Check Inside For:
IT’S DRAFT DAY
ENTERTAINMENT Stand-up comedy provides relief for stressed students, page 9.
the lineup for this weekend’s Jazz Fest in New Orleans, page 11.
LSU lacks first-round picks, page 5, bars offer NFL Draft specials, page 10.
THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
Volume 114, Issue 130
Thursday, April 22, 2010
SG
Hudson, Borel sworn in as SG president, vice president
Future of $30 class gift fee uncertain
By Catherine Threlkeld Staff Writer
Student Government leadership changed hands Wednesday with a ceremony beneath Memorial Tower and an official swearing in during SG Senate. J Hudson and Dani Borel were inaugurated as SG president and vice president after several weeks of controversy surrounding accounting issues during the campaigns. Hudson said during his speech he will fight as SG president to be the voice of students and to have them use their own voices to solve the University’s problems. “I have learned that students want to express their opinions on matters affecting the University but do not know how to,” Hudson said. Hudson and Borel are currently reviewing applications for next year’s executive staff, and Hudson said next year is promising. Once the executive staff is chosen and approved by the SG Senate, Hudson said he will start working on the initiatives the StudentsFIRST ticket promised throughout the campaign. Hudson said he will start working on those initiatives this summer, including a commuter lot for Tiger Band members and covered bus stops. He said there will also be an SG presence at the Louisiana State Legislature this summer as student officials continue developing bills and budgets impacting higher INITIATIVES, see page 19
By Xerxes A. Wilson Senior Staff Writer
ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille
[From left] University Court Chief Justice Sean Horridge inaugurates SG President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel on Wednesday beneath Memorial Tower.
TAKING THE TORCH
The fate of the controversial class gift fee is still uncertain. Chancellor Michael Martin chose to neither approve nor disapprove the fee and sent it back to students to resolve. The Student Government Senate endorsed a mandatory $30 fee for graduating seniors to fund a walkway of engraved bricks surrounding the Parade Ground. “I know that there are many people who have wanted me to intervene on one side or the other,” Martin said. “But this is one of those cases where I think good student governance should be handled by good students.” SG Class Gift Committee Chairperson Tiffany Compagno said she didn’t want to speculate on the future of the project until she meets with Martin. “He doesn’t want it to be his decision,” Compagno said. “I don’t DECISION, see page 19
THEATRE
Aerial silks provides unique challenges for students Professor brings new art to campus By Grace Montgomery Staff Writer
Students don’t need to travel long distances to see acrobatic shows like Cirque Du Soleil. Students can practice aerial silks three times a week in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building under the guidance of theatre assistant professor and movement specialist Nick Erickson. Aerial silks is an acrobatic performance while suspended on a long piece of fabric. “It requires a lot of focus,” said Ryann Pinkerton, theatre sophomore. “You have to be aware of your body and where it’s
moving at all times.” Erickson was a founding member of the world-famous Diavolo acrobatic dance troupe before coming to the University in 2001. He began to experience “withdrawal symptoms” from performing and in 2003 participated in a physical theatre camp in Los Angeles where he worked with aerialist Dreya Weber, who choreographed pieces for Madonna, Pink and Michael Jackson, Erikson said. Erickson brought silks to campus in 2003. He hung a silk in the movement studio in Hatcher Hall while the Music and Dramatic Arts building was undergoing renovations, but the low height of the ceiling made it difficult to fully perform moves. “It was tough in Hatcher,”
Erickson said. “The MDA ceiling makes it possible to take training up a notch.” The course was initially offered as an independent study to students interested in the art, but Erickson said he now wants to offer an open forum for anyone to try silks. “Many beginners are nervous, so I learned how to break down the basics,” Erickson said. “I try to put them into bite-sized pieces people can digest.” Aerial silks require intense mental and physical exertion. But this intensity is sometimes what attracts students to the art. ART, see page 19
See a slideshow of more aerial silks stunts at lsureveille.com
ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille
Maurie Hooton, sociology senior, practices climbing, stretching and twirling Tuesday on strips of silk hanging from the ceiling in the Music and Dramatic Arts Building.