APRIL 8, 2014 VOLUME 85, ISSUE 26 THE LION ’S ROAR S OUTHEASTERN L OUISIANA U NIVERSITY A Student Publication Campus Life Page 2 Opinions Page 5 Arts & Entertainment Page 6 Sports Page 8 News Page 10 LionsRoarNews.com INSIDE THE ‘ROAR’ Warm weather yields sweet strawberries BY NICOLE KOSTER Then, we got to January, and we Greeks unite in Staff Reporter still had them covered. We really weren’t getting any fruits.” competition Due to a polar vortex this The delay is over now as April winter, Louisiana received some brought temperatures in the 70s frigid temperatures, and as a re- and 80s. Morrow must pick as sult Southeastern delayed classes many berries as possible before for a week in late January. A extremely high temperatures roll polar vortex is a mass of freez- into town. May, June and July ing cold air that hangs above the will scorch the fields of their har- Arctic Circle and is contained by vest. strong winds according to Ac- “Now, we’re picking berries. cuWeather meteorologist Alex What the problem is, though, is Sosnowski. Winds were forced that we’re fighting time,” Mor- downward from Canada into as row said. “We are having longer far as the Florida Panhandle. daylight hours, and that triggers Also a result of this year’s po- a hormone in the plant which lar vortex was the delay of straw- will stop the plant from making berry growing in Ponchatoula. strawberries. As we get over 16 see GREEK WEEK pg. 2 December, January, February hours of daylight, the plants will and March—a month strawberry stop making strawberries. So plants love—had a range of tem- that’s how we’re fighting against Hammond peratures from 17 to 50 degrees. the time.” The Lion’s Roar / File Photo Those cold temperatures are This year’s Strawberry Festi- Strawberries top chocolate cupcakes at Southeastern’s Strawberry Jubilee, the university’s own strawberry festival. In celebrates arts not conducive to the strawberry val is sure to have fresh, red, ripe Memorial Park this year, Strawberry Festival will oer attendees a strawberry eating contest and live music including plant. Eric Morrow, farmer and berries for the public. Farmers Big Al & The Heavyweights, Bandcamp, the Top Cats and Tod O’Neil. owner of Morrow Farms, is now grow their own strawberries lo- a little over 150 years. According It’s a cultural thing. People right reign as the Louisiana Straw- in a race against time as warmer cally and drive them straight to to Morrow, the popularity of the now, they want crawfish and they berry Queen XLII, and Wayne weather picks up before the hot the festival, so there are fewer Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival want strawberry short cake for Howes, Jr. will reign as Straw- weather of May kicks in. With food miles on the berries ensur- has grown since its humble be- dessert.” berry Festival King. The Grand the 43rd annual Ponchatoula ing their freshness. ginnings. Since 1972, Memorial Park in Marshall will be the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival this week- As an eighth generation farm- “I grew up as a kid going to Ponchatoula has hosted the festi- High School Chapter of Future end, April 11-13, Morrow and er at Morrow Farms in Poncha- the festival and selling berries val for people from all across the Farmers of America. Festival his team are finally picking the toula, he farms on the land of his with my dad,” said Morrow. “It parish to attend. Now, visitors hours are 4-10 p.m. on Friday, berries the plants are producing. ancestors. The land was granted was a lot of fun, and it was a lot from across the nation visit Pon- April 11, from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. “December was so cold that to his family in 1859 by President smaller then too. It has grown chatoula every year in April to on Saturday, April 12 and from we had to pull the cover on the James Buchannan, and Morrow tremendously from what it used taste the sweetness of the south. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, plants, and the plants stayed cov- says he returned home 16 years to be when I was a kid. It’s a big The Queen and King of this April 13. For more information ered for about 40 days,” Morrow ago from his desk job in Chicago thing now. It’s a lot of promo- year’s festival is a pair of South- on the festival and events, visit said of the cold weather. “I’ve to take over the family business. tion for the Ponchatoula straw- eastern alums. Gabrielle Palma, www.lastrawberryfestival.com. see ART pg. 7 never covered berries for so long. The farm has been in business for berry, and people look for it. 2011 Miss Southeastern, will Baseball wins big out of state Psychology students present TOPS reform fails research at SWPA conference in legislature BY MEGAN SIMON and invited talks. Everybody community]. The other pre- Staff Reporter in the psychology community sentation covered the typology A number of TOPS-related bills designed to can attend. The purpose of the of the fans and the main five reform the program will not become reality The Southwestern Psychol- convention is to spread knowl- classifications. They mainly ogy Association got to see edge. focused on classifying Bro- exactly what the university’s “It was like my own ver- nies, male fans belonging to BY EMILY STEPHAN gram, but one that would cost psychology department was sion of a Psychologist’s Can- the fandom for My Little Pony. Staff Reporter more money as the program made of. Three groups of stu- dy Land,” said Eddie Wright, “What this research is tak- became more popular and more dents from the University, both a graduate from one of the ing is those five key fan types A bill seeking to reform the successful. In a budget that’s psychology graduates and un- groups. “I was very excited that we found in earlier re- requirements for TOPS eligi- well over $20 billion, pro- dergraduates, along with Pro- to attend a convention that search and using data from bility recently failed in the state grams like TOPS are financial- fessor Daniel Chadborn, trav- revolved around my interest, more recent surveys with house education committee in ly viable if the governor and elled to San Antonio, Texas, to and to see other research con- about three to four thousand the Louisiana Legislature. legislators want them to be so.” see LIONS pg. 8 present their research studies ducted by other universities as participants from both South- TOPS, the acronym for the Corbello says these new re- to the psychology community. well as their expression at see- eastern and several colleges Taylor Opportunity Program quirements could be beneficial, Lawmakers The convention lasted from ing our own work, gave me a in South Carolina as well as for Students, helps thousands but only when gradually ap- Thursday, April 3 to Saturday, sense of belonging and fulfill- a bunch of online participants of eligible Louisiana students plied so that universities and question higher April 5 and took place at the ment.” from across the country,” said every year to cover their col- students can adapt. However, Hyatt Regency Hotel. The first group, which was Chadborn. “We wanted to take lege tuition at both public and he also says that university tu- education funding The SWPA promotes an led by Chadborn, was com- a look at the typology as well private universities within the itions need to not be in a state annual meeting in effort to posed of graduate students, as some differences within the state. of flux for them to be effective. BY NICOLE KOSTER contribute to its main goal of Wright and Aastha Thapa and group.” However, the program is “The fact of the matter is Staff Reporter promoting and contributing to undergraduate student, Wil- Graduate students, Angel- becoming harder to sustain, as that requirements should in- psychology’s scientific, pro- liam Schmidt. They led two ica Giuffria and her partner, it takes a lot of money to get crease incrementally, but not Louisiana lawmakers and fessional and educational ar- presentations, one explaining Kaly Solek led the second these several thousand students in a vacuum,” said Corbello. board members of the various eas. The meeting offers poster the gender differences found group; Dr. Paula Varnado- covered financially. With the “Universities need to be prop- Louisiana university systems presentations, continuing edu- in male and female fans that Sullivan also contributed to state’s already economically erly funded and tuition itself proposed the idea to make cation sessions, workshops belonged to a fandom [fan the research but did not pres- deprived budget problems, the needs to remain stable.” students coming out of college in ent. The presentation looks costly TOPS program is only In the end, though, the ones Louisiana a competitor in today’s into the stigma/negative atti- adding to the issue. who would be most affected national economy, creating an tudes towards upper limb am- The bill proposed that the by these changes are students, innovative workforce to build a putees in a university setting, minimum requirement for many of whom are struggling stronger economy. comparing opinions towards TOPS should be a score over to pay their way through school Also known as the Workforce four different images ranging 24 on the ACT test and a GPA or deal with student loans. and Innovation for a Stronger from a student missing her left of at least 3.0 rather than a “We have working-class Economy fund or HB1033, WISE arm, one wearing a functional score of at least 20 on the ACT students working their butts would give Louisiana colleges and prosthesis, one wearing a cos- and a 2.5 on their GPA as it has off to get a college degree,” universities a pool of $40 million metic prosthesis and one with been in the past.