The Daily Reveille - Sept. 28, 2011

Student organizations: Atheists seek to eliminate stigmas, p. 3

Online exclusive: Suspect arrested for stealing $700 bike. Read more at lsureveille.com.

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Football: How does this year’s squad compare to past championship teams?, p. 5

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 • Volume 116, Issue 27

Home games rake in big bucks Union

University makes Home game against a BCS team: $19 million yearly Morgan Searles Staff Writer

At a University where college and football are practically synonymous, even the most diehard fans may not be aware of the money running behind each game.

Alongside the University of Nebraska, LSU is one of only two colleges in the nation with a selfsustaining athletic department. The University’s Athletic Department does not receive financial support from subsidies of state tax dollars or student fees to assist with its budget.

An LSU home game played against a Bowl Championship Series team, like the University of Florida or West Virginia University, produces about $2.6 million after expenses, according to Verge Ausberry, senior associate athletics director.

A home game against a nonBCS team, like Northwestern State University or McNeese State University, produces about $2.2 million after expenses.

At about $50 per game, the 68,000 season-ticket holders contribute about $3.4 million to each home game before money is extracted to pay for facilities, security, police, parking attendants, ambulance services and other considerations that go into hosting thousands of sports fans, Ausberry said.

Tickets for the other nearly 25,000 seats in the 92,542-capacity stadium go to non-season ticket holders like students, fans of the opposing teams and individual ticket buyers.

The 15,000 tickets designated for students are sold for $12 for general admission and $18 for reserved sections. Ausberry said about 7,000 tickets go to the visiting team and individuals, and approximately 2,000 remaining tickets are reserved for others like guests of the players, coaches and recruits.

The cost of an individual nonstudent football ticket ranges from $40 to $70, depending on seat location and opponent, according to the University Ticket Office website.

REVENUE, see page 4

FACULTY

$2.6 million clashes after expenses (per game)

with chancellor Andrea Gallo Staff Writer

Season ticket holders:

$3.4 million

before expenses (per game)

Revenue fed into University:

$19 million (yearly)

including money made from merchandise, concessions, parking and ticket sales

Baton Rouge impact:

$200 million (yearly)

photos by BRIANNA PACIORKA, ZACH BREAUX and BENJAMIN OLIVER HICKS / The Daily Reveille

As many of the University’s faculty have banded together to create the LSUnited faculty union to spike faculty representation for a louder voice in making University decisions, members are experiencing turbulence on the administrators’ end of the prospect.

LSUnited members must pay fees as part of their national membership with the National Education Association and their state membership with the Louisiana Association of Educators, along with local dues for the LSUnited chapter. Fees vary depending on how much money members make annually but are around $445 for members earning $92,750 and more.

Chancellor Michael Martin has denied LSUnited’s request to pay those fees from payroll deductions, and LSUnited is now turning to the LSU System Board of Supervisors in a debate over a system policy — Permanent Memorandum 65 — payroll deduction authorization.

Michael Russo, LSUnited spokesman, said PM 65 does not grant the University authority to ignore it, but the University is disregarding the policy in the case of LSUnited. If the chancellor were to give LSUnited the payroll deduction, it would signify the administration’s acknowledgment of its existence, Russo said.

In its appeal to the System, LSUnited wrote that when the chancellor denied its payroll deduction request, no written policy was cited as reason for the rejection.

PM 65 itself says employees may be solicited for payroll deduction only “upon written authorization from the Chancellor of the campus on which the solicitation is to occur.”

The chancellor questioned the UNION, see page 11

The Daily Reveille

page 2

INTERNATIONAL

Nation & World

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

NATIONAL

STATE/LOCAL

Three Bolivian ministers step down over crackdown on anti-road march

Fla. welfare applicants less likely to use drugs, preliminary figures show

Coast Guard: Sheen in Gulf not a leak from capped BP well

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — Bolivia’s interior minister has resigned over a police crackdown on marchers opposed to a jungle highway that they say would despoil an indigenous preserve.

Sacha Llorenti is the third senior Bolivian official to step down over the weekend crackdown, following the defense minister and a deputy interior minister.

The backlash from the crackdown is a major setback for President Evo Morales.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Preliminary figures on a new Florida law requiring drug tests for welfare applicants show that they are less likely than other people to use drugs, not more. One famous Floridian suggests that it’s the people who came up with the law who should be submitting specimens.

Columnist and best-selling author Carl Hiaasen offered to pay for drug testing for all 160 members of the Florida Legislature in what he called “a patriotic whiz-fest.”

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard says a series of “sheen sightings” have been reported in the area where the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year, but BP’s capped well isn’t the suspected source.

A statement issued Tuesday by the Coast Guard says the sheens could have come from the sunken rig’s riser pipe or from other underwater debris. The Coast Guard says recent video footage shows no evidence of a leak from the blown-out well that was capped last year.

Saudi woman sentenced to 10 lashes for driving car CAIRO (AP) — A Saudi woman was sentenced Tuesday to be lashed 10 times with a whip for defying the kingdom’s prohibition on female drivers, the first time a legal punishment has been handed down for a violation of the longtime ban in the ultraconservative Muslim nation.

Normally, police just stop female drivers, question them and let them go after they sign a pledge not to drive again. But dozens of women have continued to take to the roads since June in a campaign to break the taboo.

BERNANDINO HERNANDEZ / The Associated Press

Villagers watch and Mexican army soldiers stand guard Friday as forensic investigators prepare to place a body into a forensic vehicle after the victim was found half buried in the mud in the town of La Venta, entering Acapulco, Mexico.

Five severed heads found in front of school in Mexico resort of Acapulco ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — Mexican police have found five severed heads in front of a primary school in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco.

It’s unclear whether the gruesome discovery is related to extortion threats that led about 140 elementary schools in the city to close temporarily earlier this month after teachers and parents decided it wasn’t safe enough to start classes.

State police say the five heads were found early Tuesday in a sack.

Michigan man charged after 4,000 pounds of explosives found TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Federal authorities say a Michigan man bought and hid more than 4,000 pounds of explosives with enough potential firepower to equal the Oklahoma City bombing and told an undercover informant that “when the government takes over, we will be mercenaries.”

John Francis Lechner, 64, was arrested last week on a charge of possessing explosives while facing other charges and ordered held following a U.S. District Court hearing Monday.

Lechner obtained the materials years ago for construction projects.

BR seventh-grader booked with two counts of attempted murder (AP) — A 13-year-old seventhgrade student at Capitol Middle School has been booked with two counts of attempted murder after he allegedly shot a gun at a vehicle driving away from an apparent drug deal at a grocery store, sheriff’s deputies said.

The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday that the boy is accused of firing shots near the Albertson’s grocery store on Aug. 20 at about 6:52 p.m.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Today on lsureveille.com Read a reveiw and recap of this week’s episode of “Glee” on the LMFAO entertainment blog.

LSUPD found promethazine and cocaine in a car on campus. Read more in an online-only edition of crime briefs.

Watch a video of evangelists parading through Free Speech Plaza on Tuesday.

Get the latest news by downloading the LSU Reveille app in the iTunes Store and Android Market

facebook.com/ thedailyreveille

@lsureveille, @TDR_news, @TDR_sports

Weather TODAY Isolated T-storms

90 69 THURSDAY

FRIDAY

91 65

89 60

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

82 57

83 58

ZACH BREAUX / The Daily Reveille

Hats sit in cubicle shelves Tuesday at the LSU Sports Shop.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS In a Sept. 26 article entitled “Students experience Internet problems,” The Daily Reveille reported that the University’s Internet access is provided by the Student Tech Fee. The article should have indicated that Internet connectivity is paid for by the institution’s network budget, of which the Student Tech Fee contributes $691,000 toward wired and wireless nodes.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies for 25 cents, please contact the Office of Student Media in B-34 Hodges Hall. The Daily Reveille is published daily during the fall and spring semesters and semi-weekly during the summer semester, except during holidays and final exams. Second-class copies postage paid at Baton Rouge, La., 70803. Annual weekly mailed subscriptions are $125, semester weekly mailed subscriptions are $75. Non-mailed student rates are $4 each regular semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, additional copies 25 cents each. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, La.,70803.

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The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

AG CENTER

page 3

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Swine Farm Club aims to change closure perception of atheism AHA encourages elicits religious discussion discontent Josh Naquin Staff Writer

If the University can’t start bringing home the bacon, hundreds of students could be left without learning opportunities.

Located on Ben Hur Road, the Swine Farm component of the LSU AgCenter, an integral research tool and portion of animal sciences majors’ curriculum, is shutting down because of a $5 million budget cut.

The issue was brought to light when nearly 50 agriculture students packed the Atchafalaya Room of the Student Union to attend a Faculty Senate experimental input session Tuesday. The students organized themselves through a Facebook event created by Laura Hoffmann, animal sciences junior.

“Nobody was advised on this issue,” Hoffmann said. “There was no warning, and we still don’t know exactly what’s going on.”

Without the Swine Farm, research opportunities, as well as some classes, will no longer be available.

Kenneth Koonce, dean of the School of Agriculture, said the University is separate from the AgCenter and has little control over the matter. No tuition dollars are spent on maintaining the Swine Farm, he said.

“We have been provided animals over the years. We haven’t paid a cent for them,” Koonce said.

Concerned students dominated the input session, voicing fears for the agriculture program’s future.

“I worry about our program as a whole if we lose the Swine Farm. It seems like the beginning of a dangerous trend,” said Pam Mitcham, animal sciences graduate student.

Downsizing the Swine Farm was one solution discussed at the meeting. It would allow students to maintain their “hands-on” learning approach but would still cost money the school doesn’t have.

Tacking on additional fees to animal sciences students’ tuition to be used for Swine Farm funding was also debated.

“We would have to develop a business plan for this, one which will last,” Koonce said Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope voiced his sympathy for the agriculture students trying to navigate through both LSU and AgCenter administrations to save their farm.

“The students are suffering,” Cope said. “It is as though they are being pulled between two tectonic plates.”

Attendees also used the meeting to discuss initiatives for composting organic waste from dining halls and moving the entirety of Greek recruitment to the spring.

Contact Josh Naquin at jnaquin@lsureveille.com

Lauren Duhon

Contributing Writer

For years, the word “atheist” has come with a stigma.

But AHA, the University’s Atheist, Humanist and Agnostic Club, hopes to change the face of atheism on campus and in the community.

The organization caters to non-religious or questioning students. AHA members consider the group a “hodgepodge” of secular people. It offers a safe place for individuals with questions, concerns or the simple desire to talk.

AHA hosted a spirituality talk with Gary Pettigrew, philosophy and religious studies professor, on Tuesday evening in Lockett Hall.

AHA adviser Jeremy Fontenot said the discussion focused on what spirituality means without a god.

Conde said many young people have the idea of being spiritual but not religious.

Pettigrew provided his secular perspective when he said spirituality does not have to contradict science. He said one can understand self and morality without a deity.

“There is no way to arrive to a precise word to describe this idea of spirituality without a god,” Pettigrew said. “You must create

your own personal experience or idea.”

Jenna Conde, AHA president and elementary education senior, said the club members strive to eliminate the stigmas many atheists face, especially in the South.

She said most students believe atheists are generally angry and immoral people.

“We want people to know we are friendly,” Conde said. “We need to remove this ‘angry atheist’ mentality.”

She said most atheists have to hide their beliefs in order to avoid prejudice from others.

“From personal experience with teaching, I know the line can be crossed daily between the separation of church and state,” Conde said. “I have to keep my opinions to myself in fear of being ostracized from everyone.”

Conde said people are afraid to talk about religion, and AHA wants to combat that.

“Religion should be discussed,” Conde said.

AHA hosted “Ask an Atheist Day” on Sept. 21 to get students talking about religion and atheism.

The event, held in Free Speech Plaza, prompted many questions and participants from all backgrounds. AHA plans to host the event every semester in the future.

Contact Lauren Duhon at lduhon@lsureveille.com

BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille

Philosophy and religious studies professor Gary Pettigrew speaks Tuesday at the Atheist, Humanist and Agnostic Club meeting about spirituality without a god.

Plucker’s Wing Bar Mon: $14.99 All You Can Eat Wings and $3 Pluckers Specialty Drinks Tues: Kids Eat Free, $3 Mexican Beers and Margaritas Wed: Live Trivia at 8 pm, $4.50 34oz Mugs Thurs: $12.99 All You Can Eat Boneless Wings, $4.50 34oz Mugs, $5.50 Patron Margaritas Sun: $3 Pluckers Specialty Shots EVERYDAY BEER SPECIAL: $6.50 34oz Mugs--Blue Moon, Dos Equis, Abitas Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, INC. The Iota Theta Chapter Presents Financial Fortitude Wednesday September 28, 2011 tureaud hall RM 102 7:13 pm LSU UREC at Fall Fest this Friday!

Visit the LSU UREC booth to scale the rock wall compete in other action-packed challenges!

Visit www.LSU.edu/UREC for details.

Gender on Film- “I Don’t Know How She Does It” 10/3/2001 $5 refundable deposit required to reserve tickets Contact Women’s Center @ 225-578-1714 for more info Gisclair Memorial Historical Miniatures Tournament and Convention October 1st 9:00am-9:00pm All Star Lanes 9829 Airline Hwy. $5 play all day DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Becky at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: oncampus@lsureveille.com

Friday at 10:30AM Survivor: Bush RERUN Friday at 3PM Making Moves RERUN Saturday at 10:30AM Suvivor: Bush RERUN

The Daily Reveille

page 4

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Members hear student grievances Kate Mabry Staff Writer

Student Government members discussed University issues with students Tuesday afternoon at the first fall Straight Talk, a Student Outreach Committee event where students can express any concern or compliment about the University to SG officials.

Hilary Soileau, Student Outreach director and mass communication sophomore, said SG hopes to hold itself accountable and gain trust from students by responding to their issues in a timely manner through Straight Talk, which was held at The 5 and 459 dining halls.

“Student Outreach has always been about talking to students,”

REVENUE, from page 1

In addition to ticket sales, home-game revenue is also generated by concessions, parking fees and merchandise.

Ausberry said the schedule alternates home and away games each year for Southeastern Conference teams like the University of Alabama, Mississippi State University and the University of Arkansas, while Football Championship Subdivision schools receive anywhere between $400,000 and $500,000 to play in Tiger Stadium. Division I Football Bowl Subdivision schools receive $750,000 to $975,000.

“Non-BCS teams play here,” he said. “They’re not going to play a game at [their] home against a major SEC school like we are.”

Ausberry said when BCS teams rotate the location of the games, they trade a monetary guarantee.

When schools play visiting games at another college, they get between $500,000 and $600,000 from the home team to cover expenses. When the game is returned and the location is swapped, the guarantee amount is paid back.

Although the Tigers played in Cowboys Stadium, LSU’s first game of the 2011 season was financially considered a home game, he said. The LSU Athletic Department

she said.

But Soileau said student concerns often remain unaddressed.

Sometimes SG makes legislation that goes unheard by the student body, or the list of student concerns is lost in communication between the executive and legislative branches.

“It completely defeats the purpose of Straight Talk,” she said. “We want to ask students what they are worried about on campus and let them know that SG is taking their ideas seriously.”

Although Straight Talk will be carried out in the same manner it always has been, the SG response to student concerns is going to change. “[In the past], Student Government has not communicated to our

constituents how we address the issues they bring to us at Straight Talks,” Soileau said. “This year, we want students to know that SG is listening.”

Prior to this semester, SG members would copy down student concerns at Straight Talks, but this year, SG collected students’ names, e-mail addresses and specific issues.

Soileau said students will be connected to their legislators in order to keep students informed about the progress of their concerns.

“We wanted to make this change to open the lines of communication between students and SG,” she said.

earned around $3 million in that game, and while Oregon also received payment for playing, it probably made less than LSU. Despite the millions of dollars football raises and contributes to the operational budget of the LSU Athletic Department, Ausberry said the Tiger Athletic Foundation, with the Athletic Department, has more than $250 million of combined debt on recent projects.

“TAF becomes important,” he said. “There is still some debt on notes. From 1972 to 2001 we didn’t upgrade facilities, and in 2001, we updated the east side suites, and lots of new facilities have been completed lately.”

Some of the completed and planned work includes the volleyball locker room, an indoor track and a new gymnastics practice facility.

After expenses are paid from a home game, the money made goes into a general fund, where it is divided and designated for updating athletic facilities and for payment to the University. As an auxiliary of the institution, Ausberry said the Athletic Department also gives 5 percent of its budget to the University every year.

“All the revenue we make goes back to [athletics], not including what goes back to the institution,

which is close to $19 million each year,” Ausberry said. “In addition to that amount, this year LSU Athletics donated $3 million to the Business School, $5 million to the band hall and we also now have all the band scholarships — a million and a half dollars, not including uniforms and travel.”

Of the University sports, three athletic programs make a profit — football, men’s basketball and baseball. Money from these three teams supports the Athletic Department budget.

Money from the general fund also goes to pay for every athletic scholarship, which costs about $8.5 million in total.

“People say [athletes] go to school for free, but they don’t. It’s paid for,” he said. “We pay for the scholarships of any student-athlete you see.”

Ausberry said the LSU Athletic Department also impacts the entire Baton Rouge economy by close to $200 million throughout the year by stimulating use of local hotels, restaurants and businesses in the area.

“We are an economic engine in this city and in the state,” he said.

Contact Kate Mabry at kmabry@lsureveille.com

Contact Morgan Searles at msearles@lsureveille.com

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sports

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2003

JOHN BAZEMORE / The Associated Press

Scoring defense ranked No. 1 in the nation, allowing 11 points per game

2007

File photo

Rushing defense ranked No. 4 in the nation, allowing 53 yards per game

2011

CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille

Total defense ranked No. 3 in the nation, allowing 288 yards per game

page 5

2003

Time Warp 2011 defense comparable Comparisons to former QB to past championship teams Flynn run deep Mark Clements

Scott Branson

Sports Writer

Sports Contributor

One of the most treasured sounds of Tiger Stadium is the historic hymn of the “Chinese Bandits” tune, honoring the legendary defense of LSU’s first national championship team in 1958.

LSU’s past two national championship squads revived that mentality and continued the tradition of destructive Tiger defenses.

So with a new No. 1 ranking and similar goals in sight, the Tigers are hoping to mirror the recipe formulated in 2003 and 2007.

Throughout four games this season, LSU’s defense ranks No. 20 in the nation, surrendering 289 yards per game, despite having played three ranked opponents on the road — all of which rank in the top 45 in the nation in total offense.

Even with the rigorous early season schedule, the Tigers are registering numbers comparable to both title-winning teams.

“It was a great defense in ‘07,” said senior linebacker Ryan Baker. “I think this defense has a lot of similarities about our work ethic.

We watch film on them, and we see how they move and how they react to certain situations.”

Of all three defenses, the current squad is stopping the run best, holding opponents to 53.25 yards per game, good for fourth in the nation and better than both the 2003 and 2007 teams, which averaged 67 and 106 yards per game, respectively.

The 2011 squad is also on pace for similar interception numbers and more forced fumbles than the previous champions, in part due to the efforts of sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, who said he remembers growing up

Through four games, senior quarterback Jarrett Lee has been a stabilizing force for an LSU team that has dealt with plenty of offthe-field negativity.

Lee has played through the distractions and led the No. 1 Tigers to a 4-0 record against some of the nation’s top teams.

LSU, already in the national championship discussion, is relatively familiar with the spotlight, having played in and won the title in 2003 and 2007.

In 2007, Lee redshirted as a freshman, watching current Green Bay Packers and former LSU quarterback Matt Flynn lead the Tigers to a 38-24 victory against Ohio State.

Flynn was efficient, completing 19-of-27 passes for 174 yards and four touchdowns.

In the season, Flynn completed 202-of-359 pass attempts, including 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Four years before Flynn led LSU to a BCS championship, former LSU quarterback Matt Mauck led the Tigers to a 13-1 record, culminating in 21-14 victory over Oklahoma in the national championship game in 2003.

Mauck completed 229-of-358 passes on the season, including 28 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Through four games this season, Lee’s stat lines have been similarly productive and nearly mistake free. He has completed 56-of87 passes, including six touchdowns and one interception.

Lee’s average of 156 passing yards per game may appear modest, but they aren’t unlike Mauck’s and Flynn’s.

DEFENSE, see page 7

QUARTERBACKS, see page 7

DAVE MARTIN / The Associated Press

Matt Mauck:

229-of-358, 2,825 yards, 28 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, 14 interceptions

2007

File photo

Matt Flynn:

202-of-359, 2,407 yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 4 rushing touchdowns, 11 interceptions

2011

ZACH BREAUX / The Daily Reveille

Jarrett Lee: (Through four games): 56-of-87, 624 yards, 6 passing touchdowns, 0 rushing touchdowns, 1 interception

FOOTBALL

Randle emerges as lone deep threat in receiving corps

Beckham shows spark in WVU game Michael Gegenheimer Sports Contributor

In four games this season, the Tigers have completed seven passes of more than 15 yards to receivers not named Rueben Randle.

That number drops significantly to only three completions on passes of more than 20 yards on throws not directed at the junior wide receiver. Randle has eight catches for at least 15 yards and five for at least 20 yards.

“We take a shot at whoever the defense gives us,” Randle said. “If they leave me

one-on-one, man-to-man, the ball comes to me. If they do anything else, we’ll play the other side of the field.”

The Bastrop native has emerged as the Tigers’ main deep threat this season. The next best deep threat option is a tie between senior tight end Deangelo Peterson and true freshman wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., who both have two catches for more than 15 yards.

Beckham has emerged as another possible big-play threat for the Tigers after reeling in two bombs — a 30-yard catch and a 52-yard touchdown reception — against West Virginia last weekend.

Beckham had 15 catches for 111 yards before last week’s game against the Mountaineers.

“[Beckham’s] been showing us what he’s got since he’s been here,” said junior cornerback Morris Claiborne. “He’s stepping in, and he’s playing that role, and he’s doing well.”

Randle is the only receiver to average more than 15 yards per catch, with the exception of junior wide receiver Russell Shepard, who has caught one pass for 16 yards this season.

The return of Shepard could alter the Tigers’ offensive strategy. However, Shepard knows the receiving corps has more than enough talent to go around.

“It’s not just me coming back, you have people like Odell Beckham, [freshman wideout] Jarvis Landry, [sophomore wideTHREAT, see page 7

CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille

Junior wide receiver Rueben Randle (2) catches one of his six passes against Mississippi State on Sept. 15. Randle, who had 98 yards in the game, has at least five receptions and 50 yards in each of his last five games.

The Daily Reveille

page 6

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pac-12’s Scott keeps TENNIS Teammates become opponents college football intact Skupski, Bowtell BODY SHOTS

ROB LANDRY Sports columnist Larry Scott saved college football.

The Pacific 12 Commissioner made the decision last week that his conference wouldn’t continue expanding, but was instead content to stay put with 12 teams.

This move put a screeching halt on what had been a hectic few weeks in college football.

Chaos and panic ran amok in college football, with schools paranoid they were going be left out of what would become the NCAA’s hypothetical “super conferences.”

For that reason, Pittsburgh and Syracuse jumped ship on the Big East to head to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Rumors began to run rampant that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would leave the debris and rubble of the Big 12 to join the Pac-12 to form the first of four 16-team mega conferences.

It was then thought the Southeastern Conference — with Texas A&M officially joining — would take in Missouri and soon venture after West Virginia, Virginia Tech, North Carolina State or Maryland to secure its number at 16.

The Big 12 and Big East leftovers would then be forced to scramble to get in the ACC or Big 10, with the rest unfortunately being left on the outside looking in at college football’s power play. The SEC, ACC, Big 10 and Pac-12 – with conference numbers subject to change — would be all that mattered in the college football universe.

This set in place an obvious move toward a playoff. With only four conferences worthy of Bowl Championship Series bids, the bowl and BCS system seemed like they would eventually be doomed.

This would have been devastating for the sport, and only Scott’s gusto in being the first to bow out of college football’s Exploration Age helped keep it intact.

It may seem like an antiquated way of looking at things, but conferences should be aligned geographically.

They are there to serve as designated regions, per se, to show who is the best football team from each region of the country. These super conferences destroy that ideology.

Another reason for keeping college football as close as possible to the way it is now are the rivalries. Rivalries make fans as passionate as they are now.

Frankly, without the rabid, borderline insane fans, none of this would be happening.

Fan devotion is what drives the ticket sales, merchandise sales and, most importantly, the television ratings and advertising

dollars.

The majority of the advertising revenue comes from high television ratings. Those ratings don’t show up for an LSU against Missouri matchup or a game between Georgia and Texas A&M. They instead come from the Iron Bowl or LSU versus Alabama games.

Super conferences threatened to jeopardize some of the game’s greatest rivalries, which would have, in turn, killed some interest for the game.

The other casualty in the conference realignment game would ultimately be the BCS. Many would celebrate the demise of college football’s current championship deciding system, but it would be a premature celebration.

There’s no denying that the BCS has its flaws. But it also provides fans with the most exciting regular season of any sport in the world. Implementing a playoff makes college football no different from the NFL, NBA, MLB or any other sports where fans don’t truly care until midway through the regular season, if not later.

Doing that makes the viewership of regular season games less important, and thus will not generate the revenue currently being shoveled in.

With money being the lowest common denominator in college football these days, Scott did what was not only best for his bottom line, but also what was also best for all the fans of the game and its history.

Rob Landry is a 23-year old mass communication senior from Mandeville, La. Follow him on Twitter @RobLandry85.

Contact Rob Landry at rlandry@lsureveille.com

battle in tourney Alex Cassara Sports Contributor

In their four years together at LSU, senior tennis captain Neal Skupski and senior Mark Bowtell have stood across the net from each other many times in practice, but never in a tournament.

The two friends were put SKUPSKI in that position last week at the Costa Mesa Classic in California. “[Playing against teammates] is very rare,” Skupski said. “It’s not really the best thing. … I live with Mark, he’s one of my good mates. It’s just one of the things you have to do, and I came out on top.”

Skupski and partner Chris Eaton of Great Britain defeated Bowtell and LSU freshman Chris Simpson in two sets, 4-6 and 6-4 (10-8), in the first round of the doubles main draw on Sept. 20.

Team scoring is not implemented in pro-circuit and fall collegiate tournaments, which serve as a warm up for the spring season. The result is a much more individual-oriented game where teammates and friends may be forced to compete against each other.

LSU coach Jeff Brown said had to fight back.” neither Simpson nor Bowtell has Skupski said the experience much background in doubles. was one he’d rather not repeat.

Skupski, on the other hand, was “It was a weird match,” a 2011 Intercollegiate Tennis As- Skupski said. “I don’t really want sociation Doubles All-American. that to happen again in the fuEaton and partner Dominic Inglot ture.” defeated the As a coach No. 1 seeded in this situation, pair at WimbleBrown said it’s best don in 2010. to stay neutral.

“It was “You don’t nerve-racking want to be seen as because I look playing favorites,” up to Neal as Brown said. “So team captain,” you sit as far away Neal Skupski Simpson said. as possible, jotting senior tennis captain “Going into it, things down to help we didn’t think them individually we could win. When we took the after the match.” first set we were like, ‘We may Assistant coach Danny Bryactually be able to win this.’” an found the situation humorous.

Skupski said he was sur“He thought it was funny,” prised by how well Simpson and Skupski said. “Mark hit a volBowtell played. ley and it hit me in the shoulder.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” Coach tweeted and said it hit me Skupski said. “They were saying in the face.” stuff the day before about how they were packing their bags, so I just thought they’d roll over and Contact Alex Cassara at give me the match easily. They acassara@lsureveille.com fought hard, and me and Chris

‘‘

‘It was a weird match. I don’t really want that to happen again in the future.’

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 smart players as well. I like this defense.”

While legendary names like watching the former Tiger teams.

“I remember all those guys,” defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, said Mathieu, whose seven ca- cornerback Corey Webster and reer forced fumbles ties a school safety LaRon Landry can be found record. “I try to mimic my game on the former championship rosafter all those guys and take pieces ters, Baker said what sets this deand parts of those games and put fense apart is the lack of individual it into my game. Those guys were standouts.

“I believe the difference bephysical. Those guys didn’t make a lot of mistakes, and I think our tween that defense and this defense is that we don’t have one certain defense is pretty much the same.” guy,” Baker said.

LSU’s scoring “We don’t have defense currently one impact guy. ranks No. 14 in We have a bunch the nation, allowof guys that can ing 14.3 points per ball.” game.

LSU coach If they continLes Miles, who ue at that rate, the has coached for Tigers would finJarrett Lee ish better than the more than 30 years senior quarterback at five different lo2007 squad, which gave up 19.9 points per game, and cations, praised the abilities of the a little behind 2003’s team, which 2011 squad, but said dubbing one better than another is too difficult. allowed 11 points per game.

“It’s hard for me because I am The current defense is also a step behind in the passing game, the LSU coach and I love every surrendering 235.75 yards per one of those teams,” Miles said. game, as opposed to 185 yards in “This defense is one of the fastest teams that I’ve had. There are 2003 and 182.7 yards in 2007.

Senior quarterback Jarrett more big-time plays made on this Lee, who was a redshirt freshman defense than I’ve been around for in 2007, said despite the numbers, a while. To compare it to other he feels the current defense may be great defenses here is hard for me to do. I’ve been very fortunate.” the best he’s ever been around.

“They’re close,” Lee said.

“This one is pretty good, if not better. We have some good players on this team defensively, and they’re really doing some good things for Contact Mark Clements at us right now. They’ve got some pretty physical players and some mclements@lsureveille.com

DEFENSE, from page 5

‘‘

‘This [defense] is pretty good, if not better.’

The Daily Reveille QUARTERBACKS, from page 5

In leading their respective teams to national championships, Mauck and Flynn were consistent, minimized mistakes and got the ball into the playmaker’s hands.

Lee said he’s aware of the comparison and talks with Flynn regularly.

“Matt was a smart quarterback and took care of the football,” Lee said. “You see where that got him. He’s been successful.”

Lee said as a quarterback, it’s not necessarily about having a dazzling stat line. “[You have to] be smart and just manage the game,” Lee said.

Lee endured a tumultuous freshman season, starting eight games, and fought for playing time during his sophomore and junior years.

“I feel like I’ve been here a long time,” Lee said. “I feel like a better player.”

While Lee isn’t among the nation’s top quarterbacks statistically, his teammates commend him for what he brings to the team.

“To us, he’s lighting up the stat sheet,” said sophomore running back Michael Ford. “He comes to the huddle with confidence.”

Ford said Lee has shown that he can keep the team together and focused throughout the game, regardless of the score.

Lee’s teammates also

page 7 recognize the comparison to Flynn’s 2007 season and how he managed the game.

“Jarrett has done a great job getting the ball to [the playmakers] just like Matt did,” senior offensive guard Will Blackwell said. “He’s very poised and composed in the huddle.”

Blackwell said Lee, who had 16 interceptions in 2008, looks more relaxed this year.

“I feel like Jarrett is on the same path [as Flynn],” Blackwell said. “It looks like he’s having a better time than he was back in 2008, and it’s just fun playing with him.”

Senior linebacker Ryan Baker said Lee’s composure on the field draws him into every offensive possession.

“Sometimes I just sit down and watch him play,” Baker said.

LSU coach Les Miles said Lee’s growth as a quarterback during his time in Baton Rouge is undeniable.

“He was baptized under fire in Tiger Stadium in this conference as a very young player with a team that may not be as talented as the team he’s currently quarterbacking,” Miles said. “He’s deserving of the success he’s having, and I’ve enjoyed his improvement.”

Contact Scott Branson at sbranson@lsureveille.com

THREAT, from page 5

out] Kadron Boone,” Shepard said. “This is possibly one of the best years since ’06-’07 that we’ve had the most talent at the receiver position.”

It’s no secret that LSU coach Les Miles’ offensive game plan is to wear the opposing team down with smashing runs up the middle and quick short passes.

Senior quarterback Jarrett Lee is tied for No. 94 in the country with Toledo junior quarterback Austin Dantin in yards per game at 156. However, Lee makes a considerable jump to No. 43 in passing efficiency [145.08] and a 64.4 completion percentage.

“In ’08, [Lee] beat Auburn and was on top, then through the season he was at the bottom of the pit,” Shepard said. “When you have a young man who’s been through things like that at such a young age, it takes a lot to shake somebody like him.”

The Tigers relatively conservative style of play has worked, as LSU has averaged 4.5 touchdowns and 350 yards of total offense per game. LSU has outscored opponents, 155-57, by an average of 24.5 points per game.

The Tigers will be tested this weekend as they take on a Kentucky team that’s ranked No. 14 in the nation in passing defense.

Contact Michael Gegenheimer at mgegenheimer@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Opinion

The

page 8

Peanut

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Gallery

What do you think of the recent changes made to Facebook?

Compiled by JOSH BERGERON

‘I like that the pictures are bigger and that you can subscribe to Sarah Finnegan your friends’ civil engineering junior updates.’

‘It is really messy. I don’t like the way it looks at all.’

Devin Fields

Libertarianism doesn’t work I know that this letter will stick in the craw of many of those who are part of the cult of Ron Paul, but Ron Paul’s ideas don’t work — never have and never will. Firstly, Ron Paul is running as a Republican and not a libertarian. He likes to couch his rhetoric with libertarian talking points, but let’s be honest, if — and this is huge IF — Ron Paul were to ever win the presidency as a Republican, you can bet his administration would find, just as the Obama administration has found, that change in the U.S. system of government doesn’t come in sweeping movements, and that individual actors, even the U.S. President, despite a strong desire, are not capable of creating rapid change.

We have a system that is designed to mute rapid change. Until those systemic issues are addressed there will be no quick fixes; no sweeping change. But here is the kicker, Ron Paul is a Republican and the Republican Party doesn’t want to bring down the system. The system works quite well for what the modern Republican Party stands for:

economic inequality and the ability to buy support via special interest groups such as the NRA or Tea Party and the use of the state to force conservative social agenda on all of the people of the USA. However, let’s return to the topic of Dr. Paul. I have noticed that many of the Paulites often speak in slogans. This is just how the communists spoke prior to their 1917 revolution. Dr. Ron Paul is in many ways like Vladimir Lennon in 1910.

He has what sounds like great ideas on the surface, but lacks the ability to do anything more than talk about what is wrong with the current system. He cannot point to one example of a working libertarian system of government. Nor can he point to any system that partially uses libertarian economic theory. That is scary, folks, and it is puzzling why so many seem drawn to his ideas like moths to a flame.

Libertarianism, like communism, works well in the lab but once it is put to the test of the real world it falls apart, and what is left — what actually becomes the functioning libertarian government — is one that gives no recourse to those being exploited or treated unjustly. I know it is easy for an 18 to 25 year old to think that they never will need government. This invincibility mindset is why the Army likes to recruit

18-year-old males.

Outside of being physically capable, 18 to 25 year olds will take more risks and act in ways that others who are older and perhaps a bit wiser would not. To me this is why so many college age kids support Ron Paul. They have never, by and large, had to deal with a company dumping pollutant in their back yards. They have never, by and large, had to deal with a for-profit healthcare system that is seeking to boost their profits by cutting services and penalizing use. They have never, by and large, had to face an employer who desired their employees to work in unsafe conditions, and they have never been in a place where they had no choice but to accept those conditions due to financial obligations. In other words, it is easy to be a libertarian when you have not had deal with life, just like it is easy to be a libertarian when you are independently wealthy.

Our political process is not perfect, but until we stop demanding from it what it cannot produce, we will not be able to focus on what is possible, and we will always be upset at what we have. Libertarianism doesn’t work. If you think it does open your U.S. History books back to the 1890s and read why they called it the gilded age. Also pick up a copy of “The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair.

Do we really want to go back to a

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 day when 8-year-old children were forced to work 15 hour days out of economic necessity? Do we want to go back to a system that allowed free enterprise a free hand in doing what it wants with only the strongest public outrage serving as check to their schemes?

I know many here in Louisiana grew up learning politics from very conservative parents and thus have from a very early age self-identified with conservative politics. I know this is why many feel naturally compelled to embrace Ron Paul — he is a conservative; he is safe. All I ask is for you to tune out the slogans, the rhetoric and do something that you should be doing now, at the University, and think for yourself.

Just because you believe that pot should be legalized or LGBT folks should be free to marry whom they want, doesn’t mean that you have to get on board with a guy who ultimately supports kids in the coal pits, polluters’ right to pollute and CEOs who act like the robber barons of old.

John Hansen 2008 LSU graduate

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

political science junior

‘Technology is all about change. If you can’t adapt you just stay ignorant in your ways.’

Brian Sain English senior

‘I really don’t mind.

It doesn’t matter to me’ Anastasia Watts accounting junior

Courtney Douglas psychology senior

‘[It] allows people to stalk their friends more easily and see what they are doing.’

SHOCKINGLY SIMPLE

Male birth control would allow shared risks

A reliable and reversible male contraceptive has eluded researchers for the past several decades, but recent discoveries hold promise for a male birth-control pill to appear on the market in the next few years.

Unfortunately, the male birth-control pill still faces plenty of biological and psychological challenges.

The invention of the female birth-control pill in the 1960s sparked a wave of social change as women took control of their reproductive rights for the first time. A male oral contraceptive would not have as drastic an impact on social norms, but would still provide men with more control over family planning.

The rise of a male contraceptive would also raise questions regarding which member of a couple should be responsible for birth control. Women are often expected to be on birth control while prudent men provide extra security with a condom, but a male pill could shift this paradigm.

If a male birth-control pill has either the same or less severe side effects than its female counterpart, men should be under as much of a moral

The Daily Reveille Editorial Board

Matthew Jacobs Chris Branch Ryan Buxton Marissa Barrow Sydni Dunn Devin Graham

Editor-in-Chief Associate Managing Editor Associate Managing Editor Managing Editor, External Media News Editor Opinion Editor

obligation to utilize it as women, but I am afraid this theory will not see widespread practice.

While male birth-control pills have been held up in development due to the scientific challenges of stopping 300 million sperm compared to a single egg, social challenges exist as well. Many pharmaceutical ANDREW companies are SHOCKEY not convinced Columnist male birth control would be profitable.

According to a 2004 survey by the Center for Epidemiology & Health Research in Berlin, attitudes toward male birth control vary greatly by region. Spanish men were most receptive to male birth control with 71 percent approval, while Indonesian men were least receptive with only 28 percent approving of male birth control. American men fell between these two extremes with 49 percent willing to use new male birth control.

Unfortunately for scientists developing male birth control, when these men were asked to rank condoms against a daily pill, monthly injection or an annual implant, condoms came out on top in all nine countries surveyed. The survey did not ask respondents if they preferred condoms solely for birth control or if they were also using them to prevent sexually transmitted infections, but in general male birth-control pills have a long way to go before they become as ubiquitous as condoms or their female counterparts.

A lack of funding has also stalled many efforts to formulate effective reversible male birth control and has caused the male pill to be “five years away” for at least two decades. Male birth control may finally be getting the push it needs from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is sponsoring a conference in October showcasing the latest male fertility research.

The most established technique uses hormones to halt sperm production in much the same way the pill uses hormones to stop a woman’s body from releasing eggs. Other

Editorial Policies & Procedures

The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University.

The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the original intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor-in-chief, hired every semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

methods prevent sperm from developing properly through several drug options or even ultrasound treatment.

Questions about the potential side effects of these treatments abound, especially hormone treatments, which modify levels of testosterone and progestin to halt sperm production. A substantial portion of men would likely never consider such a treatment if there was even the slightest possibility it could be irreversible, but would at the same time expect their female partners to risk potentially dangerous side effects to prevent pregnancy.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 49 percent of pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. Hopefully a male pill can help cut this rate while allowing couples to share birth control risks.

Andrew Shockey is a 21 year-old biological engineering junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Ashockey.

Contact Andrew Shockey at ashokey@lsureveille.com

Quote of the Day “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson American poet May 25, 1803 — April 27, 1882

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

THE BOTTOM LINE

Opinion

page 9

Barring free trade and buying American can hurt the US Slipping away from the traditional nap, the ravishing Scarlett O’Hara descends down the stairs of the Hamilton Estate and overhears men speaking. A man named Rhett Butler — that is, Clark Gable — is explaining his opinion on the Civil War. The North, not having slaves, developed machinery to refine the production process. The South, on the other hand, is filled with cigar-puffing plantation owners and slaves. Not only is machinery more efficient and technologically advanced, it produces the kind of things needed for war.

Namely, not cotton and a refined taste for cigars.

The North specialized in factory production and, to a large extent, its naval fleet. This means, Mr. Butler explains, the North can not only trade for anything it needs, but it can block off Southern ports to prevent their use.

In other words, the South began the war with a huge disadvantage because of its choice in specialization and inability to trade

during the war.

The North wins the war, and while there are a myriad of explanations for any major military victory, the benefit of cleverly crafted, “Gone with the Wind”-era economics didn’t hurt.

In modern America, we face schism less often — save when Rick Perry hints at a United State of Texas — and as far as resources Devin Graham go, we’re doing Opinion Editor pretty well. Both the wide variety and immense size of our landscape yield a large basket of resources for the red, white and blue.

And here we are, enjoying the Land of the Free and all she has to offer — or all we can rape and pillage from the land — and foreign countries like China have to ruin it for the rest of us with absurdly low prices.

So, we fight like hell and buy American. Hell yeah.

Occasionally, other countries specialize in producing a certain good. Saudi oil, for example, is so cheap that even Texas can’t mess with it.

Specialization allows countries to spend infrastructure money and labor on developing the best ways to harness a particular resource, like steel or oil. Occasionally, it’s a flatscreen TV or an iPaid-too-much. It doesn’t really matter.

Foreign companies enter U.S. markets with lower prices — usually much lower — in a process sometimes called (crudely) “dumping.”

To fight back, we place trade barriers like tariffs on foreign goods to even up the game a bit.

But these trade barriers nearly always hurt much more than they help.

Let’s say Boeing is looking to buy some steel for its larger-thanlife planes. They want to buy American because, well, “Hell yeah. ’Merica.” But Chinese steel is much cheaper. Or it would be, without the 30 percent tariff on it.

And that’s the point. Tariffs tax foreign goods to encourage spending on domestic goods, and Uncle Sam takes a little off the top. Everybody wins.

But by forcing companies to pay higher prices — especially for comparable resources — we can actually do a great deal of harm to the American economic system.

Boeing, now paying artificially high prices for its inputs, may have to lay off several thousand American workers to make up for the difference. Or maybe they’ll loosen the safety standards so they can keep the workers, but with fewer hours.

Who knows?

When we “buy American” in order to support our country, we’re not always doing the best for America. Frequently, we’re supporting low-efficiency businesses. Consider the alternative: Even if we didn’t buy American steel, and an American steel company went out of business, those workers would stay unemployed for a short time and move on to other, more competitive industries.

In other words, we do more for American jobs and competitiveness by buying what we would anyway, without the well-intentioned but misguided selectiveness at the register.

As for the “running deficit,” it’s a nonsensical point. I continuously run a deficit with my barber, but face no financial trouble from it.

Even importing many more goods than we export to countries like China, it’s the big picture that matters. A trade deficit with one country is not a problem.

Setting tariffs on imports and barring free trade, even just “buying American“ works against us at a critical point in U.S. economics.

So, support America. Buy Chinese.

Devin Graham is a 22-year-old economics senior from Prairieville, La. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_DGraham.

Contact Devin Graham at dgraham@lsureveille.com

BERXERXES

Mississippi’s proposed personhood laws aren’t productive

It’s hard hailing from one of the most backward states in the country.

Growing up in God’s country under the omnipresent protection of a holy ghost, the only sexual education that didn’t stem from my own curiosity can be summed up in three words.

Xerxes A. “Don’t do it.”

Wilson Now, with Columnist the nation’s highest teen pregnancy rates, depressingly high unplanned pregnancy rates and a bevy of other sexual health problems, the God-fearing political clout of Mississippi seeks once again to “outsmart” Roe v. Wade.

Perhaps “outdumb” would be a better description, as the citizens of Mississippi will vote in November on the personhood measure to define life from the moment of fertilization.

These personhood mandates have failed twice in Colorado, but advocates will now try the water in a land short on rational thought where even Democrats are far too often afraid to speak out for a woman’s rights for fear of the political lynch mob.

This measure will redefine the word “person” through the state’s Bill of Rights to include “all human beings from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

Supporters of the measure like Republican Congressman Steven Palazzo, who rode into Washington with the rest of the tea party dunces,

say the measure will end the “genocide” of abortion by labeling a fertilized embryo as a person “just like you and me.”

While Palazzo may be right in that his intelligence is that of an unborn embryo, the mandate ignores a few distinctions such as abortions in the case of rape or when the mother’s life is threatened.

So what if a few mothers die for another person’s religious convictions? So what if a rape victim desperately seeks emergency contraceptives?

There is some irony that a state that abhors “government intrusion” is now seeking absolute intrusion from the time an embryo is fertilized.

I’ll leave it to scientists and the trolls on The Daily Reveille’s comments page to bicker about when life truly begins, but I can’t help but feel this is a misguided measure and that my state is stuck in a perpetual state of confusion with no direction toward progression.

Abortion-rights advocates feel the language is so vague it could be used to outlaw birth-control pills, as sometimes these pills stop the implantation of a fertilized egg, effectively causing an intentional miscarriage.

Mississippi has the highest teen birth rate in the country, with more than 65 births for every 1,000 teenagers from 15 to 19 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Furthermore, an abysmal rate of unplanned pregnancies is evidence that the state is already deficient in sexual education and only going to

get worse if focus is put on useless and dangerous measures like this.

Opponents reason that the bill could be used to stifle in-vitro fertilizations, as multiple embryos are fertilized through the process to ensure success. Passage of this law would make in-vitro fertilization much more difficult and raise interesting questions about who is liable for the embryos that are ultimately not used.

Also, you can forget about stem cell research — not that science carries much value there.

Opponents of the measure have also raised more entertaining legal

questions that will arise if the measure passes.

What rights will an embryo have when it is fertilized? Will the mother be charged with involuntary manslaughter if there is a miscarriage? What property rights will embryos have, and should they be counted in population tallies?

Humor aside, the measure is a selfish move on the part of Mississippi politicians pandering to the radical right base while ignoring the needs of women, and it will only exacerbate sexual education deficiencies in the state for religious

purposes.

It appears little has changed since I left home.

Xerxes Wilson is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Lucedale, Miss. Follow him on Twitter @Ber_Xerxes.

Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com

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The Daily Reveille

page 10

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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011 UNION, from page 1

effectiveness of faculty unions for all universities and said faculty senates often lose importance when unions arise.

“I’ve never discovered a place where the faculty union could document making the place better off,” Martin said. “The University is much better run through shared governance and cooperation.”

Russo said LSUnited grew out of a Faculty Senate committee last year, when they concluded that faculty couldn’t have “meaningful representation without contract basis in law.”

“The Faculty Senate is successful when the administration permits it to be successful,” Russo said.

“Anything that it does has to go through the filter of administration.

They can only get as far as the administration will allow them to get.”

But Martin maintained that there is “no evidence” of faculty unions advancing rights for faculty and that Louisiana is a right-to-work state, not a union state.

Russo said a large, well-organized group of people can confront Louisiana’s barriers, but the Faculty Senate is not one of those groups.

“The belief that the Faculty Senate can represent faculty is a misunderstanding of where authority resides,” Russo said. “I daresay it doesn’t reside with the chancellor. It resides at the state Capitol.”

Kevin Cope, president of the Faculty Senate, agreed and said

The Daily Reveille

‘‘

University administrators should about the effectiveness and purpose be advised that, regardless of Gov. of a faculty union, Martin said he Bobby Jindal’s rejects all requests for efforts to thwart payroll deductions exhigher educacept for United Way, tion funding, a decision made long LSUnited is reago. cruiting faculty “I’m not going to members from keep adding payroll across the state deduction systems to to join the union the payroll of LSU,” cause.

Martin said. “It’s not Cope said anti-union; it’s antithe state’s body bureaucracy.”

Michael Martin of higher eduRusso said paychancellor cation is direcroll deductions could tionless because Jindal continues to spread payment periods over nine or chastise higher education personnel 12 months, making it easier for facbut does not equip them with re- ulty to pay. sources for change.

“The idea of a payroll deducDespite diverging opinions tion is to make it convenient for the

‘The University is much better run through shared governance and cooperation [rather than faculty unions].’

page 11 members,” Russo said.

Martin pointed to other avenues people can use to avoid this “bureaucracy,” like PayPal accounts and debit cards.

The payroll deduction decision now lies with the LSU System Board of Supervisors, though it is unclear when the board will address the decision. Charles Zewe, vice president of communications and external affairs for the Board of Supervisors, said the agenda for the next meeting has not yet been set.

Martin said he thinks the Board of Supervisors is not interested in adding bureaucracy to the University.

Contact Andrea Gallo at agallo@lsureveille.com

page 12

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, September 28, 2011