IN THIS ISSUE
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• LSU’s Fournette and University of Alabama’s Derrick Henry face off in statistical dead heat, page 5
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Reveille The Daily
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2015 ADMINISTRATION
lsureveille.com/daily
thedailyreveille
• OPINION: Adele’s megahit ‘Hello’ proves rare talent, longevity, page 9 • OPINION: General education required classes waste tuition dollars, page 12
@lsureveille
ACADEMICS
U.S. Dept. of Education investigating university
Outer schools generate revenue for LSU System Most of funding drawn from state appropriations, self-generated revenue
Office of Civil Rights looks at possible Title IX violation BY CAITIE BURKES @caitie1221 The U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is investigating LSU for an alleged violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, according to a letter from the department addressed to LSU President F. King Alexander. The letter, dated Aug. 1, informed Alexander the Department of Education received a formal complaint of discrimination from a student who claimed LSU discriminated against her based on her gender, breaking Title IX regulations. The letter states the complainant alleged LSU failed to respond in a “prompt and appropriate manner” when the student notified campus authorities of her March 28 rape in her dormitory. A “forcible rape” was reported in Baton Rouge General Medical Center at 10:58 a.m. March 28, according to the LSUPD crime log. After reviewing the complaint and other information regarding the complaint, OCR initiated an investigation to determine if LSU failed to appropriately respond to the report and other similar reports filed by students and whether that alleged failure “caused one or more students to be (or continue to be) subjected to a sexually hostile environment…,” according to the letter. In the letter, OCR requested the university provide information relevant to the investigation and resolution of the student’s complaint. “...OCR also has a right to review personally identifiable records without regards to considerations of privacy or confidentiality,” the letter reads. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act grants
see TITLE IX, page 4
Volume 120 · No. 49
thedailyreveille
THEY SEE ME
ROLLING
Self-balancing scooters become transportation of choice on campus STORY BY KAYLA RANDALL @kay_ran21 If you’re awake and not skipping class, chances are you’ve seen a new form of transportation across campus. Whether it be PhunkeeDucks, IO Hawks, Oxboards, AirBoards, Monorovers or hundreds of others, the selfbalancing electric scooter has officially taken over as the latest trend in transportation technology. Countless celebrities rocked them on Instagram and Twitter, and Jamie Foxx rode one onto the “Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Self-balancing electric scooters are especially popular among athletes, originating with Cleveland Cavaliers
Business freshman Kendal Wambsgans
Biology senior Kenneth Smith
PHOTOS BY KAREN WELSH @karen_marie_photography sharpshooter J.R. Smith. During this year’s NBA Finals, Smith rolled into Quicken Loans READ INSIDE Arena for Game 4 Read one on a PhunkeeDuck columnist’s take and caught the enon self-balancing scooters and their tire Internet’s atplace on campus, tention. After lospage 13 ing the Finals in six games, Smith rolled out of Quicken Loans Arena and off into the sunset for the summer offseason on his scooter. What Smith didn’t know would
see SCOOTERS, page 4
Marketing junior Silas DeJean, international trade and finance junior Garrett House
BY KACI CAZENAVE @kacicaz The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center and LSU AgCenter generate large amounts of revenue within the LSU System, according to the 2014-15 semiannual financial reports. Despite their recent financial realignment with the main campus, the centers’ annual revenues are still calculated and reported independently of LSU’s restricted and unrestricted revenues. The 2014-15 semiannual financial report, which ended June 30, shows the Law Center brought in $24.7 million in unrestricted revenue within the aforementioned financial period despite financial challenges, causing the Law Center to raise tuition. This revenue amount is nearly the same as it was in the 2013-14 fiscal year for this reason. Gregory Smith, associate dean for business and financial affairs for the Law Center, said the tuition increase is something the Law Center applied for through LSU out of a need to self-generate revenue after state appropriations were cut by about 25 percent. “We had to self-generate, and the way to do this would be through increasing tuition and fees or having larger class sizes while holding tuition and fees constant,” Smith said. “We thought class size wouldn’t change much, that we’d still have to deal with the problem of state revenues declining, so this is what was chosen.” While there were several tuition increases over time, one of the most recent requests Law Center representatives made in July 2013 saw a 5 percent raise in tuition rates after the school suffered a reduction in state financial support.
see REVENUE, page 4