The Reveille 3-1-21

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DOUGHTY’S Cade Doughty blasted a walk-off homer to sweep Youngstown State, and LSU baseball sent four more out the park in a dismantling of Nicholls State during the Tigers’ weekend doubleheader.

DINGER Read on

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NEWS

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LSU Museum of Art adds eight pieces by minority artists to its permanent collection.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Go down the rabbit hole with conspiracy theories like The Mandela Effect and the fake moon landing.

SPORTS

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Jaden Hill continued to exemplify some of the most prolific pitching in the country in 6-2 victory over Youngstown State.

OPINION

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“It feels like we’re constantly doing a million things at once and yet getting nothing done at all.”

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

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LSU baseball maintains the long game and secures two wins Saturday

BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons Doubleheaders are known to put a baseball team’s pitching depth to the test. A typical pitching staff is rarely up for 18 innings in one day, so having efficient and dominant innings from the starter goes a long way in not only the outcome of the game, but preserving arms for the future.

LSU achieved that in its doubleheader Saturday. The team walked off Youngstown State in Game One in an instant classic, winning 5-3, and blew past Nicholls in the nightcap by a score of 12-0. AJ Labas pitched a scoreless five innings against Youngstown State, allowing just three hits and striking out six. Later in the evening, Landon Marceaux went a scoreless six innings, allowed just two hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters. He tossed multiple three up, three down innings, once with three strikeouts.

It was LSU’s first shutout since February 2019.

“You get starting pitching like that, you’re going to have a chance to win some games,” Head Coach Paul Mainieri said.

“When Landon’s in a rhythm and he’s got good command, his fastball has good movement, his velocity was good, his slider and changeup were outstanding. He’s an outstanding pitcher.”

“I was on my fastball, commanding it very well and also commanded my offspeed pitches very well,” Marceaux said. “I just put it all together, and it was one of those nights.”

As for the Tigers’ bats, it was a

quiet Game One. After a two-run first inning, LSU was held scoreless until the seventh. There, Tre’ Morgan had an RBI single, but that would again be it for the time being.

After trusted closer Devin Fontenot allowed two runs before he could record an out in the eighth, the game was tied heading into the ninth. Alex Brady pitched a scoreless top of the ninth, giving the offense the chance for a walk-off.

Dylan Crews got the inning started, reaching base on a hit by pitch, and after several pickoff attempts, one finally went wild.

The ball rolled to the LSU bullpen, and Crews jumped to his feet and sprinted for third base.

Meanwhile, Cade Doughty was at the plate. His at-bat had reached a 2-2 count, and the Tigers were one strike away from heading to extra innings. Doughty seemingly didn’t like the sound of even more baseball. He sent the next pitch 412 feet to left field, scoring Crews and himself and putting LSU in the win column.

The heads of Youngstown State’s players hung low, and Doughty’s was held high as he met his teammates at home plate for a celebration. It was the first of many home runs the Tigers would hit Saturday.

“That was an awesome moment,” Mainieri said.

LSU would leave the field, head for the locker room, quickly change uniforms from their purple to yellow and head back out to warm up for their second game of the day. They swapped jerseys, but the energy carried over.

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LSU baseball sophomore infielder Cade Doughty (4) gets ready to throw the ball Sept. 30, 2020 during LSU baseball’s first fall practice in Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue.

“You’re always worried about a letdown after an emotional game like that, but man, we came out like gangbusters,” Mainieri said.

Crews got started right away, homering to right field on the second pitch of the bottom of the first inning.

“People wonder why I lead him off, but that’s exactly why,” Mainieri said.

In the bottom of the second, Drew Bianco hit one of his own,

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU baseball sophomore infielder Cade Doughty (4) throws the ball to first base Feb. 21 during LSU’s 6-1 win over Air Force at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge.

sending a ball soaring deep into the Baton Rouge night and over the bleachers of left field. Before Bianco could get a breather in the dugout, Jordan Thompson sent a ball over the wall in leftcenter field to extend the LSU lead to 3-0.

After a quiet third inning, the bats got going yet again in the fourth. Alex Milazzo, who came into the day with just two hits on the season, doubled down the left field line to score two more.

Morgan knocked in one on an RBI single, Cade Beloso walked with the bases loaded, Gavin Dugas scored another on a fielder’s choice and Brody Drost singled to bring in Will Safford. It was a six-run fourth inning, and it broke the game wide open. It was also the rare occasion that runs hadn’t come from the long ball.

Those big innings make everyone happy, except the pitcher.

“It’s a love/hate relationship with these long innings,” Marceaux said. “You’re scoring a bunch of runs but you’re sitting for a while. Those are the toughest situations to pitch in.”

The Tigers weren’t done with the extra base hits just yet. A Beloso double brought Morgan and Maurice Hampton Jr., the Crews substitution, home in the fifth inning. In the eighth, Bianco homered again to cap off the scoring for the night. It went exactly where his first did, over the left field bleachers.

It was LSU’s fourth home run of the game and its fifth of the day, giving the Tigers their most home runs through seven games in 10 years.

“I’m not complaining,” Mainieri said. “I love home runs as much as anybody.”

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

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

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NEWS

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Representation

ORGANIZATIONS

Students prepare for public relations competition

BY ANNE MARIE WHERRITT @amwherritt

other moment of transformation that affirms a foundational commitment to diversity and inclusion for the next 15 years,” Stetson said in a press release.

Courtney Taylor, curator and director of public programs at the LSU Museum of Art, said that the museum often does collective spotlights on artists.

“The goal of this is to bring artists to the museum who normally wouldn’t be able to get in,” Taylor said.

The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) hosts the Bateman Competition every year, where universities across America create a campaign for a given topic.

Mass Communication Professor and Faculty Adviser Doug Draper composed the 2020-2021 team through an application process. Students who wanted to join the team had to have taken public relations writing and public relations research as prerequisites to the team. This year the team is composed of six members and three alternates.

The team consists of social media specialist Mary Coll, account executive Caylee Deshotel, media relations coordinator Jordan Klemm, creative director Gabie Debruler, writing associate Natalie Marse and project manager Madelyn Ybarzabal.

“We have a very good team of strong contributors,” Draper said.

“They want to participate and win a national championship.”

The six students will launch a new political party to campaign for better civility in American life, and their idea is to encourage more constructive and inclusive conversations to create a more

see MUSEUM, page 4

see PRSSA, page 4

The exhibition will open March 28.

ARTWORK: “TWO STRIKES”

BY MADELYN SNEED-GRAYS

LSU Museum of Art adds new pieces of work by underrepresented artists to permanent collection

BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3 The LSU Museum of Art is adding eight pieces of work to its permanent collection through an initiative that seeks to support underrepresented artists.

The Winifred and Kevin P. Reilly Initiative for Underrepresented Artists funds acquisitions of works by artists who are minorities, including those who are Black, Indigenous and Latinx. It also includes those of marginalized sexualities, gender identities

and other marginalized communities. An exhibition featuring recent acquisitions will open March 28.

“Kevin and I developed this initiative with the museum staff to support structural change at LSU Museum of Art by fostering greater inclusivity,” Winifred said in a press release. “Development of a curatorial fellowship focused on African American art and acquisitions by underrepresented artists are major steps toward lasting change.”

The goal of this initiative is to

bring people together and make the museum a more inclusive place, Winifred said.

“We hope this gift will encourage others to join us now and in future gifting to support LSU MOA’s commitment to become a place where everyone sees themselves, their culture and their values represented,” Winifred said.

Museum of Art Executive Director Daniel Stetson believes the first round of acquisitions marks a major step forward for the museum.

“These acquisitions signal an-

FACULTY

LSU professors discuss uncertainty in their fields in webinar

BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote LSU art and science professors discussed uncertainty in their fields during a webinar Feb. 24 in the first of a four-part series organized by LSU’s Center for Collaborative Knowledge.

The four-part series will involve LSU faculty members from a wide range of disciplines discussing how uncertainty affects their work and their field. LSU history professor Suzanne Marchand hosted the panel and is one of the founding members of the CCK. She said the organization’s purpose is to inspire interdisciplinary research, teaching and conversation on LSU’s campus.

Part one of the series involved a world famous jazz and classical

pianist, a path-breaking researcher in psychology and a professor of chemistry, inventor and guest editor for a science journal titled “Chaos.”

Making Music and the Art of Painting Yourself Out of a Corner Music professor Willis Delony spoke about how musicians often “paint themselves into a corner” while performing, dealing with uncertainty along the way.

“Uncertainty is something musicians deal with, perhaps subconsciously,” Delony said. “Whatever level of musical expression is involved deals with some degree of uncertainty.”

Musicians who have good musical vocabulary are better equipped to deal with uncertain-

ty while performing. If they mess up, they are able to “adjust for the moment,” as Delony described it.

Delony gave examples of this as he played jazz and classical pieces, demonstrating his ability to turn a mistake into something beautiful without the audience noticing.

“I made the wrong note more right,” Delony said. “It’s not what I meant to play, but I’m going to fake it until I make it. But if I didn’t have any vocabulary to fall back on, I would have not been able to manage that particular situation.”

Delony is a world famous pianist with a performing career of over 40 years. He has appeared as a piano soloist, guest pianist and THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

see UNCERTAINTY, page 4

Students walk to class Dec. 2, 2019 in the Quad on LSU’s campus.

Monday, March 1, 2021

page 4 MUSEUM, from page 3 The Reillys are working in conjunction with LSU Museum of Art’s Collecting Plan, which has focused purchasing funds on acquisitions by underrepresented artists since 2017.

During the first year, funding focused on acquiring different pieces of work from different Black artists, including MacArthur Fellow Whitfield Lovell, Sonya Clark, Radcliffe Bailey, Gordon Parks, Madelyn Sneed-Grays and Mario Moore.

The Reillys committed an initial $500,000 that will help support the initiative to expand the collection of work in a more representative and inclusive way

over two years, according to a press release.

“When the museum has purchasing dollars, they are purchasing art from underrepresented communities,” Taylor said. “We want everyone included in the museum.”

While the artists being featured in the museum come from all across the country, their work will be added to the museum’s permanent collection.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, spectators have been able to view some new pieces of art which are featured in the museum, according to Taylor.

“There’s a lot of new pieces of art on view for the first time,” Taylor said.

COURTESY OF DOUG DRAPER

Faculty adviser Doug Draper with Manship students Mary Coll, Caylee Deshotel, Jordan Klemm, Gabie Debruler, Natalie Marse and Madelyn Ybarzabal.

PRSSA, from page 3

Photo to be featured in the exhibit taken by Gordon Parks in Shady Grove, Ala., in 1956

UNCERTAINTY, from page 3 conductor throughout the United States, Canada, the former Soviet Union, China, Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina and Brazil.

He is also a crossover artist, a “musical schizophrenic,” as he described himself, skilled in jazz and classical piano.

“The emergence of jazz as a musical language over the past hundred plus years has allowed us an avenue to express ourselves musically in the moment, dealing with uncertain results at the end, but inside a vocabulary that allows us to express ourselves,” Delony said, “the same way we express ourselves with language.”

Delony ended his presentation with a jazz song called “Alone Together,” which he said was an apt choice in today’s COVID-19 world.

Open Science Methods and Practices: A Psychologist’s Journey Emily Elliott is an LSU psychology professor, a cognitive psychologist who specializes in children’s memory and an advocate for open science, a movement to make scientific research more accessible to the general public.

Elliott recently conducted a study on children’s memory development that used open science

methods and practices.

Her lab aimed to replicate a hallmark study in 1966 that found that children’s memory improves as they get older because they learn how to “rehearse.”

Elliott explained rehearsal with the example of memorizing a license plate number.

When we need to memorize a series of numbers, we rehearse them in our head so we don’t forget. However, this ability to rehearse doesn’t appear in children until around the age of seven.

The 1966 study has been cited over 1,000 times, but there haven’t been many studies that directly replicate its findings. Elliott and her colleagues wanted to replicate the study to see if the results generalized, but they wanted to do it in a way that supported open science methods.

“The idea behind it is it’s no longer the lone scientist in a tower and then they come out and reveal their brilliance to the world,” Elliot said. “It’s a team. We’re going to use as many tools that are free and available to the public — they’re not behind a paywall or .edu email address.”

Elliott and her colleagues decided to use a registered replication report for their study. A registered replication report allows an experiment to be easily replicated across research labs. It

constructive and inclusive conversations to create a more compassionate society.

The topic that PRSSA released this year was “restoring civility and society.” The task of the LSU team is to take that topic, make it their own and create a campaign.

Their campaign is called “The Cooperation Party.” They started planning as early as October but did not present their campaign to the committee until Feb. 8.

“The slogan we came up with can be summed up by this,” Deshotel said. “The Cooperation Party is a grassroots social movement to help reverse the corrosion of civility in American life and foster more constructive, inclusive public discourse in all corners of society, leadallows for larger sample sizes and the replication of findings, which is vital for research, especially in a field such as psychology where there are so many variables.

While the original study utilized one research lab and 60children participants, Elliott’s research project involved 17 labs from across the world and 977 child participants.

The original research results were “sort of upheld,” Elliott said, but there were significant differences that could be researched further.

Elliott said transparent and accessible knowledge through collaboration is important in dealing with uncertainty in her field and science in general.

“This [project] never would have been feasible without open access,” she said. “Perhaps open science can help us deal with uncertainty.”

Epistemological Implications of Chaos Theory Chair of LSU’s Chemistry Department John Pojman has long been interested in the idea of chaos.

Chaotic systems are numerical systems that do not repeat but still have an underlying structure.

“When we talk about chaos, we don’t mean randomness,” Pojman said. “Like when [Delony] talked about playing the piano,

ing by example through a constant call for more cooperative behavior.”

For LSU to have its best chance at winning, the team needs to demonstrate four key steps in its campaign: research, planning, implementation and evaluation.

For their research, the team members read through academic journals for mass communication and trade publications from the public relations industry.

“For example, our team members conducted two focus groups with 10 participants in each group,” Draper said. “Through a facilitated discussion, they received feedback from representatives of the team’s target audiences, which was primarily about the messages and tactics inspired by the secondary research.”

For planning, they took what

they learned from their groups and create a plan, which is a requirement for the competition.

From Feb. 8 to March 8, the team members will implement their strategies to reach their targeted campaign audience. After March 8, the team will evaluate the effectiveness of their campaign.

Three finalists will be selected after all submissions are made by March 29.

“A lot of our implementation is done through social media due to COVID-19,” Deshotel said. “Our social media page includes tips and quotes on how to better society.”

Draper and Deshotel believe this campaign is needed, especially now in today’s society.

They want to see this campaign continue even after the competition ends.

he wasn’t randomly hitting notes, he was doing it in some sort of structure. It’s not random, but it’s still not periodic. It will never actually repeat.”

These systems, for example, a model of a population of living organisms, are also extremely sensitive to its initial conditions.

Pojman used an interactive model to demonstrate this. The difference of .492 and .493 in the starting conditions of a population model led to significantly different results (numerical behavior) after 15 generations.

This demonstrates what’s called extreme sensitivity to initial conditions, and it places a fundamental limit on what we can know, according to Pojman.

Pojman extended this idea to the solar system.

“You’d have to know the mass and the position and the velocity of all the planets with incredible precision,” he said. “And the answer is, that’s not possible. It’s not a practical limit. It’s not that you just can’t measure it well enough. There is a fundamental limit.”

This is called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which proved mathematically that there’s a fundamental limit to how precisely we can know the position and momentum of an object.

“The bad news is that even if

we have a certain model for a system that is chaotic, there is a fundamental limit to how far in the future we can predict its behavior,” Pojman said. “However, it’s not all bad news. Although you may not be able to make incredibly long predictions, it’s also not random.”

Even in chaotic systems, Pojman said, there is some underlying order.

“You can’t predict if you start at an arbitrary point six months in advance or a year in advance, but you will be able to make shortterm predictions because it’s not random,” Pojman said.

He gave the example of weather, which is believed to be a chaotic system.

“It allows some predictability,” Pojman said, “but it requires us to gather much more data.”

When asked about the idea of uncertainty fueling anti-scientific sentiment, Pojman gave the example of the recent landing of NASA’s Perseverance Rover on Mars, explaining that the technology we use does not involve chaotic systems.

“They landed this thing millions of miles away and have a video coming back of it landing, and you would say maybe in principle we can’t predict the path of Mars indefinitely in the future, but we sure can land something on Mars today,” he said.

ENTERTAINMENT

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PERFECTION IN IMPERFECTION

BY GIDEON FORTUNE @asapfortunate An artist’s journey is similar to that of life. Fine arts graduate student Stephanie Cobb has experienced growth and found perfection in imperfections during her three years here at LSU. I first encountered Cobb’s art at the Baton Rouge Gallery exhibit Surreal Salon in January. Her large painting titled “The Garden” was on display. The ambiguity of this piece drew me in. The colors are vibrant, but the scene feels calm. The viewer is left with much to decide, causing me to dwell on this piece for a while.

Cobb’s understanding of perspective was recognized by her parents and teacher from a young age. Her artistic drive did not fade as she left Kentucky for Georgia to attend the Savannah College of Art and Design. Going to a college full of artists pushed Cobb to find what was important to her and how she could stand out. Undergrad is comprised more of completing coursework than focusing on a specific style.

This brought about exploration and failure for Cobb, and this process is reflected in her work now. She invites the viewer into her process by leaving scrapes and mistakes to add a layer of visual interest.

After leaving SCAD, Cobb’s artistic journey was halted. She was working in art and science museums and was constantly surrounded by art, but her own art practice was nonexistent. Deciding to begin creating again was a challenge that Cobb was willing to take on.

LSU stood out in a long list of Cobb’s MFA program options; the

IMAGES COURTESY OF STEPHANIE COBB

University offers a full ride to all its on-campus MFA students. The studio space, which consists of three different rooms, is also free.

LSU provides teaching opportunities to MFA students as well.

Cobb is teaching an introductory painting class at the moment which she adores. This could help Cobb if she ends up teaching, but she enjoys allowing students to explore during a time when they may not be secure in their work.

Cobb can transfer her knowledge of the current art world to help them become more involved.

The years following her arrival in Baton Rouge were not perfect.

Any real journey is full of shower cries, and Cobb has not missed out on those. Regardless, Cobb was back where she belonged, making art again.

“Grad school has made me break down all the things that I want to do and then rebuild them

back up,” Cobb said.

She worked on cutouts to practice depicting bodies. She had always painted people but had experienced fear, and a teacher instructed her to do something that scared her.

LSU art professors who are currently on Cobb’s thesis committee were another pull factor.

Cobb name-dropped Kelli Scott Kelley, Denyce Celentano, Ed Smith and Scott Andresen.

“You can see they have a lot to give as mentors and as artists,” Cobb said.

Three years later and Cobb looks extremely comfortable with her painting. Professors who were important to Cobb choosing LSU have become more than mentors, and her maturation has allowed her to talk with these professors on a more personal level now.

“To see her work transform from intimate abstracted land-

scapes to masterfully painted large-scale figure paintings… psychologically charged and nuanced, conveying a sense of longing. The paintings are beautiful and thought-provoking,” Kelly, Cobb’s thesis committee chair, said.

Art surrounded me as I talked to Cobb in her studio. Cobb’s ability to leave paintings ambiguous and with flaws while still feeling complete is intriguing.

She is not scared of approaching her work from multiple angles, using ladders and such while painting.

Closeness and distance are other key elements in her new style. Cobb makes the viewer wonder, “am I really invited to this?”

She compares painting to poetry in which her art does not give the viewer all the answers.

This gives the audience the abil-

ity to interpret the art in its own way.

A smaller painting in the room, “Brianna,” with a woman in a red dress was literally eye-catching.

The subject’s eyes follow you as you move around the room. Similar to “The Garden,” the painting had a sense of ambiguousness.

You wonder if the subject is in motion or if she is still. Are they looking at you or through you?

Cobb’s technique reinforces the feeling of uncertainty. A piece that manages to be complete in its imperfections evokes strong feelings that you have to experience first-hand.

The other painting in the room during our interview, titled “Emma,” was massive. Cobb had just taken a sander to the canvas, allowing some of the base white layer to pop back out.

Both of the pieces described highlight people who are close to her. Cobb makes private moments with people she is close to public, using their personal connection as a surrogate for her thoughts while painting.

Cobb took summer classes to free her final year up. Apart from the class that she is teaching, she is focused solely on painting.

“I’m dedicated to this now, now that I’ve found some momentum behind my work,” Cobb said, hopeful of the future. Artist studios that Cobb has worked in here in Baton Rouge have shown her what art looks like as a real job.

Cobb’s figurative painting show, “Fun House,” will be free and open to the public at the Glassell Gallery April 20-24. I recommend visiting the show to anyone who enjoys the real and difficult process of masterful painting.

MUSIC

Editor’s picks: February playlist with old and new releases

BY ENJANAE’ TAYLOR @_queenet_ For a short month, February had non-stop bangers. Top notch albums were released, and comebacks were made. I can’t wait to hear what artists have in store for next month, but for now, here’s some of my favorite songs from February 2021: “Overdrive” - Conan Gray Conan Gray released his new song “Overdrive” this month and it’s been on repeat ever since. I’m already a huge fan of the singer, and if this single is a hint of what’s to come on his next project, then I’m more than excited for it.

“Raw Thoughts” - Baby Queen A magical song I didn’t know I

needed. I recently discovered UK artist Baby Queen and I’ll never be the same.

concept of this project and can’t wait for the album to come out next month.

“fan behavior” - Isaac Dunbar

“Something” - Dayglow

I talked about Dunbar in last month’s article, but I had to include a song from his new EP “evil twin” that dropped this month. The artist explained in an Instagram post how he made experimental music while playing around with the idea of his “evil twin” singing some of the songs.

I love this project and both sides of Dunbar.

Another groovy and fun song from Dayglow that I’m obsessed with. Can he make a bad song? I honestly don’t think so.

“Spaceman” - Nick Jonas Solo Nick Jonas is back, and I couldn’t be more excited. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Jonas Brothers, but Nick’s solo music has always hit different. I like the

“Walk Backwards” - Maude Latour I cannot stop listening to Maude Latour and I’m not mad about it. The 21-year-old Columbia student has become my newest obsession. This song is just as magical as she is.

the first song I heard from the duo was the original “brokenhearted.” I instantly fell in love with them and their EP “cloudy.” I have not stopped thinking about this song since and how good it is, so when I saw they re-released it I got so excited. The BEKA addition is perfect and now I’m even more obsessed.

“Brainstorm” - Alexander 23 Alexander 23 just released his new EP “Oh No, Not Again!” and it’s fantastic. I’ve been in my sad girl feels ever since and I love it.

This song is one of my favorites from the project.

“Lie About You” - OSTON

“brokenhearted (together)” - joan, BEKA I discovered joan last year and

Last year, I got to chat with OSTON about her new music.

She said it would be good, and

boy was she right. This is a meaningful song that shows another layer of the pop singer and her lyrical abilities.

“Default” - Madison Beer The long-awaited debut album from Madison Beer, “Life Support,” is finally here. I kid you not, I’ve waited over a year for this, listening to released snippets of songs on repeat for months and months. The wait was even more worth it than I could have imagined. This album is everything I could have dreamed of and more. I love all the tracks, but I was waiting for this one, so “Default” gets a special shoutout.

Visit lsureveille.com for the full February playlist. Check back next month for my favorite tracks from March.

Monday, March 1, 2021

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Monday, March 1, 2021

REV R ANKS

LIFESTYLE

Crazy conspiracy theories: The Mandela effect, moon landing & more

BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab If you’ve ever been up late at night mindlessly watching YouTube videos, chances are you’ve probably come across a passionate YouTuber explaining a conspiracy theory.

There’s no shortage of conspiracy theories out there on the internet. Some are backed up with hours-worth of carefully chosen details. Some are absurd. Some are hilarious. Some will make you question whether the people behind them are being serious.

Get lost down the rabbit hole with these conspiracy theories: The conspiracy behind “conspiracy theory” It only makes sense that there’s a conspiracy theory behind the origins of the term itself. Though the phenomenon of rampant rumors is nothing new, this theory says that the term “conspiracy theory” was invented by the CIA in 1967, or at the very least, the CIA purposefully construed negative connotations around the phrase in order to curb the growing conspiracy theories surrounding John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

The Mandela effect If you’ve ever belted out “of the world” at the tail end of Queen’s song “We Are the Champions,” you’ve fallen victim to the Mandela effect.

Simply put, the Mandela effect is when a significant number of people remember something differently than how it actually happened.

The theory is named after Nelson Mandela, the South African leader who died in 2013. There’s a lot of people who distinctly, yet mistakenly, remember Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s.

Conspiracists believe the Mandela effect is proof of the existence of alternate universes.

Whether you buy that explanation or not, chances are you’ve probably experienced one of these common mis-memories: • Pikachu’s tail is solid yellow.

• “Jiffy” peanut butter never existed.

• It’s actually “The Berenstain Bears” with an “a,” not “The Berenstein Bears.”

• “Febreeze” never had that extra “e.” The air freshener brand is spelled “Febreze.”

• The Monopoly man doesn’t have a monocle.

• C-3PO has a silver leg, and Darth Vader never said, “Luke,

E. J. Ourso College of Business

Do you have a

I am your father.” The quote is actually, “No, I am your father.”

to Cruz’s reptilian scales.

The moon

Ted Cruz I’m not sure where to begin when it comes to Ted Cruz.

The “Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer” meme was widely popular around 2016. It popularized the idea that Cruz, who was born in 1970, is the unidentified California serial killer who sent cryptograms to the press in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

There’s another theory circulating that Cruz and Robert Kardashian are the same person.

This theory contends Kardashian faked his death, left his family and changed his identity to that of Cruz to pursue politics.

The Texas senator has also fallen subject to the “lizard people” conspiracy theory. This overarching theory, popularized by former BBC reporter David Icke in the ‘90s, claims that reptilian humanoids of extraterrestrial origins are walking among us disguised as humans and plotting to control the world. Cruz is nowhere near the only person the internet has deemed slithery — Mark Zuckerberg and Justin Bieber can also be grouped under this theory — but there’s actually a whole website dedicated solely

I’m sure you’ve all heard the theories that the Apollo moon landings were faked, but some conspiracists actually theorize the moon itself is fake. That’s right. It’s not cheese, and it’s not home to aliens. This conspiracy contends the moon is some sort of projection or hologram.

Birds aren’t real This conspiracy theory claims that by 2001, all birds were replaced with surveillance drones.

“Birds Aren’t Real” has its own Twitter page with over 60,000 followers, a verified Instagram with 296,000 followers, a meme-filled subreddit and a merchandise line. It has separate chapters from cities across the country. It seems like satire, but Peter McIndoe, the founder of this movement, has completely changed the conversation on bird watching.

The shape of the Earth The ancient Greeks concluded the Earth was round more than 2,000 years ago, but that wasn’t

the end of the Earth-shape debate.

In 1692, astronomer Edmond Halley said the Earth was a shell with a thick crust. Others today believe a version of this, saying the Earth is hollow and has a secret entrance near either the north or south poles. The inside is said to hold anything from a smaller Earth to a smaller sun to a utopian alternate universe.

Others believe the Earth is shaped like a donut, with a conveniently unseeable hole. There’s even a Twitter dedicated to a Banana Earth. We’ll let you decide the gravity behind these theories.

ALBUM

DISCOVERY Daft Punk

This was an impressive album for only being Daft Punk’s second. It was truly ahead of its time in 2001, and “Discovery” aged beautifully. It is fun and full of life. I will truly miss Daft Punk, but I can still appreciate their contributions to music.

big idea?

Pitch it at the 10th Annual [ virtual ] —

Britney Young @byoun99

MOVIE

I CARE A LOT

Netflix

The entire middle half of the movie is dedicated to a round robin of who will murder who first. There’s taser guns, near-death experiences and hostage situations, and yet, I didn’t gasp or hold my breath once because I simply did not care. There is a rather humorous, unexpected twist at the end if you can manage to make it through.

Ava Borskey @iamavab MOVIE

TO ALL THE BOYS Netflix

Honestly, this whole movie could have been under an hour if Lara Jean and Peter had better communication skills. I understand that they’re teenagers and going to do dumb things, but a lot of the movie’s drama could have been resolved with a quick text or a respectable, understanding conversation.

No offense, but how do they expect to last throughout college when they break up in every movie?

Ariel Baise @arielbiancaa

MOVIE

MALCOLM & MARIE

Netflix

Students have a chance to win their share of

$25,000 in startup cash!

Learn more and submit your ideas at: Follow us on social:

lsu.edu/business/venture

@LSUentrepreneurship |

‘Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel’ worth the watch

BY OLIVIA DEFFES @liv_deffes

Nicolas Cage is a Vampire And no, they’re not talking about his performance in the film “A Vampire’s Kiss.” The theory first surfaced on eBay in 2011 when a seller put up a black and white picture of a man believed to be from around the Civil War era with an uncanny resemblance to Nicolas Cage. The actor even addressed the theory on the David Letterman show saying, “Now look, I don’t drink blood, and last time I looked in the mirror, I had a reflection.”

page 7

Sometimes the film is exhausting, but other times it brought me on the verge of tears.

This is one of 2021’s greatest gifts with Zendaya looking like a shoo-in nomination for Best Actress. It’s an emotionally draining ode to the great loves of Old Hollywood. I highly recommend to everyone.

Connor McLaughlin @connor_mcla

Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

If you like suspenseful mysteries mixed with some ghost stories, then do I have the mini docuseries for you. “Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” dropped on Netflix in February. In four episodes, you are able to learn about the legends surrounding the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles along with a mystery surrounding one of its guests.

The Cecil Hotel was a massive place to stay, with 15 floors and hundreds of rooms. Since its opening in the 1920s, the management of the Cecil Hotel always offered low rates for guests to stay, which made this place appealing to low-income people or those who were homeless. As time went on, the hotel’s location proved to be less than ideal for the average traveler. Located only a few blocks from Skid Row, the Cecil Hotel became a temporary home for the homeless and those who could not pass background checks for apartments and houses.

The hotel became a hotspot for criminal acts over the many years it was in service. It wasn’t uncommon for staff to see drug use, prostitution or domestic violence happen behind the doors.

Along with these acts, the hotel also became a hotspot for death.

Amy Price, the hotel’s manager from 2007 until 2017, said that during her 10 years of working for the hotel she saw about 80 deaths on the property. From overdoses to murders and suicides, it was clear that this hotel held some dark energy within.

“Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel” focuses on one disappearance of a specific guest. In 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam left her home in Canada to explore the West Coast. She documented all her thoughts about life and her trip by making posts on the Tumblr app. Lam was excited about the adventure. She booked a stay at a trendy and cheap hotel called Stay on Main.

Stay on Main was created by management at the Cecil Hotel to help deal with bad reviews that deterred potential guests. Stay on Main was essentially the Cecil Hotel but with a trendy rebrand.

The new hotel, located inside the

COURTESY OF IMDB

Cecil, was a way for management to try to give the hotel a fresh start from its dark past.

The mini docuseries follows the story of Lam and her stay at the Cecil. Just a few days after checking in, Lam goes missing.

She called her parents every day as part of an agreement to let her go exploring, and when she hadn’t called, they knew something was wrong. Immediately, Lam was classified as a missing person, and police began investigating at the Cecil Hotel.

Upon reviewing security footage, the police were able to confirm that Lam never left the Cecil. There was footage of her at the entrance receiving a box from two men, but the box only contained books she ordered from a local bookstore. The other piece of security footage Lam was seen on is what really causes people to scratch their heads.

If you’ve heard of the case of Elisa Lam, odds are you know about the elevator video. This footage is no longer than five minutes but shows Lam behaving very oddly. In the docuseries, many web sleuths come

forward with their own conspiracies about Lam’s erratic behavior. Some suggested she was on mind-altering drugs, while others said it seemed like she was interacting with someone off camera.

The rest of the series follows the police and their search for Lam. Overall, I really enjoyed this docuseries, but it made me sleep with my lamp on. I was glued to the story of Lam, but I wish there was more history about the Cecil Hotel in the series.

One thing I didn’t like was the way the docuseries was framed.

It presented conspiracies and held off on pieces of evidence until the end, which made it harder for me to come to terms with Lam’s true cause of death. Trust me, it kept me in suspense, but it made the facts of her death harder to believe.

If you’re not easily scared and like a lot of suspense, I’d watch this docuseries. Honestly, as long as you have a lamp ready to go in your bedroom then you should give this docuseries a good watch.

Classifieds

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Six months ago: abbr.

5 Identical 9 Police officers 13 Was concerned 15 Brief haircut 16 Hilarious person 17 In a united way 18 Sang __; had no accompaniment 20 Ultimate degree 21 Prefix for fit or deed 23 Boo-boo remover 24 __ setter; reddish dog 26 Untrustworthy one 27 Hearty 29 Truthful 32 State one’s views 33 Cash register user 35 Sturdy wood 37 New York team 38 Swimming spots 39 Think deeply 40 Prefix for trial or sliced 41 Dawn 42 Of little importance 43 “The __ Family”; 1964-66 TV series 45 Measles symptoms 46 Mai tai ingredient 47 Waken 48 Per person 51 “__ Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” 52 Motorhomes, for short 55 __ papers; ring binder pages 58 Bert’s buddy 60 Church seats 61 Actor Holliman 62 Sifting device 63 Command to Fido 64 Actress Patty 65 Tiny weight

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

4 Bill denomination 5 Secret supply 6 St. Joan of __ 7 Actress Farrow 8 Napoleon & Hirohito 9 Bring into being 10 Aromatherapy bottles 11 Warsaw native 12 Oscar hopeful 14 Death 19 Practical joke 22 Suffix for real or final 25 Baseball scores 27 Frolic 28 La Scala production 29 Cry for assistance 30 Alabaman or Arkansan 31 Sample 33 Felons 34 Singer Rawls DOWN 36 Largo & West 1 Read over quickly 38 Punched 2 Compass point repeatedly 39 Disarray 3 Banned

3/1/21

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

41 Pizza ingredient 42 Stops for a bit 44 Unlike casual clothes 45 Go bad 47 Springfield or Winchester 48 European peaks 49 Verse writer

3/1/21

50 Midwest state 53 “__ Las Vegas”; Elvis movie 54 “Things are not always what they __” 56 __ de cologne 57 Floating zoo?

59 Big __; 18-wheeler

SPORTS A Hill to die on Jaden Hill, Tigers all smiles in strong win over Youngstown

BY JARED BRODTMANN @_therealjarbear It feels like a common refrain at this point, but Jaden Hill is really good at this pitching a baseball thing.

From the way he boldly toes the rubber, to his powerful fastball complementing his filthy breaking pitches, to the strut off the mound after a big strikeout like in the first inning of LSU’s 6-2 win over Youngstown State, Hill just oozes confidence. He has a certain swagger, and with laced up Jordan cleats to go with his incredible performances, he has become one of the most fun pitchers to watch in college baseball right now.

“I can’t wait until next week,” Hill said regarding how his approach to playing has fueled his energy. “It’s just every single weekend, going through the same process, learning my body throughout the week, changing programs sometimes, just kind of depending on my feel. It’s all a process and I love it. I just get to figure more about myself and add things.”

Hill allowed just one hit, two baserunners (one reached on error) and no runs to keep his ERA at pristine triple zeroes. He

struck out four in his longest outing of his career of six innings and did so on just 77 pitches. His efficiency was a crucial part in keeping the LSU pitching staff in good shape for Saturday’s doubleheader as well. Keeping his pitch choices diverse and staying ahead in counts was an important factor in ensuring that outcome.

“If a guy’s wild, and he strikes out a lot of batters, then he may not be able to go deep in the game, because he runs his pitch count up so high,” Head Coach Paul Mainieri said. “But Jaden shouldn’t do that. He throws so many strikes, and he mixes his pitches well.”

With those lively fastballs and deceptive off-speed pitches, Hill kept the Penguin batters off balance all night, giving his defense plenty of opportunities to make plays. They converted on the majority of them, turning 15 live balls into outs for their starter.

“Man, they made me not scared to throw any pitch,” Hill said. “I feel I can throw the ball right down the middle and no matter where they hit it, those dudes can make a play.”

“If I had the money, I would take all of them out to eat tonight,” he laughed. “But, you know, I ain’t got that.”

A huge contributor to that defensive effort was first baseman Tre’ Morgan. In the top of the sixth, Morgan made three unbelievable plays in a row to retire the side, first with a quick snatch of a low throw from Jordan Thompson out of the dirt, then with a falling backwards catch in foul territory and finished off with a tiptoe play to keep his foot on the bag on a heater of a throw by Hill himself. It was the embodiment of the defensive performances all night that allowed Hill to be as efficient as he was.

“When I came off the field, I was smiling because I knew I just did something pretty special,” Morgan said. “I knew I had a good inning.”

Morgan’s defensive impact is making a difference for everyone on the infield.

It seems like the freshman can do it all, from stretching to keep wild throws in front to making magical grabs when the ball is coming in hot and low.

“If our infielders just get it somewhere close to him to give him a chance, I expect him to pick every ball,” Mainieri said of his

page 9 VOLLEYBALL

LSU volleyball dominant in Ole Miss sweep

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus Coming into Saturday’s match losing six of its last seven, LSU volleyball looked dominant in a 3-0 win over Ole Miss. The Tigers were able to get kills with relative ease down the stretch and Head Coach Fran Flory was proud of how her team responded to adversity.

“I thought we played a mature match,” Flory said. “In the past, we probably would have crumbled, and the pressure would have gotten to us, but our upperclassmen took over and really stabilized us.”

LSU started the match fast, getting off to an early lead that it was able to hold onto to win the set 25-22. Taylor Bannister and Paige Flickinger were big for LSU in the first set, and Flickinger would go on to set a career high with 20 kills.

Flory had high praise for the freshman after her career night.

see HILL, page 10

see VOLLEYBALL, page 10

SOFTBALL

LSU softball sweeps ULL, sends Bulls back to Buffalo Game 1: LSU vs UL-Lafayette After traveling to Lafayette on Thursday and beating the Cajuns 4-0, the Tigers went back and forth in this follow-up game two days later.

Final scores in the ULL/LSU Invitational consisted of ninthranked UL-Lafayette beating unranked Buffalo 7-0 and 16-0, and the 10th ranked OSU Cowgirls beating 11th ranked LSU 1-0 and 3-1 during Friday’s day of games. To start the day, OSU had beaten Buffalo 6-3, and ULLafayette beat OSU 7-1.

Shelbi Sunseri started the game for the Tigers, giving up a hit but caught someone looking for an early strikeout. Aliyah Andrews made a spectacular diving catch in center, something you would see on SportsCenter, to lead off the top of the second defensively for the Tigers.

Andrews followed this up with an infield single to start the bottom half of the third and stole second base on the next pitch to put herself in scoring position.

Pleasants stroked a liner up the

middle to bring her home, plating the first run of the game for the Tigers, but the lead was only lived for a short period.

To start the fourth, the Cajuns reached on an infield hit, and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second. A single to the outfield brought a run in for the Cajuns. Things did not get any better for Sunseri during this inning as a stolen base and a single to center advanced the runner to third, but a strong throw by Andrews halted the runner there, stopping a run from scoring, but allowed the batter, Rawls, to move to second on the throw.

Sunseri was pulled following this, and Maribeth Gorsuch entered to try and get out of the jam. The next batter, Curry, singled to left, scoring the runner from third and giving the Cajuns the lead 2-1. Gorsuch, after loading the bases, was able to get out of the inning not allowing any more damage and keeping the game close for the team.

see CAJUNS, page 10

BY NICK OMBRELLARO @NOmbrellaro

In what was the third day of double headers for LSU this week, the Tigers won a close game against ninth-ranked UL-Lafayette Cajuns 3-2 and went on to ride a complete game by freshman pitcher Morgan Smith in a 7-1 victory against the University of Buffalo Bills.

Game 2: LSU vs University of Buffalo Freshman Morgan Smith started her second game of the season in the circle against Buffalo. Prior to this, she had only pitched five innings in two appearances. She quickly worked through the top of the first, only needing eight pitches to do so.

Andrews led the game with an infield single and a steal of second base to quickly move into scoring position. Taylor Pleasants brought her home with a line drive up the middle, nearly missing Andrews to make it a 1-0 game.

Smith gave up her only run of the game on a solo homerun to tie the game in the top of the second. In the bottom half of the inning, the Tigers responded the same way that they did in the first, with a lead-off single and stolen second base, this time with Taylor Tidwell standing on second. Andrews knocked her in on a double up the middle for

a 2-1 LSU lead. A bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth made it a 3-1 game.

Through five IP Smith allowed 3K, 3H, 1ER and had only thrown 53 pitches. At one point in the game, she retired nine straight batters, quickly working through the third and fourth innings.

LSU opened the game up in the bottom half of the sixth inning plating four runners, making it a 7-1 game at the start of the seventh inning.

Smith got the call to close out the game, her first attempt to pitch a complete game in her young Tiger career. She did just that, finishing the Buffalo batters in order, three-up threedown. Smith’s final line for her complete game as she improved to 2-0 on the season was 7IP 4H 1ER 3K. Outside of Smith’s impressive pitching performance, Andrews’

performance on the field and in the base path is something worth checking out. Andrews went two for three, scoring a run and swiping two bags against the Cajuns, while against Buffalo went four for four with a double, scored two runs, one run batted in and two stolen bases.

Having Andrews lead off an inning with a bunt and a steal of second will be a dominant move for the Tigers going forward, as the teams today struggled trying to stop her on the base paths. What she adds defensively will save runs, and have her on SportsCenter top ten sometime this season.

The Tigers (10-5) went 5-2 this week, and although they were swept by the OSU Cowgirls, the sweep of the Cajuns balances out those losses. LSU will get two days off before Southern Mississippi comes to Tiger Park Tuesday, March 2.

page 10

Monday, March 1, 2021

CAJUNS, from page 9 Georgia Clark decided to answer back for the Tigers. She hit a solo homerun out to left, her second of the season, to tie the game back up 2-2.

Defense was the driving force that kept the Tigers in the game.

Shortstop Pleasants turned a quick double play on a hard-hit liner to her and threw to second to get the runner that was off the bag. That saved a run for the Tigers, as the speed of the runner on second would have outrun the throw to home by the left fielder if the ball had gotten through. Andrews followed up her first diving catch with another highlight real play out in center, but the game remained tied through the middle of the sixth.

The Tigers managed to

take the lead after Ciara Briggs reached first on a throwing error by the Cajuns third-baseman, and as the ball rolled all the way to the right field corner, Briggs touched them all, making it a 3-2 game heading to the top of the seventh.

Gorsuch was pulled midway through the seventh after getting one out and leaving a runner on first. Ali Kilponen entered the circle for the Tigers, and a grounder to first followed by a strikeout ended the game.

Gorsuch earned the win for the game, improving to 2-0 while going 3.0 IP 3H 2BB 1K 0ER, and Kilponen earned her first save of the year for her 0.2IP 1K of work.

The Tigers, having swept the Cajuns for the season, had a halfhour break before they had to retake the field against Buffalo.

KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille

LSU softball senior outfielder Aliyah Andrews (4) celebrates a hit Feb. 27, during LSU’s 3-2 win over UL-Lafayette at Tiger Park.

VOLLEYBALL, from page 9 “Paige is probably the best all around volleyball player on our team,” Flory said. “She usually has double digit digs and single digit kills, but today she flipped it and we needed her to.”

The second set was tougher for LSU as Ole Miss got off to a hot start, but the Tigers were able to rally and come back late in the set. Ole Miss got out to a 12-5 lead, but LSU responded with 10-3 run to make it 15-15.

The rest of the set was back and forth and entertaining to watch, but LSU was able to rally and win the second set 27-25. A late timeout seemed to really give the Tigers a boost in this set. The score

HILL, from page 9 star freshman. “I think his father worked with him all his life, but it just looks so instinctive to me.”

Of course, in order to get Hill his second win of the year, the offense would have to score some runs. Thanks to four home runs from the Tiger bats, he got all the run support he needed. Cade Beloso, Cade Doughty, Gavin Dugas and Zach Arnold plated all six of LSU’s runs with the long ball.

“I think no matter when Jaden’s on the mound, no matter what he does, I always think if we get one or two, maybe three runs,

was 20-18 Ole Miss going into the timeout and LSU was able to outscore Ole Miss 9-5 to close out the set.

The third set was complete dominance from LSU as the Tigers seemed to have control throughout. LSU would quickly get out to an 8-3 lead that forced an Ole Miss timeout. Ole Miss would make a small run in the middle of the set, getting within three points, but LSU would pull away and win the set by a score of 25-13.

LSU was able to have continued success throughout the match, getting kills in the middle of the court. This was huge for the Tigers down the stretch and allowed them to run away with to

match in the final set. Flickinger led the way with 20, and Bannister was also big for the Tigers, adding 12. LSU seemed to also have an advantage when serving, as the Tigers had four aces throughout the match compared to just one from Ole Miss.

This is LSU’s second win in a row after coming off of a fivegame losing streak as the Tigers look to continue to get back on track. With this win, LSU improves to 5-8 on the season, and Ole Miss drops to 0-13.

LSU volleyball took on Ole Miss again on Sunday afternoon and lost a nail biter two sets to three. The squad will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the Wildcats on March 5 and 6.

the game is over with no matter what,” Dugas said. “I have complete and total trust in him.”

Hill felt the pressure of his coach about to pull him early in order to keep him in good shape for the entire season. Mainieri told him in the dugout before he took the mound in the sixth that he had better have a good inning, or else he would have to come out and take the ball from him in the middle of the inning since he was reaching his preset 75 pitch limit. Sure enough, Hill pitched the sixth like he had pitched every other inning tonight, with fewer than 20 pitches.

“He basically said I was going to get embarrassed by him coming up and pulling me off the mound, and my pride is too big for that,” Hill smiled.

“I think, that challenge, he took it to heart,” Mainieri said with a smirk himself.

With the offense in a groove, the defense shaping up and the pitching staff delivering quality performances, it’s no wonder Hill’s last sign off after the game was a giant grin.

“Preciate y’all!” he said with the big smile and two peace signs, running off to enjoy the evening with his teammates.

EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE COMING 3.3.21

OPINION

page 11

All of the things I would do for the COVID-19 vaccine SAUCE BOSS CÉCILE CÉCILE GIRARD @_cegi_ According to a Jan. 15 email from Interim President Tom Galligan, vaccines have arrived at the University and are already being distributed slowly but steadily among the faculty, staff and student population.

Like many other students at the University, I have yet to receive the vaccine. Like many other students, I want a vaccine. Like... really, really want one. In fact, I would do downright unspeakable things to have those mRNA fragments coursing through my veins.

I would streak through the Quad at noon past ambassadors leading Destination LSU tours for admitted freshmen and families, the Memorial Tower cheering me

on as it chimes the LSU alma mater.

I would dress up as a campus squirrel and adopt their squirrel culture for a week. Digging through the trash cans, climbing the highest ledges of the LSU Library, stealing French fries dropped by students mere seconds earlier — I would do it all.

I would accept to have every one of my remaining classes in Lockett Hall. Not only that, I would ask that my professors constantly change their classrooms and alert me only minutes before every lecture. I want to spend my days madly dashing through Lockett, trying to make sense of the erratically numbered rooms.

I would play a football game solo against the 2019 national championship-winning LSU Tigers. Never mind that I’ve never played football, that after hours in Death Valley I still don’t know

the rules, that I’m weak and flabby from months of online work — if I need to body slam Joe Burrow to get the vaccine, I will do it without hesitation. Joe, beware.

I would go on a date with Mike the Tiger and treat him like the king that he is. We would feast on steak tartare, talk about our mutual interests on his comfort rock, take a sunset stroll around the Habitat and if things go right, maybe he’d invite me for a nightcap in his cage...

There’s no limit to the lengths I’d go to for a dose of the vaccine. I would smooch Tom Galligan’s bald head, sit through every interminable Student Government Senate meeting, join the Free Speech Plaza preachers in yelling at hell-bound passersby and spend the night naked north of the Arctic Circle (the fourth floor of the library.) For the ability to go back to seeing groups of

COURTESY OF SIPHIWE SIBEKO

people without fear, I would do nearly anything.

Hopefully, I won’t have to actually do anything special to get vaccinated. But if someone out there has an extra vaccine dose and a penchant for making gan-

gly white girls embarrass themselves in public, well, my DMs are always open at the Twitter handle in my header.

Cécile Girard is a 21-year-old psychology junior from Lake Charles.

University is wrong to eliminate Spring semester breaks SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire This year, the week of Mardi Gras was distinctly different than in years prior.

Over 37,000 Louisiana residents were left without power and forced to brave the freezing temperatures that gripped much of the Deep South amid the winter storm. Many residents found themselves without running water due to burst or frozen pipes.

As Baton Rouge faced one of the longest freezes in its history, a number of students in Nicholson Gateway Apartments and Greek housing lacked power or heating.

Following this draining week, the University announced changes to the academic schedule to compensate for the days of class lost to the storm. These changes added four make-up days: Saturday, March 6; Friday, March 12; Thursday, March 25th and Saturday, April 10.

This decision eliminated virtually all breaks left in the spring semester — with the exception of the Good Friday holiday on Friday, April 2.

While make-up days are necessary — the University has to

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU Nicholson Gateway apartments sits on Feb. 15, during the winter weather mix on Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge, La. reach a certain number of class days to stay accredited, after all — another alternative would have been preferable. The University typically holds finals the first week of May anyway; keeping with this tradition rather than shooting for an early release would have allowed the University to maintain some of the previously scheduled breaks and perhaps add additional ones.

It’s important to note frustration with the 2021 spring academic calendar was already high before these cancelations. Breaks were few and far between, and students felt burnout looking at weeks of Zoom classes. Now, there are virtually no breaks left for this semester — in fact, we now have several short weekends in place of long weekends. It’s no wonder students feel fatigued

and frustrated.

Trust me, I’m glad I’m not the one that has to make these calls. As Vice Provost Matthew Lee expressed to The Reveille, there is much to weigh and consider, and there will always be people that are unhappy.

That being said, these breaks aren’t as dispensable as the University is treating them, and the administration should prioritize finding some way to save them.

Winter storm aside, this past year has been nothing like we’ve ever experienced.

As students celebrated Mardi Gras last year, few could have predicted they would soon be sent home as a pandemic captured the globe. Months of isolation, financial strain and health worries were to come.

Millions in the United States crashed into poverty and hunger.

Almost a year after the onslaught of the coronavirus in the U.S., the nation reached the somber milestone of half a million coronavirus-related deaths.

Navigating college through all this tragedy is undoubtedly taking its toll on students. Online learning is not a fit for everyone.

Trying to focus on classes while living through historically hard times and dealing with personal struggles poses a new combination of challenges.

Science is beginning to

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understand how constant Zoom meetings and virtual interactions are affecting our psyche. Researchers explain much of human connection relies on nonverbal cues and body language, most of which gets eliminated in these video conferencing enviro -nments, leaving our brains reeling.

A phenomenon psychologists refer to as “continuous partial attention” is also common to this new era. It feels like we’re constantly doing a million things at once, yet getting nothing done at all.

The science also points to the importance of time off. A day off is a necessary remedy for feelings of burnout and heightened stress or anxiety. Taking time off has been shown to have positive effects on health and mental well-being; there has been perhaps no time when it’s been more important to prioritize our physical and mental health.

This semester has been an enormous challenge for students.

A break from this stress is not only deserved but necessary.

One way or another the University must put the well-being of students first and reinstate breaks to the Spring semester.

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

Quote of the Week “Time is the only critic without ambition.”

John Steinbeck Author 1902— 1968

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Monday, March 1, 2021

New attendance policy is a positive change for students SPILL THE TEA WITH MARIE MARIE PLUNKETT

@MarieC_214

Recently, the University amended its attendance policy for the Spring semester, revising Policy Statement 22 to make it mandatory for professors to offer students make-up work for any missed classes due to excused absences, such as being exposed to or contracting COVID-19.

Previously, professors at the University had the option of not providing students with opportunities for make-up work. With this new rule, however, all instructors are responsible for developing make-up policies that specifically and clearly allow students to make up missed classwork.

Students whose professors do not give them the opportunity to make up missed work can send an email to LSU Academic Affairs explaining the situation with the course code and section number.

In addition to the new makeup work expectation, professors have been asked to be generally more lenient and understanding about documentation for missed classes due to COVID-19. Since it is not always practical or feasible to get documentation of exposure to COVID-19, it’s not reasonable to ask students to provide docu-

mentation in order to receive an excused absence.

In the long run, this change is for the better and is overall indicative of a movement towards policies that support and encourage student success.

As exciting as this amendment is for students, however, I do feel for professors who suddenly have to change their make-up and attendance policies and adjust to new rules in the middle of an already stressful year.

At the very least, this policy amendment should have been implemented as soon as the University began revising policies and making exceptions for COVID-19. Students who caught or were exposed to COVID-19 in the past two semesters were forced to miss classes and yet, because of the original attendance policy (PS 22), were not guaranteed an opportunity to make up missed work.

While the policy definitely needed amending, there seems to be no retroactive apology or plan to make up for students whose grades suffered on account of the policy prior to the change. The University has had a rough time adjusting to life under a global pandemic, and understandably so, but recently it’s felt as though the administration has been trying to grab as many policy changes or PR stunts as possible in or-

REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU students sit on campus on Jan. 25, doing their online classes in the Student Union on LSU’s campus. der to cover its past mistakes.

The testing incentives, the new attendance policy and even the hopeful announcement that the University plans on returning to pre-COVID-19 conditions in the fall semester all suggest that

the University is trying to boost its image despite the current situation.

Without having even started vaccinating its students, the University should probably focus more on solving the crisis

at hand, rather than announcing attendance amendments and outlandish hopes for the future.

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

NY Gov. Cuomo’s COVID-19 cover-up was despicable FROM THE CRO’S NEST ELIZABETH CROCHET @elizabethcro_ Around this time a year ago, the name Andrew Cuomo was popular in politics, but I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t a typical household name. Well, a lot can change in a year. Andrew Cuomo

is the infamous governor of New York, known around the United States for his handling of the coronavirus.

Unless you were paying really close attention, you probably thought the way Cuomo has handled the pandemic has been magnificent. After all, there were calls for him to jump into the 2020 presidential election because of his so-called amazing leadership.

Cuomo even congratulated himself on how great of a job he was doing, and wrote a book about the “leadership lessons” he learned while handling the crisis. When he was not writing his book, he often joined his brother Chris Cuomo’s primetime show on CNN. During these segments, the brothers would constantly joke back and forth about things like who was the favorite child and

SETH WENIG / Associated Press

the size of the cotton swab used for the governor’s COVID-19 test. I am sure these were truly comical to all those suffering with COVID-19 — not.

Then there were the delightful daily briefings Cuomo held to inform his constituents about COVID-19. These briefings played such a monumental role in slowing the spread of the virus that the governor won an Emmy.

Truly remarkable.

I definitely do not blame those who thought that the governor handled this crisis so well. I mean, when you have the media and Hollywood supporting him, it makes it seem like Cuomo is the golden standard for how to handle a pandemic.

Contrary to what you might think, however, his handling of this pandemic could not have been worse.

In March of last year, the governor signed an executive order allowing infected COVID-19 patients into nursing homes. In what world this makes sense, I do not know. Just wait, though: it gets worse.

As of right now, there have been 13,000 COVID-19 related deaths in nursing homes in the state of New York. That number has been in question for a long time, and the suspicions were confirmed earlier this month when Cuomo’s secretary Melissa DeRosa admitted during a video conference with state Democrats that the governor’s office hid

nursing home deaths because they did not want it to be “used against them.”

This is despicable, and I am glad it is starting to be investigated. When the governor was finally questioned about the issue, he responded with the words “who cares?”

To those who selected Cuomo for an Emmy: look at the numbers next time. Do not give an award to the Governor whose state leads the nation in COVID-19 related deaths. Instead, look to leaders who did not put infected patients into nursing homes.

To the media: hold the governor accountable. He signed this executive order almost a year ago, yet he has received more praise about his leadership than questions about his cover up. The families of those who passed away deserve more answers.

Lastly, Cuomo: I have got some news for you. Who cares, you ask?

I care. The people of your state care. Those who lost loved ones certainly care. I think it is time you start to care too. The people elected you to get the job done.

Stop writing books, holding virtual birthday fundraisers and trying to hide your failure. Instead, start focusing on the constituents you are supposed to be leading.

Elizabeth Crochet is a 19-year-old political communication sophomore from New Orleans.