www.thenichollsworth.com Please Recycle A Nicholls State University Student Publication NICHOLLS WORT H THE Thursday, Sep. 6, 2012 Volume 58 Issue 2 Hurricane Isaac Special Issue “That’s what we do here in the United States of America. That’s what we do here in Louisiana. When disasters like this happen, we set aside whatever petty disagreements we may have. Nobody’s a Democrat or Republican -- we’re all just Americans looking out for one another.” - President Barack Obama Isaac’s Aftermath AP PHOTOS
Transcript
www.thenichollsworth.com Please Recycle A Nicholls State University Student Publication
NICHOLLS WORTHTHE
Thursday, Sep. 6, 2012 Volume 58 Issue 2
Hurr icane Isaac Specia l Issue
“That’s what we do here in the United States of America. That’s what we do here in Louisiana.
When disasters like this happen, we set aside whatever petty disagreements we may have.
Nobody’s a Democrat or Republican -- we’re all just Americans looking out for one another.”
- President Barack Obama
Isaac’s Aftermath
AP PHOTOS
NICHOLLS WEEKLY CALENDARSATTHURS FRI SUN
WEDMON TUES THURS
AUG 23Offi cers on shift observed parking violations on campus. Offi cers on
shift issued a total of 79 citations for parking violations.
AUG 24Thibodaux Police called University Police stating that a man was in
Peltier Park masturbating to the women jogging and that he was heading in the diretion of campus. Offi cers responded with Thibodaux Police. The suspect was not located. A report to follow and camera footage is being reviewed.
AUG 26Someone reported that people were in Ayo Pool, but all the gates were
locked. Ayo Pool was closed, and six students were found swimming. All six were issued disciplinary summons for unauthorized entry and use of a University facility.
AUG 29Students were told that they needed to leave campus or take shelter in the
Student Union as of 2 p.m. on Aug. 28 for Hurricane Isaac. Two students were found in the greenhouse near Gouaux Hall after this time. The same two students returned to the greenhouse after being told to leave, and they could not stay. Both were issued disciplinary summons.
Welcome Back Day Rescheduled
Due to Hurricane Isaac, Welcome Back Day has been rescheduled for Thursday, Sept. 13 in the Quad from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. This year’s theme is Fit to be a Colonel in honor of the grand opening of the Harold J. Callais Recreation Center.
Fall 2012 Intramural Sign-Ups
Intramural sports will begin soon on campus. Dates for league sports are:-Volleyball: Sept. 17-Oct. 12 (deadline for sign-ups is Sept. 12)-Kickball: Sept. 24-Oct. 26-Flag Football: Oct. 15-Nov. 30For more information on intramural sports contact Kristen at kristen.fi [email protected]
Piano and Violin Duo Concert
Tonight a Nicholls State University Department of Music piano and violin duo will perform a concert free to the public. The concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Mary M. Danos Theatre (formerly known as Talbot Theatre).
Homecoming Shirts
Homecoming Week will be Oct. 6 - 13. On Oct.13, Nicholls will play Sam Houston. To get into the Colonel spirit and show support for your Alma mater, you may purchase a 2012 Homecoming T-shirt! We have both short and long sleeve shirts available. Shirts will be available today, Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pricing is as follows:
If you or a family member experienced an extreme change in income as a result of the hurricane you may qualify for need based fi nancial aid (even if you have not qualifi ed for need-based fi nancial aid in the past.) To apply, complete the FAFSA form online, which will help speed up the review process. Once completed, contact 985-448-4048 to discuss the process for qualifying for “an unusual circumstance ad-justment to your fi nancial aid package.”
Page 2 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
• Rush/Recr ui tment
continues
• Homecoming Shirts
sold in Student Union
from 10 - 2 p.m.
• Thursday Night Live
(Chi Alpha) - Gouaux
Auditorium at 7 p.m.
• Rush/Recr ui tment
continues
• International Student
Welcome Back 2012
• Faculty and Staff
Wine and Cheese So-
cial from 3 - 5 p.m. at
Colonel’s Retreat
• Homecoming Shirts
sold in Student Union
from 10 - 2 p.m.
• Volleyball v. UNO -
6:30 p.m. in Stopher
Gym
• Ice Cream Night -
Galliano Hall
• Homecoming Shirts
sold in Student Union
from 10 - 2 p.m.
• Welcome Back Day
- 10:30 - 1:30 p.m. in
the Quad
THURSDAY FRIDAY
SATURDAY SUNDAY
HIGH: LOW:HIGH: LOW:
HIGH: LOW:HIGH: LOW:
93 7395 73
88 63 77 57
30% CHANCE OF RAIN 20% CHANCE OF RAIN
20% CHANCE OF RAIN 0% CHANCE OF RAIN
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Hurricane Isaac spares University from severe damage
Workers use dumptrucks to move the debris from Hurricane Isaac off of campus to get ready for school to reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
PHOTO BY CELESTE HOPE
By Channing ParfaitNews Editor
Nicholls State University weathered Hurricane Isaac better than other parts of Louisiana, but there are some minor repairs needed that the University was not prepared for.
Physical plant personnel surveyed buildings around campus on Thursday after the storm and also began the clean-up process.
Michael Davis, assistant vice president for facilities, said the hardest-hit areas on campus were still not as severe as they could have been.
“I’d classify the damage to campus as light,” Davis said.
Previous leaks in the roof of Stopher Gym caused more rain to enter during the storm. Water also entered the gym through air vents on the roof. As a result, the gym fl oor was damaged.
“When wood gets wet it begins to
swell since there is no place for the water to go,” Davis said. “Once it stops rain-ing, we may get some humidity control and the fl oor will settle down.”
The recreation center, which was set to open at the beginning of September, also sustained damage. Roof caps over the weight room area of the recreation center were torn off, causing rain to pour in.
Davis said that part of the recreation center has a rubberized fl oor, which
helped reduce the amount of damage to that area.
“If this would have happened in the gym area we would have some serious problems and damage,” Davis said.
The latest promise date for the recreation center was set for Aug. 31. Since construc-tion was delayed because of Hurricane Isaac, the University plans to announce an opening date for later this month.
Davis said having physical plant per-sonnel come in early after the storm
helped to reduce damage in buildings before it got worse.
For example, there was water in the hall-ways of Ayo Hall that entered from the elevator pit. There was also a lab with miss-ing ceiling tiles caused by water damage. However, Davis said students were able to use that classroom this week.
There was also roof damage in Lind-sley Hall (band hall), Talbot Hall, the student publications building and the mechanic shop.
see DAMAGE page 7
Page 4 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
Picking
PiecestheUp
photo by Celeste hope
Ap photo
Ap photo
1.
2.
3.
1. Richard Sackfield, center, fills a sandbag for Annie Savoie, left, as Isaac nears landfall in Houma, La. Isaac is churning it’s way across the Gulf of Mexico heading towards Louisiana. 2. Next to the stadium on Audubon Ave. is the dumping site for downed trees and branches during the cleanup of campus after Hurricane Isaac. 3. Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Sr. Agent Wesley Duck, left, and St. John Parish Sheriff Deputy Jason Raborn rescue Bernita and David Augustine and their dog Ella from the their home in the Cambridge Neighborhood in LaPlace, La., Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. Isaac soaked Louisiana for yet another day and pushed more water into neighbor-hoods all around the city, flooding homes and forcing last-minute evacuations and rescues.
grAphiC by sArAh bAudoin
The Nicholls Worth | 09.06.12 | Page 5
photo by Celeste hope
photo by Celeste hope
Ap photo
photo by Celeste hope
4.
5.
6.
7.
4. The Cato clothing store for women, off of Canal Blvd., had it’s windows blown out by Hurricane Isaac’s winds. Workers are already repairing the damage on August 31, 2012, just two days after the storm.
5. Darenisha Coleman walks with her father Darren through flood-waters in the Cambridge Neighborhood of LaPlace, La., Thursday, Aug. 30, 2012. Isaac soaked Louisiana for yet another day and pushed more water into neighborhoods all around the city, flooding homes and forcing last-minute evacuations and rescues.
6. Signs on Bowie road were blown sideways from Hurricane Isaac’s strong winds, which came through Thibodaux on August 29, 2012.
7. The Walmart gas station off of Canal Blvd. suffered some damage due to Hurricane Isaac’s winds, on August 29, 2012.
photo by ChelseA ChAuvin8.
8. Tyrone Meck, Talbot Hall custodian works hard to clean the out-side of Talbot after Hurricane Isaac on September 1, 2012.
Page 6 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
Don’t forget Nicholls is Tobacco-Free
Smoking and the use of any tobacco product is prohibited on all university property, including campus facilities and grounds.
Join Colonel Tillou and Nicholls State University in providing a 100% tobacco-free environment.
To view the policy visitwww.nicholls.edu/human_resources or www.nicholls.edu/sja
For All Your Student Needs: Medical Scrubs, Prescriptions, &
Isaac has an impact on students and local businesses By Channing Parfait
News Editor
Although slow-moving Hurricane Isaac passed over Louisiana more than a week ago, the effects of the storm re-mained evident throughout the Labor Day weekend.
Hurricane Isaac made landfall in Loui-siana on Aug. 28 as a category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds between 96 and 110 mph. The storm’s impact can be seen across most of the state through the lack of power and areas with people who continue to recover from floodwa-ters.
Many residents of Louisiana who are accustomed to stronger hurricane condi-tions did not expect the category 1 storm to have such an impact.
Kelsie Broussard, nursing senior from
St. Amant, said she lives in Ascension Par-ish, which was under a voluntary evacua-tion Friday after the storm because of a possible rise in floodwater.
Broussard said she worked at Thibodaux Regional Hospital for most of the storm but returned to St. Amant to help her fam-ily with precautionary actions in case pump stations in St. Amant would stop working.
“My house could have had a possible six to eight inches of water,” she said.
Broussard said her family worked to pick up important papers and pictures in the threat of a possible flood.
“Thankfully the pumps continued to work and we stayed high and dry,” Brous-sard said. “But my aunt and her fam-ily had 6 inches of water in their game room.”
In the City of Thibodaux, there was no threat of flooding but several businesses
remain closed from the damaging winds of Hurricane Isaac.
Cato Fashions at 414 North Canal Blvd. sustained damage to the side of their building from Isaac’s winds. Store management said the store would remain closed until further notice while repairs are made to the interior and exterior of the store.
Norm’s Daiquiris and Grill at 303 North Canal Blvd. had the front of its building ripped off by Hurricane Isaac’s winds. The business received similar damage during Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
However, the drive-thru at Norm’s opened for business as usual Sunday be-fore Labor Day.
Another struggle for residents impact-ed by the storm was the lack of power for several days. According to the Entergy Storm Center at Entergy.com, there were
769,000 customers without electricity at the peak of the power outage from Hur-ricane Isaac.
Entergy.com reported that 173 cus-tomers out of 41,844 customers served in Lafourche Parish remained without power as of Tuesday afternoon. In Terre-bonne Parish, 95 customers out of 27,086 were still without power.
Mallory Bourgeois, psychology fresh-men from Schriever, said she was out of electricity for several days but understands the need for businesses to get electricity before some residential areas.
“I think everybody was upset about losing power but it’s part of a hurricane,” Bourgeois said. “It affected me since we were out of power for so long and lost everything in our refrigerator that we just bought.”
However, Bourgeois said the lack of
power was manageable since she had family close by who did have electricity.
All in all, Entergy.com reported that 92 percent of Entergy Louisiana’s custom-ers had their power restored by Tuesday around noon.
While local residents are back on track with their normal routines, some south-eastern Louisiana parishes continue to battle floodwaters and its effects on their homes.
According to Kevin Davis, head of the state’s emergency office, more than 2,800 people remain in shelters across Loui-siana. That number is down from the original number of an approximate 4,000 who sought shelter from Hurricane Isaac.
AIR Worldwide, a catastrophe-mod-eling firm, estimates Isaac has caused between $700 million and $2 billion in insured onshore losses.
Norm’s Daquiri Shop on Canal Blvd. suffered damage during Hurricane Isaac when the front wall was ripped off in the wind.
photo by Celeste hope
The Nicholls Worth | 09.06.12 | Page 7
DAMAGE continued from page 3
Davis said the rest of the dam-ages in buildings on campus were caused by wind driven rain that will most likely not occur again.
“Out of everything on the list, none of it was major,” he said.
As students returned to Nicholls on Tuesday, traces of a storm pass-ing through the campus were mini-mal.
Davis credits the physical plant staff and volunteers who helped speed up cleanup efforts.
“They are why the campus itself looked pretty good,” he said.
He said while students were still away, clean up crews worked through the rain to help pick up de-bris and fallen tree branches. Vol-unteer staffs from Nicholls arrived at 7 a.m. on Saturday and worked until noon to help with repairs that would have taken the University longer to take care of alone.
“It shows their love and dedica-tion for this University,” he said.
Students take shelter in unionBy Kami EllenderLagniappe Editor
As Hurricane Isaac quickly ap-proached, the University made plans to cancel classes and open the Stu-dent Union as a hurricane shelter.
According to Brandie Toups, di-rector of the Student Union, the po-tential of the Union being used as a shelter for on-campus residents was brought up at the Emergency Plan-ning Committee meeting on the Aug. 26.
On Aug. 27 all residence halls re-mained open, but students were en-couraged to return home to be with their families.
The Union had 32 mattresses al-ready stored and housing and resi-dence life transported another 100 mattresses to the ballroom in trucks.
“I joked with people that I wanted to Google ‘how to run a shelter’ be-cause it is just not something we do on a regular basis,” Toups said.
On Aug. 28 around 2 p.m., approx-imately 128 residence hall students, faculty and staff who remained on campus were relocated to the Union. Residence halls and La Maison du Bayou were checked for any lingering students.
Glenn McNeese, marine biology junior from Lafayette, said although
he stayed to work, he would have stayed on campus either way.
“The students who had no choice but to stay either lived too far away to evacuate, or their home was hit hard-er than campus,” McNesse explained.
Matshediso Malope, marketing ju-nior from Botswana, said he stayed because it was impractical to leave. Although this was his fi rst experience with a hurricane, he has seen similar weather conditions.
“It did not make sense to buy a $2,000 ticket to go home for one week,” Malope said. “I wasn’t traumatized or anything.”
“We designated the ballroom as the sleeping area, but we trusted the students to go into other parts of the union as well,” Toups said. “They were allowed to go in the game room to play games or the common area of the union to study. We played movies throughout the day and had cable TV until the cable went out.”
Toups explained that Hayward Guenard served as the entertainment director coordinating the movies and games.
Sodexo also served students three meals each day with an evening snack.
Andrew Schlesinger, mass commu-nication senior from New Orleans, said Sodexo served amazing meals for students throughout the time in the shelter.
Schlesinger also said the Union did
not have power for about 10 hours, but the power outage was barely no-ticed because the Union had lights and air conditioning the entire time with a generator.
Schlesinger is a resident in Zeri-ngue Hall who chose to stay on cam-pus for Isaac.
“I evacuated in 2005 and it was just too much,” Schesinger said. “I knew that being on campus I could go back to my room whenever the storm was over.”
Kiala Singleton, family and con-sumer science senior from Houma and head resident in Scholars Hall, said although it was not mandatory, she wanted to stay to help with the shelter.
“We were allowed to bring pretty much anything that was allowed in the residence halls,” Singleton said.
“I thought I was going to hate it, but everyone got along really well,” Singleton said. “The only bad part was not being able to take a bath for two days.”
Toups said the students were pa-tient and respectful adults, which led to more privileges than in previous hurricane situations.
“I really believe we made the stu-dents comfortable and put their needs as our priority to make them feel as comfortable as possible considering the circumstances,” Toups said.
Page 8 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
The Nicholls Worth | 09.06.12 | Page 9
Having legal issues?Come meet with Attorney
Andrew Wise for FREE in the SGA office!Call 985.448.4557 to make an appointment.
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Today, September 6, 201212:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Friday, September 14, 201211:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
11:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
11:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.Thursday, September 20, 2012
GRAPHIC BY KRISTEN ELLENDERGRAPHIC BY KRISTEN ELLENDER
In his second year teaching at Nicholls and living in Louisiana, English instructor Jay Udall had his fi rst encounter with a hurricane, an experience that has become some-thing of a right of passage for any-one living in the region.
Udall has lived in numerous places in his life, a list that includes Oregon, New Mexico and Virginia, but none put him near something comparable to Hurricane Isaac. At the age of 14, he hiked near an ac-tive volcano in Hawaii, though still at a safe distance. While living in Nevada, a short earthquake briefl y shook his home.
“Isaac was beyond either experi-ence,” Udall said, describing the storm. “It gave me this raw sense of being in the grips, or in our case, at the edge, of incredible immensity and power.”
After giving some consideration to riding out the storm, the family decided to evacuate to Alexandria, with Udall’s wife being weary of extreme weather conditions after growing up in the tornado country of Nebraska.
During his stay, a group of evacuees arrived by bus from Plaquemines Parish and Laplace at his motel, some with only the clothes they were wearing. Others were even barefoot.
Udall noted the hospitality shown by the staff towards the evacuees.
“The compassion I saw people express toward those who suffered the worst is something I won’t soon forget,” Udall said.
The motel staff wrapped the guests in bed sheets as they washed their only clothes, and Udall saw the lightheartedness that can come through even in the dire times of a storm. “My wife joked with them that they were having an Isaac toga party,” Udall said.
“One man from Plaquemines parish had lost everything and not slept for over 30 hours,” Udall said, telling of the evacuees. “He showed me online pictures of his neighbor-hood with only the peaks of roofs visible above the water. His family was safe, but he was haunted by not being able to fi nd his dogs.”
As a poet and writer, Udall took the experience as a way of learning about the culture, community and connection those who live in the re-gion have with their home.
Udall spoke with an older man from New Orleans who considered leaving the area after Katrina, but ultimately decided he had to stay, something Udall found interesting.
“From a certain angle, it can seem stubborn and even foolish, this idea that you have to stay in this one particular place that is quite vulnerable, but I think it also reveals a fi erce attachment and love of this area, the land, the history, and all it means to people,” Udall
Page 10 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
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English instructor recounts fi rst hurricane experiencesaid. “It gave me a sense of how deeply people’s identities are inter-twined with this place.”
Udall isn’t ready to worry very much about lost class time or other complications caused by Isaac.
“If something like this doesn’t help you put things in perspec-
tive, you’re out to lunch,” Udall said. “As long as the students, staff and faculty are safe and sound, we will find ways to make do and move on. That is one of the best things about Nicholls. It really is about the people.”
English instructor, Jay Udall, speaks to his students during his English Composition II: Rock and Roll class on Sept. 5 in Peltier Hall.
PHOTO BY ALEX GREZAFFI
When preparing for a natural disaster, most people would begin by stocking up on necessities like non-perishable food items, water, batteries, and fl ashlights. But in today’s high tech society, there is one more piece of equipment you may want to look into having at your side: a computer, smart-phone and/or tablet.
As hurricane Isaac came roar-ing, or should I more accurately say “sauntering” in, it was natu-ral for us to grab the closest link to our social networks and post anything and everything going on around us.
But what if I told you that this is not a negative trait we all hold? This incessant need to be in the know all the time can actu-ally come in handy when you fi nd yourself in the middle of a hur-ricane. Let me explain.
As Facebook, Twitter and In-stagram began oozing with pic-tures and posts of how hurricane Isaac was “ruining all of our lives”, I began to see more im-portant things happening. People began giving, as well as getting, information.
News outlets posted all of the latest updates on what govern-ment offi cials were saying about our homes and our towns. With-out power, getting news from television stations was out of the
question. Smartphones, and ac-cess to social media was the new way to get, as well as to give, in-formation.
In a comment posted to the Facebook wall of WDSU Chan-nel 6, a resident of Slidell posted, “Thankful for getting updates via Fb. My power is out and we are fl ooded here in Slidell.”
Without the technology of so-cial media, those without access to power would have had no in-formation during the duration of the storm.
Another Louisiana resident commented on the Facebook wall of WDSU Channel 6 say-ing, “Can you update Facebook on Venice-Boothville, La?” In-formation was gained through
Social media utilized during crisis
see MEDIA page 14
Personal Opinion by Sarah Baudoin
Managing Editor
The Nicholls Worth | 09.06.12 | Page 11
www.thenichollsworth.com
Hurricanes derail soccer team
After enduring a 12 hour bus ride to Oklahoma, “where the wind comes sweeping down the plains,” the Nicholls State soccer team squared off against the Oklahoma Sooners and faced a very uncommon doubleheader against a duo of hurricanes: the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes and Hurricane Isaac, a literal category 1 storm.
Though the Colonels fell short in both games, playing opponents such as Big 12 and C-USA foes present a different dynamic than local in-state contenders bring to the table.
Head coach Dylan Harrison said of his team’s experience, “It magnifies our weaknesses as well as strengths, it gives us a chance to see what the top programs in the country look like.”
“It also lets us know the direction we need to move in,” Harrison said. “I don’t know too many players who would not have enjoyed the Friday night game at OU, arguably one of the nicest soccer stadiums in the country.”
Once the team returned home, Hurricane Isaac was barreling towards the Louisiana coast,
ready to metaphorically “rain” on the soccer team’s parade. Due to inclement weather, they were sidelined for almost the whole week after the storm hit.
This came at a costly time due to two games scheduled for this week against the University of Lafayette and Southern University. Until the 67th minute, the Colonels held a 1-0 lead over the Ragin’ Cajuns. At that moment they conceded a goal and would later concede another, ultimately falling 2-1.
Before the ULL game, the Colonels did not have much time for preparation.
“We went into the game with one ‘practice’ as a team and even that training session was light due to the game the very next day,” Harrison said. “I think people also forget, not only did we not practice but some of the players needed to stay indoors for days with not even the chance to stay active. We just asked that our players stayed sharp mentally and use it to maybe recharge the batteries after being on the road for so long.”
The Colonels traveled to Baton Rouge Wednesday to battle the Southern University Jaguars.
The players’ families as well as their homes remained undamaged
by Isaac’s torrential rains and winds in excess of 70 miles per hour.
“We were very fortunate that our players and their families remained safe as well as their homes,” Harrison said. “We did have some very concerned parents of players from Canada, England, and even other states. However, players and their families in and around the area stepped up big to make sure all of our players were well taken care of. I want to thank once again all of those caring families.”
Since the weather has subsided and school has been reinstated, the players and coaching staff have returned to a much-needed state of normalcy.
“This is the first hurricane that I have dealt with, at least that I remember. I feel like every year there is something new that happens, for only coaching for nine years I feel like I have to be getting close to seeing and dealing with it all.
The next two Sundays, September 9 and 16, the Colonels will play here in Thibodaux against University of Louisiana at Monroe and Prairie View A&M respectively.
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NSU vs. Oregon State postponed for Isaac
The Nicholls State football team might have to wait the length of the season to play its “toughest chal-lenge of the season.”
After Hurricane Isaac forced the Colonels to postpone the opening game against Oregon State last Sat-urday, both schools are looking to reschedule the game later this year, most likely Dec. 1.
On whether or not he is comfort-able playing a notable FBS oppo-nent at the end of the season, head coach Charlie Stubbs said he “likes it.”
“If it gets to that, it’s almost like treating it as a bowl game. I have no problem with it because what I’m trying to do is build a program,” Stubbs said.
But in order for that to happen, a few things have to fall in place. First, the Colonels will have to miss out on a playoff berth, and second-ly, the Beavers will have to miss the Pac-12 Championship Game, which is scheduled for Dec. 1.
So in reality, not rescheduling this game could be a good thing assum-ing the Colonels make the FCS play-offs, as Stubbs pointed out.
And the reason the Colonels had to postpone the game in the fi rst place is because 80 percent of the football team was evacuated and bringing them back to Thibodaux proved to be a diffi cult challenge due to all of the road closures.
With the postponement of the game and lingering possibility that this team might not make it up, the
Colonels could lose $400,000 in revenue. Nicholls athletic director Rob Bernardi said not receiving the money would be a devastating blow to the athletics budget.
“As tight as the budget is, not get-ting that revenue would be a prob-lem,” Bernardi said.
As for the players missing out on an experience, such as playing Ore-gon State in Reser Stadium, that can potentially hold more than 40,000 fans, it can be hurtful according to Stubbs.
“I think it would have hurt a whole lot more if they didn’t under-stand why,” Stubbs said. “There’s a clear reason why it had to be post-poned, and yeah, they hope we’ll be able to make up for it at the end of the season. But right now, they’re anxious to play a game and see where we’re at, like us coaches. “
Stubbs said it didn’t take the team long to refocus on the next game ahead, which is against another FBS opponent, South Alabama, this Sat-urday.
And though Stubbs has never been in a situation quite like this before, he believes his team is re-bounding well and getting back on track.
“This is a new experience,” Stubbs said. “What we’re trying to do is get back into the routine. It’s good right now, the weather’s warm and we’re practicing on turf, which is real similar to what we’ll be play-ing on this Saturday. We’re right on schedule.”
Barring another hurricane scare, the Colonels will kick off their sea-son in Mobile, Ala. against South Alabama at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Jake MartinSports Editor
Do you want to writefeature stories for
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Pick up an applicationat Student Publications!
The Nicholls Worth | 09.06.12 | Page 13
Due to hurricane Issac, Fall Break Away will be Cancelled.
Sailesh, hypnotist extrodinaire, will be Rescheduled. Visit the SPA facebook or twitter for
updates.
We will be tailgating for the women’s soccer team. Come join us and support your colonels!
Welcome Back Day will be on September 13th, 2012. Come enjoy the festivities!
September’s movie nights will be Sunday, 23rd, and Tuesday, 25th. We will be playing That’s my
Boy both nights.
Page 14 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
Neil j maki, M.D.Nicole O Bourgeois, PA-C
SOCCER continued from page 11
The Colonels are now 1-4, but were in a similar position last year at this time after their fi rst four games, only to make a run before conference play where they totaled a school record for most consecutive wins.
“I believe as long as we learn from each game we play we should be better prepared to handle any competition,” Harrison said. “Not only have we played some quality
programs, we have played them all on the road to date.”
Coach Harrison is ready to move on with the season and continue right where they left off—as a team ready to endure whatever is blown their way.
“It is another event we faced as a team and came out on the other side of it as a team,” Harrison said. “We just do what these girls do best: keep moving forward.”
another commenter saying, “Venice and Boothville seem to be okay. There is no fl ooding…Some damage.” Ordinary people outside of the journalistic and news outlet world were able to communicate during a time when communication was vital.
But this communication did not stop with the end of the bad weather. Those who remained without power long after Isaac left were still able to gain infor-mation on things such as curfews, boil advisories, road closures and evacuations.
On Twitter, the Times Pica-yune tweeted, “New Orleans cur-few will be enforced” and “Storm surge updates and other informa-tion from the Army Corps of Engineers,” linking information to those looking for answers about their homes.
Even Entergy New Orleans tweeted on Aug. 29, “Already making progress on outages.
Had 161K in Orleans Parish at 6 a.m. Now at 10:15 a.m. down to 156K. Crews are happy to be working.” This simple statement may have eased the minds of some residents anxious to have power back, letting them know that crews are working to restore it.
Social media sites are not only used to release important infor-mation and positive feedback. Some use sites, such as Facebook, for ways to express negative opinions and frustrations with the happenings around them.
Amie Lynn, a Facebook user, posted a comment that went viral not only through Facebook’s site but all over the Internet. Screen shots were posted on websites all over the country of her boister-ous opinion of those living in the path of Hurricane Isaac.
Lynn commented, “I am tired of the rest of the world feeling sorry for [New Orleans]…there
are other things happening in this world that do not revolve around you!”
Lynn spoke of how those liv-ing in the region, known for its devastation from past storms, should consider moving to other places away from water. Those in the southern region argue, saying no matter where they go there will always be natural disasters, whether there are tornadoes, for-est fi res, earthquakes or blizzards.
No matter what the natu-ral disaster is that hits close to your home, Hurricane Isaac has shown us that even in times vital for communication, social media can be a key to staying safe and protecting those around you.
So next time when we are all preparing for a hurricane, or whatever natural disaster we are facing, don’t forget to grab your smart phone and post all that you know! It may save someone in need!
MEDIA continued from page 10
GRAPHIC BY KRISTEN ELLENDER
THENICHOLLSWORTH.COMPHOTOS BY MELISSA HOLMAN
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Tree branches begin to sway as a muggy wind rolls in. Shutters on houses are closed and storefronts are adorned with plywood boards – prevention of the unknown. A small, yet vicious storm churns in the Gulf of Mexico, creating the first real tropical weather experienced by Gulf Coast residents this year. Isaac may not be substantial but little did any-one know its aftermath would be so monu-mental.
As the lights began to flicker inside homes across Louisiana, Mississippi and beyond, res-idents remained glued to their TVs, specifi-cally news channels, hoping the power would stay on long enough to get the most up-to-date information of the storm’s trajectory. Amid familiar faces of local news anchors and weather maps with highlighter colored spaghetti models, there were national news channels broadcasting every ounce of drama from such natural disasters.
Throughout the storm, these networks paid no mind to the hundreds of thousands of people without electricity or to those be-ing rescued from their homes due to rising water. Instead, from the comfort of their cushy studios in New York or California, per-fectly coifed women in red dresses and distin-guished looking gentlemen in the finest suits panted in front of their computer screens, waiting impatiently for Isaac to turn from a mere tropical storm (70 mile an hour winds? What’s the big deal?) to a full-blown hur-ricane. The Dom Perignon was chilled and these anchors were all but popping the cork, excited to report on such juicy news.
But this information fed to them by their producers wasn’t exactly the reality many Gulf Coast residents faced during Isaac.
Some places did indeed experience sev-eral feet of water, a sight virtually unseen until Hurricane Katrina seven years earlier. However, anchors like Fox News’ Steve Har-rigan submerging himself in chest-deep wa-ter in Ocean Springs, Miss. to make a scene is just uncalled for, much less The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore stationing himself on
National news creates story frenzy
YAY IT’S A HURRICANE!
Canal Street in front of the only palm trees in existence in New Orleans to film his always dramatic wind shots.
What many national networks don’t realize is that this is no laughing matter or time to celebrate an exhilarating story coming into the studio amid a pile of mundane reports on taxes and Medicare. Storms impact livelihoods and entire regions. Just because they are removed from the situation doesn’t mean they should be inhumane, finding pleasure in other people’s suffering.
This type of coverage, in effect, trickles down to the general population of people in places like Michigan or New Jersey who can’t differentiate a hurricane from a thun-derstorm. One reader on latimes.com com-ments, “We (the taxpayers) spent $14 BIL-LION DOLLARS rebuilding the levee system so that these STUBBORN people could continue to live in a place that is UN-INHABITABLE.” Another post from The Washington Post reads, “Why do we keep
giving billions in aid to these idiots who seem incapable of learning that you can’t keep re-building homes by the coast, BELOW sea level, BEFORE they repair the levees?” Not only are these types of comments ignorant, they are misguided.
Millions of people call the gulf coast home, a place rooted in resilience. It may be easier to pack up and move north, leaving everything to wash away, but what would that say about the people? When faced with adversity, we give up and give in? But for anyone who has ever stepped foot on southern soil, it is clear that is simply not the way we live.
We, the Gulf Coast, will not go quietly. However big the storm or adversity, we will pick ourselves up and become stron-ger than before. Our struggles are not for entertainment. Our fight should be one of the country’s– one nation indivisible. The waters may rise and the streets may flood, but we will not be washed away.
GRAPHIC BY KRISTEN ELLENDER
Page 16 | 09.06.12 | The Nicholls Worth
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