Legislative Session: See which bills pertain to higher ed., p. 3
Theater: ‘The Lion King’ to show in N.O., features LSU alumna, p. 9
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Women’s Basketball: Lady Tigers nab 5-seed in tourney, p. 5 Tuesday, March 13, 2012 • Volume 116, Issue 108
Text message celebrates Evolution of the text 20th birthday message
Hello, <insert name here>. Are you available for lunch tomorrow at 2 p.m.? Love, Dad Did you have a good day today? Mine was great! Hey! What’s up? Just saw that movie... lol! Did u see it yet? When r u coming to c me? Miss u. Wazzup? i luv u r u going 2 the dance l8tr? Lol idk u r kewt, haha I dunno, ask me tm plz. Can you believe that? LOLZ. I’m on a lolercoaster. U mad, bro?
Students, professors disagree on effects
For most college students, 1992 messaging has been integral in makis history. ing it relevant. Anything that happened then “Text messaging can only be has simply been that way forever. important as it becomes a possibilClint Eastwood beity for almost all Gordon Brillon came a surly old students,” he said. man in “UnforIn 2011, 72 perContributing Writer given,” Banksy becent of cell-phone came the lovable rascal of the art users in the United States paid for world and — in possibly the most text packages, amounting to 203 important development in college million people, according to a Neusstudents’ consciousness — the first tar survey. These people sent an avtext message-capable cell phone erage of 2.5 billion messages every was released. day, according to the same survey. The Nokia 1011 was a blocky Shrum said people have acmodel almost eight inches tall, cepted texting as part of their weighing more than a pound and social lives and organically crecapable of holding up to 99 phone ated new social rules related to book entries. Mobile phone technol- it, which explains why texting in ogy has come a long way since then, public or in company has become and as it has evolved, so has the gen- a norm rather than a taboo. eration that grew up with it. “People are approaching a Chair of the Department of common understanding of what is Sociology Wesley Shrum said the EFFECTS, see page 15 generation that grew up with text
NATION
Professor reacts to Limbaugh controversy
Kate Mabry Staff Writer
photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texting doesn’t hurt writing skills, students and profs say
As text messaging’s popularity continues to rise, Biochemistry sophomore Corey Guidry and sosome may assume the constant abbreviations and au- ciology freshman Melissa DeMoura both agreed — to-corrections would hurt students’ writing skills, but texting hasn’t affected the way they speak or spell. some students and University profesDeMoura said she noticed people Rachel Warren sors say they’d be wrong. used to shorten words to keep mesAnn Martin, English professor, sages short, but today’s smartphones Staff Writer said she hasn’t noticed any changes in have eliminated the hassle of typing students’ writing abilities through the years, despite full sentences. the improvements of technology. “With iPhones, you don’t really worry about “The students who were bad spellers and sloppy abbreviations as much,” DeMoura said. “People writers are still bad spellers and sloppy writers,” she used to do that, but it’s not much of a problem said. “And the ones who try are still trying.” anymore.” Guidry said he uses punctuation and capital letters in his text messages because he thinks it’s important to speak well all the time. He also thinks it makes the message seem like more of an effort. “When people send you these quick messages in shorthand, it makes you think, ‘Am I not worth typing a whole word?’” he said. History professor James Hardy said he thinks texting interferes with the way students learn, but he hasn’t noticed a decline in their writing skills. “It seems to me there’s no real reason they’re even in class if they’re on the phone,” he said. “They’re not paying attention.” Hardy said he doesn’t send texts or even own a cell phone because he doesn’t see the point. “I’m looking at it from the outside,” he said. “It really just eats up time, and it isn’t time I think WRITING SKILLS, see page 15 photo illustration by MARIAH POSTLETHWAITE / The Daily Reveille
Along with most of the nation, University students and professors are largely inflamed by radio talkshow host Rush Limbaugh, who recently made several controversial birthcontrol stateLIMBAUGH ments on his show that have sparked contention among politics and the media. Sandra Fluke, a Georgetown University law student, expressed her support for President Barack Obama’s policy on birth control, which requires healthcare coverage for contraceptives, at an unofficial congressional hearing last month. Limbaugh responded to her statement, saying, “What does it say about the college coed Susan Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex.” Limbaugh, who mistakenly called the student “Susan,” has retracted his comments and apologized. While some supporters have backed Limbaugh’s remarks, many found them to be inappropriate. The host has since lost the support of several of his show’s advertisers. Limbaugh’s comments have gained notoriety in the media and have crept into the political arena. “These comments were a distraction from the messages that the Republican candidates were trying to put forward,” said James Garand, political science professor. While the uproar following Limbaugh’s comments has subsided, Garand said Democrats will likely continue to remind voters about his comments as the general LIMBAUGH, see page 4