CRIME: Drunk student destroys dorm furniture, p. 5
SPORTS: McMullen giving LSU consistency at top of lineup, p. 7
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Wednesday, April 17, 2013 • Volume 117, Issue 123
‘I demand a recount’ Bouvay pleads guilty CRIME
to LSU bomb threat Ferris McDaniel
Senior Investigative Reporter
[Left] FERNANDO LLANO / The Associated Press; [Right] MARY LEAVINES / The Daily Reveille
[Left] A demonstrator holds a poster of opposition presidential candidate Henrique Capriles on Monday as other Capriles supporters and students block a highway in the Altamira neighborhood in Caracas, Venezuela. [Right] Mechanical engineering graduate student Gustavo Gonzalez holds a Venezuelan flag as he stands in protest in front of the Memorial Tower.
Venezuelan students protest for election votes recount Fernanda Zamudio-Suarez Staff Writer
Venezuelan students gathered in front of the bell tower Tuesday in solidarity with thousands worldwide against the recent and allegedly corrupt election of Venezuela’s
President-elect Nicolas Maduro. Biological engineering senior Stephanie Linares and friends decided to stage a protest on campus with other Venezuelan and international students. As she and her friends at the University were planning their demonstration
Monday night, citizens of Caracas, Venezuela, gathered outside and banged their pots and pans together to make a political statement on the recount. Another demonstration will be VENEZUELA, see page 6
Almost seven months later, William Bouvay Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to last September’s empty bomb threat on campus that invoked a whirlwind of confusion as faculty and students scurried to evacuate and administrators canceled all classes and activities for the day. Bouvay, a two-time felony offender, made the plea agreement with the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge, which saved him from becoming a thirdtime felony offender and will limit his jail sentence to no more than 28 years, according to the Baton Rouge Clerk of Court’s office. According to the Clerk of Court’s office, Bouvay was charged with communicating false information for a planned bombing on school property. Bouvay will not face sentencing until June 28. “Yes, I planted three bombs at LSU’s campus. My colleagues planted three bombs at LSU to go off in two hours if my ...” These were the words spoken by Bouvay to a 911 dispatcher as he phoned in the bomb threat. Students, faculty and staff were
notified of the threat minutes later via the University’s emergency text messaging system, which asked everyone to “evacuate as calmly and quickly as possible.” Roadways on and around campus almost immediately became clogged with anxious students who sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic, waiting for the next update from the University while bomb-sniffing dogs and police officials did a sweep of buildings on campus. Many faculty and students were frustrated by the vagueness of the University’s evacuation instructions and lack of initial information about whether classes would be canceled. LSU Emergency Operations Center core committee chairwoman D’Ann Morris later took responsibility for the lack of clear communication. Morris said the EOC planned to improve communication and protocols dealing with evacuations and other emergency procedures. Bouvay was arrested two days after the false alarm.
Contact Ferris McDaniel at fmcdaniel@lsureveille.com
LSU SYSTEM
President-elect Alexander says reorganization on track
Alyson Gaharan Staff Writer
LSU President-elect F. King Alexander said Tuesday the Transition Advisory Team was on track as the team took a closer look at how the University can capitalize on research opportunities to bring economic change to Louisiana. The University is tackling reorganization issues the right way, Alexander said. Consolidating, reducing costs and saving money is the best way to protect the University’s research and overall education, which he said is a top priority. Secretary of Louisiana
Economic Development Stephen Moret said while the state’s economy has relied mostly on traditional industries like agriculture and chemical manufacturing in the past, those job areas have been declining, and higher education is the future of developing and retaining Louisiana’s intellectual talent. “The ultimate frontier for economic development in Louisiana will be realized through the development of higher education,” Moret said. “The longterm, big picture involves LSU.” Companies can partner with higher education institutions to TRANSITION, see page 6
MORGAN SEARLES / The Daily Reveille
President-elect F. King Alexander listens Tuesday to the Transition Advisory Team.
THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES
Officers search Evangeline Hall on LSU’s campus Sept. 17, 2012, after a bomb scare, which was later discovered to be falsely phoned in by William Bouvay Jr.