The Daily Reveille 01-24-18

@lsureveille

The Daily Reveille Est. 1887

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Volume 126 · No. 3

lsunow.com

BUDGET

Proposed state budget continues trend of cuts to higher education, with drastic cuts to TOPS program, page 2

ULM

51,478

2,784

LSU 14,471

Number of students who received TOPS in 2016-17

SELU 4,429

LA Tech 4,342

Southern 689

ULL

7,205

Total number of students in LA who recieved TOPS in 2016-17

$291.2 $57.9 million million

Proposed TOPS budget for Fiscal Year 2018-19

TOPS budget for Fiscal Year 2017-18

NEWS

SPORTS LSU senior guard Raigyne Louis recognized for impact to Baton Rouge community, page 7

Why the lights are always on at Tiger Stadium, page 3 LSU professor disproves theory on alien megastructures, page 4

ENTERTAINMENT Geology junior finds passion in fine arts, page 13

OPINION “Thorough sex education should have many different components including, but not limited to, information about abstinence, contraceptives, HIV and other STIs.” page 18

page 2

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

COVER STORY

Gov. Edwards’ ‘doomsday budget’ cuts TOPS by $233.3 million, higher education by $25.6 million

BY KATIE GAGLIANO & SHERIDAN WALL @katie_gagliano | @slwall7 Higher education leaders’ worst fears were confirmed Monday when Gov. John Bel Edwards presented a doomsday budget for Fiscal Year 20182019, gutting the popular TOPS scholarship program and slashing higher education funding again.

The Taylor Opportunity Program for Students, which pays tuition for in-state students earning a minimum 2.5 GPA and 20 on the ACT, was stripped of $233.3 million of state general fund support, leaving the program with only $57.9 million for the upcoming fiscal year. Higher education also took a heavy hit, suffering a $25.6 million cut.

In the 2016-17 Academic Year, 51,478 students in Louisiana received TOPS, according to the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance. The University has more students receiving TOPS than any other institution in Louisiana, with 14,471 students receiving TOPS in the 2016-17 academic year.

Edwards was disinclined to propose the cuts, but with a temporary 1 percent sales tax expiring July 1, roughly $1 billion in state funds will be lost.

“There’s not a cut in that budget proposal that I’m advocating for,” the governor said when presenting his proposal to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget. “Not a single one.”

LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard said the University stands in support of TOPS and hopes lawmakers will move quickly to limit families’ insecurities.

“This is the beginning of the state’s budget process and nothing [is] finalized at this point,” Ballard said. “LSU supports TOPS, and we would like to see a resolution as quickly as possible on TOPS funding and the higher education budget, so current and prospective students and families can make their college decisions with confidence.”

This is not the first time higher education and TOPS have been on the chopping block. In the past nine years, higher education funding has been cut 16 times.

Cuts to higher education in

To put it bluntly, this is a serious human capital issue for Louisiana, as we watch the next genderation of talented students become the future economic assets of other states.

F. KING ALEXANDER

LSU President in an op-ed

2016 left the state unable to pay students’ full award amounts.

Student awards were instead funded by 93.06 percent in the fall semester and 47.63 percent in the spring.

Under the roughly 76 percent cut in Edwards’ proposed budget, the TOPS program would only be able to fund a percentage of each student’s award, similar to how the program was funded in 2016.

“What I propose is that we pay for TOPS,” Edwards said, urging lawmakers to find a way to balance cuts with revenue generation.

He repeated during committee that he believes the “ s i g n i f ic a nt increase” in appl ic at ion s to local universities are a result of the Legislature’s choice last ses-

sion to fund TOPS for this year.

Higher education leaders have expressed concerns that continued waffling on higher education funding and uncertainty about TOPS could drive potential students to leave the state.

In an op-ed article in The Advocate on Jan. 10, LSU President F. King Alexander pleaded with legislators to take necessary measures to support and finalize funding for higher education before Louisiana students seek enrollment elsewhere.

“To put it bluntly, this is a serious human capital issue for Louisiana, as we watch the next generation of talented students become the future economic assets of other states,” Alex-

ander wrote.

Alexander expressed concern that Louisiana students would be scared away to institutions outside of Louisiana if the uncertainty of TOPS continues through the official college selection date on May 1.

“We can tell students what an exceptional education we offer, and we can show them the achievements and accolades our previous students have had, but when their parents read headlines that proclaim Louisiana is preparing for another set of budget reductions, it’s hard to combat the impression that leaves,” Alexander said.

Edwards said there is still time to fix the budget.

State law prevents the Legislature from approving revenue-raising measures during even-numbered years, requiring the Legislature to call a special session to avoid making disastrous cuts when the regular session convenes in March.

Edwards has pushed for a February special session, but said he is unwilling to convene the Legislature if House Republicans cannot reach a consensus on the measures they’re willing to support. Edwards said he is frustrated the Louisiana GOP has been slow to bring ideas to the table, while Republicans have said Edwards’ proposals to date have been too vague to give a full picture of the state’s fiscal situation.

The governor said he, Senate President John Alario, R-Westwego and House Speaker Taylor Barras, R-New Iberia, are in agreement that a special session must happen in February, and called on lawmakers to join together for the sake of the state.

A special session could be called in June if lawmakers fail to compromise, but the tight timeline would give universities little room to adjust course before their budgets take effect July 1. By that time, lawmakers also noted, students will have already chosen other universities.

“We can do this,” Edwards said. “There’s a majority in this Legislature, in the House and in the Senate, that want to permanently fix this cliff and allow Louisiana to move forward and prosper ... Let’s prove that we are better than what’s going on in Washington.”

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News

page 3 POLITICS

LET IT SHINE

Florida governor faces backlash

Gov. Rick Scott plans to lead “domestic trade mission” into Louisiana

BY RACHEL MIPRO @remroc15

LSU Athletics officials shed some light on why keeping Tiger Stadium lit is an essential decision

BY CALEB GREENE @cgreene_24 SOPHIE GRANZOW / The Daily Reveille

The chance of rain in Tiger Stadium?

Never. The chance of light? Always.

Over 100,000 seats sit unoccupied under the glow of Tiger Stadium’s LED-lit scoreboards every night from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

As the cathedral of college football shines bright in the night, many University students wonder why the scoreboards are on if no one is there to see it.

Plant and soil systems freshman Noah Willsea is among those wondering why the scoreboard is constantly lit.

“The lights look nice and all, but it seems like a waste of

energy for them to be burning all night with no one to see them,” Willsea said.

LSU Senior Associate Director of Athletics Robert Munson understands the urge to shut off the scoreboard at night.

“It’s not a TV,” Munson said. “Common sense says to turn them off, but you could potentially damage the system entirely.”

LSU Athletics Director of Internal Projects and Facility Operations Amanda Adams cited moisture as the main threat to the lighting system. If the scoreboard is turned off for an extended period, it could be severely damaged.

“Moisture will not build up

on a heated surface, therefore, we have minimal issues with the boards if we just leave them on,” Adams said. “If we turn them off and allow moisture to build up, one simple problem could turn into half of the board being down. The other positive side to having the boards lit throughout the night is it provides lighting for security purposes.”

The scoreboard lights have not discouraged students from trying to break into Tiger Stadium. On Jan. 19, three students were arrested for breaking into Tiger Stadium and

see TIGER STADIUM, page 5

Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared his intentions on Jan. 16 to convince Louisiana businesses to move to Florida, in a tweet that later drew criticism from Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

“This week I will be leading a domestic trade mission to Louisiana to convince more business to move to Florida,” Scott said, elaborating in a subsequent tweet, “While we are fighting to cut more taxes and protect families against unfair tax increases in Florida, Louisiana is doing the exact opposite.”

In a third tweet, Scott continued along those lines, criticizing Louisiana tax management and the perceived lack of a long-term solution to Louisiana’s financial troubles. He concluded Louisiana businesses had many incentives to move to Florida. However, Edwards quickly went on the defensive, responding within half an hour.

“Governor, we’ve turned this state around, and we’ll be happy to show you how we’ve done it,” Edwards tweeted, “But do us all a favor, call this what it is — a fundraising stop on another one of your campaigns. Louisianans

see SCOTT, page 5

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

SG creates new way for students to appreciate professors

BY MATTHEW BENNETT @mcbennett4 Thanks to a new LSU Student Government bill, University students will now have a chance to give their favorite professors the recognition they feel they deserve.

The SG Award for Outstanding Professor is open for all University students to nominate the professors they feel demonstrate exceptional teaching strategies, guidance and mentorship in the classroom.

The resolution to create the award passed in SG senate last spring. Speaker of the student senate James Mickler was instrumental in the creation of this resolution.

“The whole idea, and really

what this award encompasses, is the ability to show our appreciation to the work teachers put in day in and day out to better this University and make it an experience perfect for each student,” Mickler said.

Chair of the student senate academic affairs committee Erica Borne was also present for the senate process, and has continued to help bring the award to fruition this year.

“I’m really excited about it,” Borne said. “This is probably my favorite piece of legislation that has gone through senate.”

Typically, it takes about a week to pass a resolution in the student senate, but this particular resolution took several weeks, Borne said.

All nominations can be submitted online until Feb. 16.

During March, a committee consisting of Borne, Mickler, SG president Jason Badeaux, SG vice president Leah Sanders, SG chief justice Andrew Chenevert and past winners of faculty awards will choose one winner. The winner is then up for approval by the LSU Office of Academic Affairs.

“Overall, [I’m] very excited to see where this goes, and I know there are a lot of LSU students out there that want an avenue to show their professors how much they really care about them,” Mickler said.

Members of SG will present the honor at the 2018

see PROFESSORS, page 5

AURIANNA CORDERO / The Daily Reveille

LSU students, Faculty, and Alumni gather for the 50th Anniversary of the Honors College on Oct. 13 at the French House on Highland Road.

The Daily Reveille

page 4

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

RESEARCH

Physics professor debunks alien megastructure myth

BY LUKE JEANFREAU @lukejeanfreau

When astronomers noticed a strange light pattern coming from a distant star, many speculated this was evidence of an advanced alien civilization.

The discovery of not only life, but intelligent life outside of Earth would have far reaching implications for not only science, but society as a whole.

LSU Department of Physics & Astronomy assistant professor Tabetha Boyajian recently disproved a theory that the dimming of Tabby’s Star—named after Boyajian—was caused by an alien megastructure.

When scientists analyzed the light patterns coming from the star, known as KIC 8462852, many were hopeful that the sporadic dimming and brightening of the star was the sign of an advanced alien civilization. Much to the dismay of many scientists and

astronomers, this was not the case.

Boyajian created a Kickstarter campaign in May 2016 to fund a private telescope array to continue observing the star after the Kepler Space Telescope stopped doing so. Boyajian said the Kickstarter aimed to secure time with the Las Cumbres Observatory in Goleta, California.

To Boyajian’s surprise, the Kickstarter raised more than $100,000 from over 1,700 backers. It was particularly surprising because there was no precedent for this type of Kickstarter campaign.

“I attribute it to luck,” Boyajian said. “This is kind of the first one of its kind to do something like that.

This was a way for people who had a couple extra bucks to contribute to science, which we thought was really cool.”

Using the money from Kickstarter, Boyajian and her team were able to observe the star from March 2016 through

courtesy of LSU MEDIA RELATIONS

LSU assistant professor Tabetha Boyajian disproves alien theory.

December 2017. During this time, the star’s light dimmed four times.

Backers of the Kickstarter campaign named these events — Elsie, Celeste, Brae and Angkor.

The names for Skara Brae and Angkor come from two lost cities. Boyajian said these names are fitting, as the star is more than

1,000 light years away. Therefore, the events witnessed happened more than 1,000 years ago.

However, while observing the star, Boyajian and her team realized the dimming could not have been caused by the alien megastructure once theorized.

“If you have a planet crossing

in front of a star, it will block out a little bit of its light, and it will do that periodically,” Boyajian said.

“The biggest planet out there is a Jupiter-sized planet. If Jupiter crosses in front of a star, it will make at most a 1 percent drop in the star’s light.”

These two concepts proved that a planet was not causing the dimming.

“What we see for this star is not regularly occurring drops in brightness,” Boyajian said. “We see very large drops, up to 22 percent. The object, whatever it was, was very, very massive.

The megastructure theory fell apart when Boyajian and her team noticed that blue light was being dimmed a lot more than red light during the dimming instances.

Boyajian said an opaque object, such as a planet or alien megastructure, blocks all wavelengths of light equally. Dust, however, is better at blocking blue light than it is at red light.

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

EBR Parish Library provides students with additional resources

BY SHERIDAN WALL @slwall7 East Baton Rouge Parish Library is pushing to attract more University students to its online digital library.

With a library card, students can access a variety of academic, instructional and entertainment resources through the digital library at EBR Parish Library.

To obtain a library card, students can go to any of the 14 branches of the EBR Parish Library, said Assistant Library Director Mary Stein said. Students will need a picture I.D. and proof of Baton Rouge residence to receive a card valid for three years. In lieu of a Baton Rouge address, students can use their student I.D. to obtain a temporary card, renewable each semester.

Students can also obtain a temporary online card through the library’s website, Stein said.

The online card will allow access to digital library resources for two months. After, the student can bring the card in and replace it with a more permanent library card. The temporary online card cannot be used with Overdrive.

Stein said there are three components of the digital library that may be helpful for students, the “fun stuff,” self-help tools, and academic resources.

As a former librarian at Troy H. Middleton Memorial Library, Stein said the University’s library has extensive academic resources but lacks the entertainment collection possessed at EBR Parish Library.

“At LSU, activities are for fun, but library resources are for business,” Stein said.

Among these services are free downloadable music, movies, comic books, magazines, e-books and video games, Stein said. She refers

to these entertainment services as the “gateway drug” to the public library.

Library card holders can download up to seven songs a week and stream music through Freegal in the digital library, Stein said. The available music ranges from classical to old school rock to contemporary popular music, Stein said.

“It’s not just Schumann and Mendelssohn,” Stein said. “You can download country music. You can download rap.”

Concert live streams are also available through Qello Concerts, either by the set or by full performance. These performance videos are often accompanied by behind-the-scenes documentaries.

Stein is an avid Lady Gaga fan, but at 60 years old, she said she would never go to a concert of hers. Instead, Stein streamed The Monster Ball concert through the digital library.

“There she was in all her Gaga glory, and it was the entire concert,” Stein said.

The digital library’s movies include several independent films, documentaries, short films, and foreign films, Stein said. The downloadable video games features both retro games and new releases. The digital library also subscribes to RBdigital Magazines, formerly known as Zinio, which includes free access to a variety of magazines.

The “biggest fun thing” in the digital library, Stein said is the 70,000 to 80,000 e-books and audiobooks available, accessed through Overdrive.

Some of the services provided by the EBR Parish Library are also accessible through Middleton Library. Stein said EBR Parish Library is not in competition with the University’s library but wants to expand on their

resources primarily targeted to college students and academics.

“We are not a college library,” Stein said. “We don’t pretend to be one. We’re not in a competition.”

The EBR Parish Library aims to continue some of the University resources not available to students after graduation.

“It’s definitely very helpful to access more than just what we have here, to expand the resources we have,” said Middleton Library Humanities and Social Sciences Librarian Brittany O’Neill.For international and foreign language students, the digital library has access to Pressbooks, a database for foreign magazines and newspapers written in their native languages, Stein said. The digital library also has two adult language learning services for foreign language students to practice and perfect their language studies.

The digital library has Statista and additional programs for students in need of statistics and data.

These programs provide fully vetted and qualified information, Stein said.

For students needing primary source material, EBR Parish Library has local historical documents. The library digitized historical copies of The Advocate and The Times-Picayune, Stein said.

They also have a database for LGBTQ history.

Among other useful resources are AllData Online, a database with information on how to repair a car. In Gale courses, students can find LSAT prep, technology, software, business and creative arts courses to boost the skills section on their resumes.

The Learning Express 3.0 also has instructional courses for college students, as well as a career center for students staying in the area after graduation.

CALEB BOURQUE / The Daily Reveille

Carver Branch Library sits on Terrace Street in Baton Rouge, LA on Tuesday, Jan. 23.

CALEB BOURQUE / The Daily Reveille

Main Library provides visitors with numerous resources, including study rooms, 140 person computers and a career center.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 TIGER STADIUM, from page 3 stealing merchandise. In 2017, there were eight eight reported break-ins at Tiger Stadium.

Tiger Stadium is not alone.

The scoreboards at Alex Box Stadium also remain lit well into the night. The scoreboards’ LED lighting system keeps the athletic department’s electricity cost to a minimum by limiting the amount of electricity being used.

Many of the campus sports teams use the scoreboard for recruiting purposes. Teams request the boards to be on and showing a logo or image to impress recruits.

“Recruiting is nearly a year-round occasion for us,” Adams said.

On holidays, the scoreboard displays a correlating scheme of colors. The system allows for hundreds of color schemes.

In a 2012 ESPN article covering the new lights in Tiger Stadium, LSU Deputy Director of Athletics Eddie Nunez discussed the importance of lighting up Tiger Stadium.

“We wanted to bring it back to life and restore its luster— and then also try to find a way to make it exciting for our fans, give it some fresh life,” Nunez said in the article.

Luster and recruiting aside, Tiger Stadium’s scoreboard will continue to shine into the near future.

SCOTT, from page 3 would appreciate the honesty.”

Scott made no direct reply, but tweeted a day later from Louisiana, where he was trying to convince local businesses to move to Florida. Although still concerning the same subject matter — namely, the luring away of Louisiana businesses — the tweet garnered no response from Edwards.

“With no income tax, a low business tax and a businessfriendly environment,” Scott last tweeted on the issue, “Florida is the perfect location for Louisiana business owners and families who want to keep more of their hard-earned money.”

page 5 Some Louisianans seemed to disagree with this view.

LSU economics associate professor Stephen Barnes said Scott’s statements were an overreach, and ultimately an extremely limited view of Louisiana businesses.

“What the Florida governor is doing is certainly unconventional, and I would think in many ways, is somewhat of a low blow, to have the governor of a large, politically influential state, a relatively high income state, travel to a relatively low income state to attract businesses,” Barnes said, “It’s a much more aggressive approach than what is typical.”

The U.S. Census Bureau recorded 105, 575 total employer establishments in Louisiana for 2015, along with 358,223 total nonemployer establishments. Nonemployer establishments are businesses that have no paid employees but have business receipts of $1,000 a year, and pay federal income taxes.

Florida had 532,830 total employer establishments and 2,040,339 total nonemployer establishments recorded in the U.S. Census Bureau for 2015. If Scott’s plan to lure away Louisiana business succeeds, the disparity between Florida and Louisiana businesses will be even greater.

SOPHIE GRANZOW / The Daily Reveille

LSU Tiger Stadium shines bright on Jan. 22 on LSU campus.

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Gov. John Bel Edwards calls out Florida Gov. Rick Scott for “domestic trade mission,” which Scott announced Jan. 16.

PROFESSORS, from page 3 Distinguished Faculty Awards in May. Several University students were pleased with the new award, calling for more attention to the professors that deserve it.

“I do believe that teachers are underappreciated,” said animal science sophomore Ethan Kraemer. “They put in a lot of work, and a lot of students will take that for granted just because they might not get the best grade that

they want. I think that getting the students to be able to vote on it is great, because it doesn’t just give the students a voice, but also lets the teachers know that if they get nominated, [they’re] doing something right. And the teachers that don’t get nominated maybe strive to get better.”

Psychology senior Tracie Hardwick said she is excited about the opportunity to make a nomination herself.

“A lot of professors do work

outside of the classroom and a lot of students don’t see that,” Hardwick said. “The only other voice we really have is on RateMyProfessors, which can be very inaccurate.”

Environmental engineering senior Harris Bienn agreed that allowing students to have a voice is important.

“I do think that excellence and communication in teaching should definitely be awarded and recognized,” Bienn said.

CAMPUS CRIME BRIEFS

Three Student receives students misdemeanor drug charge arrested for criminal mischief University students Jeffrey Brainard and Olivia Chaisson were issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal mischief on Jan. 17 after using a fire extinguisher on the third floor of Herget Hall on Jan. 15. A third student, Jeffrey Tate, was issued a misdemeanor summons for criminal mischief on Jan. 18, according to LSU Media Relations Director Ernie Ballard.

University student Parker C. Snead was issued a misdemeanor summons for simple possession of marijuana after LSUPD officers smelled a strong odor of unburnt marijuana during a traffic stop on Jan. 17. Snead admitted to being in possession of the marijuana during the investigation, Ballard said.

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Student arrested for DWI University student Kirt Quinton Thibodeaux, Jr., was arrested on a DWI charge and was booked into East Baton Rouge Parish Prison on Jan. 18 after veering into a tree on Nicholson Drive,

according to the affidavit from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Thibodeaux denied having consumed any alcoholic beverages, but failed sobriety tests, according to the affidavit.

The Daily Reveille

page 6

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Sports

page 7 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Louis named to Senior CLASS Award Top Thirty

BY JBRIAAN JOHNSON @JBriaanJohnson

FLOORED IT Lexie Priessman feels healthy, works her way into more lineups

BY KENNEDI LANDRY @ landryyy14

LSU coach D-D Breaux said that if wanting, wishing and desire got you in a lineup, junior allarounder Lexie Priessman would already be in LSU’s floor lineup.

Priessman is one of the top bar workers in the country, but her goal this season is to show her talents in more than one event.

The reigning Southeastern Conference bars champion has made appearances in other events throughout her first two seasons as a Tiger, but injuries have held her back.

“I’m most definitely looking forward to [getting in more events],” Priessman said. “I’ve worked hard this offseason and into this preseason, and my team’s really pushed me. I can’t thank the team enough for being there to support me, as well as the coaches.”

Priessman has competed on both bars and vault so far this season, averaging 9.888 and 9.913 respectively, and ranked No. 12 in the nation in both events.

She hopes that she can get to the point this season where she can add floor soon and eventually beam closer to the end of the season.

“That’s what she wants to do,” Breaux said. “That’s her goal, and she pretty much meets her goals, so we’ll see if we can help put her there.”

Priessman has struggled with injuries as an elite gymnast and has been working to get into form since she arrived in Baton Rouge as a freshman. She has had six major surgeries, most recently on her knee following the 2017 season.

Despite knee troubles at the midpoint of her sophomore

see PRIESSMAN, page12

season, Priessman scored a 9.95 at the SEC Championship, a 9.925 at Semifinal II and 9.90 at the NCAA Super Six. Priessman broke into the vault lineup this season after being limited to just bars halfway through the 2017 season. Those injuries have limited her production and training on beam and floor.

While she is no doubt one of LSU’s biggest contributors on bars, she has not competed on beam since the first meet of her freshman year, where she posted a 9.725. She competed on floor four times during her sophomore season for an average of 9.685 before injuring her knee.

For right now, getting into the floor lineup is Priessman’s main priority.

“We’ve got to make sure that her tumbling skills are where

Senior guard Raigyne Louis has been the catalyst for LSU coach Nikki Fargas’ team since arriving to Baton Rouge in 2013.

As a fifth-year senior, Louis has developed into the undoubted leader of the team. Most recently, Louis has been selected as one of the Top 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award.

The Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award is awarded to the most outstanding student-athlete in Division I athletics and is primarily focused on what student-athletes do to positively impact their communities.

In 2006, former Lady Tiger Seimone Augustus won the award and is the only LSU player to do so since the award was established in 2002.

“All the glory will have to go to God for this type of recognition,” Louis said. “Being recognized for this award is a blessing because of the hard work that I put in to become the player I am today. It’s truly a blessing.”

The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native has been a standout humanitarian to go along with her skills on the court.

Louis and her teammates have taken part in many engagements that give back to the Baton Rouge community.

see CLASS AWARD, page 12

STUDENT LIFE

LSU student awarded ‘Most Interesting Fan of College Football’

BY TREASURE WASHINGTON @ Twashington490 LSU senior Christian Christoffersen didn’t know what to expect as Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Fan of College Football.”

But out of thousands of participants, Christoffersen, also known as “Tiger Eye Guy” was the one chosen for the prestigious title.

Participants of the “Most Interesting Fan of College Football” were chosen from Twitter, Instagram and the Dos Equis web forms. Christoffersen and a Michigan fan were announced as the two finalists.

During the week of the National Championship in Atlanta, Christoffersen was awarded with

a life-size statue of himself at the College Football Hall of Fame.

He mingled with the competition’s spokesperson, Rob Riggle, and former USC quarterback Matt Leinart.

Christoffersen even enjoyed his very first Dos Equis with “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” Augustin Legrand, and sat in a VIP seat near the Georgia sideline cheering for the Bulldogs.

“I actually went to the same high school as [former Georgia running back] Knowshon Moreno, so it was kind of natural to root for Georgia then,” Christoffersen said.

But Christoffersen was born to be a Tiger. The Middletown, New Jersey, native grew up watch-

ing LSU football and said that his friends started getting into college football while in high school to see where they were going to go in the future.

That’s when LSU football stuck with him. Once he was accepted into the University, he didn’t want to apply anywhere else.

Christoffersen has donned the signature tiger eye on his stomach since his freshman year. His friend’s girlfriend, Brenna, used to paint the eye on Saturday mornings, but because of a tight work schedule last season, she ended up painting the eye on Friday nights.

As a result, Christoffersen would be forced to sleep on his back

see CHRISTOFFERSEN, page 12

DILYN STEWART / The Daily Reveille

LSU political science and history senior Christian Christoffersen shows off his school pride on the Parade Ground on Sept. 23.

The Daily Reveille

page 8

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

FOOTBALL

Trio of receivers expected to fill void of Chark, Gage in 2018

BY JACOB BECK @Jacob_Beck25 Along with the question of who will fill the void at running back in the upcoming 2018 season, there is also the question of who will replace senior wide receivers DJ Chark and Russell Gage.

Chark was LSU’s leading receiver last year, catching 40 passes for 874 yards, with three receiving TDs. Chark also ran for 68 yards on 12 attempts with one rushing TD. Gage was heavily involved in both the passing game and rushing attack, catching 21 passes for 285 yards with three receiving TDs, and 28 rushes for 235 yards with one rushing TD. The two receivers combined for eight total TDs and 1,462 total yards. They accounted for 43 percent of the total receiving yards for the 2017 season.

As for the returning receivers, only three had over 100 receiving yards. Sophomore Stephen Sullivan had the most receiving yards last year with 219, sophomore Drake Davis had the second-most with 134, and sophomore Derrick Dillon had the third-most with 125. The trio combined for three TDs, Davis with two and Sullivan with one.

A name some Tiger fans may be hearing frequently heading into the 2018 season is junior wide receiver Jonathan Giles.

Giles transferred to LSU in 2017 after his sophomore season at Texas Tech, where he was their leading receiver with 69 catches for 1,158 receiving yards and 13 TDs. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Giles had to sit out the 2017 season, but he is expected to be a heavy contributor in the receiving game next year. LSU coach Ed Oregeron quoted that the defense “couldn’t cover” Giles in training camp, according to an article by NOLA.com. Giles could even end up being the Tigers’ leading receiver.

Widely regarded as a top-20 overall prospect in the country, Terrace Marshall Jr. is a fivestar prospect from Bossier City, LA, and LSU’s top recruit in the 2018 signing class. Marshall Jr. didn’t play his senior year due to injury, but in his junior and sophomore seasons, he had over 2,500 receiving yards and 30 TDs. Marshall Jr. will have the opportunity to prove his ability during the spring, and should be a factor next season.

Of the returners, Sullivan had the most receiving yards and will need to step into the leadership role that Chark and Gage held as seniors. Sullivan is a big target at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, and could see more red zone targets as the Tigers will be losing their top running backs: Derrius Guice and

HASKELL WHITTINGTON / The Daily Reveille

LSU football fans are looking forward to spring recruitment and are hoping for a great season this fall.

Darrel Williams.

As evidenced by his play in the 2017 season, Davis has the ability and speed to be a deepball threat, catching an 87-yard pass for a TD in LSU’s 35-26 win over Syracuse.

Davis is certainly one of the

better athletes at receiver, but whether or not he can be more than a deep-ball threat remains to be seen. If Davis can improve his route-running, he should see more targets in 2018.

For LSU’s offense to succeed, they will need all of the names

listed above to contribute in a big way, as there are no proven options at receiver other than Giles, albeit his stats come from a completely different offensive scheme. So for the 2018 receiving corps, they will have a lot to prove.

SOFTBALL

Senior pitcher looks ahead to final season after knee injury

BY TREASURE WASHINGTON @Twashington490 LSU senior pitcher Carley Hoover is ready to have fun with her teammates in her final season at Tiger Park.

“The drive back here from home this time around, I just had a very different perspective,” Hoover said. “It’s just been work before, and it’s still work, but I’m just excited to close out my career here.”

Expectations continue to rise for the Tigers and with the regular season just two weeks away, they are ranked fourth in the Southeastern Conference preseason polls.

Hoover is entering her senior season as energized as ever. After injuring her knee against Ole Miss last April, she put her durability to the test in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional the following month.

When her team was on the verge of elimination, Hoover helped lead them to victory twice. She ended up tying a school record with her 15th career postseason win.

Following LSU’s loss to Oregon in the Women’s College World Series, Hoover had surgery on her knee. The type of surgery that she had took a

JORDAN MARCELL / The Daily Reveille

LSU then-junior pitcher Carley Hoover (21) readies for play during the Tigers’ 3-0 loss to Minnesota on March 4, at Tiger Park. while for the bone to heal, and as a result, she was sidelined for all fall workouts.

Despite her long rehabilitation process, Hoover was adamant about taking her time and not forcing things too quickly.

“Fall didn’t matter as much as spring is going to matter, and preseason isn’t going to matter as much as postseason is going to matter,” Hoover said. “So, it’s all about taking care of my body one day at a time.”

There were many learning curves that LSU had to face last season. Hoover described those lessons as very hard to learn in the moment and felt for the underclassmen that were going through the same thing.

However, she and her team are ready to move past those curves from last season and have a brand new outlook for this season.

“When you first show up on campus, you think that this is going to last forever, and all of a sudden, it’s your fourth year,” Hoover said. “I’m just ready to have fun.”

But if there’s one trait that Hoover is learning more of this season, it’s the trait of patience.

LSU coach Beth Torina commends Hoover for her patience and growth throughout the fall and praised her for her help in setting the bar so high for the softball program.

“The cool thing about Carley is that she’s always tinkering and trying to get better,” Torina said. “That’s exciting as a coach to see a kid that’s already accomplished so much just continuing to find ways to be better.”

Hoover expressed her gratitude for making it to her senior year and wants to focus more on living in the moment.

“I’m going to enjoy every weekend and every tournament game,” Hoover said. “It’s not just about the postseason, but it’s about sharing moments with my teammates.”

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

page 9

OPINION

Super Bowl LII shaping up to be down-to-the-wire game CAL’D UP CHRIS CALDARERA @caldarera11 A 2017 National Football League season that began with patriotic protests and boycotts will conclude with a Super Bowl match-up that pits the two most patriotically-named franchises in the league against one another.

Super Bowl LII will feature the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots (13-3) and the National Football Conference champion Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) on Feb. 4th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The last time these two teams met with all the marbles on the line was Super Bowl XXXIX, with the Patriots edging out the Eagles to claim the franchise’s second-straight Super Bowl title.

The Patriots once again find themselves playing for a consecutive Super Bowl title, as the New England based franchise was able to accomplish an unforgettable comeback win against the Atlanta Falcons a year prior in Super Bowl LI. Needless to say, winning is not a foreign concept to a Patriots organization that has

won the World Championship five times in 10 total appearances.

Meanwhile, the words “Philadelphia Eagles” and “winning” don’t usually materialize in the same sentence.

The Eagles are hoping to reward their fan base with the franchise’s first Super Bowl title after falling short in their two previous attempts.

Many NFL pundits lacked enthusiasm about the Eagles’ chances to run the table in the NFC after starting quarterback Carson Wentz was sidelined with an ACL tear at the end of the regular season, and the performance of his successor may be the biggest surprise of this year’s playoffs.

Nick Foles has done an admirable job stepping into the starting signal-caller role for the Eagles, and is hoping to become the 1Oth backup quarterback, the first since quarterback Tom Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI, to lead his team to a World Championship win.

Foles passed for 246 yards against the Falcons in the divisional round and made beating the Vikings’ top-ranked defense look like child’s play when he threw for 352 yards in the NFC championship.

Philadelphia’s recent offen-

sive performances bode well for them considering their next match-up is against a Patriots defense that allowed 374 total yards against a Jaguars team led by the notoriously average Blake Bortles.

Despite their close call against a heavy underdog in the AFC title game, the Patriots are still a five and a half point favorite to bring home the championship.

This is largely due to the postseason consistency demonstrated by New England coach Bill Belichick and Brady.

It’s hard to bet against a player like Brady who has reached the Super Bowl in eight of his 16 seasons as a starter, or a coach like Belichick who has eight Super Bowl appearances and five championships to his name — each of which is the most for a coach in NFL history.

However, the Eagles are not as much of an underdog as some fans may think.

Philadelphia’s offense features explosive play makers in running back Jay Ajayi, tight end Zach Ertz and receiver Alshon Jeffery. Couple that with the consistency that Foles and the Eagles defense has demonstrated in the playoffs, and this may be the team with the

courtesy of FLICKR

Super Bowl LII will be a match-up between the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles, taking place Feb. 4 in the US Bank Stadium. best shot to unseat the Patriots.

The status of New England tight end Rob Gronkowski is also questionable after the star tight end suffered a concussion in the AFC championship against Jacksonville. The Patriots are fully capable of winning without him, but losing him gives the Eagles’ defense one less play maker to worry about.

These factors and my biased

animosity toward teams seeking to become repeat champions leads me to pick against the near surefire Belichick and Brady in the Super Bowl.

If Foles focuses on getting the ball to his offensive stars and minimizing mistakes, I’ve got the Eagles edging out the Patriots in a Super Bowl that, in all likelihood, comes down to the wire.

LSU OPERA PRESENTS

DOGDAYS JANUARY 26 & 28 | REILLY THEATRE Tickets available at lsu.edu/cmda/events

page 10

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

GOODBYE

Professional Baton Rouge artists Cetin Ates and Geeta Dave assisted students with texture and technique during the Mural Art Project in Kirby Smith.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Daily Reveille

Students paint murals in Kirby Smith Hall to commemorate one of the oldest buildings on campus before it is torn down

The Mural Art Project was held on Jan. 20 as part of Kirby Smith’s “Welcome Back Week.” The event allowed Kirby Smith residents to paint murals in the hall for the first time.

page 11

PHOTOS BY ISABELLA ALLEN

The Daily Reveille

page 12 PRIESSMAN, from page 7 they need to be and she’s strong enough to get to that last tumbling pass and be safe,” Breaux said.

In order to break into the floor lineup, Priessman will need to work in the weekly intrasquad to show that her body can handle the tumbling.

LSU’s influx of dynamic freshmen has made the competition much harder. Freshman Sarah Edwards has shown consistency on the floor and vault, while Christina Desiderio and Reagan Campbell have held down the middle of LSU’s beam lineup.

Priessman said the freshman have come in and made those who have been in lineups before push even harder.

“I’m going to work hard this week to work my way into that lineup,” Priessman said. “It’s a good thing that

Wednesday, January 24, 2018 CLASS AWARD, from page 7

I personally feel like I’m at my healthiest that I’ve been here in college.

LEXIE PRIESSMAN

LSU Gymnast

I have to work my way into a lineup because it just shows you the depth that we have on this team and everyone is constantly pushing each other.”

Breaux has always had depth on her teams, but this team puts her in a good place of having to choose from multiple routines while also having substitutions when necessary.

While she doesn’t feel like she will ever be 100 percent

again, Priessman said this is the best she has felt in years and hopes she will be healthy and consistent enough to insert herself in more lineups.

“I personally feel like I’m at my healthiest that I’ve been here in college,” Priessman said. “It’s always a good thing to feel that way. I’m someone who has been through a lot down the road, but I can say right now that I feel the best that I have in college.”

“I worked at a YMCA last semester and worked out with kids,” Louis said. “I also referee flag football for the kids. There is an after-school care for an elementary school where we played around and read books to them.”

Giving back has always been a priority for Louis since she experienced players giving her that sense of joy growing up.

“Some of those things have happened to me,” Louis said.

“People gave back to me and just gave us their time and that’s what we are doing for kids.

Working with the kids is always a blessing.”

Fargas has spoken highly of her senior guard and what she has done for the program and the Baton Rouge community.

Fargas has referred to Louis as an “ambassador” for women’s basketball and has valued her success in the classroom just as much as her success on the hardwood.

“It’s definitely well-deserved because she has put in the work,” Fargas said. “For her to be recognized on the national level for her contributions speaks volumes of the work she puts into

becoming a terrific player on both sides of the basketball.”

Fargas has consistently highlighted the versatility of Louis’ skill set, which makes her one of the elite players in the country and one of the best she has ever coached.

“She can guard anybody in the country and she could score on anybody in the country,” Fargas said. “She has a doubleside to the basketball. You have multiple players in the country that are really good on one side of the basketball, but Raigyne is exceptional on both sides of the basketball.”

As Louis’ college career begins to wind down, the defending SEC Defensive Player of the Year has solidified her legacy as one of the most accomplished Lady Tigers to put on the purple and gold. Earlier in the season, Louis became the fifth player in LSU women’s basketball history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 steals and 275 assists in a career.

The field of 30 current players will be narrowed down to 10 finalists in February, and the eventual winner will be announced during the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU senior guard Raigyne Louis (11) goes in for a lay up during the Tigers’ 96-34 victory against Mississippi College on Nov. 5, in the PMAC.

WHITNEY WILLISTON / The Daily Reveille

LSU junior Lexie Priessman celebrates after landing her vault during the Tigers’ 197.15-195.350 victory against Arkansas on Jan. 5 in the PMAC.

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MOST INTERESTING, from page 7 and then wake up at 7:55 a.m. to start his day.

“It was originally going to be painted for fun, but then sure enough it ended up being this pretty cool thing,” Christoffersen said.

“We’ve just stuck with it now for all four years.”

After watching the first commercials of “College Gameday,” Christoffersen would head to help set up his tailgate with his BBQ pork in hand. He would have other people hold his pork as he often got stopped to take pictures with fans.

“I’ll normally tailgate until around 3:30 p.m., depending on the game,” Christoffersen said. “But I usually leave my tailgate a little ear-

lier to head down to the stadium, because I’m always taking pictures.”

For the 11 a.m. Arkansas game last season, Christoffersen woke up and was ready to go well before 5 a.m.

“I still like to get there early and take in all of the festivities with the students,” Christoffersen said.

Christoffersen is expected to graduate this summer with a degree in history and is a little sad about his last spring game being right around the corner.

“I normally don’t paint up for the spring game, but I will probably go out early and take in those festivities one last time,” Christoffersen said.

“I will definitely be in attendance at the Student Day and touch the win bar.”

THE DAILY REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU senior guard Raigyne Louis (11) dribbles the ball during the Tigers’ 96-34 victory against Mississippi College on Nov. 5 in the PMAC.

Entertainment

page 13

photos by ISABELLA ALLEN

PASSION PROJECT Geology junior finds passion in art, poetry

BY KELLY SWIFT | @kellbell237

Geology junior and poet Rebecca Barnett found her passion for art later in life in an art class at the University. In fall 2017, Barnett enrolled in Art 1010 and did a passion project that began her journey into a world of finger painting and Jazz-inspired portraits.

The Baton Rouge native left professor Eli Casiano’s art class with an unfinished portrait that would eventually turn into a magnificent work of finger paint art,

portraying a beautiful jazz musician. Though Barnett felt that her painting was complete, Casiano assured her that it was unfinished and pushed her to take a second look at it. Over the winter break, Barnett did just that. She added texture to the piece and made it vibrantly come to life.

“I wanted to make it more expressive and make it more me,” Barnett said.

Barnett may have had a late start into the art world, but that

doesn’t mean she is any less talented. She picks up skills easily.

She has been wanting to play the piano since a young age, but only just recently had the opportunity to do so.

“I took a piano class at LSU, I found myself doing most of the real work outside of class,” Barnett said.

Her piano skills, much like her art skills, didn’t take long to master.

see BARNETT, page 16

LIFESTYLE

Effum Underground offers clients distinctive tattoos

BY KIANA NAQUIN @Quinndaishone

People from all over America come to Baton Rouge to get tattooed at Effum Underground. With over 19 years in the tattoo industry, Effum has grown into a wonderful place many of its clientele have come to know and love.

Owner Kirk Boutte is a legend to all artists both in and out of Louisiana. Baton Rouge locals see him as a great tattoo artist, but even when he is on tour, people all around America line up just to have his art be a part of them.

“In Baton Rouge, I’m local,” Boutte said, “but in other states, I’m legendary.”

Boutte said he was an artist all his life, but he still took a college approach

toward art.

Taking his education further at the Art Institute of Houston, he achieved his associates degree in visual communication and graphic design.

The name of the shop holds more symbolic meaning than what meets the eye. Most clients think the title is exactly what it says, which the owner still agrees with, but Boutte says Effum is actually an acronym for “Expressed Freedom For Unified Minds.”

Some of the artists who work at the shop didn’t start there by walking in and filling out an application. Instead, Boutte called them in their time of need.

“It was completely situational on how we linked up with Kirk,” said co-manager and artist Tony “Slim”

Leverett. “Because we didn’t come here looking for a job. We were in a situation that was out of our control and Kirk reached out to us.”

Tattoo artists Leverett and Mike Thornton have worked from the bottom up to do what they are doing today. They started with a business of their own. Leverett said they worked endless days and nights while in college trying to make money for themselves. Regardless of what they had going on, both artists believed in sharing their art with the world.

“It was always art — we would paint t-shirts and jeans, whatever we could put paint on we did it,” Thornton said.

“Before people were getting screen printed shirts, we were

see EFFUM, page 16

LAUREN WATSON / The Daily Reveille

Tattoo artist “Slim” finishes a tiger tattoo on a customer’s arm on Jan. 20 at Effum Underground.

The Daily Reveille

page 14

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

HEALTHY HUBS

Four local eateries provide clean eating alternatives

7474 CORPORATE BLVD NO. 108

FRESH KITCHEN

This meals-to-go restaurant serves only source-fresh, local ingredients. Each dish is portion-controlled and prepared using the healthiest of meth-

ods. With chef-prepared meals like turkey meatloaf, shrimp creole and quinoa primavera, healthy eating is made easy.

Most dishes are gluten-free

and a huge selection for the vegan or vegetarian is on the menu. All you need to do is stop by, pick a meal and heat it up at home.

is a perfect spot for a healthy lunch with options for any kind of diet. If you’re looking for some extra fun, the

restaurant hosts a special dinner menu and features local music about once a month.

also offers salad, pizza and breakfast foods. A vegetarian section of the menu includes a Mediterranean portobello sandwich, a Venetian

sandwich (featuring eggplant and a sun-dried tomato relish) and plenty of delicious salads.

Vegan options are available upon request.

672 JEFFERSON HIGHWAY

MJ’S CAFE

MJ’s Cafe is a delicious vegan/vegetarian restaurant with a large variety of soups, salads and sandwiches. This

3131 PERKINS ROAD

STREET BREADS

This sandwich joint originated in Lake Charles but expanded to the Baton Rouge area. Apart from just sandwiches, Street Breads

3205 PERKINS ROAD AND 333 LAUREL ST NO. 110

MAGPIE CAFE

The favorite local coffee shop has two locations to serve healthy and delicious food to

locals. The downtown and overpass locations have a lunch menu that offers vegan and gluten-free

options, including soups, salads, baked goods and even a weekend brunch menu.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

REV R ANKS CALL ME BY YOUR NAME Sony Pictures

The simplicity in the story gives you the opportunity to relate to the characters and to their situation.

The writers managed to execute a film of summer love, leaving out the cliches. Until the last credit rolls, you will be glued to your seat, hoping their relationship continues to crackle and burn long after the heat of the summer has passed.

Amaya Lynch @maya09172

MY FAVORITE MURDER Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

True crime can be a controversial topic since many people find the gory details abhorrent, but Hardstark and Kilgariff make it work. They use their undeniable humor to coat the gross reality of murder.

Murder stories can be easily horrifying, but the two hosts have made the stories bearable without being insensitive to the victims.

Kelly Swift @kellbell237

page 15

‘Alone Together’ a mediocre take on platonic relationships

BY KIANA NAQUIN @Quinndaishone Having a best friend of the opposite sex is uncommon, but Benji and Esther from “Alone Together” seem to make it work.

These two are far from the perfect dynamic duo but they complement one another well. This sitcom airs every Wednesday night after “Grown-ish” on Freeform, and I see why it’s after such a marvelous show. “Alone Together” is a mediocre sitcom about a guy and chick who are best friends and they share the same trait of complaining about their lives and blame their personality issues on other characters in the show — sometimes each other.

The show itself is comedy gold and characters get into some pretty hilarious shenanigans. The character Esther, played by Esther Povitsky, is a self-absorbed girl who obsesses way too much over Instagram trending and body image. A perfect example of this trait is in the first episode when she and Benji go to a juice shop and buy so many bags of chips because

they apparently keep girls full and skinny. It’s actually a funny scene, so I give her props for it.

She also tries to impress people and be accepted into society’s standards. She can come across as a snarky arrogant pre-madonna, but deep down she can be a good person. At least toward Benji, played by Benji Aflalo.

Benji is a rich kid who lives in his parents’ mansion with the money to get whatever he wants.

His character is more tolerable than Esther because he’s more of a realist. Benji does sometime give off the vibe that he just puts up with Esther just for kicks, but the touching moments between them really explains their chemistry.

Benji also says a lot of sarcastic phrases. In the second episode, it’s his birthday and he just wants to mope around, but when Esther tries to cheer him up and push him to actually do something fun, he rejects the idea and hits her with a few snarky comments hoping she’ll give up and leave.

Benji is adorably funny and adds a lot of charm to the show.

There is also their side friend

Jeff who we see more of in the second episode. Jeff is almost like a balancer between Benji and Esther, like when they have an argument with each other, but in the “Road Trip” episode they both find some weird logic for blaming Jeff for all the misfortunes that have occurred. It was mad rude how they treated him, but he didn’t hold it against them for some reason.

It seems peculiar these Freeform sitcoms are keeping the actor names the same as character names. It just seems like lazy producing, but hey they are the show writers.

I’m hoping Benji and Esther both see they were romantically made for each other, but knowing the producers, they’ll save those kind of spoilers for the end.

Esther and Benji are two millennial misfits who come from two different backgrounds, but internally they are the same characters. They are only trying to blend into the culture-obsessed world of Los Angeles, and regardless of who likes them or puts up with their faults, Benji and Esther know they’ll always have each other.

BLUE MADONNA BØRNS

Lead singer Garrett Clark Borns, with his vocal androgyny, should be producing fresh content; very few male singers in the business can hit notes like he can. His singles from 2015’s “Dopamine” took the alternative faction by storm. Though the sound wasn’t new, it was interesting and everyone knew “Electric Love.” His sophomore record just failed to produce anything obsess-worthy.

Emma Burlette @theburlettegirl

Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/daily/entertainment

courtesy of ABC STUDIOS

The Daily Reveille

page 16 BARNETT, from page 13 Barnett is most proud of her sponge painting, “Beach House.” The painting features two lovers kissing and encompasses almost every color imaginable. Barnett uses literature, like Vladimir Nabokov’s “Lolita,” to kickstart her artistic ideas.

“I get into these creative phases. They come and go,” Barnett said. “A big thing that influenced my painting is poetry. I used to be an English major, so I have to have an emotional attachment to a painting.

Poetry does that for me.”

Not only is Barnett a talented artist, but she has also recently learned the piano and is a practicing poet. She hopes to publish a chapbook filled with her poems. She read with the Delta Literary Journal, opened for the Langston Hughes Project in March 2017 at LSU and wants to compete in the national poetry slam. She uses poetry, often her own, for the inception of her artwork.

“I don’t think I’d sell my artwork yet, I’d rather give it to people,” Barnett said. “I’d love to have it hung on somebody else’s wall so they can appreciate it, rather than under my bed where nobody can see it.”

EFFUM, from page 13 doing 15-20 shirts by hand.”

Those who were there getting their clothing redesigned were also the first in line to get tattoos from them.

“Our first clientele were the people we painted shirts and hoodies for,” Thornton said.

Boutte offered Thornton and Leverett a chance to expand their talents and share their art with their community. Now, it is their career and they enjoy every minute of it.

“It’s a therapeutic session,” Leverett said. “People come and they laugh, cry and share memories with us, but overall

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

I realized that whatever I make is not gonna be the best thing ever, but it’s also not gonna be the worst thing ever.

REBECCA BARNETT

LSU geology junior

If Barnett could be an artist during any period of history, she would choose the 1960s, specifically the Vietnam War. She feels passionate about the war and its detrimental effects on American society. She even has a poem dedicated to the time surrounding the War. “I am very in touch with my emotions,” Barnett said.

“With all of the changing politics and death surrounding that time period, my poetry and art could express my feelings about that.”

While attending the University, Barnett not only learned to explore new hobbies but to be confident while learning those hobbies. She won a contest that gave her the opportunity to open for the Langston

Hughes Project and share her poetry.

“I wasn’t all that nervous, I even began to cry in the middle of it,” Barnett said. “It was such an amazing moment, and I got to share myself and my work with over 200 people.”

Barnett may stick to her major, geology, and do fieldwork in science. However, her dream job is to become a professor of literature at an ivy league school. She also hopes to continue exploring her artistic side with her sketches, poetry, paintings and piano skills.

“When I reached a certain level of comfort,” Barnett said, “I realized that whatever I make is not gonna be the best thing ever, but it’s also not gonna be the worst thing ever.”

they have a great time. I am an can come to take their mind off artist at heart, and I would still of it and feel a good vibe.”

Most of the tattoo artists do this if I did not get paid for have their own it.” specialty from Effum is a place people can “People come and portraits, to cover-ups, and even go not just for they laugh, cry and bring older tata tattoo, but for a place of com- share memories with toos back to life. fort. They can be Effum’s main us, but overall they specialty has alaccepted by the artists with open have a great time.” ways been the amazing color arms. work they can “This is also put on darker a safe refuge for TONY “SLIM” LEVERETT surfaces. people to come Tattoo artist “We can when they just make color want to hang out and have a good time,” Lever- pop on darker skin tones and ett said. “They might be going we’re also out of the box and through something and they creative with pieces that’ve

ISABELLA ALLEN / The Daily Reveille

LSU geology junior Rebecca Barnett showcases a variety of artwork on Jan. 21 at Highland Coffees on Highland Road. been done over time, and making outdated pieces updated pieces,” Thornton said.

The artists also work hard to give their clients what they’re looking for. All the artists there know that not everyone is perfect and sometimes people change their minds, but it’s the artist’s job to give their client something new and improved.

“It’s always shake-back season at Effum Underground because 75 to 80 percent of our work is fixing or covering up other artists mistakes,” Leverett said.

Boutte sees college kids on a daily basis.

“My number one priority

when I deal with young people is to make sure that the tattoo won’t keep them from reaching whatever they’re trying to do in life,” Boutte said.

Effum is an organic shop with original tattoo artists.

This shop and its employees are a family. They all work together to bring art into the Baton Rouge community. They are far from mediocre and different from the rest.

“There are tattoo shops on every corner now,” Boutte said.

“Your clientele can go anywhere they want. The reason they come to you is not because of your art, it’s because of who you are.”

LAUREN WATSON / The Daily Reveille

Kirk Boutte tattoos a woman’s ankle in his tattoo shop, Effum Underground, on Jan. 20.

Opinion

page 17

Enablers to blame for decades of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse THE NIEMAN NOISE SETH NIEMAN @seth_nieman Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, Kyle Stephens and Jamie Dantzscher are just a few of the more than 100 women who were sexually abused by former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar that valiantly shared their stories at a four-day sentencing hearing in court last week.

Unless you have been closely following this case since its inception around the end of 2016, it is highly unlikely that you are aware of the sentencing hearing that took place. That is because cable news channels provided the hearing with an amount of coverage that likely fared equivalent to their shows’ closing credits.

According to Media Matters for America, from 4 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 15 to 9 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC devoted a meager 19 minutes and 47 seconds of coverage to the hearing and the women’s statements. CNN spent 11 minutes and 49 seconds on the topic. MSNBC spent 4 minutes and 9 seconds covering the topic and Fox News spent just 3 minutes and 49 seconds. MMFA stated that CNN only spent around 4 minutes on the topic before interviewing Dantzscher on

Friday on their early morning show “New Day.” On July 11, Nassar, who spent nearly 20 years on staff at MSU’s athletic department, pleaded guilty to three counts of child pornography in federal court. As time progressed and more women began to share their allegations against Nassar, he eventually pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual assault in Ingham County Circuit Court in Lansing, MI. According to the Lansing State Journal, “more than 140 women and girls have filed lawsuits against Nassar, MSU or USA Gymnastics and said that Nassar sexually abused them. The allegations date to as early as 1994.”

Nassar was quietly fired by USA Gymnastics in the summer of 2015 after allegations surfaced, but stayed on staff with Michigan State until reports of allegations that appeared in the Indianapolis Star led to his firing from the university in September 2016.

This is the most horrific case of sexual abuse in the history of sports and it has been repeatedly brushed over as if it bears no importance. This blatant disregard for the protection of young female athletes is disgusting and the silence does nothing but create an environment where actions like Nassar’s remain feasible.

Nothing else proves this to

be true more than the $1.25 million settlement agreement that Maroney, an Olympic goldmedalist, signed in 2016 in exchange to remain silent about Nassar’s abuse.

It’s simple. Nassar’s crimes would not have been possible without the complicity of the enablers in USA Gymnastics and at Michigan State University.

The uncomfortable dialogue must continue in order to enact change, but there is also a single objective that must take place within both institutions in order to create a just path for the future of the sport.

First, the United States Olympic Committee must decertify USA Gymnastics as the governing body for the sport because of its failure to protect its young athletes from a predator like Nassar. This is a move that would place the blame for this failure on the entire USA Gymnastics leadership and essentially begin a clean slate within the sport until a new governing body can be established.

Second, President Lou Anna Simon of Michigan State University must resign. The Detroit News reported last Thursday that Simon “was informed in 2014 that a Title IX complaint and a police report had been filed against an unnamed physician.” Larissa Boyce is the first person who is believed to have told someone at MSU about Nassar in 1997, nearly 20

ETHAN GILBERTI / The Daily Reveille

years before he was fired and prosecuted. Simon appeared in the courtroom briefly last Wednesday. When Boyce prepared to give her statement, she asked Simon to return to hear what she had to say. Boyce told the courtroom that Simon told her that she couldn’t fit it into her schedule, but would watch the live stream.

I remain puzzled by this display of arrogance and apathy

by Simon, because it is this type of action that alludes to the issue of silence. The level of disinterest that has been shown in this case is what ignited all of

this in the first place. In order to answer the question of “How does this happen?” we have to be willing to listen and raise the voices of those have been affected firsthand.

“For this sport to go on, we need to demand real change, and we need to be willing to fight for it,” said Raisman as she gave her statement last Friday. “It’s clear now that if we leave it up to these organizations, history is likely to repeat itself.”

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

Obama’s legacy not erased by Trump administration FRANKLY SPEAKING

president should always act with the American people in mind, not his or her own biases or motives.

“I’ve reflected back and JUSTIN FRANKLIN simply cannot find another in@justinifranklin stance in recent American hisPresident Trump seems to be tory where a new administracommitted to destroying the leg- tion was so wholly committed to acy of former president Barack reversing the accomplishments Obama one policy initiative at of its predecessor,” said Russell a time. From his Riley, a presidential historian at ongoing attempt University of to dismantle the Trump has yet to truly the Virginia’s Miller Affordable Care Act to his constant value the substance of his Center.

Trump is more repeal of Obama- job. People look to him for era regulations, direction and inspiration, focused on beTrump is precipi- not degradation by tweets. ing anti-Obama, tously attempting a platform he to leave no trace firmly stood by of the Obama adduring his camministration. paign, than he is on forming With the peaceful transition policy to help every American of power, it is the right of any he was elected to govern. Clearly new president to change direc- the notion of creating policies to tion on any number of domestic help every American, not just his or foreign policies and directives. base, is not clear to him.

It’s to be expected that Trump, Most presidents spend the first a self-proclaimed conservative year outlining goals and working Republican, would lead the free to form a policy track to call their world differently than a Demo- own. This might mean breaking cratic Obama administration. away and changing some policies Despite party differences, the of his or her predecessor. But

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA / The Daily Reveille

President Trump and President Obama’s policies and viewpoints differ drastically. with Trump, there are no clear replacements or strong contributing ideas to stand in the place of the Obama-era programs he is terminating. He is acting purely out of spite and resentment of the Obama administration.

Fortunately, a great number of

Obama’s greatest achievements cannot be undone. The previous administration did countless things that will leave a lasting impression on American life.

Obama’s world-shaking, hopebringing, mind-blowing and barrier-breaking ascension to being the first black president of

the United States of America cannot be repealed. Obama’s skillful leadership that vanquished the recession won’t be replaced.

This very same Commander-inchief authorized the raid that resulted in termination of Osama bin Laden, a feat that cannot be dissolved.

In addition to the foreign and domestic policies and programs, the Obama administration built an administration based on integrity and accuracy. Trump has yet to truly value the substance of his job. People look to him for direction and inspiration, not degradation by tweets.

Frankly speaking, “the Don” fails to realize Obama will forever have one of the greatest legacies in American political history. There is absolutely no word or policy under the Trump administration that can scratch the surface of the years of respectable, professional leadership that drove America from 2008 to 2016.

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

The Daily Reveille

page 18

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Sex education necessary, crucial addition to school curriculum SARAH SAYS SARAH GROBETY @sarah_grobety Let’s talk about sex, baby!

There is a huge knowledge gap for many high school graduates because school did not properly prepare them for real life situations. Whether it be taxes, life skills or sex and the human body, students are leaving high school unprepared for adulthood. By age 18, 70 percent of U.S. females and 62 percent of U.S. males have initiated vaginal sex, according to the Advocates for Youth. For such a high percentage, only 24 states have mandatory sex education in public schools, but there are no guidelines for private schools.

Approximately 94 percent of adults believe that contraception should be taught as part of sex education. Most adults prefer a mixture of abstinence and contraception be taught to help reduce unplanned pregnancies, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Few states mandate comprehensive sex education, often citing religious affiliations as the reason. There are children and teens who have no knowledge of their own bodies until it is too late to teach them

about staying safe and being respectful toward their body and others’.

Some states have abstinence-only education in which students are told not to have sex and are given little to no information about contraception. The issue is those students are still having sex, just with less information to make smart decisions. Studies show abstinence-only education does not change the average age sex is initiated or the number of partners. States that teach abstinence even receive $50 million of taxpayer money according to the Health Research Fund.

There needs to be a standard for sex education in private schools. All private school students have to reach a certain math and English level before they graduate, and it should be no different for sex education.

Graduates of private schools have the same anatomy as public school students do and have sex, too. Students should not be able to leave high school not knowing about their bodies, even if they went to a private Christian school.

While it is understandable that some religions may not believe in teaching about contraceptive methods, it is important to remember not

every student who goes to a religiously affiliated school is religious. Teaching primarily abstinence with some additional information about contraception is the best way to cover all bases. This would also ensure every student gets the necessary information about the choices they will inevitably make.

Thorough sex education should have many different components including, but not limited to, information about abstinence, contraceptives, HIV and other STIs. Having an understanding of the basic biological processes for both sexes is crucial. No boy should graduate not knowing about the female reproductive system and vice versa.

Because some of this information can be such a sensitive subject for many preteens and adolescents, some may argue the “sex talk” should come in high school. Children start puberty around ages 11 and 12 for girls and boys respectively, so middle school is the most opportune time to introduce them. Tweens’ bodies are changing and hormones are raging well before they enter high school.

The societal pressures and expectations of high school should not be put on a young

ETHAN GILBERTI / The Daily Reveille

teen who has never had any sort of sex education before.

Sex education shouldn’t be skipped in middle and high school curriculum. Everyone should be informed about their own reproductive organs as

well as the opposite sex’s so they can make safe, informed decisions about their bodies.

Sarah Grobety is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from Atlanta, Georgia.

Media misrepresents, exploits LGBTQ community for profit WELL, SHE TRIED. CHANTELLE BAKER @deannayukari As time has gone on, our society has become seemingly more and more accepting of the LGBTQ community. There have been conversations about becoming even more inclusive by doing things such as having a lesbian Disney princess or having more LGBTQ cartoon characters. Have you ever stopped to wonder if these ideas are those of the LGBTQ community or if they’re from others who wish to profit from them? It seems the reasoning for it is not for LGBTQ recognition, but for media developers to receive a check from it.

LGBTQ characters are almost never portrayed in realistic ways. It’s understandable to say films and television purposely exagerate character roles to catch the attention of the audience, but most of the time it’s actually quite offensive. In a Huffington Post article authored by a middle school student named Harvey who identifies as queer, she says lesbians are most often hypersexualized in the media, leading people to believe their relationships are “synonymous with sexuality and sex.” Everyone knows sex

ETHAN GILBERTI/ The Daily Reveille

sells, and movie develop- However, even though the meers certainly dia seems to be benefit from the including more inaccurate deLGBTQ roles, piction of the LGBT characters are they’re most often LGBTQ commu- almost never portrayed played by straight actors. The reanity. Some may in realistic ways. say it’s simply an soning for this achievement to seems to come have these LGdown to the judgBTQ roles at all, ments placed on regardless of whether the rep- gay actors. A study done by the resentation is accurate or not. Screen Actors Guild-American

Federation of Television and Radio Artists discovered more than half of gay, lesbian and bisexual performers have overheard directors and producers making anti-gay remarks about the actors. The level of hypocrisy in the media makes it hard to believe they’re creating these films for representation instead of for their own monetary gain.

There are those who

may argue gay roles don’t necessarily require gay actors.

They could say gay actors often portray straight people, making it a double standard. However, SAG-AFTRA has also found that LGBTQ individuals are “less likely than heterosexual respondents to have an agent, which may put LGBTQ performers at a disadvantage when looking for work.”

“It’s not that advisable to be honest,” said Rupert Everett, an openly gay actor. “It’s not very easy. And, honestly, I would not advise any actor necessarily, if he was really thinking of his career, to come out.”

The increase in LGBTQ characters in the media is a wonderful thing. However, the lack of deeper support for the LGBTQ community and failed accuracy of the representation is not. If directors and screenwriters are being paid for these movies, there should be a deeper concern for the individuals within the community and how they’re being illustrated. In time, LGBTQ characters may become more common and well-performed.

As for now, there’s a major disconnect between what is true and what is sold.

Chantelle Baker is a 21-year-old communication studies senior from Waipahu, Hawaii.

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

page 19

Trending #MeToo movement hindered by recent false accusations CHATTING WITH ABI ABIGAIL VARNADO @abi_varn This past week, the #MeToo movement took quite the hit.

Actor Aziz Ansari was accused of sexual assault by an anonymous woman called “Grace” on Babe.net after a date went sour last September.

The internet exploded with differing reactions on the matter. Frankly, it’s quite easy to see what the issue is. Surprisingly, the issue is the accuser.

It’s horribly unfortunate to utter those words, since the #MeToo movement is an amazing thing helping women all over the world.

However, that does not mean a woman should use this movement to completely misconstrue a situation.

According to the Washington Times, after Grace and Ansari finished dinner, they decided to go to Ansari’s apartment. At the apartment, they both committed sexual acts. Grace reported feeling uncomfortable with actually having sex, so she would say, “Whoa, let’s relax for a sec, let’s chill.”

Ansari would back off, but would then try to progress with the sexual activity. He didn’t force her to do anything. Grace was not drunk and she didn’t

freeze up or say “no” or “stop” as they both continued the relations. She may have felt uncomfortable, but she kept those feelings to herself and did not inform Ansari of those feelings until the next day.

To erase any confusion: if someone offers you a cookie and you eat it, then it is a consensual act of eating that cookie. If you don’t want to eat the cookie, then you have the ability to say “no” to eating the cookie and to not eat it. If someone forces you to eat the cookie, or if you are not conscious to accept the cookie, that is not a consensual act of eating the cookie, and the person forcing it is in the wrong.

If someone offers you a cookie, and you are thinking you shouldn’t eat it because you are on a diet or don’t feel comfortable, then don’t eat it.

If you eat it anyway, that is still a consensual act of eating the cookie. You chose to eat the cookie. If you regret eating the cookie the next day, it does not count as a non-consensual act of cookie eating. The person offering the cookie cannot read your mind and understand that you are uncomfortable, so he or she is not to blame for your consumption of those calories.

According to USA Today, Ansari received texts from Grace the following day. She informed him of how uncomfortable she felt at his apartment.

Ansari claimed he felt surprised and concerned and didn’t realize she wasn’t having fun because she didn’t voice her feelings If you don’t express your feelings about a situation, then nobody will read your mind.

That’s the reality of any situation in life. If you have the ability — mentally, emotionally and physically — to vocalize your feelings, then you need to do so or the outcome may be part of your own doing.

“Our standard for sexual behavior has to be more than what’s legal or illegal — it needs to be about what’s right,” tweeted feminist author and The Guardian columnist Jessica Valenti.

“Why are so many people asking why this woman didn’t leave and so few asking why he didn’t stop?”

While Valenti’s tweet is understandable, there needs to come a point in time when people quit blaming gender norms — or any other issue out there — and start looking at themselves. As a grown woman who obviously had the ability to say no or walk out of this non-violent situation, she should have put on her “big girl panties” and done just that.

Ansari obviously had no idea what she was thinking or feeling, and since she kept playing along, it’s understandable why he kept going.

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Recent accusations against actor and comedian Aziz Ansari spark controversy surrounding his sexual conduct.

She had no right to accuse Ansari of such a career-ending and life-changing crime because she didn’t want to grow up and handle the situation.

This is insulting not only for the falsely accused, but for actual victims of these crimes.

Women are traumatized by sexual crimes.

To falsely accuse a man of assault or harassment because Grace felt uncomfortable the next day only belittles the movement and the crime itself. It makes the whole situation look ridiculous.

It’s important to know the

difference between those situations. You can’t give a cookie back after you decided to eat it and blame it on the person who offered the cookie.

It’s unfair to everyone because it will discredit actual victims as well as the #MeToo movement. If you have honestly been sexually assaulted or harassed, then that’s what the movement is for. Don’t hinder the movement because of a personal bad decision.

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

Campus clubs invisible to students, difficult to access OH, NOT AGAIN!

KYLE RICHOUX @KyleRichoux The University’s campus life website boasts a whopping 451 organizations available to students on campus. Despite this impressive number, the University rarely ever advertises them.

The suggestion that over 400 clubs and organizations exist on the campus may baffle students. You’re only likely to hear about a handful of them from your friends. The biggest current vehicle for exposing organizations is word of mouth, and it’s not nearly enough.

The University does, in fact, put out advertisements for organizations. However, the support clubs get from the University amounts to little. For example, as

of January 2018, the myLSU site is promoting an official Student Involvement Fair on Feb. 8.

Clicking on the event on the bulletin board brings you to a disappointingly unhelpful menu used only for registering organizations. The majority of students interested in organizations are looking to join a group not create their own. Unfortunately, the most easily accessed resource is unhelpful to most students.

It isn’t easy to find the bulletin in the first place. The involvement fair is listed sixth out of 14 on the news board. Given that most students enter myLSU to immediately access Moodle, many students won’t even see the bulletin featuring the involvement fair.

Arriving at the page informs you the fair is only active for one day. To make matters worse, the event only lasts from 11 a.m. to

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

1 p.m. during the lunch period.

It’s unfair to expect students to be able to make time in a period during which many students are trying to get food in between classes and a multitude of others are in classes themselves. The event taking place on just one day only adds another layer of unnecessary rigidity to foil students’ plans.

TigerLink is another tool the University hides in the background. The site aims to manage your campus activities like clubs, elections and service project.

Despite its usefulness, the site is oddly difficult to reach, requiring you to jump through digital hoops on the University’s website or search diligently through an internet browser hoping you know the right keywords to search in the first place.

The lack of resources pointing toward clubs really is a shame.

Along with 68 recreational organizations, the campus life website exposes 91 academic clubs for various honors societies and educational resources. Diversity groups provide sanctuary for those who feel marginaized, and faith-based organizations allow religious students to practice their beliefs among friends and like-minded people.

Clubs can be an integral part of students’ social lives and provide an excellent addition to any résumé. Their invisibility in the public sphere is a bane to the college experience overall. The University should make a bigger effort to promote organizations, or at least provide students with easier access to informative events.

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

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.

ETHAN GILBERTI / The Daily Reveille

Quote of the Week “It is far better to be alone than to be in bad company.”

George Washington

U.S. President Feb. 22, 1732 — Dec. 14, 1799

The Daily Reveille

page 20

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

NFL unable to protect players, disregards health risks HAMMER SEEKING NAIL SOHEIL SANEEI @soheilsaneei In the NFL Wild Card playoff game between the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton received a vicious hit to the head that disoriented him for several minutes. The NFL’s concussion protocol was handled poorly by the Carolina Panthers.

After the intense contact, Newton was seen collapsing to the ground when he attempted to walk off the field. According to NFL safety guidelines, the Carolina Panthers were required to bring him into the locker room for evaluation. Instead, they performed an on-field evaluation and put him back in the game quick enough to brew suspicion.

In recent years, football has been exposed for its violent nature. In a 2017 study of deceased American football players by the Journal of the American Medical Association, chronic traumatic encephalopathy was diagnosed in 99 percent of former NFL players. Following the suicides of Junior Seau and Aaron Hernandez, the link between brain damage and playing football has been an emotional topic.

Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter was seen in emotional distress on his show “First Things First” when discuss-

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Washington Redskins’ tight end Jordan Reed has suffered at least five concussions in his football career. ing the new research. Carter explained how his cognitive dissonance with the issue is affecting his conscious. Football served as an opportunity for him to grow despite the limited opportunities of his environment. He recalled his financial and personal success, his interpersonal relationships with coaches and job opportunities after football.

Carter is also sentimental about sharing football with his son, who plays Canadian football.

Carter went on to share his fears.

Carter grimaces when his son is hit and fears for his and his son’s health later in life. The effects of CTE are serious and Carter, like many other former players, fears the day he might suffer from a mental disease caused by

previous football injuries.

Newton told reporters his visor had simply gotten pressed into his eye causing discomfort.

This does not change the fact that Newton did fall to the ground and NFL rules mandate he be taken to the locker room. Perhaps Newton has an incentive to protect the organization because he desires to win a Super Bowl and the NFL pays him.

Newton’s unethical concussion treatment sheds light on a bigger problem at hand. Moments after the injury, social justice warriors ran to social media to argue about the justness of his treatment. Outrage sparked while many people claimed the NFL would wait until this incident died down and then do

nothing about it. This is exactly what the NFL has done.

The NFL has a history of hiding negative findings. Brain damage of players has been a pivotal issue the NFL wants to hide. It is very hard to believe the NFL cares about its players.

The NFL would rather preserve market worth by shielding itself from any public resistance.

Meanwhile, many players who are content with their lives today are not ready for the surprising consequences later in life.

We often hear football being compared to flag football when the NFL attempts to make the game safer for players. This is part of a culture we must change if we are truly fans of the athletes who play on the gridiron

once a week. The rules of football have changed to make it safer, but it hasn’t worked. The effects are just as prevalent and devastating.

We must ask ourselves if it is right to ruin the lives of young men because their actions are entertaining to us and because the organization is institutionalized in the country we live in.

Fans will often argue players are aware of what they are signing for. If youth is wasted on the youth, undoubtedly these young men would not make the decision to receive millions of dollars over a healthy and ataraxic life.

Sometimes it seems as if they have no choice.

Newton has been a polarizing figure in sports for a long time.

He is often criticized for his offfield antics. He is loved because of his idiosyncrasies like using absurd fonts in his social media posts, dressing flamboyantly and using interesting slang. Many people hate him, many people love him. Regardless, he is human. Newton, and all the athletes in the NFL, deserve better than the mental abuse the NFL puts them through. As youth football participation continues to decline, football’s greatest organization needs to figure out better options for players.

Maybe flag football is a viable alternative.

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

Trump’s stock market bragging proves commitment to rich voters FRANKLY SPEAKING JUSTIN FRANKLIN @justinifranklin The Dow Jones average recently rose to over 26,000 for the first time in history. In perfect accordance with his doctrine of bigger, better and best, it has been all too common for President Trump to tweet, even so often as twice a day, about how well the stock market is doing under his administration.

The markets are doing exceptionally well under Trump, but the rise and rejuvenation of the U.S. economy did not start on Jan. 20, 2017 with his inauguration. The markets are continuing the steady increase started during the Obama administration.

The market actually did better in former President Barack Obama’s first year than it did in Trump’s. The difference is Obama inherited a recession and Trump started with a stable market. A million tweets cannot change that fact.

More important than this notion is the analysis of who

really profits from the gains of the stock market increase. It’s rich white people.

Yes, specifically white people because race plays a key role in investing and wealth in general.

“Blacks are 35 percent less likely than whites of similar means to invest in the stock market, with a devastating effect on their ability to accumulate wealth,” ABC News said.

The correlation between race and wealth in America has always been negative for black people. Trump himself even asked the community, “What do you have to lose?” In retrospect, he never told black America what he truly had to offer.

A recent CNN Money report stated 88 percent of taxpayers who earn more than $1 million own shares in the market. The report said only 18.7 percent of taxpayers are invested in the market by stock portfolio. In a country composed of roughly 323 million people, that’s far from the majority of Americans directly benefiting from market growth.

Interestingly, IRS record data shows the states who voted for Trump in 2016 are among

the states less likely to benefit from the stock market doing well.

Why is this rich white man flaunting his apparent success in helping a relatively small faction of rich white people? Trump ran on the guarantee he supports the interests of the working-class American. Yet, the only class of Americans seeing instant dividends are wealthy people like himself.

Since Trump is clearly looking out for the interests of the richest Americans, we won’t see any programs that target the wealth gap between wealthy whites and minority Americans.

We won’t see a mandate in wage equality for women. We won’t see a federal minimum wage increase that would further economic growth.

Unfortunately, we did see massive partisan tax reform that will most likely widen the wealth gap further. We did see the repeal of the Obama-era Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order ensuring companies with government contracts comply with labor and civil rights laws. We continually see his presidential cabinet and White

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

The Dow Jones industrial average rose above 26,000 for the first time on Jan. 16.

House staff dominated by his favorite rich white people.

Frankly speaking, Trump owns the highs and lows of the stock market and the American economy for the next three years. Every time he tweets, he reminds us that

if the bubble bursts, he will be to blame. Let’s hope America won’t be listed as his seventh bankruptcy.

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