Students must protest seat taking
I was SGA President at LSU from 1976-77. Even though my appearance would seem to say that I would not be a fan of LSU sports, I was, and still am, and indeed bleed purple and gold.If it was not for my love of LSU sports I would have quit school my freshman year in 1970. But I needed my full time student ID to get into the games, so I stayed in school.At that time, all the students’ seats, in all of the sports, were the best seats in the house (if you got to the game two or more hours early, like I did, before the gates were open, you would have a great seat).At the football games the student section started at the 50-yard line and in basketball the seats were in the middle of the court and extended straight back.Now I have read that the Athletic Department has taken the basketball sections from the students to sell them to the public. It is time the students let these penny counters see who these student athletes play for—the LSU student body.  Each time the students let these people do what they want to pay the outrageous salaries of some who work in the departments, the more they will take.LSU exists for the students, not for these people. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘’…the people deserve the government that rules them for surly they have the power to alter that government…” If the student body continues to do nothing to protest, then they can only expect more of the same.Theodor A. SchirmerUniversity alumnus ‘79Metro Council denies Caterie license switch
Congratulations to the Metro Council for acting in the interest of public health and denying The Caterie’s request to switch its license from a restaurant to a bar. The Caterie’s attempt to file for rezoning so it could become a bar was clearly a strategy to create a loophole in the law that prohibits smoking in restaurants.Councilman Loupe’s contention that it is unfair to turn this into a public health cry for smoking is a strong indication that much remains to be done in the way of educating about the severe dangers of secondhand smoke exposure.Before The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act, restaurants that allowed smoking had over 8 times more indoor air pollution than they do today. Allowing the rezoning and granting The Caterie bar license   would have added yet another name to the long list of places that still expose their workers and patrons to this toxicity. No one should have to risk their health for a paycheck or a night of entertainment.Let’s be totally clear. All Louisiana workers deserve to be protected from the serious health hazards of secondhand smoke exposure. Siding with the majority of non-smoking Louisiana voters who support The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act was the right thing to do.Ritney A. CastineBoard for Coallition for Tobacco Free Louisiana