By the book: The LSU Compliance Office has launched a new website to provide “a fundamental understanding of NCAA regulations regarding the role of fans and boosters,” says LSU Compliance Director Andrew Donovan. The site offers detailed information tailored to student-athletes, prospects, parents, fans, boosters, agents, advisers and employers. “Our shared responsibility in maintaining the integrity of LSU athletics only adds to the importance of the materials contained within this online resource,” Donovan says in an email to Tiger Athletic Fund members. “We encourage you to follow us through these resources to gain a better understanding of NCAA compliance and how it affects the LSU Tigers.” Check it out here.
Selling soles: New Orleans entrepreneur and Feelgoodz founder Kyle Berner is taking his all-natural rubber flip-flops to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets: China. As reported in USA Today, Berner plans to list his eco-friendly flip-flops on Chinese e-commerce site Tmall.com, joining the ranks of large American companies such as Levi Strauss that are already on the website. It’s a step that Berner hopes will help take his small company from a “bootstrap business” that generated about $330,000 in sales last year to one with as much as $50 million in sales in five years. The United States will continue to be Feelgoodz’s primary market, but exporting overseas helps protect against the risk of an unexpected domestic downturn, according to Berner, who also sells his flip-flops in New Zealand. Check out the full story here.
Making the case: Louisiana’s education chief has unveiled a proposal to rid the state of what he called the bureaucratic red tape involved in compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act. John White says the state’s proposal includes, for example, lifting requirements for detailed school district improvement plans requiring valuable time and effort to develop. In return for a waiver from federal requirements, the state would focus more on measuring academic performance instead of attendance and dropout rates. An individual school’s grade would be based more on students’ test performances and, for high schools, the percentage of students graduating with their class. State education officials are seeking public comment before submitting the plan to Washington. It is unclear when federal authorities would act on the request. You can download an overview of the state’s waiver application here.
