June 16, 2015 Volume 87, Issue 1
’ THE LION S ROAR S OUTHEASTERN L OUISIANA U NIVERSITY
A Student Publication
Campus Life Page 2
Opinions Page 3
Arts & Entertainment Page 4
Sports Page 6
News Page 8
LionsRoarNews.com
Orientation kicks off Summer 2015
The Lion’s Roar / Tamara Alexander
Originally meant to be held outside of Pottle, the final session for orientation before attendees registered for classes was held along the Student Union mall breezeway. Orientation leaders preformed a flash mob at the end of the session.
By Heather Jewell Staff Reporter
The transition from the life you have known while living with your parents and being surrounded by the same people for 12 years, to moving to college where you meet new faces every day and have new found independence and responsibility, can be overwhelming. New places, faces and routines arrive. Southeastern recognizes this period in life can be scary, so to make things easier for incoming freshmen, they began their summer orientation program series. “It’s an incredible experience to be the first face a student sees when visiting Southeastern. If I can brighten one person’s day, it’s all been worth it,” said orientation leader Alexis Durante, a
sophomore English major. The orientation program offers future students a jump on their transition to life here at Southeastern. Attendees are assigned to groups, with each having their own orientation leader. Orientation leaders are current Southeastern students, from sophomores to seniors, and each has a passion for the university. “I remember my orientation and how much fun I had. My orientation leaders had so much spirit for Southeastern and they really inspired me. I wanted to be just like them,” said orientation leader Kayla Scurich, a senior in family consumer sciences. Throughout orientation, campus policies and procedures are discussed, students meet with faculty advisors and they register for classes; among the list of scheduled events were spirit
Alumni Association adds a twist to fundraising event
The Lion’s Roar / Megan Simon
Alumnae Katie Morse and Katie Campbell Krause, former Miss Southeastern Renee Picou and current Miss Southeastern Emily Randon model jewelry provided by George Ibert Jewelry and Gifts at the fundraising event, Champagne, Chocolate and Diamonds.
By Megan Simon Campus Life Editor
The Alumni Association added a fun twist to one of their fundraising events this summer. Champagne, Chocolate and Diamonds fundraiser made an appearance on campus for the first time, adding a touch of unique glamor to the money-raising occasion. The fundraiser took place at the Alumni Center last Thursday, June 11 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. There was a limited amount of tickets sold for the event and cost 100 dollars per couple. The diamonds were the event’s main theme. One of the attendees had chance of winning a free diamond by entering the raffle for it. Jewelry was also on display for interested buyers. Both the diamond and the jewelry were provided by a local store, George Ibert Jewelry and Gifts. There was also an assortment of chocolate desserts provided by various companies, champagne and an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. DIAMONDS continued from pg. 2
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competitions, outdoor barbecues and orientations after hours, a time when participants could listen to music, dance, eat to their heart’s desire and other fun things. Orientation is also a time for incoming students to meet others and begin networking, forming friendships with others. Cameron Neeley and Landon Magee were both a part of the purple group in this past week’s session of orientation. Neeley is the first in his family to attend Southeastern. He is originally from Metairie, where he attended Archbishop Rummel High School. Throughout high school he played football and it was during his time there that his passion for history sparked. It was in his junior and senior year that he began to consider the possibility of a
career in the field. “History was very easy for me, it is just like reading a story,” said Neeley. Neeley plans on majoring in history and anthropology. While he enjoyed high school, he is ready to move into his dorm room and start college. “I’m excited for the whole experience, but a little nervous about how to handle all the new responsibility,” said Neeley. Likewise, Magee also looks forward to the upcoming fall semester. Coming from Franklinton, Magee plans on earning a degree in graphic design. While attending Franklinton High School, Magee excelled in both math and art. He was in the school’s art classes all four years of high school. Like Neeley, Magee will also be living on-campus. Magee admits he is apprehensive about getting a roommate
and living with someone he doesn’t know. “I don’t want a random person, hopefully I will room with someone I know,” said Magee. When arriving to Southeastern, another incoming freshman, Lauren Browning, fell immediately in love with the campus. “I wasn’t expecting it to be so modern and incredibly clean. You hear about this your whole life, how you will be more independent, and it is slightly terrifying,” said Browning. Browning is from Baton Rouge and will be majoring in elementary education. With her friends Morgan Talley and Madison Mckeanzi, orientation was an enjoyable experience. “It has been crazy and a lot of fun,” said Browning.
Lawmakers agree to veto-proof budget BATON ROUGE, Louisiana. (AP) - In a chaotic flurry of last-minute votes, Louisiana lawmakers completed their work Thursday with a deal on next year’s $24 billion budget that will keep public colleges and health services from deep cuts. That meets Gov. Bobby Jindal’s criteria to escape a veto. The deal was struck and approved in the 60-day legislative session’s final hours, with the House and Senate agreeing to Jindal’s demand that they create a tax credit on paper to protect the Republican governor’s anti-tax record as he readies his likely presidential campaign. Support of the tax-credit maneuver, in a 30-9 Senate vote and a 59-43 House vote, ended one of the main sticking points in negotiations and paved the way for passage of the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and the tax plans that will finance it. Shortly after the session ended, Jindal declared victory for his last legislative session as governor, though lawmakers took their own approach on how to balance the budget, mocked the financing maneuvers required by the governor and rejected two of the main planks of his legislative agenda. “From our perspective, it was a good session,” the governor said.
After starting the session in April with a $1.6 billion budget gap and the threat of more than 80 percent state-financing cuts across college campuses, the final budget cobbled together avoided the dire scenarios. “This is probably one of the toughest legislative sessions that anybody in this building has faced in many, many years - in decades,” said House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles. “We have done incredible work.” The problem was largely of their own making. Jindal and lawmakers balanced this year’s budget with $1.2 billion in patchwork financing from property sales, legal settlements and other one-time sources of cash. The dollars weren’t expected to reappear next year, creating most of the shortfall they struggled to fill. Lawmakers agreed to raise taxes, shrink tax breaks and scale back business subsidies to drum up about $700 million for the budget. They added millions more with fee hikes on a wide array of services. On the final day, the House and Senate resolved disputes on the tobacco tax, agreeing to a 50-cent tax hike that will boost the per-pack tax rate to 86 cents and to charge a new tax on electronic cigarettes and vapor products. The House also agreed to a Senate-approved $50 fee
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increase on car buyers to raise $60 million annually. Jindal said the budget deal struck met his parameters: “This is a solid budget.” Expected to announce his presidential campaign in two weeks, Jindal threatened to veto $370 million in tax increases, unless lawmakers agreed to offset them with what he considers a tax cut. He has closely guarded his record on a no-tax pledge he signed with an organization led by national antitax activist Grover Norquist. The close alliance with Norquist became a joke and a point of anger for lawmakers throughout the legislative session. By the final days, at least one lawmaker carried a stuffed animal of Grover, the Muppet, around on the House floor. To satisfy Jindal’s terms, lawmakers agreed to create a tax credit called SAVE that doesn’t raise new money or cut anyone’s taxes, but can be used for Jindal to claim an offset against other tax hikes used to balance the budget. Senators went along with the plan easily, but House members balked until Thursday, passing it less than two hours before the legislative session had to end. Rep. Chris Broadwater, R-Hammond, urged his colleagues to vote for the taxcredit maneuver, saying it
would spare higher education from steep reductions. But even Broadwater said he was embarrassed about the legislation. “I will swallow my pride. I will choose to be embarrassed knowing that I stood and fought for higher education to the very end,” he said. Critics called the SAVE tax credit a deception to the public, designed solely to benefit the governor’s White House ambitions. “This scheme doesn’t raise a single red penny to what’s available to higher education, not one. It is a pure fiction. It is contrived. It is a gimmick,” said Rep. John Bel Edwards, leader of the House Democrats. Jindal discarded the criticism that was levied even by lawmakers who voted for SAVE. “I don’t take anything they say on the floor personally,” the governor said. “You’ve got to have thick skin in this building.” Getting his wish on the budget deal was a rare victory for Jindal this session. Lawmakers rejected two centerpieces of Jindal’s agenda: a push to give special protections in state law to people who oppose same-sex marriage and his effort to strip the Common Core education standards from Louisiana’s public school classrooms. By Melinda Deslatte/ Associated Press
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Last day to withdraw from regular classes is June 30 at 5:30 p.m.