The Daily Reveille 01-31

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The Daily Reveille Est. 1887

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Volume 126 · No. 4

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UNDER THE INFLUENZA Despite mass flu outbreak nationwide, LSU sees reduction in reported cases, page 2

Reported cases of influenza at LSU

NEWS

JANUARY 2017 119

SPORTS

LSU Ice Hockey Club looks for hockey fans on campus, page 4

94

MARCH 2017

89

OCTOBER 2017

5

NOVEMBER 2017

27

DECEMBER 2017

13

JANUARY 2018

75

ENTERTAINMENT LSU coaches remember Tennessee’s Pat Summitt, impact made on lives, page 7

Sigma Gamma Rho hosts bra drive to provide aid for sex trafficking survivors, page 3

FEBRUARY 2017

Cat Haven offers sanctuary to strays and kittens, page 13

OPINION “I believe that marijuana should be legalized at the federal level, and I am not alone,” page 17

page 2

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

COVER STORY

SHC reports fewer flu cases than previous flu season

BY MATTHEW BENNETT @mcbennett4 Amidst one of the most widespread flu epidemics in recent history, the LSU Student Health Center reports the number of positive flu tests from students this season is on track to be lower than last year’s.

“The bad news is we definitely are seeing it,” said SHC Associate Director Julie Hupperich.

“I guess the sort-of good news is the rate that we’re diagnosing it is not off the charts compared to previous years.”

Hupperich was relieved to see a decline in flu cases considering what health officials are seeing on the national scale.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s official website, the flu is now widespread in every state in the U.S. except Hawaii. There have also been 37 influenzaassociated pediatric deaths this season reported to the CDC. The SHC provides flu shots to all full-time students for free, and only a $10 charge for part-time students. The vaccine

is also typically available at any pharmacy or primary care physician. Although the flu shot does not guarantee immunity from the flu, it always offers a level of protection.

Hupperich stressed the importance of every University student taking advantage of the free flu shots provided by SHC. “[Students] should definitely get the flu shot,” Hupperich said. “Even if you do contract the flu, it tends to be less severe if you’ve gotten the vaccine. Again, nobody wants to get the flu, but if the case is less severe, maybe you’re out of class for fewer days [and] your symptoms are less severe.”

The flu season officially began in October of 2017 and ends in April of this year. Since 1982, flu infections in the U.S. most often peaked in the month of February.

It is important to follow “general good health habits” to lessen the chances of contracting the virus, Hupperich said. This includes well-balanced meals, good sleeping habits, staying hydrated throughout the day

I guess the sort-of good news is the rate we’re diagnosing it is not off the charts compared to previous years.

JULIE HUPPERICH

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SHC Associate Director

and constant hand-washing.

“If [students] feel like they’re having symptoms of the flu, I would say get in to see your primary care clinician right away,” Hupperich said.

Full-time students already pay an SHC fee in their tuition, so a visit to the center is free of charge.

Hupperich offers additional advice on how to deal with the virus if contracted.

“I think many times students feel like they need to get to class,” Hupperich said.

“Which I appreciate, but at the same time, number one, [you] need to take care of yourself

The Daily Reveille

EVAN SAACKS and number two, it’s a public health issue.”

Given that the flu thrives in close communities, Hupperich emphasized the importance of staying home and protecting not only yourself, but the community around you.

“The tricky thing about a college setting is that you live in groups,” Hupperich said. “You go to class in groups. Many times, you’re in student organizations. Everything you do is in groups of people, so it makes it really easy to spread illness. If you are sick, stay home. Don’t expose your roommates or your classmates to the flu.”

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

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LSU Student Health Center officials discuss how LSU is being affected this flu season.

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GYMNASTICS MARDI GRAS MEET PMAC 7:30 P.M.

MID CITY GRAS PARADE NORTH BOULEVARD MID CITY 1 P.M.

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News

page 3

BRAS FOR

A CAUSE Sigma Gamma Rho hosts bra drive to support survivors of sex trafficking

BY RACHEL MIPRO | @remroc15

photos by DIANNA ROXAS

University students in the UREC and LSU Women’s Center may notice two tall cardboard containers filled with bras. That is what the spearheaders for the Free the Girls bra collection drive, hope to see happen.

Biology junior and President of the Gamma Pi chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Brooklyn Gillette and advisor and Educational Leadership & Research Ph.D. student Sydney Epps are collecting bras for the nonprofit Free The Girls.

Free The Girls is dedicated to providing sex trafficking survivors with a safe path to “economic freedom, restored health, social well-being, education and opportunity for a different, hopeful future,” according to the group’s website. The organization currently collaborates with groups in El Salvador, Mozambique and Uganda to help victims of third-world sex trafficking.

Free The Girls will give

donated bras to survivors who will make a living safely through selling them secondhand. Free The Girls began in 2011 and in the last seven years has collected more than 600,000 bras.

The Sigma Gamma Rho bra drive was started on Jan. 22 and the group plans to keep it running until mid-March. So far, they have two bra boxes in action: one at the UREC and another in the LSU Women’s Center. The organizers have reached out to many University organizations, and plan to add at least two more boxes, possibly in the Student Union and in Middleton Library.

Gillette narrowed down why they chose to do a bra collection rather than something more conventional to one simple reason: “A lot of people don’t have extra money to donate, but they do have old bras,” Gillette said.

Epps said unlike many other campaigns, this is a cause that

see BRAS, page 6

FACULTY

Chinese president awards LSU professor

BY LUKE JEANFREAU @LukeJeanfreau Through his consistent collaboration with China and cooperation with global science, LSU physics professor Ward Plummer has received many awards from China. However, receiving an award from the Chinese president himself was on another level.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the 2017 International Science and Technology Cooperation Award to Plummer on Jan. 8 in the Great Hall of China.

According to Plummer, the award is given to no more than 10 people. This year’s recipients included seven scientists from all over the world. However, Plummer said this ceremony was also used to present very prestigious awards to Chinese scientists.

“If you were anybody in China in science and technology,” Plummer said, “you wanted to be at that meeting.”

This is not the first time Plummer has received an award from China. In the last year, he said he’s gotten three, including one from the head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, he said this was the most formal ceremony he has attended. The Chinese government paid for his entire trip, including a business class plane ticket.

see PROFESSOR, page 6

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

LSU Preschool now among 7,000 accredited programs

BY RACHEL MIPRO @remroc15

The LSU Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool recently passed rigorous quality standards, gaining accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, becoming one of 7,000 national accredited programs.

NAEYC programs are required to meet standards grouped into 10 areas such as relationships with children, physical environment, staff qualifications, relationship with the community and nutrition and health. Staff at the preschool were especially proud of their healthy eating initiatives, which they have incorporated by growing their own gardens and flowerbeds.

“They were able to go from

bed to bed to explore, they would explore and pick the weeds they found, they would ask questions,” said Ursula Pursley, an assistant teacher in the infant-toddler program. “We grew a potato, and they watched it grow. It had its vine all over the fence.”

There are gardens on all of the playgrounds, as well as out front. The children do cooking projects with the produce they grow, which makes them more interested in eating fruits and vegetables. During winter, most of the preschool’s gardens are bare, but next month the preschool plans to put down more plants.

“We determined that there was a need, essentially, for some life here at the preschool,” said Associate Director of Preschool Programs Kerry Sheldon. “The [LSU Agriculture] students

helped us establish that.”

University students from all departments have been a significant factor in the preschool’s success. Student volunteers sign up for a minimum of three hours a week for a variety of initiatives.

“There’s students in and out here all the time, from all different aspects,” Sheldon said. “We have psychology students, we have psychology graduate assistants, we have interns from preK-3 programs, we have interns from student teachers here, we have students from the Family and Consumer Science Department that come over and do observations, we have communication disorder students here...we have a lot of people here.”

Sheldon described some of the preschool’s positive

see PRESCHOOL, page 6

CALEB BOURQUE / The Daily Reveille

A playground at Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool waits for children to return to play on Jan. 25.

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page 4

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

LSU Ice Hockey Club looks to expand sport fandom on campus

BY CALEB GREENE @ cgreene_24 Despite being small in size, the dedication of the LSU Ice Hockey Club members show true Tiger spirit on ice.

Players and fans of the sport live for the intensity.

The excitement of a big hit.

The thrill of a goal. The LSU Ice Hockey Club knows these feelings very well. The self-funded club team plays in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, competing against schools like Georgia and Alabama-Birmingham.

The club team has almost 30 players, but runs into issues fielding a team during the road games. For their previous games against Mississippi State, the club traveled with only seven players.

For comparison, NHL teams have 23 players on their roster at all times throughout the season.

Psychology senior Grant Miller, said he believes the club’s low participation levels come from a lack of exposure.

As team captain, Miller tries to find the balance between competition and enjoyment of the sport.

“It’s really hard trying to be competitive but also having a good time, so I try to push

the guys to where their skills improve,” Miller said. “I want them to understand the game, so we can build chemistry and all that team stuff, but at the same time, we fall back on the fact that we are a club. It’s not taken that seriously.”

Financial backing compounds the problems the club hockey team faces. As a club, the team receives no school funding and must rent out Leo’s Ice World for practice time, Miller said. Players pay installments at the beginning of each semester to keep the team alive.

“Funding is kind of rough, everything comes out of these kids’ pockets,” Miller said.

“It’s hard for some kids to play a lot of the times. That’s a big reason why participation is down. We don’t do a lot because kids just don’t have the money to pay.”

Despite the current struggles, the club’s members look to the future with anticipation. They believe there is a strong enough hockey fan base at the University to build up the program. Club vice president Jared Dozier has played hockey since age 11 and thinks there are more hockey fans on campus than what people think.

“It’s bigger than you think,

but it’s not something that people just go around talking about down here,” Dozier said.

The LSU Ice Hockey Club’s ultimate goal is to receive school funding and establish a solid fan base.

In their eyes, the future is bright. They envision playing home games in front of a full student section.

“If we could maybe secure the River Center in a couple years, and we could actually get some people to our games, it could be big,” Dozier said.

Many players on the team have played hockey before coming to the University. The club offers them a chance to continue playing a sport they love. Construction management sophomore Jacques Manuel sees ice hockey as an opportunity to enjoy himself.

“It’s a good getaway,” Manuel said. “You practice at night after you’ve had homework and school all day. It’s nice to go knock around with the boys.”

The LSU Ice Hockey Club’s next home game is Feb. 23 against Mississippi State at Leo’s Ice World.

“We are a bunch of guys that just like to play hockey,” Miller said. “But we do play competitively.”

courtesy of ADAM DESLATTE

The LSU ice hockey team poses on the ice for a team photo.

STUDENT LIFE

NROTC students learn to balance military, academic lives

BY CALEB GREENE @ cgreene_24 The University’s Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps includes 28 students who are learning and training right on campus to become America’s future military leaders.

The NROTC educates and trains qualified men and women as commissioned officers in the Navy and Marine Corps.

The NROTC’s mission is to develop its midshipmen mentally, morally and physically, instilling them with the highest ideals of duty, honor and loyalty.

It offers students the opportunity to pursue a military career.

Members undergo a rigorous application process, applying to LSU, the NROTC program and Southern University.

Members are required to become cross-enrolled students at both universities.

Students accepted into NROTC receive scholarships that pay for their schooling. In return, members make a commitment to serve in the military for four years after graduating.

Sociology senior Zachary Spears compared the program to the nation’s military academies.

“It’s pretty much the same thing as the service academ-

courtesy of PHILLIP MOONEY

ROTC members stand with a flag at sunset. ics except you get that college experience,” Spears said.

Members participate in physical training three times a week. They also conduct marching and rifle technique drills on Tuesdays. On Thursdays, NROTC has leadership labs potential midshipmen can attend.

Along with drills, NROTC

midshipman take part in various local activities, such as attending Kickoff LSU and marching in the Presidents Day Parade. On Feb. 4, they are marching in Uptown New Orleans’ Krewe of Alla Parade.

Plant and soil systems sophomore Philip Mooney said he enjoys the opportunities NROTC provides.

“We get the chance as midshipman to really explore,” Mooney said. “Last semester, we ran the ball for the Bayou Classic football game from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.”

The NROTC’s structure is very similar to the Army’s ROTC program. The two programs compete in many ways, including in drill and physical

competitions such as Corps Wars. Spears said there is a small rivalry, but they are all on the same team.

“It’s really a one team, one fight mentality,” Spears said.

Midshipmen are able to notice the positive changes in their life since beginning the NROTC program. Biochemistry freshman Samantha Jackson sees the improvements in every aspect of her life despite only being in NROTC since August.

“I don’t think there is any college program that you can be a part of that helps you build character so much,” Jackson said. “I think that this program just has really inspired me to be so much better in every single way.

The NROTC challenges its members to grow as individuals and leaders. Their numbers have dramatically declined in recent years. Mooney noted how the number of midshipmen are down from nearly 80 members a couple of years ago. The current number is 28. The midshipmen challenge anyone interested to join or find out more information.

“Hey, we’re a family and if you got what it takes, and you think that you have the leadership skills, come here and test them out,” Mooney said.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

page 5

FACULTY

LSU communications professor wins award for book project

BY HAILEY AUGLAIR @ haileyauglair1 Department of Communication Studies assistant professor Bryan McCann is using his expertise in rhetorical studies to bring awareness to the criminal justice system and race.

McCann received the National Communication Association’s 2017 Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award for his proposed book project, “The Idea of the Negro: Debating Black Protest Fiction after the Harlem Renaissance.”

The award is given annually to a scholar early in his or her career who promotes philosophical, historical or critical scholarship in rhetoric and public discourse, according to the National Communication Association. The award has a financial component to support the recipient’s upcoming project.

The book will focus primarily on public debates from the 1940s to the 1960s about black protest fiction like “Native Son” by Richard Wright, “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston and “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. McCann said he hopes to complete the manuscript by next spring.

“When these books were coming out, there was a lot of conversation about ‘What are the social responsibilities of black artists’,” McCann said. “Is their primary responsibility to create work that functions as protest? Does artistry need to speak to things more than politics, even in situations in which the authors themselves are victims of racial injustice?”

The book will explore arguments that were made at the time about the meaning and nature of art in public life and the

responsibilities of black artists.

McCann’s first novel, “The Mark of Criminality: Rhetoric, Race and Gangsta Rap in the War-on-Crime Era” analyzes the emergence of gangster rap during the war-on-crime.

“Politicians in both parties were saying we need to be tough on crime, and these policies impacted black communities in really significant, disproportionate ways,” McCann said. “Then at the same time you have N.W.A., Snoop Dogg, Tupac and others celebrating black criminality kind of assuming the role of the criminal and making a living out of it.”

Through his works, McCann said he hopes to challenge others to, “listen to the things they study and not be so quick to put them in boxes.” He also hopes for institutions to create more space for people of color.

McCann’s main area of interest is rhetorical studies or public acts of persuasion and how those impact the way people think, talk and act upon social matters, he said. He is also interested in race, women and gender studies and cultural studies.

“When I was about to finish getting my undergraduate, 9/11 happened,” McCann said. “This was an awful event and part of what led us to it was a complicated history of U.S. involvements across the globe that no one wants to talk about. My mind would always go to how do these issues get expressed through arguments, culture and the lack of communication.”

McCann has also published many articles including essays about high profile cases like Trayvon Martin.

“After Martin was killed, the

thing that struck me about the case was how we were being led to view him at the level of public discussion,” McCann said. “It was either this perfect angelic child or he was a violent thug who got what he deserved, and my instinct was that that is quite limiting particularly for Martin but also for black youth.”

Many of McCann’s ideas come from his experience working in the community.

“I hope that my work is meaningful to people doing the grassroots, day-to-day work to improve their communities,” McCann said.

“I have resources at LSU that people at the grassroots don’t have. I hope that through my work I am able to position myself as someone who serves as a resource and an ally.”

McCann came to the University in 2013. He teaches crime, communication and culture and rhetoric and social theory.

He is also part of the American Association of University Professors committed to academic freedom. His goal is to create a classroom atmosphere that is open to controversy and debate and to ensure professors are not penalized for researching and writing about controversial issues.

“It’s never my job to tell students how to think about things,” McCann said. “My idea of hell is a room full of students who agree with me. But I do want to make them less comfortable with their assumptions.”

McCann and his colleagues are working to promote the best practices for deliberation, constructive debate and generative disagreement. He is working to have public debate events and debate workshops on campus.

courtesy of Karen Campbell

McCann receives his award from the Naional Communication Association.

ACADEMICS

LSU student wins first prize, scholarship at national opera competition

BY LUKE JEANFREAU @ LukeJeanfreau Musical Arts Ph.D. student and baritone André Chiang didn’t think opera was for him until numerous teachers along the way insisted he give opera a try.

At the 45th National

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Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards competition on Jan. 5, Chiang won first prize. This included a large cash award, as well as a scholarship to the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria. Unfortunately, Chiang is unable to attend AIMS due to prior obligations.

Chiang also earned some performance opportunities, including a solo debut at Carnegie Hall with a full orchestra and chorus. He will also be able to give a solo performance at the NATS National Conference in Las Vegas.

Chiang said he applied to be in the competition last fall. NATS is separated into 14 regions, which each hold their own competitions.

The winners of those competitions get some money to fly to New York and compete against the winners of the other regions. Chiang competed in the southeastern regional competition in Valdosta, Georgia.

Although competitors could choose what they sang, Chi-

ang said there were heavy restrictions on what they could choose.

“They have very specific requirements,” Chiang said. “You have to sing a wide variety of languages and stylistic time periods. There was one section where you had to sing songs that were written after 1950.”

Chiang began his opera career during his junior year at the University of Alabama by playing the role of Aeneas in the school’s production of “Dido and Aeneas.” That same year, he got paid for performing in Opera Birmingham’s production of “Madama Butterfly.”

Chiang always had a love of singing and participated in his church choir. However, it wasn’t until college that he gave opera a try.

“In my undergrad I was in the show ‘La Bohème,’” Chiang said.

“There is this one scene where they talk about the mood, and how it comes through the window. It’s just a cool theatrical moment and

courtesy of THE LSU COLLEGE OF MUSIC AND DRAMATIC ARTS

Chiang performs as the title character in LSU Opera’s production “Falstaff”. it really made me sort of fall in love with opera.”

Chiang said he decided to get more into opera because he saw it as a kind of challenge to push his singing ability to new heights.

“I think it requires more out of the performer vocally,” Chiang said. “The biggest difference I can see is that the music tells a lot of the story in opera.”

Chiang thinks anyone in

musical theater looking for something new should give opera a try.

“If you want something that’s really exciting and kind of challenging, opera is a good direction to look in,” Chiang said. “It forces you to be really aware of how you do things. It’s something that is worth exploring like everything else. If you don’t explore it, how will you know whether or not it’s something that you’d enjoy?”

The Daily Reveille

page 6 BRAS, from page 3 women of all political backgrounds could come together to support. She added that bras are something easy to give, and something that helps immensely with rehabilitation of victims of sex trafficking, giving them a stable job and income.

While donations have been trickling in, they are trying to expand the project campuswide, possibly to other sororities and athletic organizations. Though they haven’t gotten much response, they remain hopeful that sororities could be the motherload they’re looking for.

“Even if we could have just a meeting date where they just like throw their bras from the second floor to the first floor

at us, that would be a joyous occasion,” Epps said.

January was declared National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month

by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The Human Trafficking Hotline received 13,897 calls in 2017. In the same year, 4,460 cases of human trafficking were reported in the U.S. This number is significantly down from 7,621 in 2016, and is the lowest number of cases since 2012, according to the hotline.

Of the 4,460 cases reported in 2017, 3,186 were sex trafficking, 3,698 involved women and 1,438 involved minors. Fiftynine cases of sex trafficking were reported in Louisiana, 19th among U.S. states, according to the hotline’s end of the year report.

PROFESSOR, from page 3 Though over the years Plummer has taught many students who went on to great things in China, he said he believes the biggest factor for his award was the International Center for Quantum Structures (ICQS) in the Institute of Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which he founded in 2000 with Enge Wang and Zhenyu Zhang.

“It has been the model for globalization of science programs,” Plummer said. “Five people came from the United States, and several from Europe.

If you look at that set of people in 2000, they’ve all been successful.

There are four presidents of Chinese universities in that picture, and three of the people from the United States were elected to the

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 National Academy of Sciences or the National Academy of Engineering.”

Plummer said his collaboration with Chinese scientists is a result of a recent effort to make their science global.

“It’s very important for them now to try to get their science to be global,” Plummer said. “They want arrangements with institutions to send their students here and send our students over there.”

Plummer also said China is more willing to fund research than the United States.

“Today, it’s much easier to get support for your research efforts in China than the United States,” Plummer said. “In the last several years, we have built two pieces of major equipment in China that I could not get any support for in the United States.”

Plummer said the United States not only has less funding, but mostly focuses on facilities that can serve large numbers of people.

“If you want to build some state of the art thing that’s just for you and a few people, it just doesn’t happen,” Plummer said.

“There, we wrote a three-page proposal and got millions of dollars. And the review process was a month, not a year.”

Plummer said he believes the Chinese government knows their science needs to be global.

“If they are going to make a major impact, they have to be working with everybody, not just going at it alone,” Plummer said.

“They all say economic development is science-based. ‘Sciencebased’ is one of the phrases we’re not supposed to use in the United States. It’s a different world.”

DIANNA ROXAS / The Daily Reveille

The Gamma Pi chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho holds a bra drive for victims of sex trafficking at LSU Women’s Center on Jan. 29.

courtesy of LSU DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY

LSU physics professor Ward Plummer received the 2017 International Science and Technology Cooperation Award from Chinese president Xi Jinping.

PRESCHOOL, from page 3

HOME

interactions with University students from apple taste-testing to helping preschoolers understand basic math. She said the preschool would be happy to have any University students with interest come in, as volunteers are always appreciated.

The preschool’s success is attributed partly to the strong relationships within the University’s community.

“I think that’s the strength of the university with a program like this,’ said LSU Agricultural Center associate professor Edward Bush. “It’s a win-win. It involves a whole community.”

CALEB BOURQUE / The Daily Reveille

Associate Director of Preschool Programs Kerry Sheldon discusses her role in the Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool on Jan. 25.

NOW LEASING LSU.edu/LiveOn CALEB BOURQUE / The Daily Reveille

The play area at the LSU Early Childhood Education Laboratory Preschool contains typical playground equipment, as well as various plants and flowers for the children to grow and learn about.

Sports

page 7 BASKETBALL

LSU coach Will Wade dismisses players

WE BACK PAT

BY GLEN WEST @glenwest21

Former Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt’s legacy lives on, motivates LSU coaches

BY JARRETT MAJOR @jarett_tdr 1098 wins. 8 NCAA Championships. 16 Southeastern Conference Championships.

How do you measure former Tennessee Lady Vols coach Pat Summitt’s legacy?

For LSU Lady Tigers coaches Nikki Fargas, Tasha Butts and Mickie DeMoss, all former Lady Vols players or coaches, Pat Summitt’s legacy is not about wins. It is about the people she touched and the memories they share.

“I remember the good times we had together,” DeMoss said. “I remember the national championships, and all that, but I remember the relationship.

Because that is what is lasting. All the times she stepped to the plate for me, when I was having trouble. I remember

HASKELL WHITTINGTON / The Daily Reveille

the good times like the year we went undefeated. She made us feel invested. We were a family.“ At Tennessee, Summitt became the winningest coach in the history of collegiate basketball, taking Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC, to the summit of women’s basketball.

Summitt’s success was often at the expense of LSU, which is just 15-48 all-time against Tennessee after the 70-59 win on Sunday.

“It is something you cannot always put into words what she meant,” Fargas said. “I just try to live the best way I can and hope she is looking down proud on us. We are proud to say we are a part of it.”

Tennessee delivered heartbreak to the Lady Tigers many times, including in the 2004 and 2008 Final Fours as the Lady Vols scored game winning baskets

see SUMMITT, page 9

LAUREN WATSON / The Daily Reveille

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Following an embarrassing loss to No. 11 Auburn, it didn’t stop there for the LSU basketball program.

LSU coach Will Wade dismissed freshmen Mayan Kiir and Galen Alexander from the team on Monday, while suspending freshman Brandon Rachal and sophomore Wayde Sims.

Rachal and Sims were suspended for the Tennessee game for violating team policies but will be back with the team when they return from Knoxville, according to Wade.

Wade added that each disciplinary action was a separate case.

“They made a mistake,” Wade said. “They made a mistake that young people make. I think they both regret it. I don’t want to put words in their mouths, but they’re good kids. They’re good people.

It’s difficult as a coach. You look at yourself as a parent-figure and want to help these guys. It’s never fun when you have to have those meetings. It’s not the most exciting part of your job, but it’s part of what you have to do. You have to maintain a culture. You have to maintain a level of discipline within your program. Like I said, they will be fine. It was a mistake that anybody could have made in college, and we want to represent our school, our team better than that.”

see WADE, page 9

OPINION

Governor’s NCAA ‘salary cap’ comments factually inaccurate CAL’D UP CHRIS CALDARERA @caldarera11 Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards may be paying for his own flight next time he wants to see the LSU football team play an away game.

Edwards traveled with the team to last season’s Tennessee game, but the LSU athletic department may decide to purchase one less plane ticket after Edwards criticized the “obscene” salaries of coaching staffs around the country.

In last week’s meeting with The Advocate’s editorial board, Edwards suggested placing limits on what college coaches can make to halt what he

considers an “arms race” among universities with regard to athletic spending.

“I do think that there has to be some look nationally at some sort of salary caps for the organizations,” Edwards told The Advocate’s Ross Dellenger.

There are two major problems with Edwards’ position, the first being legality. Placing caps on NCAA staff salaries would be a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act and is, therefore, illegal.

This interpretation of the Sherman Act was used by several coaches to win a challenge in the 1998 decision Law v.

NCAA. In this case, the coaches claimed an NCAA rule that restricted one coach’s salary to $16,000 was a violation of the Sherman Act, and the U.S. Court

of Appeals agreed. The NCAA has not had a salary cap since.

I find it odd that Edwards, a graduate of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center, is unaware of the applications of such a landmark statute like the Sherman Act, but maybe his class was forced to skip that chapter due to a lack of funding. After all, taxpayer dollars have to be divvied up between academics and athletics, right?

Wrong.

LSU is one of several universities in the country where the athletic department operates via the use of private funds from organizations like the Tiger Athletic Foundation rather than receiving a state subsidy.

see SALARY CAP, page 9

CHRISTA MORAN / The Daily Reveille

LSU Coach Ed Orgeron leads the team onto the field before the Tigers’ 45-21 victory against Texas A&M on Nov. 25 at Tiger Stadium.

The Daily Reveille

page 8

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Reath’s improvement in post pays dividends for Tigers

BY BRANDON DECAREAUX @brandondec77 The rapid emergence of senior forward Duop Reath’s post game has been the Tigers’ brightest spot on offense this season.

The 6-foot-11 senior from Perth, Australia, has dominated defenders down low all season with an array of post moves.

Reath has come a long way since last year, raising nearly all of his offensive statistics. “[LSU coach Will Wade] has been preaching for me to stay simple in the post,” Reath said. “When you catch the ball, just make a quick move and just try and be efficient with quick moves.”

Reath has elevated his game tremendously this season, averaging 14.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The senior has been able to not only dominate the paint but has also raised his three point percentage drastically.

Reath has connected on 47 percent of his shots from deep, an improvement from last year by over 15 percent.

The development of a three ball has kept Reath’s opponents honest from deep, allowing him to use his big, 244-pound frame to

DIANNA ROXAS / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior forward Duop Reath (1) scores during the Tigers’ 77-63 win against Texas A&M on Jan. 23. dominate down low.

“I’ve been making shots lately, they’ve been falling,” Reath said.

“Previously, I was shooting them and they weren’t really falling, but they are falling right now.”

Reath has been spectacular in his last three games, averaging 23 points per game and logging a career high 31 points against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

The recent success by Reath has been huge for the Tigers and Reath said finishing with confidence has been the biggest aspect of his game that’s improved.

“Finishing through contact and finishing through length,” Reath said. “Just being confident with my shot.”

Reath has been able to take advantage of his last three

opponents down low, leading the Tigers in scoring in three out of the last four games.

Despite LSU’s up and down season as a team, Reath has been consistent throughout Southeastern Conference play. Reath is averaging 17 points per game in SEC play and has scored in double figures in all but one game.

The Tigers currently sit

with a record of 12-8, 3-5 SEC and are tied for second to last in the conference.

The team has continued to struggle this season, but Reath believes Wade is the perfect coach for them.

“Coach knows what he’s doing, what he is telling us is the truth,” Reath said. “Even the way he says it, you just gotta listen to the meaning of it. I feel like he’s giving us the right message every time.”

This season has seen LSU struggle recently after putting together impressive games in a loss against then-ranked No. 17 Kentucky and an upset win against then-ranked No. 11 Texas A&M. Reath has been, by far, LSU’s most consistent player and he has used his second season in Baton Rouge to drastically improve every aspect of his game.

With 10 games remaining on the schedule, the Tigers need to make a statement and consistently put together wins.

If anyone can help LSU climb up the SEC rankings, it will be Reath, who needs to continue to dominate with his crafty footwork and improved outside shot.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Yasmine Bidikuindila transitions her game from abroad to LSU

BY JBRIAAN JOHNSON @JBriaan_Johnson Since arriving to campus from Canada, LSU sophomore forward Yasmine Bidikuindila has been an inspiration for those coming from abroad to play basketball in the U.S. LSU coach Nikki Fargas said Bidikuindila and junior guard Shanice Norton leaving their homes to pursue their basketball aspirations are commendable acts that takes a great deal of bravery to do.

“It takes a lot of courage to do what these young ladies have done and they are doing it at a young age,” Fargas said. “They are doing it when they come over while they are in school and adjusting to everything here, which is not easy to do.”

Fargas also believes Bidikuindila is not only inspiring those who come to the United States from abroad, but even more so to the players who are from here.

“Those international kids have a deeper appreciation for what we have here,” Fargas said. “They go about their day appreciating things and it allows our kids from the states to take a step back and think, ‘This is really nice what we have.’ Hearing their paths on getting helps us all have a more humbling experience.”

Coming to Baton Rouge was not originally in Bidikuindila’s plans when deciding to come to America to pursue a college basketball career.

Her initial choice was to

attend Providence College in Rhode Island. After making the premature decision, Bidikuindila’s mindset shifted towards the purple and gold.

“I made that decision [to attend Providence College] pretty early,” Bidikuindila said. “I wanted to leave Canada and play in the states. Once [Providence] started looking at me, I said I was going. After staying in Montreal a little longer, I talked to my brother and thought we should look at other options because I believed I could do better than Providence.

That’s when LSU came into play.

I thought LSU was a better fit for me.”

The diversity LSU has on its team is very unique, as LSU is known to heavily recruit in-state athletes.

Sophomore guard and New Orleans native Rakell Spencer is the only team member from Louisiana. LSU has at least one player from the northeast, south, west coast and out of the country.

Having a metaphorical melting pot within one team and combining different styles of basketball presents Fargas with a unique situation. Bidikuindila only adds to an overwhelming amount of cultural diversity on this team.

A native of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Bidikuindila spent the majority of her life playing a completely different brand of basketball, which called for a transition once she arrived to LSU. “It was difficult,” Bidikuindila said. “The game is a lot faster here. The players are much stronger and faster here.”

At 6-foot-7, Bidikuindila was a dominant force when playing in her home country. In the states, she has to work harder to get her shots up and get around defenders.

“I used to be the biggest post, which made it hard to adjust,” Bidikuindila said. “Back home, all I would have to do is get the ball, keep it high and put it back. Now it has a lot more to do than simply that. There is a lot to learn.”

While Bidikuindila is still adjusting to playing in the United States, she believes she has grown and benefited from playing abroad.

Gaining that exposure to a multitude of styles has helped her develop her game in the U.S., even reflecting back to when she participated in the Canadian National Championship and facing players from other country.

“Playing in other countries definitely helped me because I understand how other people play,” Bidikuindila said. “I remember playing in the Canadian National Championship and going to Puerto Rico. I played against people from all over and it was much more aggressive than I was used to, players coming at you.

This helped me learn how to play without fouling and being smart.”

Not only did Bidikuindila learn how to play a variety of basketball styles, she learned how to speak a variety of languages throughout her life.

Bidikuindila can fluently speak five different languages: French, English, Spanish, Lingala and Creole.

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU then-freshman center Yasmine Bidikuindila (15) shoots a free throw during the Lady Tigers’ 81-34 win against LeMoyne-Owen on Nov. 6, 2016.

French is her first language, but Bidikuindila learned English as she moved around a lot growing up. As for Lingala, Creole, and Spanish, Bidikuindila learned these languages for different reasons.

“My family is originally from Congo, Africa. Therefore, they speak Lingala and I got it from them,” Bidikuindila said. “Montreal is very diverse. I have a lot of Haitian friends there, and I learned Creole from them. As for Spanish, I took it in high school and in elementary school, and it stuck with me ever since.”

As the season moves on, Bidikuindila has began putting up more minutes and contributing

more to the team.

Fargas has expressed how she believes Bidikuindila could assume a bigger role for her team in the future once she continues to improve and develop as a player.

“She is getting better,” Fargas said. “She had a great workout over the summer. She has continued to showcase some good things in practice and we will continue to find minutes. It says a lot that she is facing some of the best post players in the country, who are essentially pros, is saying a lot. If she keeps working hard, the playing time will come through that hard work and the maturation process.”

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018 SUMMITT, from page 7 in the closing seconds of each.

Butts, a player on the 2004 team, remembers that game fondly.

“I still remember that we beat them pretty handedly at home,” she said. “That was our senior night; emotions were running pretty heavily. Once we worked our way through the tournament and found out we were playing LSU, we were like, ‘okay. Here we go again.’ I remember Pat telling us after the game, ‘Y’all are going to give me a heart attack.’”

The Tennessee ties have not weakened the intensity on the court between the two, nor has the friendship between current Lady Vols coach Holly Warlick and the staff.

“I think when I first got into the game as a head coach, I remember playing Tennessee at UCLA, and I definitely wanted to beat them,” Fargas said. “And when I first got here, I definitely wanted to beat them. I am still here, and I definitely want to beat them. You want to beat everyone. After the game, I will hug Holly. I am still a fan of hers.”

“I definitely hate losing to them and love winning against them more,” Butts added. “As coaches sitting on the sideline, I know where I graduated from, but that does not matter because I want to win.”

For Fargas, Summitt was more than a mentor or friend — she was family.

WADE, from page 7 At Monday’s press conference, Wade said that there is a possibility of Kiir returning to the team after the semester but Alexander will look elsewhere to continue his playing career.

Kiir and Alexander have seen limited time on the court as reserves this season averaging 1.9 points each. “[Alexander] will look for other places at the end of the season as he looks to continue to move his life in a positive direction,” Wade said. “We will certainly be there to support him as he moves forward.”

Wade had planned to make the roster decisions last Friday but decided to wait until after the Auburn University game to officially dismiss Kiir and Alexander from the team.

When Sims and Rachal return from suspension an uptick in minutes could be possible, but considering Kiir and Alexander received little playing time to begin with, it’s too early to tell. With only four forwards remaining on the active roster, Wade will have to get creative with smaller lineups.

LSU is currently dead last in rebounds in the SEC averaging 34 boards per contest.

The Tigers will only have seniors Duop Reath and Aaron Epps for the frontcourt, as well as seven scholarship players total against the Tennessee Vols. Look for Brandon Sampson and Randy Onwuasor to receive extended minutes in Sims and Rachal’s absence.

“We will figure that out,” Wade

Fargas played for Tennessee from 1990-94 and was part of the 1991 national championship team.

She later coached the Lady Vols as a graduate assistant and later as an assistant from 2002-08.

The diagnosis and passing of coach Summitt from Alzheimer’s caught Fargas off guard.

“Never would I have thought that would happen to her,” Fargas said. “I know that is something a lot of families have said when someone is diagnosed with early onset. We have got to bring awareness, and money, to find a cure for it.”

DeMoss, who was Summitt’s assistant from 1985-2003 and 2010-12, noticed a change in the second time around working under Summitt.

“I just noticed when I came back that something was not quite right,” she said. “Pat had removed herself a lot from the ‘x’s and ‘o’s and practice planning and game preparation. She did some, but it was nothing like what she used to do. We convinced her to go to the Mayo Clinic.”

In the 2011-12 season, Summitt announced her diagnosis and that she would retire. DeMoss was there to support her friend in her final season.

DeMoss had returned to Tennessee after spending a few years away from the program as the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

It was at Kentucky where DeMoss did the unthinkable. She led the Wildcats to their first ever

win over the Lady Vols in a 66-63 victory in 2006.

“I was shocked,” she said.

“That was a year they had Candace Parker. We had presented Pat with a big Maker’s Mark case before the game. After, she said she was going to open it on the way home.”

Summitt dedicated the remainder of her life to fighting Alzhemer’s. She opened the Pat Summitt Clinic, to help people with Alzheimer’s, and the Pat Summitt Foundation, to raise awareness and find a cure.

“I thought it was huge how she announced it,” DeMoss said. “She continued to stand for finding a cure. That just says a lot about who she is. She had a purpose. I think it is fitting that she gets to keep on her efforts in fighting Alzheimer’s. Hopefully, something will come out of it. If we can find something, it will all be worth it, and I really believe it will happen.”

“That woman was so strong,” Butts said. “She truly lived by her quote, ‘Left foot. Right foot.

Breathe.’ Pat was not going to let anything get the best of her. She understood that being a good leader was about serving others.”

Summitt’s final season ended the same as many of her previous 38 seasons: with an SEC championship. LSU, in Fargas and Butts’ first season, was on the losing side of the championship.

Before the 2012 SEC championship game, LSU’s Butts and Fargas and Tennessee’s

said. “We have Duop. We have Epps. We have those other guys back. We can play small. Teams have to guard you if you play small. That’s on me as a coach to figure that out. We will put a plan together and do as best as we can.”

After the Tigers first blowout loss in conference play this season, Wade said the players don’t need much motivation to improve the quality of play against the No. 18 Volunteers.

“If you are a competitor and watch that game and see how we played, you are certainly embarrassed by the effort,” Wade said.

“You’re embarrassed by how we represented our program, our school, and our state. That should snap us back to attention. I hope we will play with a lot more focused and disciplined effort on Wednesday night in Knoxville.”

SALARY CAP, from page 7 To his credit, Edwards did acknowledge the fact that taxpayer dollars don’t end up in Orgeron’s pocket, so I suspect the salary cap remarks were a way of deflecting pressure from the state’s looming budget crisis.

The Louisiana State Legislature will have to vote on a number of spending cuts in order to meet the budget’s billion dollar shortfall, and LSU’s athletic department spending millions of dollars on coaching salaries is not a good look.

Truth should be more

page 9

LAUREN WATSON / The Daily Reveille

LSU senior guard Raigyne Louis (11) attempts to dribble around her opponents to bring the ball to the goal during the Tigers’ 70-59 victory over Tennessee on Jan. 28.

Warlick, Summitt and DeMoss met for a group hug to celebrate the game between friends.

“It was always special to be on the sidelines going up against my coach,” Butts said. “It is family. We truly had a sisterhood. So, we looked at each other as family – nothing less.”

That aspect of sisterhood that Summitt built into her program was important to DeMoss. Summitt bought DeMoss her first Christmas tree while DeMoss was an assistant for her.

“I grew up in North Louisiana and my mother was not big on Christmas, so we never had a tree growing up,” DeMoss said.

“So when I got to Tennessee, I told her I never put up a tree. So she told me, ‘We are going to get you

a tree,’ and I have put up one ever since.”

Each of LSU’s coaches saw Summitt in the final months of her life before she passed on June 28, 2016.

Butts said she vividly remembered her last visit with her coach, friend and mentor. She was on a trip to Nashville as LSU was playing Vanderbilt and made time to visit Summitt. Summitt, in the final stages of Alzheimer’s, did not at first remember Butts, so they just talked about pictures of Butts’ dog and nephew since Summitt loved pictures of children and dogs.

As Butts left, Summitt managed to recall her former player in her final words to Butts.

“I love you.”

important than optics though, and the bottom line is the state and University’s budgets don’t suffer from a coach’s multi-million dollar paycheck.

In fact, athletic departments have an opportunity to be extremely beneficial to their respective academic institutions.

As Dellenger’s article points out, LSU’s athletic department has made a total contribution of $50 million to academics in the last five years.

Of course, there are abuses in the NCAA system. A 2016 report by The Chronicle of Higher

Education claims the academic sides of schools see less than $1 for every $100 made in athletic revenues, and many of these schools are subsidized by taxpayers and students.

However, using this problem as a smokescreen for Louisiana’s budget crisis is a weak attempt at best, especially given the unique way LSU’s athletic department operates.

I’m sure the NCAA was elated to receive financial advice from a Louisiana politician though. It was truly an instance of the deaf leading the blind.

WHITNEY WILLISTON / The Daily Reveille

LSU coach Will Wade speaks at the press conference after the Tigers’ 6674 loss to Alabama on Jan. 13 in the PMAC.

AURIANNA CORDERO / The Daily Reveille

HASKELL WHITTINGTON / The Daily Reveille

[Left] LSU softball coach Beth Torina speaks during Softball Media Day in the Bill Lawton Room on Jan. 30.

[Right] LSU head mens basketball coach Will Wade cheers on his team from the sideline during LSU’s 99-59 win over Alcorn on Nov. 10.

page 10

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

HOT DIGGITY DOG The Krewe of Mutts is unleashed for its annual parade in downtown Baton Rouge on Jan. 28 photos by ISABELLA ALLEN & DILYN STEWART

The Daily Reveille

page 11

The Daily Reveille

page 12

Announcements

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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

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page 13 STUDENT LIFE

HAVEN ON EARTH

Student photographer captures lighter side of life

BY AMAYA LYNCH @maya09172

Cat Haven offers sanctuary to stray cats

BY KIANA NAQUIN @Quinndaishone PHOTOS BY DILYN STEWART

W

hen shelters were first brought about, cats were not the main priority. However, a sanctuary to care for these creatures opened new possibilities for strays.

Since 1999, Cat Haven has helped cats that have nowhere to go. It first started as an adoption rescue group and now it has a newly renovated facility and partners with other adoption agencies to help cats find their perfect furever home.

Cat Haven’s facility on N. Harrell’s Ferry Road has been open since 2008, and it merged with Project Purr in 2015. Wendy Decker, the executive director, gave a big

helping hand in creating the Cat Haven organization. She was a board member with CAAWS (Capital Area Animal Welfare Society) and she felt there was a big need in providing shelter for cats specifically.

“Some of our board members wanted to go in a different direction during that time, and we wanted to get more cats we could pull from the shelter,” Decker said. “So, then Project Purr and Cat Haven then had the same mission.”

Angela Schifani, the development director, helps keep the organization running smooth.

She is always at the shelter staying on top of

see HAVEN, page 17

In this day and age, it is easy for anyone to pick up a camera and start taking photos, but to be able to truly capture a moment or an emotion is a skill not many acquire. However, mass communication sophomore Camille Delaune has not only found a way to do this, but has also put aside beauty to capture the truth behind each subject she has the opportunity to shoot.

“I don’t always think beauty is the goal. I think truth is more of the goal,” Delaune said. “I think being able to take a photo of someone, especially a photo that makes them feel beautiful or feel like they are truly represented, I feel like that is a truly amazing gift you can give to someone.”

Since the age of seven, Delaune said she found something alluring about photos and was fascinated by this type of documentation. It wasn’t until her sophomore year of high school that Delaune received her first beginner camera, a Nikon D3100, that she still has today.

With a concentration in digital advertising and minors in graphic design and photography, Delaune has spent her time at the University growing her appreciation for the different aspects of photography.

She has had the opportunity to work with film photography and in a dark room, really allowing her to have a better

see DELAUNE, page 17

FOOD & DRINK

Bleachers Bar and Grill offers students weekly games, activities

BY KIANA NAQUIN @Quinndaishone

College cuisine has never tasted so good. The Bleachers Bar and Grill on West Chimes is a new sports and grill bar specializing in good home cooking and Louisiana cuisine. Maria and Peter Losavio opened Bleachers the first week of September last year.

“This place has always been part of my husband’s family and his heart,” Maria Losavio said. “It’s a continuation of what my father started, and it used to be one big pool hall, which soon a kitchen was added and he served po’boys.”

The restaurant is a part of

Peter Losavio’s family history that dates back 50 years. His father first opened the space as a pool hall and later opened a kitchen that served classic po boys and other New Orleans dishes.

Bleachers is now the goto spot for great prices and even better food. Every dish is original and is a special family recipe. One of its specials is its weekly lunches — Monday through Friday, it serves a special entrée to all the students who walk through the door.

“We do Mama’s plate lunch, for the younger people. It is typically an entrée their mama would have fixed,” Maria Losavio said.

Every day, there is a special lunch theme that can include meatloaf, lasagna, New Orleans-style red beans, tacos or seafood. They have even found the time to accommodate the local vegetarians with items like veggie burgers.

They also have a gourmet burger, which normally runs at a $10 value, but students can get it for just $5.95. This special is a half-pound burger combined with short rib, brisket and brown chuck with a side of fries. Students also can have the opportunity to sign up for a VIP card and can receive free drinks with their order.

see BLEACHERS, page 17

ISABELLA ALLEN / The Daily Reveille

The Bleachers Bar and Grill features a variety of food on Jan. 24, on West Chimes Street.

The Daily Reveille

page 14

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

LITERATURE

Cottonwood Books stays alive despite decline in print media

BY EMMA BURLETTE @theburlettegirl When you walk into Cottonwood Books, the first thing that greets you is Danny Plaisance, the owner of the local bookstore. As you venture further, you will find stacks and stacks of books of all kinds. Fiction, political science, history, philosophy and a children’s section are filled to the brim with colorful spines. There’s also an extensive used book selection toward the back of the shop.

“We opened our doors in September 1986. If you do the math, it’s almost 32 years we’ve been open,” Plaisance said.

Over the course of those 32 years, Plaisance has unfortunately been a primary witness to the decline of print media.

“There’s definitely a decrease in people buying books,” Plaisance said. “There’s no doubt that’s the internet that’s doing it.”

Susan Weinstein, an associate professor of English at the University, agrees with Plaisance.

“Digital technology is forcing us to reorient our relationship to printed texts,” Weinstein said. “Given the convenience and access that digital platforms offer, it makes sense that books would go online quickly. People will always want certain kinds of books in physical form, and there is some sense that digital content isn’t ‘permanent’ in the same way, but I think it’s all OK. We’re not going to stop reading any time soon.”

Though the other independent Baton Rouge bookstores have died off quite a while ago, Cottonwood has stood the test of time despite a relatively small selection and the competition of the three Barnes and Noble stores.

Two things that set Cottonwood apart from chain bookstores is its collection of

page 18

beautiful first-editions and the face-to-face interaction that independent bookstores encourage.

“First edition” is the term for a first printing of a book.

People usually curate a collection of first editions from a certain author, like Stephen King or John Grisham.

Cottonwood has a decent stock of first editions, including a few copies of “A Confederacy of Dunces” and other rare books, especially those pertinent to South Louisiana. Some date back 200 years or more.

The oldest book Plaisance has in the shop is entirely in Latin and was published in 1637.

First-editions and the small, quaint atmosphere contribute to the bookstore’s importance to developing a reader community in Baton Rouge despite the decline of sales.

“I believe that local, face-to-face social spaces of various kinds are critical to

DILYN STEWART / The Daily Reveille

Cottonwood Books’ friendly service and selection of rare first-editions make the quaint local bookstore stand out against coprporate competition.

The Daily Reveille

communities, especially as we all spend more time inside and online and less time interacting in physical spaces,” Weinstein said. “Bookstores are certainly a place where people have traditionally congregated for discussion,

exploration, and sociability, so they remain important for those purposes.”

Plaisance’s place in the community is undisputed and highly valued. Cottonwood is here to stay in the Baton Rouge community.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

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HOSTHOST OF PANGEA, 9-11 SATURDAYS AM (WORLD MUSIC) REVIEW

BY DJBY DRAGONFLY OF THESATURDAYS DOO-WOP BOP, 1 - 3 P.M. (OLDIES) REVIEW DJ BASSLINE King Krule is a 23-year-old,Sam red-headed, Singer-songwriter Beam has misanthropic singer-songwriter, been recording as Iron guitarist, & Wine since producer, and He’s poet hailing from London.

His of 2002. gone through a gamut newestmusical album, “The that stylesOOZ,” sinceshows then.usLongtime lissometimes, hurts. tenerslifewill know him for his whisperedKing Kruleacoustic is the primary vocal work creative on his outlet first few of the mysterious Archy Marshall, albums (“The Creek Drankwho thehas Cradle,” also released music Numbered under his real name, as his “Our Endless Days”) or for well asorchestra Zoo Kid. Marshall has a particularly and brass blues band arrangestrong ments and distinctive working-class English with electronic influence (“Kiss accentEach and uses British slang that breaks Other Clean,” “Ghost on Ghost”) throughdepending heavily in his Kingstarted Krule’s listenon music. when they sound is unique in its blending of punk, jazz, ing to Beam’s project. hip hop, and indie musical stylings. music to With “Beast Epic,” BeamHisreturns is inspired artists like Elvis Presley, his by early acoustic style with aFela mature Kuti, J Dilla, and The Penguin Café Orchestra. and optimistic outlook.

Now 43, Beam Hispens full-length “6 FeetofBesongs debut tinged album with themes nostalneath the released in August 2013,relies gia,Moon,” hope and mortality.

This album attracted lot of attention earned him aover on aBeam’s soft, highand voice balanced comfortable space in the indie music scene.

His anger, grit and despair cuts through to the bones of listeners, but is softened by beautiful jazz chords -- a contrast that works in his favor. The words he yells are often profane or vulgar and shock listeners; however, we cling and want more. King Krule isFRIDAY bold

UPCOMING SHOWS WEDNESDAY

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“Urn”

by Ne Obliviscaris

02

and in hisoflanguage he pushes anviolent orchestra acoustic as guitars, fiddles, boundaries in whatand is usually a clean-cut cellos, pianos an upright bass; no indie scene. brass bands or jazz influence in earshot.

OOZ” packs an attitude that is It’s“The primarily a folk album with refreshing more sophisticated than Marshall’s previous indie-rock influence. work. His mature with and developed.

Thesound albumis opens “Claim Your TheGhost,” songs are more polished and technically a stripped-down, acoustic and impressive.

Thethat guitarestablishes sounds are the cleaner vocal track tone and messy, but his has oblique stayed of less “Beast Epic” — temper informal, theSouthern same. Gothic poetry about heartIn hisand career, King KruleOne has of maintained break sensitivity.

Beam’s and managed a visceral lyrics illustrates theblueness tone that of never this goes away, about and revisiting song andsinging a few others on “Beast emotionally sensitive matter.

We Epic” — “Our musicsubject is clumsy and free.” absorb“Thomas his moodsCounty and textures, feeling what Law” is Beam’s heillustration feels, whether is anger, self-loathing, of a itrural town and the people disorientation, isolation, anxiety. who live there.

After aorlive performance, In “Logos,” theitsixth track from “The Beam once said may be a fictional town, OOZ,” Marshall sings about the tormentofheit but many of us have a real version experienced in his childhood by recounting the care of his drunken mother. He sings, “She draws me in and swallows whole.”

These words are paired with somber guitar and distant keyboard sounds.

The second track, “Dum Surfer,” evokes dark and gritty imagery from vomiting on

klsuradio.fm

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UPCOMING SHOWS

sidewalks with to screaming carname. crashes. In the thoughts and questions on death and somewhere a different fourth he shouts,is“Skunk and onion “Callline it Dreaming” an upbeat and legacy. This song closes the album gravy, as my brain’s potato mash,” displaying with some heavy thoughts that deserve instrumentally dense song about how his quirky, unusual wit.the best of life’s consideration from any fan of Beam’s Beam learned to make “Cadet Limbo” is a heart-dropping resonant songwriting. bad situations, reframing our experi- number intowhich about athat woman, “Beast Epic” sounds pleasant and ences find Marshall beauty insings memories comparing her mesmerizing beauty to the pretty to the distracted listener. I’ll admit were once painful and taking lessons deepness of outerEpic” space.is He from them. “Beast lessrepeats, melan-“HasI’ve played this album just before going it been long since had albums. this bond?”to sleep at least a dozen times since it choly thanthis earlier Iron &I’veWine What these songs have inhis common This song could describe path tois aa came out. If you’re not listening to the deep-seated lyrics, it’s not an exciting album. Howmore positive intensity. outlook His andsongs why sprout that from feelingmatters. and nothing else. ever, an engaged listener will find dense outlook “The OOZ” is a sounds beautiful, emotionally“About a Bruise” upbeat and thoughts and concerns in Beam’s words. draining, in which theSaccharine instrumental ARIEL PINK, TRANCE arrangements joyous, but nineteen-track the lyrics are a album bitter descriproots of love, loss, and anger are explored.are balanced with lyrics about failure tion of someone who hurt the narrator.

This album is an essential peopleand mortality. FARMERS, BITE MARX Beam’s accusatory, yet still listen cleverforlyricinterested in modern jazz and punk TIPITINA’S (NOLA) writing style of previous albums makessounds an and the melting Sufjan Steappearance here. together of the two. This isFor fans of: José Gonzáles, 9 P.M. the“Our soundtrack to loneliness, insidevens, Bon Iver Light Miles” showcasesstaying Beam’s your apartment on a Friday night, or obsessively thinking about a past lover. It is real, it is raw, and it is honest.

WEDNESDAY

08 nov

For Fans of: Mount Kimbie, Cosmo Sykes, BADBADNOTGOOD

FRIDAY

02

REVIEW BY DJ LEVIATHAN HOST OF THE HEAVIEST MATTER IN THE UNIVERSE, TUESDAY 11PM-1AM (METAL)

THURSDAY

09 06 TUESDAY

febnov

Violinist and clean vocalist Tim Charles Charles’ growing role as both a vocalist and Australian outfit Ne Obliviscaris returns to the forefront of extreme metal with one of the appears to play a much more prominent role instrumentalist, the album signifies a less imon this particular record. Charles’ vocals are pressive retread of “Portal of I” (2012) and most anticipated album releases of the year.

“Urn,” the band’s third record, continues soaring and melodic as usual, and his violin “Citadel” (2014). The compositions are extenthe group’s previous blending of both harsh playing is much improved from the two previ- sive and given room to develop, but there isn’t CADDYWHOMPUS, POPE, SCREAMING UNDERWATER & T. to witness. WONDER KID, SORRY GHOST, anything groundbreaking formerly radical feature ous releases.

But, there are times when the THEY MIGHT BE GIANTSand clean vocals. The LOOSE JACK, WASTE MAN & QUARX TRASH LIGHT & PARTICLE progressive metal band that fails NORTH to from the ‘90s has now become an album winds up bogged down byMASON these soothBY NORTH, WUMBO AND THE ABRICKLAYERS VARSITY THEATRE stemming SPANISH MOON DEVOTION “progress” inevitably betrays the very appeal almost exhaustive trope within the genre. ing interludes and clean passages.

524 STUDIOS PHIL BRADY’S 8 P.M. However, Xenoyr does display some “Urn’s” standout tracks, the blistering of their act. Though not as intriguing as its 9 P.M.of SPANISH MOON 8 P.M. P.M. predecessors, “Urn” remains an album that the finest harsh vocals in the entire scene. “Libera (Part I) – Saturnine Spheres,” the well- 8:30 8 P .M. Xenoyr’s performance is once again extraor- developed “Urn (Part I) – And Within the Void should conjure up many favorable impresdinary. His guttural, yet coherent growls are We Are Breathless” and “Urn (Part II) – As Em- sions by those unfamiliar with Ne Obliviscaris’ worthy of the adoration of his musical peers. bers Dance in Our Eyes),” bookend the album work.

Meanwhile, his shriller sounds represent a quite well.

7/10 Still, there appears to be a stall in the For fans of: Opeth, Amorphis, and Enslaved. beautiful blend of black and death metal voFRIDAY

jan

feb

feb

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

page 15

REV R ANKS MANIA Fall Out Boy

“Young and Menace” is a departure from the classic emo-rock sound fans are used to hearing from the group, but it still stays true to its lyrical roots with lines like “Woke up on the wrong side of reality / And there’s a madness that’s just coursing right through me.”

Madeline Reineke @mrein39

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

20th Century Fox

The singers are saying “this is who I am and I will not apologize for it.” The song encourages people to be exactly who they are no matter what others have to say about it.

Amaya Lynch @maya09172

CULTURE II Migos

This upbeat form of rap hasn’t been heard in years.

Rappers like DRAM, Aminé and Migos are seen as the renaissance of hopeful, happy rap that was birthed by Tupac and Run-DMC.

Kelly Swift @kellbell237

Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

‘Pretty in Pink’ a cult classic, stands the test of time EMMA BURLETTE @THEBURLETTEGIRL For the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, I will be reviewing a different romantic comedy movie every week. I am only choosing classics from previous decades that address social issues or offer a unique spin on the romance genre.

John Hughes is one of the most prolific directors and screenwriters of the late 20th century. He was a kingpin in family movies with hits like the “National Lampoon” and “Home Alone” franchises. Our generation is intimately familiar with his films like “Flubber” and “101 Dalmatians,” but somehow less so with his work that took the ‘80s by storm.

One man single-handedly defined what it meant to be a teenager in an incredibly electric decade one where it wasn’t enough to be an innocent child anymore. Sex, drugs, unrequited affection, class and technology were the discourses the ‘Brat Pack’ took on. Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson became the role models of Generation X. “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Sixteen Candles” are timeless classics.

“The Breakfast Club” tackled serious topics and still managed to be entertaining.

“Pretty in Pink” is another film that did just that, but for some reason, many millennials fail to recognize its worth.

While the film is iconic and quintessential Hughes, many have never seen it or they fail to place it on the same pedestal as other “Brat Pack” projects.

I’m here to sing the praises of this thoughtful and powerful film.

Molly plays a quirky high school girl named Andi who lives, literally, on the wrong side of the tracks. Her father is unemployed, making money a daily worry in their household, but Andi makes her own clothes and works at a record store to help out.

Unfortunately, due to Andi’s socioeconomic standing, she is subject to bullying. The “popular” crowd at school terrorize her for no other reason than her being poor. One of her biggest antagonists is Steff (James Spader),

courtesy of PARAMOUNT PICTURES

rich and drop-dead gorgeous, who also ostracizes er flamboyant and utterly smitten friend Duckie (Jon Cryer.)

When Andi catches the eye of uber-rich boy Blaine (Andrew McCarthy,) her life as a poor outcast is thrown into the spotlight of her high school.

Duckie tries to discourage her from pursuing Blaine, but Andi does it anyway.

Blaine finally asks Andi to the prom, but later decides he is too embarrassed to go through with it. Andi, while hurt, makes herself a fabulous pink dress and goes with Duckie. Eventually, Blaine and Andi reconcile their differences much to the chagrin of the popular crowd. It’s an 80s teen movie, it’s supposed to have a happy ending.

However, this film is just more than a great teen movie.

First of all, “Pretty in Pink” tackles social class not just in high school. The juxtaposition of Blaine and Andi illustrate just how much value the American people place on physical wealth. Andi,

Duckie, her boss Iona (Annie Potts) and her father exemplify the kinds of things money can’t buy. Friendship, family, kindness and compassion are concepts that the popular, rich kids can’t seem to replicate.

Another character in this movie, Steff, is Blaine’s friend and Andi’s most ruthless bully. We learn later the only reason Steff is so horrid to Andi is because she rejected his sexual advances a concept that wasn’t as seriously discussed in the 1980s. The current movement in Hollywood isn’t addressing brand new issues and Weinstein isn’t the first rich and powerful man to take advantage of his status. Steff is a rich, handsome, powerful and popular guy who terrorized someone who couldn’t fight back. Ultimately, Steff is left looking like a douche bag.

Not only is “Pretty in Pink” an entertaining film, it’s a thoughtful one. The plot lines in this classic romantic comedy encouraged a discussion of looming social issues and it continues to be relevant now.

The Daily Reveille

page 16

1

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE

TIPS TO

Don’t let the endless racks and hangers scare you. Take your time searching because you might find your next favorite piece — even things from your favorite name-brands — hidden between shoulderpads and rhinestone jeans.

THRIFT

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

8

ALTER AT HOME

9

TAKE TIME TO EXPLORE

Picture this: you find the perfect shirt. It’s got a great pattern, fits like a dream and costs only $5.

The only thing that could make it better is if it were a crop top.

That’s one of the best things about thrift store finds: they’re inexpensive enough that you won’t feel bad chopping a few inches off the bottom of a t-shirt, cutting select holes through a pair of old jeans or freeing a funky blazer from its shoulder pad prison.

Don’t be afraid to get creative and experiment with your look!

BY MADELINE REINEKE @mrein39

2

DON'T KNOCK IT 'TIL YOU TRY IT

With all shopping experiences, the clothes will look different on the hanger than they will on you. This is your chance to try something totally unique and new, so lean into it! Whether it’s stirrup pants or a mohair sweater, something new might become your fashion trademark.

3

Do you wanna pop some tags? Only have $20 in your pocket? Use these 10 thrift shopping tips to help you look incredible in your grandad’s clothes without making your wallet cry.

DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF

If you’re looking for something specific and can’t find it in your usual shopping section, don’t be afraid to switch it up! Some of my favorite pairs of mom jeans have come off the men’s rack, while ironically fun and nostalgic tees are abundant in the kids’ section.

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LOOK OUT FOR KNICK KNACKS

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ACCESSORY GOLD MINE

Most people think thrift shopping and only think of clothes, but don’t let that narrow your scope. Almost any generic thrift store is full of fun — and most importantly, cheap — decorations for a dorm or apartment. Sets of plates, utensils, cups and more are all hiding back among the home goods section.

Just like home goods, accessories of all kinds are abundant in almost any thrift shop. Whether it’s a justfor-fun piece of costume jewelry or a much needed belt for those pants that are just a little too big, hidden accessory treasures are often hiding in plain sight. Look at step one again and don’t stop looking!

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SHOP OUT OF SEASON

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ALWAYS BRING A BUDDY

Thrift stores are big hotspots for shoppers to buy everything from tacky holiday sweaters to costumes for Greek Life events. When it comes to specific finds, always shop out-of-season. A lot of people re-donate their tacky holiday gear, making January the prime occasion for sweater hunting.

If there’s one thing that makes the task of sifting through countless patterned pant suits less daunting, it’s doing it with a friend. Having a clothing color commentator creates a break in the search monotony while adding another set of eyes to the search for something new!

To get the most out of any thrift store excursion, you need to give yourself enough time to explore.

Stressing yourself out with a strict time limit will turn your clothing treasure hunt into a careless (and often fruitless) search.

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ENJOY YOURSELF!

No list would be complete without this golden rule. There are frustrations that exist in every shopping experience, but finding a longtime staple piece that fits within a college student’s budget? That’s something to be celebrated.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

page 17

DELAUNE, from page 13

HAVEN, from page 13

understanding of the technical aspect of photography.

“Studying photography has totally changed the game,” Delaune said. “It is remarkable the changes I’ve seen in my own photography. It really shows me the power of a team dynamic and how powerful a creative atmosphere can be.”

With a photographic focus on portraits, Delaune dwells on capturing moments in people’s lives. She wants people to be able to look back on a photograph she took and truly see who they were at that time in their life.

Delaune’s images are bright and warm, and she tends to stray away from the dark and angsty vibe, allowing her to stand out among the many “newage” photographers. She would much rather chase the light coming off a falling sunset in its last moments or just capture the spontaneity in someone’s everyday life, she said.

While she sees this as one of her defining qualities, she doesn’t believe it necessarily makes her better than others.

Delaune simply finds inspiration in the warmer things in life, she said.

“The photography I am absolutely most inspired by and the photography I just drool over is shameless,” Delaune said. “Like you can look at a photo and say “that photographer does not give a shit about what anybody thinks.’”

Delaune aspires to create dynamic, interesting and powerful portraits. She is currently booking for 2018, hoping to take advantage of the endless opportunities the world gives to make a beautiful image.

“It truly comes from a place of just a clear desire to make interesting art,” Delaune said. “It does not conform to trendy art trends or editing trends and it’s just innovative, unique photography.”

all the important tasks.

“Month-to-month there are normally 100 felines in the shelter, not including the few that stay with foster volunteers,” Schifani said.

Cat Haven has thrived to help all kittens and cats around the Baton Rouge area. The facility has fostered a community for strays and lost cats.

“Our mission is to lead Baton Rouge into a no kill community for cats, which is why we take cats in and get them medically ready for adoption,” Decker said.

They play a huge role in keeping the feline population under control as well.

“We also advocate spay/ neuter, and we have a monthly spay day with LSU, about eight times a year,” Decker said. “The spay/neuter is important with our no-kill mission because we want to make sure we’re providing a good quality of life for the cats in the community, and if there is overpopulation, then that affects the quality of life for them,” Schifani added.

When a new cat arrives to Cat Haven, they go through a particular procedure so their stay there can be more comfortable and enjoyable.

“They are taken to the back and tested for feline leukemia and FIV, given their first vaccinations, de wormed, and lastly to a foster home” Decker said After a bit of time they are given their second round of vaccinations and sent back to the shelter to try to get adopted. They also take care of all their routine medical needs.

“We try to make it feel like home and keep them happy and help them socialize” Schifani said.

Foster families and volunteers are a big part in helping Cat Haven accommodate the cats. The volunteers and caretakers work certain shifts to clean cages, feed the cats and also socialize with them to keep them entertained.

Cat Haven works to provide a better life for cats and kittens.

This sanctuary strives to care for it’s guests, but also to find its furever home. Anyone can come into the shelter to pre-adopt, volunteer or even just socialize with the cats in their room colonies or kitty condos.

“A great service the foster and volunteers provide is playing and socializing with the cats, so they make good pets for families,” Schifani said.

ISABELLA ALLEN / The Daily Reveille

LSU mass communication sophomore Camille Delaune pursues photography as a career on Jan. 28, at Barnes and Noble LSU.

BLEACHERS, from page 13 This happy hour Bleachers provide is something the Losavios have come up with to better relate to the students.

“We were all students at one time and had trouble making ends meet, so it’s our way of giving back to have something of good value at a good price,” Peter Losavio said.

Bleachers is also a good spot to catch all the sports games.

They have special gameday watch parties where the 15 high definition TVs heighten the experience of everyone involved.

Bleachers offers other neat activities like open mic night on Mondays where any talent is appreciated, including comedy, poetry and singing. They will also begin to host a trivia night, and Wednesdays will be ladies night where they will provide special traditional cocktails and their new shots like Watermelon starburst, green

ISABELLA ALLEN / The Daily Reveille

The Bleachers Bar and Grill features a variety of decorations on Jan. 24, on West Chimes Street. apple skittles and banana laffy taffy.

“We love the college student atmosphere. We love the energy and excitcement they bring,” Peter Losavio said.

“We understand the struggles they are going through.”

On Thursdays, Bleachers

brings an authentic sound and have a live Cajun band perform. People come around and enjoy Cajun, line and zydeco dancing. The Losavios love to see the students come in and enjoy a nice meal and just have a good time. They love to make the customers happy, but

their passion is entertaining students.

“We get what the things they think and feel of today’s world because we we’re once that age,” Maria Losavio said.

“Clearly things have changed, but it keeps us young. We also love LSU tigers.”

DILYN STEWART / The Daily Reveille

A cat lounges on a chair at Cat Haven on Jan. 27.

Opinion

page 18

Congress should legalize marijuana, reverse Sessions’ decision THE NIEMAN NOISE SETH NIEMAN @seth_nieman U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has not been subtle about the changes he wants to bring to the Department of Justice since he assumed office in February 2017.

Sessions announced on Jan. 4 he would be rescinding an Obama-era policy that allowed for a “hands off” approach in the federal interference of states’ decisions to legalize marijuana. This policy enacted by the Obama administration, led to the legalization of recreational use of the drug in Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Washington D.C. This decision by Sessions demonstrates that even though progress has been made and opinions have changed over the past decade, the war on drugs is far from over. Sessions also praised the “broken windows theory” of policing in a speech he gave to the National District Attorneys Association in July of last year.

Advocates of the “broken windows theory” of policing believe that if police place a larger focus on cracking down on misdemeanor crimes, the amount of serious crimes will drop along with the amount of fear that

encompasses communities.

Sessions had to defend accusations of racism for most of his career and this decision certainly does not help his case.

A report conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union in 2013 stated that while the use of marijuana is roughly equal among black and white people, a black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana. Of the 8.2 million marijuana arrests made between 2001 and 2010, 88 percent were for simply possessing it. Blacks and Hispanics make up only 32 percent of the U.S. population, but comprised 56 percent of overall incarcerated people in 2015.

This disparity did not occur by accident and is deeply rooted in the undeniable racial bias that has historically ruled over our nation’s criminal justice system. These statistics prove that the results of the decision made by Sessions will be nothing short of despicable and discriminatory.

I believe that marijuana should be legalized at the federal level, and I am not alone. A Gallup poll released in 2017 states that 64 percent of Americans believe the use of marijuana should become legal. Along with that, 72 percent of Democrats support the legalization of the drug. For the first time ever, a majority of Republicans, 51 percent, support it as well. This growing amount

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be arrested on marijuana charges. of support from the American public and members of both major political parties should encourage Congress to pass legislation that will block Sessions’ decision.

Ironically, President Donald Trump himself stated on the campaign trail in 2016 that he was in favor of “letting the states work it out.” U.S. Republican Sen. Cory Gardner said in a statement that before he

voted to confirm Sessions as U.S. Attorney General, he was ensured by Sessions that the prosecution of marijuana would not become a priority under the current administration.

Alcohol and tobacco are both substances that our country allows the controlled use of, and both can certainly be dangerous to health and public safety.

Educational campaigns have been made to teach about those

dangers.

Laws have been made that allow for the possession and use of them while simultaneously keeping public safety in mind.

There is absolutely no reason to believe the same thing cannot also be done for marijuana.

Seth Nieman is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from McComb, Mississippi.

LSU athletic spending beneficial to University, student experience FRANKLY SPEAKING JUSTIN FRANKLIN @justinifranklin Anyone who knows anything about college athletics knows LSU football is one of the largest and most well-funded athletic programs in the country. Not many things prove this more than the purple-and-gold-themed mammoth venue we know as Tiger Stadium. Known to many as “Death Valley,” this 102,321seat football stadium is the mecca of college football for LSU fans around the nation.

Stadium renovations and upgrades seem to be all too common at the University. LSU athletics recently announced a $4 million upgrade funded by the Tiger Athletic Fund for three of its main athletic facilities.

The upgrade will bring the most innovative technology to Tiger Stadium, Alex Box and the Pete Maravich Assembly Center through new HD TVs installed inside the venues.

The huge spending on obtaining and terminating coaching staff all while making players’ amenities comfortable and creating a great fan experience might seem a bit wasteful to a lot of people.

The truth is, successful athletic programs attract a great number of students to different schools across the country. The notion that successful collegiate program increase application rates and overall exposure is known as the “Flutie Effect.” Good football is a huge example of this, especially here in the South.

Funding to make our athletic program competitive and attractive to students and athletes is essential, especially in the Southeastern Conference.

LSU athletics is committed to providing the best athlete and fan experience possible.

Even though it might not look too good on the field or court often times, the accommodations at LSU venues are more than sufficient for players and spectators.

The initiative to make fans

SOPHIE GRANZOW / The Daily Reveille

LSU Athletics recently announced a $4 million upgrade for its three main athletic facilities. safe, happy and comfortable, even at a high cost, should be of the utmost importance to a college program. Some might say the University takes this a bit too far, especially if you are anywhere near Tiger Stadium at night.

Lately, more and more students and fans have questioned why the stadium lights are on every night, even during the off season. Good sense would tell anyone that this is wasteful and the lights should be cut off while there is

no one there to enjoy the view.

“It’s not a TV,” said LSU Senior Associate Director of Athletics Robert Munson. “Common sense says to turn them off, but you could potentially damage the system entirely.”

If the lights were turned off for a prolonged amount of time, moisture could build up and cause severe damage. It seems leaving the lights on saves money that could be spent on avoidable repair in the future. Leaving the lights on also helps spur break-ins and trespassing, two things that have been all too prevalent at the University.

Frankly speaking, it is easy to understand how the constant spending on LSU athletics could seem wasteful. In the end, fortifying the prestige and joyous atmosphere of LSU athletics for fans and current students is worth every dime.

Justin Franklin is an 18-year-old political communication freshman from Memphis, Tennessee.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

page 19

Aziz Ansari guilty of sexual harassment, coercion HAMMER SEEKING NAIL SOHEIL SANEEI @soheilsaneei Aziz Ansari created waves on social media when an anonymous woman accused him of sexual misconduct on Babe.net.

“Grace” describes a night with Ansari that tests the modern definition of sexual assault.

She describes being uneasy when Ansari invited her inside his home. Her uneasiness continued but Ansari did nothing to create a comfortable ambiance.

He desperately begged her to perform sexual acts, many of which she participated in. She attributed her participation to pressure she felt from Ansari.

Doubt is common when deciding to engage in sexual acts, but the problem became conspicuous when Ansari asked her to participate in sexual intercourse. She responded, “Next time.” Grace said she had already used nonverbal cues such as moving away from Ansari and controlling his hand placement. Ansari responded, “Well, if I poured you another glass of wine now, would it count as our second date?” By being so relentless in his pursuit, he revisited an endless nightmare she

was hoping she dismissed. She replied to him, “I don’t want to feel forced because I would hate you and I don’t want to hate you.”

Ansari — trying to deescalate the situation — suggested they calm down by situating on the couch. She felt his response to the matter was sweet and the altercation was over. Minutes later, her contingency was proven wrong as Ansari bent her over and begged for her to participate in sexual intercourse.

“After he bent me over is when I stood up and said no, I don’t think I’m ready to do this, I really don’t think I’m going to do this,” Grace told Babe.net.

He pretended to be sympathetic. She tried to vacate his apartment, but he wouldn’t let her leave unless he called a cab for her. He continued his controlling complex. She left and he apologized over text.

The responses to this story are interesting, displaying a phenomenon known as the “telephone game.” The telephone game alludes to a message being muddled when told by many people. Critics say her story is petty and her lack of consent was ambiguous. An opinion columnist at the New York Times authored an article entitled “Aziz is Guilty.

Of not Being a Mind Reader.”

What is lost in this game is that Ansari did not have to be a mind reader. Grace verbally denied his permission twice, and gave numerous non-verbal signals for him to stop his pursuit of sexual intercourse.

There are two personalities regarding responses to this issue: those concerned with the law and those concerned with improving societal relationships between men and women. Ansari disregarded the comfort of his partner and sought a momentary approval that he assumed would emancipate him from sexual harassment. Unfortunately for Ansari, sexual coercion has been attempted before and is currently a form of legal sexual harassment.

Given Ansari’s stature and the federal justice system’s compliance to ignore such matters, it is doubtful he will be in any legal trouble. The Brock Turner case could make any activist pessimistic about how the U.S. handles sexual misconduct. As far as societal relationships, Ansari’s behavior is not only normalized, it’s encouraged. In a survey by stopstreetharassment.org, 65 percent of women reported experiencing street harassment. This number is likely lower due to unreported sexual

harassment cases. Men are considered brave flirts when they grope women. Hollywood advertises this through movies where men grope women, verbally harass them and even show sexts of them to a wide audience.

Ansari should be condemned for exploiting women for capital. Much of his comedic material is based on political satire.

He often focuses on supporting feminism. His countless skits on women’s issues and his support for the #MeToo movement have garnered an audience that contributes to his multi-milliondollar earnings.

The victim’s susceptibility to criticism is why many victims stay silent or anonymous about these issues. In many cases, the public will perform a reverse trial on victims. In an Atlantic article, the author accused the victim’s plea of being “3,000 words of revenge porn.” Animosity towards a victim is a culture that must be eradicated. It prevents many women from speaking out about traumatic sexual encounters they have experienced.

It is important to note that Ansari’s actions are not on par with the actions of a Roy Moore, Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey or Donald Trump. These men have multiple accusers with

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Comedian Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual misconduct following a date in September 2017. multiple corroborators. Overall, Ansari’s experience has opened helpful discourse in the public on what constitutes sexual harassment and how women should be treated. If there is anything to learn from Ansari, it is that when a woman says no, she means it, and should not be harassed into saying yes. Sexual coercion is immoral and illegal.

Soheil Saneei is a 19-year-old biological engineering freshman from Metairie, Louisiana.

Dancing, socializing viable alternative to heavy drinking, partying OH, NOT AGAIN! KYLE RICHOUX @KyleRichoux One in five underaged persons 12 to 20 consume alcohol regularly, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. This alarming statistic exposes a problem prevalent in every community.

Regardless of its effects on adults, alcohol usage is a dangerous game for young people. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimates around 1,825 college students die from alcohol-related incidents and drunk driving accidents each year.

Abusers aren’t the only victims of the so-called victimless crime. There are roughly 696,000 cases of students being assaulted by a belligerent drunk each year, according to the NIAAA. Innocent party goers aren’t safe from the perils of alcohol.

Thankfully, many alternatives can take the place of drinking at a college party. The occasion is ripe for spending quality time. All your friends are together in a relaxed environment separated from the stress of the outside world.

Board games are a good option for house parties. Games like “One Night Ultimate Werewolf,” “Deception: Murder in Hong Kong” and “Codenames” are great fun for a group of friends. All you have to do is learn the rules and play cleverly.

If you’re looking for a calmer evening, you could turn the music down to a light ambience as background music while you converse with your friends in a relaxed, intimate group setting.

Humans are social creatures, after all, and crave interaction and attention.

A third option involves making a fool of yourself just as much as drinking does, but in a safer fashion. Turn the music up, throw your hands in the air

The Daily Reveille EDITORIAL BOARD Ramsina Odisho Natalie Anderson Evan Saacks Abbie Shull Hannah Kleinpeter

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

and let your feet go wild. You’re no longer too cool for dancing in public.

Dancing is one of the greatest methods of socialization. It combines a physical form of self expression with bonding with friends through wild, senseless and primal fun.

Dancing is also incredibly healthy. Dancing improves physical functions such as balance and reaction time, according to a study by University of California, Berkeley.

The mind also benefits from dancing. Studies show dancing improves fine motor skills and cognitive function. Alcohol does the opposite. One in four students report adverse effects on academic life as a result of regular alcohol consumption.

The music played in bars and at parties exacerbates the problem. Simple dance music of the past has been replaced with soulless pop songs made to cash in a quick buck, and dubstep music enjoyed only by someone stoned

out of his mind.

Recently, more rising music artists have become interested in old school “retro” music styles.

These singers aim to revive the dance-heavy culture and traditions of genres like disco and early rock n’ roll. They reach toward an admirable goal, but their place in night clubs and bars remains as limited as their popularity.

Editorial 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 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 Daily 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 Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving 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 LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

Drinking at parties may be a relaxing pastime for innumerable people, but its dangers outweigh its advantages. The next time you find yourself at a bar, night club or house party, turn up the music and let go of your inhibitions in a safe and fun way.

Kyle Richoux is a 19-year-old sociology sophomore from LaPlace, Louisiana.

cartoon by ETHAN GILBERTI / The Daily Reveille

Quote of the Week “Keep your face always toward the sunshine — and the shadows will fall behind you.”

Walt Whitman

Poet and essayist May 31, 1819 — March 26, 1892

The Daily Reveille

page 20

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

‘The Bachelor’ encourages unhealthy behavior, hookup culture CHATTING WITH ABI ABIGAIL VARNADO @abi_varn When the television show “The Bachelor” airs, many women watch it for the supposed romance and overthe-top drama.

This show is not the sweet, romantic story people believe it to be. It is not healthy for the women on set, and it promotes combative behavior between women and hookup culture.

“The Bachelor” is unhealthy for the contestants-mentally and physically. According to Margaret Abrams, who published an article in Cosmopolitan about her experience auditioning for the show, every woman was dressed to look perfect, cute and sexy. Some women wanted to impress further and dressed over-the-top, but it wasn’t good enough.

“As the intern manning the door instructs her to go inside, he yells ‘Good luck!’ and tells his fellow intern ‘We’ll never see her again!’ almost as loudly,” Abrams said.

This comment was about a woman who was a bit overdressed for the event, but she still seemed to look extremely beautiful. This can be bruising to many of the women’s egos and it can make them twice as anxious for their audition than before, since it makes it seem like the audition is based off their looks.

It’s also completely disrespectful to those

contestants after they tried so hard to look and be their best to impress the producers of the show. Some women may actually be looking for real love, and behavior like that only shows them their looks aren’t good enough even after doing their best to impress.

Abrams also mentions she refuses to eat donuts that are set out for everyone to eat because she is afraid eating one will immediately disqualify her.

That behavior is destructive for many people. To receive that vibe is quite offensive, especially to women who have lower self-esteem. I genuinely hope those donuts were not set out to test the women.

According to Insider, every woman is subjected to extensive background checks, psychological checks and STD tests.

One would not think much about those details until one woman mentions there were no condoms in the room during the fantasy suite dates, which are for the last two contestants.

The bachelor usually has sexual relations with both women and does not use protection of any kind.

That’s not hot, especially if he has been with another woman recently.

The women don’t have a workout area in the house and they are encouraged to consume alcohol. They are not allowed to leave the house or allowed to contact anyone outside the house. They also cannot use their cell phones, laptops or Wi-Fi.

cartoon by ETHAN GILBERTI / The Daily Reveille

This can make the situation much more stressful, since they don’t have any healthy outlets for their stress.

Some women run up the hill by the house for exercise, and some will squeeze in 30 minutes at a hotel gym when they travel, but that’s about it.

This show also pits women against each other for more views. They may not actually have serious fights all the time on air, but the producers don’t have a problem taking certain clips to manipulate into something else for the audience.

On Vogue.com, one former contestant mentions how much everyone got along.

“Sometimes things would

happen at cocktail parties, but off camera, not so much,” she said.

This means the producers display as much drama for the viewers as possible for popularity, which can send the message that it’s okay to fight over a man or bicker as much as possible.

This takes women back a few steps if they think it’s fun to watch this show.

“The Bachelor” promotes hookup culture in our society by the very premise of the show itself.

One man gets to choose one woman to propose to out of a large group of women. Every contestant has to be a knockout, and the bachelor spends his

days kissing and frolicking with every single one of them. He even has sexual relations with some of them.

This premise shows society that it’s okay to go through women for the supposed romance of it all. It’s not actually okay to go through a bunch of women like that. Most of the time, the bachelor and the winner don’t even stay together too long after the show.

So at the end of the day, one man goes through a bunch of women just to end up a bachelor again. Isn’t that just peachy?

Abigail Varnado is a 21-yearold English senior from Amite, Louisiana.

Viral internet challenges reckless, potentially deadly ACCORDING TO ASHLON

singer-songwriter Justin Bieber started smoking marijuana.

On the popular site 4chan, users made up this challenge ASHLON LUSK to make fun of Bieber fans. @shlinie Members of the site made fake The internet has turned into Twitter accounts and uploaded a place to receive unhealthy fake pictures of them cutting validation. Different challenges themselves with the hashtag, become popular, and everyone #Cut4Bieber. The “joke” was to wants to make a video about it. cut their wrists, vowing to conEating Tide Pods is the worst tinue until Bieber stopped smoking. Some fans actually thought one yet.

The “Cinnamon Challenge” it was a real trend, but most became popular in 2012. The people found out it was fake and goal of the challenge is to swal- thought it was disrespectful to low a spoonful of cinnamon. joke about mental health and deThe challenge is impossible, and pression. The challenge spread some people who tried the chal- fast and many people thought it lenge inhaled was real. cinnamon, The “Kylie Jenwhich inflamed This meme took a turn for ner Lip Challenge” their lungs. the worse when children was inspired by teleThe challenge and teens — and even vision personality put more than some adults — started to Kylie Jenner after 20 children eat the laundry detergent. she received lip injections. Fans would in the hospital and killed recreate her plump a 4-year-old lips by putting a boy. People were trying the shot glass on their lips and suckchallenge to get views on ing in. This caused their lips to YouTube, even after news spread swell to resemble lip injections. it was dangerous.

The suction caused some of the A fake internet chal- shot glasses to break and some lenge emerged in 2013 when people’s lips were aggressively

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA / The Daily Reveille

Eight people, two children and six elderly people have died from ingesting Tide Pods. bruised afterwards. Fans would upload videos on Twitter to get likes and retweets.

People partake in these risky challenges to gain popularity on social media and become “viral.”

Most recently, the “Tide Pod Challenge” took over the internet and is trending on Twitter.

It started with a meme saying

Tide Pods looked like yummy snacks and they wanted to try to eat them. This meme took a turn for the worse when children and teens — and even some adults — started to eat the laundry detergent.

Two young children and six elderly people with dementia have died from ingesting the

pods. No adolescent has died from the Tide Pod Challenge, but it only takes one attentionhungry teenager to take it too far. Acton Beale took the internet fad of planking too far when he fell off a seventh-floor balcony and died in May 2011.

People will do anything to get attention online, and these trends push the limits and sometimes result in death. This is something that needs to be changed in our society. We have become too focused on our reputation online, and it is only going to get worse.

No rational person would eat a Tide Pod knowing they could die unless they knew thousands of people would be tuning in online.

This behavior is present on every social media platform.

More people are on the internet than ever before. Almost 6.8 billion people own a phone, and 1.96 billion of those people are on social media.

When someone posts something online, they know millions of people could see it and react to their post.

Ashlon Lusk is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Houston, Texas.