What’s Your Sign?: New zodiac findings spark discussion, p. 3
Healthy Eats: Chick-N-Grill to open at Pierre’s Landing, p. 4
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Comeback Kid: LSU forward Green shows promise, p. 7 Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 71
Jindal orders study to analyze potential UNO, SUNO merger Sydni Dunn Staff Writer
Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Tuesday he asked the Board of Regents to conduct a study to analyze the potential outcomes of merging the University of New Orleans and Southern University-New Orleans, which are both struggling with low graduation and enrollment rates. Jindal said the study will be an extension of the Regents’ ongoing initiative passed by the Legislature last year to examine the regional coordination, maximization of
resources and quality of offerings in the New Orleans area by March 1. The Regents hope to have the full study completed by that deadline in time for the legislative session starting GOV. BOBBY March 20. UNO is JINDAL currently part of the LSU System, while SUNO is under the Southern University System. Jindal’s possible merger would
be transferred into the University of Louisiana System. Jindal said the UL System has been proposed to govern the merged institution because it does not currently own a flagship campus, but the UL System does have experience working with community colleges, as well as with research institutions. Jindal said he has been in communication with the management boards of the universities, and that nothing will be decided until after the study is completed and the recommendations are approved by the Legislature.
“The LSU System remains firmly engaged in the support of UNO’s mission and will work closely with UNO, its many constituencies and the Board of Regents on any proposals,” LSU System President John Lombardi said in a news release. In addition to the merger, Jindal asked the Regents to look at a greater collaboration effort by the universities with Delgado Community College. He said the required collaboration would be in the sharing of facilities, staff and other resources. “Both UNO and SUNO, which are just blocks apart, are currently
under-enrolled and have empty classrooms while Delgado is struggling to meet the needs of their community with limited space,” Jindal said. Regents Chairman Robert Levy welcomed the challenge and said the study will reflect what is best for the state. “It’s our constitutional duty to do this and report to the Legislature,” Levy said. “We intend to do our duty.” Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com
INITIATIVES
Flagship Coalition to lobby for LSU
Matthew Albright Staff Writer
professor of composition and computer music and Center for Computation and Technology faculty. He said the group will also perform April 4 in the Manship Theatre. Beck said everyone in the group is responsible for writing programs, performing and creating the music. “We write our own software. ... It’s like creating compositions,” Beck said. The group types codes as it is playing music, along with manipulating joysticks or cameras in the laptops to create different sounds, Beck said. Some pieces are
A group of influential business leaders are fighting to “liberate” the University from state rules they say are hampering its success. “We believe that a great tierone flagship institution deserves more freedom to operate,” said Sean Reilly, a Lamar Advertising executive, former state legislator and co-chairman for the new Flagship Coalition. Reilly said the coalition plans on “taking LSU more in the direction of successful flagships throughout the country.” He said those institutions have been successful because they have “liberated themselves from the state bureaucracy.” “Their flagships are not like standard state entities,” he said. Reilly said the coalition’s first priority is removing “red tape” that costs the University money. That includes exempting the University from the state civil service rules, streamlining how it procures resources, changing its retirement rules and giving it leeway to impose “whatever fees it needs to operate.” “Our goal is to reduce our reliance on the state general fund,” Reilly said.
LOL, see page 15
COALITION, see page 15
photos by CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille
Members of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana use instruments, laptops, iPads and more Tuesday to create music during rehearsal.
Modern Music
Group uses technology to create imaginative music styles Meredith Will Contributing Writer
[Top] Graduate student Corey Knoll uses an iPad to digitally manipulate a tuba. [Below] Graduate student Yeamin OH combines laptops, tablets and joysticks to create the LOL’s unique sound.
While spring classes begin and students get back into the school grind, a small group of musicians is preparing to go on tour making music in unusual ways. The Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana is a group of seven students, one professor and one assistant professor dedicated to playing music using laptops, Wii remotes, joysticks, iPads and other “instruments” to produce a unique style reminiscent of music featured in science-fiction movies. “We’re trying to find interesting angles,” said Jeff Albert,
experimental music and digital media graduate student. “They make you experiment with different parts of musicianship.” Albert said the group also uses real instruments, including trombone, tuba, flute and voices, but does not use a piano. “Our objective is to create new and different musicians and a different way to be musically virtuosic,” he said. “It’s a way of engaging people in the music.” LOL is going on a four-city southern tour to Mobile, Ala., and Atlanta, Columbus and Athens, Ga., according to Stephen Beck, director of the Laptop Orchestra and Haymon