Away from home: Egyptian student discusses protests in home country, p. 3
ResLife: Snowing in the South postponed indefinitely, p. 3
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Theater: ‘King Lear’ opens in Shaver Theatre, p. 11 Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011 • Volume 115, Issue 82
University student found after disappearing for 4 days Buford went missing in New Orleans Celeste Ansley Staff Writer
A 20-year-old University student who disappeared in New Orleans early Sunday was found Wednesday afternoon. Leslie Buford, pre-veterinary junior, went missing after leaving the Tequila Room on Bourbon Street around 4 a.m.
Kendi Murungi, communication studies junior and creator of the “Have you seen Leslie Buford????” Facebook event, said she and five of Buford’s friends went to New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon to look for Buford and post fliers with his information. They found Buford after five and a half hours of searching, Murungi said. “Leslie Buford has been located. He was found back on Bourbon St. in good health,” Officer Hilal B. Williams of the New
Orleans Police Department Public Affairs Division said in an e-mail Wednesday. Murungi said Buford appeared fine physically but not mentally. “I think something happened to him LESLIE BUFORD that got to his head,” Murungi said. Murungi said Buford would not make eye contact with them when he was found, but she said
Buford had been sleeping on the street since his disappearance. Buford told his friends he couldn’t talk about what happened, but he had tried to contact people and was unsuccessful, Murungi said. Buford went to the NOPD 8th District office to report being found, Murungi said. Murungi said she and Buford were on Bourbon Street celebrating a friend’s birthday with a group of friends. Murungi said the footage from the Tequila Room showed
5-star recruits signed by LSU Anthony Johnson • Position: Defensive tackle • Hometown: New Orleans • School: O.P. Walker HS
Jarvis Landry • Position: Wide receiver • Hometown: Lutcher • School: Lutcher HS
the group walking with Buford at 3:50 a.m. Buford walked out of the footage frame at 3:53 a.m. “Two minutes later we noticed he was missing,” Murungi said. Murungi said a man resembling Buford appeared on the video footage walking in the other direction a few minutes later, but he could not be positively identified as Buford. No one in the group knew what happened to Buford, and he BUFORD, see page 6
CAMPUS LIFE
University switching mail carriers Xerxes A. Wilson Staff Writer
La’El Collins PATRICK SEMANSKY / The Associated Press
LSU football coach Les Miles speaks at a news conference Wednesday about recruits who have signed and submitted their letters of intent to play for LSU. Rivals.com ranks LSU’s recruiting class No. 6 in the nation.
• Position: Offensive lineman • Hometown: Baton Rouge • School: Redemptorist HS *Ratings according to Rivals.com
All signs point to LSU RB Hill doesn’t sign, all other expected signees ink with Miles, Tigers
Hunter Paniagua Sports Contributor
For one day every year, the fax machine becomes the most important piece of technology to football programs across the country. The first Wednesday of February, known to recruiting diehards as National Signing Day, is the day most high school prospects fax their letters of intent to their college of choice. For LSU, the day went according to plan. LSU coach Les Miles received signatures from 22 players. Isidore Newman wide receiver Odell Beckham became the first to fax his letter
Wednesday at 7:45 a.m., and Evangel defensive end Jermauria Rasco closed the day when he signed at 3:42 p.m. Miles said he was pleased with the quality of the finished class that Rivals.com ranks No. 6 in the nation. “LSU has everything in place,” Miles said. “This class really met some needs, needs that we set out to answer and needs that need to fall in very quickly behind the team that we have.” Rasco was the only player to announce his commitment during National Signing Day, doing so in front of friends and family in his high school gymnasium. The Scout.com five-star recruit stood
in front of a table decorated with Florida and Texas gear. Instead, he donned an LSU hat and jersey and announced he would be taking his talents to Baton Rouge. Miles praised Rasco during his National Signing Day press conference. “We only took one defensive end, but he’s a very good one,” Miles said. “He has the kind of athletic ability that will get him to the field in his
Watch videos of National Signing Day at lsureveille.com. SIGNING DAY, see page 6
Students and faculty will have a new option for mail service on campus in the coming months. The University will choose a new mail service provider this week after the United States Postal Service office on campus was one of six Baton Rouge locations recommended for closure by USPS, according to Director of Campus Auxiliary Services Jason Tolliver. “The University is dealing with budget cuts and looking for ways we can be more efficient, and one of the areas we identified is campus mail,” Tolliver said. The University is currently in the process of choosing between UPS and Ricoh to take over mailing operations on campus with a choice coming as soon as today. Tolliver said by consolidating mailing operations to one location, the new service would save the University $400,000 annually and actually contribute a “modest gain” back to the University. The new company will also MAIL, see page 5