The Reveille 11-1-21

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CHANGE AGENT Collis Temple Jr. integrated LSU Athletics 50 years ago. Here’s how he wants to be remembered.

NEWS

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A resolution of no confidence against Faculty Senate leadership Thursday called their positions into question.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Student’s enjoy taking Instagram pictures at Tsunami’s unique rooftop location, but is their sushi worth the price?

SPORTS

Read on

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With a major upset over Arkansas, LSU Soccer made the SEC Tournament. Can the team keep up the momentum at Orange Beach?

OPINION

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“Parents brought their children to an LSUsanctioned activity and trusted the university would keep them safe.”

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

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LIVING MONUMENT Collis Temple Jr. still changing LSU 50 years after integrating athletics

PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus In the history of the LSU men’s basketball program, there are many names you can point to when talking about the greatest players, but no one comes close to the influence and legacy left by Collis Temple Jr. When Temple stepped on LSU’s campus for the first time 50 years ago, he became the first Black scholarship athlete in LSU history.

Growing up in Kentwood, Temple lived a segregated but relatively fortunate childhood. The son of a teacher and a principal, Temple and his family traveled often, which he attributes much of his worldliness at a young age to.

“By the time I was 15 years old, I had been to 48 states,” Temple said. “I would be in school learning about the states and capitals, and I could already visualize these things because I’d been there, which gave me an advantage in school.”

His traveling is also how he got his first college looks as a basketball player. One summer while attending a math and science camp at Kansas University, Temple caught the attention of then-Kansas basketball player Jo Jo White.

After spending time rebounding for White while he worked out, he invited Temple to the Kansas’ basketball camp that Temple frequented in high school. This put Temple on the radar of many programs in the Midwest and introduced him to the recruiting process.

Despite all the traveling, Temple spent his childhood segregated in the heart of Jim Crow law in South Louisiana. One experience that opened Temple’s eyes to this was attending a sermon when visiting California with his family.

“I remember being surrounded by people of all different races listening to a white man preach,” Temple said. “This was crazy to me, because if you were Black and got caught listening to a white man preach in Kentwood, you would’ve been hung.”

This was the reality that Temple and many Black Americans had to live with at the time, no matter how much money or fortune they may have had. Socially, Temple’s childhood was segregated as well.

Temple never spent time with white people or made friends with white kids up until his late teenage years.

“My dad never let me hang around the white kids,” Temple said. “He didn’t want them degrading me or calling me a n-----.”

This changed dramatically for Temple, however, right before his senior year of high school. Leading up to the 1969-70 school year, the Fifth Circuit Federal Court ordered for school desegregation, requiring all high school students in Kentwood to attend Kentwood High School.

A three-sport athlete in high school, Temple recalled the first team meeting when the order was announced, having to sit with the football players from the white high school.

“It was the most traumatic experience of my life to that point,” Temple said. “I had never been around white people before, and they made us sit in between the white kids who were already going to Kentwood High.”

said. “It was part race and partly the pecking order — There were times where I could be wide open, but I knew they weren’t going to pass me the ball because of who I was.”

Maravich did not help Temple’s experience much either.

Maravich was known by many as a racist, and it was not uncommon for him to make derogatory remarks around the team, Temple said. One year, Maravich was re-

REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Collis Temple Jr. (left ) is inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame on May 12, 2017.

The transition was difficult for Temple at his new school, both in school and in sports. Temple, who was once the quarterback and captain of the football team, was now a third-string tight end in an environment that neither he, nor his classmates from his old school were comfortable in.

Despite Temple’s difficult transition to his new high school, he continued to excel on the basketball court throughout his time at both schools. He would earn allstate honors his senior year as his new team went on to finish state runner-up. This would get the attention of former LSU basketball Coach Press Maravich and Louisiana Gov. John McKiethen, who met with Temple’s family and discussed integrating the LSU basketball program. After a productive meeting, and much thought from Temple and his family, he became the first Black scholarship athlete to sign with LSU. The transition was anything but easy for him, both on and off the court. While some of his teammates were supportive of him, others were not as happy about the idea of the team integrating.

“It was about half and half with my teammates,” Temple

cruiting a star player named Louis Dunbar, who eventually spurned the Tigers to sign with Houston.

The recruiting battle between LSU and Houston had been a long, frustrating process for all parties, and it seemed to boil over with Maravich.

“After it had come out that Dunbar was going to Houston, Coach Maravich called me into his office to talk to me,” Temple said. “I remember sitting down and him telling me that he’d never recruit another n----- again.”

In Temple’s third year, however, Dale Brown replaced Maravich as head coach and changed the culture of the team. Brown made the transition much smoother for Temple and provided an environment that was accepting and inclusive, unlike Maravich.

“I heard Maravich say n----multiple times while he was the coach, and he would make derogatory remarks every now and then, but Dale Brown never did that,” Temple said.

Compared to Maravich’s own words and efforts to keep from recruiting Black players, Brown opened opportunities for Black athletes. Brown recruited players from all backgrounds, in turn

bringing more Black players to the program, which did not sit well with a lot of fans early on.

Brown recalled getting a letter shortly after getting the job from a fan calling him a “n----lover.” Brown did not let the racist fans stop him, however, and he built a program that was inclusive and a means for change throughout the SEC. Brown grew to be one of the most influential figures in the history of LSU for his work both on and off the basketball court. His career and legacy resulted in having the court at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center named after him, a decision that was led in part by Temple.

“Dale has done more for social justice in Louisiana than anyone I know,” Temple said.

“I wanted to have the court renamed not necessarily for what he did on the court, but what he did as a humanitarian and for social justice.”

Despite the challenges that came with his time at LSU, Temple was able to enjoy success both on and off the court at LSU. In his senior season Temple averaged 15 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game on his way to earning All-SEC honors. Off the court, Temple had an equally good year in the classroom, qualifying him for All-SEC Academic honors. Temple would finish his career with 679 career points and 472 rebounds, making him the eighth-leading rebounder in LSU history.

After finishing his basketball career at LSU, Temple had a brief professional hoops career before returning to LSU to get his master’s degree in Business Administration. He has been involved with the school ever since.

Temple’s involvement with the university continues still in a big way as a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors. It was through this that Temple was able to push for the basketball court being renamed after.

Temple also had a role in the selecting of William Tate IV as LSU president back in May, making Tate the first Black president in the history of the SEC. “It was the ultimate improvement,” Temple said when talking about what the selection of Tate meant to him.

His legacy on the basketball court lived on at LSU through two of his sons, Collis III and Garrett Temple. Garrett, the younger of the two, helped lead the program to the Final Four in 2006 and is still an active NBA player, recently signing with the New Orleans Pelicans.

“I never really stopped being involved,” Temple said, talking about his relationship with LSU. “I still live less than a mile from campus to this day.”

“I just want to be remembered as a change agent.”

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Construction firm Fountain Residential Partners was misspelled in the Thursday, Oct. 28 issue of the Reveille. The spelling has been corrected online. The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.

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

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

NEWS NO CONFIDENCE

Resolution of no confidence proposed for LSU Faculty Senate leadership

BY PIPER HUTCHINSON @PiperHutchBR A resolution expressing no confidence in members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and several resolutions regarding COVID-19 were hot topics at the Faculty Senate meeting Thursday, where raised voices and high spirits greeted attendees.

No Confidence Resolution 21-08, “An Expression of No Confidence in Selected Members of the Faculty Senate Leadership,” was sponsored by six faculty members and quickly gained popularity among professors. The resolution targeted Faculty Senate President Mandi Lopez, Vice President Joan King and former President Kenneth MicMillan. Daniel Tirone, a political science professor and one of the sponsors, led the conversation.

The complaint stems from the Board of Supervisors’ attempt to abolish the Faculty Council in September, a move that some say was in retaliation for the faculty council’s COVID-19 activism last summer. In May, over 600 members of the Faculty Council, which had not been convened since 2005, met and passed a resolution urging the administration to implement a vaccine mandate for the fall semester. The resolution passed with almost 90% in favor.

On Sept. 10, the Board pro-

page 3 TITLE IX

Cassidy updates board on Title IX

BY MADISON SCOTT @madscottyy

ing her of the Board of Supervisors’ plan, she did not “think much about it.” She also said she was not aware it was on the agenda for the next meeting. When Tirone pointed out that the date the proposed changes would be discussed was clearly stated in the email, Lopez replied that she “I must not have read it very carefully.”

Marwa Hassan, a construction

Interim Vice President of Civil Rights and Title IX Jane Cassidy presented a report on the progress and expansion of the Title IX office to the LSU Board of Supervisors on Thursday. The next day, the Board received a 90-minute training session on Title IX and power-based violence.

The biannual report on powerbased violence detailed statistics behind every open and closed case from June 29 to September 30.

The highest two reported behaviors were sexual assault/forcible rape at 28% of reported cases and hostile environment sexual harassment at 18%.

In the same report, Cassidy included that 44% of closed cases end with unsuccessful outreach, meaning the office’s three attempts of outreach via email and/ or text received no response by survivors who filed a report.

Title IX Coordinator Joshua Jones speculated this number is because many survivors prefer to not be reached and don’t want to relive traumatic moments.

The next day, the Board reconvened at 9 a.m. to receive a

see SENATE, page 4

see TITLE IX, page 5

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Various members of the LSU faculty sit in on the Faculty Senate Meeting held on Oct. 6, 2015 in the Capitol Chamber of the LSU Student Union. posed a motion to abolish one of the faculty’s two representative bodies, to be chosen at the discretion of the faculty. The council was the most likely to get the axe if the motion past, as it is not convened regularly. The Board set aside the motion after Bob Mann, a mass communication professor at LSU, made public comments accusing the Board of silencing the faculty.

“This will cause national embarrassment for a university

whose reputation is already at a low ebb because of the way this board responded to last year’s Title IX scandal,” Mann said. “If you vote to abolish the faculty council, you will not silence the faculty.”

Emails circulated by Tirone showed that Lopez knew of the Boards’ intent to disband the faculty council but did not alert the faculty senate.

Lopez, in response, said that when she read the email inform-

STUDENT LIFE

Students take on multiple jobs to combat college expenses

BY GABBY JIMENEZ @gvjimenezz Psychology sophomore Patrick O’Neill was working around 45 hours per week in addition to his classes at the start of the semester.

Like many students, O’Neill started working while in college to pay for basic necessities and has worked a variety of jobs, including at restaurants and his uncle’s catering company. Along with being vice president of a club, he currently works as a desk assistant and holds a position with LSU’s General Military Course.

Financial stress is a common problem among college students, with the 2015 National Survey of Student Engagement reporting 63% of students feel “worried about having enough money.” In addition to the preexisting stress of financial independence, college tuition is on the rise. The American Association of University Professors reported a 36% increase in average tuition and fees at public four-year universities from 2017-

18, despite the median family income rising less than 10%. High tuition prices have essentially forced many students to work multiple jobs.

AAUP found that working over 20 hours a week is shown to lead to lower grades and retention rates in college students. O’Neill started worked at Outback Steakhouse to pay for flying lessons to fulfill his dream of becoming an Air Force pilot, but he quickly felt the impact it had on his education. He had to quit his job after a month in order to keep up with schoolwork.

“It kind of sucked, I had no social life,” O’Neill said. “Just going into the weekend knowing that I wouldn’t be able to experience a regular college life [and go to] football games or just being able to finish my homework, it lowered my morale.”

Psychology freshman Kayla Melerine found that working as a full-time student adds another stress factor to her schedule. Since JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

see WORK, page 4

Animal science sophomore Archer Hill works on a computer on Sept. 17, in the LSU Library on LSU’s campus.

Monday, November 1, 2021

page 4 SENATE, from page 3 management professor and secretary of the FSEC, spoke in Lopez’s defense.

“She works diligently for so many hours, fighting for the faculty,” Hassan said.

Not all members of the FSEC support Lopez, however. Inessa Bazayev, a music professor and member-at-large of the Faculty Senate, stated that she supports the resolution.

“What was left out is that we were told by the president that there’s nothing we could do, the Board of Supervisors has made up their mind,” Bazayev said, referring to Lopez.

The resolution was tabled until the next meeting, but not before several faculty members exchanged heated words about Tirone’s circulation of email correspondence.

John Miles, the curator of books and head of instruction for LSU Libraries, raised concerns that his emails were included in the packet handed out by Tirone.

Miles said he had more cause to be concerned than others, as he is untenured.

“There is a chilling effect to that, whether you redact my name or not,” Miles said.

Tirone retorted that faculty should not have the expectation of private emails at a public university.

“I would suggest that our orientation to our email should be that they should always be considered that they can be public at any time to our employers, to our students, to the family of our students, to the Louisiana Legislature,” Tirone said.

Misinformation Resolution 21-09, “Correcting LSU’s Misquotation of the FDA’s Vaccine Letters,” was sponsored

by Charles Delzell, a mathematics professor. The resolution raised concerns that LSU uses “Pfizer vaccine” as a general term, and that continuing to “reference the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine give[s] the impression that there is only one Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, when in reality there are two: 1.

‘Comirnaty (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA),’ and 2. ‘Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine.’”

Comirnaty is the branded name for the same vaccine. In terms of what is contained in the vial, they are identical, according to the FDA. The resolution cites several documents in support of Delzell’s claims, but the resolution’s understanding of the documents is faulty.

One section of the resolution makes reference to a document from the Louisiana Department of Health, specifically quoting a portion that says “The PfizerBionTech COVID-19 Vaccine has

not been approved or licensed by FDA.” The document, however, is actually referring to the vaccine’s use in individuals aged 12-18. For this age group, the vaccine has Emergency Use Authorization, but not full FDA approval.

Several senators were not impressed with the resolution.

“I’ve heard about this the first time from a conservative radio host. They’re trying to shoot down the validity [of the vaccines],” one senator said.

Several concerned LSU parents attended the meeting in support of Delzell’s resolution and registered public comments against a resolution to bring LSU’s vaccination policy into conformity with state and national guidelines.

“Why would any rational educated person be making this argument other than for political reasons? You want to do some more testing? How about test for natural immunity and leave our students alone,” said Valerie Gibson, who has a daughter at LSU. Several of the parents who opposed COVID-19 mitigation efforts have been active elsewhere on campus, including attending Turning Point USA’s “Freedom Rally,” where several individuals spoke in opposition of LSU’s mask and vaccine mandates.

All resolutions discussed at the meeting were tabled and will be picked up at the next meeting on Nov. 15.

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WORK, from page 3 the beginning of the semester, Melerine has worked in the LSU admissions department, where she answers phones and emails.

Melerine works 15 hours a week, which she says gives her less time for sleep and schoolwork and can make her schedule overwhelming at times.

“I think it stresses me out a bit more, it gives me less time to study and I have to get up at eight in the morning sometimes,” Melerine said.

Despite only being at LSU for a few months, psychology freshman Jacy Faraldo has already worked two jobs. Faraldo worked as a desk assistant at Laville Hall and now serves as an assistant sound engineer for the LSU School of Music.

In the first month of her freshman year, Faraldo was working 10-12 hours a week, but eventually quit her job at Laville because of the late hours. She would often work midnight shifts, which left her little time to sleep before class.

“The hours were really inconvenient. I really did not like working at 2 a.m.,” Faraldo said.

Many students take advantage of work-study positions on campus, for which they are typically paid minimum wage and usually have time to study while on the job. Like many students, Far-

aldo does not believe she is paid enough for the work she does, but has to continue working to cover expenses.

Although working can be overwhelming, Faraldo believes it’s beneficial for students in some aspects, noting that having a job helped refine her time management skills.

“Nobody likes working, but it’s a good thing to do,” Faraldo said.

O’Neill also found that having a job has helped him use his time more wisely. While working, he often felt that there were not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything he needed to do.

“That’s when you realize every second of the day is precious,” O’Neill said.

In 2019, the United States student loan debt exceeded $1.6 trillion. To combat this problem, AAUP recommends that more resources be allocated to universities in order to reduce unmet financial need, which would relieve financial stress among students.

They also encourage promoting need-based grant aid and scholarships and offering academic support services.

O’Neill warns students not to take on as many jobs as he did.

“Choose your priorities wisely,” O’Neill said. “I worked to sustain something on the side that really isn’t a priority or a necessity… school is always going to come first.”

Monday, November 1, 2021

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TITLE IX, from page 3 90-minute training session on Title IX procedures. The presentation was led by Sexual Trauma Awareness and Respons, a nonprofit that provides support to survivors of sexual trauma, improves systems response and creates social change to end sexual violence.

The main topics covered within the presentation included a briefing on PM-73, power-based violence, the Board’s job as mandated reporters of sexual violence and what qualifies as harassment.

Board member Mary Werner distinguished herself as an advocate for the issues the presenters spoke on. One of the two presenters, Rebecca Marchiafava, stated that Board members are mandatory reporters, which Werner promptly asked her to re-emphasize.

“Could you repeat that a little louder please so that everyone is aware about what you just said?”

Werner asked.

Werner continued to emphasize the importance of the board’s responsibility as mandatory reporters.

“No questions. No doubts,” Werner said. “[If] we know something, we’re required to report it.”

The presenters also discussed what can qualify as harassment.

Board member Jay Blossman was frustrated that “facial expressions”

JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

LSU’s Title IX office sits in Himes Hall on Aug. 20, on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La. were among some of the actions mentioned. He was concerned at the prospect that some men could be accused of being a criminal through friendly gestures, calling it “ridiculous.”

“You can’t even say good morning anymore,” Blossman said.

Other Board members agreed with Blossman’s argument. One member asked if saying “good

morning, dahlin’,” is harassment, which prompted a five-minute debate over what is considered harassment and why.

Husch Blackwell Updates In her report, Cassidy announced the office’s completion of 14 of the 18 Husch Blackwell recommendations that were released in the law firm’s 150-page investi-

gative report after LSU’s mishandling of sexual assault cases came to light last year.

The recommendations still left to complete on Husch Blackwell’s list are recommendations one, two, five and 17.

Recommendation one is to properly staff the entirety of the office. There are currently two vacant positions – the Deputy Title

IX Coordinator and one more Title IX investigator.

Recommendation two is to designate a deputy Title IX coordinator for prevention and training, which cannot be completed until progress is made on the first recommendation. Cassidy said interviews are set next week to potentially fill both positions.

Recommendation five of Husch Blackwell’s list is to consider presumptively appropriate sanctions.

The office has revised Permanent Memorandum No. 73, an LSU policy that outlines the process of investigating complaints of sexual misconduct and Title IX. The office has created a new draft of the policy and wants input from the students, faculty and staff for implementation by the first of the year.

Recommendation 17 is to regularly measure climate and effectiveness. Cassidy believes this can be achieved through student participation, and said approval from the Board of Supervisors is necessary to check this off of the list.

“By the end of this year, we’ll have checked off 17 of the 18 recommendations, the last one of which, we will need to wait for the Board of Regents to do that,” Cassidy said.

LSU has committed over one million dollars to the office, and that number continues to rise as the office expands and the year progresses.

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ENTERTAINMENT

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THIS WEEK IN BR

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BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab

NOVEMBER

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Want to see your event in the Reveille?

Email information to editor@lsu.edu.

Dia de los Muertos Celebration Memorial Tower Join in the tradition of the Day of the Dead with Latinx Student Affairs from the LSU Office of Multicultural Affairs. Stop by Memorial Tower to make your own mini altar or add copies of photos of your deceased loved ones to the campuswide altar.

FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille

Memorial Tower stands tall behind Coates Hall on LSU’s Campus Aug. 24.

The First Amendment Online in the 2020s Zoom

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Manship professor Will Mari is moderating “The First Amendment Online in the 2020s,” a virtual event on Tuesday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. Panelists from LSU Law School, Tulane Law School, Seattle University and Electronic Frontier Foundation will discuss First Amendment issues and challenges in an online environment.

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

The LSU Library sits in the Quad on December 3, 2020.

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LSU Geauxchella Parade Ground The Student Activities Board is hosting LSU Geauxchella, a festival including live music, free food, activities and giveaways. Grab your friends and stop by the Parade Ground on Wednesday, Nov. 3, from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. to join the fun.

COURTESY OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES BOARD

LSU Jazz Ensemble & Lab Band Concert LSU Union Theater

NOVEMBER

Grammy-nominated New York-based vocalist Nicole Zuraitis will perform several of her compositions alongside the LSU Jazz Ensemble & Lab Band on Thursday, Nov. 4, from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. in the Union Theater. Student tickets are $11 and must be purchased in advance.

COURTESY OF LSU SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Monday, November 1, 2021

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The view is nice, but is Tsunami’s sushi worth the price?

BY EDDY HAGE @hage_eddy Tsunami has long been at the top of the food chain when it comes to sushi in Baton Rouge.

Opening its elevators in 2005, Tsunami’s downtown location atop the Shaw Center of the Arts provides an extravagant sushi experience for anyone looking for a fancy feast and a vibrant view of the Old State Capitol and the Mississippi River. However, that terrace-topped sushi elegance spot comes at a high price, especially for college students.

Tsunami describes their Japanese cuisine with southern flare as “edible art,” but is it worth the hype?

No, at least, that’s what criminology senior Elizabeth Perot and early childhood education junior Camille Toups thought.

Perot went to Tsunami to shoot some shots for her foodie Instagram page, @kizzie_eatzz, but said she and Toups were thoroughly disappointed by the experience.

“This place is very forgettable, like a 3/5,” said Toups. “You can go to better places that are cheaper.”

Perot and Toups spent about $50 on four rolls and a glass of plum wine but said they were

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Tsumani offers customers a unique rooftop view of Baton Rouge on April 25, 2017. still hungry after eating.

“The Rock-n-Roll was $12 and it maybe tickled my stomach at most,” said Perot. “It was like an appetizer in sushi form, and an average sushi appetizer at that.”

“I had the Father Calais roll,” said Perot. “It was not much. For

$12, they gave me six pieces and cut them so thin, which would’ve been fine if the taste was as great as it was hyped up as, but the roll was average.”

The pair also shared a roll with a Louisiana twist. Tsunami’s Ragin Cajun roll, which features

alligator, was reportedly tasty, unique and fairly priced at eight dollars. “$8 is the perfect price for a place like this,” Toups said. “The sushi is average, but the location makes up for it. I would come back if it was cheaper, but at the

cost and the quality of the sushi, most of the rolls just aren’t worth it.”

There were other options with crawfish, crab and even Doritos in them, but the two were too reluctant to try the last one.

“When I saw the nacho cheese Dorito crumbs over a salmon roll, I was so curiously appalled—I felt like I had to try it,” said Toups. “But then I was like, ‘Do I really want to spend $9 just to see if this absurd idea even works?’”

To Perot, Tsunami is regarded as the most prestigious sushi restaurant in all of Baton Rouge, but that reputation didn’t make sense after her experience.

“This place is so hyped because of where it is. It’s in an art museum on a downtown terrace, so all of Baton Rouge social life is gonna want to go here because it’s clout—it’s classy—but it’s average food, and it’s way overpriced,” explained Perot.

Toups added that despite the disappointing food, the view was Instagram-worthy and memorable.

“I mean, maybe we just didn’t order the right things?” Toups concluded. “I feel like I could go to Rouse’s, buy sushi, and sit on a rooftop and I would have the same experience.”

Brewing...

SOMETHING’S

11.3.21

WORK FOR THE WORLD WITH THE PEACE CORPS By: Ava Borskey

It was 2 a.m. when John F. Kennedy arrived at the University of Michigan after a long day of campaigning. The soon-to-be president just wanted to get some sleep, but instead he found himself giving an impromptu speech that led to the establishment of an American volunteer program known as the Peace Corps.

The Peace Corps focuses on international developmental work as a way to promote world peace and friendship. The Peace Corps is an international network of Volunteers, community members, host country partners, and staff who each have a unique service journey, defined by an enduring desire to learn and grow. At the invitation of governments around the world, Peace Corps Volunteers work alongside community members on locally-prioritized projects that build relationships, promote knowledge exchange, and make lasting and measurable impact. In the 60 years since its founding, over 240,000 Americans have answered the Peace Corps’ call to service in 142 countries.

Michael Houang, a returned Peace Corps volunteer from China, spent his service teaching English to nearly 500 students at a Chinese university.

A Chinese American, Houang’s parents were immigrants from Asia. Though his parents were supportive of his decision to join the Peace Corps after college, they asked him why he wanted to go back. His answer was simple.

“It’s because you were able to give me this life that I have to go back, and I have to give back in that regard,” Houang said.

“People think volunteer means it’s either casual work or it’s uncompensated, and nothing could be further from the truth,” Bridgeford said.

Today, Houang serves as a Peace Corps university programs specialist, playing an important role in the Peace Corps’ continued outreach on college campuses, like at LSU, where students can participate in an interdisciplinary undergraduate certificate program known as Peace Corps Prep.

While Peace Corps volunteers do not receive a salary, they do get a living allowance and standard benefits, like vacation time and health benefits.

Volunteers don’t pay for their travel to and from their home to post or training, such as foreign language courses and professional skills development. They receive a resettlement allowance upon successful completion of service once they return home. Returned Peace Corps volunteers receive a non-competitive employment letter giving them a preference for employment within the federal government.

Peace Corps Prep is a certificate program that gives college students the chance to practice leadership development, hone foreign language skills, complete intercultural coursework and gain service experience.

Peace Corps Prep has a specific focus in service to the community through hands-on volunteer experiences in one of the Peace Corps’ six sectors: agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health and youth in development.

A Peace Corps Prep certificate offers a competitive edge for Peace Corps applications, which require a resume and personal essay. But at the end of the day, whether you’re looking for a career in the global sphere or an opportunity to do good in your community, Peace Corps Prep can serve as a stepping stone to help you achieve your goals.

“This is a great way to get any student involved in international matters, if they are interested in international relations, diplomacy,” Houang said. “All of these tools and techniques that you gain in Peace Corps Prep will benefit you in the long run, just to think a bit more globally minded.”

There are over 140 Peace Corps Prep schools in the U.S. The Peace Corps partnered with LSU in 2019 to bring the program to Baton Rouge. Dr. Mark Schafer, an associate professor of sociology and returned Peace Corps volunteer, is the coordinator of LSU’s Peace Corps Prep program.

“Any student who is even thinking about graduating with a Peace Corps Prep certificate in hand should get in touch with Dr. Schafer,” Houang said.

Dr. Mark Schafer, Peace Corps Prep coordinator speaks with a student outside of Martin D. Woodin Hall where the Peace Corps Prep program is housed.

Peace Corps Prep could provide the moment where you recognize Peace Corps service as a real possibility for you and see yourself as a volunteer. Since the Peace Corps’ founding in 1961, more than 288 LSU alumni have served abroad.

“There is no one perfect volunteer that really makes the cake,” Houang said. “We are accepting, open and inclusive to everyone who is thinking about becoming a Peace Corps volunteer.”

Recruiters like Bill Bridgeford can help prospective Peace Corps volunteers with the application process.

A returned volunteer himself, Bridgeford started his Peace Corps service at the age of 58 and spent two and a half years in Ohrid, North Macedonia.

After getting to know his community, Bridgeford helped start two projects: a student resource center and a community garden.

The student resource center leveraged the skills of local teachers, allowing them to teach classes and life skills beyond those in the traditional classroom, like entrepreneurship and leadership. The community garden evolved into a neighborhood-wide project, involving a partnership between local school kids and retirees.

“My Peace Corps experience has taught me how ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things when they collaborate across their cultures,” Bridgeford said.

Shortly after returning home, Bridgeford began working for the Peace Corps as the regional recruiter for Louisiana and southern Mississippi. He also applied for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows program, a graduate school fellowship providing financial assistances, a benefit for returned Peace Corps volunteers.

Peace Corps service is really about the human connections and relationships forged along the way. Both Houang and Bridgeford said they still keep in touch with people they met during their service.

“You leave a part of yourself with them and you definitely take a part of them with you”, Houang said.

Promoting understanding across cultures has been part of the Peace Corps mission since its founding. Bridgeford said after his service, he’s gained a global perspective that has stayed with him throughout his professional career.

“Whether you’re aware of it or not, your priorities have changed,” said Bridgeford.

Adding, “You certainly don’t see the world the same way. Your eyes have been opened, your vision has been broadened.”

For more information about the Peace Corps, visit www.peacecorps.gov or contact regional recruiter Bill Bridgeford at bbridgeford@peacecorps.gov.

For more information about Peace Corps at LSU, visit www.lsu.edu/peace-corpsprep or contact Peace Corps Prep adviser Mark Schafer at mschaf1@lsu.edu.

SPORTS GO FOR GEAULD

LSU soccer clinches SEC Tournament berth with program’s first top-five

BY MICHAEL SANCHEZ @MikeSanchez525 The LSU soccer team came into their final match of the regular season Thursday night with all the odds stacked against them and triumphed in a 4-2 victory over the No. 1 team in the SEC, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

“It was a spirited match from our team,” Head Coach Sian Hudson said. “It was a great effort from us to come from behind after the first goal, and I can’t tell you enough of how proud I am of the players.”

The Tigers needed either a Texas A&M or Florida loss along with a win over the Razorbacks to punch their ticket into the SEC tournament. The Tigers have never beaten a top-five opponent in program history up until Thursday, and what a night to do it.

Prior to the start of the match, all of the seniors who would be playing their final game in Baton Rouge were honored as part of Senior Night. With around 1,200 fans in the stands, family members from all around the world in attendance supporting their loved ones, and the SEC tournament hanging in the balance, emotions were high.

Two minutes into the match, Arkansas forward Parker Goins scored off of a volley that was crossed in from the right side of the box to give the Razorbacks an early 1-0 lead.

To add a little more fuel to the fire, both Texas A&M and Florida were finishing up their matches

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

LSU soccer sophomore goalkeeper Bella Zanotelli (24) raises her hands as her teammates gather around Oct. 21, before LSU’s 4-0 win against South Carolina at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge, La. midway through the first half of LSU’s game. Both teams lost and set the stage for a win-or-gohome scenario for the Tigers.

LSU’s forward Tinaya Alexander has been electric for the Tigers this season, and she did not disappoint in her final home match wearing purple and gold.

Alexander’s shifty footwork drew a foul to the right of the Razorbacks box. Shannon Cooke headed the ball into the back of the net and equalized the.

Nearing the end of the first half, the crowd was stomping their feet on the bleachers and chanting fight songs in hopes of the Tigers taking the lead heading into the second half.

With a minute left to go, the ball reached Rammie Noel who weaved her way into the box and sent a shot in the left corner of the goal to give the Tigers a onegoal lead going into the break.

As LSU walked out onto the pitch in the second half, they understood that 45 minutes of soccer is the only thing that stood between them and a trip to Orange Beach, Alabama When the second half whistle blew, neither side would give up an inch. Physical, SEC soccer was what the viewers saw for the duration of the match.

The Tigers wasted little time giving themselves a two goal cushion as Alexander found the

ball at her feet three minutes into the half and sent it into bottom left-corner.

In the 68th minute, Mollee Swift committed a costly mistake as she attempted to pass the ball out of the box. Arkansas’ Anna Podjil intercepted the pass and easily beat Swift to bring the match to 3-2.

After the mistake, Mollee swiftly put the error behind her, and proved to be a brick wall for the extent of the game. For the last 20 minutes of the second half, the Tigers played most of their players back near LSU’s box allowing the Razorbacks to keep pressure on Swift.

As the final minutes of the match were winding down, Alexander was subbed back onto the pitch after a minor injury.

Just like she has done all season, she beat the defender down the left side of the field and worked her way into the box to beat the keeper. The crowd and LSU sidelines burst into celebration as the final goal of the match was put away.

After starting the season on an 11-game winning streak, and becoming the No. 5 team in the country, the Tigers had a disappointing SEC season. Despite the adversity, the team rallied together when it mattered and now they will compete in the SEC tournament, and possibly the NCAA tournament as well.

“They played a fantastic game tonight, and this is a huge confidence boost heading into the SEC Tournament for us,” Hudson said.

page 10 SWIMMING & DIVING

LSU Olympian not satisfied

BY BRAXTON BROWN @braxotyler When looking at all the accolades that Juan Celaya-Hernandez has accomplished as a diver, one would assume that this was always the plan for him. Despite his 15 Male Diver of the Week awards and appearance in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, his introduction to the diving world happened simply by chance.

Diving on a national stage wasn’t always the plan for Celaya-Hernandez. Growing up, he played other sports such as football and swimming before focusing on diving. Although he enjoyed playing them, he found himself getting bored and looking for something more purposeful. Coincidentally, around this same time his sister started diving and the sport began to peak his interest. Eventually he gave it a try, and since then he hasn’t turned back.

“I was looking for something else,” Celaya-Hernandez said. “I joined diving, and apparently I was pretty good at it.”

Hernandez’s path to being an olympian was a unique one.

Coming from his hometown of San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico, and moving to the U.S, he is no stranger to change.

Celaya-Hernandez went from

see OLYMPICS, page 11

SWIMMING & DIVING

LSU Swim and Dive remains perfect despite high attitude

BY MACKAY SUIRE @macthetiger The LSU Swim and Dive teams elevated their competition level, literally, on Oct. 23 when they dominated their meet, hosted by the Air Force Academy, at 7,258 feet of altitude. The Tigers competed against the Academy, the University of Denver and the University of Wyoming at the Rocky Mountain Invitational.

With the environment in Colorado Springs, Colorado, being so contrasted to Baton Rouge, it was obvious that this new setting would pose a new set of challenges that LSU had not yet faced before.

What was the real issue though? There was physically no way to prepare for these changes.

Mentally, the Tigers had their opponents beat from the very beginning.

When asked about the prepa-

rations, Head Coach Rick Bishop only confirmed the impossibility of properly acclimating to the new altitude in such a short amount of time.

“Your body adapts to altitude by being in it, and you need to be in that environment for at least 16 days. We didn’t have 16 days,” Bishop said. “Mentally, we understood what we were getting into.

We wanted our athletes to realize that they were going to be put into an uncomfortable position, under stress, and that the altitude was going to present challenges to them.”

LSU displayed a fierce competitive nature both in the pool and on the boards, sweeping the tournament, 3-0.

James Henderson, a sophomore on the Tiger’s roster, explained that, although this tournament was extremely demanding, it was the will to succeed that pushed the team quick-

ly back to the blocks.

“No matter what, we were still going to give the same amount of effort that we would have if we were back at sea level,” Henderson said. “Regardless of not being able to take solid breaths, we were going to give it our all and every last bit of energy that we had so that we knew we had gone out there and had done our best.”

The Tigers did so well that altitude conversion factors would later show that multiple performance times recorded throughout the meet were almost spot on with those recorded in LSU’s Natatorium on any given day. According to Bishop, this is usually unheard of.

Across the Natatorium, those competing on the boards had a different experience with handling these changes. Divers had an easier time adapting to the

see PERFECT, page 11

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

The LSU and GCU teams dive in the pool Oct. 9, during LSU men’s 194106 win over GCU at the LSU Natatorium in Baton Rouge, La.

Monday, November 1, 2021

page 11

PERFECT, from page 10 rise in altitude due to the sport’s lower impact on an athlete’s cardiovascular system. Sophomore diver Helle Tuxen, confirmed this.

“I didn’t know what to expect going into it, especially with the altitude change, but as a diver, it was a little easier. It almost felt like I was lighter,” Tuxen said.

“The air didn’t feel as heavy, so it was actually very nice.”

Tuxen went on to finish third on the one-meter springboard, with two other teammates joining her on the podium.

Head coach for the diving team, Doug Shaffer, explained that the solid performances from this meet only make him more excited to witness how his athletes will continue thriving.

“The team really impressed me with how well they handled the challenges of being out of their comfort zone,” Shaffer said.

“To step up and to get our arms around opportunities that exist within them, and to be able to continuously challenge ourselves is always going to make us better.”

While in Denver, LSU Swim and Dive had the opportunity to explore Garden of the Gods, an area of breathtaking sandstone formations spanning 13,000 acres of Colorado Springs. The experience was a way for the athletes

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU 5th-year senior and 2020 Olympian Juan Celaya-Hernandez dives Oct. 9, during LSU men’s 194-106 win over GCU at the LSU Natatorium. to reset and decompress before heading into the competition.

“It was just really beautiful and we had the nicest view,” Henderson said. “We were all just able to explore and just sit around and be in the presence of one another, away from the competition setting.”

Bishop explained that the visit

to Garden of the Gods had an extremely intentional meaning, and he believed that his athletes took away and appreciated this meaning.

“We talked about our path being rocky and challenging,” Bishop explained. “We talked about it being a long and difficult path to the top, and that the paths of

s l w o t nigh

success are uphill like the paths of those mountains. When we were at the Garden of the Gods, and we were looking up at the 14,000-foot summit of Pikes Peak, it kinda helped to connect some of those thoughts.”

Shaffer appreciated that the experience allowed the studentathletes to separate themselves from this title.

“It was something that went way above and beyond just the competitive experience, you know?” Shaffer said. “It was about the whole person.”

The hard work hasn’t stopped for either team, even after this meet. Both coaches explained that their main focus is centered around the details and finetuning their basics. Bishop and Shaffer explained that being detail-oriented now will create the peak performances that they are aiming for come mid-season, specifically with championships in mind. Each team looks forward to carrying the confidence that was cultivated from this meet with them for future meets. Up next on their schedule, the Tigers will travel to Tuscaloosa to face off against Alabama. This will be their first SEC matchup of the season, and they are ready.

“We are definitely taking away confidence,” Henderson said. “It’s the confidence of knowing that we can kill it, even 7,000 feet in the air.”

OLYMPICS, from page 10 training about eight hours a day to only training five. While in Mexico, he would only compete in about four meets, but while diving in the U.S, he competed in three times as many meets.

“Here I can practice more to be better,” Celaya-Hernandez said. “Working on my consistency in my dives and actually competing more because we didn’t have as many competitions back home.”

When COVID-19 spiked in many different areas around the world, it looked as if it would be a while before he would compete again.

Celaya-Hernandez had been preparing to compete in the Olympics, but prior to this year, it didn’t seem possible.

“I was feeling a little down and depressed because my dream of competing in the Olympics was out of my reach and I couldn’t do anything about it,” Celaya-Hernandez said.

Fortunately, the Olympics did take place the following summer in 2021. He has plans to compete in two more Olympic games to complete his Olympic cycle. With CelayaHernandez being someone who has achieved a lot of success, he hopes winning an Olympic gold medal is another accolade he can add to that list.

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OPINION

page 14

University officials allowed alleged rapist access to students SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN

@sulliclaire

According to a disturbing investigation by The Advocate, a Lafayette woman says 31-year-old LSU French graduate student Edouard d’Espalungue d’Arros raped her on a 2018 religious retreat in Rapides Parish.

The woman, who is referred to by her middle name “Anne” in the investigation, told The Advocate then-police Deputy Clayton Webb discouraged her from reporting the crime and even from receiving a forensic exam. Anne ignored Webb’s troubling dissuasion and pressed charges anyway.

The university removed d’Espalungue from his teaching duties following his rape charge, but he remained active on campus and continued to interact with students.

Soon after, d’Espalungue started the American Journal of French Studies, which allowed him access to local high school students.

According to The Advocate, the university not only permitted d’Espalungue to run this journal but actively funded it.

The university recklessly endangered both LSU and high school students by allowing d’Espalungue to remain on campus. This series of deeply negligent, dangerous choices by university administrators enabled continued abuse.

During a ceremony for the journal led by d’Espalungue at the LSU French House, d’Espalungue “expressed to at least one witness his sexual and romantic interest in one of the high school essay contestants” and “within a few weeks d’Espalungue had seduced her into a sexual relationship,” reporter Andrea Gallo wrote in her investigation.

D’Espalungue was a man in his 30s preying on a high school student, enabled by this university to do so. Parents brought their children to an LSU-sanctioned activity and trusted the university would keep them safe.

Little did those parents know, they were putting their children under the supervision of a man charged with rape just a few parishes away.

That betrayal of trust extended to LSU students as well.

The Advocate’s investigation reveals faculty in the College of

Humanities and Social Sciences failed on multiple occasions to report complaints against d’Espalungue.

The most aggressive enabler of d’Espalungue was French department chair Adelaide Russo, for whom d’Espalungue conducted

Russo’s absurd demand was in direct contradiction to university policy and a clear attempt to shield d’Espalungue from responsibility.

A similarly problematic set-up was revealed in athletics by Husch Blackwell, the law firm retained

certain, Russo is the department chair Husch Blackwell discussed.

The media and students need to continue pressing the university for more details.

A recently filed lawsuit concerning mishandling of claims against d’Espalungue names Russo

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

A LSU holds a sign in protest Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, during the Feminists in Action protest following reports of LSU mishandling sexual asssault cases on the Parade Ground at LSU’s campus. research over his time at the university.

According to the investigation, Russo was frequently dismissive of claims against d’Espalungue.

But she went far beyond passive dismissal in her defense of him.

Russo held a meeting with faculty and staff in 2018 to defend d’Espalungue’s innocence, despite months of complaints from multiple students.

Even worse, she sent an email in 2020 to faculty and graduate students saying that all Title IX concerns should be reported directly to her, and she would decide whether or not to bring them to the Title IX Office.

by the university after media coverage forced the university to investigate years of Title IX failures.

Athletics administrator Miriam Segar often dealt with Title IX problems in-house instead of reporting them to the Title IX Office.

In the report, Husch Blackwell referenced other university departments that violated reporting policies. One of them was an unnamed academic department where the chair demanded all Title IX claims be brought only to the chair and discussed with no one else. The report said this department chair retaliated against those that defied this order.

It is possible, though yet un-

as a defendant. She has since been removed as the French department chair, but remains employed at the university as a professor on sabbatical.

The Advocate’s investigation also raises questions of what Humanities and Social Sciences Dean Troy Blanchard did to intervene in or report misconduct that was brought to his attention. Again, it is essential students pressure the university for transparency.

As Russo continued her shameless defense of d’Espalungue, a growing number of women brought serious claims against him.

An undergraduate student

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The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University.

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

d’Espalungue had taught before being removed from teaching duties says he raped her in January 2019.

A few months later, another undergraduate student working at his journal says he groped and forcibly kissed her.

In September 2020, yet another undergraduate student said d’Espalungue took her to his apartment and raped her.

While university officials dragged their feet, actively defended him or passively enabled him, d’Espalungue committed horrible acts against women at this university.

The woman who says d’Espalungue raped her in September 2020 reported him to the Title IX Office. According to The Advocate, the university found him guilty of “sexual misconduct and endangerment” and penalized him with a one-year suspension.

This raises another issue entirely.

D’Espalungue’s punishment— the only formal punishment he would ever receive from the university, even after months of concerning complaints from multiple women—was a mere year-long suspension from campus.

If the university determines a student has committed such a terrible act, that student should never again step foot on this campus. A year’s suspension for rape is a shamefully weak punishment that degrades the seriousness of d’Espalungue’s actions.

It is incomprehensible why the university would want to give a diploma to a student its own institutional process found guilty of such a crime.

So much, both within and without the university, went wrong in handling claims against d’Espalungue.

Incompetence in the judicial system allowed d’Espalungue to leave for his home country of France, and it seems he will never return to face consequences for his actions—if any even await him here at all.

The university must hold all those that enabled a serial rapist accountable, especially Russo, who offered d’Espalungue the vigorous defense his survivors deserved instead.

President William Tate IV must break from the apathy of past administrations and finally fight for students on this campus.

Claire Sullivan is a 19-year-old coastal environmental science

Quote of the Week “I love deadlines. I love the whoosing sound they make as they fly by.”

Douglas Adams author 1952 — 2001

Monday, November 1, 2021

page 15

Profit off football off-season with gladiator fights in Death Valley HADEN’S HOUSE OF HYSTERIA HADEN DEVILBISS @SullenDucken The university is run by athletics; enough close encounters with electric scooters and headlines of institutional corruption could tell you that much.

The administration is heavily dependent on football revenues to function, and despite a rocky season, football is easily keeping afloat. In the 2018-19 school year, they took in a profit of $55 million, and while that number has dropped during the pandemic, financial aid from the SEC has meant that losses are minimal.

But what if there was a way to make even more money?

Well, for any higher-ups reading this (ahem, President William Tate IV), I have only one word: Colosseum.

This roughly 2,000-year-old stadium was one of the highlights of the Roman Empire, and it holds all the answers for university athletics. If the Colosseum was entertaining enough to keep Rome together for 400 years, think about how much money we could make off our own Colosseum, especially with modern broadcasting technology.

Conveniently, we have our own Colosseum right on campus—Death Valley. While we

CARTOON BY EMILY TRAN

certainly don’t want to compete with the football program and hurt its bottom line, there’s a whole eight months of off-season that would be perfect for our plans.

So, how did the Romans mas-

ter the art of pleasing the crowd?

The short answer is gladiators.

Now, I know that some of you and your pesky “moral compasses” have objections to gladiatorial combat. First of all, this is university politics, so you

should probably leave said compass at the door, and second, we wouldn’t be actually killing anyone—we want to broadcast this on TV, after all.

Our system of gladiators would be students unfortunate enough to be placed on academic probation. For amusement and financial betterment, these students would fight one another to secure their academic futures. The victor would be taken off of academic probation, while the loser would be forced to drop out. There could even be career gladiators, like those in Rome, who would fight for scholarships.

But gladiators aren’t all that made the Colosseum so much fun; chariot races were also a major part of the day’s events.

While getting real horses into Tiger Stadium may be difficult— although I’d love to hear from anyone with connections at the veterinary school—we could instead task the engineering students with designing motorized chariots as class projects, and testing them in Death Valley.

Naval battles were another popular event. The Colosseum would be flooded with water from aqueducts, and rammingvessels would smash into each other under the watchful eyes of the emperor. Funnily enough, we have our own rowing team here on campus, and these experts could easily be called in to train fraternities and sororities

to man these boats, thus settling their disputes in an entertaining and monetized fashion.

Who wouldn’t want to see 20 sweaty fraternity brothers smash giant wooden battering rams into each other for money?

Now, not everything that happened in the Colosseum can be so easily adapted. The Romans had a bad habit of executing their criminals by tying them to posts and allowing lions to come in and eat them. Obviously, while I’m sure many of us are delighted by the thought of subjecting rival schools to this fate, there are a lot of problems with this whole idea. Namely, Mike is much too lazy to actually maim anyone—he’s practically an overgrown housecat at this point. Oh, and human decency.

It may be a challenge to get all the wheels in motion to make this dream a reality, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. Remember, we’re not just looking at a revival of a glorious past, or a coming together of the disparate elements of our university community, but also an insane amount of money—and that’s what really matters.

If we really want to secure our university’s future profit margins, we’ve got to look back to the past.

Haden DeVilbiss is a 20-yearold history and psychology sophomore from Lake Charles.

Let me be happy and decorate early for the holidays in peace EMILY ON CAMPUS EMILY DAVISON @ichigoemily It’s difficult to get excited about almost anything these days. Without going into any detail—as I’m sure none of us need any reminding—the world hasn’t seemed like a fun place to be for a while now.

Despite the chaotic hustle and bustle of our lives, I know many of us are clinging to the one thing we can always look forward to: the holidays.

The long-awaited holiday season is approaching, and the anticipation is the only thing keeping me sane this semester. Not only is it a break from all things academic—unless you’re one of the poor souls taking winter intersession classes—but it carries a distinct sense of childhood happiness and pure nostalgia that I can’t help but relish in every year, especially during the pandemic.

There’s just something about carving pumpkins, cooking holiday feasts and decorating Christmas trees that fills me with immense joy. I see it as an escape to the simpler days of my childhood.

However, as every columnist comes to learn one fateful day,

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU’s Christmas tree is decorated as part of LSU’s Holiday Spectacular on Dec. 1, 2015 in Union Square. there will always be those that disagree.

It’s not necessarily that people are vehemently opposed to cute decorations or holiday festivities, but I have noticed that the seeming majority of people are extremely sensitive about when you partake in these activities.

Throughout my entire life,

I’ve always heard criticism about people decorating too early for holidays. Putting up a Christmas tree on Black Friday was ridiculous, and creating a haunted house in your front yard before mid-October was unheard of.

And I’ll admit it—I used to adhere to this mindset, too. If someone so much as uttered “Christmas” before Dec. 1, they

were far too excited. They were doing the most for no good reason.

As I’ve aged, though, I’ll admit that I have embraced what I once relentlessly rolled my eyes at—an excess of holiday spirit.

I regret nothing.

After all, what’s the point in shutting someone down for decorating too early? Unless it’s a

Christmas-in-July fiasco that distorts all of our mental calendars, I really don’t see the harm in trying to have a good, wholesome, festive time.

A lot of the discourse around this early decorating phenomenon calls it cringy or cheesy.

Call it cheesy all you want, but I’ll gladly embarrass myself for the entire month of October as long as I get to watch “Hocus Pocus” at least three times surrounded by pumpkins, forgetting about my adult responsibilities.

Holidays are a few days of celebration only once a year, so why should I be shamed for trying to harness the spirit early and relish in it? It doesn’t (or shouldn’t) directly impact anyone else, so I don’t see why society has imposed such strict yet pointless rules for when exactly we should spice up our house décor for the holidays.

I suppose critics will be critics, though.

However you feel about this clearly crucial issue, I’m still just looking forward to the day when we can all use holiday festivities as a nostalgia-packed escape from our terrifying, disorderly world.

Emily Davison is a 20-year-old anthropology and English junior from Denham Springs.

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