TRANSPORTATION: Students, teachers commute to class, p. 3
FOOTBALL: Tigers aim for balance, p. 7
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 • Volume 117, Issue 18
BOMB’S AWAY
Bomb threat causes traffic and frustration Staff Reports
Exams, classes and meetings usually crowd the minds of University students on Monday mornings, but traffic, a closed campus and uncertainty replaced routine this week after a bomb was reported on campus. An emergency text message informing students, faculty and staff of a reported bomb on campus and ordering an immediate evacuation lit up phones at 11:32 a.m. on Monday. But an explosive was never found, according to Capt. Cory Lalonde, LSU Police Department spokesman. It wasn’t until around 11 p.m. that campus was deemed safe to return to normal operations and reopened to all students, faculty and staff.
The investigation is still ongoing, but no new information was available as of Tuesday, Lalonde said. The original threat was reported to the East Baton Rouge Parish 911 Call Center. Students began pouring out of classes, and while some were able to get away quickly, many were stuck in a campus-wide traffic gridlock. Many faulted the initial text message as being too ambiguous about whether buildings or the entire campus should be evacuated. As University personnel and students left, confusion ensued, according to business management sophomore Jessie Cline. “I sat down to eat lunch and within five minutes there were tons of students and cars BOMB THREAT, see page 6
Bomb effects could vary depending on motives Chris Grillot Staff Writer
CATHERINE THRELKELD / The Daily Reveille
Louisiana Emergency Services unit’s bomb squad searches Evangeline Hall on Monday after the bomb scare.
Though no explosive devices were found in Monday’s bomb threat, the damage and loss of life could have varied significantly had the threat been real, according to Rick Blackwood, retired Navy captain and retired University English professor. Blackwood, who was an intelligence officer with the Navy SEALs and
director of intelligence for the Department of Defense, said in an email the damage would depend on “the motive or goal of the bomber; his skill as a bomb maker; his tactical anticipation as to what would be happening near the site of the explosion, that is, who or what was nearby at the instant of detonation.” He added that the loss of life would depend upon “how well the bomb BOMB EFFECTS, see page 6
ENROLLMENT
University brings in biggest freshman class yet Chris Grillot Staff Writer
Despite increased tuition costs ,the University reeled in its biggest freshman class since it added admission standards in 1988. The class comprises 5,725 new students, according to the Office of Budget and Planning. The previous largest freshman class had 5,700 students in 2004. In fall 2011, there were 5,290 new freshmen. The University’s total enrollment this year is 29,549 — 2 percent more than the 28,985
students enrolled last fall. The University expected only a 200-student increase for the fall, but wound up with 564 more. Undergraduate enrollment increased by about 3 percent, going from 23,980 in 2011 to 24,641 in 2012. In July, the University announced a 10 percent in-state tuition increase and a 15 percent out-of-state tuition increase. Associate Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management David Kurpius said interest in the University is growing although tuition has increased. “The interest in LSU has
never been higher and even with recent tuition increases, LSU remains an affordable option for students to earn a nationally recognized degree,” he said. Since the University has a larger freshman class than usual, and students are paying increased tuition, the extra money is plugging a $33.5 million budget deficit. Interim System President and Chancellor William “Bill” Jenkins said in a statement the University will strive to provide the best educational services it can. ENROLLMENT, see page 6
graphic by BRITTANY GAY / The Daily Reveille