RELIGION: Speaker to discuss relationship between religion, sports, p. 4
BASEBALL: Nola leads young staff into 2014 season, p. 5
Reveille The Daily
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 87
thedailyreveille
@lsureveille
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KREWE DU COMIC CON
Monday, February 10, 2014
FACULTY
Adjuncts discuss salaries, security Deanna Narveson Staff Writer
CHARLES CHAMPAGNE / The Daily Reveille
[Left] An attendee cosplays as “Kick Ass,” [top right] Marina Nye cosplays as “Captain America” and [bottom right] Jessie Harris, a “Blade” cosplayer, poses for fellow guests Saturday at the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con at the New Orleans Convention Center.
New Orleans Comic Con brings diversity to the Crescent City Rebecca Docter Entertainment Editor
Hundreds descended upon the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center this weekend in hopes of letting their nerd flags fly for the New Orleans Comic Con, a three-day look into the best parts of nerd culture. Despite the low turnout on day one, Friday at “The Con” still held adventures in the form of panels and the miraculous number of people in costume. One of the highlights for many in attendance was cosplaying, the act of dressing up as a character from a comic book, video game or movie, and on the first day of the
event, many were dressed in full garb. The panels as a whole had few in attendance, but that didn’t detract from the engrossing information provided by those speaking. One of the most fascinating panels was “Getting Respect: Comics Go To College,” a talk focusing on the comic book’s place in academia. It was led by scholars from Henderson State University in Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana University, all of whom use graphic novels in their courses (both psychology and English). Another highlight was the screening of independent films, many of which were filmed in or around Louisiana, at the Wizard
World Film Festival, where the short films spanned a range of topics, from a man nearly erupting from anxiety (“Stay Calm Stan”) to a zombie date night with an unexpected ending (“Date of the Dead”). Many of the filmmakers and actors were in attendance, giving viewers an in-depth look at the inventive process of creating an independent film. The floor of Comic Con was packed with booths of artists and merchants gushing about their
Read about an alumnus’ life as a comic book artist, p. 3 COMIC CON, see page 15
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Twenty-five adjunct University faculty members met Saturday morning for a round-table discussion about how to improve the working conditions of adjunct professors. The group met in the Clemons Conference room of the Lod Cook Alumni Center moderated by Associate Vice Chancellor A.G. Monaco, and attended by Stuart Bell, University executive vice chancellor and provost. Adjunct professors are members of the University faculty, called instructors, who often teach the same classes as assistants and associate professors. Adjunct professors are on track to become tenured professors, but receive far less pay, have oneyear contracts and are not required to do research, said Jane Cassidy, vice provost for human resources and facilities management. In 2013, The New York Times reported that 76 percent of American university faculty held adjunct positions, earning an average of $2,700 per course they taught. According to the LSU Office of Budget and Planning website, instructors earned an average of $42,933 for the 2012-13 school year. Cassidy said the instructors at the University, on average, teach about four classes each semester, and while the last semester’s pay raises increased their salaries, the amount of money the instructors paid for their health care and other benefits also increased. At the meeting, Cassidy said the group discussed and prioritized their concerns, the largest of which were their salaries and job security. Professors on track to becoming tenured have three-year contracts, she said, but some instructors have been at the University for more than 30 years and their jobs are still renewed annually. “This is a national problem, not just LSU,” Cassidy said. “They said ‘We love what we do, we’re just not well paid.’” Many of these professors have Ph.Ds and are committed to ADJUNCT FACULTY, see page 15