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THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
Volume 114, Issue 64
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
SECURITY
SG trying to fund additional cameras By Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writer
popularity, the University is implementing a new online resgistration system. Lynne Maxwell, leisure classes coordinator, said the new user-friendly system — which starts Dec. 4 with the spring registration — will look more like an online shopping Web site, allowing users to drag classes into their “cart.” Users can also enroll multiple people at once, rather than the old system that only allowed single registration. The system also features a waiting list, she said. “Most people like to sign up in groups,” she said. “With the old system, it wouldn’t tell them how many spots were available, so some people in the group couldn’t get in to the
The University may have more security cameras in hopes of keeping on-campus residents and students safer.. Student Government is sifting through funding and logistical issues to add security cameras outside residential halls in an effort to raise the overall level of safety on campus, said Jordan Milazzo, SG director of campus development. Milazzo said the new cameras would be placed in prime locations near residential halls and on-campus apartments to help prevent theft and similar crimes. Milazzo and SG President Stuart Watkins have met with LSU Police Department and Residential Life about the cameras — which is an initiative on Watkins’ push card. SG is exploring how to raise $50,000 to help fund the cameras. SG Vice President Martina Scheuermann presented the issue to the Student Technology Fee Committee on Friday but said the money will have to come from somewhere else. Scheuermann said the tech fee funds technology that enhances learning, not security. SG was not able to raise funding from the Tech Fee Committee, but Watkins said he is confident the funds can be found through other means. Milazzo said it’s unclear how many cameras $50,000 can purchase because the costs of the cameras fluctuate depending on location. “You have to look at if the camera is here, then will it need a new power source installed for it, and will there need to be another pole put in the ground,” Milazzo said. “It varies a huge range because it can go from a few hundred bucks up to $10,000 in a few cases.” Milazzo said ResLife pledged to match whatever SG raised and agreed to cover recurring costs with security cameras during the years as they need repairing. “Whenever I come to campus I always park on the north side,” said Samer Hussein, electrical engineering senior. “There should be more
LEISURE, see page 15
CAMERAS, see page 15
KRISTEN M’LISSA ROWLETT / The Daily Reveille
A Student Health Center employee displays a vial of the H1N1 vaccine Monday. The SHC received about 3,000 doses of the vaccine to distribute on campus.
Health Center to start H1N1 vaccinations Mon. By Adam Duvernay Senior Staff Writer
The Student Health Center received its first shipment of H1N1 vaccines Thursday night after several weeks of uncertain waiting. Julie Hupperich, associate director of the Health Center, said the shipment of 3,000 vaccines is being stored for student and faculty distribution starting Monday, Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving holiday. Distribution of the injectable inoculations will be available to students and faculty
free of charge, Hupperich said. Students and faculty who look to receive inoculations can visit the Wellness Education Department, Suite 2 on the ground floor of the Health Center between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. next week. The distribution method will be modeled after previous weeks of vaccination in October when students could show up at the Health Center and simply request a vaccination without an appointment, Hupperich said. VACCINES, see page 15
EFFECTS OF H1N1 ON CAMPUS July 14: First case of H1N1 reported at LSU August 16: 20 sorority girls report flu-like symptoms August 23: Student Health Center confirms more than 70 cases of Type A influenza on campus August 31: Student Health Center reports more than 200 cases of Type A influenza on campus September 23: Student Health Center stops testing for H1N1 virus October 21: Student Health Center begins distributing season flu vaccines November 13: Student Health Center confirms 1,251 cases of Type A influenza on campus November 19: H1N1 vaccines arrive at the Student Health Center
EDUCATION
Leisure classes offer stress-free learning New registration system to go in effect Dec. 4 By Steven Powell Contributing Writer
SHAINA HUNTSBERRY / The Daily Reveille
Wardrobe consultant Geamie Glaser, left, shows off local fashion trends during a leisure class Saturday in Tureaud Hall.
Students trying to escape grades and tests can turn to another alternative to fill the need to learn — LSU leisure classes. As leisure classes — which include craft and design, family matters, food, wine and spirits, health and fitness, hobbies and home improvement, language and culture, money and professional growth, music, sports and writing and communication skills — grow in
THE DAILY REVEILLE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
Nation & World
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
At least 21 killed in election day massacre in the Philippines
Obama calls security meeting about Afghanistan
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Gunmen ambushed a caravan of political supporters and journalists on their way to file election papers Monday, killing at least 21 people in a massacre considered shocking even for a region notorious for violence between rival clans.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama called his war council together Monday as he moves toward a decision on whether to add more U.S. forces in Afghanistan. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said he’s not aware of any more such strategy sessions being scheduled, the latest signal that Obama is closing in on a revamped war strategy after several weeks of review. Gibbs said the soonest Obama would announce a decision would be next week.
Bombings, shootings kill 12 across Afghanistan KABUL (AP) — Bombings and shootings killed 12 people across Afghanistan, including four American troops and three children, as President Barack Obama reconvened his war council Monday to fine-tune a strategy to respond to the intransigent violence. Obama is considering sending tens of thousands more troops to fight a virulent insurgency, and pressure has been mounting for a decision. NATO is calling on allied nations to add to their military presence.
Feds find link between imported Chinese drywall, corrosion WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The federal government said Monday that it has found a “strong association” between problematic Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.
In its second report on the potentially defective building materials, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said its investigation also has found a “possible” link between health problems reported by homeowners and higherthan-normal levels of hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the wallboard coupled with formaldehyde, which is commonly found in new houses. Wis. man charged for allegedly having child porn shrine MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man transformed his apartment into a pornographic shrine to young girls, arranging mannequins in a sex act and setting up a bed covered with stuffed animals, investigators said Monday. Kevin M. Derks’ collection featured photographs of Hollywood starlets, including a poster of actresses Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen with a caption inviting himself to join in sex acts with them.
STATE/LOCAL
Stronger monitoring of state contracts urged
Jindal gives up $30,000 in campaign cash
(AP) — A government cost-cutting panel wants tightened monitoring of the thousands of contracts, totaling millions, that state government agencies enter into each year. The Commission on Streamlining Government says the Legislature’s joint budget committee should sign off on any consulting contracts costing $50,000 or more before an agency can make the arrangement. The commission agreed to that recommendation Monday. Treasurer John Kennedy, an outspoken member of the commission, has questioned hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts for education programs, public relations firms and social services programs. Kennedy calls much of the spending wasteful. The move to clamp down on contract monitoring comes even as the commission is pushing agencies to hire more outside contractors and shrink the state job force.
(AP) — Gov. Bobby Jindal is donating $30,000 in campaign donations to charity after the Florida donor was accused of orchestrating a $1 billion Ponzi scheme. The money was funneled to Jindal’s campaign by Scott Rothstein, a south Florida lawyer. Rothstein served as co-host of an Alachua, Fla., fundraiser for Jindal in October 2008 held in connection with the LSU-Florida football game. Rothstein has since been accused by federal authorities of selling investments in nonexistent legal settlements.
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TODAY
La. urges Corps to stop wasting sediments NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State officials are urging the Army Corps of Engineers to stop discarding sediment it dredges from the Mississippi River and use more of it to restore eroded wetlands.
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CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
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POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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PAGE 3
HOLIDAY
Faculty Club kicks off Thanksgiving with annual buffet By Mary Walker Baus Staff Writer
There are always turkey leftovers after Thanksgiving. But LSU Dining began its annual Thanksgiving Buffet on Monday for students who can’t wait to get their turkey fix. The buffet will continue today and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Faculty Club. “It sells out every year,” said David Heidke, LSU Dining director. “It’s just a wonderful tradition that we’re happy to continue to do. It’s open to everyone. We do get a number of off-campus guests.” The Faculty Club Thanksgiving Buffet, which costs $14.99 per person, features a menu of hot cranberry juice, roasted butternut squash soup, a fall harvest salad with apple vinaigrette, blueberry and cornbread stuffed pork loin, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sugarcane roasted potatoes, orange muffins and rolls, assorted desserts and roasted turkey with giblet gravy. “It’s Thanksgiving, and we like to try and offer the University
ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille
Students line up to get their Thanksgiving meal Monday in the Faculty Club. The Thanksgiving Buffet will continue today and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
an opportunity to come in and have a traditional Thanksgiving meal,” said Charles Casrill, Faculty Club director. “Some people don’t have the opportunity to get home, and it kicks off the holiday for them.” Casrill said the Faculty Club has served a Thanksgiving buffet for at least 20 years.
Sarah Edwards, nutritional sciences junior, said the Faculty Club is fancier than she originally thought with white table cloths, silverware and a formally dressed staff. Edwards said LSU Dining includes the entire community in the Thanksgiving holiday by providing opportunities to serve
Thanksgiving menus. Jonathan Miller, Faculty Club restaurant and catering manager, said in addition to students, faculty and staff, many Baton Rouge families come to enjoy the buffet. Heidke said all the dining facilities will be closed Thursday and Friday during the Thanksgiving holidays. He said LSU Dining already collaborated a Thanksgiving meal with Residential Life during the first week of November. Heidke said the two departments didn’t want students to have too much turkey at one time, so they held a celebration earlier in the month. Nguyen Lam, nutritional sciences junior, said LSU Dining needs to do a better job of marketing and planning meals like the Thanksgiving Buffet to “make them more available” to students. “[The Thanksgiving Buffet] is a prize for college students,” Lam said. “It’s still a work in progress. There needs to be more student involvement.” The Magnolia Room Restaurant in the LSU Student Union will
feature a Thanksgiving menu today as well. The restaurant will serve turkey and andouille gumbo, holiday ham with pineapple, turkey and giblet gravy, cornbread dressing, candied yams with marshmallows and pecans, green bean casserole and assorted desserts. “[The Magnolia Room] is substituting a Thanksgiving menu for the regular menu,” said Jeri McCullough, LSU Dining marketing director. “When you celebrate Thanksgiving, you do it with food. We want to keep it with that trend.” McCullough said LSU Dining’s Thanksgiving menu options give all students a chance to experience Thanksgiving dinner. Cash, Paw Points, TigerCASH, credit cards and checks are all accepted payment options in both the Faculty Club and Magnolia Room Restaurant.
Contact Mary Walker Baus at mwbaus@lsureveille.com
ACADEMICS
Business College ranks in ‘Top Business Schools’ By Olga Kourilova Contributing Writer
The E.J. Ourso School of Business moved up one spot from last year to No. 48 out of 54 schools on Eduniversal Palmes 2009 rankings of internationally known U.S. institutes released Oct. 26 at its annual convention in Cape Cod, Mass. The college fell into the league of “Top Business Schools.” Selected deans from 1,000 business schools voted to give their recommendations about the business schools within the official selection. The Web site said deans were asked, “Which business school(s) would you recommend to anyone wishing to study in this country?” The official selection of 1,000 business schools is based on a study by the International Scientific Committee gathered by SMBG, the parent company of Eduniversal and French consultancy in orientation and human resources. Deans were not expected to vote for every country and were not allowed to recommend more than 50 percent of business schools in a selected country. “In the 2008 rankings, 41 percent of the Eduniversal voters
recognized our excellence,” said LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business Dean Eli Jones. “This year, that number increased to 50 percent.” The College is currently working on an international business program and creating alliances with universities in China and Brazil to provide for exchanges among students and faculty, said Robert Justis, Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute director and management professor. “We’re also encouraging our students to learn foreign languages,” he said. Multilingual students will
benefit the international business environment, Justis said. Jones’ good communication skills are another advantage of the college, he said. “We’re in the process of getting the word out about what we’re doing here,” Justis said. The rankings may help the College become better-known internationally, he said. The College of Business received four out of five Palmes, which indicate the level of an institution’s international reputation. The highest category is “Universal business schools with major international influence,” and the lowest
category is “Good business schools with regional influence.” The United States had the most universities in the official selection with 156, followed by China with 55, France with 52, India with 51 and the United Kingdom with 50. This fall, 51 of the 1,720 undergraduates enrolled in the College of Business are international students. The College of Engineer-
ing hosts the most international students of any LSU college with 125 this semester. The top three business schools globally are Harvard Business School, London Business School and Copenhagen Business School. Contact Olga Kourilova at okourilova@lsureveille.com
Mellow Mushroom Pint Night...FREE Glass with Draft. Plucker’s Wing Bar Monday: $14.99 All you can eat wings and $3 Plucker’s Lemonades Tuesday: $2.50 Mexican Beers and Margaritas Wednesday: Trivia at 8PM. $4 Mother Plucker Mugs Thursday: $15.99 All you can eat wings. $4 Mother Plucker Mugs. $3 Margaritas and Plucker’s Lemonades
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THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 4
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
PHILANTHROPY
Sigma Phi Omega collecting old cell phones in service drive By Sarah Eddington Contributing Writer
Jennifer Warnke was struck by a vehicle on Sept. 28 while she was walking down the street. She sustained a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma for several weeks. Warnke — a 24-year-old Texas resident — has two sons and no health insurance. But Katie Cherry, psychology professor and family friend of Warnke, launched a service drive Monday through the Honor Society of Gerontology, Sigma Phi Omega, to offset the victim’s medical expenses. Cherry said the drive will collect old cell phones and used inkjet cartridges to be recycled. The money raised will directly credit Warnke’s medical account. Donation bins are located outside 119 Hodges, 142 Agricultural Administration Building, 219 Audubon Hall and 141 Huey P. Long Fieldhouse. Warnke is currently undergoing rehabilitation at Quentin Mease Community Hospital in Houston, where her stepmother, Amy Warnke, said she seems to be making gradual
progress. She is scheduled to return home today. “Medicaid becomes exhausted after in-hospital stay after a certain amount of time, and she must be out of the hospital for 30 days before it will pick back up,” Amy Warnke said. Neila Donovan, communication disorders assistant professor, said rehabilitation is key to a full recovery, and the longer a person is in a coma, the smaller those odds become. “The problem is with insurance now, cutting people off so quickly, you don’t have a chance to get the maximum amount of rehab that you need,” Donovan said. “Especially with young people with families — it’s really tough.” Donovan’s research deals with analyzing the outcomes of effective treatment and helping to change policies in regard to decision making about funding. “The more research showing that our rehab treatments are effective, hopefully, the more impact we can have on changing policies, so people like this can have more optimum levels of rehabilitation,” Donovan said. In the ’80s and ’90s, patients
TECHNOLOGY
AgCenter to launch ‘online farmers market’ By Ryan Buxton Staff Writer
The LSU AgCenter is developing a new way for Louisiana farmers and fishermen to do business via the Internet with a Web site called the Louisiana MarketMaker. The site, expected to launch in the spring, will be an “Internet platform for buyers and sellers to find each other,” said Paul Coreil, vice chancellor of the AgCenter’s extension service. MarketMaker will allow local agriculture and seafood industry producers to connect with potential buyers across the nation, expanding the possibilities for sales. Coreil said the site will be an online translation of farmers markets, where farmers sell products directly to consumers. “I call it an online farmers market,” Coreil said. “Farmers markets are wonderful and do a great job, but in many cases there are only one or two vendors there for a certain product. This gives you a much larger audience.” Louisiana producers will be able to post their product information on the site for free. Consumers can then locate and contact them to buy products directly. “If you have fresh shrimp, strawberries or grass-fed beef, you will be able to put your business information and products on the Web,” Coreil said. “We think it will increase sales and hopefully increase profitability.” The site will be beneficial financially for producers by cutting out middleman distributors and the costs that come with them, said
Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain in an Oct. 26 AgCenter news release. “We want to help simplify the direct marketing concept for our producers,” Strain said. “The consumer gets the freshest quality product at a fair price directly from the producer, while the farmer receives a larger percentage of the consumers’ dollars because the middleman function has been eliminated.” Consumers also benefit by being able to find high-quality products more easily that come from Louisiana and help the local economy, Coreil said. “Many of us support local farmers and like to know the purchases we’re making benefit the state,” he said. The MarketMaker site is part of a project that began at the University of Illinois and has expanded to 14 other states, including Louisiana. The AgCenter will purchase software and data from the University of Illinois to help create the site. The AgCenter will buy the package for $53,000, a price tag Coreil said is expensive, but will be covered with a grant from the Louisiana Recovery Foundation to assist shrimpers. “We will push [the grant] in the coastal area where shrimpers are struggling with low prices,” Coreil said. Coreil said the site will need to be populated for it to be successful. To achieve that, the AgCenter will hold workshops across the state to get producers interested. Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
could stay in rehabilitation up to a year after sustaining a traumatic brain injury, Donovan said. Now it’s about eight weeks. Priscilla Allen, assistant professor of social work, said incidents like this remind people of the frailty, as well as the strength and resiliency, of the human condition. Allen, Donovan and Cherry are members of LSU’s Life Course and Aging Center, which aims to develop an understanding of people’s developmental well being throughout their lifetime. “We look at healthy aging from beginning of life to end of life,” Allen said. “This drive is very aligned with our mission — the well being of people, especially reaching later stages of their life.” Amy Warnke said it was hard to express her family’s appreciation for the University’s support. “We are forever indebted to [Cherry] and all of the supporters at LSU,” Amy Warnke said. “Thank you just does not seem to do the job.”
KRISTEN M’LISSA ROWLETT / The Daily Reveille
Contact Sarah Eddington at seddington@lsureveille.com
Psychology professor Katie Cheery, left, and Kelli Broome, elementary education junior and research assistant, show ink cartridges in a donation box Monday.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 5
ENVIRONMENT
LSU AgCenter develops two new rice varieties By Ryan Buxton Staff Writer
The LSU AgCenter is weeding out pesky distractions to rice crops by developing two new varieties of herbicide-resistant grain. The two new varieties, CL111 and CL261, are part of the AgCenter’s “Clearfield” technology. The Clearfield rice is resistant to certain herbicides, allowing farmers to use the chemical to get rid of “red rice,” a noxious weed that competes with rice crops, said Steve Linscombe, senior rice breeder at the AgCenter. Red rice is of the same genus and species as rice, Linscombe said, making it difficult to find herbicides that control the weeds but don’t harm commercial rice. With the development of Clearfield rice varieties, farmers can now use herbicides to rid themselves of the problems caused by red rice, like the red tint
its grains give when mixed with saves money. There is also less regular rice grains. time for a natural disaster to cause “You want a nice, big bowl trouble. of white rice grains, and you’ve “Here in South Louisiana, if got grains in there that are a dif- we can get the rice crop out earferent color,” lier, there’s less Linscombe said. potential of hur“At first glance, it causing ‘If we can get the ricanes could look like a problems,” Linrice crop out earlier, scombe said. contaminant.” The ClearA faster mafield technology is there’s less potential turing crop also about 7 years old, of hurricanes causing allows farmLinscombe said. ers to spread out problems.’ The two newest harvests, which varieties come makes the work Steve Linscombe with an added easier for farmers, AgCenter senior rice breeder benefit — a faster said Fred Zaunmaturation rate. brecher, a rice and The new varieties will mature soybean farmer from Rayne, La., quickly and have a high yield, who plans to use CL111, the longwhich comes with several finan- grain variety, in 2010. cial and agricultural benefits, Lin“You like to spread out the scombe said. harvest season,” Zaunbrecher Financially, a faster maturing said. “You can’t mechanically harcrop means rice fields don’t need vest or dry [the rice] very fast ... so to be kept flooded as long, which we can plant two or three varieties
‘‘
of rice on the same day and have them mature at different times to stagger the harvest.” Zaunbrecher said the Clearfield technology makes it easier to combat red rice than the methods he previously used. “We used a water-irrigation method called ‘pinpointing,’” he said. “As soon as the rice had a substantial root system, we [created] a light flood, which allowed rice to grow and allowed red rice to terminate.” But Zaunbrecher said that method was time-specific, and timing the flood incorrectly by as little as 24 hours could mean having red rice to compete with the crop for the whole growing season. Zaunbrecher has been slowly phasing Clearfield varieties into his operation and said the rice has become much better as the technology has advanced. “We’re gradually fading the
conventional varieties out,” he said. “When Clearfield was first developed, the yield potential wasn’t near the conventional varieties, so we held back.” The two new varieties have been in development since 2002. But the grains will first be available for growing in the 2010 season because of the lengthy and painstaking nature of the rice-breeding process, Linscombe said. But the long years of breeding work will benefit the AgCenter financially. “The Clearfield technology ... is a patented technology, and the AgCenter receives royalties based on the number of acres [on which] this type of rice is grown,” Linscombe said.
Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
ADVOCACY
Some students wary of honor societies, organizations By Emily Holden Contributing Writer
Stacks of unopened envelopes and crowded e-mail inboxes might be a new indicator of highachieving college students. Many University honor societies send mass messages to all qualifying students, leading some to doubt the prestige and credibility of the organizations. “I check the mailing list,” Ifeanyi Okoro, mechanical engineering junior, said. “If the mailing list is very long, then I imagine it’s something everyone and anyone can get, so I just don’t want to bother.” Okoro said he receives quite a bit of mail from honor organizations, but has joined only two — the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Tau Beta Pi. Sara Crow, Career Services assistant director, said students who are invited to join one honor society often meet the requirements for membership in others and get “a lot of solicitation.” Crow said some organizations are active and others are “truly honorary in nature.” She said students should look for societies with frequent meetings that engage members. “You may list a whole bunch of stuff on your résumé, but if it doesn’t mean anything … then you don’t really have much to talk about when you go into an interview,” Crow said. Career Services suggests students consider seeking out honor organizations related to their field of study, she said. Danielle Ford, a public relations junior who previously studied business management, said business students are urged to join and actively participate in organizations.
Ford said she tried to join Delta Sigma Pi, a business honor fraternity, as a freshman but didn’t finish pledging because she fell ill. “I know a lot of the kids who I pledged with. They’re doing really, really well and interning all over the country,” she said. Ford said organizations like Delta Sigma Pi benefit students because they have an active alumni base. “It’s all about networking,” Ford said. “If you have a good relationship with alumni, then it’s really helpful in terms of the job search.” She said the $175 membership fee she would have paid to Delta Sigma Pi is a good career
investment for students. Paige Chenier, NSCS chapter president, said the Registrar’s Office sends the names of all qualifying students to the national NSCS office. NSCS recruits sophomores with cumulative GPA of at least 3.4, she said. Chenier said annual conventions allow members to network with other students and potential employers. She said NSCS also offers student discounts from companies like Geico and Barnes and Noble. Okoro said Tau Beta Pi offers him a 30 percent discount on some standardized test preparation material. Chenier said about 50 of an estimated 1,6000 members
actively participate in the University chapter. She said students should research societies before joining. “I wouldn’t want to pay money just to say I’m in something,” Chenier said. Ford said she paid $55 for membership to Sigma Iota Epsilon, a professional management honor fraternity. “I got a pin to wear to all the meetings, and that’s it,” she said. Iftekhar Rouf, accounting junior, said he joined Phi Eta Sigma because of its low lifetime membership fee. Phi Eta Sigma’s national membership fee costs $20, according to its Web site. “I joined one or two to keep it in my résumé,” Rouf said. He
said he only joins more selective organizations that require a 3.5 or higher GPA. Crow said students should consider the name recognition of an organization. She said they should also research honor societies online and by word of mouth. Rouf said some students join honor societies to build their résumés, but others use the organizations as learning opportunities. “There are people who are vice presidents and officers of these organizations, and they do a lot of work,” he said.
Contact Emily Holden at eholden@lsureveille.com
PAGE 6
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Sports
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
the
PAGE 7
Walking Wounded
Offensive starters play in Oxford, Miss., despite injuries; quarterback Jefferson expects full recovery by week’s end
FOOTBALL
Miles addresses mistakes in loss
By Rachel Whittaker Chief Sports Writer
Sports Contributor
Injuries plague all football teams. But the LSU football team has had four offensive starters go down with injuries in recent weeks. During LSU’s 25-23 loss against Ole Miss on Saturday, the Tigers had three of the starters return to action after missing previous games — sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson, senior tight end Richard Dickson and sophomore center T-Bob Hebert. The fourth offensive starter, senior running back Charles Scott, broke his collarbone and is out for the rest of the regular season.
Jefferson missed LSU’s game against Louisiana Tech on Nov. 14 after going down with an ankle injury the previous week during the game against Alabama. After being out for a game and almost two quarters, Jefferson returned against Ole Miss and went 19-of-37 for 250 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Jefferson wasn’t as successful scrambling away from the Rebels on his injured ankle, though. He was sacked behind the line four times and lost a combined 31 yards on those plays. LSU coach Les Miles said Jefferson’s ankle was not fully healthy during the Ole Miss INJURIES, see page 11
lsureveille.com
By Jarred LeBlanc
LSU football coach Les Miles could not escape questions at his weekly press luncheon Monday about the Tigers’ clock management debacle in Saturday’s 25-23 loss to Ole Miss. Miles repeatedly took responsibility for the questionable calls that cost LSU a Log on to victory, including the failed see LSU two-point con- coach version with Les Miles 1:17 left and discuss wasting 17 sec- the Tigers’ onds to call a game timeout before against Ole Miss. a hail mary pass to junior wide receiver Terrance Toliver on fourth-and-26. After a futile fade route attempt to Toliver, LSU got another chance for two points because of a pass interference penalty against Ole Miss cornerback Cassius Vaughn. Miles said personnel problems discouraged him from calling a running play from the 1 1/2yard line. “I absolutely could have forced a run. I felt like the coordinator [Gary Crowton] had done a really good job,” Miles said. “We lost two tight ends [senior Richard
photos by RYAN MOORE and ROGELIO V. SOLIS / The Associated Press
[Above] LSU senior running back Keiland Williams runs past Ole Miss defenders during the Tigers’ 25-23 loss Saturday to Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. [Left] LSU sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson steps back to throw during the game Saturday.
MISTAKES, see page 11
FOOTBALL
LSU senior
New Nike uniforms revealed
running back
Tigers to wear Pro Combat outfits Sat.
running back
By Michael Lambert Sports Contributor
The LSU football team is ditching the usual purple and gold threads Saturday night for a modern uniform with a traditional twist. The University and Nike officially unveiled an LSU version of the Nike Pro Combat uniform Monday afternoon in front of the PMAC. The Tigers will wear the uniforms when LSU battles Arkansas for the Golden Boot on Saturday
at 6 p.m. in Tiger Stadium. The uniforms were given the slogan “Cochon de Lait,” commonly known as a pig roast. The stateof-the-art jerseys Log on to see are paired with a slideshow of throwback hel- the LSU Nike mets from the Pro Combat 1940s. uniforms. The uniforms feature a white jersey with purple numbers trimmed in gold with a stripe on the sleeve, while the pants are white with a purple “L” on the hip and a purple and gold stripe along the sides. The gold helmet matches the color of LSU’s helmets from the 1940s and includes the typical
Charles Scott, left, and junior
LSU helmet logo and tiger. LSU’s gloves are personalized to form the “Eye of the Tiger” logo. Lauren Hoppis, marketing executive for Nike, said the Nike Pro Combat uniforms were designed to be lighter and cooler than traditional jerseys. “These are the lightest uniforms in the history of football,” Hoppis said. “It’s all about speed.” The Tigers will also wear new Nike Zoom Vapor Fly cleats.
Richard Murphy, right, model the
lsureveille.com
UNIFORMS, see page 11
new Nike Pro Combat uniforms Monday afternoon in front of the PMAC. The Tigers will wear the uniforms Saturday during LSU’s game against Arkansas at 6 p.m. in Tiger BENJAMIN OLIVER HICKS / The Daily Reveille
Stadium.
PAGE 8
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Lady Tiger forward turning heads in sophomore season Turnbow second in points, rebounds By Michael Lambert Sports Contributor
LSU sophomore forward Taylor Turnbow had a tall task in her sixth career start for the Lady Tigers against Middle Tennessee State — stopping All-American senior forward Alysha Clark. “The game plan was for Turnbow to guard Clark as best she could,” said LSU coach Van Chancellor. “I said, ‘If we can hold her to 30, we will win.’ Taylor said, ‘She will never get 30 on me.’” Turnbow achieved her goal and even one-upped Clark, outscoring the Blue Raider phenom, 17-16. Turnbow has turned the heads of the LSU coaches this season and has established herself as a weapon in the post for the No. 7 Lady Tigers. “It was a coming out party for Turnbow,” Chancellor said of the Middle Tennessee game. “It was great to see her have the kind of game she had.” Turnbow saw limited time with the slew of young talent on the Lady Tigers’ roster last season. The 6-foot-2-inch forward was a role player as one of six freshmen on Chancellor’s team during the 2008-09 season. Turnbow has been one of the many pleasant surprises on the team through four games. She is second on the team in both points and rebounds, averaging 11.3 points and six boards per game. The forward has established herself as a force on the 4-0 Lady Tigers, who are off to their best start since 2006-07. She is shooting 67 percent from the field — third in the Southeastern Conference. Her emergence began in the offseason, where she grew from a backup freshman to a sophomore starter. “I worked on a lot of things during the offseason, especially my inside game and defense,” Turnbow said. “I wanted to come out and be a better player for the team.” Chancellor said the biggest difference for Turnbow this season has been her confidence. Turnbow now has greater expectations as a starter for the 2009-10 season. “I told her, ‘You’ve created a problem, Turnbow,’” Chancellor said. “‘I expect more out of you now.’” The Cincinnati native said she wants to keep up the momentum and optimism from her hot start. “Personally, I’m trying to maintain a positive attitude and stay consistent for the team,” Turnbow said. “I really want to be consistent every night.” Turnbow was crucial in LSU’s first four games, and her playing time will only increase as the competition stiffens entering
SEC play. “She has a great future,” Chancellor said. “The next growth step is to see how she faces adversity. She’ll handle it well.” Turnbow was paired with sophomore forward Courtney Jones under the basket. Jones said they make a good one-two punch in the Lady Tigers’ frontcourt. “She has more confidence in her abilities this season,” Jones said. “It’s great playing with her.” Turnbow said the sophomore duo is a successful combination. “We have such great
chemistry on the court,” Turnbow said. “We are on the same page. It’s really comfortable.” Turnbow has a knack blocking shots. She blocked at least one shot in seven straight games last season and had seven blocks against Xavier on Nov. 16, 2008. “I don’t go out of my way to block shots,” Turnbow said. “But if it’s here, I’m going to take it.” Some of those blocking instincts may have come from her volleyball career at Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., where she played three seasons of volleyball. “I miss high school
BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille
LSU sophomore forward Taylor Turnbow, center, shoots the ball Nov. 21 during the Lady Tigers’ 75-54 win against Houston in the PMAC.
volleyball, but I couldn’t play in college,” Turnbow said. “I just like to watch.” Turnbow said she came to LSU to get away from home but is still close with her mom. “My mom comes to a lot of away games,” Turnbow said. “She is outgoing and has a lot of enthusiasm. She’s always really loud in the stands.” Turnbow said she shares her mom’s energy when the team is practicing defense. But Turnbow’s sense of humor shines in the locker room. “I usually have a sarcastic, goofy sense of humor,” Turnbow
said. “I can be serious. It’s usually a mixture of both.” The sophomore said she is more concerned with how she is remembered as a person than her records and trophies. “I want my legacy to be that I was a good person,” Turnbow said. “I want to be an inspiration to my teammates.”
Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 9
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Johnson reels in highly touted class, four signatures Top prospect signs from Country Day By David Helman Sports Writer
Basketball season is just getting underway, but LSU coach Trent Johnson is already building toward the future. Johnson finished his second recruiting class at LSU on Nov. 11, obtaining signatures from four players — forward Matt Derenbecker, guard Ralston Turner, guard Andre Stringer and forward Jalen Courtney. The class earned ESPN’s No. 11 ranking Wednesday night. “We’re going to be able to shoot the ball, I can tell you that,” Johnson said. “Perimeter-wise I think we have a chance to be pretty good. The thing I like about all four guys is they’re really quality kids, and they have a chance to be really quality players.” The Tigers signed a player from Metairie Park Country Day School for the second straight year when Derenbecker committed to LSU. Derenbecker was named Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year last season after he and LSU freshman forward Eddie Ludwig helped Country Day to the Class 1A state title. “We’ve been in the finals three of the last four years,” said Country Day coach Mike McGuire. “Matt came over from Ponchatoula last year, and we won it last year with Eddie and Matt.” The 6-foot-7-inch, 185-pound McGuire said Derenbecker has the tools necessary to play at either point guard, shooting guard or small forward. That could prove useful as LSU will lose senior guard Alex Farrer and senior forward Tasmin Mitchell at the end of the year. “He can play the one, two or three [positions],” McGuire said. “He’s not as quick as [junior point guard] Bo [Spencer], but he can pass the ball beautifully and he can flat out shoot.” Derenbecker’s arrival at LSU will also serve as a reunion with Ludwig. The pair’s fathers played together at Country Day, and Ludwig said he was glad to see
Derenbecker sign with LSU. “One of my goals last year was to get Matt to come here,” Ludwig said. “Even if I wasn’t here, I think he’d still be coming here because he’s an in-state boy and he wants to play for his Louisiana school.” LSU also landed a rare Alabama prospect when it signed guard Ralston Turner from Muscle Shoals, Ala. Turner is considered LSU’s top-ranked prospect by ESPNU, which ranks Turner, Derenbecker and Stringer in its top 100. “This is the fifth year I’ve had [Turner],” said Muscle Shoals coach Dennis Conner. “He’s played varsity since eighth grade. We play at the 5A level ... so that’s unusual to see at a large school.” Conner said Turner grew up an Auburn fan but was won over by Johnson’s straight-forward approach. “Auburn and Alabama were on him really early, but I don’t think it was that he didn’t like [Alabama coach] Anthony Grant or [Auburn coach] Jeff Lebo as much as he really liked coach Johnson,” Conner said. “He thinks the world of Coach J. What you see is what
you get with him.” The class rounds out with Stringer and Courtney, a pair of Jackson, Miss., recruits. Stringer will add depth to the Tigers’ backcourt, while Courtney, a power forward, will bring his 6-feet-8inch frame to the LSU post game. Stringer averaged 25 points, seven assists and three steals per game for Forest Park High School, earning Mr. Basketball honors in Mississippi. “We shouldn’t have any problems scoring,” Johnson said. Courtney averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game for two-time state champion Provine High School, but Johnson said he will face stiff competition in an LSU frontcourt which looks to be deep in coming seasons. “Quite frankly, if there’s no injuries, our fours and fives will be a really experienced and deep group up front,” Johnson said. “Practices will be really, really competitive. We should be really deep, so it should be interesting.”
Contact David Helman at dhelman@lsureveille.com
MICHAEL DeMOCKER / The Times-Picayune
Matt Derenbecker takes a shot during the 1A State Championship between Country Day and Arcadia at the Cajundome on March 13.
PAGE 10
THE DAILY REVEILLE
SWIMMING AND DIVING
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2009
NFL
Betzen having breakout season New Orleans re-sign Junior captain cornerback McKenzie overcomes sickness By Katherine Terrell Sports Contributor
It was the last event of the day on the afternoon of Oct. 30. Inside the LSU Natatorium, the Lady Tigers’ swimming and diving team celebrate as junior captain Kannon Betzen, anchor of the 400-yard freestyle relay, coast to a finish seven seconds ahead of Tulane. The Lady Tigers won the meet, 175-117, thanks in part to Betzen’s three first-place finishes in events she normally does not swim. It seemed so effortless, but it wasn’t always this way. Betzen said she was on the verge of giving up swimming a year ago. She was performing well in practice, but the results weren’t translating to the meets. “I had a really rough season last year,” Betzen said. “I was really sick in the fall. I told myself if I don’t do well at [the Southeastern Conference championship meet], I don’t know if I can keep doing this.” Diedra Betzen, Kannon’s mother, said doctors could not figure out what was wrong with Kannon for a long time, and it hurt her performance. Kannon said she got well in the spring and swam career bests at the SEC meet in the 100- and 200yard breaststroke, convincing her to stay with swimming. “She’s had some adversities,” said LSU coach Adam Schmitt.
“She’s had different hurdles to go swim meets. In the summers, Betzen usualthrough, but she always comes around and seems to come together ly swam with the Dallas Mustangs, a club team for USA Swimming, by the end of the year.” Kannon Betzen was always and went to swim camps at the playing sports growing up, Soc- University of Texas. Diedra Betzen said her daughcer, softball, basketball, track and ter always thought she wanted to cheerleading — she did it all. But Kannon’s second home go to Texas until she got into high was the cool water of the pool and school. LSU came into the picture by its familiar smell of chlorine. She became a competitive swimmer at coincidence. Betzen’s father, Ray, the age of 6. Swimsuits and swim an insurance agent, had a client caps were almost as normal to her who was the father of one of LSU’s as walking. coaches. Diedra Betzen said it all startKannon Betzen wasn’t too ed when 4-year-old Kannon got keen on the idea about going to sick. The doctors told her it might LSU at first. “I refused,” be juvenile rheushe said. “I didn’t matoid arthritis, want to go here bewhich would limit cause [Hurricane] her activities. Katrina had just “If she did happened.” have it, swimming Betzen said was one of the an e-mail from asonly exercises she sistant LSU coach could do,” Diedra David Geyer, who Betzen said. had just moved to K a n n o n Adam Schmitt Betzen turned out LSU swimming and diving coach Baton Rouge himself, changed her to be fine, but she stuck with swimmind. Betzen said her family tries to ming. She became a state champion for the 10 and under group for watch her swim when it can, despite being spread across the country. her club team. “One of my sisters is ... my Betzen broke more than 50 school records in eight different biggest fan,” Kannon Betzen said. events at Hobbs High School in “She taught at [Texas] Tech, and she’d tell the whole class about Hobbs, N.M. Betzen said it was always her me. She’s always been really supgoal to swim in college, but she portive.” didn’t end up quite where she expected. Hobbs didn’t have other swim Contact Katherine Terrell at teams to compete against. The kterrell@lsureveille.com Betzens often traveled to Texas for
‘‘
‘She’s had different hurdles to go through, but she always comes around.’
By The Associated Press
METAIRIE (AP) — The New Orleans Saints have brought back former starting cornerback Mike McKenzie. McKenzie, an 11-year veteran, was released by the Saints in the offseason following serious injuries to each knee in back-to-back seasons. McKenzie worked out with the Seattle Seahawks during the summer before returning to New Orleans. The signing marks the second straight week the Saints have added veteran depth to their roster. The team signed Chris McAlister to a deal prior to last week’s 38-7 win against Tampa Bay. The Saints have been short on cornerbacks because of injuries to Tracy Porter, Jabari Greer, Randall
Gay and Leigh Torrence. Before a fracture to his right patella last November ended his season, McKenzie started 62 of 63 games, with 225 tackles, 58 passes defensed, 12 interceptions and one forced fumble. No details on the deal were immediately announced Monday. The Saints could finally get a reprieve from the injury woes that have plagued them for several weeks. Running back Reggie Bush, defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis and cornerback Jabari Greer are all expected to play in the Nov. 30 clash with New England after sitting out against the Buccaneers.
Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com
Tuesday, november 24, 2009 INJURIES, from page 7
game. “Offensively, we had a quarterback with a hobbled foot,” Miles said. Jefferson said he expects to feel much better for this weekend’s game against Arkansas. “The back end of the week I should feel good about the ankle, and I should have a lot more mobility back,” Jefferson said. Dickson has also missed a lot of time recently because of an injury. He suffered a thigh contusion and missed both the Alabama game and the Louisiana Tech game. Dickson entered the season tied with Brad Boyd for the most touchdowns by an LSU tight end (10), and he was coming off back-to-back seasons with more than 300 receiving yards. But Dickson’s senior season has been anything but spectacular. He only has 14 receptions for 106 yards and no touchdowns on
UNIFORMS, from page 7
The cleats are white and gold with a purple Nike swoosh. They weigh only 10 ounces. Hoppis said Nike chose LSU because of the company’s relationship with the athletic program, LSU’s success on the field and the Tigers’ style of play. LSU senior running back Charles Scott and junior running back Richard Murphy modeled the new uniforms for the crowd. “They have a lot of swag to them,” Scott said. “They make you feel good.” LSU is one of 10 colleges to wear the new Nike uniforms. Florida is the only other Southeastern Conference school to
MISTAKES, from page 7
Dickson and sophomore Mitch Joseph], so the opportunity to get the run we wanted in the game was not quickly accessible.” Miles said some assistant coaches in the press box conveyed to the sidelines after the 43-yard completion to Toliver that there appeared to be 12 Ole Miss defensive players on the field, which would have been a penalty and given LSU more than just one second. “What was relayed was there was a possibility of a 12th man on defense,” Miles said. “If we could get the ball snapped in some way, that defensive penalty might give us another opportunity at a snap. I reviewed it, and there was a substitution that took place, not 12 guys on the field.” Video surfaced since the game indicating Miles was signaling to sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson to spike the ball with one second left on the clock. Miles said on Monday his hand motions were not meant to convey that message. “The Ole Miss player came up with the ball,” Miles said. “He came out of the pile with the ball, so I wanted to make sure they knew the ball was down and the receiver had caught it and gone down.” Miles said it was impossible
THE DAILY REVEILLE
the season. Dickson was listed as a starter for Saturday’s game but didn’t enter the contest until the last play of LSU’s first possession. He recorded one reception in the game for a 2-yard loss. Miles said Dickson and sophomore tight end Mitch Joseph were injured during the Ole Miss game, and that influenced his decision to throw the ball instead of run the ball on LSU’s two-point conversion attempt late in the game. Sophomore tight end Deangelo Peterson and Joseph split the playing time during the Alabama and Louisiana Tech games. Peterson recorded his careerbest performance against Alabama. He had two receptions for 40 yards and his first touchdown catch as a Tiger. Joseph also had a career-best performance in Dickson’s absence. Joseph had one reception for 14 yards against Louisiana Tech.
Hebert started all nine games leading up to the Louisiana Tech game when he did not play because of injury. Redshirt freshman center Patrick Lonergan started the game at center against Louisiana Tech in the absence of Hebert. Lonergan also saw playing time in the two games prior to the Louisiana Tech game — Tulane and Alabama. Hebert returned to the field as a starter Saturday and played the whole game at the center position. Hebert said the training staff worked hard to make sure he was ready for this week, and the hard work paid off. “They help you to get back on the field as quick as you can and as healthy as you can,” Hebert said. “But I felt good after that game.”
wear them. Two former Tigers, wide receiver Eddie Kennison and defensive lineman Anthony McFarland, were also at the pep rally. Kennison said he wished he could have worn the Pro Combat uniforms in 1995. “I can run all day in pants like that,” Kennison said to the crowd. “Make sure y’all are roasting pig this week.” Students had different opinions about the new uniforms at the unveiling. “It’s good that it’s only for one game,” said Colin O’Rourke, business freshman. “It’s cool that they are doing a throwback with the helmet. The gloves are my favorite part.”
Maggie Placer, animal science senior, said she understood why LSU was wearing the new uniforms this week. “They did it at a good time,” Placer said. “It’s a holiday game, so it makes sense. It gives fans something to get excited about for an important game.” Saturday will mark the first time LSU has worn an alternative jersey since the Tulane game in 2007. The Tigers wore purple jerseys and white helmets to help raise money and awareness for Hurricane Katrina relief.
to get the field goal unit on the field with one second remaining, and the coaching staff had only one option in mind — to score a winning touchdown. “We’ve practiced it on a daily basis, and it takes 12 seconds on the play clock [to get the field goal unit ready],” Miles said. “We felt like we had to score, and that ended up being the case.” With the Ole Miss game complete, Miles said the running game will focus around sophomore Stevan Ridley, senior Trindon Holliday and freshman Russell Shepard. Senior Keiland Williams left the Ole Miss game with an apparent broken bone in
his ankle. “Those are the three that will get the carries first certainly,” Miles said. “[Freshman fullback] Dominique Allen might get some snaps, and there are some other guys who might play at tailback.” LSU’s final regular season game is against Arkansas on Saturday. “In 48 hours I’ve gone through the pain of this, and it’s not something I enjoy,” Miles said. “But I’m done with Ole Miss.”
PAGE 11
ROGELIO V. SOLIS / The Associated Press
Contact Jarred LeBlanc at jleblanc@lsureveille.com
Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com
Contact Rachel Whittaker at rwhittaker@lsureveille.com
Ole Miss sophomore defender Emmanuel Stephens sacks LSU sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson on Saturday during the game in Oxford, Miss.
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Opinion
PAGE 12
FREEMAN OF SPEECH
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
Help put Louisiana back at No. 1: Eat more on Thursday As the token fat, café-au-lait opinion columnist, I feel compelled to call on all races and ethnicities to join together this Thanksgiving holiday to continue a tradition that distinguishes Louisiana from the rest of the states in our nation. Louisiana, it’s time to pig out. We’ve lost a step or two — while gaining the capability of another step or two — in asserting ourselves as the fat capital of the country. The Daily Reveille reported this past September on a disturbing new study which divulges just how lazy we’ve become as a state. We’re the eighth fattest state in the country, with an adult obesity rate of 28.9 percent, according to the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s July 2009 report titled “F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009.” Like many Louisianians I know, my first reaction to this news was: Howthewhatwho?!? We’re eighth? What the hell
happened? Why is this happening to us? Is there no God? Well, not really, but that’s beside the point. We’re second to last in almost every statistical category about wellness, income, education and the like — thank whomever you want for Mississippi. When did people in Louisiana start eating healthier? There’s a word for these people. Quitters. In fact, from now on, “you people” no longer refers to black people or the race card. If you see someone eating a salad at Wendy’s, feel free to berate them while calling them “you people.” I was gung-ho about healthy eating after I wrote about Michelle Obama’s vegetable garden on the lawn of the White House. I cited the problems with 24-hour drive thrus, where one could conceivably get 30 tacos at four in the morning. I felt embarrassed to be associated with a culture that values butter over better eating habits. After this heart-rupturing news,
my heart couldn’t seem to function properly without a Mega Shrimp Burger from Roul’s Deli, stat. When the rage finally subsided, my stomach filled with cheesy deliciousness, I began thinking rationally about what this situaEric Freeman Jr. tion means for Columnist the future of Cajun cuisine. Most of our delicacies have something to do with either butter, lard or some fatty meat. After all, there’s much more than just vegetables in a muffaletta. We don’t even have food groups here. We have groups of food. Red beans and rice with andouille sausage isn’t just tasty, it’s mandatory on Mondays. We make up dishes to come up with a reason to eat animals we probably shouldn’t eat. Have you ever
had nutria gumbo, or did I just blow your mind? Turkey Day will provide our state with a chance at redemption. Besides being the only holiday where you can go to jail for not having leftovers (part of the stimulus), Thanksgiving reminds us of the joys of family coming together to argue about who made the best stuffing, in addition to mandating at least three different kinds of pie. Then, there’s turducken. Other states think we’re crazy for it. But does anything say “Turkey Day” for Louisianians more than shoving three boneless birds into each other around a core of stuffing? It doesn’t stop with turducken. We’ve taken it miles further, bringing on the behemoth known as the osturducken. Yes, you guessed it, it’s a turducken inside an ostrich. Once again, mind blown? If Louisiana and its collective digestive system ever wants to regain its prominence and girth as a legitimate national force, our eating
habits must reverse their downward trend, with exercise being shunned for at least the rest of the year. This idea should directly appeal to Gov. Bobby Jindal. After all, he wrote a paper detailing an exorcism he witnessed while in college. What better spokesman for exorcising the recently healthier eating habits of his constituents? Of course, this would imply he has a vested interest in the best wishes of his state. Have fun, eat your hearts out, and remember: when other states say no, Louisiana emphatically says yes. Please sir, we’d love some more. Eric Freeman Jr. is a 22-year-old political science senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_efreeman.
Contact Eric Freeman Jr. at efreeman@lsureveille.com
GUEST COLUMNIST
Gay marriage debate based on absurd arguments EDITOR’S NOTE: Jon Frosch is a guest columnist not normally appearing in The Daily Reveille. By Jon Frosch Guest Columnist
A very wise (or at least very famous) man once inquired, “War (huh, yeah), what is it good for?” He promptly answered his own query with a resounding “Absolutely nothing!” A great many of my fellow denizens of these United States sadly do not agree with this apt assessment. We can hardly seem to get enough war: wars on drugs, poverty, terrorism, crime, etc. We even elevate football to war, as evidenced by Nike’s recent introduction of the ProCombat line of gear. Perhaps more distressingly, this is also the country that managed to turn the commemoration, on Armistice Day, of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11thmonth of 1918 that brought an end to the senseless slaughter in the fields of Flanders, a celebration of peace if there ever was one, and turn it into the paean to the military-industrial complex
known as Veterans Day. Deep-seated issues of federal psyche aside, why does this matter? Well, in the week leading up to this celebration of war, marked also by the launch of explicitly war-themed football uniforms, 53 percent of the citizens of Maine who felt strongly enough to vote decided to declare war upon their fellows, who want nothing more than the freedom to associate as they see fit. This 53 percent launched an invasion into bedrooms and lives that great generals of history would be envious of — simply because their numbers are greater. Ah, the tyranny of the majority. The point, however, is not to cast aspersions upon the good people of Maine; after all, we in the glass house of Louisiana had 73 percent of voters approve the same thing. Rather, the point is this: How in the world did we get to the point where the majority of a body politic thinks it’s their business to proscribe how people outside the majority may choose to form and describe their relationships? The question is simply this: What business is it of mine (or anyone else’s) whether you want
THE DAILY REVEILLE Editorial Board NICHOLAS PERSAC JERIT ROSER ELLEN ZIELINSKI MATTHEW ALBRIGHT
Editor Managing Editor, Content Managing Editor, Production Opinion Editor
ERIC FREEMAN JR.
Columnist
MARK MACMURDO
Columnist
to marry a man, a woman or your pet manatee? An even wiser man than Edwin Starr provides the answer for why it is not: “It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” Wherefore, then, the furor? What harm could one marriage, whatever form it may take, possibly do to another couple not party to the civil marriage contract? Some will spread the redherring argument that letting men marry men, women marry women and people marry spider horses devalues marriage. If the action of another so easily defiles one’s own marriage, perhaps it was of no great value to begin with. Such statistics as skyrocketing divorce rates also indicate that marriage, at least in the civil realm, is what one makes of it, not some incorruptible shibboleth handed down from the mists of time. As far as the state is concerned, it is a contract, nothing more. Additional meaning from one’s own beliefs is private and cannot be devalued by the actions of others. How can we fix this sad state of affairs? Simply remove the state from our affairs. The state
needs to get out of the marriage business. Prior to the awakening of the modern state’s desire to control every aspect of life, a very serviceable structure for marriage existed: a dual system of both religion and repute. Religions, as free associations of like-minded persons, can morally set restrictions on marriages between their adherents, as one can leave at any time. Repute simply refers to the old custom
of considering a group married if they have lived as married for a customary period of time. Simply boot the state from the bedroom and end the war, “Cuz it means destruction of innocent lives.” Jon Frosch is a 24-year old library and information science graduate student from New Orleans. Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com
BEST AND WITTIEST
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.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY “The gods too are fond of a joke.” Aristotle Greek Philosopher 384 B.C. - 322 B.C.
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
ANALOG AVENGER
Opinion
PAGE 13
In 100 years, life will be cooler but humans won’t I wouldn’t want to live 100 years from now. It’s tempting but shortsighted to only consider how cool it may be. Every morning we greet the world under a set of assumptions. We assume our car will start, our loved ones will be there and that a fat naked man is not watching us from a discreet vantage point. These assumptions are necessary to live out a normal day, but our society is full of foreboding trends that go unnoticed. Examine a global population graph of the last 2,000 years. You’ll find the number of earthlings lay dormant for centuries before shooting upward at an almost right angle, thanks to medical advances, and soaring past Earth’s carrying capacity. Exponential growth is not limited to these census charts. The first Nintendo console used an 8-bit processor. The
next one was 16-bit. The number reached 64 a few years later. We don’t even keep track anymore. This doubling trend has helped humanity reach its blissful neon reality — a technologically decadent global culture in whose way natural selection can no longer stand. We’re climbing a slope so steep — not just populously, not just technologically, but culturally — we can hardly process our progress. As I watch students stare at their touch phones with little incentive to look up, Henry David Thoreau reminds me: “Men have become the tools of their tools.” Things meant to simplify our lives have come to complicate them. Now we can check our Facebook from our iPhone. Great, but whatever will we use to check our Facebook checker? Will we ever be able to check our iPhone from
our iPhone? Probably, because we like to create necessities out of thin air. W h e n Isaac Asimov “predicted” the advent of the Internet, he thought it’d be used for learning. He probaJack Johnson bly envisioned Columnist Wikipedia or Google, not AddictingGames. com. Humans may be great at discovering new technologies, but we can only be judged on how we use it. What will be the legacy of nuclear energy? A society may be categorized on its pool of available information within it, but it can be judged by its willingness to access it. The information is there, but my generation doesn’t seem
to care much. Since when has the general public cared about health care? We know our auto insurance rates, but how about our cholesterol level? People think our president is an Islamic communist. Every generation has idiots like this, but thanks to new mediums, their voices are louder every day. Thanks to new mediums, false information gets repeated more frequently. How many times before it’s true? Humans are obsessed with the Armageddon. Couldn’t the writers of the movie “2012” wait just two more years to interpret the end of times? Is it healthy for people to constantly project such cataclysmic thoughts into the global consciousness? Based on this snapshot of our current culture and given the perpetual nature of objects in motion, do we have any reason to
believe our society’s values will improve? Is a society more than the sum of its values? When the Internet became mass marketed, humans became something else — a new species to whom conventional wisdom does not apply. Sometimes I wish I could go back to 1995, before the Internet came to my house. There is little value today in turning to the past because, though history repeats itself, I don’t think its writers had this in mind. Maybe they assumed too much. Jack Johnson is a 23-year-old mass communication junior from Fort Worth, Texas. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_jjohnson.
Contact Jack Johnson at jjohnson@lsureveille.com
THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
Be thankful past is over; look hopefully to the future I am wildly optimistic about the long-run future of humanity. Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charlemagne used to rule the world. They sat on their thrones for years as the undisputed masters of their domain with the wealth to buy anything and the power to control any man. And they would have given anything for a chance to be me. These kings among kings
could afford to pay musicians for live performances. Bards and minstrels could treat them to the finest songs available. I have a device that can — for all intents and purposes — magically play thousands of tunes, and I can add any song I want for 10 minutes’ wages. And that’s just in my right pocket. In my left pocket, I have another magical device that lets
me communicate with anyone on the face of the Earth. When victorious generals at Marathon wanted to send a text to Athens, they had to kill a man in the process, and they sent 156 less characters than I can. According to myth, Agamemnon killed his daughter so favorable winds would carry his forces to the Trojan War’s decade-long slaughter. Last year, the Chinese
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government used silver iodide to regulate the rain so it wouldn’t fall on the Olympic Games. Magic is real, and it’s called chemistry. I can fly over oceans on a fixed wing of steel. I can fight off infections with the power of antiDaniel Morgan biotics. I spent $20 Columnist on an alarm clock that sets itself by communicating with a satellite. It is better to serve in the present than to rule in the hell that was the past. The world is constantly getting better because scientists and rational thinkers are pushing technology through its exponential growth. I can’t wait to find out what the future will be like. A hundred years from now if scientists have created fusion reactors, doctors have mastered the human genome and some bold entrepreneur has created a Facebook without Farmville, our descendents will look back at us with the same condescending pity with which you regard the medicine man from the Dark Ages clumsily trying to find an herb that will slow the Bubonic Plague. There will certainly be challenges. The present government’s $10 trillion debt will be a drain on our future economy, and irrational beliefs will persist. I suspect we’ll still have horoscopes in the newspaper.
But we will face these challenges with new tools like quantum computing and nanotechnology. Technological advances will bring with them increased prosperity. With poverty on the decline, the desperate fanaticism of wahabiism will fade much like the Crusade-fueled Christian fundamentalism of ages past. If trends continue, barriers to international trade will fall, and the entire world will be united in the expanding free market. War will still be a threat, but the civilization-destroying conflicts that swiftly snuff out tens of millions of souls will become nothing more than a traumatic memory. If China attacked us now, they would be assaulting their No. 1 customer and debilitating their No. 1 debtor. International trade will not only continue to enrich us all but also bring us together in the creative challenge of free enterprise. A hundred years from now, the world will look different. This is a good thing. The past is dead. Long live the future. Daniel Morgan is a 21-year-old economics senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on twitter @TDR_dmorgan.
Contact Daniel Morgan at dmorgan@lsureveille.com
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Classifieds
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Tuesday, november 24, 2009
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Tuesday, november 24, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE LEISURE, from page 1
class.” The new Web site will give users the opportunity to create a profile and the option to purchase a Union membership, giving them discounts for leisure classes, Maxwell said. Maxwell said leisure classes offer the opportunity to learn about many topics without worrying about a grade, which makes the classes popular, Maxwell said. “People like to learn new things,” she said. “When people take classes because of their own interest, they are more intent and excited about learning.” Another factor contributing to leisure classes’ popularity is the chance for a social outlet — people sign up with friends and hope to make new friends who share the same interests, Maxwell said.
VACCINES, from page 1
“We’ll just handle it like we do seasonal flu week,” she said. “Hopefully, that will work out fine.” The vials containing the vaccinations arrived in 300 small boxes. Each of the vials contains 10 individual doses and are kept in a refrigerator to keep them from expiring. Hupperich said distribution will follow the priority group guidelines dictated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The largest of those groups, people from 6 months to 24 years old will have priority to the vaccines. Other at-risk groups include health care professionals, caretakers of children under 6 months old and people with chronic illnesses, according to the CDC. Hupperich said the University still sees students arrive at the Health Center with typical flu symptoms. The number has decreased substantially from the levels of the initial
CAMERAS, from page 1
cameras or at least more lights to improve the security of that area.” Watkins also has an initiative to increase campus lighting on his push card but said it was not possible because of funding constraints and the issue is already built into the
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Maxwell said the more popular classes among University students are dance, yoga, tai chi, crafts and digital photography. “Wine tasting is a very popular class with students over 21,” she said. “It’s one of our more popular classes — I’m sure if people could take it at 18, it would be full of students.” Maxwell said the spring semester — which starts January 19 — offers a few unique classes, like archeological digging and introduction to professional voice overs. Getting Paid to Talk, the class on professional voice overs, is a oneday class, offered twice in the semester, and is taught by professional voice coaches from New York, Maxwell said. The archeological digging class lasts five weeks and includes five one-day trips to a dig site. Jessica Bates, English senior, said she took her first leisure class
in the fall and is interested in taking more in future semesters. “It’s fun to learn when you’re not forced to,” she said. Patt Aptaker, Looking Great, Living Great instructor, said this year is her seventh teaching leisure classes at the University and her fourth year teaching Looking Great, Living Great. She said she enjoys teaching the classes because it gives her the chance to leave the office and engage with participants who are eager to learn about the topic. “Our participants are very fun and interested in the class,” she said. “I enjoy teaching them because they want to be here — and it shows.”
outbreak, she said there have been 1,251 confirmed on-campus cases of Type A non-seasonal influenza as of Nov. 13. But she said those numbers are misleading because many of the Health Center caregivers stopped performing nasal swabs to confirm the presence of the virus. The Health Center stopped testing students for the virus in September when the outbreak level peaked on campus. Treating the virus doesn’t require laboratory confirmation. The process of receiving the vaccinations took longer than expected, but Hupperich said she was glad the Health Center received the full requested amount. Hupperich said there was a possibility the inoculations could have arrived in separate allotments over the course of several weeks. Dr. Frank Welch, medical director for pandemic preparedness in Louisiana, said the vaccines arrived late because of slow production.
He said the vaccines are “basically cooked like soup” in industrialsized vats before being shipped to distributors. Hupperich said the Health Center requested 3,000 doses of the vaccines based on the number of students and faculty who requested seasonal flu vaccines when they were made available in October. She said the Health Center also surveyed University faculty and staff to judge how many fit into priority groups and how many planned to receive inoculations. “Only time will tell how accurate we were with those numbers,” Hupperich said. Welch said Louisiana is expected to receive about 2.3 million doses in various forms — including both intranasal sprays and injectable inoculations — by the end of January.
University’s master plan. Milazzo said once the Residential Hall Association decides where it would like to see the cameras, LSUPD, SG and ResLife will meet to decide where and how to implement the new security measures. There are currently 110 security cameras spread across campus, said
Sgt. Blake Tabor of LSUPD. Tabor said these cameras are monitored daily by the Information Technology division of LSUPD. “We don’t see every second of footage everyday,” Tabor said. “But we also have a database and archive of videos in the case that something happens near a camera that footage is readily available to us.” Tabor said he wasn’t sure where the cameras are most focused, but he said the cameras are “strategically placed around campus.” Tabor said in addition to having the capability to monitor certain moments on campus, the cameras also serve as a deterrent for potential criminals. “Obviously, with technology being what it is today, criminals are looking for the cameras,” Tabor said. “In no cases that I have seen has a criminal tried to disable or damage a camera. So every indication is they avoid the cameras and try to commit a crime in a different location.” Sociology freshman James Johnston said he sometimes feels over-protected living at Beauregard Hall in the Pentagon. “I can see how the cameras could be beneficial,” Johnston said. “But I feel like if it’s a lot money, they should just spend it on improving some of the dorms.”
Contact Steven Powell at spowell@lsureveille.com
Contact Adam Duvernay at aduvernay@lsureveille.com
Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com
Tuesday, november 24, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
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