FOOTBALL: Players find meaning in personal tattoos, p. 5
ENTERTAINMENT: Check out today’s all-food section, p. 9
Reveille The Daily
Taking the Reins
www.lsureveille.com
Tuesday, October 1, 2013 • Volume 118, Issue 26
Richardson to replace Koonce as dean of College of Agriculture
Shutdown unlikely to affect students Professors: Louisianans also not seriously affected
Olivia McClure
Contributing Writer
After nearly half a century at the University, College of Agriculture Dean Kenneth Koonce will retire Oct. 7. His replacement is the University’s Vice President for Agriculture Bill Richardson, reuniting the LSU AgCenter’s research and extension with the college’s academic program. Those three missions have been separate since 1972, when the AgCenter was created as an autonomous campus. The University’s Board of Supervisors merged the administrations of the College of Agriculture and the AgCenter on Sept. 6, making Richardson vice president for agriculture — leader of the 1,698-student college as well as the AgCenter, which has a presence in all 64 parishes of Louisiana. Richardson, 68, was previously dean of the College of Agriculture from 1992 to 1997. He first came
GOVERNMENT
Gordon Brillon Staff Writer
Richardson believes budget stability will continue to be a key issue because it is difficult to plan for
An impasse over a funding bill caused non-essential governmental programs to shut down today after Congress failed to reach an agreement. But the government shutdown will likely not have a serious effect on the daily lives of students or Louisianans as a whole, according to University professors. Political science professor James Garand said the debate stems from Republicans’ efforts to prevent or delay funding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.
DEAN, see page 15
SHUTDOWN, see page 4
photos by LAUREN DUHON and GRACE STEINHAUSER / The Daily Reveille
The University’s Vice President for Agriculture Bill Richardson [right] will take charge of the College of Agriculture from Kenneth Koonce [left], who has been the College of Agriculture’s dean for 16 years and has been at the University for nearly 50 years.
to LSU in 1984 as the director of School of Vocational Education, became associate dean of the College of Agriculture in 1986 and was named chancellor of the AgCenter
in 1997. The budget has been Richardson’s top concern at the AgCenter, which came close to declaring financial exigency in 2011.
STATE
Louisiana named worst U.S. state for women LSU Women’s Center aims to fight issue Alexis Rebennack Staff Writer
Although the Center for American Progress ranked Louisiana as the worst state for women last week, the University’s Women’s Center has plans to help combat this issue. In a nationwide analysis entitled “The State of Women in America,” Louisiana was rated the worst state for women. The Center for American Progress stated many women in the U.S. face problems that inhibit their quality of life, but Louisiana women have it the worst when it comes to limited access to health care, lack of fair pay for equal work and
underrepresentation in leadership roles. “This report clearly illustrates the need for more access to highquality, affordable health care providers in Louisiana,” said State Director of Planned Parenthood Melissa Flournoy. “Too many women in our state lack access to the health care they need to live healthy lives and achieve economic security.” “The State of Women in America” analysis lists Louisiana as one of the top 10 worst states for maternal mortality rates in the country. In addition, working women in Louisiana earn only 67 percent of what men earn on average, and more than one in five women and girls in the state are currently living in poverty. While Louisiana is struggling to resolve these issues, there is a silver lining. Director of the University Women’s Center Summer Steib
said there are plans to fight these critical issues. “The mission of the Women’s Center is to promote the advancement of women’s issues and gender equity through services, advocacy efforts and educational programs,” Steib said. “The Center also provides support, referral and information to students, faculty and staff on issues and concerns related to women.” Steib is also a member of the University Council on Women and said they are investigating issues that impact women and impede equality at the University. Of all the problems facing women in the state, Steib said the worst problem facing college women, in terms of economic equity, is that careers saturated with women WOMEN, see page 4
graphic by ANDREW DAVID HEBERT / The Daily Reveille