The February 5 Issue of The Southern Digest

STATE & NATION

SPORTS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Haitiangov’tholdinggroup. pG. 5

Also: SU cagers hit road. pG. 7

“Precious” director in rare company. pG. 9

su inks 34 on signing day

Baptists may be tried in us

diversity reigns for directors

estABLished in 1928

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2010

VOL. 55, ISSUE 5

Faculty show concern over cuts

New Food Court options in works

By Billy WashinGton digest staFF writer

Students are patiently waiting for the opening of Popeye’s and Burger King within the Smith Brown Memorial Union. The Southern University’s food service committee met last semester to discuss the opening of the two vendors. According to a statement made by Paul Butler, former director of food services, the proposed date for the vendors were to be fully operational by January 13.

“Burger King and Popeye’s will open this month,” said Deloris W. Brown, a representative of Aramark. “The delay is due to some unforeseen infrastructure challenges the contractors are working to resolve,” continued Brown.

The infrastructure challenges may involve Hurricane Gustav damages or the amount of space available to construct.

The opening of the two vendors also will give students an opportunity to work on campus. Students who are interested can apply in the campus dining office located at the E.N. Mayberry Hall Annex.

“I need a job and it would be great for me to work on campus because I could save gas, said

Roslyn Roberts, a freshman biology major from Lafayette.

The opening of the vendors may seem exciting to many but some students have an unwelcoming spirit towards the opening of Burger King and Popeye’s.

“The food they produce isn’t good for the body. We need healthier options instead of thinking about the dollar”, said Luke McKnight, sophomore English major from Baton Rouge. “I wouldn’t recommend anyone to eat this food because it’s genetically engineered. I’m not trying to start a protest, but we need to be aware of what we consume.”

Other venues in the working stages are Java City and Quiznos.

The proposed opening date is still on schedule to open in Fall 2010. Java City is a coffee shop with a similar resemblance of Barnes and Nobel and will be located on the first floor of John B. Cade Library and Quiznos will be located in architecture building.

“We are working with the university doing continued renovations to the food court over the summer and these projects will be completed as scheduled.” concluded Brown.

By norman j. dotson jr. digest editor-in-chieF

students are important,” said Perry.

Both Dean Perry and Ms. Kight are ready for the library to better serve the students effectively.

“It’s a lot of hard work but, the work will result in a great library experience for our customers. After opening the Information Technology Center and seeing its response, it was a push to do more,” said Kight, Manager of Library Technology.

Crisis in the financial area of Southern University were made clear during an early budget meeting in January where members of the faculty expressed their feelings on recent cuts and poor money management across the system.

Diola Bagayoko, Chair of the Physics Department, expressed his concern and refused to accept Provost Shuuja’s statements about not being able to fund pay raises in salary to those obtaining a promotion.

“The Southern University System owes this campus a significant amount of money.

The system knows it and the board knows it,” said Bagayoko.

“Now I know of the doubling, and in some cases tripling, of salaries that happened at the system level for some ‘Johnny Come-lately’, so in light of that I categorically refuse to go with what you just said and its not your fault nor is it the Chancellor’s. It is between the system board and the faculty,” Bagayoko continued.

Bagayoko is referring to inter-institutional costs that all five campuses pay to the system to fund their budget and un-reimbursed services that this campus provided to the system office as well as other campuses (i.e. human resources, payroll, security, etc..) Bagayoko feels that if the system would reimburse the campus all of the money that its owed, administration would be able to fund pay raises. According to Flandus McClinton, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration, all of the funds he was referring to have been repaid from the other campuses. According to McClinton he along many other members of administration

See library page 3

See concern page 3

photo By april BuffinGton/diGest

construction workers, from left to right, dennis bates looks on as Mick Murphy and steven bridgers works on the brick wall of burger King.

Improvements under way at Cade By eVan taylor digest contribUting writer

photo By april BuffinGton/diGest

the future copy room inside J.b. cade Library that’s under construction.

MOSTLY CLOUDY HIGH

56° | 40° LOW

INSIDE S O U T H E R N

Students are the priority and inspiration for the first floor renovations expected to be complete in Fall 2010.

After an interview with Dean Emma Bradford Perry, John B. Cade Library and Dawn Kight, Manager of Library Technology there is no question that the library is for the students.

“My primary goal and purpose is to provide the very best service and the best resources for students. This place is for the students, and

CAMPUS BRIEFS................2 STATE & NATION................5  A & E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 NEWS.................................3 SPORTS.............................7 VIEWPOINTS....................11 U N I V E R S I T Y ,

B A T O N

R O U G E ,

L A .

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THE SOUTHERN DIGEST 4 - DAY WEATHER OUTLOOK SATURDAY, FEB. 6

mostly cloudy

SUNDAY, FEB. 7

mostly sunny

HI - 56° / LO - 40° 20% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 56°/ LO - 35° 10% CHANCE OF RAIN

Classifieds

a Black History Quiz Bowl Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Cotillion Ballroom.

apartments for rent

Tired of student housing? Free rent specials.

1.866.972.5495.

Campus Briefs TODAY help miss southern assist st. jude

Drink a lot of soda?

Don’t know what to do with those can tabs? For every gallon of can tabs collected, you will give a sick child a free chemotherapy treatment. Save your tabs and turn them in on the second floor of the SmithBrown Memorial Union at any time or at the Letter Writing Party March 4.

Beep meetinGs

BEEP Meetings are held every Tuesday at 11 a.m. in T.T. Allain Room 222.

These meetings are open to all majors. For more information contact Toni Jackson at 225.771.5640 ext. 222 or at subeep@ subr.edu. peer tutorinG

Peer tutoring is available in the Center for Student Success in Stewart Hall Room 107. Available hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

Mondays-Thursdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays.

Follow the Center for Student Success on Twitter to see exciting upcoming events: www.twitter.com/ jaguar_nation.

BoWlinG tournament

The Smith-Brown Memorial Union presents

css seminars

The Center for Student Success is offering a seminar, “Discovering your Learning Style” on Feb. 4 at 3 p.m. at Lawless Auditorium in Stewart Hall.

CSS will also offer the “My Game Plan” seminar Feb. 1 at 4 p.m., Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. and Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. at Lawless Auditorium.

MONDAY, FEB. 8

TUESDAY, FEB. 9

feW shoWers

shoWers

HI - 66° / LO - 53° 30% CHANCE OF RAIN

HI - 58° / LO - 39° 40% CHANCE OF RAIN

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colleGiate 100 Black Women

The Collegiate Black Women of Southern University presents “Self Love: I Don’t Need Anyone’s Approval” Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. in Room 313 T.T. Allain Hall.

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historical moVie niGht

The Southern University chapter of Iota Phi Theta presents the Black History Month Historical Movie Night Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. in Classroom 1 in John B. Cade Library.

The movie that will be shown is “Mississippi Burning.” race for the cure

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Walk/ Run will be held on March 6 at 8:30 a.m.

Registration is $25 before Feb. 26 and $30 after February 26, 2010. For more information visit the Facebook group: Southern University – Race for the Cure Walk, email su.komen@gmail.com or contact Breanna Paul at 225.625.4252.

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Omegas return to SU after 5-year suspension Judge rejects bid to stop foreclosure

By breanna paul

digest opinions editor

Southern University Baton Rouge and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity hosted a “Reactivation Reception” for the Beta Sigma Chapter, suspended from the university for five years in 2005 due to hazing incidents.

Frank Oliver, Louisiana State Representative of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will be presiding over the Spring 2010 intake process to foresee that there will be no future hazing incidents.

The Beta Sigma Chapter was suspended internationally for four years. However they were suspended for five years by the university. Five members from

the Beta Sigma Chapter were suspended for four years and five members were expelled for life.

“We plan to put education on a high emphasis,” Oliver said. “We plan to only select the best and brightest men,” Oliver continues. Oliver’s main goal is to restore the founders’ mission of leadership when the organization was founded in 1911 on the campus of Howard University.

Oliver hopes the selected men will have the right morals and plans to encourage them to reinforce what was taught to them by their parents.

“I want them to know that when something is not right, they can inform the proper authorities,” Oliver said. “I

know that when young men are 19-20 they are very vulnerable and want to be a part of Omega Psi Phi as well as any other organization.” Oliver emphasized that selection will be very important to the success of the Beta Sigma chapter.

Oliver is very optimistic about giving the selected men a good Greek life experience on campus, as well as after their matriculation at Southern University. Aiding Oliver with this Spring’s intake process will be an advisory board from the Lambda Alpha Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. as well as members from Baton Rouge and surrounding areas.

Lambda Alpha is the graduate chapter that oversees the Beta

Sigma Chapter.

“It takes special men to work with the men we will select,” Oliver said. “This process will not be over after this semester,” Oliver talks about walking the men through the process. Oliver, along with the assisting members plan to conduct meetings and programs in order to help the newly selected members.

The Beta Sigma Chapter will host its Informational for the Spring 2010 semester on February 10, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

All those interested are asked to dress in business attire (coat and tie). Interested men must have 2.5 cumulative GPA (on a scale of 4.0), have completed 36 credit hours and be enrolled as a full-time student.

library from page 1 Students can look forward to new floors, comfortable furniture, new computers, remodeled study rooms, and improved individual study areas. A caf is also in the second phase of negotiations with the University. There will one desk that will serve four purposes; Reference, Circulation, Reserve, and Information. This desk and area will be the information commons providing resources to the students in one universal location. The new group study rooms will include computers connected to flat screen televisions located in the reference department on the first floor.

“We want this to be the place of choice.

Where a student can receive the best customer service,” said Perry. “Overall the new first floor will improve customer

service and create a student sanctuary.”

The library renovations are an ongoing process and since the opening of the Information Technology Center the library has been in transition from the traditional library to a modern, social and learning environment. The new library will be a more social environment for students but, still be conducive to learning and studying.

Resources will be more available and easily accessible. According to Dean Perry the library is not aiming for a bookstore environment but they want to do is give students a relaxing environment with the best resources and customer service on campus.

The library will continue to provide resources for most majors and textbooks

on reserve for students to use while in the library. The library offers specialty collections such as; Camille Shade African American Collection, Music Listening, and Archives. John B. Cade Library has four floors with a seating capacity of 1,400 and over 154,000 square feet of space. It contains over 1 million volumes and stays open 89 hours a week to serve all the students of Southern University and A&M College.

“I am really excited and hope to get it completed as soon as possible for the students,” said Perry.

All resources and services are still available throughout the renovation process.

Gay NY teen’s harassment suit gets federal notice MOHAWK, N.Y. (AP) — The bullying by classmates and taunts of “homo” only got worse after Jacob began dyeing his hair and wearing eyeliner in eighth grade. One student scrawled “I hope you die” on his shoe, he said; another drew a pocket knife on him.

Jacob’s grades dropped, and he missed school from fear. His father tried repeatedly to get school officials in their working-class village in upstate New York to help protect his son from harassment. The response by the Mohawk Central School District, according to a federal lawsuit, was to do “virtually nothing.”

“Everything was bad,” Jacob — who is identified as “J.L.” in the lawsuit and didn’t want to draw attention to his new school by having his last name used in this story — said this week. “I hyperventilated when I left the school ... and I didn’t want to come back the next day, or ever.”

The 15-year-old might soon get a measure of satisfaction. The lawsuit filed by Jacob and his father against the school district with the New York Civil Liberties Union could be close to settlement, according to both sides.

The negotiations come as the U.S. Department of Justice seeks to intervene in the case, citing the “important issues” it raises in enforcing federal civil rights laws.

“There is a growing recognition across the country that schools need to take harassment based on gender expression and homosexuality seriously,” said NYCLU attorney Corey Stoughton. “If there is a settlement in this case, that’s an affirmation of that principle.”

Justice officials say it’s the first time since 2000 that they have argued that Title IX, the antidiscrimination law affecting schools that receive federal funding, covers sex discrimination based on gender stereotypes — such as when a boy does not act or look stereotypically male. Stoughton said that while harassment based on gender nonconformity is widespread, there have been only a handful of legal cases like this nationwide.

Mohawk School Superintendent Joyce Caputo said the district denies allegations in the lawsuit, but she stressed they are working with the NYCLU and the Justice Department to settle the suit in a way that benefits everyone.

“We are committed to doing everything in our power to prevent bullying and to promote tolerance,” she said.

Mohawk is a village of modest clapboard homes set near the river of the same name and just east of Utica. Jacob said he did not face serious problems until he went to Gregory B. Jarvis Junior/Senior High School as a seventh-grader in fall 2007.

That was about the time it became clearer that Jacob was different. By eighth grade, he wore eyeliner to school sometimes and would dye his hair bright blue or pink. He was out of the closet that school year.

“People would ask and I’d say, ‘Yeah, I’m gay, whatever. Peace out,’” he said.

In an interview this week with his father at their home, Jacob said he was just being himself. That is, a teenager who loves to write songs, short stories and poems and who dreams about a career in the movies, maybe as a director or a writer.

Dressed in a blue fleece and jeans, Jacob talked effusively about pop culture — Pink is his favorite singer, “Orphan” a favorite movie. But his voice got softer when he talked about his experiences at Jarvis.

The lawsuit claims the principal and other district officials did not follow their own anti-harassment policies. Teachers blocked him from going to a “safe room” set up for him. One teacher told him he should be ashamed of himself for being gay, according to court papers.

Jacob’s father, Robert Sullivan (he has a different last name), devoted himself to making sure his son was safe in school despite fighting Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

“I put the cancer stuff aside,” Sullivan said, “because he doesn’t have anyone to defend himself beside me.”

by the associated press

Baton Rouge developer Tommy Spinosa has lost a bid to halt a foreclosure suit against his Perkins Rowe mixed-use project.

U.S. District Judge James J. Brady refused Wednesday to freeze the $165 million suit by lender KeyBank National Association, of Cleveland.

Brady also denied Spinosa and Perkins Rowe permission to ask the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to reverse the judge’s November ruling that KeyBank is allowed to pursue its claims in federal court.

KeyBank filed its suit in July and alleged that Perkins Rowe had not made a payment on its loan since October 2008.

According to documents KeyBank attached to its suit, Spinosa personally guaranteed that loan.

concern from page 1 worked with the president’s office on how to handle these cuts over the winter break. “ The original cut was $2,436,775 for the Baton Rouge campus, that was the cut made from the allocations given to us,” said McClinton. “We worked with the board and our cut went from the $2,436,775 to the $1,488,000.”

In addition to the recouped funds a large portion of the cuts were moved to the other campuses.

“There were additional funds from the Agriculture Center, SUSLA, and the Law Center that were provided as a part of the allocation to give us some relief,” McClinton added. “I just wanted to say that to let you know that we were negotiating with the president and trying to make sure that we recouped the cost of reimbursement.”

According to McClinton, with the other campuses giving more money the Baton Rouge campus can expect the cuts to stay the same for next year.

“Let me just say this, this is only the beginning. We have information that our cuts starting in the fall is $5.6 million,” warned McClinton. “ This is on top of the $1.488 million too.”

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STATE & NATION

Friday, February 5, 2010 - Page 5

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Baptists may be tried in U.S.

Panel suggests merger by the associated press

By frank bajak & michelle faul associated press writers

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti—Haiti’s prime minister said Monday it’s clear to him that the 10 U.S. Baptists who tried to take 33 children out of his quake-ravaged country without permission “knew what they were doing was wrong.”

But Prime Minister Max Bellerive also told The Associated Press his country is open to having the Americans go before courts in the United States because his own nation’s judicial system was devastated by the Jan. 12 earthquake.

The aborted Baptist “rescue mission” has become a distraction for a crippled government trying to provide basic life support to millions of earthquake survivors.

But the prime minister said some legal system needs to determine whether the Americans were acting in good faith — as they claim — or are child traffickers in a nation that has struggled to fight exploitation of children.

“It is clear now that they were trying to cross the border without papers. It is clear now that some of the children have live parents,” he told the AP. “And it is clear now that they knew what they were doing was wrong.”

If they were acting in good faith, “perhaps the courts will try to be more lenient with them,” he said.

Members of the church group, most from Idaho, have insisted they only trying to rescue child victims of the quake. Few if any had any significant experience in international charity.

Since their arrest Friday near the border, the church group has been held inside two small concrete rooms in the same judicial police headquarters building where ministers have makeshift offices and give disaster response briefings. They have not yet been charged.

One of their lawyers said they were being treated poorly: “There is no air conditioning, no electricity. It is very disturbing,” Attorney Jorge Puello told the AP by phone from the Dominican Republic,

photo by ramon espinosa/AP PHOTO

This Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010 photo shows from left, Americans Steve McMullin, Jim Allen, Carla Thompson, Silas Thompson, Paul Thompson, Laura Silsby, Drew Culberth and Nicole Lankford at police headquarters in the Port-au-Prince international airport. These eight and two other U.S. Baptist missionaries were charged with kidnapping Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010 for trying to take 33 children out of Haiti to a hastily arranged refuge just as officials were trying to protect children from predators in the chaos of a great earthquake.

where the Baptists hoped to shelter the children in a rented beach hotel.

One of the Americans, Charisa Coulter of Boise, Idaho, was being treated Monday at the University of Miami’s field hospital near the capital’s international airport. Looking pale and speaking with difficulty from a green Army cot, the 24-year-old Coulter said she had either severe dehydration or the flu. A diabetic, she initially thought her insulin had gone bad in the heat.

Two Haitian police officers stood besides the cot, guarding her.

“They’re treating me pretty good,” she said, adding that Haitian police didn’t bring her group any food or water, but that U.S. officials have delivered water and MREs to eat. “I’m not concerned. I’m pretty confident that it will all work out,” she said.

Investigators have been trying to determine how the Americans got the children, and whether any of the traffickers that have plagued the impoverished country were involved.

Their detained spokeswoman, Laura Silsby, conceded that she had not obtained the proper Haitian documents, but told the AP from detention that the group was “just trying to do the right thing” amid the chaos.

The 33 kids, ranging in age from 2 months to 12 years and with their names written in tape on their shirts, were being sheltered in a temporary children’s home, where some told aid workers that they have surviving parents. Lassegue said the Social Affairs Ministry was trying to find them.

“One (9-year-old) girl was crying, and

Thomas: Some questioning ‘irresponsible’ GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Questioning the Supreme Court and other government branches needs to stay within the range of fair criticism or “run the risk in our society of undermining institutions that we need to preserve our liberties,” Justice Clarence Thomas said Thursday.

Thomas also told an audience at the University of Florida law school that some comments he hears about the court “border on being irresponsible.”

He didn’t speak specifically about the court’s recent decision on campaign financing or mention President Barack Obama. But Thomas’ comments come a week after Obama took the rare step of openly criticizing the decision during his State of the Union speech.

Thomas supported the 5-4 ruling that allows companies and unions to spend freely on ads that promote or target candidates by name.

Thomas said the court should be questioned but is bothered by some rhetoric with “the idea of assigning ulterior motives to opinions that people don’t agree with, rather than saying simply that the court doesn’t agree with my argument.”

“There are different approaches, because we start with different assumptions. Or we look at things differently,” he said.

saying, ‘I am not an orphan. I still have my parents.’ And she thought she was going on a summer camp or a boarding school or something like that,” said George Willeit, a spokesman for the SOS Children’s Village.

Foreigners adopting children from the developing world have grabbed headlines recently — Madonna tried to adopt a girl from Malawi amid criticism from locals, while Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a burgeoning multicultural brood.

But in Haiti, a long tradition of foreign military intervention coupled with the earthquake that destroyed much of the capital and plunged it even deeper into poverty, have made this issue even more emotionally charged. Of 20 Haitian parents interviewed in a tent camp by the AP on Sunday, only one said she would not give up her children to give them a chance at a better life.

“Some parents I know have already given their children to foreigners,” said Adonis Helman, 44. “I’ve been thinking how I will choose which one I may give.”

“My parents died in the earthquake. My husband has gone. Giving up one of my kids would at least give them a chance,” said Saintanne Petit-Frere, 40, a mother of six. “My only fear is that they would forget me, but that wouldn’t affect my decision.”

Haiti’s overwhelmed government has halted all adoptions unless they were in motion before the earthquake amid fears that parentless or lost children are more vulnerable than ever to being seized and sold.

Louisiana should merge the governing boards for all fouryear public colleges and put all two-year campuses under the control of the community college system, a panel of higher education experts suggested Thursday.

The Postsecondary Education Review Commission, charged by state lawmakers with recommending ways to improve higher education in Louisiana, was split on the controversial governance proposal, approving it in a 5-4 vote.

The recommendation was approved in the final two-day meeting of the panel that wraps up its report Friday.

The proposal calls for the merger of the governing boards for all four-year schools in the LSU System, the University of Louisiana System and the Southern University System.

The community and technical college system would maintain a separate board and take over management of LSU at Eunice and Southern University at Shreveport, both two-year colleges.

Such a change would require an amendment to the Louisiana Constitution. That’s a steep hurdle because a constitutional change needs support from two-thirds of lawmakers and a majority of voters to pass.

Supporters of consolidation said it could reduce duplication of programs and missions on campuses and cut employee, travel and other costs. They did not, however, have estimates of the savings.

Opponent Lezli Baskerville, a commission member and president of the National Association For Equal Opportunity, said the recommendation seemed rushed.

“We have no sense of what the impact will be,” she said.

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New Orleans filling up for Super Bowl weekend By mary foster associated press writer

NEW ORLEANS— Mardi Gras falls on a Sunday this year.

The city of the Saints is filling up with ex-New Orleanians and others ahead of the Super Bowl, many looking to cast off a legacy of football futility and natural disaster — others just looking to party down in one of the world’s greatest party towns.

“We’re gearing up for Sunday just like Mardi Gras day,” said Earl Bernhardt, a bar owner in the French Quarter. “We’re staffing just like we do for Mardi Gras, and if the Saints win, we won’t close at all. We’ll stay open as long as people are standing.”

After 43 years in existence, the Saints will make their Super Bowl debut in Miami on Sunday, facing the favored Indianapolis Colts.

Fans from most cities would be headed to South Florida about now. But for ex-pat New Orleanians, the game is triggering a pilgrimage home. And fo r everybody back in town, the party’s already started.

A few are taking the week off in the countdown to game day. Others are punching the clock, but not getting much done. Saints jerseys, “Who Dat?” T-shirts and black and gold beads are the uniform everywhere you go.

The French Quarter’s narrow streets also are awash in the team colors. As revelers cruise down its streets, strangers give each other high-fives “It’s been all Saints all the time,”

said Steve Sabrier, an oil field worker who marched from the Superdome to the French Quarter after the NFC championship. “I pity anybody who needs something done in New Orleans these days. We can’t concentrate on anything but the game.”

Sister Mary Rose, a Dominican nun who attends every Saints game and teaches at a Catholic school in the Quarter, said the feeling of sheer excitement in the city is almost tangible. “I think ‘exuberant joy’ is the word,” the nun said. “And it has brought such a unity to us, such a bond between all the people here it’s just amazing.”

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, New Orleans transplant Belinda Hernandez vowed to be in Miami if the Saints made the big game.

“But seeing the fever pitch in New Orleans and knowing how we party, I changed my mind,” Hernandez said.

“Who wants to be on Miami Beach when they can be in the French Quarter with the Who Dats for the game?”

So Hernandez turned down some friends in South Florida, who offered to get her tickets.

Besides being Super Bowl weekend, this is the start of carnival season that ends Feb. 16 on the real Mardi Gras. There are four parades scheduled in New Orleans on Saturday and two on Sunday — but they’re rolling early to avoid conflicting with the game.

All eyes on the game, starting Sunday at 5:25 p.m. local time.

Mary Beth Romig of the New Orleans

U.S. government look at brakes in 2010 Prius by the associated press

WASHINGTON—The Transportation Department opened an investigation Thursday into brake problems in the 2010 Prius, the latest in a series of safety troubles at Toyota that have confused drivers and strained the Japanese automaker’s relationship with U.S. regulators.

Toyota earlier Thursday acknowledged design problems with the brakes in its prized gas-electric hybrid, but said it was still deciding how to inform customers and whether a recall is needed.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Transportation Department’s safety agency, said it has received 124 reports from consumers about the Prius brakes, including four reports of crashes. The investigation will look into allegations of momentary loss of braking capability while traveling over uneven road surfaces, potholes or bumps.

The U.S. investigation, while preliminary, represents another setback for Toyota, which has been battered with two major recalls in the United States covering millions of vehicles. Those involve gas pedals that can get trapped under floor mats or become stuck on their own and fail to return to the idle position.

The safety probes have challenged Toyota’s long-standing reputation for building safe, quality vehicles.

The Prius was not part of the recall spanning the U.S., Europe and China over sticking gas pedals in eight top-selling

models including the Camry. That recall involved 2.3 million cars in the U.S. alone.

NHTSA said investigators have talked to consumers and conducted preinvestigatory field work. The preliminary evaluation involves about 37,000 vehicles in the United States.

“Safety is our top priority,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

NHTSA said LaHood spoke with Toyota president Akio Toyoda late Wednesday and was assured by the executive that Toyota was taking the safety concerns seriously.

Toyota said in a statement it would fully cooperate with NHTSA’s investigation.

The U.S. investigation came after the Japanese government ordered Toyota to investigate brake problems in the Prius, the world’s best-selling hybrid. Toyota said it had already corrected problems with the antilock brake system in Prius models sold since late last month, including those shipped overseas.

The new version of the gas-electric Prius hybrid went on sale in the U.S. and Japan in May 2009.

Paul Nolasco, a company spokesman in Japan, said the time lag for brakes kicking in felt by drivers stem from the two systems in a gas-electric hybrid - the gas-engine and the electric motor.

When the car moves on a bumpy or slippery surface, a driver can feel a pause in the braking when the vehicle switches between the traditional hydraulic brakes and the electronically operated braking system, he said.

photo by judi bottoni/AP PHOTO

In this Jan. 31, 2010, file photo, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Herbert, right, wears a gold and black dress during a parade in New Orleans, to honor the late local sportscaster Buddy Diliberto, who had vowed to parade through the French Quarter in a dress if the Saints ever made the Super Bowl. This weekend is the first big weekend of Mardi Gras as well as the Saints playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday in Miami.

Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau says there’s no question the Saints have created something special — this time for the city’s tourist trade.

“This is turning into a very big weekend for the hotels in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter,” said Romig.

“We did a survey and hotels are running about 90 percent full late in the week, and that jumps to 95 percent on Sunday.

People are definitely coming to New

Orleans for Super Bowl.”

Sorry, Colts fans, but it’s a different story up north.

Kimberly Harms, a spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Convention & Visitors Association, said there was no noticeable jump in hotel occupancy there for the weekend. She noted, however that one hotel had set aside 44 rooms at the special rate of $144 in honor of the 44th Super Bowl.

SPORTS

Friday, February 5, 2010 - Page 7

www.southerndigest.com

Jaguars ink 34 signees

2010 SU football schedule Sept. 4

SWAC/MEAC Chall.

TBA (at Orlando, Fla.) Sept. 11 ARK.-MONTiCELLO 6 pm Sept. 18 ByE WEEK Sept. 25 at Alabama A&M* TBA Oct. 2 ARK.-PiNE BLUFF* 6 pm Oct. 9 MiSS. VALLEy* 6 pm Oct. 16 at Jackson State* TBA Oct. 23 at Prairie View* TBA (at Houston) Oct. 30 at Alcorn State* TBA Nov. 6 TEX. SOUTHERN* 6 pm Nov. 13 ALABAMA ST. 5:30 pm Nov. 20 ByE WEEK Nov. 27 vs. Grambling State 1 pm (Bayou Classic XXXVII) Dec. 11 SWAC Championship TBA (at Birmingham, Ala.)

By darrius harrison DiGEST LAyOUT EDiTOR

With only a very limited amount of time, new Southern head football coach Stump Mitchell and his staff managed to sign 34 recruits through Wednesday’s recruiting bash at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

Mitchell, who arrived at Southern with only three weeks to prepare and recruit, was excited with his 2010 recruiting class.

“We’re proud of what we were able to get done,” Mitchell said, “we think we have brought in some men that may have an opportunity to play at the next level.”

All of the players who have

Home games in ALL CAPS *—denotes SWAC games Game times subject to change photo by Kenyetta m. Collins/Digest

Southern head football coach Stump Mitchell addresses the audience during Wednesday’s recruiting bash at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Mitchell’s first class netted 34 signees for the 2010 season.

decided to wear the Jaguar uniform are from the South.

The 2010 class is composed of 29 high school seniors and five juco transfers. Fourteen signees are in-state, while 12 hailing

from Texas, four Georgia natives, two Mississippi-born players and one from Tennessee and Florida respectively.

“Chris Little was a Georgia signee coming out of high

school,” said offensive line coach Paul Lounsberry. “He hurt his foot and got into the See SIGNEES page 8

SU releases ‘10 football schedule DiGEST NEWS SERViCE

On the road again SU opens 2nd round of SWAC play with road games against rivals Grambling St., Jackson St. By justin Wooten DiGEST SPORTS WRiTER

photo by april bUffington/Digest

Southern’s Quinton Doggett shoot two over Alcorn State’s JaMarkus Holt (13) and ian Francis (24) in last weekend’s game. Southern hits the road this weekend to face rivals Grambling and Jackson State.

With the win over Alcorn last Saturday, the Southern men’s basketball tied is with their next opponent Grambling State (4-13, 2-7) for the eighth and final spot in determining the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament field.

With nine games remaining in the season, the Jags (4-17, 2-7) will have enough time to secure one of the eight spots to reach the SWAC Tournament in Shreveport in March.

This weekend will be a litmus test to see how the Jags handle their road woes. Five of SU’s next seven games are on the road, with Southern sandwiching home games between UAPB and Mississippi Valley State between the upcoming road trip and another into Alabama looming in the near future.

First things first—Southern has to beat Grambling Saturday and then face one of the league’s best teams in Jackson State (10-11 8-1) on the road.

Southern routed Grambling at the F.G. Clark Activity Center, but blew a first-half lead in the Jags’ 57-46 loss to J-State.

“They (JSU) just got hot in the second half,” said forward Julius Ingram. “They are

beatable, we just didn’t finish the job.”

The road will be tough for Southern, given SU’s trouble away from the Minidome.

The Jaguars have not won a road game all season and have not picked up a road win in SWAC play since winning at Arkansas-Pine Bluff nearly a year ago.

North Louisiana hasn’t been good to Southern as well. SU has not won at Grambling in over eight years and is 9-8 overall in the regular season against the G-Men during that stretch.

“It’s really tough to win there and it’s been back and forth every time we play them,” head coach Rob Spivery said.

The Tigers won last year 5553 off a last-second 3-pointer by guard Ariece Perkins.

Perkins only had five points in this season’s first meeting between the two teams.

Spivery said his team is improving every game and experience helps a team win on the road. One player showing improvement lately is freshman center-forward Madut Bol, who had a careerhigh 12 points and four blocks against Alcorn.

“I like his attitude,” Spivery said. “He is very active and aggressive and learning at the same time.”

Nine Southwestern Athletic conference games, six games inside the state and the first meeting with Arkansas-Monticello highlight Southern’s 2010 football schedule.

Southern will open the 2010 season in the sixth annual MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Orlando, Fla. on Sept. 4. The SWAC earned its first and only MEAC/SWAC Challenge trophy in 2007 when SU defeated Florida A&M 33-27.

SU will return home the following week to face the Boll Weevils of UAM for the first time on Sept. 11. After the Jags first open week, Southern will then hit the road for Huntsville, Ala. to take on Alabama A&M on Sept. 25. The Bulldogs are back on the SU Jags schedule after a two-year hiatus.

The month of October will see SU open the month with two home games — an Oct. 2 game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and the Delta Devils of Mississippi Valley State on Oct. 9.

After opening the month of October with two home games, the Jags will be away from the friendly confines of A.W. Mumford Stadium for the rest of the month. Southern will travel to Jackson State on Oct. 16; to Prairie View A&M on Oct. 23, and to Alcorn State on Oct. 30.

Southern will end the year with its three final games all being played in the state of Louisiana. Southern will host the Hornets of Alabama State on Nov. 13 for its Senior Day, and will conclude the regular season with the annual State Farm Bayou Classic XXXVII in New Orleans versus Grambling State on Nov. 27.

Page 8 - Friday, February 5, 2010

www.southerndigest.com

SIGNEES from page 7 doghouse there. He played tackle at Northwest. David Henderson played at Warren Central up there in Vicksburg.

Those are two really big recruits,” Lounsberry said when referring to the 6-foot-6, 350-pound Little and the 6-foot7, 345-pound Henderson.

Wide receivers coach Eric Dooley said he and running backs coach Elvis Joseph teamed up to recruit the New Orleans area. “ Travis Clark (fullback) is an athletic kid,” said Dooley.

“Mabry is an All-State defensive back from Amite.”

“I’ve been here for 13 years and I think this is our first signee from John Curtis,” Dooley said when referring to linebacker John White.

Other recruits with potential include Zachary High teammates Stanley Williams Jr. and Stephan Henderson. Williams had an outstanding 80-plus tackles and 10-plus sacks his senior year, “It was a battle getting him, but we got him,” said quarterbacks coach Ted White.”

Stephan Henderson had six interceptions. White said Tara High running back Dallas Fort who rushed for over 1,000 yards

SU 2010 Football Signees and 12 touchdowns in only seven games.

Defensive coordinator O’Neil Gilbert discussed some of the Jaguars’ Texas signees. He pointed out the versatility of William Waddel, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound wide receiver from Houston who also returned kicks and punts at Booker T. Washington.

“He’s a really tough kid,” said Gilbert.

Southern also secured linebacker Detrane Lindsey who Gilbert said is a 4.5/40 runner. Jamal Williams played multiple positions on offense, including quarterback in Wildcat formation.

“Every team needs those kind of players,” said Gilbert.

Lee Brecheen, owner and publisher of Louisiana Football Magazine, commented on the class and some of the in-state signees. Evangel product Virgil Williams is speedster while the signing of White means more than just having a player from the nation’s top high school programs.

“With John White, they didn’t just sign a John Curtis player,” Brecheen said. “They’re signing someone who had at least 150 tackles two years in a row.”

Player Javon Allen Charles Barkins Christopher Bernard Jordan Bilbo D’Vonn Brown Travis Clark Christopher Colwell Darius Deloach Kedy Enabulele Dallas Fort Aaron Hall David Henderson Stephan Henderson Dwayne Houston Rashaad Hoyle Dray Joseph Detrane Lindsey Chris Little Todd Mabry Julius McGee Cantrell McKinley Wynton Perro Kesean Peterson Johnathan Preston Jaleel Richardson Jordan Rose Artis Sullivan William Waddel Franchot West John White Jamal Williams Stanley Williams Jr. Virgil Williams Roosevelt Wright

SU softball gears up for 2010 campaign By morris dillard digest SPORTS writer

One of the more compelling scenes from head softball coach Nancy Marshall’s career on “the yard” wasn’t the diamond between the white lines.

The atmosphere of softball lives in her office. A peek on the inside her office revealed, several plaques mounted on the wall, pictures of former players, and a news article in remembrance of a previous conference championship.

Entering her 14th season, Marshall prepares her team for championship finish in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

“The only thing we’re doing basically is just to continue to practice,” Marshall said. “Do the things we need to, and make ourselves better.”

Last season, Southern made it to the conference championship but fell short of the title in a 16-5 loss to Mississippi Valley State.

A poised, comfortable Marshall has a career record of 309-238 at Southern University, surpassing her 300th career victory last season in a 13-6 win over Miles College.

Shortstop Audrey Phillips returns for her sophomore campaign after an outclassed freshman year. Phillips earned All-SWAC honor after leading the team in hits (54) and runs scored (33). Phillips

get online @

lead the SWAC in triples (8) and triples per game (1), batting .370 in 40 games played.

“I’m expecting a lot from her with the leadership ability she has,” Marshall “and even the tenacity she has for the game.”

Senior pitcher Lanaya Jenkins will take her final approach to the mound this year with a career record of 27-13.

Jenkins appeared in 34 games in 2009 and finished with a career best 108 strikeouts.

“She brings intensity to the game,” Marshall “she the one who is going to have the backbone to whether were winning or losing.”

SU is still without junior Carthage, Texas, native Jasmone Williams. Williams is missed last season with shoulder surgery and still favors the injury.

Williams has five career homeruns and 18 doubles in 80 games in a SU uniform.

Known to Marshall as a “tough kid” senior catcher Aruba Nichols returns behind the plate expecting to do big things.

“We want her to teach the freshman with a few things,” Marshall, “her hitting was awesome for us late year.

Nichols was third on the team in batting with an average of .347 and was second in runs scored (31).

SU will travel to Shreveport Feb. 12 to play host to Houston Baptist.

SU will honor former SU standout Erika Yearby of 1999 Hall of Fame honor later this year.

www.southerndigest.com

Pos LB OL RB WR TE FB S RB DL RB OL OL CB OL CB QB LB OL CB OL SS/RB QB LB/TE OL WR S OL WR LB LB ATH DE ATH WR

(As of Wednesday) Ht Wt. Hometown/Last School 5-11 205 New Orleans/Edna Karr HS 6-2 285 New Orleans/O. Perry Walker HS 6-0 225 Houston/Westbury HS 5-10 175 Houston/Lamar HS 6-2 245 Rosenburg, Texas/Lamar Consol. HS 6-1 210 New Orleans/Edna Karr HS 5-10 195 Pearland, Texas/Manvel HS 5-10 200 Ft. Myers, Fla./Dunbar HS 6-1.5 280 Crosby, Texas/Kilgore Coll.

5-10 200 Baton Rouge/Tara HS 6-4 295 Baton Rouge/Central HS 6-7 345 Vicksburg, Miss./Hinds CC 5-10 180 Zachary, La./Zachary HS 6-4.5 305 Lafayette/Northside HS 5-10 180 Roswell, Ga./Roswell HS 6-1 190 Edgard, La./West St. John HS 6-0 210 Houston/Booker T. Washington HS 6-6 350 Twiggs County, Ga./NW Miss. CC 5-11 190 Amite, La./Amite HS 6-1.5 290 Monticello, Miss./Copiah-Lincoln CC 6-1 190 Texarkana, Texas/Liberty-Eylau HS 6-2 205 Houston/Booker T. Washington HS 6-2 210 Folkston, Ga./Charlton County HS 6-3 280 Pearland, Texas/Dawson HS 6-0 180 New Orleans/Warren Easton HS 5-11 185 Pearland, Texas/Dawson HS 6-2 275 Memphis, Tenn./Coahoma CC 6-4 200 Houston/Booker T. Washington HS 6-1 215 Stone Mountain Ga./Stephenson HS 5-10.5 225 Boutte, La./John Curtis HS 5-9 180 Rosenburg, Texas/Lamar Consol. HS 6-2 230 Zachary, La./Zachary HS 5-9 160 Shreveport/Evangel Christian HS 6-1 195 Baton Rouge/Capitol HS

Phillips named SWAC POTY digest news service

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2010 preseason softball honors, with Southern’s Audrey Phillips and Mississippi Valley State’s Lisa Jansen claiming top honors. The teams were voted on by the schools’ coaches and SIDs. Phillips, a 5-foot-4 sophomore shortstop, has been named the 2010 Preseason Player of the Year. Phillips had an exceptional freshman campaign in 2009 for the Jaguars. She ranked eighth in the conference and second on her team with a .370 batting average.

The Mansfield, Texas, native also finished the season ranked first in the SWAC in triples (8), third in hits (54), sixth in doubles (11) and eighth in runs scored (33). Her efforts helped guide the Jaguars to a number one seed in the Western division for the Conference tournament as well as a spot in the 2009 championship game. Along with being named to the 2009 SWAC First Team,

Phillips garnered SWAC Freshman of the Year accolades.

Jansen, a 5-foot-9 senior from Dietzenbach, Germany, has been selected the Preseason Pitcher of the Year. In 2009, Jansen ranked first on her team and second in the SWAC with a 2.64 earned run average. She also led the SWAC in wins (15), opposing bating average (.216) and batters struck out (144). Jansen’s performance helped the Devilettes to a 17-0 conference record in 2009 and a sixth consecutive SWAC softball title. For her efforts, Jansen was named the 2009 SWAC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Year and a first-team honoree.

In the predicted order of finish, Southern and MVSU have been selected to win its respective divisions in 2010. The two teams have met in the conference tournament championship game five times over the past six years with the Devilettes emerging the victors in each game. MVSU has claimed the last six conference titles.

www.southerndigest.com

arts & entertainment

Friday, February 5, 2010 - Page 9

Comcast, NBC deal draws concern

Diversity reigns for directors By jake coyle ap entertainment writer

By joelle tessler

NEW YORK —The Academy Awards category for best director has historically been two things: white and male.

This year, the five nominees are a slightly more diverse crowd.

Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) is only the fourth woman to be nominated. If she wins, she’ll be the first woman to ever take home a directing Oscar. Lee Daniels (“Precious: Based on the Novel `Push’ by Sapphire”) is only the second black filmmaker to be nominated for best director in the 81-yearhistory of the Academy Awards.

John Singleton, in 1992 for “Boys N the Hood,” was the first.

Bigelow and Daniels would be enough to make the category a fascinating one, but it also bears the intrigue of former spouses being nominated against each other (“Avatar” director James Cameron is Bigelow’s ex-husband), the possibility of the youngest ever best director winner in 32-year-old Jason Reitman (“Up in the Air”) and a quiet, soft-spoken fellow by the name of Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”).

But of those considerations, the most critical one remains the gender and racial barrierbreaking nominations for Daniels and Bigelow.

“I hope someday we can lose the modifier and that becomes a moot point whether the person is male or female and they’re just filmmakers making statements that they believe in,” said Bigelow, who already has won the Directors Guild of America honor for best director.

The DGA boasts that its winner has gone on to win the directing Oscar all but six times since 1948, and more often than not, the film that wins the directing Oscar wins best picture.

Bigelow, 58, follows other women nominees for best director: Lina Wertmuller for

ap technology writer

photo by anna marie fox, lionsgate/ap photo

In this film publicity image released by Lionsgate Films, Director Lee Daniels, left, speaks with actors Gabourey Sidibe, center, and Xosha Roquemore on the set of “Precious.” Daniels was nominated for an Oscar for best director and Sidibe was nominated for an Oscar for best actress for their roles in the film on Tuesday. The 82nd Academy Awards will be presented on March 7.

“Seven Beauties,” in 1977; Jane Campion for “The Piano,” in 1994; and Sofia Coppola for “Lost in Translation,” in 2003. Campion had a film some thought would be in the Oscar hunt this year: the romantic period piece about poet John Keats, “Bright Star,” whose sole nomination was for costume design.

“Hopefully, this is a time for a woman to actually win and maybe it paves the way for other women,” said Jeremy Renner, who was nominated Tuesday for best actor for “The Hurt Locker.”

“It’s long, long, long overdue,” he remarked.

The same could be said for black directors.

“It’s always the first black something or other,” said Daniels, 50. “It’s so exciting.

How can you lose? You can’t lose!”

“Precious” received six nominations in all, including best actress for Gabourey Sidibe and best supporting actress for Mo’Nique, the Golden Globe winner who is widely expected to win. Such Oscar attention is rare for predominantly black films, with rare exceptions being best picture nominees such as “Ray” (2004), “The Color Purple” (1985), “A Soldier’s Story” (1984) and “Sounder” (1972).

Blacks in front of the camera have been quicker but still unfairly slow - to gain

recognition. Fittingly, Sidibe said in an earlier interview that she never much watched the Oscars, but vividly remembers the acceptance speeches of Halle Berry and Jennifer Hudson for acting honors.

As a producer of “The Color Purple,” Quincy Jones was the first black person to be nominated for best picture.

That unfortunate distinction has stood until the best picture nominations of “Precious” (whose producers include Daniels, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey) and “The Blind Side,” which was co-produced by Broderick Johnson.

Surprisingly, Spike Lee has never been nominated for best director - only for screenwriting and documentary.

The few nominations of black and female directors not only reflect the academy’s sluggish acknowledgment, but an industrywide problem regarding diversity.

The Directors Guild of America doesn’t break down black directors specifically, but lists only 613 minority members out of its membership of about 13,750. The DGA lists 1,141 female directors among its ranks. The numbers are moving in the right direction, though: That’s about 140 more than there were two-and-a-half years ago.

“There is hard evidence already to show that there are

numerous important female directors working today who attribute their decision to get into directing in large part to Kathryn Bigelow and the generation of female directors that she came up with,” said Scott Feinberg, the Oscar analyst whose site, AndTheWinnerIs. blog.com, has gathered reaction from other women directors supporting Bigelow.

If others on the outside are finding inspiration in the diversification of the directing category, those on the inside appear to be, too. Though Oscar races are often frosty and passively competitive, the group has been unusually congenial and supportive. Even the exes have been gracious to each other.

“That’s kind of what’s cool about this group - it’s diverse in every way,” said Reitman. “At the Directors Guild Awards, there was this wonderful feeling that it did not matter who wins this one. They’re all such different films. We’re all so proud of our work and each other.”

Daniels went even further, calling them “a family.”

“It’s really been a great experience for me with them, with James Cameron hugging me and just giving me pep talks, because I’m the new kid on the block, really,” he said. “I can’t tell you how exciting it is.

Not just for the nom, but for the camaraderie.”

WASHINGTON—Congressional Democrats challenged executives from Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal on Thursday to show that the cable TV operator’s plan to take control of the entertainment company won’t hurt consumers and rivals.

In back-to-back hearings, members of House and Senate subcommittees expressed concern that the transaction could lead to such competitive harms as higher cable TV rates and fewer video programming choices.

“The issue before us really boils down to the seven C’s,” said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a senior member of the House Commerce subcommittee on communications and technology.

“Will this combination of communications colossi curtail competition and cost consumers?”

Comcast, based in Philadelphia, is seeking federal approval to acquire a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. The Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission are expected to sign off, but likely with conditions. Input from Congress could sway the outcome of those regulatory reviews.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts told lawmakers that the combination would produce “a more creative and innovative company that will meet consumer demands” and drive more innovation among competitors.

NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker added that significant investment made possible by the combination would help NBC Universal compete in a rapidly evolving entertainment business that has become a “media freefor-all.”

Comcast, which serves a quarter of all U.S. households that pay for TV, already owns some cable channels, including E! Entertainment and the Golf Channel. The deal would give Comcast control of the NBC and Spanish-language Telemundo broadcast networks, popular cable channels such as CNBC, Bravo and Oxygen and the Universal Pictures movie studio.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., said he is worried about the dangers of allowing the nation’s largest cable and broadband provider to take control of NBC Universal’s vast media empire.

viewpoints Page 10 - Friday, February 5, 2010

www.southerndigest.com

Answering questions concerning SU, continued This is the second segment of questions and answers on topics of concern to students and other members of the university community.

——— Why doesn’t SUBR offer students comprehensive online services— admissions, course registration, fee and housing payment and instruction?

Currently, we do not have the technology to offer comprehensive online services. Instead, we have a spattering of this and that, allowing a bit of registration, some fee payment, and a limited number of courses online. Without a strong, upto-date technological foundation, SUBR cannot meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff in the 21st century. We all understand the historical background that explains some of our technological limitations; however, if we are to be competitive, SUBR must find a way forward.

In the last 15 years, several efforts markedly improved SUBR’s technology base. These efforts led to the creation of Office of Technology and Network Services, Information Systems Division, introduction of Banner, and creation of the Center for Effective E-Teaching and E-Learning. Although there were steps back, each year registration improved.

Our understanding of the technological causes of the registration bottlenecks certainly increased. On the instructional side, by 2008, SUBR had a small but very energetic cadre of faculty offering courses throughout the university. In every academic unit, there were faculty members skilled in distance education.

Rather than discrete pockets of teaching online excellence, SUBR now requires full access to teaching technologies in each classroom, infusion of online activities in classes that are based on direct instruction, and degreegranting courses of study offered online.

TNS has now outfitted up-to-date instructional equipment in some of the classrooms, particularly in rooms that can accommodate large numbers of students.

More professors are incorporating quasionline teaching modalities that decrease the amount of in-class instructional time and increase online instruction.

Using lessons learned and best practices and broadening their funding base, some academic programs are now offering degree-granting courses of study online. For example, the Rehabilitation and Disability Studies Department manages the graduate studies for the master of science degree in rehabilitation counseling online. It is completely online — a seven-semester program offering approximately 20 courses online. This semester alone, 29 students entered the program. If this program and others are to succeed, there must be a seamless online experience for students who are participating in distance education. Again, there must be comprehensive online service — from reading about SUBR courses of study, applying for admission, obtaining billing statements, registering for classes, paying fees and obtaining financial support, registering for classes, to receiving grades. This is our goal.

SUBR continues to strengthen its infrastructural and human capital base. By August 2010, Banner will be fully operational. SUBR will offer comprehensive, online registration services driven by over 400 fully trained

staff and faculty. In the best of all worlds, we would like to have a trial run of comprehensive, online registration in June 2010.

Equally as exciting, SUBR will have more faculty trained to offer online teaching. Beginning this month, the 2010 Faculty and Staff Training in Online Education Initiative begins. Faculty from each college or school will receive training. Participants and others already trained will offer and manage online courses in Summer 2010. If we get it right and have student support, we could even introduce 2010 Maymester Online. Now, that is moving forward.

And last, with the completion of our Southern University Focus Report to the Southern Association of Colleges and Universities and the Universitywide Program Reviews in Spring 2010, our full attention will be paid to offering full degree-granting courses of study online.

Without a doubt, SUBR must maintain its expertise in walk-in administrative and instructional services and fully expand its comprehensive online-services. With critical student support and input, SUBR will reach these goals.

With specific regard to why students cannot register online, our current software system, SIS Plus, only allows students to make payments using credit cards. SIS Plus is not designed to accept electronic signatures that are needed to accept Pell grants, loans, or any other financial assistance that is offered through the Office of Financial Aid. With the implementation of Touch Net, a payment gateway solution, students will be able to make payments and accept their financial aid awards (loans, scholarships, etc.). Touch Net will be available when BANNER, our new student information system, is implemented in Fall 2010.

Why can’t we have direct deposit of student refund checks?

Direct deposit is a service that is included in the Touch Net software, that will be available when BANNER is implemented in Fall 2010.

Why do students living in the campus apartments have to purchase a full meal plan—even though they have fully operational kitchens in the apartments?

Aramark Educational Services, LLC is the official food service provider for SUBR. The contract that the university has with Aramark is to provide meal plans for all students living in university facilities, including the university apartments.

Therefore, to exempt students living in the apartments would be a violation of the Aramark contract.

When will there be an exercise facility on campus for all students?

The Department of Intramural Sports and Recreation is collaborating with the Athletic Department to combine the resources of both areas to provide space and equipment in the in F. G. Clark Activity Center as an exercise and fitness facility for students. This space will be available beginning March 1. Service hours will be posted in the Digest and in the Department of Intramural Sports and Recreation. This is being provided as an interim service while plans are being finalized for the construction of the Intramural Sports Complex.

provide great programs for our student body. Our challenge continues to be communication of these great programs to the student body. SUBR student e-mail is our main source of communication, along with posters and flyers.

KOFI LOMOTEY SUBR CHANCELLOR

What will be done about faculty not showing up for classes?

The provost has contacted each the deans of the schools and colleges in which it was reported that there was no instructor present to meet with their assigned courses. Interim Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs Dean Mylon Winn resolved the issue with POLS 420 Women in Politics and Writing Seminar on Wednesday. Interim College of Arts and Humanities Dean Joyce O’Rourke and History Department Chairman Raymond Lockett are looking into the matter in the history department.

They requested additional information (i.e., course section number). An e-mail request for this information has been forwarded to the student who reported that no instructor has met with the course.

We appreciate the patience that students have demonstrated in the face of many course cancellations and schedule changes. These things happen when a mid-year budget cut is announced on December 20 after 3,500 - 4,000 students have already registered and faculty have been assigned to courses.

SUBR was forced to reduce the cost of instruction by $275,000. This was done between January 8, when our budget reduction plan was approved, and the start of classes on January 13. On the whole, my observation is that many of our faculty members have sacrificed much to make sure that SUBR gets through this budgetary storm and that our students achieve their goals. Some faculty members are teaching low-enrollment courses at no cost to the university. These are courses that we would otherwise have had to cancel. Other faculty members are finding ethical ways to expend funds from their grants to help the university so that more of the University’s funds can be committed to the cost of instruction.

Graduate students who meet SACS criteria are getting opportunities to teach in their disciplines under faculty supervision. This is helping the university provide more experiences that graduate students should have.

What are we doing to increase the extracurricular activities available to students on campus, particularly at night and on the weekends?

We have developed a campuswide programming committee that is made up of representatives from Residential Life, Smith Brown Memorial Union, Student Life, Career Services and Student Programs. The committee has the charge of providing students with more balanced programming. Students may contact committee chair Jonas Vanderbilt to bring programming ideas to the committee at 225.771.2130.

Facilities previously available, such as Stewart Hall Auditorium and T.T. Allain Room 313, are now being used as technology classrooms. The Cotillion Ballroom is a revenue-generating resource for the union and is rented on weekends.

Even given these limitations, we still

Why can’t the potholes in the F. G. Clark Activity Center parking lot be repaired?

The estimated cost to repair the parking lot at F. G. Clark Activity Center is $800,000. Because of the dollar amount (in excess of $500,000), the state requires that a designer by acquired through the Selection Board process.

The next available Selection Board meeting is March 3. Once the designer is contracted and upon completion of the bid documents, the project must be advertised for bids, and the construction contract awarded. This process will enable the repairs to begin and be completed during the summer of 2010.

The scope of work will include the removal of 3 inches of the existing asphalt, the repairing of potholes, and overlaying the entire parking lot with new asphalt.

The drainage will be improved by the repairing of underground storm drain pipes, and by providing proper sloping to drains. The broken concrete sidewalks and curbs will also be repaired.

What is the status of the building of the intramural facility?

The building of the new intramural facility is delayed because a portion of the funds from the bond sale — that were originally earmarked for this project — was used to complete the A.W. Mumford Stadium End Zone Project. (This was not a decision that was made at the campus level.) In order for the project to move forward, additional funds must be acquired, or the project will have to be scaled down.

Why do we have to pay our police to cover events when they’re already working on campus?

All SUBR University Police are classified as civil service employees.

The Civil Service Commission does not allow these officers or any other civil service employees to work beyond their designated shifts without appropriate additional compensation. SUBR officers work 12-hour shifts (day shift and night shift). Officers who work for special events (night or day) are all off regular duty during the time that they work a special event. The number of officers detailed for an event is determined by the nature of the event (specific audience, type of event, number of individuals in attendance, etc.).

The department does not permit onduty officers to abandon their regular duties so that they can work for a special event. If officers were removed or relieved of their regular posts/duties to work special events, that particular post or those duties would not be covered, leaving the University vulnerable in the affected area(s).

What are we doing to improve recruitment of students?

We are increasing involvement of our students in recruiting activities on and off campus. We are targeting high schools where data show that students meet the 2012 admissions criteria. We are utilizing social networking websites such as Facebook and Jaguar Roundup. We

are targeting middle school students to increase student awareness of SUBR at an earlier age. We track high school and middle school students who participate in our summer programs. We are using ACT and SAT reports to target students who meet admissions criteria. We partner with our Business and Industry Cluster to provide scholarships to attract students to SUBR. We utilize the SUBR website to advertise activities, events and other items that may be of interest to high school students and their parents.

We have increased out-of-state recruitment by attending fairs, school visits etc. We recruit at all community colleges throughout Louisiana and regionally. We actively encourage the enrollment of adult students through job place recruitment.

Our alumni, both individually and collectively, represent one of our most powerful tools, especially relative to recruitment, fundraising, and positive image building. We are excited and pleased to announce that SUBR and the SU National Alumni Federation have embarked upon a collaborative venture.

This project, called "A Blue and Gold United Effort", will focus principally on recruitment, fundraising and positive public relations.

The national alumni president and the SUBR chancellor are working together to implement an ambitious and exciting recruitment project that will involve alumni from across the country. A committee has already been appointed consisting of SUBR student, faculty and staff representatives and representatives from the SUBR Alumni Federation. Our goal is to develop and implement a highly structured, informative and exciting recruitment effort that will involve alumni chapters from across the country and also SUBR graduates who are not officially affiliated with a particular alumni chapter.

We will have alumni across the country (some appointed by chapters and others not affiliated with a chapter may volunteer) to be SUBR alumni recruitment liaisons.

These individuals will be trained, prepared and provided with all of the necessary materials and guidance to become effective recruiters for SUBR. The committee that will coordinate this project has held its first meeting and met again Wednesday. Letters from the chancellor and from the national alumni federation office will go out during the week announcing this exciting project.

Why is it so hard to get to meet with the chancellor?

It actually should not be hard to meet with the chancellor. However, you will be questioned when you seek to meet with the chancellor. The reason for the questioning is to ensure that proper protocol or chain of command has been followed. For example, if you’re appealing a grade in a course, the appropriate procedure, after talking with the faculty member, is to appeal to the chair, the dean, the provost and then to the chancellor. If you have a concern and you have followed the proper protocol, seeing the chancellor should not be a challenge.

Beginning in the next few weeks, the chancellor will be setting aside two hours a week for students to meet with him in his office. No appointment will be necessary.

Those hours, each week will be on 9 a.m.10 a.m. on Tuesdays and 4 p.m.-5 p.m. on Wednesdays. These hours will be set aside for students beginning February 10.

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Friday, February 5, 2010 - Page 11

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America’s obsessed with baby mamas I’M JUST ASKING STATEMENT

I’M JUST ASKING is for entertainment purposes only. These remarks do not represent the opinions of the DIGEST staff, Southern University or the Office of Student Media Services.

1. Who heard refund checks got processed?

2. Did they really or are they lying to us again?

3. Who hasn’t gotten their refund checks yet?

4. WHO DAT? 5. Is Lil’ Wayne going to bet against the Saints this time around?

6. Who are you betting against?

7. Who’s going to New Orleans after the Super Bowl?

8. Who actually plans on going to class on Monday?

9. Who planned their Miami trip with their nonexistent refund check?

10. WHO DAT? 11. Who’s going to win the Super Bowl?

12. Who sat next to the creepy old drunk guy on JagTrain?

13. Who still can’t pronounce the Saints symbol?

14. Did you know it’s pronounced “floor-de-lee” and not “floor-de-leaf”?

15. Has Mystikal released an album yet?

16. Will he go platinum since he just got out of jail?

17. Will he sign with Trill Ent? 18. Will Mouse be on the track?

19. So….we haven’t seen the ombudsman yet…still?

20. Who is he again?

Read the Digest at WWW.

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Movies like “Pregnancy Pact” and television shows like “Teen Mom,” “Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Private Practice” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” along with songs like “Baby Mama” all showcased America’s obsession with teenage pregnancy. How many people do you know rush home on Monday nights at 7 p.m. to see what is going to happen with Amy on “Secret Life” or on Thursday nights to watch “Grey’s Anatomy” or Private Practice” to see what happened to Sloan’s baby or what is going to happen with Maya and her baby.

Even churches are obsessed with teen mothers! Most Southern Baptist churches have the unwed mother announce to the church that she has fornicated (had sex outside of marriage, for those of you who don’t know). However, the father of that unborn child does not have to make any kind of announcement. The unwed mother for the most part is not

lyrics here are a couple of lines: Cause nowadays it’s like a badge of honor/To be a baby mama

BREANNA PAUL allowed to usher, sing in the choir or even do anything in the public. Then the unwed mother will stop attending church, causing a domino effect because if one unwed mother sees another unwed mother leave church, then they leave church then we have bunch of unwed mothers out of church, when in reality they are the ones who need to hear the word.

But back to the subject, America is really obsessed with teen moms. When the song, “Baby Mama” sung by Fantasia came out, she griped about not having a song that’s dedicated to them. I mean really, why do baby mamas need a song that glorifies that.

In case you didn’t know the

Really now? A badge of honor? Seriously? To be struggling to pay bills, to have to be on WIC or food stamps, or constantly call your “baby daddy” or mother for help with clothes or a babysitter? I didn’t know it was that honorable.

Fantasia also sings about the “support check in the mail” not covering the cost of daycare. Is this what we look forward to: not being able to pay bills?

On to the television shows, on “Teen Mom” is probably the most accurate account of baby mamas. Amber is struggling to not rely on her deadbeat dad, while Farrah is too dang busy going on dates to realize that she’s missing out on quality time with her child. Let’s not forget Maci, who is staying for her son, and Catelynn, who gave her baby up for adoption.

“Secret Life of the American

Teenager” is great for drama, but I don’t really know how accurate it is. I don’t remember any of that drama going on in high school, but then again I went an all-girls school. It is kind of cliché though, I mean how ironic is it that Amy got pregnant at band camp. I mean we’ve all seen what happens at band camp from the “American Pie” movie franchise.

Let’s not obsess, glorify and accept the fact that there are teen moms. However, make a move to stop women, especially black ones, from the mentality and the badge of honor of being a baby mama. I know a few people who think that “Oh if I have his baby, he will stay.” Because that’s not always the case — things do happen and people do fall out of infatuation, lust and love.

Also, stop using the support money to go shopping for your club attire.

I hope I have enlightened someone on this topic of taboo that everyone is afraid to talk about.

The Grammys are a joke

I am saddened by the apparent lack of taste most recently exhibited by the musical community at large at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards. Naturally, I am perplexed by Taylor Swift’s win in the album of the year category but that is clearly the byproduct of America’s sympathy because of Kanye West’s Hennessey-induced act of sheer buffoonery at the MTV Video Music Awards. Despite the egregious nature of this blunder I am, however, more concerned with the recordsetting night experienced by Beyonce.

As a music lover, I consider myself a levelheaded objective listener. I am always willing to give credit for a great performance or a great song even if the credit belongs to an artist whose fan club I am not currently a cardholding member. That being said, if I thought even in a moment of insanity that she was somehow deserving of six

TREMAINE SANDERS Grammys I’d gladly congratulate her along with her throngs of fans. Fan is a word that isn’t quite befitting for her followers. They are her disciples. They follow her mindlessly into musical mediocrity. These followers are incapable of objectivity and despite the nursery rhyme simplicity of some of her music they hail her as the second coming of musical greatness.

I realize that by now I’ve enraged the Beyonce Nation. I understand that sentiment, but I assure you that this ranting is more than just Beyonce bashing. I have a well thought out argument. Let’s examine this. Let’s take a moment

and look closely at one of the six categories she won. She received a Grammy for best female R&B vocal performance for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” Firstly, am I the only person who noticed Single Ladies’ striking similarity to “Get Me Bodied?” This song has the tired subject matter of men being afraid or unwilling to commit. The song isn’t even original in it’s approach to the topic of marital reluctance.

Aside from the clichéd and tired nature of this drag queen’s anthem there is the matter of the other nominees in the category.

New Orleans’ own Ledisi was nominated for “Goin’ Thru Changes,” a song about the perils of ending an affair in order to preserve a relationship.

“Lions, Tigers and Bears,” Jazmine Sullivan’s song that speaks volumes about the uncertainties of love and the fear of failing at love, was also nominated in this category.

Donny Hathaway’s baby girl,

Lalah, was also nominated for “That Was Then This Is Now,” a song that boldly declares that she’s no longer the person she once was and that she now sees the world through different eyes.

The shallow dance song “Single Ladies” has no place in the category along side these other songs of lyrical and vocal depth.

The crotch-grabbing, selfproclaimed diva whose been in court an innumerable amount of times for stealing music and claiming it the brainchild of her own creativity is simple at the height of popularity and thus benefiting from the fat of the land provided by that popularity. Music should be more than an accumulation of notes and chords. Music should be more than 808s that make your windows shake and perfectly pitched voices thanks advent of Auto-Tune. It has to be more than a catchy hook. Music should be thought provoking and intense enough to affect the soul somehow.

Think about it.

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