Today in Print - February 1, 2011

See our continuous coverage of National Signing Day on Wednesday at lsureveille.com and on Twitter @TDR_sports.

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Campus Life: Snowing in the South moved to Wednesday, p. 3 Faculty: Judge rules van Heerden didn’t have tenure, p. 3 Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 80

Tuition, fee increases headline Jindal’s higher education plans Matthew Albright, Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writers

Higher tuition and fees will be part of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s higher education agenda for the approaching legislative session.

Jindal unveiled his “legislative packet” Monday to a gathering of legislators, Board of Regents representatives and members of the various higher education governing boards.

With the state facing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year, higher education administrators have feared drastic budget cuts. The amount higher education might lose has varied from as high as 32 percent to less than 10 percent.

At the meeting, Jindal reiterated his intention to keep the cuts below 10 percent of general

fund appropriations.

Jindal made four proposals to minimize cuts while improving the performance of the higher education system statewide.

Jindal’s first proposed legislation would enhance the LA GRAD Act, legislation passed this past summer that allowed universities to raise tuition independently by up to 10 percent after meeting performance standards.

Jindal’s proposal would also grant schools more freedom from the state bureaucracy in purchasing, budgeting, human resources and construction.

Jindal’s second proposed bill would “update” tuition, including raising the cap on per-credit-hour tuition from 12 hours to 15 hours.

Currently, University students who take more than 12 hours are

considered “full time” and are charged a flat rate for tuition. Students who take fewer than 12 hours pay per credit hour.

Jindal’s proposal means a student would need 15 hours to pay the flat rate.

“Currently, many students sign up for 17 or 18 hours and drop down to 12 hours midway through the semester,” Jindal said. “This means that schools are paying for professors and classroom space that is no longer needed.”

Jindal also proposed a new fee to be set at 4 percent of current tuition costs. The fee would cover “unfunded mandates” — costs the state forces universities to pay without providing funding to do so.

University administrators have JINDAL, see page 15

ADAM VACCARELLA / The Daily Reveille

Gov. Bobby Jindal speaks Monday at Pennington Biomedical Research Center about his legislative plans for higher education, which include tuition and fee increases.

Works Of Art

SAFETY

LSUPD completes shooting course

Celeste Ansley Staff Writer

ADAM VACCARELLA / The Daily Reveille

Andrew Elias, mathematics sophomore, surveys the array of art pieces submitted to the LSU Pre-juried Student Art Show in the Student Union Art Gallery. The show, which opened Monday, will allow students to vote for their favorite pieces through Thursday. A reception on Feb. 11 will open the final juried show announcing the winners. See more photos from the exhibit at lsureveille.com.

Gunshots were heard throughout St. Gabriel last week as LSU Police Department officers were tested for shooter qualification.

LSUPD requires officers to pass the test twice a year, while the Louisiana Peace Officer Training Council, Louisiana POST, requires testing only once a year, said Sgt. Blake Tabor, LSUPD spokesman. “[Louisiana POST is] like the Supreme Court of law enforcement training,” Tabor said.

LSUPD conducts its qualifying test at the department’s range, located on the LSU AgCenter Research Branch in St. Gabriel.

“We own the range, but we allow other law enforcement departments and the military to use the range,” said Sgt. Kory Melancon, LSUPD firearm instructor.

Officers shoot 60 bullets in the test and can earn as many as 120 points. To pass, officers must LSUPD, see page 15

The Daily Reveille

Nation & World

page 2

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

STATE/LOCAL

Egypt’s military promises no violence against civilian protestors

Florida judge declares Obama health care overhaul unconstitutional

EBR Mayor-President Holden advises residents to check weather

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s military promised Monday not to fire on any peaceful protests and recognized “the legitimacy of the people’s demands,” a sign army support for President Hosni Mubarak may be unraveling. Protesters planned a major escalation, calling for a million people to take to the streets to push Mubarak out of power.

More than 10,000 people beat drums, played music and chanted slogans in Tahrir Square, which has become ground zero of seven days of protests demanding the ouster of the 82-year-old president who has ruled with an authoritarian hand for nearly three decades.

With the organizers calling for a march by one million people Tuesday, the vibe in the sprawling plaza — whose name in Arabic means “Liberation” — was intensifying with the feeling that the upheaval was nearing a decisive point. “He only needs a push,” was one of the most frequent chants, and one leaflet circulated by some protesters said it was time for the military to choose between Mubarak and the people.

The latest gesture by Mubarak aimed at defusing the crisis fell flat. His top ally, the United States, roundly rejected his announcement

PENSACOLA, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge declared the Obama administration’s health care overhaul unconstitutional Monday, siding with 26 states that argued people cannot be required to buy health insurance.

Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson agreed with the states that the new law violates people’s rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties. He went a step further than a previous ruling against the law, declaring the entire thing unconstitutional if the insurance requirement does not hold up.

(AP) — East Baton Rouge MayorPresident Kip Holden is advising residents to routinely check weather reports today with the possibility of severe weather moving into the area.

The National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather outlook Monday, which warns about severe storms this afternoon and evening.

The advisory warns of hail and damaging winds up to 20 to 30 mph, according to a news release from the Mayor’s Office.

Holden advises residents to use the “Buddy System” to check on each other during the weather warnings, according to the release.

BEN CURTIS / The Associated Press

People demonstrate Monday in Cairo.

A coalition of opposition groups called for a million people to take to Cairo’s streets today to ratchet up pressure for President Hosni Mubarak to leave.

of a new government Monday that dropped his interior minister, who heads police forces and was widely denounced by the protesters. The crowds in the streets were equally unimpressed.

“It’s almost the same government, as if we are not here, as if we are sheep,” sneered one protester, Khaled Bassyouny, a 30-year-old Internet entrepreneur. He said it was time to escalate the marches.

“It has to burn. It has to become ugly. We have to take it to the presidential palace.”

Energy stocks push indexes higher, Exxon reports best quarter since ’08 NEW YORK (AP) — Energy stocks led indexes higher Monday, the first day of trading since the growing unrest in Egypt caused the largest one-day drop in the broad stock market in more than three months.

Exxon Mobil Corp. gained 2.1 percent after it reported its most profitable quarter since 2008.

Massey Energy Co. jumped 9.8 percent after Alpha Natural Resources Inc. said it would buy the coal producer in a $7.1 billion deal. Alpha Natural Resources fell 7.2 percent.

Survey measures post-oil spill seafood attitudes NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A marketing survey commissioned by Louisiana’s seafood promotion board shows more than 70 percent of consumers polled nationally express some level of concern about seafood safety following the BP oil spill, and 23 percent have actually reduced their consumption.

The figures, a mixed bag of good and bad news for the seafood industry, are the result of online canvassing of a thousand households in December.

PASS THE WD-40

Today on lsureveille.com See what’s new on our blogs: Tiger Feed sports blog: Former Florida coach Urban Meyer is contradicting himself.

Out of Print news blog: Jindal has released plans for higher education that inculde tuition increases.

LMFAO entertainment blog: Read criticisms and support of “The King’s Speech.”

See a student opinion video Where would you go to study abroad? @lsureveille, @TDR_news, @TDR_sports

facebook.com/ thedailyreveille

Weather TODAY Severe T-Storms

100%

68 27 WEDNESDAY THURSDAY

42 28

42 33

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

40%

30%

44 31

54 35

Black History Month Black Academic Perspectives Lecture Series

Wednesday, February 2, 2011 French House, Grand Salon, 12 PM

SHAINA HUNTSBERRY / The Daily Reveille

Black History Month Play: Laugh, Cry, Scream & Shout

See photos of rust on campus on Snapshot at lsureveille.com.

Monday February 7, 2011 LSU Student Union Ballroom, 6 PM

DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Chase at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: officemanager@lsureveille.com

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS In a Jan. 30 article in The Daily Reveille, University Vet School researcher Masami Yoshimura and his team were studying how the structure of adenylyl cyclase (AC) is affected by alcohol, not the structure’s affect on memory. Yoshimura uses Nuclear Magnetic Resonance technology to study AC, which generates cyclic AMP, a secondary messenger molecule inside of cells that controls learning and memory. Consuming alcohol does not increase AC levels in the body as stated in the article. AC only may be involved in memory loss after heavy drinking and is not a cause of memory loss. It cannot kill neurons, as previously reported. Research finding AC could be a genetic indicator of alcoholism was not conducted

by Vet School researchers.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies for 25 cents, please contact the Office of Student Media in B-34 Hodges Hall. The Daily Reveille is published daily during the fall and spring semesters and semi-weekly during the summer semester, except during holidays and final exams. Second-class copies postage paid at Baton Rouge, La., 70803. Annual weekly mailed subscriptions are $125, semester weekly mailed subscriptions are $75. Non-mailed student rates are $4 each regular semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, additional copies 25 cents each. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, La.,70803.

The Daily Reveille B-16 Hodges Hall • Baton Rouge, La. 70803 Sarah Lawson Robert Stewart Stephanie Giglio Steven Powell Ryan Buxton Grace Montgomery Chris Branch Sean Isabella Matthew Jacobs Devin Graham Adam Vaccarella Zach Breaux Bryan Stewart Marissa Barrow Care Bach

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The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

page 3

FACULTY

Judge issues partial-summary ruling in van Heerden suit Brady claims tenure was not violated Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writer

A U.S. District Court Judge has dismissed claims that the University violated tenure by not renewing the contract of former University researcher and professor Ivor van Heerden.

Van Heerden, who was also the deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center, first filed suit against the University in February 2010, claiming he had achieved “de facto tenure” through passage of time in his position of associate professor of research.

Van Heerden claimed the University had no right to end his employment last year because of this alleged de facto tenure.

The partial-summary ruling by Judge James Brady cites University regulations ruling van Heerden could not acquire tenure through passage of time.

LSU Permanent Memorandum 23 covers van Heerden’s former position and states, “Individuals in these ranks do not

photo courtesy of IVOR VAN HEERDEN

Claims that the University violated tenure by not renewing former University researcher and professor Ivor van Heerden’s contract have been dismissed.

acquire tenure through the passage of time and may become tenured only by specific individual recommendation through the appropriate channels and approval by the President.”

Van Heerden claims he was given no real reason for his termination and believes it stems from his criticisms of the United States Army Corps of Engineers following Katrina.

“When they terminated my position, they told me it was nothing to do with the economy or my performance, and they didn’t have to supply a reason,” van Heerden told The Daily Reveille on Feb. 11, 2010.

Following the widespread flooding during Hurricane

Katrina, van Heerden — then an associate professor and researcher — led a research group investigating the cause of the disastrous flooding in the Crescent City.

The group’s research led van Heerden to believe failures in the Corps’ engineering were responsible for the levee failings, blamed for 90 percent of the flooding and 50 percent of the associated deaths.

Following a U.S. Senate testimony in which van Heerden was critical of the New Orleans levees, which failed during Katrina, van Heerden claims he was reprimanded by former University vice chancellors named as defendants in the suit.

The suit claims the vice chancellors admonished van

Heerden for his criticisms and claimed he was jeopardizing University prospects for federal funding.

Van Heerden saw this as an infringement on his academic freedom and free speech, as well as a threat to his job.

Van Heerden’s suit also claims defendants subjected him to a campaign of retaliation and harassment by not allowing him to teach, providing him with only a one-year appointment each year.

Brady has already denied van Heerden a preliminary injunction

that would have denied the University the ability to let van Heerden’s contract expire last year.

Van Heerden directed requests for comment to his lawyer on Monday.

Van Heerden’s complaint prompted an investigation by the American Association of University Professors, a national professorial advocacy group, last year.

Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com

Tuesday Februry 1

EVENTS

RHA’s annual Snowing in the South rescheduled for Wednesday night Emily Herrington Contributing Writer

Snowing in the South, Residence Hall Association’s annual event bringing “snow” to the Parade Ground, has been rescheduled for the second time this year.

Because of unexpected warm weather, the seven tons of ice will instead be delivered Wednesday at 8 p.m., according to Steve Waller, director of Residential Life.

The event will still be open to all University students.

The warmer weather creates an undesirable slush instead of

powdery snow, which leads to some safety concerns, said Nik Clegorne, assistant director of ResLife and RHA adviser.

“When it’s too warm, the snow turns into jagged ice balls,” Clegorne said. “Imagine the cuts and bruises.”

Snowing in the South was originally scheduled to occur the week before final exams as a way for students to “blow off steam,” but the weather again would not permit it, Waller said.

Waller said the program also had to be rescheduled last year for the same reason.

The contract with The SnoMobile of Louisiana, the company providing the ice and equipment, was awarded last fall, so RHA did not lose any money when the program date was changed, Waller said.

Pluckers Wing Bar Mon.: $14.99 All You Can Eat Wings and $3 Pluckers Lemonades Tues.: Kids Eat Free, $3 Mexican Beers and Margaritas Wed: Trivia at 8 pm, $4.50 Mother Plucker Mugs of Bud and Miller Thurs: $15.99 All You Can Eat Wings, $4.50 Mother Plucker Mugs of Bud Light and Miller Lite, $5.50 Patron Margaritas Sun: $3 Pluckers Specialty Shots

Contact Emily Herrington at eherrington@lsureveille.com

3:00-3:30 PM Newsbeat 4:30-5:00 PM Sports Showtime 5:00-5:30 PM Newsbeat Repeat 6:30-7:00 PM Sports Showtime Repeat 7:30-8:00 PM Newsbeat Repeat CH19 9:00-9:30 PM Newsbeat Repeat 9:30-10:00 PM Sports Showtime Repeat

7:20 a.m., 8:20 a.m.

Noon, 3:20 p.m.

4:20 p.m., 5:20 p.m.

The Daily Reveille

page 4

Legislation targets human trafficking Jindal said the state must make it clear it will not tolerate human trafficking.

Gov. Bobby Jindal announced “We are still drafting the legislaJan. 26 at the “Criminal Hot Spot tion, but the statutes do not currently Initiative” news contemplate HUMAN TRAFFICKING conference that or criminalize legislation will be Worldwide a person that proposed in the up- • 27 million people are currently knowingly facilcoming legislative victims of human trafficking itates the crime session to amend •1 million children are exploited of human trafand expand human by the global commercial sex trade ficking,” Leger trafficking laws in said.

“These each year Louisiana. people are The proposed U.S. equally as culpabill, which will be •244,000 children and youth were ble as the person presented by Rep. estimated to be at risk of sexual exploi- actually doing Walt Leger III, D- tation in 2000 the trafficking.”

New Orleans, will •12-14 is the average age of entry into Leger said amend the state’s prostitution the legislation, current human traf- Source: Polaris Project if approved, ficking laws and will equalize expand the type of actions and crimi- the punishment for the person who nals involved in this crime, accord- simply assists the trafficker and the ing to a news release. punishment for the person who is en“This is a crime that exists all gaged in human trafficking. around the world, including LouisiThe bill will also expand to inana, which is typically underreported clude the “advertising” of children and difficult to detect,” Jindal said for sexual exploitation, allowing ofJan. 26. “Human trafficking occurs fenders to be prosecuted for listing when a person is recruited, trans- children and services on the Internet. ported or kidnapped to serve an ex“The virtual world evolves ploitative purpose involving sexual quickly, and criminals use it to exoffenses.” ploit our children any way they

Sydni Dunn Staff Writer

can,” Jindal said. “We must give law enforcement officials the tools they need to evolve along with technological advancement so we are stopping these crimes before they can even occur.”

Jennie Armstrong, mass communication senior and Tigers Against Trafficking spokeswoman, said this extra protective measure is admirable.

“They don’t want to wait until after it happens,” Armstrong said.

“They are trying to prevent it before it starts.”

Armstrong said she agrees the people who knowingly use trafficking services should be punished along with the people who “kidnap” and “sell” humans.

“I’ve worked and followed it closely,” she said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before the laws were changed.”

Armstrong said she thinks the public will begin to see more about human trafficking.

“There is more pressure in the international community to follow a protocol,” she said. “Anyone can see it is gaining prominence as a social issue.”

According to the Polaris Project website, 27 million people

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

BREWING BUSINESS

CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille

A brand new CC’s Community Coffee House located on the second floor of the Student Union opened Monday. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.

worldwide are victims of modernday slavery, more people than held captive at the height of the transatlantic slave trade.

“While many may think human trafficking is something that happens in distant places, the truth is it’s alive right here in Louisiana,” Leger said.

The Polaris Project, an organization devoted to combating human trafficking, reported all 50 states in the U.S. have had instances of human trafficking.

The statistics continue, but Leger said human trafficking should not.

“I applaud the governor for working with the Legislature to make our communities safer and bring more awareness to this issue,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure this bill becomes a law.”

Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com

Parts of Highland Road closed in Feb. for extensive work Sydni Dunn Staff Writer

Students traveling north on Highland Road can continue to expect to hit a detour between East McKinley Street and East Polk Street as construction continues to repair drainage lines beneath the busy road.

“We are upsizing sewer lines to prevent sewage overflows in the street,” said Michael Ellis, program manager for CH2M Hill, the group contracted to oversee construction.

“The city is under federal order to repair and upsize them to prevent [sanitary sewer overflows], which is when the manholes back up and rainwater mixes with sewage.”

The overall construction is a project of the Sanitary Sewer Overflows program, or SSO, and work began on the sanitary system below Highland Road at the end of November, forcing commuting University faculty and students to detour through the surrounding neighborhood.

The detour route currently follows Thomas H. Delpit Drive, which parallels Highland Road, between East Polk and East McKinley streets.

The route was chosen by the Department of Public Works based on accessibility.

The road work should end within the month, according to Ellis.

“The campus is important to maintain access to,” Ellis said. “We do a lot of this work on Highland in between semesters to impact students as little as possible.”

Ellis said the team also does a lot of work at night to expedite the progress and minimize impact on the surrounding areas.

But some local business owners are still feeling the effects.

Charlie Tran, manager of University Seafood near the

intersection of Highland Road and Garfield Street, said his business has seen fewer customers since the construction began.

“It just slowed down a little bit,” he said. “But we can’t do nothing about it, really.”

Ellis said he realizes the project is having an impact, but it’s not

unlike any other construction.

“What we try to do is notify business owners the best we can and provide access the best we can,” he said.

Ellis said the southbound lane has been opened to traffic, and the entire road will open to traffic after asphalt is laid.

The drainage repair on Highland Road is one of 85 projects

by SSO slated to fix Baton Rouge’s crumbling sewer system, which averages about 10 million feet of piping, Ellis said.

The SSO program is an initiative of the Baton Rouge City-Parish Department of Public Works,

and construction began last year.

Maintenance to the system is required under a court-approved decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

The Daily Reveille

ORGANIZATIONS

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Hudson orders committee to evaluate internal operations SG may add student hearing panel Andrea Gallo Staff Writer

DAVID LYLE / The Daily Reveille

Kevin Baggett listens to ideas for the Student Parent Association with his son, Alex. The organization reaches out to students with children.

Students form studentparent support group SPA welcomes both mothers and fathers Andrea Gallo Staff Writer

Mame-Fatou Niang-Meunier, French and francophone studies graduate student, felt ostracized and alone as the only mother in her department.

While her peers were partying, Ashley Baggett, history graduate student, spent her evenings typing with one hand and holding a baby bottle in the other.

Heather Durham, English education graduate student, read her textbooks aloud to her daughter instead of traditional bedtime stories.

Meunier, Baggett and Durham met in a feminist theory class, where they spent the 15 minutes before the professor arrived exchanging parenting stories and relating to one another.

Meunier had the idea to form the Student-Parents Association as a support group for parent undergraduate and graduate students.

“Just having this feeling that you’re meeting people going through the same thing takes out those feelings of ‘I’m a bad student’ or ‘I’m a bad mom,’” said Meunier, SPA president.

SPA members agreed that having a strong support system as both parents and students is necessary.

“In grad school you spend so much time working, working, working, but you look at your children and you say, ‘I should be playing with them,’” said Baggett, SPA vice president. “Everybody tells me I’m so driven. I have two very big incentives,” she said, smiling at her children, Madilyn and Alex.

SPA is trying to recruit undergraduate and graduate student members and let them know there are people experiencing similar difficulties balancing parenting and studying.

page 5

“When I was TA’ing, I had an undergrad who had to miss every Wednesday, and attendance was key in this class,” Meunier said.

“She told me she had to miss because she had a daughter, and she had no one else to take care of her on Wednesdays.”

SPA hopes to advocate for more affordable, quality childcare, along with the University Council on Women.

“There’s power in numbers,” Meunier said. “If just I go to daycare and tell them that it’s unaffordable, they won’t listen to me. Other universities have child centers, they have their own daycares. It might take five years, it might take 10 years, but we have this goal.”

Fathers are also a part of SPA. Meunier and Baggett’s husbands, Jean-Baptiste Meunier, comparative literature graduate student, and Kevin Baggett, Paul M. Hebert Law Center assistant law librarian, attended the first meeting.

“Family is not exclusively a woman issue,” said Carolyn Lewis, SPA adviser and history professor. “Often, fathers feel left out. Fatherhood isn’t the same as it was 50 years ago.”

The missions of SPA are to offer a discussion venue for student parents, to build community and to create “an organizational vehicle for collective action.”

SPA plans to have guest speakers about parenting issues, a children’s clothes swap and “emotional support and resource” discussions.

“I think that LSU has been trying to reach nontraditional students,” Baggett said. “I think this organization’s perfect. We can contribute to their academic success and retention rate.”

SPA will advertise at Wednesday’s student organization fair, and it is in the process of creating a logo.

Contact Andrea Gallo at agallo@lsureveille.com

Student Government President J Hudson signed an executive order last week to form a committee that will appraise SG’s internal operations and structure.

After nearly one year of revising multiple SG governing documents, the committee will “step out of the documents and look at the organization itself,” Hudson said.

The committee was inspired by the changes Hudson and the other Southeastern Conference exchange participants hope to implement. Hudson will serve on the committee, along with SG Senate Speaker Brooksie Bonvillain, University Court Chief Justice Danielle Rushing and some junior and senior staff members.

Hudson, Bonvillain and Rushing agreed they would like to add a “student hearing panel” dimension to the judicial branch.

Hudson said he would like to see the panel used for election violation purposes, with students uninvolved in SG and faculty sitting on it.

“We have a very strong judicial branch right now, but can you truly have a judicial branch involved in Student Government that’s unbiased?” Hudson asked about having University Court justices deliberating on election transgressions.

Bonvillain and Rushing said they want to establish an academic hearing panel.

“The idea Brooksie and I had of doing the academic hearing panel would be for students to appeal their grades,” Rushing said.

“They could come to us as an appellate court. Sometimes administrators and instructors don’t see the full side from a student’s perspective.”

Bonvillain said “it’s been a goal” of hers to create an academic hearing panel, and Rushing said she thinks it could promote judicial branch visibility.

Hudson said he hopes to reform the other branches of SG as well.

“A lot of times the legislative branch spends time trying to plan events, and they don’t go well or they don’t happen,” he said. “This is because our senators don’t have office hours. They need to spend more time talking to students and in office hours.”

Bonvillain disagreed.

“Since I’ve been in the Senate in the fall of 2007, there’s been a bill to abolish office hours,” she said. “The bill finally passed. There was no way to enforce office hours. There was just no method of keeping track, and it was always going to be an honor system. That’s why we adopted student outreach policy, where we need to go to two student outreach events.”

Hudson said he also hopes to change executive branch account stipulations to unlock money that could be spent on students.

“There’s a lot within the [executive] branch that I would go back and change after looking at the SEC schools,” he said.

Contact Andrea Gallo at agallo@lsureveille.com

page 6

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

Check out lsureveille.com, Twitter and the Tiger Feed blog Wednesday for National Signing Day coverage.

Sports

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

FOOTBALL

page 7

Kragthorpe focused on developing QBs in first season Michael Lambert Sports Writer

Steve Kragthorpe would have viewed the Cotton Bowl with a more watchful eye if he knew what the future entailed.

Kragthorpe saw LSU tear apart the team he coached with for four seasons, 41-24, on Jan. 7, but little did he know he was watching his future players take on his former team.

Kragthorpe was named LSU’s offensive coordinator 13 days after the Cotton Bowl and inherited an offense that scored five touchdowns against the Aggies.

Junior quarterback Jordan Jefferson had four of those touchdowns in one of the best performances of his career.

“He played extremely well in the Texas A&M game in the Cotton Bowl,” Kragthorpe said Monday at his

introductory news conference. “That’s a good platform for him to springboard off of going into spring practices.”

LSU’s quarterback situation is one of the many questions Kragthorpe will face in his first season in charge of the Tigers’ offense.

Rising senior Jarrett Lee and junior college transfer Zach Mettenberger will also compete for the position under center.

Kragthorpe said he has met with the quarterbacks and already began establishing relationships with them.

“We’ve got a good group of quarterbacks,” Kragthorpe said. “We do have an incumbent or incumbents because both of those guys have played, but the best players are going to play.”

LSU’s offense will have a smooth transition going into 2011, as wide receiver Terrence Toliver and offensive tackle

Joseph Barksdale are the only starters not returning next season.

The Tigers will also keep the same offensive terminology, Kragthorpe said.

“The easiest thing for me to do is come in and learn the terms instead of teaching the terms to 80 people,” Kragthorpe said.

Kragthorpe, who will also serve as quarterbacks coach, made it clear he will not play favorites while in Baton Rouge.

“If you want seniority, go to the Army,” Kragthorpe said. “If you want to play with the best players, come to LSU.” Kragthorpe has been known for developing quarterbacks, coaching Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck while at Boston College and Drew Bledsoe while with the Buffalo Bills.

“To me, coaching the quarterbacks is KRAGTHORPE, see page 11

photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Steve Kragthorpe, who was hired recently as LSU football offensive coordinator, speaks with reporters Monday.

Half the Recruiting class best recent Battle inmemory

First-half points in SEC play

THE JOOSE IS LOOSE

SEC opponents outscoring LSU in second half of every game

The LSU men’s basketball team may need to watch Al Pacino’s speech from “Any Given Sunday.”

The Tigers have struggled mightily coming out of the halftime break this season. LSU has outscored opponents by 44 points in the first half this season but has been outscored by 74 points in the second half.

The disparity is even greater in Southeastern Conference games. LSU hasn’t scored more second-half points than an SEC opponent all season.

Opponents have outscored LSU by 18 total points in the first half of SEC games and a massive 83 points in the second half.

Take away a 38-point loss to Kentucky, and the Tigers have actually outscored opponents by 11 in the first half. But opponents still outscore LSU by 74 points after halftime.

The second-half struggles began immediately in SEC play.

The Tigers came out blazing in their SEC opener following back-to-back losses, taking a 32-6 lead into halftime against Auburn. But LSU won by only seven points after Auburn outscored the Bayou Bengals by 19 in the second half.

LSU once again started hot against Arkansas, going into the half with a 31-17 advantage before sizzling down in the second frame. The Tigers held off a resilient Razorback team by only three points, 56-53.

“Right now the main emphasis for us is getting our competitive edge to where you can sustain something against somebody that’s good for a consistent period of time,” LSU coach Trent Johnson said on Jan. 24.

LSU is in the midst of a four-game losing streak following its two opening conference wins, beginning with a 78-51 loss to Ole Miss at home.

National Signing Day is one of the most ridiculous days of the year.

LSU fans get riled up about 18-year-olds they’ve never met and may never even suit up in their team’s colors.

They obsess about the number of stars next MICHAEL LAMBERT to each prospect’s name Sports Writer and take the words of 40-year-old “experts” on recruiting websites as common law.

But it’s ridiculously awesome for those exact reasons.

And the LSU faithful have extra motivation to be excited for Wednesday because the Tigers’ 2011 class will be the foundation of many successful teams in the future.

This year’s group has been hyped up for years. Recruiting pundits looked into the future and saw 2011 as the culmination of a lot of top-notch Louisiana talent.

Sometimes, exaggerated expectations lead to disappointment.

That’s not the case with LSU’s 2011 recruiting class, which is ranked ninth in the nation by Scout.com and fourth-best by Rivals.com.

The 2011 crop has it all.

SECOND HALF, see page 11

RECRUITS, see page 11

Rowan Kavner

LSU Auburn LSU Arkansas LSU Kentucky

First Half

Second Half

32 6 31 17 19 48

30 49 25 36 25 34

LSU Ole Miss LSU Tennessee LSU Alabama

First Half

Second Half

32 38 27 43 22 29

19 40 26 32 24 41

Second-half points in SEC play

Sports Writer

The Daily Reveille

page 8

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

FOOTBALL

New offensive coordinator appreciates family atmosphere

Katherine Terrell Sports Contributor

New LSU offensive coordinator Steve Kragthorpe found himself in an unusual position last fall.

Things had changed quickly since spring 2010, when he was set to coach the wide receivers at Texas A&M. But as the saying goes, things can change in an instant.

Doctors diagnosed Kragthorpe’s wife Cynthia with multiple sclerosis last summer, shifting his priorities from football to family.

A pre-existing condition made it impossible for her to receive medicine for MS before undergoing heart surgery first.

Kragthorpe went to Texas A&M head coach Mike Sherman in July to inform him he would be taking a leave of absence to concentrate on his family.

“I said I don’t know if things are going to work for me to be here right now,” Kragthorpe said

Monday. “I wanted to take time to make sure my No. 1 priority, which is my wife and kids, were in good position and good shape.”

So off to the couch he went.

Kragthorpe didn’t quite know what to do with his newfound free time after 20 straight years of coaching. He spent the fall in Tulsa, Okla. attending his children’s games, watching college football on TV and twiddling his thumbs.

By the time November came around, he found himself missing the sidelines. The 45-year-old Kragthorpe got back on the coaching carousel with the blessing of Cynthia, whose health had improved significantly since July.

“At the end of the season, everything was going great. She was doing great with the medicine, her heart surgery, things that were on her EKG for 40 years were gone,” Kragthorpe said. “Everything’s full speed ahead in terms of that. If she didn’t feel good about it, I wouldn’t

jump back into coaching.”

They say everything comes full circle, and so it was for Kragthorpe. Family led him away from Texas A&M, but ultimately brought him to LSU. Kragthorpe spoke enthusiastically Monday about the way LSU coach Les Miles ran his program, particularly his family atmosphere.

“He’s a great man of character,” Kragthorpe emphasized. “I like the way he operates ... the way he involves our families. I think that’s one of the things to me that was so appealing about coming to LSU. I know the atmosphere that Les creates for his coaches and his teams and his players, and that’s a family atmosphere.”

Kragthorpe interviewed with multiple teams for head coaching and coordinator positions before he sat down to talk with LSU. But once he got to Baton Rouge, he said the decision was an easy one.

“When I was interviewing

BASEBALL

Tiger newcomers replace Gibbs Luke Johnson Sports Contributor

The LSU baseball team is going through a huge transition across the board, but its biggest shoes to fill may be behind the plate.

Former Tiger catcher Micah Gibbs took his renowned talents to the professional ranks, leaving LSU with an inexperienced group to handle a talented but young pitching staff.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri said Gibbs is the hardest player to replace from all the talent the team has lost in recent years.

“When we were on our way to the national championship and we had all these phenomenal players, I used to say our most valuable player was Gibbs,” Mainieri said. “You won’t notice Gibbs until he’s not here anymore, and unfortunately he’s not here anymore.”

The Tiger pitching staff is revamped this season and will have a stable of young catchers waiting to catch for them — most notably freshman Tyler Ross.

Ross fits the Gibbs mold of a big body behind the plate, and the 6-foot-2-inch, 220-pound catcher knows who he’s replacing.

“I’m just going to play the game I know how to play,” Ross said. “We’ve got a great catching corps, and we’re going to go back there and do what we can to make

an even transition from the era of Micah Gibbs.”

Senior pitcher Ben Alsup has liked what he’s seen from Ross at this early point of his career.

“He’s going to do a lot of really big things for us as a pitching staff,” Alsup said. “He’s really good defensively. He’s got a pretty good bat. He’s going to help this team out a lot.

While Ross made huge strides during the fall, Mainieri said the job is not his to lose.

Junior Jordy Snikeris — a junior college transfer from Texarkana Junior College — stands to also get some playing time early in the season.

Mainieri said a hamstring injury during the fall made it difficult for Snikeris to prove himself, but the Austin, Texas, native has been coming on strong recently.

“Ross and Snikeris are going to be the most important players for us because they’ve got to handle the staff,” Mainieri said. “But we have to keep reminding ourselves that Gibbs wasn’t always the seasoned veteran. He was a freshman at one point, too.”

A catcher needs an “overflowing amount of confidence” to be successful in college ball, according to Mainieri, because of the amount of things a catcher is required to do in a game.

“You’re in it together when

you’re a catcher,” Mainieri said.

“If the pitcher pitches poorly, as a catcher you have to have the attitude where you’ll take responsibility for that.”

The catchers will have to acquaint themselves with a pitching staff that has been overhauled from a 2010 staff that finished with a disappointing 5.56 ERA. Alsup figures to anchor the staff after coming on strong at the end of last season.

Alsup finished with a 5-1 record and a 3.88 ERA — best of any 2010 Tiger starter — and said building trust in the battery is essential.

“In the locker room, we’re the best of buds because as a pitcher the catcher is your lifeline,” Alsup said. “If you’ve got two strikes on a batter with the runner on third, you don’t want to throw a pitch he can hit.”

Ross said he has been trying to build trust between himself and the pitching staff.

“You’re just hanging out with the pitchers — talking to them and getting to know them better,” Ross said. “Find out what they like and what makes them mad. The relationship with the pitcher is huge.”

Contact Luke Johnson at ljohnson@lsureveille.com

with Les and the other offensive coaches, (Cynthia) had a chance to go look around Baton Rouge,” Kragthorpe said. “She came back and said this is a great place. She’s pretty perceptive. She’s made one bad decision in her life, and that was marrying me.”

Kragthorpe said a football game that occurred the other day summed up everything about Miles’ program. The children of the coaching staff got together to play a game of touch football on

the lawn in front of the Lod Cook Alumni Center.

The quarterback was offensive line coach Greg Studrawa, whose name gave Kragthorpe quite a bit of trouble. He stumbled over the pronunciation before smiling and joking that he already called him “Stud.”

Contact Katherine Terrell at kterrell@lsureveille.com

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

The Daily Reveille

page 9

Coaches need time to build programs Imagine if Duke’s athletic We live in an age of instant department had given up on him gratification.

You want a song? Download so quickly.

Hell, let’s hit closer to home. it on iTunes. Hungry? Pick a fast LSU baseball coach Paul food joint. Classes aren’t goMainieri came ing as you would SCHWEHMMING into Baton Rouge like? Take a “W.” and inherited a That’s all AROUND great. It’s part Andy Schwehm team that was slowly losing of life today. We Sports columnist its luster, falling make decisions that we think will make our lives down both athletically and academically. easier.

He has since changed that Sadly, collegiate athletics program. has gone in the same direction.

Do you remember the clamor It needs to change.

There has to be a span of pa- after his first season in 2007 when tience when it comes to giving he went 29-26-1 and finished new coaches a chance to succeed in fifth place in the SEC West?

That was after Smoke Laval had in a new environment.

At one time (back in the gone 35-24 the year before. Then good ol’ days), coaches were giv- he started off the next season at en the time they needed to turn 6-11-1 in conference play.

The barking for his deparprograms around, no matter the ture began to boil — until the sport.

There was no sense of ur- team made its storied run to the College World Series. gency.

Now, with booster money flowing left and right and parity becoming more of the norm, athletic departments are looking for that top-tier coach to turn their program around.

The new modus operandi of most athletic departments is: “Give us a national championship within five years, or we’ll give you the pink slip. One of our donors will pay for your departure.”

If a football coach at a storied university has back-to-back seven-win seasons, you can kiss his tenure goodbye.

There needs to be a four- or five-year period of waiting.

And here’s why I’ve been bothered about this recently: LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson.

I’m already hearing talk from impatient students and fans asking when Trent is going to start to win. Some people I’ve talked to even think he should be fired.

Insane.

The man won a Southeastern Conference championship in his first year at LSU. Would John Brady have won with that team? Probably not, though it’s possible.

Last season, his team struggled to an 11-20 record, and this season isn’t going much better (especially in the second half of games).

But it’s a young team that still has some of Brady’s players.

Until it entirely becomes Johnson’s program, cut the man some slack. He is working with what he has.

Just look at Rich Rodriguez at Michigan. He wasn’t given the time he needed to turn around the program, and right when it looked as though there was a light at the end of the tunnel, his days at Michigan were done.

Do you think Mike Krzyzewski had it easy at Duke when he first got there?

No. He started off 17-13 in his first season and followed that up with 10-17 and 11-17 seasons.

If he did that today at any major basketball school, he wouldn’t have seen a fourth season.

Look at how quickly a season can change and how quickly minds can turn.

LSU’s Athletic Department stuck with its coach through the rough start (rough in LSU baseball terms), but that’s not the case with most athletic departments nowadays. They give up on a coach before anything can happen.

We need to learn that building or rebuilding a program takes some time.

Patience is a virtue.

Sometimes we forget that.

Andy Schwehm is a 21-year-old psychology and English senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_ASchwehm.

File photo

Contact Andy Schwehm at aschwehm@lsureveille.com

LSU men’s basketball coach Trent Johnson talks with former LSU guard Bo Spencer in the Tigers’ 77-60 win against Southeastern Louisiana on December 14, 2009.

The Daily Reveille

page 10

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

BASEBALL

New bats mesh with Tigers’ small-ball approach

Old metal bats more homer-friendly Rowan Kavner Sports Writer

If chicks dig the long ball, they may need to stop watching college baseball.

The NCAA issued a new standard for aluminum bats this season, which make their power more comparable to wooden bats.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri said it “is definitely going to impact the game,” and it may limit the number of home runs throughout college baseball.

File photo But for the 2011 LSU base- LSU junior outfielder Trey Watkins takes a swing during the Tigers’ 8-1 win ball team, it shouldn’t spell disasagainst Pepperdine on March 4. ter.

Many of the Tigers’ true junior outfielder Mikie Mahtook quick this season and he plans to power hitters were drafted in the hit more than 10 home runs last take advantage of the speed.

Base stealing was not a forte offseason, including former first season (14). No other returning of the 2010 LSU baseball team. baseman Blake Dean, who is No. player hit more than five.

“We’re not going to change LSU stole only 75 bases in 2010 4 in team history with 56 career our approach,” said junior short- after snagging 114 in 2009, home runs.

LSU also lost designated hit- stop Austin Nola. “This team thanks in large part to former ter Matt Gaudet, who dropped 19 right here was never a very pow- Tigers Jared Mitchell and Ryan bombs last season, and catcher erful team, and I think we’ll still Schimpf.

Mainieri said he expects juMicah Gibbs, who added 10 home do well with the line drives.”

Mainieri said nior outfielder Trey Watkins and runs in 2010. he’s not con- Mahtook, who stole 22 bases last Sophomore cerned about the season, to be excellent on the outfielder Mason power struggles basepaths, while many of the rest Katz said the newthat may ensue look roster is filled from the new with more contact bats. He said he is and line drive hitmore concerned ters who don’t the ball won’t need the power of travel through the the old bats. infield as fast.

“We’ve got “I’m not a a lot of sound Paul Mainieri big fan of these hitters, doubles, LSU baseball coach new bats quite gap-to-gap hitters, frankly,” he said. which definitely helps us,” Katz said. “We’re not “I didn’t think there was a need going to hit 100 home runs like for that dramatic of a change.”

What Mainieri said will hapthe old Skip [Bertman] teams pen is a change on the base paths. did.”

Of the returning players, only He said the Tigers are especially

‘‘

‘I’m not a big fan of these new bats quite frankly. I didn’t think there was a need for that dramatic of a change.’

of his starters have “underrated speed.”

“Probably the only guy that’s not capable of ever stealing a base is [freshman] Tyler Ross, our catcher,” he said. “He runs like a catcher.”

Mainieri said he will also incorporate more hit and runs and bunts than any LSU team “in the last decade and a half or two decades.”

“Coach [Javi] Sanchez is going to be maybe the most valuable person on the team this year as the third base coach, because he’s got to make those decisions on when he should try to gamble and take an extra base,” he said.

Nola said pitchers may be more tempted to throw pitches inside because they think hitters will have less of an opportunity to turn on it and send it out of the park.

But senior pitcher Ben Alsup said that’s not the case.

“I like to throw inside either way,” Alsup said. “It really doesn’t change that much to a pitcher. With these bats, if you hit it in the right spot, it’s going to go.”

Contact Rowan Kavner at rkavner@lsureveille.com

NBA STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division

Boston New York Philadelphia New Jersey Toronto

W 36 25 21 15 13

L 11 22 26 34 36

Pct .766 .532 .447 .306 .265

GB — 11 15 22 24

Miami Orlando Atlanta Charlotte Washington

W 34 31 30 20 13

L 14 18 18 27 34

Pct .708 .633 .625 .426 .277

GB — 3½ 4 13½ 20½

Chicago Milwaukee Indiana Detroit Cleveland

W 33 19 18 17 8

L 14 27 27 31 40

Pct .702 .413 .400 .354 .167

GB — 13½ 14 16½ 25½

Southeast Division

Central Division

WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest Division

San Antonio Dallas New Orleans Memphis Houston

W 40 32 31 25 22

L 7 15 18 24 27

Pct .851 .681 .633 .510 .449

GB — 8 10 16 19

Oklahoma City Utah Denver Portland Minnesota

W 30 29 28 25 11

L 17 20 20 22 36

Pct .638 .592 .583 .532 .234

GB — 2 2½ 5 19

L.A. Lakers Phoenix Golden State L.A. Clippers Sacramento

W 33 22 20 19 12

L 15 24 27 28 33

Pct .688 .478 .426 .404 .267

GB — 10 12½ 13½ 19½

Northwest Division

Pacific Division

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011 SECOND HALF, from page 7

The Tigers were in a tight contest with Ole Miss, down six points at the half. But the Rebels dominated the remainder of the game, scoring 40 second-half points to the Tigers’ 19.

“That was disappointing for a lot of reasons,” Johnson said. “We

RECRUITS, from page 7

Do you need a strong-armed quarterback with experience? See Zach Mettenberger, the junior college transfer gunslinger from Georgia.

Do you need a destructive defensive tackle to cause chaos in the opposing backfield? Enter Anthony “Freak” Johnson, a player many thought was ready for college football when he was a sophomore.

Or maybe you need a physical wide receiver to make a catch in the clutch? Look at Jarvis Landry, who made multiple game-winning catches for Lutcher High School and who Deion Sanders called the most natural wide receiver he has seen since Jerry Rice.

And finally, you may need a polished force on the offense line to lead the running game. La’el Collins is your man. The 6-foot-5inch, 305-pound Baton Rouge native can get it done in the trenches.

The rest of the class isn’t too shabby, either.

Running backs Kenny Hilliard and Jeremy Hill (if he escapes

were 38-32 at the half, and ultimately what happened in the second half, it was about, ‘Are you working hard? Were you making the extra step?’”

The storyline was the same against Alabama, as the Tigers trailed by only seven points at the break but lost by 24 points.

“We were playing against the

same guys we did in the first half,” Johnson said in a news release.

“Just the second half, they came out and wanted it a little more than we did and we broke down our execution.”

Johnson said he wants to see more aggression from his team for an entire game.

“It is unacceptable,” Johnson

legal trouble) can tote the rock with the best of them, joining an already talented tailback corps with rising sophomores Spencer Ware and Michael Ford.

Quarterback Stephen Rivers, brother of San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, will provide depth at a position where quality backups are needed after past debacles with Ryan Perrilloux, Chris Garrett and Zach Lee. But LSU didn’t get only offensive threats in the 2011 class.

Scout.com four-star prospects Trevon Randle and David Jenkins have the potential to become important pieces of the defense.

Randle, an outside linebacker, and Jenkins, a cornerback, could vie for playing time early, like rising sophomore cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.

The Tigers may close on an even more positive note if defensive linemen Jermauria Rasco and Tim Jernigan pick LSU when they announce their decisions on National Signing Day. The best part of the 2011 crew is the friendship of the group. The

recruits refer to themselves as “The Fam” and have been hanging out for years after meeting at camps and visits.

Sixteen of the 22 committed players hail from Louisiana. Seven of them are from New Orleans or Baton Rouge.

All of their families know each other and have established relationships with LSU coach Les Miles and the rest of the coaching staff. Many of them already decided whom they will room with next fall.

At the end of the day, production on the field is all that matters.

Wins and championships are the only thing to judge a signing class.

It may be ridiculous to say now, but the 2011 class will be the most successful signing class of the Miles era.

Follow Michael Lambert Twitter @TDR_Lambert.

Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com

on

page 11 said after the Ole Miss loss. “We’re not talking about winning or losing.

We’re talking about competing.”

LSU’s inconsistent second halves have almost cost the Tigers every SEC game this season.

One reason for the lackluster endings could be a tired group of young Tigers, which includes four freshmen and no seniors.

KRAGTHORPE, from page 7

about two things — you play with your feet, and you play with your head,” Kragthorpe said. “You got to be able to make quick decisions with your head and put the ball where it’s supposed to be put.”

Former offensive coordinator Gary Crowton saw his offense’s statistics shrink since joining the LSU staff in 2007.

Kragthorpe said LSU coach Les Miles made sure their offensive theories were similar during the interview process.

“Les and I are on the same page,” Kragthorpe said. “We’ve been knowing each other for a while.”

The two crossed paths many times during their careers, including when Miles was with the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State.

“His view of the passing game and decision making to me is what, not only mechanics, is what every quarterback needs,” Miles told a group of reporters Jan. 21. “I felt he could shortcut some of the elaborate thought process that was going on,

LSU has had a senior on the roster of every previous team since the 1989-90 season.

Follow Rowan Kavner on Twitter @TDR_Kavner.

Contact Rowan Kavner at rkavner@lsureveille.com make our guys quicker decisionmakers.”

LSU’s offense was more balanced this season, recording 2,414 rushing yards and 2,023 passing yards. Kragthorpe said he wants to continue the even attack.

“We want to be a strong, powerful running football team that has the ability to be a quick-strike passing team, as well,” Kragthorpe said.

The former Louisville head coach said his strategy changes depending on the opponent.

“I’ve been in games as an offensive coordinator where we’ve thrown 56 passes, and we’ve won the game,” Kragthorpe said.

He also noted a game where he called 22 straight rushing plays for three touchdowns.

“The bottom line is [to] score points, whatever it takes to score points,” Kragthorpe said.

Follow Michael Lambert Twitter @TDR_Lambert.

Contact Michael Lambert at mlambert@lsureveille.com

on

The Daily Reveille

Opinion

page 12

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Science classes do encourage communication I just finished reading your editorial today entitled “Humanities important, shouldn’t be first victim of cuts” in the Reveille.

I generally agree with you that the humanities and arts are important. Most of my science colleagues feel the same way.

In fact, the sciences and engineering enjoy a large slice of the University’s budget and any meaningful budget cuts will have to hit us rather hard as well.

There are a number of reasons that the sciences are often more protected than arts and humanities. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas are the basis for all the technological advances around you that you rely on every day.

For most research grants that we bring in, the university takes approximately 33% of those funds as overhead. Most of this overhead (millions of dollars every year) goes into the

university’s general fund and helps support other programs across campus. Therefore, cuts to sciences and engineering can limit our ability to bring in research funding, which in turn hurts LSU’s overall budget through reduced overhead. This ripple effect can, in turn, hurt the arts and humanities.

That does not mean that LSU should only cut arts and humanities. But cuts need to be done carefully and target areas and programs that are not doing their job in effectively educating our students, performing research (which includes performances in the arts area), and meaningful service work.

But what prompted me to write this response was your flat-out statement that “Science classes don’t teach anyone how to communicate.”

No! There are an increasing number of science and engineering classes that are very concerned with communication. CxC stands for Communication Across the Curriculum and more and more science and engineering faculty are teaching classes that are communication intensive. Yes, we

are still a minority, but there are enough for me to call you on this statement.

I combine CxC and ServiceLearning in all my undergraduate chemistry classes. In fact, chemistry faculty send 200-500 LSU undergraduate students a semester out to teach one or more 50-minute lectures on science and chemistry concepts in kindergarden to 12th grade regional classes. This isn’t just “blah, blah, blah.” The students use our ChemDemo’s (chemistry demonstrations) to do hands-on exciting experiments and demonstrations for the class to bring the concepts they are teaching to life. LSU students who do this spend a lot of time preparing, practicing, and COMMUNICATING to educate and entertain.

CxC and Service-Learning classes exist across most programs on campus including sciences and engineering.

George G. Stanley Alumnus chemistry professor

Contact The Daily Reveille’s opinion staff at opinion@lsureveille.com

BEST AND WITTIEST

cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

THE C-SECTION

Bath salts can produce a fatally dangerous high

Listen up, fellow students in search of an energizing substance for those all-night study sessions.

Aren’t you just fed up with pestering your ADHD friends for Adderall? Do you just hate the taste of coffee or Monster Energy Drink? Don’t you just wish you Chris Grillot Columnist could have the energy of a cocaine or methamphetamine-like high without dealing with drug dealers?

If so, don’t fret — there’s a new solution to all of your problems.

The solution comes in the form of a powered substance supposedly used as “bath salts.”

These “bath salts” have been marketed under attractive names like “Ivory Snow,” “Red Dove” and the exquisite “Vanilla Sky.” OK, I know what you’re thinking — “Chris, how can bath salts keep me up all night?”

Well, these “bath salts” aren’t really bath salts, if you know what I mean.

Remember when your parents caught you smoking pot so you switched to “incense,” which you had no intention of burning for the smell?

This is the same thing.

“Bath salts” are a hip new designer drug, and they aren’t exactly meant to be used in the bath.

These amazing new products contain stimulants with long names like mephedrone and methylenedioxypyrovalerone.

Sounds cool, right?

The drugs apparently give users a high claimed to be 10 to 15 times stronger than cocaine or meth.

Now doesn’t that sound great?

But wait — it gets even better!

“Bath salts” are currently legal in most states in the U.S. Unfortunately, Gov. Bobby Jindal called for a ban on “bath salts” in Louisiana.

So you can’t get it here, but what’s stopping you from taking a quick drive to Alabama?

Here’s the best part: These “bath salts” will only set you back as little as $10, according to KXXV, a news station in central Texas.

Once you have your little packet of “Vanilla Sky,” you have a few options for how you want to put it in your body.

There’s the traditional method of sucking it up like a Hoover vacuum.

Editorial Policies & Procedures

The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass CommuniEditorial Board cation. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, Sarah Lawson Editor-in-Chief paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone Robert Stewart Managing Editor, Content number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily ReveilStephanie Giglio Art Director le reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the origiSteven Powell Managing Editor, External Media nal intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author.

Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor-in-chief, hired evDevin Graham Opinion Editor ery semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

But if snorting isn’t your forte, you can inject it or even smoke it like “incense.”

“Bath salts” are also similar to incense in that they do not show up on drug tests.

Take that, parents!

Though this pseudo meth/cocaine sounds quite amazing, there are a few downsides.

Some users may dislike the side effects, which include rapid heartbeat, sweating, nausea, vomiting, agitation, insomnia, depression, paranoia, panic attacks, seizures and suicidal thoughts.

As a matter of fact, many people across the nation have been calling poison-control centers left and right while they trip on “bath salts.” Our great state of Louisiana even holds the national record of calls regarding “bath salts” with more than 160 calls to Poison Control.

Some people have even had severe side affects.

Neil Brown, a past drug user and inmate of Itawamba County Jail in Mississippi, told the Associated Press he got high on “bath salts” and began to slit his face and stomach with a skinning knife while having “terrifying hallucinations.”

It gets even crazier.

In Louisiana, the drug had an even worse affect on Dickie Sanders, a 21-year-old from St. Tammany Parish.

According to Fox 8, Sanders snorted a gram of “Cloud Nine Bath Salts” and began experiencing delusions. The drug’s effects lasted three days and ended with Sanders trying to cut his own throat. Later, Sanders shot himself in the head.

Then there’s another problem.

James Aiken of the LSU Health Sciences Center said the “bath salt” substances cause “immediate intense cravings” for more.

But don’t let these stories deter you.

The risk of death should never hinder a student’s desire to get things done.

Actually, maybe it should.

Maybe we should all just stick to coffee for mental stimulation.

Chris Grillot is a 19-year-old English and mass communication sophomore.

Follow him on Twitter @TDR_Cgrillot.

Contact Chris Grillot at cgrillot@lsureveille.com

Quote of the Day “A bath and a ternderloin steak.

Those are the high points of a man’s life.”

Curt Siodmak German novelist Aug. 10, 1902 — Sept. 2, 2000

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

FAILURE OF DIPLOMACY

Opinion

page 13

With execution drug scarce, policy changes should be made Last semester, both the September execution of Teresa Lewis in Virginia and the possible stoning of Sakineh Ashtiani in Iran made me question our country’s use of the death sentence.

Beyond the financial irresponsibility of the punishment I discussed in said article, it appears there’s now more cause for questioning the death penalty.

It turns out most of the 35 states that have the death penalty have run low on the anesthetic sodium thiopental, which is used as part of the injection process.

While this low supply may be a problem in and of itself, some of our possible sources for the drug (like Germany and England) have refused to supply us with more.

Supplies of sodium thiopental started to dwindle in the U.S. after the sole American manufacturer, Hospira, ran out of stock in 2009. Hospira announced on Jan. 21 it was going to stop making the drug all together, disapproving of its use in state executions.

Because of this scarcity, some states have started to postpone executions, while others have resorted to using drugs intended for animals. This was the case for

Oklahoma inmate John Duty, who was executed on Dec. 16 last year after strangling his roommate while serving three life sentences for previous crimes.

He was the first American Zachary Davis to be executed like this. HowColumnist ever, Ohio recently announced it will follow the same route and will no longer use the scarce sodium thiopental.

Instead, it will switch to the drug pentobarbital.

While the supplies have been running low, the Food and Drug Administration has been apparently helping some of these states procure sources of sodium thiopental from overseas. Some people have taken issue with this.

However, the FDA does not test to make sure these drugs are reliable, stating it doesn’t have regulatory power over drugs used in executions.

One of these foreign sources is England, whose sole producer of the drug, Archimedes Pharma, has come under fire recently for

supposedly supplying Arizona with the drug.

Several states are suspected to have acquired the drug from this source, and Arizona claims it simply has been following Arkansas’ lead. All the while, California is still awaiting a $36,415 shipment it ordered in December from a British source it refuses to name.

All this for about 521 grams — which at two to five grams per execution would be enough to execute 260 people at most.

California has only executed 13 people since the death penalty’s reinstatement in 1976, so 260 seems like overkill.

Looking at all of this, it really seems far more complex than it needs to be. We are pulling in both state and international politics simply so we can execute

some of the worst people in the country.

What happens when all sources of sodium thiopental either disappear or refuse to sell it to the prison systems? While some states may follow Oklahoma or Ohio’s example and switch to other drugs like pentobarbital, others would encounter legislative problems in trying to make such a change.

Additionally, who’s to say the companies who produce pentobarbital won’t simply refuse to make it down the line just like Hospira? The international community, particularly in Europe, does not support the death penalty like we do, so a foreign source is not always guaranteed.

While I may be against the death penalty in general, if we have to utilize it, then we should at

least use a procedure that doesn’t rely on so many external sources.

I also do not see how a death by lethal injection is any less cruel or unusual than a beheading, electric chair or noose death would be if done correctly.

If we can’t make prisoners truly suffer for their crimes, then we should at least try to not make our country suffer while getting rid of them.

Zachary Davis is a 20-year-old history junior from Warsaw, Poland. Follow him at Twitter @ TDR_zdavis.

Contact Zachary Davis at zdavis@lsureveille.com

BEST AND WITTIEST

PRESS X TO NOT DIE

Pope gives address about Internet, warns against ‘personas’ Peace be with you, and also with you.

Although I didn’t grow up Catholic, I have attended many a Sunday mass while visiting my grandparents when I was young.

I sang the songs, said the chants, did the whole stand-sitkneel thing for years.

Yet, I never understood why I was doing it — probably because I never went through Catholic studies and confirmation.

I always felt left out when it came to the eating and drinking part. But I digress.

While I may not fully understand Catholicism, I do fully understand the Internet.

The Internet can be a wonderful place full of knowledge, insight and fun. Yet, the use of anonymity on the Web is a powerful and dangerous tool.

Some people create a whole new persona for themselves on the Internet, while some use it to speak their mind or blast others’ opinions while keeping their identity secret.

Some “trolls” just like to stir up trouble for the sake of upsetting as many people as possible.

Fellow Columnist Kelly

Hotard wrote a terrific piece last semester challenging people to express their own opinion while not hiding behind this facade.

And I agree — to an extent.

Yet, I don’t think the words of two columnists reach out very far in the vast expanse of the Internet.

Luckily for us, the Pope decided to chime in on the debate in an address given last Monday titled “Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age.” In the address, Pope Adam Arinder Benedict XVI warned against Columnist “excessive exposure to the virtual world” and advised against giving “in to the illusion of constructing an artificial persona for oneself.”

Obviously, the Pope has never visited 4chan — a site based on the foundation of anonymity.

I can see where the Pope is coming from, but it almost seems he’s simply grasping at straws.

I’m sure many of his devout

cartoon courtersy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

followers will take great heed to his words, but, then again, they most likely aren’t the people with which he should be concerned.

Personally, I try to be myself on the Internet because I have no problem with who I am.

Unfortunately, it seems many other people can’t say the same thing.

Aside from all the fake Facebook, MySpace (if anyone uses it anymore) and Twitter accounts, there are also the millions of people posting to forums and news sites.

While it would seem like a great idea to be able to match a name with a forum post, one would have to assume the Internet is only filled with civil, philosophical debates.

News flash: It isn’t.

The Pope should stick to his whole stand-sit-kneel thing and leave the Internet to the trolls.

So what if someone’s life is so awesome they feel the need to create another one in “Second Life” and have it consume their life?

Is it the best thing for them?

Probably not, but any addiction — cigarettes, alcohol, video games, porn, even religion — can be dangerous to people in excess.

While the Pope may not see the Internet as a whole as bad, anyone can see the dangers lurking around the corner.

Sure, the Internet hasn’t been around as long as the Catholic church, but both seem to be

thriving just fine.

The Pope and the Vatican should go back to OK’ing condoms and glorifying Homer Simpson, and let me get back to my Facebook and Twitter, my way.

So peace be with you, and also with you, and also with the digital you.

Adam Arinder is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_aarinder.

Contact Adam Arinder at aarinder@lsureveille.com

page 14

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The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011

JINDAL, from page 1

CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille

LSU Police Department officers take part in their biannual firearm training Jan. 26.

Officers are given three chances to pass the course, which comprises five stages.

off-hand and then move on to phase three. During phase three, obtain 96 out of 120 possible officers shoot six rounds standpoints, and training instructors ing and six rounds kneeling, then must earn 108 points out of 120, must reload their guns within 25 seconds.

Melancon said.

In stages four and five, of“We have averaged 108 to ficers complete 109 out of 120 close-range shootover the past [seving. eral] years,” MelStage four reancon said. quires officers to Melancon shoot three rounds said scoring a 114 in three seconds is expert, 120 is from 4 yards master, and scoraway from the taring a 120 five get twice in phase times is considone, then repeat ered distinguished the same drill for master, and these Sgt. Kory Melancon phase two. rankings earn offiDuring stage cers a recognition LSUPD firearm instructor five, officers shoot pin.

All officers qualified this two rounds in two seconds from 2 year, scoring in the range of 96 to yards away three times.

Louisiana POST has also 120 points, Tabor said.

Tabor said if an officer fails implemented close-range shootthe test, he or she must go through ing training at night, according to additional training and is given Tabor.

He said the department also three more chances to pass the turns on the patrol-car lights and qualification course.

Tabor said failure to pass siren during the night shooting to could result in the officer’s termi- simulate realistic shooting situations. nation.

Shots are scored by accuracy.

Officers receive two points for Contact Celeste Ansley at shooting inside the white rim of cansley@lsureveille.com the human silhouette target and one point for shooting outside the rim. If a bullet fails to hit the silhouette, the officer receives zero points, Melancon said.

The course tests the accuracy of the officers’ strong and weak sides in five stages.

Melancon said the strong side of a shooter is the hand the person uses to write and perform other tasks.

During the first stage, officers start out at a post 25 yards away from the target and have one minute to shoot six rounds from the strong side and six rounds from the weak side, according to the official POST course guide.

At stage two, the officers move to 15 yards away from the target and shoot three rounds on the left and right side of the post in 45 seconds, according to the course guide.

The third stage is completed in three phases, according to the POST guide. During phase one, officers have 10 seconds to shoot six rounds with their strong hand.

Officers then move to phase two, where they have 10 seconds to shoot six rounds with their

LSUPD, from page 1

‘‘

‘We own the range, but we allow other law enforcement departments and the military to use the range.’

repeatedly complained those costs negated funding gains from the LA GRAD Act. Jindal said these increased autonomies are predicted to save the University “tens of millions” in the first five years.

Jindal’s third proposal would require schools to meet performance benchmarks in graduation, retention and overall completion rates. Institutions that don’t meet the requirements would not receive the benefits.

The University already meets most of these requirements — but other institutions might not.

Finally, Jindal reiterated his support for consolidating the higher education governing boards into one streamlined board with “a laserlike focus on student performance.”

Each of the state’s four higher education systems currently has its own governing board. Jindal’s plan would create a single governing board, with advisory boards for similar institutions.

Jindal also reiterated his support for the study into the potential merger of the University of New Orleans and Southern UniversityNew Orleans.

Much of Jindal’s proposed legislation has been previously suggested by the Flagship Coalition, a statewide group of businessmen supporting LSU. Other policy points came from plans released in December by the state’s higher education leaders, led by LSU System President John Lombardi.

The conference included a panel discussion with three state legislators immediately after Jindal’s speech. They gave mixed reactions to his proposals, supporting some while criticizing others.

“There are a lot of good ideas in there,” said Senate Education Committee Chairman Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa.

Nevers emphasized the importance of bolstering the state’s K-12 education and community colleges.

Sen. Lydia Jackson, D-Shreveport, took issue with Jindal’s plans that would raise tuition and

page 15 fees for students.

“I find it a little ironic that we’re proposing a tax on students — which is what tuition and fees are,” she said.

Jackson said it made more sense to raise taxes on citizens that are “already contributing.” Jindal has vowed to veto any new taxes.

Rep. Austin Badon, D-New Orleans, said such increases may be necessary.

“The students and parents in the Louisiana area are getting a very good value” for their education, he said. “[Universities] need to have a stable revenue stream to service their customers.”

Still, Badon criticized both Jindal’s proposed SUNO-UNO merger under the University of Louisiana System and his plan to consolidate the state’s boards.

“He’s planning on consolidating these two into a board that doesn’t exist,” Badon said.

Badon hinted that the plan would benefit larger institutions like LSU, but not necessarily smaller ones like SUNO. Community colleges and smaller universities have complained that Jindal’s performance benchmarks do just that.

“I have really no interest that

any one school should be treated any different,” Badon said. “We should all have to play by the same rules.”

Chancellor Michael Martin said in a statement that the University is “very pleased” with Jindal’s proposals.

“These proposals are not short-term, quick fixes. They are thoughtful initiatives that will set Louisiana on a long-term path to a high-performing higher education system,” Martin said. “If approved by the Legislature, the Governor’s legislative package will position LSU, as the state’s flagship university, to continue the unprecedented momentum we have made in raising our admission standards, increasing our graduation and retention rates, increasing research dollars, and advancing as a top-tier university.”

See a video of Jindal’s news conference at lsureveille.com

Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com

page 16

The Daily Reveille

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011