University administrators, fac-ulty and student leaders witnessed the GovernorÕ s plan for tuition re-form clear its fi rst political hurdle of the legislative session Thursday.

An amended version of House Bill 1171, also known as the LA Grad Act, passed through the House Education Committee with-out opposition Thursday.

Authored by Rep. Jim Tucker, R-Algiers, the bill would give uni-versities the authority to raise their tuition and increase autonomy to manage university functions like travel regulations and procurement.

The University must meet retention and graduation goals benchmarked against Southern Re-gional Education Board peers to be granted the planÕ s advantages.

The bill passed without oppo-sition, but much debate centered around the timeframe in which uni-versities can reap the benefi ts of the measure.

In its original form, the legisla-tion would have allowed LSU Ba-ton Rouge to increase its tuition by 10 percent for the coming school year.

Tucker amended the bill,

As years fl y by and students move further into the technology age, the University offers a place where time stands still Ñ the LSU Rural Life Mu-seum .

The museum celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Since its founding in 1970 , the outdoor museum has been a gateway to historical Louisi-ana.

And the attraction is popular. The museum receives about 60,000 visitors each year, with a recent record-breaking 20 percent increase in par-ticipation, said David Floyd , Rural Life Museum director.

Ò It gives students a chance to see how their ancestors lived,Ó said Tonja Normand , the mu-seumÕ s development director. Ò What we show is from the perspective of how the rural plain people lived.Ó

The grounds cover 25 acres on a 450-acre parcel of land and feature 32 historical buildings such as slave cabins and a plantation overseerÕ s house, Normand said.

The museum will commemorate its anniver-sary May 16 when it holds an open house. Admis-sion will be free , and guests can tour the new visi-tor center that was recently completed after about a year of work.

The center cost about $5 million to build and was funded through donations, Normand said. It

features a theater and updated restrooms.Floyd said the goal was to create a comfort-

able building that supported the historic appeal of the museum.

Ò We wanted to be stealthy and very low key,Ó Floyd said. Ò We didnÕ t want to interrupt the his-torical structure.Ó

The center was constructed with materials found throughout rural Louisiana, like tin and old wood. One wall is made of logs dating back to 1840 , Floyd said. But the center is only meant to

ON THE GULF OF MEXICO (AP) Ñ Crews prepared Thursday to low-er a 100-ton box they hoped would cut off most of the crude spewing from a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico, the urgency of their task un-derscored by oil that started washing up on delicate barrier islands.

If the concrete-and-steel box they plan to plunge a mile into the ocean works, it could collect as much as 85 percent of the oil leaking from the ocean fl oor. The technique has not been tried before at that depth.

Ò Hopefully, it will work better than they expect,” fi rst mate Doug-las Peake told The Associated Press aboard the ship that brought the box to the site. The AP is the only news organization with access to the con-tainment effort.

It wonÕ t solve the problem al-together. Oil has been leaking since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded April 20, killing 11 work-ers. Crews are drilling a relief well to take the pressure off the blown-out well at the site, but that could take up to three months.

More than 200,000 gallons of

oil a day are pouring from the well, creating a massive sheen that has been fl oating on the Gulf for more than two weeks. As it moved closer to land, crews were franti-cally laying boom and taking other steps to prevent it from oozing into delicate coastal wetlands.

A pinkish, oily substance was

THE DAILY REVEILLEWWW.LSUREVEILLE.COMVolumeÊ 114,Ê IssueÊ 141 Friday,Ê MayÊ 7,Ê 2010

FASHION FILEGet clothing ideas to expand

your summer wardrobe, page 6.

a look at different sports teams’ Academic Progress

Rate, page 5.

Check Inside For:Middleton Library to remain open 24 hours a day during

fi nals week, page 4.

UP ALL NIGHT

BUDGET CUTS

Tuition reform passes committeeBy Xerxes A. WilsonSenior Staff Writer

LA GRAD, see page 15

OIL, see page 15

ENVIRONMENT

ANNIVERSARY, see page 15

Crews ready oil containment boxBy The Associated Press

OutdoorsRural Life Museum celebrates 40th anniversary, commemorates with open house May 16By Ryan BuxtonSenior Staff Writer

GERALD HERBERT / The Associated Press

A worker is carried in a personnel basket Thursday in preparation to lower the containment vessel over the oil leak at the site of the Deepwater Horizon rig collapse.

Keep up-to-date with the

oil spill at: http://www.lsureveille.

com/oil-spill-recovery.

See more pictures from the Rural Life Museum in a slideshow at lsureveille.com.

The Great BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille

A mule pulls down a fence Jan. 15 to inaugurate the opening of the Rural Life Museum’s visitor center.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

In the May 6 article “BRLT brings musical ‘[insert title here]’ to stage May 4,” The Daily Reveille misidentifi ed the play “[title of show].” The play is produced by Bayou City Entertainment and will run from May 14 to May 16. In the May 5 article, The Daily Reveille incorrectly reported an incor-rect fi gure for oil being leaked from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig. The rig was found to be leaking more than 200,000 gallons a day.

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 Com-munication. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies for 25 cents, please contact the Offi ce 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 fi nal 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 regu-lar semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, addition-al copies 25 cents each. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, La.,70803.

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Newsroom (225)578-4810 • Advertising (225)578-6090

INTERNATIONAL NATIONAL STATE/LOCAL

HERE COMES THE SUN

MELANIE SCOTT / The Daily Reveille

Log on to see pictures of sun fl ares around campus.

Nation & World THE DAILY REVEILLE

FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010 PAGE 2

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EditorManaging Editor, ContentManaging Editor, External MediaManaging Editor, ProductionNews EditorDeputy News/Entertainment EditorSports EditorDeputy Sports EditorProduction EditorOpinion EditorPhoto EditorOnline Media EditorReveille Radio DirectorAdvertising Sales Manager

Russian special forces storm oil tanker, free ship from pirates

ABOARD THE HSMS CARLSK-RONA (AP) Ñ Russian special forces rappelled onto a disabled oil tanker taken over by Somali pirates, freeing 23 Russian sailors and arresting the pirates during a dawn raid Thursday, the command-er of the EU Naval Force said.

West Europeans target US nukes housed in Europe at treaty session

UNITED NATIONS (AP) Ñ Ger-many and other West European na-tions at the U.N. nonproliferation conference are calling for elimina-tion of U.S. tactical nuclear weap-ons in Europe Ñ Ò leftovers from the Cold WarÓ Ñ as a way to ad-vance global arms control.

Ò They no longer serve a mili-tary purpose and do not create secu-rity,Ó German state minister Werner Hoyer told fellow delegates to the 189-nation session to review the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

California law would add homeless to hate-crime protection list

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Ñ CaliforniaÕ s homeless would have enhanced civil rights protections under a bill passed by the state As-sembly. The legislation approved Thursday would add the stateÕ s estimated 157,000 homeless to the list of groups protected from hate-based violence. That would allow them to sue for larger sums of damages if they are targeted in an attack. The billÕ s sponsors say California is second in the nation in the rate of violence against home-less people.

Police: Woman attempts bank robbery, tries to eat note

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) Ñ Au-thorities in Ohio said a woman tried to rob a bank with a note and then attempted to eat it once she saw a uniformed offi cer in line be-hind her. FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas said the woman wearing

sunglasses handed the teller the note at a Columbus Chase bank branch Wednesday morning.

Trombitas said in a statement that the off-duty offi cer wasn’t aware of what was going on, but when the woman noticed him, she grabbed the note and fl ed. Outside, the offi cer arrested the 40-year-old Columbus woman, Lois Harvey.

Driver’s cell phone use, speeding cited in crash that killed 11

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) Ñ An Ala-bama truck driver was on his cell phone sending and receiving calls leading up to a crash that killed him and 10 other people in Kentucky in March, Kentucky State Police said in a report on the wreck.

The 28-page report also says that 45-year-old Kenneth Laymon of Jasper, Ala., was driving in excess of the 70 mph speed limit and did not have his tractor-trailer under con-trol when he crossed the median on March 26 and struck a van carrying Mennonites to a wedding in Iowa.

House committee approves drug testing of lawmakers, offi cials

(AP) Ñ An attempt to create a vol-untary, state-funded drug testing program for LouisianaÕ s state law-makers and statewide elected of-fi cials received approval Thursday from a House committee that also added voluntary psychiatric evalua-tions for the offi cials.

Rep. John LaBruzzo, R-Metai-rie, said he introduced the proposal (House Bill 1352) because the idea of state offi cials getting drug tested was repeatedly raised as LaBruzzo discussed his bill to mandate drug testing of welfare recipients, a bill that has won House passage.

LaBruzzo said mandatory drug testing of legislators has been deemed unconstitutional so heÕ s in-stead proposing to create a voluntary program. He said he expects tate-wide elected offi cials would want to take the test to prove they werenÕ t using illegal drugs. Test results for anyone who agrees to the voluntary drug test would be posted online.

False River airport to test solar-powered runway lights

NEW ROADS, La. (AP) Ñ State offi cials say several years into the future, itÕ s possible that airplanes could take off and land with the help of solar-powered runway lights. Allen Taylor, airways sys-tems manager for Louisiana De-partment of Transportation, tells The Advocate that the $130,000 LED Solar Test Program is sched-uled to start next week at False River Regional Airport.

BP executive confi rms oil made landfall on Chandeleur Islands

(AP) Ñ A BP executive told leg-islators Wednesday that oil washed ashore on the Chandeleur Islands overnight. In testimony to the House Natu-ral Resources Committee, David Rainey, BP vice president of explo-ration, said the company is doing everything in its power to respond to the spill.

TODAY ON@ lsureveille, @TDR_news,

@TDR_sports

lsureveille.comThe Tigers are back in Alex Box: Find more information online.

Keep up to date at Find out what happened at the golf tournament Thursday.facebook.com/thedailyreveille

Free GRE Test Strategy WorkshopWednesday, May 26

6-7:30pmSponsored by LSU Test Prep

Register online: www.outreach.lsu.edu/test

Get Ready for Finals with Genesis Tutoring-FREE!Monday-Thursday 5pm- 9pm, 578-4339

Offi ce of Multicultural Affairs 335 Student Union

DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE?Call Isaiah at the Student

Media Offi ce578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or

E-mail: offi cemanager@lsureveille.com

THE DAILY REVEILLE FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010PAGE 4

More students are flocking to Middleton Library in last-minute attempts to save their semester grades as finals approach.

Middleton will extend hours to deal with the extra studying. Middleton will be open 24 hours a day from May 9 to May 13.

The library also extended hours during the Univer-sity’s concen-trated study period, remain-ing open until 2 a.m. May 5 through May 7. Saturday, May 8, it will close by 12 a.m.

Middleton usually closes by 12 a.m.

Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m. Fridays and 4 p.m. Saturdays.

“When I have a very long period of study, I normally go to the library or a coffee shop,” said Kaitelin Stewart, animal, dairy and poultry sciences sophmore.

CC’s in the library will also extend its hours to accommodate students desperately in need of caffeine to stay awake all night.

Beginning May 4, CC’s ex-tended its closing time from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“I’ve spent like 70 bucks there in the past week,” Stewart said.

Students like to study in the library for a variety of reasons.

“I just need to move loca-tions or I get stagnant,” said Ju-lius Quartez, philosophy and his-tory freshman. “It’s good to just sit down in a cubicle where noth-

ing can distract me.”Stewart said when the library

is open until 2 a.m. she can stay focused in one place for longer. She also plans on using the 24-hour study period during finals.

“I like to feel like other peo-ple are feeling my pain,” Stewart said.

Daily Reveille file photo

Middleton Library will be open 24 hours a day from May 9 to May 13. During the concentrated study period, May 5 through May 7, the library will be open until 2 a.m.

Contact Joanna Zimmerman at jzimmerman@lsureveille.com

By Joanna ZimmermanContributing Writer

Students likely to pull all-nighters

Middleton to be open 24-hours a day for most of finals week

The House Committee on Criminal Justice voted 8-3 Wednesday to move House Bill 68 to the House floor.

The bill allows people to carry concealed weapons legally into churches with their minis-ter’s permission.

Rep. Henry Burns, R-Haugh-ton, supported the bill,

“It’s not everybody bringing a gun — wild, wild West,” Burns told the Advocate.

Ivan Imes — who is known on campus as “Mr. Jesus Talk” — said he wasn’t sure how he felt about the bill.

“I suppose if someone had a security role and looked at things from a different view, it would be OK,” Imes said. “Even though

Christians have the protection of the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t protect from the crazies that may come in the church.”

Tyler Trahan, sports administra-tion sophomore and an active stu-dent at the Christ the King Catholic Center, said he feels the bill is odd.

“I feel that is a very unusual thing to even sug-gest,” Trahan said. “I feel that this raises the concern for people that choose to worship in their own ways. You never know what could happen — sometimes peo-ple take things to the extreme.”

Than Vu, a priest at Christ the King, said he feels there is no reason for the bill.

“I would discourage people from bringing a gun to church,” Vu said. “I think that others would feel the same as me, but

I’m certainly not speaking for everyone. If a student asked me to bring a gun to mass, I would do my best to discourage him or

her from bringing it. Church isn’t a place where you should feel threatened.”

Patti Gar-ner, president of the Baton Rouge chapter of Ameri-cans United for Separation of Church and State,

said the group hasn’t taken an of-ficial stance on the issue.

“I don’t think it’s a church versus state issue,” Garner said. “I don’t understand the gun craze in this part of the country. Church is supposed to be a peaceful place.”

CAMPUS

Bill would let concealed weapons be carried into churches

LEGISLATURE

Ministers must give permission By Mandy FrancoisContributing Writer

‘‘‘Church is supposed

to be a peaceful place.’

Patti GarnerAmericans United for Separation

of Church and State

‘It’s good to just sit down in

a cubicle where

nothing can distract

me.’Julius Quartezphilosophy, history

freshman

Contact Mandy Francois at mfrancois@lsureveille.com

THE DAILY REVEILLE FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010PAGE 4

More students are flocking to Middleton Library in last-minute attempts to save their semester grades as finals approach.

Middleton will extend hours to deal with the extra studying. Middleton will be open 24 hours a day from May 9 to May 13.

The library also extended hours during the Univer-sity’s concen-trated study period, remain-ing open until 2 a.m. May 5 through May 7. Saturday, May 8, it will close by 12 a.m.

Middleton usually closes by 12 a.m.

Sunday through Thursday, 6 p.m. Fridays and 4 p.m. Saturdays.

“When I have a very long period of study, I normally go to the library or a coffee shop,” said Kaitelin Stewart, animal, dairy and poultry sciences sophmore.

CC’s in the library will also extend its hours to accommodate students desperately in need of caffeine to stay awake all night.

Beginning May 4, CC’s ex-tended its closing time from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

“I’ve spent like 70 bucks there in the past week,” Stewart said.

Students like to study in the library for a variety of reasons.

“I just need to move loca-tions or I get stagnant,” said Ju-lius Quartez, philosophy and his-tory freshman. “It’s good to just sit down in a cubicle where noth-

ing can distract me.”Stewart said when the library

is open until 2 a.m. she can stay focused in one place for longer. She also plans on using the 24-hour study period during finals.

“I like to feel like other peo-ple are feeling my pain,” Stewart said.

Daily Reveille file photo

Middleton Library will be open 24 hours a day from May 9 to May 13. During the concentrated study period, May 5 through May 7, the library will be open until 2 a.m.

Contact Joanna Zimmerman at jzimmerman@lsureveille.com

By Joanna ZimmermanContributing Writer

Students likely to pull all-nighters

Middleton to be open 24-hours a day for most of finals week

The House Committee on Criminal Justice voted 8-3 Wednesday to move House Bill 68 to the House floor.

The bill allows people to carry concealed weapons legally into churches with their minis-ter’s permission.

Rep. Henry Burns, R-Haugh-ton, supported the bill,

“It’s not everybody bringing a gun — wild, wild West,” Burns told the Advocate.

Ivan Imes — who is known on campus as “Mr. Jesus Talk” — said he wasn’t sure how he felt about the bill.

“I suppose if someone had a security role and looked at things from a different view, it would be OK,” Imes said. “Even though

Christians have the protection of the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t protect from the crazies that may come in the church.”

Tyler Trahan, sports administra-tion sophomore and an active stu-dent at the Christ the King Catholic Center, said he feels the bill is odd.

“I feel that is a very unusual thing to even sug-gest,” Trahan said. “I feel that this raises the concern for people that choose to worship in their own ways. You never know what could happen — sometimes peo-ple take things to the extreme.”

Than Vu, a priest at Christ the King, said he feels there is no reason for the bill.

“I would discourage people from bringing a gun to church,” Vu said. “I think that others would feel the same as me, but

I’m certainly not speaking for everyone. If a student asked me to bring a gun to mass, I would do my best to discourage him or

her from bringing it. Church isn’t a place where you should feel threatened.”

Patti Gar-ner, president of the Baton Rouge chapter of Ameri-cans United for Separation of Church and State,

said the group hasn’t taken an of-ficial stance on the issue.

“I don’t think it’s a church versus state issue,” Garner said. “I don’t understand the gun craze in this part of the country. Church is supposed to be a peaceful place.”

CAMPUS

Bill would let concealed weapons be carried into churches

LEGISLATURE

Ministers must give permission By Mandy FrancoisContributing Writer

‘‘‘Church is supposed

to be a peaceful place.’

Patti GarnerAmericans United for Separation

of Church and State

‘It’s good to just sit down in

a cubicle where

nothing can distract

me.’Julius Quartezphilosophy, history

freshman

Contact Mandy Francois at mfrancois@lsureveille.com

SportsFRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010 PAGE 5

Today in sports: Baseball at 7 p.m.

Making Progress

Brad Reese was LSU menÕ s basketball coach Trent Johnson’s fi rst acquisition in Baton Rouge — his fi rst commitment. Reese , a 6-foot-7-inch combo guard from Gulf Coast Community College , was all set to

wear a purple-and-gold uniform.

Then Reese de-cided to visit Okla-homa State without telling Johnson.

Johnson pulled the scholarship.

It wasn’t just be-cause Reese had vis-ited another school — it was the chance

Reese could leave while at LSU. Enter the APR, or the Academic Progress Rate.

The APR is the system instituted by the NCAA to measure athletes in the classroom. A school’s APR can drop if a student leaves while in poor academic stand-ing.

The APR uses a points system to evalute schools. An unblemished academic record will net a score of 1,000 . If that score dips below 925 , the said pro-gram could lose a scholarship. A score less than 900

The LSU baseball program nearly reached the pin-nacle of two separate arenas in 2008 .

On the fi eld, the Tigers made their 14th trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series, and in the classroom, the pro-gram posted some solid performances as well.

LSU fell short in its national title bid that year, but the Tigers were perfect in the classroom, achieving a 1,000 on the Academic Prog-ress Rate report.

Instituted in the 2003-04 academic year, the APR is considered a measure of how well universities are performing in the classroom in terms of moving play-ers closer to graduation.

“With the APR, we get a real-time measure of what is going on with eligibility and retention with our students,” said Karen Schiferl , Ole Miss senior associ-ate athletic director for academic support. “It’s a little different than graduation rates in which you see a six-year cohort. When the 2009 graduation rates came out,

Mainieri encourages players to continue success in classroom

A certain phrase greets the LSU football team as it walks into the Football Operations Building and reminds everyone of the team’s dual goals, which coach Les Miles said he con-stantly emphasizes to his players.

“The full measure of success is to graduate and win championships.”

LSU coach Les Miles said he constantly pushes the mot-to with his players.

“The highest level of performance on the fi eld is a na-tional championship, but on the same exact line is 100 per-cent graduation,” Miles said. “We want every guy to get his degree. There will never be a national championship year here where we don’t have success in the classroom.”

Since Miles took the coaching reins at LSU in the 2005 season, the average graduation rate on the football team has been 53 percent, with the highest rate in 2009 of 60 percent.

Miles did not deny there are challenges in maintaining high graduation numbers from year to year because so many players have their eyes on professional careers.

“I told Chad [Jones] after he was drafted ... ‘I’m making you come back and get your degree anyway,’” Miles said. “I’d like to have those guys, except if you’re a JaMarcus Rus-sell. He was such a unique situation, the No. 1 position in the

Johnson fi ghting an uphill battle with Academic Progress Rate LSU football players’ graduation

rates increasing under Miles

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

Daily Reveille fi le photo

By Johanathan BrooksSports Writer

By Chris BranchSports Writer

By Rachel WhittakerChief Sports Writer

BASKETBALL, see page 11 FOOTBALL, see page 8 BASEBALL, see page 11

‘‘“It’s a complicated system. We have to

deal with it.”Trent Johnson

LSU men’s basketball coach ‘‘“I tell my players

all the time ... your education will last

forever.”Paul Mainieri

LSU baseball coach

Today’s KLSU Specialty Shows: 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Rock ‘n’ Roll Damnation (Classic Rock)11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Hardcore Punk (Punk) FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010Revelry

Fashion File: Clothing Q&AAn interview with Annie Hundley by Sarah Lawson. All photos by Melanie Scott.

PAGE 6

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

Noon, 3:20 p.m.4:20 p.m., 5:20 p.m.

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The last two Southeastern Conference series have been di-sastrous for LSU baseball.

The No. 24 Tigers (33-13, 11-10) were swept back-to-back on the road by Ole Miss and Florida. But that’s nothing compared to what the Vanderbilt baseball pro-gram has recently endured.

The Commodores (33-12, 10-9) face LSU in Alex Box Stadium this weekend. Two of their three scheduled games against Georgia were rained out.

The rain in the Nashville, Tenn., area caused widespread flooding. As a result, Vanderbilt has had limited practice and play-ing time.

“The first thing that comes to mind ... is all the people that are dealing with such difficult circum-stances there,” said LSU coach Paul Mainieri. “Unfortunately, we are well aware of natural disasters in this state, so we know what peo-ple are going through. Certainly our hearts and thoughts are with those people.”

While they respect the plight of the people of Nashville, the

Tigers still have a job to do. And they’re happy to be back in Alex Box Stadium to do it.

“It’s good to be back in the Box,” said LSU senior first base-man Blake Dean. “We’re playing against a good team with good pitching.”

The Tigers snapped their his-toric losing streak Tuesday against Southeastern Louisiana, and have the chance to improve in the SEC with some strong showings.

“We just have to come out and play like we did the other night,” Dean said. “Hopefully our pitchers will hold in there for us, and hope-fully our hitters can score a lot of runs. That’s all we can do.”

LSU and Vanderbilt currently sit neck-and-neck in the standings. A series win would be pivotal for either team as the SEC regular sea-son winds down and teams jockey for seeding position in the SEC tournament field.

The Commodores currently hold a .002 winning percentage advantage over LSU.

“Vanderbilt no question has a great team,” Mainieri said. “You look at the stats, and the stat sheet virtually scares you.”

Stats don’t lie — the Com-modores lead the SEC in ERA this season with a team average of 3.31. They are also No. 4 in the league in total strikeouts.

“They’ve got the best pitching

staff in the league by far,” Main-ieri said. “Their hitting is nothing to snicker at, either.”

The Commodores boast a .317 team batting average and are No. 1 in the conference with a .421 on-base percentage.

The Tigers haven’t decided who they want on the mound in games two and three for the sec-ond week in a row.

Junior Anthony Ranaudo will face Vanderbilt sophomore Sonny Gray on Friday.

Mainieri said he expects all the games this weekend to be low-scoring affairs.

“You can’t expect to have a huge offensive outburst against those kinds of teams,” he said. “We’re going to have to pitch well ... If you fall behind by half

a dozen runs against teams like that, they’re very difficult to rally against.”

Vanderbilt will start sopho-more Jack Armstrong on Saturday and junior Taylor Hill on Sunday.

THE DAILY REVEILLE PAGE 7FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

Nashville floods keep Commodores out of practiceBASEBALL

Vanderbilt to play LSU in Alex BoxBy Johanathan BrooksSports Writer

Contact Johanathan Brooks at jbrooks@lsureveille.com

J.J. ALCANTARA / The Daily Reveille

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri gives the Tigers a pep talk in Alex Box Stadium in a 5-4 victory against Centenary.

THE DAILY REVEILLEPAGE 8 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

Offense versus defense: ItÕ s a battle that has defined sports matchups throughout history.

The Southeastern Confer-ence’s No. 1 offense will square off Saturday against the confer-ence’s No. 1 defense when No. 18 Tennessee welcomes No. 16 LSU to Lee Stadium in Knox-ville, Tenn.

The Lady Volunteers (39-11, 15-7) lead the league in batting average with a .335 team aver-age and hits with 444. The team’s 342 runs are the second most in the SEC behind No. 4 Alabama’s 370.

Tennessee has four players in the top 14 in the SEC in bat-ting average — freshman out-fielder Raven Chavanne ranks No. 3 with a .485 batting average, freshman outfielder Kat Dotson ranks No. 6 with a .426 batting

average, junior outfielder Kelly Grieve ranks No. 12 with a .373 batting average and sophomore third baseman Jessica Spigner ranks No. 14 with a .367 batting average.

Chavanne is also No. 2 in the SEC in hits with 80 hits and is No. 4 in the nation in both runs scored with 54 runs scored and

stolen bases with 30 stolen bases.“It’s kind of interesting to

see these young hitters coming up and doing as well as they are,” said LSU senior pitcher Cody Trahan. “At the same time, as a pitcher you’re going up there thinking, ‘I’m not supposed to get this girl out. Well, watch me do it.’”

But LSU (41-11, 19-6) has been dominant on defense.

The Tigers have the No. 1 pitching staff in the nation, boasting an ERA of 1.32. The LSU pitching staff has also given up the fewest walks in the confer-ence (104) and the second fewest hits in the SEC (256).

Freshman pitcher Rachele Fico, Trahan and sophomore pitcher Brittany Mack have the lowest ERAs in the conference with a 1.09 ERA, a 1.12 ERA and a 1.59 ERA, respectively.

“It’s all about hitting your spots and working ahead,” Gir-ouard said. “If the pitcher is do-ing what they need to do, you don’t have to worry about the op-ponent.”

The Tigers are going to have to rely on Fico and Trahan while in Knoxville. Mack will be sitting out of the series with a sore arm, according to Girouard.

LSU also has the highest fielding percentage in the league with a .976 fielding percentage. The team’s 35 errors are the few-est in the SEC, and the Tigers have allowed the second fewest stolen bases with 26 allowed.

LSU senior center fielder Kirsten Shortridge provided much of the offense for the Ti-gers this season with a team best .421 batting average and 42 sto-len bases.

The current SEC Player of the Week suffered a neck strain during LSU’s series win against Georgia. Shortridge has been re-ceiving treatment this week and is listed as probable for the series against Tennessee.

Even without Shortridge, LSU is trying to build on its mo-mentum from the victories in the series against Georgia.

“When we beat Georgia when we weren’t expected to win, it was a big confidence booster for the team,” said sophomore second baseman Juliana Santos. “It’s very important for us to con-tinue that through this series and even more important to continue through postseason.”

The matchup between LSU and Tennessee is the last series of the season for both teams before the SEC Tournament begins May

NFL draft. The amount of money he made — you just couldn’t im-prove your position in any way.”

Miles’ academic regimen is stringent. He reviews weekly reports on every player, and he instituted a program called “the breakfast club,” in which players report to study at 7 a.m. until their first class.

Miles said if they miss class or appointments with tutors, play-ers must show up at 6 a.m. and run for seven minutes followed by ei-ther 23 or 53 minutes of studying, depending on their schedules.

“My guys hear me say, ‘If you came to LSU just to play football, you made a mistake,’” Miles said.

The Academic Progress Rate (APR) is another measure the NCAA takes into account in de-termining a school’s compliance with academic regulations. The highest possible score is 1,000, and the score is based on the eli-gibility, retention and graduation of each student athlete on scholar-ship. Teams that score below 925 on their four-year rate and have a student leave school academical-ly ineligible can lose up to 10 per-cent of their scholarships through immediate penalties.

LSU’s football APR was 923 in 2005 and has risen every year since. The team’s APR score in 2009 was 960, No. 4 in the South-eastern Conference and in the 70th-80th percentile among Divi-sion I football programs.

Miriam Segar, associate ath-letic director of student services, said APR may not be the best system to incorporate across all sports at a university.

“In all circumstances, it might not be a fair measure in certain sports when student ath-letes have other opportunities to

pursue,” Segar said. “They don’t see the value of staying in school at that time in their lives ... Maybe APR is better not looked at as one size fits all.”

Bracky Brett, associate ath-letic director of compliance at Mississippi State, said a challenge with the APR ranking is educat-ing coaches about what it means. Mississippi State’s football APR was 933 in the 2009 report — its highest rating in five years.

“The APR is a real-time pic-ture of what’s happening right now,” Brett said. “It’s not all about athletic ability anymore. If you don’t consider the academic side, you run the risk of putting your program into that penalty structure where it costs you even more down the road.”

Mississippi State football

coach Dan Mullen, who was Urban Meyer’s offensive coor-dinator at Florida from 2005-08, said he encourages his players to graduate in 3 1/2 years to allow for the opportunity to pursue a professional career with a degree in hand.

“We hope they take 15 cred-its each fall, 15 in the spring and then summer school, which can be 12 credits,” Mullen said. “Hopefully they develop into a great football player and become an All-American, but you never know how that’s going to work out. That degree is going to be with them forever.”

Miles also employs the strat-egy of an accelerated graduation process, and he said it takes per-sistent training of student-athletes to get them to focus on success in

the classroom.“In a sit-down conversa-

tion, everyone would realize, ‘Of course I need my degree, of course I need greater skill, of course this all works,’” Miles said. “But does that mean I need to get up at 7 a.m. to study? Does that mean I have to stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. to study? The answer to that question is a tougher one.”

Herb Vincent, LSU senior associate athletic director, said though media often solely high-light a team’s athletic success, the football program is “stepping it up” academically.

“During the football recruit-ing process ... there’s no discus-sion in the media and Web sites and message boards if they can excel in the classroom,” Vincent said. “And if a team or student

athlete is under-performing, you don’t ever say, ‘Oh well, they’re good on the field.’ We separate the two.”

Miles said fostering his stu-dent athletes’ potential to succeed academically is a necessity for them to lead productive lives af-ter college.

“They need to be able to form opinions, have good thought, be logical and contribute to some company or organization,” Miles said. “The goal is truly when you do exactly what you should do, they should be the national cham-pion and have 100 percent gradu-ation.”

FOOTBALL, from page 5

Contact Rachel Whittaker at rwhittaker@lsureveille.com

SOFTBALL

SEC’s No. 1 offense and No. 1 set to square offShortridge probable for weekend series

By Jarred LeB-

lanc

ERIN ARLEDGE / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior pitcher Kirsten Shortridge winds up to pitch the ball Feb. 27 against Houston. The Tigers defeated the Cougars, 2-1, at Tiger Park.

Contact Jarred LeBlanc at jleblanc@lsureveille.com

THE DAILY REVEILLE PAGE 9fridAy, mAy 7, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLEPAGE 10 fridAy, mAy 7, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE PAGE 11FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

yields further sanctions. The program began calculat-

ing rates during the 2003-04 aca-demic year.

Johnson , who took over an LSU program with an already-putrid APR, couldnÕ t take the chance that Reese, who currently plays at Texas Tech, would leave. Thus, he yanked his schol-arship offer.

Ò We couldnÕ t take a chance on him,Ó Johnson said. Ò He could have been a great player, but we couldnÕ t risk him leaving.Ó

The system has affected many coachesÕ recruit-ing. They take less chances be-cause a player who doesnÕ t pan out could produce serious APR consequences.

Ò How does it tie into our re-cruiting?Ó Johnson said. Ò Well, obviously you have to get guys that can play and get an educa-tion. You canÕ t sign a guy who is a high-caliber player that will come in here and isnÕ t ready to

do the classwork. That’s the fi ne line.Ó

LSUÕ s APR scores in menÕ s basketball have been subpar. The current data has LSU at a 942 , the fi rst score above 925 since scores were posted in 2005.

The Tigers started the pro-gram with a 926 for the 2003-04 year. It only got worse from there.

Former coach John Brady post-ed an 860 score for the 2004-05 year , inducing a stern warning from the NCAA. A 903 the next season along with a 910 for 2006-07 could have been cause for worry.

The turmoil can be especially tough with coach-ing changes. New coaches might not mesh well with

the old regimeÕ s players. Players could bolt, and points might be lost.

Johnson said he is trying to build the foundation of the bas-ketball program to prevent turn-over.

Ò Because our program has a base now, these guys that are moving through are going to

graduate,Ó Johnson said. Ò ItÕ s proven when they take care of their business and theyÕ re aca-demically and socially account-able, you win. You overachieve. ThatÕ s why the Dukes, Stanfords, Michigan States and Butlers are so successful. ThatÕ s what their [programs are] about.Ó

VanderbiltÕ s program is also a perfect example. The Commo-dores currently boast a score of 975.

Ò It hasnÕ t affected our re-cruiting at all,Ó said Vanderbilt assistant coach Dan Muller . Ò We have a pretty established base here. When you have coaching changes, I think thatÕ s when the APR really hurts you.Ó

LSUÕ s number might be worse when the next round of scores comes out in May. The dismissal of forward Delwan Graham hurt , though unrelated to academics, according to Johnson . The pending eligibilty of junior guard Bo Spencer could be a se-rious detriment to the score.

Ò When I took this job, the freshman class had to be success-ful,Ó Johnson said. Ò With Del-wanÕ s situation what it is, we lost points.Ó

Johnson also said if one player fl unks out of school, the Tigers will lose a scholarship.

Ò ItÕ s pretty close,Ó Johnson

said. Ò If we have a guy who is academically ineligible off the team this year, we lose a schol-arship next year. If we have two, we lose two.Ó

The administration knows the situation Johnson inherited. It was why they hired him.

Ò HeÕ s a guy I sincerely be-lieve cares about the academic side,Ó said Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent . Ò HeÕ s a guy that understands the need for discipline in athletics. HeÕ s taken over a program with a very low APR, and heÕ s going to struggle for a few years trying to get that score up.Ó

Some agree the system is not perfect. While its intent might be noble, it isnÕ t the easiest system to work with.

“I think it’s fl awed in some regards because of the nature of some sports, and it’s diffi cult to motivate some students who have professional or other career goals they want to pursue,Ó said Miriam Segar , associate athletic director for student services. Ò ItÕ s hard to keep those kids in school if they donÕ t want to be.Ó

Still, some donÕ t think the system is stringent enough. Arne Duncan , the U.S. Secretary of Education, believes the APR is a good start.

Ò I think the APR is a part of

the solution,Ó Duncan said in a teleconference. Ò I think it doesnÕ t go far enough, though. What teams are playing for is the post-season opportunity. ThatÕ s the prize. If we are a little more re-sponsible about which teams get to compete for that prize, we can change the behavior.Ó

Duncan went further, saying he Ò wasnÕ t weddedÓ to the APR. He did propose a measure pre-venting teams with lower than a 40 percent graduation rate from participating in the postseason.

Johnson disagrees with the notion. He said he believes Dun-can is wrong in judging certain programs over a long period.

Ò HeÕ s saying not enough, but before you start speaking out like that, come up with the hard cold facts, and come up with a valid system,Ó Johnson said. Ò Associ-ate the penalty with the player or coach involved, not with the pro-gram.Ó

The system, though not perfect in JohnsonÕ s mind, is in place. Every coach has to abide by the same rules.

Ò It is what it is,Ó Johnson said. Ò ItÕ s a complicated system. We have to deal with it.Ó

Contact Chris Branch at cbranch@lsureveille.com

BASKETBALL, from page 5

that was really the freshmen who came in 2002-03.Ó

LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri said he sees the good intentions behind the system but notices it has shortcomings.

Ò A student athlete should be a student,Ó he said. Ò ThereÕ s no question that a lot of kids were wasting their time at universities just to play sports and werenÕ t concen-trating on getting an education É What the APR has done is itÕ s really forced schools, coaches and players to realize that they have to be stu-dents. If thatÕ s the goal, then it has served its purpose.Ó

It has been a long road for the LSU baseball program to get to where it is today.

LSUÕ s perfect score in 2008 was a far cry from earlier APR scores for the team. The num-ber lingered in the low 900s be-fore MainieriÕ s arrival in Baton Rouge,

Ò When I took over the pro-gram at LSU our APR number was É precariously close to be-ing in a desperate situation,Ó Mainieri said. Ò We were already on probation because if your APR is between a 900 and a 925, youÕ re already on probation.Ó

Once a school scores into the 900-925 range, penalties such as the loss of scholarships are im-posed.

Between his fi rst and second seasons at LSU, MainieriÕ s Tigers were docked two playersÕ schol-arships because they were aca-demically ineligible and decided to transfer during the offseason.

In total, the baseball team has a total of 11.7 scholarships to split among its 35 players.

Ò It hurts [sports with a small-er number of scholarships] a lot,Ó said Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent . Ò Baseball

has just taken a beating, and why they donÕ t of-fer more schol-arships, I donÕ t knowÉ [Mainieri is] already down, and if you lose even a portion of that, it hurts even more.Ó

The trans-fer rules of the

system in general are something with which Mainieri has said he

has taken an issue.Ò When a player chooses to

leave your university for what-ever reason he chooses ... but you as a university have provided him with all the support that you possibly could É I donÕ t under-stand where a university should be penalized,Ó Mainieri said.

Mainieri said it has taken a complete team effort from every-one involved to get from there to where it is today.

Ò WeÕ ve worked really hard as a baseball program,Ó he said. Ò Not just as a coaching staff, not just as players but also the people in the Cox Communications Aca-demic Center, particularly [As-sociate Director for Health and Wellness] Becca Hubbard, have all worked extremely hard on

changing the culture among our players so that they take pride in their schoolwork.Ó

Mainieri said he expects the baseball teamÕ s cumulative rank-ing to be a 936 when the next re-port is released this summer. The cumulative ranking averages out the programÕ s past four APR re-ports.

The success in the classroom could be attributed to the lessons Mainieri says he teaches his play-ers.

Ò I tell my players all the time, Ô Your skills as a player will diminish over time, and your ca-reer as a player will be over in a relatively short time, but your education will last forever,Õ Ó he said.

Mainieri has been praised by

the University administration for his work not only on the fi eld but in the classroom.

In his time at the school he has won a national championship, two SEC tournament champion-ships and raised the programÕ s cumulative APR by 33 points.

Ò WeÕ re extremely happy with him and pleased with him,Ó Vincent said. Ò ItÕ s the way he runs his whole program. ItÕ s the attention to detail in everything you do whether youÕ re on the fi eld or off the fi eld.”

BASEBALL, from page 5

‘‘“... it’s diffi cult

to motivate some students who have

professional or other career goals

they want to persue.”

Miriam Segarassiciate athletic director for

student services

‘‘“It hurts [sports with a smaller

number of scholarships] a lot.”

Herb Vincentsenior associate athletic director

Contact Johanathan Brooks at jbrooks@lsureveille.com

extracurricular student activities, such as social and athletic events, will be held on or off campus. Graded required course work (including exams, quizzes and homework) may count for a total of at most 10 percent of the stu-

dentÕ s grade in the course.Class projects that have been

scheduled and placed on the syl-labus within the first two weeks of the academic semester are ex-empt from the 10 percent limit. The assumption is that work on

such a project will take place throughout the semester. Labo-ratory courses are also exempt from this policy.

Any other exceptions must receive prior approval from the Office of Academic Affairs. Stu-dents should report any viola-tions of this policy to the Office of Academic Affairs.Ó

It says absolutely nothing about a ban on the introduction of new material. Now I realize you folks are busy getting ready for

finals and doing all those projects you may have put off to the last minute but COME ON MAN!!! This was too easy to fact check and getting it wrong is way be-neath your standards.

Dr. Steven Pomericobiology instructor

As we look back on the past academic year, itÕ s a time for re-flection on what went wrong and what went right.

One area where such an as-sessment is especially necessary is Student Government. As we look back on the past two semes-ters, we see a mixed, mediocre track record for President Stuart Watkins and the administration over which he presided.

The biggest task this yearÕ s SG faced was obviously helping to guide the University through choppy fiscal waters.

As budget cuts that had

loomed for months finally began to cause significant problems, Watkins and his vice president, Martina Scheuermann, were con-stant advocates at the State Capi-tol, trying their hardest to person-ally represent the student body to our state leaders.

SG’s shining moment dur-ing the budget crisis was the Fund Our Future March, when SG provided buses for students to and from the Capitol through-out the day. The pictures of doz-ens of students protesting on the front steps and of students talk-ing directly to legislators made

front page news, and was a commendable effort to ensure students had a chance to fight for the quality of their education. The Fund Our Future March was a shining example of SG giving students a voice Ñ we hope to see similar initiatives in the fu-ture.

In less positive news, SG caused controversy Ñ and likely widespread cynicism Ñ by at-tempting to attach a mandatory $30 fee to graduating seniorsÕ fee bills to pay for bricks in a walkway planned to surround the Parade Ground. SG attempted to

have the fee attached without any formal or organized student input and specifically decided not to bring the fee before a vote of the student body.

Although the fee stalled in the approval process, thereÕ s no guarantee it wonÕ t be resurrected Ñ and the process that it made it through casts this administration in a negative light.

So what’s the final verdict on this year’s SG?

In our opinion Ñ a resound-ing Ò meh.Ó

While we commend our rep-resentatives for their hard work,

we donÕ t think their administra-tion did anything to really stand out from previous administra-tions Ñ especially in comparison to some previous administrations.

We hope J Hudson and Dani Borel — and all the SG represen-tatives who will represent us Ñ will do more to really Ò wowÓ us and the student body.

SG did a lot of good this year. But it can and should do so much more.

In his Wednesday column, Ò Athletes should boycott Ari-zona,Ó sports columnist Amos Morale defends his stance that this bill has racist roots and is un-just on those grounds. However he fails to justify his opinion in many ways.

He makes a point that the law would provide police in Ari-zona the ability to racially profile people of certain races Ñ even though the goal of this law is to find, detain and punish people who are here illegally. Morale be-lieves this is a direct attack on the Hispanic community, though he makes a special point to mention that Steve Nash would fall under the same jurisdiction if he were to be stopped and found without identification. I think the point he misses is that everyone should be carrying identification on their persons if they are operating a motor vehicle in this country, right?

Moreover, this law does not simply allow police officers to pull people over based on looks alone. Though, I ask you, since America is a Ò melting pot,Ó what does an illegal alien look like anyway? Furthermore, the po-lice must make Ò lawful contactÓ such as stopping someone for speeding, violating a traffic law, responding to a call, etc. During these routine stops they ask for identification (proof of citizen-ship), regardless. So for most Americans, nothing will change. However, this bill does allow

officers to enforce federal immi-gration laws, knowing that their state is behind them.

Next, Morale goes on to say that this bill is Ò too extreme,Ó and perhaps he is right. Perhaps we should enact laws like that of Mexico, the homeland to the ille-gals whom he is trying to protect. In Mexico, people who are found to be illegal aliens are automati-cally assumed guilty of a felony, put in jail and deported without so much as a hearing.

IÕ m not an advocate against immigration Ñ though I am against those who do not go through the proper channels to become legal, taxpaying, citizens of this country.

Nicholas Bottsenvironmental engineering junior

OpinionPAGE 12 FRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLEThe 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 Communi-cation. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, 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 number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveil-le reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the origi-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 ev-ery semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

EDITORIAL POLICIES & PROCEDURES QUOTE OF THE DAY

Ò The words of truth are always paradoxical.Ó

Lao TzuChinese philosopher600 BCE — 531 BCE

Editorial Board

THE DAILY REVEILLE

NICHOLAS PERSAC

JERIT ROSER

GERRI SAX

ELLEN ZIELINSKI

MATTHEW ALBRIGHT

Editor

Managing Editor, Content

Managing Editor, External Media

Managing Editor, Production

Opinion Editor

OUR VIEW

Student Government has presided over mediocre year

Contact the Editorial Board at editor@lsureveille.com

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Accusations of racism in Arizona

bill unfounded

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

BEST AND WITTIEST

cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

In ThursdayÕ s Ò Our View.Ó the description of the concen-trated study period (A.K.A. dead week) which cited the LSU Gen-eral Catalog contains an error. The last sentence in the para-graph detailing the catalog state-ment says Ò In addition, no new material should be introduced during this time.Ó

The statement for the LSU catalog actually reads as fol-lows: “The five-day period dur-ing the fall and spring semesters (Wednesday through Sunday) immediately preceding the week of final examinations will be set aside as a concentrated study period. During this time, no

Dead Week anger filled with

misconceptions

This semester, local media have featured countless headlines calling attention to budget cuts in several different areas of the University. The government and administration have apparently made the relief of the current debacle, as well as a future solution to the budgetary shortcom-ings, a priority.

The Louisiana Postsecondary Education Review Commission has suggested solutions, and the LSU Board of Supervisors is doing its best to execute the orders handed down. One of their assignments is Ò a rigorous statewide review of aca-demic programs for unnecessary du-plication and excess hours required for degree completion.Ó

Their plan is to standardize the number of credits at 120 hours. If youÕ re in either the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Busi-ness, you probably see no difference in the suggested change. If youÕ re in the College of Engineering, you might gasp in fear.

Why fear?A quick citation of numbers is

revealing. The average number of curriculum hours in Business is 121; in Arts and Sciences, 121; in Engi-neering, 129.5. Shaving almost 10 hours doesnÕ t happen without reduc-tion in quality of education.

That canÕ t happen, so thereÕ s a catch. The committees and com-missions are clever in their diction. The condition on the standardization is the retention of accreditation and certification requirements.

The problem is their measur-ing stick. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and The Southern Asso-ciation of Colleges and Schools (SACS) both deem LSU a sufficient school in engineering with their ac-creditation.

This is a great standard to meet, but when you look at our company it lessens the significance. Mississippi State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Southern University and the University of Mississippi, none of which are top tier universities are ABET accredit-ed. The two Mississippi universities

also have SACS accreditations.If LSU is going to maintain

and pursue excellence in all of its endeavors, it needs to avoid na• vetŽ

in settling with these academic rulers. This isnÕ t a back-handed insult to LSUÕ s Ò rivalsÓ but an objective look at reality of our receding stan-dards. The com-mission said ac-

creditation should be retained, and it is Ñ accreditation is one thing, actual quality is another.

The professors who choose the curriculum arenÕ t morons and im-plying that theyÕ re requiring extra classes is na• ve. Engineering stu-dents are prepared for work applying math and science Ò with judgment to develop ways to utilize the materials and forces of nature economically for the benefit of mankind,” accord-ing to the general catalog. This may come as a surprise, but thereÕ s a lot

of science and math to know to per-form adequately in the real world in-dustry Ñ see British Petroleum and the Gulf of Mexico.

The suggestion that adequate engineers will come from LSU after 120 credit hours is not only na• ve, itÕ s a move in the wrong direction. Engineers are underappreciated and unnecessarily stigmatized for tak-ing five years to graduate. There’s almost one extra semester in most engineering degrees and more than that in some.

Based on an engineering stu-dentÕ s average of 16 class hours per semester, 20 hours of work per week and accounting for Ò 3-4 hours of work for every 1 in the classroom,Ó thereÕ s just over 30 minutes per meal and no travel timeÑ that includes the weekend and excludes the reality of over four hours of work outside of class.

ThatÕ s the math. Do you think anyone will graduate in a sane con-dition?

Adding a ninth and/or 10th semester merely levels the playing

field for engineering majors who need to know more information upon graduation because of the de-mands of the industry.

Frankly, engineers perpetuate the comfortable existence and soci-etal advancement of everyone else. Yes, IÕ m Ò tooting my own horn,Ó but the world operates on technology.

Whether itÕ s the printer that produced this paper or the turbine that generated the electricity to save your friend/family member with a defibrillator, engineers made it pos-sible.

ItÕ s just common courtesy to give us the time and resources to learn what we need to know to make your life easier.

Matt Lousteau is a 20-year-old me-chanical engineering junior from Laplace. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mlousteau.

OpinionFRIDAY, MAY 7, 2010 PAGE 13

THE DAILY REVEILLE

WEB COMMENTSItÕ s been a busy and contro-

versial semester for students. That controversy hasnÕ t ended during Ò Dead Week,Ó and our Web site, lsureveille.com is still abuzz with comments. HereÕ s a sample:

Commentors had this to say about Marcelo VieiraÕ s column Ò American obsession with war bewilders ev-eryone else,Ó decrying the U.S. for overly loving warfare:

Ò If Argentina attacks Brazil, Brazil would not attack back? War is necessary for eliminating those rogue states that do not appreciate freedom, life and civility. Marcelo, your opin-ion as musician is very romantic but understand in first place, the causes of war. My friend if you do not like this country, get out of here and find a better school at home!Ó

-AmeriCorps

Ò Congratulations on providing a completely one-sided viewpoint without even attempting to view it from the other side. No mention of 9/11, which was the primary cata-lyst for our recent military paranoia/actions. No mention of removing a sadistic dictator from his reign of terror and introducing him to justice. I guess I shouldnÕ t be surprised that a 32-year old jazz cellist Ô studentÕ is as unqualified to write a satisfac-tory opinion column as he is to write about American military policy. Glad this is your last column, though I fear for what uninformed arrogant career Ô studentÕ the Reveille will choose to replace you.Ó

-Anonymous

Commentors had this to say about the staff editorial Ò RebelsÕ chest thumping is sad, slightly amusing,Ó fighting back against the Ole Miss’ paperÕ s gloating about their sports

victories over LSU this year:

“People, people! Must we split hairs here? After Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Tulane, Louisiana Tech, ULL, Southern University, and Ba-ton Rouge Community College; Ole Miss is a strong rival. They have pro-vided us with mediocre competition for years and should not be looked down upon! If I played Kobe Bryant in basketball everyday, eventually - one day- I will beat him! ThatÕ s the way I feel about Ole Miss. If you look at all of LSU records vs Ole Miss, you will see we boast a win-ning record in every sport... except WomenÕ s tennis I believe. I will be glad to bleed purple and gold and have one bad year, then have to rely on Eli and Archie Manning as notable alums. Speaking of which, why didnt Peyton Manning go to Ole Miss?

So this year we tip our hats to hats to you Ole Miss; and good luck finding a new mascot! Col. Reb will be missed!Ó

-Anonymous

Ò Nobody at LSU discusses Ole Miss. Ole Miss is the pimple on our a**. IÕ m glad someone at the Rev-eille took the time to write this ar-ticle. You should learn to show some grace and civility and not boast when you have nothing to boast about. You beat us during the regular season, Congratulations!! And on a down year for all athletics here at LSU. I donÕ t mind a little post game boast-ing and ragging, as my neighbor taught me most of the year, but he doesnÕ t sit there and take out ads and continue to rub it my face and neither do I when we win. Grow up.Ó

-Cory

Ô Ò We simply donÕ t have time in our busy agenda...Õ , but you do have

time to right a lengthy column in re-sponse to nothing more that a facts-based ad in a newspaper. I guess that we should consider ourselves so fortunate as to be worthy enough to have such an article as this written in response to something so minute as a newspaper ad. Glad you guys took time to take notice. Fact is though, this stings, burns even, and we all know how corndogs hold a grudge. So you all glory in the past, but until this present moment is part of his-tories pages, you guys are nothing more than #2.Ó

-Anonymous

Ò I love it. As a long standing (and long suffering) Rebel, I do tend to celebrate the recent successes of my team. However, one cannot ignore nor fail to admire the long standing athletic excellence of the Tigers. Both are good things.

Ô RivalriesÕ are in the moment. A waxing by one team automatical-ly generates passion about the next meeting. ItÕ s the stuff college sports are made of.

Personally, I think itÕ s much more entertaining when your Ô rivalÕ is successful, not withstanding the recruiting advantages. It makes the

anticipation and enjoyment of the upcoming games greater. And isnÕ t that what itÕ s all about?Ó

-Anonymous

What do you think? Let your opin-ions be known on our Web site, lsureveille.com. Every article and column you see in the print edition appears online, and all of it is open to comments. Log on today!

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

EAT LESS, LEARN MORE

Five years more realistic than board’s suggestion

Contact Matt Lousteau at mlousteau@lsureveille.com

Matt LousteauColumnist

BEST AND WITTIEST

cartoon courtesy of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

ClassifiedsPAGE 14 fridAy, mAy 7, 2010

THE DAILY REVEILLE

College of BasiC sCienCes has an opening for a student worker beginning June 1st. applicants must be able to work 30 hours per week during

summer and should not be a BasC major. Duties include assisting with freshman orientations and office projects. applicants must be proficient in

Word, excell and PowerPoint.submit letter of application, resume and referenc-es by friday, May 7th to Martha a. Cedotal, senior assistant Dean, 351 Hatcher Hall. 225.578.4001

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sUMMeR CaMP eMPloYees River Road summer Camp is looking for f/t and p/t employees. Must be 18 or older. 15 minutes from lsU.

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fiRM seeKs inTaKe sPeCialisTDudley DeBosier injury lawyers is looking for an intake specialist to start immediately and work

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RoCKsTaRs WanTeD - JiMMY JoHns Do YoU RoCK?!? Jimmy John’s gourmet sandwiches is looking for KiCKass sandwich Makers and

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PaRKVieW BaPTisT PResCHoolPreschool afternoon Teachers needed 3-6pm flex

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THe UniVeRsiTY ClUB golf course is now hiring lifegaurds, servers, and cart staff. flexible sched-ules and fun environment. Please come fill out an

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sTUDenT WoRKeR PosiTion aT THe aQUa-CUlTURe ReseaRCH sTaTion: Work in routine maintenance of laboratories and running flow cytometric samples. Background in biological

sciences essential. Requirements: good academic standing, strong work ethic, and ability to work in

a team. Contact Dr Jonathan Daly: jdaly@agcenter.lsu.edu. 225.765.2848

ReCePTionisT-laW fiRMWe require a part time receptionist for law firm

located downtown-start May 15th. submit resume to 618 Main street, Baton Rouge, la 70801-no

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nannY/siTTeR neeDeD beginning mid-august for two little boys, two days a week. Must be reliable,

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Don’T Miss THis oPPoRTUniTY!now hiring for all positions at the following loca-

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fiTness insTRUCToRs/fRonT DesK assisTanT neeDeD: great part time afternoon school year

job-full time summer job-great Pay!exerfit family fitness, Bluebonnet ave(Crawfish aquatic’s sister Program) if you are highly motivated, hard work-

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sUMMeR CHilD CaRe HelPThree active children, ages 11-16 - need supervi-

sion at home and transportation to summer activities. Requires safe driving record, references.

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noW HiRing foR sUMMeR & fall!Child Care Center near lsU now hiring for summer and fall semesters. afternoon Teachers needed

2:30-5:30 Mon-fri. 225.766.1159

PT sTUDenT WoRKeR excellent student opportu-nity. Will be responsible for completing company

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Nsales assoCiaTes neeDeD

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seVeRal oPeningsRetail store has positions open in office, store and

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Casa MaRia MeXiCan gRill now hiring summer waitstaff. apply in person at 7955 Bluebonnet

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aTTenTion fResHManBusy Pediatric Cardiology office looking for

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THe CHiMes on CoURseY Taking applications for experienced bartenders.

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laRge 1-BR (650 sq. ft.) $500 and 2-br (1170 sq ft.) $700 in small quiet complex perfect for seri-ous students. Walk, cycle, or take the lsU bus to class, shopping. on-site manager, reserved park-ing, video surveillence security. 757-8175. apply online at http://riverroadapartments.tripod.com

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Help Wanted

act as an introduction to the outdoor part of the museum.

Ò It whets your appetite for what youÕ re about to see outside,Ó Floyd said.

The historical buildings, arti-facts, and heritage crops like sugar cane, are funded by a donation to the University from a family passionate about preserving history.

Steele Burden, who handled the UniversityÕ s landscaping, and his sister Ione Burden, who directed social activities, made the land avail-able to University agriculture stu-dents around the 1920s, said Associ-ate Dean of Libraries Faye Phillips. Phillips recently wrote a book on the Rural Life Museum to be published this summer.

Ò In the 1920s and Õ 30s, they be-gan to develop new strains of crops, experiment with flowers and do a lot of agricultural work and experiments out on that land,Ó Phillips said.

The Burdens donated the land to the University in 1965.

Ò They were educated at LSU

and worked for LSU, so they had a love for the University,Ó Normand said.

Floyd said with a financial gift and 450 acres worth about $700,000 each, the BurdensÕ donation is argu-ably the most valuable the Univer-sity has received.

Ò For a town this size ... 450 un-developed acres to be used for his-torical research and the Rural Life Museum ... is unbelievable,Ó Floyd said. Ò ItÕ s an almost mind-boggling gift.Ó

The land was originally closed to the public and was meant to be an undeveloped green space, but Steele Burden began preserving artifacts that eventually evolved into the mu-seumÕ s collections.

Ò In 1970, Steele Burden had the idea of trying to preserve the ele-ments of the working plantation, so thatÕ s when the plantation section was created,Ó Floyd said. Ò From there, it expanded to rural life for all people Ð the yeoman farmer, free people of color, everybody.Ó

The museum features a Ò ver-nacular architectureÓ exhibit

detailing the differences in architec-ture of north and south Louisiana, as well as “Uncle Jack,” the first statue of a black man in America.

Today, the museum has high educational value. The exhibits are closely related to history, geography and social studies skills beneficial to elementary school students prepar-ing for the LEAP Test, Floyd said.

The museum also allows Uni-versity faculty to bring classes to the land free of charge and use it as an open-air classroom.

Floyd said he is proud of the significance of the museum and hopes to continue its trend of excel-lence for years to come.

Ò My dream for the museum is that the atmosphere of being in the country and being in a historic rural place will never change,Ó Floyd said. Ò When you come here you will feel like you’re in the fields of north or south Louisiana ... youÕ re transport-ed to another time.Ó

THE DAILY REVEILLE PAGE 15fridAy, mAy 7, 2010

requiring schools to show some progress toward higher retention, graduation and completers before they can reap the benefits of the bill.

Ò I support the amendment for 2012 because [the original bill] would be like giving an employee money before they go to work,Ó said James Callier of the Patrick F. Taylor Foundation. Ò We need to see some indication that institutions are moving in the right direction, and if we donÕ t do that then we are main-taining the status quo.Ó

Tucker, who is also Speaker of the House, said the change was necessary to pass the bill on the House floor.

The University Board of Su-pervisors already approved a 5 percent increase in tuition and fees resulting in a $260 increase in total cost for undergraduates next se-mester.

If passed, the bill would allow the University to raise tuition by a total of 10 percent in consecutive years until the tuition level reaches the SREB average.

Jason Droddy, assistant vice chancellor of Legislative and Ex-ternal Affairs, said the bill will likely be amended again, and itÕ s possible tuition could be raised for the coming spring semester based on performance figures from fall.

Chancellor Michael Martin has voiced his support for the LA

Grad Act, calling it a Ò step in the right direction,Ó but said he will ar-gue against the amended timeframe of the bill.

Ò I think there will still be some modifications,” Martin said. “As we heard, there will probably be some floor amendments. I am go-ing to continue to try to make the case that we have achieved; we have met the requirements, and we need the money.Ó

Martin was joined by new Student Government President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel as well as English professor

and creator of the Facebook group Ò Save LSUÓ Tania Nyman.

While Martin has made his support for the Grad Act clear, Ny-man thinks it will be a destructive policy that will lead to grade in-flation if universities are forced to raise their standards to keep fund-ing.

The bill will now be referred to the House Committee on Appro-priations.

Contact Xerxes A. Wilson at xwilson@lsureveille.com

LA GRAD, from page 1

ANNIVERSARY, from page 1

Contact Ryan Buxton at rbuxton@lsureveille.com

lapping at the shore of New Har-bor Island, washing into thick marsh grass. It looked like soggy cornflakes, possibly because it was mixed with chemicals that had been sprayed to break it up before it reached land.

Offshore, birds dove into the water amid lines of orange oil, but none appeared to be in distress. There were numerous dead jellyfish, some washing up on the shore. ItÕ s nesting time for sea gulls and peli-cans, and the danger is they may be taking contaminated food or oil on their feathers to their young.

People donÕ t live on New Har-bor, which is in the Chandeleurs, an

important chain of barrier islands off Louisiana that are part of a national wildlife refuge and provide a nesting ground for sea birds.

Streaks of putrid, orange and rust-colored oil were also creeping well west of the mouth of the Mis-sissippi River in an area that has re-ceived less attention.

Much of the oil west of the river was still miles out in the Gulf, but there appeared to be little or no ef-fort to contain or clean it up. There were hundreds of dead man-o-war jellyfish there.

Out at sea, some boats were us-ing skimmers to suck up oil while others were corralling and setting fire to it to burn it off the surface.

The Joe Griffin, the ship

carrying the containment box that will be lowered to the seafloor, ar-rived Thursday morning at the leak site about 50 miles offshore.

Workers hope to have the de-vice down at the seabed by Thursday evening, but it will likely be Sunday or Monday before itÕ s fully opera-tional and they know if itÕ s working.

The crew wonÕ t have to worry about dealing with the wreckage of the Deepwater Horizon, which sank two days after the explosion. ItÕ s not anywhere near where theyÕ re work-ing. It had been operated by BP LPC, which is responsible for the cleanup.

XERXES A. WILSON / The Daily Reveille

Student Government President J Hudson and Vice President Dani Borel attend a legislative session discussing Gov. Bobby Jindal’s LA Grad Act on Thursday.

OIL, from page 1

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

THE DAILY REVEILLEfriday, may 7, 2010 PaGE 16