LSUREVEILLE.COM: See extended coverage of the Student Media SG runoff debate, including a video, blog and commentary by Reveille and SG representatives.
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Countries with the most international students attending LSU for spring 2011
1. China
2. India
Water Polo: New club sport gains popularity, p. 7 Tuesday, March 29, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 116
Far From Home International student population adds culture, diversity to campus
5. Nepal
71 65 55 280 367 Total number of students from each country at the University
Sarah Lawson Editor-in-Chief
Irfan Thakur, an electrical engineering senior from Tanzania, transferred to LSU after a year in Texas. At the University of Texas at Dallas, Thakur was only allowed to register for general education classes, and he wasn’t able to begin engineering classes for his major. However, Thakur discovered he could also enroll at Brookhaven College, a community college in Dallas, and take his required engineering courses. After hearing about Thakur’s experiences, a family friend who was also a LSU graduate recommended Thakur consider attending LSU. When Thakur discovered LSU also offered more transfer credits, he said he decided to enroll at the University. Of the six semesters Thakur has spent in the U.S., he has attended four at LSU. “I like that LSU is an athletic university,” Thakur said. “It seems much more active than other universities.” The cultural gumbo of Louisiana is augmented on campus by a large number of international students, INTERNATIONAL, see page 15
RECALL, see page 15
Contributing Writer
4. Iran
Error drops Miss LSU winner to last place As the dust settled around a bizarre scoring mishap that resulted in a recall of the 2011 Miss LSU-USA pageant crown, Sunday night’s original winner found herself in last place and looking for answers. Kaitlynn Fish, communication studies junior, was crowned Miss LSU-USA in the annual pageant Sunday in the Student Union Theater before judges realized a mistake in the Top 5 rankings and recanted the announcements offstage. Accounting sophomore Christina Famularo officially won the title after originally receiving first runner-up. “I am pleased to have participated in Miss LSU, but I am extremely disappointed that the management of the judging process of this pageant was mishandled. I have been given no explanation as to who was responsible or how and why this happened,” Fish said in an e-mail to The
Kate Mabry
3. Republic of Korea
PAGEANT MIXUP
Source: LSU Office of Budget and Planning; graphic by ANNIE HUNDLEY / The Daily Reveille
SG RUNOFF ELECTIONS How have online videos affected your campaign?
What makes your VP candidate a better running mate?
What makes you different from the other candidate?
Jones said there are “pros and cons.” He would probably vote against any legislative action in SG Senate, “which is why we need more emphasis on safety if we’re disallowing students the right to bear arms.”
“Social media is huge,” Jones said. He said this year’s election season gave the candidates “significantly less time to get the word out.” He and Brister made both comedic and serious videos, and he said he hasn’t gotten any negative feedback.
Jones called Brister “passionate, resilient and dedicated.” His main reason for running with her is knowing “she’ll listen and take to heart” student issues, and she’ll always be there for him and stand by their administration’s decisions, he said.
He said it’s a “pushcard issue,” and it comes down to having a “united front.” He said Wells cannot expect to unite the campus while he sits on the Board of Supervisors seat, which is why he and Brister are “committed to leaving politics aside to focus solely on defining our future.”
Wells called himself “a strong supporter of Second-Amendment rights,” as he is a hunter and a National Rifle Association member. “I’m OK with people carrying guns on campus but not in University buildings,” Wells said.
Wells said videos affect students because “students are looking for a leader that’s real. Students are looking for someone who can connect with them and not just shove a pushcard in their face.” He said he and Bordelon plan to have “weekly video addresses on YouTube” and make LSU broadcast system e-mails more geared toward social media.
“Kathleen is a much more qualified candidate due to her experience working directly with students and her passion to serve in a humble way,” Wells said. He also said in Louisiana, people often ask, “At the end of the day, who would you rather have a drink with?” He said, “I’d pick Kathleen.”
“The seat of the president carries a lot of power. The reason people are on our team in because we’re giving that power to them.” He said his campaign includes every demographic on campus.
How do you feel about guns on campus?
David Jones and Kacey Brister
“Defining Our Future”
Cody Wells and Kathleen Bordelon
“Together LSU”
VOTE for SG President and VP today at lsu.edu/sgelections, and read about the Wells/Jones debate at lsureveille.com.