Rosa Parks // AP photo
The memories of the fall 2005 semester will arguably be etched into the minds of Southern students, faculty and staff for a very long time.
“This semester has probably been the most unusual in the history of Southern. It began with a major hurricane that destroyed much of Louisiana, soon followed by a second hurricane that destroyed portions of western Louisiana,” Jackson said. “They caused the relocation of hundreds of thousands of people and approximately 75,000 college students.”
The month of August, the first month of the semester, ended in shock, disbelief and uncertainty for a lot of Louisiana residents when Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, forcing thousands to leave their homes, schools and livelihoods, perhaps forever.
“It was a tragic situation and it hurt me to see others so devastated,” said Davitria Stubbs, a sophomore business management major from Jeanerette.
Following close behind was Hurricane Rita. The Category 3 storm made landfall at the Louisiana-Texas border and cancelled football games, while almost putting the Jaguars’ track and volleyball squads out of commission.
“It was just a horrible time for us,” said Southern volleyball coach Nathaniel Denu. “We couldn’t have games against teams such as UNO and others. It was a rough time.”
The death of civil rights activist Rosa Parks in October closed a chapter on a legacy started by a woman who was just too tired to go to the back of the bus, but opened a resurgence in minorities fighting for their beliefs. A purple and gold Confederate flag sparked students at Louisiana State University to fight for respect, demanding and demonstrating against a symbol many believe represents racism.
Southern’s Office of the Registrar’s came clean and released a list of 10 annulled degrees from individuals, after completing an internal investigation of students who allegedly earned grades or degrees improperly.
Isaac “Doc” Greggs is no longer an instructor or director at Southern. The icon left as the helmsman of the “Human Jukebox,” after allegations of fiscal and internal misconduct. Assistant band director Lawrence Jackson is the new director.
After Katrina caused destruction throughout New Orleans, Bayou Classic officials had to find a new location for the historic game. While businessmen and legislators argued to keep the game in the state, despite ill-suited accommodations, officials decided to relocate the game to Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
“Being it was my second time going, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did in New Orleans,” Stubbs said. “I truly hope there’s not a repeat of this next year.”
Southern’s semester rounds out with a $5.3 million system-wide budget cut and a 1.6 million operating budget cut on the Baton Rouge campus. The effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were hard on the state. As a result, a special session called by Gov. Kathleen Blanco ended with a lot of programs and funding falling short.
“This semester has seen great damage done to the local economy and as a result Southern has experienced the most severe budget cuts in recent history,” Jackson said. “We have accepted more than 1,200 displaced students and we have maintained a first-class evacuation center for hundreds of citizens.
“This has been the most challenging semester this school has probably faced in its history,” he said. “All in all, I think she (Southern) did remarkably well and we are so proud of her.”