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Southern, LSU Try to Mend Relations

By Amber Perry and Nicole Dorn
Black College Wire

Jason Hughes, outgoing senior class senator, moderated the town hall meeting.

A police officer's comments in the Louisiana State University student newspaper that some took to mean that LSU police see Southern University students as security problems prompted a town hall-style meeting on the Southern campus intended to smooth relations between the two schools.

Kirbie Pillette of the LSU Student Government Association told the group, "The SGA is very disheartened -- the comments are not a reflection of the campus, but of one person. The relationship we have with Southern is indispensable. Although we haven't done as much as we could with our relationship, that is all going to change."

LSU undergraduate chapters of the black Greek organization Omega Psi Phi and of the traditionally white Greek organization Tau Kappa Epsilon planned an event to bring black and white Greeks and students of LSU together. "Salt 'N' Pepper" was previously one party, but was planned this time as a weekend. One of the four activities, scheduled at the Carl Maddox Field House, was canceled after security issues were raised.

"Tommy Fertel, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, and Steve Brockington, former president of Omega Psi Phi had made plans to co -sponsor the event," the LSU newspaper, the Daily Reveille, reported on April 25.

"Fertel said LSUPD Maj. Mark Shaw, a Tau Kappa Epsilon alumnus, called him at his fraternity house Wednesday night to tell him that because the party would include alcohol and because of problems at past Salt �N� Pepper parties, 12 security officers would be required instead of the initially agreed upon eight.

"Fertel also said Shaw 'gave me the facts' about the history of Salt �N� Pepper, citing problems in previous years with fighting and recent troubles with Southern students on campus.

"After talking to Shaw, Fertel said he called Brockington about the increase in officers, and the three met Thursday at the LSUPD office to talk about the changes."

The article quoted Brockington as saying of Shaw, "He said everything but 'we�re afraid to have blacks on campus.' He did everything under the sun to discourage us."

"At one point during the meeting, Brockington said that he asked Shaw, 'are you concerned there will be too many black people on campus?'

Crawford Leavoy of the Louisiana State University student government gives students his perspective as Hughes, center, and Justin Justin McCorkle, Southern Student Government Association president-elect, look on.

"The reporter is trying to make this a race issue. It's not," Shaw said of the article. "It's a crowd issue. It's not that Southern students are a problem, the Omegas tried to have an LSU Greek event but they publicized it at Southern."

Shaw said that because Southern students were not officially invited to the event, they would be turned away if they did show up, and that he knew a problem could arise.

Since 1860, LSU has been the state's flagship institution of higher learning. It has more than 34,000 faculty, staff and students, who come from every state and more than 120 countries. Of them, only 2,642 students are black and non-Hispanic. Admission requirements are a GPA of 3.0 and 22 on the ACT. Tuition is $1,496.

Southern is part of the nation's only historically black land grant university system. It offers bachelor's degrees in 40 areas, 19 master's, two doctoral, and three associate degrees. An average 9,000 students are enrolled each year at the Baton Rouge campus and tuition is $1,744.

Most Southern students obtain a high school GPA of 2.0 or an ACT composite score of 20 or better.

The two schools, about 15 miles apart, are both in Baton Rouge. To unite the black students at the two universities, a Black Family Reunion is held each spring semester. It is a one-day event with food, games and fun that alternates each year between the schools.

"The relationship between the universities is gradually improving," said Desherick J. Boone, Southern University's liaison to LSU and senior criminal justice major from Dallas.

After the Reveille article appeared, the LSU Student Government Association, LSU Chancellor Sean O' Keefe and SU Chancellor Edward Jackson all released statements or wrote letters to the editor of the Reveille. "We are dismayed by LSUPD Maj. Mark Shaw's statements, and want to assure the students at Southern University, and at LSU, that these comments and beliefs are not our own," the LSU student government said.

O'Keefe wrote: "On behalf of LSU, I regret any inference that Southern University students would be the cause of discord and apologize for any offense felt by our colleagues and friends. The opinions expressed in the article are not those of the LSU Police Department or of the University."

Jackson said, "We sincerely appreciate the response of Chancellor Sean O' Keefe and the Student Government Association at LSU regarding the unfortunate comments made by one of their staff. Our two universities have made remarkable strides and we wish to continue that progress. We reject any efforts on the part of anyone to interfere with that advancement."

The "town hall" meeting, open to both Southern and LSU students, was held at Southern April 27 from noon to 2 p.m.

About 75 attended. Jason Hughes, outgoing senior class senator, moderated.

"We hope this forum will clarify the problem, not cause a riot," Hughes said in his opening statement.

Jackson said he had called a meeting between Justin McCorkle, the SU Student Government Association president-elect; outgoing SGA president Arthur Monroe, the president of the LSU chapter of Omega Psi Phi and himself to discuss the issue.

"We didn't want to hinder relations between LSU and SU," Jackson said. " I am proud of the three young men who wanted caution with this issue. I commend them on their leadership."

Pillette of the LSU Student Government Association added, "The official decision to cancel the party was made by the president of Tau Kappa Epsilon because of budget problems."

Anderson Dye, a Southern mass communication graduate assistant, speculated about what might have taken place if the situation were reversed.

"If that would have been an officer from SU to make the same comments, they would have been fired. When the Minidome [F.G. Clark Activity Center] caught on fire, we adapted and held the Ms. Southern pageant in Seymour gym. We held our graduation at Bethany Prayer Center just so we didn't have to use any of LSU's facilities."

McCorkle, the SU student president-elect, provided his e-mail address so that students could send questions or comments.

"We are looking for committed people to help. This problem cannot be solved in one year. If we as students stay concerned, things will change," he said.

Danielle Wheeler, senior mass communications major from LSU, said she thought the town hall meeting was necessary.

"We need to recognize that core problem is racism in Baton Rouge and between LSU and Southern. Everything mentioned today is a by-product of racism."

Ryan Berni, an LSU student and member of the SGA executive team, said the meeting "was definitely good. The dialogue was helpful in knowing how the students feel. Southern, LSU, and Baton Rouge Community College need to come together and see how to move Baton Rouge forward."

Amber Perry and Nicole Dorn, students at Southern University, write for the Southern Digest.

Posted April 29, 2005