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THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015
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HERE & NOW
Volume 119 · No. 107 STUDENT LIFE
Greek Life reacts to OU SAE controversy BY FERNANDA ZAMUDIO-SUAREZ news@lsureveille.com
photos by EMILY BRAUNER / The Daily Reveille
Student Government candidates Andrew Mahtook and Hannah Knight of the Here & Now ticket celebrate their victory in the spring election on Wednesday.
Mahtook, Knight elected SG president, vice president BY CHLOE HUFF chuff@lsureveille.com
Student Government election season turned the corner Wednesday as “Here & Now” presidential candidate Andrew Mahtook and vice presidential candidate Hannah Knight won their spots in the executive office. Between McDonald’s and the barbershop of the Student Union, SG Commissioner of Elections Allyce Trapp announced that the “Here & Now” campaign earned more than 51 percent of student votes, making Mahtook and Knight the heads of SG for the 2015 academic year.
As opposed to a turnout of 5,284 voters in last year’s election, 8,908 students voted this year. Students will see changes on campus as early as next semester if Mahtook and Knight live up to their campaign promises. Mahtook and Knight agreed they were both excited and relieved, but their work was not done. “We’re heading back down to Free Speech Alley tomorrow, get our candidates elected that are in
see ELECTION, page 15
Three years before the University of Oklahoma severed ties with its chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon for chanting racial slurs, the University’s SAE chapter was thrown off campus for sexual misconduct and hazing incidents. LSU’s SAE chapter has been inactive since fall 2012. The Daily Reveille previously reported at the time that the fraternity could be reinstated in 2015, but SAE National Communications Director Matt Alaio said Wednesday he did not know when the chapter would be reinstated at the University. Oklahoma President David Boren suspended the fraternity Monday and ordered all members to vacate the fraternity house within 24 hours. Assistant Dean and Director of
see GREEK, page 15
Read the editor in chief’s column on race and diversity in Greek Life on page 12.
LAW CENTER
Law students help international students, professors file taxes BY JOSE ALEJANDRO BASTIDAS jbastidas@lsureveille.com Moving to the U.S. from other countries, many students face obstacles of communicating in a language different from their own at this time of the year — tax season. University law students offer a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program to help international students, professors and researchers, such as renewable natural resources Ph.D. student Jinlong Zhang, who qualify as non-resident taxpayers, file their taxes for free. “The VITA program is something that has been going on for a long time,” said law
professor Philip Hackney. “The program started, I want to say 20 years ago, to give law students the opportunity to work with real people, with real scenarios, while also giving back to the community.” A similar VITA program is done by the E.J. Ourso College of Business for low-income taxpayers in the area. The program at the law center helps international students who would otherwise have to pay accounting and law firms for the service, said Blane Brown, VITA volunteer and law student. Brown said demand around the University for individuals who know how to file international tax forms exceeds
the supply since there are not many nonresident international people in Louisiana. “Around the law school they have mock trials and other stuff for students to practice, but we don’t have a lot of real practice for tax law,” Brown said. “We take a lot of classes on income taxes, but the chance for real experience is rare. With this program, we get to talk to taxpayers, we work through problems with them and we get to sit with them, look at their W-2 forms and other tax returns.” When students get help from law students, they must bring necessary forms and documents, including their
see TAXES, page 15
Third-year law student Blane Brown helps geology Ph.D. student Emad Elfar with his taxes on Tuesday at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center.
FERNANDA PIÑA / The Daily Reveille