The Reveille 10-1-20

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COVID-19 CLUSTERS LSU introduces mandatory saliva-based testing in residence halls with heightened COVID-19 risk.

SPRUCE CYPRESS NEWS

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LSU students, professors and alumni share and celebrate the legacy of Manship Dean Martin Johnson.

ENTERTAINMENT

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“The 2020 deluxe edition of ‘Goats Head Soup’ gives a new take on a Stones album that fell flat in the ‘70s.”

FLU SHOTS on the geaux

• Visit lsu.edu/shc for details

SPORTS

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Derek Stingley Jr. is coming back in his sophomore campaign looking to solidify himself as one of college football’s best.

MONDAY

OPINION

Read on

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“It is time the University recognizes the duty it has to make socially responsible investments.”

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY–THURSDAY

OCTOBER 12

OCTOBER 13

OCTOBER 14–15

Patrick F. Taylor Hall, Commons • 9 A.M.–3:30 P.M.

LSU Student Union, Atchafalaya Room • 9 A.M.–3:30 P.M.

The LSU Library (Quad), Lobby • 9 A.M.–3:30 P.M.

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

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RESIDENTS AT RISK LSU requires mandatory COVID-19 testing of Cypress, Spruce and Blake Hall residents Spruce Hall THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

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

NEWSROOM (225) 578-4811

Editor in Chief BAILEY CHAUVIN Managing Editor BRITTNEY FORBES Digital Editor LARA NICHOLSON News Editor ANNA JONES Deputy News Editor KATHERINE MANUEL Sports Editor NATASHA MALONE

Cypress Hall THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

BY KATHERINE MANUEL & ANNA JONES @kmanuel_2 & @annajoneses On Sept. 27, students in Cypress, Spruce and Blake Hall received an email informing them they would be required to receive a COVID-19 test because their residence halls were identified as areas of “heightened COVID-19 risk.”

“LSU is now requiring testing of specific on-campus residential halls when a significant health threat is identified by the tools designed to protect the campus community from the COVID-19 pandemic,” the email read.

LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard confirmed students in certain residence halls received an email informing them that the University is requiring COVID-19 testing in their halls.

Ballard said the University cannot disclose which residence halls were notified due to student privacy concerns. However, the Reveille confirmed that Spruce, Cypress and Blake Hall residents received the email through individual student and parent accounts.

Construction management freshman Drake Sharretts, a Spruce Hall resident, said he first received an email about mandatory COVID-19 testing in his dorm on Sept. 25. He received another email Sept. 27 informing him that all Spruce residents would be tested the next day between 4 - 7 p.m.

The email asked residents to be in their rooms by 4 p.m. for the test; the COVID-19 response staff would go to each room to administer the tests. It asked students not to eat or drink 30 minutes prior to their COVID-19 saliva-based test.

Students will receive test results within 48 hours, the email

said. Individuals who test positive will be contacted by a healthcare provider.

“If they had made us test when we got to campus like [the University of] Alabama was doing, they probably would’ve had more accurate numbers and they would be able to contain it better,” Sharretts said.

Sharretts said he contracted COVID-19 while at the University and was previously isolated in East Campus Apartments.

“I guess there’s a lot of people in Spruce that have it or are getting it, so they want us to do the mandatory test,” Sharretts said.

Computer science freshman Otis Jackson and chemical engineering freshman Alyssa Dodd also live in Spruce Hall. They both confirmed that they received an email informing them that they will be required to get tested for COVID-19 Monday evening.

Early childhood education freshman Cassidy Lyons lives in Cypress Hall and said she received an email on Sunday about mandatory testing in her dorm.

She was tested Sunday evening.

“I thought it was weird. I was like, ‘okay, now they’re requiring it once we’re all here,’” Lyons said. “It would be understandable if they required it before we all came here.”

Lyons said the mandatory testing was inconvenient because she had to stay in her dorm room until she was tested. She said she knows students who were not tested until 7 p.m. and had to stay in their room until they received the saliva-based test.

Kinesiology and pre-med freshman Lyl Tucker also lives in Cypress Hall and said she received the saliva-based test Sunday evening.

LSU parent Tiffani Daughtry Manney said her son lives in Blake Hall but had been at home in Houston for the past ten days

Blake Hall

ELIZABETH SULLIVAN / The Reveille

when he received the email about mandatory testing.

Manney said the mandatory testing was “a bit much.”

“I think making something mandatory like the flu shot or COVID test takes away some of your personal rights, especially if you’re not symptomatic or you just refuse,” Manney said. “He was afraid of the repercussion[s] or punishment if he didn’t do it, and that’s crazy because I’m the one paying for his education.”

Manney also said she was skeptical about the accuracy of a saliva-based test versus the nasal swab.

LSU parent Julie Scott Cooke said her son also lives in Blake Hall and was told that if he refused testing, the University would not allow him to leave his dorm.

“I understand, to a degree, for testing, especially if the student feels symptoms, but to test everyone is crossing the line,” Cooke said. “I feel the more a university tests, the more positive results they will get.”

Cooke said her son was asked to quarantine for 14 days after his suitemate tested positive for COVID-19 over Labor Day weekend. When he chose to return to his home in Maryland rather than stay in his dorm, he was told his room key would be inactivated until the quarantine period was over.

“The dorms are small and aren’t meant to be [where] a student attends class online, nor are they meant for someone to quarantine,” Cooke said. “The dorms are made to sleep and that’s pretty much it.”

Students in Cypress, Spruce and Blake Halls who refuse to be tested will be found in violation of the LSU Code of Student Conduct.

“Failure to comply with the testing requirement will consti-

tute a violation of the LSU Code of Student Conduct and may impact your ability to remain on campus and participate in any in-person activities,” the email read.

As of Sept. 28, the Reveille has only confirmed mandatory testing has occurred at Cypress, Spruce and Blake Halls.

Office of the President Chief of Staff Ashley Arceneaux spoke on behalf of Interim President Thomas Galligan at the University’s COVID-19 press meeting Wednesday afternoon. She said the University is trying to “normalize” testing on campus.

“While these numbers are good — these are low numbers — we are not satisfied with the amount of testing that’s going on on campus,” Arceneaux said.

“We continue to work with our student partners to encourage more frequent and consistent testing.”

Arceneaux said she could not give “specifics” regarding how many dorms are being affected by mandatory testing when asked at the press meeting.

“This is a really sensitive issue,” Arceneaux said.

She said individuals in the residence halls who need to know if they have been exposed have been notified.

Associate Vice President in the Office of Research and Economic Development Keena Arbuthnot also spoke at the University’s COVID-19 response press meeting. Arbuthnot said students were “leaning out their doors” waiting to be tested.

“We had about between an 80%-90% response rate in the dorms,” Arbuthnot said. “It went really smoothly for such short notice, particularly after a game weekend.”

She said students who missed the mandatory testing over the weekend will be tested during the week.

Deputy Sports Editor REED DARCEY Entertainment Editor ENJANAE’ TAYLOR Opinion Editor GRACE PULLIAM Production Editor JENNIE DELATTE Multimedia Editor ABBY KIBLER

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

ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication.

A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.

NEWS

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‘HE WAS THE BEST OF US’ LSU students, alumni and professors reflect on the life of Manship Dean Martin Johnson

BY ANNA JONES @annajoneses Modest, kind, generous, approachable--those are just a few of the words used to describe Manship Dean Martin Johnson.

Johnson, 50, died of a heart attack in his sleep the night of Sept. 28. His death was confirmed

by Associate Dean Josh Grimm in a staff email.

“There is so much to say, but words escape me right now,” Grimm said in the email. “I’ll just say this: He was an incredible person, father and a friend and confidant to so many of us. This is a loss we will feel forever.”

Since his appointment as dean of the Manship School two years ago, students and faculty alike said he made himself available and demonstrate genuine interest in their lives. Mass communication professor Will Mari said Johnson was an “in-the-trenches, hands-on leader who put others first.”

“As the person who offered me the chance to work at a research university and who believed in my potential, Dr. Johnson will always be someone I seek to emulate and be like,” Mari said.

Mass communication senior Justin Franklin said Johnson served as a resource and a mentor for all the extracurricular activities within Manship, whether it was finding the funds for Franklin’s study abroad trip, helping advance Mock Trial or revamping LSU’s National Association of

Black Journalists (NABJ). Franklin said NABJ, which was formerly known as the Association of Black Communicators, had fallen into “a season of nothing” before Johnson came along. Franklin was prepar-

Reveille editor in the ‘90s, he partnered with Johnson to produce a joint weekly issue because he valued greater collaboration between the schools.

“Local white business owners

COURTESY OF MANSHIP SCHOOL

ing for a meeting between Johnson and NABJ when he learned the news of his passing.

“He was so committed to the vision that we had for the club and he was so committed to seeing Black students comfortable, seeing Black students excel and seeing Black students have a place in the Manship School,” Franklin said.

Political science and mass communication professor Nathan Kalmoe said when Johnson was a

threatened to pull their ads from the Reveille because they didn’t want newspaper integration, but Martin didn’t back down,” Kalmoe said.

Kalmoe said Johnson was a generous and caring mentor and friend, always encouraging and patient, with a good sense of humor. He said he was doing great things for the Manship School and beyond with his leadership.

“I hope we can somehow

realize his vision without him to guide us,” Kalmoe said. “We owe that to him. I will miss him terribly.”

When mass communication junior Kayla Hamilton heard the news of Johnson’s passing, she made a makeshift memorial on the front steps of the journalism building complete with flowers and a letter.

“As soon as I heard the news I had to do something,” Hamilton said. “I just wanted to show some gratitude.”

Johnson was the first Manship administration Hamilton encountered when she came to campus for a freshman admittance event.

She still remembers his inspirational words and how they solidified her decision to come to LSU. “Dean Johnson, thank you for the change, impact and knowledge you’ve given Manship,” Hamilton’s note read. “You have touched each student and faculty and will never be forgotten. Rest easy, you’ll be missed.”

Mass communication professor Roxanne Dill said Johnson was invested in his students’ and faculties’ success, which was made evident through the time he spent holding frequent office hours and listening to concerns.

“He was the dean; he was in charge,” Dill said. “But he used his position to serve the people around him. We should all learn from that important legacy he

see DEAN, page 4

LSU promotes sustainability

BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone Every LSU student pays $2 per semester to promote sustainability on campus.

The Student Sustainability Fund, also known as the “green fee,” is allocated to proposals submitted to LSU Student Government. Most proposals are submitted by LSU departments and graduate students, but the application process is open to all members of the community.

Every semester, the Campus Committee on Sustainability determines which projects will be funded. The committee is chaired by a member of Student Government appointed by the SG president. Music senior Taylor Goss is currently serving as chair for projects in the fall semester.

Staff from the Campus Sustainability office sit on the committee as well. Sarah Temple, assistant director at campus sustainability, has served on the committee for the past several years.

“The exciting thing about this relatively small fee is that it has the potential to be far reaching with respect to the short and long-term impact these projects can have,” Temple said.

The fund amounts to approximately $60,000 per semester and the committee aims to

see FUND, page 4

SAFETY

‘Get your heads out of your pockets’: LSU students divided on local bar

BY NICK FREWIN & LARA NICHOLSON @itsnickfrewin & @laranicholson_ As other Baton Rouge bars have struggled to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic, The Revelry manages to keep busy. Most nights you will see a line of people waiting to get into the bar, which opened at its Highland Road location in January.

While it faced closures after the initial COVID-19 outbreak in Baton Rouge, it is able to remain open now due to a temporary restaurant permit obtained through the Louisiana Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control, according to co-owner Alex Eddy.

Everyone who enters the bar has their temperature checked and are required to purchase a food ticket.

Construction management senior Liam McCloskey has visited the bar numerous times since the pandemic has started and

appreciates the location being open for students.

“With the cover at the Revelry you’re getting fries included, so they can abide by the law and remain open,” McCloskey said.

“Same thing with the Bulldog, it’s a nice little loophole. It is sneaky, but I’m happy that they are doing it. This place would suck if they weren’t open.”

While some students are happy that the Revelry remains open despite the ongoing pandemic, University students who live near the bar expressed disdain for the establishment.

Mass communication junior Zane Piontek lives directly behind the bar and is only 50 feet away from the back fence of the Revelry, which is where the outdoor stage sits.

“Between 5-6 p.m., their music will come on and honestly there is no way to predict how loud it’s going to be,” Piontek said. “There will just be hooting and hollering constantly.”

A concern for some students is the size of the crowds that attend the bar; they are alarmed at the sight of students crowded around one another and around the entrance with no masks. COVID-19 cases on campus have increased from a few dozen at the start of the semester to the current number of cases, 1,015.

“I’ve seen big crowds a couple of times from The Revelry and the Chimes,” Piontek said.

“Sometimes I see the two crowds mushed together into a mass of people, which is pretty indicative of the problem that’s going on there. On the nights when it’s super busy, I can peak through the fence to the Revelry and just see a sea of college students who aren’t wearing masks.”

International studies and French junior Jack Rittenberry, who lives and works nearby the Revelry, also witnessed crowds of students not wearing masks while going to the Revelry. He said the business should stop

operating like a typical bar.

“I’d like to see them operate as an actual and normal food establishment and go to table service if they’re going to choose to operate as a restaurant, instead of using that as an excuse to operate as a bar,” Rittenberry said.

Rittenberry doesn’t believe the students attending the Revelry are at fault, and instead questions how authorities allow the bar to remain open in the current conditions.

“I’m sure LSUPD and the LSU administration and BRPD and the city will all say, ‘They shouldn’t be doing those kinds of behaviors,’” Rittenberry said.

“What I would say to them is that they shouldn’t allow for a space to be open in which people can go and be in these unsafe situations.”

But as long as the Revelry is following all the guidelines required for it to obtain the temporary restaurant permit, it is legally able to operate.

LSU Student Health Center Director of Wellness and Health Promotion Rebecca Fontenot said the guidelines set upon businesses by the CDC is some of the best information available regarding safety practices.

“The practices these businesses are implementing are based off of guidelines set by the CDC, so that’s some of the best knowledge and guidance they could be receiving,” Fontenot said.

Regardless of the Revelry’s adherence to established safety guidelines, Piontek believes the owners are motivated by greed.

“Get your heads out of your pockets,” Piontek said. “There’s nothing that can be said to them because at the end of the day, they are going to do what they can to make as much money as they can within the established CDC guidelines. As we’ve already seen, there are plenty of loopholes in those guidelines to allow things like this to happen.”

Thursday, October 1, 2020

page 4 DEAN, from page 3 leaves us at the Manship school.”

LSU alumnus Joshua Jackson credits Johnson with his achievements in the communication field.

“Without Martin, I [wouldn’t] have my current job or my master’s degree from the Manship School,” Jackson said. “I owe him basically the last four years of my life.”

FUND, from page 3 fund five to 10 projects with the money each cycle.

Temple said if it weren’t for the green fee, it’s likely none of these proposals would have been funded.

The impact these projects have made on the community is because of the money students pay in their tuition, which they may not even consider.

There are five green fee funded projects for the fall 2020 semester.

1. Organic waste composting project using black soldier flies This project was submitted by graduate student Devon Brits in 2019. It has received funding over three consecutive semesters and has transformed the management of campus food waste.

“LSU produces approximately 12,000 tons of waste a year. This waste needs to be dealt with effectively,” Brits’s

Jackson said the thing that inspired him most about Johnson was his commitment to people.

“Even as dean, he would have things that were far more important to do, but I’d see him checking on the faculty and staff,” Jackson said. “I’d catch him talking to students in the [Holiday] Forum.

He’d email me just to check in and if I had an idea, we’d talk about

how to make it happen.”

Mass communication graduate student James Smith said Johnson always remembered his students.

“This isn’t very common in a school as large as LSU,” Smith said.

“He cared, genuinely. He exemplified the values that make the Manship School more than a school. He made it clear that we’re a family.”

Franklin said when he thinks

of Johnson, a Martin Luther King quote comes to mind: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

“I’ll say for Dean Johnson, he made everybody’s challenges and trials his own,” Franklin said. “It was never, ‘What can you do for

me?’ It was always, ‘How can Manship help? What can Manship do?

What can I do?’

“This wouldn’t hurt this bad if he wasn’t such a good person,” Franklin said. “This wouldn’t hurt so bad if he wasn’t the kind man of wisdom that he was, and it came as such a shock. It will take time for healing ,and it will take time to fill the hole that’s been left.”

proposal read.

The solution, Brits suggested, was to use black soldier flies to compost the food waste from LSU dining halls.

“To date, using [black soldier flies], LSU has diverted more than four tons of organic waste using a team of less than 3 students/workers from all three dining halls on campus,” the proposal read.

Once the material is composted at the local company Fluker Farms, it’s sent back to LSU to be used in landscape management around campus.

Temple said in the future, Campus Sustainability hopes to expand this project to the Student Union, Lab School, Greek Houses and Early Childcare Center.

2. Creating an herb and micro green garden in the food and science building Judy Myhand, an instructor for the school of nutrition and food sciences, recognized an opportunity to grow local produce

for use in her dietitian training classes rather than purchasing it from big-box stores. She also works with local schools to encourage the consumption of fresh and local foods, and teaches teens how to cook economical and healthy meals.

The proposal requested funding to invest in hydroponic technology to grow fresh herbs and produce that can be used in her classes and community outreaches.

By using hydroponics, a more sustainable, healthier food system can be achieved on campus, which is one of the strategic goals of the green fee.

3. Providing a system to recycle fluorescent light bulbs Lisa Pepitone, assistant director of operational safety at LSU’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department, proposed a sustainable recycling program for “green-tipped” fluorescent bulbs.

The University recently moved toward using green-

tipped fluorescent bulbs because of their lower mercury levels, a known neurotoxin.

Green-tipped bulbs cannot be recycled with the fluorescent bulb program, so Pepitone proposed investing in a new method that could.

4. Greaux LSU – continued support for food deserts and food education in the LSU area Greaux LSU is the extension of a previously funded initiative known as the Echo Tree project, proposed by sociology graduate student Jordan James. It was granted $9,000 in 2017 and was met with overwhelming levels of success. The Campus Committee on Sustainability decided it warranted continued funding.

In 2017, the project built greenhouses around the outskirts of LSU in communities known as “food deserts,” which are areas where residents do not have reasonable access to nutritional food. It also educates members of the community on how to cook, eat and live

healthily.

Six greenhouses were built with the previous funding and over 1,000 vegetable sprouts were raised in those greenhouses the past year. James also formed partnerships with local companies to build more greenhouses and community gardens around Baton Rouge.

5. Creating a postharvest system to teach students about farm-to-table food systems Much like Greaux LSU, this project focuses on teaching students about nutritional living. The funding will be put toward the Horticulture Hill Farm Teaching Facility at LSU, which has previously received support for harvesting equipment, a sustainable fruit orchard and postharvest handling.

The current funding will contribute to the final stages of creating a postharvest system.

Additional training for students about farm-to-table food systems will also be taught with the budget provided by SSF.

ENTERTAINMENT

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REV R ANKS

MOVIE

LOVE, GUARANTEED

Netflix

Whitaker and Evans eventually fall for each other during the course of their working relationship. Having met organically, the irony of having had 1,000 dates only to find love the old fashion way is anything but lost. Although it could have used a more thoroughly established plot, the storyline was one of substance, making the film an enjoyable one.

Jordanne A. Davis @jordanneashley NETFLIX SERIES

SKIN DECISIONS

Netflix

If you are looking for a light show that is interesting yet educational, this is a great choice.

So many new inventions have been created to help with scaring, acne and other issues many people experience. Seeing the different types of treatments and machines that are used to treat skin makes you appreciate what technology and doctors can do to help us.

Caroline Herbert @sister_carols MUSIC

HEART OF GLASS Miley Cyrus

If I could give it more than five stars, I would. Miley Cyrus has powerful vocals that were made for rock. With her recent single “Midnight Sky” and her classic rock covers, Cyrus has proved to be a rock ‘n’ roll queen in 2020. I would love to see her release an album of all these covers or an original rock album. Either way, I don’t think I want this rock era to end.

Olivia Deffes @liv_deffes NETFLIX SERIES

CONTROL Z

Netflix

I had to dock the rating down due to the brutal bullying. I can sit through a lot, but a lot of the bullying scenes went overboard with scenes that lasted around five minutes. Despite its flaws, “Control Z” honestly shocked me. The first time I watched it, my jaw dropped. The final episode brought all the drama and emotions. One thing “Control Z” knows how to do is leave you with a cliffhanger that hurts.

Ariel Baise @arielbiancaa Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

The 2020 edition of ‘Goats Head Soup’

BY OLIVIA DEFFES @liv_deffes The Rolling Stones are back at it again in 2020 with a rerelease of a 1973 album, which shows us it’s an act that may be old but is still very relevant to the music scene. With three unreleased songs and a ton of new live versions, the 2020 deluxe edition of “Goats Head Soup” gives a new take on a Stones album that fell flat in the ‘70s.

Originally recorded in Jamaica, “Goats Head Soup” was one of the less popular albums to come from the band. One success of the album was the single “Angie” which did well on the charts upon its release. This updated version of the album gives a raw, live take on the song from a 1973 concert in Brussels.

When it came out, “Goats Head Soup” followed a very successful album “Exile on Main Street.” “Goats Head Soup” didn’t quite get as much praise as the album that came before it. I think the Stones are doing right by giving new light to an album that may have been looked over when going through the Stones’ discography.

One highlight of this reissue is the addition of three unreleased singles: “Scarlet” “Criss Cross” and “All the Rage.”

The one that stood out to me from this trio was “Scarlet” which was written for the album but never made the final tracklisting. This song was a standout in particular to me due to the band bringing in Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page. It’s a match made in rock ‘n’ roll heaven, and it definitely deserves praise even if it is long overdue almost 40 years later.

Along with live versions and unheard songs, the 2020 version of “Goats Head Soup” offers outtakes and demos that give you a musical glimpse into what was going

down in the recording studio in the early years of the ‘70s. The choice to include live versions along with these alternate cuts gives the listener a more intimate experience. The new release also has live versions of some of the band’s more popular songs like “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Midnight Rambler,” which is definitely a song that is best heard when it’s live.

Trust me, I know the feeling you get when you see some old band rereleasing an album from its glory days. It almost seems like a sellout or a money grab so that these old rockers can put some kind of content out there, but I don’t think that’s quite the case here.

I think The Rolling Stones is genius for bringing back this album. When I first got into this band in high school, “Goats Head Soup” was an album I skipped over unless I was listening to “Angie.” I never really took the time to dig deeper into this album, and this rerelease gives me an excuse to do so. The 2020 deluxe version of “Goats Head Soup” brings unheard content which makes the album all the more relevant 47 years later.

This album lets people know that The Rolling Stones is still kicking and is anything but past its prime.

Thursday, October 1, 2020

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Thursday, October 1, 2020

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MEET ME DOWNTOWN

PHOTOS BY ELIZABETH SULLIVAN

The State Capitol building sits in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

Riverfront Plaza Fountain streams downward in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

Huey P. Long statue sits in the center of the Capitol Gardens in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

Riverfront Plaza overlooks the Old State Capitol building in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

A Navy fighter jet sits in Riverfront Plaza in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

A railroad track runs parallel to the River Walk in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

The Misssissippi River bridge sits on the Mississippi River on Sept. 29.

Riverfront Plaza sits across from the River Center in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

The Old State Capitol building sits on a hill in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

Downtown Baton Rouge’s attractive scenery is one that never gets old with these beloved locations.

The U.S.S. KIDD sits on the Mississippi River in downtown Baton Rouge on Sept. 29.

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The first meeting is Friday, November 6th via Zoom. If interested, please email studentmedia@lsu.edu and include a brief statement about your interest in LSU Student Media and why you want to serve on the board.

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by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

3 Pinnacle 4 Thespians 5 “Good job!”

6 First line on an application 7 Word attached to when or how 8 Agitated 9 Adheres 10 Give a job to 11 As dumb as __ 12 Car ding 14 Sofas 21 Goes bad 25 Take advantage of 26 Snatches 27 Ropers’ event 28 Firstborn of two 29 Generous one 30 Floor coverings 31 Jagged 32 Measuring stick 33 Parakeet’s supper 35 Robert or Elizabeth 38 Burrito wrap 39 Stockings

10/1/20

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

41 Mediterranean __ 42 __ bike; off-road motorcycle 44 Tried to catch up with 45 Predicaments 47 Inebriated 48 Casual eatery 49 Greasy

10/1/20

50 Bit of evidence 52 __-do-well; bum 53 Swedish car 54 Early boatbuilder 55 __ up; shredded 59 Four-term U.S. president, for short

SPORTS STING LIKE A BEE L S U

Derek Stingley Jr. is ready to become college football’s best player

BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons When discussing who the best football player on any given team or in any given league is, the most common answer is almost always a quarterback. Nine out of the last 10 Heisman trophy winners and 12 of the last 13 NFL MVPs have been QBs. The Heisman Award odds creators do LSU’s Derek Stingley Jr. no favors. As of Sept. 22, the sophomore cornerback came in at 29th in the Heisman odds, just behind Georgia running back Zamir White.

We know the Heisman is a quarterback and running back award. The last defender to win was Charles Woodson in 1997, and before that, it was Ernie Davis in 1961. Stingley does have the highest odds of any defensive player, but as we’ve seen, the likelihood of a defender winning the award is slim.

Despite Stingley’s low chances at winning the Heisman, he’s ready to become the sport’s best player.

The LSU defense missed Stingley last Saturday in the 44-34 loss to Mississippi State. Quarterback KJ Costello threw for an SEC record 623 yards and added five touchdowns against a secondary that started a freshman, a sophomore and a Nicholls State transfer in the absence of Stingley.

page 9 MEN’S GOLF

Winstead is excited to return to the links

BY JOE KEHRLI @joekehrli9

To fully understand just how good Stingley is at such a young age, look back to when he first arrived on campus, back in December of 2018. He graduated from Dunham High School that month and was practicing with the team heading into the Fiesta Bowl.

Stingley isn’t new to being advanced for his age. He played so well in his first three games at Dunham as an eighth grader that

The college golf season is only seven days away.

Both the men’s and women’s golf teams will be preparing to compete next week in Arkansas for the Blessings Invitational.

While the teams are still in Baton Rouge, coaches will finalize their rosters and ensure safety for their upcoming trips.

Though the SEC and LSU have listed golf as an acceptable sport to be played during the pandemic, there has been an emphasis on safety and precautions from the side of the men’s golf team. Golf is a special sport in that, like boxing or tennis, it is an individual sport. Not only is golf special because it is an individual sport, the entirety of the sport is held outside. For these same reasons, Chuck Winstead, director and head coach, believes it is safe to compete this season while mitigating the spread of the coronavirus.

“We are in a really good position because golf is an outdoor sport,” he said. “I have no concern [about the lack of safety in place for the upcoming season]. Golf has been held around the world, the U.S. Amateur event and PGA

see STINGLEY, page 10

see GOLF, page 10

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU football freshman cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. (24) carries the ball Jan. 13 during LSU’s 42-25 win against Clemson at the National Championship in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Would Stingley have been enough for LSU to flip the script and come out with a victory?

When he’s healthy, he virtually erases his side of the field completely. His presence also eases the pressure on the young and inexperienced defensive backs, like the ones who saw time as a result of Stingley’s absence.

New defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s defenses are ultra-aggressive, and we saw that last Saturday to the tune of several differ-

ent blitz packages that featured six or seven defenders rushing the quarterback. This is hard to do when you have cornerbacks who struggle in coverage like Elias Ricks, Cordale Flott and Darren Evans did, and it resulted in Costello and Mike Leach tearing the secondary to shreds. With Stingley bringing some stability to the unit, Pelini can be more aggressive and bring more pressure this Saturday in the matchup with Vanderbilt.

OPINION

Column: Myles Brennan not to blame for his inexperience RECE BEAUGH @recebeaugh Although he is technically the “new guy” at the quarterback position, Myles Brennan has been with the LSU football program since 2017. This begs the question: why did he look so inexperienced on Saturday?

Anyone close to LSU has known since the moment he stepped on campus that Brennan was being groomed to be “the guy.” With his 6-foot-4-inch frame, blonde hair and confident smile, Brennan is straight out of a movie about an All-American quarterback. This, of course, is exactly what Tiger fans expected to see on Saturday.

What they got however, was a quarterback who looked uncomfortable in the pocket, made poor decisions at times and

was not anywhere close to the hype that had been garnered for him. What they got was a quarterback who had not started a game in 1,415 days.

There is no substitute for playing in a real game. No matter how many scrimmages you have or perfect plays you execute at practice, lining up and playing another team, especially one in the SEC, is a completely different experience. Brennan, of course, lacks that experience.

In his freshman year, Brennan saw action in six games.

He finished the year with 14 completions on 24 attempts for 182 yards and a touchdown. In his sophomore season, Brennan only played in one game and then received a redshirt. Last year, he played in 10 games.

Despite the high number of appearances last season, Brennan finished with only 24 completions on 40 attempts while passing for 353 yards and one

touchdown.

With as many blowout games as the Tigers were in last year, there is no reason for Brennan

not seeing more playing time and averaging more than four passes in the games he played in. Knowing that he was most

likely going to be the starter in 2020, there is no excuse for

see BRENNAN, page 10

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU football junior quarterback Myles Brennan (15) hands the ball off to sophomore running back John Emery Jr. (4) on Sept. 26 during LSU’s 44-34 loss against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium.

page 10

Thursday, October 1, 2020 nan will fill the giant shoes that were left for him. Sure, his decision making needs to be better and pocket awareness must improve, but these are things that come with experience—experience that the coaching staff has robbed Brennan of over the last four years. The results, or lack thereof, are evident.

LSU football junior quarterback Myles Brennan (15) runs the ball Sept. 26 during LSU’s 44-34 loss against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium.

he was immediately promoted to the varsity squad as a 13-year-old.

Coming out of Dunham, Stingley was a consensus 5-star recruit, the 2018 Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year and the number one overall recruit in the nation, according to Rivals.

He was ready to impress at practice, leading up to the Tigers’ bowl game.

Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who has since moved on from LSU after being hired as Baylor’s head coach, said Stingley, “looked like he was the best guy we got” at those practices.

The cornerback group was already thin, with Greedy Williams previously declaring for that years’ draft and Kristian Fulton sidelined with an injury at the time. Regardless, this was high praise for a true freshman who had graduated high school just weeks earlier.

“Stingley’s a great story right there,” Aranda said. “Before it’s all over, it’s going to be something.”

Fast forward to the fall of 2019. Stingley earned the starting cornerback spot opposite Fulton, and the Baton Rouge native was ready to show the college football world why he could have played in the Fiesta Bowl that spring.

Stingley’s freshman season featured a four-game interception streak, where he picked off quarterbacks such as Utah State’s Jordan Love, Florida’s Kyle Trask and Auburn’s Bo Nix. After a perfect 12-0 regular season, Stingley picked off Georgia’s Jake Fromm twice in the SEC Championship game.

“Derek is a freshman, in case anybody forgets that. I forget it a lot,” teammate Joe Burrow said

following his performance in the contest.

His next task was to slow down Ceedee Lamb, a member of the All-Big 12 first team who led the conference in touchdown receptions and was second in receiving yards. Stingley held Lamb to just four catches.

When asked this past offseason who the best cornerback he faced in college was, Lamb gave that honor to Stingley.

“I know he’s young, but that guy knows football. His technique is unbelievable,” Lamb said in February.

When all was said and done, Stingley led the conference in interceptions, led the country in pass breakups and was named second team All-SEC. As a true freshman.

ProFootballFocus graded Stingley as the best cornerback in the nation and listed the then18-year old fourth in their top 101 college football player rankings. Of the three players ranked ahead of Stingley, two (Burrow and Chase Young) are now in the NFL, and one (Penei Sewell) opted out of this season.

Coming into his sophomore season, Stingley was named a Walter Camp preseason All-American and is featured on the preseason All-SEC teams: first team as a cornerback, second team as all purpose and third team as a returner. Now, he’s ready to take home a new honor.

He’s ready to become the best player in college football.

Of ProFootballFocus’ top-101 players of 2019, Stingley is one of only three players in the top-10 who will be playing this season.

The others are Heisman favorites Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, both quarterbacks.

community safety.”

Winstead had recently changed the way that practices operate. Instead of having two players share one cart, he insisted that each player will walk and will remain six feet apart from the other. This form of practice can prove to be beneficial for future seasons as well. All collegiate and professional tournaments require all players to walk the entirety of the match.

In addition to reshaping the processes, the golf teams will participate in randomized COVID-19 testing. Each player was tested when he received his physical. Winstead is confident that his group is in great shape and will continue to outperform his expectations this year.

This fall season, the men’s team welcomed a freshman from Spain, Hugo Aguilar Puertes. The Spainard has already earned an all-clad reputation in the golf world, winning abroad and posting several low scores. Winstead believes that his role as a coach is not to place expectations on his performance, but rather to encourage and support him to play his best.

Seniors Philip Barbaree and Trey Winstead and junior Garrett Barber are all returning this year and will provide examples

for this young team. Winstead said that all three of these players are at the top of their competition and they are all capable of a breakout year. He also added that the team’s future is looking very bright, claiming that LSU might have the deepest roster among SEC teams.

The golf team will have to decide its top-five players to travel to Arkansas next week. The team will be holding qualifications in practice to make this decision.

Winstead added that the team’s roster strength is also a major contribution to creating competition within the team for the five travel spots, and it will bring out the best in each player.

“I am thrilled to be a part of a conference and a university that is allowed to play,” Winstead said.

“I am quite happy to compete.”

He is also happy that the first tournament will have all three days covered by the Golf Channel.

In golf, the lowest number wins. This season, the team with the lowest number of positive cases will win. Teams will have to be healthy and cautious this upcoming season. Coaching has always been a critical element for success, and this season, coaches will play a larger impact than ever before.

LSU golfer Philip Barbaree tees off.

BRENNAN, from page 9 Brennan not to have seen more meaningful snaps. By watering down the offense when he came into the game, the coaching staff robbed Brennan of valuable experience, and it showed on Saturday.

Only time will tell if Bren-

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

GOLF, from page 9 tournaments every week around the country.”

The United States Golf Association was one of the earliest sports to resume play when the virus broke out in March. The USGA has taken the appropriate measures to ensure that the players’ health has been at the forefront of their decisions. Each tournament that the USGA has hosted this year has not shown any significant influx of positive cases surrounding the players and their communities.

This success is traced down to two critical implementations: screening players’ health prior to competition and prohibiting spectators from entering tournament sites. These are two main reasons for why golf has had a successful return to normalcy, but overall, it is the commitment by the players, staff and community to ensure everyone is safe and healthy.

Following this model, LSU has also centered its priorities around the health of the players.

“We have a very little positivity rate, and we have healthy players,” Winstead said. “All meetings and practices that are usually held indoor have been moved outdoors. Everything we are doing is great and easy to ensure

STINGLEY, from page 9

Similarly, ESPN ranked Stingley second. Of the other four in the top five, two (Ja’Marr Chase and Sewell) have opted out. The remaining two are the aforementioned Lawrence and Fields.

Becoming the best player in the nation this season will be a tough task. We already know fans, the media and even the Heisman committee are biased toward quarterbacks. With two superstars at the position this season — Lawrence and Fields — all eyes will be on them.

Stingley finds himself in elite company, but he’s up for the challenge of distancing himself from the rest of the pack. He did it as a 13-year-old on Dunham’s varsity team. He did it as an 18-year-old early-enrollee at LSU and now he attempts to do it again as a 19-year-old All-American.

Former LSU star Patrick Peterson called him the “real deal.”

“He’s made for those moments,” Peterson said. “You can’t deny that. That’s greatness right there.”

Lamb called him the best defender he faced in his college career.

Teammate and All-SEC first team safety JaCoby Stevens watched Stingley, who he called the best returning defensive back in college football, all offseason.

Stevens says he noticed his “hunger and drive to get better.”

“He knows he’s not where he wants to be,” Stevens said.

Stingley is right where fans want him to be, among the best defensive players in the country and on pace to become another top defensive back who LSU produces.

But 29th in Heisman odds isn’t good enough for him.

He’s ready to become the best player in college football.

COURTESY OF LSU ATHLETICS

OPINION

page 11

The University needs to cut financial ties to fossil fuel industry CLAIRE’S COMMENTARY CLAIRE SULLIVAN

@sulliclaire

Though people are drawn to college for a multitude of reasons, the fundamental reason students attend a university is to better their future; financially, intellectually or otherwise.

Universities are able to influence our society and culture in profound ways — not just because they produce millions of young graduates every year but because of the great financial power that stems from their multimillion and multibillion-dollar endowments.

The intricacies of the University’s finances may seem entirely unrelated to issues of politics, morality and social change, but the massive wealth held by the University, along with the investments it makes to preserve that wealth, has large implications for the future — and they’re not all good.

The LSU Foundation is vested with the great responsibility of managing the University’s investing funds.

Sara Whittaker, the assistant vice president of communications and Marketing at the LSU Founda-

tion, says the foundation’s “ultimate goal is to protect the purchasing power of that money and make sure it is available to LSU.” The 2019 financial audit reveals that the LSU Foundation has $150 million tied up in corporate stocks, common stocks and indexed mutual funds, plus an additional $192 million in corporate debt obligations (essentially bonds in corporations).

Where exactly does that money go?

The answer is not a simple one.

As Ms. Whittaker explained to me, it is difficult to quantify investments on an individual or even industry level, as pools of investments are grouped together and subject to change throughout the year.

While exact amounts to exact corporations cannot be labeled, two things are certain: first, that the University has invested some amount of money into fossil fuel companies, and second, that over the course of the last few years, there have been conversations at the foundation about the stability of such investments.

When asked if these conversations also included topics of social responsibility, Ms. Whittaker stated: “Our goal, our fiduciary responsibility, is to invest that money

wisely on LSU’s behalf. So that’s it — that’s our goal... Fundamentally, that is our role.”

That leaves us to grapple with a difficult question: what constitutes a “wise” investment?

It is doubtless that the people at the LSU Foundation do extraordinary work on behalf of this community. The larger critique here is directed at the paradigm that exists at most universities across America: the idea that a wise investment is simply one that preserves or increases the value of a donation.

That premise as it relates to investments towards the fossil fuel industry is questionable. By investing in fossil fuels, the University is propping up corporations that profit off the destruction of the Earth, lobby Congress into inaction and actively spread misinformation about climate change.

Climate change is not only a grave threat to Louisiana’s future, but it is a present-day reality in the state. Coastal erosion has already displaced Louisianans and the rapid escalation of storms in the Gulf of Mexico has ravaged entire towns. These climate events have and will create great financial strife for millions in this state.

Fossil fuel investments borrow from tomorrow to finance today.

CARTOON BY BRANDON SHEPHERD

While perhaps these investments succeed in maintaining the purchasing power of particular donations, they provide stability to corporations that are going to be detrimental to the economic future of places like coastal Louisiana.

It is time the University recognizes the duty it has to make socially responsible investments — investments that do not jeopardize their students’ futures.

Our university has not acted with malice but rather with the same mind-frame as most other institutions of higher learning: the belief that its finances are amoral.

Its ties with these companies are inherently full of ethical quandaries, and it is time the University recognizes those nagging complexities.

The University pushes students to be conscious of the impact they have on the world around them.

Now, the University must awaken its own consciousness on the issue of moral investments. The educational and cultural power the University holds is great; it is time to use that power to lead, wisely.

Claire Sullivan is an 18-year-old coastal environmental science freshman from Southbury, CT.

With COVID-19 death toll rising, apathy is the new pandemic SPILL THE TEA WITH MARIE MARIE PLUNKETT

@MarieC_214

The U.S. broke the 200,000 mark in COVID-19 deaths on Sept.

22. The global toll has already surpassed one million.

There’s a good chance you didn’t even flinch when you read that.

It isn’t your fault, though; according to National Geographic, the human brain just isn’t “wired to make sense of big numbers.” And with other stressors — including economic crises, civil unrest, natural disasters, election tensions and dramatic changes to our daily lives — constantly competing for our attention and energy, we’ve become numb to the tragedies of 2020.

This COVID-19 pandemic has been a tragedy; there’s really no other word to describe it. But, unlike other tragedies in recent memory, it’s not defined by a specific time

or place. In 2001, we witnessed the Sept. 11 attacks; in 2005, Hurricane Katrina; in 2013, the Boston Marathon bombing — all these events can be memorialized and grieved, we can physically go to these locations, lay down flowers, remember the lives lost and try to heal as a country.

This pandemic has no set boundaries. There is no end we can point to, no one memorial or singular city, only an ongoing crisis spread across the entire globe.

No wonder people are so apathetic! It’s exhausting to keep up with the constant bombardment of new death tolls and restrictions and warnings and isolation and contact tracing — and the list goes on.

The human race is an extremely adaptive species.Unfortunately, we’ve adapted a little too well to the pandemic. This is our new “norm.”

Instead of worrying like we used to about whether we’ll get a vaccine or when this will all end, we’ve checked out emotionally. We’re all tired and we’re all ready to stop be-

ing hyper-vigilant about COVID-19.

But that’s still no excuse to give up.

Those 200,000 Americans shouldn’t be nameless, faceless statistics to us. They’re real people whose families are struggling to grieve and heal.

If you’ve personally been affected by a COVID-19 related death you know the pain and the heartache of not being able to gather as a community and honor the memory of your loved one — but if you haven’t, if you’re one of the many people to whom the death toll is just a number, try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

How does it feel to lose someone you love? To be prohibited from comforting them in their final days? How does it feel to grieve? To be isolated and without a community to hold you and help you get back up on your feet?

By putting names and faces to those statistics, we can re-humanize the victims of COVID-19 and regain a bit of our own humanity.

I struggle to fight off apathy and

remain empathetic for those who have lost their lives and for those who have lost loved ones.

I follow the safety guidelines laid out by the city of Baton Rouge and the University to prevent prolonging this pandemic and raising the death toll any higher. I wear

Bailey Chauvin Brittney Fores Anna Jones Katherine Manuel Grace Pulliam

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

Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies senior from New Orleans.

EMILY SCHEXNAYDER/ The Reveille

An LSU COVID-19 testing center sits outside on Aug. 22 across from the Laville Residence Halls on South Campus Drive.

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD

a mask to protect others; not just from the virus, but from potentially losing people they love.

Why do you wear yours?

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

Quote of the Week “O Captain! My Captain! Our fearful trip is done. The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won .”

Walt Whitman Poet 1819-1892

Thursday, October 1, 2020

page 12

LSU must commit to transparency in COVID-19 response

BY THE REVEILLE EDITORIAL BOARD 1,015 cases. 46 days. We can’t say we’re surprised.

While institutions across the country grappled with the decision of whether to resume in-person activities in the fall, the University made its intentions clear as early as May 7.

“Things may look a little different,” Interim President Thomas Galligan warned students in a May 7 email, the first to definitively announce the campus reopening, but “it is our intention to have campus open and return to in-person, traditional classes this fall.”

There was never a question that students would return to campus in August - the real question was how long they would be allowed to stay. With each passing day, it becomes clearer that the University’s stance on a remote transition can be summed up in three words: “we don’t blink.”

Even in the face of high-profile failures, including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s hasty return to remote instruction just days after reopening its doors, LSU trudged forward with the “Roadmap to Fall 2020” as its guide. Now that the initial wave of campus closures has subsided,

campus will almost certainly remain open through this semester. It can’t afford not to.

The University lost $27.73 million in revenue and incurred $5.57 million in COVID-19 expenses after the pandemic hit, according to Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration & CFO Dan Layzell. This comes after the University suffered an $8.9 million loss of state funding this year, a 7.5% reduction from 2019.

It simply didn’t make financial sense for the University to continue its remote operations. Now that football season has started, the primary breadwinner of the $157 million LSU Athletics brings into the University every year, students should be making sure they packed their winter clothes.

While a fully remote semester would have been the safest option, and it hasn’t implemented a foolproof reopening plan, University administration is still concerned with students’ wellbeing.

The administration doesn’t want the number of COVID-19 cases to continue increasing. Even from a strictly business standpoint, it must consider this untraditional semester’s effect on the University retention rate.

The University’s goal is to provide the safest on-campus ex-

perience possible. Where it falls short of that goal is in its failure to be fully transparent about the benchmarks used to measure its progress and the actions it will take should it not meet those benchmarks.

The University has repeatedly stated that students who fail to comply with COVID-19 procedures will be “referred to Student Advocacy and Accountability for violating the Code of Student Conduct.” What specific actions will SAA take to address these violations?

The lack of a mandatory testing system makes the daily symptom checker the primary indicator of the number of suspected or confirmed cases at the University. Why are there no consequences for not completing the checker, especially for those who are on campus every day?

Are there consequences for lying about symptoms? Are there consequences for returning to campus without receiving approval from the checker?

The University has the resources to perform 5,000 tests a day but has only performed 8,433 total tests as of Sept. 30.

However, it likely anticipates that number to increase as students who have taken a COVID-19 test after Aug. 15 receive priority con-

sideration for football tickets.

Students will only make up about 2,500 of the 25,000 fans at each football game. Why are they the only ones being incentivised to get tested? What good does an Aug. 15 test result do a student hoping to attend the Oct. 10 game against Missouri? Even if all 2,500 students at a game are tested, they are being put at risk by the other 22,500 fans who may or may not have been tested.

This week, the University instructed students living in certain “high risk” residence halls to receive mandatory COVID-19 testing. Why is the University refusing to announce the locations of these high-risk areas? Can “student privacy concerns” really be cited when universities like UNC have been reporting the specific case numbers in residence hall clusters since August?

The University listed several factors, including the symptom checker and wastewater testing, it uses to identify high-risk areas, but is there a specific threshold that warrants a high-risk classification? Should these halls expect regular testing until they are no longer deemed a high-risk area?

Clearly, there are a lot of questions the University has left unanswered.

The Reveille will continue

finding the answers to these questions, but the University is doing students a disservice by leaving them in the dark on so many areas of its COVID-19 response plan.

Cases have steadily increased since students arrived on campus. While the University made the decision to reopen campus, the blame doesn’t solely lie with the administration. We all share the responsibility of following the COVID-19 protocols and doing our part to stop the spread.

But as the state’s flagship campus, the University carries a higher burden. It must not only consider student safety but also the safety of faculty, staff, the Baton Rouge community and the state at large, which have been all impacted by its decision to reopen campus. Even if the University does everything possible to monitor COVID-19 cases within the LSU community, there is no way it can ever measure the full impact of its reopening on the greater community.

That’s what makes transparency so important. Only when the University provides more specific information regarding its COVID-19 response can the LSU community become more involved in the efforts to make our campus and community safer.

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