salek said. Salek paid about $1.2 million for the building in a brokered deal, said Austin Earhart, a Beau Box Commercial Real Estate agent who consulted on the deal. Salek said he was interested in the property because “it’s a great piece of real estate.” The new Gameware store will open Feb. 14 or 15, and its current location will close one or two days prior for moving, Bernhard said. “We don’t want to be closed for more than two days,” he said. Verizon Wireless will open in April, Salek said.
Contact Emily Herrington at eherrington@lsureveille.com
AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille
Gameware and Verizon Wireless will soon take the place of the Blockbuster building on College Drive. Panda Express is also a possible addition.
TECHNOLOGY
University student creates website for alternative textbook exchange Gordon Brillon Contributing Writer
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Buying and selling textbooks can be an expensive hassle. But electrical engineering junior Hans Weggeman is looking to remedy that by creating Stroupp.com, a website aimed to directly facilitate textbook sales and exchanges between students. Weggeman sought to solve the problem of high textbook prices, which can top $200, and stores’ buyback programs that offer significantly less than retail price in exchange. Lauren Merrell, psychology sophomore, said she has had more than her fair share of trouble going through the usual textbook channels. Good deals are not always available online, where she checks first, but the bookstore remains a last resort. “The bookstore is always so packed, and the books are a lot more expensive,” she said. “It’s just a pain.” In the interest of relieving some
of that pain, the site features listings of every class offered by the University. After creating an account with the site, students “register” for their enrolled classes and post classified ads specifying books they are looking to buy or sell. Weggeman said he came up with the idea last semester after realizing many students want to sell old textbooks to other students but had no way of contacting would-be buyers. The problem, he said, was a lack of specialization. “You have sites like Amazon or Craigslist where you can sell anything,” Weggeman said. “But when you want to sell one specific thing, whether it be textbooks or something else, there’s no medium for that. Students have been overlooked.” Still in its early stages, Stroupp currently caters only to LSU students. Weggeman said he plans to use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to establish a client base, but he does not currently intend to integrate the site with social
networks. For the moment, Weggeman said “it’s more about simplifying the process than making a profit. But then, so many sites are developed not for profit. I never would have thought that Twitter would take off. We’ll see how things go, but to expand is definitely possible.” Weggeman also credits outside sources that helped establish the technical foundation of the site. Using open-source software available to anyone, he was able to create the site’s intuitive interface, which he admits he could not have done alone. “[The creation of the site] has been a combination of creating and modifying to create a robust marketplace,” Weggeman said. “With open-source technology and a background in coding, there is a lot that’s possible.”
Contact Gordon Brillon at gbrillon@lsureveille.com
DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Becky at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: oncampus@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
page 4
CLUB TEAMS
BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY
Gas prices inflate in recent months Emily Herrington
Rising prices in the last five weeks
Contributing Writer
photo courtesy of LOGAN MOUNT
Logan Mount, wildlife ecology junior and president of the LSU Sportsman Fishing club, holds up his catch at a competition.
University fishing club goes to new depths
Claire Caillier
Contributing Writer
Schools of fish fear the University’s Sportsman Fishing club. The nautical team will have a chance to defend its title as Bassmaster College Classic champions in Shreveport next month. The club’s 16 members will compete against LSU Shreveport and the University of Arkansas. The maritime crew defeated the University of Alabama at last year’s championship by reeling in seven more pounds than the Tide fishermen, said Logan Mount, wildlife ecology junior and president of the club. The team will also be vying for a title for the first time in the Forrest L. Wood National Championship in late spring, Mount said. The club’s love of the sport propels them to continue entering and qualifying for tournaments, said Craig Gautreaux, LSU AgCenter communication specialist. The club competes nationally against more than 40 universities, primarily Southern schools, Gautreaux said. At each tournament, teams consisting of two members fish for about eight hours, Mount said. Depending on the tournament, four or five fish
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
are weighed and added together as the team’s total weight. The team with the largest haul wins. “We are serious about competition,” Mount said. “We are serious about fishing. We want to make LSU known throughout the fishing community.” Mount said living in Louisiana is an advantage for the University’s student fishing enthusiasts. “We get to fish within the state,” he said. “Louisiana offers a vast habitat for us to fish and perfect our skills.” Prior to tournaments the group pre-fishes the designated lake and crafts a game plan, he said. Mount said the team participates in three tournament circuits: College B.A.S.S., FLW College Fishing and BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing. “When we win, it shows how successful the University is,” he said. Construction management junior and club member Drew Comeaux said he is excited for the upcoming tournament.
Read the rest of the story online at lsureveille.com. Contact Claire Caillier at ccaillier@lsureveille.com
It doesn’t take a petroleum analyst to realize gas prices are once again on the rise. According to GasBuddy.com, a gasoline trend tracking website, the average price per gallon in Baton Rouge is $3.262. The average in Louisiana is $3.251 per gallon, compared to the national $3.341 per gallon average. Gas prices in Baton Rouge have increased by about 12 cents in the last two weeks, according to the site’s data. One year ago, the average price was 30.9 cents cheaper than it is today. Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said the recent weeks’ increase in price is largely due to political concerns in Iran. The price increases are a national phenomenon, and it’s not exclusive to Baton Rouge, DeHaan said. DeHaan said energy market traders are “rattled” about Iran’s threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, which would sending prices climbing. The Strait of Hormuz is a major passage for petroleum exportation. If Iran follows through with the threat and eliminates access to Middle Eastern oil, DeHaan said it would wreak havoc on oil prices. The worry now is what has upped gas prices, he said. “Many times, traders hear that news and react and trade based on emotion. We’re seeing some of those emotions take place on the market,” he said. “News stories push the process.” But Wumi Iledare, Energy Center director and petroleum
graphic by BRITTANY GAY / The Daily Reveille
economics and policy research professor, said uncertainty in the market is not the only cause. Supply and demand is the main reason for the rise in gasoline, Iledare said. “There’s said to be an uplift in the economy and people are more comfortable, so demand is higher,” he said. As the demand for gas increases, prices will as well. Ileadare said weather also plays a part. This winter wasn’t as cold as expected, which led to a decline in miles traveled and a shift in demand, he said. DeHaan said gas prices are typically “quiet” in January and February, and he expects prices to stabilize soon. “Think back to the days following the start of the crisis in Libya — an event that also rattled energy markets,” DeHaan said in a news release. “We’re seeing similar emotions play out even though there hasn’t yet been a disruption to supply. I would blame emotion for the recent uptick in
gasoline prices, nothing else.” Iledare said he doesn’t expect Iran to close the waterway because it’s heavily protected by U.S. sources. Rachel Jackson, communication studies junior, said she’s felt the sting of recent gas prices. “Paying for gas went from mildly painful to excruciating,” she said. Jackson said she lives about three and a half hours away in Monroe and travels home at least once a month. The rise in price has forced her to change her habits, she said. She said she makes attempts to drive less, walk as much as possible and catch rides with friends. Ryan Stafford, business administration freshman, said he’s “absolutely noticed” the price change. He said he tries to find the cheapest gas possible before paying at the pump. “It costs me about 75 bucks for a tank of gas,” Stafford said. Contact Emily Herrington at eherrington@lsureveille.com
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The Daily Reveille
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
POLITICS
Higher ed funding remains contentious as next legislative session approaches TOPS may face additional changes
Kate Mabry Staff Writer
A new batch of legislators has taken its place in the Louisiana Senate, but political science professor Robert Hogan said the state can expect similar debates revolving around higher education funding. Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball swore all 39 state senators into office for the 2012-2016 session on Jan. 9 at the State Senate Chamber. Robert Hogan said budget issues may be one of the largest impacts students will feel during the upcoming legislative session, which begins in March. In the past, some legislators have hoped to change TOPS into a state grant unassociated with tuition costs, and Hogan said talks on the issues may continue into this session. TOPS is currently tied to tuition costs, and with the increase in tuition, state costs in TOPS coverage increase as well. However, Gov. Bobby Jindal has stated his opposition to the detachment between TOPS and tuition prices, Hogan said. Hogan said another hot topic within the legislative branch in the past included the right to carry fire arms on campus grounds. “Bills are introduced time and time again,” he said. “They may be reintroduced until they pass or are killed.” Of the 39 senators, 10 are new to the Senate, with four serving their first term within the Legislature. The group is a bipartisan mix comprised of 24 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Sen. John Alario, R-Westwego, was selected to be the Senate president, and Sen. Sharon Weston Broome, D-Baton Rouge, was selected to be Senate president protempore for a second term. While Alario is currently serving his second term in the Senate this year, he has also served nine terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives and was speaker for two of those terms. At the inauguration ceremony, Alario said the upcoming legislation will focus on improving the state for future generations with an emphasis on education.
photo courtesy of the LOUISIANA STATE SENATE
Members of the 2012-2016 Louisiana State Senate take oath Jan. 9 in special inaugural ceremonies at the State Senate Chamber.
Alario said he is most looking forward to working with Jindal to improve elementary and secondary education. “If Louisiana is to have a great future, it is through our children,” he said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “It is our responsibility to give them the tools to succeed, and that is through education reform.” Alario also said budget problems for higher education continue to be a concern within the Senate. “It is important the actions we take have a positive impact on higher education,” he said. Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Shreveport, said he was inspired by his constituents to join the Senate this term. Peacock said he is most
looking forward to gaining “a better understanding of how state government works and changes that can be made to improve it.” While the governor’s education reform package will be contentious within the Senate this term, Peacock said students can expect further changes to higher education. When asked what approaches the Senate will take to improve education within the state, Peacock said he believes “streamlining our universities to focus on their role, scope and mission” to be the best plan of action. Contact Kate Mabry at kmabry@lsureveille.com
page 5
“A man who stops advertising to save money, is like a man who stops the clock to save time.”
-Henry Ford
page 6 LANDSCAPE, from page 1
Reich School of Landscape Architecture. Reich, who lent his name to the school and was known to students and faculty as “Doc,” came to the University in 1941 to teach. But by 1946 he founded what is still Louisiana’s only school for landscape architecture, Cox said. “He was a remarkable man,” Cox said. “He lived and breathed landscape architecture.” Cox said Reich’s vigorous hiring of like-minded faculty and challenging students to think for themselves were rungs in the ladder that led to the University’s national prestige. He said Reich believed students possessed potential for greatness, and it was the faculty’s responsibility to spark the fire. In 2011, LSU landscape architecture students reaped five national awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects — more than any other university. Cox said Reich had an abundance of faith in his students, but
he demanded an equal amount of allegiance to their work. “He fought for his students and faculty,” Cox said. “To make them good.” Cox said Reich instituted a travel program to provide students with exposure. The travels, which still exist, send students to scenic and design sites and to meet professionals across the United States, Europe and South America. Reich wanted students to see the world, Cox said. Cox said Reich ensured that students who could not pay for the trips received help, including sometimes loaning money from his own pocket. Reich also donated substantial sums of money to establish scholarships. The program now annually awards approximately $40,000 in scholarships and financial aid to its students, including funding for the aforementioned trips. Michael Petty, landscape architecture graduate student and graduate program assistant, said “Doc” created a friendly,
The Daily Reveille family-like program. He was concerned about getting to know his students on a personal level. “He treated them as if he was their father,” Cox said. Cox said Reich retired in 1983 but continued to teach a seminar without pay until the semester before he died in 2010. According to Cox, 147 students — 61 from out of state, including 11 international students — made up the undergraduate program in 2011. The graduate school had 40 students, of which 33 came from outside Louisiana. About 95 percent of those undergraduate students landed jobs before receiving their degrees, he said. Cox said landscape architecture students genuinely care about the people for whom they design. The school does community-oriented projects, which offer students experience with clients who have real problems. “If you can find students who are enthusiastic about what they’re doing, then that’s a great recipe for success,” he said.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille
Donated to LSU in 1981, the Hilltop Arboretum provides students the opportunity to study native species through the LSU School of Landscape Architecture.
Cox said the school’s success today stems from the teachers’ care for their students and the students’ tenaciously facing curriculum, sacrificing extensive time and effort in the studios during their five-year stay. Reich may be gone, but the school will continue to advance and hopefully grow in population,
Cox said. “We are revising our curriculum to make it more current,” he said. “We’re trying to remain current without losing our essence.”
Contact Ferris McDaniel at fmcdaniel@lsureveille.com
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Sports
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
52-3
page 7
BUY OR SELL?
41-17
Cotton Bowl
42-10
0-21
Alabama
Standout performances from quarterback Jordan Jefferson and running back Spencer Ware had Tiger fans salivating over what the 2011 season might hold.
LSU’s 9-6 win at Alabama had Tiger fans ready to punch their tickets to the national championship game.
West Virginia
SEC title game
LSU earned its third impressive road win against a ranked opponent, powering past then-No. 16 West Virginia, 47-21.
Despite a dismal offensive performance, LSU won its 11th Southeastern Conference title and solidified its place in the BCS National Championship game.
Auburn Ware and sophomore cornerbacks Tyrann Mathieu and Tharold Simon miss the Auburn game for violating team policies.
Oregon
BCS National Championship
A stout Tiger defense forced four turnovers in LSU’s 40-27 win over then-No. 3 Oregon.
After an embarrassing showing in the BCS title game, coupled with alleged locker-room fights and high team tensions, where does LSU stand now?
Preseason
An off-campus bar brawl leads to four players’ suspensions, including Jefferson. Wideout Russell Shepard also faced a three-game suspension.
Experts tentatively ‘buy’ LSU as future elite after wild season, BCS fallout
Chris Abshire Sports Writer
The LSU football team stood at the pinnacle of college football when it took the Superdome turf last Monday night to take on an
arch-nemesis on the heels of a charmed 13-0 regular season. Nine days later, LSU fans are still digesting the fallout from the Tigers’ lifeless 21-0 loss to the Crimson Tide in the BCS National Championship. Questions about everything
from recruiting impact to potential locker-room conflict have permeated the air of invincibility the program enjoyed during a 2011 Southeastern Conference title run. STOCKS, see page 11
If the LSU football team were a stock, would you buy, sell or hold? Vote at lsureveille.com. compiled by MARK CLEMENTS • graphic by KIRSTEN ROMAGUERA / The Daily Reveille
RECRUITMENT
FOOTBALL
Kiel enrolls at Notre Miles: We gave Lee ‘great thought’ Dame, spurns LSU Alex Cassara
Sports Contributor
Hunter Paniagua Sports Writer
Two weeks ago, LSU landed its quarterback of the future. Then Gunner Kiel changed his mind. Kiel, a five-star recruit and consensus No. 1 quarterback, spurned LSU and enrolled at Notre Dame on Tuesday, turning on the commitment he made to LSU on Dec. 27. “This recruitKIEL ment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me,” Kiel said in a news release. The Columbus, Ind., native
listed three factors that led to his Notre Dame selection — proximity to home, academic prestige and comfort level with players and coaches. “[Notre Dame] coach [Brian] Kelly was great throughout my recruitment, as many times our conversations had nothing to do with football,” Kiel said. “That really showed me he had my best intentions in mind.” Kiel originally committed to Indiana but decommitted from the Hoosiers on Oct. 20. Two months later, the 2011 Indiana Mr. Football committed to LSU and planned to enroll early but ultimately landed at Notre Dame.
Contact Hunter Paniagua at hpaniagua@lsureveille.com
LSU coach Les Miles addressed his decision to keep senior quarterback Jarrett Lee on the bench during the BCS National Championship against Alabama and other recent issues plaguing the program during a press conference held Tuesday at the Football Operations Center. Miles said although he felt the team needed a mobile quarterback to move the ball against Alabama’s suffocating pass rush at the time, which starting senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson provided, he would play Lee “without question” if he could go back to Jan. 9. “We gave great thought to Jarrett,” Miles said. “Hindsight being 20/20, I’d call the first play differently and the 15th play differently and right on through. We did what we thought was our best opportunity at victory, and we did it as a staff.” While the quarterback
CONNOR TARTER / The Daily Reveille
LSU head coach Les Miles speaks to reporters Tuesday about the upsetting loss to Alabama in the BCS National Championship.
controversy was nothing new by the end of the season, rumors of bickering between players and coaching staff emerged after the team’s loss to
the Crimson Tide. Miles took time to quell these allegations. MILES, see page 11
The Daily Reveille
page 8
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
LSU defeats Auburn, 65-58, in overtime victory Tuesday night Tigers move to 2-2 in SEC play Albert Burford Sports Contributor
LSU and Auburn entered the men’s basketball game Tuesday night with identical 11-6 overall records and 1-2 Southeastern Conference records. LSU’s 65-58 overtime win showed the teams were just as evenly matched on the court as they appeared on paper. The victory snapped a twogame losing skid for the Bayou Bengals. LSU held a 10-point lead in the first half — the largest of the contest— but a cold start to the second half put Auburn in charge by as much as eight in the final 15 minutes of regulation. Freshman guard Anthony Hickey led the Tigers with an 18-point effort. “When you correct [the freshmen] on any mistake they make, they make that adjustment, and they try their best, and they work extremely hard,” said senior forward Storm Warren. “Their work
is paying off.” Tigers in the game. Junior center Justin Hamilton LSU freshman guard John paced the Tigers in the first half Isaac sank a long two-pointer just with nine points but couldn’t con- before halftime only to be onenect in the second half, failing to upped by a three-point bomb that score a single point in the final 20 came from past half court, courtesy minutes of regulation. of Sullivan. Hamilton only pulled down But Sullivan couldn’t find two rebounds in the basket late in the second half, ‘It’s important when the match, going while accounting scoreless in the we’re at home because final 20:38 of the for two fouls. But Hamilton game. our fans have been made up for his “We tried to great.’ poor second half stay in contact by hitting the first with him,” LSU Trent Johnson shot of overtime, coach Trent JohnLSU coach drawing a charge son said. “But against Auburn Frankie Sullivan’s and pulling down a rebound. a good basketball player. We did a “[Auburn] did a good job of good job from a team standpoint of mixing up their defense,” Hamil- trying to wear him down and make ton said. “They kept on switching him earn everything he got.” [junior center Rob] Chubb and [seSullivan couldn’t find much nior forward Kenny] Gabriel.” support from his teammates when LSU was outscored, 29-22, in he couldn’t hit. Auburn shot just 34 the second half, but dominated the percent on the night and didn’t get scoring in overtime, 9-2. any help at the stripe, completing Junior Auburn guard Frankie only 53 percent of its free throws. Sullivan didn’t start, but made up LSU also showed prowess in for his early absence by lighting up ball movement, as Hickey accountthe scoreboard for 19 points. ed for six of LSU’s 18 assists, comEvery time LSU seemed ready pared to Auburn’s 12 total assists. to pull away in the first half, SulHickey and sophomore guard livan was there to keep the visiting Andre Stringer were left out of the
CONNOR TARTER / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman guard John Isaac (32) moves past Auburn’s Kenny Gabriel (22) as he goes to score for LSU during the Tigers’ 65-58 win against Auburn on Tuesday.
starting lineup after arriving late to a video session earlier in the week. The win may prove vital for the Bayou Bengals before they hit the road to play No. 17 Florida and No. 18 Mississippi State, followed by a home matchup against No. 2 Kentucky. “It’s important when we’re at
home because our fans have been great,” Johnson said. “People are supporting us like it’s unbelievable, so it’s our responsibility to establish a home-court presence.” Contact Albert Burford at aburford@lsureveille.com
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
‘Gut check’ mirror spurs self-assessment for Lady Tigers
Luke Johnson Sports Writer
Tucked away along a wall in the LSU women’s basketball practice facility stands what may be LSU coach Nikki Caldwell’s most effective practice tool. It won’t make players shoot better or run faster — not outwardly, at least — but it does give them a crucial nudge toward the best version of themselves. It’s a roughly four-foot-tall, purple-framed mirror, but it provides the players with more than just a reflection. “That’s the ‘gut check’ mirror,” said senior forward Courtney Jones. “The one we all hate.”
The mirror’s purpose goes something like this, “Mirror, mirror on the wall. Tell me, did I give it my all?” The mirror’s name and the look on the players’ faces when they line up say everything about its effect. At random times during practice, Caldwell blows her whistle for a 90-second drill she calls the “gut check” where players form a line in front of the mirror. This is the part the players don’t look forward to. As they step up to the mirror, they must stare at themselves and assess their effort. “When she stops and yells, ‘Gut check!’ your heart drops a little bit,” said senior forward
LaSondra Barrett. “You have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. ... It holds you accountable.” If they leave everything on the court, they give the mirror a thumbs-up. But if they feel they could’ve given more, the mirror gets the dreaded thumbs-down. “It gets the attention of their teammates,” Caldwell said of the thumbs-down action. “Then their teammate is holding them accountable like, ‘Hey, let’s go. We’ve got to keep it up because coaches may blow the whistle for a gut check.’” The negative self-assessment is a tough bite to swallow for some, evidenced by the pained looks on the players’ faces.
“I don’t want to say we hate it, but of course it’s a reflection of yourself,” Jones said. “If you feel like you can’t look in that mirror and honestly give yourself a thumbs-up, you need to re-evaluate yourself and ask, ‘Why am I not doing this?’ or, ‘Why am I having a bad day?’” The tool seems to be doing the job for Caldwell’s staff. Her Lady Tigers team has recovered from a slow start to post a 13-4 record so far this season — just six wins away from matching last season’s win total. “The mirror is the truth,” Barrett said. “You get to the point in practice where you look fatigued, you get a little weak in your mind
and you slow down and stop and say, ‘I can’t go forward.’ Sometimes your mind tricks you.” But the mirror was there from the beginning with Caldwell, who started using it when turning around UCLA’s program. After improving every season at UCLA, the mirror was destined for a new home in Baton Rouge. It wasn’t hard to get the players to buy into the benefits of the mirror, Caldwell joked. “Obviously women love to primp and look at themselves.”
Contact Luke Johnson at ljohnson@lsureveille.com
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
SWIMMING
GYMNASTICS
The Daily Reveille
page 9
University Injured sophomores shift to leadership role swimmer to Trio of freshmen shine in first meet blog about Olympics Rowan Kavner
Sports Contributor
Staff Reports The 2012 London Olympics are still months away, but LSU junior swimmer Amanda Kendall already has her eyes on the prize. The aspiring Olympian will blog about her training for Reachforthewall. com, a swimming website and Kendall online product of The Washington Post. The website will track potential American Olympic swimmers. Kendall has had a productive season individually and for LSU so far. She won four gold medals at the 2011 Pan American Games, winning the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 4x100-meter medley relay. She also earned a gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle with a personal best time of 54.75. Kendall earned NCAA First-Team All-American Honors in 2011. Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com
High expectations are inevitable for a team ranked No. 12 in the preseason just one year after going winless in the Southeastern Conference. The LSU gymnastics team’s newcomers generated most of the buzz last season, as thenfreshman Sarie Morrison led the Tigers with an all-around average of 38.88 and then-freshman Maliah Mathis led the team with a 9.81 average on floor last year. Morrison and Mathis were expected to headline the group of LSU gymnasts in 2012. But injuries to Morrison, Mathis, sophomore Kaleigh Dickson and junior Shelby Prunty early this season have forced a trio of freshmen to compete immediately. The hiatus has allowed many of the injured veteran gymnasts to become leaders for the budding group of newcomers. “Coach always says when you lose, you learn, and when you win, you teach,” Prunty said. “Last year...was a learning year, because we definitely didn’t have the greatest season. Going into this season we just had that much more motivation to win and to teach instead of to learn.” Freshmen Lloimincia Hall, Jessie Jordan and Rheagan Courville finished first, second and
File photo
Sarie Morrison performs on bars, earning a career high of 9.925 to win the event title. The team went on to win the 2011 home finale over New Hampshire.
third, respectively, in the allaround competition in LSU’s home-opening victory against Auburn. Hall is ranked No. 13 nationally on floor with a 9.875 average, while Courville is ranked No. 10 on vault with a 9.90 average after two meets. “I’m so happy that [the freshmen] are strong and they’re able to come from strong backgrounds where they’re used to this kind of pressure of big meets,” Dickson said. “They’ve been able to come to me and ask me questions, so I feel like I’ve been able to help them.” Dickson, who held LSU’s third highest average on floor and in all-around last season, said it’s essential for the experienced group of sophomores to be able to guide LSU’s new gymnasts who have been thrust into action. LSU coach D-D Breaux said
she can tell the year of competition has bred maturity in the sophomores. “We preach to them about staying in the process, about coming to practice and growing each week,” Breaux said. “They’re a little bit dinged up right now, but at the same time we need them to be calm. We need them to be focused.” Due to their respective
injuries, Morrison, Prunty and Mathis were limited to one event each, and Dickson didn’t compete against Auburn. Breaux said Prunty, who has a wrist injury, has practiced on floor and bars this week, and Breaux expects Dickson, suffering a foot injury, to return to the lineup Friday against Arkansas. She said injuries are part of the sport and the gymnasts have done well staying mentally tough through the ailments. “The conversations and the dialogue and the support mechanisms we’ve got in place is helping the kids move toward being tougher,” Breaux said.
Contact Rowan Kavner at rkavner@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
page 10
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012 STOCKS, from page 7
Prized quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel pulled his purple-andgold commitment Tuesday, instead choosing a Notre Dame squad that hasn’t seriously contended for a national title since Lou Holtz roamed the Irish sidelines in the 1990s. Rumors of pregame turmoil in the Tiger locker room have swirled around message boards, blogs and disgruntled conversations amongst LSU fans. National and local pundits have swarmed LSU coach Les Miles with criticism for a passive game plan and refusal to mix up the quarterback play when senior quarterback Jordan Jefferson proved ineffective during the BCS Championship. Three key components of a potential 2012 Tiger juggernaut — defensive tackle Michael Brockers, cornerback Morris Claiborne and wideout Rueben Randle — jetted for the NFL just more than 48 hours after the title game. A fourth — wide receiver and eternal LSU cheerleader Russell Shepard — nearly did the same. If LSU’s stock was at its apex less than two weeks ago, it’s not a stretch to see the Tigers tumble as a potentially lingering crash. So, what is the Tigers’ value, both within SEC country and throughout the college football world, in the hyper-competitive NCAA marketplace? “LSU is still a top-5 program, and I would still buy [their stock],” said prominent SB Nation college
football blogger Spencer Hall. “But LSU is as fickle and unique as the state of Louisiana. Nothing that happens to that team in the future would surprise me. It’s uneasy if you’re a fan, but thrilling to watch.” Barrett Sallee, an SEC columnist for College Football News, said the title-game fiasco was likely a bump in the road for a stable giant. “As players, sometimes you learn to crawl before you walk, and LSU is a relatively young team, still,” Sallee said. “I don’t see LSU falling off drastically, but I’m much more wary of the Tigers than I was all season. A loss like that can be hard to shake.” The BCS era is flush with examples of embarrassing championship game losses ending prosperous, title-level runs. There was Florida State’s 2-point showing against Oklahoma in 2000, the Sooners’ 55-19 beatdown at the hands of USC in 2004 and heavily-favored Ohio State’s 41-14 no-show against Florida in 2006. The Seminoles, Sooners and Buckeyes have yet to win another championship since their respective losses, and big-game stigmas followed each for years after the initial sting of the title-game losses wore off. “As painful as the loss was, it’s still only one game, and, if anything, it might provide a mission for next year’s team, which could be better anyway,” said ESPN.com college football writer
The Daily Reveille Ivan Maisel. “I’m buying LSU, with only a slight pause, even if the room for improvement is considerably small.” Hall said LSU’s stability comes down to its successfully enigmatic coach — Les Miles — but believes the post-game rumors have proliferated from the Mad Hatter’s quirky nature and his unusually docile game plan against the Tide. “LSU is now at the point where the only implausible explanation for that game would be the rational one,” Hall said. “When the unexplainable —like 92 total yards — happens, you make up a monster to explain it. Les is kind of in his own zone there, almost like R. Kelly. That ‘mad genius’ territory where his failures are so strange that you wonder what was spectacular about them.” Rarely in college football has a team or coach ever gone from near-legendary status to a critical target for the fan base in a month, let alone the three hours it took LSU and Miles last Monday. And recruiting fallout has seemingly followed nearly as quickly. Despite dismissing the notion that Kiel’s change of heart was tied to LSU’s quarterback shortcomings in the title game, Sallee said the Tigers’ consistently underachieving offense is more concerning on the recruiting trail. “The absolute lack of offense, it being so poor on the biggest stage, just has to turn some recruits away, though Gunner probably was just being 18 [years old] and
page 11 uncertain,” Sallee said. “LSU has been rich in talent on offense recently, but that hasn’t translated to a feared attack. An offense-minded recruiting class is necessary, because the defense can’t be at 2011 level every year.” Maisel said the chance for redemption in 2012, along with a supposed savior under center in Zach Mettenberger, could turn the past week’s turmoil into a springboard for future dominance. “The chance to redeem themselves is powerful, as Alabama showed,” Maisel said. “Those players, if they learned from what went wrong, have the talent to make everyone forget about Jan. 9 and show the world that is not LSU football.” Sallee said an immediate response in 2012 to the disastrous title-game collapse might be necessary to prevent a hangover for the program. “If LSU lets that monkey sit on its back, then that’s where you run the risk of the ’Bama beatdown becoming a legacy,” Sallee said. “They might need to get it done next year, because we’ve seen teams in football and across sports — like the Atlanta Braves — spiral after championship blowouts. There’s no doubt LSU will be back on that stage, but winning [a championship] soon might be a necessity for elite status.”
Contact Chris Abshire at cabshire@lsureveille.com
MILES, from page 7
“If I’m a player that didn’t play a lot in that game, I’d be sick, because you certainly have the feel and the want to make a difference,” Miles said. “I have to be very honest with you, there has never been any player-coach interaction that was negative, in my mind, before or after the game.” Junior wide receiver Russell Shepard was one of those players, seeing action in just three snaps and tweeting his frustration following the game. Miles said the personnel grouping he wanted to feature worked against Shepard and he would have “loved” to get to him, had the team gained offensive momentum during the game. Miles said he told Shepard to “continue [his] craft” and to be patient with his success when persuading him to return to LSU after considering a departure for the NFL draft following the national championship. Shepard will benefit from a shift in offensive philosophy with a highly touted junior college quarterback in sophomore Zach Mettenberger likely taking the reins next season. “We will throw the ball more,” Miles said. “We will lose a characteristic of a quarterback that can move his feet and run by design. We’ll have a guy that will scramble, but certainly will throw the football, by percentage, greater.” Contact Alex Cassara at acassara@lsureveille.com
Involvement Leadership Service
The Daily Reveille
Opinion
The
page 12
Peanut
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
THE NEW FRONTIERSMAN
Gallery Colbert a welcome thorn in the side of GOP
What do you think about the Youtube video of an Alabama fan sexually assaulting an LSU fan?
Compiled by KATE MABRY
Patrick Moore ISDS junior
‘I don’t know if he should be registered as a sex offender; that’s kind of extreme.’
Chase Forges political science sophomore
‘What they did was horrible regardless of the fact that the LSU fan was passed out drunk.’
Jennifer Schexnayder finance senior
‘[The victim] should press charges, and the other guys should be registered as sex offenders.’
Natalie Greene
kinesiology sophomore
‘You can’t do that to other people, but the kid from LSU should have defended himself and fought back.’
Political satirist and pundit Stephen Colbert of “The Colbert Report” announced Thursday his interest in running for “President of the United States of South Carolina.” Days later, he explained to ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that he had put together an exploratory committee to weigh his options as a possible presidential candidate. “I’m a one-man Lewis and Clark, and I’m just looking for my Sacajawea,” Colbert quipped. Colbert has always been one to blur the lines between comedian and activist, having both attempted a run for president in 2008 and created his own superPAC (political action committee) in the meantime. These two CLAYTON measures have CROCKETT now converged Opinion Editor to form a potent and dangerous monster: a comedian with unlimited, undisclosed donations posing among real politicians — like a wolf in wolves’ clothing. And the message is clear: If anyone can put together a political action committee which freely and anonymously collects undisclosed funds, look what one can accomplish! Now Colbert has ads running across South Carolina criminalizing former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and urging citizens to vote Herman Cain, who is labeled as “such a Washington outsider, he’s not even running for president.” Analysts are rightfully worried about Colbert’s intrusion. Bruce Hardy, mass communication and political science assistant professor, said the ads will hit viewers who do not expect satire and will take the information at face value.
WEB COMMENTS Mark Emerson
chemical engineering junior
‘It could have happened to any fan base, and LSU has a reputation for having a rowdy fan base, too.’
As usual, the Opinion section of our website, lsureveille.com, has been absolutely buzzing with reader comments. Check it out today, and let your voice be heard. In reference to the Reveille article, “Graphic YouTube video shows Alabama fans assaulting LSU fan,” readers had this to say: “Yet the LSU program will probably start Zack Mettenberger next year only a few years removed from pleading guilty to second degree sexual battery.
The Daily Reveille Editorial Board
Matthew Jacobs Chris Branch Ryan Buxton Bryan Stewart Andrea Gallo Clayton Crockett
Editor-in-Chief Associate Managing Editor Associate Managing Editor Managing Editor, External Media News Editor Opinion Editor
photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Comedian Stephen Colbert, host of “The Colbert Report,” prepares Friday to testify on Capitol Hill before the House Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law subcommittee hearing on Protecting America’s Harvest.
“I think the parody — and actually purchasing airtime — is crossing the line a little bit,” Hardy said. “If you look at the media coverage he’s getting, that coverage is translating into a discussion of the superPAC and where that money is coming from, which is a good discussion.” In truth, Colbert has only taken up the cause which former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer dragged to the depths beside his presidential campaign. Colbert and Roemer even collaborated on an anti-PAC ad which aired on “The Colbert Report.” Colbert’s success in raising awareness of corrupt campaign donations will be measured by the difference between his and Roemer’s approach: While Roemer chose purity and wiped his hands of exorbitant donations from special interest groups and favor-seekers, Colbert is wallowing in the stink of it and rubbing it in the face of the guilty. And the reductio ad absurdum is perfect. When he announced his exploratory committee on his show last
week, he publicly handed over the control of his PAC to former co-star Jon Stewart of “The Daily Show.” The PAC was even renamed “The Definitely Not Coordinating With Stephen Colbert SuperPAC,” poking at the stipulation that politicians are forbidden from cooperating with PACs — despite the favors candidates typically grant to their “anonymous” contributors. The difficulty for politicians like Romney is that if they want to address Colbert’s allegations, they must address corporate financing of superPAC, a topic which abhorrently remains missing from current campaign dialogue. It’s a perfect niche for Colbert, as it allows him to accuse all he wants while remaining unapproachable by his victims. Considering Colbert’s message and method — and means by which the two coalesce — the question of whether the ends justify his means are moot solely because everything he has done has been legal. If the nation were to address unregulated campaign donations by corporations and superPACs,
Colbert’s circus of a campaign would be impossible. But alas, the law has allowed a satirist to collect as much money as he likes to conduct a campaign which he appointed his friend to finance. Colbert’s blatant mockery may be the only way to address the issue of special interest money corrupting politics after Roemer’s refusal of donations above $100 fastened a chain gang to his presidential hopes. And it’s also exciting to see thick and witty satire effectively influence the political sphere. The more votes a Colbert ticket could garner in South Carolina — i.e. the more voters who prefer a joke over a leader — the more we know that the system is in need of dramatic change.
Which is worse...the actions of two fans Alabama has no control over or the past actions of a QB the entire tiger nation will welcome with open arms.” -Anonymous
“Let me start off by saying that as the father of a child who attends the University of Alabama (no connection to this DISGUSTING act) I am overwhelmingly embarassed that the actions of a few cretins reflect upon the University and the state. I am truly disturbed that so many in our society celebrate the inhumanity of others. This behavior is everywhere in our country and is a poignant commentary on where we are headed. I sincerely apologize on behalf of the University and the state and hope all LSU fans will know
there are still many of us who value sportsmanship, honor and integrity over glorified displays of false bravado.” -Anonymous
“So we have an Alabama fan poisoning Auburn’s tree in Toomer’s Corner after they lose, and another Alabama fan molesting a passed out LSU fan after they win. Something is definitely wrong with that inbred program.” -Anonymous
Editorial Policies & Procedures
The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the original intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor-in-chief, hired every semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.
Clayton Crockett is a 20-year-old international studies sophomore from Lafayette. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ccrockett. Contact Clayton Crockett at ccrockett@lsureveille.com
“Good move...I think there is an easier way to come out of the closet.” -Anonymous
Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com
Quote of the Day
“Remember, Jesus would rather constantly shame gays than let orphans have a family.”
Stephen Colbert American political satirist May 13, 1964 — present
The Daily Reveille
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
THE PHILIBUSTER
Opinion
page 13
End-of-semester evaluations fail to improve classes, teachers When it comes to completing the University’s teacher evaluation forms at semester’s end, I’m admittedly one tough cookie. I even follow the ironclad requirement that the cookie-cutter forms be completed in pencil — mostly because pencil makes for more beautiful stick-men drawings and sketches in the forms’ comments sections. Like I said: I’m one tough cookie. All students are familiar with the forms’ redundant “The instructor ... ” statements, which we’re asked to evaluate numerically from one to five. “The instructor was adequately prepared for class,” the forms prompt, for instance. It’s a valid prompt, as are most of them, but ultimately, the most appropriate of this type of statement never makes it onto the evaluation: “This evaluation is a misuse of students’ time and the University’s resources.” “5. Strongly agree.” The University’s evaluations have two distinct aims. The first is to provide instructors with feedback from their students as a matter of customer service. “How can we make your buying experience
better, students?” the University asks. Of course, this aim assumes there’s a correlation between instructor assessments — positive or negative — and instructor behavior. In other words, that instructors respond to students’ evaluations. As it turns out, it’s a bad assumption to make. Sports administration sePhil Sweeney nior Jay RuhlColumnist man, said several of his teachers have admitted not reading them at all. That’s not the general rule, though. Math 1550 instructor Irina Holmes, for example, not only read her students’ evaluations but attached several of their comments to her classes’ syllabi. “By far the best math teacher I have had. She was very helpful,” reads one such comment. Either way, the objective portions of the evaluations, which are analyzed and reported by the Office of Assessment & Evaluation,
aren’t provided to instructors until the following semester, according to Emily Elliot, director of Undergraduate Study for the Department of Psychology. In other words, aside from students’ comments — which sometimes include such constructive criticism as “I wanna date you” and “things about teachers’ packages,” Elliot said — instructors aren’t given actionable data until they’ve almost completed another semester. Often, the instructors can’t adequately act on that data because they’ve already moved on to different classes and subjects. What’s more is that the evaluations and resultant data — which would be priceless to students during scheduling — are kept confidential by the University, leaving students to consult unregulated third-party aggregators like RateMyProfessors.com and UniversityTools.com. “It would help students if [the University] would publish the evaluation’s results,” Ruhlman said. To boot, while each department has its own specific evaluation form, the assessment process’s
blanket approach is similarly baffling. “More [class] specific questions would help,” said Josh Dewitt, philosophy and religious studies sophomore. At any rate, the University is failing students with these assessments, but it’s also failing instructors, for whom such evaluations are effectively employment reviews. While it varies by department, according to Elliot, the objective data are typically compiled in an instructor’s annual report, which determines raises, promotions and tenure. There’s a lot at stake for our instructors, in other words. Too much, given the general disinterest with which students complete these evaluations. It’s reckless, for example, that instructors administer them the last fifteen minutes of the last class, where a student’s criticism is as guiltlessly easy as a hastily bubbled scantron. Jared Duckworth, kinesiology sophomore, said he doesn’t take the evaluations seriously. “I got other stuff to do,” he said.
More importantly, the assessments’ objective data are tainted, according to a 2007 Ohio State University study. Instructors grading easily, the study asserts, are more likely to receive positive evaluations from students — hence the “expected grade” question on our particular forms, which seeks to correct for the phenomenon. In essence, instructors who are easy — and not necessarily the best instructors — are prioritized for advancement and accolades, and the University suffers as a result. Startling, too, is that the OSU study also found students tend to poorly rate both female and foreign instructors. That said, I’m sure sexism and xenophobia sway few on this campus. I, for one, will be completing this semester’s assessments in pen. Phil Sweeney is a 25-yearold English senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_PhilSweeney.
Contact Phil Sweeney at psweeney@lsureveille.com
FOR THINKERS ONLY
Goody two-shoes Santorum is not so good after all
Sen. Rick Santorum has campaigned on his squeaky clean, goodytwo-shoes image long enough. Santorum can’t be blamed for his persistent strategy — on Jan. 3 his campaign scored a near-victory at the 2012 Iowa caucuses, losing to former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney by just eight votes. Santorum’s right-wing Catholic, ultra-conservative image has gained favor with the religious right in the comically fragmented contest for the GOP nomination. The clean-cut SanMatthew torum, sweater Westfall vest and all, has Columnist consistently campaigned on his Christian and family values. In Iowa, Santorum’s political strategy worked in gaining momentum as a viable conservative alternative to Romney. Santorum effectively became Iowa’s GOP man of the moment. Bob Mann, Manship School professor and director of the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, accompanied a group of Manship School students in Iowa to experience the process first-hand. Mann’s interactions with Santorum supporters left an overwhelming impression of loyalty to the so-called genuine candidate.
“They seemed to be very intensely loyal to him and his message. His social conservatism seemed to really resonate with them. I got the sense that they thought, of all the candidates, he was the one that was the most sincere and the most committed,” Mann said. Santorum is an effective communicator, and he successfully campaigned for the hearts and minds of Iowans. The alarming reality is that so many Iowans seemed intensely loyal to a candidate that’s about as genuine as a reality TV show. In 2006, Santorum was listed in the annual “Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report,” released by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Santorum’s ethical faults range from the funding of his children’s education, misusing his legislative position in exchange for contributions to his political action committee and his alleged involvement in the “K-Street Project” scandal. Since 2001, Santorum has admitted to living with his wife and children in Leesburg, Virginia, spending a month out of the year in a home he owns in Penn Hills, Pennsylvania. From 2001 to 2005, Santorum had five of his children enrolled in a Penn Hills cyber charter school at an estimated cost to local taxpayers of $72,000. Under Pennsylvania law, school districts are required to pay for the tuition of students in their district who are
cyber-schooled. Santorum blatantly ignored the residency requirements in the Penn Hills school district, costing taxpayers thousands in return. Santorum’s image of consistency should be connected more so with his pattern of collecting money from special interests in return for legislative assistance. In 2005, two days before introducing a major bill that would benefit private national weather companies, Santorum’s political action committee received a $2,000 donation from the CEO of the Pennsylvania based AccuWeather, Inc. That’s just one in a long line of questionable campaign contributions from the likes of tobacco companies, beer companies and energy interest groups. The biggest of Santorum’s ethical blunders may have been his alleged involvement in the “K-Street Project” scandal. In 2001, Sen. Santorum began hosting weekly meetings with a select group of Washington lobbyists. The meetings are believed to have been connected with a larger plan — launched in the 1990s by Rep. Tom Delay (R-Texas) and conservative activist and lobbyist Grover Norquist. The goal of this project was for Republicans in Congress to dictate the hiring practices and political loyalties of Washington’s lobbying firms and trade associations. The idea was to pressure these
institutions to drop their Democratic lobbyists and replace them with Republicans. The idea that Santorum’s supporters could believe in his fabricated genuineness and be so intensely loyal to a man who’s so intensely immoral is remarkable. Santorum may very well be a viable candidate in 2016, but for now his candidacy is just another
reflection of the severely fragmented GOP contest. Matthew Westfall is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Winchester, Va. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mwestfall. Contact Matthew Westfall at mwestfall@lsureveille.com
BEST AND WITTIEST
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RED ZEPPELIN PIZZA Now taking applications for bartenders, waitress, and kitchen. apply at restaurant. 225.302.7153
*******BARTENDING******* $300/Day Potential NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. Training Available. AGE 18+ OK 1-800-965-6520 ext127 SMOOTHIE KING-MANAGERS NEEDED Experienced Smoothie King franchisees with multiple area locations looking for managers and assistant managers. On the job training provided. Full or part-time. Fax resume’ to 2256644004 or email to jt@skmanagers.com STUDENTPAYOUTS. COM Paid Survey Takers Needed In Baton Rogue. 100% Free To Join! Click On Surveys. RECORDING STUDIO OFFICE HELP Tue & Thur 4hr each day. Hours are flexible around classes. Sockit Studio 225-216-0167 GRAPHIC DESIGNER NEEDED Dream Silk Screens is looking for a graphic designer for t shirt design. Knowledge of Adobe Illustrator a must. Flexible hours, close to campus. 225.383.8914 STUDENTS NEEDED TO work with children/ adults with disabilities. Several positions available, flexible hours;. Great job for Psych, Kinesiology, and COMD majors. Apply: St. John the Baptist Human Services, 622 Shadows Ln, Suite A, 225.216.1199 HELP WANTED: Veterinary technician/assistant, experience a must. Need to work Mon-Fri at least 8am1pm 225.924.1353 WILDFLOWER PRESENTS Now hiring event promotion interns for marketing and social media. Marketing or PR background preferred. Must have an interest in fashion, art, music, social media, and hard work. Serious inquiries only. Email resumÈs to danny@wildflowerpresents.com 337.781.5107
PART TIME HOSTESS Gino’s Restaurant is seeking a part time hostess for evening shifts. Please call to setup an appointment. 225.927.7156 PARKVIEW BAPTIST PRESCHOOL Preschool Afternoon Teachers needed 3-6pm flex days. no degree required. Please email your resume to parkviewbps@gmail.com WAIT STAFF/BARTENDERS Do you want to work in a fun and fast paced environment at the LSU Baseball games? Drakes Catering is now hiring experienced wait staff and bartenders to serve the luxury seating in Alex Box Stadium. Looking for professionals with a great attitude and work ethic. Drakes focuses on teamwork and attention to details. Call 343.2588 for more information or apply in person at 320 Third Street, Suite 201, BR, LA 70801. VET ASSISTANT NEEDED Vet Assistant Needed Weekend and night positions. Experience helpful but not a must. We can train the right person. Apply in person Monday through Friday between 9a-12p and 1p-4p. 1514 Cottendale. B. R.,70815 225.927.9940 NEED HANDYMAN FOR occasional yard and home upkeep. sims1166@bellsouth.net or 225.769.7921
skills. $8.25/hr. sims1166@bellsouth.net or 225.769.7921 ADMIN ASST. needed. Baton Rouge only. 8-10 hrs/wk. Webbased application: http://bit.ly/ uSX2Dv PART-TIME OFFICE CLERK/ COURIER Small law firm located on Highland Road near the entrance to the Country Club of LA is seeking a parttime Office Clerk/ Courier. Must be able to work a minimum of 15-20 hours per week. Position available immediately. Duties to include, errands, computer work, (Excel, MS Word, WordPerfect), accounting, and other office duties. Please fax resume with schedule of availability to Megan Noland at (225) 2081080, or e-mail to megan@jlaw.net THE AWARD 4 BEST VIDEO GOES 2 ... YOU??? We are looking for bright students who like to (or would like to learn how to) produce short videos! Full time LSU students in good standing from ANY major can apply for these intern positions that can quickly turn into paid work!! This is the resume booster employers will be looking for, regardless of your chosen career. We have a lot of fun, and help you build a highlight reel/ digital portfolio at the same time. Interested students should contact Shannon for immediate interviews at 578-6090. We only have spots for 3 more this semester, don’t get left out! UNIVERSITY CLUB GOLF COURSE grill staff and beverage cart attendants. Looking for friendly, motivated individuals seeking seasonal and part time employment in a great atmosphere. If interested please apply in person
T SHIRT PRINTER no experience necessary. Close to campus, flexible hours Dream Silk Screens 225.383.8914 EARN EXTRA MONEY Students needed ASAP. Earn up to $150 per day being a Mystery Shopper. No Experience Required. Call 1-855201-3786 HOUSEHOLD AND CLERICAL helper for retired prof. Campus area, 10 flex hr/wk. Need computer
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
2000 HONDA ACCORD LX. Gold color, Good condition, $4125.00 225.405.1632 LSU FAN SHOP Tailgate & Auto Accessories www.fansautoaccessories.com
SOUTH OF LSU ON BURBANK You’ll love Goodrich. Walk or bike to class on the path across the old golf course. Near Walk-Ons, Mello-Mushroom, Izzo’s & Taco Bell. LSU bus route. No pets. $400 dep. www.lsubr. com for slideshow pictures and floor plans. brrentnow@cox.net for more info.
GARDEN DISTRICT Quiet, 1 BR upstairs Apt. hrdwood floors. $650.00, move in now. 225.603.2532 4065 BURBANK - $525 You will love living at Williamsburg. Walk or bike to class on the path across the old golf course. Near WalkOns and Taco Bell. On the LSU bus route. No pets. $300 deposit. See www.lsubr.com for pictures and floor plans. Email brrentnow@ cox.net for more info. NOW ACCEPTING DEPOSITS Arlington Trace & Summer Grove Condos and Lake Beau Pre Townhomes 2 & 3 bedroom floor plans available DEAN FLORES REAL ESTATE www.deanflores.com 225.767.2227 WALK TO CAMPUS 1Br, 2Br, and Townhomes. Starting as low as $325.00. www.lsuwestchimesplace.com 225.346.4789
SMALL 27-UNIT COMPLEX south of LSU overlooking the golf course, within walking distance of the Stadium. Extra-large 1 and 2 bedroom apartments with private balcony or walled patio, great closets and storage. Video surveillance security, on-site manager. Convenient and quiet, perfect for serious undergrad, grad and international students. No pets permitted. 7578175. http//riverroadapartments. tripod.com 1ST MONTH FREE!! Luxury 2br $700-$950-pool-gym. On 3rd St.!! 225.295.3035 LSU STUDENTS WALK to class 1BR$375-$425 2BR $525650 3BR house 814 geranium $1095. pets ok mcdaniel properties 225.388.9858 3 BR 2 BATH FOR RENT 1631 Fountain Ave./950mo. 225.295.3035
ROOMMATE NEEDED Gates at Brightside, needing 3rd roommate. $560, includes utilities. Female preferred. On bus route. 337.802.6936 ROOMATE NEEDED Gates of Brightside Female $475 without utilities Can use deposit on file. 504.491.6791
THE COTTAGES MALE 3BR SUBLEASE $755 1346 sq ft, all amenities,+furniture 225-663-6477 or 3bedroomcottages@gmail.com LSU TIGERLAND 1&2 br, Flat & T/ H, W/ F, Pool W/ S pd, LSU Bus $450 - $675 225.615.8521 FOR RENT 2BR/2BA 710 E. Boyd (University View). $1200/ mo. Call 225-753-4187
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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The Daily Reveille
Wednesday, January 18, 2012