There They Go Again !!
Monday, January 23, 2006
Sunday, January 22, 2006
The Return of SUNO
A week of registration...and a week of school...has come and gone. Miraculously, we have managed to get this school up and running...with classes at Sophie B. Wright, near Napoleon and St. Charles avenues...students, faculty and staff living in the Marriott New Orleans...and myself...working out of the Bacchus Room in the hotel.
Just got back from Baton Rouge getting my office equipment...work for us has ended in Baton Rouge...and as we await our trailers on the New Orleans lakefront...my anticipation is at a heightened level. The downside of this situation is the reality that many students, faculty and staff are no longer with us. I will be able to run down the numbers after registration closes and figures are set. The fourtenth day of school is the official day for declaring enrollment.
Our curriculum has been amended and several major courses of study have been eliminated. The most notable were our science majors...so all you alumni of SUNO with science degrees are special! Other majors simply lacked completers...the term bean counters use to indicate graduates who started at the institution they finish.
That's All For Now
Just got back from Baton Rouge getting my office equipment...work for us has ended in Baton Rouge...and as we await our trailers on the New Orleans lakefront...my anticipation is at a heightened level. The downside of this situation is the reality that many students, faculty and staff are no longer with us. I will be able to run down the numbers after registration closes and figures are set. The fourtenth day of school is the official day for declaring enrollment.
Our curriculum has been amended and several major courses of study have been eliminated. The most notable were our science majors...so all you alumni of SUNO with science degrees are special! Other majors simply lacked completers...the term bean counters use to indicate graduates who started at the institution they finish.
That's All For Now
Friday, January 06, 2006
Program helps Dillard U. professors rebuild course materials, raises spirits
By KATHERINE S. MANGAN
Georgetown, Tex.
When Hurricane Katrina's storm surge overwhelmed New Orleans's levees, the murky waters of Lake Pontchartrain swallowed up Gloria C. Love's ground-floor office at Dillard University, ruining her computers, books, research notes, and syllabi.
Three months later, with no home, no electricity in her recently installed government-issued trailer, and a shuttered campus, the professor was hard pressed to begin planning for spring-semester classes, which are scheduled to resume at a downtown hotel and various campuses around New Orleans on January 9.
But for two weeks in December, she and a dozen colleagues were invited here to Southwestern University to begin resurrecting their course materials and creating new ones so they would have something to teach with when classes start. The program was established by the Texas university and its regional technology laboratory, with the help of a $160,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
As visiting scholars at Southwestern, a small undergraduate university of 1,200 students, they lived and worked in a quiet bedroom community outside Austin. The Mellon grant covered their transportation and lodging, while Southwestern picked up the tab for meals on the campus, along with a $1,500 stipend.
Ms. Love, an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, used her central Texas respite to work on her department's Web site and prepare syllabi for courses she expects to teach. Many of Dillard's professors lost everything when their campus of gleaming white buildings and towering oaks sat submerged in up to eight feet of water for three weeks (The Chronicle, November 11). She said her time at Southwestern was "a breathing moment — a chance to recapture our spirit."
"They brought us from a ghost town and helped us regain our sanity," said Ms. Love.
By KATHERINE S. MANGAN
Georgetown, Tex.
When Hurricane Katrina's storm surge overwhelmed New Orleans's levees, the murky waters of Lake Pontchartrain swallowed up Gloria C. Love's ground-floor office at Dillard University, ruining her computers, books, research notes, and syllabi.
Three months later, with no home, no electricity in her recently installed government-issued trailer, and a shuttered campus, the professor was hard pressed to begin planning for spring-semester classes, which are scheduled to resume at a downtown hotel and various campuses around New Orleans on January 9.
But for two weeks in December, she and a dozen colleagues were invited here to Southwestern University to begin resurrecting their course materials and creating new ones so they would have something to teach with when classes start. The program was established by the Texas university and its regional technology laboratory, with the help of a $160,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
As visiting scholars at Southwestern, a small undergraduate university of 1,200 students, they lived and worked in a quiet bedroom community outside Austin. The Mellon grant covered their transportation and lodging, while Southwestern picked up the tab for meals on the campus, along with a $1,500 stipend.
Ms. Love, an assistant professor of mathematics and computer science, used her central Texas respite to work on her department's Web site and prepare syllabi for courses she expects to teach. Many of Dillard's professors lost everything when their campus of gleaming white buildings and towering oaks sat submerged in up to eight feet of water for three weeks (The Chronicle, November 11). She said her time at Southwestern was "a breathing moment — a chance to recapture our spirit."
"They brought us from a ghost town and helped us regain our sanity," said Ms. Love.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
First Day Back to Work
The long anticipated return to work at Southern U of New Orleans came and went today without much to report...after an initial meeting to assess the situation and update returning employees on the future...folks got right back into the routine of work. Seeing a few people who were furloughed was disconcerting...but these days are so busy...you don't have time to stop and measure another person's pain as adequately as one should. I liken it to a football game...where a player goes down...and he is replaced and play resumes...it seems cold and heartless...but it is the way the game is played.
Three students approached me about being advised...one it turns out needed to speak with an employee who was released over the break...quite a sobering moment in my day. We are all so close to being furloughed and cannot spend time worrying about it with the demand of work and the number of things that need to get done each day.
The game plan for SUNO is to hold Registraton at Sophie B Wright Middle School in New Orleans next week. To say that the trailers are 50% ready would probably be generous. So my assessment for now is that classes will probably begin in New Orleans, with some necessarily having to be offered here in Baton Rouge as well.
My greatest concern is for students seeking other options. SUNO has not addressed their responsibilty to provide students with transcripts. What is more worrisome is students seeking to register with SUNO are not able to get transcripts for advisement.
I fear the majority of returning students are graduating seniors and that once this cohort passes thru a semester or two...our enrollment will steeply fall. Moreover, I see no prospect for holding a summer session...that means i may have to face the summer without a job.
Let's hope and pray for the best
Penn State wins the Orange Bowl in 3OT
UConn falls to Marquette in the Golden Warriors Big East debut
Three students approached me about being advised...one it turns out needed to speak with an employee who was released over the break...quite a sobering moment in my day. We are all so close to being furloughed and cannot spend time worrying about it with the demand of work and the number of things that need to get done each day.
The game plan for SUNO is to hold Registraton at Sophie B Wright Middle School in New Orleans next week. To say that the trailers are 50% ready would probably be generous. So my assessment for now is that classes will probably begin in New Orleans, with some necessarily having to be offered here in Baton Rouge as well.
My greatest concern is for students seeking other options. SUNO has not addressed their responsibilty to provide students with transcripts. What is more worrisome is students seeking to register with SUNO are not able to get transcripts for advisement.
I fear the majority of returning students are graduating seniors and that once this cohort passes thru a semester or two...our enrollment will steeply fall. Moreover, I see no prospect for holding a summer session...that means i may have to face the summer without a job.
Let's hope and pray for the best
Penn State wins the Orange Bowl in 3OT
UConn falls to Marquette in the Golden Warriors Big East debut
Monday, January 02, 2006
PROPERTY VALUES PLUMMET...AND SO DOES THE TAX BASE
The taxable value of New Orleans property has fallen by 54 percent because of Hurricane Katrina damage, according to preliminary figures compiled by the city's seven assessors, who for the past few months have been hurriedly reappraising homes and businesses to reflect their post-storm worth.
Whereas last year the city billed property owners for $452 million in taxes, this year's bills will total just $208 million, said 5th District Assessor Tom Arnold, who spoke for the group.
Comment: it is apparent that we no longer need seven assessors, would you say ?
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS NEWS
Jim Haslett, the beleaguered coach of the displaced Saints, was fired Monday after completing his sixth and worst season.
Comment: It is always business...never personal, but the franchise history of the Saints has to be taken personally.
FEMA AND THE HOTEL DEADLINE FOR EVACUEES
Hurricane Katrina evacuees around the nation who faced a Jan. 7 deadline for checking out of their government-funded hotel rooms have received a reprieve: Federal officials will keep paying for the rooms beyond that date as they iron out issues arising from a class-action lawsuit.
Comment: Scare tactics by fed agencies are not going to be effective...just put the trailers in place.
HOUSTON CRIME RATES SURGE
Evacuee- packed Houston sees jump in crime
9 of 122 killings tied to people from N.O.
On the heels of Hurricane Katrina, more than 100,000 evacuees landed in Houston. Now officials there say the city has found itself under the gun, with an escalating murder rate and population bursting at the seams.
The murder rate is up 25 percent since last year and up 70 percent in December alone, with 14 more murders this month compared with the same time period last year. Although the connection between evacuees and the surge in violence is statistically tenuous, with only nine of the city's 122 post-Katrina homicides involving someone, either as suspect or victim, who evacuated there, city officials continue to link the increase in bloodshed to the dramatic population boom.
Spike in homicides
There have been 121 homicides in Houston since September, compared to 92 during the same period last year. There were 26 homicides in September both years, but the homicide rate climbed in October to 29 from 24 a year ago.
The increase spiked in November, to 32 from 22 a year ago, and again in December, with 34 as of Tuesday, compared to 20 last year.
Abad said it is nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly which factors have contributed to the higher violent crime rates, and it's even more difficult to track the ways hurricane evacuees have or have not contributed to it.
"We are concerned about fighting crime no matter who is committing it," Abad said. "We don't stop and ask everyone we arrest if they're from Louisiana or not. Many people who evacuated to this city are becoming residents now. They're signing leases and paying rent. At what point do we stop calling them evacuees? A week, six months, a year?
"We want to ensure that longtime Houston residents and those who have made Houston a home in the last few months don't have to fear for their lives."
COMMENT: The mix of cultures forced on Houston was just too much too soon...not enough space for people to co-exist
RADIO ONE
Kickin' Science...the Exit Fest was founded originally by students protesting Slobodan Milosoviec...i suppose the idea was to get him to leave...ergo "Exit"...quite meaningful...i always wondered what the theme for this massive event was based upon.
Eight hours of dance music from the 2005 archive chosen by YOU and our Radio 1 DJs.
Pete Tong
DJ Yoda
Eddie Halliwell
Sasha
Dave Clarke
Underworld (live performance)
The taxable value of New Orleans property has fallen by 54 percent because of Hurricane Katrina damage, according to preliminary figures compiled by the city's seven assessors, who for the past few months have been hurriedly reappraising homes and businesses to reflect their post-storm worth.
Whereas last year the city billed property owners for $452 million in taxes, this year's bills will total just $208 million, said 5th District Assessor Tom Arnold, who spoke for the group.
Comment: it is apparent that we no longer need seven assessors, would you say ?
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS NEWS
Jim Haslett, the beleaguered coach of the displaced Saints, was fired Monday after completing his sixth and worst season.
Comment: It is always business...never personal, but the franchise history of the Saints has to be taken personally.
FEMA AND THE HOTEL DEADLINE FOR EVACUEES
Hurricane Katrina evacuees around the nation who faced a Jan. 7 deadline for checking out of their government-funded hotel rooms have received a reprieve: Federal officials will keep paying for the rooms beyond that date as they iron out issues arising from a class-action lawsuit.
Comment: Scare tactics by fed agencies are not going to be effective...just put the trailers in place.
HOUSTON CRIME RATES SURGE
Evacuee- packed Houston sees jump in crime
9 of 122 killings tied to people from N.O.
On the heels of Hurricane Katrina, more than 100,000 evacuees landed in Houston. Now officials there say the city has found itself under the gun, with an escalating murder rate and population bursting at the seams.
The murder rate is up 25 percent since last year and up 70 percent in December alone, with 14 more murders this month compared with the same time period last year. Although the connection between evacuees and the surge in violence is statistically tenuous, with only nine of the city's 122 post-Katrina homicides involving someone, either as suspect or victim, who evacuated there, city officials continue to link the increase in bloodshed to the dramatic population boom.
Spike in homicides
There have been 121 homicides in Houston since September, compared to 92 during the same period last year. There were 26 homicides in September both years, but the homicide rate climbed in October to 29 from 24 a year ago.
The increase spiked in November, to 32 from 22 a year ago, and again in December, with 34 as of Tuesday, compared to 20 last year.
Abad said it is nearly impossible to pinpoint exactly which factors have contributed to the higher violent crime rates, and it's even more difficult to track the ways hurricane evacuees have or have not contributed to it.
"We are concerned about fighting crime no matter who is committing it," Abad said. "We don't stop and ask everyone we arrest if they're from Louisiana or not. Many people who evacuated to this city are becoming residents now. They're signing leases and paying rent. At what point do we stop calling them evacuees? A week, six months, a year?
"We want to ensure that longtime Houston residents and those who have made Houston a home in the last few months don't have to fear for their lives."
COMMENT: The mix of cultures forced on Houston was just too much too soon...not enough space for people to co-exist
RADIO ONE
Kickin' Science...the Exit Fest was founded originally by students protesting Slobodan Milosoviec...i suppose the idea was to get him to leave...ergo "Exit"...quite meaningful...i always wondered what the theme for this massive event was based upon.
Eight hours of dance music from the 2005 archive chosen by YOU and our Radio 1 DJs.
Pete Tong
DJ Yoda
Eddie Halliwell
Sasha
Dave Clarke
Underworld (live performance)
A New Edition
Congrats to Brother Guy Mason on the birth of his child...more details to follow...stayed tuned
Brother Guillory
The Out of Control Four
1982
Brother Guillory
The Out of Control Four
1982
Greetings
With January 3 being the "Go" Date for the return of Southern U to New Orleans, I am quite naturally anxious and uneasy. A well-timed phone call from a relative has provided the first smile of my day.
But these types of tough questions will set the tone for the year for everyone returning to NOLA to rebuild. I have tough questions to answer of my own:
Where will I live...on campus...in a trailer zone...or in the home of someone there?
How many students will return to SUNO?
As I watch the Saints battle the Bucs in their last game of the year, I know that the team will return to NOLA as ordered by the NFL. Whether that is good or bad will be up to the team's owner for he will set the table.
Will Benson continue to demand a move to San Antonio?
Will the Superdome be ready at all this year for football?
Will Aaron Brooks be traded?
How will Deuce respond to his knee injury?
Can Deuce be expected to be a Pro Bowl Running Back ?
Should i purchase season tickets and support the team?
Will Benson step and be a part of the recovery effort ?
After watching the Saints play and fight for a win..and watching the NFL makes outrageous calls to preserve a Tampa Bay win...I come to the conclusion that the Saints are part of our community...a vital....and I will support them despite what I know to be an obvious attempt...to reduce the team...and the fans...to a critical mass of disconcert...for the sake of fun...I will get my season tickets just to spite the NFL...and have fun watching the last season of pro football in New Orleans....my son says the Saints are his team...and that is good enough for me...
All these things are matters of concern for bringing our city back...but...we must take pause to say thanks for our blessings over the past year...many did not live to see the New Year...and for them we take a moment to pause...especially those young men and women who gave their lives in combat...their sacrifice is what keeps us safe and sound here at home...we wish only the best to their family and friends...and pray that their loss is something we remember each and every day...
From this day forward...making a significant entry to this journal will be what i will do to give those following the re-building of New Orleans a place to visit and see if we do a good job....
Comments are, as always, welcome.
To all reading my Blog...Happy New Year...and Best Wishes for the Future!!
Roll Tide...Beat Texas Tech
Lord Darkmeat
With January 3 being the "Go" Date for the return of Southern U to New Orleans, I am quite naturally anxious and uneasy. A well-timed phone call from a relative has provided the first smile of my day.
But these types of tough questions will set the tone for the year for everyone returning to NOLA to rebuild. I have tough questions to answer of my own:
Where will I live...on campus...in a trailer zone...or in the home of someone there?
How many students will return to SUNO?
As I watch the Saints battle the Bucs in their last game of the year, I know that the team will return to NOLA as ordered by the NFL. Whether that is good or bad will be up to the team's owner for he will set the table.
Will Benson continue to demand a move to San Antonio?
Will the Superdome be ready at all this year for football?
Will Aaron Brooks be traded?
How will Deuce respond to his knee injury?
Can Deuce be expected to be a Pro Bowl Running Back ?
Should i purchase season tickets and support the team?
Will Benson step and be a part of the recovery effort ?
After watching the Saints play and fight for a win..and watching the NFL makes outrageous calls to preserve a Tampa Bay win...I come to the conclusion that the Saints are part of our community...a vital....and I will support them despite what I know to be an obvious attempt...to reduce the team...and the fans...to a critical mass of disconcert...for the sake of fun...I will get my season tickets just to spite the NFL...and have fun watching the last season of pro football in New Orleans....my son says the Saints are his team...and that is good enough for me...
All these things are matters of concern for bringing our city back...but...we must take pause to say thanks for our blessings over the past year...many did not live to see the New Year...and for them we take a moment to pause...especially those young men and women who gave their lives in combat...their sacrifice is what keeps us safe and sound here at home...we wish only the best to their family and friends...and pray that their loss is something we remember each and every day...
From this day forward...making a significant entry to this journal will be what i will do to give those following the re-building of New Orleans a place to visit and see if we do a good job....
Comments are, as always, welcome.
To all reading my Blog...Happy New Year...and Best Wishes for the Future!!
Roll Tide...Beat Texas Tech
Lord Darkmeat
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