SPORTS: Read what an editor says about JaMarcus Russell’s NFL hopes, p. 5
NEWS: Check out photos from the MLK Performing Arts Night, p. 4
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Friday, January 25, 2013 • Volume 117, Issue 77
Daily Reveille Exclusive
Idol Power University student competes on ‘American Idol,’ reflects on audition
LAUREN DUHON / The Daily Reveille
Kinesiology senior Megan Miller auditioned for American Idol from July to November, when she was chosen to go to Hollywood and compete. Miller said she is honored to have made it this far in the competition.
At age 12, Megan Miller as- Her singing reclusion came to a halt tounded her mother with a karaoke when her family dined at a karaoke rendition of a Martina McBride restaurant. song. Years later, her raw talent “I went and signed up for ‘A produced the same effect on Nicki Broken Wing’ by Martina McBride, Minaj, Mariah and my mom was Carey and Randy like, ‘You know Taylor Schoen Jackson when she that’s a really, reEntertainment Writer auditioned for ally hard song. “American Idol” last summer. Why don’t you sing what the other The University kinesiology se- girls are singing? Like ‘Strawberry nior and former Miss Greater Baton Wine?’” Miller recounted. “I was Rouge will be competing with this like ‘No, I want to do this.’ And I got season’s cycle of “American Idol” up there and I blew her away, and she hopefuls, and the episode in which hasn’t tried to prevent me from singshe was offered her spot on the show ing ever again.” aired Thursday night. Her precocious talent prompted Miller said she has loved mu- Miller to continue singing and evensic ever since she was “little bitty.” tually led her to audition for the meHer musical muses range from Mar- ga-hit singing competition, “Ameritina McBride to Adele, and she has can Idol.” drawn inspiration from these songMiller said she waited until this stresses through the years. point in her life to try out because she Miller said her singing career wanted to ensure she had a college began at an early age. She was self- degree before chasing her dreams. taught and has never had a voice The initial audition process lesson. She said she had a “shel- began back in the muggy days of July tered” upbringing in Ethel, La., and only sang behind closed doors. IDOL, see page 11
REORGANIZATION
Admins send students invites McKenzie Womack Staff Writer
Emails inviting students and faculty to participate on the Transition Advisory Team’s subcommittees were sent out Thursday. The Transition Advisory Team consists of 10 people — none of whom are students or faculty members — tasked with studying the reorganization of the LSU System and reporting to the LSU Board of Supervisors about plans to reorganize the system. LSU Student Government President Taylor Cox and former LSU SG President J Hudson have been vocal advocates of adding students to the Transition Advisory Team, but administrators have not acquiesced to their requests. Instead, administrators have insisted students will be able to STUDENTS, see page 11
CAMPUS SAFETY
New key procedure meant for more security Process aims at better access control Gabrielle Braud
Contributing Writer
In the wake of numerous school shootings and bomb threats, the University’s Facility Services department is taking steps to make the campus safer with a new procedure for issuing and keeping track of keys on campus. Door by door, Facility Services workers will be making their ways around campus over the next few years in an effort to create a centralized electronic database that tracks the cutting and issuing of keys. About two years ago, the issue of tracking and retrieving keys became a concern to the Associate Vice Chancellor of Human Resource
Management A.G. Monaco, as well as LSU Chief of Police Lawrence Rabalais. They, together with Executive Director of Facility Services Tony Lombardo, decided the best way to improve safety for everyone on campus was to improve key control, according to Associate Director of Facility Maintenance Sam Territo. “It’s more about security than it is about the keys,” Territo said. With the old key system, Facility Services would cut and issue keys from its own lock shop based on work orders from various departments. Once keys were cut, Facility Services issued keys to building coordinators, responsible for communicating with Facility Services about public safety and risk management concerns within their building. These building coordinators then issue keys to professors. For more than a decade,
building coordinators have been keeping track of each facility’s keys with a notebook, Territo said. Territo said the informal tracking made it difficult to retrieve keys from professors leaving the University. Not knowing how many people have keys to buildings around campus raised concerns for the LSU Police Department about the possibility of thefts on campus, Territo said. Territo said not being able to track keys could lead to the wrong individuals having access to everything from dangerous materials like chemicals to musical instruments that could be pawned. “There was no University tracking. It was all very decentralized and independently done,” Territo said. “Underlying everything is a terrorist act or a Virginia Tech-type scenario. KEYS, see page 11
photo illustration by ANGELA MAJOR / The Daily Reveille
A door is unlocked at LSU’s Facility Services Office on Thursday.