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Volume 114, Issue 44
THE DAILY REVEILLE ‘A’ FOR EFFORT
University official named GSU pres.
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Grade inflation may be rising problem at LSU
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Staff Writer
Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
By Olga Kourilova
Contributing Writer helsea Alford sits near her notescattered coffee table with a book and yellow highlighter in hand as she prepares for tests. But the silence and her disconnected laptop come only the night before an exam, when she devotes four to five hours to an intense, undistracted study session. By 1 or 2 a.m., the political science sophomore said she feels pretty prepared. But this last-minute preparation is enough for her to earn a 4.0 GPA, she said. Students more commonly find the mark of “distinguished mastery” on PAWS accounts today than students in the ’60s saw A’s on report cards as the percent of A’s awarded at the University has increased since then. In 1965, 17 percent of grades were A’s, but that number increased to 21 percent in 1984, 27 percent in 1991 and 33 percent for the spring 2009 semester.
By Ryan Buxton Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Ga., has named an LSU administrator as its new president. Brooks A. Keel, vice chancellor for research and economic development and biological sciences professor, will take his new post Jan. 1, 2010, the University System of Georgia Board of Regents announced Monday. Keel came to LSU in 2006 after leaving Florida State University. “This has been a bittersweet day for me and my wife,” Keel said. “We’ve fallen in love with LSU, Baton Rouge, southern Louisiana and its unique culture.” Keel said he is excited to join GSU, a campus of about 18,000 students. “[GSU has] reached a point in their development where they can focus on research and grad training,” Keel said. Keel said the chancellor and provost understand his choice. “This was not about me trying to better my position here, and they know that,” he said. “There really wasn’t any discussion about a counteroffer because they understand it’s the right thing for me.” Keel said he will work hard to ensure a smooth transition. “Obviously I’m going to be thinking about Georgia Southern, but I’m still a Tiger now,” he said.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
INFLATION, see page 16 ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille
Lindsey Hopton, mass communication junior, studies for an economics test Oct. 19 in the Quad. The University has been seeing a rise in percentage of A’s awarded to students.
Colleges with highest percentage of A’s awarded in spring ’09 •School of Social Work •School of Library and Information Sciences •College of Music and Dramatic Arts •College of Education •College of Art and Design
79.1 percent 59.6 percent 55.9 percent 48.8 percent 40.7 percent
graphic by CAITLYN CONDON / The Daily Reveille
BUDGET CUTS
Lombardi suggests tuition raise, TOPS reform Proposed flagship fund to help LSU By Kyle Bove Senior Staff Writer
LSU System President John Lombardi presented his blueprint for dealing with higher education budget cuts to the Louisiana Postsecondary
Education Review Commission on Monday and left members with a string of questions In a prepared address, Lombardi said college management boards like the LSU Board of Supervisors should have the authority to control tuition and fee increases for colleges, rather than leaving it to the Legislature exclusively. The state is looking at a budget cut of about $150 million during the
next fiscal year for its public colleges and universities, but Lombardi said many states are going through similar hardships and have found ways to cope. “Every state that has faced these problems has found it necessary to shift more of the cost of higher education to students and their parents,” he said. Lombardi’s suggested plan also includes an overhaul of the TOPS
program. The scholarship – which covers full tuition at the University using state dollars for students who meet ACT and GPA requirements – should be changed to a one-time merit award of $2,000. The leftover money set aside for TOPS should be used along with Go-Grant funding to establish a stronger need-based financial aid program, Lombardi said.
“It is abundantly clear that TOPS is a program that supports many students who have no demonstrated financial need, and it inadequately supports other talented students with a high need,” Lombardi said. According to data collected by the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, 38 percent of TOPS recipients come from families REFORM, see page 16
THE DAILY REVEILLE
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
Nation & World
INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
Thousands of dead fish wash up on lagoon in Puerto Rico’s capital
First Titanic expedition since 2004 possible in 2010
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Thousands of dead fish are washing up on the shores of a lagoon in Puerto Rico’s capital. Javier Laureano of the San Juan Bay Estuary Program said Monday that the tilapia, sardines and other fish suffocated because of poor water circulation in San Jose Lagoon.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The president and CEO of the company that has exclusive rights to salvage the Titanic says the company is interested in conducting its first salvage since 2004 at the world’s most famous shipwreck. Christopher Davino of RMS Titanic Inc. spoke Monday after a court hearing in Virginia on his company’s request for a salvage award. The 2010 expedition would be the first by the salvor since 2004, though two other expeditions have been to the site since that date.
Iraq steps up security after suicide bombings take 155 lives BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s government made progress on a new election law that could ease tensions and pledged tighter security Monday after suicide bombings claimed at least 155 lives, including as many as two dozen children trapped in a bus leaving a day care center. But those promises held little sway with Iraqis outraged at the government’s inability to maintain peace in the city.
Police say dozen people watched Calif. beating, gang rape RICHMOND, Calif. (AP) — Police believe as many as a dozen people watched a 15-year-old girl get beaten and gang-raped outside her high school homecoming dance without reporting it. One suspect was in custody
Monday, but police said as many as six other men attacked the girl over a two-hour period Friday night outside Richmond High School. “She was raped, beaten, robbed and dehumanized by several suspects who were obviously OK enough with it to behave that way in each other’s presence,” Lt. Mark Gagan said. Arizona State University police investigating campus suicide TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State University police say a graduate student fatally shot himself in a professor’s office. ASU police commander James Hardina says the shooting occurred about 11:40 a.m. Monday. Police say the student was apparently talking with a professor when he pulled out a gun and shot himself once on ASU’s main campus in Tempe. The name of the student has not been released.
STATE/LOCAL
‘Coloring book’ skewers New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin
Saints on pace to break all-time single-season scoring record
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans’ controversial mayor is now officially a character. The scathingly satirical Ray Nagin Coloring Book pairs the mayor’s at-times baffling comments with illustrations that creator Karen Ocker hopes will do more than make people chuckle. “I hope people think carefully about the last eight years,” she said, “and what they want for the future of the city.” The 24-page work touches on a swath of controversies, especially post-Hurricane Katrina. Its cover, with a chocolate milk drink, recalls Nagin’s declaration that post-Katrina New Orleans would be a “chocolate” city. His plea to federal officials after the 2005 storm, to help fix “the biggest g--damn crisis in the history of this country,” is juxtaposed with a drawing of a brass band and the date of winter elections and Nagin’s exit from office next year. Term limits prevent him from running again.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drew Brees had four turnovers, was sacked five times, and his team was down by three touchdowns in the waning moments of the first half. The Saints still won. On the road. By double digits. Generally, teams can’t win that way in the NFL. Then again, conventional wisdom goes out the window when a club is on pace to break the league’s all-time single-season scoring record. “Honest to God, we knew it was going to happen,” Brees said, recalling the locker room mood at halftime of the Saints’ 46-34 comeback win at Miami on Sunday. “Sure enough, it did.” The Saints have averaged 39.7 points through their first six games. That puts them on pace to challenge the single-season scoring record owned by the 2007 New England Patriots, who averaged 36.8 points. Those Patriots went 16-0.
TODAY ON
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Tigers After Ten Presents the Blackout Series Festival of Chill & Thrills Friday Oct. 30 Student Union Cotillion Ballroom 8:30-11pm For More Information contact Alice Womble @ awombl1@tigers.lsu.edu Food Science Program Doubles over Summer Find out what the excitment is all about! Call 578-5207 or check out the website at www.lsu.edu/foodscience!
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LIGHT MY FIRE
Scattered Rain
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KRISTEN M’LISSA ROWLETT / The Daily Reveille
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CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
The Daily Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards.This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes which may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified please contact the editor at (225) 5784811 or e-mail editor@lsureveille.com.
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 3
FASHION
Vintage shopping, desire for originality increases Recycled clothing beneficial for nature By Catie Vogels Entertainment Writer
Josh Holder hangs the newly cleaned and mended ’60s clothing on a rack so customers can buy oneof-a-kind items. And these clothes are selling fast. Vintage shopping in the Baton Rouge area has grown in popularity the past five years because of an increase in people who want to be original and who want to “go green.” “Back in the ’90s, everyone wanted to be the same,” said Holder, operations manager of the vintage store Time Warp. “With 2006 to 2010, everyone wants to be individual. They want to be creative. It’s a really trendy indie wave.” Pamela Vinci, curator of the LSU Textile and Costume Museum, said vintage clothing is more popular because of the unique look that can be created “in place of the ‘cookie cutter’ one seen each season at retail.”
When people find something vintage that fits them perfectly, they feel extra confident wearing it, Holder said. “It feels like this unique item was made for them,” Holder said. “There is nothing better than that feeling.” Jessica Pattison, graduate student and teacher of an introduction to fashion class, said vintage shopping has become more popular because fashion is cyclical. “Fashion will always come around,” Pattison said. “We use ‘old fashion’ as a source for inspiration. We’re going to find new ways to wear clothes. It’s manipulating old styles into something new.” Vinci said the retro styles promoted by fashion firms have fueled interest in finding the “real thing” in vintage stores. Fashion designers visit designers’ lines from the ’60s and ’70s to find inspiration for current lines, Vinci said. “A lot of designers are going vintage,” Holder said. “The new things on the runways and the September issues of ‘Vogue’ and ‘Elle’ have a huge vintage influence. It’s the hats
KRISTEN M’LISSA ROWLETT / The Daily Reveille
Jessica Miller, biology freshman, looks through a display of necklaces Oct. 20 at Time Warp. Vintage clothing has been growing more popular among college students.
and the film noir. It’s this whole influence from older decades.” Pattison said students in particular like vintage because of the history behind it. “It’s been through life already, and college students are wearing things twice as old as them,” Pattison said. “It’s a thrill to find something like that.” Vintage shopping is also considered environmentally friendly.
“When you buy something vintage, you aren’t putting any waste into it,” Holder said. “You are also preserving history.” No energy is used when selling vintage items because they were made years ago, Holder said. Cory Vogel, information systems and decision sciences senior and organization liaison for Environmental Conservation Organization at LSU, said anything that can be
recycled, including clothing and other vintage items, should be recycled. “It’s a very interesting idea to recycle every piece of clothing so that we could never have to feel bad about the negative effects that the clothing industry has on the environment,” Vogel said. “But this is not a legitimate solution to bad business practices that affect the environment negatively.” Lauren Stiles, geology sophomore, said she enjoys vintage shopping because the stores always have unique items. “I like to dress in my own fashion,” Stiles said. “It’s easy to make the clothes your own, even though they have their own history, by pairing them with articles I already love.” Holder said he will always enjoy shopping for and selling vintage items. “You can be anything you want to be with vintage items,” Holder said.
Contact Catie Vogels at cvogels@lsureveille.com
TECHNOLOGY
Americans spend hours on Facebook each month Some spend majority of day on Web site By Lindsey Meaux Contributing Writer
Catherine Glueck struggles to stay focused in class with Facebook constantly updating in the background on her computer. People spend more time on Facebook than any other Web site, with 87.25 million users in the U.S. spending an average of more than four hours throughout the month on the site, according to a Nielsen Online poll conducted in summer 2009 — but as the semester rolls on, students like Glueck are left desperately trying to separate their Internet social lives from their school work. “It’s pretty addicting,” undecided freshman Glueck said of her two-hour-a-day habit. “[It] definitely cuts down on my drive to study.” Procrastination — whether through Facebook, playing video games or talking on the phone — is a multi-pronged problem hand-inhand with motivation issues, time management problems and generally being prepared for classes, said
Melissa Brocato, Center for Academic Success director. “Some of it has to do with confidence and feeling prepared and feeling that you’re able to tackle something,” Brocato said. “If you feel overwhelmed and like you’re not able to tackle it, it’s so much easier to say, ‘Let me go mess around.’” To prevent feeling overwhelmed, Brocato recommended students clearly establish goals, use positive and motivating self talk, begin studying in advance and reward themselves for studying. For instance, students who typically use Facebook as a procrastination method should spend about 10 minutes on Facebook for every hour spent studying, Brocato said.
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Log on to see students talk about their Facebook usage.
The same can apply to other procrastination methods. Alex Lacy, textiles, apparel and merchandising sophomore, said she finds herself checking Facebook throughout the day — sometimes unintentionally. “[No matter what] I’m supposed to be doing, I get on and check Facebook somehow,” Lacy said. “If I did any of the other [social networking Web sites], I wouldn’t have any time during the day.”
A time management problem is one of the largest contributors to procrastination, Brocato said. Students who wait until a couple of days before a test to study will be unable to commit the information to their long-term memory. Additionally, once a student fails the first round of tests, they may have positioned themselves for a cycle of failure, Brocato said. “Once you fail that first round of tests, then you start with that negative self-talk,” Brocato said. “It can turn into a downward spiral of negative talk and negative feelings. That can really contribute to procrastination, once you have a
negative outlook, then you’re like, ‘What’s the point?’” Or, rather than attempting to use Facebook as a reward, students like Savana Abbott, animal sciences sophomore, can choose to cut it out of their lives completely. “Freshman year, I used to be on it all the time,” Abbott said. “Occasionally, I get on there just to chat with friends from other states. It’s just kind of a waste [of time] going on.”
Contact Lindsey Meaux at lmeaux@lsureveille.com
PAGE 4
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 5
ENVIRONMENT
Rainy month causes problems for campus, state Oct. ’09 second wettest since 1888 By Steven Powell Contributing Writer
October’s record-setting rain is causing problems for many on campus and in the state, and it’s not letting up. University climatologist Jay Grymes said October has received 10 inches of rain, making it the second wettest October since 1888. He said October 1984 received the most rain, at 14.8 inches. It’s not easy to explain why this month has been unusually rainy, Grymes said. An unusually wet October in a normal year can be attributed to tropical systems — which isn’t the case this year, he said. “We have seen a sequence of fronts more wet and stormy than normal for this time of year,” he said. El Niño years usually mean wet
weather in South Louisiana, causing some scientists to believe El Niño is the cause for an unusual month of weather, Grymes said. But he said El Niño rains historically don’t show up until November or December. El Niño is the tropical Pacific Ocean phenomenon associated with warming ocean temperatures across parts of the Pacific. It usually leads to fewer hurricanes and increased rainfall across the South, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “We’ve had a progression of frontal systems that have been abnormally wet,” he said. “The atmosphere has been conducive to rainy weather, but there is no clear reason why it’s chosen this October to do this.” CAMPUS EFFECTS Gaines Foster, College of Arts and Sciences dean, said the University does not have quantitative data on the topic, but he has seen a drop in attendance in classes on rainy days.
“When I first came to LSU, I had a [teaching assistant] from Nebraska,” he said. “My T.A. noticed if it snows hard in Nebraska, students skip class. In Louisiana, if it rains hard, students skip class.” Foster said he has never correlated rain and grades, but his previous experience as a teacher has shown students who go to class regularly do better than students who don’t. Jessica Neel, textile, apparel design and merchandising freshman, said the rain has never stopped her from going to class, but she did skip her Students on Target meeting because of heavy rain. “Luckily, it always seems to stop raining before I get out of class,” she said. Grymes said this year won’t break 1984’s record for the wettest October, but more rain is on the way. “It’s not over yet — we still have two more fronts coming through next week,” he said. “We’ll get more rain until we close the month out.”
STATE
EBR parish to hear hospital suit LSU Board of Sups. named as defendant By Ryan Buxton Staff Writer
A lawsuit against the LSU System Board of Supervisors will be heard in East Baton Rouge Parish — and the Board is pleased about it. The suit, which alleges the Board unlawfully closed Charity Hospital in New Orleans without legislative approval, will be heard in East Baton Rouge Parish, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled last week. The decision comes after the Louisiana Supreme Court granted an appeal from the Board against the case being heard in New Orleans, as the plaintiffs had requested. The suit was filed after the University closed Charity Hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The plaintiffs, who say they were patients at the hospital, are alleging the hospital was closed by the Board without proper clearance from the legislature, said Charles Zewe, System vice president for communications and external affairs. “[The plaintiffs] are claiming that only the legislature can approve closing a hospital, clinic or health care facility,” Zewe said. “LSU’s position is that LSU did not choose to close the hospital — Hurricane Katrina did.” Rather than closing the facility, the Board, using the division of administration and three groups of experts, made the decision not to reopen it because of hurricane-related damage, said Ray Lamonica, general counsel for the System. Zewe said that decision is within the Board’s authority. “The Board of Supervisors has authority to run the University system in its entirety, including the authority to not reopen a facility with
significant damage,” Zewe said. But last week’s ruling has nothing to do with the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims, Lamonica said. “[The ruling dealt with] purely a venue question — where is the proper place to sue the proper party,” Lamonica said. According to a Supreme Court news release, the defendants argued “venue is only proper in East Baton Rouge Parish, where the state agency that has the authority to make an administrative decision to close Charity is located.” Lamonica said the reason the Board pushed for a trial in East Baton Rouge is simply the case should be heard there legally. “There’s no benefit — we like to follow the law,” Lamonica said. “The benefit is the rule of law.”
Another issue with the case was who the plaintiffs named as the defendant. The original suit listed Larry Hollier, chancellor of the Health Sciences Center, as the defendant. But Lamonica said the Board, not Hollier, was the entity to be sued. “He is not a proper party defendant,” Lamonica said. “He’s a representative.” The court upheld that claim, ruling “it is clear that the legislature placed in the [Board of Supervisors], and not the individual institutions under its control, the juridical power to sue and be sued.” Zewe said no date has been set for the case to be heard. Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
STATE EFFECTS Mike Strain, commissioner of agriculture forestry, said state farmers are feeling the damage from a year of unusual weather. Many crops, like sweet potato, cotton, rice and sugar cane are affected by the summer drought, followed by the fall flooding. Sugar cane and some rice harvesting were delayed because of recent rain, some cotton crops haven’t defoliated and some bean crops experienced heavy damage, he said. The state is trying to obtain a federal disaster declaration for state agriculture, Strain said. He said the state is preparing a loss assessment report, which will make an assessment of the damage and decide if the
state qualifies for a disaster. This is the second year state farmers had weather cause crop damage, Strain said. The state won’t know which year is worse until the assessment report is released, he said. “We’re working hard to get federal money to assist farmers and get them back on their feet,” he said. Grymes said South Louisiana’s normal flood season is winter and spring, which means the year’s worst rains are still to come, along with the threat of river and bayou flooding, he said. Contact Steven Powell at spowell@lsureveille.com
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THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
NATION
DHH considers major Obama addresses Afghanistan issues Medicaid rate cut By The Associated Press
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — President Obama mourned 14 Americans killed Monday in helicopter crashes in Afghanistan and told a military audience he will not be hurried as he evaluates whether to alter U.S. strategy in the war. “I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm’s way. I won’t risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary,” Obama said during a visit to Naval Air Station Jacksonville. Obama is nearing a decision on whether to commit large numbers of additional troops to the war next year. His top military commander in Afghanistan favors an increase of roughly 40,000, officials have told The Associated Press, which would allow the U.S. military to expand its reach in areas of the country’s south and east now under Taliban sway. Obama’s visit to the naval air station came after he convened another in a series of White House war council sessions with about a half-dozen Cabinet officials and other top advisers earlier Monday amid Republican criticism that he is taking too long to choose his next move. The Situation Room session focused on the cooperation between U.S. military and civilian efforts in Afghanistan,
By The Associated Press
PHIL COALE / The Associated Press
President Barack Obama speaks at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla. on Monday.
White House officials said. Another session may be held later this week. Obama did not tip his hand on how he might decide. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters a decision was still expected in the coming weeks. A war plan that asks Obama to commit tens of thousands of additional U.S. forces to Afghanistan is too ambitious, a top Senate Democrat said in Washington on Monday. Sen. John Kerry, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman who was the White House’s point man during last week’s tense talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, praised
commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal but said his plan for adding troops in Afghanistan “goes too far, too fast.” Kerry’s stance would aim for a modest increase in American forces, treading middle ground between Republicans who have said Obama would put soldiers and the country at risk by rejecting McChrystal’s larger request and anti-war Democrats who question whether the United States already has taken on too much in Afghanistan.
Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com
(AP) — Louisiana’s health department is considering cutting millions of dollars paid to private health care providers for Medicaid patients, to help balance next year’s budget, the department’s finance chief said Monday. Charles Castille, undersecretary for the state Department of Health and Hospitals, said the idea was to drop Medicaid spending for the private providers — like hospitals, nursing homes, doctors and home health care firms — to the amount spent on them in 2006, before lawmakers passed a hefty boost to their payments in 2007. “That was the year the Medicaid program exploded,” Castille said. “So, the idea was, ‘Should we go back to the level before the explosion?’” The move could cut more than $232 million annually in the Medicaid program for the poor, elderly and disabled. When federal matching dollars are left out, Castille said the cuts would save about $33 million in state general fund revenue. Louisiana’s Medicaid program had a $5.2 billion budget before Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. Today, that program has a $6.4 billion budget, because of increases in provider rates, program expansions
and increased Medicaid use by state residents, Castille said. Castille described the proposal to an advisory panel to the Commission on Streamlining Government, which is looking at ways to reduce government spending amid several years of projected budget shortfalls. After the meeting, DHH Secretary Alan Levine said the idea was one of many suggestions his department offered to the streamlining commission. But Levine said he hasn’t settled on which suggestions he’ll push with lawmakers when they craft the budget in the spring for the new year that begins July 1. Lobbyists for the hospitals, nursing homes and others whose payments would be slashed said the reductions could jeopardize patient care and might shrink the number of providers willing to care for Medicaid patients. Paul Salles, CEO of the Metropolitan Hospital Council of New Orleans, said a round of cuts this year to private health providers in the Medicaid program brought the rates paid to private and community hospitals for taking care of Medicaid patients to 1997 levels. Rural hospitals weren’t cut. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Sports
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
PAGE 7
IN THE BIG TIME
FOOTBALL
Miles: Jefferson emerging as leader
By Rachel Whittaker Chief Sports Writer
to become the No. 1 pick overall in the 1992 NBA Draft and a member of the Orlando Magic. O’Neal is by far the most successful former Tiger. The backboard-shattering machine has made five trips to the NBA Finals, earning four rings – three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the NBA, see page 15
MILES, see page 15
photo courtesy of STEVE FRANZ
Chicago Bulls’ Tyrus Thomas rebounds a ball Oct. 16 during a preseason NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Chicago. Thomas was a member of LSU’s 2006 Final Four team and is currently entering his fourth season with the Bulls. Six recent LSU players are on current NBA rosters.
Six former Tigers earn spots on NBA rosters for upcoming season By Chris Branch Sports Contributor
Earning a spot on an NBA roster is like winning a reality show. Both, however “fun,” come down to a theory straight out of a biology textbook — survival of the fittest. Seven former LSU players were on training camp rosters. Some, like perennial All-Star center Shaquille
O’Neal, never lost sleep over job se- standout at LSU. curity. Others, like undrafted rookie The remaining six of seven guard Garrett Temple, weren’t as made their respective rosters. comfortable. O’Neal is The HousLSU’s main NBA ton Rockets nixed attraction. After LSU’s bid for a playing for former Log on to see an clean slate of roster Tiger coach Dale interactive map of health when they Brown from 1989where former Tigers axed Temple, the 1992, Shaq bolted are in the NBA. former defensive from Baton Rouge
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NAM Y. HUH / The Associated Press
LSU played arguably its most complete game of the season Saturday against Auburn. “I like the position we’re in,” LSU coach Les Miles said Monday. “All our goals are there ... Offensively, we got into a nice rhythm, and some of the things we worked on like specific coverages we saw come to bear in the game.” Senior linebacker Harry Coleman and junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard were named defensive most valuable players, and sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson and junior wide receiver Ter- Log on to see rance Toliver earned the honor a video on the offensive about the side for their Les Miles press conperformances. C o l e m a n ference. had one of his best games at LSU on Saturday, finishing with nine tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles, and Sheppard led the team with 13 tackles. Miles said Jefferson is maturing into “a quiet leader” on the team. “Any time you see a young
FOOTBALL
Quarterback Russell Shepard leads LSU herd over Auburn By Jarred LeBlanc Sports Contributor
Freshman Russell Shepard joined LSU’s football team as the No. 2-ranked quarterback in the 2009 recruiting class, according to Scout.com. Shepard is listed as a quarterback on LSU’s depth chart. But he has yet to throw a pass in the 23 times he’s gotten the ball this season. Shepard instead has shown his versatility by taking direct snaps from the wildcat formation, handoffs from the running back position and even catching a pass from the receiver position. Shepard showed why he was a highly touted recruit Saturday when he took a handoff 69 yards for his
first collegiate touchdown. “I had been struggling trying to get some touches here, so it was just an amazing feeling,” Shepard said. “[The touchdown] was a 3-read, a simple play.” Shepard finished Saturday’s game against Auburn with 71 rushing yards, which led all LSU rushers. His career-best performance against Auburn came one game after he did not see the field when LSU hosted No. 1 Florida on Oct. 10. “The hype of recruitment is all over, and I have to be able to produce,” Shepard said. “The more I produce, the more coaches put me on the field.” Shepard admitted the transition from high school to college wasn’t as easy as he expected. “It’s a long season, but it
definitely has been [tough to adapt],” Shepard said. “In high school I was just a better athlete than everybody.” LSU coach Les Miles said a lot of players come into college and have to adjust to not being the only star player on the team. He said high school players have to learn the coaches need to coach everyone, not just them specifically. “What happens is you come to college, and you realize that there is a quarterback, receivers, running backs and a number of guys who get their opportunities,” Miles said. “And just to coach you would be inappropriate, but we’re going to coach the room, and that room’s responsibility is to get that information.” But Miles said with a player like Shepard who can play multiple positions, the difficulty of the transition
is amplified. “We’ve asked him to do a lot of things,” Miles said. “I think we certainly multiply his issues with how much we’re trying to put on his plate.” Shepard has produced when he has come on the field. Shepard has run the ball for 177 yards, and his 7.7 yards per carry this season leads the team. He also recorded a reception for 6 yards. “Playing receiver or running back gives me an option, takes the pressure off me to be able to make a move one-on-one on the safety or linebacker — it’s helped me out a lot,” Shepard said. Shepard knows if he continues to play well, he’ll see the field more and have more opportunities to make plays.
“I experienced the positives of college football [Saturday], and I just look forward to helping my team out some more later on this year,” Shepard said. Senior defensive lineman Al Woods said he was happy to see the freshman have a breakout game, and future solid performances can help the team with quality opponents left on the schedule. “It feels good. I love to see Shepard in the backfield doing something special,” Woods said. Miles said Shepard will get more opportunities, and he’ll be able to display his skills at different positions.
Contact Jarred LeBlanc at jleblanc@lsureveille.com
PAGE 8
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
BABBLING BROOKS
LSU defense shows swagger during Auburn game Saturday’s win against Auburn showed many LSU fans what they wanted to see. The Tigers looked like a brand new team on offense, scoring 31 points and moving the ball seemingly at will. Sophomore quarterback Jordan Jefferson notched a career high with 242 yards passing and three total touchdowns, and the offense totaled a seasonhigh 376 yards Johanathan Brooks in the blowout. Sports Columnist But let’s not forget about the unsung heroes of this past and many other weekends — the defense. To me, this is the most underappreciated facet of this team. Throughout the offense’s struggles, the defense has been, more or less, consistent in its efforts to keep other teams out of the end zone. The Tigers held Florida’s potent offense to 13 points, made several goal-line stands — the most important of which secured a win against Mississippi State — and have only allowed its opponents to score more than 20 points twice all season. The most points the LSU defense allowed through seven games this season is 26 against Mississippi State a month ago, though two points came from a safety. The Tigers are No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense, only allowing 97 points for an average of 14 per game, and No. 6 in total defense, allowing 304 yards a contest. Junior linebacker Kelvin Sheppard leads LSU on that side of the ball with 57 total tackles for an average of 8.1 a game — good enough for No. 6 in the SEC. Two other Tigers are in the top 20 in the Southeastern Conference in tackles as both senior linebackers Harry Coleman and Perry Riley average 6.7 a game, with Coleman having two sacks. This is a far cry from last season when the Tigers finished No. 9 in both scoring defense and total defense in the conference. LSU allowed 24 points per contest and 326 yards per game in the 2008-09 campaign. No Tiger finished in the top 20 in the SEC in tackles. LSU allowed 24 points or more on five separate occasions last season, including more than 50 twice. The Tigers looked pretty terrible throughout most of last season. The defense at times looked confused with the happenings of the field and timid with assignments. It generally lacked the bravado many LSU defenses of the past have displayed. A lot of people flat-out said the players had no “heart,” and their swagger was gone. It may still be relatively early in the season, but I think it’s pretty safe to say the LSU defense has gotten its swagger back — and there was no better exemplification of the swagger than against Auburn. Despite having lost two games in a row, Auburn was still one of the best offenses in the conference
entering Saturday’s contest. But it didn’t matter to LSU, as the Tigers dismantled the offense and held Auburn to 193 yards total and 10 points. The game featured two sacks and two forced fumbles by Coleman, one of which was turned into a Jefferson touchdown a few plays later when the quarterback scrambled from 15 yards out to hit pay dirt. It also included a one-handed interception by senior cornerback Chris Hawkins which was all over college football highlight shows throughout the weekend. But the most apparent instance of swagger — the moment I realized it was back — wasn’t even anything the defense did particularly well. Late in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach, Auburn started to drive down the field on LSU’s defensive reserves. Auburn picked up a series of first downs and made its way to the 1-yard line on the arm of backup
GRANT GUTIERREZ / The Daily Reveille
LSU senior linebacker Perry Riley (56) tackles Auburn running back Ben Tate on Saturday during the Tiger’s 31-10 win against Auburn.
junior quarterback Neil Caudle with less than 10 seconds left on the game clock. And the entire LSU first-string defense charged back onto the field and lined up, hyped up the few thousand fans left in attendance and
attempted to stop Auburn’s scoring attempt. The Tigers ultimately failed in their attempt, but the entire sequence of events was something to be noted. This unit takes real pride in its
work, and the players would rather come back onto the field and try to keep an SEC rival out of the end zone in garbage time than sit on the bench and leave the work up to others. That’s what having real swagger is all about — not about silly hand gestures or some showy celebration dance. It’s about having a real desire to maintain excellence in all aspects of their work, even when no one else will judge it but themselves. The LSU defense has it, and maybe in due time, the entire team will too, and the Tigers can “Swag Surf” that wave to a really remarkable season. Johanathan Brooks is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Powder Springs, Ga. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_jbrooks. Contact Johanathan Brooks at jbrooks@lsureveille.com
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 9
VOLLEYBALL
LSU takes four-set match from Tenn. on road Three Tigers record double-doubles By Andy Schwehm Sports Writer
The LSU volleyball team didn’t want to go to another five-set match Monday night against Tennessee after losing a heartbreaking five-set match to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon and with a short week of offtime between matches coming up. Senior outside hitter Marina Skender made sure that didn’t happen, knocking home six kills in the final set while accounting for five of the Tigers’ last eight points en route to a 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 27-25, 27-25) road victory against the Lady Vols. With the victory, No. 20 LSU (16-5, 10-2) swept the season series against Tennessee (15-6, 8-3) and stays one match behind Kentucky in the overall Southeastern Conference standings. “We showed great composure and great poise,” said LSU coach Fran Flory. “It was the best job we’ve done all year in terms of not getting rattled. We focused on executing — we didn’t try to do too much or too
MAGGIE BOWLES / The Daily Reveille
LSU sophomore middle blocker Michele Williams hits the ball during the Tigers’ win against Arkansas on Oct. 16 in the PMAC.
little.” Skender was one of three Tiger seniors to record a double-double in the match, as she was joined by fellow outside hitter Lauren DeGirolamo and setter Sam Dabbs. The 18-kill, 15-dig performance was the eighth double-double of the season for the Zagreb, Croatia, native. Dabbs paced the Tigers’ offense with 53 assists and added 11 digs and five kills while DeGirolamo had 12 kills to go along with 16 digs. “This was Lauren’s best match,”
Flory said. “She was involved in just about every big play. She had the positive touch [Monday night].” Defensively, the Tigers had five players in double-digits digs, while the team amassed 16 blocks on the evening. “They would contain one person, but you just can’t contain us because we have so many options,” said sophomore libero Lauren Waclawczyk, who had 16 digs in the match. “Our defense was getting a touch on everything no matter where
GOLF
Tigers lead at Intercollegiate Peterson leads field with 10-under 132 By Sean Isabella Sports Contributor
The LSU men’s golf team gave LSU fans and Baton Rouge residents something to cheer about in person Monday for the first time since 2005. The Tigers, playing on their home turf for the first time since winning the LSU Spring Invitational in April 2005, came out firing on all cylinders Monday en route to a 10-under par 558 at the inaugural David Toms Intercollegiate at the Country Club of Louisiana. LSU junior All-American John Peterson leads the field after the first 36 holes with a 10-under 132. Peterson racked up 12 birdies on his way to shooting a pair of 66s in the first and second rounds to grab a two-stroke lead over Kent State’s Mackenzie Hughes, who sits in second place with an 8-under 134. Junior Andrew Loupe had the second-best day for the Tigers after shooting a 68 in the second round to lower his 36-hole total to 1-under 141. Hughes’ second-place score puts Kent State, which finished the day with a 7-under 561, three shots behind LSU. In-state foe Southeastern Louisiana is in third place after compiling a 4-under 564. The Lions bounced back in the second round with a 9-under 275, after struggling with a 5-over 289 during the first 18 holes. Besides Peterson and Loupe,
LSU received well-rounded play from its remaining three golfers. Sophomore Josh Jones shot a even-par 142, good enough for a sixway tie for 22nd place. Junior Clayton Rotz and sophomore Sang Yi both finished with a 4-over 146 to put them in a tie for 46th. With rain forecast for today’s final round, a decision was made Monday evening to make the final 18 holes a shotgun start. The shotgun start, which places golfers into groups for a simultaneous start from different holes on the
course, is set to begin at 9 a.m. The saturated courses at CCLA have already taken its toll on the 14team field. The eighth hole was shortened from a 402-yard par 4 to a 145-yard par 3 because of excess water. The National Weather Service has forecast a 70 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms today with rainfall totals possibly more than 1 inch. Contact Sean Isabella at sisabella@lsureveille.com
they hit it.” The Tigers held a 14-11 lead in the decisive fourth set before allowing Tennessee to go on a 9-2 run to take a 20-16 lead. But LSU rattled off an 11-5 run to secure the set and the match. Flory said the team did a better job of not playing the decisive set as conservatively as it did in Saturday evening’s five-set loss. “We learned from Saturday afternoon that you can’t play safe,” Flory said. “We tried to do too much Saturday ... but [Monday night] we stayed within ourselves and understood our abilities and opportunities and took advantage of them.” The Lady Vols dropped the first set to the Tigers but were able to bounce back with a convincing second-set victory. Junior outside hitter Nikki Fowler’s six second-set kills helped Tennessee dominate the second set from start to finish, taking as large as a seven-point lead. Tennessee outhit LSU in the
frame, .278 to .108. “In the first game, we pulled it out in the end, but they had started to come back because of our silly mental errors,” Dabbs said. “In the second game, we carried that over, and they came out fired up.” The third set was a back-andforth affair until LSU took a fourpoint lead at 20-16. The Tigers let Tennessee back into the match when the Lady Vols took four of the next five points to get the score a 21-20 in favor of LSU. With the set tied at 25, sophomore middle blocker Michele Williams recorded a kill and teamed with junior outside hitter Angela Bensend for a block to end the set, 27-25. Bensend finished the set with four kills and three blocks, while Williams added on three kills with three blocks. Contact Andy Schwehm at aschwehm@lsureveille.com
PAGE 10
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
SOCCER
‘CoJo’ Alexander finds home with LSU soccer team Utility player sparks Tigers’ defense By David Helman Sports Writer
ney.
She goes by CoJo and Court-
She’s an all-conference soccer player and is studying to go to medical school with a 4.0 GPA. She’s led an entire team in scoring but is currently adding her defensive prowess to an LSU back line that has allowed just seven goals in 10 conference games. Perhaps the biggest reason it’s so difficult to define LSU junior midfielder Courtney Alexander is because there isn’t much she can’t do. “I just go wherever my team needs me to go. I don’t really care,” Alexander said. Alexander arrived at LSU from Southeast Missouri State in spring 2008 as the reigning Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, after notching nine goals and six assists for the Redhawks. One might expect Alexander to lead the LSU offensive attack — instead, she’s happy simply to be playing. “Growing up, I played every
MAGGIE BOWLES / The Daily Reveille
Junior midfielder Courtney Alexander runs to score a goal during the Tigers’ 4-0 win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Oct. 18.
position for different teams ... I’m happy to be playing soccer again, so it doesn’t matter to me,” Alexander said. “I wanted a school that had great tradition, great athletics and great pride. This is exactly what I wanted from my college experience.” SEMS declined to release Alexander from her athletic scholarship, forcing her to miss the 2008
season and preventing her from making her first LSU start until Aug. 21. “All I could do was practice with the team — I couldn’t travel or play,” she said. “I never really got a full answer about that. I think [SEMS] were probably just upset, but I don’t really know.” But “CoJo” knew she was at home the moment she arrived on
campus. Her future teammates made sure of that. “When she went down there, she had on a pair of jean shorts,” said Alexander’s mother, Dana. “They started calling her ‘Jorts,’ and eventually I think they shortened it to CoJo.” Dana Alexander said her daughter has “absolutely been successful adapting to the culture” at LSU. “She has her own identity down there,” she said. “Up here she’s Courtney, and down there she’s CoJo.” Courtney Alexander has found a home on the field as well, combining with sophomore defender Allysha Chapman to help lock down an LSU defense seeking to replace graduated defensive midfielder Casey Crawford. The Tigers’ back line has allowed just 13 goals on the season, good enough for No. 4 in the Southeastern Conference. “They both were just what the doctor ordered. It’s really helped to have two physical players on the field,” said LSU coach Brian Lee. “Every transfer has a different story, and it helps when it’s a supernice kid like Courtney. Her transition has been really smooth.” Not that she’s forgotten her scoring ways. Alexander often moves
forward to the attack and has twice helped salvage certain LSU losses, delivering two assists in a comeback victory against Vanderbilt and causing an own goal to force a draw with Duke. “We knew she was going to be capable anywhere on the wing, but she has gone up front in spot duty and been very effective,” Lee said. These accolades speak nothing of Alexander’s academic prowess — something her parents said they’ve never had to encourage. Her father, Ted, said Courtney Alexander wanted a better challenge academically when she transferred. She didn’t receive her first B until two years into college, and her mother said she has plans of becoming a doctor and joining Doctors Without Borders, a volunteer organization that provides aid in countries threatened by wars and natural disasters. Courtney Alexander skipped a month’s worth of training last summer and moved home to study for the MCAT. Ted Alexander said she didn’t want any distractions. “She’s a very hard worker, whether it’s athletics or academics,” he said. “She wants to be a doctor — that’s her passion. Contact David Helman at dhelman@lsureveille.com
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 11
SWIMMING AND DIVING
Hamilton comes up big, early for the Tigers Freshman adds depth to distance event By Amos Morale Sports Contributor
Craig Hamilton is used to traveling long distances. The freshman swimmer’s main events are the 1000-yard and 500yard freestyle, but he had a much larger body of water to cross to get to LSU — the Atlantic Ocean. The Edinburgh, Scotland, native is in his first season at LSU and is making huge impact for the Tigers in the long-distance events. Hamilton was CollegeSwimming.com’s 40th overall recruit and has touched the wall first in every 1000-yard or 500-yard free event this season. LSU coach Adam Schmitt said Hamilton has been a great addition to the swim team’s overall depth. He also said Hamilton is enjoying the culture of Louisiana. “I think he is pleasantly
surprised with what we have down here in Louisiana,” Schmitt said. Hamilton said Louisiana is much different from Scotland. “It’s a lot hotter here,” He said. “And a lot more humid.” Hamilton also said the people are more friendly in Louisiana. “I’m probably going to get killed in Scotland for saying that,” Hamilton joked. Hamilton said the training at LSU is harder, and he has had to adjust to his new teammates. “I swam with an age group club where I’m usually the oldest,” Hamilton said. “Now I’m the youngest.” He is just 17 years old. Hamilton has made adjustments before. He has swum in open-water swimming events throughout his career. He swam one in Israel and also one in Croatia. Hamilton qualified for the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome where he placed 34th in the 10K race. Hamilton said open-water swimming is different than pool
BENJAMIN OLIVER HICKS / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman swimmer Craig Hamilton takes his mark on the lane four starting block during the meet against Auburn on Oct. 23.
swimming. “It’s a lot rougher,” he said. Hamilton said the winner of the event in Israel kicked him in the face. He said the races are more tactical because swimmers are able to draft off each other. Hamilton has helped make the 1000-yard and 500-yard freestyle two of the Tigers’ deepest events. Hamilton and teammate junior Luis Gonzalez finished first and second in
the two long-distance events when LSU hosted Auburn on Saturday. Hamilton said Gonzalez has pushed him to swim faster. “I’m loving having someone to train with,” Hamilton said. “Back in Scotland, I had no one. Luis is awesome. He’s pushed me in every set, pushed me in every race, I’m just waiting for him to touch me out one of these days.” Gonzalez shares Hamilton’s
feelings. “We race each other in practice every day,” Gonzalez said. “We are just pushing and pushing each other.” Schmitt said he’s noticed how the two have helped each other in practice. “I think Luis is thriving off of Craig,” Schmitt said. “That is just going to help Luis in the long run.” Schmitt said Hamilton is laid back but very competitive. “He’s a little bit humble,” Schmitt said. “He also has some pride in himself to want to be a great swimmer.” Hamilton showed this competitive spirit when the Tigers faced Tennessee. His goggles filled slightly with water at the start of the 500-yard freestyle. He was able to still gain the lead and hold off a late charge by Tennessee’s Geoffrey Sanders in the races final 25 yards to claim the victory. Contact Amos Morale at amorale@lsureveille.com
FOOTBALL
Tebow struggling to find groove in senior season By The Associated Press GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Tim Tebow’s pursuit of perfection might be causing him to play a little tight. Florida coach Urban Meyer said Monday his star quarterback could be putting so much pressure on himself that it’s causing the top-ranked Gators to bog down on offense, especially inside the 20-yard line. “I would say that there’s a chance that’s true,” Meyer said. “That’s a fault of Tim that he sometimes wants to. ... I do believe that’s an issue. But is it that a great issue? Now you’ve got to be able to coach through that and work through that.” Tebow already has more turnovers (eight) through seven games than he did in all of 2007 (six) or 2008 (six), and he’s been sacked 15 times. He was sacked just 13 times in 2007 and 15 times in 14 games last season. His most glaring strug-
gles are in the red zone. In Southeastern Conference play, Florida (7-0, 5-0 SEC) has just seven touchdowns in 25 trips inside the 20-yard line — a 28-percent rate that is alarming. The Gators scored TDs on 27 of 37 trips (73 percent) last year and 30 of 44 trips (68 percent) in 2007. There have been fumbles, interceptions, missed field goals, penalties and sacks. Meyer even said Monday the team made a mistake by going off the play-calling sheet in Saturday’s 29-19 win at Mississippi State. Tebow doesn’t have any answers. He is clearly getting disheartened with his team’s offensive woes. He blew off his postgame interview session for the first time in three years in Starkville, Miss. “It’s kind of new and it is frustrating,” Tebow said Monday. “I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s not frustrating because obviously we
want to score [touchdowns] every time we get in the red zone, and the turnovers are frustrating, just things that we’re not used to doing. “It could possibly be a good thing because that could give us a little bit of edge of, ‘Hey, we haven’t arrived and we’ve still got a lot of work to do.’ That’s something to really motivate us because that’s not us, that’s not the way we’ve always played and it’s just frustrating.” Tebow apologized for
missing the interview session, saying he wanted to spend time with family members and his former position coach, Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Tebow said Mullen told him to, “Just go win
another title. Everything’s in front of you.” Contact The Daily Reveille’s sports staff at sports@lsureveille.com
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Opinion
PAGE 12
FREEMAN OF SPEECH
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Let Angola inmates grow marijuana, not golf courses Perhaps no venue provokes as much fear as “The Farm,” except maybe Death Valley. Anyone familiar with the Angola State Penitentiary either has his own stories about the prison or knows someone locked up within its menacing fences. Almost everyone from New Orleans remembers the fear stoked by Mayor Ray Nagin, who promised a oneway trip to The Farm for anyone caught looting in the aftermath of Katrina. The Farm — the country’s largest maximum security prison — isn’t without its tourist attractions. In addition to housing some of the most hardened criminals in the nation, Angola is also home to the state’s most popular (and popularized) prison rodeo, as well as the aptly named Prison View Golf Course, featuring nine holes of incarcerated “jailbirdies.” Last week’s news of the Obama Administration telling federal authorities not to arrest those possessing or distributing legal medical marijuana in applicable
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
School voucher column based on misconceptions The
In
Thursday’s issue of Daily Reveille, Mark
states dramatically localizes control over pot, as states and local communities take their cue from the federal government on this issue. As such, Louisiana should stand out by repairing one of the biggest travesties involving drug policy and sentencing disparities. I’m talking about a Eric Freeman Jr. Columnist reinvention of “The Farm.” Let’s get rid of the Prison View Golf Course and revert the penitentiary to its original stated purpose. Angola should be transformed into a legal marijuana farm, tended to and nurtured by inmates. Think about this rationally for a minute. The national tide is turning in favor of marijuana reform. Many bigger domestic battles are being waged in Congress, but an
opportunity is slowly emerging to change archaic drug policies in America. On a regular basis, stories are filtering north from the deadly battles being waged by Mexican drug cartels. To date, more than half of the financing for these cartels comes from marijuana sales north of the border. Other than the usual arguments for marijuana legalization — pot has never killed anyone by overdose, it relieves severe nausea and depression and its prohibition serves the same purpose alcohol prohibition did in the 1930s, only with much deadlier results — the economic benefit of marijuana legalization is becoming more common sense to mainstream America than ever before. The combined reduction in police expenditures — after all, if cops aren’t spending their time arresting a couple of idiot stoners in Miller Hall, they’d be on the street, maybe in time to prevent a double homicide — and appropriate taxation by local government
could generate serious, budgetcut-busting revenue. If Americans could buy legal marijuana from American suppliers, instead of giving our toke money to Mexican drug cartels, violence would presumably decrease while states could alleviate serious budgetary problems. This push for legalization could have an unlikely ally in Louisiana — namely, Student Government President Stuart Watkins, who indicated in an interview he’d be “open to considering” a call to the Louisiana legislature to decriminalize marijuana. “I don’t know much about it, but I’d definitely be open to considering it,” Watkins told me in his office. Decriminalization would be a much easier step than appropriating the whole of The Farm’s golf course to medical marijuana, but Angola inmates should be moving closer to becoming more productive citizens in their rehabilitation. The penitentiary houses an overwhelming number of violent
Macmurdo’s opinion column eloquently states what every true American should believe, “A system of privately run schools competing with one another is an exciting possibility for solving our education problem.” But we need to make sure certain groups of people — whether it’s the rich or the religious — do
not get any handouts. Macmurdo really distinguishes the truth in the private school sector. First, he points out the harsh reality that Catholic schools are clearly leeches sucking money out of students to feed the associated church. This devious plan appears to have been conceived by the Knights Templar in
order to fund the second Crusade. This makes complete sense and explains how Catholic schools across America can operate on fewer funds per student and still perform better academically than their highly efficient public school counterparts. The second truth Macmurdo uncovers is the ugly reality that rich people only send their kids to private schools to escape poor people. No reason like education or safety would ever cause a rich person to send their kids to another school. These rich bastards (who single-handedly support the evil money-funneling Catholic schools)! How dare they try to send their kids to schools that seem to succeed! What really makes Macmurdo’s plan genius, however, is that the rich people would still have to pay double for a good education! Not only would they be paying for their kids’ education through taxes but they would also have to pay for tuition on top of that! Let us band together to put this truly American idea into action.
To all the pro-lifers who have been telling us why we should make abortion illegal: Suppose you met a young woman working at a minimum wage job whose boyfriend left her when he found out she was pregnant, and her doctor is now telling her she’s going to have to go on bed rest due to a complication. Oh yeah, and she doesn’t have health insurance. What would you advise her to do? Instead of making abortions illegal, let’s work to encourage alternatives. Working toward better health care, improving the adoption system and funding research for safer pregnancies are just a few suggestions that could help decrease the number of abortions while leaving the option open for those who really don’t have another viable alternative.
Adrian Serio biological engineering junior
Crystal Stoutan undecided freshman
BEST AND WITTIEST
cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE
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
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.
criminals, while simple possessors are designated to local, less secure facilities. The Farm’s prison population could be put to better use than tending the grounds of an antiquated, elitist pastoral activity. They could be learning more about botany and business at once, all while cultivating a product so high in demand, more than 100 million Americans have admitted to trying at least once. Let’s end the façade of the “dangers of marijuana” and the “gateway” status of pot and accept the new surge of acceptance of medical pot. Otherwise, the opportunity to transform and remake “The Farm” could go up in smoke. 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
Pro-lifers should encourage alternatives
QUOTE OF THE DAY “To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.” Thomas A. Edison American inventor February 11, 1847 - October 18, 1931
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
ANALOG AVENGER
Opinion
PAGE 13
A boy, a balloon and the hydrologic cycle of news Do you remember “The Balloon Boy”? Our story begins a few weeks ago in a tiny stream, when the Heene family reported their son missing. Mom and Pop built an experimental balloon and feared their son hopped into it and floated away while they weren’t looking. Also, 37 people were killed in a series of bomb attacks in Pakistan. Anyway, this balloon: It was silver and shiny, and a boy was in it. Word was spreading, and the stream began to flow into a much larger creek. Top pundits on the Facebook News Network were weighing in: Natalie “got her hair done,” Daryl “wondered if he should throw it all away,” and Pat gave us a “haha” as a chunk of debris fell from the balloon. Was it the
boy? Was disaster at hand? So this balloon: It was silver and shiny, and helicopters were chasing it. Top pundits on CNN were weighing in. They even gave us some links to post on the Facebook News Network so we could follow the action live. We were in sync, and Balloon Boy had lifted us all. But alas, as gravity returned our metallic vessel to the Earth, we found it empty. Where was the Balloon Boy? Hiding in the attic, marionette in hand! How healthy and boring. “That little [expletive]!” Facebook News Correspondent Valyne Gates proclaimed. In other news, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. But this balloon: It was silver and shiny, and it was grounded. Further, the sheriff ruled it a hoax!
An early Halloween hooey borne by a pair of pub-starved parents who, coincidentally, had appeared on an episode of “Wife Swap,” the self-explanatory “reality” show and a triumphant thread in the moral fabric of our society. Jack Johnson The ride Columnist stops there, but our story doesn’t. The creek had merged into a much larger river – a roaring tributary filled with silt, wood and embarrassed media eager to crucify the culprits. Wolf Blitzer served justice by outing the family on camera. Other publications did their part, too, giving us background on the family through interviews and
psychoanalysis. Pundits at places like the New York Times were weighing in. Op-Ed columnist Frank Rich pointed out the valuable lessons to learn about society from Balloon Boy and its coverage. A good final word. I almost forgot this whole ordeal even happened. In searching archives of the Facebook News Network’s mini-feed, it’s tough to find exactly when the story began – too many new updates to backtrack and fight the flow. I don’t know who’s reporting to whom these days. But the “when” isn’t really the point. Sure, the parents lied, but that’s not really the point, either. In a twisted symbiosis, they got their 15 minutes, and we got our distraction from what we’ve deemed less important anyway.
By writing this, I suppose I am equally complicit in this phenomenon, only chicken scratching for the consolation of self-awareness. Our river of a story has slowed to a crawl now – emptied into the ocean, salty and opaque, where it will once again ascend like Balloon Boy into the clouds, moved in another form, only to rain down on our unsuspecting, disappointed heads. I guess that’s OK. As long as it’s shiny. 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
JUXTAPOSED NOTIONS
Political correctness the scariest thing about Halloween Halloween just isn’t fun anymore. Five years ago, a Washington state school canceled its Halloween celebration because “real witches” were offended by kids running around in green paint and pointy hats. Last year, a zealous John McCain supporter slammed the door on children of Barack Obama supporters, leaving them with tears and no candy. And this year, illegal immigrants are frothing at the mouth over a hilariously politically incorrect “Illegal Alien Adult Costume” featuring an orange jumpsuit, alien mask, and fake green card. The uproar on behalf of The Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles forced Target, among other stores, to remove the costumes from their stock. Such is the reactionary nature of political correctness. I’ve never been a fan of it, but when it wedges its way between kids and their sugar fix, somehow I dislike it even more. The self-righteous outrage over the immigrant costume is something I find particularly inane. Those in defense of banning the costume not only seem to lack a sense of humor, but cannot support their argument on something beyond emotion. The negative political pressure will ultimately have a chilling effect on what large retailers are willing to carry and what people feel is acceptable to wear. This sort of conflict has inevitably resulted in a free speech debate, as most issues involving free expression and easily offended people typically do. This is only one example of how things have changed in recent years. The cancerous divisiveness
fraught in our mainstream culture has somehow found its way into our kids’ trick-or-treat bags. Since when did we start using lollipops as a political bartering tool? It’s almost cruel, really, to have the ugliest facets of our Linnie Leavines cultural wars Columnist manifested in a relatively trivial holiday. Not that I mind when people express these nuances by dressing up. It just perturbs me when killjoys and their hair-trigger sensibilities jeopardize the enjoyment of the holiday — always at the expense of everyone else. In other words, the union of political correctness and Halloween is one of the most obnoxious cultural marriages I’ve ever had the displeasure of witnessing. The enforcers of this phenomenon aren’t limited to political activist groups. Religious groups are guilty, too, from fundamentalist Christians, who are known for being offended by Halloween itself, to Wiccans and Pagans, who are offended by children apparently making a mockery of the occult. The remainder express their disagreement by refraining from participation. I’m more sympathetic to this group, mostly because of the horror stories I’ve heard about razor blades buried in caramel apples and bubble gum imbued with narcotics among other delightful things. Taking this into consideration, you can’t blame someone for wanting to know what junior is putting in his mouth. But whether their reason for
passive participation is born from distaste for the holiday or perfectly normal safety concerns, these sorts of people are the model for how our attitude should be. Others who insist on turning the holiday into a cultural debacle seem to miss the point. Part of Halloween’s allure is the opportunity to pretend to be something you’re not
— moreover, the allure includes the privilege of becoming exempt from the societal norm, being the exemption from politics and unwarranted sensitivity. Participate in the holiday if you want. Dress up however you like. And if you don’t want to do either, shut up and let me eat my candy in peace.
Linnie Leavines is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Central City. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_lleavines.
Contact Linne Leavines at lleavines@lsureveille.com
BEST AND WITTIEST
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009
THE DAILY REVEILLE
PAGE 15
If he can stay healthy and obviously if he can continue to get better, he has a good chance at being a good Miami Heat. O’Neal now earns his pay play- player.” Tyrus Thomas and Glen Davis, ing sidekick to reigning NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James as both members of LSU’s 2006 Final member of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Four team, are staying put for the O’Neal is looking for a fifth ring — 2009-2010 campaign. Thomas is entering his fourth James, his first. The rest of the Tiger lineup season with the Chicago Bulls, is devoid of grizzled veterans like where he averaged 10 points and six O’Neal. Marcus Thornton is the rebounds per game last season for the sole training camp survivor from the Bulls en route to a trip to the play2008-09 LSU squad. The Heat draft- offs. The Bulls lost in seven games to ed Thornton, last season’s Southeast- Davis’ Celtics in the first round. Moreau said Thomas has been ern Conference Player of the Year, 43rd overall in the 2009 draft, then effective in the past, but needs to traded his rights to the New Orleans improve in certain areas to find more playing time. Hornets. Thorn“He’s used his ton shined in the explosive athletiHornets’ preseason cism to become a contests and averreal force on deaged 12.6 points per fense, but must game. find consistency on “He can score the offensive end,” in bunches,” said Moreau said. “ChiHoopsworld. cago loaded up at com analyst Mike forward in the draft, Moreau. “The HorTrent Johnson so he could be a guy nets desperately who gets dealt.” need points off the LSU men’s basketball coach Davis, meanbench, and Thornton while, is the sole is certainly capable of providing that. He could even see Tiger currently in the NBA beside some starts if [James] Posey, Devin Shaq able to boast an NBA title. DaBrown and Peja [Stojakovic] aren’t vis was a key contributor in Boston’s 2008 championship season, playing scoring.” LSU men’s basketball coach 13 minutes a game. “Unfortunately, he won’t play Trent Johnson mentioned at LSU’s media day Thornton “could start” for the role he played in the playoffs, but he should get regular, signifiByron Scott’s squad. Johnson backed off the claim. cant minutes and proved he can hold But he did say he’s hearing good things down if injuries bite the Celts things about Thornton’s performance up front,” Moreau said. Anthony Randolph, who left so far as a pro. “I don’t want to say that was me LSU after his freshman season in speaking out of character. That was 2008, is showing signs of promise at just based off of knowing Marcus,” Golden State. The Warriors drafted Johnson said. “They didn’t bring Randolph 14th overall in the 2008 him in there not to have an impact. draft, but Randolph played sparingly
in his rookie season. Randolph garnered some publicity this summer by averaging more than 20 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. In a game against the Bulls in July, Randolph tied a summer league record after putting up 42 points. “Randolph has unlimited potential, with that combination of grace and athleticism that the truly greats have,” Moreau said. “He should start, play a ton and score a lot in Golden State’s offense. If he were in a better organization, he could be an all-star in the near future. Might become one anyway. Has a chance to be that good.” Brandon Bass will join the Orlando Magic, his third team in a fiveyear career. Bass only spent two seasons in Baton Rouge. The 6-foot-8 forward roped in the 2005 SEC Player of the Year honor – after leading LSU to an NCAA tournament berth. A glance at the above players reveals an impressive review of the LSU program. The league now has former Tigers representing the last five years of the program, 20042009. Fellow former Tigers and NBA hopefuls were denied roster spots, including Stromile Swift, Chris Johnson and Terry Martin. “I don’t want to use the word respected, but LSU can match up to any place, anywhere,” Johnson said. “If you look at it over the years, going back to Bob Pettit and Pete Maravich until when coach Brown got here, I mean, my goodness. There have been some very, very talented and very, very good basketball players that have come through here.”
single coverage on those wide receivers,” Miles said. “We can run the football, and we will run the football if they give us even numbers ... If they don’t, then the opportunity is to throw it to our receivers on the perimeter.” Miles said even the young LSU players who came into the game showcased their talent well. True freshman fullback Dominique Allen
made his first start against Auburn. “The guys who stepped on the field for the first time Saturday will play key roles the rest of the season,” Miles said. Jefferson took a hit in the game late, but Miles said it was a good lesson for the quarterback. “That was right in the crosshairs of the decision-making, and the reality of it is if he matured a little further, he wouldn’t have gotten hit,” Miles said. “As sad as that last hit was — and thank goodness without consequence — hopefully that was also a learning moment.” Miles said senior offensive tackle Ciron Black left the Auburn game with a “sprained ligament in between his third finger and fourth finger.” “It’s not broken, but it’s definitely an owie,” Miles said. “We’ll put some ice on it and a Band-Aid, and knowing him, it won’t bother him much.” On special teams, junior punter Derek Helton left the game after just one punt before junior kicker Josh Jasper took over for the remainder of the night. “[Helton] was a little nicked to start the game, and his first kick aggravated that issue,” Miles said. “We have to be more consistent there.” Helton said Monday his injury was a strained hip flexor, and he said it is “too early to tell” if he will play Saturday against Tulane.
NBA, from page 7
‘‘
‘There have been some very, very talented and very, very good basketball players that have come through here.’
MILES, from page 7
player who is talented come of age and get the benefit of a completed pass for the work he’s put in, that’s what you enjoy,” Miles said. Miles said throwing the ball from the I-formation was one situation at which Jefferson was successful. “It certainly appeared it was
Contact Chris Branch at cbranch@lsureveille.com
Contact Rachel Whittaker at rwhittaker@lsureveille.com
THE DAILY REVEILLE
Tuesday, October 27, 2009 INFLATION, from page 1
Changes in grade distribution may result from higher admissions standards leading to a higher caliber of students and a late withdrawal policy, said Stacia Haynie, vice provost of Academic Affairs. No campus-wide policy governs grading, but professors are required to list how they will calculate student grades on the syllabus, Haynie said. A 2002 Faculty Senate resolution looked at grade inflation at the University and determined although a rise in grades may be justified by increased academic performance, the overall rise cannot be justified by that reason alone. “If you tell me 60 percent (of students) are getting A’s and B’s, I’d be really suspicious,” said Robert Perlis, chair of the Faculty Senate Committee on Admissions, Standards and Honors. The resolution proposed the Committee annually monitor the distribution of grades, but later committees found this measure unnecessary and left the monitoring to individual college deans, Perlis said. To combat inflation, Princeton University adopted a quota system in April 2004, in which no department may award more than 35 percent A’s in undergraduate programs. The quota has brought Princeton grading standards back to what they were in the 1990s, said Stuart Rojstaczer, who runs a national grade inflation tracking Web site, in an e-mail to The Daily Reveille. “That’s hardly draconian,” he said. “Change in grading has to come from the top. There are too many incentives for professors to confer easy A’s.” LSU is not currently considering any changes in grading because the Faculty Senate has not seen data to prove grade inflation is a big issue here, Perlis said. “We should be given what we earn,” said Devin Leivo, psychology freshman. “There shouldn’t be a quota on how well you can do.” Grade distribution for the campus as a whole has stayed fairly consistent since 2001, although the amount of B’s awarded has increased slightly, from 29.8 percent in fall 2001 to 32.3 percent last semester, according to data from the Office of Budget and Planning. “People used to talk about the ‘gentleman’s C,’ but students are not happy with that anymore,” Perlis said. Grade distribution varies among colleges and year classifications as well. The amount of A’s awarded in colleges varied from 26.8 percent in the E.J. Ourso College of Business to 79.1 percent in the School of Social Work last semester. The amount of A’s awarded consistently increases from freshmen to seniors. This increase is typical after students develop a learning style, become more accustomed to life at the University and begin undertaking major-related course work, said Melissa Brocato, associate director for the Center for Academic Success. Historically, grades began to rise during the Vietnam War, Rojstaczer said, and the 1960s also started a steady increase of A’s given at LSU. While partially driven by sympathetic professors who didn’t want students to fail and be drafted for the war, it was also fashionable at the time for professors to be “leftists”
and “Marxists,” he said. “Somehow that translated into a feeling that professors should no longer promote hierarchal structures in the classroom,” he said. That feeling is still prevalent around some humanities departments, Rojstaczer said. Other historical milestones leading to inflation include the advent of the computer in the 1980s, resulting in papers with fewer typos and the Internet in the 1990s, allowing students to easily find resources for papers, but also allowing for easier plagiarism, he said. “Probably the biggest influence on grading since Vietnam was the widespread use of student evaluations beginning in the 1980s,” Rojstaczer said. Many professors feel pressured to give better grades because of teacher evaluations, said sociology professor Yoshinori Kamo.
Contact Olga Kourilova at okourilova@lsureveille.com
REFORM, from page 1
with incomes of more than $100,000 per year. “You have the money to pay it – pay it,” Lombardi told Commission member Tony Clayton, who is on the Board of Supervisors for the Southern University System. Clayton told Lombardi he has spent upward of $200,000 putting his kids through private schools so they could have the best chance at earning the TOPS scholarship. Lombardi argued these families can afford to spend more money on their children’s education all the way through college as well. “We have to think differently about the TOPS program,” Lombardi said. “TOPS is not funding higher education — it’s funding individuals.” Many argue the TOPS program keeps students in the state, but Lombardi said the high cost of out-ofstate tuition and fees is enough to keep students in Louisiana. Lombardi said raising tuition and fees and reconfiguring TOPS
will allow the LSU System — especially LSU-Baton Rouge, the state’s flagship institution – to be nationally competitive. Creating a $30 million flagship fund would also help the University, Lombardi said. Chancellor Michael Martin introduced the idea at a Faculty Senate-sponsored meeting recently, and it would charge students an extra $500 a semester to attend the University. Lombardi said the fund would enable the University to perform at nationally competitive levels. Student Government President Stuart Watkins and members of his executive staff attended the meeting. “If [the flagship fee] is going to preserve the academic core of the University, I think it’s a sacrifice the students will have to make to preserve the quality of education at LSU,” Watkins said. Lombardi compared academics at the University to its athletic program several times throughout his address. He said the University would be much better if Martin could
PAGE 16 run the school like the Tiger Athletic Foundation runs LSU Athletics. All funding for LSU Athletics is private. Commission member and former University chancellor James Wharton expressed his views about athletics and the University during the question-and-answer segment of his address. “The fact of the matter is that [LSU athletics] is national entertainment,” he said. But Wharton said solving the issue of funding and budget cuts is more complicated than just raising tuition. “Saying the campus could change tuition to whatever it wants is misleading,” Wharton said. The Commission is charged with evaluating higher education in the state and reporting back to the Legislature in the spring. Its report is due to the Board of Regents by Feb. 12. Contact Kyle Bove at kbove@lsureveille.com