’ THE LION S ROAR S O U T H E A S T E R N L O U I S IA NA U N I V E R S I T Y
Hammond, LA
September 12, 2017
Lions suffer defeat Kerstens’ knowledge of house at home opener repair aids in Harvey relief efforts LARSHELL GREEN Editor-in-Chief
Sophomore wide receiver Juwan Petit-Frere took it to the house after receiving a kickoff and went 92 yards for a touchdown. This is the second week in a row that the Lions have scored from special teams and the first time they have scored from a kickoff since 2013. Jonathan Rhodes/The Lion’s Roar JONATHAN RHODES Staff Reporter
The first home game for the Lions football team did not end the way that they wanted it to. They lost to Bethune-Cookman University 28-23 in what is only their second home opening loss in the past 15 years. Head Coach Ron Roberts was dissatisfied with the effort from the Lions throughout the game. “Obviously, a disappointing loss,” said Roberts. “I’m not so much disappointed in the loss as I’m disappointed in the way that we played. Too many mistakes and too many missed opportunities. We just did not make the jump of consistency that I was hoping we were going to make.” According to Roberts, the Lions did not underestimate the Wildcats and knew that it would be a hard-fought game that both teams had a chance to win.
“They are a good football team,” said Roberts. “We knew that going in. We knew that their quarterback and their receiver were who they are, so it was no surprise there. Those guys are legit, and we struggled to tackle them. We had our opportunities to knock the door shut, and we didn’t do it.” Both teams turned the ball over three times during the game. The last two turnovers for the Lions happened in the second half, ending drives that could have cinched the games for the Lions. “It’s hard to win when you turn the ball over,” said Roberts. “When you lose the turnover battle, it’s tough. It’s not easy to overcome. We’ve got to do a better job of protecting the ball.” Junior quarterback Donovan Isom started because starting sophomore quarterback Lorenzo Nunez was not clear to play with his injury he sustained in
the game against UL Lafayette. Isom threw three interceptions in his first start since 2015 and had 86 rushing yards and only 93 passing yards. “I’m sure there are some throws that he would like to have back,” said Roberts. “Our play calling did change quite a bit, but it is what it is.” Senior defensive back Max Lyons recorded 17 tackles, which is his career high as of now. Senior linebacker Sione Teuhema and junior linebacker Tamarcus Russell forced two separate fumbles and senior defensive back Mayori Ellison caught an interception and broke up three passes. The defense did however struggle to stop the Wildcats on a couple of third and long plays. “That was big, especially the first two in the first half,” said Roberts. “I don’t know how
see FOOTBALL, pg. 6
At the peak of natural disasters, people rush to aid those affected by using their expertise and generosity. The same rings true for university student Caleb Kerstens. Senior political science major Kerstens returned to Hammond after heading to Texas on Thursday, Aug. 31 and returning on the night of Monday, Sept. 5. He took the journey with friend Kyle Blackburn and immediately realized before aiding those affected by Hurricane Harvey, he would have to find an alternate route because of road closures. “It was surprising that the interstates closed at the state line,” said Kerstens. “You couldn’t even make it to Houston, so I can only imagine what the devastation is like.” During the trip, the pair also had car trouble. However, they used the opportunity to ask how they could be of assistance to others. “We got a flat tire while driving around looking for people that needed help between Port Arthur and Beaumont in a town called Groves, Texas,” said Kerstens. “After we fixed the tire, I went to the gas station and asked people there if they or anyone they knew needed help, and a woman pointed us in the direction of her son’s house that had flooded.” After asking several people if they needed assistance, Kerstens and Blackburn ran into a woman named Kristie Gilchrist who was helping her friends Kristi and Stephen Whitten. The couple admitted that they would appreciate help repairing their homes. “We helped the Whittens, gut their house, and the biggest thing we brought was not only our labor but our house gutting expertise that we gained during last year’s flood,” said Kerstens. “Next, we gutted Kristi Whitten’s mother and grandmother’s house.” According to Kerstens, he and Blackburn decided to distribute Microban, a product used to kill mold and mildew spores. While aiding in the devastation, Kerstens was pleased to share some of their knowledge on home repairs and construction. Kerstens described the process: “It saves people a lot of money when gutting their house. It takes four to six ounces to treat houses. It’s like $300 a gallon, but you have to have someone treat your house because you have to get cleared to get a building permit before you rebuild your house. It has to be treated for mold and mildew. Sometimes it’s upwards of $2500 to $3000. People that never flooded don’t know that you can’t just change out the bottom half of the door frame. You have to take the whole door frame out. It’s really a hard situation to be in. It’s very overwhelming.” Kerstens explained the amount of preparation that went into ensuring that the trip was successful. He and Blackburn raised money for supplies by utilizing Facebook and Venmo, an electronic payment sharing tool. “We were as prepared as we possibly could be,” said Kerstens. “We had a pretty good idea of what to expect using the devastation from last year’s flood as reference. We also brought a trailer full of supplies and raised $1800 that went towards more supplies that we donated to churches in Texas.” Blackburn deemed the trip an overall success.
Senior political science major Caleb Kerstens and his friend Kyle Blackburn traveled to Texas to aid in Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. After transporting supplies, Kerstens and Blackburn helped citizens with the gutting of their homes as seen above. Courtesy of Kristie Gilchrist After delivering food and personal supplies, gutting houses, and donating cleanup items, he was honored to be of assistance. “The couple we originally helped came to the second house we were at, which was the wife’s mother and grandmother’s house, and cried while hugging us and thanking us,” said Blackburn. “This trip was not meant to be rewarding in any way. These people needed help, and we gave them what we could without anything in return. We were just there to help.” Kerstens admitted that although the trip was not intended to be pleasant, he and Blackburn were thankful for the new friendships and memories that they made. “Chad and Kristie Gilchrist provided us with a place to stay and food to eat,” said Kerstens. “We couldn’t have asked for any better treatment, and this made our experience much more enjoyable. It was a very rewarding experience to help people in their time of need. I’m just glad I could be of assistance in the healing process of this devastating disaster.” Blackburn shared his plans for lending a helping hand to organizations near him. “I am locally still participating in and campaigning for a donation drive through LSU PreDental Society where the donations will be sent to various organizations to be distributed throughout the affected areas,” said Blackburn. “Also, I plan on going back to Port Neches on upcoming weekends to continue to assist people in the cleanup and rebuild.” With the threat of another hurricane, Kerstens admitted that he would like to go and help those who will be affected by Hurricane Irma. “The most rewarding part of the trip was being able to draw from our experience from the tragedy suffered in last year’s flood and use the experience we gained to help them negotiate the overwhelming severity of their situation,” said Kerstens. “When there’s a will, there’s a way. The Lord will provide a way as long as you’re putting in the effort to better someone else. I’ve helped people before, but the feeling you get from helping someone else who feels so overwhelmed that they can’t help themselves is very rewarding, and it’s slightly euphoric.
Roomie’s revamped look gets revealed Preventing sexual assault on campus
Over 3,500 fans voted for the new Roomie costume design. His new look was revealed at the first home football game. Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar ANNIE GOODMAN Staff Reporter
During the Spring 2016 semester, the university announced that Roomie the Lion, the school’s mascot was due to receive a makeover and launched a poll for fans to vote on the new look between two choices. “More than 3,500 Lion fans voted on Roomie’s new look,”
said Ashley Richardson, media content coordinator of University Communications and Creative Services. “We wanted to give our fans the opportunity to have input when choosing the new look.” The costume was revealed at the first home football game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 9. “Roomie gets an update periodically over the years,” said Richardson. “It has been almost 10
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years since the last ‘new’ Roomie, so it was time for a refresh to keep up with changing trends.” Richardson is excited to be revealing Roomie’s new look but is aware that some people may not like the change. “We are looking forward to having the community see a new take on a beloved member of our Southeastern family,” said Richardson. “We realize sometimes change is hard, but Roomie was definitely ready for a new look, and we hope all of lion nation is on board to support him.” Richardson feels Roomie means a lot more to the university than just a mascot for sporting events. “Roomie is a larger-than-life symbol of our lion pride,” said Richardson. “Fans of all ages love ‘Lion Up’ with Roomie the Lion. His long history here on campus connects our alumni and current students, and he is a sign of unity for the whole community.”
RIANA BRASELMAN Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, Sept. 5, the university sent out a student notice via email to all of campus. The email informed the recipients of a recent sexual assault that had taken place on campus, stating that the University Police Department cautioned “students about meeting strangers on dating apps and allowing them into their residence.” The university indicated that the e-mail was sent in order to ensure the safety of students and staff on campus and to promote “the practice of safe habits on and off campus.” The incident report referred to in the e-mail states that a 2nd degree rape occurred around 9:00 pm until 9:30 pm in Louisiana Hall. The incident was reported roughly a half hour later. The Louisiana State legislature defines second degree rape as “rape committed when the anal, oral or vaginal sexual intercourse is deemed to be without
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Campus Life.................................2 Opinions.....................................3 A&E............................................4
Horoscope, Crossword, Sudoku....5 Sports.........................................6 News..........................................8
the lawful consent of the victim,” and this includes incidences where the victim “is prevented from resisting the act by force or threats of physical violence” and/or “the victim is incapable of resisting or understanding the nature of the act.” In order to encourage a safer campus, the UPD and University Counseling Center offered advice on how to promote a safer community by preventing the opportunities for sexual assault to occur. “Watch out for your friends,” said Lieutenant Patrick Gipson. “Have your friends watch out for you. That’s kind of personal stuff we can all do. Just be careful. Most of the time, we’re going to be on our own, and we have to make sure that we are able to recognize, ‘Hey, there’s a dangerous situation here, so I might want to be on my guard.’ That’s what we can do individually.” To make an impact on change at a societal level, Gipson advises
The university sent out an email alert to students in response to an incident of sexual assault on campus. Annie Goodman/The Lion’s Roar
everyone to pay attention when members of the campus or Hammond community might be making an insensitive statement about the topic of sexual assault.
See SEXUAL ASSAULT, Pg. 2
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