ASK THE REVEILLE: Stop by Free Speech Plaza today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to meet the staff
JAZZ FEST: Check out this weekend’s hits and misses, p. 11
Reveille The Daily
VOLUME 118, ISSUE 130
thedailyreveille
@lsureveille
thedailyreveille
lsureveille.com
Thursday, April 24, 2014
ADMINISTRATION
TOPS flaws debated, attempts at reform fail Report: 11 percent of freshmen lose TOPS
Olivia McClure and James Richards Senior Reporter and Staff Writer
The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students is the most expensive state-funded higher education program, constituting 95 percent of student aid in Louisiana. Some legislators and higher education leaders feel the program has flaws that, in time, may cost the state more than it benefits. Proposed changes to TOPS, however, have a track record of failing. That trend has continued this legislative session, with several TOPS-related bills either dying in committee or being withdrawn. Overwhelming support for TOPS in its current form is perhaps because of the sheer number of people it helps — nearly 90 percent of incoming in-state freshman at the University receive TOPS. Reformatting TOPS may also seem pointless to legislators because of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s stated support for the program as-is. Various bills this session have proposed to increase GPA requirements, cap the maximum
Deanna Narveson Staff Writer
CONNOR TARTER / The Daily Reveille
TOPS, see page 4
The Louisiana Capitol basks in sunlight near the Claiborne Conference Center in downtown Baton Rouge.
The Louisiana Board of Regents approved a report Wednesday on the TOPS scholarship program in the state, measuring retention of student and total amount of money spent from 2004 to 2013. According to the report, 91 percent of students who received TOPS awards accepted them, but 11-12 percent of them lost their eligibility after their freshman year. The data compiled showed 63 percent of students who lost their TOPS status in the time frame lost eligibility because they failed to meet the requirement of 24 credit hours per academic year. The study also showed that students who receive TOPS graduate from college at 150 to 200 percent higher than students who do not DATABASE, see page 19
POLITICS
Graves emphasizes experience Quint Forgey Staff Writer
In a congressional race crowded with Republicans craving to brand themselves as “Washington outsiders,” Garret Graves stands alone as a candidate unabashedly proud of his time on Capitol Hill. Graves, a Republican, began his foray into politics at an early age, securing an internship in Washington, D.C., with former Democratic Sen. John Breaux while studying engineering at Louisiana Tech University. That internship would lead to an extensive career in Congress that entailed advisory work on the House Transportation Committee and the
Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. When Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana in 2005, Graves began work with Sen. David Vitter on recovery efforts. Graves said he has worked on issues ranging from foreign affairs to national defense. “In the last five or six years that I worked up there, we delivered some of the biggest victories that, I believe, are in Louisiana’s history,” Graves said. Graves’ most notable position, however, was in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration, serving as chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana, a position he occupied until February
this year. Graves oversaw the restructuring of several state agencies that dealt with various aspects of Louisiana’s coast, integrating various leaders into the streamlined CPRA. In his role, Graves led disaster recovery efforts for Hurricanes Gustav and Ike and handled major negotiations with BP in the wake of 2010’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. “We created an organizational structure that other states and countries look at as a model, and actually a model of efficiency, as opposed to, I think, normally, people look at Louisiana as a model for bad ideas,” Graves said. GRAVES, see page 19
CHARLOTTE WILLCOX / The Daily Reveille
Former chair of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Garret Graves is running for the Louisiana 6th District congressional seat.
The Daily Reveille
page 2
TODAY’S FORECAST
Nation & World
Thursday, April 24, 2014
NATIONAL
STATE/LOCAL
Tentative deal reached in TSA lawsuit Sergeant accused in child porn case The Associated Press
Mostly Sunny HIGH 85 LOW 65 sunrise: 6:28 a.m. sunset: 7:38 p.m.
Friday HIGH 84 LOW 64
Saturday HIGH 83 LOW 67
PHOENIX (AP) — A Southern California woman who was held at a Phoenix airport four years ago after refusing to have her breast milk X-rayed said Wednesday she has reached a tentative settlement with the Transportation Security Administration. Stacey Armato, who filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Phoenix, said TSA officials have tentatively offered her $75,000, along with promises to retrain agents and clarify its guidelines on screening breast milk. The reassurances about revised training and rules were more important than the monetary compensation, she said. “We had been waiting for them to really kind of confirm that they would be retraining everybody and making these policy updates,” Armato said. “When we finally got confirmation of that, that was really reassuring.” TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein declined to comment on a “pending matter.” He confirmed that current TSA regulations classify breast milk as liquid medication. As a result, parents are permitted to bring
The Associated Press
STACEY ARMATO / The Associated Press
Stacey Armato, shown with her son Lorenzo in 2010, was held at a Phoenix airport after refusing to have her breast milk X-rayed. TSA officials tentatively offered her $75, 000.
an amount larger than the 3 ounces normally allotted for liquids. According to the agency’s website, officers now use a bottled liquid scanner system in most airports to screen medically necessary liquids for explosives or other threats. The system uses lasers, infrared or electromagnetic resonance, rather than X-rays. That was not an option at the
time for Armato, who said she was accustomed to having a visual inspection for breast milk when traveling. Armato, of Hermosa Beach, said she asked for an alternate screening of her breast milk at a security checkpoint at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on Feb. 1, 2010. She cited concerns about exposing the milk to radiation.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A veteran New Orleans Police sergeant has been arrested on child pornography charges. According to the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, 54-year-old Bradley Wax was booked Wednesday with 38 counts of possessing pornography involving juveniles. Sheriff’s spokesman Capt. George Bonnett confirms Wax was at the St. Tammany Parish jail. It was unclear if he has an attorney. WWL-TV reported Wax is a 16year veteran assigned to the police department’s 4th District. According to the attorney general’s office, an undercover operation led investigators to get a search warrant for Wax’s home in January. Investigators later found child pornography on his computer and other electronic devices.
INTERNATIONAL
U.N. denies erroneous claims The Associated Press NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The United Nations mission in South Sudan accused the government Wednesday of spreading false claims that the U.N. camp near the scene of a massacre refused to shelter victims. In a statement, the United Nations said South Sudan Minister of Information Michael Lueth was wrong to tell a news conference earlier Wednesday that residents seeking protection were barred from entering a U.N. base
in the contested city of Bentiu. Many instead ended up in houses of worship, where hundreds were slain on April 15 and 16. The U.N. mission denied it turned away any civilians at its camp in Bentiu. It said the numbers of people sheltering inside the base rose from 8,000 on April 15, when the killings started, to about 22,500 by Wednesday. It added that U.N. peacekeepers helped rescue more than 500 civilians from the city hospital, where rebel soldiers on a killing spree had cornered them.
CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS The April 23 article “LSU receives funding for new minor” incorrectly stated that Jeff Carney, director of the Coastal Sustainability Studio, said the new coastal research curriculum was the brainchild of the CSS. Carney did not say this, and the program is actually the result of a collaborative effort between the CSS and the Office of Research and Economic Development. Carney’s quotes later in the article are pulled from a news release, which was not mentioned.
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Daily Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies for 25 cents, please contact the Office of Student Media in B-34 Hodges Hall. The Daily Reveille is published daily during the fall and spring semesters and semi-weekly during the summer semester, except during holidays and final exams. Second-class copies postage paid at Baton Rouge, La., 70803. Annual weekly mailed subscriptions are $125, semester weekly mailed subscriptions are $75. Non-mailed student rates are $4 each regular semester, $2 during the summer; one copy per person, additional copies 25 cents each. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Daily Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, La.,70803.
TOBY LANZER / The Associated Press
People travel Sunday on a road near Bentiu, South Sudan. The U.N. accused the government for spreading false claims that a camp refused to shelter victims.
The Daily Reveille B-16 Hodges Hall • Baton Rouge, La. 70803
Kevin Thibodeaux • Editor in Chief Morgan Searles • Managing Editor Wilborn Nobles III • Managing Editor, External Media Gordon Brillon • News Editor Zach Carline • Deputy News Editor Rebecca Docter • Entertainment Editor Spencer Hutchinson • Sports Editor Trey Labat • Deputy Sports Editor Erin Hebert • Associate Production Editor Zach Wiley • Associate Production Editor Megan Dunbar • Opinion Editor Connor Tarter • Photo Editor Chris Vasser • Multimedia Editor Natalie Guccione • Radio Director Katelyn Sonnier • Advertising Sales Manager Ashley Porcuna • Marketing Manager Newsroom (225)578-4810 • Advertising (225)578-6090
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
RELIGION
page 3
Study blames the Internet for religious decline Professor disputes claims of research Michael Tarver Contributing Writer
A study released in March about the correlation between the Internet and religious affiliation, titled “Religious affiliation, education and Internet use,” received nationwide attention, though one professor on campus believes the study could be misleading to readers and inadequately executed. Allen Downey, professor of computer science at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering in Massachusetts, authored the study that claimed an
increase in Internet usage over the past decade has a direct correlation with the number of people who identify as religiously unaffiliated. Downey drew information from the General Social Survey, conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, and pulled questions aimed at discovering religious upbringing and affiliation as well as general questions regarding economic status, education and Internet usage. According to Downey’s research, the Internet, as a cultural phenomenon, accounts for almost 25 percent of the decline in religious affiliation over the past 20 years. Stephen Finley, LSU assistant professor of religious
studies, said the study is “terribly a computer scientist, who had not inadequate” and does not refer- given enough attention to definence any religious authorities in ing religion, made some grand its methodology. assumptions [about this correlaIn his research at the Univer- tion],” Finley said. sity and in his Finley said class curricudefining religious‘My initial reaction lum, Finley ness is difficult bewas that a computer studies difcause affiliation is ferent cultural scientist, who had not no longer defined effects on reby attendance in ligion, includ- given enough attention to traditional reliing religion defining religion, made gious institutions. and hip-hop. People may idenThe study some grand assumptions tify as being indiwas widely [about this correlation].’ vidually religious critiqued by but do not necesStephen Finley publications, sarily identify with LSU assistant professor of including Rea traditional instiligion Distution, Finley said. religious studies patches MagFinley said he azine and Jessica Ravitz of CNN. has developed an ideology he “My initial reaction was that calls “hegemony of the sciences,” asserting there is an assumed authority that accompanies many
scientists. This authority leads many people to believe that scientific or analytical research is taken as fact simply for being “science,” and this study is an example of this, Finley said. Finley said he would have approached this subject differently by collaborating with computer science experts while still providing his religious insight. “I think there is enormous potential [to create research] across departments to provide the most accurate information possible,” Finley said.
Contact Michael Tarver at mtarver@lsureveille.com
APRIL
EVENT CALENDAR
24
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 6:00 PM
The Walking Dead Escape - Baton Rouge River Center Arena WWNO Speakeasy - Chickie Wah Wah
7:00 PM
Trivia Night - Hi Ho Lounge-LA New Orleans Zephyrs vs. Omaha Storm Chasers - Zephyr Field
8:00 PM
Tom McDermott & Aurora Nealand - Buffa's Bar & Restaurant Blayze N' Saddles - Artmosphere Lew Soloff Quintet - Snug Harbor-New Orleans Trae Tha Truth and Lil Bibby - The Varsity Theatre The James Rivers Movement - Irvin Mayfield's Jazz Playhouse
8:30 PM
Comedy Gumbeaux - The Howlin' Wolf Leauxco - Lava Cantina
9:00 PM
DJ Mike Larry - The Spanish Moon Cloud Nothings - Gasa Gasa Tinariwen and Bombino - House of Blues New Orleans DJ Push Play - The Roux House Tom Fischer and Friends - Fritzels Jazz Club
10:00 PM
Niko Night Life - Eiffel Society Roddie Ramero and The Hub City Allstars - The Blue Moon Lew Soloff Quintet - Snug Harbor-New Orleans
For more information on LSU events or to place your own event you can visit www.lsureveille.com/calendar
EVENTS Rockstar Racing “Business League Night” Get your team of 4 and race every month for a trophy & bragging rights! Not into the league game? Come in and get your 3rd race free! Come be a rockstar at Baton Rouge’s premiere indoor kart facility, Rockstar Racing!
page 4 TOPS, from page 1 award amount or require students to pay back TOPS money if they leave the state upon graduation. Currently, TOPS is a merit-based scholarship awarded to Louisiana students who have a score of 20 on the ACT and a 2.5 GPA in high school. They must maintain a 2.5 GPA in college to keep TOPS. Thirteen other states have TOPS-like programs. TOPS covers the cost of tuition — but not fees — at any public university in Louisiana for any student who meets the minimum requirements. Students with better grades and test scores also receive stipends that can help cover college costs. LSU President F. King Alexander told The Daily Reveille in February the future of TOPS is uncertain because the program has grown so large that it detracts
funds from forms of need-based aid, such as the GO Grant. Thirty percent of TOPS recipients also receive need-based Pell grants, meaning TOPS does not only benefit the affluent, according to Jason Droddy, director of External Affairs. Droddy said although the University does not distribute TOPS monies, it structures scholarship packages around it. “We know it’s there,” he said. TOPS incentivizes attending college as well as getting good grades, he said. That comes with a hefty pricetag — about $250 million annually — but one that is nevertheless worthwhile, Droddy said. Capping TOPS awards, like proposed in state Sen. Dan “Blade” Morrish’s, R-Jennings, bill that he withdrew last month, would save the state millions of
CAMPUS CRIME BRIEFS University student arrested for stealing from fraternity house
Man arrested for possession of narcotics and a firearm
On April 18, LSUPD officers arrested Hunter Shows, 19, of 17621 Silver Fox, for stealing from one of the fraternity houses on campus, Lalonde said. An officer patrolling West Fraternity Lane noticed a male subject running toward the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity house, Lalonde said. The officer detained the runner, later identified as Shows, and two other suspects after finding them on the side of the fraternity house. Shows admitted to investigators that he stole two paintings, a large greek letter and three billiard sticks from the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house after gaining access to the building by climbing through one of its windows, Lalonde said. Officers released the two other suspects after learning they did not enter the house with Shows, Lalonde said. Shows was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison for simple burglary.
A patrol officer conducted a traffic stop April 19 on a vehicle with broken brake lights travelling south on Nicholson Drive, Lalonde said. The officer approached the vehicle, belonging to Charles Lyles, 22, of Myrtle Hill Drive, and smelled the odor of burning marijuana, Lalonde said. The officer also noticed a small handgun hidden under Lyles’ leg, Lalonde said. Upon searching the vehicle, the officer located a plastic bag containing a small amount of cocaine, a second bag containing one gram of marijuana and a third bag containing pills for which Lyles did not have a prescription, Lalonde said. Lyles was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison His charges included: driving with broken brake lights, possession of pills without a prescription, possession of cocaine, possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm near a controlled dangerous substance. Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
The Daily Reveille dollars. Less money could dissuade award recipients from doing well in school. Other legislators have proposed increasing GPA requirements, which would direct TOPS funds to only the highest-achieving students. Droddy said that may remove a vital incentive for average-performing students who are considering whether to go to college. Making sure those students can attend college is important because Louisiana ranks low on the list of residents with bachelor’s degrees, Droddy said. Additionally, keeping students in Louisiana for college could also keep them in the state once they enter the workforce, he said, which is good for the economy. Some University students, however, disagree with
Thursday, April 24, 2014 that notion. “I don’t think TOPS is an incentive to stay [after graduation],” said Raymund Desentz, biochemistry junior. Desentz believes TOPS maintenance requirements should be raised because “once you’re in college, you need to do a good job.” Students who slide by and only meet the current minimum GPA necessary to maintain TOPS should not be rewarded, he said. However, kinesiology freshman Kavon Mitchell said adjusting to college life and academics is difficult, so it would be unfair to increase maintenance requirements. Capping the reward amount is also a bad idea, she said, because not all students can afford to attend college without TOPS. Droddy said some people
have a gut feeling that TOPS has grown into a huge program due for scaling back, but “there’s no trigger mechanism for too big” because it provides good return on investment. The graduation rate among TOPS recipients is 66 percent, while only 15 percent of those who do not receive TOPS graduate. Further, parents and students care about TOPS and are unlikely to support any efforts to reduce awards or make them more difficult to obtain, Droddy said.
Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @TDR_news
Sports
Thursday, April 24, 2014
page 5
DOING WORK Different motions affect baseball, softball picthers’ longevity TOMMY ROMANACH · Sports Contributor At first glance, softball and baseball pitchers appear to have the same job: keep batters from getting on base. But with a slight change in delivery, a softball pitcher has the ability to not only pitch longer into the game, but on a far more consistent basis. The Lady Tigers’ top two pitchers, freshman Baylee Corbello and senior Ashley Czechner, have thrown twice as many pitches as the baseball team’s top two pitchers, junior Aaron Nola and freshman Jared Poche’. The difference comes in a
SOFTBALL
STARTS
BAYLEE CORBELLO
ASHLEY CZECHNER
BASEBALL
AARON NOLA
softball pitcher’s throwing motion, which is more fundamental than that of a baseball pitcher. “If you hold your arm up, it falls down instead of going up and over the top,” said softball coach Beth Torina. “Going in the direction we go, it’s a far more natural motion.” Contact Tommy Romanach at tromanach@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @tro_TDR
APPEARANCES
% OF GAMES PLAYED IN 2014
PITCH COUNT
22
27
56%
2,781
20
25
53.2%
2,737
STARTS
APPEARANCES
% OF GAMES PLAYED IN 2014
PITCH COUNT
10
10
23%
1,067
photo by TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
BAYLEE CORBELLO
JARED POCHE’
freshman softball pitcher
10
10
23%
808
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Mickey announces return for sophomore season at LSU Forward started all 34 games last year Chandler Rome Sports Writer
Still unaware of his freshman forward’s future plans when he sat alongside Jordan Mickey at a press conference on Wednesday, LSU coach Johnny Jones had a hunch. “I know what a bright young man he is and how he evaluates and how he looks at things,” Jones said. “He’s extremely smart. I knew he made the right decision.”
Mickey announced to Jones and the rest of his team that he would hold off on his NBA aspirations and return to the Tigers for his sophomore season, a year removed from starting all 34 games of his freshman season. In that season, Mickey earned a spot on the All-Southeastern Conference Freshman Team and All-SEC Defensive Team, while league coaches selected him to the conference’s second team. Still, Mickey saw facets of his game that needed improvement before jumping to the next level. “I need to continue to get bigger, stronger, faster and improve on
my skill set,” Mickey said. “It was a tough decision. Coming back was the best thing for me to continue to improve my game and help my team win some more games next year.” Mickey, the Tigers’ leader in rebounds and blocked shots last season, said he reached the decision Tuesday after more than a month of seeking advice from
Read a columnist’s view on how Mickey will shine as a team leader, p. 6
CHARLOTTE WILLCOX / The Daily Reveille
MICKEY, see page 10
Jordan Mickey announces Wednesday that he will return to the LSU basketball team for his sophomore season at the LSU Basketball Practice Facility.
The Daily Reveille
page 6
FOOTBALL
Saints 2014-2015 Schedule 1
Sept. 7
@Atlanta
12 p.m.
2
Sept. 14
@Cleveland
12 p.m.
3
Sept. 21 vs. Minnesota
12 p.m.
Sept. 28
@Dallas
7:30 p.m.
Oct. 8
vs. Tampa Bay
12 p.m.
*4 5
BYE WEEK 7
Oct. 19
@Detroit
12 p.m.
*8
Oct. 26
vs. Green Bay
7:30 p.m.
9
Oct. 30
@Carolina
7:25 p.m.
10
Nov. 9 vs. San Francisco
12 p.m.
11
Nov. 16
vs. Cincinnati
12 p.m.
*12
Nov. 24
vs. Baltimore
7:30 p.m.
13
Nov. 30
@Pittsburgh
12 p.m.
14
Dec. 7
vs. Carolina
12 p.m.
*15
Dec. 15
@Chicago
7:30 p.m.
16
Dec. 21
vs. Atlanta
12 p.m.
17
Dec. 28
@Tampa Bay
12 p.m.
*Denotes nationally televised games
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Mickey’s return puts him in spotlight THE SMARTEST MORAN JAMES MORAN Sports Columnist
Jordan Mickey has never been one to hog the spotlight The Dallas native arrived at LSU as part Johnny Jones’ highly touted freshmen trio, but heading into the season, his presence was overshadowed by fellow forward Jarell Martin — a consensus top10 recruit in the nation — and Tim Quarterman, who was named the Tigers’ starting point guard. Even as Mickey put together one of the best freshman campaigns in LSU history, he tried his hardest to not make it about himself. Media members practically begged him to boast as honors and awards poured in, but the level-headed Mickey instead chose to deflect credit to his teammates. It took a barrage of blocks against Arkansas to get so much as a fist pump out of Mickey. The always-calm Mickey broke character that brief instant, and that’s as much of a “look-at-me” moment as he’s ever had. It’s not a lack of confidence, he just doesn’t like to be the center of attention. But on Wednesday afternoon, he didn’t have a choice. As Mickey sat at the podium alongside his coach, set to announce whether he’d return for his sophomore season or declare for the NBA Draft, all eyes were fixed on him. With media and teammates alike hanging on his every word, Mickey thanked a host of people for their support and encouragement and sat back in his chair — then he paused. It was like Mickey had gotten lost in the spotlight and almost forgot what he was there to do. He didn’t look scared or nervous, but nonetheless he couldn’t just look out at the packed room and say what he was there to say. After a series of chuckles and confused glances, Mickey remembered — he’ll be returning to LSU for his sophomore season, both to get “bigger, faster, stronger” in his own game and to help his team win more of theirs. His teammates applauded, his coach exhaled and after a couple of questions, a very awkward press conference ended. “It was a big relief to let everyone know what I’m going to do, just getting it out there so I can get back out there and improve my game even more,” Mickey said after the press conference ended. Mickey is happy to put the attention of his decision-making
ANGELA MAJOR / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman forward Jordan Mickey (25) moves past a Texas A&M defender Feb. 26 during the Tigers’ 68-49 victory against the Aggies in the PMAC.
process behind him, but if he thinks this will end his time in the spotlight, he’s in for a rude awakening. Whether he realizes it or not, there will be far more attention on him as the presumed star at LSU than if he bolted to be an oft-used reserve on a NBA team’s bench. As a freshman, Mickey was able to quietly go about his business because junior forward Johnny O’Bryant III was the team’s focal point, both as a leader and an offensive player. But that ceased to be an option once O’Bryant declared for the draft earlier this month. Now the responsibility to lead the team falls to Mickey and Martin, both of whom are a bit shy. Neither need to transform into a screaming type-A personality, but if they aren’t ready to step up and perform with all eyes on them, LSU won’t get to
where it wants to go next season. Mickey needs to improve his game to prepare himself for the jump to the next level. But more than anything, he needs to become more assertive and to get comfortable with being counted on as “the man” at the college level. He’s got the physical talent to do it, now it’s just a matter of stepping into the spotlight and delivering. James Moran is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Beacon, N.Y.
Contact James Moran at jmoran@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @Moran_TDR
Need a break from exercising? Tune into lsureveille.com/tigertv or campus channel 75 tonight @ 5:30 p.m. #LSUTTV
24th Season May 3-24, 2014
MATT DUNHAM / The Daily Reveille
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass to Devery Henderson to score a touchdown during the NFL football match between San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium in London, Sunday Oct. 26, 2008.
Free Wi-Fi, Exquisite Pastries 3350 Highland Road Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Tickets for all Music Festival Events 601.446.6631 natchezfestivalofmusic.com
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
BASEBALL
page 7
McMullen improves after playing for Delgado squad Chandler Rome Sports Writer
The classes were scheduled, a dorm room was picked out and a roommate awaited Sean McMullen’s arrival on the LSU campus. McMullen thought his dream was dead, so enrolling at LSU as any other freshman seemed like an acceptable fallback. “If I enroll here, maybe I can walk on [to the baseball team],” McMullen thought. But that plan never became a reality. An All-State selection in 2010 at Brother Martin, the undersized outfielder knew his strengths. His bat had some pop — especially for his 5-foot-8-inch frame. He hustled and was a hard worker. He even showcased those skills at LSU’s annual baseball camp, where coach Paul Mainieri gave him some tough love during his senior season. “I told him coming out of high school that he wasn’t ready to play at LSU,” Mainieri said. “If he went to a junior college, we’d monitor his progress and possibly invite him back later, which is what happened.” A junior college? McMullen was unaware. His parents were concerned. Their son had just completed four years at a prestigious New Orleans private school on the Alpha Honor Roll with a 3.75 GPA and held lofty goals for life after baseball. “I felt junior college may hinder my acceptance into physical therapy school,” McMullen said. “I was oblivious to anything that went on in junior college. I was honestly closeminded about it.” With only two weeks until classes started at LSU, Delgado Community College baseball coach Joe Scheuermann made his pitch. Scheuermann was no stranger to McMullen. Brother Martin played its home baseball games at Delgado’s Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, and Scheuermann had followed McMullen’s progression since his sophomore season.
“That’s the kind of player I want in my program,” Scheuermann said. “I want a Division I-caliber player in my program.” Scheuermann was accustomed to McMullen’s ignorance surrounding junior colleges. It’s a battle he’s faced in all of his 24 seasons as Delgado’s skipper. Most of Scheuermann’s talks with prospective players and their families center around misconceptions that junior colleges are academically subpar institutions. “Just because you’re coming to Delgado doesn’t mean you’re a bad student,” Scheuermann said. “You can take transferable credits and then move on in your college career academically as well as athletics.” Still, McMullen was skeptical. “It was one of the hardest sells I’ve ever had,” Scheuermann said. “He was a super student and he had it set in his mind that if he wasn’t going to play at LSU, he probably wasn’t going to play baseball.” Somehow, Scheuermann piqued McMullen’s interest, and the veteran coach made a deal with McMullen. “Look, Sean,” Scheuermann told him. “Give it a semester. Not even a semester, give it a couple weeks. If you don’t even like fall ball, you can transfer.’” McMullen agreed. Once he stepped foot on campus, it was clear McMullen wouldn’t be leaving. He quickly forged a bond with his teammates — some of whom he played with on travel baseball teams. He garnered JUCO All-American honors in 2012 after hitting .452 with 21 doubles and nine home runs. That same season, he was given the 2012 National Junior College Athletic Association Award for Superior Academic Achievement while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. While McMullen said classes and academia have always come easy, there was another facet of his Delgado experience that readied him for LSU more than any textbook. “Sean got 150 at-bats a year in two years,” Scheuermann said. “You
CHARLES CHAMPAGNE / The Daily Reveille
LSU senior outfielder Sean McMullen (7) points at his teammates April 6 during the Tigers’ 17-4 victory against Mississippi State at Alex Box Stadium.
can’t emulate game speed … when you put guys in game situations for 150 at-bats a year, they get better even if you don’t coach them at all.” Scheuermann said he keeps tabs on McMullen throughout the season and tries to phone him at least once a week. Don’t expect any coaching, though. Scheuermann said he’s more of a mentor for his former pupil. “He’s very over-analytical,” Scheuermann said. “So when it’s going bad, I try to pick up the phone and make him laugh a little bit. When
it’s going good, I try to humble him.” McMullen said his plans to go to physical therapy school are still very much intact, although this semester’s academic gauntlet is particularly difficult. He plans to apply next year, because the start of the physical therapy program overlaps with baseball season. He’s also the reigning LSU male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, an honor McMullen said is rooted in his beginnings at Delgado. A beginning that almost didn’t happen. And a beginning that
Swap Boutique
has every designer label you can think of. • Gucci • Cynthia Steffe • Theory • Rebecca Taylor • Marc Jacobs • Chloe •Much more
visit us to shop or consign
designer
consignment
clothes
•
bags
•
accessories
great deals. every day.
road 225.636.2425 www.swapboutique.com
3033 perkins
galvanized Scheuermann’s program. “What Sean McMullen did for me is monumental,” Scheuermann said. “It’s opened doors now for me. Moms and dads around New Orleans will say, ‘He didn’t lose any ground scholastically ... Not only did he break ground on the field, but in the classroom.”
Contact Chandler Rome at crome@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @Rome_TDR
The Daily Reveille
page 8
MEN’S GOLF
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Golfer uses LSU experience to fuel dream of PGA Tour Family influences guide Thompson Jack Chascin Sports Contributor
Ever since LSU golfer Curtis Thompson picked up a club at the age of 5, he knew golfing was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Growing up in Coral Springs, Fla., Thompson was the middle child of three in a family already much involved in the game of golf. Older brother, Nicholas Thompson, is 10 years older than Curtis and started golfing around the age of 12. His younger sister Alexis Thompson was the former No. 1-ranked junior women’s golfer in the nation and is now on the LPGA Tour. Nicholas, a former Georgia Tech golfer now on the PGA Tour, has influenced Curtis ever since he was a kid. Seeing his brother make strides in his golf career gave Curtis the motivation to become a golfer. Curtis, who also played baseball, wasn’t sure which sport he wanted to continue until he was 10, when he decided to shadow his brother and sister. “My brother was playing [golf], so I thought ‘Why not play golf?’” Curtis said. “So I just decided to stop playing baseball and just dedicate it all toward golf.” Curtis’s choice to play golf
paid off in the coming years as he became one of the most highly recruited golfers in the class of 2011. He was the No. 3 recruit in Florida in 2011 as well as one of the top 25 recruits in the nation. Curtis, who was home schooled through high school, won numerous medals in his junior golf career, most notably when he made it to the round of 32 at the 2010 United States Junior Amateur Championships. The junior has since garnered many accolades in his career at LSU, including being named to the Southeastern Conference First Team and an Honorable Mention All-American by Golfweek in 2013. As he wraps up his junior season for the Tigers, Curtis has focused on following his siblings’ footsteps to the professional world, but the process isn’t easy. After he graduates from LSU next season and ends his collegiate career, he will go on to the PGA-sponsored Web.com Tour. The tour allows striving professional golfers to get a taste of professional tournament play, and the top 25 golfers at the end of the season move on to the PGA Tour. Curtis said while he knows golf is his No. 1 career choice, he understands how much work goes into making the tour and that not everyone has a happy ending. Only time will tell if Curtis will make the PGA Tour and follow in the footsteps of his two siblings, but no matter the circumstances, Curtis will continue to work on
Attention LSU Employees and Families Are you having trouble hearing?
Baton Rouge Clinic Audiology is here for you.
Hearing Instruments at NO COST! With LSUfirst Insurance
Call (225) 246-4478 for an appointment
his craft. “It’s a game of time,” Curtis said. “You aren’t going to go out there and kill it immediately. You just got to wait for it because if you’re good enough and you have the skillset, there’s no way you don’t make it.”
A QUICK LOOK AT THOMPSON’S CAREER Awards 2013 Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American 2013 PING All-Southeast Region 2013 First-Team All-Southeastern Conference 2012 Shoal Creek Intercollegiate Champion 2011 Dixie Amateur Champion
Contact Jack Chascin at jchascin@lsureveille.com
CURTIS THOMPSON junior golfer
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
TRACK AND FIELD
page 9
Triple jump athletes describe art of obscure event Taylor Curet Sports Contributor
Outside the lines of the track and beyond the hurdles exists a track and field event that lies off the beaten path. While it may be an obscure sport, the triple jump has survived just as long as the Olympic Games, dating back to 1829 B.C. as an event in the ancient Irish Tailteann Games. Even the LSU track and field triple jumpers acknowledge the distinctness of the sport. Senior jumper Lynnika Pitts admits her ignorance when she was first introduced to the event as a freshman at East Ascension High School, while senior jumper Fitzroy Dunkley still finds himself explaining the event’s concept to his friends. “My coach said [triple jump] and I was just like, ‘Is that English? What’re you saying?’” Pitts said. “I’ve met a bunch of people that haven’t known what the triple jump is,” Dunkley said. “I would
just describe it as the three-step jump. … Or I just tell them to go on YouTube.” Understanding the idea of the triple jump came easy for Pitts and Dunkley, but learning to execute it was a challenge. Dunkley breaks the sport down into three phases: the runway, the jump and the landing. Before one can get to the hop, skip and jump, as the triple jump is often described, Dunkley said one must perfect the runway phase. Standing 40 meters from his finish line, the sand pit, Dunkley leans back to obtain balance. The Trelawny, Jamaica, native sprints down the runway in pursuit of his takeoff point, the 20-centimeter wide board that sits 11 meters away from the pit. Unlike running events, one misstep in the triple jump can affect your entire performance, Dunkley said. The run is the most important part of the three-step process, but staying relaxed is also crucial, he said.
“I don’t think about anything,” Dunkley said. “Your body knows. You’ve done it a million times. You can feel the rhythm. You don’t count your steps in your head. You just know you’re at the board and it’s time to jump.” A solid first jump is critical for achieving a sound distance, but attempting three jumps at once demands smoothness on the runway. An effective triple jump looks more like one glide into the sand than three separate jumps, Dunkley said. But mastering the rhythm takes a good deal of practice. “It was difficult for me to learn at first,” Pitts said. “It took me a couple weeks to get down the rhythm and a long time to actually perfect it. … Let’s just say those first jumps weren’t pretty.” Since her first attempts at the unique track and field event, Pitts has developed into one of LSU’s most successful triple jumpers as the No. 7 ranked Lady Tiger in program history. The Prairieville native
TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
LSU freshman jumper Jonathan Pitt sprints down the track Tuesday as he practices his triple jump form in Bernie Moore Stadium. Watch a video of the triple jump athletes practice at lsureveille.com.
recently earned a career-best third place finish at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships on March 15. Pitts also joined Dunkley at the SEC Indoor Championships on Feb. 28 where both athletes set personal records with jumps of 44 feet, 3/4 inches and 51 feet, 5 inches, respectively. Pitts and Dunkley are the leading triple jumpers on LSU’s women’s and men’s track and field teams, respectively. Joining three other LSU triple jumpers, Dunkley and Pitts are two elite competitors in a sport unlike any other. But no matter how peculiar the
triple jump may seem, it remains an exclusive sport. “No one can just get up one day and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to triple jump,’” Dunkley said. “You can get up and say you’re going to do the 100 [meter]. But if you try to do the triple jump you might get yourself hurt. You have to learn all the different phases. To put it all in one, it’s all complicated.”
Contact Taylor Curet at tcuret@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
page 10
TRACK AND FIELD
Tigers compete in 120th Penn Relays Intensity rises as postseason looms
catapult the Tigers into a championship postseason, but he and his teammates must concentrate on their technique and not try to live up to the competition. “My focus is staying within Joey Giglio myself,” Brown said. “I feel that’s Sports Contributor what everyone has been doing: getThe 120th Penn Relays be- ting within themselves and finding gins today in Philadelphia, Penn. a way to better compete.” After etching her name into The LSU women’s track and field team enters the competition ranked the top spot for longest hammer No. 8 nationally, according to U.S. throw in LSU history, senior DeTrack and Field and Cross Coun- nise Hinton won the event for a try Coaches Association, while third consecutive weekend at last the LSU men’s team enters ranked week’s LSU Alumni Gold. Hinton said she is excited to return after No. 20. The event is the oldest track claiming second place in last year’s Penn Relays. and field competi“I’m hoption in the U.S., and the University ‘Every meet plays a ing to win it this year,” Hinton said. of Pennsylvania’s significant role.’ “We have never Franklin Field has had a female win hosted the relays the hammer throw since 1895. Dennis Shaver there, and it would LSU track and LSU track and field coach be a great acfield coach Dennis complishment if I Shaver wants his team to understand that not only is could be the first to do it.” Hinton will be competing in this event a special opportunity for any NCAA athlete, but it must also her third Penn Relays, and she said maintain constant focus and con- she and a former teammate were tinue to develop as it reaches the recently reminiscing over old photographs from years past. As the end of the outdoor season. “To us, it’s about build- Peachtree City, Ga., native’s LSU ing from one meet to the next to career comes to an end, she wants the next,” Shaver said. “Every to show people she has been saving meet plays a significant role in a her best for last. “I’ve been building it every season.” The last multi-day meet the year, and now I’m on a roll,” HinTigers and Lady Tigers competed ton said. “I’m ready to do some in was March 27-29 at the Texas big stuff. I’m ready to end on a Relays. With only the LSU Invi- high note.” tational remaining in the regular season, the Penn Relays will be the last time LSU will see many nonSoutheastern Conference competitors until NCAA Preliminaries begin May 29. Contact Joey Giglio at Junior thrower Rodney Brown said this meet could possibly jgiglio@lsureveille.com
www.ebrpl.com
MICKEY, from page 10
representatives who contacted him. Mickey’s father, James Wright Sr., said the feedback added to the difficulty of the decision. “He’s right on the border of being able to play in the NBA,” Wright said. “Coming back to LSU is something he was really excited about doing as well. We think, overall, coming back would improve his stock for next year, so we think that’s best for him as a family.” Wright said the family met multiple times with Jones and “people from the outside” to reach the decision. With the departure of All-SEC forward Johnny O’Bryant III to the NBA, Mickey’s return was a welcome sign for Jones, who hopes
Thursday, April 24, 2014 he and classmate Jarell Martin can assume leadership roles in place of O’Bryant and departed seniors Andre Stringer and Shavon Coleman. “You want to make sure he has the ability to move out of the shadows of those upperclassmen,” Jones said. “[Martin and Mickey] got to start showing that this offseason and take a shared responsibility of ownership of the team.” Step one in that offseason? Teaching a new crop of Tigers. Without O’Bryant, Mickey will share the frontcourt with 6-foot-11 signee Elbert Robinson, a Garland, Texas, native who will need to learn the intricacies of the LSU offense. “Elbert’s an extremely good player and he’ll pick up on things pretty fast,” Mickey said. “Just a few simple things to teach, it won’t
be that bad. I’ve done it before in high school.” Mickey said Robinson and incoming guard Josh Gray are keys to the Tigers’ success in 2014, even calling the team a potential NCAA tournament qualifying team in explaining his decision to return to Baton Rouge. It’s a sentiment shared by the entire family. “Any kid’s aspirations are to play in the NBA,” Wright said. “But that will come. Right now, we’re all on board to try to win a championship here.”
Contact Chandler Rome at crome@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @Rome_TDR
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Entertainment
JA ZZ
FEST VAMPIRE WEEKEND
PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND
page 11
HOT & COLD WORDS GERALD DUCOTE
The Daily Reveille picks the best and worst sets of the festival’s first weekend MORE ON THE MUSIC INSIDE
CAN’T MISS
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
Jazz Fest art, p. 13
Royal Teeth, p. 13
POLL
Who are you most excited to see?
THE AVETT BROTHERS
TREME BRASS BAND
VOX AND THE HOUND
Jazz Fest’s first weekend is chock-full of must-see performances from around the U.S. On the traditional music end, Louisiana staple Wayne Toups will be on the larger Acura Stage to start the weekend. Vox and the Hound, a self-described “spaghetti western psychedelic indie-rock quintet,” will be representing New Orleans homegrown efforts. North Carolina folk band The Avett Brothers is scheduled to take the Samsung Galaxy Stage late Friday. Vampire Weekend is one of the biggest names appearing at the event, closing out the first three days.
PUBLIC ENEMY
PHISH
GALACTIC
SANTANA
ROBIN THICKE
With all that Jazz Fest offers to music fans, there are usually some acts that seem more negligible. Even though Santana is a reputable figure in rock ‘n’ roll, he’s a repeat performer for the festival, meaning it is easy to catch him at other events or even next year’s Jazz Fest. The same goes for Baton Rouge jam band Galactic, whose shows are known to wow audiences with extensive playing each Jazz Fest. Saturday’s big acts are Phish and Robin Thicke. Phish’s three-hour set time indicates a performance where you could easily miss the beginning and come back in time for ample jamming.
The Avett Brothers bring folk rock back to Jazz Fest Gerald Ducote
al as well as the upcoming festival.
Entertainment Writer
The Daily Reveille: The latest album seemed to garner a lot of reaction from your fans because of its significant change in sound from your other albums. What do you think is one true reason for such a shift that was so noticeable?
For 34 years, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has been bringing Louisiana music lovers the biggest names in music. The event spans two weekends, staging performances of countless genres, including Afro-Caribbean and Zydeco. Along with a formidable collection of traditional acts, Jazz Fest makes sure to include highly popular modern acts. One of the festival’s main shows will be by North Carolina folk rock five-piece The Avett Brothers. This year’s Jazz Fest begins Friday, and The Avett Brothers’ bassist Bob Crawford had much to say about the band’s newer materi-
Bob Crawford: OK, so we did “The Carpenter” and then we released “Magpie and the Dandelion,” and they were both recorded at the same time. I think that if there was a difference in sound, it was due to the fact that everything that was recorded came out of the same “stew,” so to speak. So we didn’t really offer a whole new creative element. I do think the way [“Magpie”] came out is a
completely different album from “The Carpenter” did. I think that was because of those other songs that kind of remained. … There was a heavier outlook to it, so I think that it was heavy in a somber way. TDR: What about the change in sound from “The Carpenter” and “Magpie and the Dandelion,” as a different sound from an album like “I and Love and You”? From the more folksy sound of “I and Love and You” to heavier stuff in these last two albums? BC: Well, “I and Love and You” was kind of our first major label record, if that makes any sense.
courtesy of REPUBLIC RECORDS
(From left to right) Scott Avett, Bob Crawford and Seth Avett of the Avett Brothers AVETT, see page 15 return to Louisiana for a set during Jazz Fest’s first weekend.
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Reveille Ranks
Future, “Honest”
FOOD AND DRINK
Freebandz
After months of setbacks, auto-tune rapper Future released his sophomore album, “Honest.” The record displays the progression within the Atlanta, Ga., artist’s music with stellar production by Mike WiLL Made It and songs that are lyrically miles apart from his previous efforts. Future has perfected the method of creating catchy hooks on songs such as “I Won” and the album’s title track. Features from Kanye West, Drake and Lil Wayne compliment the record nicely and the feature from the legendary Andre 3000 proves that Future has caught the eye of some of the biggest artists in music. The album has plenty of good tracks but no clear direction as a whole album. The structure of “Honest” is a blur of love songs and hood songs that fight one another more than they flow together. JOSHUA JACKSON
[ B- ]
Iggy Azalea, “The New Classic”
Mercury
Whether she’s being called the “New Bitch” or a “Goddess,” Iggy Azalea’s debut album, “The New Classic,” is exactly what its title claims. Azalea shows she can hold her own as a woman in the male-dominated rap industry. The album includes a mix of rap tracks about Azalea’s journey to success, personal relationships and female empowerment. Azalea’s verses are strong and showcase her independent fight to success, transforming from a girl in Australia to a worldwide performing artist. “The New Classic” includes collaborations with T.I., Rita Ora and Charli XCX on the prereleased single, “Fancy.” Azalea also released a deluxe edition of the record with three additional tracks, “Rolex” being one of them, a can’t miss. By the end of Azalea’s album, it’s apparent there’s a new force in the rap genre.
[ A]
MEG RYAN
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, “Days of Abandon” Slumberland
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is like a modern-day version of The Smiths, combining a very much melodic and pop-friendly sound with morbidly depressing lyrics. On its previous release, “Belong,” the group used fuzzy guitar rhythms and production techniques to set themselves apart from other artists who drew similar inspiration from Morrissey’s band of misanthropes. On “Days of Abandon,” the band has quite literally abandoned those techniques in favor of a cleaner and jumpier sound courtesy of producer Andy Savours of My Bloody Valentine fame. The lo-fi noise that defined “Belong” is conspicuously absent on this album. It’s been replaced with a more accessible feel that draws greater attention to the band’s gentle and melodious percussive style. This natural approach makes for an excellent follow-up to two satisfying efforts.
[ B] PANYA KROUN
The Apache Relay, “The Apache Relay”
page 12
River Center showcasing wing popularity with Wing-A-Thon Joshua Jackson Entertainment Writer
Wing lovers of all flavors will gather this Saturday to partake in a plethora of saucy and savory chicken wings at the first annual Baton Rouge Wing-A-Thon. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Baton Rouge River Center will host a marathon of wings from 16 restaurants, including Buffalo Wild Wings and The Table is Bread. Jessi Mapes, marketing manager of the Baton Rouge River Center, said the event, presented by radio station Eagle 98.1, will feature the best wings in the city along with live music by Prime Mates. “Everyone loves a good wing,” Mapes said. “These events take off all over the country, so we thought Baton Rouge needed one.” The River Center will provide the wings for the vendors and leave them for the vendors to season and sauce. The vendors will be given full creative control over the flavor and texture of their wings to represent the competitor’s individual styles. Patrons will vote for the best wings in three categories: favorite wings, hottest wings and most unique wings. The winners will be announced during the last hour of the event and will receive
a trophy representing their success. The victors will hold their trophies until next year’s wing competition. The wing enthusiasts in attendance can participate in events where they can win “wing swag.” The poultry connoisseurs have the opportunity to go bobbing for wings in ranch dressing. There is also a hot wing eating contest where patrons from the crowd will compete against one another by eating hot wings and resisting the urge to drink from the glass of milk placed in front of them for the longest time possible. There will also be a separate wing eating contest hosted by four radio stations, including Eagle 98.1, which will have its own teams attempting to eat the most wings. For children, there will be a designated play area with inflatables and other games provided by 225 Inflatables. Adults will have a wide variety of beers to choose from to accompany their wing experience. “We’re excited to create an annual food event for the Baton Rouge area incorporating the people of the city,” Mapes said. Mapes is hoping the WingA-Thon crowd comes close to 2,500 people, though the event is in its first year. She described the event as a “win-win situation” because there will either
be a large amount of people or a large amount of wings for those who do attend. The vendors will be scattered around the arena along with eating tables, the stage for the band and a stage for the food competitions. Matt Reed, chef at The Pelican House Tap Room and Whiskey Bar, said they have put days of thought and preparation into the presentation and flavor of their wings. The Pelican House’s staff used food chemistry, the interactions between the biological and non-biological components of food, to balance the flavors used in their competition wings. “The Pelican House will be providing a brand new flavor of wings when we arrive, and we expect to leave with a win,” Reed said. Tickets for Wing-A-Thon are $20 for adult general admission and $35 for V.I.P. Children’s tickets for ages six through 12 are $7 and all kids younger than the age of six get in for free. All tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or at the door.
Contact Joshua Jackson at jjackson@lsureveille.com
Nomadic Records
The Apache Relay’s second album came at the heels of a great folk rock revival in the U.S. The band had an iconic sound that seemed to work well with the likes of Mumford and Sons and other similar sounding bands. Now that folk rock is reaching its heights with its new album, the band seems keen on proving it isn’t content with playing the same sounds. Its new album has a completely new feel while still retaining the band’s folky Americana vibes. “Katie Queen of Tennessee” was the first single from the album and is emblematic of the entire work. Songs like “Good as Gold” and “Valley of The Fevers” fill out the rest of the album and maintain the light and airy sound of the other tracks. All together, this album shows The Apache Relay is continuing to develop as a band, and it had a lot of great music in its future. WILL KALLENBORN
[ A- ]
“Transcendence”
Warner Bros. Pictures
A movie that was critically panned, brutalized and journalistically beaten within an inch of it’s life isn’t at all worth the hate speak. The debut film of Christopher Nolan’s longtime collaborator Wally Pfister leads a stellar cast into a world of the not-so-far-away future when computers have reached a point of sentience, when the line between human and machine is thinned and the eternal question of “What is the soul?” takes on a technological face lift. This film is quiet, sincere and thoughtful. The way I see it, this movie might have a blockbuster cast, but this film’s heart is that of a simpler film, a story of ideas, not explosions, a science fiction mystery that utilizes the genre to its fullest. I don’t know who poked the Internet the wrong way, but I was thoroughly impressed.
[B+] JEREMY MARSHALL
EDITOR’S PICK: Jack White, “Lazaretto”
Warner Bros.
Since the inception of The White Stripes, Jack White has been heralded as one of the godfathers of modern rock music and, with the release of his Record Store Day single “Lazaretto,” he’s once again staked his claim to the throne. The single was first played on Record Store Day and was released a mere four hours later on vinyl; White deemed it the world’s fastest-released record. This idea in itself should give the release points, but the quality of the track lends even more to its status. In true White fashion, the musician delivered a track with strong guitar riffs complete with a bluesy attitude that gives the listener just a taste of his Nashville-filled soul. Overall, the track is an excellent addition to REBECCA DOCTER Entertainment Editor White’s catalog.
[ A]
CHARLES CHAMPAGNE / The Daily Reveille
Cereal breaded chicken wings are cooked Wednesday at Pelican House in preparation for the first annual Louisiana Wing-athon held Saturday at the Baton Rouge River Center.
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
JAZZ FEST
page 13
Jazz Fest draws visual artists Royal Teeth to is a place perform at Jazz Fest Festival for artists to flourish Gerald Ducote
Etertainment Writer
Last year seemed to be the year for Louisiana indie bands. Acts like Givers, Brass Bed and The Revivalists have brought the musical intuition of the Pelican State to modern music. The nationwide discovery of this assortment has resulted in a newfound interest in Louisiana’s ability to create stardom. For these up-and-comers, months of cross-country touring hopefully result in big breaks at huge music festivals. In Louisiana, this means a spot at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. This year’s event marks the return of Louisiana quintet Royal Teeth, whose notable joyful music makes it a lone wolf in sound and style. Royal Teeth released its EP “Act Naturally” in 2011, garnering attention from indie fans. From there, the band toured and worked on its premiere. It debuted “Glow” in 2013 to critical acclaim and widespread attention from many music outlets, including NPR, where journalist Katie Presley found Royal Teeth a soon-to-be colossal success. “When we started the band and when we first started really taking off and touring, we signed a deal and we did it with an independent label,” said Royal Teeth vocalist Gary Larsen. “So we did it with the intention of doing it slowly. We wanted to really develop as a band and develop a fanbase. We were scared of moving too fast and burning out and maybe doing things the wrong way.” The slow crawl toward success proved shrewd for Royal Teeth, which has shot into the spotlight as the latest indie darling from the boot. As Louisiana artists, the members of Royal Teeth answer the call of the Jazz Fest. The festival begins Friday, and the band is scheduled to play Sunday, April 27, sharing the Samsung Galaxy Stage as New Orleans jam band Galactic and prep pop stars Vampire Weekend. “There will be a little bit of
everything [at Jazz Fest],” Larsen said. “There’s going to be fans of Royal Teeth that won’t come to Jazz Fest because maybe they can’t afford a ticket to a festival, and there’s going to be fans that will come because of us and because of other bands that day.” In the past, festivals have not been ideal venues for Royal Teeth. Last year, inclement weather stunted the band’s attendance. The band played at the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience in 2013, sharing a time slot with Calvin Harris and Macklemore. However, fans still managed to make time for the local favorites. “I didn’t go in [Voodoo] with the highest of expectations, and we still actually had a great crowd,” Larsen said. “That right there showed me that, at a festival, there’s just so many curious people and I feel like there’s going to be interest no matter what.” Royal Teeth’s signature jubilant tone shows distance from other Louisiana indie bands, which have a tendency to make more somber and subdued melodies. Aside from differences among Louisiana bands, Royal Teeth also has qualities that are set apart from traditional Louisiana music. “As a group, we didn’t analyze the competition to figure out what we could do,” Larsen said. “For us, it really just happened very naturally. When we first started writing music, it was a little less pop/electronic, a little more acoustic bass. At the beginning, I didn’t think we really fit in. I didn’t feel like people would look at Louisiana and think we’re the band that represents that. I think it’s good for Louisiana to have a community of music that doesn’t have to sound like one thing.”
Contact Gerald Ducote at gducote@lsureveille.com
LAUREN DUHON / The Daily Reveille
Nora Patterson of Royal Teeth performs on April 27, 2013, at Festival de Louisiane in Lafayette.
Will Kallenborn Entertainment Writer
As New Orleans prepares for the 44th Jazz and Heritage Festival, thousands of fans are gearing up to see the bands and eat the food. But the festival has another, less-publicized aspect. To many artists, Jazz Fest is one of the most important art shows of the year. The artists who are allowed to sell at the festival bring their own style and personal art to the show. Jazz Fest is filled with a wide array of art. Woody Jones is one of the few people in the country who creates what he calls “mechanical amusements,” which are moving dioramas. Jones said his pieces do well at the festival, which is successful because of the variety of people who attend. “It draws a crowd from all around the world,” Jones said. “Most of the orders I get there, I
end up shipping out of state or out of country. I call it my California art show for the year because so many art buyers come from there to the show to buy art.” Paul Pearman, who brings handmade mosaic belt buckles to the event, said the festival is incredibly lucrative for him, and it is one of the better art shows he goes to every year. “I had people spend thousands of dollars with me last year,” Pearman said. “There are so many people there, and a lot of them are willing to spend a lot on good art.” One of the most prominent pieces of Jazz Fest is the poster that it releases every year to promote the festival. The posters have become somewhat of a cultural phenomenon and are sought after as collector’s items. Many artists consider it a great honor to be chosen to create the poster. This year, New Orleans-based artist Terrance Osborne holds that honor for the fourth time. “Jazz Fest calls you, you don’t call them, so to get the call is a huge honor,” Osborne said.
“Doing the poster for the first time really elevated my career, and being able to do it more than that has been great.” This year’s poster features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a staple of New Orleans music and a regular performer at Jazz Fest. Osborne said Jazz Fest is one of the few art shows he attends regularly every year, and the festival is an amazing place for artists and art lovers alike. “We always have a great time,” Osborne said. “I get to see all of my artist friends, and you can tell that everyone is having a great time.”
Contact Will Kallenborn at wkallenborn@lsureveille.com
The Daily Reveille
page 14
STUDENT ORGANIZATION
Thursday, April 24, 2014
COMMUNITY
Chess club hosts Zombie experiment comes to city first tournament Jeremy Marshall
Entertainment Writer
Panya Kroun Contributing Writer
As the semester approaches the final phase of its endgame, the University’s chess club will make its opening move. The 4-year-old club will hold its first public tournament and its last event of the semester in the Student Union on Sunday. Club President Matthew Smith, geology senior, said the club has always been tight-knit but is looking to expand its membership by embracing a larger audience. “I wouldn’t say chess is necessarily popular, but it’s the most popular board game people play competitively,” Smith said. According to Smith, most chess players learn the game from a family member or a close friend, and even people who aren’t well-versed in the game are at least acquainted with its rules. Smith was first introduced to the game by his grandfather, but he left his board untouched until high school when classmates rekindled his interest by forming a recreational chess club. When Smith arrived at the University, the group was a club in name only. It had a Facebook page with a few freshmen and stragglers from its more active days, but it was largely a ghost of what it had once been. “I posted and found a few people who wanted to play, so we met up and it just grew from there,” Smith said. The club attracts new members by playing expo games in Free Speech Plaza. The most intense games, the aptly named “bullet” matches, allow players only a few seconds to make their moves before their turns pass. Mark Morreale, chess club vice president, introduced Smith and other members to bullet chess when he joined the club. His expertise drew attention from the student
body and the club grew accordingly. Morreale is also responsible for establishing the system by which Sunday’s tournament will run. Unlike most tournaments, which typically feature preliminary matches used to determine seeding for single- or double-elimination brackets, this weekend’s competition will pit people against one another until everyone has played the same number of matches by the time the event ends. Morreale anticipates participation from many players who have never competed with the club before, so the first matches will be randomized. As matches end and players accrue more victories, he will use software to pair the best players against each other, until one person stands above the rest, a system known as the Swiss-system. The tournament will operate with standardized chess rules, and every player will be given 30 minutes to play each game. If no player traps his opponent’s king into checkmate, whoever runs out of time first will lose the match. “Timed matches are pretty standard in this game,” Morreale said. While the club itself is composed of fierce competitors, including several master-level players, Smith hopes the tournament will attract players of many different skill levels and play styles. “Anyone can play chess, and with work, anyone can outsmart their opponent. It’s one of the best feelings in the world,” Smith said. The chess tournament will be held in the Vieux Carre Room in the Student Union from 12 to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Early registration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome. Contact msmi232@tigers.lsu.edu to register.
Contact Panya Kroun at pkroun@lsureveille.com
The time has come for students to put their zombie apocalypse survival plans to use. Beginning its international tour this week, “The Walking Dead: Escape” is a multi-sensory experience. Ordinary folks will be taken from the streets of quiet Baton Rouge and plunged into everybody’s favorite “What If?” scenario. David Isaacs, organizer of the event and president of Skybound EXP, specializes in turning the fantastical imagery of twisted imaginations into gruesome reality. “We want to take this to the next level,” Isaacs said. “If there was really a zombie evacuation area, The River Center could very well be where you would end up.” Participants will be thrust into a government lockdown zone — a fail-safe quarantine against the horrors snarling and snapping behind the chain link fences that assuredly won’t hold for very long. “The question is ‘How do we get closer to our fans and provide them with a unique experience?’ They read it, they see it, but they’ve never gotten the chance to live it,” Isaacs said. But leave your iPhones and Snuggies at the door. This show is of the “no pulled punches” variety, the kind of storytelling that “The Walking Dead” scribe Robert Kirkman revolutionized at Skybound, a vision of creativity now transferred beyond the comic pages. Under loving guidance, care and the skilled craftsmanship of
many homegrown movie magicians, the downtown River Center will be transformed into a wonderland of Walkers. Isaacs is quick to point out what makes this event unique. This isn’t your run-of-themill Zombie Fun Run. “There are a lot of zombie runs out there, more of an add-on than anything else. Zombies just thrown in as an extra bit of fun. That’s not what we’re doing here. To us, story is of the utmost importance,” Isaacs said. “There’s no rope obstacles or netting to climb over here. Those things aren’t really present at most evacuations centers. We’re going out of the world of obstacle courses and into the world of ‘The Walking Dead.’” Survival is the name of the game as participants are forced to determine their own fate each step of the way. “We want to take people into this scenario where they have to make decisions on the fly, decisions that could mean life or death,” Isaacs said. “That’s what makes ‘The Walking Dead’ so different. It’s not about the zombies, it’s about the reality of living in a world where you have to slaughter undead humans to survive.” As for the experience itself, Isaacs makes it clear that this journey is not specifically for the most athletically inclined, it’s not a battle of bodies but of minds. “Guests will be huffing and puffing for sure,” Isaacs said. “But not because the course is too physically exhausting. We’re testing your mental fitness in a life or death scenario.” For those who scoff at the
“reality” of the Walkers, Isaacs said he knows from experience that seeing isn’t always believing. “Some people think, ‘Oh zombies aren’t real, who cares,’” Isaacs said. “But you just watch when those same people are walking through wrecked cars and those Walkers come lurching out of the mist. In that moment, reality doesn’t matter and all that does is survival.” After attempting a similar setup at San Diego Comic Con International 2012, Isaacs and his team have been fine-tuning the concept and execution of this transcending experience. “We’ve really packed as much as we could in the mile long course,” Isaacs said. “We’ve run the event four times, took all the best aspects and put them together into the type of event that fans will absolutely love.” Tickets are still available for the event today. There are two options for participating: be a survivor and run the course for $75 or embody a Walker and stalk your prey for $95, with a special $150 VIP option for those looking for the best of both worlds. “The Walking Dead: Escape” will also be returning to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on May 24.
Contact Jeremy Marshall at jmarshall@lsureveille.com
Thursday, April 24, 2014
BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY
The Daily Reveille
BR welcomes Austin-based jewelry, accessory chain Meg Ryan Entertainment Writer
Statement necklaces, cocktail rings and chandelier earrings are some of the items found in the drawers and displays at the newest jewelry store in Baton Rouge. Kendra Scott, based in Austin, Texas, opened its first store in Louisiana in Perkins Rowe on April 7. Kendra Scott started the company in 2002. Her husband had recently lost his job, and she had only $500 of start-up money. Scott created a mini-jewelry collection inside her home. At one time, Scott’s brand was considered “Texas’ best kept secret,” and now the brand can be seen in magazines and on celebrities like Selena Gomez and Katherine Heigl. “Now it’s a multi-million dollar company,” said Abby Joyce, Perkins Rowe store
event planner. Scott’s designs have also extended to being sold in high-end stores like Nordstrom and Henri Bendel. Kendra Scott sells earrings, necklaces, rings and bracelets, along with other accessories. Joyce said the store currently has travel jewelry bags and is working on makeup bags to be released soon. The company also sells key chains. Scott designs all the pieces herself with a design team below her. She started with a basic oval design shape and has extended to different design shapes. The multiple shapes also use different jewel colors and types, and there are 26 options to choose from. The jewelry designs include statement pieces using stones and bright colors. The metals include gold, rose gold and silver. The store also offers “Girl’s Night Out” every Wednesday
evening, inviting customers to come in to enjoy champagne, cupcakes and special offers on the jewelry. Each Wednesday has a different promotion and it gives customers the chance to shop with their friends and enjoy refreshments. Kendra Scott also has the “Color Bar” option, where customers can create custom jewelry with the company’s design and stone options. Joyce said the company is growing quickly, and eight stores have been opened in the past few years. “It’s growing and rapidly expanding,” Joyce said. With expansion always an option, Joyce said the opening of a New Orleans store is a high possibility. Contact Meg Ryan at mryan@lsureveille.com
page 15 AVETT, from page 11 It was our first time working with Rick Rubin. I think the whole “The Carpenter” process was a lot smoother for us and a lot more familiar to us at that point. So I can remember that time period being a very comfortable recording session for “The Carpenter” and what became “Magpie.” It was very relaxed and we would just show up for work every day, and we worked a long day, but there was never any anticipation, and the “newness” that was “I and Love and You.” It was a whole new world for us. When we made “The Carpenter,” we were kind of used to it by then. TDR: You’ll be playing one of the larger stages at the festival. Do you think that extra space will help better accommodate your devoted fans, or will it help bring in interested ones who don’t know anything about you yet? BC: Hopefully, get newer ones, right? TDR: Do you plan on playing any new material while at Jazz Fest? BC: It’s always a possibility.
element that we share with a lot of traditional music. It’s hard to be the age we are and think that the bulk of our fanbase is young. It’s great that we do have such a young following, but I personally think our demographic goes a lot older. We definitely have a broad spectrum of supporters. When we first started playing, we would play and we would have someone who was, at that point in time, our age, in their 20s or early 30s. We would come back to that town and then they would bring their parents, or they would bring their kids and their parents. Often we would have generations at a show. I hope for a festival crowd and I do imagine that Jazz Fest is multigenerational I hope that we can appeal to all age groups. TDR: What would you say is your favorite part of the festival since you’ve been there a few times before? BC: The food and obviously the playing. Being in that environment. It’s just a wonderful environment. There’s a lot of great music and it’s an honor to be there. The food there is amazing and it’s kind of an all-around great event.
TDR: Your fanbase has a large age range with a younger majority. At Jazz Fest, how do you think older fans who are used to Frenchinfluenced Louisiana music will respond to your folk style?
The Avett Brothers will perform Friday on the Samsung Galaxy Stage from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
BC: They’ll be sorely disappointed. I hope that there’s a root
Contact Gerald Ducote at gducote@lsureveille.com
L A T I DIG A I D E M
JOBS ABLE AVAIL NOW
MANAGING EDITOR - DAY MANAGING EDITOR - NIGHT PRODUCTION EDITOR - WEBSITE PRODUCTION EDITOR - MOBILE AND APPS SOCIAL MEDIA / DIGITAL CONTENT EDITOR MULTIMEDIA EDITOR VIDEGOGRAPHER / PHOTOGRAPHER DIGITAL SPORTS EDITOR ASST. DIGITAL SPORTS EDITOR DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR ASST. DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR ASST. DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR DATA REPORTER
CHARLES CHAMPAGNE / The Daily Reveille
[Top] Kendra Scott opened Wednesday at Perkins Rowe. [Bottom left] The color bar allows for custom jewelry decisions. [Bottom right] A Kensey necklace sits on display.
lsureveille.com/application
Advertising | The Daily Reveille | Legacy | Gumbo | KLSU | Tiger TV
The Daily Reveille
page 16
WEB COMMENTS In response to the head to head column, “Opinion: No, the restrictions protect the general public,” one reader had this to say: First off, you cannot carry a firearm into any place in which alcohol is the majority product sold for the very reason that impairment can have negative effects. Furthermore, it is law that a CCL holder cannot have a BA level over .05 percent or if caught, they will lose their permit for life. Considering as you have stated, you are ignorant of the subject on which you write and granted, though, it is an opinion column, you should take the time to educate yourself more on firearms and the policies and procedures of them. Since you are young, I will not chastise you too harshly, but I would like to broaden your thinking. Now to get to your opinion of the necessity of carrying in public, I will address situations in which are personally applicable to you. First and foremost, a firearm is meant for protection, to include yourself and others. As a female, you are subject to more violent crimes like rape. If a you are faced with a situation of a potential predator you will have the means to protect yourself from a very personally damaging crime. Similarly, if you do not carry, wouldn’t you like to know that there are other people who do carry that could deter or stop an assault. The same principle applies to all crime. Aside from the intended purpose as a check to the government, an armed populace deters many crimes. The typical criminal is an opportunist who weighs the potential for success against the risks. An armed person is less likely to be targeted and less likely to not be victimized if targeted. There are virtually no situations where a firearms owner who is trained, knowledgeable, and practices safe handling will be more prone to victimization. I firmly believe that the number of mass shootings and the number of innocents killed will decrease if public places such as schools allow teachers and of age individuals to carry firearms. But to conclude, please take the time to learn the facts and build an informed opinion of your own, one not skewed by another’s bigoted views.
Opinion
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Yikin’ ‘n’ Yakin’ New iPhone app allows users to trash talk anonymously NEUTRAL GROUND Eli Haddow Columnist Wisdom is found within the collared shirt. That’s the word on the street at least. And by street, I mean Yik Yak, the anonymous micro blog that is taking LSU — and particularly LSU Greek Life — by storm. Users can post anything they want under any name and get away with it because no one knows who posted it. The aforementioned “wisdom” was posted under the name “Eli Haddow” on the iPhone app — I assume it was intended for me — and I will never know who did it. Does this bother me? Not at all. First of all, it’s not that clever. Second, it’s what one has to expect if they are willing to throw themselves into the gauntlet that the app has become. Users are allowed to post “Yaks” in what becomes something of a Twitter feed for trash talkers and wannabe comedians. If you send a Yak, it goes out to the nearest 500 phones. The app serves mainly as a pseudoclever trash-talking wall for the Greek community. Except for the odd claim that someone is doing lines of cocaine in the Middleton bathroom.
That’s not anything to joke about, and whoever posted it is a liar. Perhaps the best part about the app is that everyone has the unrestrained ability to speak their mind. Unlike Twitter or Facebook, where there is some pretense to be who you say you are — catfish excluded — Yik Yak has a level playing field of anonymity that celebrates satire and cynicism above all else. While this sometimes leads to racism, sexism and other offensive -isms, for the most part the banter is in good fun. The top post on my app right now is: “There’s a special place in hell for people who send out mass emails asking for notes.” It’s simple, it’s clever enough and it belittles a large demographic of students who don’t have the decency to admit failure. Because, let’s face it, those notes aren’t going to get you an A on that test. It’s good that there is finally a tool we can use to let off some steam. Yik Yak gives us the opportunity to do this without really hurting feelings. That is, unless you are one of those people who cares what is anonymously posted about you on an iPhone app. Because we are in college and we tend to do things we wouldn’t like anyone else to know about, an app like this can become dangerous. It’s the responsibility of all students to adhere to the unwritten code that you don’t post actual information about people, you just do your best to
make them feel embarrassed for the few hours the Yak will be visible. As I mentioned before, Yik Yak is seemingly most popular among members of the Greek community. This is not to say, though, that the best Yaks are about Greek organizations. In fact, all of the humor can be summed up in about three statements. Sig Eps are actually girls, Lamda Chis are children and Fijis are overly committed to athletics — I’ll leave it at that. These generalizations have been worn out, and the app has taken a favorable turn toward personal assaults like the one I mentioned about myself. We’re no longer in high school or middle school, so I believe I can condone this form of “cyberbullying” as long as it continues to operate in a no-harm-no-foul manner. The only danger is if it spreads to younger people who don’t really understand how to give and take insults. It’s good to be made fun of every once in a while, so go to the appstore and download Yik Yak. And, if you aren’t funny, don’t try to be. Downvotes exist for a reason. Eli Haddow is a 21-year-old English and history junior from New Orleans. Contact Eli Haddow at ehaddow@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @Haddow_TDR
– jrenni1
The Daily Reveille wants to hear your reactions to our content. Visit lsureveille.com, our Facebook page and our Twitter account to let us know what you think.
The Daily Reveille Editorial Board
Kevin Thibodeaux Morgan Searles Wilborn Nobles III Gordon Brillon Megan Dunbar
Editor in Chief Managing Editor Managing Editor, External Media News Editor Opinion Editor
Editorial Policies & Procedures
The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the original intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.
Quote of the Day “Knowing what’s right doesn’t mean much unless you do what’s right.”
Theodore Roosevelt 26th president Oct. 27, 1858 — Jan. 6, 1919
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Opinion
page 17
Leaving home state is beneficial for growth 600 WORDS OF SOMMERS Annette Sommers Columnist When I came to LSU as a freshman, I only knew one other person. I wasn’t worried because I was under the impression that college would be filled with an eclectic population of students from all over the country, eager to explore the South. What I found was a little different. According to the College Portrait website, 79 percent of LSU undergraduates are from Louisiana, leaving only 19 percent out of state and 2 percent from other countries. I was confused. In my mind I was going to meet endless different types of people in college. And I have, but not without some searching. At first I didn’t pay much attention to the lack of diversity and instead justified people staying close to home to money issues or homesickness. But after almost two years at LSU, I’ve noticed another major factor as well. People are content here. It almost feels like if you were born in the South, you
photo illustration by TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
This may surprise some, but there is a world outside the south United States.
automatically sign a contract promising to never leave the land of flat plains and two lane highways. I’m not saying life in the South is a trap, far from it actually. It’s a great experience. But so is life on the West Coast or in the North. Heck, it would be an adventure to hike in Montana and see what the world looks like above sea level for a change.
But this plea for travel isn’t all about the scenery. Different regions of the United States possess special traits that influence opinions and outlooks. Spending your whole life in one state of mind is just unhealthy. Residents of Louisiana sometimes wonder why the South is classified as backward and overly conservative. Maybe if these
people took a trip to the East Coast, they would start to understand a perspective other than the one they were bottle fed as infants. This goes for everyone, not just those born and raised here. If you feel a dramatic connection to the state you were born or raised in, then stop. You owe nothing to that place except a thank you, or no thank you, for the quality of your public education. Other than that, you should feel free to move anywhere. You don’t belong to a state and it doesn’t belong to you. You gain nothing by excessive state pride except annoyance from onlookers. So please take off those Texas Flag booty shorts. The idea of being born, raised and retired somewhere seems a bit overdone. There is so much more out there, and that is the mindset I’ve noticed some people in the South are lacking. The wanderlust gene got a little lost under all that humidity. But the good news is there is still time to change that. Students who are offered internships in Chicago or Los Angeles, or even a more random state like Iowa — please take it. There are endless opportunities to travel
and work or study, so money is no longer an excuse. Like anything, if you want it bad enough, you can make it happen. Get out while you can, and see what lies beyond the borders of the Mason-Dixon line. Maybe I’m being too Jack Kerouac for some of you. I don’t mean to say that we should all retreat to our nomadic lifestyles and gypsy dance our way into retirement. I just don’t think it’s possible to be an independent adult without moving away at least once in your life. A little open road never hurt nobody. New York is next on my list. Then maybe Oregon to see if Portland is really as wacky as “Portlandia” makes it seem. And why stop there? I hear a year or two in Italy is magnifico. Just how a state doesn’t own you, neither does your country. But hey, one step at a time. Annette Sommers is a 19-year-old mass communication sophomore from Dublin, Calif. Contact Annette Sommers at asommers@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @AnnetteSommers
Reproductive rights debate detrimental to health care OFF WITH HER HEAD Jana King Columnist As you were headed out for spring break last week, you may have noticed a new billboard on South Acadian Thruway. With just the phrase “Pregnant?” and a phone number, it’s not clear what the organization is or what its affiliations are. Neglecting to disclose information about the organization’s affiliations can lead to a pregnant individual seeking guidance, but receiving religiously skewed and sometimes incorrect information while trying to make an important and difficult choice. Purchasing billboards like these is a common practice by antiabortion groups, often advertising a crisis pregnancy center. A religiously affiliated organization has been advertising in The Daily Reveille this semester with a similar slogan: Pregnant? We Can Help. Crisis pregnancy centers have been the answer given by anti-abortion groups, often religiously affiliated, when they take down abortion clinics in conservative areas. While they intend to provide the mother with abortion alternatives, some radical supporters have gone further than necessary to ensure a full term pregnancy. Reproductive rights activist Jaclyn Munson went undercover into a
crisis pregnancy center in New York City. Workers in white lab coats were friendly to Munson at first, but eventually began shaming Munson for having sex outside of marriage. She also reported being given misinformation about abortive services, such as the myth that abortion can lead to risk of conceiving in the future or cancer. Munson’s experience is not uncommon. In undercover investigations by pro-choice groups across the country, numerous CPCs have been found to pose as medical facilities that want to keep women from getting abortions by any means necessary — even if it means being outright dishonest. When we go to a medical provider, we expect accurate, honest medical treatments. And that comes without the judgement or religious opinions of their medical practitioner. The reproductive health care issues we face as a country are tangled with religion and political affiliations, and radical supporters from all sides are making it dangerous for women. When doctors prescribe medication to patients, it’s important that the patient know how it would interact with other medications they’re taking. For individuals on birth control, not knowing how other drugs would interact could lead to unwanted pregnancy. But with lawsuits all over the country concerning pharmacists refusing to sell prescribed birth
CHARLES CHAMPAGNE / The Daily Reveille
A Difficult Choice ad is displayed on a billboard near Perkins Road and South Acadian Thruway. The organization, which is religiously affiliated, offers guidance to pregnant women.
control, it’s not crazy to think they could voluntarily neglect to warn of any drug interactions that would render birth control ineffective. The beliefs of those in the medical field are not limited to refusing to sell birth control or perform abortions. Several women have reported to hystersister.com that they were denied hysterectomies because they did not have children. The doctors tell young women that they may not want children right now, but they will change their minds. They say motherhood is something that all women want. And worst, they don’t respect a woman’s
decision to remove her reproductive organs. The reproductive choice debate has been stalled for decades as we try to define life. But now there are women who are refused surgery because of a life that has yet to be conceived. Individuals who no longer wish to use their reproductive organs should be allowed to make that decisions for themselves, and it should be respected. The reproductive rights debate continues, even 40 years after Roe v. Wade was decided. And each day reproductive health care becomes
more dangerous. It is important that we figure these issues out and establish a code of ethics for those within the medical community. Otherwise, individuals will continue to question the accuracy and legitimacy of the medical information and treatments they receive. Jana King is a 19-year-old communication studies sophomore from Ponchatoula, La. Contact Jana King at jking@lsureveille.com; Twitter: @jking_TDR
The Daily Reveille
page 18
LOOKING FOR A FUN AND EXCITING PART TIME JOB? WE ARE HIRING GYMNASTIC COACHES AND CAMP COUNSELORS.THE ONLY JOB REQUIREMENT WE HAVE IS THAT YOU HAVE TO LOVE KIDS!!! PLEASE CALL ELVIRA FOR MORE INFORMATION:225-252-7592 ________________________ ASSOCIATED VETERINARY SERVICES HIRING FOR PART TIME/FULLTIME VETERINARY ASSISTANTS, EXPERIENCE WANTED BUT NOT REQUIRED. APPLY IN PERSON AT 7807 GREENWELL SPRINGS RD, BATON ROUGE, LA. ________________________ 10% off Costa Del Mar Sunglasses with a valid college student ID. Contact Spillway Sportsman. ________________________ Gino’s Restaurant is seeking part time evening hostesses. Please apply in person Monday and Friday between 2-5pm. 4542 Bennington Ave. Off College, across from the post office. ________________________
We are looking for reliable, energetic, dog and cat loving individuals to add to our team. Please come by our Jefferson Hwy location to fill out an application. ________________________ Retail experence needed apply in person at HELLO DOLLY 711 Jefferson for ladies shoes & apparel ________________________ Baton Rouge Orthopaedic Clinic is looking for a full-time Cast Tech to assist physicians in preparing, applying and removing casts and orthopedic appliances. Qualified applicants send resume and reference list to hr@brortho.com. ________________________ MOTHER IN LAW QUARTERS-1930’s/2 BR/ renovated/walk to LSU/Tall Ceilings/All Appl/Pvt Yd/ Aug/$850/Mth/955-1757 ________________________ Hampton Inn I-10 & College Drive is now hiring for part-time/full-time Front Desk Agents 7AM to 3PM and 3PM to 11PM. Weekends shifts are a must. Previous service industry experience is a plus. Apply in person today at 4646 Constitution Avenue! ________________________ Summer Camp Counselor positions for boys and girls groups needed. Swimming, baseball, fieldtrips. Full & part time. Mon-Fri. (225) 336-9030 ________________________ Gameday Team Members needed in the suites and clubs at Tiger Stadium. All LSU home game days. $10.50/hr. Visit www.lsutaf.org/apply to apply. ________________________ P/T Sales Assoc. Energetic, Happy, Outgoing salesperson needed for gift shop on Highland Rd. Great place to work w/great hours. Some weekends required. Email resume 2222gift@gmail.com ________________________
Small Child Care center hiring afternoon teacher for summer M-F 2:30-5:30. email resume to cdshighland@gmail.com ________________________ Fast passed fun downtown rest needs order takers and kitchen help. No nights or weekends and flexible hours. Call Craig... 225-281-1394 ________________________ Friends of the Baton Rouge Zoo is looking for a part-time data entry clerk. Must be able to work on Saturdays and Sundays. Salary $10-$12/hour. To apply or for more information: www.brzoo.org/career. ________________________
The License Coach (www.licensecoach. com) is seeking a new team member to join our customer loyalty team. The following skills are required for this part time position. -Work in a fast paced environment -Have the ability to multi-task -Personable -Handle a large amount of inbound and outbound calls -Internet Savvy -Strong Work Ethic If you feel that you have the skills listed please forward your resume. Location: Baton Rouge Compensation: 12.00 an hour Nights and Weekends Please contact me at blake@licensecoach. com ________________________ Part time customer service reps needed. Great for students especially for a summer job. Welsh’s Cleaners 4469 Perkins rd. Apply in person. ________________________ Need immediately; sales associate for The UPS Store on Coursey Blvd.; 20-25 hours per week; must be available to open/close store and work independently. Salary DOE; send resume to store2305@theupsstore. com. ________________________
Mover/Driver for TWO MEN AND A TRUCK. Great summer job. Pays 10-12/ hr plus tips and bonuses. Apply online at www.twomen.com ________________________
sible camp counselors and pet sitters! Must not have a fear of dogs and must be able to work weekends and holidays! Please stop by to fill out an application! 7195 Pecue lane, 70817. 225-810-3647 ________________________ Part-time courier/runner needed for small law office. Must have reliable transportation and excellent driving record. Send inquiries to tssecretary@tslegal.net ________________________ PT student worker wanted for legal office off of Essen. 20-25 hours per week. Must provide availability when submitting resume. resume@transfinancialco.com ________________________ UpLIFTD is seeking temporary experienced team leaders to surpervise lawn maintenance crews. Call (225) 388-5834 between 9am-12pm M-F ONE YEAR EXPERIENCE LAWN CARE. ________________________ YMCA SUMMER DAY CAMP COUNSELORS NOW HIRING! Counselors responsibile for care and supervision to campers as well as facilitatin games, activities, arts & crafts, and field trips. Monday-Friday, flex schedules and FREE Y membership. Dependable and motiviated individuals, exper. in working with youth and children agest 4-16. Apply in person at any YMCA location: A.C. Lewis, Paula G. Manship, C.B. Pennington, Jr., Dow Westside, Baranco-Clark, Southside, ExxonMovile, and Americana. ________________________ EVENT COORDINATOR LSU Student Media is looking for someone organized and creative to be the event coordinator of some of the largest events on campus. You must be able to manage as well as work independently. Apply online at lsureveille.com/advertising/applications ________________________ Are you interested in working for KLSU? Are you passionate and knowledgeable about music? Apply today! We are hiring for the following shows into the summer and next fall: Underground Sounds (Underground Hip-Hop), Creative Native (Local Music), a Classic Hip Hop Show, The Revival (Classic Rock), Burning to Babylon (Reggae), and Front Porch Fais Do-Do (Cajun Music). Visit http://www. lsu.edu/studentmedia/ to apply or contact Ryan at programdirector@tigers.lsu.edu for more info! ________________________ Tiger TV wants you! Tiger TV is looking to hire sports, news and entertainment anchors. Head out to B23 Hodges on April 25 from 1-5 p.m. to try-out! The dress is business casual. Apply online at lsu.edu/studentmedia/employment ________________________ St. Theresa Summer Day Camp in Gonzales is hiring counselors for May 27thJuly11th. Must be 21 or older. Visit www. summerwarriors.com or email resume to office@summerwarriors.com. ________________________ FT home-school tutor/caregiver for 14 year-old girl with autism. Includes ABA training & supervision towards BCaBA / BCBA. Contact brstmd@bellsouth.net
Camp Bow Wow BR is now hiring respon-
Thursday, April 24, 2014
2 ROOMMATES NEEDED: 4/2 House/ Garage EXTREMELY NICE Close to LSU, $600 month/$200 Deposit, No pets, Utilities pd. Call 225-270-6034 ________________________
STORE YOUR STUFF - STUDENT SPECIAL Get first month FREE. Climate Control of Louisiana and Stor-it Mini Warehouses. 3147 College Drive just past the RR tracks. Enter through College Creek Shopping Center (FedEx store). Various sizes, covered loading, video cameras, and alarms. 24/7 with our 24 hour Insomniac kiosk (rent a unit, make a payment, buy a lock) – very cool. We love students. 927-8070. www.selfstoragebatonrougecollegedrive.com. ________________________ LSU area $475-$495/mo 1 bed/bath flats. Water, sewer trash included, wood/tile floor. Call 225-615-8521 ________________________
08 burgman 400 scooter low mileage great cond. 3500$ call 225-241-1705 ________________________ Four poster “Pencil Post” queen size solid wood bed ($250) and custom 3-seater sofa with hide-a bed ($400)
Charismatic, bearded young professional (Gemini) seeking bunk bed companion. I enjoy watching Pitch Perfect repeatedly and incessant sarcasm. Get at me (804) 267-0527.
FOR RENT Brightside Estates Condo 3-bedroom,2-bath,Gated complex,pool,volleyball,on LSU bus route Call Paul 225-266-9063 (900 Lee Drive) ________________________ Homes & Townhomes for lease. Reserve your home for FALL $1225-$1600 per mo. Only 15 min. from LSU. Text 225-937-6816 or Call 225-291-3888. ________________________ Accepting Deposits for Summer/Fall Move Ins Lake Beau Pre Townhomes, Arlington Trace & Summer Grove Condos 2 & 3 Bedrooms Dean & Company Real Estate 225-767-2227 www.deanrealestate.net ________________________ 4bed,4 bath Townhomes for lease. Washer/Dryer included,Private yards with patio area.Call Mike 225-802-6898 ________________________
Need someone to sublease my bedroom for the months of June & July & Aug. $400 a month. Really beautiful and quiet place include pool covered parking etc. just 10 minutes walk to LSU campus, . and is on the bus route 10 Minutes walk to Lake. My room is furnished with bed and desk . Females only please! Pet and smoke is not allowed. I have Female Roommate. Let me know if you have any more questions You can contact me via e-mail: Naghshishere@ gmail.com Thank you! ________________________ 3 BR, 3 bath gated townhome. Burbank/ Bluebonnet area. $1500/mo. No pets. (225) 752-8842/(225) 752-4825
Roommate Needed Large townhouse on Alvin Dark on LSU bus route. $400mo plus 50%utilities and cable. No pets. Text 713.254.9034 ________________________
ROOMATE NEEDED-1741 BRIGHTSIDE DR K4 $580/month INCLUDES utilities, cable,& internet 337-802-6936
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW EXTRAGANZA, 4/25, Embassy Suites, www.lascifi.com
The Daily Reveille
Thursday, April 24, 2014 DATABASE, from page 1
have the scholarship, and from 2004 to 2013, 33 percent of students who received TOPS lost their scholarship, although the data did not include whether their scholarship was reinstated. Board member Robert Levy mentioned concerns whether the $1.9 billion spent on TOPS since its institution in 1999 was worth it because students graduate and leave the state, a statistic the board agreed would be researched for the next report. A new website offering resources to students looking for online degree programs was also launched. LouisianaOnline.org was built as a part of the committee’s eLearning Task Force, the goal of which is to expand online education within the state. The website offers hybrid part-classroom, part-online or 100 percent-online degree program listings categorized by schools for students looking to enroll in online programs. “Our main goal is to increase the number of students that enroll and complete online or hybrid programs at our public colleges and universities,” said Tom Layzell, senior adviser to the board. Darlene Williams, eLearning Task Force chair, said the website would reach out to people who had only completed part of a degree, and it provides a pathway for prospective students to locate a program and contact the school. Larry Tremblay, staff member for the Planning, Research and Performance Committee, said the website is a “one-stop shop” for students. The board also approved a lease request for the LSU Women’s Gymnastics practice facility as well as various repairs on the University campus, including replacing flooring in Beauregard Hall and creating temporary offices and a gym floor for the UREC.
GRAVES, from page 1
Graves remains firm in his belief that Congress is not the place to send someone for “on-the-job training,” and he said it would probably take a newcomer around eight years to understand the workings of the House of Representatives. “I can list out probably hundreds of laws that I’ve written or been involved in writing and drafting,” Graves said. “I don’t think it makes sense to send somebody up there that can only imagine what it’s going to be like.” Graves also claimed several of his competitors have displayed a fundamental ignorance concerning their potential job. “I’ve already heard and seen candidates say things out there that are contrary to reality when it comes to everything from the rules of the Congress to things that are complete rhetoric — that couldn’t happen for various constitutional or other reasons,” Graves said. Graves does not shy away from his accomplishments in the Jindal administration, despite the potential political ramifications of being associated with the currently unpopular governor. “I would not run from those things. I think they were great
accomplishments,” Graves said of his time in the CPRA. According to a New York Times Upshot/Kaiser Family Foundation poll from Wednesday, Jindal has only a 40 percent approval rating in Louisiana – the same as President Barack Obama’s in the state. Graves, currently one of eight Republicans in the race, acknowledged candidates are going to have to adhere to a certain set of values to win over the voters of the conservative 6th District. “What you’re going to hear people talking about, it primarily is rhetoric,” Graves said, referencing GOP talking points like repealing Obamacare and “pro-family agendas.” Graves said he instead plans to tailor his campaign to suit the specific needs of south Louisiana. On social issues, Graves is pro-life and a proponent of traditional marriage. “I’m here to represent the people,” Graves said. “For me personally, I’m married, that’s what works, and that’s what our constitution says.” Graves is also a supporter of the Second Amendment and said he has concerns about the federal government’s encroachment on gun rights. “Some of the efforts of the federal government today do not
Contact Deanna Narveson at dnarveson@lsureveille.com
THE ORIGINAL
page 19 correspond with the true source of the threat that’s out there,” Graves said. Graves also advocated for an increased emphasis on skilled labor and technical degrees in Louisiana’s higher education system. “Our system right now is geared towards having everyone basically have this common goal line of getting a four-year or an advanced
degree and going on to some type of white collar job,” Graves said. “You have a number of students, and whether they realize this in sixth grade or they realize this as a freshman in college, they’re not wired to get to that goal line.” Contact Quint Forgey at qforgey@lsureveille.com
FOR RELEASE APRIL 24, 2014
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Chimney pipe 5 Get vengeance 10 Net fabric 14 Brief period of slow activity 15 Wipe away 16 Sit with the car engine running 17 __ and crafts 18 Woody Guthrie or Joan Baez 20 “One __ customer”; sale display sign 21 Whine 22 Has to have 23 Get up 25 Saloon 26 Want 28 Hoses down 31 Actor Jeremy 32 Black card 34 Cry 36 A little too tight 37 Frighten 38 __ on; incite 39 Relatives 40 Layered rock 41 Fraternity letter 42 Newspaper __ 44 Too sensitive 45 Hair covering 46 Singer Page 47 Letter before beta 50 Think deeply 51 Toward the rear of a ship 54 Many law office employees 57 Supportive friend 58 Wicked 59 Crowded; thick 60 Think ahead 61 “Ditto!” 62 __ wool; Brillo pad material 63 Little child DOWN 1 Beat the wings 2 Attract; draw 3 Noninvasive medical test 4 Golfer Ernie __
5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 19 21 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 35 37 38 40
Turn down Uneven Chums Inquire Affirmative Seven Dwarfs, by profession On __; nervous Snow toy His and __ Silly Evergreens Engagement symbol __ one’s time; wait Slipped __; back problem Bert’s buddy Unusual Before all else Vane direction Sign of a past surgery TV’s Sajak Donkey’s cry Job opening Close Embezzle
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
(c) 2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
41 Carryall 43 Breath in 44 Graduation cap dangler 46 Sign of life in the wrist 47 Mimics 48 Etna’s output 49 Stiffly proper
Thank You for supporting student produced programming!
monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Channel 75 #lsuttv 7656 JEFFERSON HWY/225-925-2667 WWW.GEARGUT.COM
5 5:30 6
News
News
The update 4 more years sports
sports
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
News
News
hotspot
funyon
sports
sports
50 Lion’s neck hair 52 Opposition; criticism 53 Actress Daly 55 Sullivan and Begley 56 Acquire 57 Rental unit, often: abbr.
The Daily Reveille
page 20
EDUCATION
UK schools have different style, similar problems Deanna Narveson Staff Writer
Although the college experience is different in England, one thing is the same across the pond. The British government is struggling to fund higher education the way it used to, said Suzanne Marchand, European history professor. Marchand said until recently, universities in England did not have high fees like those in the United States, but these increased after a new maximum of 9,000 pounds, or about $15,000, for schools to charge per year was instituted. Students in England may now have to pay almost twice as much as their counterparts in Louisiana who, according to the LSU Office of Budget and Planning, paid about $8,000 in tuition and fees this year. John Cater, vice chancellor of Edge Hill University in Lancashire, England, told the Times Higher Education last Wednesday he does not have a positive outlook for university finances because even with the higher fees implemented, the schools are unable to save as much for the future uncertainties. Dan Layzell, University vice president for finance and administration, said in February that state governments do not have all of the resources to do as much as they
once did. Marchand said the increased fees in England were very hard on the average family, and that it may deter people from going to college. She said 9,000 pounds was a lot for a family to pay. The college experience looks very different too, Marchand said, because there is less emphasis placed on quizzes and homework assignments and more placed on final exams. There is also less required reading, and a bachelor’s degree typically takes three years to earn compared to four. Peter Sutherland, associate professor of anthropology who attended the University of Oxford in England, said his course work was more based on research when he went to school, although he believes universities are becoming more American in their teaching styles. He also said students only take classes pertaining to their major, unlike in the U.S. where most students are required to take general education courses, often having little to do with what they are going to school to earn a degree in.
Contact Deanna Narveson at dnarveson@lsureveille.com
Thursday, April 24, 2014
SPEAKER
Kopplin to continue fight against creationism legislation Spencer Hutchinson Sports Editor
Zachary Kopplin, one of the most visible opponents to the teaching of creationism in Louisiana taxfunded schools’ science classes, will testify before the Louisiana Senate Education Committee today in a fourth attempt to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act. Signed into law in 2008, the Science Education Act allows the use of supplemental education material that opposes evolution and other scientific subjects to “promote students’ critical thinking skills and open discussion of scientific theories,” according to the bill. Kopplin testified before the Education Committee three other times, resulting in three unsuccessful attempts to pass a repeal bill. Sponsored by Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, the proposed repeal legislation failed 5-1 in 2011, 2-1 in 2012 and 3-2 in 2013. “I don’t care that they beat us last year,” Kopplin said. “We will be back tomorrow, and we will be back until we win.” Kopplin told LSU students Wednesday he is not hopeful for a repeal of the bill this year and said he has his eyes set on the November 2015 elections when new committee members could swing support in
his favor. “Whether we pass or fail tomorrow, it does not really matter because this is sort of ground zero for a much larger fight for science in this country,” Kopplin said. Kopplin was at LSU to receive the Manship School of Mass Communication’s Courage and Justice Award, which carries a $1,000 prize that is underwritten by the Donna and Hans Sternberg Foundation. Kopplin, 20, has received national attention for his crusade to repeal the law since his senior year at Baton Rouge Magnet High School when he collected signatures of support from 78 Nobel laureate scientists and many national science organizations. Now a student at Rice University, he has expanded his fight, opposing the passage of similar legislation in Texas. The Courage and Justice Award is given to an individual who pursues a “perceived just cause” while displaying courage and ethics in the face of opposition, lack of resources and substantial time commitment. “No matter where you stand on this issue, most would agree it takes an extraordinary amount of courage for someone of his age to mount a campaign that has such a sweeping consequence,” said Jerry Ceppos, dean of the Manship School.
Kopplin said he’s not opposed to creationism being discussed in religion classes or acceptable history courses, but he opposes the idea of creationism as a science because it is based on faith and not physical evidence. “Science is just an explanation of how the natural world works,” Kopplin said. “It says nothing about religion or the supernatural. That’s a different area entirely.” Kopplin, a Baton Rouge native, is the son of Andy Kopplin, the current deputy mayor of New Orleans. Andy Kopplin is also the former chief of staff for former governors Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco. Prior winners of the Courage and Justice Award were Stanley Nelson, editor of the Concordia Parish Sentinel, who has led a seven-year campaign to shed light on Klu Klux Klan murders in his region during the civil rights era, and the late Bob “Buddy” Johnson, a journalist for WBRZ who was confined to a nursing home for 31 years after being severely injured by a rock during Baton Rouge’s race riots of 1972.
Contact Spencer Hutchinson at shutchinson@lsureveille.com
Published on Apr 24, 2014
News, Sports, Entertainment, Opinion
