JANUARY 26, 2016 VOLUME 87, ISSUE 16
’ THE LION S ROAR S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S IA NA U N I V E R S I T Y
A Student Publication
Campus Life Page 2
Opinions Page 3
Arts & Entertainment Page 4
Sports Page 6
News Page 8
LionsRoarNews.com
Upward Electronic coasting devices now banned across campus Bound paves path for future of high school students BY ALEX BRAINARD Staff Reporter
BY WILLIAM SCHMIDT Opinions Editor
In 1987, the university began the Upward Bound Program that continues today. According to the Upward Bound Program page found on the Southeastern website, “The purpose of the Upward Bound Program is to generate in lowincome and first generation high school students, the academic strength, skills and motivation required to ensure their success in postsecondary education. The program is designed to better prepare selected students to enter and complete a postsecondary educational program after the completion of high school.” The Upward Bound Program is designed to help high school students who may come from low income families whose parents did not attend college. “It [Upward Bound Program] currently serves 425 firstgeneration college students, meaning neither parent has a college degree,” said Director of Upward Bound Programs Ron Abel. “When I say college student, I mean these are precollege students.” The Upward Bound Program currently has five different Upward Bound grants aimed with particular goals. “Three of them [grants] are what we call the Classic Upward Bound grants,” said Abel. “This grant serves students preparing them for majors in any field. We have two others, math and science Upward Bound grants that prepare students for the STEM field: science, technology, engineering and mathematics.” The program currently has 12 full-time staff members which include a director, five assistant directors and six outreach specialist. According to Abel, Upward Bound works with the students in several ways during the week, and the outreach specialist are kind of like counselors. “First of all, we keep the students we work with after school, and we become like their high school counselors,” said Abel. “We do with them what a counselor would do with the time and resources. We help students prep for the ACT. We help them determine what college they are going to go to. We help them apply to that college. We help them identify scholarships, [and] help them apply for those scholarships. When they get into those schools, we help them apply for classes, help them get in there and help them figure out how they are paying for it. We help them stay above a 2.5 GPA in the core curriculum in high school so they can graduate and move forward. We also work with them and help them bring their ACT score up so they can score the required 20 points to get TOPS.” Saturday is another day during the school year in which the Upward Bound Program
see UPWARD BOUND pg. 6
Hoverboards have become a popular way of getting around the university. They have also become a common way to travel locally throughout the country. However, there has been a recent ban on the devices due to safety hazards that were discovered. Hoverboards were becoming known to burst into flames and have already caused severe problems within America. Reports from the device’s fire outbreaks have come from Florida, Alabama, New York, Washington and Louisiana. International airports were one of the first to ban the devices with college universities such as Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University to follow procedures and also initiate bans. While across the country many colleges are still taking action and continuing bans on hoverboards, Southeastern has banned all electronic coasting devices. “My goal is to keep our students safe,” said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, James McHodgkins. “It’s more for safety. The biggest
thing about the hoverboards is that there are a lot of them and they catch fire and explode. We didn’t want that to happen in dormitories, classrooms and other buildings on campus where someone may be charging them and they catch on fire.” With campus banning all electronic coasting devices, the university has issued a new policy about coasting devices on campus. Students are still allowed to have transportation vehicles such as bicycles, skateboards, roller skates and any other coasting device as long as it is not electronic. The new policy does state, “Electronic skateboards, including self-balancing boards, scooters, hoverboards and other similar equipment are prohibited from being used, stored, and/ or charged in any University building and/or community. This includes campus grounds and all residence halls, apartments and organization/Greek houses.” Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University Jay Whitacre performed studies on the device that shows it is not the device itself that is dangerous, but the batteries inside. Lithium-ion batteries
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File
Southeastern Louisiana University joined many colleges and universities around the country in restricting hoverboards on campus, as federal officials review dozens of fires tied to the self-balancing scooters. are what power the hoverboards and can over heat while being charged which causes the fire to ignite. Another cause of fire is if the battery is punctured while someone is riding it. McHodgkins explained that the university banned all electronic coasting devices as a
safety precaution. “It’s more for protection for our students,” said McHodgkins. “In addition, there have been more reports of students who were injured riding those things. We’re looking at more of the safety of our students and others. Not just the users, but people
who are in the same vicinity.” While there have not been any incidents that were reported on campus, that doesn’t mean incidents have not occurred in the area. “I think the ban is necessary
see HOVERBOARDS pg. 7
Traveling abroad to help educate less fortunate BY WILLIAM SCHMIDT Opinons Editor
Though this is the first full week of classes, graduating senior psychology major Christine Jones is already making plans on how she will be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa for the second year in a row to help tutor students in math and English through the One Heart Source Program. According to oneheartsource.org, their “mission is to build environments within marginalized populations that promote a comprehensive approach to eliminating the gap between those who have access to bettering their lives and those who do not.” One of the reasons that Jones is going back to South Africa is because of the incredible experience she had last
year, but also to help children with an education they are eager to have. “I haven’t experienced anything like it in my life,” said Jones. “Going to another country I’ve done. But, going and putting your heart into a place that has so much hurt really inspired me to go back and help kids who don’t have the education. They are so excited about getting this knowledge from us. We tutor them in math and English and their so excited about what we have to teach them.” After tutoring in math and English, the guys and girls are split into two separate groups where they are able to hear encouraging words on the future that they are not use to. “We talk about what [they] want to do with [their] life and how [they] can achieve those goals,” said Jones. “[We
tell them] that, ‘You actually can do it’ because they are so used to hearing, ‘You can’t do it.’ You can see a spark in their eye, that they can actually do something in the world.” With having done the trip to South Africa last year, Jones has not only been able to learn knowledge that may not be able to be picked up in the classroom, but she also gained the knowledge of how people are working to become better themselves. “I think more than anything they [children being tutored] help us realize that there are people striving to be better and all we have to do is care,” said Jones. “I would always encourage going to another country you don’t know
see TRAVEL pg. 8
MLK remembered during march BY KARSON SHARP Staff Reporter
The Lion’s Roar / Karson Sharp
Members of Alpha Phi Alpha march across campus to honor Martin Luther King. After the march, members displayed an image of King during a memorial speech.
A large procession crossed the campus recently, including students, university officials and others who wanted to honor the memory of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Moving swiftly over the many sidewalks of campus, the marchers filled the air with cries of, “United we stand, divided we fall.” The march took place on Tuesday evening, January 19,
and moved from the Pedestrian Tunnel near North Campus to the Hurricane Katrina and Rita Memorial Fountain. After crossing the campus, marchers formed a crowd near the fountain, The Men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. gave a speech about the life, deeds and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The speech explained, Dr. King used nonviolent protest tactics to create change in an atmosphere of overwhelming oppression. Though he
sometimes encountered violence, King never wavered from his dreams of liberation and harmony. The march was supported by the Office of Multicultural and International Student Affairs, The Men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.and University President Dr. John Crain, who was in attendance. Student Engagement official Kyle Gallagher was in attendance and praised the nonviolent policies of Dr. King.
see MLK pg. 6
The Lion’s Roar / William Schmidt
The Lion’s Roar / Megan Ferrando
Courtesy of Dr. Norman German
Artist and professor Michael Aldana created “The Elation of Bondage” for The Contemporary Art Gallery’s faculty exhibiton. See page 4 for the story.
Greeks challenge popular stereotypes through philanthropy and more. See page 2 for the story.
Retired English professor draws inspiration from Louisiana culture for his short story collection. See page 4 for the story.
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Weather Tuesday H 68 L 41
Reminders Wednesday H 54 L 34
Yard signs, with the exception of a few utilized by the University, will not be permissible on campus.