Proud Students provides collective voice for students
Education is a fundamental component of a thriving society in today’s global culture.  Without the development and refinement of ideas produced and cultivated by the educational process, society would be stagnant and void.  This is my opinion and my motivation for my studies at Louisiana State University.  This is the reason why I have joined Proud Students.
We have been following the recent events concerning the budget cuts to our university here in Baton Rouge and to other universities around the state.  As a consequence, many of us are concerned about the ominous dark cloud looming on the horizon of our educational and professional futures. By pursuing a common goal, to bring attention and awareness to the severe impact the budget cuts have had and will have for each and every student on this campus, we have banded together as Proud Students.  We are proud of the education our university has offered us during our tenure at LSU and we are proud of the future opportunities we have been granted as LSU students.  However, the quality of education we were privilege to have, may be no more.  
We think the opportunities LSU can offer future students are in jeopardy.  Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, do you think the elimination of up to 50 degree programs and the release of hundreds of faculty members will enhance your education?  Seniors, do you think the coming cuts will bode well for the marketability of your soon to be acquired degrees?  Do the citizens of Louisiana think that a drastic reduction in the quality of education at their flagship university will not affect the economic development of the state?  We think the answers to the above questions should be an obvious and resounding NO!
Many of you may think that the upcoming changes to our university are unavoidable for a multiple of reasons.  Many may think that as students we have no power or voice in the upcoming decisions shaping those changes; decisions which are guaranteed to affect each and every one of us.  We Proud Students disagree.  We are determined to make our voices heard.  All of our futures are at risk, and we think that a collective voice by and from the students will have an impact on the decision making process.  We are not interested in money, we are not interested in politics, and we are not interested in excuses.  We demand a quality education for everyone choosing to attend their state’s flagship university; a quality of education no less than we were fortunate to receive.  The job performance of the next generation of lawyers, business owners, doctors, and policy makers is directly influenced by the quality of education they are offered today.  We Proud Students cannot let the proposed pernicious changes occur without voicing our concerns.  If you care and are interested in being a part of Proud Students contact [email protected] and ask what you can do.  No less than all of our futures are on the line.  
Bradley Wood
biology and philosophy major
A Proud Student
A solution for getting rid of the ‘boo birds’
Tragedy struck Tiger Stadium this past Saturday night.
No, I’m not talking about the piss poor offensive performance or the box of kittens the Ku Klux Kitten association ritualistically burned outside the stadium prior to kickoff.
Something far more tragic hovered over Tiger Stadium last Saturday night — gliding over the field with their wings spread wide, defecating all over a perfectly fine ball game: On Saturday Night, the “boo birds” made their nest in Death Valley.
I know this, because I was there, standing in their wretched midst.
All throughout the night, “boo birds” swarmed around me, suffocating my enjoyment of the game in a dark cloud of misery and hate. Ensnared by their mighty cry, I felt feeble and broken. And based by the crestfallen look in their eyes, so did the players on the field.
The whole saga played out like a crappy Alfred Hitchcock film. It was truly a tragic sight to behold. I listened as they crowed their awful tune throughout the night, howling obscenities at our fine young players who have worked so very hard, only to be tormented and abused like a group of pubescent altar boys.
But enough is enough. The time has come to put an end to the “boo birds'” stay in Tiger Stadium.
Over the past few years, we’ve tried to reason with them. We’ve tried to explain the harmful effects their actions have on our team. Yet still they descend upon Tiger Stadium every Saturday Night, spewing hate on our hard-working players and coaches.
If we truly want to demoralize and humiliate the “boo birds” and put an end their hateful migration once and for all, we have to find a clear and effective way to convey to them just how strongly we disapprove of their wretched and despicable actions.
But more importantly, we have to do something that will wreak their psyches and shatter their fragile little hearts — in effect making them too afraid to ever step foot inside Tiger Stadium again bringing that kind of bitch-ass performance.
In other words, we need to start booing the “boo birds.”
Not sold on the idea? Let’s review.
Over the past few years, what has been the most effective way for fans to get inside our players heads and traumatize them for the rest of their careers?
You guessed it — booing.
Based on the results of the boo birds’ own tasteless trials, there’s simply no more effective way to destroy the fragile minds of a group of individuals than to indiscriminately “boo” them until they shut up.
All we need to do to get rid of the “boo birds” once and for all is to harness the power of the boo.
Besides, why not give these flying rodents a taste of their own toxic medicine?
So come this Saturday, don’t side back idly and let the “boo birds” make their nest in our friendly stadium. When the “boo birds” start their dark little orchestra, reciprocate their hateful melody until they curl up in the fetal position and surrender.
We might not scare away all the “boo birds” at once. But by getting rid of the “Nega-Tigers” in our midst, we’ll at least be moving in the right direction.
And that’s more than anyone can say for LSU’s offense.
Felipe Fuentes
mass communication freshman
Yent’s letter on booing misguided
While I admire the sentiment of Kacie Yent’s letter, she seems to be misguided as to why fans are booing. While I do agree some of the booing stems from irrational outlashing at Jordan Jefferson, the booing of the “educated” fan is aimed entirely towards the coaching staff. Les Miles and Offensive Coordinator Gary Crowton are making stratospheric salaries and fans expect results. The predictable and unimaginative play-calling is — in one word — frustrating. The offense has three receivers who will likely be NFL players, yet the team ranks near the bottom in the nation in passing.
Instead of placing the blame on fans booing, the real people who are doing Jefferson a disservice are the coaching staff. He is not being placed in a position where he can succeed. It sometimes seems as if a 12-year-old Madden player would do a better job orchestrating the passing game than Crowton is doing. The patterns the receivers are running are taking too long to develop. Why the offense refuses to use short, timing routes or even the occasional screen is beyond my comprehension. The key is to build Jefferson’s confidence with completions. The team’s strengths are suited to a west-coast style of offense.
But the most frustrating part of the offensive play-calling is the utter refusal to adapt or change game plans when something is obviously not working. That is when the booing starts. An early incompletion by Jefferson did not elicit boos. But at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter when another ball skips into a receiver, fans let their feelings show. I believe Jordan Jefferson has the capabilities to be a successful quarterback, but forcing him to make NFL-arm-caliber throws sets him up for failure.
Each person in the stadium spent money on a ticket. Some supporters spend up to five or 10 percent of their annual income supporting LSU athletics. When the product does not meet expectations as a result of incompetence on behalf of well-paid coaches, sitting idly and pretending all is fine and dandy serves no benefit. This is not rec league. Athletes choose to attend LSU to play football because they want to compete for championships. If they wanted an easy-ride where winning was irrelevant, they would have chosen Tulane.
 
Steve Wolf
mass communication senior