The Associated Press

Following are some recent editorials in Louisiana newspapers.



Sept. 8

The Times, Shreveport

On: GSU needs new viewpoint

Grambling State University will formally begin a search for a president in December, once the school knows its accreditation fate and following a legislative audit. But those charged with organizing a search group should prepare well for the type of search, who will make it and the priority assigned to various criteria for the strong leader the university so critically needs.

The good news is the search will be national in scope, with advertising to commence after the Dec. 9 report from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Grambling, which draws students from coast to coast, is in need of a president with a fresh, outside perspective unburdened by the baggage of familiarity.

Management and academic problems have plagued the school, ultimately threatening its accreditation in 2001 and making the school an iffy prospect for students looking to pursue a college degree. Since 1995, enrollment dropped from 7,500 to about 4,500. The potential loss of accreditation would mean no financial aid to GSU students, affecting 92 percent of enrollment.

The school began 2003 with a staggering 76 recommendations for improvement -- including a suggestion that GSU reconsider its doctorate-level programs. The review was conducted by national education consultant James Fisher and a team of experts, requested last year by GSU Interim President Neari Warner at the behest of Sally Clausen, who heads up the University of Louisiana System (ULS).

The independent report did list recent, positive strides at GSU especially the clean bill of financial health issued by retired state Auditor Dan Kyle (with 13 disclaimers) last year. Warner, who should be commended for her interim leadership, has talked about erecting a new Grambling amid the decay that was blamed on factors ranging from unneeded programs to too much spending on athletics.

Inquiries for the president's job already are coming in. Alumni understandably are seeking to become involved, but the UL System needs to make sure any search body contains both those who love alma mater and those with the objectivity of an outsider unencumbered by old school ties. GSU's new president doesn't need to be some group's pet candidate, beholden to a faction or set of insiders for his or her office and clout.

Joseph Savoie, commissioner of higher education for the state, put it succinctly that GSU needs a seasoned administrator. The president needs a ``solid mechanical understanding of how institutions work.'

A translation might be that the best candidate will understand both the financial and academic sides of a university -- someone who can maintain fiscal integrity while setting high and measurable standards for faculty. Grambling, students and alumni, deserve no less if this historically black institution is to return luster to its one-time noteworthy national reputation.



Sept. 8

The Times-Picayune, New Orleans

On: What's eating Louisiana?

Louisiana's wetlands loss is a documented fact that no one can seriously dispute, but a difference of scientific opinion has emerged over one of the causes, and the argument isn't merely academic.

Sherwood Gagliano, a geologist who recognized wetlands loss in the 1950s, is now convinced that a major reason the coastline is sinking is because of more than 100 geological faults that cause blocks of earth to slide down, allowing water to rush in. Other scientists believe that human activity, particularly oil and gas production, have played a larger role in rapid coastal loss, particularly in the 1960s and 1970s when

production was at its height.

Robert Morton, a researcher with the U.S. Geological Survey, doesn't dismiss the role of faults, but he suggests that withdrawal of huge amounts of oil, gas and saltwater could have magnified their action. He points to the fact that wetlands loss has slowed since that activity has dropped off.

Both theories are plausible, and figuring out which is right is important. It has a large bearing on how best to combat the problem that's causing the state to lose ground every year.

The Gagliano theory, for example, argues against spending money on restoration projects near fault lines where they are in geologic jeopardy. He is pushing for another approach: diverting the Mississippi River to fault-safe areas to create sub-deltas.

That includes a huge project called the Third Delta conveyance channel, a large new waterway that's intended to build new wetlands and possibly provide a new route for shipping.

Right now, plans calls for a variety of large and small diversions, but don't target areas based on faults.

A lot is at stake here. Louisiana is seeking $14 billion to stop erosion and rebuild its vanishing coast, and persuading Congress to help pay a large part of that bill will be that much harder if there's uncertainty about the best way to proceed.

But even though more research is needed to resolve the question, it would be a mistake to delay restoration efforts. Karen Gautreaux, who is Gov. Foster's executive assistant for coastal activities, said finding the answer could take years, and Louisiana can't afford to wait. One solution might be to identify projects that are likely to be effective under either scenario and begin with them.

Even when the fault-line question is resolved, scientists may run across new questions that will take efforts in new directions. Restoration projects themselves are likely to include a degree of trial and error.

The kind of massive coastal restoration that Louisiana needs is, quite simply, a learning process. Whether the coast is shrinking because of seismic activity, storms, levying of rivers, human activity or all of the above, any plan to fix the problem is going to need to be flexible enough to accommodate what we're learning now and what we will learn in the future.



Sept. 10

The Advocate, Baton Rouge

On: Deadly virus still a threat

Louisiana's experience this year with the killer West Nile virus is much better than last year's epidemic.

It's too early to call this year's West Nile season over. The mosquitoes that carry it are still very much around, and people are out more as they take advantage of cooler fall evenings.

The state's epidemiologist, Raoult Ratard, is nevertheless optimistic that this year won't see the toll of disease that marked last summer's outbreak.

With more than 50 cases in Louisiana this year, the disease certainly is not out of the picture, particularly with the good weather bringing people out. In the first week of September 2002, there were 222 cases and 11 deaths. East Baton Rouge had 42 cases -- nearly as many as the whole state this year -- in the first week of September 2002. There are few this year, with most of Louisiana's cases reported in the metropolitan

Shreveport-Bossier City area.

Caddo Parish alone has reported 30 cases. A 73-year-old Shreveport man died from meningitis resulting from West Nile.

The secretary of the state Department of Health and Hospitals, David Hood, continues to warn the public about the risk of West Nile.

``Past experience and the continued addition of cases have shown that West Nile is not just a summertime virus,' Hood said. ``Please remain vigilant.'

It is good advice. Details about how to avoid the disease can be found on the Office of Public Health's online site at www.FighttheBiteLouisiana.com.

Hood urged people to reduce their risk of contracting West Nile virus by applying mosquito repellent, wearing long sleeves and long pants, and avoiding wearing perfumes or colognes while outside for prolonged periods. The public can help reduce the risks of the disease by dumping any outdoor containers with standing water to eliminate mosquito breeding places.

If the risk of West Nile complications is small, it certainly is not zero. While only 1 person in 200 infected by a mosquito bite will develop an illness from the disease, it can cause neurological damage or death. The elderly and people with impaired immune systems are particularly vulnerable.

Now is not the time for complacency about West Nile, which might be with us for many years.



Sept. 7

The Courier, Houma

On: French bashers spoil Louisiana Purchase party

Earlier this year, Americans began engaging in a new sport -- French bashing. It bruised Louisiana, however.

Americans were upset France didn't support the United States' decision to attack Iraq. So in the name of patriotism, many spoke against the country and its products. Some people stopped buying French wine, cheese and clothing. They started renaming French fries. Some even talked of renaming the French Quarter.

Bad timing? Incredibly so for Louisiana -- this is the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase, the sale of the Louisiana territory to the United States by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Museum exhibits were planned and are traveling. A specially commissioned opera was in the works. Many other plans were made.

Then came the war in Iraq -- and more criticism. Plans for marketing a special French wine commemorating the bicentennial were postponed; after all, bottles of Dom Perignon were being publicly poured out. Some members of the Louisiana Legislature attempted to officially revoke French President Jacques Chirac's invitation to New Orleans in December. The governor and some gubernatorial candidates spoke out against France.

The climate of Louisiana changed from a celebratory atmosphere, something for which Louisiana is known, to an inhospitable one -- which is highly unusual, particularly for south Louisiana. Because of the tension, French companies holding an estimated $1.8 billion in assets in this state canceled visits to scout investment opportunities. A cancer research trip to Lyon, France, was canceled.

The true economic impact of the tension between Americans and the French is not and may never be known. What we do know is that Louisiana cannot afford -- on any level -- to alienate potential investment or tourism revenue. Gov. Mike Foster has apparently reconsidered the wisdom of his comments and backpedaled a bit.

France was only doing what Americans believe people have a right to do: disagree with our government. It does not make sense to vehemently speak out against a country and vilify Chirac for exercising a right that we hold so dear: that of free speech.

A meeting between Chirac and President George Bush reportedly is being planned to smooth relations between the two countries and to officially extend an invitation to Chirac for the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial's closing celebrations in New Orleans in December. A French official indicates this is being planned; a White House official has suggested that the celebration is not on the president's radar. But it should be.

We need to rebuild relations for the benefit of our economic future, as well as to recognize and celebrate our heritage. The latter isn't something we can ignore, nor should we try. Louisiana needs Bush to extend a hand and the invitation for Decembers festivities to Chirac. He is not the enemy, but Americans' anger and hurt egos are an ongoing threat here.