Volume 122 · No. 15
Monday, September 12, 2016
EST. 1887
lsunow.com
@lsureveille
thedailyreveille
dailyreveille STUDENT LIFE
University awarded for diversity BY NATALIE ANDERSON @natalie_mechell
Jones sworn in to Board of Supervisors New appointment brings diversity, passion for service to position STORY BY KATIE GAGLIANO @katie_gagliano
PORTRAIT BY MYKEIL CHAMBERS
The LSU Board of Supervisors swore in University alumna Valencia Jones as its newest member Friday. Jones is Gov. John Bel Edwards’ fourth appointment to the Board of Supervisors since he assumed office in January. She will replace former Board Chairman Ray Lasseigne as a representative for the Fourth Congressional District. In May, Edwards announced the reappointment of New Orleans businessman Stephen Perry as a member-at-large, as well as the appointments of New Orleans attorney James Williams and Lafayette attorney Glenn Armentor. Jones said not many people outside of the University’s faculty and staff understand the complexity of University operations or the full depth of the challenges the University faces. Her first meeting was an eye-opening experience, she said. The meeting included the approval of the 2016-17 fiscal year budget, a report from President F. King Alexander highlighting the University’s shortcomings in faculty compensation and retention and a briefing from the LSU Foundation addressing below-average alumni donations
see SUPERVISORS, page 2
INSIGHT Into Diversity Magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education, has awarded the University the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity award for the fifth year in a row. The University was one of 83 institutions to receive the award. To be considered for this honor, an institution must demonstrate an institution-wide commitment to diversity and be subjected to a rigorous application process. INSIGHT looks for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work accomplished across a campus every day. Vice Provost of Diversity Dereck Rovaris Sr. said once the University was considered, approximately 10-15 people came to campus to ask questions about diversity in a number of different areas. He said INSIGHT’s publishing group assesses and awards schools that meet the requirements and continue making progress. “We’re not where we want to be, but we’re a lot further along than we were,” Rovaris said. Rovaris said race, ethnicity, sexual identification and orientation, disability, veteran status, language origin and country of origin were a few elements of diversity to be considered. “We want to make sure that our student body is diverse,” Rovaris said. “In addition to that, we have a commitment to making sure that the faculty and staff are diverse.” Psychology sophomore Olivia Pottschmidt said the University’s
see DIVERSITY, page 2