Days since oil spill began:
50
BASEBALL
Pitcher Anthony Ranaudo selected by Red Sox, page 7.
CULTURE
Frozen yogurt takes Baton Rouge by storm, page 5.
The Daily Reveille
Volume 114, Issue 143 – Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Jack Hamilton named provost
Summer Edition – see www.lsureveille.com for more
Oil spill: worst environmental disaster in US history
Professors, politicians scramble to understand, remedy problem
Ryan Buxton
Nicholas Persac
Staff Writer
Manship College of Mass Communication Dean and award-winning author Jack Hamilton will become the University’s executive vice chancellor and provost, Chancellor Michael Martin announced Monday. Hamilton will assume the post July 1 and remain a Manship College faculty member, according to a broadcast email. Hamilton’s time as provost will begin as the University continues to toil through budget cuts and financial uncertainty, which he said would make the job tough. “This is a difficult time to be the provost,” Hamilton said. “I can’t say it will be an enjoyable job.” Hamilton said he will act as provost for two years, after which he will continue as a Manship College faculty member. During his time at the University, which began in 1992, Hamilton made strides with the Manship College by quintupling its endowment and establishing a Ph.D. program in media and public affairs, among other achievements. Hamilton said he hopes for the best as the legislature continues to debate the University’s budget for the upcoming year. “I’m hoping the legislature will be as merciful to students on campus as it possibly can,” he said. Hamilton will succeed current provost Astrid Merget, who announced her resignation from the position May 14. Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com
Staff Writer
Black blobs washing on sandy beaches, brown pelicans grounded with oil-covered feathers and fishermen looking for work have become common sights in national media since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded off the Louisiana coast 50 days ago, spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. But these scenes are only the beginning of long-lasting effects hitting close to home for Gulf Coast residents. And at the University, experts and students alike are scrambling to understand and IMPACTS, see page 11
Keep up to date with the oil spill at lsureveille.com’s oil spill coverage page: http://www.lsureveille.com/oil-spillrecovery.
OIL SPILL BY THE NUMBERS:
GERALD HERBERT / The Associated Press
Plaquemines Parish coastal zone director P.J. Hahn lifts an oil-covered pelican that was stuck in oil Saturday at Queen Bess Island in Barataria Bay, just off the Gulf of Mexico in Plaquemines Parish.
“BP needs to stop the bloody well, and the rest of the community needs to make sure this oil doesn’t wash on shore. If there’s a skimmer in the world, it should be in the Gulf today.” Edward Overton, environmental science professor
• $239 billion – profits BP made from sales and operating revenue during 2009 •$ 1.25 billion – amount to date BP has spent on oil spill response efforts •12,000 to 19,000 – number of barrels per day spewing from leak • 10,500 – number of barrels caught by containment cap on Saturday •2,600 – number of sea vessels involved in recovery efforts •6 – number of months Obama has stopped deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico with a moratorium • 20,000 – number of existing and potential new Louisiana jobs that could be lost in the next 18 months due to moratorium sources: BP, USGS, White House Media Affairs, Office of the Louisiana Governor
CONSTRUCTION
Staring Lane, Highland Road intersection closed for work Ryan Buxton Staff Writer KRISTEN M’LISSA ROWLETT / The Daily Reveille
Construction work blocks the intersection of Highland Road and Staring Lane on Monday. The area will be closed for two weeks as part of the city’s Green Light Plan.
Students flocking back to Baton Rouge for the summer semester may be met with slight traffic congestion resulting from
the closure of the intersection of Highland Road and Staring Lane. The intersection was closed June 1 for the installation of sewer drains running underneath the road. The work is expected to be complete June 15.
The project is part of the work to extend Staring Lane to Burbank Drive, which is one piece of the Green Light Plan, a 42-project endeavor to improve EXTENSION, see page 11