tease your brain with today’s sudoku puzzle, page 4.
Check Inside To:
Student Gov.
BOARD OF SUPS. Pay increases approved for Mainieri, Chavais and other coaches, page 5.
SG officials launch blog to reach LSU students, lsureveille.com.
THE DAILY REVEILLE WWW.LSUREVEILLE.COM
Volume 114, Issue 81
BUDGET CUTS
Trademark Wars
Provost to appeal program
NFL apologizes after issuing cease-and-desist orders to La. businesses carrying “Who Dat” merchandise
eliminations
By Sabrina Trahan Contributing Writer
Saints fans won an unlikely battle with the NFL after several small businesses received ceaseand-desist orders for unlicensed merchandise. The NFL apologized to merchants, fans and political figures and claimed the situation was a misunderstanding and not all uses of “Who Dat” need to be licensed. The uproar began when the NFL issued cease-and-desist orders to a number of Louisiana businesses selling “Who Dat” merchandise about two weeks ago, claiming the NFL owned the phrase and infuriating Saints fans following the NFC championship. Local T-shirt shop Storyville complied when it first received the order banning the sale of their “Who Dat” shirts. Rusty Verret, Storyville sales associate and general studies senior, said sales spiked with the attention from the media and fans. “It’s the people’s saying, and they’re fighting back,” Verret said. Verret originally said sales
Monday, February 1, 2010
By Xerxes A. Wilson Senior Staff Writer
photos by J.J. ALCANTARA/ The Daily Reveille
(Above) Katherine Davidson, UL-Lafayette alumna, shops for “Who Dat” shirts at Storyville on Saturday. (Top) Jacob Fontenot, second-year LSU law student, and Davison survey an array of Saints merchandise.
would stop Saturday, but Storyville co-owner Elizabeth Harvey said the NFL surrendered Friday night. A letter from the NFL said SAINTS, see page 11
‘The Who Dat Nation is the people of New Orleans, the people of Louisiana and the Saints fans — not the Saints.’ Charlie Melancon
U.S. representative, D-La.
Provost Astrid Merget intends to appeal the Board of Regents’ termination of the master’s and doctorate degree programs in comparative literature. Merget said she plans to file the appeal because the low student completion rate that caused the programs to be cut does not mean the programs are deficient. The Board of Regents terminated three University programs at its monthly meeting last week. “As a doctorate in the humanities, the length of time from starting a doctorate program to finishing it is fairly long, which is the custom in those fields,” Merget said. The Board of Regents considered data from a five-year period to establish low-completion programs subject to elimination. Master’s programs require an average of five completers per year or a minimum of 25 graduates within five years. Doctoral programs require two completers per year and 10 graduates in the five-year span. PROGRAMS, see page 11
ECONOMY
Instructors demand tax reform, change to constitution By Xerxes A. Wilson Senior Staff Writer
With the threat of layoffs looming, University instructors assembled on the Parade Ground on Saturday to gather support for their statewide petition demanding state tax reform and constitutional change. About 30 instructors braved blustery weather to show support of the goal of 25,000 signatures on the petition, which aims to bring in more money for higher education and fundamentally change the way budget cuts are allocated. Tania Nyman, organizer and English instructor, rallied against the policies of Gov. Bobby Jindal in a prepared speech to the faculty and
students gathered at the flag pole. “Gov. Jindal claims we must suffer this devastation as we tighten our belts in these tough economic times,” Nyman said. “But we know these cuts are not a result of the downturn in the economy. We know these cuts are a result of the governor and legislature’s decision to repeal tax reforms the people of Louisiana voted for almost 10 years ago.” Nyman referred to the Stelly Plan repealed by Gov. Jindal in 2008 as one of the main catalysts for the economic hardship facing the University. The Stelly Plan was introduced in 2002 and eliminated state taxes on prescription drugs, food and utilities. The plan introduced an increased
income tax to make up for the lost revenue, said Robert Hogan, political science associate professor. Jindal repealed the increased income taxes in 2008 but did not return the sales taxes eliminated by the plan, creating a loss of revenue for the state, Hogan said. Nyman blamed policies like Jindal’s for the economic troubles facing the University. The petition seeks to remedy budget issues with tax reforms and to amend the state constitution to give health care and higher education some protection from the budget cuts facing the state. Many instructors in attendance
CUTS, see page 11
GEOFFREY BADEAUX / The Daily Reveille
LSU instructor Tania Nyman watches as Tim Page, LSU faculty member in the School of Social Work, adds his name to the petition against budget cuts.