Altercation: DNA testing of Jefferson, Johns inconclusive, p. 5
Culture Club: Celebs should play smart when snapping nude pics, p. 9
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www.lsureveille.com
Basketball: Johnson looking to add walk-ons to roster, p. 5
Tuesday, September 20, 2011 • Volume 116, Issue 21
The mold rush
Old Forestry Building plagued by decrepit conditions
Laura Furr
Contributing Writer
Mud-caked classroom floors, stacks of unused chairs, mold-covered banisters — these are a few things one might find when visiting the Old Forestry Building, located off South Stadium Drive. And while the 55-year-old facility has passed safety inspection, students and professors say it’s time for an overhaul. The Old Forestry Building is officially home to the College of Agriculture and University Auxiliary Services but houses other degree programs such as Human Resource and Leadership Development. The building passed the fire marshal inspection in 2009 with no major citations listed, according to Emmett
David, director of facility development at the Office of Facility Services. David said despite Read our complaints, no scheduled renovations opinion on the are in sight. HRLD students Kolby Lirette building, p. 12. and Robert Bostick visit the building frequently for classes and to meet Read a student’s with professors and advisers. Both are by the conditions. account of the disgusted “Every time I come here, I cross blight at my fingers to hope that I make it out lsureveille.com. alive,” Lirette joked as he guided a group of Daily Reveille employees through the building last week. DERELICTION, see page 4
photos by LAUREN DUHON / The Daily Reveille
The second floor of the Old Forestry Building appears abandoned and in disarray [center] and has fallen prey to mold and disrepair [left, right]. See more photos of the derelict building at lsureveille.com.
REALIGNMENT
Merger may breed collaboration Andrea Gallo Staff Writer
The University’s merger of the School of Social Work, School of Library and Information Science, College of Education, Department of Kinesiology, Early Childhood PK-3 program and the School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development should bring collaboration among faculty and cement opportunities for students to learn in different fields, according to professors and administrators. Chancellor Michael Martin said the merger, announced Sept. 8, is a way for the University to propel itself into the future. The University
cannot grow without change, he said. University administrators have said the merger is not directly budget-driven, but the budgets for each component being merged have fluctuated during the University’s battle with funding shortages during the past few years. The School of Library and Information Science had an unrestricted budget of $936,966 for all activities pertaining to instruction, including salaries, in 2008. The preliminary 2011 unrestricted instruction budget for the School of Library and Information Science is $827,726. That’s more than $100,000 in budget loss over four years. The School of Library and
Information Science also saw its restricted funding from state, federal and private donations drop from $60,836 in 2008 to $41,546 in the preliminary 2011 budget. That’s a decrease in funding of about $19,000. Suzanne Stauffer, library and information science professor, said students and faculty in the School of Library and Information Science currently have to compete for resources against every other University school and college. Once the school is cushioned in a larger college, it will have access to more resources, she said. “If this merger is approved by MERGER, see page 4
MUDSLIDE
BLAIR LOCKHART / The Daily Reveille
Participants make their way through a giant mud pit Saturday during the Play Dirty Adventure Trail Run on the B.R. Fairgrounds. Read more about Play Dirty, page 9.