The Reveille 2-24-22

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‘LOUISIANA T hu r s d ay, Fe b r u a r y 2 4 , 2 022

SLUT UNIVERSITY’ Sister Cindy, a preacher and TikTok star, came to campus this week to denounce promicuity and debauchery at LSU.

NEWS

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Rises in construction costs since the pandemic will affect LSU’s $659-million deferred maintenance list.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Mardi Gras, a tradition fundamental to Louisiana life, makes it’s long awaited return and the celebrations will be immense.

SPORTS

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Sister Cindy raises an arm up emphatically on Feb. 21, in Free Speech Plaza on LSU’s Campus in Baton Rouge, La.

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Morgan can be easily spotted on the diamond because of his unique hair, but there is more to him than what meets the eye.

OPINION

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“Cottonwood Books is one of Baton Rouge’s iconic local treasures; if you’ve experienced it, you love it.”

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SISTER CINDY

Cindy Smock riles large crowd of LSU students in Free Speech Alley

Editor-in-Chief LARA NICHOLSON Managing Editor ENJANAE’ TAYLOR Digital Editor JAYDEN NGUYEN News Editor JOSH ARCHOTE Deputy News Editor BELLA DARDANO Sports Editor JOE KEHRLI Deputy Sports Editor PETER RAUTERKUS Entertainment Editor GIDEON FORTUNE MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Sister Cindy speaks on Feb. 21, in Free Speech Plaza on LSU’s Campus in Baton Rouge, La. A focus of her beliefs center around what she calls “slut shaming,” and she’d tell stories of her scandalous days in college to serve as an example of what not to do. She also believes in the existence of what she calls “vampire hoes” that want to “suck the blood of Jesus right out of you.”

“Sister Cindy is now a gay icon,” Smock said, referring to herself. “I love the gays, but not in a gay way.”

Fifty yards away from Smock sat Ivan Imes, an 81-year-old Christian who sits in a purple fold-up chair in Free Speech Alley

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Sister Cindy arrives on Feb. 21, on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La. answer would receive a button saying “Ho No Mo,” sometimes even autographing the button and taking a picture with the winner in front of the crowd.

“By the way, if you have class, skip it, and show your ‘Ho No Mo’ button’ to your professor,” Smock said.

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BY MADDIE SCOTT @madscottyy Cindy Smock, a popular evangelical Christian preacher known as “Sister Cindy,” visited LSU’s Free Speech Alley on Monday and Tuesday to encourage modest dress, abstinence from alcohol and abstinence from premarital sex.

Smock has become a bit of a celebrity around American universities. Videos of her preaching have gone viral on TikTok and her appearance at LSU garnered a large, excited crowd. TikToks of Smock preaching at universities have garnered tens of millions of views. One of her at LSU this past week already has 66,000 views.

Through Campus Ministry USA, Smock and her husband, Jed, have been preaching at various American universities, including LSU, for decades — though not with the same level of fame Sister Cindy has attracted in recent years.

A crowd had gathered in a circle for 20 minutes before Smock arrived after seeing her Instagram story post saying “HONOMO TIME @LSU 2/21-22 @Noon, Free Speech Alley,” and abbreviation for “hoe no more.” Students roared with cheer and applause as she walked up to begin her preaching.

“There are still a lot of hoes here at Louisiana Slut University,” said Smock to the crowd of about 150 students.

She would ask questions pertaining to the Bible, waiting for students to shout out the right answer. The first student to yell the

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

wearing a white T-shirt that says “Jesus Talk.” He’s been talking to college students about Jesus for about 15 years.

“For some reason, they [thr Smocks] believe that it’s their calling to help people spiritually by engaging in some sort of combative, argumentative sort of thing,”

Imes said.

Unlike most preachers and religious missionaries who visit campus, Imes believes in passive teaching and doesn’t approach students, letting them notice his shirt and decide whether or not they want to engage in discussion. He has more students approach him when Smock visits.

“The numbers are generally a few more people because they are upset or angry and want to diffuse themselves,” Imes said.

The College of Democrats club tabled in Free Speech Alley on Tuesday across from Smock. They usually have a whiteboard sign with a political yes-or-no question written on the front to engage students in friendly debate. That day, their question was, “Should Sister Cindy get some bitches?”

Two marble jars sat on the club’s table, one marked “yes” and the other “no,” in response to the question. Almost all marbles were in the “yes” jar after one hour.

Economics freshman Page Gray, member of the club, held up the sign. He says Smock laughed at the sign as he held it up among the audience. He tried to get her to autograph the whiteboard, but she declined.

“It was meant as a provocative question to get people riled up, kind of the same way how Sister Cindy does it,” Gray said.

Many students find Smock’s sermons entertaining and funny, as she uses jarring language to draw crowds.

Electrical engineering junior Terrell Kimbeng remembers when Sister Cindy visited campus a couple years ago, and he said she was “clucking like a chicken” then. Watching her visit campus now in 2022, Kimbeng still believes she provides good entertainment.

“College gets stressful sometimes. That’s what the parade ground is for: clowns. This’ll make us come to college more because we want to see this stuff,” Kimbeng said.

He said his day was made from seeing the viral preacher, and that he doesn’t miss a day of school so that he has the opportunity to see all of the interesting events that transpire across campus.

“They [the Smocks] should start charging tickets around here,” Kimbeng said while pointing to the large crowd of students.

Chemical engineering freshman William Guffey stood watching Smock preaching for three hours, yet he believes her teachings accomplish nothing, and only make people want to “be hoes even more.”

“I think Cindy’s teachings are funny to listen to but should not be taken to heart,” Guffey said. “I think she preaches toxic masculinity and encourages women to be very hidden with their personalities.”

Students like Guffey sat in the humid, hot weather for hours to hear Smock speak. Guffey said he was “drenched in sweat,” but enjoys the comedy that the preacher brings to campus.

Biological science freshman Liz Diaz also doesn’t believe Sister Cindy is effective in shifting students’ beliefs, especially because she believes current college students are part of a progressive generation.

“I think they’re extremely outdated. It seems like they’re saying the most controversial things just to get a rise out of people,” Diaz said.

Diaz says most religious people don’t agree with Sister Cindy due to the extremity of her beliefs.

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NEWS Off$659 MILLION apartment campus

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STUDENT LIFE

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BY JOHN BUZBEE @thebuzzbuz

nance projects, meaning the legislature may be amenable to the governor’s recommendation.

“Traditionally, we haven’t had money dedicated annually to infrastructure projects, so when we get a surplus, I consider that a priority for a one-time investment that will continue to pay dividends for decades,” Cortez told USA Today.

If that $108.9 million was approved, only a sliver of it would go to LSU. According to Dardenne, when the legislature approves money for deferred maintenance, that money is up to state departments and agencies to divvy up.

For higher education spend-

LSU freshmen are weighing their options for off campus living in Baton Rouge this spring, as their first-year housing contracts near expiration and many students sign leases for next semester.

Many students will try to balance cost and convenience, with apartments within biking or walking distance of campus costing more than others where students must commute.

They’re also looking for a tolerable roommate, at minimum, for the duration of their first lease.

“There’s some pressure to get it done quickly,” said history freshman Stephen Herin. “I kind of just want to have it at ease.”

Herin and his current roommate, marketing freshman George Wilson, are apartment shopping together since they survived freshman year living together without any issues.

Both are from Baton Rouge and were friends throughout high school.

Both are excited to move out of their dorm in Laville Hall.

Their only worry comes from the pressure of competing against nearly the entire freshman class currently living on campus for

see INFRASTRUCTURE, page 4

see ROOMMATE, page 4

JULIAN COOPER / The Reveille

The LSU Law Center sits Feb. 2 at LSU’s campus on Campus Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

Unfactored rise in construction costs will affect LSU infrastructure needs

BY PIPER HUTCHINSON @PiperHutchBR Note: Louisiana legislators will decide what to do with a significant surplus of cash available to the state in the next legislative session in March. Ahead of the session, The Reveille is dedicating a string of stories looking at LSU’s infrastructure. This is the eighth story in the ongoing series.

LSU’s estimated deferred maintenance and new infrastructure needs are likely much higher given the unfactored rise in construction costs since the beginning of the pandemic, according to Roger Husser, assistant vice president for LSU Planning, Design & Construction.

The cost of materials has ris-

en 15-20% since the start of the pandemic, Husser said, meaning that LSU’s $659-million deferred maintenance project list is likely millions of dollars higher than projected.

Some projects have been in the backlog for a number of years, meaning that the major increase in the cost of construction materials wasn’t factored in.

That means whatever money is approved by the legislature in next month’s regular session will make less of a dent in the university’s needs than it would have in previous years.

What would Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards’ proposed $108.9 million for deferred maintenance buy, and how much of a dent would it make in LSU’s long

list of infrastructure problems?

Edwards proposed that sum in his executive budget, with Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne adding that much of it would go to institutions of higher education.

However, as Dardenne pointed out during his presentation to the Joint Legislative Committee of the Budget on Jan. 25, the legislature has not always gone along with Edwards’ recommendations regarding deferred maintenance spending.

At the last meeting of the Revenue Estimating Conference on Jan. 11, Senate President Page Cortez indicated that he would support using some of the state’s $1.5 billion in surplus on infrastructure and deferred mainte-

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Rise Tigers enters SG pres. race seeking to unite campus

BY CORBIN ROSS @CorbinRoss5 Mechanical engineering junior Colin Raby and mass commnication sophomore Georgia Peck have entered the Student Government presidential race under the ticket name “Rise Tigers.”

Raby and Peck announced their candidacy over Instagram, Twitter and Facebook on Jan 10 in a short video detailing their qualifications.

“We are ready to rise to the occasion and bring all tigers to the top,” Raby and Peck said in the video.

They are currently competing against the Scott-Rovere and Evolve tickets. Major goals they have stressed are to end partisanship in SG and create further dialogue between students and SG. “We have great plans to actually get our initiatives done,” Raby said. “One of the things

we all agreed on was that ideas are good, but making ideas happen is way better and too often in Student Government people promise big but never deliver. On every initiative we talked about we have a plan to get it done and to actually achieve it.”

Raby is a senator for the College of Engineering and a residential assistant. He also served as a governor’s fellow during the summer of 2021 and has been involved in the Ole War Skule.

Peck is a residential assistant, former reporter for Tiger TV and an LSU ambassador.

“I had pretty much zero involvement with Student Government until now, which I think is an asset because I bring in that different perspective,” Peck said.

Raby said that they view their campaign through the “ABC’s,” which stands for Advocacy, Breakthrough and Community, as well as Diversity, Environment, Fun, and Greek/Grad.

“If not us then who, if not now then, when?” Raby said.

Raby said that he wants to establish a President’s Club, where the leaders of all student organizations will be invited to meet with him—possibly once a month or once a semester—to discuss the issues that they are having and what resources SG can provide for them.

Raby and Peck also said that they want to have the uses of students’ fee bill money be itemized and made public, improve campus biking with air pumps and more bike lanes throughout campus and add extra days to each semester so make-up days aren’t necessary when school is canceled due to emergencies.

Raby said that they also want to have some African American Studies classes count toward general education credits to improve the likelihood students will take

see RISE, page 4

COURTESY OF COLIN RABY

Mechanical engineering junior Colin Raby and mass communication sophomore Georgia Peck are running for student body president and vice president under the ticket name “Rise Tigers.”

Thursday, February 24, 2022

page 4 ROOMMATE, from page 3 a space they’d be happy with in the years to come.

“I think living in a dorm is about as bad as it gets. You’re sharing a studio apartment with one other guy,” Wilson said.

“There’s nowhere you can really go to get away. I feel like it can only get better when you have your own room.”

Because there are so many students in the market for an apartment, there’s lots of competition to find a satisfactory spot.

The average cost of living in a two-bedroom, air-conditioned dorm for fall and spring of this year was $8,720. Though apartments off campus range broadly in price, students will usually try and find a cost that is less than that of LSU. For example, a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment at Ion, a complex just off LSU’s campus, is currently priced at $779 per month. Split between two roommates across 12 months, the cost of living would be $4,674.

While the Ion apartment estimate doesn’t account for food expenditures, the minimum cost of an on-campus meal plan starts at $2,217 per semester, or $4,434 for both, accounting for the cheapest option: 12 meal swipes per week and $600 Paw Points. Meal plans are required for freshman students living on campus.

Required funds for living on LSU will start at around $13,000 compared to the Ion estimate of $4,600. This setup tries to

INFRASTRUCTURE, from page 3 ing, it goes to the Board of Regents, which gets to decide how much each of the four university systems gets. Even after that, LSU’s main campus in Baton Rouge is only one of 10 schools in the LSU system.

Last year, LSU received $5 million from the state for infrastructure projects. That $5 million, a small drop in the bucket of LSU’s needs, paid for just 12 of over 7,000 projects on the deferred maintenance list, including replacing the roof on Nicholson Hall, coating the roof on the LSU Library and paying for part of the studio arts building renovations.

Just how expensive are LSU’s deferred maintenance needs?

New Construction Although the LSU Library, and the need for a new one, gets plenty of public attention, a new library is not LSU’s top priority for new construction.

According to Husser, the biggest priority is an Interdisciplinary Sciences building. When LSU undertakes new construction projects, deferred maintenance projects are also bundled in.

“We’ve packaged that project together with renovating the food science building to relocate Dairy Science,” Husser said.

“Then we’re demolishing the Dairy Science Building, which has deferred maintenance issues, and we’re doing some utility in-

freshman Gage Deshotel, didn’t know each other prior to starting at LSU. Dilts, who is originally from Dallas, Texas, says that he was the only member of his high school to even attend LSU. “It wasn’t hard to find friends, it was definitely more difficult to find a roommate,” said Dilts.

complex. The Ion estimate features a plan where roommates have their own restrooms, a feature absent in dorms of LSU, although certain aspects of living, like groceries/food, would be left to the discretion of the students.

Mass communications freshman Maddox Dilts and his future roommate, accounting

“I’m going to be honest: even some of my friends back home, I would not live with.”

Finding the right person to live with requires desertion and impersonal judgment. Deshotel, a Baton Rouge native, believes that just because someone knows many people doesn’t mean those people would make for a good roommate.

Dilts and Deshotel approached the situation inquisitively. Both parties honestly measuring the merit of one another as a roommate. It wasn’t personal, they said. Both of them realized that this person had to be tolerable outside the constraints of a traditional friendship.

Dilts and Deshotel don’t plan on living with their current roommates in the years to come.

Neither of them are upset with their roommates; rather, they’re appreciative of the lessons they’ve learned from their current roommates and the nature of sharing a tight space with another person for extended periods of time.

“I can definitely say that we coexist well. We get together and have really great conversations, but there have been instances in which I can see that we live two completely separate lives,” Deshotel said. “Sure, we coexist, but are we able to coexist in the same room for three, possibly four to six years?”

Balancing the priorities of each roommate can prove just as essential as the personal compatibility of them. Certain features may hold a value unmeasured monetarily.

Dilts, for example, would be willing to spend more on their apartment if it meant that he could walk to campus. Deshotel wants the apartment to be the best value for his money, even if he has to commute to campus, so balancing those priorities serves as another dimension of compromise outside of just getting along.

frastructure as part of that project.”

The Interdisciplinary Science building would cost a little over $100 million, with about 20% of that amount going to deferred maintenance costs, removing over $20 million from LSU’s deferred maintenance backlog.

The Priorities In addition to the deferred maintenance list, LSU keeps a list of projects with certain levels of priority. There are 65 projects on the list, totaling nearly $33 million. That would buy significant repairs to the LSU Library, including waterproofing the basement and roof repairs.

It would also buy foundational repairs for the Renewable Natural Resources building. The 36-year-old building has experienced significant problems since Hurricane Gustav in 2008.

The priority list also includes major renovations to over 40 other locations on campus, encompassing a number of improvements from facade repairs, wheelchair access and even replacing fire alarm systems.

The elephant in the room Even after you clear the $33-million priority list, 45 library-related projects remain on the full deferred maintenance project list, which would cost about $28M. The library has numerous problems affecting a variety of systems. There are about $5 mil-

lion worth of electrical system projects, ranging from a $1.9 million wiring project to a $50,000 investment in new outlets and switches.

The biggest issues in the library, as expected, are with the

the other items listed under the interior shell system would fall under a “full renovation,” but some projects listed include replacing flooring, ceiling repairs and painting.

The library’s plumbing also

relatively equally compare these two; if a student aims to move into a four-bedroom, four-bathroom apartment, they can expect a lower monthly rent.

Services like parking will probably be comparatively cheaper to on-campus options and some may come complementary, depending upon the

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

The Venue at Northgate, an apartment complex near LSU’s campus, stands tall on Feb. 19, on Aster Street in Baton Rouge, La.

JULIAN COOPER / The Reveille

Samuel L. Lockett Hall sits on Feb. 2 on Field House Drive at LSU.

building’s shell, meaning the minimum components such as the foundation, floors, roof and walls. The full cost of these projects is about $29 million.

A total renovation of the interior shell would cost $24.3 million. It’s unclear how many of

needs about $6.9 million worth of work done. The big-ticket items in plumbing are two piping repair projects totaling about $6 million. There are also bathroom renovations required as well as smaller projects, like replacing faucets and drinking fountains.

RISE, from page 3

Notably, the library needs about $4 million in fire code updates. Both the fire alarms and the smoke detectors have been in need of over $1 million in maintenance and/or repair since 2017.

What else?

After the priority list and the library, LSU would still have a deferred maintenance backlog of $598 million with over 150 locations at LSU that haven’t been touched.

The single location with the highest financial need is the Veterinary Medicine Building, totaling about $39 million. The list also names seven other locations associated with the vet school which have a total combined need of about $2.3 million, meaning the vet school has an actual need of about $41.3 million in deferred maintenance spending.

Other notable possibilities are the notorious Lockett Hall, which needs $10.6 million in deferred maintenance spending, the Renewable Natural Resources Building, requiring just over $9 million in spending and the Himes Testing Center, which also needs just over $9 million.

It’s also worth noting that it’s not just old and decrepit buildings that need cash. Patrick F. Taylor Hall, which received a $144 million facelift in 2014, is in need of six projects totaling $3.6 million. The Business Education Complex, built in 2010, is in need of over $2 million.

them. Raby said that he intends to support Greek life and improve the university’s graduate programs.

The Rise campaign is the only SG campaign currently running whose candidates are not already involved in the SG executive branch.

Peck said that their campaign plans to hold more ticket meetings and further their social media initiatives. Raby said that a portion of the money they raise for their campaign will be donated to charitable causes.

“Really, we’re not interested in partisanship; we want to rise to the top over petty partisan politics, unite a divided campus and move forward, united together to achieve goals,” Raby said.

Raby and Peck said that what sets them apart is that they have the dual perspectives of someone who has been entrenched in SG and someone who, up to this point, has just been a regular student.

Raby also said that his willingness to serve is evidenced by him having to quit his job if he wins.

“I will be the only candidate taking a significant pay cut, since the Student Body President is currently not allowed to hold any on campus jobs,” Raby said.

The presidential campaigns are expected to ramp up over the next few months as election day approaches. Election day will be held on March 30 and the results will be announced April 1 at 4:30 p.m. Students will be able to vote through TigerLink.

ENTERTAINMENT

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THIS WEEK IN BR

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FEBRUARY

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TH Krewe of Southdowns Parade Downtown BR Join the Krewe of Southdowns for their 35th annual parade. Rain or shine, this nighttime, family friendly parade starts at 7 p.m.

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Spanish Town Parade Downtown BR

SUNDAY AT 12

The Mystic Krewe for the Preservation of Lagniappe in Louisiana is hosting Baton Rouge’s final Mardi Gras parade of the season, starting at noon in Spanish Town. The theme is “Porn Again Flamingoes,” and this parade is not considered family friendly.

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FEBRUARY

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

FEBRUARY

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TH LSU Baseball Game Alex Box Stadium LSU baseball is back at the box, and the Baton Rouge derby between LSU and Southern will take place at noon, previewing the inevitable cross-city football game to come in the fall.

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Thursday, February 24, 2022

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Lexi Howard’s ‘Our Life’ a tribute to the pitfalls of teenagers

BY CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN @connor_mcla

Note: This article is a satirical piece based on season two, episode seven of “Euphoria.”

A few hours before showtime, I received two tickets to a play

by East Highland High School student Lexi Howard. I was not going to attend initially, but I thought, why not go and support a local high school theater production? Maybe Howard would be reiterating “Oklahoma!” or some other basic theater fodder. While I’m no playwright, I love watching a group of dedicated kids and teachers put together something magical.

I showed up at the auditorium 20 minutes before the curtain call. I got myself and my date a drink from the concession stands and we found our seats. The entire room was buzzing with energy. Most of the crowd’s attention was diverted not to the stage but at a young couple in the center aisle. Some sour emotions were in the air, but I don’t know much about these kids or their lives. I was just there to see a good show, and what a show it was.

In all my years as an entertainment reporter, I have never been

as utterly and fundamentally unprepared for a performance as I was for “Our Life.”

A budding unknown talent in the low-budget industry of high school theater, the original play written and directed by Howard is a meta-autobiographical story about her youth and development into girlhood while living in a broken family.

It opened with Howard, who served as the play’s omniscient narrator and protagonist Grace, reading a Rainer Maria Rilke poem to her drug-addicted best friend Jade, who recently lost her father to cancer. It was a dark, cold opening, but it demonstrated the misery of being a teenager amid family tragedy. Upon introducing her gang of friends — older sister Hallie, the confident Marta, Luna and Jade — the play followed a non-linear structure that chronicled the lives of her and her friends from the summer before their freshman year of high school onward.

As Grace stated during the title sequence, “This is life. Not everyone’s life, but Our Life.”

I had no idea where the theater department found such a large budget for this lavish high school play. The sets were as dynamic as they come, including a

COURTESY OF iNEWS

rotating school hallway and an impressive gas station rooftop.

The bedroom and street sets were immaculately constructed as well.

My one qualm with the production was that the lighting cues lacked much-needed speed, but the overall production and staging were top tier.

As for the story itself, it is quite moving and relatable. However, some of the plot points follow the traditionally trite tropes of high school coming-of-age stories with juvenile dialogue to boot. Still, the performances from Howard and her committed cast,

especially from Ethan Daley, revamp this otherwise disjointed and clichéd story into a personal collection of observations that portray the highs and lows of burgeoning adulthood.

I was enthralled by the play’s bombastic, homoerotic performance of Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero” by the actors portraying the football team. Clad in golden spandex and shirtless, these athletes gyrate, grind and dance their hearts out in the locker room. No expense was spared for this scene. I was unaware of the true meaning of the dance

number except for its surfacelevel satire of toxic masculinity. Whatever the inspiration, it struck a major key with the audience and myself, as everyone was cheering and clapping throughout. Nothing cynical or homophobic to be found here, though the couple from earlier must have taken something to heart as they rushed out of the theater immediately following the performance.

Lexi Howard’s “Our Life” is a theatrical, teenage fever dream that reads as rushed and self-indulgent. It has not offered anything overtly new to the table about Gen Z troubles like how life is hard, social media is terrible and that teenagers worry about how they look too much.

Regardless, Howard has crafted something special that I think will resonate with young people for years to come, much more than “Oklahoma!” ever could have.

If anything, Howard has made it abundantly clear that she is a creative force that we surely will never forget in this life or our next.

Apart from the visibly frantic couple and the best seat in the house still being vacant, the crowd seemed eager to see how Howard wrapped up “Our Life.”

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Thursday , February 24, 2022

page 7 BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

Krewe of Mid City’s parade brings Mardis Gras fun back to BR

BY MATILDA SIPP @SippTilly Complete with school marching bands, dance krewes and adorably-decorated floats, the Mid City Gras Parade was a perfect way to celebrate some family-friendly Mardi Gras fun.

The parade took place Feb. 20 on North Boulevard, and while it may have been a short, low-key affair, the Baton Rouge commu-

nity couldn’t have been happier to be out and celebrating Mardi Gras with their friends and families.

“It just feels great to see the community and see people who I don’t get to see very often,” Baton Rouge resident Jessica Stroope said.

The parade hosted performances by The Hillsdale High Steppers, The Flamingeauxs, A Body of Royalty, The Krewe

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Krewe throws beads from an Amazon inspired float on Feb. 20, as part of the Mid City Gras parade on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge, La.

of Circue Louisiana, The Baton Rouge Beignyays and many other great troupes. These dance krewes brought the sass to the festivities, delivering on-point choreography with impeccably decadent costumes topped off with wigs, glitter and Euphoriaesque eyeshadow looks.

An “Enchantment Under the Sea” float was featured in the parade, boasting a great deal of tinsel and some camp-looking faux prom outfits. While this float was a knock-out, the biggest standout out of the whole parade was an Amazon-themed float that showcased a large replica of Jeff Bezos’ peculiar-shaped rocket ship. The krewe even put together a throne made out of old amazon packages to top off the whole ordeal.

The parade was an assemblage of fun-loving oddballs on stilts, older folks sitting out in lawn chairs, worried moms trying to keep their babies from stepping into the middle of the procession and kids screaming at the top of their lungs begging for some beads. People were dancing, spinning, rollerblading, stepping, singing, playing instruments, doing acrobatics and chucking beads left and right.

After being unable to celebrate this momentous holiday

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A woman in a shopping cart waves on Feb. 20, as part of the Mid City Gras parade on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge, La. for nearly two years, the Baton Rouge community was radiating energy of almost tangible joy and bliss as they embraced their loved ones and greeted old friends. Louisiana without Mardi Gras just wasn’t the same, and

residents took a sign of relief to have Carnival back.

Once the parade came to an end and families and friends started leaving together, a smile was plastered on every person’s face.

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

Mardi Gras returns to Louisiana for the first time in two years

BY MADELON DAVIS @MadelonDavis Thousands gathered in New Orleans and across the state of Louisiana in February 2020 for Mardi Gras celebrations, unaware of the looming Coronavirus that had already infiltrated the United States.

The event would become a super spreader, causing as many as 50,000 new cases when the nationwide lockdown began, according to one study.

“The atmosphere was hyped to another level,” said Xavier Kent, a public relations junior and Mr. Black LSU. “New Orleans in itself if just naturally a party city.”

Though Mardi Gras festivities were almost entirely canceled in 2021, the Carnival returns this year stronger than ever, with parades and king cakes rolling out since Jan. 6.

“Mardi Gras to me means a time of togetherness. A time to celebrate the culture of New Orleans and embrace what makes this city so unique,” LSU alumnus Sarah Reason said. “Mardi Gras feels like one big happy family coming together to ‘let the good times roll.’”

Last year, New Orleans mayor LaToya Cantrell canceled all parades and shuttered bars during Mardi Gras weekend, creating huge economic struggle for an already downtrodden tourist in-

GRAPHIC BY CAILIN TRAN

dustry.

“Around February or March, something is supposed to be happening,” said Kent. “You’re supposed to have a lot of tourists coming in, you’re supposed to have a lot of people celebrating, lots of people outside, and that wasn’t the case last year.”

During what was supposed to be Mardi Gras season, masks were still widely mandated, class-

es were still online, and the vaccine was only beginning to see distribution.

Even though the literal parade celebrations weren’t held, New Orleans found a way to party, even if it wasn’t the same. Residents were able to come together through small, distanced gatherings around house floats, offering some semblance of hope for Carnival in the eyes of a rampant

virus.

“It just showed how a minor setback does not phase the city of New Orleans,” Reason said.

“We will always find a way to celebrate.”

Throughout the state, Mardi Gras was still an opportunity for family to gather and carry out annual traditions. Kent said him and his family wake up every Fat Tuesday at about 6 a.m. to catch

the Zulu parade and remain on Canal Street for hours afterward.

Mass communication senior Sophie Liberto recalled her fondest Mardi Gras memory being a game of catch with her cousin as a child using a plastic football caught in a parade.

Though this year, festivities are operating as normal; parades statewide are recommencing, and tourists are flooding into New Orleans with each passing day in hopes of wandering the streets catching beads.

“Nothing beats the little reminders of Mardi Gras even weeks after it has already passed; especially with the fact that this had been two years in the making,” Reason said. “It’ll be very bittersweet to see the little things that were left behind from such a joyous occasion.”

From the perspective of anyone foreign to Louisiana, Mardi Gras may seem like a weekend dedicating to vices, partying and catching plastic necklaces, though for longtime natives, the holiday serves as a generational tradition of coming together, with origins stretching back hundreds of years.

To those residents, this year’s Mardi Gras will be the first true sign of normalcy since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I’m glad New Orleans is kind of opening back up and getting back to the party city that it deserves to be,” Kent said.

SPORTS

page 8 GYMNASTICS

Gym splits Tri-Meet

BY MORGAN ROGERS @__morganrogers

placed a brace on his elbow because he did not need complete reconstruction surgery.

Although Morgan had received an offer from Alabama in eighth grade and committed to LSU in his sophomore year of high school, recruitment interest and his draft stock plummeted after his injury.

Morgan began training two weeks after the surgery and

After a tough double weekend the LSU gymnastics team is officially No. 6 in the National Qualifying Score (NQS) rankings, which were officially released Tuesday. The team triumphed at home on Friday against No. 8 Alabama, but didn’t have the same luck just two days later in Missouri.

The Tigers came in second with a score 197.200 in the TriMeet with No. 9 Missouri and Arkansas. Missouri led the meet with a 197.350, while Arkansas finished last with a 196.800. After COVID-19 protocols prevented the Purple and Gold from competing two straight weeks, the team had to scramble to squeeze in additional meets. On Sunday, a big drawback for the Tigers was definitely fatigue. In gymnastics, competing more than once a week is out of the ordinary due to the strain the sport puts on gymnasts’ bodies. This can possibly explain why their score was nearly an entire point lower from their season high score on Friday (198.050).

“Our team [felt] pretty good after Friday night,” LSU gymnastics head coach Jay Clark spoke before mentioning his plans to rest a few key people. “We are hitting our stride and really building off of each meet. The goal is to continue doing that.”

Despite not coming out on top, the Tigers went home with a lot of pros on the night. Sophomore Haleigh Bryant registered

see BASEBALL, page 9

see GYMNASTICS, page 9

TRE’S TIME

One of Paul Maineiri’s last great recruits: John ‘Tre’ Morgan III SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

LSU baseball sophomore first baseman Tre Morgan III (18) walks to the dugout Feb. 18, before LSU’s 13-1 win against Maine at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge, La.

BY COLE HERNANDEZ @Ct_hernandez John “Tre” ’Morgan was regarded as the best high-school hitter in the New Orleans area and was a standout on the summer circuit with the MLB Breakthrough Series Organization prior to arriving at LSU. His junior season in high school, Morgan batted .483 and struck out only three times. He was selected as First Team All-District, All-Metro

and All-State in 2019. However, a scary injury would alter the course of his college recruiting process.

“The night that injury happened it hit me hard,” Morgan said. “But me and my dad talked about it. We knew we had to get back to work to get back to the player that I was and that I needed to be to compete at this level.”

An elbow injury that occurred while pitching in a

scrimmage before the start of his senior season in high school, Morgan was nationally ranked the 220th player coming out of high school in 2021. He was the seventh-ranked first baseman in the country, first-ranked position player in the state and the third-ranked player overall in the state of Louisiana.

Tests later revealed he had partially torn his ulnar collateral ligament, which required a Tommy-John surgery. Doctors

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Women’s Hoops boots up for Senior Night against Alabama

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8 The LSU women’s basketball team could not have more momentum headed into Thursday night’s senior-night matchup against Alabama (14-11, 5-9 SEC).

The PMAC saw one of the most exciting games of the women’s basketball season Sunday afternoon, as the Tigers pulled off a critical, 66-61 win over a No. 15 ranked Florida team. While the team, the fans and the school were excited about the win, the Tigers put their heads down right away and put their focus toward their matchup with Alabama.

Alabama also has some momentum of its own headed into Thursday’s matchup. The Crimson Tide have won their last two games: a 10-point victory over a No. 16 ranked Tennessee tea, and a two-point overtime win over

Texas A&M. The Crimson Tide, led by Brittany Davis who averages 16.9 points per game, is a motivated team, looking to keep their momentum going and sneak their way into the NCAA Tournament. “[Curry’s] team is fighting to be maybe on that bubble, to be talked about to be that eighth, ninth team from our league to get a bid.”

Coach Mulkey said leading up to their matchup with the Crimson Tide. “So if you talk about when is the best time to get hot and beat some people it’s now, and she’s done that.”

The Crimson Tide are a similar team to Arkansas, a team LSU lost to by 14 points, in that they take a great amount of perimeter shots. “[Florida’s players] shoot a lot of three’s and she [Coach Kristy Curry] mixes her defenses up,” Coach Mulkey said, “she’ll play you some man and she’ll play you some zone. They’re going to push

it, so we will be prepared.

“They’re [LSU] not going to come in here and beat them. It’s going to be a ball game, as all of them have been.”

While the Tigers struggled to shoot around the perimeter in their matchup with Florida, the team saw some improvements that will be useful in the postseason. Aside from the starting five players that have been reliable all season long, the bench players made an impact in the team’s win over Florida.

Hannah Gusters scored six crucial points in the third quarter of the Florida game, four of which gave the Tigers the lead and two of which extended the team’s lead.

When the perimeter shots weren’t falling for the Tigers, Mulkey told Gusters and the other bigs to demand the ball in order to win the

see BASKETBALL, page 9

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball graduate student guard Jailin Cherry (1) yells in excitement Feb. 20, during LSU’s 66-61 win against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

page 9

Thursday, February 24 , 2022 BASEBALL, from page 8 looked forward to his freshman year of college. Former Head Coach Paul Mainieri never doubted Morgan’s potential and, once his elbow was healed, made sure he knew his scholarship spot on the team was waiting.

“LSU was the best fit for me because it was close to home, which meant my parents could come and watch me play whenever they wanted,” Morgan said.

“I also chose LSU because of its prestigious history and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Tre, a nickname given to him by friends, is a product of Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. Morgan played football and baseball while in high school and credits Brother Martin’s baseball program in preparing him for the physical demands of college baseball.

Off the diamond, Morgan said his Catholic upbringing has made his transition to college life easier and has allowed him to have a healthy spiritual life.

“It’s a big part of my game,” Morgan said, “I speak to God in the locker room before every game. I just put my trust in him.”

Morgan’s low national ranking coming out of high school due to his injury motivated him to prove to his teammates he was good enough to play for LSU. Without throwing a single ball in fall practice, Morgan impressed Mainieri enough to give him the starting spot at first base.

In his nearly 40 years of coaching, Mainieri said he hasn’t seen many players who can

make a difference on the defensive end at first base like Morgan.

Before the start of the 2021 season, Mainieri said, “Morgan is someone to really be excited

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

LSU baseball sophomore first baseman Tre Morgan III (18) hits the ball Feb. 20 before LSU’s 21-6 win against Maine at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge, La. about, I love this kid. I had no idea he was this good when we recruited him, but he is a tremendous ballplayer.”

In his freshman season, Morgan batted .357 (89-249) with 16 doubles, four triples and six home runs. He also had 42 RBIs, 64 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. He received Freshman All-American, Second-Team AllSEC and Freshman All-SEC hon-

ors. He was also named to the SEC All-Defensive Team and finished second in SEC Freshman of the Year vote count. Morgan received SEC Freshman of the Week twice, was named ABCA All-South Region First Team, and was named LSWA First-Team All-Louisiana.

New Head Coach Johnson has echoed what Mainieri believed when he retired.

“He’s a real hitter. I dropped the Tony Gwynn-like comparison, like that was the first guy that came to mind, and I’m talking relative to the college level,” Johnson said. “But he’s our best, most consistent guy right now.”

Morgan attributes these accolades and his success so far at LSU to the way his dad held him to such high expectations growing up. Recently, his dad has helped him secure NIL deals from attorney Gordon McKernan, food delivery service Waitr, and his own clothing line called Stretchman with 500Level.

“Stretchman would not be a thing without [his dad.] He taught me everything I know about the game,” Morgan said.

“He is the biggest reason I am in the position I am today.”

In the off-season, Morgan was named Preseason SecondTeam All-American by both Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball. Morgan was ranked eighth

by Perfect Game on its Top-100 College Sophomores List, one of six Tigers on the list and one of three ranked inside the top10. LSU baseball and Morgan’s future looks bright thanks to Mainieri’s faith in his last recruiting class.

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

LSU gymnastics sophomore all-around Haleigh Bryant flips Feb. 5, before LSU’s 197.975-197.750 win over Auburn in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

GYMNASTICS, from page 8 a career high in the all-around (39.700) along with a perfect score on vault for the fourth time in her collegiate career. She is the No. 2 gymnast in the nation on vault this year. Additionally, she is already the third gymnast in line for the most 10’s in school history.

LSU was in the lead during the first rotation (49.375). Freshman Aleah Finnegan made her debut on bars, scoring a 9.85. Elena Arenas marked a new career high at 9.85 following Bryant’s 9.9. Sami Durante anchored the event for the team’s highest bars score at 9.925. The team registered an explosive 49.400 on vault thanks to

Bryant’s 10 and Johnson’s 9.9.

When the third rotation at the beam came around, LSU could not keep up. Although Kiya Johnson anchored with a 9.925, two scores within the 9.7 range had to be taken into account. Their performance on the floor was not much better. Besides Bryant’s 9.9, the rest of the Tigers could not put up any higher numbers than a 9.85. Even KJ Johnson’s scores were lower than her season average.

LSU will return fully rested for their next meet in Denton, Texas on Friday. The Purple and Gold will face Texas Woman’s and Pittsburgh at 6 p.m. Central Time.

The meet will stream live on paid program LHN.

BASKETBALL, from page 8 game near the rim.

“She [Gusters] wanted the ball against Florida, I challenged her and Faustine sitting on the bench over there,” Coach Mulkey said. “Our perimeter’s trying but they’re not hitting tonight, all we need from you guys are to demand the basketball and make us throw it in there to you. Hannah did, she finished, she got fouled, she didn’t make the free throw, but it was a sign of, ‘Coach, I listened to what you said.’”

Awa Trasi and Ryann Payne also made an impact. Trasi grabbed five key rebounds on defense for the Tigers against Florida.

“She [Awa] had valuable minutes the other night,” Mulkey said.

“She got some big defensive rebounds for us.”

Payne has served as the “sparkplug” for the team all season long, and when the team needed to rally against the Gators, she was able to deliver once again.

“She’s [Ryann] instant offense, sometimes I tell her if you make a play or if you can’t make a play, shoot it, and I think she does,” Mulkey said. “She’s been a spark for us in a lot of games.”

While people marvel at the things this team has achieved in such a short amount of time, the book of this season is not even

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey speaks to graduate student guard Jailin Cherry (1) and graduate student guard Khayla Pointer (3) Feb. 20, during LSU’s 66-61 win against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La. CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

The LSU women’s basketball team smile as they secure the win Feb. 20, during LSU’s 66-61 win against Florida in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La. finished being written. Looking back on all the team has accomplished, it has already been better than what the team could have hoped for. The Tigers have been a Top-25 team all season long, most recently receiving their highest

ranking of the season at No. 8.

Despite the program seeing honors it has not seen in a long time, the team remains focused and in the moment.

“It starts with those seniors.

They’ve been in college for a

while,” Mulkey said. “They don’t get too high; they don’t get too low.”

The Tigers’ senior class went through a lot of adversity before Mulkey came into the program; the program has not been in the NCAA Tournament since the 2017-18 season. Only three current players played on that team: Khayla Pointer, Jailin Cherry and Faustine Aifuwa. To say that the seniors, especially these three,

deserve a night to be honored for all that they have given to the program would be an understatement.

“You want them to have an unbelievable last year of college, every coach wants them to, and it doesn’t always work out that way,” Mulkey said. “But for anybody to leave this year no matter where we finish, how it all ends, there’s not a negative that can be written.”

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page 10

Thursday, February 24, 2022

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Word that means nothing 5 Engine 10 __-carotene; carrot ingredient 14 Imitated 15 Of sheep 16 Picnic spoiler 17 Russert & McGraw 18 Arrested an escapee 20 Yoko __ 21 Too thin 22 Weather forecast 23 __ off; becomes less angry 25 Four-yr. degrees 26 Scours 28 Undies, for some 31 Gladden 32 Spotless 34 Is __ to; probably will 36 Takes nourishment 37 Item in a bedding package 38 Musketeers or Stooges 39 Fraternity letter 40 College credits 41 Uses a sieve 42 Like a panoramic view 44 Delhi dollars 45 __ off; steal from 46 Damp 47 Monastery superior 50 Gravy holder 51 NBC competitor 54 Man who weds 57 Equestrian’s command 58 Veronica or Ricki 59 TV’s “__ Line Is It Anyway?”

60 Steerer’s place 61 Eagle-__; very observant 62 Feeling ho-hum 63 Chances DOWN 1 Post-WWII alliance 2 As neat as __ 3 Like a blue state 4 Billboards 5 Ethics 6 Pizzeria appliances

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

7 Lyme disease spreader 8 “Cat __ Hot Tin Roof” 9 House member: abbr.

10 Black-and-blue mark 11 Be a breadwinner 12 Tongue-__; speechless 13 Boy’s nickname 19 Author Mark 21 Frontal __; brain section 24 Inning enders 25 Sassy child 26 Flow out slowly 27 Group headed by a teacher 28 Buzzers 29 Unlikely; hard to believe 30 Vindictiveness 32 Fashionably dressed 33 “__ Me Call You Sweetheart” 35 Fling 37 Cut off split ends, e.g.

38 Helpful hints

2/24/22

Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved

©2022 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

40 Bring together 41 Formal attire 43 Wore away 44 Walked about aimlessly 46 Yellowstone grazer 47 Qualified 48 Donkey’s noise 49 Schwinn, for one

2/24/22

50 Crude person 52 Daring 53 Snead & Peckinpah 55 Clinton’s successor, for short 56 Letter from Greece 57 Which person?

OPINION

page 11

QUICK

Experience the wonder of Cottonwood Books before it’s gone DRAKE’S TAKES DRAKE BRIGNAC @drakebrignac Like Blue Store fried chicken or Tony’s Seafood, Cottonwood Books is one of Baton Rouge’s iconic local treasures; if you’ve experienced it, you love it. If you’ve never been, you should take the opportunity to form your own love affair with Cottonwood because it will soon shut its doors permanently.

Cottonwood Books is the last independent bookstore in Baton Rouge. A mainstay of the Perkins Overpass District, it celebrated its 35th anniversary last year. In a space about the size of the Coates Hall auditorium — if not slightly smaller — there are thousands of books nestled on shelves that nearly reach the ceiling, with books stacked on the floors of the aisles between them.

At the front of the store, among the vast collection for sale, you’ll find its owner: Danny Plaisance.

Plaisance knows the store like the back of his hand and can tell you if he has what you’re looking for without even leaving the counter.

If you’re looking for a particular topic, he’ll walk you to it.

Last year, Plaisance sought to sell Cottonwood after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease; however, earlier this month, he told The Advocate that the store

would shut down because of difficulties finding a buyer. Now, the goal is to sell as much inventory as possible before the store closes.

Cottonwood is only open on Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but, as part of the store’s retirement sale, all books are 30% off. As the weeks pass, Cottonwood’s bookshelves, which previously looked as if its contents were overflowing, grow emptier. Still, there are plenty of books for sale, but time is running out to find a unique book that piques your interest.

There are entire rows full of literary classics, biographies and fiction. Scattered throughout the store, there are plenty of books and magazines that you might not find anywhere else, like those published by university presses.

Unlike any large bookstore, you can also find an entire aisle dedicated to everything Louisiana.

Out of all the books I purchased at Cottonwood over the years, 12 of them are about the Long family, from Huey to Russell, and 16 more focus on everything else Louisiana, from the corruption to the coastline.

A handful are signed—some by authors, but others by their subjects. Every penny spent was well worth it, and the books themselves are much more valuable than the price penciled on the inside.

There’s nowhere quite like

Cottonwood to find a title you’ve never heard of—or something signed by someone you have heard of—without breaking the bank or getting bored.

Even if you don’t like reading—or have better impulse control than me—it’s worth going to Cottonwood just for the experience. Time flies scanning shelves and thumbing through pages. Wandering the aisles and skimming each section feels like a scene out of Hollywood. It’s not unlike Monsieur Labisse’s shop in “Hugo” or Diagon Alley in “Harry Potter.”

You can even follow in the footsteps of Tom Hanks—not by reenacting “You’ve Got Mail,” but by literally walking in the same store he visited while shooting a movie in 2018.

If you can’t visit Cottonwood before it closes, there is a glimmer of hope. A group of locals wants to form a nonprofit to keep the bookstore running, but the idea is in its infancy according to the Baton Rouge Business Report. Still, if you have the opportunity, take it as soon as you can.

Cottonwood is well worth the visit, and, once you see it for yourself, you’ll also feel a sense of grief at the thought that it might be gone forever.

Drake Brignac is a 21-year-old political communication and political science senior from Baton Rouge.

TAKES

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS? The University Lakes have to be my favorite place on campus by a long shot. Those long, quiet walks under the trees, alongside the ducks and egrets, are particularly calming to my soul. Every couple of minutes I stop and sit for a while. No experience on campus can compare to those sunset introspections while looking out over the water.

Gideon Fortune @gidfortune

“My favorite place on LSU’s campus is the UREC basketball courts. I met a decent number of my best friends that I’ve made in college at the courts. There’s a sort of community of those who frequent the courts. Seeing someone on campus that I’ve run a few games with and greeting them brings a sense of togetherness that is especially important in our ever-dividing society.”

Frank Kidd @FK446852315

“The Journalism Building’s patio. When the weather is nice, even though that’s a short window by Louisiana standards, it’s a great place to do work or read and enjoy the weather. It is just far enough from the street that it’s quiet, but not so quiet that you’ll go insane.”

Drake Brignac @drakebrignac

“My favorite spot on campus is Mike the Tiger’s habitat. I really enjoy going there with my friends and watching Mike prance around his yard, not to mention putting a face to his iconic social media presence and sharing his silly goofy moments with everyone.”

Charlie Stephens @CharlieStephns

“My favorite spot on campus is City Pork. Whenever I have long days on campus, I go to City Pork and get a grilled cheese with an iced coffee. They have multiple different coffee drinks, so I usually like to try to mix it up. Its become a tradition of mine to get a grilled cheese and sit outside the design building while doing some homework.”

Kacey Buercklin @0kacey1 THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Books crowd the shelves on Thursday, October 1, at Cottonwood Books at 3054 Perkins Road.

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Lara Nicholson

Editor in Chief

Enjanae’ Taylor

Managing Editor

Josh Archote

News Editor

Bella Dardano

Deputy News Editor

Claire Sullivan

Opinion Editor

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

The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to 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.

Quote of the Week “A decent provision for the poor is the true test of civilization.”

Paul Farmer

medical anthropologist 1959 — 2022

Thursday, February 24, 2022

page 12

Replacing ‘Dirty Kirby’ with green space would help campus MISSING IN ACTION MIA COCO @MiaMarieCoco1 Kirby Smith Hall, the eyesore of LSU dorms, will finally be demolished June 4. In its place will be a green space for students to enjoy by the fall semester, creating a much-needed social area for the west side of campus.

With a problematic history, the building named after Confederate Army Gen. Edmund Kirby-Smith, nicknamed “the hospital” and “Dirty Kirby,” is far past due for demolition. It closed in 2006 but was forced to be renovated and reopened in 2011 due to rising demands for on-campus housing. New residential halls including Camelia, Azalea, Cedar and Spruce allowed the university to permanently close the aging building in 2021.

Many are ready to cheer the long-awaited demolition of Kirby. To protect implosion onlookers, the surrounding buildings will be evacuated ahead of the

demolition, and bystanders will be kept a safe distance away from the building’s perimeter.

While the implosion will only take about 15 minutes, construction preparation has been ongoing since October 2021.

Though most students hoped for a parking lot to be built in Kirby’s place, a green space is a functional and aesthetically pleasing addition to campus.

There are currently few places to play Frisbee, have picnics or go on walks for students living west of the Quad. The Parade Ground is a far walk for students living in Cedar and Spruce halls and is dangerous to walk to late at night. Replacing Kirby with an outdoor area will provide a safer, more convenient way to meet new people and host events.

While a parking lot in Kirby’s place may seem logical, it would not create as many opportunities for parking as students may think. Because Kirby itself is a taller, skinnier building than those surrounding it (13 stories compared to Cedar Hall’s five stories), the plot of land left after demolition would not provide

much space for student parking.

Researchers have found that the addition of green spaces on college campuses can provide stress-relief for students. They even found that students who can see greenery from their living spaces perform better at attention-based tasks than those who cannot.

“Once Kirby’s gone, we’ll get a much better view for people at Cedar whose rooms face campus,” finance freshman Tyler Voyles, a resident of Cedar Hall, said. “When I walk to class, Kirby’s such an eye sore, and without it, the beauty of our campus will show more clearly.”

Replacing “Dirty Kirby” with a green space will upgrade the entire west side of campus. Kirby sticks out like a sore thumb among the beautiful oak trees and sophisticated architecture of newer residential halls, and by demolishing it, the university takes another step toward beautifying campus.

Mia Coco is a 19-year-old political communication student from Alexandria.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Kirby-Smith Hall climbs into the sky on Jan. 24, on the west side of LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La.

Abstract art essential to capturing the Black experience GOOD FORTUNES GIDEON FORTUNE

@gidfortune

Drexciya, mythology created by the Detroit electronic music duo of the same name, suggests that the babies of pregnant enslaved women thrown overboard in the Atlantic effortlessly transitioned from their amniotic sacs to the ocean and formed an underground society, or Black Atlantis.

While this narrative is a myth, it explores the concept of myth or abstraction being employed as a representation of the Black experience, which is often indescribable to those unfamiliar.

The suspense when any nonBlack person says something about Black people provides an out-of-body experience.

When the resident racist inevitably says something slick, an instinctive sense of collective anger overcomes me before I’m forced to show an ungodly level of restraint.

One cannot describe feeling left out of a conversation you are being invited to. It makes as little sense as the reason for feeling left out — momentarily making a quarter of my vocabulary inaccessible in an attempt to be professional (a played-out, fake concept).

The ability to instantly change personalities to one of many different versions that I believe palatable for my peers or coworkers is not something I even think about now. I was not explicitly taught to do this, it just started happening and has not stopped.

Perhaps the most unexplain-

COURTESY OF GROOVE

able part of it all is the frequency at which these instances occur.

Every day of class or work on campus features multiple Gideons thanks to an intangible set of rules and restrictions.

When parts of an experience are seemingly unreal, representations should focus on displaying that unreal feeling as opposed

to creating something “real.” Accurate representation is necessary at times, but fails to capture or explain the unfathomable as Drexciya does so well.

“Abstraction has always been like a freeway, a permission slip where I can take everything I’ve been thinking about and pile it in,” Adrian Culverson said in a

panel of Black women abstract artists.

This is true of abstraction anywhere, but when discussing people who have been stripped of their autonomy, essentially playing life by someone else’s rules, this method becomes a route of freedom not accessible in daily life. Freedom that can be

used to accurately represent what is otherwise unrepresented.

Use of abstraction will not by any means create representations widely understood by Black people, nor should it have to as we are not a monolith.

What abstraction can do is create feelings or spaces that extend beyond the scope of what is available to us living in a world we haven’t built, something that artist Torkwase Dyson does.

Dyson uses abstract drawings to create new liveable geographies. Geographies that consider the racist-built environments Black people inhabit.

The tragedy of the Middle Passage is distant, but not isolated, and modern problems need their Drexciya as well.

“From the concrete form of failed levees in New Orleans to the three 60-by-60-inch concrete sidewalk squares underneath Eric Garner, we must be able to interrogate current infrastructure with new design solutions to advanced environmental conditions with our political and material futures in mind,” Dyson said.

Whether crafting equitable solutions or rewriting narratives, myths and abstractions should be utilized by Black artists to grapple with the strange idea of nearly the entire world, or places affected by colonialism at the least, hating us for our skin color.

And to those who aren’t artists, lie to non-Black people when you feel like it. They probably won’t understand the real things you have to say anyway.

Gideon Fortune is a 21-yearold mass communication major from New York, NY, and entertainment editor for The Reveille.