ON STAGE
ONLINE Log on for an Away Game Guide for Seattle.
Broadway to return to postKatrina New Orleans, page 7.
THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
State of the Street
Volume 114, Issue 9
Groups working to clean up historic area By Lindsey Meaux Senior Staff Writer
The University has undergone a string of renovations since its relocation from downtown Baton Rouge in the 1920s, leaving East State Street to grow old in its shadow. Nearly 90 years after development followed the University to its current location, the North Gate Merchants Association extended an invitation to property owners and residents of East State Street, including those of Ivanhoe, Carlotta and Tula streets, to join them in a discussion about the future of the area — and to one day potentially join the NGMA. The invitation — signed by Mayor-President Kip Holden and Chancellor Michael Martin among others and dated Aug. 14 — also listed the efforts made by NGMA to clean the area, including repairing
‘I see less undesirable people in the neighborhood.’
street lights, cleaning drainage systems and clearing the sidewalks. “Our next step is to work with you and other property owners, tenants, East Baton Rouge City-Parish Government and LSU to make improvements,” the letter read. Brennan Percy, anthropology graduate and mechanical engineering freshman, has lived on State Street for five years. “I am all for cleaning up State Street,” Percy said. “I’m all in favor of cleaning it up without changing the feel of it.” Efforts by Percy to clean State Street have been shot down by his neighbors, he said. “I’ve tried cleaning the street up a couple of times and was told ‘It’s dirty. It’s State Street. That’s just how it is,’” Percy said.
Brennan Percy mechanical engineering freshman
Council approves $900M bond
Senior Staff Writer
‘I am all for cleaning up State Street.’
Brad Harris
BR COMMUNITY
By Lindsey Meaux
STREET, see page 14
State Street resident
Thursday, September 3, 2009
photos by JASON BORDELON / The Daily Reveille
An old, rusty fire hydrant on East State Street is covered by stickers and caution tape near Tiger Manor. The city is working to clean up the historic area.
Voters will have the opportunity to vote on East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden’s $900 million bond — which includes the $225 million project “Alive” — Nov. 14. At a Metropolitan Council meeting Wednesday night, members of the Council voted to put the bond issue on the ballot in its entirety. Alive is a ‘We have proposed plan an educaseen a for tional, research tremendous and entertainamount of ment complex would ingrowth post that corporate the [hurricanes] M i s s i s s i p p i Katrina and River and Louisiana’s hurriRita.’ cane research Adam Knapp while increasing tourism in BRAC CEO downtown Baton Rouge. The proposed parish-wide half-cent sales tax and 9.9 mils property tax would potentially fund $178 million for drainage improvements, $135 million for a new prison and $92 million for a joint Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge SherALIVE, see page 15
INTERNATIONAL
LSU, China seal deal for dual doctorate degrees Program allows cultural experience By Kyle Bove Senior Staff Writer
Some LSU graduate students now have the opportunity to earn a doctorate degree here in Baton Rouge and at a prestigious Chinese university at the same time. The new dual physics doctorate program — conceived by physics
professor Ward Plummer and finalized by College of Basic Sciences Dean Kevin Carman this summer — links the University with the Institute of Physics in Beijing. “The program will give students the international experience of dealing with science in two different countries,” Plummer said. “The idea is that students would start [class work] there for a couple years and come here [for research]. Or vice versa.” Plummer said the program’s first student will arrive soon from
China. He said LSU is also trying to work out a partnership with Nanjing University in China. Stacia Haynie, vice provost for academic affairs and planning, helped develop the program and work out details for LSU administrators. “This partnership will build an incredible intellectual exchange between our students and faculty and those of the Institute of Physics in Beijing,” Haynie said in an e-mail to CHINA, see page 14
photo courtesy of WARD PLUMMER
Physics professor Ward Plummer, far right, and Basic Sciences Dean Kevin Carman, right center, finalized a degree plan in July with the Institute of Physics officials in Beijing.