The Daily Reveille - March 27, 2012

Student Government: Former presidents reflect on tenure, p. 3

Baseball: Freshman outfielder’s injury causes lineup shift, p. 5

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CRIME

Bus driver arrested for rape of student

Television: ‘Mad Men’ kicks off promising fifth season, p. 9 Tuesday, March 27, 2012 • Volume 116, Issue 118

HUDDLING UP

‘Your LSU’ violates rules Danielle Kelley Staff Writer

18-year-old victim mentally disabled Lauren Duhon Staff Writer

Donald Bordelon, a Woodlawn High School bus driver, was arrested Friday for allegedly performing sexual acts with a mentally disabled 18-year-old student.

The 61-year-old from 9604 Deer Run Ave., Zachary, was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish prison on counts of aggravated rape.

Casey Rayborn Hicks, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office public information director, said the victim told her mother and a school

SG ELECTIONS

[Left, top right] File photos and [bottom right] CATHERINE THRELKELD / The Daily Reveille

Student-athletes cluster in sports administration major

Joshua Bergeron Contributing Writer

Students are accustomed to seeing LSU football players on the green of Tiger Stadium, but there’s another place to catch them together —

Daily Reveille Special CRIME, see page 15 Report

Dodson Auditorium.

Junior defensive end Sam Montgomery is there every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning for his accounting class, where he’s joined by a host of other Tigers.

They’re just a few of the many student-athletes who share a major.

For Montgomery, that major is

sports administration. He’s one of 26 football players in the program, which draws swarms of athletes from all sports.

But the highest concentration of sports administration majors hails from Alex Box Stadium.

SPORTS ADMIN, see page 15

The “Your LSU” ticket violated Student Government election rules for the second time Monday, according to SG Commissioner of Elections Amelia Burns.

A ticket volunteer campaigned outside The 459 Commons during lunchtime, which violates a rule barring campaigning within 20 feet of University buildings, Burns said.

Burns wouldn’t reveal the details of the ticket’s first offense, for which she said Your LSU was given a private warning.

As a penalty, the SG Election Board limited the ticket to campaign only in the Quad and Free Speech Plaza. But Burns said the board was not in full agreement and may lift the penalty if it is appealed today.

Contact Danielle Kelley at dkelley@lsureveille.com

SG ELECTIONS

March to encourage voting highlights student apathy

Claire Caillier

Contributing Writer

The Student Government Black Caucus and Black Student Union planned to spend Monday evening echoing their ancestors by marching to Middleton Library to vote in unison and encourage black students to participate in the Student Government election.

According to the March on Middleton Facebook group, 51 people were slated to attend, but only 13 people showed up to the event.

“It is obvious black student voting turnout is low, because of the 13 people in attendance tonight, six people were with the media,” said Roben West, political science senior and coordinator of March on Middleton.

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The poor attendance wasn’t necessarily surprising for LSU, which has the least student voter turnout for SG elections in the SEC, said Ashley Hebert, 2011 University alumna and Miss Black Louisiana USA 2012.

In 2011’s SG election, 5,098 students voted, which accounted for 22 percent of the student body. That was an increase compared to the 2010 election, where 5,315 voted which was 19 percent of the student body.

The March on Middleton was meant to inform students about the importance of voting in the black community, especially the black LSU community, according to Hebert.

“I don’t want the lack of knowledge to be the reason why black

MARIAH POSTLETHWAITE / The Daily Reveille

Candidates for SG president and vice president answer questions March 20 at a debate in the Student Union’s Live Oak Lounge.

students do not vote,” Hebert said.

Hebert and Anthony Nelson, incoming chairman of the East Baton Rouge chapter of Young Democrats, enlightened students on the history of black suffrage and the necessary steps to take in order to

register to vote.

“Dogs were released on people and they were shot with fire hydrants,” Nelson said. “We as a generation have the responsibility to vote.”

But Hebert said the lack of

black votes is representative of SG. “When I was in Student Government, there were five black senators,” Hebert said. “I can’t blame students for not voting because they VOTE, see page 4

The Daily Reveille

page 2

INTERNATIONAL

Nation & World

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

NATIONAL

STATE/LOCAL

Tibetan protester lights self on fire at anti-Chinese rule demonstration

Wife defends soldier accused of killing 17 civilians in rampage

University of Louisiana at Monroe to become a tobacco-free campus

NEW DELHI, India (AP) — A Tibetan exile lit himself on fire and ran shouting through a demonstration in the Indian capital Monday. Police swept through the protest hours later, detaining scores of Tibetans.

The man apparently had doused himself with something highly flammable and was engulfed in flames when he ran past the podium where speakers were criticizing China and President Hu Jintao’s visit.

Fellow activists beat out the flames with Tibetan flags and poured water onto him. He was on fire less than two minutes, but some of his clothing had disintegrated and his skin was mottled with black, burned patches by the time he was driven to a hospital.

Turkish Jews protest shampoo ad featuring footage of Adolf Hitler

SEATAC, Wash. (AP) — The wife of a U.S. soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians says she doesn’t think she’ll ever believe he was involved in the killings.

Karilyn Bales says her husband had no nightmares or any other signs of PTSD. Bales says she didn’t ask him about the accusations when she spoke to him on the phone. She expressed certainty that he’ll tell her the truth about what happened.

MONROE (AP) — ULM’s faculty senate, staff senate and Student Government Association have voted to support a new tobacco use policy that will go into effect April 2.

The new policy will prohibit tobacco use on the portion of campus west of Bayou DeSiard, which essentially covers the entire academic core of the campus. Any use of tobacco products west of the bayou must be confined to personal vehicles.

Overly-competitive parents crash Easter egg hunt, event canceled

Lafayette actor earns attention for role in ‘The Hunger Games’ film

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Organizers of an annual Easter egg hunt attended by hundreds of children have canceled this year’s event, citing the behavior of aggressive parents who swarmed into the tiny park last year, determined that their kids get an egg.

That hunt was over in seconds, to the consternation of egg-less tots and their parents. Several parents had jumped a rope set up to allow only children into Bancroft Park.

There was no place to hide the plastic eggs, which were filled with donated candy or coupons redeemable at nearby businesses. So thousands of eggs were placed in plain view on the grass.

LAFAYETTE (AP) — A Lafayette actor is gaining attention for his role as Peacekeeper No. 3 in the blockbuster film “The Hunger Games,” which opened in theaters Friday.

Though the role is the smallest one he’s taken in the past year and a half, Judd Lormand says it’s definitely getting huge attention because of the popularity of the film.

The scene featuring Lormand only lasts a few minutes but took two weeks to produce.

“When (my wife) found out about my audition, she started reading the books and finished them immediately. She was like, ‘This is awesome!’ She is super excited.”

Lormand said.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s Jewish community is protesting a commercial that uses film footage of Adolf Hitler to sell shampoo.

The Jewish community and the Chief Rabbi’s office on Monday said using Hitler’s image in a commercial was unacceptable.

The statement demanded an apology from the advertising company responsible for the ad content.

MANISH SWARUP / The Associated Press

A Tibetan activist lights himself on fire and shouts Monday at a protest against Chinese President Hu Jintao’s controversial rule.

Rugby players swept out to sea by strong South African current JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) — A team of rugby players with championship hopes relished practicing on the beach, away from their impoverished township.

But after going for a post-practice swim Sunday, team members were swept away by rough seas and a strong current. One player drowned and five others remained missing Monday.

John Fletcher of the Coastal Water Rescue Squad said volunteers rescued 15 of the players.

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The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

ELECTION WATCH

page 3

Former SG presidents discuss collegiate careers, successes Leaders enter local, national politics Kate Mabry Staff Writer

From the earth-shaking era of World War II to the chaotic and uncertain Vietnam War, generations of Student Government presidents carried out their duties in the face of controversy and confusion.

As the University prepares to elect these presidents’ newest successor this week, The Daily Reveille asked players in school history to reflect on their Student Government memories.

EVELYN RASER, 1944-1945 Raser was elected coed vice president in fall 1944 and became president in the spring when the male president and vice president left the University to join the military.

She described student uprisings on campus during RASER WWII as “interesting but nothing major.”

Raser then moved to New York to work as a stewardess. She later returned to Louisiana and attended the University of New Orleans to become a teacher.

She taught in New Orleans public schools for 25 years and said her time at Thomas Alva Edison Elementary, which in 1963 was an all African-American school, was an inspiring experience.

“I truly profited from my time there,” she said. “I can still remember all my stu‘I’ve been very dents.”

Raser resuccessful. tired in 1986 But whether and dedicated herself to caring the presidency helped me, for her mother.

“I’ve been I don’t very successknow.’ ful. But whether Evelyn Raser the presidency former public helped me, I school teacher don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been very happy and very lucky, and I appreciate so many of the wonderful people I got to know at LSU.”

ELAINE ABELL, 1963-1964 Elaine Abell was the University’s first female SG president.

Abell, now a Lafayette attorney, served as SG president in 1963 and 1964. During her time at the University, the three major positions within the SG executive branch included president, vice president and coed vice president.

While the coed vice president chair was open for female candidates, the positions of president and vice president ABELL were generally reserved for male candidates.

According to Abell, the Vietnam War began during her presidency and caused some “stirring up on campus.”

“We had a lot going on,” she said. “I remember the Bay of Pigs invasion, and Cuban students would talk in Free Speech Alley about the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

Abell helped establish the Tiger Train, a bus that provided transportation from parking lots to the heart of campus. She said the train was just the beginning of the University’s current transportation system.

In 1967, Abell enrolled at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center. The University’s law school was predominately male, but for the first time, the school saw a steadily increasing number of female students. Abell’s freshman class included 10 women, a school record.

“There were only one or two [women enrolled],” she said. “Before that, not as many women looked to law as a profession. We could really see that change was coming.”

After Abell graduated, she clerked for Chief Justice Joe Sanders of the Louisiana Supreme Court for about two years. Soon after, Abell married and moved to Lafayette as a practicing lawyer.

“To this day, I’m still networking on projects with people I’ve met at LSU,” she said. “The [SG] office provides many opportunities and life-long friendships for someone who chooses to serve. It’s been very fulfilling. ... What you put into it is what you get out of it.”

JAY DARDENNE, 1977-1978 John “Jay” Dardenne went from serving as SG president during the

1977-78 school year to becoming Louisiana’s lieutenant governor.

While Dardenne served as president, he was enrolled at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

“The law school was still part of the main campus,” he said.

“It was normal for the SG president to be in law school, but this changed after my DARDENNE year as president when the law center became a separate campus.”

Dardenne said one of the highlights of his presidency was his participation in the campaign to gain voting privileges for a student member on the LSU Board of Supervisors.

“I was the student member but did not have voting privileges,” he said. “I testified at the legisla- ‘Many of the ture to get this people who changed.” have After his supported me graduation in over the years 1979, Dardenne practiced law are friends and in Baton Rouge contacts I made and later served during my on the city’s time at LSU.’ Metro Council from 1988 to Jay Dardenne 1991. Dardenne Louisiana was a state sen- lieutennant governor ator from 1992 to 2006, and in 2003, he earned the title of National Republican Legislator of the Year.

Dardenne served as Louisiana’s secretary of state from 2006 until 2010, when he was elected to his current position as lieutenant governor.

“The SG presidency brings with it some notoriety that continues after graduation, particularly for

those who pursue elected office,” Dardenne said. “Many of the people who have supported me over the years are friends and contacts I made during my time at LSU.” J HUDSON, 2010-2011 “The highlight of my administration was the amount of students who came up to [SG Vice President Dani Borel], our executive staff and/ or me and told us this was the first time they felt Student Government actually did something.”

Before Hudson’s term, the Board of Supervisors informed the University community that it could face a 34-percent budget cut.

HUDSON While University finances were the focus of his campaign, Hudson said cuts also molded his presidency.

“Dani Borel and I looked at everything with two lenses: first through a budget crises lens and

second through a Student Government lens,” he said. “If we only focused on Student Government functions and initiatives while ignoring the budget crises, we would be doing the student body an extreme disservice.”

Prior to finishing his last semester, Hudson joined Herman Cain’s presidential campaign as assistant to the vice president of national field and political operations.

“I was assisting with all of our operations on the ground such as state offices, grassroots, major events and bus tours,” he said.

Since Cain’s drop from the presidential race, Hudson has been traveling the country with Cain to promote his “9-9-9” economic growth and jobs plan.

Hudson attributes his presidency along with “a combination of a good first interview, perseverance, hard work and luck” to his success following graduation.

Contact Kate Mabry at kmabry@lsureveille.com

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The Daily Reveille

page 4

CRIME

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Laptop, cell phone, iPod thefts spike during midterm week Gordon Brillon Contributing Writer

The chaos of completing schoolwork usually means students are thinking of anything but protecting their possessions, but the busiest times of the semester are when they’re most vulnerable.

The LSU Police Department and Middleton Library officials have put students on alert after a number of laptop thefts on campus following midterm week.

According to LSUPD spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde, students need to be most careful to avoid theft when they study in public and are most absent-minded.

“These types of crimes happen the most often during heavy study times like during midterms and final exams,” Lalonde said. “We get reports at various times throughout the semester, but at these times, personal theft is most common.”

Shayne Bertrand, circulation desk manager at Middleton Library, agreed, saying this semester’s

midterm week was particularly crime-stricken.

“Three laptops were taken on the same day,” Bertrand said.

Cell phones, iPods and laptops are among the most-stolen items on college campuses, according to CollegeStudentSafety.com. These items are relatively easy to steal and have a high resale value, making them attractive to potential thieves.

LSUPD reported that between 2008 and 2010, there were 203 reported cases of robbery or burglary both on campus and in residential facilities.

Lalonde also said the most common areas for personal theft were classroom buildings and Middleton Library.

“We get reports of people in class forgetting their laptop when they leave, and when they come back to get it, it’s gone,” Lalonde said. “We hear about students either waiting outside of class or studying in the library, getting up to take a break and having their stuff stolen.”

The Middleton Library

ENVIRONMENT

Volunteers collect forgotten crab traps Rachel Warren Staff Writer

A group of student volunteers is working to clean up the coast, one crab trap at a time.

Interdisciplinary studies senior Bran Wagner has been working with renewable natural resources assistant professor Julie Anderson to organize a volunteer effort to decrease the number of derelict crab traps along the coasts in St. Bernard, Plaquemines and Terrebonne parishes.

Wagner said the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has made efforts like this for years, but this is the first time volunteers were called in to help.

A derelict crab trap is “any trap that is not being actively fished and tended,” according to the website for the Louisiana Sea Grant.

Wagner said recreational boaters often accidentally cut the lines that connect crab traps to the colorful buoys that signal to fisherman where they are or storms can blow them off course.

If a fisherman can’t find his or her trap, it fills with fish and crabs

VOTE, from page 1

can’t see themselves in Student Government.”

Black student voter turnout at the University is obviously low, West said.

“It seems like they don’t care,” West said. “When you don’t vote, you aren’t using your voice.”

West said the only way to solve the issue is for all of the organizations to work together.

“Nothing can be accomplished

that die when the fishermen can’t collect them. The focus of the research is to determine how many crabs are being wasted.

The forgotten traps wash up on the shore, which is where volunteers go to collect them.

Wagner said volunteers are trained to collect traps, record the number of dead crabs inside, place what was in the trap back into the water and bring the trap itself to a safe disposal site.

Because the traps are made of plastic-coated metal, Wagner said they must be brought to a landfill.

Wagner said the response from University students has been positive and several of them have volunteered for the project.

“All of them seem really thrilled,” he said. “A lot of them signed on because they’d never been to the coast. They all seemed to like it and they were really excited and enthusiastic.”

The group collected 1,950 traps at its first two collection days.

Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com in a solitary state,” West said.

Danielle Bickham, business sophomore, was disappointed by the event turnout.

“I wish people cared more,” Bickham said. “I wish people would understand the struggle it took for us to have the right to vote. My grandmother told me her stories, and in honor of her, that’s why I vote.”

Contact Claire Caillier at ccaillier@lsureveille.com

circulation desk is responsible for the library’s security cameras, and employees work with the police on theft cases that occur in the library.

Bertrand urged students to be vigilant about their belongings.

“Keep an eye on your stuff,” Bertrand said. “People feel like the library is a safe place, so they put themselves at risk.”

The library staff has made laptop theft prevention and student security one of its top priorities.

Isabella Diaz, a student worker and third-floor supervisor in Middleton Library, said that students ultimately must be responsible

for themselves.

“I’ve worked here for a year now, and I’ve seen 15 thefts just on this floor,” Diaz said. “People just need to be more responsible and not leave their stuff lying around.”

In the book stacks in Middleton, posters hang warning students about the possibility of theft. In addition, if library workers see items lying unattended, they will place fliers on them reading, “If I were a thief, your stuff would be gone.”

Both LSUPD and Middleton officials offered suggestions to help minimize theft.

Bertrand said the most

important things to do following theft in the library is to alert the front desk and call the police. Because there are usually campus police in the Quad or nearby, they can come quickly and help students search.

Lalonde said students should be familiar with the serial numbers of their laptops and install tracking apps on their computers, cell phones and iPods. These can help police locate missing devices and identify them when they are found.

Contact Gordon Brillon at gbrillon@lsureveille.com

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Sports

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

page 5

GYMNASTICS

SIDELINED

LSU snags No. 2 seed at Seattle regional

Sciambra to miss rest of season with broken neck

Alex Cassara

Sports Contributor

Hunter Paniagua Sports Writer

Freshman center fielder Chris Sciambra will miss the rest of the season with a non-displaced fracture in his C-1 vertebra and a mild concussion.

Sciambra injured himself Sunday during the game against Auburn when he attempted to make a diving catch on a ball hit to deep left-center field. Sciambra said his back hit the wall and his neck snapped forward, causing him to black out for a “split second.”

Sciambra said his memory of the play is “foggy,” but immediately after the incident, he could recall the day of the week and the team’s opponent.

“I’ve seen the replay, and it was pretty rough-looking,” Sciambra said. “I would go after that ball 100 more times if I had the chance. I wouldn’t pull up for it any other time.”

Trainers immediately removed Sciambra from the game and took him to the hospital for X-rays, which showed he broke his neck. LSU coach Paul Mainieri said Sciambra also underwent an MRI that showed his spinal cord was unaffected by the incident.

Sciambra will have to wear a neck brace for at least three months before undergoing range-of-motion therapy and rehabilitation.

SCIAMBRA, see page 7

CATHERINE THRELKELD / The Daily Reveille

LSU freshman center fielder Chris Sciambra bats March 18 during the Tigers’ 1-7 loss to Mississippi State in Alex Box Stadium.

When the LSU gymnastics squad finally competes for a 2012 national championship berth, it will do so against a familiar foe in a familiar location.

The No. 9 Tigers drew the No. 2 seed for the Seattle Regional on April 7, when they will meet firstseeded Alabama, who is ranked No. 4. The top two teams at each of the six regional meets receive an automatic bid to the national championship.

LSU previously clashed twice with Alabama this season. The Tigers fell, 197.025-196.575, to the Crimson Tide in a dual meet at the PMAC on Feb. 24 and placed fourth at the SEC Championship on Friday, while the Tide finished third.

This season, the squad has also faced Iowa, Arizona and Washington, all of whom will be in attendance in Seattle, but LSU assistant coach Philip Ogletree said the team has its sights set on the conference rival.

“The first and second seeds usually in the past have gone on to nationals,” Ogletree said. “We have a lot of confidence going in. Going against ‘Bama is something we’re familiar with. It’ll be the third time this year, and hopefully we’ll see them at nationals as well.”

LSU was successful in its last trip to Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, where the squad won a GYMNASTICS, see page 7

NFL

Saints hiring Parcells for one season doesn’t make sense MIC’D UP MICAH BEDARD Sports Columnist

Tuna is not a food associated with New Orleans cuisine.

Likewise, Bill Parcells would be a fish out of water if the New Orleans Saints do in fact decide to bring him in as head coach for the 2012 season.

New Orleans has had enough to deal with in the past month, from Drew Brees’ contract negotiations to head coach Sean Payton’s yearlong suspension. Bringing in Parcells to run the show for one season doesn’t make sense.

With the Saints trying to make sure Brees stays in the Big Easy,

hiring a new coach with a new coaching style is not the right move.

Parcells’ teams with the New York Giants and New York Jets used dominant running backs like Joe Morris and Curtis Martin to power the offense. The Saints’ attack is predicated on Brees throwing 50 times every game — not running the ball and trying to control the clock.

The Saints want to bring in Parcells for one reason — to stick it to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

If Payton can’t coach New Orleans for the 2012 season, what better way to one-up Goodell than by hiring an NFL coaching legend?

The supposed plan of bringing in Parcells will hit a roadblock if Payton somehow convinces Goodell to reduce his yearlong

suspension. That won’t happen.

Goodell had to set a precedent for the Saints in what might be the biggest scandal in NFL history. He hasn’t taken it easy on any NFL coach or player since he landed the commissioner gig in 2006.

On one hand, it makes logical sense for Payton to want to bring Parcells onboard for a season at the helm.

Payton served as assistant coach under Parcells in Dallas from 2003 to 2005 and has turned to the two-time Super Bowl winning coach for guidance since becoming the head coach of the Saints in 2006.

But Parcells wouldn’t know what to do with a team like the SAINTS, see page 7

JON WAY / The Associated Press

Bill Parcells, the Miami Dolphins’ new executive vice president of football operations, speaks during a 2007 news conference at the Miami Dolphins’ training facility.

The Daily Reveille

page 6

TRACK AND FIELD

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Tigers, Lady Tigers transition to outdoors for spring season Runners combat heat, weather Michael Gegenheimer Sports Contributor

The LSU track program goes through a major shift each spring when the entire team switches from the indoor season to the outdoor season.

“Things get a lot harder,” said junior sprinter Kimberlyn Duncan.

“You’re out here in the sun, you have to elongate your drive phase, and the races are just longer. The main thing is the heat, but hey, we’ve been out here — I don’t know how long. You get used to it.”

The Tigers and Lady Tigers have been released from the confines of the Carl Maddox Field House into the fresh air of the Bernie Moore Track Stadium with the

BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior jumper Kyron Blaise competes in the triple jump Saturday at the LSU Relays at Bernie Moore Stadium.

No. 3 men’s program and No. 2 women’s program after finishing the indoor season at No. 5 and No. 3 respectively.

But the competition isn’t what worries the Tigers and Lady Tigers.

The biggest opponent to LSU’s

success is, in fact, Mother Nature.

“We’ve been to outdoor meets where it’s been sleeting before,” said LSU coach Dennis Shaver.

“We’ve been to meets where it’s been 100 degrees, and we’ve been to meets where the wind’s blowing

30 to 40 miles per hour. You can’t really practice them. You just run into those conditions, and you have to adapt. The good thing is that it’s the same for everyone in the meet.”

Team practices leading up to the first official outdoor meet last week were marred by the torrential downpours Wednesday and Thursday.

“We literally didn’t get any work done because of the conditions we had during the week,” Shaver said. “It was good that we had the meet, and [the relay teams] saw some adjustments that needed to be made and so we’re working on that starting today.”

Many of the outdoor events are also much longer and more difficult in nature, even without weather conditions. Events such as the 60-meter dash or 60-meter hurdles will be stretched out to the 100-meter dash and the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.

“The training is still basically

the same,” Shaver said. “It’s just that for the short sprinters and the hurdlers, obviously, were adding some distance to their races. It’s not a huge transition. The only difference is that you have to run a little bit different outdoors as opposed to running on a hydraulic track.”

The transition is made easier for athletes like Duncan and senior sprinter Barrett Nugent because they’ve been through the shift from indoor to outdoor multiple times during their collegiate careers.

Nugent said there isn’t much he tells the underclassmen in regards to the change except to find out what works best for them.

“Everybody is different,” Nugent said. “They have to get used to it their own way. It’s not easy. Just drink a lot of water and get ready for heat.”

Contact Michael Gegenheimer at mgegenheimer@lsureveille.com

MEN’S TENNIS

LSU coaches search abroad to find top-notch talent Seven of 14 players from overseas

Ian Fontenot Sports Contributor

No other sport on LSU’s campus relies more on out-of-state and international talent than men’s tennis.

With seven of its 14 players coming from overseas, the men’s tennis team rivals only the men’s swimming and diving team, which has eight international members on its 32-man roster, for the most culturally diverse athletic squad at LSU. The Tigers currently have players from countries including Australia, England, Hungary and Ireland.

A shallow talent pool available on the bayou has forced LSU coaches to look abroad to keep a competitive edge.

“Louisiana isn’t as deep of a tennis state as places like Florida or Georgia, and with tennis being such a worldwide sport, you’re recruiting the whole world,” said LSU tennis coach Jeff Brown.

“So for us, recruiting means going out of the state [and country] for the most part to fill our roster for the talent level that we need to compete in our conference and in the NCAA.”

LSU coaches are often forced to make several road trips during the year to places such as Miami.

They scout tournaments like the Junior Orange Bowl for the abundance of up-and-coming talent that can’t ordinarily be found in Louisiana. Florida also hosts one of America’s other major junior tournaments, the Eddie Herr International Junior Tennis Championships in Bradenton, Fla. Brown and other coaches from around the United States also travel to England during

Wimbledon for the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, an event created in 2001 that allows some of the most promising junior players in England to perform in front of large crowds who come to watch the pro tournament.

Traveling overseas has become a normal occurrence for Brown, who has been to Europe several times during his 15-year tenure as the Tigers’ head coach.

“I’ve been to other countries to meet the parents and see the kid in their own environment, and you

see how they interact with others,” Brown said. “If you’re investing a lot of money into a kid, you want to try to get the best read you can off of them.”

For LSU, one of the many challenges of recruiting outside of Louisiana is to make the Baton Rouge campus and atmosphere stand out above Southeastern Conference rivals such as Alabama and Ole Miss.

“If it’s an international kid, the first thing that draws them to United States is the opportunity to play

college sports, because they don’t have that [in Europe],” Brown said. “[At] LSU, specifically, you can see how much we’ve invested in athletic programs from the academic center to the training rooms to facilities themselves, so they can see the great commitment, and if they come for a football game day, they can see the passion of our fan base.”

Contact Ian Fontenot at ifontenot@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

page 7

SCIAMBRA, from page 5 “That’s tough, but I’m getting used to it already,” Sciambra said. “I should be able to get through this no problem.”

Sciambra started 16 games this season and had a .246 batting average with 11 RBIs. He had 45 putouts and just one error.

“He was playing an outstanding center field, but offensively is where he’s really improved,” Mainieri said.

“I can see him getting better and better every passing day. Losing him is a pretty big blow to us.”

Mainieri mentioned three players who could possibly replace Sciambra in center field: sophomore JaCoby Jones, junior Mason Katz or freshman Jared Foster. Jones began the season in center field and started eight games there. Katz, who has primarily played first base this season, replaced Sciambra in the outfield during the game after he suffered his injury.

Mainieri said moving Katz to the outfield would result in senior Grant Dozar taking over first base.

That would leave an opening at designated hitter, where Mainieri said left-handed hitters Tyler Moore and Beau Didier could fill the void.

“Beau has really been swinging the bat good in practice,” Mainieri said. “It’s a priority for me

GYMNASTICS, from page 5

tri-meet against Washington and Seattle Pacific with a score of 196.450.

Ogletree said that while the initial 2,500-mile trip was taxing, the team would be prepared the second goround.

Freshman Lloimincia Hall said the team would be at an advantage because they are familiar with everything from the equipment down to the mat’s color scheme, which LSU shares with host school Washington.

SAINTS, from page 5

Saints. He’s a franchise rebuilder.

New Orleans doesn’t need that.

One year is not enough time for Parcells to put his stamp on this Saints team. Bringing him in won’t be a quick fix to the Saints’ disastrous offseason.

What happens if New Orleans wins the Super Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome? Do the Saints just say goodbye to Parcells and welcome back Payton with open arms?

The last time The Big Tuna paced an NFL sideline as a head coach was for the Dallas Cowboys in a 2006 NFC Wildcard Game, when quarterback Tony Romo infamously couldn’t handle the snap on an extra point with 1:19 left of the game and the Cowboys lost to the Seattle Seahawks, 21-20.

In the words of Lucius in “Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Don’t you bring that evil on the Saints, Bill Parcells.”

Parcells would be nothing but a glorified babysitter if he indeed lands in New Orleans.

Ex-defensive coordinator and ringleader of Bountygate Gregg Williams was suspended by Goodell indefinitely, and New Orleans brought in former St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo to run the defense this year.

NEWS that’ll fit in a

CATHERINE THRELKELD / The Daily Reveille

LSU sophomore second baseman JaCoby Jones runs the bases March 18 during the Tigers’ 1-7 loss against Mississippi State in Alex Box Stadium. Jones may replace injured freshman Chris Sciambra at center field.

to have as much left-handed presence in the lineup against righthanded pitchers that we can without sacrificing the defense too much.”

Sciambra and Jones had solidified themselves as the top two hitters in the lineup, Mainieri said, but that will have to change.

“I’m sure JaCoby will stay in the lead-off spot,” Mainieri said.

“We have to figure out what we do with the No. 2 spot now. I wanted to get more speed at the top of the order, and Jones and Sciambra gave us that. I’m not sure what the next

best option is.”

Though Sciambra likely won’t return to the field until the fall, he doesn’t appear deterred from assisting in any way he can.

“I want to do anything I can to help the team,” Sciambra said.

“That was my goal heading into the season, so I’m still going to do that no matter what. In what capacity, I don’t know yet, but I’m still going to do whatever I can.”

“We know what to expect going there,” said senior Ashley Lee. “We had a good meet in Washington, so I think this is a great regional for us. I don’t want to go and make it to nationals, I want to go and win. It’s exciting.”

Lee joined Hall and two other LSU freshmen, Rheagan Courville and Jessie Jordan, on the All-SEC team after Saturday’s conference meet. Youth has carried the Tigers throughout the regular season, and Ogletree said postseason

inexperience will not be a factor after the tough SEC meet.

“SEC is the toughest meet of the year, tougher than nationals,” Ogletree said. “It’s longer, and you already have five of the top 10 teams there, so I think that meet right there prepares you for postseason competition.”

Spagnuolo would be the head coach in Payton’s absence. He will inherit a much more talented team than he did in St. Louis.

Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael has been mentioned as a possible fill-in for Payton this season, but he isn’t a good fit either.

Carmichael already has enough on his plate having to take over the play-calling duties in Payton’s absence. Throwing the head coach label on top of his current responsibilities would just make a bigger mess than the Saints’ coaching staff already is.

Keeping it in-house is the answer for the Saints.

Any outside hire — not just Parcells — would be a bad decision to fill the head-coaching position for just one season.

tight squeeze.

Contact Hunter Paniagua at hpaniagua@lsureveille.com

Contact Alex Cassara at acassara@lsureveille.com

Micah Bedard is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Houma. Follow him on Twitter @DardDog.

Contact Micah Bedard at mbedard@lsureveille.com

It’s the

APP

for that.

Reveille NEWS APP

The Daily Reveille

page 8

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Involvement • Leadership • Service

Watch for this ad every Tuesday!

Facebook: LSU Campus Life Twitter: @LSUCampusLife

See past spotlights at campuslife.lsu.edu Sophomore, Major: Mass Communication; from Saigon, Vietnam Tran likes to read about current events and is looking forward to reading the 10 books she bought at the LSU Book Bazaar. She also loves fro-yo passionately.

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Can’t get enough MAD MEN? Read weekly reviews of the show on the LMFAO entertainment blog at blogs.lsureveille.com/entertainment.

Entertainment

page 9

The Goose is Overcooked After a long The Purple Goose blends in with other bar fare

Joey Groner

Entertainment Writer

The Purple Goose, the latest in a long line of bar-food restaurants in Baton Rouge, opened about three weeks ago on Nicholson Drive, taking the place of barbecue restaurant Cou-Yon’s.

The Purple Goose was founded by Chad Hughes, who also owns Bosco’s Frozen Yogurt.

Hughes said his goal with The Purple A Daily Reveille Goose is to provide Restaurant Review a place for patrons to Grade: Cdrink while enjoying a different take on typical bar food.

High-quality bar food can’t be beat, so I decided to give The Purple Goose a shot. After hearing mixed reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I was still excited to see what the restaurant had to offer.

I ordered a bar-food classic – a bacon cheeseburger topped with a fried egg. I also couldn’t resist trying the restaurant’s macaroni and cheese, a typically delicious dish that’s hard to mess up.

When my burger arrived at the table, everything looked great. The cooks had forgotten to add the cheese, but that’s a forgivable mistake, seeing as the place has only been open three weeks.

Soon after digging into my meal, however, I was disappointed. The burger was overcooked and relatively bland.

The bacon that topped the patty was delicious, but the fried egg was also PURPLE, see page 11

Food for Thought

CONNOR TARTER / The Daily Reveille

wait, ‘Mad Men’ finally returns

Warning: Spoilers abound in the column below.

After a 525-day wait, “Mad Men” fans across the country had our patience rewarded Sunday with the premiere of the show’s fifth season.

A record 3.5 million viewers tuned in to see the JOEY GRONER return of every- Entertainment Writer one’s favorite ad man, Don Draper, along with the rest of the crew.

Plenty has changed for the men and women of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce since we left them at the end of season four.

Joan Harris has had her baby, a child fathered not by her husband, but by Roger Sterling.

Don and his former secretary Megan are now married. Megan also apparently knows Don’s true identity, Dick Whitman. This is information Don failed to tell Betty until their divorce was imminent, so it’ll be interesting to see what unfolds when Megan knows from the MAD MEN, see page 11

ART

Vet School shows playful side with Animals in Art show

Exhibit open through April 29 Rachel Warren Staff Writer

The School of Veterinary Medicine studies dozens of animals each day, but as of last Saturday, it houses 70 in its library.

The Vet School opened its 25th annual International Exhibition on Animals in Art. The show will run until April 29. It’s free and open to the public during library hours.

The Vet School gets a small

commission from any art sold at the event, which goes to fund special projects, said Christine Mitchell, Vet School library director.

“We generally break even,” she said. “We have a little money left over for small projects for the school.”

Mitchell said 217 artists from 40 states and three countries entered 506 works to be reviewed for the show, and 70 works will be displayed in the exhibit.

“It truly is international,” she said. “We get entries from all over the world. It’s very prestigious as well. I’ve heard from other organizers of events like this who said they’re impressed with the number

of entries we see.”

This year’s exhibit will house media including acrylic and oil paint, scratchboard and photography, among other types of media, Mitchell said.

She said the judge also looks for a depiction of the bond between animals and humans.

“We want it to be a family friendly, positive experience,” she said. “We like to have the art focus on what animals mean to us and what they bring to us.”

Ginger Guttner, Vet School public relations coordinator, said the exhibit is a way for the Vet School

ANIMALS, see page 11

ALYSSA SIRISOPHON / The Daily Reveille

This goat is among the pieces featured in the Animals in Art exhibit, open until April 29.

The Daily Reveille

page 10

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

TECHNOLOGY

‘Draw Something’ sweeps campus Taylor Balkom Entertainment Writer

TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille

Members of communication studies class CMST 4145 perform March 22 for Alzheimer’s patients at Charlie’s Place Respite Center.

LSU students perform for patients, children Taylor Balkom Entertainment Writer

Every spring, one senior-level communication studies class makes its students do something different — go into the community and perform.

The CMST 4145 class involves students adapting a performance, casting their classmates and directing a piece, said associate professor Tracy Shaffer.

Shaffer has taught the class for the last three years and said it helps bring live performance to those who wouldn’t normally have access. The class performs around the city, including a day center for Alzheimer’s patients, assisted living homes and middle schools.

“People in assisted living don’t get to get in their car and go see something at the Shaw Center,” Shaffer said. “We do this to entertain the community.”

This semester, the theme of the class is Louisiana. Performances include a Cajun version of Little Red Riding Hood and the story of the origin of the poboy, among others.

Communication studies senior Cody Leake plays an alligator in two of the four pieces in which he appears. He said the performance is the most difficult aspect of the class.

“You perform four separate times and have to find your character four different times,” Leak said. “Staying in character is tough. I go from a Cajun alligator to a mischievous alligator and have to think about how to make them different.”

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Leake’s one directing piece was a biography about Louisiana native rapper Lil Wayne.

“I’ve got a girl who introduces me and then she freezes, and I rap some clean lyrics,” he said.

“It’s an inspiring follow-yourdreams story. Because ultimately, he made it.”

Graduate student Mollye Deloach took the class in 2010 and said she enjoyed the camaraderie between students in the class.

“We spent half of the semester rehearsing and preparing for our work to go out into the community, and when it finally did, we all had a blast,” Deloach said.

Shaffer said she just likes the way the class tops off the students’ college careers.

“Students in the class get to use all the skills they’ve gained in communication studies,” she said. “It’s really a capstone experience for the students. It’s more than a class. They learn how to talk to the contacts and the community.”

University alumna Keisha Perkins said she agreed and said she felt the class has helped her greatly in life after college.

“The most valuable lesson it taught me was how rewarding community service can be,” Perkins said. “The reactions we got from the people we performed for really brightened our day. Knowing just 30 minutes of my time could have that effect on someone was great.”

Contact Taylor Balkom at tbalkom@lsureveille.com

That’s drawsome.

This puntastic phrase comes from the popular mobile game Draw Something, which has topped the App Store and Android Marketplace for close to a month.

Similar to other mobile games like Scramble With Friends, Draw Something is like Pictionary for smartphones. Users select something to draw and try to get the other player to guess their drawing. If the drawing is correctly guessed, players earn in-game currency that can be used to buy more colors to use when drawing.

Players can invite Facebook friends to play with them.

Sports administration junior Claire Langlois said she communicates with people she rarely talks to through the game.

“We interact through the game because one of us found the other,” Langlois said.

John Zimmer, biology freshman, said his favorite aspect of

the game is the drawing. forget about it. But right now, it’s “I’ve always liked games the new, fun game to play with like Pictionary and Cranium that your friends.” involve drawing and guessing Zimmer agreed, saying he pictures,” he said. “It’s fun to see could already see it fading. if you can guess your friend’s “A few of my friends have drawing or if they can guess already gotten tired of it and yours.” stopped playing,” he said.

The game is Not only is extremely popu- ‘But right now, it’s the the game popular. It hit 1.5 mil- new, fun game to play lar, it’s profitable. lion downloads Draw Something with your friends.’ pulls in six-figure 10 days after its launch. Five sums every day, weeks later, the and has eclipsed Claire Langlois game has 20 milthe total revenue sports administration junior lion downloads, of all OMGPOP’s developer OMGPOP CEO Dan games from last year, according Porter told Business Insider. Each to Porter. second, 3,000 drawings are being Langlois was surprised such created. Mobile games developer a simple game could make that Zynga felt Draw Something was amount of money. so good, they purchased OMGThe app is available on the POP for $200 million.

App Store and Android MarketBut Langlois said she sees place for 99 cents. A free ad-supthe game’s allure wearing off. ported version is also available.

“It’s just one of those games,” Langlois said. “Like Angry Birds or Words with Friends, it’s going to get insanely popular and then Contact Taylor Balkom at something else is going to come along. and we’re all going to tbalkom@lsureveille.com

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The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, March 27, 2012 MAD MEN, from page 9

start that her husband isn’t who he says he is.

It’s revelatory to consider how far the show has come since its first season. Back then, we saw the typical ‘60s stereotypes in play.

If a woman didn’t stay at home all day, she couldn’t rise to any position above secretary. The white men were in control, not giving a thought to the rising civil rights movement.

But now we’re in 1966. Women have plenty of power within the office. At the end of the episode, the firm is forced to interview AfricanAmerican applicants, no longer able to just laugh them out of the building.

I’m excited to see how the firm will change this season. Plenty of societal shake-ups are about to happen. The show is certain to handle them gracefully, but it’ll be fun to watch the characters move through Vietnam-era America.

Another intriguing twist is the way Pete and Don have seemingly swapped lives. Pete now lives in a subdivision far from Manhattan.

He has a wife and child, he comes home late from work and we see him interacting on the train with his fellow commuters, actions Don performed in the first three seasons.

Don, however, now lives in a trendy midtown apartment with his beautiful young wife, hardly ever bothered by children. He comes into work late and leaves early, seemingly without a care in the world.

The juxtaposition of these two

“A man who stops advertising to save money, is like a man who stops the clock to save time.”

-Henry Ford

We can help. 225-578-6090

photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this image released by AMC, Jon Hamm portrays advertising executive Don Draper in a scene from the fifth season premiere of “Mad Men.”

characters is an interesting decision on the part of creator and writer Matthew Weiner. Pete is becoming far more like the Don we used to know, while Don has become a bit younger by marrying Megan.

Don’s preference in women has changed since the show began.

His marriage to Betty was essentially the stereotypical ‘60s marriage. Betty stayed home and relied on Don for everything. She was the opposite of independent and was essentially Don’s servant.

But the new Mrs. Draper is a fiery young woman who is more self-reliant than Betty could dream of being. In the premiere’s most buzzworthy scene, Megan twirls in a short skirt as she sings for Don in French, showing a sexy swagger

that Betty could never pull off.

It’s interesting to see Don with Betty’s polar opposite, but the real question is how Weiner and his writers will break up the relationship. Realistically, do any of us expect to see them together for long?

We’ve got tons of conflict waiting to unfold, and Sunday night’s premiere was only the beginning.

So let’s raise our Old Fashioneds and vodka martinis to a season that promises to be one of the best yet.

Joey Groner is a 20-year-old mass communication sophomore from Baton Rouge.

Contact Joey Groner at jgroner@lsureveille.com

ANIMALS, from page 9

to show its more playful side.

“A lot of people visit for open houses or to bring us their animals, but this is another way for us to interact with the public in a fun way,” she said.

Guttner said the opening reception has had about 150 to 200 visitors in the past, and she expects the same number this year, if not more.

“Some are art lovers, some are animal lovers and some are both,” she said. “It’s different every year, but it’s always good.”

The Vet School library is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays.

ALYSSA SIRISOPHON / The Daily Reveille

Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com

PURPLE, from page 9

overdone. An egg on top of a burger shouldn’t be runny, but it shouldn’t have a hard-boiled consistency either, which The Purple Goose’s did.

The fries included with the burger were far from crispy and a bit too salty. But fries like these aren’t limited to The Purple Goose – they’re typical of barfood restaurants across the city.

The macaroni and cheese was the bright spot of my meal.

Obviously home-cooked, it was rich and creamy, the perfect combination for such a dish. This small side was the best part of my visit to The Purple Goose.

The restaurant’s menu offered plenty in the way of

page 11

This painting is among media including acrylic and oil paint, scratchboard and photography for the Vet School’s Animals in Art exhibit.

diversity, but lacked enough innovation to distance The Purple Goose from any other bar and grill in town. Full of items that could be found at other restaurants across Baton Rouge, the menu seemed to be a rehash of a typical bar-food joint.

The restaurant’s service was good. Friendly staff greeted me at the door and checked on me numerous times throughout my meal. The restaurant wasn’t busy, but with the wide variety of liquor offered, it certainly has the potential to become a bustling place on the weekends.

The Purple Goose’s atmosphere is well suited to a latenight crowd. Numerous TVs line the wall, while the whole restaurant has a fun, relaxing mood,

perfect for a hangout spot.

The restaurant’s prices are reasonable. For about $12 I got the burger, fries and macaroni and cheese. The eatery also had plenty of drink specials, which will draw people into the place.

My guess is people won’t go to The Purple Goose primarily for the food. The restaurant boasts plenty of beers on tap and a well-stocked bar. Still, if the restaurant wishes to distance itself from Baton Rouge classics like Brew-Bacher’s or George’s, it has a long way to go.

Contact Joey Groner at jgroner@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Opinion

page 12

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Gaming Kills New bill laughably links gaming to smoking PRESS X TO NOT DIE

Adam Arinder Columnist Video games and cigarettes.

Usually, these two things don’t come up together in conversation — well, except for those who like to smoke while they game.

Besides that, not many similarities exist between the two other than some enjoy one, the other or both.

However, two clowns in Congress are trying to link the two together to warn parents of the dangers video games bring to the youth of America.

I didn’t know the circus was in town.

House Representatives Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Joe Baca (D-Calif.) have introduced the Violence in Video Games Labeling Act (H.R. 4204) which would treat all games with an “E” rating or higher like cigarettes, placing a warning label alerting parents and children of the “dangerous” content.

A rating of “E” stands for “everyone,” which means games like “Madden,” “Pokemon,” “Big Brain Academy” and “Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Snow Princess” would require the following label on their front cover: “WARNING: Exposure to violent video games has

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Candidates should focus on practicality

When I was in my high school American history class, we read a book called “Profiles in Courage” by a guy named John F. Kennedy.

You may have heard of him. In his book, Kennedy discussed U.S. senators throughout history who made courageous political decisions, much as the title suggests. I’m not talking about the kind of decision where you stand up and say “No new taxes!” to a hearty round of applause. To the contrary, these politicians often faced the choice between doing what was right and ever holding political office again. Many times they were never reelected, only to be recognized for their bravery by later generations. These senators were real public servants.

When I look at the campaign fliers for Student Government

been linked to aggressive behavior.”

I never knew Dora to be so violent.

What’s interesting is there is still no conclusive study that links video games directly to aggressive behavior.

Sure, there have been shortterm studies showing videos games have a correlation to such behavior immediately after play, but there’s a big difference between correlation and causation.

On the flip side, there are as many studies that show no link between video games and aggression as there are that do.

This isn’t the first time Wolf and Baca have introduced bills filled with lies to the House. Merely three years ago, this dynamic duo wrote the Video Game Health Labeling Act of 2009 which was basically the same bill — it just applied to games with a rating of “T” for “teen” or higher.

Like most old congressmen, these two obviously don’t understand technology or proper parenting.

Instead of taking the time to inform parents of the current Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) ratings on games and educate them on what the ratings mean, politicians like Wolf and Baca want to ban everything they don’t understand.

Because they produced many

failed attempts in the past decade, Wolf and Baca are now trying to link video games to something dangerous everyone is familiar with — cigarettes.

A majority of the general public is still naïve when it comes to gaming, but most of them know about cigarettes and the harm they can do to one’s body.

However, the fact these two professional morons are now trying to link something like video games to cigarettes only helps prove they have no idea what they are talking about.

They can’t link gaming to real violence, so they are now treating them like something people already know can harm them. The difference is a video game can’t harm you like a cigarette can.

When I play a game and kill someone on screen, I’m doing nothing more than inputting a command for the software to execute code to output on my television. Nothing physical is happening except for minor wear-and-tear on my controller.

Physically smoking a cigarette may or may not kill you, but that isn’t what this column is about.

It’s about these two idiots who have no idea what they’re talking about trying to induce fear and spread lies linking something as innocent as Dora the Explorer saving a

Snow Princess to smoking a cigarette — or physical violence.

It’s clear this bill will never be passed because of how glaringly unconstitutional it is. But if no one sees a problem with this obvious waste of tax dollars, there’s a bigger problem in this country than a weak correlation between smoking and gaming.

Adam Arinder is a 22-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.

presidents and vice presidents, I see a lot of potential for real American public servants, too. Except I don’t mean “real” in the sense of those senators lauded in Kennedy’s book, rather “real” in the sense of “exactly what we’re accustomed to getting.”

How often do you see a presidential candidate promise the moon (or in Newt Gingrich’s case, colonization of the moon) when anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of economics knows what they promise is impossible? Nobody will pay taxes, and we’ll all ride our unicorns to our jobs at Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

When I look at the Student Government candidates’ platforms, I see an excess of these types of promises.

I will give a few examples from this year’s platforms without naming candidates: • “Lobby for drop date to be pushed back until after first exam.”

I wonder if it occurred to these candidates that the purpose of the drop-without-a-withdrawal date is to encourage people to drop classes

in time to allow wait-listed people to join the class. If it’s after the first exam, why would anyone new join the class? You’d be making room for no one.

• “More priority point opportunities through student organization groups.” “Promote full-season football packages for freshmen.”

These crop up every year.

While valiant, we need to realize that LSU Football Operations does what it wants. It’s their world, and we get to live in it for a handful of magical Louisiana Saturday nights. Other than that, some of the promises just display a fundamental misunderstanding of how priority points work. Last year I think someone promised to increase points for each home game, while this would have just diluted the effects of the miniscule points that our championship volleyball and track teams use to entice you to watch them. You get priority with LSU Athletics for supporting LSU Athletics. Since many of us are “poor” college students, we

should be glad they don’t ask us to support them in the same way their non-student boosters do. Maybe this lack of understanding comes from our candidates spending their time in the Greek section rather than with the common folk. OK, that was a low blow. I’m jealous of your seats, Greeks!

I won’t speculate whether these promises are the result of intentional politicking or poor information.

Maybe the candidates simply never asked anyone knowledgeable for opinions on the feasibility of their campaign platforms.

Don’t get me wrong. I harbor no ill will for my fellow students running for office. I’m glad they’re finding a way to be proactive about student affairs and budget cuts while people like me effectively do nothing. However, people like me vote in the elections. Consider my words more of a critique of the campaigning policies than the candidates themselves. Some of the ideas I read were better than the ones I listed

above. Microwaves in vending locations, emergency contacts on Tiger Cards, the First Annual Taste of LSU — whatever that is, it sounds delicious — and extended study area hours are all excellent ideas. I try to save money by packing my lunch, and I would love to have more places to reheat it.

You get the point: They don’t have to be extravagant ideas, but they can definitely be inventive. Not too long ago, a candidate promised us a Redbox on campus, and guess what? There’s a gosh-darned Redbox in the Union now. If candidates focus on events and conveniences for the students’ benefit and drop unfeasible goals, I bet people like me will take notice. Who knows, maybe one day someone famous will write a book about their political efforts.

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

TIM MORGAN / The Daily Reveille

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.

Contact Adam Arinder at aarinder@lsureveille.com

Kyle Barber Geology senior Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com

Quote of the Day

“Psychos will always be psychos; they don’t need video games to help them.”

Scott Ramsoomair Canadian cartoonist March 24, 1981 — present

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Opinion

page 13

Athletes choose their majors exactly like everyone else COOL HAND LUKE

Luke Johnson Sports Writer It seems to be a logical progression toward earning a degree: take what you know you’re good at, study it, work at it and turn it into a career.

Most of the writing staff at The Daily Reveille — myself included — realized at some point that they could write well, enjoyed story telling and, with a little bit of work, could turn it into something they were proud to call their profession.

There’s even a collection of crazies on campus that honestly considers physics and math to be enthralling. Engineering majors, I respect and fear you.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a large percentage of LSU’s student-athletes are pursuing a major in sports administration (see pg. 1). Some obviously athletically-inclined folks would like to work in athletics for the remainder of their days.

Seems to me like everything’s in line.

Athletically-minded youths see a degree titled sports administration, look into it and decide to pursue it.

It’s as simple as that. LSU students who happen to be on an LSU roster have the right to tackle any curriculum that LSU offers — it just so happens that many of them have similar tastes.

The only place where a problem could arise is if the degree program were created specifically for athletes as a way to ease

their academic burden while they were representing LSU on the field.

But that’s not the case. They might not need to take an advanced calculus course to get their degree, but hey, neither did I. My classes are difficult enough.

If that is their decided path, the onus is on them to use their degree to build a career when they’ve completed the required course work.

Some of the uniquely gifted athletes aren’t going to have to worry about what degree they earn or work toward in school.

Professional sports teams will pay them huge sums of money to make sure they don’t need to worry about anything other than sacking the quarterback.

I guess it now makes sense that there are several football

players in my economics class.

But they still have to study something. It might as well be something they enjoy.

Before rushing to judge athletes who are taking the “easy” route through college, first ask yourself if you’ve done the coursework that correlates with their majors — because you can’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it.

Then ask yourself if you’ve had anyone other than a professor monitor your attendance in the classroom — ask Ron Brooks about that $50 he had to pay for missing class.

Then ask yourself if you’ve put in a couple of mandatory grueling hours in the weight room or practice field — and no, I’m not talking about curls with a 10-pound dumbbell.

What about a long weekend

bus trip to Gainesville, Fla.? I’m not talking about the one where the empties spill from the bus door at every gas stop.

LSU’s athletes don’t need the excuses. They get their fair share of benefits, including elevated status among the student body and a dazzling collection of swag, but the student-athlete route is far from easy.

Their path requires focus, determination and hard work.

As long as they get the same academic treatment as every other student on campus, they shouldn’t be hung out to dry because of their chosen major.

Contact Luke Johnson at ljohnson@lsureveille.com

It’s time for Santorum and Gingrich to plan their exits FOR THINKERS ONLY Matthew Westfall Columnist The writing may be on the wall for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Don’t expect any Etch A Sketch shakeups in the latest primary episode.

All signs point to the exit as the two presidential hopefuls continue to struggle in matching frontrunner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, trailing by significant margins in the all-important delegate count.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul has dismissed public outcry calling for him to remove himself from the race, but he has long settled into a losing pattern, failing even to compete for a first- or second-place finish anywhere – shedding light on what little support he now has.

Even after Santorum earned a much-needed victory in the Louisiana primary on Saturday, he still trailed Romney by almost 300 delegates.

Gingrich floundered in what was a vital primary for him in Louisiana, failing to gain the necessary 25 percent of the vote needed to qualify for delegates.

The question now shifts from whether or not the candidates will back out to when and how they will do so.

The odds against these guys keep getting worse.

On Thursday, Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican and Tea Party favorite, all but endorsed Romney and all but called for Santorum and Gingrich to get out, saying the candidates needed to “do a little self-reflection here – [on] what’s good for our country.”

Support for Romney has also grown in the form of several recent

endorsements.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is widely respected among conservatives, endorsed Romney after his win in Illinois, helping to bolster the front-runner’s credentials with voters. And Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne joined the bandwagon, endorsing Romney in the build-up to Saturday’s primary.

Next week we’ll see primaries in Maryland, Wisconsin and D.C. (where Santorum isn’t even on the ballot), all of which Romney has polled well in.

Then, on April 24, Romney is expected to take home primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island. Santorum may capture his home state of Pennsylvania, but even that seems to be far less than a certainty. Santorum and Gingrich will soon have to face the harsh reality that their finances are evaporating and the end may be approaching fast.

According to Federal Election Commission reports, Santorum’s top super PAC, the Red, White and Blue Fund, raised less than $3 million in February and spent its reserves down to $365,000.

The Gingrich super PAC, Winning Our Future, did slightly better, raising $5.7 million for the month — but they spent all of it.

As great as those numbers may sound, when compared to Romney they tell a different story. In February, Romney’s super PAC, Restore Our Future, raised nearly $18 million in February — and they’re probably still counting.

These shoestring campaigns Santorum and Gingrich have been running are not going to be able to continue operating under this pressure.

It’s conventional wisdom.

Santorum and Gingrich must also realize the damages of staying in the race. If they stay in it too long, they’ll be doing so with the

TIM MUELLER / The Associated Press

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrinch displays an Etch A Sketch on March 22 during a Tea Party Presidential forum and straw poll hosted by the LSU College Republicans in Dodson Auditorium.

risk of damaging their reputations and the Republican Party.

Bob Mann, political communications professor and director of the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, noted that the Republican Party usually nominates the runner-up in the next election cycle, and the candidates would be wise to plan their exit strategies in order to preserve their viability for 2016 or 2020.

Mann said the candidates should be asking themselves, “Do I want to be remembered as the guy who made it

impossible for Mitt Romney to reach the White House, or do I want to be remembered fondly?”

In 2008, Romney didn’t go around slashing and burning John McCain. Instead, he exited the race early and eventually endorsed McCain en route to now becoming the potential heir apparent to the nomination.

If Santorum and Gingrich decide to follow the Romney model, we may end up seeing a resolution to this muddled mess sooner rather than later.

The campaign death watch has

begun. If Romney fulfills expectations and does well in the April primaries, look for a quick withdrawal from the competition and for this nomination to be finalized.

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

The Daily Reveille

page 14

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Tuesday, March 27, 2012 SPORTS ADMIN, from page 1

Of the 34 players on the LSU baseball team, 21 are majoring in sports administration, part of the College of Education’s Department of Kinesiology. That’s nearly 62 percent of the team, according to the 2012 LSU baseball roster.

Other teams with a significant number of sports administration majors include men’s tennis with 60 percent and softball with 35 percent.

For Montgomery, choosing sports administration was, ironically, a way to stand out from traditional athletes majoring in general studies.

“I wanted to get a degree in something else besides the basics, like general studies,” Montgomery said. “I want to be different from just your average athlete.”

Dorothy Jacobsen, undergraduate sports administration coordinator, said sports administration is a relatively new program, implemented in 2009. Jacobsen said the major was created in response to the abundance of jobs in the sports field.

The program currently boasts an enrollment of 338 students, according to the Office of Budget and Planning. Of those students, 85 are student-athletes, meaning about 25 percent of sports administration majors are student-athletes.

Montgomery is joined in sports administration by his teammates, freshman punter Brad Wing and sophomore defensive end Barkevious Mingo.

“Parents always want their kids to be a lawyer or doctor,” Mingo said. “I just want to major in something that I enjoy.”

Wing said he chose the program with help from an academic counselor.

“In Australia, not a lot of people end up going to college,” Wing said. “When I came to LSU, my adviser suggested a few options.

Sports administration sounded the most interesting.”

Seeing a large population of athletes in the same field of study isn’t a rarity. Researchers have examined the phenomenon of collegiate athletes “clustering” in certain majors for years.

In a November 2008 report

by USA Today, 235 clusters were found among a sample group of 654 teams. The report defines a cluster as being 25 percent of athletes for larger teams and 33 percent for smaller teams congregating in the same major.

LSU has four athletic teams that meet or exceed the cluster trend.

Critics of clustering attribute the trend to heightened graduationrate standards implemented by the NCAA in 2003, according to the USA Today report. The report said some see it as a way to cut academic corners to help athletes stay eligible to play while working toward a degree.

Student-athletes at LSU say that’s debatable.

Roger Cooke, history junior and distance runner, said the difficulty of a major is ultimately decided by the athlete.

“With any degree, you have to put in some work to make it count,” Cooke said. “Of course, some people just barely meet the minimum requirements.”

Distance runner and marketing

sophomore Michelle Mobley said clustering may occur — whether purposefully or not — because many athletes have school schedules that conflict with the demands of their sport, limiting the number of academic options.

“Lots of people just major in something that they like,” Mobley said. “But I think some athletes pick easier majors because doing something like architecture wouldn’t fit their schedule. You have to spend a bunch of hours in lab every week on top of homework and practice.”

Though particular majors may be more flexible or enticing to athletes, Jacobsen stressed it doesn’t mean those courses are any easier.

“The major is just as difficult as any other offered at the University,” Jacobsen said. “I have had students go on to graduate school and even law school. We have had students take internships all across the country.”

To determine a school’s compliance with academic regulations, the NCAA considers a statistic called the Academic Progress Rate.

The highest possible score is 1,000, based on the eligibility, retention and graduation of each student athlete on scholarship.

Teams that score below 925 on their four-year rate and have a student leave school because they are academically ineligible can lose up to 10 percent of their scholarships through penalties.

The Daily Reveille reported in May 2010 that graduation rates of football players have risen every year since 2005. LSU football’s Academic Progress Rate was 923 in 2005 and jumped to 960 in 2009.

That number puts the University at No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference.

The University’s Department of Sports Information also reported in October 2011 that the University’s Graduation Success Rate, developed to more accurately assess the academic success of studentathletes, has continually increased among football players.

“LSU football’s score of 77 is well above the national mark of 67 for all Football Bowl Subdivision schools. The NCAA began calculating the [Graduation Success Rate] in 2006, and the LSU football program has shown improvement with each year’s report, going from 51 in 2006 and 2007 to 54 in 2008, 60 in 2009 and 67 in 2010,” according to the report.

The report is based on the entering classes from the fall semester of 2001 to the spring semester of 2005.

But others, like United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, deny that clustering and graduation rates are linked.

“When folks take this seriously and have built this as part of their institutional culture and are committed to doing it, really good things happen for student-athletes,” Duncan said in a recent teleconference. “If folks want to play around the margins and not take this seriously, we can address that. When the institution is committed to academic success, not just athletic success, great things happen for their student-athletes.”

Contact Joshua Bergeron at jbergeron@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille CRIME, from page 1

administrator that she had oral sex with Bordelon, who drives her school bus.

Hicks said the school and the victim’s mother confirmed the victim has an IQ of 67 and limited functionality. For people with an IQ lower than 70, Louisiana law defines aggravated rape as any sexual act in which the victim cannot resist because he or she suffers “mental infirmity.”

Hicks said an EBRSO detective questioned the victim and determined she was incapable of

page 15 understanding the nature of her actions with Bordelon, though she could describe what took place.

The victim explained Bordelon picked her up early for school and stood above her on the bus while she sat in the first seat, where he asked her to perform sexual acts on him. Hicks said the victim stated this occurred six times on the school bus.

Bordelon also gave the victim candy and a cell phone, to which he confessed, according to Hicks.

But Hicks said Bordelon denied he persuaded the victim to perform sexual acts six times.

Bordelon said he picked the victim up from school early approximately 10 times but only engaged in oral sex with her once, not on his bus but at BREC’s Ben Burge Park on Gardere Drive.

If convicted, the offender faces life imprisonment at hard labor without parole, probation or suspension of sentence, according to Louisiana law.

Contact Lauren Duhon at lduhon@lsureveille.com

page 16

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

SUPPORT KLSU SUPPORT STUDENT JOBS MARCH 26- APRIL 1

me o s e Scor uff t s e e fr

3

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1. Call 225- 578-5578 2. Log on www. klsuradio.fm 3. Stop by B51 Hodges Hall All donations support LSU’s Official radio station KLSU 91.1F.m.

Amanda Gottfried It’s thanks to Amanda that the LSU Living Expo was a huge success. Amanda is a dedicated and loyal team member.

Amanda’s bubbly personality toward her job and enthusiasm is simply contagious to everyone around her.

Ask us how to apply in B34 Hodges Hall !