The Reveille 9-26-19

Vo lum e 130 · N o. 9

E s t. 18 87

T hu r s d ay, S e p t e m b e r 2 6 , 2 019

As vaping-related illnessses rise, some LSU student vapers reassess their use of nicotine.

PHOTO BY ALYSSA BERRY

Read on

page 2 NEWS

p ag e 3

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

SPORTS

p ag e 5

Center Lloyd Cushenberry III and Guard Damien Lewis anchor Tigers offensive line.

ENTERTAINMENT

p ag e 9

“The Room Live!” offers a behind the scenes showing of the film including a live script reading and a Q&A with Greg Sestero.

OPINION

p ag e 11

“Rispone said little during the debate that had not already been rehashed countless times in conservative media.”

L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le

page 2

‘We’re a guinea pig generation’: current vaping epidemic’s effects on LSU students, faculty

BY MARIA MARSH @mariarose22 Shaye Baker, 18, of Fayetteville, Georgia. was in the hospital for seven days on oxygen, after multiple misdiagnoses of bronchitis, as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with her lungs.

“The doctors looked at my lung scans and saw that it looked as though my lungs had shards of glass in both of them,” Baker said.

A healthy heart rate for a person her age is 60-100 beats per minute. Baker’s heart rate dropped into the 30s. Her oxygen levels were dropping into the 60s, dangerously low since the normal reading ranges from 95 to 100%.

The doctors concluded that Baker had Lipoid pneumonia, which occurs when oil in the lungs weighs down on the lung tissue and causes tears, causing the appearance of glass shards in her lungs.

Baker had been vaping nicotine for two years at the time of her diagnosis. She said she never used any electronic device that contained THC. There has been a recent outbreak of lung injuries linked to the use of e-cigarettes or vaping, especially among people ages 18 to 34.

However, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are not certain what exactly in the products is causing these illnesses.

The CDC reported almost 530 confirmed cases of lung injuries territory, and seven deaths in the U.S. CBS reported last week an eighth person died due to an illness linked to vaping.

There are currently 18 cases in Louisiana of lung issues linked to vaping, but numbers are increasing daily.

From the research done thus far, the CDC reports the majority of these patients are using products containing THC. Most patients reported using both THC and nicotine. Some patients reported using only nicotine.

“The scary thing about vaping is that we’re a guinea pig generation essentially,” mass communication junior Emily Gaffney said. “All of the medical research being conducted and all of these weird respiratory illnesses and infections that people are getting are happening so spontaneously.”

Gaffney briefly vaped to wean herself off of cigarettes after being diagnosed with early onset Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. She stopped after talking to her mother, who works in an emergency room, and hearing stories about people younger than her experiencing serious lung illness, supposedly from vaping.

Mass Communication Associate Professor Judith Sylvester studied the harmful effects of smoking for the past 19 years.

Sylvester said she worries about the popularization of e-cigarettes and vapes because of the amount of nicotine in them.

Sylvester noted that the levels of nicotine in one JUUL pod amounts to one pack of cigarettes.

“In my 19 years of dealing these issues, nothing has scared me as much as this vaping epidemic.”

Sylvester said.

One concerning factor about vaping is that people are able to vape when and wherever they want, Sylvester said. JUULs allow people to intake the same levels of nicotine, but do not emit the same amount of smoke or produce a noticeable smell like cigarettes do. This concerns her because a person’s nicotine intake has the ability to increase substantially due to these factors.

Gaffney said the ease of vaping fueled her addiction, confirming Sylvester’s beliefs.

“Giving up vaping is a lot more difficult because of the convenience of it,” Gaffney said. “At least with me, I’d have to skip class if I wanted to come out and smoke a cigarette.”

English sophomore Carley Rachal began smoking cigarettes at 14-years-old. She said she never felt addicted to cigarettes, and only smoked socially for a few years.

Years later, she began using a vape, and then she lost it last football season while tailgating. The next day, she bought a pack of cigarettes due to the withdrawal symptoms she experienced.

“I never thought about nicotine as the chemical in cigarettes,” Rachal said. “With JUULs I’m like, ‘I need nicotine.’”

Rachal now smokes a JUUL and takes regular breaks, but isn’t able to fully quit using the product because of the strong withdrawal symptoms she experiences.

“The thing with JUULing is I plan to quit. I’m not addicted to anything else. There’s not anything else in the world that I need to get the way that I do with this.

I don’t think I have an addictive personality, but with this,” Rachal said as she held up her JUUL, “I know I need to quit it, and it does scare me because I am addicted to it.”

Sylvester pointed out many people that begin smoking in high school do not plan to stop smoking in college just because LSU has a policy that prohibits smoking on campus — a policy that is not widely enforced, she added.

According to Sylvester, LSU needs to be the “last stand.” She believes there needs to be more done to educate students on the adverse effects of vaping and the use of e-cigarettes.

At the 2019 Louisiana Gubernatorial debate, held at the University on Sept. 19, the first question asked to candidates centered around their stances on e-cigarettes and the possibility

B-16 Hodges Hall Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, La. 70803

NEWSROOM (225) 578-4811 Editor in Chief CALEB GREENE Managing Editor HAILEY AUGLAIR Digital Editor BRITTNEY FORBES News Editor BAILEY CHAUVIN Deputy News Editor RACHEL MIPRO Sports Editor BRANDON ADAM Entertainment Editor WHITNEY HICKS Opinion Editor ASHLON LUSK Production Editor LUKE JEANFREAU Co-Photo Editor ALYSSA BERRY Co-Photo Editor CHRISTA MORAN

ADVERTISING (225) 578-6090

Layout/Ad Design MATTHEW OAKMAN Ad Design EMILY POOLE Ad Design SARAH FRANCIONI

BELLA BIONDINI / The Reveille

Sales Representative EMILY MARANTO

An LSU student holds a Juul in the Quad on Sep. 25. of stricter regulations. Their responses ranged from increasing warnings on e-cigarette products to regulating them as cigarette products are regulated.

On a national level, President Donald Trump announced on Sept. 11 that the FDA would implement strong regulations on flavored e-cigarettes in the coming weeks to combat minors’ use of the products.

Juul Labs Chief Executive Officer Kevin Burns stepped down on Wednesday; Juul Labs also announced they plan on suspending all advertisements and lobbying efforts, according to CNN. Sylvester recognized this is a “muddled topic.” There are nicotine products that fit JUULs that are not JUUL products, and the same goes for other brands that can be more dangerous.

This is especially true for THC cartridges, according to Sylvester.

Mass communication graduate student Christina Georgacopoulos conducted research about vaping during her mass communication capstone course toward the end of her senior year.

She shared Sylvester’s views on the current vaping epidemic.

Georgacopoulos said she

does not believe cartridges that contain THC are getting enough public attention. The products are being sold on the black market, which means the government cannot track circulation and what chemicals are being put in them.

Both Sylvester and Georgacopoulos said it will take years for researchers to produce definitive reports on the health effects of vaping. However, there is currently extensive research on how nicotine affects the neural development of young people.

Georgacopoulos added that education is the key to fixing this problem.

“I don’t think there’s much to be done in terms of enforcement and banning,” Georgacopoulos said. “I think it really starts with people’s individual feelings of their own personal responsibility to choose good health.”

Baker continues to recover.

She is now able to walk for nearly 45 minutes, with great difficulty.

Baker said she sometimes feels as if she is still not getting adequate oxygen.

“Damaging [my lungs] so young stunts their growth,” Baker said. “I’m sure I will have issues with it for the rest of my life.”

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsureveille.com.

ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free. To purchase additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall. The Reveille is published weekly during the fall, spring, and summer semesters, 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 Reveille, B-39 Hodges Hall, LSU, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.

NEWS Troubled Waters LSU reacts to House’s impeachment inquiry against President Trump

page 3

STUDENT LIFE

Student dies following skateboarding accident

BY KATHERINE MANUEL @kmanuel_2

situation.

Pelosi’s stance on impeachment shifted in the wake of the whistleblower’s complaint.

Much to the ire of her more progressive colleagues in the House, the California Democrat had previously resisted calls to impeach the president.

LSU College Democrats Secretary Emanuel Lain expressed the club’s support for the impending impeachment inquiry.

“The College Democrats of LSU absolutely support the impeachment inquiry and has felt this way since the Mueller Report

LSU freshman Gilgamesh “Gil” Homan died on Sept. 17, after being taken off life support following a skateboarding accident on Sept. 15 that fractured the back of his skull.

On Sept. 15, East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services transferred Homan from the LSU infirmary to an emergency room with a traumatic injury, according to nola. com.

At the emergency room, Homan was placed on a breathing machine and other “life support mechanisms,” according to Michael Homan, Gil’s father, on Facebook. He said doctors attempted to take out part of Homan’s skull to relieve pressure, but his brain continued to bleed and swell.

“The neurosurgeons said there was nothing they could do,” Michael Homan said in a Sept. 16 Facebook post.

Gil Homan was put on life support after the accident so his organs could be donated to others, according to his father on Facebook. He remained on life support for two days after the incident so that family could say goodbye and recipients that

see TRUMP, page 4

see HOMAN, page 4

No one is above the law.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

President Donald J. Trump gives a speech on Feb. 11, 2016, during a rally in the Baton Rouge River Center.

BY PERLA RODRIGUEZ @perlajasminee Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi launched a formal impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

“The President must be held accountable. No one is above the law,” Pelosi said in a televised statement.

Minutes later, Trump unleashed a barrage of tweets reflecting his feelings toward the impeachment inquiry.

A whistleblower complaint reported Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr

Zelensky to investigate former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, for corruption. The complaint prompted Pelosi and House Democrats to ramp up pressure on the Trump Administration. While the transcript of the July phone call released on Wednesday shows Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden, there is no evidence of wrongdoing at this time by either party, according to CNN. “That call was perfect. It couldn’t have been nicer,” Trump told reporters outside the United Nations Headquarters on Tuesday.

According to The Washington Post, Trump told his acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney to hold $400 million in military aid to Ukraine a week before the call took place. News of the president’s order to withhold aid triggered questions and speculation from both sides of the political spectrum.

When asked if he put a hold on millions in military aid to Ukraine, Trump responded, “Those funds were paid. They were fully paid.”

The president referred to the possibility of impeachment as both “ridiculous” and a “witch hunt” when asked about the

SAFETY

Max Gruver’s parents speak at LSU anti-hazing event

BY RAYMOND CONSTANTINO @r_dog_3 Evelyn Piazza’s voice was calm as she asked LSU students at the “End Hazing Now” event on Tuesday to imagine her son Timothy Piazza’s grievous injuries--which ultimately led to his death--from a fall down the stairs after being hazed.

“You rush to the hospital and see your brother on life support,” Piazza said. “Neckbrace, bruises and blood on his body and head.

He has a subdural hematoma, which is bleeding in his brain. His spleen is ruptured, actually shattered. He has a punctured lung, and he needs a blood transfusion because, as it turns out, more than 80% of his body’s blood is in his abdomen.”

Timothy Piazza was a student

at Penn State University in 2017.

He pledged Beta Theta Pi, and was on his first night of pledgeship when his fraternity brothers forced him to consume large amounts of alcohol on Feb. 2, 2017. Due to his highly intoxicated state, he fell down a flight of stairs that led to the basement.

When his fraternity brothers discovered Piazza, instead of getting help, they put him on a couch and repeatedly tried to wake him up by hitting and slapping him.

Piazza later got up and tried to move to the lobby, but fell into an iron railing and headfirst into a door, further injuring himself.

According to a timeline of events from The Daily Collegian, Penn State’s student newspaper, only one member of the fraternity expressed serious concern in the basement that Piazza needed

medical attention before members finally called 911 later the next morning.

All of these incidents were filmed on closed-circuit security cameras inside the fraternity house.

Piazza’s mother’s visibly painful recounting of her son’s injuries occurred as part of End Hazing Now, an event sponsored by Greek Life that featured Piazza and LSU hazing victim Max Gruver’s parents, Rae Ann and Steve Gruver, on Tuesday in the Student Union.

The Gruvers spoke first at the event. After a brief video of news coverage about hazing, Rae Ann Gruver began by telling the audience about Max and how he enjoyed sports, journalism and rap music.

“Max was ready to start the

AURIANNA CORDERO / The Reveille

Evelyn Piazza speaks at the “End Hazing Now” event on Tuesday, Sept.

24, 2019, in the Student Union Theater.

see HAZING, page 4

Thursday, September 26, 2019

page 4 ACADEMICS

LSAT now digital-only exam with new test-taking tools

BY ANA BLOCK @anablock_4 The Law School Admission Test, better known as the LSAT, made one of its largest changes in history on Sept. 21, shifting from a paper and pencil test to an alldigital, technology-based format.

The LSAT is a three and a halfhour test which includes sections of logical reasoning, logic games, reading comprehension, an experimental section and a writing sample. The test is administered six times each year by the Law School Admission Council.

An LSAT score, which can range from 120 to 180, is known to be an integral component of a law school application.

The previous format of the LSAT, had been in place since the early 1990s with few changes and updates to content. The administration of the test will be the only new aspect students should anticipate; no changes have been made to the content of the test, according to Glen Stohr, Kaplan

TRUMP, from page 3 laid out the many impeachable offenses this President has committed such as obstruction of justice and many others,” Lain said in a statement. “The new information regarding the President pressuring Ukraine to investigate his political rival while holding up already Congressional appropriated aid only bolsters our belief that he must be impeached.”

While a number of Democrats

Test Prep’s senior manager for instructional design.

Each student in attendance at their assigned test site will receive a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet equipped with a proprietary software to deliver the test. The tools embedded in the testing software are also to the student’s advantage, said Stohr.

The digital LSAT features a timer with a five-minute warning, highlighting capabilities and a flagging tool students can use to keep track of unanswered questions, according to the Law School Admissions Council’s website.

Sports administration senior Caroline Cruse took the test on paper in July and digitally on Saturday. She said she preferred the digital format rather than the paper test because of the helpful tools embedded in the software.

“Honestly, it wasn’t that bad.

I actually enjoyed it better on the tablet than I did on paper,” Cruse said. “You can highlight on it, you can eliminate answer choices and then you can click your answer

choice. It also has a timer on it which was really cool too.”

Because of this change, the Law School Admission Council will allot for more testing dates, giving students more opportunities to improve their scores. This shift will include five more testing dates per year, said Stohr.

Adding test dates will greatly benefit students, as success on the LSAT is crucial to being perceived as an asset to most law schools.

“The LSAT is the most important piece of your law school application,” Stohr said.

All LSAT scores received in the five years prior to the date of a law school application are automatically sent to the schools to which a student applies. Because all scores received will be viewed and considered, it is in a student’s best interest to prepare accordingly, regardless of the medium in which the test was administered, according to Jake Henry, director of admissions at the LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center.

The LSU Law Center operates during normal business hours on Sept. 18, on Highland Rd.

agree with the advancement of an impeachment inquiry against Trump, many Republicans don’t share the same opinion.

Senate Republicans have questioned both the validity and credibility of the whistleblower complaint.

“Is it a whistleblower or is it a leaker, I don’t know which,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

LSU Political Science Professor James Stoner said this is the fourth impeachment inquiry in America’s history.

“Impeachment is set up to

hold officers accountable between elections and it would have as its consequence removal from office due to treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” Stoner said.

Stoner noted the impeachment inquiry against President Trump lies in the court of the vaguer charge of misdemeanor.

However, Stoner also mentioned the impeachment inquiry seemed to be motivated by sharp political differences and political animus.

If the inquiry were to

progress to an impeachment trial, it would be conducted in a similar manner as a judicial trial.

However, in an impeachment trial, the trial would be held in front of the legislature. The accusation is made by the House of Representatives instead of an attorney, and the verdict would be decided by the Senate rather than a jury.

Unlike the House of Representatives, Republicans control the Senate, which Stoner said will make impeachment unlike-

ly at this point.

“It seems to me unlikely that more than a single Republican would vote to impeachment President Trump unless serious crime is was uncovered,” Stoner said. “It’s a high stakes game when the removal of the president is on the table.”

The Reveille also reached out to the College Republicans of LSU for a statement regarding yesterday’s impeachment inquiry announcement. College Republicans of LSU did not respond to requests for comment.

fraternity brothers left him on a couch to “sleep it off,” but he never woke up.

“The actions taken by these hazers resulted in my son’s death,” Rae Ann Gruver said.

“Max died on that couch between 4 to 5 a.m.”

Steve Gruver later spoke about what hazing looks like, and laws concerning hazing and medical amnesty, which protects someone who calls 911 in a hazing-related emergency from liability.

Since Gruver’s death, hazing laws in Louisiana are now some of the strongest in the country. At the time of Max Gruver’s death in 2017, the penalty for having more than three chickens on a property in a residential area was more severe than the penalty for hazing.

“There was more value placed on chickens than it was for human lives when it came to hazing,” Steve Gruver said.

During a question and answer session after the event, the Gruvers and Piazza all agreed Greek Life should continue to exist on college campuses.

Rae Ann said her own Greek experience was exceptional and that it can help students bond and make lifelong friends. Steve Gruver added that he had seen many

“great things” from Greek Life.

“If hazing continues to go unchecked, you guys won’t be able to get insurance. You don’t have insurance, you don’t have an organization,” Steve Gruver said.

“We’re here to help it exist. If we wanted Greek life to go away, we wouldn’t be up on this stage talking to you at all.”

After the event, the audience gave a standing ovation for the parents. Student Government President William Jewell said the event helped show students the escalation of hazing from seemingly harmless activities to dangerous abuse.

“When you can hear the personal testimony of two different families, one of whom lost their son on this campus not too long ago, it really changes your mindset,” Jewell said.

Kinesiology sophomore and Sigma Chi member Alec Porras said he did not know what to expect before the event, but was moved by their speeches.

“The message was super powerful, and got me really thinking about how to make a difference and ensure that in my fraternity something like that doesn’t start up,” Porras said.

“It’s definitely going to move a lot of people and hopefully change LSU’s campus for the better.”

HOMAN, from page 3

HAZING, from page 3

needed organs could be found.

According to Homan’s obituary, he was a team member in two archeological excavations and traveled to 12 foreign countries. He was studying textiles, clothing design and marketing at the University.

Homan graduated from Lusher Charter School in New Orleans, where he was on the varsity soccer team and ran cross country and track. He also received a certificate of artistry in stagecraft during high school, according to his obituary.

“This beautiful, strong young man was a gift to us in life and will be a gift to so many as he passes,” Lusher Charter School said on its website.

His memorial service will be on, Sept.

28, from 10 to 11 a.m. at the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel at Xavier University of Louisiana. A second line will follow the service.

“Gil was funny, full of life, entertaining and always a good friend,” his obituary reads.

His family also established the Gilgamesh Homan Memorial Scholarship Fund in his honor.

“This fund is intended to provide financial assistance to

next chapter of his life, but the next chapter of his life was very short-lived,” Gruver said.

The Gruvers showed a picture of Max and his mother hugging each other. Rae Ann Gruver said the photo was the last opportunity she had to feel his arms around her and tell him how proud of him she was.

She then went through every step of the night leading up to Max’s death. He and his fellow Phi Delta Theta pledges showed up for “Bible Study,” where they had to answer questions about the fraternity’s history and name letters in the Greek alphabet.

Starting from the basement, they were led up the stairs and doused in hot sauce and mustard.

The active members forced the pledges to do wall-sits while they ran across their legs, Gruver said.

Then came the questions.

With every wrong answer, pledges had to drink from a bottle of 190-proof alcohol for as long as 10 seconds. Max Gruver was forced to consume between 16-20 “pulls” from the bottles and his blood alcohol content was .495 that night.

Rather than call 911 after checking his pulse, Max’s

COURTESY OF MICHAEL HOMAN’S FACEBOOK

a Lusher High School graduate who attends Xavier University of Louisiana for their freshman year,” Michael Homan said in a Facebook post.

In an email sent to students regarding the three recent deaths the University faced within the past few weeks, LSU President F. King Alexander said he is shocked and saddened by the events and offered his thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of the students.

“These students, each with a bright future ahead, will never have the opportunity to realize their full potential,” Alexander said in the statement.

“Most law schools, including LSU Law, utilize all reported [LSAT] scores for a student in making an admission decision,” Henry said. “The LSU Law Center still recommends adequate preparation for the LSAT regardless of

the method of delivery.”

For more information about what the digital format of the LSAT entails and how to prepare, visit the Kaplan Center at LSU on the first floor of the Student Union.

LONG LE / The Reveille

SPORTS THE GOOD CUSH

Lloyd Cushenberry III and Damien Lewis anchor Tigers offensive line

BY JACOB BECK @Jacob_Beck25 Through the 2018 and 2019 football season, the LSU offensive line has struggled to maintain a consistent, complete lineup. It has shuffled players around to different positions, not allowing the unit as a whole to build chemistry.

While the whole line hasn’t maintained consistency, junior center Lloyd Cushenberry III and senior guard Damien Lewis have been stable forces at center and right guard. Both Cushenberry and Lewis started all 13 games last season and have started in the first four games of the 2019 season.

Lewis joined the team as a junior college transfer in 2018, and at the time was expected to add depth at the guard and center positions.

During fall camp in 2018, Lewis quickly made a good impression on LSU coach Ed Orgeron.

Off the field in the weight room, Lewis has already proved his abilities, bench pressing 500 pounds and squatting around 635 pounds.

Lewis and defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko are considered the strongest players on the team.

“To me, Damien Lewis, if he keeps on progressing, has to be on the field soon...” said Orgeron last season.

Orgeron’s statement came true as guard Ed Ingram was suspended for the season, and Lewis stepped in immediately and didn’t look back.

A bright spot on an ever-changing line and a consistent presence for the Tigers rushing attack, Lewis helped running back Nick Brossette reach the 1,000 yard mark.

Cushenberry recruited to start his career at LSU in 2016, playing mostly on special teams in 2017. In 2018, with the departure of starting center Will Clapp, Cushenberry took control of the starting center spot, and quickly became one of the leaders on the offense.

Cushenberry was one of the three players chosen by Orgeron to represent the Tigers at SEC media days, a sign of the veteran Cushenberry had become. “...He was our most consistent lineman last year, a leader up front,” Orgeron said. “Lloyd is our best player right now on the offensive line.”

So far in 2019, Cushenberry and Lewis have been as solid as they were in 2018, creating a wall in the middle of the line of scrimmage and only allowing one sack from pressure up the middle.

With the protection that Cushenberry and Lewis have provided for LSU senior quarterback Joe Burrow, the Tigers have been able to produce eye-popping numbers through the air.

Burrow has 1,727 yards passing and 18 total touchdowns in just four games, a credit to how not only Cushenberry and Lewis have played,

but also the offensive line as a whole.

“The offensive line has done a great job so far this season protecting Joe and giving him time to make the right reads and throws,” Orgeron said. “ I’m proud of the way those guys have fought and hope they keep it up.”

“[The offensive line] definitely played well so far this season, and kept me pretty well protected so I can get the ball to our play-makers,” Burrow said. “I think they’ve improved a lot from last season, through the fall, summer and then spring camp.”

CHRISTA MORAN / The Reveille

page 5

LSU defense needs consistency

BY MYLES KUSS @KussMyles Consistency, in any profession, is a quality that separates a solid worker from an extraordinary one.

It’s a trait that can lead to other virtuous characteristics like trust and dependability.

It is also a trait that LSU’s defense needs to learn and establish quickly.

Now, no one is doubting the ability of the players on the defensive side of the ball with names like junior safety Grant Delpit, freshman cornerback Derek Stingley and sophomore linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson. But, these players need to start making plays against every opponent, no matter the conference.

Start with senior cornerback Kristian Fulton.

He does not appear to be playing at 100 percent after a preseason ankle injury flared up against Texas. Fulton struggled to stay with receivers, committing crucial penalties and giving up a 55-yard touchdown in LSU’s 43-38 win over the Longhorns.

Also his play against

Center Lloyd Cushenberry III (79) snaps the ball at Texas on Sat., Sept. 7.

see DEFENSE, page 6

Sharnea Ayres, Awa Trasi find home in US with LSU basketball team

BY ALEXANDRA COX @alexandracox123 The transition from high school to college is one of the toughest transitions for many students and especially athletes.

Coming to America from outside of the country is even more difficult.

The LSU women’s basketball team has two transfer students from outside of the country coming to LSU in hopes of helping their team win a national championship this season.

Awa Trasi, a junior forward from Toulouse, France, and Sharna Ayres, a freshman guard from Melbourne, Australia, are the newest Tigers looking to make a name for this LSU team.

Trasi and Ayres said that coming to LSU was a no brainer. With offers from many other impressive schools such as Missouri, North Carolina and Clemson, they felt that LSU was the perfect fit for them and the best place to grow as athletes and people.

“When looking at schools, It was always about my future and about being successful, the rest of it is just extra,“ Trasi said.

“This environment here at LSU is a great place to be successful.

LSU has such a great vibe and I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else.”

“I was looking for a family atmosphere, being so far away from home, I knew I would be getting homesick but being here it makes it so much easier,” Ayres said. “The coaches and teammates care about you here at LSU. It’s amazing.”

Ayres and Trasi say that the biggest difference from their home countries and America is the food and the people. Both say that the people here are much more friendly and are always willing to start a conversation, making them feel welcome and comfortable.

But one of the most difficult parts of this transition for both girls is the school load. Having to be able to balance school, workouts and practice is what

makes this so hard as they did not experience the juggling game that is being a student-athlete to this extent back home.

“Prioritizing is such a big part of my day, I have to always plan and pick what is the most important thing to do that day,” Trasi said. ”It’s school and then basketball — the rest is put to the side. If I have time for friends or anything else it’s great, but I do not expect it.”

Ayres admits to not having known about Louisiana before LSU started calling. She says she quickly found out about the seafood and the heat in Louisiana.

“The heat has for sure been living up to the expectations I had,” she said.

While the heat is living up to the girls expectations, Ayres and Trasi say that this year’s team is going to exceed everyones elses expectations.

With the season quickly approaching, Ayres and Trasi say that they are ready to prove everyone wrong and to make

the women’s basketball team a household name while winning national championships.

“I am so excited about this team,” Trasi said. “We are going to accomplish a lot this year. Y’all are not ready for us. Just watch us, watch us work and bring championships back to Baton

Rouge. We certainly have all of the pieces to do that this season.

We just have to do what we do best, which is to play basketball.“ The Tigers open up the 201920 season on Friday Nov. 1 as they take on the Mississippi College Choctaws at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

MITCHELL SCAGLIONE / The Reveille

LSU coach Nikki Fargas watches the game during the lady Tigers’ 76-52 loss to South Carolina, on Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019 in the PMAC.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

page 6

LSU Soccer’s Debbie Hensley returns as interim coach

BY NATASHA MALONE @malone_natasha After spending 12 years on the LSU coaching staff from 2005-2016, Debbie Hensley is making a return to the program and will serve as the interim head coach for the Tigers the 2019 soccer season.

It was just three years ago that Hensley decided to step away from the LSU soccer program and pursue broadcasting with SEC Network, and during her time away, she missed the program immensely.

“It feels awesome to be back at LSU,” Hensley said. “I think everybody feels awesome when they step foot on campus. I told the team the other day that I really missed the sunsets here that I see at the LSU soccer field. I feel like they are the prettiest in all of Baton Rouge.”

While at LSU, Hensley spent the majority of her time as the associate head coach under former coach Brian Lee, who accepted the head coaching job at Rice this summer. With more than 20 years of Division I coaching experience under her belt, Hensley enters with an immense knowledge and hopes to keep the Tigers program where it left off last year as reigning 2018 SEC Tournament champions.

“When I was on the LSU staff for many years, I made sure that I had a hand in every aspect of coaching,” Hensley said. “I was

DEFENSE, from page 5 Vanderbilt was anything but impressive. He missed a tackle on a quick slant to Vanderbilt wide receiver Kalija Lipscomb, and Lipscomb turned Fulton’s mistake into a touchdown while making multiple others in LSU’s secondary look silly.

Fulton’s athleticism and ability are not in question, but his health and consistency need to improve if he wants to stay in the top-20 discussion for the 2020 NFL draft.

Delpit is going to be a top seven pick in this year’s draft and deserves to be in the discussion for any pick in the top 10, but his play has wavered from game to game.

Being the captain of the defense, Delpit cannot allow two teams to put up 38 points apiece and call it a good day.

While one of those games came against Texas, there were opportunities to keep the scoring at a minimum, and the defense simply could not find an answer.

Maybe Delpit is getting too much of the blame for the high scoring games when most of the blame should be attributed to the pass rush that has shown week in and week out that pres-

able to do everything that was involved with it. I have at least some experience with everything that goes on in the LSU program, so that definitely helped. There wasn’t anything that was foreign or unique to me,” Hensley was a part of the Tigers’ squad who won four Southeastern Conference Western Division championships and made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament in the span of five years during the 2007-2009 and 2011 seasons.

The Tigers also made their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2015 while Hensley was still serving as associate head coach. With Hensley being a late addition to the staff, it did not leave much room for adjustments. Luckily, Hensley still kept in contact with many of the girls on the current roster during her time away, as she helped recruit many of them back to Baton Rouge.

“I have tried to make the transition as smooth as possible after being here for so many years and coming in so late, the idea was to keep many things the same for the girls,” Hensley said.

It’s been a rocky start for LSU, who currently sits at 2-61 on the season and are trying to break a five-game losing streak. The Tigers begin SEC play on Sept. 26 against Georgia and follow up with a home match against Texas A&M on Sept. 29. sure is hard to come by.

Chaisson did not play against Vanderbilt but struggled at times against Texas.

LSU will need to provide a pass rush if it wants to see increased play from the secondary as well as the rest of the defense.

The defense has had some bright spots like Derek Stingley.

The freshman cornerback is showing the world just how special he is and could be in the future as he captured his first career interception, and it will not be his last.

Besides Stingley, the linebacking corps, led by junior Jacob Phillips, has shown tremendous potential without senior Michael Divinity in making tackles and dropping into coverage when necessary.

I also understand the defense has been hurt and most of LSU’s starters did not play late against Vanderbilt, but the marks of championship teams who when the odds are against them.

Even with the injuries, the Tigers have plenty of talented reserves and a mastermind of a defensive coordinator in Dave Aranda. Now, they simply have to come out and leave it on the

MITCHELL SCAGLIONE / The Reveille

LSU interim head coach Debbie Hensley watches the Lady Tigers’ game against James Maddison University on Sunday, Sept. 22, in the LSU Soccer Complex.

field.

LSU’s defense is solid on all fronts, but the team needs to learn to ignore the opponent and play every game for a shutout to show the college football playoff committee that they

deserve to be in the top four when the season is done.

Consistency on the defensive side of the ball could be the difference between an LSU team that will be forgotten

in five years and the championship team that provided players that could be relied on and, most importantly, the players that dethroned the Crimson Tide as kings of the Southeastern Conference.

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Former LSU football player Duke Riley (left) meets up with Associate Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator Dave Aranda (right) Sat., April 22, 2017.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

REV R ANKS

page 7

DOCUMENTARY

HELLO, PRIVILEGE. IT’S ME, CHELSEA. Netflix

The documentary ranges from fed up black activists to obnoxiously oblivious conservatives. This is a great documentary to get the ball rolling within the white community. Whether you are fighting white privilege or still blind to the truth, this would be a good wake up call.

‘Disenchantment’ part two ties up loose ends, creates complex plot

BY WHITNEY HICKS @whitchicks

Alexandria Duque @AlexInTheMedia

MOVIE

AD ASTRA James Gray

This is a very rare kind of film that does not come around very often, and it deserves to be seen by eyes both curious to the nature of masculinity and in awe of the majesty of space. This slow-burn is a challenging watch at times, but the explosion at the end of the fuse is rewarding.

Charles Jones @saxycj

TV

AMERICAN HORROR STORY FX

Murphy always does spooky season right, and this season has the humor and charm I’d expect from the series. Overall, I really enjoyed this premiere and how it laid down the groundwork and introduced interesting story arcs for the rest of the season.

EnJanae’ Taylor @_queenet_

TV

WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA Hulu

The plot is packed into the beginning and the last few episodes are sparse, but the material itself is wonderful. “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” is a truthful look at the struggles that led the hiphop group to become the legends they are; it just needs to be spaced out a little better.

Masie O’Toole @masieotoole

Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

Courtesy of NETFLIX

Disenchantment part two ended just like part one did— with an extremely out-of-the-blue cliffhanger.

Part one ended with Princess Tiabeanie (Abbi Jacobson) choosing to bring her mother, Queen Dagmar (Sharon Horgan), back to life over her best friend Elfo (Nat Faxon). Bean was successful, and the final episode of part two ended with Bean and her mother finally getting to embrace after 15 years of Queen Dagmar being trapped as a stone statue.

Our hearts were torn at the end of this episode. On one hand, Bean was finally reunited with her mother, but on the other hand, Elfo was dead with seemingly no hope to ever return.

Spoiler alert: he comes back.

Part two ties the seemingly random storyline together. To a passive viewer, part one had little to no cohesive storyline. Part two concludes the cliffhangers left in part one while also creating a broader plot.

Part two begins with the turmoil caused by Queen Dagmar’s return. King Zog (John DiMaggio) is faced with a decision to

make between Queen Dagmar and his second wife Queen Oona (Tress MacNeille).

When people start “mysteriously” turning to stone, Queen Dagmar takes Bean back to her homeland of Maru where even more suspicious activities occur.

As always, Bean, Elfo and Luci (Eric André) are left to save the day.

In the second episode, Elfo is living it up in heaven when he gets a message from Bean and Luci to meet them in hell. Luci, being a demon and all, knows the ins and outs of hell and knows a way to sneak out Elfo’s soul.

This episode is full of heartwarming sacrifices from the trio.

Elfo knows that if he leaves Hell, he can never return, but he does it anyway to be reunited with his friends. Bean accepts the sacrifice that if she is to be found as a human in hell, she will be forced to remain there forever.

And possibly most heartwarming is Luci—who sacrifices his standings in hell and ultimately his immortality to get his friends back to Earth.

I think we were all waiting for

Luci to abandon his selfish ways even for just a moment, and this exceeded all of my expectations.

If you remember from part one episode nine, we get a hint that Elfo is not 100% elf. His blood does not work in the Elixir of Life, so he returns home seeking answers. His father briefly mentions that he is only 50% elf but gets interrupted and never finishes his thought. If you watch part two closely, you catch a hint about what the other half might be.

Part two ends with another cliffhanger very similar in nature *wink* to the cliffhanger at the end of part one. There are many questions that still need to be answered regarding Elfo’s identity, Queen Dagmar and the future of Dreamland. The ending sets up the series for at least one more season, but I personally believe that this plot in this format can be expanded into at least two more seasons.

Part two did an excellent job of answering all of our questions from part one as well as creating new questions for us to ask in anticipation for part three.

Classifieds

Monday, August 26, 2019

page 8

Now twice a week. To place your ad, visit www.lsureveille.com/classifieds and click Submit an Ad

Costs: $0.34 per word per day. Minimum $3.75 per day. Personals free for students

Deadline: 12 p.m., three school days prior to the print publication date FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 26, 2019

Help Wanted Looking for motivated individuals to teach aftercare programs for students with dyslexia in grades 1-8. 3:15pm-5:45pm M-F @ $10/hr. email tracy.ritchie@ lakeyacademy.com MR. GATTI’S PIZZA NOW HIRING ALL POSITIONS FLEXIBLE HOURS GREAT FOR STUDENTS APPLY IN PERSON OR EMAIL RESUMES TO essenlanegattispizza@gmail.com

THE Daily Commuter Puzzle our ads are

Phi Mu Alpha Eta at LSU welcomed 89 new members on Bid Day 2019. Congratulations to all of these girls and best wishes for the school year!

Pretty Sweet Place a classified at LSUReveille.com

Do you like playing golf? The University Club is seeking part time kitchen help. Flexible schedule. Apply in person at Clubhouse 15333 Memorial Tower Dr.

our classifieds are

TEA-RIFFIC!

Let Your Business Bloom Place a Classified LSUReveille.com

make a

splash with YOUR business!

Place a classified at LSUReveille.com

The new species of mankind is walking among us in the French Quarter of “Nawlins,” nightlife.

They are intelligent, beautiful, charming, and very hungry.

Place your

Boil Up

Some Interest!

classified

place a classified at

LsuReveille.com!

{ { HE RE

Place a classified at LSUReveille.com

Place a Classified today!

LSUReveille.com

ACROSS 1 Give the cold shoulder to 5 Bank vaults 10 Ignore with contempt 14 Casino game 15 Old saying 16 French father 17 Cast-__ skillet 18 Mixture 20 1 of the 7 Dwarfs 21 Actress Winningham 22 Valentine’s Day gift, perhaps 23 Make butter 25 Stir-fry pan 26 __ May Alcott 28 Deep narrow valley 31 Mac maker 32 Street talk 34 Solemn promise 36 Bride’s accessory 37 British fellow 38 Alpha’s follower 39 “Chances __”; Johnny Mathis hit 40 Navajo or Paiute 41 Gave a hoot 42 Skillful 44 Rose __; New Year’s event 45 Ram’s mate 46 Old French currency 47 In good __; physically fit 50 Money given to a borrower 51 Little child 54 Blood analysis site 57 On __; prompt 58 Raw minerals 59 Polka or twist 60 Gung ho 61 Broad 62 Derisive smile 63 __ away; escapes DOWN 1 Lose traction on an icy road 2 Long sandwich 3 Vacant 4 Prefix for profit or stop

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

5 African desert 6 Embellish 7 __ away; disappear gradually 8 Custard ingredient 9 Observe 10 Eerie 11 Actor Beatty & others 12 Egg on 13 Flying insects 19 Part of a fork 21 Think deeply 24 Bunker __; 1775 battle site 25 Dwindle 26 Mount St. Helens’ output 27 La Scala production 28 Bakery purchase 29 Hyper 30 Famous 32 Skirt opening 33 Bowl clumsily 35 Get just one’s feet wet 37 French cheese

9/26/19

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2019 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

38 Dobbin’s home 40 Pisa attraction 41 James or Scott 43 Slumber; rest 44 Hail Mary, e.g.

46 Compel 47 As __ as molasses 48 “Mata __”; Greta Garbo film

9/26/19

49 Not up yet 50 “The __ Ranger” 52 Fail to include 53 Kennedy & Koppel 55 Billboards 56 Fawn’s color 57 Child’s running game

ENTERTAINMENT THE BEE’S KNEES

Bee Pure Apiary specializes in all-natural bee products and plastic alternatives

BY ALEXANDRIA DUQUE @AlexInTheMedia Bee Pure Apiary is a Port Allen company that produces raw local honey and all-natural skincare products. The company was founded in 2017 by mother and daughter duo Alison Landry and Robin Fontaine.

Unlike many other honey companies, Bee Pure Apiary is an allfemale operated business—right down to the bees themselves. This bee company focuses on creating sustainable alternatives with beeswax and honey and, of course, saving the bees.

Fontaine received her first bee hive as a wedding gift from an uncle in 2014. With no previous experience in beekeeping, Fontaine and Landry began their research and unearthed a deep passion that would become their livelihoods. Through the care and cultivation process, Fontaine and Landry became fascinated with how much work could be done and how much honey could be produced by such small creatures.

“The way that they work is so insync and so efficient,” Fontaine said.

What started as one small hive has now grown into 20. Originally, Bee Pure Apiary started only selling raw honey. Today, the company offers other products such as beeswax food wrap, body butters, lip balm and facial creams. New products are also underway such as an all-natural eczema cream made with honey.

One of the most popular items, the food wrap, is an all natural alternative to plastic wrap.

During the honey extraction

process, Landry took notice of the mass amounts of wax that coats the honeycombs. She wanted to repurpose the wax, that way all of the bee’s products were being used.

Landry found a way to combine the beeswax, jojoba oil and pine tree resin into a natural wax mixture.

She used the wax mixture to coat sheets of fabric made of 100% cotton which she then baked, resulting in a moldable food wrap.

Creating sustainable, environmentally-friendly alternatives using bee products was a perfect way for Bee Pure Apiary to show how resourceful bees can be. In their short lives, bees are some of the hardest working insects in the animal kingdom.

All of the working bees that produce honey are female, an example of girl power in its most raw form.

Landry and Fontaine want to pass on their passion to more people by educating the public and encouraging people to use more organic alternatives. Bee Pure Apiary is not only a honey company but also an advocate for women empowerment and representation in the beekeeping profession.

“After we started working that one hive, we were just fascinated by the bees—the way they work and live,” Landry said. “It changes your whole perspective on nature and the environment.”

The full collection of bee products can be found on BeePureApiary.com or at local pop-up art markets. All future art and farmers markets can be found @BeePureApiary on Instagram or Faceook.

page 9

Park Pub & Patio increases LGBTQ+ safe spaces

BY MATTHEW HENSARLING @matthewhenss There are limited places where LGBTQ+ community members can go to feel completely themselves.

The Park Pub & Patio aims to do more than that.

“We kind of considered this an everybody bar,” said Quintin Little, general manager of the Park Pub & Patio. “We didn’t put a label on it or anything. We wanted a place that everyone can come to and have a good time.”

The Park seeks to not only be a new place for the LGBTQ+ community to feel included, but also to expand their audience for guests of all backgrounds to have a good time.

Little is also the general manager of Splash Nightclub, historically a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.

“I think that just in general from the time we first opened Splash until now, people look at Splash differently. People who aren’t gay feel more comfortable I think nowadays coming to Splash than what they did 15 years ago whenever we first opened,” Little said.

The attitude and cultural changes over time with Splash allowed the management to explore different demographics with the Park while still maintaining the

@beepureapiary via Instagram

see PARK PUB & PATIO, page 10

‘The Room Live!’ offers an inside look into the cult classic film

BY CHARLES JONES @saxycj The film experience of a lifetime is about to be unleashed on the unsuspecting citizens of Baton Rouge and the eager students of LSU. For one night only, on Nov. 2 in downtown Baton Rouge, Jonathan Mares Productions and the Manship Theatre will be presenting “The Room Live!” with Greg Sestero.

“The Room,” released in 2003, was written and directed by Tommy Wiseau, one of the actors in the film. A passion project of Wiseau’s, the film’s tumultuous production led to a disastrous final product, largely due to Wiseau’s lack of knowledge in the filmmaking process.

It was regarded by numerous critics and audiences alike as one of the worst movies ever made.

However, as the years passed and the film gained more attention, it grew in the eyes of pop culture, eventually gaining an incredibly passionate fanbase and earning the status of a cult classic.

Nationwide, screenings of “The Room,” draw in hundreds of fans, dressed as their favorite characters, who participate in activities related to the film’s unintentionally comedic moments, such as wearing tuxedos, tossing a football around and throwing plastic spoons at the screen.

“I vividly remember the first time watching ‘The Room,’” said Jonathan Mares, one of the producers for the event. “It was, you know, 10 or 11 years ago.

I had five or six of my friends over, and we watched it, and it was hilarious. We had never seen anything like it.”

The film’s cult status led to the rise in popularity of its creator, Wiseau, as well as his co-star and friend Greg Sestero, who published a book, titled “The Disaster Artist,” about the tumultuous filmmaking process that went on behind the scenes.

That same novel was later made into an Academy Award winning film directed by James Franco, which only helped to garner the original disasterturned-pop-culture sensation more attention.

“Making movies is such an open challenge,” Sestero said, “You never know what people are going to respond to, you never know which actors people are going to care about.”

As the film’s cult status grew, so did the number of screenings and events, which eventu-

see THE ROOM, page 10

COURTESY OF JONATHAN MARES PRODUCTIONS

page 10

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Geaux Cuban brings authentic Cuban cuisine to BR

BY LIA SALIME @liasalime When Josue Ordaz received a call from a friend in 2016 saying that they’d seen a box truck that would be perfect for a food truck, he hoped to share authentic Cuban food with Baton Rouge. Now, Geaux Cuban food truck continues to grow in popularity, slowly cementing its place as a Baton Rouge staple.

Originally from Cuba, Ordaz is a University of Florida marketing graduate. When Ordaz returned to Baton Rouge from Gainesville, he found the city lacked the genuine taste of home cooked Cuban food.

He continually had to travel elsewhere to find that taste of home, and so the concept of Geaux Cuban came into existence.

“Whenever I came back to Baton Rouge, I was missing the Cuban food,” Ordaz said. “Every time I wanted to eat some Cuban, I’d have to go to Lafayette or New Orleans to get any of the kind of food that I like. That’s mainly where the idea came from, from wanting to share the Cuban food with the rest of the people here in

Baton Rouge.”

Ordaz decided to go all in the moment he purchased the food truck, which opened in November 2017. With the help of friends, Ordaz and his wife Adilene perfected the food truck’s menu to simultaneously serve traditional Cuban food that would encapsulate that taste of the Caribbean island while also satisfying the taste buds of Baton Rouge.

The menu, which Ordaz says changes approximately every two months, features Cuban staples like the infamous Cuban sandwich. The sandwich consists of a melange of roasted pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, mayo, pickles and yellow mustard on buttered Cuban bread. The menu also includes ropa vieja, shredded skirted steak served over black beans and rice.

Although there is variation in the menu, current and past featured items include Cuban nachos, pork tacos, chicken sandwich, ground beef empanadas, tostones or twice-fried plantain sliced that are a popular accompaniment in Caribbean dishes, sweet fried plantains, and cro-

quetas, a meat-base-filled cylinder-shaped roll that’s covered in breadcrumbs and deep fried.

“Every two months, we try to add something or take something off the menu,” Ordaz said. “Like the tacos, we’ll take those off the menu and we’ll do our plate lunches with the black beans and rice and ropa vieja.”

As business continues to boom, Ordaz wants to expand to a brick and mortar building within the next year. He would also like Geaux Cuban to eventually be a part of the LSU Dining family of vendors. For now, Geaux Cuban is all over Baton Rouge with different daily locations and catering available starting at $250. Ordaz shares he has catered everything from weddings to tailgates.

“We’re talking to a few different people about getting into Tigerland and serving the nightlife crowd,” Ordaz said. “We’ve been going downtown on Third Street for the last few weeks at a new bar called The Basin across the street from City Bar. We’ve been out there the last few Saturdays, about four Saturdays in a row. A lot of the college kids come down

PARK PUB & PATIO, from page 9

@GEAUXCUBAN VIA INSTAGRAM

there.”

Ordaz posts a weekly location schedule for the food truck as well as any updates on the Instagram page @geauxcuban. In

just cool,” Sestero said. “They love the city, and Louisiana has ally crossed Mares and Sestero’s such a great reputation. I just path in Louisiana. hope people that come to this Inspired by showings of event and that, at the end of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” day, they find some sort of happiness.” at the Prytania “I want people to Not only is the theater in New Orleans, Mares come in groups [and] screening of the enhanced by planned a double bring their friends. film a meet and greet feature of “The Room” and “Best You can be a [Room] and Q&A, but will also F(r)iends” in April newbie and come to Sestero host live script 2018. The event was a resounding the event and have a readings with the script, success, so Mares’ fantastic time and be original and audience production comconverted” pany, who had members will be put on similar selected to read JONATHAN MARES events with Jon certain roles op“The Room Live!” producer posite of Sestero’s Heder of “Napoleon Dynamite,” character Mark. and many others, turned its at“It’s gonna be an awesome tention to Baton Rouge. time, Greg [Sestero] doesn’t “I want people to come always do actual script readin groups [and] bring their ings from the film,” Mares said. friends,” Mares said. “You can “Even if you’ve seen ‘The Room,’ be a [Room] newbie and come to and haven’t been to one of the event, and have a fantastic these events, it’s a behind-thescenes look that you will never time, and be converted.”

An event for newcomers and forget.”

The event offers an opporveterans of “The Room,” alike, Mares and Sestero hope that tunity to celebrate one of cinthis new live environment will ema’s most unique treasures cultivate a new understanding and experience the complicated of the film, as well as help peo- production and troubled release ple to understand the people through the eyes of one of it’s behind the camera. stars. Even more than that, it is “I think it’s a movie that’s a chance to celebrate a pop-culbeen going now for 16 years,” ture phenomenon.

“Most people go to the theSestero said. “You’ve got new people discovering it every ater, and they know what to day. At a certain age, especial- expect, but ‘The Room’ gives ly when you’re in college, it’s them something that they have the best time to see it, because no idea what to expect, and it is you’re so open to new things.” so earnest in what it is trying to Sestero knew that Baton stay,” Sestero said.

Rouge would be an incredible There will be two showings place to have such an event and of the film, at 7 p.m. and 10:30 that LSU students would flock to p.m. The meet and greet will be the theatre. held an hour before each show“People that come from Loui- ing. Tickets can be purchased at siana are so passionate, and it’s www.manshiptheatre.org.

THE ROOM, from page 9

same crowd.

The Park features an accommodating, spacious patio for guests to relax, over 15 high-definition television screens to watch sporting events and various games including darts, pool and Golden Tee Golf.

Splash’s management tried many exploratory projects including karaoke, but they didn’t work due to Splash’s building structure.

The Park’s building layout allows them more success with those experimental ideas.

The Park is very open with windows allowing natural light to peer in.

“It isn’t as depressing,” Little said.

While Splash is open ThursdaySaturday, the Park is open seven days a week, with special events weekly.

“Sunday Socials” at the Park are designated for drag events including a drag brunch and special drag performances at night. Every other day the Park features themed events that appeal to larger audiences. These events include service industry nights, Fat Tuesday nights, karaoke nights and game day socials.

The Park Pub & Patio prides itself on being an inclusive venue where everyone can feel at home.

ABOUT THE PARK Hours of Operation Mon-Fri: 6 p.m - 2 a.m.

Sat: 3 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Sun: 12 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Address 4619 Bennington Ave. Baton Rouge, LA 70808 Phone (225)330-4593 COURTESY OF QUINTIN LITTLE

addition, the food truck will be a vendor at the next Food Truck Round-Up at the Rowe in Perkins Rowe Friday, Sep. 27 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

OPINION

page 11

Redistricting of St. George area would affect K-12 students Dear Society JASMINE EDMONSON @edmonsonjasmine Turning St. George into a city to create its own school district will do more than racially divide the residents of East Baton Rouge Parish. This sinister tactic, one that mimics gerrymandering, could eventually have a detrimental effect on future students pursuing a K-12 education.

It is without a doubt that this proposed transitional law stems from perpetual racism, even though Brown vs. Board of Education banned the racial segregation of American schools 65 years ago.

The majority of minority residents inhabit north Baton Rouge, while many wealthy white residents live in the southern part of the city -- the St. George area.

While supporters of this change are focused on race and money,

residents are focused on educa- school system that is adequatetion, including those living in ly set up to receive the income the St. George area. of students in that area,” Evans Spring Hill Colsaid. “So, regardlege biochemistry less of how much junior Brooke Ev“To separate us by money or time or ans’ family is one energy would get a city division is of many who live poured into that in the St. George something that is so system, it would area and will be inherently wrong. It’s not have been to impacted by this the same standard inconsiderate law. just going to create as the system Evans and her worse divides, worse I was currently family first heard in.” racial tension than enrolled about the redisEvans said, if tricting of St. we already have.” this law passes, George when she her siblings will BROOKE EVANS was a junior at Bahave to get grandSpring Hill College Junior ton Rouge Magnet fathered in, so High School. they can continue “The more attending Baton that we looked into it, the Rouge Magnet High School, more [my family] realized which isn’t a smooth process. how devastating it’ll be,” “[This would be] really painEvans said. ful for us,” Evans said.

Evans’ parents are concerned Evans said that although her for her two siblings, who might family has a high and steady innot fully receive the same educa- come, they are financially contion she did. scious. It would be a toll on her “[St. George doesn’t] have a family if both siblings attend pri-

vate schools in the incorporated district. She is sure other St. George families who kids attend schools outside the area feel the same.

This law will not only affect some St. George residents but families outside the area with children who attend schools that won’t be apart of their current school district as well. As a result, students will have to attend schools closer to their homes that may not be as sufficient as the one they currently attend.

Evans said she hopes the law doesn’t pass because it has the wrong intentions and will have unfortunate effects. It is blatantly gerrymandered to include some of the wealthiest parts of Baton Rouge which is going to collapse the city’s economy.

She said the law is very racist and classist.

“To separate us by a city division is something that is so inherently wrong,” Evans said. “It’s just going to create worse di-

vides, worse racial tension than we already have,. It’s going to backtrack on what we have been working for and what I’m really hoping to see Baton Rouge be.”

Evans said if we don’t give young people the opportunity to interact with those different than them, they won’t be exposed to new ideas, different cultures and other ethical backgrounds in an academic setting.

“It’s vital to understanding what goes on beyond Baton Rouge,” Evans said. “It’s also extraordinarily helpful for college and being able to interact in a workplace where not everyone thinks like you.”

I urge eligible voters to cast their votes during early voting on Sept. 28 or on the official voting day of Oct. 12. The educational future of East Baton Rouge Parish students are in your hands.

Jasmine is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Denham Springs, Louisiana.

Businessman Eddie Rispone disappoints at Gubernatorial debate Sauce Boss Cecile CECILE GIRARD @_cegi_ One candidate did not seem prepared to argue or ready to defend his stance on the Gubernatorial debate stage last Thursday night.

Candidate for governor of Louisiana Eddie Rispone didn’t have much to contribute to the debate stage. He made broad conservative platitudes about cutting taxes, and only spoke in ready-made sound bites on faulty Democratic leadership and Louisiana’s lack of jobs.

Rispone said little during the debate that had not already been rehashed countless times in conservative media.

His answers were predictable, empty and offered few concrete policy ideas. Rispone’s key campaign message was Louisiana needs more jobs, but this was hardly elaborated on. What specific initiatives will he launch to promote job growth? How will he create jobs without spending government money? What Louisiana sectors are in desperate

need of growth?

All of these are baseline considerations for any candidate that wants to create jobs, and yet they were completely disregarded by Rispone at the debate. Rispone pointed to his business acumen as proof that he would be able to create jobs in Louisiana. Unfortunately for Louisiana residents, running a state and running a business are not the same thing.

Rispone was unable to offer definite policy plans, and also failed to address a key fault in his portrayal of Louisiana’s increase in unemployment under Democratic leadership. The exact opposite is true.

Fellow candidate Gov. John Bel Edwards reiterated throughout the debate that Louisiana’s unemployment rate has dropped dramatically in recent years. The unemployment rate is now at 4.3%, from a high of 7.4% under former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

This rate is still above the U.S. average of 3.7%. The significant decrease demonstrates that, contrary to Rispone’s assertions, the Louisiana job market hasn’t been derailed by

democratic leadership.

Rispone describes himself as a “political outsider,” and his simple debating style is evidence of his status as a political novice. The few times he inserted himself in the back-and-forths of U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham and Gov. Edwards, he didn’t offer any of his own opinions on the issue at hand. Instead, he spoke directly to the audience to say, “Look at these politicians fighting!”

Long answers are not necessarily evidence of developed ideas, but Rispone’s answers at the debate were so short that he didn’t effectively communicate any policy ideas. I prefer succinct answers to meandering ones, but when Rispone repeatedly finished answering in 10 seconds or less, I couldn’t help but think of when “The Office” character Kevin Malone said, “Why waste time, say lot word when few word do trick?”

It seemed that Rispone was trying to appeal to his base and distance himself from the pragmatism of government by debating in his unembellished rhetorical manner. Instead of coming off

AURIANNA CORDERO / The Reveille

Candidate Eddie Rispone speaks during the Gubernatorial debate on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2o19, in the Student Union Theater. as concise and focused, Rispone just appeared uninformed on key data points and generally unprepared for office.

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Caleb Greene Hailey Auglair Baily Chauvin Rachel Mipro Ashlon Lusk

Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor

The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

Cecile Girard is a 19-year-old biology and psychology sophomore from Lake Charles, LA.

Quote of the Week “Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more but those giving more.”

H. Jackson Brown Jr. Author 1940 — present

Thursday, September 26, 2019

page 12

Home Economics course should be required in high schools Gabbing with Gabby GABRIELLE MARTINEZ @gobbymatinez “When will we ever use this in real life?”: the age-old question that school teachers and education administrators have faced for decades.

Truth is, the common high school student probably won’t have to use calculus in their day-to-day adult life. However, the argument is the longterm, problem-solving skills derived from these types of challenging courses.

While that is true, one must wonder how far a student has to go before reaching the endall, be-all of mastering the skill of problem solving. Most importantly, at what point do adolescents lose traditional societal skills in place for an extra math credit to boost their GPA or class rank?

We see this become an issue when high school seniors get admitted to the country’s most prestigious, private universities, but they don’t know how to correctly file taxes or efficiently wash clothes.

However, this is not entirely at the fault of the school, con-

sidering that more than likely, ing modern adult life. elective classes such as home While home economics may economics and be associated accounting are solely with cookoffered. It does ing in many eyes, come at the reit’s much more sponsibility of the than that. Home “In recent years, school that high- we’ve witnessed older economics lesly competitive sons plan to also stakes require stu- generations accusing cover budgeting, dents to dedicate millennials of lacking applying for loans the entirety of basic ‘adulting’ skills.” and balancing a their time to adcheckbook. In advanced placement dition to personal courses, effectivefinancing, courses ly burying classes can also explore of less “stature.” family planning This is where the need for and child development. required educational classes Although these skills are not comes into play. With many necessarily useful in the moment Louisiana public schools having for teenagers, it guarantees for already seen the implementation their future to be more structured of required courses such as art and informed. Therefore, requirand physical education, this list ing home economics would betshould continue to increase as ter prepare adolescents for the years press on. “real world.”

Most importantly, home This move undoubtedly economics should stand at brings into question the role the very forefront of being of America’s public schools in added to high school graduation raising the nation’s students. requirements.

According to the NCCP, 28% In recent years, we’ve wit- of Louisiana’s children are in nessed older generations accus- poverty, which is 9% more than ing millennials of lacking ba- the national average. With the sic “adulting” skills. While you requirement of classes like home may agree or disagree with this, economics, students who may home economics would surely have not ever been exposed to a provide a remedy to the strug- stable home life can experience gles of discovering and navigat- the necessary tools they need to

S F A R M E RT MARKE

economics, domestication will be lost indefinitely. The class takes away both the scariness of managing a household and even managing your own, adult self.

Think of it like a secret playbook. With it being required, students will know what moves to make before they even need them.

Gabrielle Martinez is an 18-yearold mass communication freshman from Gonzales, Louisiana.

cartoon by ETHAN GILBERTI / The Reveille

L SU Student Media

ʼ Oct. 30

8ept. 1 S s y .m. sda o2p t .

Wedne .m a

Student At-Large Board Member Position

*

10 from

to next e v i r D Tower dent Union tu the S *There will be no Farmers’ Market Oct. 16

Before..

..After BREWING NEW IDEAS

.

fortify their own in the future.

Another argument brought into play may be the notion that kids can simply look up anything they need to know in a blink of an eye on Google or YouTube.

However, this makes children more reliant on technology that is not guaranteed to always be there. Also, it takes away from the basic respect and humanity of learning essential life skills from an actual adult.

Without classes like home

(225) 578-6090 admanager@lsu.edu

Design Services

The LSU Office of Student Media is seeking a student to serve a one year term as the at-large member on the LSU Student Media Board. The Student Media Board is comprised of LSU students, faculty, staff and media professionals who are responsible for interviewing and selecting students who have applied for the top editor or manager positions for The Reveille, Tiger TV, KLSU Radio and Gumbo Yearbook. The at-large student must not hold office in Student Government, must not be enrolled in the Manship School of Mass Communication and must not be employed by LSU Student Media. Availability for Friday afternoon meetings up to three times per semester is required. The first meeting is Friday, November 8th.

If interested, please email studentmedia@lsu.edu and include a brief statement about your interest in LSU Student Media and why you want to serve on the board.