MEN’S BASKETBALL: Tigers miss out on NIT berth, p. 11
PHOTO STORY: Baton Rouge parade celebrates St. Patrick’s Day, p. 6
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Monday, March 18, 2013 • Volume 117, Issue 108
Disqualification
OVERTURNED UCourt reverses Unite LSU disqualification; all Unite LSU candidates to be reinstated
Staff Writer
Senior Contributing Writer
UCourt Chief Justice Morgan Faulk [top right] speaks at a UCourt hearing Sunday in the Student Union, where newly reinstated Student Government Vice President Taylor Parks [bottom left] smiles as a supporter congratulates her.
TAT to deliver progress report Alyson Gaharan
Judah Robinson
MARY LEAVINES / The Daily Reveille
REORGANIZATION
The University Court overturned the election board’s decision to disqualify the Unite LSU ticket from the spring Student Government Elections Sunday evening, and John Woodard and Taylor Parks have now officially won the SG election. Unite LSU presidential candidate — now president-elect — John Woodard said a total of 56 Unite candidates will be reinstated to their positions, and 11 members will now be able to participate in the runoff election. The decision from the court comes a day after an appeal filed against the election board’s decision to disqualify Unite LSU from the election was heard Saturday morning. The appeal, which was written by Unite LSU adviser Joe Gipson, did not pass through UCourt because it dealt with whether the election board had the right to revalue Unite LSU’s expenditure document.
The court voted that the election board did have that right. However, Sunday’s complaint dealt with whether the election board had correctly executed its power regarding the revaluing of Unite LSU’s expenditure document. The court decided the election board did not have enough evidence to disqualify Unite LSU from the election. The election board thought Unite LSU’s financial document that dealt with the price of its campaign banners was less than fair market value, which would have been against the election code. Under the election code, the election board has the right to revalue the price of items on campaign financial documents that it deem unfairly OVERTURNED, see page 9
Read our editorial’s board’s thoughts on what this means for Woodard’s tenure, p. 16.
Although the Transition Advisory Team is presenting a progress report at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting, most of the actual reorganization changes will hinge on decisions made by the University’s Presidential Search Committee, which is also meeting today. The Team will present a general overview of its progress so far to the Board, but the report will not include any recommendations for reorganization, said SSA Consultant Christel Slaughter. Those recommendations will be presented to the Board of Supervisors in July, the same month the new system president will be hired, according to a Transition Advisory Team PowerPoint. Slaughter said the “progress report” is not a proposal because it will simply outline the Team’s development and will not include any recommendations for how the System should move forward with the reorganization process, REPORT, see page10
FACULTY
LSU retirement benefits some of lowest in nation McKenzie Womack Staff Writer
Faculty Senate’s Benefits Advisory Committee Chair Roger Laine, Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope and others are taking action to increase faculty awareness, participation and engagement about the University’s comparatively poor retirement benefits. About 70 percent of the University’s faculty is on the Optional Retirement Plan, or ORP. The state-paid benefits for faculty members are some of the lowest retirement benefits among universities in the nation, according to Laine.
The problem is worsened because LSU faculty do not receive Social Security benefits, something many universities in the Southeastern Conference give. Starting July 1, LSU faculty on the ORP plan will receive 5.19 percent in retirement benefits. In 2012, that number was 5.97 percent. Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Stuart Bell said the University is concerned with “any issues that may impact the retention of our existing faculty and our ability to be nationally competitive in recruitment of new faculty.” “Employee benefits that
are competitive with peer institutions are certainly critical for our current and prospective faculty members,” Bell said. A 5.19 percent benefit plan means 5.19 percent is the annual amount put in a faculty member’s retirement account, Laine said. Comparably, the University of Georgia contributes 6.2 percent to Social Security and adds another 11 percent of state benefits, totaling a 17.2 percent of salary retirement package — more than three times the retirement benefits for LSU faculty, Laine said. BENEFITS, see page 10
TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope speaks at a meeting Sept. 5, 2012. Cope is raising awareness about the University’s poor retirement benefits.
The Daily Reveille
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INTERNATIONAL Dublin tourists lead damp, chilly St. Patrick’s Day ‘people’s parade’ DUBLIN (AP) — Never mind the fickle Irish weather. A chilly, damp Dublin celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with artistic flair anyway Sunday as the focal point for a weekend of Irish celebrations worldwide. More than 250,000 revelers braved the occasionally snowy, sleety skies to line the streets for the traditional holiday parade, a 2-mile jaunt through the city’s heart involving performers from 46 countries. Unusually, 8,000 tourists in town for the festivities led this year’s procession in a “people’s parade.” Many donned leprechaun costumes. Palestinians unenthusiastic about President Barack Obama’s visit RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — President Barack Obama will find a disillusioned Palestinian public, skeptical about his commitment to promoting Mideast peace when he visits the region. Obama’s trip, which begins Wednesday, appears aimed primarily at resetting the sometimes troubled relationship with Israel. But winning the trust of the Palestinians, who accuse him of unfairly favoring Israel, could be a far more difficult task.
Nation & World
JULIEN BEHAL / The Associated Press
A woman wears false eyelashes during the St. Patrick’s Day parade Sunday through the Dublin city centre.
David Hasselhoff lends star power to Berlin Wall preservation campaign BERLIN (AP) — David Hasselhoff put his name behind a campaign to preserve one of the few remaining sections of the Berlin Wall, calling it a “sacred” monument to cheers Germans who fondly remember his schmaltzy hit “Looking for Freedom” as one of the soundtracks to their peaceful 1989 revolution. The actor, best known for starring in “Knight Rider” and “Baywatch,” joined ordinary Berliners in protesting a real estate developer’s plans to move part of the wall to make way for an access path for a luxury housing development.
Monday, March 18, 2013
NATIONAL
STATE/LOCAL
Bus crash that killed Pennsylvania lacrosse coach being investigated
University of New Orleans to offer video game development degree
CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — Police are investigating what caused a bus carrying a college women’s lacrosse team to veer off the Pennsylvania Turnpike and crash into a tree, killing a pregnant coach, her unborn child and the driver. Players and coaches from Seton Hill University, near Pittsburgh, were among 23 people aboard when the bus crashed Saturday morning. The team was headed to an afternoon game at Millersville University, about 50 miles from the crash site in central Pennsylvania.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Students interested in making a career out of developing computer and video games may be interested in a new discipline to be offered by the University of New Orleans. The university says its computer science department is now offering a concentration in game development. The Advocate reports a 2011 study by market research company the NPD Group found that video game sales in the United States generate about $8.8 billion annually, while sales of computer games total about $450 million.
Obsessed baseball fanatic who shot MLB player, inspired movie dies CHICAGO (AP) — She inspired a novel and a movie starring Robert Redford when in 1949 she lured a major league ballplayer she had never met into a hotel room with cryptic note and shot him, nearly killing him. After the headlines faded, Ruth Ann Steinhagen did something else just as surprising: She disappeared into obscurity, living a quiet life unnoticed in Chicago until now, more than a half century later, when news broke that she died three months earlier.
JOE HERMITT / The Associated Press
Authorities investigate a passenger bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on Saturday near Carlisle, Pa.
Air Force trainer gets four years for raping trainee at South Texas base SAN ANTONIO (AP) — A military judge has sentenced an Air Force instructor to four years in prison for raping a female trainee at the South Texas base where he worked. Lt. Col. Matthew Van Dalen also sentenced Staff Sgt. Eddy Soto to a dishonorable discharge after convicting him of rape Saturday during a military trial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. More than 30 Lackland instructors were investigated in the military sex scandal. Soto was the ninth trainer convicted and sentenced to prison or hard labor.
CATS improved bus system with GPS tracking fails to impress riders (AP) — More than a month after the Capital Area Transit System launched its GPS software system, some bus riders complain the system is inaccurate and not user-friendly. The Advocate reports the transit system, known as CATS, rolled out a website and smartphone app provided by RouteMatch Software at the end of January. It is supposed to show riders in real time when a bus will arrive at their stop. CATS says technology will improve rider experiences.
Weather
PHOTO OF THE DAY
TODAY Sunny
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76 53 THURSDAY MARIEL GATES / The Daily Reveille
Some crawfish and corn sit ready to be eaten Saturday during the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Submit your photo of the day to photo@lsureveille.com.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS The Daily Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes which may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsureveille.com.
POLICIES AND 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. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies for 25 cents, please contact the Office of Student Media in B-34 Hodges Hall. The Daily Reveille is published daily during the fall and spring semesters and semi-weekly during the summer semester, except during holidays and final exams. Second-class copies postage paid at Baton Rouge, La., 70803. Annual weekly mailed subscriptions are $125, semester weekly mailed subscriptions are $75. Non-mailed student rates are $4 each regular semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, additional copies 25 cents each. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, La.,70803.
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The Daily Reveille
B-16 Hodges Hall • Baton Rouge, La. 70803 Andrea Gallo • Editor in Chief Emily Herrington • Managing Editor Bryan Stewart • Managing Editor, External Media Kirsten Romaguera • Managing Editor, Production Clayton Crockett • News Editor Brian Sibille • Entertainment Editor, Deputy News Editor Albert Burford • Sports Editor Alex Cassara • Deputy Sports Editor Carli Thibodeaux • Associate Production Editor Kevin Thibodeaux • Associate Production Editor Chris Grillot • Opinion Editor Taylor Balkom • Photo Editor Alix Landriault • Multimedia Editor Natalie Guccione • Radio Director Fatima Mehr • Advertising Sales Manager Newsroom (225)578-4810 • Advertising (225)578-6090
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
LSUPD
Sunshine Week, Clery Act call for public information access Nic Cotten Staff Writer
In commemoration of the Clery Act and Sunshine Week, The Daily Reveille sent a reporter and a non-media-affiliated University student to test the availability of public information in the LSU Police Department. Last week was Sunshine Week, a week created by the American Society of News Editors to promote access to public information for private citizens, according to the Sunshine Week website. One initiative of the week is to make sure campus police publish an annual security report, have a public crime log and issue timely warnings in instances of emergency, according to the Clery Act. The Clery Act is a federal law, originally known as the Campus Security Act, which requires colleges and universities across the country to provide information about crime on campus, according to SecurityOnCampus.org. Frank LoMonte, executive director of the Student Press Law Center in Virginia, said a mishap in a school in Pennsylvania was the inspiration behind the Clery Act. “A college in Pennsylvania did not give warning of a dangerous predator on campus and a woman was murdered,” LoMonte said. “This act lets people protect themselves, and if not, they can advocate for a response.” LoMonte said this act helps
students have a safer college experience. “Crime logs can reveal property crimes like burglary and theft around campus,” LoMonte said. “This act can minimize the risk of being a victim. If you notice iPads have been stolen in the library, you know not to bring yours to the library. It can put people in the spot not to be victimized.” LoMonte said if students have a problem with getting the information, it should be brought to the attention of authorities. One of the efforts of the Student Press Law Center is to encourage students to go to their campus police stations to see if information is available, and LoMonte said smaller schools tend to have more of a problem having the information available because they are not used to dealing with the media. The availability of the LSUPD’s Clery log was tested Saturday and Sunday. In the first visit, the police officer gave the yearly report to the reporter, and said it is required by the FBI to have a yearly safety report. He said students can see the daily crime log online at the LSUPD’s website sites01.lsu.edu under “Jeanne Clery Act/Crime Information.” The log, as of Sunday evening, has updated every crime reported through March 14, which LoMonte said meets his expectations.
THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU police dog Meggie stands by her handler Officer Masters on Feb. 3, 2011. Students can go to the LSUPD office to check the campus crime log.
The second visit yielded similar results. The officer gave the yearly report for the student, explained its contents and gave further information about the online crime log. LoMonte said he was not surprised LSUPD was in full compliance with its public information and said most big universities are comparable to LSU’s preparedness. Contact Nic Cotten at ncotten@lsureveille.com
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SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT
KIRSTEN ROMAGUERA / The Daily Reveille
Chemical engineering freshman Brennan Hebert grimaces as his head is shaved Friday as part of the St. Baldrick’s foundation event in Free Speech Circle. The event resulted in 34 shaved heads and raised more than $8,500 for children’s cancer research. Check out a video of the event at lsureveille.com.
Grad School Application Series Join us TODAY for Get Into Law School! 4:00-5:00pm, 152 Coates Hall Learn more @ careercenter.lsu.edu/grad-school Become a Man of Merit, Service and Leadership The LSU Black Leadership Initiative Complete your 2013 Fellows Applications Online at lsu.edu/BMLI Applications due Friday, March 22nd, 2013 DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Sam at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: admanager@lsu.edu
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BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
Students heal sick with music and art Volunteer program holds Friday events
breathtaking,” she said. Music education senior Jessica Ottaviano said she has experienced how powerful music and art are as a healing force by participating in the Pellar Jonathan Olivier project. Staff Writer Ottaviano was with a BaUniversity students are help- ton Rouge General music theraing to heal patients through the pist who was going to perform power of music and art by par- for a burn victim in pediatrics ticipating in the Baton Rouge during one of the recent muGeneral’s Arts in Medicine pro- sic sessions. She said the young gram at Baton Rouge General patient “was sort of angry and not in a good mood,” but Hospitals. Baton Rouge General’s that changed when the music Arts in Medicine program re- started. “His attitude totally changed, cently partnered with the University College of Music and he was really excited and wanted Dramatic Arts’ Janice H. Pel- us to play more songs with him, lar Creative Arts Entrepreneur- and he wanted to keep playing ship Project to allow students to the drums,” she said. University alumna and Baton think of ways to not only make money, but to think about how Rouge General board of trustees individuals can use their unique member Janice H. Pellar is a doresources in the community, nor after whom the Pellar project said project founder and Univer- is named. “[Pellar] wanted students to sity professor of music Joseph realize that they have more skills Skillen. The Arts in Medicine pro- for running businesses and being gram began in fall 2012 and entrepreneurial than they think isn’t reserved only for student they do,” he said. “Even though volunteers. Community groups they’re studying arts, they’re and people from across the city actually learning a whole lot of skills that transparticipate in ‘It’s really fer into running a the program that business.” holds music and amazing to see the Skillen said art events every Friday at the Mid- power of music with the students are learnCity or Bluebon- patients themselves – ing first-hand the concept of social net hospital locait’s breathtaking.’ entrepreneurship tions, said Arts and how entreprein Medicine proKim Henderson neurship in genergram supervisor Baton Rouge General Arts in al can have differKim Henderson. Medicine program supervisor ent motivations. The partner“Entrepreneurship isn’t alship between the University and Baton Rouge General began this ways financially driven: somesemester, and Skillen said stu- times it’s opportunity based, and dents have played music or cre- then finances follow,” he said. Ottaviano said she has benated art for patients and visitors on select Fridays in a variety of efitted from the program already and said the entrepreneurial asways. “We have theater students pect of the project has helped her performing in places that might to grow in that area. “It’s helped me realize that be as large as a lobby where they might just be providing music or if you have an idea… there’s art that will make the place more really nothing stopping you,” pleasing for folks that are walk- she said. “If you have an idea ing through,” he said. “In some that you think is going to work, instances, people are walking you just have to reach out to room to room and interacting people.” Skillen said students from with patients individually and are playing music for them that all disciplines are invited to parthey might want to hear. In other ticipate in the project, and so far, settings, we’re just kind of go- he is pleased with the partnership ing into waiting rooms and play- between the two projects. “It really shows our students ing while people might be sort of sitting in boredom or anxiety that [patients] are realizing how – we’re able to go in and make powerful their art really is,” he that space a lot more humane for said. “I think it’s something the community desperately needs, them.” Henderson said she has seen and I think it’s great that LSU is the dramatic effects the program once again showing its ability to has had on, for example, coma- reach out into the community and tose patients who wake up and show the community what we smile, as well as patients who have to offer, because we have change their entire demeanor a lot.” during a music session, she said. “It’s really amazing to Contact Jonathan Olivier at see the power of music with jolivier@lsureveille.com the patients themselves – it’s
photo courtesy of COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC ARTS
Mary Malloy, a Baton Rouge General Hospital musical therapist, and Anita Kruse, founder of Purple Songs Can Fly, a program that provides musical outlets for patients at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers, play guitar and sing to a hospital patient.
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
STATE
page 5
Alligator farming industry grows, prices rise The Associated Press HOUMA (AP) — The local alligator farming industry continues its comeback as demand and prices rise. “In 2009, the market was slow because of the recession, and it was pretty rough. You know you never want to see that happen, but we planned for those types of things and we managed well. Since then, demand is back up, and prices look good. Everything is moving along like it has for the past 25 years,” said Gerald Savoie Jr., owner of Savoie’s Alligator Farm in Cut Off. The average price for wild alligator skins this year is starting at $27 per foot, Savoie said. That’s not as good as in 2008 when the average was at $34.50 per foot, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. But it’s better than the $7.50 per foot in 2009, $13 in 2010, $17 in 2011 and $23.50 in 2012.
“We are noticing things are pretty stable now and gradually creeping up,” said Ruth Elsey, biologist manager for Wildlife and Fisheries. “Meat prices are also going good. For the meat, it’s a supply and demand thing. The demand is very high right now and it supports the local economy and farmers. Plus it’s a pretty healthy meat.” Tab Pitre, owner of Pitre Fur Co. and Alligators, said his business is going well. “The last two to three years, we’ve had no problem selling. Even this year it looks like business will increase,” Pitre said. Pitre said the demand for alligator hides rides largely on the demand for certain products around the world. This year, Pitre noticed there is a growing demand for alligator watch bands. In the U.S., Louisiana is the leader in alligator production. The state has about 75 to 80
percent of the American alligator market, said Noel Kinler, alligator program manager for Wildlife and Fisheries. The alligator industry is worth $60 million during a good year, Elsey said, with egg collection reaching heights of 350,000 to 500,000. In 2009, farmers could not sell enough hides to justify collecting eggs. “Farmers only collected 29,000 eggs that year compared to the 529,000 eggs collected in 2008. The farmers knew the market was bad and decided not to collect eggs to make it worse,” Elsey said. The egg collection program was started in 1986 as a way to save the eggs from flooding, getting eaten by animals or drying out. The state allows farmers to collect eggs from the wild to be hatched on farms and raised for skin and meat. One to two years into the program, farmers have to
return 12 percent of their hatches to the wild. Wildlife and Fisheries data show there has been a rebound since then with 205,000 collected in 2010, 353,000 collected in 2011 and 413,000 collected in 2012. Egg season will begin this year in June and Kinler said the outlook is promising. “The demand for skins is good right now and you will see demand for eggs go up as well. Farmers will be looking to collect large numbers of eggs this summer,” Kinler said. Past weather conditions will also have a good effect on the upcoming egg season. Overall Kinler said he expects this year will yield a similar harvest as last year if prices are maintained. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
CHRIS HELLER / The Associated Press
Jhy Neal shows a baby alligator March 1 at Savoie’s Alligator Farm in Cut Off, La. The local alligator farming industry continues its comeback as demand and prices rise.
POLITICS
North Dakota close to banning abortions at six weeks The Associated Press
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota moved closer Friday to adopting what would be the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, with lawmakers sending the Republican governor measures that could set the state up for a costly legal battle over the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized the procedure. The North Dakota Senate overwhelmingly approved two anti-abortion bills Friday, one banning abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy and another prohibiting women from having the procedure because a fetus has a genetic defect, such as Down syndrome. North Dakota would be the first state in the U.S. to adopt such laws. Supporters said their goal is to challenge the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion up until a fetus is considered viable, usually at 22 to 24 weeks, though anti-abortion activists elsewhere have expressed concern about the strategy. “It’s a good day for babies,” said Rep. Bette Grande, a Republican from Fargo who introduced both bills. The state’s only abortion clinic is in Fargo, and abortionrights advocates say the measures are meant to shut it down. Gov. Jack Dalrymple hasn’t said anything to indicate he would veto the measures, and the bills have enough support in each chamber for the Legislature to override him. Debate Friday was brief, with the Senate taking about an hour to pass both measures. No one spoke against the so-called fetal heartbeat bill, which the Senate took up immediately after passing the genetic abnormalities bill. The votes were largely on party lines, with
Republicans supporting the measures and Democrats opposing them. Opponents, who have promised legal challenges to both measures if they become law, urged Dalrymple to veto the bills. North Dakota is one of several states with Republican-controlled Legislatures and GOP governors that is looking at abortion restrictions. But the state is better positioned than most for a long court fight: It has budget surplus nearing $2 billion thanks to new-found oil wealth. The American Civil Liberties Union called the measures “extreme,” saying they would make North Dakota “the first state in the nation to ban most abortions.” “In America, no woman, no matter where she lives, should be denied the ability to make this deeply personal decision,” ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said in a statement. Arkansas passed a 12-week ban earlier this month that prohibits most abortions when a fetal heartbeat can be detected using an
abdominal ultrasound. That ban is scheduled to take effect 90 days after the Arkansas Legislature adjourns. A fetal heartbeat can generally be detected earlier in a pregnancy using a vaginal ultrasound, but Arkansas lawmakers balked at requiring women seeking abortions to have the more invasive imaging technique. North Dakota’s measure doesn’t specify how a fetal heartbeat would be detected. Doctors performing an abortion after a heartbeat is detected could face a felony charge punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Women having an abortion would not face charges. While some abortion opponents welcomed Arkansas’ new law as a bold challenge to Roe v. Wade, others favor more incremental strategies, fearing such bans could lead to emphatic rejections in court. A similar fetal heartbeat bill was debated by Ohio lawmakers last year before being blocked by the Senate president. The measure
fractured Ohio’s anti-abortion movement in a debate over its tactical effectiveness. Grande told lawmakers that fears about a legal challenge shouldn’t prevent them from approving the North Dakota measure. “Whether this is challenged in court is entirely up to the abortion industry,” Grande told lawmakers
this week. “Given the lucrative nature of abortion, it is likely that any statute that reduces the number of customers will be challenged by the industry.” Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
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PAIN PILL ADDICTION on stands April 8
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PHOTO STORY
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
St. Patrick’s Day celebration rolls through Baton Rouge
photos by MARIEL GATES / The Daily Reveille
Baton Rouge celebrated St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday with the “Wearin’ of the Green” parade, which rolled at 10 a.m. from Hundred Oaks Avenue and ended on Perkins Road near the Interstate overpass. Check out more photos from the parade at lsureveille.com.
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
NATION
page 7
Ohio teens guilty of rape, face year-plus in jail
Man Year of the
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pat Green SOUL REBELS BRASS BAND Deftones SOLD O UT
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what was happening to her and confirmed she was assaulted. After Mays and Richmond were taken into custody Sunday, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said he planned to convene a grand jury next month to investigate whether anyone else should be charged in the case. Noting that 16 people refused to talk to investigators, many of them underage, DeWine said possible crimes to be investigated include failure to report a felony and failure to report child abuse. “This community desperately needs to have this behind them, but this community also desperately
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conduct on,” she said. The photograph led to allegations that three other boys, two of them members of Steubenville High’s celebrated Big Red team, saw something happening that night and didn’t try to stop it but instead recorded it themselves. None of them were charged, fueling months of online accusations of a cover-up to protect the team, which law enforcement authorities have vehemently denied. Instead, the teens were granted immunity to testify, and their accounts helped incriminate the defendants. They said the girl was so drunk she didn’t seem to know
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STEUBENVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Two members of the high school football team that is the pride of Steubenville were found guilty Sunday of raping a drunken 16-year-old girl in a case that bitterly divided the Rust Belt city and led to accusations of a cover-up to protect the community’s athletes. Steubenville High School students Trent Mays and Ma’Lik Richmond were sentenced to at least a year in juvenile jail, capping a case that came to light via a barrage of morning-after text messages, social media posts and online photos and video. Mays was sentenced to an additional year in jail on a charge of illegal use of a minor in nudityoriented material, to be served after his rape sentence is completed. The two teens broke down in tears after the verdict was read and later apologized to the victim. Both were emotional as they spoke, and Richmond began sobbing so heavily that he bent over and had to be helped back to his seat. Richmond’s father, Nathaniel, also asked that the victim’s family “forgive Ma’Lik and Trent for the pain they put you through.” Mays, 17, and Richmond, 16, were charged with digitally penetrating the West Virginia girl, first in the back seat of a moving car after an alcohol-fueled party on Aug. 11, 2012, and then in the basement of a house. The case roiled the community amid allegations that more students should have been charged — accusations that Ohio’s attorney general pledged to look into — and led to questions from a much wider audience online about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community of 18,000 that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry. Protesters who sought guilty verdicts stood outside the courthouse Sunday morning, their arms linked, some wearing masks. Later, special prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter criticized the efforts by the hacker collective Anonymous to publicize the case, saying the extra attention led to a chilling effect on those willing to testify. The trial opened last week as a contest between prosecutors determined to show the girl was so drunk she couldn’t have been a willing participant that night, and defense attorneys soliciting testimony from witnesses that would indicate that the girl, though drunk, knew what she was doing. The teenage girl testified Saturday that she could not recall what happened the night of the attack but remembered waking up naked in a strange house after drinking at a party. The girl said she recalled drinking, leaving the party holding hands with Mays and throwing up later. When she woke up, she said she discovered her phone, earrings, shoes and underwear were missing, she testified. “It was really scary,” she said. “I honestly did not know what to think because I could not
remember anything.” The girl said she believed she was assaulted when she later read text messages among friends and saw a photo of herself taken that night, along with a video that made fun of her and the alleged attack. She said she suspected she had been drugged because she couldn’t explain being as intoxicated as defense witnesses have said she was. “They treated her like a toy,” said Hemmeter. Evidence introduced at the trial included graphic text messages sent by numerous students after the night of the party, including by the accuser, containing provocative descriptions of sex acts and obscene language. Lawyers noted during the trial how texts have seemed to replace talking on the phone for contemporary teens. A computer forensic expert called by the state documented tens of thousands of texts found on 17 phones seized during the investigation. In sentencing the boys, Judge Thomas Lipps urged everyone who had witnessed what happened in the case, including parents, “to have discussions about how you talk to your friends, how you record things on the social media so prevalent today and how you conduct yourself when drinking is put upon you by your friends.” The girl herself recalled being in a car later with Mays and Richmond and asking them what happened. “They kept telling me I was a hassle and they took care of me,” she testified. “I thought I could trust him (Mays) until I saw the pictures and video.” In questioning her account, defense attorneys went after her character and credibility. Two former friends of the girl testified that she was drinking heavily that night, had a history of doing so and was known to lie. “The reality is she drank; she has a reputation for telling lies,” said lawyer Walter Madison, representing Richmond. The accuser said she does not remember being photographed as she was carried by Mays and Ma’Lik Richmond, an image that stirred up outrage, first locally, then globally, as it spread online. Others testified the photo was a joke and the girl was conscious when it was taken. After the trial, the accuser’s mother rebuked the boys for “lack of any moral code.” “You were your own accuser, through the social media that you chose to publish your criminal
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The Associated Press
needs to know justice was done and that no stone was left unturned,” he said. Mays and Richmond were determined to be delinquent, the juvenile equivalent of guilty, Lipps ruled in the juvenile court trial without a jury. The length of their sentence beyond the minimum one year will be determined by juvenile authorities; they can be held until they’re 21. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
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Joy + with Day st Choir ho Roadkill G
The Revivalists
Mansions on the Moon
Michael MZ. March F o s t e r March 411 FRI. 29 Project SAT. 30
Visit www.varsitytheatre.com for more info
The Daily Reveille
page 8
EDUCATION
Monday, March 18, 2013
Colleges tracking former students to boost degrees The Associated Press ST. LOUIS (AP) — Carmen Ricotta knows being a college graduate could mean higher pay and better job opportunities, and it’s not like St. Louis Community College hasn’t been practically begging her to wrap up her two-year degree. The school has been calling and emailing the 28-year-old electrician’s apprentice to get her to return and complete her final assignment: an exit exam. But life has gotten in the way and Ricotta has been too busy to make the 30-minute trip from her suburban home near Fenton to the downtown St. Louis campus. St. Louis Community College is among 60-plus schools in six states taking what seems like an obvious but little-used step to boost college graduation rates: scouring campus databases to track down former students who unknowingly qualify for degrees. That effort, known as Project Win-Win, has helped community colleges and four-year schools in Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia and Wisconsin find hundreds of ex-students who have either earned enough credits to receive associate degrees or are just a few classes shy of getting them. Backed by financial support from the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation for Education, the pilot project began several years ago with 35 colleges in six states. As it winds down, some participating schools plan to continue the effort on their own. Ricotta said at this point, she’s not sure if getting her two-year degree is all that necessary. “It’s a pain,” she said. “I don’t
feel like going down to the college to take a test I don’t need. Yeah, I don’t have the degree, but I still took all the classes.” Her seeming indifference to retroactively obtaining her degree points to just one of the challenges facing two-year schools in particular as they strive to fulfill President Barack Obama’s challenge of raising college completion rates to 60 percent by 2020: convincing not just the public, but even some of their students, of the value of an associate’s degree. At central Missouri’s Columbia College, the hunt for students on the verge of graduating worked so well that the school plans to broaden its efforts to find bachelor’s degree candidates who are just one class shy of donning the cap and gown. The private liberal arts college has already awarded nearly 300 retroactive degrees, including one given posthumously to the mother of a deceased former student. Another two dozen students returned to campus to finish up after hearing from the school. “If this was being done nationwide, it could make a difference,” said Tery Donelson, Columbia College’s assistant vice president for enrollment management. Like his counterparts in St. Louis, Donelson and his team of transcript detectives also encountered skepticism, if not outright disbelief, from some of the prospective degree awardees. “If you received a letter saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve earned a degree,’ what would you be thinking?” he said. “That this is a scam. We had to get beyond them.” Donelson said former students were told they earned a degree, and all they had to do was
acknowledge it. “We didn’t want to send a degree to anybody who didn’t want it,” he said. Participating schools pared down their initial lists by eliminating students who received
degrees elsewhere or were currently enrolled. Expired addresses or disconnected phone numbers eliminated many more. The Institute for Higher Education Policy, which oversaw the project, initially estimated a potential
increase of 25,000 new degrees if its efforts took hold nationwide. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
Monday, March 18, 2013 OVERTURNED, from page 1
purchased. The election board can determine the fair market value of those items by receiving three reasonable price quotes from a sample of companies. The complainant Kristina Lagasse, mass communication senior, was joined by Gipson, political science junior, and counselor Robbie Mahtook, finance junior. On the election board’s side was Commissioner of Elections Aimeé Simon, mass communication senior, as well as election board members Trey White, petroleum engineering senior, and Derek Reed, political science junior. On whether the election board correctly estimated the value of
three reasonable quotes from other companies, which was the basis for the disqualification, the court voted one in favor, five opposed and three abstained. On whether the court should grant the relief requested by Lagasse, which was to reinstate all Unite LSU candidates in the election, the court voted four in favor, two opposed and two abstained. Lagasse, who prepared Unite LSU’s financial documents, filed the complaint against SG Commissioner of Elections Aimeé Simon and the election board. SG Chief Justice Morgan Faulk said this was a difficult decision because of how much was at stake. “It was not an easy decision to
The Daily Reveille
page 9
make because either way we go it is a lose-lose for us,” Faulk said. “Either decision we could have made would have made one side upset.” Faulk said the Court had to make a fair decision. “It was said in court, it states in the election code that the election board has to present three reasonable price comparisons when making the decision to disqualify,” Faulk said. Faulk said two of the price comparisons presented by the election board were unreasonable because one of the quotes was for a single item rather than a bulk order of 24, and the other item was quoted with two-day express shipping. The disqualification was made invalid because there was only one
reasonable price comparison, Faulk said. “I can’t tell you how exciting and what a relief this is, not only for Taylor and I, but for all of our candidates who rightfully deserve this,” Woodard said. Woodard said he is glad Unite candidates’ names are now untarnished of wrongful accusations. “It cleared our names,” Woodard said. “From the beginning we have felt we have run a fair and honorable campaign.” He said he will work in the future to prevent situations like this from recurring. “We want to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Woodard said. “Over this process I have lost 15 pounds, and we really don’t
want anyone to have to go through this kind of stress again.” Woodard said he will take a few hours to “regroup” before he begins his work as SG presidentelect. “I am just so ecstatic,” Parks said. “Our candidates are the most hardworking people I have ever come in contact with, and they deserve this.” Lagasse, said she was ecstatic about the court’s decision. “Justice was served,” Lagasse said. “Three thousand thirty-seven student votes actually count now.”
Contact Judah Robinson at jrobinson@lsureveille.com
NATION
Legislation seeks end to farm animal abuse videos The Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — An undercover video that showed California cows struggling to stand as they were prodded to slaughter by forklifts led to the largest meat recall in U.S. history. In Vermont, a video of veal calves skinned alive and tossed like sacks of potatoes ended with the plant’s closure and criminal convictions. Now in a pushback led by the meat and poultry industries, state legislators across the country are introducing laws making it harder
for animal welfare advocates to investigate cruelty and food safety cases. Some bills make it illegal to take photographs at a farming operation. Others make it a crime for someone such as an animal welfare advocate to lie on an application to get a job at a plant. Bills pending in California, Nebraska and Tennessee require that anyone collecting evidence of abuse turn it over to law enforcement within 24 to 48 hours — which advocates say does not allow enough time to document illegal
activity under federal humane handling and food safety laws. “We believe that folks in the agriculture community and folks from some of the humane organizations share the same concerns about animal cruelty,” said Mike Zimmerman, chief of staff for Assembly Member Jim Patterson, RFresno, whose bill was unveiled this week. “If there’s abuse taking place, there is no sense in letting it continue so you can make a video.” Patterson’s bill, sponsored by the California Cattlemen’s Association, would make failing
to turn over video of abuse to law enforcement within 48 hours an infraction punishable by a fine. Critics say the bills are an effort to deny consumers the ability to know how their food is produced. “The meat industry’s mantra is always that these are isolated cases, but the purpose of these bills is to prevent any pattern of abuse from being documented,” said Paul Shapiro, vice president of farm animal protection for the Humane Society of the United States, which conducted the California and Vermont investigations.
In Indiana, Arkansas and Pennsylvania it would be a crime to make videos at agricultural operations. The goal of the proposed California law, industry representatives say, is to halt any abuses quickly and get video evidence to government regulators within two days, not to impede undercover investigations by animal welfare groups. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
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page 10 REPORT, from page 1
but the Team should develop a proposal within the next few months, she said. “Depending on how clearly things come together, that really determines the recommendations. But form follows function, and we’re still in the process of defining the function,” Slaughter said. “By the time we get to summer, we should have an idea of how things will come together.” The March report was meant to produce a “vision and organizational models” that would “inform [the] search for [the] permanent system president,” according to a Transition Advisory Team PowerPoint, but Interim System President and Chancellor William “Bill” Jenkins said the Team is a bit behind in its progress. “For now, it will be our progress to date. No surprises, just how it’s advancing,” Jenkins said. “Originally there was some anxiety to get this done for March, but we’re not going to make the deadline.” Slaughter said the Team has done well to determine focus areas to examine more closely in the coming months, and the top priorities of each area will be the focus of the next few months. “When we started out in January, we thought we’d be pretty far in 60 days,” Slaughter said. “When doing these sorts of projects, there’s no way to know how much you’ll get done in a certain amount of time.” However, Slaughter said the Transition Advisory Team was never meant to provide the Board with an actual reorganization plan. Those changes will ultimately be left to the discretion of the incoming president, who has yet to be selected, she said. “I don’t think there was any expectation that there would be something before the end of June that would be actionable,” Slaughter said. “The University will be getting a new president, and the Board will hand over the [Transition Advisory Team’s] ideas to the new leadership.” Slaughter said by the end of the process, the Team would give the Board of Supervisors a report of the big concepts for what could be improved and allow the new system president to guide those changes, a model Jenkins said he supports. “This will be a work in progress over the coming years. At the end of the day, the final facets of the reorganization need to be attended to by the new president,” Jenkins said at the most recent Transition Advisory Team meeting. The 10-member Transition Advisory Team officially began looking at ways to reorganize the LSU System on Jan. 8, and since then, it has expanded to include five subcommittees, a Legal and Regulatory Advisory Group and six task forces that are working to determine ways to improve the System’s efficiency and effectiveness. Contact Alyson Gaharan at agaharan@lsureveille.com
BENEFITS, from page 1
He said the LSU ORP faculty benefits paid by the state have dropped 25 percent since 2009, when they were 6.95 percent. Cope said retirement services help recruit faculty who are thinking about the future and provide a reward and retention for those who are here. “In both cases, LSU is far, far behind any other school in the SEC,” Cope said. “Once again, LSU has fallen atrociously far behind in a very important index … We don’t see any pressure coming from the LSU System to help with this situation.” Laine said most of the faculty don’t know the benefits have
Check out today’s entertainment blogs at lsureveille.com:
been cut. “The bottom line is that people who come here as faculty have a much, much lower retirement benefit than they do at other institutions. … This extremely low retirement benefit is a substantial impediment to recruitment and retention of high quality faculty,” Laine said. “LSU would need to offer at least a 10 percent increase in salary over any offer from Georgia to make up for the pecuniary Louisiana state retirement benefit.”
Contact McKenzie Womack at mwomack@lsureveille.com
“Tech with Taylor” explains why Google canceled Google Reader app, resulting in more than 500,000 users switching to Feedly.
3-15 ANSWERS
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sports
Monday, March 18, 2013
page 11
LEFT OUT
Snubs and surprises of the NCAA Tourney
Tigers miss out on NIT, Jones ends f irst season 19-12
MIC’D UP
Chandler Rome
MICAH BEDARD Sports Columnist
A
Sports Writer
long with many of its Southeastern Conference counterparts, LSU spent Selection Sunday waiting with bated breath as bids to various postseason tournaments were unveiled. Like most of their comrades, the Tigers (19-12, 1010 SEC) were dealt disappointment as it was revealed they had not earned an at-large selection to the NIT during a selection show on ESPNU. Only six SEC teams were represented in both the NCAA Tournament and NIT fields after a subpar season that left the conference maligned by college basketball pundits. “We are certainly disappointed that our season has come to an end and that our seniors have played their last game,” said LSU coach Johnny Jones in a news release. “But this will serve as a motivator for our returning players who will start preparing for next season immediately.” The pickings appeared slim to begin the season after former LSU coach Trent Johnson bolted to TCU one month after LSU’s first-round NIT loss against Oregon. Compounded by the departure of 7-footer Justin Hamilton to the professional ranks and veteran guard Ralston Turner’s transfer to NC State, Jones molded a team around returning sophomores Anthony Hickey and Johnny O’Bryant III and junior sharpshooter Andre Stringer. Howard College transfer Shavon Coleman and fifth-year senior guard Charles Carmouche gelled with the returnees quickly as the Tigers stormed out to a 6-0
With the NCAA Tournament expanding from 65 to 68 teams in 2011, you would think there wouldn’t be as many schools crying foul on Selection Sunday. Think again. The addition of three teams doesn’t make a difference. If the tournament had 300 schools, school No. 301 would raise hell. This season’s bracket was no different. There were a few teams who should have been in the NCAA Tournament field but weren’t. And some schools raised some eyebrows by making the Big Dance. Here are my snubs and surprises of the 2013 NCAA Tournament field: SNUBS Tennessee It looks like Vols coach Cuonzo Martin spoke too soon at the Southeastern Conference Tournament when he said he felt his team was in the NCAA Tournament field. After losing to Alabama in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, the selection
JONES, see page 19 JOHN BAZEMORE / The Associated Press
LSU junior guard Andre Stringer (10) reacts Friday after losing to Florida, 80-58, at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Nashville, Tenn.
NCAA TOURNEY, see page 15
BASEBALL
Tigers leave Starkville with series victory Katz hits three home runs in series Lawrence Barreca Sports Writer
The Mississippi State (194, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) baseball team may have wrestled away the series finale from LSU (18-2, 2-1 SEC), but the Tigers left Starkville, Miss., with two victories after dominant offensive performances Friday and Saturday. “[Sunday] just wasn’t our day, and it’s not a loss we’re going to dwell upon,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “I’m very proud of our players for winning two games here in a very tough
environment. I thought they played their hearts out and gave us a good start in the SEC race.” The Bulldogs found themselves in holes on several occasions in the first two games of the weekend series, but MSU took the initiative Sunday with sophomore southpaw Cody Glenn (3-1) on the mound for LSU. Back-to-back doubles by MSU junior right fielder Hunter Renfroe and sophomore first baseman Wes Rea gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and the squad never looked back. Led by junior center fielder C.T. Bradford and Rea, who each had three RBIs, the Bulldogs piled 10 runs on the Tigers’ pitching staff, dropping LSU for its second loss of the 2013 campaign.
Glenn, who struggled with control and allowed three walks, only pitched three-and-one-third innings, being charged with six runs on six hits. The loss was Glenn’s first of the season, as his first start against SEC competition proved to be a rough experience. LSU had trouble offensively against MSU senior starter Kendall Graveman. The Tigers managed 11 hits but only converted two runs on the game. Tigers junior second baseman JaCoby Jones flourished in the leadoff role, picking up two hits, an RBI and a walk. The second LSU run came courtesy of sophomore outfielder Jared Foster, who lifted a solo home run STARKVILLE, see page 15
ANGELA MAJOR / The Daily Reveille
LSU senior infielder Mason Katz swings at the ball March 9 during the Tigers’ 8-4 victory against the Washington Huskies in Alex Box Stadium.
page 12
GYMNASTICS
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
TRACK AND FIELD
Tigers set their sights LSU wins seven events at Classics on SEC Championships Bria Turner
Sports Contributor
LSU closes regular season with win
senior all-arounder Ericka Garcia started the balance beam event with a fall. The Tigers overcame the setback with a strong performance from the next five gymnasts, and they finished with a 49.100 team score on the Marcus Rodrigue event. Sports Contributor “We had five people hit beauThe LSU gymnastics team tiful beam routines after [Garcia’s closed out the regular season with fall],” Breaux said. “We went 49.100, a 196.925–196.050 victory against which is a pretty good road score on N.C. State on Friday night in Ra- beam when you’ve got a fall on the leigh, N.C. first person.” The Tigers (10-4, 5-3 SouthLSU will travel to North Little eastern Conference) tied for every Rock, Ark., for the SEC Championindividual title, and sophomore all- ships on Saturday. The Tigers will arounder Rheagan more than likely go Courville brought ‘[Our gymnasts] have in as the No. 3 seed home her eighth done what we’ve asked, behind Florida and all-around title of Alabama. and that’s creating the season — the LSU is one of most in the country only two teams to consistency.’ — with a score of beat No. 2 Florida 39.550. this season, as it D-D Breaux Courville tied knocked off the LSU gymnastics coach for the balance Gators 196.875– beam title with a 9.850 and won 196.575 the second week of the seathe vault title with a career-high- son. No. 4 Alabama bested the Tigers tying 9.950. Courville and junior all- twice this season, with the Tigers toarounder Sarie Morrison both scored taling their lowest score of the season a 9.875 to tie for the uneven bars title, in the first defeat and their highest and sophomore all-arounder Lloim- score of the season in the second loss. incia Hall won the floor exercise with “Any win helps us because we a 9.900. get experience,” Courville said. “It “[Our gymnasts] have done just builds our confidence. We rewhat we’ve asked, and that’s creating ally haven’t peaked yet, and that’s consistency,” said LSU coach D-D why we’re excited about SECs Breaux. “We did not have to count a next weekend.” fall or any major breaks, and we were very pleased with that.” Contact Marcus Rodrigue at LSU had a comfortable lead mrodrigue@lsureveille.com heading into the final rotation until
In the first outdoor meet of the 2013 track and field season, the Tigers and Lady Tigers won seven events at this weekend’s Louisiana Classics in Lafayette. Sophomore thrower Rodney Brown led the Tigers with a win in the men’s discus throw and a secondplace finish in the hammer throw. In the discus throw, Brown finished more than 20 feet ahead of the second-place finisher with a throw of 197 feet. Brown leads the NCAA in the discus following the outdoor season’s first weekend of competition and also lands at the No. 3 spot on LSU’s performance list in the event. Senior Daniel Obioha and sophomore Jeremy Tuttle finished fourth
and fifth in the discus, respectively. Sophomore Tori Bliss finished first in the women’s discus throw, making it an LSU sweep of the discus event. Freshman Andria Aguilar took the title in the 800-meter run and junior Toshika Sylvester won the 100-meter dash. The Lady Tigers also took the title in the 1,600-meter relay with a team of senior Latoya McDermott, sophomore Samantha Levin, junior Shana-Gaye Tracey and Aguilar. Freshman Doren Welch earned a first-place finish in the women’s javelin throw while fellow freshman Kelsey Carlsen finished fourth in the event. Freshman Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake finished second and junior Shermund Allsop finished third in the men’s 100-meter dash.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Moreau finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. In the men’s 1500-meter run, sophomore Philip Primeaux took the title with sophomore Barrett Miller, junior William Wiesler and junior Roger Cooke finished third, fourth and fifth, respectively. In the 400-meter dash, LSU finished second, third and fourth with freshmen Chanice Chase, Tracey and McDermott. Senior Lacey Sanchez finished third in the women’s pole vault and freshman Fitzroy Dunkley finished third in the men’s high jump. LSU will host the LSU Relays on Friday and Saturday at Bernie Moore Track Stadium. Contact Bria Turner at bturner@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
SOFTBALL
page 13
Tigers exact revenge with sweep of No. 17 Kentucky LSU wins with help from slappers Spencer Hutchinson Sports Contributor
It’s said that revenge is a dish best served cold, and the LSU softball team handed Kentucky a freezing serving of it this weekend. After being swept by the Wildcats last season in their final Southeastern Conference series, the Tigers repaid the favor, sweeping Kentucky in LSU’s first home SEC series of the season. The No. 13 Tigers (23-5, 5-1 SEC) made a statement in game one Friday, dominating No. 17 Kentucky (19-7, 2-4 SEC) for a 7-1 victory. But one victory wasn’t enough to satisfy LSU’s want for payback, and the Tigers proceeded to snatch games two and three from Kentucky in demoralizing fashion. Kentucky led in the late innings of games two and three, but LSU struck back in both outings to secure the sweep. “We definitely owed them something,” said LSU coach Beth Torina. “Hopefully we proved ourselves back to them this year.” Senior pitcher Rachele Fico, who pitched all seven innings of
the Tigers’ win Friday and the final three-and-one-third innings to earn the win Saturday, said she was looking forward to the rematch ever since Kentucky swept LSU last season. “Any time you get swept, it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth,” Fico said after her seven-inning gem Friday. “… I don’t want to get swept in my senior season because I won’t have another chance to go back at them again.” Saturday’s game went to extra innings tied at 2-2, and Kentucky scored first in the top of the ninth, taking a 3-2 lead on a solo home run from freshman second baseman Ansley Smith. The Tigers answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning for a walkoff 4-3 victory. LSU trailed in Sunday’s outing for the majority of the game after Kentucky took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Wildcats looked to have a firm grip on avoiding the sweep, but LSU came through with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to steal a 3-2 win. In both games two and three, the Tigers’ slap hitters executed small ball plays that directly influenced LSU’s wins. LSU sophomore center fielder A.J. Andrews drove in the tying RBI with a bunt single in the ninth inning of Saturday’s game. Then
junior utility player Jacee Blades finished off the win with a walkoff infield hit. Andrews came through in the clutch again Sunday, hitting a two-RBI single that plated the tying and go-ahead runs in the sixth inning. “We did really good as a team this weekend,” Andrews said. “I don’t think it was just me who provided for this team. I definitely came through with some clutch moments, but so did a lot of other people. If other people aren’t on base, then the runs don’t come in.” LSU’s small ball wins are a change from the winning formula the Tigers employed for the majority of this season. Prior to this weekend, the Tigers’ newfound power offense and 22 home runs had provided the bulk of their success. Torina credited the wins in games two and three to Andrews, Blades and the other slappers, and she added it was nice to see the Tigers pull out wins in different ways. “Our slappers, who have been the unsung heroes, finally get to be the ones in the limelight today,” Torina said. “They’ve done so much for us all year. They finally get to be the ones that win the ballgame for us.” In addition to quenching their thirst for revenge, the Tigers’
RICHARD REDMANN / The Daily Reveille
LSU junior utility player Jacee Blades (23) swings Saturday during the Tigers’ 4-3 extra-innings victory against Kentucky at Tiger Park.
sweep moved them to 13-1 at home this season and advanced their record against ranked opponents to 6-4. LSU’s only loss at Tiger Park this season came in a 3-1 loss to then-No. 22 North Carolina in the Tigers’ season-opening Tiger Classic tournament. LSU has a quick turnaround
before hosting a double-header against Georgia Southern on Tuesday that will put the Tigers’ current five-game winning streak on the line. Contact Spencer Hutchinson at shutchinson@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
page 14
Monday, March 18, 2013
TENNIS
Tigers fall to Michigan 5-2 LSU upsets No. 11 Aggies Cole Travis Sports Contributor
ANGELA MAJOR / The Daily Reveille
LSU senior Keri Frankenberger leaps to hit the ball Sunday during a doubles match against Missouri at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Tennis Stadium.
Lady Tigers earn SEC victory for first time Burns spurs LSU to success vs. Mizzou Trey Labat Sports Contributor
The LSU women’s tennis team defeated Missouri 6-1 Sunday afternoon to earn its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season. LSU (8-8; 1-5 SEC) started the day strong during the doubles competition. The pair of senior Kaitlin Burns and freshman Ella Taylor gave LSU an early lead after defeating Missouri’s (7-6, 1-5 SEC) Elisha Gabb and Madison Rhyner 8-4. Missouri then tied it up, as sophomore Mary Jeremiah and junior Ariel Morton lost only their third match of the season, 8-6. The doubles point was left to LSU seniors Ebie Wilson and Keri Frankenberger, and the duo’s experience helped push them to an 8-6 victory. “We’ve gotten better with every match,” said LSU coach Julia Sell. “It just happened where all of our opponents were getting tougher as well. We never got to catch our breath and get the rewards for our improvements.” Burns continued her strong play during singles competition. Playing against Missouri’s top-ranked player, Cierra Gaytan-Leach, Burns raced out to a 6-0 first-set win en route to a victory in straight sets. Jeremiah lost her first set on court two, but battled back to win the second set 6-2 — her first set win since Feb. 23 against Grambling. Jeremiah ultimately lost in the third set super tiebreaker. “[Jeremiah] finally started to put it back together today,” Sell said. “I wish she would’ve been able to play a full third set because I think she would’ve really dug in and gotten the W.” Taylor and Morton continued their strong play on courts three and four, winning 6-1, 6-1 and 6-4, 6-4,
respectively. When Morton finished her match, the Tigers had secured victory. Frankenberger was forced to fill in for freshman Caroline Hudson on court five. Hudson injured her wrist during practice Saturday after falling to the ground. Frankenberger battled back pain after having a disc removed from her back in fall 2011, but eventually overcame Missouri’s Alex Clark in another third set super tiebreaker. Sell wanted Frankenberger to retire to avoid putting stress on her back, as the match was already won, but Frankenberger appealed to her coach and finished the match. “[Frankenberger] will wake up from a nap and not be able to walk,” Sell said. “But before the nap, she was fine.” Wilson secured a victory on court six, despite not playing Friday against No. 3 Texas A&M. Wilson suffers from plantar fasciitis, a foot ailment, and has been day-to-day since the start of the season. “[Today’s win] kind of puts things back into perspective for us,” Sell said. “When you’re trying to build confidence, you need factual evidence, and we can stop and look at this win to see that some of the girls we beat today beat players that we lost to earlier in the season.” In Friday’s match, LSU was overwhelmed and suffered a 7-0 defeat to the No. 3 Aggies. No LSU player managed to win a set against Texas A&M, and Burns was defeated by the No. 6 player in the nation — Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar. “[Texas A&M] plays the way that we’ve been trying to teach our team to play,” Sell said. “They’re the most mentally disciplined team we’ve played thus far.” LSU continues SEC play next weekend against Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Contact Trey Labat at tlabat@lsureveille.com
The LSU men’s tennis team fell to Michigan 5-2 on Sunday in what turned out to be something of a trap game following its upset win against No. 11 Texas A&M on Friday.. “We thought that after beating Texas A&M, Michigan was going to be a little easier,” said sophomore tennis player Chris Simpson. The Tigers (6-7) found themselves in an early hole as Michigan (6-6) won the doubles point as both the duos of sophomore Chris Simpson and senior Mark Bowtell and seniors Roger Anderson and Olivier Borsos fell 8-5. In singles, two quick, straight set losses by Bowtell and Borsos pushed the score to 3-0 for the Wolverines. LSU coach Jeff Brown said the Tigers cannot afford to give away so many easy points. While those first two matches were decided in no time at all, the remaining four were drawn out to a third set. “The guys that went to third sets did what they had to do,” Brown said. “[In tough matches] you just have to get to the third and fight it out.” The Tigers got on the board after senior Stefan Szacinski defeated Vlad Stefan 5-7, 6-2, 6-3,
MORGAN SEARLES / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman Tam Trinh hits the ball Sunday during a doubles match against Michigan in W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium.
but any hope for a come-from-behind victory was snuffed out when freshman Tam Trinh fell 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, clinching the match for Michigan. LSU freshman Boris Arias, who sealed the win against A&M with a clutch three-set win, was unable to maintain his early success, losing 6-2, 2-6, 3-6. “[Michigan] came out fighting,” Simpson said. “We had a couple of tough matches that if they go the other way, we win 4-3. We will get better from this experience.” Despite the results of the overall match, Simpson beat No. 15 Evan King 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, making
him the first Tiger to defeat a top 25 opponent this season. “For us to waste the performance that Simpson had on [court] one against one of the most consistently top-ranked players in the country is a shame,” Brown said. “I hope the rest of the team takes that to heart.” The Tigers will return to Southeastern Conference play when they take on No. 4 Ole Miss at 3 p.m. Friday at W.T. “Dub” Robinson Stadium. Contact Cole Travis at ctravis@lsureveille.com
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Daily Reveille
STARKVILLE, from page 11
NCAA TOURNEY, from page 11
over the left field wall in the top of the eighth inning. Senior first baseman Mason Katz, who hit home runs in five consecutive games, went hitless Sunday afternoon. Even with the Sunday loss, the Tigers return to Baton Rouge with a 2-1 SEC record. LSU starter Aaron Nola (2-0) took the mound Friday night, going five-and-two-thirds innings and surrendering nine hits and four runs. The bullpen kept the squad in the contest, though, as the likes of seniors Brent Bonvillain, Joey Bourgeois and Chris Cotton combined to toss four-and-a-third innings of scoreless baseball. Meanwhile, LSU rode the bat of Katz. His two-home run, fourRBI performance, including a goahead two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning, gave the Tigers a 6-4 victory to open up SEC road play. Mainieri decided to change the lineup Saturday night, as freshman outfielder Andrew Stevenson earned a start and Jones moved up to the leadoff spot in the order. Jones responded by picking up two hits and two RBIs, including a double to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead in the fifth inning. Katz and freshman shortstop Alex Bregman both launched home runs, and Bregman’s three-run shot in the ninth allowed for some breathing room in a 7-3 LSU win. Junior starter Ryan Eades
committee apparently forgot all about Tennessee. Despite wins against nine teams in the RPI Top 100, the Vols weren’t invited to the dance. Tennessee’s exclusion from the tournament field was the most head-scratching decision to me by the tournament committee. The Vols won nine of their last 12 games, including victories against Missouri and Florida, who will be dancing later this week. ANGELA MAJOR / The Daily Reveille
LSU sophomore left-handed pitcher Cody Glenn (24) throws the ball to first base March 10 during the Tigers’ 7-5 victory against the Washington Huskies in Alex Box Stadium.
(4-0) was efficient on the mound, tossing seven innings and allowing one run on six hits and recording eight strikeouts. Eades now leads the LSU starting staff in victories, and he’s tied with Nola for the team lead in strikeouts with 36. “It’s so important after winning the first game of a series for your Saturday starter to give you a chance to clinch the series, and Ryan did just that [on Saturday],” Mainieri said. Contact Lawrence Barreca at lbarreca@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @LawrenceBarreca
Virginia The selection committee is only concerned with one question when it comes to deciding who’s in and out of the NCAA Tournament: What have you done for me lately? Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they haven’t done much recently. Virginia limped down the season’s home stretch, finishing 6-6 in its last 12 games. Virginia had quality wins against Duke, North Carolina State and Wisconsin. But bad losses against George Mason and RPI No. 318 Old Dominion most likely did the Cavaliers in. Kentucky Not including Kentucky in the field was probably the biggest hiccup by the selection committee. Sure, the NCAA Tournament is about Cinderella stories
page 15 and buzzer beaters, but it’s more about money. More than 90 percent of the NCAA’s revenue comes from March Madness. The Wildcats should have been in one of the First Four games in Dayton, Ohio. Their fan base would have packed Dayton and attendance numbers would have been out of this world. But look on the bright side, Big Blue Nation, at least the Cats are a No. 1 seed in the National Invitational Tournament. SURPRISES La Salle Somehow, La Salle will be exploring the NCAA Tournament despite only having two wins against RPI Top 50 teams in Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. I’ll give the Atlantic 10 credit — the conference is probably the strongest it’s been in years. But La Salle played a pillow soft nonconference schedule and is just 3-3 in its last six games. Sixteen of the Explorers’ 21 wins this season came against teams with RPIs above 100. Oh, and they also lost to Central Connecticut State earlier this season. Saint Mary’s There’s no way Saint Mary’s belongs in the field of 68. The Gaels only RPI Top 50 win was against Creighton in February. Much like La Salle,
more than half of Saint Mary’s wins came against teams with RPIs in the triple digits. Gonzaga beat its West Coast Conference foe three times this season, twice by double digits. I guess it’s hard to get quality wins when you don’t play anyone. Middle Tennessee State And then there’s Middle Tennessee State. Somehow the selection committee allowed the Blue Raiders to get into the tournament field despite not winning the Sun Belt Tournament, where they lost to Florida International 61-57. Middle Tennessee doesn’t have a win against an RPI Top 100 team in the calendar year, and its best win came in December against Ole Miss, who secured an NCAA Tournament berth by winning the SEC Tournament. And the Blue Raiders have an LSU tie: They lost to Arkansas State, where former LSU coach John Brady now paces the sidelines. Micah Bedard is a 22-year-old history senior from Houma.
Contact Micah Bedard at mbedard@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @DardDog
The Daily Reveille
Opinion
page 16
It’s About Time
OUR VIEW
SG election seees happy ending with a grave message
The Daily Reveille Editorial Board After a more than 1,000-vote victory, two University Court hearings and a quick lesson in basic economics, it’s official: Unite LSU candidates John Woodard and Taylor Parks, along with the 56 other candidates on their ticket who won a position, will lead our Student Government. And rightfully so. Unite LSU won a landslide victory against its competitor without breaking any rules, and we applaud the ticket’s diligence in proving it. But, as SG Chief Justice Morgan Faulk astutely put it after announcing the decision to overturn Unite’s initial disqualification, Sunday night’s decision was indeed a “lose-lose” for SG. The platform that aimed to “Unite LSU” has now shown just how disjointed the leadership of SG is. It’s almost facetious to say this decision should have been an easy one from the start: After a presumably misled perception of Unite’s financial documents — which The Daily Reveille has posted online — and the subsequently botched investigation into the “fair market value” of a campaign banner purchased in bulk, it took all of two separate hearings and more than six hours of deliberations to realize that sometimes, when items are purchased in large quantities, the per-unit price diminishes. The reported per-banner price of about $77 filed by Unite is approximately 59 percent less than the single-unit price found by the election board’s investigations, namely because, when contacting the retailer Unite purchased from,
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Educate, don’t indoctrinate
I love listening to the crazies rant in both political parties. Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh said the Affordable Care Act was derived from “Adolf Hitler’s playbook,” while MSNBC’s liberal commentator Lawrence O’Donnell said the vice president of the National Rifle Association is “the
MARY LEAVINES / The Daily Reveille
Members of the Student Government election board (left) and the Unite LSU ticket (right) listen Sunday to UCourt deliberations in the Student Union.
the board asked for the price of one banner rather than the price of 24 together. And how did SG Commissioner of Elections Aimeé Simon know the kind of bulk-purchase discount reported by Unite must be unfair, if not impossible? “Because I’m smart,” she snapped at complainant Kristina Lagasse of Unite. This kind of arrogant certainty in the face of overturning a — and we repeat — landslide victory is insulting to the election process and to the 20 percent of our student body who maintain enough personal interest to have actually voted in the election. And it’s especially insulting after two hours of hearing almost every complainant and respondent admit no one in the room
was an expert on the subject matter. It also betrays the board’s deliberate aims to cover its tracks and defend its initial decision blindly, for it offered no argument beyond that they investigated “to the best of [their] ability,” as Simon said. One of the election board members on the respondents panel, Trey White, even admitted within a halfhour of discussion that he no longer believed Unite deserved to be disqualified. All of this is to neglect the fact that more than half of Sunday’s complaint hearing was an argument over the semantics of what constitutes “fair market value,” or what rubric was used to determine that Unite LSU had defied it. Definitions ranged from “what a retailer markets
lobbyist for mass murderers.” Who needs Comedy Central when you can listen to laughable comments like these in the regular news media? I have become critical of most political claims because of these types of irrational comments. However, some political clichés do seem somewhat correct. For example, the common “colleges are cesspools of liberal ideology” claim is usually thought of as conservative-driven malarkey, but I have found many professors do try
to influence their students’ political views. In one of my classes last week, my group discussed the topic “establishing a flat tax” for our required persuasive speech. After presenting the topic to our professor, he thoroughly explained why the flat tax was a bad idea and encouraged us to focus on how rich people do not pay their fair share of taxes. Therefore, he not only demeaned our fiscally conservative idea, but he also suggested we advocate a liberal agenda – so
The Daily Reveille Editorial Board
Andrea Gallo Emily Herrington Bryan Stewart Kirsten Romaguera Clayton Crockett Chris Grillot
Monday, March 18, 2013
Editor in Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor, External Media Managing Editor, Production News Editor Opinion Editor
something as” to “fair market value is in the eyes of the beholder” — both from the election board, and both absurd. Following the vague definitions proposed by the board, Associate Justice Ryan Silverman reduced their argument to its logical conclusion: “So should we require that all candidates purchase from one vendor?” As Lagasse noted in her closing remarks Sunday, this debacle should be seen as reason to inspect the election code and refine the rules therein. “Today, we also need to look to the future,” Lagasse said. “This is a turning point for Student Government.” She’s right. The alarm bells should be ringing within SG, because on a year with a lower voter turnout than the last, SG has given its voters little reason to trust the organization’s dedication to their input. The onus is now on SG to prove to the student body that change is coming and reforms will be made to better represent and honor its dwindling student support. Where will you go from here? How can we prevent something as embarrassing as this election from happening again? Woodard, as the deserved winner and now president-elect of our student government, must now show his dedication to the student body and his willingness to right the system that wronged him last week.
WHAT’S THE BUZZ?
Did the Unite LSU ticket deserve to be disqualified from the SG elections?
Yes No 40% 60% Total votes: 396
Has the election controversy hurt SG’s overall reputation?
Yes 84%
No 16%
Total votes: 144
Contact The Daily Reveille Editorial Board at editor@lsureveille.com
Participate in today’s poll at lsureveille.com.
much for encouraging independent thinking. Other examples I have experienced include professors requiring book reports based on blatantly biased books written by liberal pundits, calling President Bush and other Republicans “stupid” and devoting an entire lecture to why President Obama is a better candidate. Professors, I hope you understand just one thing from this letter: As students, we want to be challenged and educated, but we do
not want to be indoctrinated. Leave your political leanings at the door, and let us make our own political decisions.
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.
J Ryan Hudson business administration senior, former Student Government president Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_opinion
Quote of the Day “You are remembered by the rules you break.”
Douglas MacArthur American Army general Jan. 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964
The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013
GUEST COLUMN
Opinion
page 17
LSU deserves accountability from its administration Since settling with Dr. Ivor van Heerden for a near-half million dollars in his wrongful dismissal suit, LSU’s line, straight from LSU Interim System President and Chancellor William A. RAVI P. RAU “Bill” Jenkins, Physics and is that further Astronomy Professor discussion is “no longer relevant, warranted or appropriate.” Indeed? For an institution of higher learning, should not truth matter? We require accountability of students, staff and faculty, why not of upper administration and our Board of Supervisors? Especially when these same individuals have been involved time and again in practices that bring enormous costs in lawyers and settlements. Besides staining LSU’s image, should they now also speak for LSU? Some of the same individuals were responsible for derailing a search that brought in the chancellor at that time, more because of his political
connections in Washington than for his qualifications. LSU’s own rules were violated and a unanimous Faculty Senate Executive Committee recommendation not to proceed were set aside. They now continue that pattern by ignoring faculty opinion on the search for president/chancellor, that position itself created by fiat and the search being run, this time under interference from state politicians. That chancellor was annoyed that his fellow Washington friends at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were being held responsible by Dr. van Heerden for the failure of New Orleans levees after Katrina. Two vice chancellors tried to keep him from speaking out in public, ostensibly because they and some others feared that this might cost LSU grant monies. This obvious violation of basic elements of academic freedom was clear from the start. A letter published in The Advocate drew 47 signatories within two days, representing faculty from across campus. Yet, the administration did not deign to answer the faculty. In
typical fashion, they tried to draw out legal proceedings over years that compel most in such situations to give up. Hiding behind legalisms and secrecy, no institutional learning takes place, claiming the next victims who fall afoul of these rulers. Dr. van Heerden did not give up, saying that “the fight was all along for academic freedom.” It behooves the rest of us to show some of that courage and integrity in standing up for our basic values, that this is an institution of higher learning dedicated to the pursuit of truth. LSU has the shameful distinction of being the only flagship campus on the American Association of University Professors’ censure list for its actions. Only when the judge’s pretrial rulings said LSU could not suppress certain evidence, specifically emails showing egregious acts behind the firing, did LSU settle. Among these acts were failing to take a faculty vote before the administrators fired him and taking a vote later to cover up. This echoes similar action when the chancellor in question was hired and given tenure, for
which he was not qualified, all in a few rushed hours, the relevant faculty’s vote taken after the fact. The provost of that time may have moved on, as has that chancellor (and the next ones as well), but the same president and other individuals involved continue with no accountability for their actions. Policy statements, Grievance Committee reports, and even physical laws of causality seem to have to give way to administrative arrogance. There is no faculty representative on the Board. LSU has a policy statement requiring faculty input in evaluation of administrators, but an investigation four years ago on its implementation drew a concerted refusal by provost and deans to answer the Faculty Senate. Such abuse of university values simply should not stand. Since the recent verdict, the administration itself should have been in the lead to disclose all, welcome the collective wisdom in the faculty, and adopt procedures to prevent repetitions. In the current restructuring under Jenkins and a socalled search, the Board and
administrators are meekly bowing to pressure from state politics without any serious faculty input, rather against expressed opposition including strongly worded resolutions by the Faculty Senate. The hiring of outside firms to run the search, in itself objectionable on more grounds than for the fees wasted, is used as a cover to evade open disclosure of names of candidates and of deliberations that as a state institution is required of LSU. More importantly, for a university in search of truth and best practice, this is mockery of what those words mean. Students, staff, faculty and the public should demand an end to this and a thorough re-examination and accounting of how LSU is being run. LSU belongs to us and we should not countenance a few at the top continuing to besmirch our university and broader university values. Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_opinion
‘Jurassic Park IV’ will redeem Louisiana’s status BUT HE MEANS WELL GORDON BRILLON Columnist The Jindal administration has worked hard to improve Louisiana’s presence in the national entertainment scene in the past few years. It’s been a major success for a government that routinely promotes business interests over those of its own citizens, bringing big-budget movies like “Pitch Perfect” and “Battleship” to Louisiana studios, as well as TV series like “Swamp People” and “Duck Dynasty.” Normally, I’d say the government needs to rethink its priorities when the state is consistently rated among the best for business and the worst for overall health and welfare of its citizens, but even dirty socialists like me have to make allowances sometimes. And nothing says extenuating circumstances like a bunch of dinosaurs roaming around wreaking havoc. There’s a good chance “Jurassic Park IV” will be filmed at Baton Rouge’s own Raleigh Studios, according to some Hollywood sources. Raleigh already hosted NBC/Universal’s shooting for last year’s “Battleship” and the
DANNY MOLOSHOK / The Associated Press
Director Colin Trevorrow poses at the premiere of “Safety Not Guaranteed” during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Trevorrow is taking the reins of “Jurassic Park.” Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment announced March 14 the 36-year-old director will helm “Jurassic Park 4,” to be filmed in Baton Rouge.
upcoming Tom Cruise vehicle “Oblivion,” and recently revealed that the studio has reserved space for an unspecified Universal project from April to November of this year. If this pulls through, I may just have to forgive all the backward steps the Jindal administration has ever made. “Jurassic Park” is the greatest movie of the past 25 years. It pioneered the use of modern CGI (a lot of which is still pretty convincing,
considering it was released in 1993), featured Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough in the roles they were born to play, and cemented Steven Spielberg’s place as the best pop director of his generation. There’s an entire generation of young adults like me who marched to school every day with Jurassic Park lunchboxes and skulked around their kitchen cabinets hiding from imaginary Velociraptors. I know I’ll never forget the
catharsis of seeing Gennaro, the greasy lawyer, in his final moments of indignity, tossed around with his pants around his ankles by a Tyrannosaurus rex like a kid tosses his action figure. I’m just confused why they have gone straight to number four, as I can’t seem to remember a third movie ever being made. There is a blank spot in my memory, almost as if some traumatic incident of titanic awfulness took place and forced my mind to wipe itself clean. But all my nostalgia aside, there’s a chance here the filmmakers should not turn down. The world has changed since “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was released, and the original movies’ themes of mankind’s interference with the natural world are now a part of everyday social discourse. Genetically modified foods, a dwindling supply of fossil fuels and the looming spectre of climate change and the natural disasters it causes all weigh heavily on the minds and news feeds of modern Americans, and seem the perfect targets for a giant, scaly, Tyrannosaurus-shaped metaphor. Picture this: Thirty years after the events of the original movie, a rogue bioengineering firm has been breeding more dinosaurs for use as a human food source on a tiny island in the Gulf of Mexico. As these dinosaurs, essentially human “fuel” engineered from fossils (wink wink, nudge nudge), become
more numerous, a natural disaster of some type wipes out the human infrastructure, letting them run free. The final showdown would occur at the last place on the island where the humans still have power, a hydroelectric plant. When the T. rex comes wading toward them, the survivors open the spillway, careening the dinosaur over the dam, sending him falling to his instant and heavy-handedly symbolic death. And thus civilization is saved by the power of renewable energy. OK, so it’s a long shot, and chances are “Jurassic Park 4” will be another insipid popcorn movie like The-Sequel-Which-That-NotBe-Named. I don’t care. If it is really being filmed in our little old town, I’ll be here. I’ll quit my job, live in a tent outside the studio, whatever. I’ll be first in line to be an extra with less than one second of screen time. I’m going to see me some dinosaurs. Gordon Brillon is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Lincoln, R.I.
Contact Gordon Brillon at gbrillon@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @tdr_gbrillon
The Daily Reveille
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Apply at www.selaaquatics.com CHILD CARE CENTER near LSU is now hiring teachers for summer. Must be able to work 2:30-5:30 M-F. Please email resumes to cdshighland@gmail. com STUDENT WORK: F/T students. $8.35/hour, op for frequent raises/op for advancement. On campus. Email ljobs-l@listserv.lsu.edu ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRM seeking part time individual technically proficient in CADD. A great opportunity to gain professional experience in the environmental consulting field. Competitive pay and flexible hours. E-mail resume to humanresources@compliance-sg.com or fax to (225)754-0406. CABELA’S WORLD’S FOREMOST Outfitter is hiring for multiple PT flexible positions apply online at www. cabelas.jobs INTERNS/VOLUNTEERS Louisiana International Film Festival seeks film, finance, marketing, education, hospitality, music and other students. Email resume to ashton@lifilmfest.org LIFEGUARDS/POOL STAFF SELA Aquatics is hiring lifeguards, swim coaches, instructors, managers for several BR and NOLA country clubs.
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Monday, March 18, 2013
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Monday, March 18, 2013 No. 9 seed and pulled off a win in the second round, withstanding start – highlighted by overcoming SEC Player of the Year Kentavia 16-point second-half deficit in a ous Caldwell-Pope’s 32-point outwin against Seton Hall in the SEC/ ing to defeat No. 8 seed Georgia 68-63. Big East Challenge. The luck would end there The first six games also saw the emergence of little-used walk- as the Tigers ran into a buzzsaw on senior center Andrew Del Pie- against No. 13 Florida in the quarro, who Jones had no qualms about terfinals, losing its final game of the season 80-58 as the Gators inserting in the starting lineup. Standing 7-foot-3 and known controlled every facet of the game mostly for his background as a from the opening tip. Jones’ 19 wins were the sectuba player, Del Piero transformed into a rebounding threat and inside ond most by a first-year coach in the last 60 years presence, showing ‘We look forward to at LSU, and the improved footwork and condicontinuing to build Tigers’ 9-9 regular season SEC record tioning as he startthe LSU basketball was the first noned 23 games to mark since alleviate the stress program to be able to losing the 2008-09 seafrom O’Bryant on compete in the future at son. the inside. Left with a As promising the highest level.’ bitter taste in its as the Tigers’ start mouth after both to the season was, Johnny Jones the Florida sheltheir foray into LSU basketball coach lacking and the SEC play couldn’t have gone much worse as LSU NIT snub, LSU will regroup for spiraled to an 0-4 start behind late- 2013-14, when it welcomes a nagame inconsistencies and offen- tionally ranked recruiting class that includes McDonald’s Allsive problems against a zone. But, playing in the relentless American Jarrell Martin. “We look forward to continustyle of its first-year coach, LSU rallied to rip off nine wins in its ing to build the LSU basketball last 14 games, most notably a Jan. program to be able to compete in 30 upset of then-No. 17 Missouri the future at the highest level,” in the PMAC and a heart-stopping Jones said. 97-94 triple-overtime victory against Alabama on Feb. 23. Contact Chandler Rome at Jockeying for a possible NIT crome@lsureveille.com; berth, the Tigers entered the SEC Tournament in Nashville as the Twitter: @Rome_TDR
JONES, from page 11
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The Daily Reveille
Monday, March 18, 2013