The Lion's Roar 03/15/2016

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MARCH 15, 2016 VOLUME 87, ISSUE 22

’ 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

Flooding leaves minimal damage to campus Chefs Evening raises

University Center alone in damage after rainstorm

funds for scholarships BY WILLIAM SCHMIDT Assistant Editor

The Lion’s Roar / Megan Ferrando

Water rises feet above ground as severe weather rocks Louisiana. Water rose highest on North Campus, flooding the University Center basketball court, while most buildings remained dry indoors.

For 32 years, Chefs Evening has been bringing in proceeds for university academics and scholarships. Chefs Evening took place on Mar. 13 from 5 to 8:00 p.m. in the Student Union Ballroom and included restaurants and vendors, a live and silent auction, the ultimate wine raffle and Corks & Kegs raffle along with support from various patrons and volunteers. Benefits will go towards areas of academics and scholarships that are in most need. Jacmel Inn has been a vendor for Chefs Evening since its conception. The restaurant attends each year to support the students as well as the city of Hammond. “Southeastern is very vital to our community,” said general manager for Jacmel Inn Chanc Kinchen. “The students are really essential to the business atmosphere here and of the restaurant community. They are our support class. They help fill our employee positions. The one thing about Chefs Evening is all the chefs come together. All the restaurants come together. Everybody works together as a team to showcase what Hammond has to offer.” Some attendees for Chefs Evening make it each year. They continue to come and support the campus’ students.” “I’ve been to every Chefs Evening since the beginning, my wife and I,” said Columbia Theatre Director Roy Blackwood. “It is very, very important in these times to support the university, especially the academic programs. Sometimes

see CHEF pg. 10

see pg. 10

Severe weather conditions halt Greek Week celebrations

The Lion’s Roar / Kelonda Dixon

BY MORGAN LEDET Staff Reporter

The Lion’s Roar / Larshell Green

Greek Week held Sunday, Mar. 6 through Thursday, Mar. 10 consisted of various activities throughout the week to involving Greek organizations. Activities included the Tug-O-War competition (above), the annual Greek picture (above right) and Golden silence, a memorial service (right) hosted by the Alumni Association.

The flooding of the University Center floor due to the several inches of rain put a halt to Greek Week festivities. Last Thursday afternoon, Greek Week was planned to end with the annual Stepshow competition, however the event was postponed due to severe weather that moved throughout the Hammond area. “Order of Omega and Office of Student Engagement are actively working to reschedule pending a new location and time,” said Assistant Director of Office of Student Engagement Kyle Gallagher. “We are looking into possibly holding the event next week. We are hoping to hold the event before Spring Break. Other venues we could possibly use are Strawberry Stadium and Pottle Auditorium.” According to Gallagher, in years past, Stepshow took place on the 50-yard line of Strawberry Stadium before the competition was moved to the more familiar location of the University Center.

When rescheduled, the rules of the competition will remain the same. The sororities and fraternities will follow the theme as they step through the decades. The Greek Week awards will be presented at a ceremony following the competition announcing the Stepshow and overall Greek Week winners. Gallagher hopes to have definite answers by the end of the week.

The Lion’s Roar /Ian Fischer

Universities expected to see budget changes, details unknown BY IAN FISCHER Staff Reporter

The state legislature’s decisions in the special session to address the budget shortfall last Wednesday will impact higher education, but the details are still unknown. The shortfall, which Governor John Bel Edwards referred to as the “largest in the history of the state” started off at an estimated $900-$950 million and ended at an estimated $30 million after the special legislative session ended. Lawmakers agreed to new taxes and budget cuts in the final eight minutes of the session to reduce it to its new number.

Commissioner of Higher Education Joseph C. Rallo’s official statement on the Wednesday night conclusion sheds light on the how the state government’s higher education experts expect public universities in Louisiana will be affected. “We knew that tough decisions were going to have to be made during this special session,” said Rallo. “Today’s actions have far-reaching implications on higher education’s budget for both the current and upcoming fiscal year.” What those “far-reaching” implications mean for the university remains unclear right now. Vice President for Administration and Finance Sam Domiano said any information at

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this time would be speculative. Severe weather and flooding cancelled school from Thursday afternoon until the following Monday delaying university budget officials. President John L. Crain said in a mass email to the university the outcome is “mixed.” For the purpose of putting the numbers in perspective, the average national tuition for a public four-year college is $9,139 according to the College Board, a non-profit for college students. The U.S. Department of Labor puts the national average of a full-time professor’s yearly income at $98,974. Rounding up to the nearest whole number, $30 million is equal to of 3283 students or 303 professors.

Weather Tuesday H 85 L 63

According to the university’s website, 14,498 students and 277 full-time faculty were at the Southeastern for the Fall 2014 semester. The $900 million would have equaled 98,479 students or almost seven times the amount of students at the university. It would have equaled 9,032 professors or almost 33 times the full-time faculty at the university. Lawmakers did not correct the problem for next fiscal year. It will have a projected $800 million shortfall which was projected to be $2 billion before the special session. Edwards was

see BUDGET pg. 9

Reminders Wednesday H 81 L 64

The Student Union is now offering lockers for rent for registered student organizations.


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