The Daily Reveille - October 9, 2014

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football Fans’ passion tempered by high expectations page 5

The Daily

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 St. George

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opinion Are millenials less patriotic? page 13 @lsureveille

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Volume 119 · No. 30

LSU System supports University land annexation into Baton Rouge BY deanna narveson dnarveson@lsureveille.com

The LSU Board of Supervisors issued a signed petition Wednesday supporting the annexation of unincorporated land southwest of campus into Baton Rouge proper. The land now resides within borders of the proposed city of St. George and contains Innovation Park and the LSU AgCenter’s Ben

Hur Farm, both part of the flagship campus. If St. George incorporates, the University could operate in two cities under separate city zoning, building codes and other ordinances if the land is not annexed. “We prefer to remain part of this city, where we have been since 1869,” said LSU President F. King Alexander in a statement issued Wednesday. “We find no

justification to merit having our land divided between two jurisdictions and have concerns that such division could adversely impact services critical to our students.” The land in question straddles Baton Rouge’s corporate limits. The Ben Hur Farm takes up 114.96 acres of land in East Baton Rouge Parish. Innovation Park is a research complex located about five miles from the flagship campus.

The petition acknowledged its assent to the enlargement of the boundaries of Baton Rouge, and was filed with and presented to the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council. The petition also stated the board wants University land that would be incorporated to be under the same ordinances and regulations as University-owned land already within city limits. Mayor-President Kip Holden

intervened on the petition to acknowledge that, if the annexation were approved by the Metro Council, the University land annexed would receive the same treatment as the existing incorporated land. Should St. George become a city, it would take up the southern portion of East Baton Rouge Parish, a tract of land about eight square miles larger than the City of Baton Rouge’s. Board of Supervisors

blood moon rising

Board approves hospital privatization changes BY Lauren Guillot lguillot@lsureveille.com

monthly solar viewings with hopes of generating intrigue and appreciation in community members and students like Louis. “My goal since I started full time here in 2006 has been to teach others, especially our younger generation, that there is entertainment to be had,” Kersey said. “Entertainment that doesn’t come in the form of television, cell phones or radio.” HRPO partnered with the University, BREC and the Baton Rouge Astronomical Society to provide interactive entertainment every Friday and Saturday.

The LSU Board of Supervisors approved amendments to contracts between the University’s hospitals and their private partners at a special meeting Oct. 1 to satisfy the requirements for federal funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The LSU System made the move to privatize the management of seven charity hospitals in 2012 because of the cost of operating the facilities. The number of hospitals involved in the plan has since been reduced to six. Under the new system, the University owns the hospitals, but the state pays private partners to run them, said Doreen Brasseaux, University assistant vice president of public policy. The privatization of the six state-owned hospitals, which provide care for the uninsured, were completed through no-bid contracts called Cooperative Endeavor Agreements, or CEAs, with nearby hospitals or research facilities. CEAs aim to enhance medical education for students, improve Louisiana’s health care workforce and, based on available financing, provide essential clinical services to the state’s uninsured and highrisk Medicaid populations. The state government reported at the end of the 2014 fiscal year that the privatization deals were $52 million under budget. The

see moon, page 15

see hospitals, page 15

photos by WALTER RADAM / The Daily Reveille

The moon sets Wednesday over Thomas Boyd Hall. The total lunar eclipse was the first since April 15.

Wednesday’s total lunar eclipse draws large audience

BY kaci cazenave kcazenave@lsureveille.com Some Baton Rouge residents didn’t need numerous cups of coffee to wake them up Wednesday morning — the anticipation of the “blood moon” observation at Highland Road Park Observatory was enough to get them out of bed. The observatory welcomed community visitors and University students at 3:30 a.m. to view the first total lunar eclipse of Earth’s moon since April 15. HRPO manager Christopher Kersey said he enjoyed seeing people in the community find time and sacrifice a little sleep to watch

one of the universe’s natural phenomena. The turnout for the viewing was large, which surprised Kersey. “The number of people who generally come out to the observatory often depends on the weather quality and community happenings,” Kersey said. “Although we didn’t have these factors working against us today, I’m still pleasantly surprised at the number of people who came out.” Vocal performance senior Kayla Louis said she was shocked to see a wide range of community members — from students to grandparents and children — in attendance. She chose to participate

in the viewing at HRPO because it earned her bonus points for her astronomy class. “I am fascinated with this kind of stuff, though,” Louis said. “That’s why I took the class — because I find it interesting how the solar system works.” Although Kersey had seen a number of eclipses before, he said this particular blood moon had him awestruck because it was darker than he expected. The lack of clouds and extreme moisture may have had something to do with the coloration, he said. Kersey said HRPO hosts these types of special events alongside


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