Check Inside For:
Haitian students react to quake damage, page 3.
NEWS New dining hall opens in Pentagon complex, page 8.
Winless streak
Three consecutive losses drop the Tigers’ to lackluster 9-8 record, page 13.
THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
Volume 114, Issue 72
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
BUDGET CUTS
$12.6M shaved from fiscal budget By Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writer
lsureveille.com
In the wake of mid-year budget cuts, University instructors will gather in funeral attire aside the University’s Sesquincentenial kick-off ceremony to protest budget cuts and further job terminations. Dubbed “Memorial Service for LSU,” the memorial is in protest to the 13 layoffs, 153 unfilled positions and funding cuts to all major colleges’ administrative departments which are the result of the third budget cut the University has suffered in a year. The memorial is scheduled for noon on Tuesday at the flagpole on the Parade Ground. The protest also follows as many as 400 instructors being informed by the Log on University that to read the termination more of their jobs is a details possibility with- about in the next year. cuts on The Uni- the versity’s Baton budget cuts Rouge cam- blog. pus has shaved $12.6 million from its midyear fiscal budget in response to a state funding shortfall. The LSU System as a whole is cutting $39.1 million with the Baton Rouge campus receiving the deepest wounds. “My first reaction was, ‘This is getting really painful,’” Chancellor Michael Martin said. “We have largely avoided major pain up to now, but this one was incrementally large enough that pain has come, and that is unfortunate.” Martin said cuts could lead to larger classes, difficulty scheduling and a decrease in the quality of services offered to students. Facility Services bears the brunt of the layoffs with eight positions terminated. Finance and Administrative Services suffered two lost positions. The College of Education is the only school within the University forced to issue layoff notices, CUTS, see page 31
Progress. Prominence. Power.
Students commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. through service and ceremony By Sabrina Trahan Contributing Writer
Many University students spent Monday remembering the dream of nonviolent, direct community action of one of the most influential leaders of the civil rights movement almost 42 years after he died. Martin Luther King, Jr. paved the way for 13 years of civil rights activism, and his dedication inspired
the Martin Luther King Day of Service across the nation. The Office of Multicultural Affairs is hosting the 24th annual Martin Luther King Celebration with the theme of progress, prominence and power. The OMA received $5,450 from Student Government’s programming, support and initiatives fund, said Phoebe Hathorn, SG Director of Finance. More than 100 University stu-
dents and community volunteers repainted and worked in the yards of two homes and Mable’s Flower Shop in Baton Rouge on Monday to honor King’s vision of community involvement. “We’re trying to do the same thing that Martin Luther King would do and strive to create equality among one another,” said Robert Hudson, international studies sophomore.
University students stood in yellow T-shirts with the words, “The next 150 years starts with me,” referencing the University’s sesquicentennial celebration this year. “Greek organizations are here,” said Keava Soil, political science junior and team leader. “We are all uniting.” The Center for Planning MLK, see page 27
photos by J.J. ALCANTARA and SARAH HUNT / The Daily Reveille
[Top] Jordan Jefferson, business sophomore and quarterback of the football team, and Jaid Nelson, environmental engineering sophomore, reflect Monday night during the MLK candlelight vigil in front of the Memorial Tower. [Above] LSU students paint houses on Thomas Delpit Drive on Monday for the Martin Luther King Day of Service.
WEATHER
Cold temperatures damage crops, cities By Hannah Adams Contributing Writer
This month’s unusual, enduring cold snap has many individuals across the South hoping for warmer weather as crops and cities continue to sustain damage. Homeowners began wrapping household pipes and making preparation for outside plants and animals
when Louisiana and Florida governors Bobby Jindal and Charlie Crist declared a state of emergency because of the severity of the cold. Damage to campus buildings was minimal, largely because of the freeze protection plan the University implements for such cold weather, Director of Resource Services Paul Favaloro said. One incident occurred Jan. 9 in which air-conditioning coils
ruptured, flooding a portion of the Hatcher Hall basement. “Most of the damage sustained was in the Hatcher Hall basement,” Favaloro said. “Damage to the basement was significant, and the room is currently being dehumidified.” Louisiana’s strawberry harvests are also expected to suffer from the hard freeze. “Right now we estimate we’ve
saved around 50 percent, but we really won’t know until the next few weeks what we’ve done,” said Chuck Ciampa of Ciampa Strawberry Farms in Hammond. Eric Morrow of Morrow Farms in Ponchatoula said the protective covers most farmers use are only helpful for temperatures down to 26 degrees. COLD, see page 27