The Reveille 3-28-24

LITTLE ‘AFTER,’ BIG PROBLEM

LSU SG voting results postponed amid election code confusion

BY AIDAN ANTHAUME, CROSS HARRIS & OLIVER BUTCHER @aidanth04, @thecrossharris & @oliverbutcher73

The LSU Student Government Election Commission postponed announcing voting results Wednesday following confusion and disagreement over the election code.

“There is a piece of the code that can be interpreted in two different ways,” said Election Commission Chair Kennedy Dorr, “and we are waiting for a better answer on what they meant.”

The delay comes amid a slew of unresolved judicial complaints filed by the Empower and Energize campaigns. The phenomenon is common to SG elections.

According to the SG election code, when the judicial branch finds a campaign has violated the code, that campaign is assessed a number of penalties depending on the section violated. Eight or more penalties disqualifies a campaign from the election.

This election cycle, a new amendment to the code stipulated all judicial complaints must be handed a final decision before the election results are announced. However, a typo in the new code made the reading of that amendment more ambiguous.

Student Sen. Colin Raby from the College of Engineering authored that bill.

“I see where the confusion came from,” he said Wednesday, “because in my bill there was a pretty crucial word that was in there that for some reason whoever put it into our current code failed to copy. That word was ‘after.’”

When Raby submitted his petition, section 511 of the election code read, “The unofficial results of the general election shall be announced by the chair in an appropriate campus location and uploaded to the student government website, the ruling of all complaints pending before the election court or appeals pending before the university court have been announced as final.”

The omission of the single word made the code less legible, but

Raby said he believed the reading remained the same: No election results should be announced until judicial complaints are finished.

Sen. Raby said he was motivated to create the amendment after developments during SG’s last election cycle.

He said he thought it would be difficult for the judicial branch to fairly decide campaign complaints after the results of the popular vote had announced a winner. The intention of his bill, he said, was to prevent that dilemma.

When Raby saw that the Election Commission intended to announce the most recent vote on Wednesday, a number of judicial complaints had yet to be heard. He filed a petition to the judicial branch to delay the announcement. The judicial branch scheduled a hearing to decide the matter for April 8—more than two weeks out from when the Election Commission first planned to announce the preliminary election results.

Judicial complaints from the Empower campaign also asked for an injunction of the election announcement, but hearings for those cases also fell after the Election Commission’s announcement time

at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Dorr decided Wednesday afternoon to postpone the announcement while the election code remained in dispute.

“I’m really just pushing for the code to be followed,” Dorr said. “I don’t want it to be misinterpreted in any way.”

Wednesday night, the Reveille found the election code typo that had caused so much ruckus had been corrected without announcement.

Meanwhile, the judicial branch has scheduled hearing times for the campaign complaints that flooded the SG branch before their filing deadline on Tuesday.

Judicial campaign complaints from both Empower and Energize have steadily trickled into the branch; most have come from the Empower campaign, and all of the complaints had been dismissed until Tuesday.

On March 20, Energize filed suit against Empower alleging Empower candidates had used the likenesses of students unaffiliated with the campaign in campaign material—a violation of SG election code.

The material in question, a series of Instagram posts from Em-

power candidates, were found by the judicial branch in a preliminary judgment to have featured students that were either unaffiliated with a campaign, affiliated with Energize or required by SG election code to be neutral.

Additionally, the judicial branch preliminarily ruled that the wording of some of the posts inferred that the candidates carried the endorsement of an SG office—also a violation.

If the ruling stands, the violations on behalf of Empower amounted to the assignment of six penalties, two shy of the eight or more required to disqualify a campaign. A final judgment is expected to be released prior to midnight April 3.

When reached for comment, Joseph Liberto, head of the Energize campaign, said he would not yet say anything about the court’s decision.

John Michael Sweat of the Empower campaign said in a message to the Reveille that the proceedings had been “very civil, none of us are fighting, we have disputes that we’re settling via the proper channels.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLIN RABY

The above photo, taken by Colin Raby on March 26, shows the Election Code missing the word “after.” The below photo, screenshotted March 27, with the highlight added by the Reveille, shows the typo corrected.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Sydney Smith answers a question as John Michael Sweat listens Monday, March 18, 2024, inside the Holliday Forum at LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Amelia Carman answers a question as Joseph Liberto listens Monday, March 18, 2024, inside the Holliday Forum at LSU in Baton Rouge, La.

AMENDMENT REJECTED

House panel votes down proposed constitutional change to abortion

BY JORDYN WILSON LSU Manship School News Service

By a 10-2 vote, a House committee rejected a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at overturning the state’s abortion ban and safeguarding individual rights in pregnancy-related health decisions.

The House Civil Law and Procedure Committee voted Monday to kill House Bill 245, a proposed constitutional amendment by Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, D-New Orleans.

Freeman conveyed to legislators the pressure doctors face in treating problem pregnancies, and her apprehension regarding the diagnostic hurdles.

“I know this is a very sensitive and specific issue to so many individuals and constituents across the state,” she said. “Doctors go to med school to save lives...When they are fearful of what may come next, they are less likely to act.”

But critics of the bill—mainly GOP legislators—said the pro -

The clock is ticking for TikTok

BY LARKIN APPLEBAUM @larkin_appleb

TikTok has become the biggest app in the world since its release in September 2016. With over a billion global users, the power and influence of the app is undeniable.

The video-formatted social media platform is especially embraced by the United States population, with over 170 million users throughout the country. The app appeals to the masses since it offers a vast community of creators that specialize their content to various interests. Content spans lifestyle and fitness to comedy bits to relatable videos, with many more genres and niches.

Since so many Americans find joy in watching TikTok videos, the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote to ban TikTok came as an upsetting shock to some, especially to Generation Z. TikTok’s China-based ownership makes some lawmakers believe the platform is a threat to national security. This concern resulted in a 352-65 vote among rep -

An LSU professor created a vaccine to prevent herpes in cows

BY MADISON MARONGE @madisonmaronge

An LSU professor and researcher developed a new vaccine that combats herpes viruses in cattle.

Dr. Shafiqul Chowdhury, a virologist and professor at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, developed the vaccine that produces protective proteins of bovine herpes and other similar viruses to prevent respiratory disease in cattle populations.

“Humans have a similar virus that causes cold sores,” Chowdhury said. “We get flare-ups too, when we experience stress. It comes and goes, but it lives with you for life. It’s the same story with cattle.”

Sick and dying adult cattle affected by bovine herpes result in the loss of beef production, dairy production and possible abortion in pregnant cattle, causing the death of around 8 million calves each year and costing the cattle industry more than $1 billion.

Chowdhury explained the disease is so fatal due to the virus initiating immunosuppression in the cattle, or a depressed immune system. This makes the cattle more vulnerable to respiratory infection, resulting in pneumonia and death.

Before this vaccine, cattle

were, and still are, treated with a commercial vaccine “cocktail.” Unlike the vaccine cocktail, Chowdhury’s vaccine only uses one virus, whereas the cocktail uses multiple mixed viruses, therefore producing more complications.

According to the LSU Media Center, the current vaccine cocktail is less effective than Chowdhury’s vaccine. Complications linked to the cocktail kill more than one out of five calves.

“When it comes to infection, you lose productivity,” Chowdhury said.

Chowdhury has been working his whole life with herpes viruses in horses, pigs and now cattle.

He began his journey to this vaccine at Kansas State University in 1990 as an assistant professor, where he decided to work with their large cattle population. He spent 18 years in Kansas before coming to LSU in 2008.

As the only virologist in LSU’s vet school, Chowdhury spearheads the experiments with a team consisting of a pathologist and a lab animal director. They take on experiments with about 15 to 20 calves, 500 pounds each, for 2 months at a time. These experiments in total cost around $30,000.

Chowdhury’s vaccine is the first of its kind to come out of

LSU. But there’s more work to be done.

“The vaccine that is publicized was actually developed almost 6 years ago. Now, we are far more advanced,” Chowdhury said. “Hopefully, [in the future] we will have developed a much

better vaccine that will be safer, better for the long run, and will be cheaper.”

Chowdhury has received many awards for his research, excellence and innovation in his extensive career, but he could only ask for one more thing.

“It is my wish that before I retire, I see the commercialization of this vaccine so I can enjoy the fruit of this effort. Not just financially, but also to see people are using the vaccine in my field. That is the hope,” Chowdhury said.

AGRICULTURE

MATHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

A trio carries signs on Jan. 22, 2023, during an abortion rights march in downtown Baton Rouge, La.

ABORTION BAN, from page 3

posed amendment went too far by allowing abortions under pretty much any circumstance.

“There is a difference between a child not surviving in a womb,” said Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, compared to “intentionally ending the life of a child in the womb.”

Republican lawmakers noted that Louisiana voters had already approved anti-abortion ballot measures in recent years, most recently in 2020 when they voted to add restrictive language to the state constitution.

“If the language in the amend-

TIKTOK, from page 3

resentatives in favor of the bill to ban the app.

The bill proposes that if TikTok’s owner, ByteDance, does not sell the app to a U.S.-based company within six months, then it will be banned. The probability for ByteDance to comply is very low since it would be difficult to sell a huge company worth a potential $150 billion so quickly.

The bill must pass a vote held by the U.S. Senate, then be approved by President Joe Biden to become a law. It remains unclear if the Senate will pass the bill, but Biden has signaled that he will sign it if passed.

ment would’ve been a problem, we would not have gotten 60+ percent” of the public vote, said Rep. Mark Wright, R- Covington.

Invoking Roe v. Wade, which allowed abortion for decades until the U.S. Supreme Court reversed it, Freeman pointed out that laws change: “I’m a different representative in this time,” said Freeman. “I didn’t have voter say; some of us are new.”

Freeman referenced an LSU poll conducted last year, revealing that 52% of respondents in Louisiana supported legalizing abortion in all or most cases. Moreover, the poll indicated that 85% of respondents believed a

Biden’s campaign team often uses TikTok as an outlet to gain votes from younger generations for the upcoming 2024 presidential election.

Millions of American users realized how serious the possibility of a TikTok ban was on March 13. The company’s CEO, Shou Chew, took to the social media platform to express his disappointment with the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote and encouraged users to contact their senators to urge them to vote against the bill.

In a TikTok, Chew acknowledged the platform serves as a vital resource for small businesses to thrive on.

“It would put more than 300,000

woman should be able to obtain an abortion if her life is endangered due to pregnancy, while 77% supported access to abortion in cases of pregnancy resulting from rape.

Nancy Davis, who faced obstacles in accessing abortion care and had to travel out of state to obtain an abortion, echoed these sentiments. “These decisions are personal and should be protected from government interference,” she said. “Laws banning abortion do not stop it. It makes it more dangerous.”

Both of the yes votes for the bill came from Democrats.

Although House Bill 245 was

American jobs at risk,” Chew said.

This concern is shared widely among business owners and content creators who rely on the app to grow their businesses and sustain themselves financially.

Chew assured viewers in the same TikTok that the app prioritizes data security and aims to keep it protected.

NBC News reported it may be months before a Senate vote on the bill and that both political parties think foreign ownership is a threat to national security, so the possibility of the bill stopping there is unlikely.

The decision whether to ban TikTok is much anticipated by Americans.

defeated, Rep. Freeman also is sponsoring House Bill 293, which is awaiting a hearing in the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice. It also attempts to clarify the law governing specific abortion procedures.

In other action at the Capitol

Monday:

The House Transportation Committee voted 6-5 to advance a bill by Rep. Larry Bagley, RStonewall, to drop the requirement for inspection stickers for cars in Louisiana. If the bill makes it into law, the only requirements left would be for auto owners in East Baton Rouge

Parish and four nearby parishes to get annual emissions tests.

The House Civil Law Committee advanced a bill by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, to create a constitutional amendment to dedicate funds from alternative energy projects on state coastal lands to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.

The full House voted 86-13 to approve a bill by Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, to lower the severance tax rate on various oil wells over eight years from 12.5% to $8.5%. The change would cost the state $79 million a year in tax revenues once it was fully in place.

GRAPHIC BY DEVIN ROBERTSON

THIS WEEKEND IN BR

BY CLAIRE THERIOT @ClaireTheriot2

FRIDAY AT 7:30 P.M.

MARCH

Baton Rouge Zydeco vs. Mississippi Seawolves Raising Canes River Center

Baton Rouge’s very own hockey team, the Zydeco, will be playing the Mississippi Seawolves at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $5 to $17.

Valued Women’s Empowerment Event International Cultural Center

Want to see your event in the Reveille?

Email information to editor@lsu.edu.

29 TH MARCH

MARCH

SUNDAY AT 5 P.M. 31ST

Baton Rouge Women’s Ministry is hosting a women’s empowerment event for women of all ages. There will be speakers, as well as a brunch and fun activities. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and tickets range from $5 to $10.

Easter Sunday in the Garden Gallery 14

Eleven XI is hosting an Easter celebration party with food trucks, DJs and drinks. This event will run for 6 hours and will start at 5 p.m. Tickets range from $20 to $550.

30TH

SATURDAY AT 11 A.M.

Fashion-forward students talk the power of clothing on campus

BY CAMILLE MILLIGAN @camillemill333

Walking around campus on a busy weekday usually means rushing through crowds of students wearing T-shirts, sweatpants or athleisure. It can be daunting to wear clothes that go against this norm. But for some people, dressing in unique outfits each day is an exciting chance to express themselves.

Riley Lawson, a textiles and apparel merchandising senior at LSU, had a love for fashion from a young age, but didn’t always dress up on a daily basis. Studying in Hawaii for a semester motivated Lawson to showcase her own personal style more around campus.

“Going to school there and seeing everyone’s personal style really stand out whenever they’re just going to class was a really big inspiration for me,” Lawson said.

Lawson wears a lot of vintage and thrifted clothing. She enjoys the fact that second-hand garments are not only more unique but also more sustainable for the fashion industry. She often constructs her outfits around one particular article of clothing that fits her mood that day. When she needs inspiration, Lawson turns to apps like Pinterest for creative help.

Similar to Lawson, Vanissi Fowler, a junior at LSU, thrifts many of his clothes and uses an app for styling ideas. Fowler uses one app called Whering to generate outfits based on pictures of his clothes. The app allows users to create a digital wardrobe and schedule outfits for upcoming

days.

Fowler said that in his more elaborate outfits, he notices that he stands out from many other students on campus. However, his sense of style mostly gives him courage.

“It really depends on how I’m feeling, but with stuff that most people will agree looks good, I tend to feel a little bit more confident,” Fowler said. “The reason that I do choose my outfits is just to stand out in general.”

For some students, the way they dress is not just a form of self-expression but also a source of new opportunity. Jalayne Allison, an anthropology freshman, has gained new opportunities and friendships by wearing outfits that

spark conversations.

“It makes my day fun,” Allison said. “I can just walk around knowing I dress outlandishly and that starts conversations with people. Most of the people that I’ve met that are my close friends now, they literally came up to me and were like, ‘Oh, I like what you have on.’”

Allison is the stylist for the Maison du Tigre, the fashion magazine at LSU, and is interested in making fashion sustainable. She not only thrifts a lot of clothes, but once she has a garment, she holds onto it for a long time.

“I have clothes literally from middle school that I still wear and try to match up with different things,” Allison said.

Fast fashion and micro trends make it difficult for the fashion industry to progress sustainably. To students like Angelina Hoskins, a psychology freshman, following trends also makes it difficult to truthfully express oneself through fashion.

“There has just been an influx of trends going on, especially through TikTok, and it’s just going quicker and quicker and quicker,” Hoskins said. “Everyone is trying to find themselves within these trends, and I think that’s just confusing people more and more.”

Hoskins is goth and enjoys wearing black poofy skirts, sheer tops and lots of layers. She also makes some of her own pieces

like capelets, which can be hard to find in stores. Her hair, nails and makeup are also gothic in style. Although her clothes stand out distinctly among other students on campus, Hoskins is confident in herself and her unique style.

Dressing up around campus might not be for everyone, but for some, an everyday outfit is a chance to display their personality and the qualities that make them unique.

“I’m a firm believer in being able to express yourself and being true to who you are and what you like, and this has been my best medium,” Hoskins said. “I really like doing this stuff. It’s fun for me.”

COURTESY OF ANGELINA HOPKINS

Freshman Angelina Hoskins posing in layered tops, a long black skirt and platform boots.

COURTESY OF JALAYNE ALLISON

Freshman Jalayne Allison shows off a white poofy top and gray hat.

WE BELIEVE

The LSU Health Center hosted its inagural Believe March on March 26 showing support for sexual assault survivors before Sexual Assault Awareness Month begins in April.

Photos by Matthew Perschall

Executive Director of the Student Health Center Julie Hupperich (left) and Director of the Lighthouse Program Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis (right) stand for a photo.

Believe T-shirts sit in a box.

A sign directs participants toward the Believe March near the Enchanted Forest.

Attendees walk the route in silence.

Attendees walk through the Enchanted Forest.

Confidential supporters hold papers spelling out “Time to March!”

Attendees listen to Director of the Lighthouse Program Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis speak after the march.

Various ribbons sit on a table for participants to pick up and wear.

Participants march together through LSU’s Campus.

SPORTS 16 DREAMS

Preview: LSU women’s hoops set to take on UCLA in the Sweet 16

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8

LSU punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 on Sunday with an offensive attack in the second half to escape Middle Tennessee.

But the Tigers are now set to fly to Albany, New York, to take on UCLA, where an offensive attack may not come quite as easy.

The Bruins advanced to the Sweet 16 with a second half comeback of their own, sealing a 67-63 win over Creighton.

Just like how they got to Albany, both teams are very similar. They both have strengths that have carried them, and weaknesses that have hurt them.

UCLA thrives in the post

When it comes to height, UCLA has the upper hand, and the Bruins have used that to their advantage as much as possible.

UCLA is led by 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, who averages a team-high of 14.9 points per game, and a team-high of nine rebounds per game.

In their last 11 games, nine of which resulted in a win, the Bruins averaged 32.7 points in the paint of their 71.2 points scored (45.9%).

Against Creighton, Betts scored 20 points along with 10 rebounds

FOOTBALL

and three assists. She shot 9-for-15 from the field and 2-for-4 at the foul line.

Creighton had a difficult time stopping Betts at the basket, but the Blue Jays stayed in the game with 3-point shots and going down low when Betts was out of the game, forcing a mismatch.

There were times when Creighton caught Betts and UCLA slipping and make a backdoor pass

for a layup, but the Blue Jays ran the majority of their offense outside of the paint.

UCLA’s guards had a tough time defending Creighton’s outside shots, which allowed Creighton to go into halftime with an eight-point lead. The Bruins can still win with their guards

While UCLA primarily works to get the ball to Betts, its guard

play is enough to still be a top team.

Kiki Rice is one of UCLA’s most effective guards, averaging 13.2 points per game along with 5.8 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game.

Against Creighton, her burst of scoring in the second half was the swing factor. Of her team-high 24 points, she scored 17 in the second half, including nine points in a 15-4 run that gave UCLA its first lead of the game since the first quarter.

Rice shot 7-for-13 from the field, 2-for-5 from three and 8-for8 from the foul line. She also added six rebounds and three assists.

But Rice is not all when it comes to UCLA’s guard play.

Charisma Osborne per game averages 14.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and four assists, and Londynn Jones adds another 11.8 points per game. Osborne led UCLA with 21 points in UCLA’s double overtime loss to USC in the Pac-12 semifinal.

UCLA’s guards bring a balanced attack to its offense. The more reliable part of its game is when it can drive to the basket and score. But the Bruins aren’t afraid to shoot the three and can

BASEBALL

LSU baseball conquers the Lions

BY CONNOR BARNEY @theconnorbarney

LSU baseball defeated Southeastern Louisiana 8-4 Tuesday in Alex Box Stadium, its second win against the Lions this season.

The victory for the Tigers was another strong defensive midweek performance, keeping Southeastern scoreless for all but two innings.

LSU’s pitching staff made big improvements after last week’s struggles. Hits were scarce from the Lions tonight, compared to the six home runs allowed in Sunday’s game versus Florida.

Six pitchers put in shifts for LSU, with Sam Dutton starting on the mound. He recorded two strikeouts, but also allowed three hits and Southeastern’s first two runs.

Justin Loer, Kade Anderson, Micah Bucknam and Cameron Johnson all followed allowing no runs, with Anderson making the biggest impact on four strikeouts in two innings of work.

Southeastern went five innings

LSU’s Pro Day gives Jayden Daniels another chance to shine

BY JASON WILLIS @JasonWillis4

Jayden Daniels didn’t need to make a statement at his Pro Day, but he did.

After an incredible season in which the fifth-year senior won the Heisman Trophy while putting up some of the best numbers of those to have won it, Wednesday was his last chance to publicly demonstrate to NFL scouts what makes him special.

In many ways, though, he’s already shown that he’s ready to play at the next level, though doing so presents new challenges.

“Here [at LSU], he’s treated himself like a pro in the sense of his commitment,” head coach Brian Kelly said. “But now you’ve got to be able to switch yourself to, you know, 100% focused on a job, and sometimes that’s a bit of a transition.”

On Wednesday, Daniels added to his case to be a top pick in the NFL Draft, which will begin on April 25. Daniels insisted after the Pro Day that he wasn’t as concerned with what team ends up picking him as he is that that team trusts

him to be their franchise quarterback. “Who’s going to invest in me? Who’s going to believe in me?” Daniels said.

It seems likely at this point that Daniels will be one of the top three picks in the draft, with the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patri-

ots all considered teams that need a quarterback. All three teams had representatives at LSU Pro Day, with the Commanders and Patriots both sending head coaches Dan Quinn and Jerod Mayo. They each got the opportunity to see Daniels perform and throw in person and evaluate his tantalizing skillset.

Daniels didn’t participate in any drills besides throwing, but he still demonstrated his highlevel ability. He threw with power and touch, both inside and outside the numbers.

Though Daniels missed two or three throws, he looked sharp for the most part and displayed the deep passing ability that was the hallmark of his historic season.

Daniels said he was focusing on showing his consistency within the pocket and his ability to have balanced footwork while moving. He also wanted to show his ability to go through multiple progressions.

“I think he left no stone unturned today with the performance that he had today throwing the football,” Kelly said.

Throughout the course of the day, Daniels exhibited what makes him so appealing to NFL scouts, and not just with his performance on the field.

During every drill, Daniels stood at the front of the observing group of LSU players to offer raucous support to his teammates. After wide receiver Malik Nabers ran his 40-yard dash, Daniels ran almost as far to catch up with him

and celebrate. Daniels passed up an opportunity to work out and be measured at the NFL Combine, saying that he wanted instead to bring lots of exposure to LSU’s Pro Day for his fellow teammates who were doing workouts.

In addition to Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Gregory Clayton Jr. and Noah Cain, who were each already working out for the Pro Day, Daniels invited several current LSU players to throw to in order to have them perform in front of scouts.

“That was great for them to go out there and showcase their talent, showcase how they move, you know,” Daniels said after. “Write their own journey. If they get an opportunity, I know they’re going to crush it.”

In addition, Daniels wore the jersey of teammate Greg Brooks Jr. during workouts, nodding toward the LSU defensive back who left the team last season after doctors discovered he had a brain tumor.

“He’s thinking outside of just Jayden Daniels,” Kelly said. see JAYDEN, page 10

MORGAN COOK / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson (4) celebrates scoring March 24 during LSU’s 83-56 second-round win.

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille LSU football quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) cheers on his teammate along with others during the bench press for LSU’s Pro Day on March 27.

JAYDEN, from page 9

“That’s the way he’s been since he’s gotten here.”

Nabers, who also will likely be an early first round pick, offered praise for Daniels during the day, crediting him in part for his successful senior year.

“Jayden is a tremendous leader,” Nabers said. “Me and him, when we’re out there on the football field, it’s like second nature. I know what he’s doing, he knows what’s I’m doing.”

With another test passed with flying colors, Daniels will now continue to do meetings with teams and go through the predraft process until he finally hears his name called in less than a month.

There’s not much in Daniels’ game to be concerned about from an NFL scout’s perspective, but

PITCHING, from page 9

scoreless before grabbing a pair of solo home runs in the last two innings, one off of Aiden Moffett and another off of Fidel Ulloa before Ulloa closed the game.

LSU’s offensive production was spotty throughout the game, but it was enough for a comfortable win at home.

The night started strong for the Tigers, grabbing five runs in the first two innings. Brady Neal

Kelly knows there’s still one thing on many of their minds.

“‘Will he slide?’” Kelly said with a laugh.

SWEET 16, from page 9

be timely when making them.

In UCLA’s Pac-12 semifinal loss to USC, the Bruins shot a mere 5-for-30 from behind the 3-point line, yet still took the game to double overtime.

UCLA’s depth is an X-Factor

While Betts and Rice will be LSU’s main point of attack when it comes to defense, UCLA has several players that can come in and out if any of its scorers were to get into foul trouble.

Angela Dugalic has been a threat for UCLA, especially recently. She scored 17 points in the Pac-12 quarterfinals against Utah, 10 points in their Pac-12 semifinal loss to USC and six points against Creighton, which were two 3-pointers.

Gabriela Jaquez has been UCLA’s go-to off the bench, as

scored the first run of the game off a Tommy White RBI double in the bottom of the first.

Mac Bingham started the fourrun frame in the bottom of the second, leading off with a solo home run into left field. The Arizona transfer went 3-for-3 on the day with a pair of singles alongside his home run.

“We brought him here for [his] experience,” LSU head baseball coach Jay Johnson said about Bingham. “He had 92 hits last year.

He’s a great guy. The field at Arizona was like the Grand Canyon. He hit some homers there. I thought that would translate here and over the past two weeks it really has.”

Later in the bottom of the second, White hit a home run of his own, blasting a two-run homer into the right field stands.

White has seemingly found his groove at the plate, tallying seven home runs in the season thus far.

The year started off slow for the All-American, but his production

she played 28 minutes off the bench against USC in the Pac-12 semifinals and 30 minutes against Creighton.

Including Jaquez, four UCLA players typically come off the bench per game, and they are all able to play significant minutes.

LSU’s keys to win

Just as it has been all season, solid defense is a priority for LSU to win. But in this case, solid defense is a priority for it to continue its season.

UCLA prefers to drive to the basket or give its post players the ball in the paint. Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow will need to protect the paint at their best in order to make UCLA uncomfortable.

But just as defense in the paint is important, perimeter defense is a must for LSU to win as well. Rice and UCLA’s guards have shown that they can still win games with

is picking up quickly on extra base hits.

Outside of his home run ability, White also leads the team in hits, racking up over 30 this season on an increasing .317 batting average. Alongside his improved defensive ability, White is making his case for one of the best players in college baseball.

After the second inning, the bats went cold for the Tigers until the seventh, where Hayden Travinski hit a two-run home run off the

their outside shots.

The Tigers’ perimeter players have to guard the perimeter well, forcing UCLA’s guards to take shots they don’t want to take while in a scheme they don’t prefer playing in.

It’s just as important for Reese, Morrow and the rest of LSU’s offense to drive to the basket and get Betts in foul trouble. Betts is not only who UCLA centers its offense around but is also a rebounding and overall defensive threat.

Taking her out of the game and forcing her to play carefully will make everything easier for the Tigers to come out with a win.

Game information

LSU will tip off against UCLA in the Sweet 16 on Saturday at noon C.T. from MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

The game will be televised live on ABC.

left field scoreboard for the last of LSU’s runs.

Travinski has been one of the bright spots in LSU’s lineup, racking up seven home runs on a .333 batting average. He also leads the team in on base percentage, showcasing his strength at the plate in both his power and his decision making.

The Tigers travel to Fayetteville this weekend to take on No.1 Arkansas in their third Southeastern Conference series Friday night.

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille LSU football quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) points and smiles at Malik Nabers during LSU Pro Day on March 27 in Baton Rouge, La.

OPINION

Society could cope with losing technology with a little flexibility

ISABELLA’S INSIGHTS

ISABELLA ALBERTINI

@BasedIsabella

What if one day you wake up and check your phone, but there’s no connection? You check the Wi-Fi signal and service provider, but neither is working.

Movies such as the 2023 mystery thriller “Leave the World Behind” depict the disasters that could ensue after the loss of the internet, with communications, transportation and even defense being halted.

But the possibility of the internet going down isn’t all scifi, as solar flares occurring this March could potentially impact technology, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

So, have we as a society become so dependent on technology that the absence of it would cause a societal breakdown?

The last global phenomenon we all faced was the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re coming up on four years now since the world shut down and the lives of many were changed forever. But even then, we had access to technology, which helped keep people connected and made education and work go remote.

In fact, one could argue the

pandemic made us even more dependent on technology by forcing us to find new ways of applying it toward making life easier.

But what would happen in the complete opposite scenario?

What if there was no health epidemic, no extreme weather and no environmental disaster, if only the internet was gone?

Would this lead to social unrest, looting and the breakdown of society? Or would people still get up and go to work or school every day, pay cash for what they buy in the grocery store and socialize in person?

For almost all of human history, people lived without technology. Looking back to only 40 years ago, cell phones weren’t

widely available, and social media was unheard of.

So we know it’s possible. It’s possible to go from one way of life to another overnight, staying at home and working remotely, as well as going back to how things used to be. Society is flexible and can balance and adjust to a new reality.

And it may just be necessary.

As of Monday, March 25, we’re under a “moderate geomagnetic storm watch,” according to NOAA.

This type of storm, classified as a G2 by the agency, could potentially impact power systems and damage transformers. Geomagnetic storms are judged on a scale from G1 (minor) to G5 (extreme). Despite being labeled as “moderate,” a G2 storm would be the second highest ever recorded by NOAA.

The storm is a result of a coronal mass ejection, which is when plasma and a magnetic field burst from the sun’s corona. The CME that occurred on Saturday, March 23, led to an X-class solar flare, the strongest type of flare.

More of these flares are possible through Wednesday, March 27, according to NOAA forecasters.

What is depicted in the movies could very much become a reality. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Our reaction to crises can have a greater impact than the crisis itself, and we can either turn against our neighbors or unite in solidarity. Internet breakdown or not, the only way to move forward is to show humanity in the face of disaster.

Isabella Albertini is a 23-yearold mass communication junior from Lima, Peru.

Keep the 10 Commandments, religion out of public education

PELLITTIERI’S PERSPECTIVE MATTHEW

PELLITTIERI

@m_pellittieri

Another legislative session, another attempt by Rep. Dodie Horton, R-Haughton, to impose her fundamentalist interpretation of Christianity onto Louisiana’s youth.

Last year, Horton successfully shepherded House Bill 8 through the state Legislature. It ultimately passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was signed by then-Gov. John Bel Edwards. It requires that the national motto “In God We Trust” be displayed in every public school and university classroom in the state.

This year, she’s at it again

with a different, even less justifiable religious text. House Bill 71 would require the Ten Commandments (or more accurately, her specific denomination’s version of the commandments) to be displayed in every classroom right there alongside the motto.

There are three main problems with hanging up such an overt religious text in spaces meant for public, secular education.

First, and most glaringly, it’s a gross violation of the separation of church and state.

Horton is clearly a Christian nationalist, someone who believes both that Louisiana and the United States as a whole were made by Christians for Christians and that the government should enforce and be guided by Christianity.

She’d like to see the state

The

and country follow her specific denomination and her chosen translation of the Bible, rather than the Constitution or any sociopolitical ideology.

She’d deny that the separation of church and state even exists. But it’s right there in the First Amendment, which clearly states there shall be “no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

Public schools shouldn’t be forcing a specific religion, or even the concept of a god, down the throats of impressionable children. Education isn’t the place for religious conversion. It isn’t meant to be a space for teachers to vomit parents’ theology into the mouths of their kids.

When young children look at the front of their classrooms and see “I am the Lord thy God,”

they’ll feel immense pressure to comply. And if they resist, they’ll feel an immense sense of alienation.

Second, Horton is attempting to spread a simplified and misleading version of history.

The 10 Commandments weren’t some revolutionary text that invented basic concepts like “killing and stealing are bad.” And they weren’t essential in the founding of this country. Horton’s fundamental misinterpretation of history only serves to justify her Christian nationalism.

Third, and most importantly, the 10 Commandments aren’t even a good moral framework.

There’s the obvious equation of women with property and livestock. There’s the often overlooked implication that disobedient or disrespectful children should expect to be killed for

their transgressions.

But the most repugnant thing about the Commandments is that they’re called that.

The 10 Commandments frame moral action as adhering to the orders of a cosmic authority. That is just repugnant.

Ethics shouldn’t be about obedience to a list of rules. It should be about doing things that increase happiness and decrease unhappiness.

Children shouldn’t think that murder is wrong because God said so. They shouldn’t need someone looking over their shoulder in order to do the right thing. And schools certainly shouldn’t instill that expectation in their young minds.

Matthew Pellittieri is a 19-yearold history and political science sophomore from Ponchatoula.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NASA VIA AP

This image provided by NASA shows the sun seen from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite on March 23.

An exhibition of the greatest ever pieces of library graffiti

BY AMYRI JONES & COLIN FALCON @acamelliasssss & @nestingnets

Thousands, maybe millions, of regular readers and avid graffiti fans have been crying out, “What are the other five greatest pieces of LSU library graffiti?” They’ve seen the very best of the best, the top five, but an appetite for great art is never truly satisfied, only staved off.

Well, darling readers, here they are. And don’t think for a second that they aren’t worth the respect that numbers one through five got. Only the best of the best could make it to the top 10 in the first place.

Maybe you’ll see a piece that resonates with something deep and personal inside yourself. Maybe you’ll see a piece that seems to drive discomfort through every fiber of your being.

No matter the reaction, just try and approach these pieces with an open mind. The creative expression of an entire student body isn’t something to be taken lightly.

On Monday, a list compiling the top five pieces of LSU was published in this very opinion section. The list promised five more pieces, but the confinement of the page prevented an immediate reveal.

This ones dripping with drama. We’ve got a heart carving with the initials of two lovers, but alongside the art, someone spoke to the downfall of the couple’s relationship. Yeah, hater energy can be funny sometimes, I fear, and this is a fantastic example of hating done right. Nothing but absolute negativity and vitriol oozes from the black Sharpie writing, and the little heart is the cherry on top of this sundae.

Let’s start off calm. Someone drew a cute bear with a sweet message. This is probably the most appropriate graffiti that I’ve seen at the library. It seems all of the artists of other sketches just chose to be unhinged. This bear persists as a beacon of hope and positivity amidst the endless sea of depravity that is the LSU Library’s graffiti scene. It’s all downhill after this guy.

“Disrespect your surroundings.” I think this sets the stage for the rest of the art pieces. Whoever wrote this must’ve either seen the graffiti and agreed with the vandalism or been an avid fan of the song “Mr. Highway’s Thinking About the End” by the 2000s pop-rock band A Day To Remember. Either way, don’t you love seeing Tigers support one another?

Here, we have a weird, semi-extraterrestrial monster scratching his butt and professing his love for chocolate milk. I bet you’ve never seen anything like this before. I know I hadn’t until a fellow columnist informed me that this funky little dude is actually a character from the children’s show “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.” Apparently, his name is Cheese too. Was anybody expecting there to be no penis grafitti? It’s a classic. It’s simple. It’s clean. It’s been a hallmark of graffiti in any educational institution since the days of singleroom schools on the prairie. With two circles and an oval, any student can leave their mark on the history of LSU’s library, which is filled with these drawings.

The keenest of readers may have noticed a small omission in this exhibition—the rankings. These five pieces all fall somewhere in the tenth to sixth place range, but they’ve been presented more as honorable mentions than anything else.

This is for digestability and for artistic integrity. Take in the art at your leisure, and don’t feel pressured to follow such a strict viewing sequence. These pieces will say different things to different people, and placing such rigid, structured values on them could

diminish the spiritual power of the works.

For those curious, though, they were still very much ranked, check out the article at the Reveille’s website for the full and final placings.

In summation, great art never goes out of fashion, so expect to see more critiques and commentary from more voices cropping up in the paper. The opinion section is home to some incredibly opinionated individuals who each have a lot to say about the student body’s methods of expression.