How many parking spaces are there on campus?
Gary Graham, director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation, said there are about 21,500 available parking spots on campus.
Of these, Graham said roughly 3,500 to 4,000 are for on-campus residents. There also are about 11,000 spots for commuters and 5,000 for University employees.
Graham said the remaining parking spaces are for campus visitors.
What is in the Museum of Natural History?
The LSU Museum of Natural History is not one building; rather, it is a consortium of the 16 natural history collections on campus. These museums include the Vascular Plant Herbarium, Mycological Herbarium, Lichen Herbarium, Louisiana Arthropod Museum, the Gems and Minerals Collection and the Historic Textile and Costume Collection.
In 1999, the Louisiana legislature designated the campus consortium as the official state museum of natural history.
“Designation as the official state museum of natural history recognizes the central role of the LSU collections as the premiere repository of specimens, objects and artifacts documenting the rich natural history of our state,” said a memo from the museum.
While each museum has a separate administrative staff, the consortium does work as a unit on collection issues and funding.
What is the albino squirrel, and how did he get that way?
Mark Hafner, a professor with the Natural Science Museum, said there are two types of albino squirrels.
“True albinos have a genetic mutation and have no melanin,” Hafner said. These squirrels are characteristically very white in appearance and have abnormally pink eyes.
“There’s also a case of what they call the blonde mutation,” Hafner said. With this mutation, the squirrel looks more of a “blonde” color, rather than white. Blonde squirrels can have darker, more normal-looking eyes instead of the pink ones seen in true albinos.
Hafner was not entirely certain which type of albino the squirrel seen around campus is, but he said looking at the eyes is an easy way to tell if the squirrel is blonde or truly albino.
How much does it cost to sponsor an oak tree on campus?
The LSU Foundation is in charge of all donations and contributions to the University, including the endowment of oaks.
“A minimum contribution of $1,500 will endow an oak, and the endowment becomes a permanent source of funds for the selected oak; it provides for the tree’s lifetime care and replacement,” the LSU Foundation Web site stated.
Endowments can be either a personal contribution to the University, a donation in honor of someone or a donation in memory of a deceased loved one.