The Reveille 3-29-21

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ORGERON INVOLVED Woman alleging Guice harassment says she spoke to Orgeron, who ‘lied’ to investigators

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THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

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LSU junior running back Derrius Guice (5) embraces LSU football coach Ed Orgeron after the LSU Tigers’ 27-23 victory against Auburn Oct. 14, 2017.

NEWS

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The Louisiana crawfish season was impacted by the harsh winter weather, restaurant owners and farmers find.

ENTERTAINMENT

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These “fake” songs from movies and TV shows are so good you’ll want to add them to your playlist.

SPORTS

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In potential violation of accreditation standards, LSU board reportedly forced expresident to fire former athletic director.

OPINION

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“Why not give students a chance to relax, take a deep breath and maybe earn a few extra assignment grades?”

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‘COACH O IS TELLING A LIE’

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Coach Ed Orgeron speaks to cameras with LSU junior running back Derrius Guice (5) after the Tigers’ 45-21 lead against Texas A&M on Nov. 25, 2017.

BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey A 74-year-old Superdome worker who alleged that Derrius Guice sexually harassed her at a December 2017 high school football state championship game said that she reported the incident to Ed Orgeron, who refused to grant her request to suspend Guice from the team’s upcoming bowl game.

Orgeron denied to Husch Blackwell investigators that he ever spoke to the alleged victim, Gloria Scott. Scott and her granddaughter told USA Today that Orgeron lied to the firm.

“Coach O is telling a lie,” Scott said. “He’s not telling the truth.

I don’t have no reason to lie. I know who I was talking to. He knows he talked to me.”

Scott testified in a Friday hearing before the Louisiana Senate’s Select Committee on Women and Children. The senators brought Scott in to speak, and invited LSU Board of Supervisors members and senior athletics administrators. Ultimately, the committee called on Orgeron and Athletic Director Scott Woodward to testify. Woodward was in attendance, but he refused, instead committing to testify at a later hearing.

As of March 28, Orgeron has not provided comment regarding Scott’s allegation.

The Friday session was the second hearing the committee convened to discuss LSU’s Title IX failures. The first, a marathon 10-hour hearing, was held on March 11. There, several survivors gave emotional testimony of their assaults and the University’s failure to address them. Lawmakers grilled Interim President Tom Galligan, who stood firm in his decision to suspend two athletic administrators.

During the latest hearing, Scott said that she spoke on the phone to Orgeron shortly after the incident. Orgeron told Scott that Guice was “just kidding” and

asked her to forgive the star running back, offering him to apologize. Scott said she didn’t want to speak to Guice and asked that he be suspended from the team’s upcoming Citrus Bowl game.

At that point, at least three complaints of sexual misconduct against Guice had already come to LSU Athletics.

Orgeron refused to hold him out of the game, Scott said. In the Citrus Bowl, Guice rushed 21 times for 98 yards and caught three passes for another 24 yards and two touchdowns. LSU lost 21-

Segar, per protocol at the time.

But LSU’s Title IX office did not receive notice of the complaint until later, when Scott called Student Advocacy and Accountability (SAA) herself.

Neither LSU’s Title IX office nor SAA could take action against Guice, administrators said in the hearing, because at the time of the incident, Guice was no longer an LSU student. The case was outside of each office’s jurisdiction.

Husch Blackwell wrote in the report that Segar and athletics conducted their own investiga-

It doesn’t matter how good of a player they are, you still have to do something. They have to be chastised.

GLORIA SCOTT

Superdome employee

17 to Notre Dame, and Guice then declared for the draft, where he was selected later than initially expected.

Scott’s case first came to light in Husch Blackwell’s report into LSU’s failed Title IX procedures.

In a report that investigators reviewed, Scott said that Guice approached her with a few other men and said he “likes older women” and said he wanted to have intercourse with her using obscene language. He then said that they could just “go off and do it somewhere,” as the other men laughed, and Guice gestured at his private area and grabbed himself, the report said.

“I was so hurt and so nervous and so upset,” Scott said. “Never in my life have I had a man or child talk to me like he did.”

Scott then reached out to Sharon Lewis, an athletic department employee, who brought the complaint to two senior administrators, Verge Ausberry and Miriam

tion. They spoke to Guice and another athlete who was present for the alleged harassment, and each denied that the incident took place. Segar and athletics closed the case.

Scott said in the hearing that she was moved from her post at the Superdome after she reported about the incident because she would frequently interact with players there. She asked for the video of the incident, but Superdome officials would not give it to her unless she had an attorney, she said.

Scott also said she tried to report the alleged harassment to New Orleans police to no avail.

She said she feared retaliation from police officers. The senators bemoaned in the hearing that Scott “was failed at every level” and vowed to take some kind of action.

“We’re going to do more than listen,” Sen. Katrina Jackson said.

The lawmakers asked Uni-

versity representatives what the school would do if they found that Orgeron had, in fact, lied to Husch Blackwell.

“We will speak to Ms. Scott and speak to Coach O and we’ll get you an answer,” Winston DeCuir, general counsel, said. “If he lied, we’ll deal with Coach O.” A representative of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) also testified at the hearing. The group later took to Twitter to criticize Orgeron for calling Guice’s alleged actions a “joke” and offering an apology.

“Sexual harassment is not a joke,” STAR’s statement read. “It is a tactic of power and control used to intimidate, coerce, threaten and humiliate someone based on their sex. [Scott] was 70. [Guice] was 20. She is a service worker at the Superdome. He (was) a famous college football player.

“When you compare Ms. Scott and Derrius Guice, who has more credibility in this situation?” the group asked. “The person who has multiple victims, or the woman trying to speak out against years of institutional oppression and sexism to prevent future victims of abuse?”

Scott grew emotional during the hearing, expressing her frustration that no one from the LSU athletic department took her claims seriously. Tears streamed down her face as she recalled the details.

“It doesn’t matter how good of a player they are,” Scott said, “you still have to do something. They have to be chastised.”

“It’s just like it was yesterday,” she told USA Today. “I don’t know, maybe I might not ever get over this until I die. And I’m serious.”

Read more details about Friday’s hearing on page 9

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NEWS

The ice storm that ravaged Louisiana and Texas may impact the upcoming crawfish season.

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IS CRAWFISH SEASON IN HOT WATER?

5,207 total votes 2,551 for It’s Time

The University closed campus Feb. 15 because of the conditons brought by the storm, and classes remained canceled throughout the week. With south Louisiana usually seeing mild winters with little to no freezing precipitation, this unusual weather impacted the early stages of crawfish season.

The Bowman-Milligan campaign, headed by presidential candidate Javin Bowman and vice presidential candidate Abbie Grace Milligan, won LSU’s 2021 Student Government election, according to Election Commissioner Rehm Maham.

Maham announced the unofficial results in a Zoom meeting with over 250 viewers on March 26. Maham will announce the official results on Monday, March 29 after the election board decides on pending litigation.

The election brought in 5,207 student voters, 17% of LSU’s student body.

The Bowman-Milligan ticket secured 2,551 votes, or 50%. The It’s Time ticket, led by presiden-

see CRAWFISH, page 4

see ELECTION, page 4

COURTESY OF CHARLES CHAMPAGNE

The winter brought an ice storm and multiple days of freezing temperatures to south Louisiana, which had an impact on crawfish season across the state.

Prices are a bit higher than they have been in years previous, but now local restaurants and crawfish farmers are finally

BowmanMilligan wins 2021 SG election

BY CAROLINE SAVOIE @carlinesavo

Once boiled, the crawfish are seasoned and allowed to lock in all of the flavor.

BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3

STUDENT GOVERNMENT

catching up to speed.

According to a poll on crawfish prices by WBRZ, the cost for live crawfish is about $4.77 per pound on average. The highest price for boiled at popular sellers was $6, while live crawfish can go for as low as $3.99 per pound.

Mitch Hopkins, the owner of local crawfish restaurant Crawfish on the Geaux, said it was an unusual year for crawfish farm-

ers and restaurant owners.

“The ice storm halted the catch of crawfish for about a week, so they weren’t catching any at all,” Hopkins said. “A lot of fishermen just weren’t fishing or collecting crawfish at all because it was too cold.”

Sleet and freezing rain fell across southern Louisiana during the winter, with some areas reporting accumulations of ice.

RESEARCH

New LSU program provides help for Alzheimer’s patients

BY BRYANT RANDALL @bryant_randall5 LSU’s Brain Exercise Initiative (BEI) chapter provides opportunities for students to assist retirement home residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Co-founders and co-presidents William Haynes and Elise Peyroux are LSU juniors who founded the chapter in October with hopes of creating a campus organization that inspires students to give back to their communities.

“We’ve always wanted to make an impact on LSU before we leave,” Haynes said.

The national BEI organization aims to provide assistance to those who have Alzheimer’s Disease, a disease that results in memory loss that can cause a person to not recognize aspects of themselves and even forget about who their own family is, according to its website.

Haynes said BEI stuck out to him due to the ways that its cognitive exercises greatly ben-

efitted those who currently had Alzheimer’s Disease.

“Simple math, reading and writing can help their cognitive function,” Haynes said. “We really hope for a day where seniors won’t forget their family and can just thrive and not be restrained by this disease.”

Peyroux said the national BEI organization crafted specific 30-minute exercises containing simple math, writing and reading sections that volunteers would then use in their interactions with Alzheimer’s residents.

“It’s backed by research showing that if you do these exercises so many times a day, it will not only help improve your cognitive function, but also it’s a way for us to make these lasting experiences with senior residents,” Peyroux said.

BEI is currently collaborating with St. James Place, a retirement community in Baton Rouge which will potentially be the first place for the organization to volunteer in-person.

“We were really excited to

partner with St. James Place,” Haynes said. “They’re a really nice facility, well respected in the Baton Rouge community, and it’s close to campus, so it’s going to be perfect for when we start going back in person and volunteering with them.”

Due to COVID-19, BEI is not currently able to volunteer inperson in retirement homes in order to protect the residents.

However, due to the increase in vaccinations across the state, the organization is hoping to begin in-person volunteering in April.

Peyroux said this semester is a great opportunity for BEI to lay down its foundation so that when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the organization will be ready to go.

“We had a lot of time to think of how we wanted the club to work out,” said Peyroux.

Haynes said every LSU student can be a part of this organization, even though it has a big emphasis on medical treat-

see INITIATIVE, page 4

COURTESY OF MADISON MANALE

LSU’s Brain Exercise Initiative (BEI) chapter provides opportunities for students to assist Alzheimer’s patients in retirement homes.

Monday, March 29, 2021

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NEWS BRIEFS: TITLE IX MISHANDLING, KΣ SUSPENDED

BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote Jonathan Sanders, LSU’s director of advocacy and accountability accused of doling out the lowest possible sanctions against LSU students accused of sexual assault, denied allegations and said Husch Blackwell took him out of context in its report during a Senate hearing about LSU’s mishandling of sexual abuse allegations.

Several women told USA Today that Sanders disciplined them for minor, unrelated infractions or questioned them in ways that cast doubt on stories found to be credible by Title IX investigators. The Husch Blackwell report also mentions minor infringements sexual assault survivors received.

A female student told USA To-

CRAWFISH, from page 3 “It was hard to get enough crawfish, and there were several days where we couldn’t get any at all,” Hopkins said. “It took about a week and a half to two weeks to recover from that. It’s just now starting to get back to how it was before the freeze.”

While the supply of crawfish began to dwindle, Hopkins said his restaurant was able to avoid raising prices because it was able to rebound just in time before the season kicked into high gear.

“There was like a two to three week drop in supply and the size was down a little bit as well,” he said. “The price didn’t go up due to the freeze. I guess the demand wasn’t there. The storm didn’t hit during the heart of the season, it was toward the beginning.”

Hopkins said his restaurant avoided the plummeting sales due to the pandemic that some businesses experienced.

“For us, we’re takeout only, or you could even call us a food truck,” he said. “We haven’t really seen any gain from the pandemic, but we haven’t seen much of a decrease in sales either, so it’s kind of been as steady as it was before coronavirus entered Baton Rouge.”

While the restaurant industry

ELECTION, from page 3 tial candidate Mia LeJeune and vice presidential candidate Angelina Cantelli, secured 2,148 votes, or 42%. UNITY, led by presidential and vice presidential candidates Amina Meselhe and Preston White, earned 402 votes, nearly 8%.

Gov. John Bel Edwards publicly supported the It’s Time campaign Thursday night. This is the first time that Louisiana’s governor has ever publicly supported a Student Government campaign, according to the ticket’s campaign manager Charlie Stephens. Stephens said that Edwards’ son, John Miller Ed-

day that Sanders questioned her about the clothes she was wearing the night that a male student raped her while she was unconscious. Sanders denied this happened.

“Someone else may have asked her that question, but it wasn’t me,” Sanders said when asked if the accusations revealed in the USA Today article were true.

Sanders said some of the incidents of survivors receiving minor infringements were not handled by him. He said Residential Life handled one of the infringements, but Husch Blackwell assumed he handled it.

“Some of the issues with the information in the Husch Blackwell report [is that] no one from our Residential Life was interviewed for that process,” Sanders said. “They didn’t get to

share that process with them.

They automatically assumed that that was me. It’s a mischaracterization of our process.”

Out of 46 students found responsible for sexual assault, LSU expelled one, suspended 18 and gave lesser sanctions to 27 while Sanders was in charge of issuing sanctions in Title IX cases, according to USA Today.

Sen. Beth Mizell asked Sanders how he and his office determined which students were worthy of expulsion. Sanders said patterns of previous behavior are a significant factor and that the department uses an outcomes guide to determine punishments.

“I thought you were going to make me feel better and you’ve made me feel worse,” Mizell said regarding Sanders’ responses about the process.

REVEILLE STAFF REPORT

felt the impacts of a harsh Louisiana winter, the crawfish farming industry felt those impacts even harder.

Matthew Garrett Frey, owner of Four Oaks Farm in Morganza, said the ice storm had a huge impact on the amount of crawfish that they usually sell.

He said his farm helps provide crawfish to different restaurants across Baton Rouge.

“I can’t act like this has never happened before,” Frey said.

“About five years ago, the snow and all of that, man, that one year, shucks, it was tough on me.”

Frey acknowledged that the ice storm set his crawfish farm back about three weeks.

For Frey, his concern wasn’t that the crawfish would die,.He was scared that his season would be delayed due to the crawfish seeking protection from the ice, he said.

“It’s nothing to do with crawfish not being able to handle the cold,” Frey said. “They can handle the cold. That isn’t the problem. It’s like anything else, they go into something similar to hibernation.”

He said when it comes to crawfish surviving the cold, it gets complicated.

Frey, who has years of expe-

rience with crawfish, said that for the most part, the crawfish do whatever they can to protect themselves in the quickest way possible.

“They don’t necessarily bury,” Frey said. “Everybody says, ‘oh they go underground,’ but they actually use whatever they can cover up with. Believe it or not, they do cover themselves. They’ll crawl under anything that can protect them and help them stay warm. Closer to the ground, that

is. It gives them some protection.”

Frey said that in the thick of cold, some will manage to go under the surface.

“Now do they go under-

ground? Some of them do,” he said. “That’s what they naturally want to do but they don’t bury.

They’ll find a normal hole and back in there.”

The ice storm, which not only hit Louisiana, but also caused immense amounts of damage throughout Texas, killed a lot of sensitive vegetation and fauna.

According to a story published

by KVUE, residents of Padre Island removed thousands of pounds of dead fish from canals and beaches.

It was a different story for crawfish in Louisiana who had a better survival rate, according to Frey.

“Those crawfish, I don’t think we lost any,” he said. “I’ve heard all kinds of people talking about thinking they died.”

It wasn’t dead crawfish which impacted the season, it was the crawfish fighting for their lives which slowed things down.

He said some farmers managed to have a successful season.

For him and his crew on the other hand, they found themselves in the thick of the storm, which there was nothing they could do about.

“There’s other farmers that have done very well,” Frey said.

“But it’s the way that I’m doing it and all of that.”

wards, is on the It’s Time campaign.

“With respect to this election,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said, “it’s time.”

The It’s Time campaign posted a 15-second video endorsement from Edwards on its social media accounts around 8 p.m.

March 24, with less than four hours left to vote.

“I’ve had the great pleasure of getting to know Mia LeJeune,” Edwards said. “I can highly recommend her for your next president. Vote It’s Time.”

Speaker Pro Tempore of the Louisiana House of Representatives Tanner Magee quote-tweeted the governor’s endorsement,

along with State Representative Aimee Freeman.

The post garnered attention quickly, with LSU students, faculty, and members of the Louisiana legislature weighing in with their opinions.

The Bowman-Milligan campaign posted a video of LSU quarterback Myles Brennan showing his support for the campaign on Thursday night.

“Today I voted for my friend Abbie Grace [Milligan] and the Bowman-Milligan ticket, and y’all should too,” Brennan said in the video.

LSU’s election code does not prohibit endorsements from people who hold public office.

The Bowman-Milligan ticket won the 2021 Student Government election at LSU.

“I can’t act like this hasn’t happened before. About five years ago, the snow and all of that [...] it was tough on me.”

MATTHEW GARRETT FREY

Owner of Four Oaks crawfish farm

LSU placed Kappa Sigma fraternity on suspension over allegations the fraternity hazed its pledges, violated COVID-19 protocols and served alcohol to minors.

Kappa Sigma was placed on interim suspension Jan. 15, according to a March 24 letter from Jonathan Sanders, the associate dean of students and director of student advocacy and accountability at LSU. Violations of the LSU Code of Conduct led to the suspension.

Such violations included “alcohol medical transport” of a student due to an off-campus event during the fraternity’s recruitment where alcohol was served to minors and bought with the chapter’s funds.

While the University was working with the fraternity to address the violations, the University learned of the following “addition-

al possible violations” of the LSU Code of Conduct: -An event in Houston from Nov. 6-8 that violated University policies and COVID-19 directives -A complaint received regarding “errand running and sleep deprivation” of new members during the fall 2020 semester -An unapproved event hosted

by Kappa Sigma during the fall 2020 semester where new members served as bartenders -An off-campus party Dec. 5 hosted by a Kappa Sigma member with an estimated 300 attendees.

The fraternity has been charged with six violations of the LSU Code of Student Conduct: alcohol, endangerment, failure to comply, violating a rule of the University, coercive behavior and hazing. The fraternity will meet with an officer of Student Advocacy and Accountability April 8.

INITIATIVE, from page 3 ment. He emphasized that every student can contribute to the service aspect of the organization.

“It’s easy, simple service,” Haynes said. “The service part of it isn’t tied to all this difficult STEM concept stuff. It’s just going in and engaging with the senior citizens.”

Peyroux said BEI provides training for all students to make sure that they are capable to adequately fulfill their duties for the organization. She said this is done to make sure that students who may be nervous at first will be more confident that they can succeed in their endeavors.

“We make sure you’re ready to be put in that environment,” Peyroux said.

Peyroux and Haynes said that going forward, they are hoping to acquire more members and spread their service to additional working homes in their efforts to grow the organization and make it a mainstay at LSU for years to come, even after they both graduate.

“Knowing that we can make a difference in our community in a big way is really exciting,” Haynes said.

COURTESY OF BOWMAN-MILLIGAN

ENTERTAINMENT TOO GOOD TO BE REAL

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‘Fake songs’ that deserve their place in the real world

BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab Fake songs? How can a song be fake?

For the purposes of this article, a “fake song” is any song written exclusively for a TV show or movie that is sung by a fictional character or band.

Some of the songs below were so popular, they were eventually released as singles, and today, many of these songs have versions available on Spotify or YouTube. Nevertheless, they all got their starts in their respective fictional worlds.

1. “That Thing You Do!”

by The Wonders In the 1996 film titled after the song, the fictional band the “One ders,” were just doing their thing when they performed “That Thing You Do!” at a talent show.

Tom Hanks played Mr. White, the manager who changed the spelling of the band’s name and led their ‘60s sounding one-hit wonder “That Thing You Do!” to the No. 7 spot on the “Billboard Hot 100.”

The “fake song” was written

by Adam Schlesinger and later released as a single. It didn’t fare quite so well on the actual charts, peaking at No. 41, but it’s an insanely catchy and fun tune.

2. “She’s So Gone” by Lemonade Mouth “She’s So Gone,” please don’t ever go away. This “fake song” from “Lemonade Mouth” was top tier karaoke material after the Disney Channel original movie’s release in 2011. The lead vocals are sung by Naomi Scott, who portrays “Mo,” and her voice is

just as strong as the message of the song: embracing who you are.

It’s been 10 years, but I’d still belt this “fake song” while dramatically looking at my reflection in the napkin holder at a restaurant.

3. “Catching Villains” by Beast Boy Even if you hate Cartoon Network’s reboot of “Teen Titans Go!,” chances are you’ll love the song “Catching Villains.” It’s a clever play on “catching feelings,” and Beast Boy lip syncs this R&B masterpiece to Raven in the “TV Knight 2” episode of the cartoon’s fourth season in October 2017.

With the overwhelmingly positive reception, the actual singer and songwriter, Chizzy Stephens,got the green light to release Beast Boy’s song as a single nearly two months after its premiere on the show.

4. “Smelly Cat” by Phoebe Buffay It’s not your fault if “Smelly Cat” by Phoebe Buffay lives rent free in your head.

The song was written by “Friends” writers Adam Chase and Betsy Borns, with help from musician Chrissie Hynde and Buffay herself, Lisa Kudrow.

Buffay had several other songs that I really would like to hear full versions of, if only for the comedic effect, but “Smelly Cat” was by far her biggest hit.

The song recurred throughout the series, being a main focus in two episodes. In “The One Where Eddie Moves In,” we get a full version of “Smelly Cat,” complete with a music video with dramatic effects and background singers.

Later on, in “The One with Phoe-

be’s Ex Partner,” “Smelly Cat” becomes a cat litter jingle.

5. “Let’s Go to the Mall” by Robin Sparkles C’mon everybody, let’s listen to “Let’s Go to the Mall” by Robin Sparkles, the Canadian pop star and teenage alter ego of Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.”

Although “Let’s Go to the Mall” was released as a single in 2007 and even later appeared on Just Dance 3, this “fake song” was written exclusively for “How I Met Your Mother.” It premiered in “Slap Bet,” the ninth episode of the show’s second season, with a total Tiffany and Debbie Gibson ‘80s pop style music video.

While this song is the reason Robin refuses to go the mall, it’ll leave you craving Auntie Anne’s pretzels and searching the Forever 21 racks for an oversized denim jacket.

6. “Give It Up” by Cat Valentine and Jade West Nickelodeon’s “Victorious” was full of musical performances, but the one that really stands out is “Give It Up,” performed at the fictitious Karaoke Dokie by Cat, portrayed by Ariana Grande, and Jade, portrayed by Elizabeth Gillies.

This “fake song” will forever be Ariana Grande’s first hit in my mind.

7. “Walk Hard” by Dewey Cox and The Hard Walkers The comedic and fictional biopic parody “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” took one thing seriously: the music. The movie includes 33 original songs,

among them the Johnny Cashreminiscent “Walk Hard,” about persisting despite the struggles of life.

Actor John C. Reilly delivers on the vocals as he portrays the film’s title character, Dewey Cox. Reilly even went on tour as the fictitious musician, performing the fictitious songs to promote the movie.

8. “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” by Phineas and the Ferb-Tones MOM, PHINEAS AND FERB ARE MAKING ANOTHER HIT SONG. “Gitchee Gitchee Goo” secured the numbered spot, as it was purposefully written for a music contest in the episode “Flop Starz” of the Disney cartoon “Phineas and Ferb.” The song was performed on stage by PFT, and the one-hit wonders were a big hit in Danville.

But the musical world of the tri-state area is filled with nothing but bops.

We can’t forget Candace Flynn’s spontaneous acronymous song “S.I.M.P. (Squirrels in My Pants)” or her-spell-it-out-for-you soul ballad “E.V.I.L B.O.Y.S.” Not to mention Ferb’s summer reggae classic, “Backyard Beach.”

9. “The Pit” by Mouse Rat Anytime you feel like your life has fallen into the pit, you can turn up and shamelessly sing along to this rock song from Andy Dwyer’s band of many names in “Parks and Recreation.”

Although in the sitcom the song is actually referencing a literal pit that Chris Pratt’s character Andy falls into, it acts as a perfect metaphorical reference for the year 2020.

10. “Ultimate” by Pink Slip Ultimately, we wind down the list with “Ultimate.” This “fake song” was one of Lindsay Lohan’s first musical hits.

As the credits roll on Disney’s 2003 version of “Freaky Friday,” Lohan’s character, Anna Coleman ,performs the tune with her band Pink Slip on stage at her mother’s wedding.

You probably remember hearing “Ultimate” play on Disney Channel and Radio Disney, so anytime you need to feel nostalgic, look no further, this “fake song” is it.

Honorable Mention: “Please Mr. Kennedy” by Jim Berkey, Llewyn Davis and Al Cody “One second please!” The list of fake songs wouldn’t be complete without the novelty folkstune “Please Mr. Kennedy” from the 2013 movie “Inside Llewyn Davis.” For all cinematic intents and purposes, the song was supposed to be “bad,” but it’s actually an insanely catchy sing-along.

With Justin Timberlake’s lead vocals, accompanied by Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver’s background interjections, the musical world is reading it loud and clear.

“Please Mr. Kennedy” is a certified space jam.

Bonus Verse: “All About You”

by Boys Who Cry It’s really only a single chorus but “All About You” by Boys Who Cry is a must-play for a Sweet 16, or any birthday celebration for that matter. This trio of fish perform for Pearl’s 16th birthday in the “Whale of a Birthday” episode of “Spongebob Squarepants.”

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

Baldwin & Co. aims to educate and bring face-to-face communication

BY ARIEL BAISE @arielbiancaa Baldwin & Co. is your new favorite bookstore and coffee shop all in one.

Louisiana’s latest addition to independent Black-owned bookstores rests right off the interstate in New Orleans.

They want customers to feel like they “have all the resources to solve all of the world’s biggest problems when [they] walk into Baldwin & Co.,” owner, DJ Johnson, said. “[And be] in the company of some of the greatest minds who walked the planet.”

The idea to open up a bookstore and café began two years ago. Johnson didn’t see many coffee shops and bookstores that enlightened customers while also giving them educational resources. Baldwin & Co. gives people the opportunity to learn and bring back interpersonal communication.

Inside Baldwin & Co., you are greeted with a small café and a menu with original recipes named after Black literary artists and novels. Past the café in the sitting area is a mural of Langston Hughes and his poem, “I, Too.” On the opposing wall is Bald-

win & Co.’s book selection, which was meticulously curated to feature various Black authors, spanning from non-fiction, romance, religion and more.

“We provide a collection of best sellers, informative selections and also give an opportunity to Black authors to showcase their work,” Johnson shared when asked about their book selection.

He thought this was a good idea since many people “don’t get the opportunity in a traditional bookstore to see a lot of mystery or thrillers by Black authors.”

Next to their book selection is a painting of James Baldwin

that is made of books. James Baldwin was a significant inspiration behind the bookstore and café’s branding. Baldwin is one of Johnson’s favorite authors, and he felt a connection with Baldwin’s philosophy.

The name came naturally to Johnson. The “Co.” stands for the company, as in several famous African American literary artists, such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, etc.

Originally, the plans were to open in Washington D.C. or Atlanta due to the market. Louisiana ranks on the lower end of literary rates in the United States with an

84% literacy rate.

Johnson wants to educate the population and let it spread to other parts of Louisiana.

“I think New Orleans likes to support local. I didn’t want to rely on only books, but also want people to engage in the books they are seeing and create a comfortable atmosphere to discuss books, discuss ideas, discuss problems and discuss solutions.”

Baldwin & Co.’s goals include becoming a community liaison and encouraging people to learn the benefits of learning, which they love to do.

Monday, March 29, 2021

page 6

Political science senior Devin Woodso

n flexes after the competition.

Monday, March 29, 2021

page 7

aks with players before

Biochemistry junior Kristen Adams waits for directions from coaches.

abeth Distad spe LSU rowing novice coach Eliz the competition.

GRAPHICS BY SOPHIE VAGIANOS

JUST ROW WITH IT The LSU rowing team held its purple vs. white competition Saturday, March 27, at the University Lakes in Baton Rouge, La.

Photos by Jalen Hinton

The LSU rowing purple team paddles away from the dock.

The LSU rowing purple team paddles in the middle of the lake.

The LSU rowing purple team carries its boat out of the water and back to shore.

The LSU rowing white team walks back to shore after it prepared its equipment for the race.

Classifieds

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Notices 5 Chocolate toffee bar 9 Stiffly proper 13 Cabbies’ cars 15 Broad 16 Of sound mind 17 Raging 18 Poverty 20 Part of a hosp. staff 21 Short swim 23 All for __; fruitless 24 “Shalom!”

26 Total flop 27 Pact 29 “Scram!”

32 Hay muncher 33 Check recipient 35 “The __ Gray Mare” 37 Take __; subtract 38 Linear measure 39 Stick around 40 Tennis court divider 41 Window pieces 42 Malice 43 Leave 45 “__ in the Heart”; Sally Field film 46 __ whim; impulsively 47 Not fresh or original 48 Like a solarium 51 __ and reel; fishing gear 52 So. state 55 Disloyalty 58 Flowed back 60 As wise __ owl 61 Has debts 62 Dinner course 63 Minstrel poet 64 Teller’s call 65 Cincinnati athletes

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

8 Antlered animal 9 Artificial 10 __ out; chimed 11 __ along; move slowly 12 TV’s “__ the Press” 14 Give a tranquilizer to 19 Measuring device 22 Like slick winter roads 25 Effortless 27 Other __; besides 28 Oared 29 Farewells 30 Apparent 31 Fill with glee 33 Feeling __-up; tired of DOWN confinement 1 __ up; incite 34 Gobbled up 2 Be a breadwinner 36 Coloring 3 Try the patience solutions of 4 Command to Fido 38 Race 39 Run-in 5 Walk off with 41 Overpowering 6 Relatives fright 7 Strange

3/29/21

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

42 Playground attractions 44 European nation 45 Paid athlete 47 Lovers’ meeting 48 Wound with a dagger 49 Word before Major or Minor

3/29/21

50 Not far from 53 Starring role 54 Uses a plus sign 56 Woolly mama 57 Harrison of “My Fair Lady” 59 Keep out; exclude

SPORTS A F. KING MESS

page 9 MEN’S TENNIS

LSU men’s tennis attributes skid to strength of schedule

LSU Board forced ex-president to replace AD, negotiated contract behind his back

BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey The LSU Board of Supervisors went behind the back of former President F. King Alexander, negotiated a contract with current Athletic Director Scott Woodward and forced Alexander to hire him, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported Friday.

The report focuses on an April 2019 meeting between Alexander and four board members.

There, the ex-president said that then-board Chair James M. Williams gave him an ultimatum: fire Joe Alleva, athletic director, and hire Woodward, a Baton Rouge native and previous LSU administrator.

Williams denied to The Chronicle that he forced Alexander into making a change.

“King Alexander was never told, ‘You must do this or else; do this or you’re fired; do this or it’s not going to be good for you,’” he said.

The meeting in a private room at Juban’s, a Baton Rouge creole restaurant, was held at the height of tension surrounding Head Basketball Coach Will Wade and allegations that he paid recruits.

Alleva had suspended Wade just before the NCAA Tournament,

after news broke that an FBI investigation had caught the coach on a wiretap discussing the payments.

Woodward is known to have a particularly strong relationship with NCAA President Mark Emmert. The two’s friendship goes back to their early days working at LSU. Fans were reportedly frustrated with Alleva, who had overseen rocky, sluggish football seasons and suspended Wade at an inopportune time.

“They said, ‘no, you have to fire [Alleva] tomorrow,” Alexander said.

Williams said the directive was less explicit.

“We had several discussions with King about where things were heading, and he just didn’t seem situationally aware,” Williams said. “Nero was on the fiddle, and Rome was burning.

Board members had had discussions about: ‘Hey, this is something that is perhaps not going as it should be, and this is within your purview. Do you have this under control?’”

Alexander said he then met with Alleva to fire him.

“I said, ‘Joe, I’m so sorry,’” Alexander recalled to The Chronicle, “‘But the board leadership has hired a new athletics direc-

tor, and I’ve got to fire you.’ It was the three of us in a room. He said, ‘It’s not your fault.’ He said, ‘I know these guys have been after me.’

“It was kind of a Monday-night massacre. I said, ‘We’ve hired a new AD, and it’s a good ol’ boy from Baton Rouge.’”

The board’s direct influence over a change of athletic director could violate LSU’s regional accreditation standards. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS) is reportedly investigating LSU’s accreditation status. To receive federal financial aid, LSU must comply with regional accreditation standards.

Alexander recently resigned from the presidency of Oregon State University after coming under fire for designing a system and fostering a culture at LSU that turns a blind eye to sexual assault. In a hearing with OSU supervisors, Alexander blamed the LSU Board of Supervisors, its obsession with athletics, its secret proceedings and its conservative values on LSU’s Title IX shortcomings.

Louisiana is “a very conservative state with very conservative values,” he said, claiming that Oregon “is much more advanced in

how we see what our values are.”

LSU Board Chair Robert Dampf then wrote a letter to his OSU counterpart in response to Alexander’s testimony.

“I feel confident that I can speak not only on behalf of my university, but also for my state in saying that I am beyond offended

by Dr. Alexander’s arrogant and condescending comments about Louisiana’s culture, our state and our university,” Dampf wrote.

“When sharing his opinion that Louisiana has a different moral standard than Oregon, he omits the fact that he enthusiastically counted himself as one of us for almost seven years.”

Alexander said that Husch Blackwell never even interviewed him while the firm conducted its review of cases and policies during Alexander’s tenure at LSU. But Dampf contended that investigators reached out to Alexander twice, and he offered responses only in writing.

“Had Dr. Alexander accepted the invitation for a detailed interview,” Dampf wrote, “naturally the report would have included many of the details he indicated that he wished he would have been able to provide, and perhaps he wouldn’t be in the position he currently faces.”

BY HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_ LSU men’s tennis (10-8) started the season 8-1 before losing seven of its last nine matches to get to the record it is at today.

However, in that time frame, every loss has come against a team in the top-30, and four of those teams are ranked between No. 2 and No. 11 in the latest ITA rankings.

The SEC has been one of the best conferences in college tennis over the past few decades. However, LSU hasn’t quite been a part of that success, with the exception of women’s tennis in recent years.

But that doesn’t mean the men’s tennis program isn’t moving in the right direction or making progress. The Tigers sport one of the youngest rosters in the conference, likely one of the youngest in the country, and facing off against some of the best teams in the country is normally a difficult task for a group full of juniors and seniors.

Coach Chris Brandi mentioned this in regard to the recent struggles, stating that its freshmen starters were expected to be inconsistent this season.

see TENNIS, page 10

FOOTBALL

A new energy: LSU football looks to rebuild this spring

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus Going into the spring coming off one of its worst seasons in recent history, the LSU Football program seems to have found a new life and energy.

The 2020 season was a crazy and unforgettable year for everyone in college football, but for LSU fans, it was a year that many would like to forget. LSU finished 5-5 in the shortened 10-game season and was a mere shell of the team it was during the 2019 season.

There was massive turnover with both players and coaches after the 2019 season, and that played a huge role in the Tigers’ struggles throughout the 2020

season. LSU will enter the 2021 season in the fall returning most of its starters, which will play a key role in improving on last season. The Tigers will once again have a lot of turnover on the coaching staff, but Head Coach Ed Orgeron is confident in the new coaches joining the staff this year.

“I think we did a great job of hiring coaches and interviewing them,” Orgeron said. “I hired some coaches I didn’t even interview for the last staff, and I’m never doing that again.”

The biggest coaching changes for LSU come at both coordinator positions. At offensive coordinator, LSU hired Jake Peetz to replace Steve Ensminger who stepped down from the position.

At defensive coordinator, Daronte Jones replaces Bo Pelini, who was fired after an astonishingly bad season with the Tigers’ defense, giving up roughly 35 PPG. Both coordinators will have work to do to return LSU to the machine it was in 2019, but there is no shortage of talent for each coach to work with.

On defense, LSU returns arguably the best cornerback partnership in Elias Ricks and Derek Stingley along with other talented corners in Cordale Flott, Jay Ward and Dwight McGlothern. It will be interesting to see how Jones, who specializes with defensive backs, does with a loaded cornerback room and uber talented incoming freshman safeties in Sage Ryan and Derrick Davis Jr.

The defensive line will be another position group to keep an eye on with LSU returning all of its starting defensive linemen from last year and adding the No. 1 incoming freshman from Louisiana, Maason Smith.

On offense, all eyes are on the quarterback room, where LSU has four different quarterbacks that are all capable of starting come September. Orgeron is pleased with the development of his quarterbacks so far this offseason and believes all four are capable of leading the team.

“The quarterbacks are competing very well. All three guys returning are doing very well and [freshman] Garrett Nussmeier continues to impress,” Orgeron said. “All of them are competing

right now, and they’re all getting equal reps.”

The quarterback battle will be by far the biggest storyline of the offseason with LSU starting three different quarterbacks over the course of the 2020 season. Then freshmen TJ Finley and Max Johnson both stepped into the starting role during the season after veteran signal caller Myles Brennan went down with a season-ending injury to his abdomen in the third game of the season.

Finley took over for Brennan initially, but Johnson stepped in as the starter for the final two games of the season and led the Tigers to a huge upset victory over Florida and an impressive

see FOOTBALL, page 10

page 10

Monday, March 29, 2021

TENNIS, from page 9 “When you start four freshmen like we have been for most of the year, they’re going to be up and down,” Brandi said.

To put into perspective how difficult this stretch has been for the Tigers, the average ranking of their last nine opponents is 21 — 17 if you don’t include Vanderbilt — which falls just outside of the top-50. Brandi has attributed the Tigers’ skid to their strength of schedule and stated some of those matches almost went LSU’s way.

“Really all that’s happened is the competition level has gone up,” Brandi said. “We’ve run up against good teams, and we’ve had chances, but we just haven’t gotten it done.”

And the team has in fact had chances to take down some great teams, such as No. 10 South Carolina, No. 11 Mississippi State and No. 20 Kentucky.

Kentucky is a bit of a stretch from the outside looking in, but the doubles point was close. Ronald Hohmann had a lead on Court One, and Courts Five and Six didn’t get a chance to play. The other two aren’t stretches at all.

Had the Tigers taken the doubles point against South Carolina, they would have been down 3-2 with two courts leading instead of the Gamecocks’ clinching the match at 4-1. The match against Mississippi State was neck-and-

neck, as LSU lost 4-3.

If the Tigers had won two out of those three at least, they’d have a more respectable 12-6 record.

Brandi cited the matches against South Carolina and Mississippi State as proof the team can hang with some strong teams, stating it just needed a few more bounces to go it way.

“We can win one of these matches,” Brandi said. “We’ve had chances against Mississippi State, we’ve had chances against South Carolina. South Carolina had match points against North Carolina [a few] days ago, which

is No. 1 in the nation.

“We’re right there with some teams, but sometimes you need things to go your way.”

With the way the Tigers have matched up against some of these ranked teams, they’re bound to take down one of the top dogs sooner or later. They already have two ranked wins over No. 22 Texas Tech and No. 31 Arkansas.

On Sunday, the team defeated No. 47 Auburn. Benjamin Ambrosio closed out a tight match, and No. 61 Ronald Hohmann. upset No. 42 Tyler Stiee to seal a win for the Tigers.

KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille

LSU men’s tennis freshman Joao Graca and LSU men’s tennis redshirt junior Joey Thomas high five after scoring a point on Feb. 28 during LSU’s 1-4 loss against South Carolina.

FOOTBALL, from page 9 win against Ole Miss to close the season. Johnson finished the season on fire but Brennan’s experience and numbers in the first three games of the 2020 season likely make him the slight favorite for the starting job next season.

It has been a long road back to the field for Brennan, who put up very impressive numbers through the first three games of last season despite going 1-2 in those games. Brennan sustained his injury early in the game against Missouri, and despite finishing the game, Brennan would go on to miss the rest of the season.

Brennan’s injury was unique.

It initially seemed to be nothing serious, but as the weeks went on it never healed.

“It was probably the strangest injury I’ve ever had,” Brennan said. “No one had ever seen an injury like this.”

After sitting out most of the 2020 season to recover from this injury, Brennan is now back to full speed and is ready to get back to himself on the field this spring.

“It was a very difficult process, but I feel 100% now,” Brennan said. “I’ve been back in the weight room since January. I feel strong. I feel healthy, and I’m ready to go.”

It will be interesting to see who emerges as the starter from this talented quarterback room in

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU football junior quarterback Myles Brennan (15) runs the ball, Sept. 26, during LSU’s 44-34 loss against Mississippi State. the fall. No matter who ends up getting the starting job for the Tigers, they are in good hands and have never had this much talent at the quarterback position.

“You would have never thought LSU would have as talented of a quarterback room as we have now,” Brennan said.

All things considered, LSU football is doing all the right things to get the program back on track and where fans expect it to be. Orgeron has shown throughout his relatively short but successful career at LSU that he thrives in adversity and is more than capable of bouncing back after failing to meet expectations.

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OPINION

page 11

LSU must punish those involved in Title IX mishandling SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN

@sulliclaire

In early March, former LSU Football Head Coach Les Miles stepped down from his role at the University of Kansas following public revelations that he had sexually harassed LSU students for years. Not only that, but the man that hired Miles at KU — then-Athletic Director Jeff Long — also left his position at the university.

And, just a few days ago, former LSU President F. King Alexander stepped down from his new role as Oregon State University president following backlash from the Husch Blackwell report.

It’s good to see other universities holding former LSU officials accountable for their actions, but the question remains: why is our own university so unwilling to do the same?

The Husch Blackwell report found that former LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva had urged Alexander to fire Les Miles for his inappropriate behavior — and yet Miles remained at the University until his football coaching prowess slipped.

This, among other severe Title

IX missteps under his administration, proves that Alexander was right to leave his position at OSU. However, we should not forget how Alexander came to our own university in the first place.

The LSU Board of Supervisors, despite a unanimously negative vote of confidence from the Faculty Senate, elected Alexander as president of the University in 2013. The administration that followed would turn out to be disturbingly complicit in sexual assault on campus and would even became involved in elaborate coverups.

Now, as his reputation burns, Alexander is taking the LSU Board along with him. He alleges in a recent article from The Chronicle that the Board was deeply controlling in decisions involving athletics. Alexander describes a dinner during which Board members told him that he was to fire Alleva and hire Scott Woodward with a salary the Board had already negotiated without his knowledge.

Now — though there have been changes in membership over the years — the Board of Supervisors would like you to believe that the weight of blame for the findings of the Husch Blackwell report lies almost entirely at the feet of those who no longer

work with the University.

It is unsurprising that the Board is eager to persuade our community that the corrupt individuals involved in Title IX mishandlings are all gone; that way, it can avoid having to actually hold anyone (especially themselves) accountable.

The truth of the matter is that the Husch Blackwell report identified several people still at the University who were complicit in the mishandling of Title IX cases and helped perpetuate sexual assault culture on campus.

Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry was told by former football player Drake Davis via text message that Davis had assaulted a female student.

Despite the obvious safety issue, Ausberry did not report this act of violence to the Title IX Office.

For his inaction, he received 30 days of unpaid leave.

The report also found Associate Athletic Director, Miriam Segar, was involved in the mishandling of Title IX prosecution against former football player Derrius Guice. She received only a 21-day unpaid suspension from the University.

For years, Associate Dean of Students and Director of Student Advocacy and Accountability Jonathan Sanders has been let-

ting sexual assaulters off with no more than a slap on the wrist. The majority of offenders disciplined

by Sanders experienced no interruption at all to their life on campus. Despite 46 recorded Title IX violations in the past several years, only one student was expelled and only 18 were suspended.

Sanders gave troublingly lenient sanctions to those who committed terrible crimes against students on campus. This trend of offenders receiving virtually no repercussions for their actions perpetuates a University culture that permits sexual violence.

Survivors who dealt with Sanders during their investigations described overwhelmingly negative experiences.

One survivor told USA Today that Sanders had asked her what she was wearing the night she was raped. Others said Sanders didn’t even contact the witnesses for their cases.

A petition for Sanders’ resignation has been circulating recently. As one person who signed the petition explained, “I’m signing this because Jonathan Sanders makes SA survivors feel even worse than they did before meeting with him. He makes you lose all hope in the Title IX process.”

It is difficult to see how the University could believe Sanders remains fit for his position.

So let’s be clear: Les Miles and F. King Alexander did terrible things while at the University, but they did not act alone. To act as if the rot starts and ends with individuals who are no longer at the University is a disservice to our community, as many of their accomplices and enablers remain on campus to this day.

And the rotten machinery that allowed such failures to occur — including a Board of Supervisors that is unrepresentative of and unaccountable to our community — remains firmly in place.

Other universities have done more to hold individuals accountable for the Husch Blackwell report than the actual university around which the investigation is centered. It is unacceptable that there have been no substantial consequences for the years of pain this administration has inflicted on survivors in our community.

Until there is accountability, the University’s promises for change ring dishearteningly hollow.

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

Non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, are ruining environment SAUCE BOSS CÉCILE CÉCILE GIRARD @_cegi_ On March 11, artist Beeple sold his digital collage “Everydays — The First Five Thousand Days” for over $69 million at Christie’s auction house. It was the third most expensive work ever sold at auction by a living artist, and the most expensive piece of digitalonly work ever sold.

Keep in mind that Beeple’s collage is purely digital — the buyer did not purchase a tangible piece of artwork to hang on their living room wall. The buyer doesn’t even own a trademark or copyright to the work. When the buyer looks at their new acquisition, they will see the exact same pixels as you would if you Googled the name of the piece right now.

“Everydays” is a non-fungible token, or NFT; an increasingly

popular form of blockchain cryptocurrency. Unlike Bitcoin, which can be bought and traded like regular money, NFTs are unique and not interchangeable with something of equal value. By purchasing “Everydays,” the buyer paid almost $70 million for lines of code that serve as a certificate of authenticity — essentially, bragging rights.

Increasingly, other forms of digital media, from Nyan Cat memes to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s first tweet, are also being bought and sold as NFTs. Millions of dollars have been invested into NFTs, and many millions more will follow.

At the surface, the NFT business seems benign. What’s wrong with millionaires supporting digital artists and memelords? If they want to waste their money on purchasing internet clout, then so be it.

However, the reality of NFTs, and blockchain systems in general, is much darker. To verify

decentralized blockchain transactions, teams of “miners’’ must use energy-guzzling computers to solve complex math problems.

Explaining the logic behind this system is beyond the scope of this article, but just know this — NFTs are not eco-friendly. By one estimate, every NFT transaction generates an energy output equivalent to one European citizen’s electricity usage for two months.

Proponents of NFTs have argued that NFTs are currently just a small sector of total blockchain transactions. Plus, Beeple and other digital artists have promised to offset the environmental cost of NFTs by investing in conservation and renewable resources.

Even if fulfilled, these promises ignore the far simpler and more effective solution of... not polluting the Earth for memes in the first place.

What’s more, while NFT transactions are currently fairly

COURTESY OF FORBES.COM

rare, Beeple’s record-breaking sale has catapulted NFTs to the mainstream. This rising interest in selling digital art as NFTs is sure to drive further blockchain activity and skyrocket energy usage.

We are accelerating our planet’s demise just so some tech losers can tell people they techni-

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Bailey Chauvin Lara Nicholson Katherine Manuel Nick Frewin Grace Pulliam

Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor

The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

cally own the authentic copy of a Bad Luck Brian meme. Instead of heralding NFTs as the artistic patronage of the future, we need to reevaluate whether their merits will ever outweigh their disastrous environmental impact.

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

Quote of the Week “My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.”

Claude Monet Artist 1840 — 1926

Monday, March 29, 2021

page 12

Professors should embrace more creative assignments SPILL THE TEA WITH MARIE MARIE PLUNKETT @MarieC_214 As we inch closer to the end of the semester, burnout becomes more of a reality for many LSU students. Months without a break or a mental health day (because, let’s face it, the week of the ice storm was hardly a vacation for those of us with burst pipes, no power and a fear of driving on icy roads) have taken their toll on students’ happiness, motivation, productivity and quality of work.

Recently, while discussing our final pedagogy projects (projects which are designed to be used later as teaching material for other students) in class, one of my classmates mentioned that she intended to assign a supplemental coloring sheet or crossword puzzle to go with her presentation.

My first thought was “Ooh, I’d love a coloring sheet right now!”

And that’s when it hit me:

why aren’t we giving out creative assignments to students right now? I don’t mean “paint the Mona Lisa” type assignments, I mean “color in this picture or of this relevant-to-class cartoon” or “fill out this fill-in-the-blank worksheet while we watch a video in class.”

Instead of having a pop quiz or a reading-check that — let’s face it — a lot of us would probably fail, why not give students a chance to relax, take a deep breath and maybe earn a few extra assignment grades?

Obviously, professors can’t be expected to let students slack off or stop teaching new material, but throwing students a few bones in this last month would benefit all of us.

Well-rested students are more likely to produce quality work and absorb more of the information being taught by their professors.

Not to mention that not everyone learns the same way to begin with, so some students would benefit more from creative assignments and class exercises even

outside of the current pandemic burnout.

Most people have probably taken the “What Type of Learner Are You” test at some point in their lives, but basically, most students can be categorized into one of three types of learners: visual, auditory or kinesthetic.

I am very much a kinesthetic learner. I struggle to learn just from listening to lectures or reading a passage from a textbook, but if I make a physical model, write things down and use other senses while learning (like chewing gum, walking, etc.), I have no problem remembering and learning the material. A coloring page or in-class worksheet would probably benefit my learning process even if I wasn’t so burnt out this year.

Even though we’re all adults who at this point in our lives should be able to figure out how to study in a way that works for us, it wouldn’t hurt for professors to incorporate more creative class experiences for students with different learning styles in mind.

Lectures and PowerPoint pre-

sentations are standard practice, and plenty of students have no trouble learning that way, but maybe expanding curricula to allow for them to turn in creative projects rather than just oral presentations or papers would encourage students to actively par-

ticipate in the classroom and take some of the pressure off of professors who have to lecture every day.

Marie Plunkett is a 22-year-old classical studies senior from New Orleans.

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Creative Haven’s “Groovy Mandalas Coloring Book” serves as a form of relaxation and meditation.

University does not prioritize mental health services FROM THE HOUSE OF HARD KNOX NATALIE KNOX @natalieknox444 The University’s Student Health Center does not prioritize the mental health services it claims to provide.

It typically takes weeks to get a scheduled appointment for an initial consultation, and if a student would like to take advantage of the free therapy services offered, they must wait months to get an appointment.

To investigate this problem, I spoke to several current and former students about their experiences trying to take advantage of the SHC’s mental health services, and the responses I received painted an unfortunate picture.

I spoke to one recent actuarial sciences graduate who described his own experience attempting to book future sessions with a University therapist after man aging to get an initial appointment.

“I was told that this particular therapist was booked through the rest of the semester and into summer, but that there were ‘one or two’ other therapists who ‘should have some avail ability in the summer, if you’re still going to be in Baton Rouge.’ I responded that I actually had an internship lined up in New Orleans for the summer and wouldn’t be in Baton Rouge. I was encouraged to schedule early for the following fall semester to ensure

I could get a spot because ‘they fill up quick.’”

In essence, they told him that he would likely have to wait roughly eight months to get in for an appointment with the therapist he originally saw.

If you look at the SHC homepage, you will see that it is offering Telehealth appointments for medical problems at this time. However, it does not offer Telehealth appointments for therapy or psychiatric consultations. If you want to make a mental health appointment, you have to call during the normal hours of operation.

I did so to see how long it would take to make an appointment. I was told that the next available date to see a therapist for an initial consultation would be in a little over two weeks.

Afterward, the employee I spoke to indicated that I would likely be referred to a psychiatrist or therapist within the local community, rather than be booked to see one provided by the University.

The major issue I have with this is that a referral to another mental health professional in the Baton Rouge community is not the same as the University offering free mental health care, which it claims to do. Many psychiatric professionals, therapists and other forms of counselors do not accept personal health insurance, and if you want to access the University’s free therapy services you will likely have to wait an exorbitant amount of time.

Unfortunately, the University does not seem to prioritize these services, and it has done little to make them more accessible even during this stress-

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

The LSU Student Health Center awaits potential patients on 56 Infirmary Drive, Baton Rouge on Jan. 27, 2020. ful time.

Everyone I spoke to, current and former students alike, had similarly negative understandings about the SHC’s approach to providing students with mental health care, whether they had experienced this issue firsthand or known friends who had.

The University needs to address this problem and find a way to give students the same access to mental health care they have to other medical health concerns, especially now, when students need access to mental health care the most.

KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille

Natalie Knox is a 23-year-old English senior from Lake Charles.

Students take notes during pandemic guidelines on Jan. 21, while in French 1001 class in Lockett Hall.