Ask Student Government President J Hudson about the state of your University tonight. See p. 16 for more info.
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Fast Food Nation
Sports: Tommy Lasorda serves as mentor, friend to Mainieri, p. 7 Music: Snoop Dogg to perform at Varsity Theatre in March, p. 11 Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 91
Emergency text sees 98-percent success Rachel Warren Staff Writer
photo illustration by ADAM VACCARELLA / The Daily Reveille
Baton Rouge ranks seventh on list of cities with most fast food restaurants Celeste Ansley Staff Writer
When University students want to satisfy their drunken munchies, finding a quick, greasy meal isn’t hard, according to a recent study by The Daily Beast. The study, compiled using research conducted by AggData and Technomic, found
that of the 30 largest fast food restaurant chains, Baton Rouge has 216 locations, meaning there are 95.8 fast food restaurants per 100,000 residents. The Daily Beast, a news and opinion website, compared the 30 largest fast food chain restaurant locations in about 500 cities with more than 200,000 residents to come up with the top 40 fast
food-filled cities. Baton Rouge ranks seventh. The No. 1 city was Orlando, Fla., with 196.3 restaurants per 100,000 residents, followed by Louisville, Ky., with 147.1 restaurants. Richmond, Va., ranked third with 134 restaurants. Miami was in fourth CHAINS, see page 6
Most fast food restaurants per 100,000 reisdents: 1. Orlando, Fla. 2. Louisville, Ky. 3. Richmond, Va. 4. Miami, Fla. 5. Las Vegas, Nev.
6. Tampa, Fla. 7. Baton Rouge 8. Cincinnati, Ohio 9. Spokane, Wash. 10. Birmingham, Ala.
Late sleepers got a wake-up call Wednesday morning when Information Technology Services sent out a test text message at 9 a.m. through the University’s emergency notification system. John Borne, chief IT security and policy officer, said he considered the test successful. He said the message was sent to everyone subscribed to the system — more than 35,000 people — and nearly all received it. “It was comparable to the one in the fall,” Borne said. “The success rate was in the 97 or 98 percentile.” Borne said IT schedules a test every semester, and the one in the spring is usually conducted in February. He said IT hasn’t found any obvious problems with the last few tests conducted — a sign it is doing something right. Borne said subscribers usually receive messages five to seven minutes after the texts are sent out. Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com
FACILITIES
Cogeneration Plant provides power, steam to campus Energy comes from massive jet engine Matthew Albright Staff Writer
If there’s one thing students can appreciate at the University, it’s air conditioning. But perhaps few students realize just how much machinery is necessary to make that possible. The University’s Cogeneration Plant, adjacent to Johnston Hall, produces much of the electricity and steam that powers campus. “We call it a ‘cogeneration’ plant because it produces both
electricity and steam,” said Bobby Pitre, executive director of facility and utility operations for Facility Services. Pitre said the plant’s maximum capacity is 20 megawatts, or 20 million watts. Most days, however, it usually produces about 18 megawatts. That translates into about 65 percent of the campus’s energy in a year. The rest, Pitre said, comes from Entergy, the regional electricity provider. The plant’s effectiveness changes seasonally. During the winter, when cold, dense air allows the machinery to operate at peak efficiency and when air conditioning needs are lower, the facility can provide most or all power
to campus. During the summer, however, hot air makes the plant function less efficiently — and air conditioners draw more power to deal with the sweltering heat. Air is actually fundamental to the plant’s power production. Huge vents surrounded by jets of cool air constantly suck air into the facility, drawing it into the massive engine that drives campus. “It’s basically an aircraft engine,” said Peter Davidson, director of Energy Services in Facility Services. “It’s like the one you’d see on a C-130 airplane.” The engine roars inside a containment chamber in a spacious PLANT, see page 6
BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille
Peter Davidson, Energy Services director, describes the control room of the Cogeneration Plant, which generates power for the University.