The Reveille 3-18-21

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LET’S DANCE LSU men’s basketball will face St. Bonaventure on Saturday, looking to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament

PHOTO BY ABBY KIBLER

LSU men’s basketball sophomore forward Trendon Watford (2) makes a jump shot while South Carolina men’s basketball redshirt-junior forward Justin Minaya (10) blocks Jan. 16 during LSU’s 85-80 win against South Carolina at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

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page 2 NEWS

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Vaccine distribution at Pennington Biomedical Research Center helps Louisiana residents mitigate COVID-19 transmission.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Beyoncé breaks the record for most Grammys won by a female artist at this year’s award show.

SPORTS

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New Orleans Saint and future hall of fame quarterback Drew Brees finalizes his intention to hang up his cleats and retire.

OPINION

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“I know how daunting it is to attend such a big school. I also know how complicated life in college can get.”

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

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A MOMENT ‘THAT YOU LIVE FOR’ How LSU can make a run in the NCAA Tournament

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus It is officially March Madness, the best time of year for college basketball fans. Despite a heartbreaking loss in the SEC Championship, LSU basketball gave its fans plenty to be excited about in a valiant effort against Alabama.

“I think we put the world on notice,” said sophomore forward Trendon Watford who scored a career high 30 points in the loss.

It was a true heavyweight slugfest in Nashville, with both teams making play after play down the stretch, resulting in one of the best games of the year.

In the end, LSU came up short, losing 80-79 after a last second three pointer and multiple tip-in attempts failed to fall for the Tigers at the buzzer. With the SEC Tournament in the rear-view, the Tigers now shift their focus to Indianapolis and making a run in the NCAA Tournament.

LSU heads into the 2021 NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and is set to face St. Bonaventure in the first round. St. Bonaventure enters the tournament with a 16-4 overall record, champions of the Atlantic Ten Conference. This is a familiar foe for LSU Head Coach Will Wade, who faced the Bonnies annually during his time coaching at VCU. “I have a lot of respect for just how good they are,” Wade said.

“They’re ferocious competitors.

They’re going to be well-prepared, and they’re a tremendous basketball program.”

LSU’s seeding came as a surprise to many, as most experts and analysts projected LSU to land between the No. 5 and No. 7 seed lines. Entering the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed is no easy task for any team. A win in the first round will more than likely result in LSU playing No. 1 seed Michigan in the Round of 32. Despite the seeding not being what the Tigers expected, Wade is adamant that it will not affect his team’s mentality.

“We’re in the deal. That’s the number one thing, and we’ve got to get ready for Bonaventure,” Wade said.

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU men’s basketball sophomore forward Trendon Watford (2) keeps his eyes on the ball Dec. 6, 2020 during LSU’s 86-55 win over LA Tech in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La. This matchup will tip-off Saturday at 12:45 p.m. CT and will be an entertaining matchup in possibly the most stacked region in the tournament. The winner of this game will play No. 1 seed Michigan, barring a historic upset from either Mount St. Marty’s or Texas Southern. Michigan is seen by many as the most vulnerable No. 1 seed in the tournament and is a winnable game for LSU, should the Tigers advance.

At this point in the season, it is no secret to anyone that LSU’s potential to make a run in the tournament lies in the hands of its offense. Cam Thomas enters as LSU’s leading scorer and comes in as the top scorer among all Division I freshmen. Thomas has shown flashes of being a truly elite scorer throughout the season and is expected to be relied on heavily throughout the course of the tournament.

LSU enters the tournament with four players averaging double figures in points. The plays of Watford, Javonte Smart and Darius Days have been vital for LSU throughout the season, as those three along with Thomas on average account for over 81% of LSU’s scoring on a per-game basis.

Days averages the fewest points out of the big four but has

been the x-factor for the Tigers all season. LSU is 18-1 on the season when Days scores in double figures and 0-8 when he does not.

Days is also LSU’s leading rebounder and has been the “glue guy” for this LSU team all season.

Prolific scoring has come to be expected of this LSU team on a nightly basis, but there have been question marks all season surrounding the defense. LSU ranks just 225th in the country in defensive efficiency, with majors struggles in transition and on the defensive glass.

LSU has been statistically horrendous on the glass this season, ranking dead last among teams in the NCAA tournament in defensive rebounding percentage and 336th out of 347 Division I teams playing this season. LSU is best on defense when forcing teams to play in the half court and forcing turnovers through half-court traps.

Another question mark for LSU heading into the NCAA Tournament is how the team’s young players will respond to their first NCAA Tournament experience.

Only two LSU players have any NCAA Tournament experience, those being Smart and Days, who played a key role in LSU’s Sweet Sixteen run in 2019. Even Wade has yet to coach the Tigers in

the NCAA Tournament after being suspended in 2019 and the 2020 tournament being canceled.

Wade believes, however, that the deep run in the SEC Tournament was great experience for his team heading into the NCAA Tournament.

“I think we all got some valuable tournament experience this weekend,” Wade said following the SEC Championship. “Playing tournament basketball is playing tournament basketball.”

After a physically and emotionally grueling weekend at the SEC Tournament, it will be intriguing to see how the Tigers respond in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Watford was huge for LSU throughout the tournament and played two of the best games of his career against Ole Miss and Alabama. Despite ultimately coming up short in the SEC Championship, Watford believes that his team still has plenty of momentum to carry into the NCAA Tournament.

“We’re just trying to keep this momentum rolling going into March Madness because I feel like we’re a Final Four team when everyone is clicking,” Watford said.

Watford, along with Days and Smart, have been leaders for this team all season and must continue to provide that leadership during the tournament. Smart, who was instrumental in LSU’s tournament run in 2019, was also in positive spirits after the loss to Alabama.

Despite dropping to a No. 8 seed and falling in the SEC Championship, LSU fans have every reason to be confident in this team heading into March Madness. The SEC Tournament proved that this team not only has the ability, but the grit and the heart to play with anybody in the country. Making a deep run in the NCAA Tournament is never easy, but the Tigers are peaking at the right time and have all the motivation to go out and make a statement in the tournament.

“These are the type of moments growing up as a kid that you live for,” Smart said. “I know we fell short, but I know that we’re just going to push forward come Saturday.”

LSU heads into the 2021 NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and is set to face St. Bonaventure in the first round on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. CT.

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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 DISTRIBUTION DEVELOPMENTS Pennington helps Louisiana residents get vaccinated

BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3 Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Pennington Biomedical Research Center as Baton Rouge’s first mass vaccination site for the COVID-19 vaccine on Feb. 9.

Laura Davis, the assistant vicepresident of community care clinics with Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, said that the vaccine rollout has been operating seamlessly.

“It’s been going great,” Davis said. “We have a good bit of vaccine to offer. Lots of patients have been willing to bare their arms.”

Pennington is a health science-

focused research center and part of the Louisiana State University system. The research center conducts clinical, basic and population science research.

The vaccination site is held at Pennington but is organized and run by Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. Vaccines are currently only being administered to Louisiana residents who have scheduled appointments.

Edwards received his first shot of the vaccine on Feb. 9 at Pennington.

“These vaccines are how we’ll get past this pandemic and I encourage everyone to go sleeves up when they’re eligible to receive

theirs,” Edwards said.

Although a lot of Louisiana residents still have not been inoculated, Pennington’s mass vaccination site is fervently administering shots to as many people as it can.

“On a typical weekend, roughly 1,000 people get vaccinated and on any given weekday, roughly 700 people get vaccinated at PBRC,” Davis said.

Although the vaccine rollout has seen limited difficulties, one problem that presented itself at the beginning was receiving enough vaccinations to administer, according to Davis.

Now, she said the site has been receiving an adequate amount of

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

People wait in line and fill out paperwork on March 14 while social distancing at the Tiger Stadium vaccination site.

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GRADUATION

LSU to hold in-person graduation REVEILLE STAFF REPORT

doses and is able to keep up with the increasing demand, especially as Louisiana’s coronavirus vaccine eligibility expands.

Edwards announced a dramatic expansion of the eligibility requirements for the vaccine which includes individuals age 16 and older with underlying health conditions on March 9.

Anyone in the age range who is considered overweight or is a current or past smoker is eligible to receive a vaccine across the state.

“We do have a lot of smokers being vaccinated,” Davis said.

“Whether they are a smoker or not is between them and God. If they claim that they’re a smoker, then they will get vaccinated.”

Davis said that once the eligibility expanded, there was an expectation that an influx of residents would seek to receive the vaccine.

Although a lot more people were aiming to get vaccinated, she said they were prepared to meet the demand.

“We were expecting it,” she said. “We were super thankful for it. We anticipated opening the criteria.”

The vaccine is available for other Louisiana residents as well as those who work in specific jobs that put them at a greater risk of contracting the virus. Edwards announced that those who work in congregant settings, like prisons, shelters or group homes are now eligible to get vaccinated.

The University will hold inperson commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates, March LSU Online graduates and all 2020 graduates, Interim President Thomas Galligan and Provost Stacia Haynie announced in an email Wednesday.

Commencement ceremonies for 2021 graduates will be held on Friday, May 7, and Saturday, May 8. The Vet School will hold a ceremony on Monday, May 10, and the Law Center will hold a ceremony on Saturday, May 15.

All graduates from last May, August and December of 2020 will be able to walk the stage at an exclusive ceremony on Friday, May 14.

Each senior college will also hold a diploma ceremony for their respective graduates and will follow all state and university guidelines regarding maximum capacity restrictions, physical distancing and mask wearing.

All ceremonies will be streamed online for those unable to attend in person.

Here’s what students can expect if they attend a ceremony: • Each graduate will be allocated four guest tickets.

More information on tickets will be provided in late April.

• Graduates will be seated in physically-distanced seats

see VACCINE, page 4

see GRADUATION, page 4

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

LSU professor receives grant to create affordable housing

BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote LSU industrial engineering professor Isabelina Nahmens received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop modular construction techniques to make housing more energy-efficient and affordable.

Nahmens partnered with VEIC, a non-profit organization in Vermont with expertise in energy efficiency, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado for the project.

The team’s research aims to develop modular homes that are at least 50% more energyefficient, an improvement that would benefit factories building the homes and consumers living in them.

Modular homes are buildings made up of repeated sections, called modules, that are built away from the building site and then delivered to the construction site.

Nahmens said modular homes have multiple advantages over site-built construction, such as faster construction, safety quality and waste management.

They’re also a game-changer for housing affordability.

“Construction costs are the biggest determinant of the selling price or rent of new homes,” Nahmens said. “For example, the opportunity to mass produce energy-efficient homes could serve as a catalyst to the housing market by bringing down rents, reducing energy usage and helping preserve affordability.”

“What’s remarkable about this project is how it’s combining energy-efficiency and affordable housing at scale,” Alison Donovan, a senior consultant at VEIC, said in a press release.

“We’re not talking about superinsulated and high-performance homes built for a million dollars.

It’s about bringing the benefits of that technology to affordable housing, which is at the heart of our work. In many ways, this is a social justice issue.”

It’s also an issue many LSU students living in off-campus housing in Baton Rouge are familiar with.

Music junior Olivia Lauer works three jobs to support herself financially while balancing a full course schedule.

“I work three jobs to pay for

my rent, my electric bill, my WiFi and groceries and barely getting by at the minimum,” Lauer said.

“The only time I ever have off is Sunday nights. Other than that I’m working 24/7 just to make enough to live. I don’t know how many hours that totals up to, but it’s enough to where I don’t have too much time on my hands.”

In East Baton Rouge Parish, the average minimum wage earner working eight hours a day, five days a week works 15 of their 22 work days just to pay for rent, according to Louisiana Housing Corporation’s 2019 Housing Needs Assessment. The report also shows that the rate of rent stress in Louisiana is the fifth highest in the country: 45% of renters devote more than onethird of their household income

to gross rent.

A high proportion of those who are considered ‘rentstressed’ are ‘extremely rentstressed,’ which means that the household expends more than half of its income on gross rent.

“I don’t buy anything else besides groceries and gas pretty much,” Lauer said. “I might at the end of the month end up with $100 extra, if I’m really good with it. What is so hard is finding the hours to work. I’m in school for 90% of my day. It makes it hard to make enough money to live off of.”

The median-gross rent in East Baton Rouge is $855, above the state’s $800, but below the country’s $949. Since 2010, median

see RENT, page 4

Thursday, March 18, 2021

page 4 RENT, from page 3 gross rent in Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes increased from $61 to $175.

English junior Sarah Cambre’s rent increased multiple times at her off-campus apartment in Baton Rouge, prompting her and her roommate to find cheaper rent elsewhere.

“When I moved in, the rent was really reasonable,” Cambre said. “I was happy there and I still like living there. I figured I don’t want to argue with them anymore.”

Like Lauer, Cambre works throughout the semester to sup-

VACCINE, from page 3 “We are literally in a race against transmission of the virus — especially the new variants,” Edwards said.

While Pennington is administering the majority of vaccines across Baton Rouge, Davis said that there are also pop-up clinics appearing across the area.

On March 14, there was a line to get into Tiger Stadium, but it wasn’t for revelers eager to watch a football game. There was a popup clinic held at the stadium that administered around 800 Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccinations.

In the coming weeks, LSU plans to host clinics around campus for students to receive their vaccines.

A specific date for those clinics has

port herself and pay her bills.

“Pretty much all my hours go toward my rent,” she said.

“Sometimes I squeeze 30 hours into three days just so I can get enough money for that month and not have to work during the week. It just gets hard sometimes because I get really exhausted from working so much during the weekend. I don’t get to hang out with my friends as much because all week I’m focusing on school and all weekend all I do is work.”

Nahmen’s research could impact the problem of rent stress in Baton Rouge, but she said it will take radical changes.

“Current research efforts are beginning to show that inefficient construction processes are a major factor in the increase of initial cost,” Nahmens said. “In order to address those inefficiencies, the entire construction supply chain needs radical changes, not only from a materials and technology perspective but also from a production methods perspective.”

The project seeks to streamline construction processes by developing a methodology to improve process efficiency, especially those related to design and installation. And increases in energy efficiency usually

yet to be announced. The University is urging students to complete a vaccine pre-registration form which can be accessed through LSU’s Roadmap to Spring website.

“LSU identifies people in the community who meet the tiers set

by Louisiana, then uses the pre registration information to identify those who have indicated they want the vaccine through LSU,” the website read. “Identified LSU community members receive notice of an available vaccine dose via email, which includes instructions on how to schedule a vaccination appointment.”

The University has not made an announcement yet regarding whether students will be required to get vaccinated in order to attend classes in the fall or not.

GRADUATION, from page 3 and will be invited to walk across the stage when their names are called.

• To minimize contact with others, graduates will not shake hands or pose for photos with anyone while on stage. Instead, graduates will be able to pose for professional photos just after they descend from the stage.

• Graduate students will not be hooded as part of the ceremonies. All graduate hoods/stoles, University honor cords, University Medals and the like will be distributed in advance so graduates can wear them

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

The Pentagon sits June 17, 2020 on LSU’s campus. means lower costs for consumers.

“By improving these elements, construction costs will decrease, thus making energy-

efficient and resilient homes more desirable and widespread and in turn, saving low-income households money on energy bills,” Nahmens said.

to the ceremonies.

• To ensure the safety of graduates, guests and staff, there will not be a printed commencement program.

Graduates’ names and accomplishments will be made available in print and online via several outlets.

• The platform party and LSU faculty attendance will be minimal in order to reduce the density of people at the ceremonies and accommodate as many guests as possible. There will be no faculty processions at any of the ceremonies.

• Professional photography will be available to all graduates to take photos on campus from March 29

– April 1 at a designated Grad Pop Up Photo Station.

Graduates will be required to reserve an available time slot in advance. This opportunity is available to all graduates, whether they attend a ceremony or not. This is in addition to the professional photography that will be available at each college’s in-person ceremony.

The University requests that those planning to attend the ceremonies on May 7, May 8 or May 14 RSVP through a questionnaire by Friday, April 9 in order to determine the capacity of each event. The University will not accommodate late submissions or day-of walkups.

Charter School LSU YEARBOOK

Sat., March 20, 2021 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Virtual Teacher Fair you must register to participate!

www.gnocollaborative.com Attn: Teachers!

Certified teachers and teachers working on their certification: full and part-time positions available in Louisiana Charter Schools!

All degreed school professionals can attend (teachers, nurses, counselors, coaches, administrators, etc.)

Check vacancies now!

Updated vacancies are posted year-round.

Post your resume and contact school principals.

Presented by:

Over 90+ schools participated last year.

This is a free service for ALL charter schools in Louisiana.

Become a Student Media MANAGER

2021 open positions:

Station Manager of KLSU: Summer 2021 & Fall 2021 Editor of The Reveille: Summer 2021 & Fall 2021 Station Manager of Tiger TV: Fall 2021 Editor of the Gumbo Yearbook: Fall 2021-Spring 2022 Must be an LSU student enrolled half-time at minimum and in good academic standing. Request application materials by emailing StudentMedia@lsu.edu. Submit application materials via email to StudentMedia@lsu.edu by Thursday, April 1st, 2021.

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ENTERTAINMENT THIS SAME DUSTY ROAD

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Letitia Huckaby’s exhibit tells the southern Black story in all of its glory and tragedy

BY GIDEON FORTUNE @asapfortunate Letitia Huckaby’s “This Same Dusty Road” exhibit at the LSU Museum of Art is a grand showing of a Black Louisianan experience with qualities making it relatable to many.

I visited the exhibit with my feminist art and theory class. We were studying multimedia artworks with an emphasis on textile work, because they are mainly produced by women and not as regarded in the high art world.

Huckaby’s exhibit in Downtown Baton Rouge fit the information we were covering in class perfectly.

The first piece visible upon entering the museum is a quilt that has images of cotton sewn into it. There are also images of Huckaby standing behind a cotton sheet with the sun, creating a silhouette. The sheet does not serve as a barrier between the viewer and subject but is a representation of Huckaby’s spirituality. “Quilt #2” is a piece that addresses the southern Black’s relationship with cotton in multiple ways.

“Madear” has the energy of an old master painting. It is such an intimate scene with the reflection in the window adding another layer for us to take in.

“I was shooting through the glass so you get a reflection of the outside and you can see inside,

COURTESY OF HUCKABY STUDIOS

and the house you see reflected in the glass, that’s her mother’s house, my great-grandmother’s house,” Huckaby said.

Now we have this piece where the subject is looking away from you as you are staring at her through glass. The window is not a barrier between you and the subject, but a way to look into her history. This piece is easily my favorite. Huckaby informed me that the museum has decided to keep “Madear” for its collection.

The “East Feliciana Altarpiece” is a collage of large photos from two scenes along the LA-19 highway with Huckaby’s grandmother at the center of it all. The

scenes to both sides of the center piece are memorable landmarks on the way back to Huckaby’s grandmother’s house. A oval image of a curtain from her grandmother’s house is placed above the center photo and seems to serve as a crown jewel for the altarpiece.

A quilt about Huckaby’s father was the most sentimental piece in the museum. His obituary was featured in the middle of the quilt. He passed away from complications with diabetes, and there is imagery of microscopic tissue damaged by diabetes. Cotton makes another appearance in the form of a ravaged cotton

field. Huckaby used the field as a comparison to how the disease attacks the body.

One of the textiles that was hanging from a clothesline in the center of the room was another representation of her dad’s side of the family. It was a quilt top made by her grandmother’s stepmother.

“I never met her, so for me it was really like a conversation between artists across time,” Huckaby said.

This is an ode to the importance of textile works of art. They are pieces that can be passed down and take on a new shape and meaning. From her son in an-

other quilt to her grandmother’s stepmother in this quilt top, the entire collection spans five generations.

Huckaby had worked in documentary photography before creating these pieces but documenting this journey has an obvious sentimental value for the artist.

“I turned the camera on myself after my father passed. It might’ve been a little bit of therapy for me to tell my family’s story through the language that I work with, which is my camera,” Huckaby said.

She took these personal stories from her life and made them into relatable pieces.

You would not normally encounter these locations and these people in a high art space. Looking at the “This Same Dusty Road” exhibition is an example that deserving to belong in a high art space has nothing to do with the subjects and everything to do with inequities in the art world. These are stories rich in culture and joy that need to be told, and I believe presenting personal experience that others can relate to is the best way to do so.

“It just makes me think, especially with everything that happened in the last couple years with race relations, about the importance of continuing to tell our stories, value our culture and just cherish each other,” Huckaby closed.

MOVIES & TV

2021 Grammys: Beyoncé breaks record, Taylor Swift wins again

BY GIDEON FORTUNE @asapfortunate Without singing a note, Beyoncé still managed to become the highlight of the 63rd annual Grammy awards. The four Grammys she took home this year gave her the record of most Grammys for any singer and female artist at 28 awards. The Carter household now collectively holds 52 Grammys, with Blue Ivy also taking an award home this year.

Best Pop Solo Performance winner Harry Styles kicked off the night with his hit song “Watermelon Sugar.” The British pop singer adjusted wonderfully to performing without a crowd. He set the bar high for performances going forward.

The first award of the ceremony was presented to Megan Thee Stallion for Best New Artist.

Megan was a big winner during this year’s ceremony, also taking

home the Best Rap Song award.

The Houston rapper performed the Rap Song of the Year, “Savage,” before joining Cardi B for “WAP.” Dua Lipa had a big night at the Grammys as well, taking home multiple awards and performing her hit song “Don’t Start Now.” Her performance included an outfit change and featured DaBaby.

The two artists displayed great chemistry while performing “Levitating.” DaBaby had an amazing performance with Roddy Ricch earlier in the night as well.

Another ‘Baby’ graced the Grammy stage when Lil Baby performed “The Bigger Picture.” He brought attention to the struggles that Black Americans still face today, calling for continued action like the nation saw last summer.

“We don’t need allies, we need accomplices,” one of the performers said during his set.

Record of the Year and Album

of the Year, the two most coveted awards, went to Grammy veterans. Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Wanted” won Record of the Year, bringing her tally to seven Grammys in just two years. “Folklore” gave Taylor Swift her third Grammy for the Album of the Year category, a great accomplishment for the 11-time Grammy winner.

Tributes to John Prine and Kenny Rogers added a very emotional section to the show. Many other legends, including Otis Redding and Mary Wilson, were honored, as well.

The show was star-studded with many first-time Grammy performers who all did pretty well. First-time performer and the first Black woman to ever win a Grammy for a Country category, Mickey Guyton, put on a moving performance. The charismatic duo of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, now called Silk Sonic, had everyone grooving.

CHRIS PIZZELLO / AP Photo

Thursday, March 18, 2021

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

REV R ANKS

ALUMNI

Red rover, red rover: LSU alumnus sends spacecraft to Mars

BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab “I always just followed my curiosity,” Keith Comeaux said.

Ironically enough, his curiosity led him to Curiosity. Comeaux, a 1989 LSU graduate, works at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where he’s been instrumental in the past two Mars rover missions.

The Baton Rouge native served as the flight director for Curiosity’s 2012 entry, descent and landing on Mars.

As the Mars 2020 mission manager, Comeaux led the team through the launch, cruise, approach, entry, descent and landing of the Perseverance Rover, which touched down successfully on the red planet on Feb. 18.

Since then, Comeaux has been working on “Mars time” to ensure safe surface operations.

“It sounds pretty romantic, working on another planet,” Comeaux said. “But, you know until very recently, it felt just like a normal job. There’s a lot of things that need to get done. You go into work. You work with your

teammates. You have meetings.

You do email…but every now and then, you actually stop, and you think about what it is you’re working on.”

Perseverance is step one in a long-term project with the end goal of bringing rocks from Mars back to Earth. The rover is equipped with a sample caching system, composed of a coring drill to take the rock samples and a system that seals the samples into airtight titanium tubes.

In assembly-line style, Perseverance will leave the tubes on Mars’ surface for a future project to fetch. This future project will place the sample tubes into a rocket, which will blast off and orbit Mars. Then, a third mission will fly into orbit around Mars to pick up those samples to finally bring them back to Earth.

“It’s quite the choreography,” Comeaux said.

And the dance is a long one.

The earliest the two return missions would be launched is 2026, but it could be as late as 2028.

The red planet’s rocks have never graced the Earth’s surface, mak-

COURTESY OF KEITH COMEAUX

ing this mission the starting step of another monumental first for NASA. “We’re making discoveries and rewriting the history books, the textbooks on Mars,” Comeaux said.

The idea has been on the books at NASA for years, but the real steps to put it into motion began after Curiosity.

“Pretty much the moment that we landed Curiosity,” Comeaux said. “That was the moment that made Perseverance possible. A lot of the engineering designs that we had for Curiosity were used directly on Perseverance. In fact, to most people, they will look identical.”

However, a few important improvements were implemented.

For instance, Perseverance’s Lander Vision System, which analyzed the rover’s projected landing site and actively compared it to a map of safe landing zones.

The computer itself selected the safest spot to land amid the cliffs, rocks and gullies of Jezero Crater, a long-awaited landing site that had always been deemed “too dangerous” before.

Under its belly, similar to the spare tire on an SUV, Perseverance houses Ingenuity, a helicopter. When the helicopter is deployed in the coming weeks, it will be the first attempt to conduct powered flight on another planet.

Another notable addition to Perseverance were the EDL cameras that recorded every moment of the landing frame-by-frame.

But before the cameras could capture those iconic images, the 10-foot long, nine-foot wide, 2,260-pound rover had to be assembled.

Titanium and aluminum parts came to the Jet Propulsion Lab as assembly units from across the world. After a testing period, Perseverance was shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the launch.

Dua Lipa’s ‘Studio 2054’ is the dance party we all needed

BY ENJANAE’ TAYLOR @_queenet_

COURTESY OF KEITH COMEAUX

“And then the pandemic hit,” Comeaux said. “And so, we were very concerned that the pandemic was going to slow us down, and we were going to miss our launch vehicle. Throughout the entire project that was the first time that we actually thought, ‘hey, you know, are we going to make it?’”

The launch window to effectively get to Mars only opens up for three to four weeks every 26 months. And COVID-19 added a whole new level of stress on top of that. Comeaux and his team had to transition working from home. And like many others, Comeaux said the transition was hard.

“That was one of the more stressful times was making that transition, and then figuring out how do you do web meetings?”

Comeaux said. “And how do you recreate the magic that happens when you’re all in an office area together?”

Fortunately, despite the obstacles and having only one inperson mission rehearsal, Perseverance launched successfully on the first attempt on July 30, 2020.

“You’re not prepared for the emotions that come over you,” Comeaux said. “We’ve put so much into this and spent a good

chunk of our careers working on this, and there’s been so many struggles over the years. Doing something that’s never been done before, that final moment when it all comes together and works, it’s a pretty big emotional release.”

“I mean, people are crying, people are jumping up and down and fist pumping the air and everything.”

Although growing up he dreamed of being a pilot or astronaut, Comeaux said he never could have imagined that one day he would be putting rovers on Mars. Looking back at the trajectory of his career, Comeaux said he simply followed his interests and that prepared him for the out of this world opportunities that came.

“I wouldn’t trade it,” Comeaux said. “I think, ultimately, when you are genuinely interested in something, and passionate about it, you embrace it. And get to know it and be the best that you can at it. I think that’s what leads to success and happiness.”

Because if you have the Spirit and take every Opportunity to follow your Curiosity, then as the rover’s official Twitter said, “Perseverance will get you anywhere.”

TRENDING

What does Dua Lipa do when we can’t go to the club? She brings the club to us.

The singer did just that with her virtual show “Studio 2054.” “Future Nostalgia” has been one of my favorite new albums ever since it was released last year. I missed the show the first time around, so when I saw that Lipa brought it back I knew that this time I couldn’t miss out on the magic.

The show opens and right off the back we are thrown into this world Lipa has created for this concert and era. It’s in a big building filled with flashing lights and lots of dancers, truly making it feel like a club. From the sets, to the outfits and even filming style, it all gave off a very vintage, funky aesthetic.

Lipa starts off with the song “Future Nostalgia-” then we hear a fun transition into one of my personal favorites, “Levitating.” This performance was a full-on party, and I have to say it was probably one of her best performances of this song so far.

We go from a groovy dance break to seeing the live band that is killing it. With the band, the dancers and background singers, it sounds and feels like a full set for a festival show.

“Pretty Please” is next, and I haven’t gotten this song out of my head since watching this performance. We see our first outfit and scenery change, with ‘80s school vibes for “Break My Heart.” Then FKA Twigs appears to do some of her iconic pole dancing and performs their song “Why Don’t You Love Me.”

The big neon club part of the set was my favorite, and Lipa joined DJ The Blessed Madonna to sing “Physical.” “Cool” is next, and Lipa heads back to the dance floor as her dancers actually skate around her on roller skates, making it feel more like a retro roller rink.

The concert represented the album very well, bringing the nostalgia with the old school vibes and giving us more of what we hope to see in the future, partying and dancing to music with friends. The

Everyone on social media has been reminiscing on their past with the most recent internet meme going around.

Whenever someone tells you that “you just had to be there,” it means that they are trying to avoid telling you a story that is personal or anecdotal from their past. This phrase existed long before it reached Twitter comedians and TikTokers this past February.

In fact, the “you just had to be there” meme reached the internet as early as 2013 but only recently spiraled into becoming a series of nostalgic jokes and out of context photos.

The post that brought this

trend back was from Twitter user @Billionbus, who tweeted photos of the interior of a 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Estate car with the caption “The comfort… you just had to be there.”

This tweet alone inspired other users to put their own twist on the trend, using photos from pop culture references, old movies or TV shows, and other influences.

With there being a large majority of Millennials and Gen Z on the internet, these memes have only gotten more hilarious, with people making references that go as far back as legendary 2000s Nickelodeon shows.

There are even references to classic Nintendo DS games we all loved to play as kids, as well as other video games that have had

impacts on our childhoods.

A lot of these tweets have also become centered around bringing attention back to older internet trends, such as justgirlythings, a Tumblr account from the early 2010s that posted photos with captions that “only girls would understand.” The juxtaposition of putting these two internet trends with each other makes the meme even more funny and relatable, alongside other “quirky” things 2010 Tumblr girls used to post about.

Even popular clothing brands and businesses are taking part in the trend. PrettyLittleThing, a UKbased fashion retailer, went out of the box by tweeting a picture of “the dress” from the 2015 trend where people had differing views

on whether or not “the dress” was blue and black or gold and white.

Like they said, you just had to be there to understand the controversy surrounding that one viral picture.

Knowing Twitter, this trend may be around for a while as users will continue to find more obscure references to apply the phrase to. The “you just had to be there” meme is constantly being recreated by users and businesses alike in order to keep up with the trend. With the rate in which people are participating in this trend, this meme may stick around on Twitter and other forms of social media for a while. Until the next popular internet meme of 2021 comes to fruition, the “you just had to be there” trend will con-

oner” music video and a performance of “Love Again.” Angèle then joins Lipa to sing their song “Fever.”

We go back to the club setting, and the big party begins. “One Kiss” plays, and the dancers all join together on the dance floor. I’ve never wanted to go to a club more after seeing this performance. Kylie Minogue joins in on the fun, and the performers sing their song “Real Groove.” Minogue also joins Lipa for “Electricity.” After the dance par-

To say Lipa knows how to put on a show is an understatement. I can’t tell you how much this exceeded my expectations; I would give it 100 stars if I could. The whole show was designed and choreographed really well. Regardless of opinions on her past performances, the dancing and stage presence were there for this show. Dua Lipa is the newest pop princess; and “Studio 2054” just sealed her place as pop royalty.

This special showing of “Studio 2054” also came with “The

COURTESY OF BILLBOARD

whole show made you want to get up and dance. If you played this show on your TV and put on fun colorful lights, you’d feel like you were in a club.

“New Rules” being performed was a pleasant surprise since I didn’t expect to hear any old songs from the artist performed in this show. We also see the “Pris-

The meme that is making the internet feel extra nostalgic

BY EMMA JACKIMOWICZ @emmajackimowicz

page 7

ty we get a dramatic cut to a video of the one and only Elton John singing his hit song “Rocket Man.” For the finale, Lipa comes out to perform “Hallucinate” and her mega-hit “Don’t Start Now.” Lipa and all the dancers dance through the whole set, and the show ends with confetti falling and everyone celebrating.

Story Behind the Show Documentary” where we hear from Lipa and those involved in making the show that was viewed by over 5 million people.

“It was clear from the second you walked in that this wasn’t going to be like anything else,” The Blessed Madonna said in the documentary.

to

tinue to unlock nostalgic memories for people and provide comedic relief for those wanting to remember the good old days.

Georgia is the show’s glue. She is so cunningly charismatic that it’s scary. Georgia is a pure anti-hero who makes one question her actions yet understand them at the same time. The main issue with this show is the title character, “Ginny.” If ungratefulness and hypocrisy could be personified, Ginny would be it. I understand the teenage angst, we’ve all been there, but she is barely tolerable.

She makes her life 10x harder. The hair scene and a few conversations with her father were perfect chances for Ginny to speak about her identity. But no, we get Hunter (played by Mason Temple) and Ginny’s poorly written “Oppression Olympics” argument.

Ariel Baise | @arielbiancaa Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment COURTESY OF KNOW YOUR MEME

COVID-19 lockdowns occurred right when Lipa was about to release her album and start planning her tour. Since she couldn’t perform for a live audience, Lipa decided to create a virtual show for her fans.

I love the play on the name Studio 54, taking the iconic disco nightclub and recreating it for 2020.

“With ‘Future Nostalgia’ being the theme, the idea was taking a piece of what Studio 54 was and kind of bring it to life in a whole new way,” Lipa said.

Lipa drew inspiration from the era and says she wishes she was a part of it; she was lucky enough to talk to Elton John about his experiences in the club.

“It was a perfect club at the perfect time,” Elton John said describing Studio 54.

Lipa shared she had anxiety getting ready for the show after receiving criticism from some of her other performances. She wanted to prove to herself and others she deserved everything she’s worked so hard for.

“It’s just been incredible during this whole process to do the performances, to grow into the performer I feel like I’ve always wanted to be with the help of my friends,” Lipa said.

The whole show was essentially one take, and it was cool to see how it all came together. We also got to see the star’s reaction to her six Grammy nominations. “It all made it worthwhile,” Lipa said. Lipa won her first Grammy for Pop Vocal Album this year.

The show was incredible and unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

“I wanted to bring artists together that I really love and give people a dance party,” Lipa said. It’s safe to say she did just that.

Out of any character in the series, Georgia, who is all-white, is the only one who comments on the social injustice against her daughter in the scene where Ginny is accused of shoplifting while with her white friends. The show essentially does nothing to squash such stereotypes. If the show were able to address the main character’s identity properly, then it would not seem as though they are trying to normalize racism. “Ginny & Georgia” is undoubtedly hit or miss as the constant racial micro-aggressions sprinkled throughout the show overpowers the story itself.

COURTESY OF VULTURE

TV SHOW “GINNY AND GEORGIA”

NETFLIX

Emma Jackimowicz | @emmajackimowicz Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

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SPORTS THANK YOU, DREW

page 9 BASEBALL

LSU to open SEC play against Miss. State

BY NATASHA MALONE @malone_natasha

consistency and dedication to excellence were unparalleled,” Payton said. “In a very short period of time, he would help lead a region to recovery and a team to a Super Bowl Championship.

He was a magnificent leader both on and off the field. His attention to detail and competitive spirit were infectious. For all of us that have had the chance to coach him, it has been our privilege. We are better for it. I am forever grateful for what he has done for our team, our community and for me personally.”

Brees brought new meaning to the word “impossible.” He proved that despite the critics, when a human being strives for a goal hard enough, there is nothing that can stop them. The height disadvantage, a near career-ending injury, a team that never tasted victory and a city that was decimated and left broken in the

Seven months ago, LSU football was poised to have a promising season despite losing a recordbreaking amount of players to the NFL Draft following its national championship run in 2019.

One game into the 2020 football season, Mississippi State came in with a new coach and offensive style, which was put on full display in Baton Rouge as the Bulldogs defeated the Tigers, 44-34. This ended up being just the start of hardships to come as LSU would then go on to finish its conference-only schedule with a record of 5-5, leaving the Tiger faithful in shambles.

Now, we turn our heads to one of the other crown-jeweled sports at LSU: Baseball.

Different sport, new season, same team.

Much like the Tiger football team, LSU baseball is slated to open up conference play against Mississippi State in Baton Rouge.

But unlike the Tiger football team, LSU baseball is hopeful for a different outcome. Though, that is not going to be a walk in the park by any means.

It’s going to be a Top-15 duel in Alex Box Stadium as the No. 2 ranked Bulldogs come into town.

The Bulldogs are coming in red hot, riding a seven-game win streak. Behind dominant pitching, State has established itself tearly as one of the highest caliber clubs in the country. In fact, a dominant staff is putting it nicely. Until their series last weekend against Eastern Michigan, the Bulldogs’ staff had thrown 27 consecutive scoreless innings over three games, allowing

see COLUMN, page 10

see MISS. STATE, page 10

Column: Long-time New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees announces retirement COURTESY OF AP

MICHAEL SANCHEZ

@MikeSanchez525 The heart, soul and leader of New Orleans has decided after 20 record-setting seasons that it is time to hang up the cleats and retire. If the description above did not hint to who is being referred to, maybe the name Drew Brees rings a bell.

Brees posted a video via Instagram on Sunday, March 14, of his children breaking the heartwrenching news to the world. Brees captioned the video, saying that his work in New Orleans is far from over.

“After 20 years as a player in the NFL and 15 years as a Saint, it is time I retire from the game of football,” Brees said. “Each day, I poured my heart & soul into being your Quarterback.

Til the very end, I exhausted

myself to give everything I had to the Saints organization, my team, and the great city of New Orleans. We shared some amazing moments together, many of which are emblazoned in our hearts and minds and will forever be a part of us. You have molded me, strengthened me, inspired me and given me a lifetime of memories. My goal for the last 15 years was striving to give to you everything you had given to me and more. I am only retiring from playing football, I am not retiring from New Orleans. This is not goodbye, rather a new beginning. Now my real life’s work begins!”

Brees will undoubtedly go down in the NFL history book as one of the all-time greats to pick up a football. For the residents of New Orleans, he will be remembered as the savior who pulled a burning city from the ashes and revitalized it.

Off the field Brees started the

Brees Dream Foundation, which has contributed an estimated $25 million of relief funds to better the lives of others around the globe. He has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to provide housing for the residents of New Orleans. In 2011, Brees was appointed an ambassador for the World Food Programme, the world’s largest humanitarian group to fight hunger. Brees’ good samaritan list stretches just as long as his NFL records.

When Brees arrived in New Orleans, he inherited a team that was beaten, broken and did not know what a winning mentality was. Coming off a nearly career-ending shoulder injury, he put his faith in the Saints organization just as much as it did him. Head Coach Sean Payton released a statement emphasizing the impact Brees brought to not only the city of New Orleans, but upon Payton as well.

“Throughout his career, his

BASEBALL

Doughty, Travinski stay hot, DiGiacomo returns in LSU win over Southeastern

BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons There were too many storylines to count entering LSU’s game against Southeastern’s baseball team Tuesday night, a contest the Tigers won 10-7.

Cade Doughty and his bat scorched through weekend opponent UTSA’s pitching staff. Doughty hit four home runs and brought in nine runs in the three-game series, and was surely hoping to extend his hot streak through Tuesday and into the upcoming weekend.

Hayden Travinski, whose role has been increasing as he’s worked his way back from an elbow injury,

hit a crucial extra-inning home run in LSU’s comeback win on Sunday. He was then announced as the starting catcher against Southeastern, something his injury had withheld him from doing so far this season.

Giovanni DiGiacomo was on track to return to the lineup soon.

The opening day starting center fielder had been sidelined since Feb. 21, LSU’s second game of the season, with a hamstring injury.

Coach Paul Mainieri told reporters Monday that he was at about “80%” and that he had a chance to play Tuesday if all went well.

Lastly, the well-documented struggles of the Tigers’ bullpen

were thrown into the spotlight over the weekend. Pitchers not named Hill, Marceaux or Labas allowed 20 runs over the weekend.

They blew three late-game leads and forced LSU’s bats to clean up for their mistakes.

Doughty and Travinski provided explanations to the curiosity surrounding them immediately. In the first inning, Travinski whacked a ball 431 feet to left field for a three-RBI home run to give LSU an early 4-0 lead after a Mitchell Sanford RBI single. The home run hit the left field scoreboard, and it became LSU’s longest home run of the season.

“Travinski’s had good at bats

all year,” Mainieri said. “He’s an intimidating force up there. When he hits the ball, he hits it harder than everybody.”

In the next inning, Travinski threw out an attempting base stealer, proving his elbow was healthy and disproving any remaining concern.

In the fourth inning, Doughty hit a three-run shot of his own.

His went sailing over the Tobasco sign in left-center field for a projected 442 feet, topping Travinski’s 431-footer hit just over an hour earlier.

“I’m seeing the ball really well,” Doughty said. “I’m not chasing pitches. I’m able to recognize the

offspeed pretty early. I just feel really comfortable in the box right now. Hopefully I can keep it rolling.”

Not to be outdone, Travsinki hit a laser over the centerfielder’s head for a two-run double later in the same inning. LSU Baseball Data tracked the exit velocity at 109.6 miles per hour.

Travinski was replaced for Jake Wyeth to start the fifth inning.

Mainieri explained that they wanted to keep his innings and number of pitches caught low in an effort to ease him into longer outings behind the plate. Travinski said he’s

see SOUTHEASTERN, page 10

page 10

Thursday, March 18, 2021

no runs and just nine hits.

Though the State staff has been lights out, much of that production has not come from its Friday night starter, Christian MacLead. Until last weekend, MacLead had been slightly inconsistent on the mound.

But, he will be coming in fresh off a five-inning outing where he struck out 11 batters.

If you’re thinking that this is going to be a breeze for State, you’re going to want to wait a minute.

As good as the State staff has been hurling the ball, and it has been as impressive as can be, the Tiger bats have been just as hot.

LSU is entering this weekend’s three-game contest with a six-game win streak of its own. While the

preseason hype surrounded the Tiger pitching staff, it has been the young bats at the top of the lineup that have been the strength for LSU. In fact, you could argue that top-to-bottom, the Tiger lineup is one of the best it’s had in recent years. All they have done through 17 games is lead the nation in home runs with 35, doubling their total to this point last season.

Production has to start somewhere, and for LSU, it all starts at the top of the lineup with the Tigers’ gem: Dylan Crews. The true freshman has already displayed why Head Coach Paul Mainieri has compared him to former Tiger legends such as Alex Bregman. Crews has blown away the sky-high expectations set by many as he’s leading the Southeastern Conference in hits with 18. In addition,

he leads the Tigers’ lineup in batting average, hitting a few ticks over .400. If LSU is going to continue to have a strong presence at the plate against State, it’s going to have to start at the top with Crews.

Behind Crews, you’ll find your second freshman phenom: Tre’ Morgan. As much spotlight as Crews has been getting, Morgan is right there with him. Batting a .338 clip with 23 hits and 17 RBIs, Morgan has been a perfect compliment to Crews at the top of the lineup.

As good as his numbers have been at the plate, his elusiveness at first base might be that much more impressive. Morgan’s ability to pick balls out of the dirt and steal what would be hits for the opposition makes him a key factor on both sides of the ball.

As if the dynamic duo of Crews

and Morgan isn’t enough, you can also throw in Cade Doughty’s name in there as well. Doughty has put on an absolute clinic at the plate as he leads the team in homeruns (8) and RBIs (25). He’s been the hero in multiple instances this season already, and he might have to do it again.

The three respected Tigers make up the top third of the LSU lineup and they have made their presence known, making them a force to be reckoned with. And Mississippi State is sure to try and do nothing short of that.

It’s going to be best against best in Baton Rouge as the Mississippi pitching staff looks to disrupt the bat show that LSU has been putting on. One is going to have to give. It’s just a matter of which one it is going to be.

three runs to cross the plate before ending the inning. Hilliard allowed a two-run double after loading the bases, and a sacrifice fly brought home the final run.

Theo Millas came on to pitch the sixth inning and struggled to find consistency. He gave up one run and was replaced in favor of Ty Floyd after only retiring two batters. Suddenly, a seven-run lead became a three-run advantage in less than two full innings. It was beginning to look eerily similar to the LSU bullpen’s last three games.

LSU found sure-handedness with Floyd, who returned the following inning and pitched a score-

less seventh.

Elsewhere in the inning, DiGiacomo made his return to the outfield. He was inserted into the game as a defensive replacement for Sanford and received applause from the home crowd when the defensive change was announced over the stadium speakers.

The bullpen continued to find consistency in the later innings.

Devin Fontenot retired the first three batters in a perfect eighth inning, and Garrett Edwards ended the evening with a clean ninth.

They avoided what was beginning to believe to be the inevitable: another blown late-inning lead.

“Our bullpen was terrific in the later innings,” Mainieri said. “Fontenot gave us his best inning of the year, and Garrett Edwards was really outstanding also.”

LSU now approaches the conference portion of its schedule, with Mississippi State as the first SEC opponent this weekend. Beginning Friday, capacity at Alex Box Stadium will be increased to 50% with about 5,000 fans expected to be in attendance.

“Now it’s time to get ready for the Southeastern Conference which is what you come to LSU for,” Mainieri said. “I know the fans are chomping at the bits. We’re ready.”

LSU baseball sophomore catcher Hayden Travinski (25) watches his hit March 7 during LSU’s 1-3 loss against Oral Roberts in Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge.

COLUMN, from page 9

MISS. STATE, from page 9

broken in the ruins. All of these obstacles were just fuel to the fire for Brees.

The word perfection carries little meaning on planet Earth, because most have been taught that nothing and no one is perfect. Watching Brees play the game of football at times may have not been perfect, but his accuracy and IQ on the field can make a good case for the argument of perfection on Earth.

A man, a father, a leader and most of all, a savior. Brees will never be forgotten for his work on and off the field for the city of New Orleans. Who Dat Nation, the dreaded day is here to say goodbye to the legend of the Crescent City.

SOUTHEASTERN, from page 9 ready to go nine innings and his arm is feeling well, but says, “we’ll get to that point.”

“I didn’t want to push it with him too much,” Mainieri said. “We monitored how many throws he actually made. I’m very motivated to get him into the lineup and get as many at bats as I can.”

Also in the fifth, Ma’Khail Hilliard was the first out of the LSU bullpen to relieve starter Will Hellmers, who tossed four innings and allowed three runs. All three were off back-to-back home runs in the third inning. Hilliard allowed

KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille

EVENTS & EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE GUIDE COMING 3.3.21 GET YOUR COPY TODAY

OPINION

page 11

Give Biden time to be the president he campaigned to be GOING DOWN SOUTH TAMIA SOUTHALL

@tamiabrem_

Everybody loves President Joseph Biden now that stimulus checks are ensured, but let’s not forget that everybody was bashing him on social media not too long ago.

Biden was recently trending on Twitter because people were frustrated with how long it was taking for a COVID-19 relief bill and the alleged cancellation of student loans.

Biden has only been president since Jan. 20, so people should give him time to fulfill the promises he made during his campaign.

Legislation like this takes time to pass, especially in America. Congress is the real problem, not Biden. People need to pay attention to how the government and politics operate. Biden can only do so much when there are

steadfast Republican lawmakers obstructing his efforts every step of the way.

Some people don’t realize that Congress holds the power when it comes to getting bills passed. Biden announced the America Rescue Plan — the COVID-19 relief bill — on the day of his inauguration. However, Congress didn’t fully pass the bill until March 10.

There was an obvious gap between when Biden announced the bill and when it finally got passed, but that’s because of congressional gridlock. Americans needed help to pay their bills, yet none of the Republican members of Congress voted in favor of the stimulus bill.

People shouldn’t criticize Biden for not working on cancelling student loan debt when there are a plethora of other things that deserve his immediate attention. I can only imagine how hard it is going to be for Biden to get a bill like that through Congress.

Instead of criticizing the president, we should criticize the lawmakers in Congress who refuse to serve the people. If they were truly for the people, then there would have been no hesitation to pass the relief bills during the pandemic.

I’m not saying Biden is the best president ever, but he should have time to prove his ability to be a good one. Biden became president amid a social and economic crisis. He is still trying to get America in a better place regardless of the mess Trump left for him to clean up.

The executive orders President Biden passed within his first week in office show his commitment to putting this country back on the right track.

People have been acting like he’s just walking around the White House doing nothing when he’s actually doing real work to fulfill the promises he made.

I do not want to criticize his accomplishments just yet because he is obviously trying to

COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Then Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden smiles at a campaign event in North Carolina. help. There are so many obstacles that people don’t even realize exist. We should give Joe Biden a chance to be the great president he advertised himself

as in his campaign.

Tamia Southall is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans.

Free Speech Plaza gives students many new opportunities BUI WAS HERE ANTHONY BUI

@da_bui_

We have all walked through Free Speech Plaza before, and we all know how scary and intimidating it can be. Everyone is eagerly handing you fliers and, with overly cheerful voices, telling you about their respective clubs and what events they’ll be holding this week.

You can try looking down at your phone, putting in your ear buds and avoiding eye contact, but they will still walk up to you with hope in their hearts that you will have even a minute amount of interest.

What now?

Typically, you can take one of two options. You can pretend to be interested, smiling along and nodding enthusiastically after every statement they make. On the other side, you can break their heartsby completely ignoring them and walking away.

But did you know there’s a third option?

Once I got past the awkwardness and the initial fear of walking through Free Speech Plaza, I

found that the organizations there are actually a vital part of the community and culture here at the University.

I know how daunting it is to attend such a big school. I also know how complicated life in college can get. I could not imagine doing it alone, though. There are several organizations on campus whose main goal is to make sure you do not have to do that.

You just have to give them a chance. A few minutes of conversation could lead to finding communities that produce friendships that last forever.

Friends who will be standing next to you on your wedding day.

Friends who will be there to pick you up when you hit rock bottom.

My roommate got involved with Chi Alpha after noticing its members in Free Speech Plaza each week, advertising their Thursday night worship service The Point.

Eventually, after initially choosing to avoid them, he gave them a shot and it radically changed his life. He got plugged into a community where genuine friendships blossomed and he met awesome people (like me).

A couple of minutes was all it took for him to find a community

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU voter registration day takes place in Free Speech Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 19,2019 here on campus.

If you are reading this and feel isolated, know that it does not have to always feel this way. We are not meant to take on life alone.

On a college campus where anxiety and depression can hide in the dark corners of dorm rooms just

waiting for someone to give in to the loneliness and stress, there are opportunities for freedom standing in plain sight.

Yes, Free Speech Plaza can be intimidating at times, but it is nothing compared to what you will face if you choose to go through col-

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lege alone. So, next time you walk through Free Speech Plaza, spare these people a couple of minutes.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Anthony Bui is a 20-year-old English junior from Opelousas.

Quote of the Week “With the coming of spring, I am calm again.”

Gustav Mahler Composer 1860 — 1911

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Thursday, March 18, 2021

Why is everyone always so critical towards modern art?

EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD

@evan_leonhard

What is so bad about modern art?

For many, the question has an easy and perhaps rather cynical answer.

Americans are notorious for their reticent endorsement of the arts but seem to be particularly suspicious of modern paintings and sculptures.

From what I can decipher amid the several heated debates I’ve had with skeptics of modern art, there seems to be a general sense that modern artists have not earned their place within galleries, universities and other gate-keeping institutions of high culture.

I think this general dismissal follows from the apparent lack of technical skill and realistic representation present in modern art. It is a “my kid could do that” sensibility.

The bevy of strange spectacles and public relations disasters that have become media frenzies for the art world probably has not helped either.

In recent memory, there was the infamous “Comedian” by Italian sculptor Maurizio Cattelan.

The piece was simply a banana duct-taped to a wall that went viral after selling for $120,000.

While familiarity with Cattelan’s larger body of work would contextualize “Comedian” as a prank of sorts within his signature absurdist and satirically self-aware style, for many, this was simply a gross summation of an elitist, incredibly corrupt high culture that had little to do with what sane

people consider “art.”

I would like to advance a defense of modern art. Not an uncritical defense, of course, but an argument for a cultural reconsideration of what these more recent traditions of visual art have to offer us.

I do not see how it is fair or particularly useful to see things like realism or technical complexity as the only standards of artistic excellence, especially when many would be hesitant to retain those criteria when speaking of cave paintings, medieval icons and the purely geometrical art of the Islamic golden age.

I ascribe to a sort of benevolent relativism when it comes to different traditions within the arts. By this I mean that an artwork’s merit is dependent upon its execution within the specific conditions of its purpose and what is appropriate for the kind of art that it is.

Perhaps another way of thinking about this is in terms of the “rules” of creating art. After all, a break with the rules of European academic art is how modern art came to be in the first place.

Perhaps the history of modern art might even be described as a continual subversion of traditional expectations.

This issue of whether artistic creation should be tied to rules is a complicated one. I find it a debate that, at least in public discourse, too frequently gets over-simplified between two warring camps.

On the one hand, some with a more Romantic sensibility claim that artistic creation is all about an individual’s subjective expression and imaginative liberty. In this view, there are no rules in art; only the artist’s pure freedom.

Meanwhile, the other position

tends to be more conservative in tone, arguing that the development of great art is necessarily tied to specific historical processes and aesthetic sensibilities. Interestingly, some have posited that this view is derived from a Renaissance interpretation of Plato’s philosophy of art as well as the era’s general obsession with emulating the accomplishments of classical antiquity.

I buy into neither position. On the contrary, I am enamored with the belief of 20th century philosopher Jacques Maritain, who states that, for the artist, rules and conventional procedures are tools that should only be used when they work to benefit the individual artwork at hand.

Maritain goes on to describe beauty, which is the objective of fine art, as an infinite, all-encompassing concept that cannot be restricted within a particular style or artistic tradition. Many different things can be beautiful, but nothing can exhaust beauty entirely.

Hopefully, these philosophical insights, complicated as they may seem, can be helpful in seeing how modern art stands alongside the great art of the past, simply by using a different configuration of tools to build something with a novel view of the same old inexhaustible beauty.

All that said, I am not without my own qualms regarding certain tendencies in modern art.

Admittedly, I face a roadblock here given my more traditional approach of seeing beauty as the distinctive characteristic and primary goal of art.

This is because there is a strain of modern art that explicitly seeks to elude the aesthetic and assert its value in other ways, whether

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Origami of the folding paper art exhibit stands on July 26, 2015 at the Louisiana Arts and Sciences Museum. that be social commentary or cultural subversion.

Perhaps this non-aesthetic sentiment can be traced back to someone like the French Dada artist Marcel Duchamp and his infamous 1917 readymade sculpture “fountain,” which consisted only of an overturn urinal with the name “R. Mutt” splattered on the side.

In some ways, “Fountain” was the “Comedian” of its time — a witty, elaborate joke on elitist attitudes in the established art world.

However, Duchamp has had a much more profound and lasting effect on the trajectory of modern art.

While I can certainly appreciate the Dada movement and certain aspects of readymade sculpture, specifically its ability to aestheticize the mundane, I am unsettled by this apparent attempt

to drive a wedge between art and beauty. Moreover, I fear this sentiment has only become increasingly aggressive and lauded.

However, it would be ridiculous to dismiss the entirety of modern art on this objection. My objection to the artistic principles behind Duchamp’s “Fountain” by no means implies that I must part with its much more worthy (in my view) contemporaries in the work of Picasso, Mondrian and Matisse.

Our public discourse should be more open to serious discussions about these potential issues within art culture. The value we place on art matters; we, as a culture, should be careful to nourish and take pride in the artistic accomplishments of our time.

Evan Leonhard is a 20-year-old English and philosophy major from New Orleans.

Claston Bernard has what it takes to be a member of Congress FROM THE CRO’S NEST ELIZABETH CROCHET

@elizabethcro_

In Louisiana, it is often clear which party will win each congressional seat.

As for Louisiana’s second congressional district, it has been held by a Democrat for the last 10 years.

When former Congressman Cedric Richmond moved on to work in the White House, his seat became vacant. Several candidates jumped into the race at once, but one candidate in particular caught my attention.

His name is Claston Bernard.

Claston Bernard is an immigrant from Jamaica who came to LSU and joined the track team, where he became a national champion. Later, Bernard competed in the Olympics for Jamaica. He went on to write several books and is now an entrepreneur.

Bernard is also a Christian husband and father of two. The

three main pillars of his campaign are God, family and education, and one of his main goals is to put better afterschool programs into place.

More than anything, Bernard is running to bring change to this district. He has no intention of winning and then forgetting the people he represents when he gets to Washington D.C. Bernard truly believes in this state and says he wants to be a champion for the people he represents.

In his campaign video, Bernard discusses how he has “walked these streets,” and how he “sees the pain and tragedies” but has not given up hope. He believes his campaign has the opportunity to bring the change and hope that the second district of Louisiana needs.

Over the last month, I have had the privilege of watching Bernard interact with the constituents of this district. He is sincere, passionate and so energetic.

He truly listens when people are telling him about their hard-

ships, and he makes an effort to reach out to every person in a room.

I have seen how caring he is to his beautiful family. I have seen him knock on doors in the district and relay his message of hope. I have seen him go out of his way to help those in tough situations.

Although this is not my district to vote in, I have enjoyed following Bernard’s race. I appreciate the dedication of the Bernard campaign.

Bernard does not care that the odds are against him. He uses that as motivation to share his mission with even more people. He keeps going no matter the chances and does it all with a smile on his face.

If you can vote in Louisiana’s second congressional district, I encourage you to check out Bernard’s platform. He has the potential to be a great representative for this district.

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

COURTESY OF BERNARDFORCONGRESS.COM