The Daily Reveille - January 19, 2010 by Reveille

Check Inside For:

Haitian students react to quake damage, page 3.

NEWS New dining hall opens in Pentagon complex, page 8.

Winless streak

Three consecutive losses drop the Tigers’ to lackluster 9-8 record, page 13.

THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM

Volume 114, Issue 72

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

BUDGET CUTS

$12.6M shaved from fiscal budget By Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writer

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In the wake of mid-year budget cuts, University instructors will gather in funeral attire aside the University’s Sesquincentenial kick-off ceremony to protest budget cuts and further job terminations. Dubbed “Memorial Service for LSU,” the memorial is in protest to the 13 layoffs, 153 unfilled positions and funding cuts to all major colleges’ administrative departments which are the result of the third budget cut the University has suffered in a year. The memorial is scheduled for noon on Tuesday at the flagpole on the Parade Ground. The protest also follows as many as 400 instructors being informed by the Log on University that to read the termination more of their jobs is a details possibility with- about in the next year. cuts on The Uni- the versity’s Baton budget cuts Rouge cam- blog. pus has shaved $12.6 million from its midyear fiscal budget in response to a state funding shortfall. The LSU System as a whole is cutting $39.1 million with the Baton Rouge campus receiving the deepest wounds. “My first reaction was, ‘This is getting really painful,’” Chancellor Michael Martin said. “We have largely avoided major pain up to now, but this one was incrementally large enough that pain has come, and that is unfortunate.” Martin said cuts could lead to larger classes, difficulty scheduling and a decrease in the quality of services offered to students. Facility Services bears the brunt of the layoffs with eight positions terminated. Finance and Administrative Services suffered two lost positions. The College of Education is the only school within the University forced to issue layoff notices, CUTS, see page 31

Progress. Prominence. Power.

Students commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. through service and ceremony By Sabrina Trahan Contributing Writer

Many University students spent Monday remembering the dream of nonviolent, direct community action of one of the most influential leaders of the civil rights movement almost 42 years after he died. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for 13 years of civil rights activism, and his dedication inspired

the Martin Luther King Day of Service across the nation. The Office of Multicultural Affairs is hosting the 24th annual Martin Luther King Celebration with the theme of progress, prominence and power. The OMA received $5,450 from Student Government’s programming, support and initiatives fund, said Phoebe Hathorn, SG Director of Finance. More than 100 University stu-

dents and community volunteers repainted and worked in the yards of two homes and Mable’s Flower Shop in Baton Rouge on Monday to honor King’s vision of community involvement. “We’re trying to do the same thing that Martin Luther King would do and strive to create equality among one another,” said Robert Hudson, international studies sophomore.

University students stood in yellow T-shirts with the words, “The next 150 years starts with me,” referencing the University’s sesquicentennial celebration this year. “Greek organizations are here,” said Keava Soil, political science junior and team leader. “We are all uniting.” The Center for Planning MLK, see page 27

photos by J.J. ALCANTARA and SARAH HUNT / The Daily Reveille

[Top] Jordan Jefferson, business sophomore and quarterback of the football team, and Jaid Nelson, environmental engineering sophomore, reflect Monday night during the MLK candlelight vigil in front of the Memorial Tower. [Above] LSU students paint houses on Thomas Delpit Drive on Monday for the Martin Luther King Day of Service.

WEATHER

Cold temperatures damage crops, cities By Hannah Adams Contributing Writer

This month’s unusual, enduring cold snap has many individuals across the South hoping for warmer weather as crops and cities continue to sustain damage. Homeowners began wrapping household pipes and making preparation for outside plants and animals

when Louisiana and Florida governors Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency because of the severity of the cold. Damage to campus buildings was minimal, largely because of the freeze protection plan the University implements for such cold weather, Director of Resource Services Paul Favaloro said. One incident occurred Jan. 9 in which air-conditioning coils

ruptured, flooding a portion of the Hatcher Hall basement. “Most of the damage sustained was in the Hatcher Hall basement,” Favaloro said. “Damage to the basement was significant, and the room is currently being dehumidified.” Louisiana’s strawberry harvests are also expected to suffer from the hard freeze. “Right now we estimate we’ve

saved around 50 percent, but we really won’t know until the next few weeks what we’ve done,” said Chuck Ciampa of Ciampa Strawberry Farms in Hammond. Eric Morrow of Morrow Farms in Ponchatoula said the protective covers most farmers use are only helpful for temperatures down to 26 degrees. COLD, see page 27

THE DAILY REVEILLE

Nation & World

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

UN chief wants more police and troops to keep peace in Haiti

Man who walked through a restricted JFK door made a mistake

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he wants to beef up the U.N. peacekeeping force in Haiti with 1,500 additional police and 2,000 troops to better respond to the massive earthquake. The force currently has about 7,000 troops and 2,100 police.

NEW YORK (AP) — The man returning from Haiti who walked through a restricted door and set off an alarm at John F. Kennedy Airport has told police he went through the door by mistake. An ofﬁcial familiar with the case against Jules Paul Bouloute said Sunday that the 57-year-old told police he went to the wrong door by mistake while trying to exit the airport. The ofﬁcial was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Pope, Jewish leaders disagree about Pius’ actions during Holocaust ROME (AP) — In a synagogue visit haunted by history, Pope Benedict XVI and Jewish leaders sparred Sunday over the record of the World War II-era pope during the Holocaust and agreed on the need to strengthen Catholic-Jewish relations. Both sides said the visit to the seat of the oldest Jewish community in the diaspora was an occasion to overcome what Benedict called “every misconception and prejudice.”

Obama embarks on rescuse mission to save health care vote BOSTON (AP) — His agenda at risk, President Barack Obama fought Sunday to save a struggling Democratic U.S. Senate candidate and the critical 60th vote needed for his health care plan. The White House and congressional Democrats

ONGOING IN JANUARY DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Isaiah at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: officemanager@lsureveille.com

scrambled to find a way to pass the bill quickly if Martha Coakley loses a special election Tuesday. “Understand what’s at stake here Massachusetts. It’s whether we’re going forward or going backwards,” Obama said during a rally for Coakley as he tried to energize his dispirited base in this Democratic stronghold. Persistent cat saves lives of Illinois couple during house fire WONDER LAKE, Ill. (AP) — Authorities in the northwestern Chicago suburb of Wonder Lake said a persistent house cat probably saved the lives of a couple in a house fire. Assistant Chief Mike Weber of the Wonder lake Fire Protection District said the fire broke out shortly after midnight Monday in the bedroom of a new home in an unincorporated area. Weber said the couple were asleep on the living room couch when their cat jumped up and began annoying the man, who finally woke up and smelled smoke.

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STATE/LOCAL

Bankruptcy filings shoot up by 18 percent in Louisiana

V-Vehicle Co. testing new type of car in Ouachita Parish

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sharply higher numbers of people and businesses in Louisiana sought refuge from debt in federal bankruptcy court, crippled by the housing collapse, credit cards and sharply lower retail sales. According to the Administrative Office of United States Courts, there were 18,268 bankruptcy filings in the state from Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009, up 18 percent from the previous year’s filings of 15,412. The number of businesses heading for court exploded during the most recent year. There were 844 business filings in Louisiana for 2008-09, up 38.4 percent from 610 for 2007-08. During 2008-09, there were 17,424 nonbusiness filings, up 17.7 percent from the previous year’s 14,802. Nationally, total bankruptcies rose 34 percent over the same time.

MONROE (AP) — The company that hopes to build a new car — the “V-Vehicle” — in north Louisiana says it is testing its product. David Hitchcock, V-Vehicle’s director of Louisiana assembly operations, said the company hasn’t released details for competitive reasons.

Weather 68 51

TODAY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

Local companies open markets for troublesome northern fish BATON ROUGE (AP) — Building off a state-developed marketing plan, a group of Louisianabased companies has started a joint venture that will put Asian carp on retail shelves within weeks. The ﬁsh are being marketed as silverﬁn, the name it was given in a marketing plan developed by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

TODAY ON

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Check out what the sports writers have to say in their blogs about baseball, basketball and recruiting.

Read what our opinion writers are talking about on The Soap Box blog.

Keep up with budget cuts with the Eye of the Budget blog.

MEET THE EDITORS

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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) 5784811 or e-mail editor@lsureveille.com.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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INTERNATIONAL

One University student remains in Haiti after earthquake Death toll may be as high as 100,000 By Sarah Eddington Staff Writer

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake devastated Haiti on Jan. 12, leaving much of the country in shambles. Hospitals, entire neighborhoods, schools and even the presidential palace were among the wreckage. For many people, the quake hit close to home, but for some University students, it was home. According to International Services, three Haitian citizens were enrolled as students at the University during fall 2009. Myrtho Joseph, geography graduate student, said he waited two days before hearing his family in Haiti was alive. “It’s a big relief,” Joseph said. “It seems that when you are waiting for news, and you don’t know whether it’s good or bad, you can’t manage. I don’t have to worry anymore.” Joseph, who was born in Haiti, came to the U.S. in 2005 and enrolled at the University in 2008 to

FRANCIS MORI / The Associated Press

People fight for goods taken from collapsed stores Monday in Port-au-Prince. Looting has been common as earthquake survivors scavenged for anything they could find.

pursue his master’s degree. His family flew to Haiti the week before the earthquake after visiting Joseph in Baton Rouge for two weeks. “The hope is they can come back and stay with me,” he said. “But, there’s no way to fly them out.” Gaelle Sampeur, economics graduate student, returned to her home in Haiti for the winter break. Maureen Hewitt, director of the International Cultural Center, said she received an e-mail from Sampeur on Thursday evening. Though the brief e-mail confirmed Sampeur is safe, Hewitt said she is unsure when

Sampeur will be able to return to campus from Haiti. “She is in a city in crisis,” Hewitt said. “We’ll help her in any way we can.” The death toll may be as high as 50,000 to 100,000 people, according to the Pan American Health Organization, and many countries have already contributed to the disaster relief effort. Haiti is one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world, and it lacks the necessary infrastructure to respond to disasters, according to Kent Matthewson,

CRIME

BR records 75 murders in 2009 New programs to target drug market By Sarah Eddington Staff Writer

Seventy-five people were murdered in Baton Rouge last year, which is the highest number on record, according to the FBI and Baton Rouge Police Department statistics. “That is still a preliminary and unofficial number that could possibly change, but right now we feel pretty confident that 75 will be the final figure,” Don Kelly, BRPD spokesperson, said in a press release. The number increased 12 percent from 2008, which had 67 murders, according to police statistics. Matthew Lee, University criminology professor, said the increase is not a surprise. Lee said when the country has an economic downturn, people who are most weakly tied to the labor market are harmed most quickly and will look to other means of attaining income. “People still need to make money so they get involved in drug markets,” Lee said. Lee said the drug market is highly lucrative, but because it operates outside the law, the people involved resolve their conflicts through their own means, often including weapons. “The problem is there is a substantial availability of firearms and they find their way into the hands of people who aren’t in possession of them legally,” Lee said. Lee said crime has an age curve and most arrests for murder are people ages 21 to 22. He said as people

get older, they become less likely to commit those types of crimes. “As people get older, they develop more impulse control,” Lee said. “They also develop stronger social bonds and matriculate into the formalized labor market.” Lee said murder reports are misleading when population size and growth are not taken into consideration. “The population has grown in Baton Rouge in the past ten years,” he said. “It’s not really clear whether there’s been a proportional increase in murders or not.” Cpl. L’Jean McKneely of

BRPD said the district attorney’s office is implementing new programs for 2010 in effort to get people off the streets, target the drug market and provide people with better options. For example, new truancy programs will help reinforce that youth are attending school regularly, he said. “Hopefully we can go in there and make an impact,” McKneely said. “All we can do is try.” Contact Sarah Eddington at seddington@lsureveille.com

geography professor. “But the people, as a result of being poor in terms of material possessions, have developed over the centuries a very resilient culture,” he said. “They have been able to meet diversity, in many ways, head on.” Jay Edwards, anthropology professor and vernacular architecture specialist, said buildings in Haiti take many years to complete. Edwards said the houses are built layer upon layer at a time as materials accumulate. Because Haiti lacks sufficient building regulations, Edwards said people often skimp on rebar, a metal structure that stabilizes a house’s foundation. Typical Haitian homes are made of concrete frame posts with plates across the top and bottom, and open spaces are filled with cinder blocks, Edwards said. “There’s nothing holding those cinder blocks in there except gravity,” Edwards said. “Even if the frame

doesn’t collapse, it’s very likely the blocks will.” Edwards said the earthquake occurred at a highly urbanized area full of the cement constructions. “The area was highly vulnerable to exactly the kind of shocks that it got,” Edwards said. “It couldn’t have happened in a worse place.” The University is also doing its part in disaster relief. Amy Potter, geography graduate student, spearheaded a campuswide relief group called “Tigers for Haiti,” which will be collecting donations to purchase LifeStraws — portable water filters for prevention of common diarrheal disease. Students can bring $5 to the “Tigers for Haiti” booth in Free Speech Alley on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can also follow the organization on Twitter and Facebook. Contact Sarah Eddington at seddington@lsureveille.com

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THE DAILY REVEILLE

FINANCIAL AID

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

150 YEARS

Commission will not limit TOPS Sesquicentennial to Need-based part of be kicked off today plan also rejected By Xerxes A. Wilson Senior Staff Writer

Plans to cap the TOPS program and add a need-based aspect to the award were rejected by the Post Secondary Education Review Commission at its monthly meeting last week. The review commission — also known as the Tucker Commission — rejected plans to cap TOPS, but approved recommendations for granting institutions freedom to set tuition, a statewide W policy and the distribution of state budget cuts. Commissioner David Longanecker proposed capping TOPS at $2,500 for students’ first two years of school and $4,500 for the remaining two years. Longanecker also proposed students with the top 10 percent of ACT scores in the state or the top 10 percent of their graduating class receive the award. Longanecker argued a cap on TOPS would allow colleges and universities to raise tuition without demanding more state funds for the TOPS program. He also argued the new cap on TOPS would encourage students to start at a community college then move to a university. The recommendation failed

after much debate. Commission Chairman Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, said capping TOPS would break the initial intention of the program to help all meritorious students go to school in Louisiana. The commission also rejected a similar recommendation that would keep the merit based formula, but add a need-based formula for allocation. During the meeting, the commission recommended the legislature give management boards of universities some authority to raise tuition with strict stipulations beginning in fiscal year 2013. The authority to raise tuition currently lies with the state legislature and requires a two-thirds vote. Increases in tuition would only be granted if institutions meet retention and graduation goals. LSU would have to demonstrate “substantial progress” toward achieving a graduation rate of 75 percent by 2018. Chancellor Michael Martin suggested the University needs more freedom to regulate fees to negate the effects of state budget cuts. “We are going to try to negotiate an arrangement with the legislature and the Governor’s Office that if we make hard choices with respect to program eliminations, that they will minimize the negative impact of a cuts and give us the latitude to raise some revenue through higher fees,” Martin said.

During the meeting, the commission created a recommendation suggesting every institution report student credit hours on both the 14th day of class and the end of the semester, implementing the end of semester student credit hours into the state funding formula. The recommendation also suggests the state implement a universal withdrawal policy for public higher education institutions. Commissioner James Wharton — who presented the recommendation — argued soft withdrawal policies lead to lower graduation rates. Wharton said his recommendation would pressure schools to encourage students not to drop classes and encourage students to graduate faster, saving the state and students money. The commission also passed a recommendation encouraging the state government to amend the constitution allowing state budget cuts to be spread more evenly across state agencies instead of falling disproportionately on education. The commission will meet once in February before presenting its recommendations to the Board of Regents. The Board of Regents will review the recommendations and submit comments to the legislature by the end of February. Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com

By Ryan Buxton Senior Staff Writer

The University turns 150 years old in 2010, and the year-long birthday party kicks off today. “LSU 150: The Year Ahead,” the launch event for the University’s sesquicentennial, or 150th anniversary, will be held at 12:15 p.m. today at Memorial Tower. The launch event will feature Chancellor Michael Martin and Student Government president Stuart Watkins as speakers and a performance by an ensemble from the School of Music. There will also be a large birthday cake for the University, which will be served at stations in the Quad and Student Union following the ceremony. The launch is the first of several events and programs planned to celebrate the University’s anniversary. The goals of the sesquicentennial festivities are to reflect on the past, celebrate the University’s contributions to the community and commit to keeping LSU a top-tier university, said Aaron Looney, editor at University Relations. Herb Vincent, associate vice chancellor for University Relations, said the sesquicentennial is not only about what the last 150 years meant

for the University, but what they meant for the state. “If you consider all the great graduates who have come out of LSU and impacted Louisiana from a cultural and economic standpoint, LSU has been a tremendous resource for the last century and a half for Louisiana,” Vincent said. As the University celebrates, a group of University instructors will be protesting the on-going budget cuts near the flag pole on the Parade Ground. Attendees are urged to wear funeral attire or black armbands, according to a Facebook group created for the protest. Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com

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THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

Entertainment

TUESDAY’S 2

225 2

Golden Globe winners that are worth seeing:

videos on

Saints fans shoot 60” TV Wayne Spring of Albany, La., lost a bet to Facebook Saints fans — and they gun down his 60” TV after the Saints beat the Redskins in overtime Dec. 6. More than 830,000 views

free iPhone Apps we like: Doodle Buddy, Version 1.1.2 Draw with your finger to create masterpieces. Mad Libs Lite, Version 1.2 Fill in the blank with an interactive type-pad.

“Pants on the Ground”

American Idol contestanthopeful “General” Larry Platt, 63, becomes an Internet celebrity after he wows judges in Atlanta with his own rap song, “Pants on the Ground.” More than 1 million views

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Mad Men AMC’s provocative series about ruthless competition at a New York advertising firm and the quickly changing social atmosphere of the 1960s won the Golden Globe for Best Television Series, Drama.

Shazam, Version 1.8.0 Learn the name of a song by pointing your iPhone toward the music.

Avatar The $500 million, 3D sci-fi pic that has been James Cameron’s only drama since his blockbuster “Titanic.” Avatar won Best Motion Picture, Drama accolades at Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

TV Guide, Version 1.3 Customize your own interface for your favorite shows Words with Friends, Version 3.04 All the fun of real-time Scrabble without setting up a board.

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Log on to lsureveille.com to see Student Govenment President Stuart Watkins get ready for spring semester.

lsureveille.com exclusives Photo Blog- Catch a glimpse of a unique view of Baton Rouge, like the rainbow over Burbank Drive, on the new “Behind the Lens” photo blog. DailiesOn Mondays, wake up with Matt and Mal as they review the latest gossip and events. On Tuesdays, step into someone else’s shoes with “A Day in the Life.” On Wednesdays, see what students think about a variety of topics with the Question of the Week slideshow. On Thursdays, see “How To” do something new every week. On Fridays, watch Amos and his guests on “Sports Talk.” On Saturdays, see a slideshow of photos from the week. On Sundays, catch up with the week’s headlines on James’ radio show.

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

DINING

The Five opens today, accepts non-University patrons New hall can hold more than 450 diners By Sumit Kumar Contributing Writer

LSU Dining opened its newest dining hall today, The Five Commons, in the northwest part of campus. The hall is named after the adjoining Pentagon residential complex. With a seating capacity of more than 450, the Five now surpasses the 459 Commons as the largest dining location on campus. The dining hall operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m, from Monday to Thursday, and until 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The facility is accessible to

LSU students and people not-afﬁliated with the University. “The world is welcome,” said David Heidke, Director of LSU DIning and Concessions. The Five combines features of both the 459 Commons and Highland Dining Hall, which closed in fall 2009. The Five will be “a sister to 459 Commons, in terms of style and menu,” Heidke said. The cuisine will feature traditional Lousiana dishes, comfort foods, grilled meat, traditional staples like corn, vegetarian items and bakeries, according to the menu. The Five also offers many new features like cooking classes conducted by designated chefs, a frontview kitchen allowing student-staff interaction, outdoor dining spaces and a dietician who can provide

ideas on healthy diet. The hall also has wireless Internet access, computers and laptop desks for the public. The construction of the The Five was a joint venture of LSU Auxiliary Services and Chartwells Food Service, the University dining provider, said Jason Log on to see Tolliver, Director of features of the University Auxil- new dining hall. iary Services. Chartwells invested $6.5 million for setting up the dining services building and student facilities. Auxiliary Services spent $2.2 million for construction of the Five’s outer portion, and most of the funding was generated by their internal operations, Tolliver

said. Dining options on campus became signiﬁcantly reduced in the wake of Highland Dining Hall’s permanent closure and the ongoing construction work at Tiger Lair. The Five, and the associated convenience store Take 5 will ﬁll this void. Take 5 will feature Quiznos, a coffee bar and other grab-and-go options. Take 5 will be open from 7 a.m. until 3 a.m. from Monday to Thursday, and until 6:30 p.m. on Friday. It will also stay open from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Saturday and 11:00 p.m. on Sunday. Employing between 75 to a 100 personnel in the Five, Heidke

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is looking forward to recruiting as many student employees as possible, especially at Take 5 and Quiznos. “Our challenge is to recruit enough students,” Heidke said. The Highland Dining staff has been shifted to The Five, he said. The creation of The Five was part of LSU’s comprehensive development and overhaul plan. Jeri McCullough, Marketing Director for LSU Dining, said she is excited about The Five being a “much more updated” dining facility. “It’s going to be wonderful space for students from all over campus,” McCullough said. Contact Sumit Kumar at skumar@lsureveille.com

Law Center hosts BLSA convention for first time Event helps future lawyers to network By Mandy Francois Contributing Writer

The Black Law Students Association held its 39th annual Southern Regional Convention on Jan. 14 through 17 at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and Sheraton Convention Center — the ﬁrst time the University has hosted the convention. It was also the ﬁrst time the Southern Region and Rocky Mountain Region held a joint convention. The convention is hosted at a different school each year. “We hope to be part of the [convention’s] rotation now,”

said Jack Weiss, chancellor of the Paul M. Hebert Law School. With 2,100 members in 49 chapters, the Southern Region of BLSA is the largest. This year’s convention hosted more than 300 students from 18 states and Puerto Rico. More than 30 law schools were represented. Jonathan Brown, president of BLSA at LSU, said he was glad the administration was supportive in planning the event. He said the conventions are the biggest event of the year for BLSA. The convention’s events included a mock trial competition, a moot court competition, a law journal symposium and two community service projects. The winners of the mock trial and moot court competitions will go on to the national level of competition.

The University did not compete this year because ﬁve University students are on BLSA’s regional board. But University students still had a chance to practice courtroom skills. One of the community service projects involved helping a group of high school students in Scotlandville hold a mock court competition. The BLSA volunteers served as co-counsel, witnesses and jury members. Ashley Mayes, a secondyear law student, helped tally the results for the Chapter of the Year Competition. She said schools are graded according to how well they fulﬁll BLSA’s national and regional initiatives. The convention has always been important in giving stu-

dents a chance to network with other law students from different states, said Ray Diamond, LSU BLSA faculty adviser. “[The convention] is important to and for the law center. It helps raise support for diversity, which the Supreme Court has said is of compelling interest in American law schools,” Diamond said. Diamond started this year as the BLSA faculty adviser. He said taking on the task was not overwhelming because he knew all the students and knew the administration would

be supportive. Cachavious English, Regional Chair of BLSA , is in his last semester of law school at the University of Alabama. He said his experience in Baton Rouge has been pleasant. “It’s a typical down South college town,” he said. The convention ended with an awards banquet and a Cabaret Party held at the Sheraton.

Contact Mandy Francois at mfrancois@lsureveille.com

Mellow Mushroom

Pint Night. FREE Pint Glass with purchase of Draft @ Regular Price

MELANIE SCOTT / The Daily Reveille

From left, LSU Law BLSA President Jonathan Brown, LSU BLSA and Southern Region BLSA Programming director Miesha Beverly, Chancellor Jack Weiss of the Paul M. Hebert Law School Southern Region BLSA Vice Chair Mechelle Bumpers, and Regional Chair of the Southern Region BLSA Cachavious Q. English. Weiss holds an award presented to the Law Center on Jan. 14 for outstanding dedication and support of the BLSA.

9:00-10:30 AM 12-1:30 PM 4:00- 5:30 PM 8:00-9:30 PM

The Orphan Angels and Demons The Ugly Truth Year One

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

TRANSPORTATION

New Easy Streets plan could create one-way streets Bike lanes, road closures considered By Ashton Martin Contributing Writer

After the initial success of Easy Streets in reducing campus traffic and accidents, the University began planning the second phase of the program. Gary Graham, director of the Office of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said the Campus Multi-Modal Transportation Management Team will meet within the

month to draft a recommendation for a scenario they feel would best benefit the University, which will be presented to the chancellor. There isn’t a definite date as of now when the team will meet. The recommendation will draft one of three scenarios, which could include converting core interior roads on campus to one-way streets, using “share the road arrows” among cars and cyclists or using a combination of the two. Jason Soileau, assistant director of the Office of Facility Development, said the team is also considering the possibility of creating designated bike lanes on campus

ACADEMIC CALENDER

Semester begins one week later this spring Delay allows time for tasks, scheduling By Ryan Buxton Senior Staff Writer

Students return for the spring semester a week later than they have the last two years, as the academic calendar was changed to begin the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The change was made to accommodate various University departments, which needed more time following the winter intersession to prepare for the spring semester, said Robert Doolos, University registrar. “There were issues with awarding aid and issues with senior college offices not having time to do what they needed to do,” Doolos said. “With the spring semester so close [after winter intersession], they were jammed up with working with all the students they needed to work with.” The extra time makes it easier for students to get proper attention from counselors and advisers when making academic decisions between the intersession and semester, said Stacia Haynie, vice provost of Academic Affairs. “If you’re a counselor with hundreds of students and each one needs your attention, you have to have serious conversations like, ‘Can you continue in this major, and what resources can we provide you with to help you succeed?’” Haynie said. “We don’t want that rushed.” Paul Ivey, University College associate dean, said starting the semester earlier didn’t provide for enough time for tasks like new student orientation, class scheduling and examination of enrollment appeals. “[With the semester starting later], we can get those things processed and get everybody in class who is eligible to be in class for that first day,” Ivey said. The semester started a week earlier for the first time in spring 2008. Doolos said he thought moving the semester up might give more flexibility with the schedule.

“Because we have so many intersessions, there’s little flexibility with terms and beginning them,” Doolos said. “We were trying to see if we could get more flexibility in the calendar by starting earlier, but it just didn’t work.” The University offers three intersessions — one in the spring, summer and winter — which Haynie said make the calendar “exceptionally complex.” Those intersessions along with semesters in the spring, summer and fall make for a packed academic calendar, Haynie said. “The day on which you start at the beginning of the year affects the start date of the spring intersession, summer intersession, summer session, fall calendar and the graduation date,” Haynie said. Starting the spring semester later can also benefit high school students interested in beginning their freshman year at the University in the summer, Haynie said. “If we start one week later, we can service far more students who graduate [from high school] in the last week in May or first week in June,” she said. The University’s calendar is also difficult to work with because of the Mardi Gras holiday, which other schools don’t have to take into account, Haynie said. The most recent change in the academic calendar was made after Doolos received feedback from various departments about the difficulties created by starting earlier. Doolos drafted the change into the academic calendar for this spring, which got positive responses from the Office of Academic Affairs and various deans and vice chancellors. Doolos said feedback from students about the semester starting earlier for the past two years was minimal, but he did hear some concerns. “There were students who wanted to know why the [winter] break wasn’t as long,” he said. “But it wasn’t missing — you got an extra week between spring and summer term.” Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com

and creating pedestrian corridors in areas currently used for vehicles. No cost decisions for the program have been made, Graham said. He hopes a recommendation can be sent to the chancellor in the next month, and they’ll know which way to go from that point. “With budget cuts going on, things are a bit delayed,” said Graham. Some student groups have been active in supporting the Easy Streets plan — including Student Government and the Environmental Conservation Organization. “Student Government has been promoting more pedestrian safety

and bicycling on campus,” said Cas Smith, SG director of sustainability. Smith has attended team meetings on behalf of SG and said SG would like to see more pedestrian laws implemented along with designated bike lanes. Smith said the possibility of street closures is likely in the future. ECO also supports closing streets and moving parking spots to various locations. The organization got involved by pressuring administration to start the Easy Streets plan faster than originally planned, according to Matt Wyatt, co-president of ECO. “ECO’s goal is to make this a

safe campus for pedestrians and bicyclists,” Wyatt said. Soileau said the original Easy Streets plan was a “phenomenal success.” He said traffic on campus was reduced by 62 percent, buses were able to remain on time and bikes became a prominent mode of transportation. More bike racks were also installed. “Improving pedestrian safety is the main goal of the plan,” Soileau said.

Contact Ashton Martin at amartin@lsureveille.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 11

UNION

Tiger Lair construction may cause decline in food sales All renovation should finish in March 2011 By Rachel Warren Contributing Writer

After the prolonged process of completing Phase I of Student Union construction, Union officials have begun Phase II. At the end of the fall 2009 semester, workers began construction on the Tiger Lair food court, the surrounding seating areas and continued working on the Union Theater. Shirley Plakidas, Union director, expects construction on the food court to be completed by September 2010. The rest of the renovation is contracted to finish by March 2011, Plakidas said. Closing the food court will cause a significant drop in food sales revenue for the University, Plakidas said. The loss was anticipated when planning began, and she said the University is prepared to handle it. Plakidas said the University has seen a decline in revenue in all retail facilities in the Union since construction began. The projected cost of the entire project is $83.7 million, but the budget is approved by the state, so construction cannot cost any more, she said. The costs are not broken down by phases, because it is impossible to know how much each phase will cost, she said. “I would say that about twothirds of the money has gone towards hard construction costs,” Plakidas said. Hard construction costs include pay for workers and building materials. Plakidas said the most expensive part of the renovation has been the Union Theater, which has been completely redone. The theater is receiving an entire new interior, with extra square-footage in the lobby area, new dressing rooms and new lighting systems. The most money has gone to acoustical treatments, materials added to walls and ceilings which insulate the theater and allow the entire audience to hear everything, Plakidas said. Construction fell behind schedule during the first phase of the project, but it is on track now, Plakidas said. Once this phase is complete, the third phase will tie up loose ends and polish the final product, she said. When planning for the project first began in 2001, the University posted student surveys online, to record what students wanted to do with the space, according to the Union Web site. Plakidas said the Union board is working hard to make the Live Oak Lounge enjoyable to all students, but finding a common ground is difficult because each student has a different opinion.

“It’s a good place to sit, eat and hang out,” said Tate Stumper, chemical engineering freshman. Although the noise of construction does not seem to deter students from visiting the Union, the food court reno- Log on to see vation may prove construction to be an inconve- around campus. nience. “It’s kind of aggravating that they closed the Tiger Lair,” Stumper said. “Other than that, it doesn’t bother me much.” The lack of food choices in the Union is one of the main problems students have with the renovation. “I hate that McDonald’s and Einstein’s are the only things open right now,” Mark Avery, kinesiology sophomore, said.

Plakidas said LSU Dining is planning to offer quick and easy food items such as sandwiches, salads and pizza in place of the Tiger Lair. Ken Bueche, associate director for operations, said kiosks serving “grab and go” items will be opened on the first floor because the second floor is not open yet. He is hopeful parts of the second floor will be open within the next month. “As soon as we can get stuff open, we’ll open it and start using it,” Bueche said.

lsureveille.com

Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com

SARAH HUNT / The Daily Reveille

Construction workers continue Union renovations Friday above the main entrance.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

Sports

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

FOOTBALL

PAGE 13

Coaching staff, players shake up program during break Jones declares for 2010 NFL draft

By Rachel Whittaker Chief Sports Writer

Four LSU underclassman football players made decisions about their senior seasons, speculations of possible coaching changes swirled and the offensive coaching staff welcomed two new assistants during winter break. The LSU defense took a hit last week when junior safety Chad Jones announced he will forego his

remaining years of eligibility on the football and baseball teams and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. “Since I was a kid growing up in a family with a strong football tradition, I’ve always dreamed of playing football in college and hoped one day I’d make it to the NFL,” Jones said in a statement. “After many discussions with my family and coach [Les] Miles, I feel it’s the right time for me to enter the NFL draft.” Junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, wide receiver Terrance Toliver and offensive lineman Joseph Barksdale opted to stay for their senior seasons.

Sheppard led the Tigers with 110 tackles in 2009, and Toliver was second behind Brandon LaFell with 735 yards and three touchdowns for the year. Barksdale, who converted from defensive tackle to offensive tackle as a freshman at LSU, has started 26 consecutive games at right tackle. Sheppard is 15 hours away from graduating with a degree in general studies, which he said played a part in his decision to return. “I felt like coming back to LSU for my senior season was the FOOTBALL, see page 26

Empty-Handed

Tigers begin conference play with three straight losses

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU junior quarterback Kelvin Sheppard, right, tackles Penn State sophomore running back Stephon Green (21) on Jan. 1 during the Tigers’ 19-17 loss.

NFL By Chris Branch Sports Writer

Winless. The word itself inspires a cringe and a truckload of pessimism. It also conjures up frightening memories of the LSU men’s basketball team’s 0-4 start in conference play during the frightful 13-18 season Tiger fans had to endure in 2007-08. Winless is where the current LSU team (9-8 overall) sits at the moment, 0-3 in Southeastern Conference play after Florida drubbed LSU coach Trent Johnson’s squad Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., 72-58. Listening to Johnson and the rest of the players speak, conference play was supposed to be the “second season.” Things were supposed to turn around with the clean slate. The Tigers limped into the SEC schedule with a 9-5 record. “This is the SEC,” said senior forward Tasmin Mitchell two days before the Alabama contest. “This is what really matters at the end of the year.” The Tigers started off the winter break quite convincingly. After two losses in Madison Square Garden to Connecticut and Arizona State, LSU reeled off four consecutive wins against in-state opponents who they were expected to beat. Johnson and company then followed those wins with three straight puzzling losses. LSU first traveled to BASKETBALL, see page 25

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU junior guard Bo Spencer (11) lays up the ball over McNeese State sophomore forward Patrick Richard (3) on Jan. 4 during the Tigers’ 83-60 win in the PMAC.

Saints say they never lost their confidence By The Associated Press METAIRIE (AP) — With nine double-digit victories during the regular season, the New Orleans Saints weren’t all that surprised by the way they dominated their playoff opener. “I don’t think anyone in this locker room ever lost confidence in what we were capable of doing,” Saints receiver Marques Colston said. “You don’t just win 13 games in this league by accident. So we knew the formula and it was just a matter of putting it together for 60 minutes.” Colston and his teammates gathered at the Saints’ suburban New Orleans training center on Sunday to review their 45-14 rout of the Arizona Cardinals in Saturday’s divisional playoff game. Colston had six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown, helping the Saints (14-3) score more points than in their previous three games combined. Coach Sean Payton intends to let his players rest on Monday and Tuesday. Practice will resume Wednesday as the Saints, who’ve never been to a Super Bowl, prepare to host the Minnesota Vikings (13-4) in the first NFC championship game held in New Orleans next Sunday evening. “There have been some lean years for the Saints. I’ve been a part of a few of them,” Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb said. “To be able to be here when I think something special is going on, it’s quite SAINTS, see page 26

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THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

FAMOUS AMOS

LSU teams managed to defeat themselves during break

Who said the learning has to stop when school’s out? I learned a few things while watching the men’s and women’s basketball teams along with the football team during the break. The men’s basketball team can’t afford to beat itself, meaning it needs to stay out of foul trouble and not turn the ball over. LSU coach Trent Johnson said it himself — this team’s flaws are magnified when they make mistakes. Those mistakes and flaws became more than apparent when the Tigers hosted Alabama last Saturday. Alabama was able to open up a small lead in the first half against LSU, purely because the Tigers were turning the ball over. Alabama had a 15-point lead at the game’s halfway mark and 13 of those points were attributed to the LSU turnovers. Meanwhile, foul trouble is keeping one of the Tigers’ best players off the court. Sophomore forward Storm Warren is a big part of the Tigers’ offense and defense. When he has to sit on the bench because of foul trouble, opposing defenses can afford to throw double teams at senior forward Tasmin Mitchell, which in turn puts more pressure on junior guard Bo Amos Morale Spencer. The Tigers Columnist aren’t as deep as they were a year ago, particularly at the two guard spot. Because of this lack of depth, whoever Johnson plays at the two guard spot has to stay out of foul trouble, whether it’s sophomore guards Chris Bass or Zach Kinsley or freshman guard Aaron Dotson. There are four walk-ons on the team, including Kinsley, so keeping Dotson, Kinsley and Bass in the game is important, especially on the defensive end. Dotson has played well in recent games, but that is negated when he gets into foul trouble. The Lady Tigers are nearly unbeatable when playing the Lady Tiger way. Their second loss of the season only happened because Auburn was able to control the boards in the first half when LSU’s shots just weren’t falling. The basis of the Lady Tiger way is dominating defense, and when they are playing dominating defense they can shut down just about anyone. But in both of their losses, they were out rebounded. The football team has one major problem, and it is called offense. To start, they can’t run the ball. In the Capital One Bowl, LSU averaged just 1.6 yards per carry. The offensive line struggled all season to move the ball on the ground, partly because of injuries to the first, second and thirdstring running backs, but mostly

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU sophomore forward Storm Warren (24) drives the ball to the hoop Jan. 4 during the Tigers’ 83-60 win against McNeese State in the PMAC.

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior wide receiver Brandon Lafell (1) runs for a touchdown Jan. 1 during the Tigers’ 19-17 loss to the Nittany Lions at the Capital One Bowl in Orlando, Fla.

because the offensive line wasn’t able to block as effectively as it did last year. The Tigers rushed for 2,168 yards last season and only 1,596 this season. This poor running game puts way more pressure on the passing game, which ailed from play calls that warranted a head scratch. In that same bowl game, the Tigers were down by two with less than a minute to play and were attempting to drive into field goal range. The Tigers inexplicably called a screen pass up the middle of the field. The play was stopped for a 4-yard gain, but the clock kept running, and LSU senior guard Lyle Hitt was flagged on the play for unnecessary roughness, which negated the screen pass’ gain and a 10-yard run by sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Poor play calling haunted the team all season. Anyone who watched the Tigers play this season watched as they repeatedly attempted to run the option. And anyone who watched them run the option watched it fail, yet it was repeatedly called even when the proper personnel were not in the game. The main thing with all of these teams is they beat themselves before their opponents have a chance to do it. Amos Morale is a 22-year-old history major from Houston, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @ TDR_AmosMorale3.

Contact Amos Morale at amorale@lsureveille.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 15

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Lady Tigers stumble in SEC LSU goes 7-3 during winter break By Michael Lambert Sports Contributor

A loss to Nebraska spoiled a stellar 9-0 start for the LSU women’s basketball team in the 2009-10 season. But two consecutive losses hit the Lady Tigers where it hurts — the Southeastern Conference Western standings. No. 12 LSU (13-3, 2-2) lost its second straight SEC game Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss, 80-71. LSU coach Van Chancellor’s squad allowed Ole Miss senior guard Bianca Thomas, the SEC’s leading scorer, to rack up 42 points on the usually staunch Lady Tiger defense. “She made shot after shot,” Chancellor said after the game. “We had no answer for her.” LSU sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett tried to duel Thomas with 30 points and 10 rebounds of her own, but the Lady Tigers could not keep up with Ole Miss. The Rebels shot 51 percent from the floor and were 9-of-18 from 3-point range. The second consecutive conference loss came on the heels of the most exciting game of LSU’s season. Auburn entered the PMAC on

Jan. 10 and provided quite the thrill for the more than 5,000 fans in attendance at the 14th annual Pack the PMAC game. Auburn shocked LSU, 64-62, in overtime after a game-tying layup by LSU sophomore guard Destini Hughes fell short. LSU was up by seven points with 1:33 left in regulation, but Auburn junior guard Alli Smalley hit a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds remaining to force the overtime. “The loss illustrated some situations I thought we had way back in December,” Chancellor said. “We have to get a lead and hold on to it.” LSU has focused on reducing mental errors in practices since the Auburn game. “There are some areas we need to improve on,” said senior guard Allison Hightower. “Sometimes we take big steps forward, but then we take big steps backward.” Hightower has endured leg cramps from time to time this season, but the preseason All-American said she hasn’t been affected by the cramps. Barrett has filled the shoes of Hightower in the scoring department, while sophomore guard Latear Eason has progressed from the point guard position. Chancellor was happy with his team’s performance until the loss against Auburn. The first two conference games

were more successful for the Lady Tigers. LSU opened SEC play at South Carolina, where the Lady Tigers took their first conference win, 70-58. A 15-0 second-half surge propelled LSU past Arkansas, 65-38, on Jan. 7. The Lady Tigers outscored Arkansas, 46-19, with a team effort in the second half as four LSU players scored in double figures. LSU was rolling before SEC play began. The Lady Tigers cruised through their first games during the break, taking care of business against New Orleans, Houston Baptist and North Carolina A&T. LSU won the inaugural Sue Gunter Classic with a victory against North Carolina A&T, 75-33. Hightower was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player as she chipped in 12 points in the championship game. The next foe, No. 18 Nebraska, presented a different challenge for the Lady Tigers. Nebraska senior forward Kelsey Griffin burned LSU for a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds as the Lady Tigers fell, 7763, and endured their first loss of the season. LSU got back to its winning ways against Southeastern on Dec. 22 in the PMAC. The Lady Tigers held Southeastern to 27 points while Barrett recorded her first doubledouble of the season, lighting up the Lady Lions for 11 points and 10 re-

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU sophomore forward LaSondra Barrett (55) is fouled by Auburn freshman center Pascale West (20) on Jan. 10 during the Tigers’ overtime loss to Auburn in the PMAC.

bounds in 20 minutes. The climax of LSU’s winter break came on Dec. 30 when the Lady Tigers faced No. 13 Xavier. Chancellor picked up his 500th win of his collegiate coaching career as LSU clinched a quality victory against Xavier, 56-47. “We told our team we had to return to the Lady Tiger way,” Chancellor said. “We learned a lot from the loss at Nebraska. That was an absolute wake-up call.” Junior guard Katherine Graham’s career-high 14 points helped Chancellor reach the 500-win milestone. LSU has also announced that

it will retire the jersey of former Lady Tiger Seimone Augustus, who played at LSU from 2002-06 and is second in school history with 2,702 points. Her jersey will be retired in a ceremony right before LSU plays Tennessee on Sunday in the PMAC. LSU has also announced it will retired the jersey of former Lady Tiger Seimone Augustus, who play at LSU from 2002-06 and is second in school history with 2,702 points. Her jersey will be retired Sunday in a ceremony before the Tennessee game in the PMAC. Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

PAGE 17

AROUND THE SEC

Four teams still undefeated in conference play

Ken. raises money to benefit Haiti By Johanathan Brooks Sports Writer

Four teams in the Southeastern Conference can still boast some form of perfection Three teams from the SEC East and one from the SEC West have records that remain unblemished after the opening week of conference play. Kentucky (18-0, 3-0) owns the league’s best overall record after defeating Georgia, Florida and Auburn. “Everyone we’re playing is playing their best game, and I don’t think we realize that just yet,” said Kentucky coach John Calipari. The Wildcats are led in scoring and assists by freshman guard John Wall, who averages 17 points and seven assists a game, respectively. He also chips in an average of 3.7 rebounds per contest. No. 8 Tennessee (14-2, 2- 0) is the SEC’s next-highest ranked team. The Volunteers own a blowout win against Auburn and a twopoint victory against Ole Miss. Sophomore guard Scotty Hopson leads Tennessee with a 13.3 point per game average, and senior forward Wayne Chism leads the squad in rebounds per game with 6.4. No. 23 Mississippi State (153, 3-0) is the lone undefeated team from the SEC West. The Bulldogs own narrow wins against Ole Miss, Arkansas and Georgia. Senior forward Jarvis Varnado averages a double-double and leads his team in both points and rebounds with 14 and 11 a contest, respectively. Vanderbilt (14-3, 3-0) also remains among the ranks of the unbeaten following wins against Florida, Alabama and South Carolina. Sophomore guard/forward Jeffery Taylor averages 14 points a game to lead the Commodores in that category, while Australianborn junior center A.J. Ogilvy averages six boards to lead the team in that category. FOUR TEAMS MIDWEEK BYE

HAVE

This week, Vanderbilt, Georgia, Mississippi State and Kentucky will get some extra time off before they have to take the floor again. All four teams have a bye on the schedule and won’t play again until Saturday. Although he said he thinks his team would feel differently, Calipari said he is happy for the time off. “I would tell you my team would probably just rather keep playing basketball,” Calipari said. “What we did [Sunday] and what we’ll be doing in the next couple

of days to get our minds in a different place will be good for us.” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said he hopes his team can use the time off to improve. “I’ve been reminded and sent letters by people of how poorly we’ve done in a game after a bye week,” he said. “I think we’ve got an opportunity to use this week to get better at some things we need to get better at, so we’re going to embrace the week and try to use it like we used finals week to pick out two or three things we can improve on and focus on that until we have to turn our attention to Auburn.” KENTUCKY HOLDS HAITI FUNDRAISER No. 2 Kentucky hosted a relief telethon Sunday where players manned the phone lines and took donations for the Haiti relief effort. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake destroyed much of the Caribbean country’s capital of Portau-Prince on Wednesday, killing what is being estimated by Haitian officials to be as many as 200,000. The telethon, “Hoops for

Haiti,” which was organized by Calipari, lasted just five hours, but in that span, the Wildcats were able to net more than $1 million to contribute to the country. “The players were taking calls and being interviewed and interviewing people and coaches were calling from all over the country making donations, and all of a sudden we look up and we’ve raised more than $500,000,” Calipari said. “It was just a great experience for our players to start understanding at a young age that you can use your fame and fortune for others.” Many sports notables were among those donating sizable amounts through the telethon. Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, Former Kentucky and current Minnesota basketball coach Tubby Smith, Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes and basketball commentator Dick Vitale were all among those who contributed, according to the Kentucky Herald-Ledger.

Contact Johanathan Brooks at jbrooks@lsureveille.com

MARY ANN CHASTAIN / The Associated Press

Vanderbilt’s A.J. Ogilvy (4) drives for the basket as South Carolina’s Robert Wilder (14) and Brandis Raley-Ross (5) try to block on Saturday at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C. Vanderbilt won, 89-79, preserving their undefeated status.

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THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

RECRUITING

Football set for strong class, 25 players verbally commit Three spots remain on Tigers roster

‘‘

‘Looking at what is left on the board for LSU, there could be some interesting twists.’

By Cory Boudreaux Sports Contributor

While some LSU football fans still agonize over missed opportunities during the 2009 season, LSU coach Les Miles is working to assemble the ﬁnal pieces of what will likely be another top-10 recruiting class in 2010. With 25 players verbally committed to play for the Tigers, much of the task is complete for Miles and his coaching staff. But Tigerbait.com’s recruiting analyst Mike Scarborough anticipates the coaching staff will continue its recruiting effort to acquire the NCAA’s maximum of 28 signees, though only 25 will be eligible to report for fall camp. While only three spots remain, he envisions an intriguing ﬁnish to the recruiting season.

defense” with this class to allevi- a versatile player whom an ESPN ate concerns with depth. He said Scouts, Inc. report described as a the coaching staff is in pursuit of “good athlete” with “speed that has defensive linemen big play ability.” like J.R. Ferguson, Another noa four-star tackle table player is from Hargrave wide receiver TroMilitary Academy von Reed from in Chatham, Va., Thibodaux High and Geneo GrisSchool, the state’s som, a four-star top-rated playend from Hutchiner according to Mike Scarborough son, Kan. Also on ESPN and Rivals. the Tigers’ radar Tigerbait.com recruting analyst com. Reed gave is four-star linehis verbal commitbacker Justin Parker from Beaufort ment to Auburn in November, but High School in Beaufort, S.C. LSU is still targeting Reed because “[LSU] is going to focus on recruits who enroll in the fall seguys like [wide receiver] James mester are unable to sign a letter of Wright from Belle Chasse, and intent until National Signing Day. [athlete] Jarrett Fobbs of Hunting- Despite Reed’s commitment to ton,” said Jim Kleinpeter of the Auburn, Kleinpeter believes LSU Times-Picayune said about the re- is still in contention for Reed’s sermaining prospects in Louisiana. vices. Kleinpeter said Fobbs, Reed Wright is a two-time Class and Wrightare all scheduled to visit 4A All-State team selection with the LSU campus the weekend of scholarship offers from Tennessee Jan. 23. and Alabama. Fobbs, a four-star Improving the class is an imathlete according to Rivals.com, is portant aspect during the final stages of recruiting, but maintaining the class is just as important, said Rivals.com recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg. “You have to stay on these guys until National Signing Day,” Newberg said. “Because everybody is trying to pry loose a couple of kids from each other’s commitment list.” Such was the case for LSU after losing two commitments in December. Mike Davis, an Under Armour All-American wide receiver from Texas, de-committed from the Tigers and opted for the Texas Longhorns after an official visit to Austin, Texas. Jermarcus Hardrick, a four-star junior college lineman from Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, withdrew his commitment to the Tigers in favor of Nebraska. Scarborough said Tigers fans may feel “a little sting” from the Davis de-commitment, but Newberg admitted these situations are commonplace. “No one is immune to losing kids,” Newberg said. “It happens everywhere.” Nevertheless, Newberg praised Miles for the recruiting class he has orchestrated thus far. The 2010 class lacks the accolades in comparison to the 2009 class that featured blue-chip prospects like quarterback Russell Shepard, wide receiver Rueben Randle and defensive back Craig Loston, but Newberg believes the 2010 class is loaded with potential. “LSU could finish recruiting now, start gearing up for next year and it would still be a good haul,” Newberg said. Newberg attributes the team’s recruiting success to its ability to consistently attract “upper echelon” talent from Louisiana as well as the “great situation where LSU can cherry-pick great players from states like Texas.” “In terms of recruiting, LSU will always be fine,” said Newberg.

courtesy of FUYANG DeLUCA / DALLAS MORNING NEWS

Skyline wide receiver Mike Davis catches a touchdown pass Sept. 12, 2008, in the first quarter of a game against Arlington High School. Davis decommitted from LSU and committed to Texas on Dec. 13

“Looking at what is left on the board for LSU, there could be some interesting twists and turns,” Scarborough said.

Scarborough said Miles will likely sign up to two more wide receivers but also said the coaches have placed “a bigger emphasis on

Contact Cory Boudreaux at cboudreaux@lsureveille.com

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 19

GYMNASTICS

Jackson captures two all-around titles in LSU’s first meets Team finishes break with 2-2 record By Andy Schwehm Sports Contributor

LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux stresses to her team it’s how they finish the season, not how they start, that determines success in a given year. But if early season scores are any indicator of future success for the Tigers, the rest of the season is looking bright. The Tigers averaged a 194.860 team score through their first two meets during winter break, marking a vast improvement from their 194.538 average through two meets last season — a season that ended in a trip to the Super Six. Although the Tigers’ record (2-2, 0-1) may not show much improvement over their 5-0 start last season, in collegiate gymnastics it’s about team scores, not team record. In addition, LSU has seen much individual success from senior Susan Jackson, who captured her second all-around title of the season along with three event titles in the Tigers’ third-place finish out of four teams in the Lady Luck Invitational

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior Susan Jackson mounts the beam Jan. 8 during the Tigers’ season opener against Maryland in the PMAC. LSU won 194.375-190.625.

in Las Vegas on Friday. The Tigers posted a 195.350 in the meet, nearly a full point improvement from their 194.375 in their first meet of the season. Breaux said after the invitational she sees areas where the Tigers will still be able to add valuable points to their individual scores. “We got a lot of positives out of this meet,” Breaux said. “The kids are fired up and excited and saw great things out of themselves. We will regroup, get some technical things straight on floor and bounce back.”

The negatives came in the form of two gymnasts — sophomore Gloria Johnson and freshman Shelby Prunty — falling off the beam, a problem that haunted the Tigers last season. A few Tigers also had technical deductions on their floor routines, which allowed Missouri to capture the team title with a final score of 195.625 while Kentucky finished second at 195.525. Arizona State finished fourth with a 192.675. “The first two kids up on floor had some technical deductions in their routines that we are going to go

SOFTBALL

Tigers prepare for 2010 season Seniors still battle injuries from fall By Jarred LeBlanc Sports Contributor

The LSU softball team began two-a-day practices last week in preparation for the upcoming 2010 season. A buzz was in the air as the team was excited to open the spring practice in the new Tiger Park. Last spring, construction on Tiger Park wasn’t complete until just before the season began. “It’s nice for us to be in our new home and to be able to do two-a-days out here,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard. “It’s an unbelievable advantage to be

settled.” LSU is looking to rebound from its disappointing two losses at No. 9 Arizona State in the NCAA Regionals on May 17. The Tigers defeated the Sun Devils, 10-2, in their first matchup and were one win away from advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals, but they were eliminated after dropping two straight to the Sun Devils. “Coming off of last year, we kind of left with a bad feeling in our stomachs at Arizona State,” said junior third baseman Jessica Mouse. “So this year we’ve set some pretty high goals for ourselves as individuals and for our team.” Mouse was named team captain by her teammates in the fall and said she’s going to make sure

everyone stays focused and motivated. “She’s a tremendous student athlete, community-service minded, team-oriented and unquestionably the hardest worker on the team,” Girouard said. The Tigers return most of their players from the 2009 squad, except former pitcher Dani Hofer and former outfielder Jazz Jackson. In addition to the returning players, the Tigers added five new freshmen and two transfer players. Pitcher Rachele Fico highlighted the new freshman recruits and pitched a national high school record 26 perfect games. Fico also finished her high school career SOFTBALL, see page 25

home and fix,” Breaux said. “It was totally my miss and my fault, and it probably would have been enough to put us over the top in the meet even with the debacle on beam.” The third-place finish came on the heels of the Tigers’ season opening 194.375 - 190.625 victory against Maryland in the PMAC on Jan. 8. LSU took home individual titles on all four apparatuses in the Maryland meet. While Jackson won two event titles (bars and floor) and the allaround title, senior Kayla Rogers had a coming out party with a 9.875 to lead off the night on the vault en route to capturing her second career individual title (the other came on the floor). Rogers, who performed on all events except the beam, finished the night with the first-place finish on the vault and second-place finished on both the bars and floor.

“I was pretty pleased,” Rogers said after the meet. “I was a little nervous going in, though … That first spot is a very important spot, and I know I’m going to have to be consistent all year in that spot.” Senior Summer Hubbard picked up the Tigers’ fourth event title with a 9.800 on the beam, her fifth career beam title. That event title came after Hubbard took a hard fall on the bars, statistically her best event last season. Overall, Breaux was pleased with the team’s effort in the meet, especially with tough judging. “Our seniors performed exemplary,” Breaux said. “The leadership and maturity they showed on the floor and the example that they set for the other young half of the team is very gratifying.” Contact Andy Schwehm at aschwehm@lsureveille.com

PAGE 20

THE DAILY REVEILLE

UREC

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

TENNIS

Spring semester brings full Carlsson, Skupski make schedule of intramural sports progress at SEC Indoors Golf league newest addition to program By Mark Clements Sports Contributor

Hello, 2010. It’s a new semester and a new year, and the University Student Recreational Complex has a variety of ways to help fulfill students’ New Year’s resolutions. The UREC has a full schedule of intramural leagues and tournaments lined up for the spring semester. The schedule consists of 11 different events and covers a span of nearly four months. The UREC season kicks off in early January with leagues for basketball, soccer and flag football, and tournaments in table tennis and racquetball. The deadline to register for those events is Jan. 20. Later in the semester comes softball, dodgeball and indoor volleyball leagues, as well as tournaments in ultimate frisbee and badminton, and a 3-on-3 basketball challenge. Brandon Deshotel, construction management junior, is excited to get back on the pitch this season. “We play every year,” Desho-

tel said. “The team hasn’t done too well ... but we have a blast.” A golf league has been added to the schedule for this semester. Matt Boyer, UREC assistant director of leagues and tournaments, collaborated with the LSU golf course to set up the league. Boyer said the league runs for 12 weeks and golfers play as many rounds as they would like. Although there is no limit to the number of rounds that can be played, a player’s six rounds are recorded. The golf course will help students establish a handicap and will keep track of all participants scores and rankings. “It’s laid back, it’s flexible ... and it works in for your schedule,” Boyer said. The golf league is open to all UREC members, and non-members can also enter for a larger fee. One of the newer leagues this year is dodgeball. Renovations on the UREC gym last year restricted some intramural events and caused others to be canceled, including dodgeball. Boyer was excited about the chance to bring back the dodgeball league. “We did a homecoming event in the fall ... they seemed to have a good time, so we decided to do a

league this semester,” Boyer said. Boyer also expects a large turnout in the basketball and softball leagues. “Basketball and softball are two of our larger sports, and we draw a lot of interest from it,” Boyer said. With the re-opening of the gym, Boyer looks for an increased number of participants in the basketball league. “We generally have around 130 [teams]. Last year we had 90,” Boyer said. Boyer said the lower numbers were most likely an effect of the gym renovations, although the weather did not seem to play a big factor last season. “It kind of hurt play,” Boyer said. “But, we were fortunate it didn’t rain... We played without any kind of cancellations.” One student who wasn’t affected by the outdoor conditions is economics senior Andrew Doster. “They were good and fun,” Doster said. “We had a good time interacting with everybody. It’s pretty competitive.” Contact Mark Clements at mclements@lsureveille.com

Women tune up for home opener By Sean Isabella Sports Contributor

Seven months removed from losing its own two-headed monster in singles, the No. 29 LSU men’s tennis team may have found two reliable replacements. Junior Sebastian Carlsson and sophomore Neal Skupski, who enter the spring season as two of the Tigers’ top singles players after losing former All-American Michael Venus and James Cluskey to graduation in May, made a strong showing at the Southeastern Conference Indoor Championships in Norcross, Ga. Carlsson and Skupski both advanced to the round of 16 in singles before bowing out. Carlsson edged Ole Miss’ Chris Thiemann, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (6), in the first round this past Friday and cruised past Georgia’s Christian Vitulli, 6-4, 6-1 to earn a spot in the round of 16. The Uppsala, Sweden native dropped a three-set thriller to Tennessee’s J.P. Smith, the No. 1

seed in the tournament and No. 2 singles player in the country, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3. “Sebastian has done a good job of establishing himself among the top players in the nation,” LSU coach Jeff Brown said in a news release. “He had a great fall and continues to improve every match.” Skupski received a firstround bye as the tournament’s No. 4 seed and advanced to the round of 16 with a win against Mississippi State’s Louis Kant, 6-4, 7-6 (5), before falling in straight-sets to Georgia’s Nate Schnugg, 6-3, 6-2. The duo of Carlsson and junior Julien Gauthier made a splash in doubles by advancing to the round of 16, but they were upended by No. 10 Alex Lacroix and Antoine Benneteau of Florida, 8-2. LSU also churned out a resilient performance Jan. 10 at the Key Biscayne Invitational in Key Biscayne, Fla. The Tigers collected 10 total wins in the two-day, rain-shortened event. LSU managed only one TENNIS, see page 25

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 21

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Tigers, Lady Tigers return home after week in Florida diving teams competed against teams in Alabama and Georgia before returning to Baton Rouge to train, while the swim teams trained in Florida. The No. 18 Tigers and No. 21 By Katherine Terrell Lady Tigers both swept the FAU Sports Contributor Owls by winning nine events The LSU swimming and div- each, with victories from 13 difing teams kicked off 2010 with a ferent swimmers. week of competition in the SunJunior Eric Zeller and sophshine State. omore Morgan The Tigers McGee led the and Lady Tigers Tigers and Lady spent most of the Tigers with two week in trainwins apiece. ing camp and Zeller won the concluded the 50-yard and 100trip with meets yard freestyle, against Florida and McGee took James Meyers Atlantic on Jan. the 50-yard freejunior swimmer 8 and Florida on style and 100Jan. 10. yard butterﬂy. LSU junior Jane Trepp said The diving teams rejoined the the swimmers and divers split swimmers in Gainesville, Fla., up for most of the holidays. The when LSU took on Florida. LSU

LSU defeats FAU, falls to Gators

‘‘

‘We’re really tired and broken down. Our speed will come back.’

came up short, but still racked up seven wins on the men’s side and three on the women’s. Sophomore diver Brian Gemberling was named the Southeastern Conference Male Diver of the Week following the Florida meet. Gemberling won both the 3-meter springboard and the 1-meter springboard events. Junior Clint Hallum won the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-

yard individual medley, claiming season-best times in both. Junior Hannes Heyl had two season-best times in the meet in the 100-yard butterﬂy and as a part of the 200-yard medley relay team. He gained an NCAA provisional mark in both events. Senior Sean LeNeave said he thought the team swam better against FAU because it was more relaxed.

“Florida, I think the traveling kind of caught up to us a little bit,” LeNeave said. “A lot of people still had really good swims for the circumstances … coming off a week of training.” Trepp said she feels the team is in a better place this year then it was at this point last season. “We all did really well comSWIMMING, see page 25

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THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 23

NBA

Parker leads Spurs past New Orleans in 97-90 victory By Brett Martel The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tony Parker scored 25 points and the San Antonio Spurs handed the New Orleans Hornets a rare home loss, 97-90 on Monday. Tim Duncan added 21 points and 14 rebounds, while George Hill scored 16 points and Manu Ginobili had 11 to help the Spurs snap a two-game losing streak. David West scored 18 points for New Orleans, which lost for only the second time in its last 15 home games. Chris Paul, who fouled out in the final minute, had 18 points and nine assists for the Hornets, while Marcus Thornton scored 16 points. Hill started in place of Richard

Jefferson, who sat out with lower back pain. San Antonio led by double digits for most of the game, going up by as many as 21 points when Duncan hit one of two free throws to make it 76-55 late in the third quarter. The Spurs went into the fourth quarter with a 17-point lead, which the Hornets quickly trimmed with a 7-0 run to open the period. Thornton’s fast-break layup made it 7868 and the Hornets pulled to 80-72 on Darren Collison’s free throws with 7:06 remaining. New Orleans missed several chances to get closer and still trailed by eight when Parker’s driving scoop made it 84-74 with 4:40 to go. Parker scored seven more points in the final minutes.

San Antonio outrebounded New Orleans 50-38 and was the more forceful team drawing fouls inside. Despite missing 14 free throws, the Spurs still outscored the Hornets 24-10 from the foul line. The Spurs were 7 of 18 from 3-point range with Keith Bogans hitting three. New Orleans went only 4 of 13 from long range. Ginobili’s 3-pointer made it 24-12 at the end of the first quarter. The lead got as large as 18 in the second quarter on Hill’s reverse layup, which capped a 9-2 run and made it 47-29. Parker had 16 points by halftime, when the Spurs led 56-41. BILL HABER / The Associated Press

Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com

Spurs guard Tony Parker (9) drives to the basket in front of Hornets forward James Posey, right, Monday in San Antonio’s 97-90 win in New Orleans.

NBA

Mourning-Wade fund raises more than $800K for Haiti Other basketball stars donate money

By Tim Reynolds The Associated Press

MIAMI (AP) — Calling the initial wave of support “overwhelming,” the Haitian earthquake relief fund, co-founded by Alonzo Mourning and Heat star Dwyane Wade, said Monday its pledge total has surpassed $800,000. Wade’s donation was a onegame salary, about $175,000, while Mourning, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul each pledged

$100,000, fund officials said. The Athletes’ Relief Fund for Haiti began soliciting from pro athletes Friday. “I expected nothing less from my friends and colleagues in the sports community,” Wade said in a release. “Our commitment to this cause knows no bounds, and we will continue to accept any and all donations throughout the days ahead.” Mourning spent about 36 hours in Haiti last week, traveling with Miami-based Project Medishare, which has worked to bring health care to the nation for about 15 years. The retired All-Star worked at a makeshift hospital and assisted rescue workers and first responders in the devastated capital of Port-au-Prince get badly

needed supplies like water, food and medical equipment. Mourning plans to return to Haiti on Tuesday. The Heat have also continued efforts to raise money and collect donations for the region. “The response from our colleagues has been overwhelming,” Mourning said. “We accept these donations with complete confidence that Project Medishare will put each dollar to quick and efficient use.” Project Medishare was started in the mid-1990s by prominent Miami doctors Barth Green and Arthur Fournier, both of whom have ties to Mourning. They helped arrange for him to go to Haiti last week, and the idea for the fund was quickly born. Among the other NBA players announced as donors: Gilbert Arenas, Al Horford, Anthony Parker, Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Ben Gordon, Mike Dunleavy, Michael Beasley, Udonis Haslem, Quentin Richardson, Devin Harris, Michael Finley, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer and Caron Butler. Many of the NBA donors so far have with played with or are close friends with Wade, who said last week he was trying to get word to every player in the league about the cause. Several other players, including Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert, are organizing fundraising efforts of their own, and NBA itself has pledged money for Haitian relief. “Since first learning of the tragedy in Haiti, I was intent on finding a way to help,” James said. “I feel fortunate to be in such a position to provide support and my heart and prayers continue to be with the people of Haiti.” Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com

PAGE 24

THE DAILY REVEILLE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

MEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 1 Texas drops first game of season to Kansas State Ken. becomes only undefeated team By Jim O’Connell AP Basketball Writer

Texas survived its first week as the No. 1 team in The Associated Press college basketball poll, but it couldn’t make it another day without dropping its first game The Longhorns (17-1) moved into the top spot for the first time in school history last week and stayed there Monday, receiving 57 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel. They won 90-83 at Iowa State in their first game in the top spot and then beat Texas A&M 72-67 in overtime in their first home game as a No. 1 team. But Texas couldn’t handle No. 10 Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., on Monday, as the Wildcats handed the Longhorns their first defeat, 71-62. Texas plays at Connecticut on Saturday. Kentucky (18-0), which was No. 1 on eight ballots and became the country’s only remaining undefeated team, remained No. 2 in Monday’s rankings. The Southeastern Conference’s Wildcats stand likely to take over the top spot in next

HARRY CABLUCK / The Associated Press

Texas forward Damion James, center, drives to the basket past Texas A&M forward Khris Middleton, right, during second half action in their NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, in Austin, Texas. Texas forward Gary Johnson (1) boxes center Bryan Davis, left. James was the game high-point man with 26 total points. Texas won in overtime, 72-67.

week’s rankings if they can stay undefeated against Arkansas in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday. Kansas, Villanova and Syracuse remained third through fifth. Michigan State, Duke and Tennessee all moved up one place to sixth through eighth, respectively. Pittsburgh, which moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season just two weeks ago and has

started 5-0 in the Big East, jumped from 16th to ninth. Kansas State was 10th, its first appearance in the top 10 since being ninth in the final poll of the 1972-73 season. West Virginia was 11th, followed by Georgetown, Purdue, BYU, Gonzaga, Temple, Clemson, Wisconsin, Georgia Tech and Northern Iowa, which is ranked for the second time in school his-

tory. The last five were Ohio State, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina and Baylor. Ohio State and Mississippi State both returned to poll after being ranked earlier in the season. The Tar Heels (12-6), who lost two games last week and three of four, dropped from 12th to No. 24, their first time below 13th in

the poll since February 2006. Northern Iowa (16-1) moved in on a 15-game winning streak that began following a loss to DePaul in the opening round of the Paradise Jam. The Panthers were ranked for three weeks in January and February 2006. Ohio State (13-5) was out of the poll the last two weeks but returned following victories over Purdue and Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have won three of four since the return of Evan Turner, who missed six games after breaking bones in his back while dunking. They split the games he missed, so all but one of their losses have come when Turner was out. Mississippi State (15-3) was 18th in the preseason Top 25 but was gone quickly following a season-opening loss to Rider. The Bulldogs have won 12 of their last 13 games, including their first three Southeastern Conference games. UConn (11-6) dropped out from 15th following losses last week to Pittsburgh and Michigan that gave the Huskies their first three-game losing streak since closing 2006-07 with four straight defeats. They were 12th in the preseason poll and ranked as high as 10th this season. Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010 BASKETBALL, from page 13

Seattle to play Washington State in the Cougar Hardwood Classic, losing, 72-70, in overtime. Cincinnati was next on the map for the Tigers, where Xavier smashed LSU, 89-65. Back home they came, downtrodden after losing a winnable game followed by a beatdown. Utah, who defeated the Tigers by 30 just a year ago, came to Baton Rouge on Jan. 2 for both teams’ first game in 2010. Utah escaped Baton Rouge with a 61-59 victory in a game dominated by the Tigers. LSU had a 12-point lead at one point in the second half. Johnson’s postgame press conference might have been more of a story than the game itself. Johnson, after fielding a question regarding junior point guard Bo Spencer’s performance, proceeded to swat the microphone and leave the press conference in a huff. Johnson had been frustrated with Spencer’s lack of emotion and effort in the game. Spencer fin-

SWIMMING, from page 21

pared to last year,” Trepp said. “Last year at the same time, we were more tired. This year we actually have more people swimming their best times.” Junior James Meyers said the week of training camp made times a little slower than normal, but the work is necessary for the team to peak for the SEC Championship meet, which is held the week of Feb. 17. “When you’re on the road like that and training a little extra for the week, it really takes a toll on your body,” Meyers said. “I thought we performed pretty well. Some people were

PAGE 25

ished the contest with four points, The Tigers were hopeful for a going 1-of-6 from the ﬁeld. It was strong SEC performance to resurarguably his worst performance of rect a season heading for mediocthe season. rity. Those hopes Johnson’s true were quashed in frustration was about 10 minutes. Spencer’s lack of Alabama effort on the last sent a message play, was drawn to the rest of the to get Spencer conference with open for a lasta 66-49 poundsecond shot. Spening of the Tigers. Trent Johnson cer didn’t take the Next, LSU travLSU men’s basketball coach shot. eled to Columbia, The relationS.C., to face South ship has since seemed to be re- Carolina, a team devastated by a paired. Johnson relegated it as season-ending injury to senior forhow a coach gets frustrated with ward Dominique Archie and the any player. Spencer told reporters dismissal of junior forward Mike that “personal problems” led to a Holmes. lackadaisical mindset. The Gamecocks still had se“Our program, our base, our nior guard Devan Downey, though. chemistry or whatever you want The Tigers wasted their best to call it — that’s not going any- chance yet at a conference win, alwhere,” Johnson said pointedly lowing Downey to explode for 29 the next week. points in the game, 17 of those in The Tigers ended their three- the second half. LSU led for most game skid with an 83-60 win of the game and built a lead as big against McNeese State on Jan. 4 as 11. Yet, Downey and the Gameafter the Utah debacle. That win cocks won, 67-58. was the Tigers’ last. Some of whatever emotion

was exerted in Columbia didn’t travel to Gainesville, Fla.. Behind solid performances from junior center Vernon Macklin and guard Kenny Boynton, Florida swamped the Tigers en route to the Gators’ ﬁrst conference win. “We didn’t play hard,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think we played our best in the second half ... It was real disappointing.” Mitchell has been the only consistent bright spot for LSU in conference play. Mitchell has averaged 13.7 points and nine rebounds a game against SEC foes. The rest of the team has not been so helpful. Spencer and sophomore forward Storm Warren, the two other members of LSU’s “Big Three,” have been lethally inconsistent. Spencer had solid outings against Alabama and South Carolina with 13 and 14 points, respectively, but disappeared against the Gators with just six points. Warren has had a roller coaster ride so far through SEC play. The sophomore had four points against Alabama, 19 against South

Carolina and eight against Florida. The only consistent trend with Warren is foul trouble — as fouls go, so does Warren. Warren had four fouls in both the Alabama and Florida games. He only had one against South Carolina. The rest of the schedule is somewhat scary if LSU continues on this putrid stretch. Their next game, Wednesday against Auburn in the PMAC, might be the best chance for a ﬁrst conference win. LSU’s ﬁrst conference win in 2007 also came against coach Jeff Lebo’s crew. Solid teams like No. 2 Kentucky, No. 8 Tennessee and No. 22 Ole Miss loom on the horizon. “We are having a hard time, physically, coming back to back with maximum effort, which is what you expect with a young and inexperienced team,” Johnson said after the Florida loss.

a little off, but that’s all right because we’re really tired and broken down. Our speed will come back.” Meyers said he thinks the team will see faster times against Texas A&M after two weeks of training at home. “When we race [Texas] A&M we should see some faster times,” Meyers said. “We should have a good meet.” The swimming and diving teams will take on Texas A&M on Jan. 23 in the LSU Natatorium.

match seesawed back and forth, with two tiebreakers deciding the second and third sets. The Tigers will get a weekend off before hitting the courts Jan. 29 for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Tallahassee, Fla. Meanwhile, one member of the LSU women’s tennis team opened the spring season with a bang at the UVA Winter Invitational in Charlottesville, Va. Senior Nicole Kantor led the Lady Tigers with a pair of singles victories, including a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, three-set thriller Saturday against No. 54 Emily Fraser of Virginia. Sophomore Whitney Wolf, who entered the spring as the only ranked LSU player at No.

120, struggled in singles as she dropped all three of her matches during the weekend. Wolf bounced back to team with freshman Keri Frankenberg to notch two doubles wins. The tandem beat Virginia’s Lindsey Hardenbergh and Erin Vierra, 8-6, on Saturday and Utah’s Paige Miles and Anastasia Putilina on Sunday, 8-5. The Lady Tigers return to action this Sunday with their ﬁrst home matches of the season against Louisiana-Lafayette and Prairie View A&M.

freshmen came in and they’re taking control. I think we’re going to go a long way.” with a 105-3 record. Shortridge propelled the of“She’s a cerebral pitcher,” Girouard said. “She knows when fense from the leadoff position last season and things aren’t led the team in working, how to batting average fix them and she (.426), hits (80) has a feel for her and stolen bases pitches. That puts (26) on her way her way ahead of to being named the game.” an Easton secondJoining Fico team All-Amerin the freshman Yvette Girouard ican and a Louclass are outfielder LSU softball coach isville Slugger/ Jackie Victoriano, NFCA third-team outfielder Lindsay Price, catcher Lauren Houston All-American. “This coaching staff is amazand utility player Allison Falcon. Senior center fielder Kirsten ing, and they have done a lot for Shortridge said all the returning me,” Shortridge said. “I think players and the new recruits have that’s why I accomplished the formed a special chemistry that things I did last year, other than she believes will contribute to a my team behind me.” Girouard said the key to great Tiger season. “The attitude is just different the season is keeping everyone this year,” Shortridge said. “Our healthy. But that hasn’t been easy

thus far. All three seniors suffered injuries in the fall. Pitcher Cody Trahan was sidelined with an elbow injury for six weeks after being wiped out on her scooter by a school bus. Shortridge tore rib cartilage and was hampered by it throughout the fall. Outﬁelder Rachel Mitchell has been suffering from back problems the last couple years. Girouard said all three seniors didn’t practice much during the fall, but they are well on their way to recovering and should be ready in a month when the Tigers travel to Austin, Texas, for the Texas Invitational on Feb. 12. “As all coaches say, the golden word is healthy,” Girouard said. “If we can keep those three healthy during the season, then that’s a key ingredient for us.”

‘‘

‘We are having a hard time, physically, coming back to back.’

Contact Katherine Terrell at kterrell@lsureveille.com

TENNIS, from page 20

singles victory on Day 1 of the tournament when freshman Roger Anderson knocked off Texas’ Rook Schellenberg, 6-3, 6-4. But the Tigers bounced back as a team on the final day of the tournament with five singles wins. “The guys responded well after a tough first day against Texas,” LSU assistant coach Danny Bryan said. “A lot of the guys were able to get back on track today.” Carlsson had arguably the most impressive match against No. 5 Dimitar Kutrovsky of Texas. Although Carlsson took the loss, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 7-6 (7-5), the

SOFTBALL, from page 19

‘‘

‘It’s an unbelievable advantage to be settled.’

Contact Chris Branch at cbranch@lsureveille.com

Contact Sean Isabella at sisabella@lsureveille.com

Contact Jarred LeBlanc at jleblanc@lsureveille.com

PAGE 26 SAINTS, from page 13

an honor.” Although the Saints finished as the top seed in the NFC, losses to Dallas, Tampa Bay and Carolina in their last three regular-season games left them looking tired and vulnerable. When they returned to action, rested and healthy after their first-round bye, they were eager to silence their critics. “We pretty much had our fill of hearing of stumbling into the playoffs,” said Stinchcomb, who helped keep the Cardinals from sacking Brees. With good protection, Brees completed 23 of 32 passes for 247 yards and three scores, including a 17-yard touchdown to tight end Jeremy Shockey and a 44-yard score on a flea flicker to Devery Henderson. The Saints had balance in their offense with 171 yards rushing on 34 carries. If the Saints looked confident in everything they did, it’s because they were, Brees said. “We all see the team that won 13 games in a row, not the team that struggled against the Cowboys and let one get away from us against Tampa,” Brees said. Reggie Bush played his best game of the season. He had 108 yards from scrimmage, including a dazzling 46-yard touchdown run, and 109 yards on three punt returns, highlighted by his 83yard touchdown return. During the regular season, Bush had averaged only 4.8 yards on punt returns, with a long of 23 yards. “What makes this team so

THE DAILY REVEILLE

good is that there’s balance and not only balance in run and pass, but balance in who we can count on to make big plays,” Stinchcomb said. “If a defense tries to focus on just one or two guys, there’s too many weapons for that.” New Orleans’ defense also looked rejuvenated. After sliding to 25th in the NFL in yards allowed (358.7 per game) during the regular season, the unit appeared to be a weakness. Cornerback Jabari Greer recalled hearing predictions of a high-scoring game with Arizona. “Any time you’re challenged as a professional, especially in this game, you want to rise up and answer,” Greer said. Although Arizona scored on a 70-yard run on the ﬁrst play from scrimmage, the Saints also forced two turnovers, had a sack and made seven third-down stops, as well as one on fourth down. The Saints kept the pressure on Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, holding him to 205 yards passing and no touchdowns. After shutting down the 38-year-old Warner, the Saints will try to do the same to 40-year-old Brett Favre, who led the Vikings to a 34-3 rout of the Cowboys on Sunday. “Any time you can play against a player of his caliber, you want to raise your game,” Greer said. “It will be fun.”

Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com

FOOTBALL, from page 13

best decision for me, my family and the team,” Sheppard said in a news release. “This decision allows me the opportunity to get my degree and try to help the team win another [Southeastern Conference] title and a national title.” In early January, rumors circulated on a Shreveport radio show that LSU offensive coordinator Gary Crowton would lose his job. Another story on the Scout. com Web site, “The Bear Report,” wrote that Crowton would become quarterbacks coach for the Chicago Bears, where Crowton was offensive coordinator from 1999-2000. Crowton said those reports were a surprise to him. “I am employed at LSU, and I never heard from the Bears,” he said. “I talked to coach Miles, and I felt secure where I stood in that area, so I didn’t really worry about it. All I know is coach Miles and I are very optimistic about next year.” Crowton acknowledged that the Tigers’ 2009 offensive numbers did not reﬂect the personality of LSU’s offense. The Tigers averaged 304.5 yards a game — No. 112 of 120 Division-I teams — and they were outgained seven times by opponents. “I felt like we did some good things on offense [in 2009], but we didn’t have a lot of statistical numbers,” Crowton said. “On paper, our statistics were down, but we were in position to win every one of our 13 games. The worst game we played was the Florida game,

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

and I don’t want to be in that posi- zales came in to fill those voids. Wilson left the Tennessee staff to tion again.” On the defensive side, de- join LSU as running backs coach fensive coordinator John Chavis and recruiting coordinator, and turned down a job offer from Geor- Gonzales came from Florida to begia the week before LSU’s appear- come receivers coach and passing ance in the Capital One Bowl on game coordinator. Vincent said Wilson will be New Year’s Day. LSU senior associate athlet- paid $325,000 per year and Gonzales will earn ic director Herb $285,000 a year. Vincent said an Their salaries also increase in Chawill be up for apvis’ salary will go proval at the Board before the Board of Supervisors of Supervisors in meeting. a meeting Jan. 29. LSU finished The amount of the No. 17 in the final raise has not been Gary Crowton Associated Press announced. LSU offensive coordinator Top 25 and USA Vincent said Today Top 25 Miles and Athletic Director Joe Alleva “did what we polls following its 19-17 loss in the Capital One Bowl to Penn State. needed to do to keep him.” “It becomes so competitive LSU scored two touchdowns in in college athletics to keep the three minutes to take a 17-16 lead high-quality coaches,” Vincent in the fourth quarter before Penn said. “It’s a marketplace you have State drove 65 yards for the gameto compete in if you want to win winning field goal. After LSU finished the 2009 championships and graduate your student-athletes. The salaries have season at 9-4, Alleva wrote a letter soared. If we want to continue to LSU fans urging them not to be staying in that marketplace, we critical of the team’s performance need to address what’s going on and saying LSU always strives for with salaries as an industry in col- “bigger and better accomplishments.” lege athletics.” Vincent agreed these should While Crowton is staying put as an offensive assistant at LSU, be the feelings of the LSU fan base. “We have all the resources former running backs coach Larry Porter accepted the head coaching here to compete for championships job at Memphis, and former wide year in and year out,” Vincent said. receivers coach D.J. McCarthy re- “Looking at the big picture, we are signed amid an investigation into in good shape.” possible NCAA recruiting violations. Contact Rachel Whittaker at Frank Wilson and Billy Gonrwhittaker@lsureveille.com

‘‘

‘All I know is coach Miles and I are very optimistic about next year.’

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010 MLK, from page 1

Excellence selected the homes through an application process, said Susan Ludwig, director of redevelopment. King believed service does not discriminate. “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve,” he said in his Drum Major Instinct speech, Feb. 4, 1968, in Atlanta.

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The day ended with a candlelight vigil sponsored by Omega Psi Phi fraternity at 6 p.m. More than 50 people gathered around Memorial Tower, which was decorated with purple banners with the words, “reflect, celebrate, commit.” The crowd marched throughout campus singing inspirational hymns including, “This Little Light of Mine.” The vigil symbolized a struggle

still prevalent today, said Chancellor Michael Martin. “It shows there is an understanding and acknowledgement of history,” Martin said. The processional ended with Jonathan Aganekwu, chemical engineering junior and Omega Psi Phi fraternity member, reading the introduction of King’s renowned “I Have a Dream” speech.

“We all share in the dream, and the dream has not yet been completed,” said guest speaker Kwame Asante, Executive Director of the Baton Rouge NAACP chapter. The celebration will continue with its largest event, a commemorative performance Jan. 25 at First Baptist Church of Baton Rouge at 7 p.m. The performance will feature Grammy-nominated a

PAGE 27 cappella ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. Carol Maillard, one of the ensemble’s founding members, described Sweet Honey In The Rock’s music as “intergenerational.” “There is something for everyone in the music and in the messages,” Maillard said. “It is great vocal music influenced by the AfricanAmerican experience.” This year is the first the Commemorative Program will feature a musical performer instead of a keynote speaker, said Cerise Edmonds, Cross-Cultural Affairs coordinator. More than 350 people attended the program in past years, she said. “The venue seats 1,000 people, and we’re expecting it to fill up,” Edmonds said. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent works toward unity and equality. He was the youngest man to receive this honor. In remembrance of King’s vision, a unity celebration will follow on Jan. 27. Students from LSU, Baton Rouge Community College and Southern University will come together in the spirit of King’s works toward unity, Edmonds said. University students will comprise the MLK Dance Ensemble. They will dance to music by a jazz ensemble from Southern while students from BRCC read a poem as an expression of unity, Edmonds said. The MLK Celebration will conclude with a Performing Arts Night on Jan. 28 in Bo Campbell Auditorium at 6 p.m. Edmonds coordinated the MLK Celebration with a committee of students and an office staff. All of the events are free of charge and open to the public with the exception of the Unity Celebration, which is by invitation only. Contact Sabrina Trahan at strahan@lsureveille.com

COLD, from page 1

“When we got down to 20 degrees, we lost all of our blooms,” Morrow said. He estimates a large gap in the strawberry season this year. Citrus farmers across Florida are anxiously waiting to assess the damage the sub-freezing temperatures have inflicted on crops, while the Sunshine State’s fishing industry has already seen considerable losses. Snook are one of the top game fish in Florida and cannot survive long in waters below 58 degrees, said Rick Roberts, executive director of the Snook Foundation. “We expect this kill to surpass that of 1977 when we lost a million snook,” Roberts said. Roberts said there have been reported sightings of hundreds of dead fish and of all inshore species including seat turtles, birds and alligators. “The freeze of Jan. 2010 is a potent reminder that our natural resources, all of our fish and wildlife, are fragile,” Roberts said. The state of emergency will remain in effect until Feb. 9, according to the Louisiana state government Web site. The National Weather Service said temperatures will begin rising significantly this week. Contact Hannah Adams at hadams@lsureveille.com

THE DAILY REVEILLE

PAGE 28

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

Daily Reveille continues to serve campus community Winter break ended with the blink of an eye, and the spring semester is in full swing as the University community returns to classes today. But in the basement of Hodges Hall, more than 100 passionate student journalists returned to campus nearly two weeks ago to begin producing a semester’s worth of The Daily Reveille. While our print edition continues to hit stands across campus from Monday to Friday, our Web site, lsureveille.com provides you with up-to-the-minute news from around LSU. The Daily Reveille’s staff is committed to serving the students of LSU, and we do not take our journalistic responsibilities lightly, as we will continue to publish a

mixture of the news you both need and want to know. We’re already chipping away on investigative stories like highlighting the effects of the nearly $43 million in budget cuts our University has endured during the past year. And we’re responding to student’s request for more entertainment based news by adding a daily one-page section to capture the lighter things in life. On Mondays, see what students are doing socially by looking at pictures of University events. On Tuesday, we’ll give you “The 225,” a rundown of entertainment our staff thinks students will enjoy. Wednesdays will feature a question-and-answer interview with a local artist. Thursdays will include a full entertainment sec-

tion with reviews of music, TV, books, movies and video games in Reveille Ranks. Lastly, on Friday, we’ll highlight a fashionable member of the LSU community and share perspective on how to blend with the latest clothing trends. Nicholas Persac Our Web Editor site will continue to feature Reveille Dailies, content unique to our online product. Mondays will feature a morning talk show video with humorous news, called “Mornings with Matt and Mal.” On Tuesday, look for a video following the daily ac-

tivities of a member of the University community, called “Day in the Life.” The Daily on Wednesday is a photo slideshow of students answering a common question. On Thursday, our photographers have put together “How to” photo slideshows that give an artistic view and step-by-step instructions. Sports fans should check out “Sports Talk with Amos” on Fridays, a video in which our reporters talk about the week’s big games. Saturdays bring a week-in-review photo slideshow, and on Sundays, you can listen to “Weekend Reveille Radio” with James Haralson on both our Web site and on 91.1 FM, KLSU. We’re also rolling out a line of seven new blogs — from sports and photos to budget cuts and music — today on our Web site, and

you can continue to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Ultimately, we’re here to serve your needs and interest, and reading The Daily Reveille will keep you wellinformed at a time critical to our University’s future. Enjoy YOUR newspaper, and please don’t hesitate share your thoughts. I may be reached by phone at (225) 578-4811, by email at npersac@lsureveille.com or in person at B-16B Hodges Hall. Nicholas Persac is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge.

Contact Nicholas Persac at editor@lsureveille.com

MURDA, HE WROTE

‘Tea parties’ fight socialism but don’t understand it The Tea Party movement that has swept the country has been based on two primary tenants: a hatred for taxes and government. Both are accompanied by a tenuous grasp on the definition of socialism (or is it communism?). One speaker at a town hall meeting last July voiced their frustration with the government’s med- Mark Macmurdo Columnist dling in, well, governmentcreated programs. “Keep your government hands off my Medicare,” the man demanded. This gem of a comment was selected as the No. 1 quote by Fred Shapiro, associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at Yale Law School, for the university’s fourth annual book of quotations. The book’s quotes are selected for their quality in representing social trends. The social trend illustrated here is one of an inexact, but impassioned opinion about of the role of government. Subscribers routinely throw the words “communist” and “socialist” around without fully understanding what these words mean. Communism is not only an economic system but also a political system. When the state runs all aspects of the economy and relies on a single political party for administering the government, nothing good results. Corruption, inefficiency and

suppression of free of expression become the norm. It’s a perfectly legitimate position to be against a communist government. But anyone who believes this country currently faces a communist threat is clearly delusional or has been in a comma since the Cuban missile crisis. Still, it’s common to see the communist insignia — the hammer and sickle — used in signs protesting the policies of President Barack Obama. Socialism is a similar, but decidedly different ideology. While it is difficult to give a succinct and precise definition, socialists believe capitalism is inherently unfair. They advocate government control of many businesses and a program of wealth redistribution. Socialism is considered a bad word in this country. And socialism in practice may bring many problems and inefficiencies, but it is not an all or nothing proposition. Whether you like it or not, America is a socialist country to some extent. Take, for example, Social Security. A program introduced as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal,” the name is fairly revealing. It creates a social safety net for retirees. President George W. Bush met stiff opposition when he attempted to privatize part of the program: 35 percent of participants in a 2005 Gallup said they approved of Bush’s proposition, while 58 percent were opposed. Of course, Medicare and Medicaid are also government social pro-

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grams which ensure that the old and poor, respectively, are able to receive adequate medical care. Many people view these entitlement programs as fixtures of the American system, but they are hardly without controversy. Some oppose them on ideological grounds, and others in the way they are administered. These arguments have a legitimate place in the political discourse. This doesn’t change the fact that our country has displayed socialist tendencies. Still, there is another more recent example of socialist activity in the highest levels of our government. Take the $700 billion bailout

of the financial sector which was put in place under the last president. The government did not get directly involved in the running of the businesses, but its action saved banks from causing a financial apocalypse (instead we merely got a meltdown). The “S-word” is too frequently used as a distraction meant to illicit an emotional response against progressive reforms. We should certainly be wary of any major changes in our government – especially when it concerns 16 percent of our gross domestic product – but we should also be wary of applying blanket statements. People need to analyze pro-

posed policies based on their merits without being distracted by loaded terms. After all, a bit of socialism made this column (and the education of most people reading it) possible. We can thank Louisiana STATE University for that. Mark Macmurdo is a 22-year-old history and economics senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mmacmurdo.

Contact Mark Macmurdo at mmacmurdo@lsureveille.com

BEST AND WITTIEST

cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

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 CommuniEditorial Board cation. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, NICHOLAS PERSAC 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 JERIT ROSER Managing Editor, Content number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily ReveilGERRI SAX Managing Editor, External Media le reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the origiELLEN ZIELINSKI Managing Editor, Production nal 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 evMATTHEW ALBRIGHT Opinion Editor ery semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“You’ve achieved success in your field when you don’t know whether what you’re doing is work or play.”

Warren Beatty American film actor, producer and director March 30, 1937 - present

THE DAILY REVEILLE

Opinion

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

JUXTAPOSED NOTIONS

PAGE 29

Palin joining Fox News is her best career move Sarah Palin joining Fox as a contributor should surprise no one. Partisan politics aside, it’s quite impossible to state, with seriousness, this move is destined for failure. From a ratings standpoint, having Palin join the network was a brilliant on Fox’s part, mainly because Palin has inspired both loyal adoration in her fans, vitriolic hatred from her opponents and curiosity in the rest of the populace. Whatever their motivation, people will be watching her. Then there are the benefits awaiting Palin herself. The move probably won’t bolster her political career, but Palin’s new job will serve to improve her public reputation by giving her equal footing with her gleeful critics. Between her resignation from governor of Alaska and her new

career move, Palin’s chief dialogue with the public was rather unconventional, as it relied heavily on the social networking sites Twitter and Facebook to filter its way into the public. Though her virtual commentary was periodically quoted by news organizations and latenight television personalities, key points in her messages were often trimmed, which is hardly surprising as they passed through the obligatory media filter. Additionally, any person who followed Palin closely enough to bypass the traditional media filters was likely to be a loyal supporter, meaning Palin was preaching to the choir rather than cultivating a growing fan base. Having a foothold in a more traditional and pervasive media outlet will change this. It will give her the opportunity to respond easily to her critics and give them

less opportunity to pick her to pieces from a safe distance. But improving her public image in this way can only be realized at the expense of any political career she may have hoped to establish. Directly engaging in fisticuffs with the media will erode her political capital. Public officials, while Linnie Leavines accountable to the media, lose Columnist esteem once they acknowledge criticism outright. The controversy surrounding Palin is even more petty than usual. Her opponents usually resort to ad hominem attacks, forcing her to respond likewise in defense. It looked bad when President Obama made his off-handed quip

about Rush Limbaugh and looked worse when his administration deliberately picked a fight with Fox News. As it is, the level of the banter we’re witnessing with Palin merely brands her as a celebrity, rather than establishing her as a serious political candidate. Certainly Palin, now a part of the news herself and engaging more directly in the controversy, was aware of this fact and how it would affect her as a politician. If she is aware of this, it is an indication she will not run on a 2012 ticket as some predict. If she is unaware of the repercussions, she is not politically savvy enough to run regardless. But given that she is likely to become cemented in this role, her political career hardly matters. In function, all she needs to do is concentrate on her strengths, which are evident in her style of

speaking. Palin has a tendency to harp on conservative rhetoric, but never engages in dialogue concerning the details of the rhetoric’s realization. She is at her best when she speaks in sweeping nonspecifics. This trait is not useful in the face of critical voters, particularly when a federal level position is at stake. But her cheeky rhetoric will fit in very well with typical pundit dialogue, especially given she will coupled with the likes of Bill O’Reilly and Glenn Beck, personalities able to fill in the gaps where she does not excel. Linnie Leavines is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Central City. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_lleavines. Contact Linnie Leavines at lleavines@lsureveille.com

CANCEL THE APOCALYPSE

Heaven and hell are far from black and white issues

What awaits us in the afterlife? This dilemma has haunted humanity since our primordial inception. Unsuprisingly, this question still looms over us in the supposed “age of reason.” Yet in the midst of one of life’s great mysteries lies a vastly oversimplified Andrew Robertson solution maniColumnist fested in the form of the good place and the bad place. How exactly did we get to be so sure of our fate? Perhaps it’s the existence of a seemingly omnipotent faith system that claims to hold the keys to heaven. Maybe it even stems from our innate tendency to convince ourselves our own faith is supreme and unambiguous. I am not attempting to tell you why you believe something. Rather, I seek only to comment on the current state of afterlife affairs. Here’s the deal. According to mainstream Christianity, if you join the right circle, fabulous prizes await you. Choose the wrong side, and well ... I sincerely hope you brought sunscreen. But while the thought of blindly accepting a get out of jail free card sounds sublime, I cannot help but interject with what I hope is a more accurate portrayal of the finality of the destination. Sheol, Hades and Gehenna are the three words most often translated as hell in the English Bible. Sheol, in its most basic Hebrew form, means a big question

mark, as in “who knows?” I respect this about Judaism. They accept that they don’t know precisely what lies beyond the grave. For one to comprehend Hades, or the underworld, one must recognize the Greek world in which Paul employed the term to address. As for Gehenna, it actually refers to a valley outside of Jerusalem where waste once burned. I’ve been there — it’s not so bad. For the good place — heaven as some like to call it — the word most often translated as paradise refers to a park, possibly referencing the Garden of Eden. This is the concept Jesus employed as he told his adjacent condemned comrade that he will join him in paradise that same day. We also have the kingdom of heaven. This can mean numerous things depending on who had the pen in biblical literature as it invokes numerous themes throughout the entirety of the Bible. So there are the simple facts. And somehow they have devolved to the oversimplified Americanized terms of heaven and hell. What we must now ask ourselves is “how is this relevant?” Can we continue to cast aside those who fall outside our socially ingrained worldview of saved and unsaved? Greater still, is a deity who would cast the vast majority of His or Her own children into everlasting torment for the sake of relative dogma worth serving? I leave it up to you. For now, as the world continues to “go to hell” (pardon the expression), either we relax and wait for our death and the impending apocalypse or we work

toward creating heaven, jannah and all other versions of paradise that await us in the next world now. A life of humble seeking and compassionate servitude trumps a life of misconceived answers in my book. Until the day of our demise, perhaps our efforts are

more earnestly spent deliberating life’s great questions rather than deceiving our own finitude with promises of a material reward for an immaterial life. Kierkegaard was perhaps correct; faith for this life may indeed trump faith for the next life.

Andrew Robertson is a 22-year old religious studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_arobertson. Contact Andrew Robertson at arobertson@lsureveille.com

MISS-SKETCH

Lacye Beauregard / The Daily Reveille

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2 bed/2.5 bath units $1300 3 bed/3.5 bath units $1650 Dean Flores Real Estate 225.767.2227 E. STATE ST 1br 1ba, new carpet, fresh paint, cent a/c water pd, no pets $400 Rent $300 Dep 225-766-6555 BRIGHTSIDE PARK TOWNHOMES 2 br 2.5 bath on S. Brightside View. $850-$900. $500 dep. All appliances plus w/d, pool. now/spring. southlandpropertiesinc.com. 225-955-6480 BRIGHTSIDE ESTATES CONDO 2 BDRM Condo - Room mate needed - $500/ month sep full b/r & bath, All utilities paid(cable, elec, I/N). Gated property, W/D, A/C. on bus route. Students only - Serious inquiries, references required. dober_mann@msn.com 225.588.9409 SOUTHDOWNS AREA 3br 2.5 bath, wood floors, lawn service, very nice house 225.284.7147 ROOM FOR RENT The Gates at Brightside. 1 Bdr w/ Bth attached. New appliances/ balcony/ pool/ gated community located on LSU bus route. $350 and utility costs are split equally. 401.575.8627 ROOM FOR RENT The Gates at Brightside. 1 Bdr w/ Bth attached. New appliances/ balcony/ pool/ gated community located on LSU bus route. $350 and utility costs are split equally. 401.575.8627 WALK TO LSU CAMPUS 2BR/1BA duplex $650-725. Fenced yards, pets ok. Available now. Good condition. McDaniel Propeties 225.388.9858 WALK TO LSU 2BR UNF stove, fridge, cent A/ C Washateria $550 Les Petites Apts 3313 Iowa St 225-927-5495 AM or 225-766-0579 PM WALK TO CAMPUS 2 BR 2 1/2 BA TOWNHOUSE 315 W PARKER BLVD WWW.315WPARKER. COM 225-819-6794 WALK TO CAMPUS 1Br, 2Br, and Townhomes. Starting as low as $400.00. www.lsuwestchimesplace.com 225.346.4789 TIGER MANOR CONDOMINIUMS. UNITS READY FOR SPRING and FALL 2010! Reserve Now! Brand new 1, 2, & 3 bedrooms available. Reserve your unit today! Walk to class! 3000 July St. 225-346-5055. www.tigermanor.com Location. Location. Location... Start Living. LSU, TIGERLAND, 1&2BR Townhouse and flat apartments, woodfloor, swimmingpool, water/ sewer paid, moving-in special, $450~625/ mo., 225.615.8521 LESS THAN A MILE SOUTH OF LSU 1-br $500, 2-br townhouse $700. Spacious, lots of closets, private patio or balcony, restricted parking, video surveillance security. Walk, cycle or catch the LSU bus to school, shopping, dining. Onsite manager. No pets. 757-8175, 924-1934. View and apply online at http//riverroadapartments.tripod.com. APARTMENT FOR RENT 2 BEDROOM 2 BATH LOCATED 4 BLOCKS FROM LSU GREAT LOCATION CALL BEFORE ITS GONE 985.517.6824

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LOUIESCAFE.COM WANT A CAREER IN REAL ESTATE? JOIN ONE OF BATON ROUGE’S TOP REALTORS AT JIM TALBOT REAL ESTATE!! CALL 225.927.2114 VETERINARY CLINIC Seeking part time help. Apply Garden District Animal Hospital. 1302 Perkins Rd, Baton Rouge, 70806 TUTORS NEEDED $12/HR All Subjects K-College 3.5GPA Sen./ Grad. Stud. info@bettergradesinc.com SWIMMING INSTRUCTORS NEEDED Great Part Time Afternoon Spring Semester Job-Full Time Summer Job-Great Pay! CRAWFISH AQUATICS, Louisiana’s Total Swim Program-If you are highly motivated, hard working, we can teach you the rest. Please fax resume to 225-7061636 or e-mail to swimcraw@bellsouth.net SURVEY TAKERS NEEDED: Make $5-$25 per survey. GetPaidToThink.com. STRONG RELIABLE MALE needed to Check-In Inventory at Interiors/Gift Store, Hang Mirrors, Move Furniture; FlexHrs.15-20 hrs/ wk. Call 754-7400 SPEND YOUR SUMMER IN MAINE If you’re looking to spend this summer outdoors, have fun while you work, and make lifelong friends, then look no further. Camp Mataponi, a residential camp in Maine, has female/ male summertime openings for Land Sports, Waterfront (small crafts, skiing, life guarding, WSI, boat drivers), Ropes Course, Tennis, H. B. Riding, Arts& Crafts, Theater, Cooking, Gymnastics, Dance, Videography, Group Leaders & more. On Campus Interviews will Top salaries plus room/board & travel provided. Call us at 1-561-748-3684 or apply online at www. campmataponi.com. PT SALES Georgia-based national marketing firm looking for aggressive t-shirt sales reps for the campus and Greek community. Multiple positions available. Excellent part-time opportunity with guaranteed base to start. Email resume to rick@southlandgraphics.com. PERFECT STUDENT WORK Telephone Sales People Wanted. Clear and explicit voice a must. Work at home around your schedule. Sports related products. Call existing customers.

$7.50 per order plus quarterly bonuses. E-Mail resume to jbeeson11@cox.net or call for appointment - 225.753.8022 PART TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN JOB EXPERIENCE IN ACCOUNTING FIELD. Part-time/15-20hr/week Accounting/Office position available to assist Accounting team with daily filing and accounts payable data entry. Must be computer literate with emphasis on Microsoft Word and Excel. Data Entry, Accounts Payable, and Job Cost experience is a plus! Accounting Majors preferred. Weekly work schedules are flexible to school commitments. To apply, download employment application at www.c-ka.com/employment.asp, e-mail to www. hr@c-ka.com or fax to HR at 225-752-7863. Resumes are welcome, but must accompany application. AA/EOE M/F/D/V For more information about C-K Associates, LLC, visit our website at www.c-ka.com PART TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT Baton Rouge company. Runs errands as needed; processes incoming mail and phone calls; keeps files organized; and performs simple book-keeping. Must be able to work at least 20 hours/week during normal business hours. Great job for students. Email resume and hours avail to jobs@puryear-it.com PARRAIN’S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT Accepting applications for servers. Apply in person MonFri between 2:00 and 5:00 225.381.9922 P/T - 20HRS/WK, M-F, Exc Cust Serv Skills, Multi-Tasking, filing, Pre-Pharmacy Student a plus. Call Patty at 225.766.9577 NEED SOMEONE TO work front desk, must be organized, responsible, able to MULTI-TASK & work 30 hours/week during school- email jodi@ gofitt.com NEED PART-TIME NANNY FOR INFANT TUES & THURS 9AM-6PM IN BR HOME. $10/HR. PREFER GRAD STUDENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEV. MUST HAVE REFS AND EXP. 225.926.0893 NANNY NEEDED! 20hr/wk, christian fam, 1-4 kids; $12-15/hr 225.603.9285 N HIRING EKG TECHS P/T Openings for medical career students in need of work in this field. Responsible, mature adults please. Days, evenings, weekend overnights, weekends, holiday shifts. Extensive on the job training, pay is $9.00 hr. Apply www.southernmedical.com

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costing three positions. The three job terminations were administrative support staff and minimize the effects on student support, College of Education Dean M. Jayne Fleener said in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. Besides layoffs, the University announced it is eliminating 153 funded but currently vacant positions ranging from more than 60 educator positions, numerous administrative positions and faculty service positions, saving the University more than $5.5 million. To compound the cuts, each college is receiving a funding cut averaging 4 percent of its yearly budget. Eric Monday, associate vice chancellor for Finance and Administrative Services, said the cuts to individual college budgets range from 2.5 to 6 percent of each budget. “We have decided to stress administration first and stress the academic units later, but now the stress is going to be felt,” Martin said. Faculty Senate President and English professor Kevin Cope said students will soon see fewer sections and larger classes. These midyear budget cuts have left higher education across the state reeling, but what awaits in the coming months has Martin disheartened and the University preparing for more layoffs. Higher education in Louisiana expects to take about $150 million in cuts during the next fiscal year because of a forecasted $1.9 billion shortfall in state funds in the next two fiscal years. Deans have been meeting with professors to inform them they could lose their job in the next year, according to a University news release on Thursday. Cope said the University will be sending out between 300 and 400 letters this week informing professors their employment could be terminated in a year’s time. Cope said he believes the University is doing what is legally obligated in preparation for future cuts. University spokesman Herb Vincent would not confirm any plans to send such notifications. Martin said administrators have started the process of evaluating whole units for closing before the legislative session, which begins in late March. “Between now and the beginning of the legislative session, we intend to close some stuff,” Martin said. “Not just sand, not just plane and not just chip away at the margins, but make some hard choices about making LSU a narrower institution so it can remain deep.” Martin said the budget outlook necessitates taking a strategic approach to further cuts instead of trimming from each department. “We are trying to protect the core and build degrees of freedom in the event we hit another big cut,” Martin said. “If I was a betting person, I would be inclined to bet on another cut. And if there is another cut ... the cut will not be trivial.” Martin said he believes majors and entire programs will “disappear” in the next 12 to 18 months. Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com

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