The Reveille 4-4-22

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student balance LSU gymnastics graduate a Desiderio celebrates beam and floor Christin March 3, 2021 during after her beam routine win over Missouri in LSU’s 197.875-196.175 bly Center. the Pete Maravich Assem

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Christina Desideri NEWS

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LSU College Dems demand university add context to Military Museum displays honoring confederate soldiers, segregationist.

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Loan exhibition “State of the Art: Record” brings a multiple-sense experience and artist Kelly Romany to LSU MOA.

SPORTS

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Column: LSU baseball is having success in the batters box, but the errors in the field are holding them back from greatness.

OPINION

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‘I love this team and I love the sport’ : Desiderio’s passion

BY MORGAN ROGERS @__morganrogers It is hard to argue the fact that it has been a fantastic season for LSU gymnast Christina Desiderio.

The graduate student, who is now 21, has been hitting new season highs left and right. Despite the harsh physical effects that double flips and body rotations put on gymnasts’ bodies by this age, Desiderio was able to set a new career high on floor (9.95) during the team’s meet against Auburn this season. She also put up the highest score (9.925) for the team on beam that same night.

The Southeastern Conference named her the SEC Specialist of the Week after one of her greatest performances of her collegiate career.

“We talk a lot about Christina Desiderio,” Head Coach Jay Clark said of the Hackettstown, New Jersey native. “She was a big part of that meet with a 9.925 and a 9.95. That’s incredible. Not a lot of teams have someone who can start you off at that level. Her demeanor was unlike anything I’ve seen.”

Clark has said time and time again that Desiderio is one of his most reliable gymnasts, which is likely the reason she’s at the top of the lineups on both floor and beam. The graduate student averages 9.87 on beam and 9.79 on floor, making her the best leadoff performer in the country.

“It’s definitely an important spot, and I kind of set the tone for that event,” Desiderio said. “I carry the momentum from the previous event so I do feel a little bit of pressure, but I normally work better under pressure.”

Her season and career highs on the two events sit at 9.95 each.

She also holds the No. 42 spot in the nation on balance beam currently. Desiderio is not only a leader during performances but in the practice gym as well.

“This is my fifth year, so I have

a lot of experience so I definitely try to help lead and guide any of the girls on this team through this journey,” she said. “They’re the most genuine, sweet group of girls I’ve ever been with.”

Desiderio wasn’t always the cool and collected veteran on the team that she is now. Back in the summer of 2017, a fresh-faced kid from Hackettstown, New Jersey, officially joined the LSU gymnastics program at the age of 16.

Being a level 10 gymnast at the age of 11, the future LSU gymnast was forced to grow up quickly.

Her path to gymnastics first began when she was six years old because her mother wanted her to partake in a sport she always wanted to do growing up.

Only a few years afterward, Desiderio was training in the gym from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. She soon began traveling every month for elite competitions. Though she loved the sport, she admitted that the elite level was extreme and often lonely.

During the 2012 regional championship of the junior elite division, Desiderio was the beam and vault champion. She also placed sixth in the all-around. In 2013, she exclusively competed at States, taking the floor and beam titles as well as the fourth spot in the all-around. Later that year, she qualified for Junior International Elite status. She placed 10th in the all-around at the American Classic and 13th at the National Championship.

In the following years, she placed eighth in the all-around at the 2014 U.S. Classic and 10th in the subsequent year’s event. She announced her verbal commitment to LSU in the fall of 2015.

Desiderio’s potential had only just begun at that point. During her Senior International Elite career, she was named to the national team once again and placed 12th at the 2016 Olympic Trials with a score of 114.250.

“Making the national team

twice and competing at Olympic Trials were the absolute best times of my life,” she said. “Getting there wasn’t easy, but knowing I accomplished my goals and dreams was worth every minute of it. I will carry those experiences with me throughout the rest of my life.”

However, during the summer of 2017, the New Jersey native decided to retire from elite gymnastics after a back injury.

After months of mentally wrestling the decision and accepting that her body couldn’t withstand the physical demands of the sport anymore, she dropped back down to level 10.

“I felt pretty lost,” Desiderio said. “I felt like I accomplished so much but I didn’t know where to go from there. I was debating whether I should train for another four years and try for the Olympics again, or drop down to level 10 to enjoy my last two years before college.”

She graduated high school a year early after the coaches at LSU spoke with her about coming to Baton Rouge sooner than she committed. She joined the LSU Tigers in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since.

The former elite became the star of her recruiting class. As a freshman, she earned All-America and All-SEC honors with career highs of 9.95 on beam and 9.90 on floor. She also thrived in the classroom, making the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll, which is something she’s done every year since. She’s even been an Academic All-American twice, despite the struggle of transitioning from a homeschooled student to a fulltime collegiate student athlete.

“I am so happy that I made the transition to college,” Desiderio expressed. “It was definitely a big transformation from elite to college, but I love being on a team.

It’s something that I’ve been waiting for my whole career.”

Similar to her elite aspirations though, Desiderio was never able

to achieve everything she hoped for during her collegiate career.

Along with her back, injuries to her ankles and hip massively limited her. She stuck to the two events during her time at LSU. During the 2020 season, she didn’t even get to compete for a majority of the year.

“I expect a lot from myself, and most of the time that is good, but I also have to tell myself that not everything is going to be good all of the time; that’s just a part of life.”

Her impact on the LSU gymnastics program never faded though. According to Clark, she sets the tone for her fellow teammates. Her level of consistency is an uncommon trait in the gymnastics world.

“I feel like a lot of people are saying I look like I’m at my best right now,” she said. “Everyone says it’s because I’m genuinely happy, and I really am. I love this team and I love the sport.”

With gymnastics being the focal point of Desiderio’s life for the past 15 years, it was not surprising to hear that she decided to opt-in for a fifth year. The other seniors who decided to return were Sami Durante, Sarah Edwards, Bridget Dean and Reagan Campbell.

“I think I knew right away that I was going to come back because I love gymnastics as much as I did when I was little,” Desiderio said.

“I wouldn’t say it was a group decision. We all just did what was best for each of us.”

Now a graduate student, the 21-year-old is pursuing a master’s degree in human resources. She isn’t quite sure where her career path will take her after she leaves Baton Rouge. She expressed interest in taking a job at a junior gymnastics center in Dallas, Texas with her teammate Campbell, but she also wants to keep her options open.

Wherever Desiderio goes and whatever she decides to do, she’s certain that this sport will always be a huge aspect of her life.

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The March 31 print edition of The Reveille incorrectly stated the Gabby Jimenez was the writer of the front-cover story, when the actual writer was Katy-Ann McDonald.

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NEWS MISSING CONTEXT

Students marching to add context to displays honoring Confederates

BY MADDIE SCOTT @madscottyy LSU College Democrats released a statement March 11 demanding the removal of what they believe are two “incomplete and racist exhibits” residing in the William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum.

One of the exhibits is a placard titled “Cadets of the Civil War.” It honors 18 LSU alumni who “lost their lives in the war between the states and are honored for their dedicated service.”

All 18 of these soldiers except one fought for the Confederacy.

The second exhibit is the bust of Troy H. Middleton, a former LSU president whose name was removed from the LSU Library in 2020. During his time as president from 1951 to 1962, Middleton advocated against desegregation.

Amid the Black Lives Matter movement during the summer of 2020, pressure from LSU students, including College Dems, resulted in the renaming of the Library.

The bust in the museum includes Middleton’s name, date of birth and death. Middleton was also a distinguished officer

CHYREN MCGUIRE / The Reveille

Troy H. Middleton’s bust sits in the William A. Brookshire Military Museum on June 5. in the U.S. Army who served during World War II. He is well known for his decision to hold the city of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge.

The bust previously resided in the library but was moved to the military museum, according

to College Dems.

“The placard does not provide proper context to his military service or his segregationist tenure at LSU,” the press release read.

College Dems said they reached out to LSU administration in February with concerns about the exhibits but were met with no response. College Dems called for a response from the Office of the President, Division of Student Affairs and the Cadets of the Old War Skule.

The club’s officers have a meeting with the university’s interim vice provost, Matt Lee, on Monday. College Dems said they will protest the grand opening of the military museum on Thursday if LSU Administration doesn’t respond.

Two resolutions aimed at adding context to the exhibits passed unanimously in the student Senate.

Political science freshman Landon Zeringue is a student senator and co-authored legislation to remove the placard honoring Confederate cadets, according to SG Resolution 5.

Zeringue also co-authored SG Resolution 6, which calls to remove the Middleton bust until

an additional placard is placed “noting his military service and segregationist tenure at LSU and is displayed with it.”

“He was still a WWII hero, but he was also a segregationist,” Zeringue said. “You need the full context and history there.”

Both pieces of legislation passed unanimously on the floor in early March. Zeringue said lower administrators have “passed it up the chain,” and haven’t heard anything yet.

“It’s a resolution showing the stance of Student Government, because from our point of view, it’s kind of like a ‘no duh’ kind of thing,” Zeringue said. “It’s something simple that admin should be able to listen to us.”

Political science junior Myles Kamara is a member of LSU College Dems and believes proper context of the history should be provided in the exhibits. He says he is “not fond of honoring traitors,” in reference to the cadet placard.

“If you want to honor those students because they were former students, go ahead, but let it be known that they were fight-

see STUDENTS, page 4

page 3 POLITICS

Hate group spreading stickers

BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote LSU students have spotted stickers belonging to the far-right, white supremacist hate group Patriot Front in several locations around campus.

A Black LSU student who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the group spotted stickers on electrical poles around the LSU Lakes, UREC and another on South Stadium Drive near Knapp Hall on Tuesday. She tore one of them down. It reads, “America is not for sale” and includes an address to the group’s website.

Another student said she spotted three or four stickers on light poles near the LSU Union and a Patriot Front banner hanging off the bridge near Acadian Thruway on Interstate 10, which has now been removed.

Patriot Front is a Texas-based white nationalist hate group whose members call for the formation of a white ethnostate, ac-

see STICKERS, page 4

RESIDENTIAL LIFE

LSU Res Life sells commemorative bricks from Kirby Smith

BY CHANDLER MCINTOSH @GeauxChandler18 LSU Residential Life is offering students and alumni a chance to keep a piece of the past by purchasing a brick from Kirby Smith Hall before its demolition in June.

The 57-year-old hall, which hasn’t been in use since 2019, will soon be demolished by a controlled implosion.

The commemorative pieces of the hall will cost about $100 a brick. The money will go toward

the LSU Student Emergency Support Fund, according to Residential Life.

The LSU Student Emergency Support Fund assists LSU students that are in need of support during emergency situations like hurricanes, flooding and other natural disasters.

Catherine David, associate director of Res Life communications and development, said that a commemorative plaque will be on each brick. The commemorative plaques are not customizable.

DYLAN BOREL / The Reveille

Edmund Kirby Smith Hall sits March 30 on Aster Street at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

“This concept is a long-standing option in new housing or demolition projects,” David said.

“Often folks have fond memories of a building and want to keep a piece of the physical structure as a memento.”

The demolition will allow LSU to build a green space and improved sidewalks around surrounding dorms that lead to the core of campus.

Operations manager for the LSU Division of Student Affairs Molly McCann works with affected students and assists giving out funds through the LSU Student Emergency Support Fund. She has seen thousands of student applications relating to Hurricane Ida, tornado damage, COVID-19 and other events.

McCann and the LSU Division of Students Affairs are pleased that the proceeds from the Kirby Smith bricks are going toward students.

“This fund has so much activity from students,” McCann said.

“Unfortunately, with everything that has happened in the past few years from the pandemic and the hurricanes, a lot more students are aware of this specific fund. It’s great that students have knowledge of this fund. Conse-

DYLAN BOREL / The Reveille

Edmund Kirby Smith Hall sits March 30 on Aster Street at LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. quently, we are having to replenish the funds because so many students are in need.”

Sarah Dean, an LSU psychology junior, stayed in Kirby Smith during the 2020-2021 academic year as a residential assistant.

She found her way through LSU’s campus by using the ginormous building as her guiding star.

LSU used the retired hall as temporary housing for students because of overflow issues on campus.

The opening of two new residence halls in 2021, Camellia Hall and Azalea Hall, allowed Kirby Smith to be officially retired.

With 800 beds between the two new halls, it’s more than enough

to offset the 550 that Kirby Smith offers.

“I am going to miss using Kirby as a directional tool,” Dean said. “Kirby is the tallest building on campus and is visible from pretty much anywhere on campus. If I was ever lost, I liked looking up and figuring out my directions based on Kirby Smith’s location.”

Dean said that she didn’t know that LSU Residential Life was selling commemorative bricks from Kirby, but probably would not buy one.

“I really enjoyed my time there and have a lot of great memories, but I don’t really have a place to put a brick,” Dean said.

Monday, April 4, 2022

page 4 STUDENTS, from page 3 be known that they were fighting for the Confederacy and the Confederacy was fighting to preserve slavery. If you do that, I won’t have a problem,” Kamara said.

Since 2020, after the Library’s renaming, College Dems and other LSU student organizations have been fighting for the renaming of LSU buildings with problematic namesakes.

Former interim LSU President Thomas Galligan created a committee to evaluate buildings on campus and make recommendations to administration. That committee hasn’t been meeting regularly, and President William Tate IV has signaled a lack of interest in moving forward with the committees’ pending recommendations.

Tate said in September most students don’t know who the buildings are named after, and that the focus of improving diversity and inclusion on campus should be placed elsewhere. He didn’t comment on what the university would do once the committee’s report arrives at his desk.

Some students say building renaming efforts and College Dem’s efforts are misplaced.

“I just think that there are other priorities that are more important to the development and improvement of LSU,” said

Economics freshman Nathan Chatagnier. “It’s a minor thing that doesn’t really have a huge impact.”

The cost to replace the cadet placard and the cost to add a placard to the Middleton bust is a concern for Chatagnier.

“It’s going to cost a lot of money to change all that metal and iron and make a new one custom made, install on there and all that,” Chatagnier said.

“It’s just not worth it.”

Architecture junior Tyler Manning said there’s a difference between displaying history and honoring it.

“While the College Democrats are wholly within their rights to protest the grand opening, I question the motivation behind the decision to protest a military museum meant to honor the men and women who gave their lives so that we may enjoy freedom,” Manning said.

The museum will reside in the flanks of LSU’s Memorial Tower.

Kamara said the lack of context around the displays in the museum suggests LSU shys away from its problematic history.

“If LSU wants to speak on their diversity, which they do, they should be honest about the past they came from and not be afraid to shy away from it because it’ll make donors or former alum a little bit nervous,” Kamara said.

STICKERS, from page 3 -cording to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The group’s activities typically include anonymously posting flyers, stickers and draping banners over buildings and overpasses to promote their ideology.

“They’re not calling themselves the Klan. They’re not using swastikas or things along those lines, but they ultimately want the same thing,” said Bryan McCann, an LSU rhetoric and cultural studies professor. “They see the U.S. as the birthright of white people and want to essentially ethnically cleanse the United States.”

Though this is the first time the group is known to have made its presence known at LSU, their propaganda has been spotted in Shreveport and at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2018 and

The Reveille

A sticker belonging to the far-right white supremacist group a student tore down. It reads, “America is not for sale.”

2019.

“It definitely indicates that they have a presence in Baton Rouge and that LSU is a place they’re interested in spreading their message,” McCann said.

LSU student body President Javin Bowman said he’s meeting with the dean of students Monday to discuss the matter and find a solution. He encouraged students to tear the stickers down and report them in the meantime.

“To cultivate a truly inclusive environment and make sure all students are safe, we have to make sure that hateful groups and supremacists do not impede upon the tiger experience for our diverse community and students of color,” Bowman said.

Patriot Front is likely made up of around 300 members nationally, according to a deep dive into the organization by ProPublica. Despite this, the group is responsible for the vast majority of white supremacist propaganda distributed in the U.S., representing 80% of all propaganda incidents nationally in 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The group was formed in 2017 after it split from Vanguard America, a similar Neo-Nazi group. Unlike Vanguard America, Patriot Front attempts to hide its white supremacist beliefs under a cloak of American nationalism and patriotism.

In 2020, Patriot Front transi-

The Reveille

A sticker belonging to the far-right white supremacist group Patriot Front spotted on Stanford Avenue. tioned from using explictly racist and antisemetic language to more covered bigoted language. The group uses an image of a fasces, or a bundle of rods with an axe, the original symbol of fascism, encircled by 13 stars as “an American symbol of revolutionary spirit,” according to the ADL. “They’re trying to kind of cloak themselves in a certain degree of political legitimacy almost to mainstream themselves,” McCann said.

LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard said the university has a policy prohibiting groups from putting flyers and stickers on campus property.

“When something like this is reported through facility services, they will go and remove them,” Ballard said.

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APRIL

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Yoga and Meditation International Cultural Center

Round Table with Title IX LSU Women’s Center

Join instructor Graciana Helm for an evening of yoga and relaxation at the International Cultural Center starting at 5:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY AT 9

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APRIL

Feminists in Action at LSU will be holding an open discussion in the LSU Women’s Center about the LSU community and what efforts and developments are being made regarding Title IX from 7 to 8 p.m.

TUESDAY AT 7

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Open Mic Night The Station Take some stress off and have a laugh every Wednesday at 9 p.m. at The Station Sports Bar & Grill. Enjoy the show and the drink specials, or participate in the fun yourself.

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THURSDAY AT 3

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APRIL

“What They Wore” Exhibit Reception LSU Union Gallery From 3 to 5 p.m., attend the reception for the “What They Wore” exhibit that depicts items worn by sexual assault survivors along with art created by them and those who supported them.

Monday, April 4, 2022

page 6 ART

LSU MOA’s loan exhibition delivers a multi-sense experience

BY GIDEON FORTUNE @gidfortune LSU Museum of Art’s latest temporary acquisition, “State of the Art: Record,” on loan from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, is a surprisingly interactive exhibition with multiple pieces that actively encourage viewer contact.

Kellie Romany’s “In an Effort to be Held” depicts 36 different shades of oil paint, representing the chromatic scale of skin color tiles created for the use of determining race up until the 1950s, poured in the small ceramic circles and laid out across a table.

Unlike most artworks in galleries that viewers must be content with just viewing, they can stack and shuffle these tiny disks, making each person’s manipulation a determining factor in the way the next person views the same piece.

“Every time you see the piece, it has changed, which is a metaphor about how we as humans change each other,” Romany said.

The museum placed gloves on the table, presumably to indicate Romany’s work is meant to be held, though she doesn’t fully agree with the decision.

“It is a language that we made for each other in the context of the

GIDEON FORTUNE / The Reveille

“Ineffable Glossolalia” by Tabthi Nikolai is a video game designed to convey some aspects of the struggle of a transgender person through a video game. gallery, to tell the viewer this is something you can touch,” Romany said. “But the glove in itself, I will say it’s questionable. I don’t have an answer for that right now.”

This exhibition is likely to mark the first time that many viewers see a playable video game in an art gallery. Tucked in the corner of the room but impossible to miss is a desk with a comic book cover, light

up keyboard and large computer monitor. This setup is a part of the artwork “Ineffable Glossolalia” by Tabathi Nikolai.

In the video game, players can explore Nikolai’s three-dimensional world meant to communicate language’s failure to describe transgender experiences. Sometimes breathtaking, other times nerve-wracking, the game is an

experience, and an experience like no other when considering it’s existence inside of a museum space.

While vastly different from Romany’s piece, there is a similarity in the art as communication or a conversation-starter on the subject of human bodies, where language often fails to do the job.

Romany was making realistic paintings of bodies, including her

own, and switched to abstraction for two reasons — the idea of majority-white collectors owning her body after seeing herself in a collector’s house, and also that it creates the space for discourse, an artistic impact important to Romany.

“If there isn’t any room for that, it doesn’t interest me that much,” Romany said during her artist visit to LSU during the day after her opening reception performance in early March. “This [conversation] to me is how the work becomes successful.”

Paul Stephen Benjamin’s video installation “Daily Meditations” features three different videos, two of which are live performances of “Strange Fruit,” playing on a mountain of box TVs. The eerie song follows you around the museum, just as the bright blue video of the child swinging is burned into your mind.

Another artwork requiring multiple senses is the site-specific “Liner Spaces (Purple)” by Cory Imig. The hanging ribbon pieces from that people can walk through invite the viewer to consider space and the ways they move through it.

Including plenty of visual art as well, like a comic-infused mixedmedia acrylic painting, “State of the Art: Record” is an experience for both the eyes and body.

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Monday, April 4, 2022

page 7 MUSIC

‘AS IT WAS’ Harry Styles’ new single sets the tone for upcoming album

BY MADISON HEYDARI @madison_heydari

Harry Styles takes an ‘80sstyle, synth-pop approach to melancholy in his latest release “As It Was,” the lead single from his upcoming album, “Harry’s House.”

Though “As It Was” is bittersweet, there’s no sugar-coating.

The lyrics capture the pain and loneliness of isolation, something that many can relate to since the pandemic. Ultimately, he sings about the discomfort that comes with facing change and the gratification that comes from embracing it.

Styles’ vocals are smooth enough to make the lyrics seem

like confessions. The song almost feels like it was intended for Harry’s ears only.

The song starts with a child’s voice, which belongs to Styles’ goddaughter, saying “Come on, Harry, we wanna say goodnight to you.”

This sets a playful, nostalgic tone, with a childlike innocence for a song that has such melancholic lyrics. In typical fashion, he writes incredibly sad and, at times, self-deprecating lyrics and hides them with a happy-go-lucky tempo.

The lyrics, “Harry you’re no good alone. Why are you sitting at home on the floor? What kind of pills are you on?” sting a bit more

when you remember he sang, “I don’t wanna be alone” in his “Fine Line” track “Golden,” which is yet another one of Styles’ songs that has somber lyrics hiding behind an irresistible tune.

The video creatively captures the song’s intimate lyrics with a more artistic approach and presents the audience with symbolism in the dancing and artwork. In the video, he is stuck going in circles (literally) with a woman, and, whether or not she represents an actual person or is a symbol of something else entirely, he appears to be struggling to let her go.

When he finally slides off that spinning platform, he is joyously

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bouncing off the walls. Styles wildly dancing as triumphant bells chime sets a liberating scene for a seemingly glorious and happy ending.

In just 24 hours after its release, “As It Was” broke two major streaming records on Spotify. The song became the platform’s most streamed song in a single day in the United States with 8.3 million streams. The song is now also Spotify’s most-streamed song globally in a single day so far in 2022, with 21.6 million streams, surpassing Anita’s “Envolver,” which held the record in March with 8.6 million streams in a single day.

Though this single marks the start of a new era for Styles, he

hasn’t completely severed ties with his second album, “Fine Line.” The singer is headlining Coachella later this month and is still set for his rescheduled international leg of “Love On Tour” this summer.

The juxtaposition of the lyrics and music in “As It Was” creates a song that can be dissected and interpreted in numerous ways.

If “Fine Line” was considered a step in the experimental and creative direction for Styles, “Harry’s House” seems like it will be more like a leap just based on this single.

Styles’ third album “Harry’s House” releases on May 20.

SPORTS ERROR ON LSU

Column: LSU’s hot bats cannot overpower defensive miscues JARED BRODTMANN @_therealjarbear

LSU’s fielding percentage this season is 95.6%. If the season ended today, the last LSU team to have a fielding percentage that low was the 2007 team.

Smoke Laval was in what would be his last season as head coach.

LSU was unknowingly about to set out to win its third national championship in football with Matt Flynn at quarterback, and the Billboard Hot-100 No. 1 song was “Irreplaceable” by Beyoncé.

LSU has since learned the hard way how irreplaceable good defensive play is this year. It is through three SEC series and has won only one. Both of their home series, against unranked Texas A&M and Auburn, have been lost. They sit at 19-9 overall, with difficult matchups against Arkansas, Ole Miss and Vanderbilt still ahead.

LSU has played 28 games this year, and only four of them have been without at least one error. Three of them were against non-power conference opponents (Southern, McNeese, BethuneCookman).

It came to a head once again last Saturday afternoon in LSU’s series finale against Auburn. Cade Doughty had already committed an error at shortstop earlier in the game and

page 8 BASKETBALL

Kim Mulkey AP Coach of the Year

BY JARED BRODTMANN @_therealjarbear

OPS, at the plate. They trailed by

While the LSU women’s basketball team may not have succeeded in completing its goal of winning a national championship this season, Kim Mulkey and her team’s hard work in her first year at the helm did not go unnoticed.

Mulkey was named the Associated Press’ National Coach of the Year for Division I Women’s Basketball.

It is the third Coach of the Year award in her coaching career. She takes home the award despite losing out on SEC Coach of the Year to South Carolina Head Coach Dawn Staley.

When Mulkey arrived at LSU, many were expecting change and big strides out of the women’s basketball program, but few expected it to happen so quickly. The turnaround brought a brand new energy to the program, from the play on the court to support from the fans. The PMAC drew huge crowds for games down the stretch, creating an atmosphere around the program that had not been seen in years.

Mulkey’s Tigers went 26-6 in her inaugural season, finishing ninth in the last AP poll of the

see BASEBALL, page 9

see MULKEY, page 9

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

Former LSU football safety and Super Bowl Champion Tyrann Mathieu talks to LSU baseball Head Coach Jay Johnson March 29 before LSU’s 15-4 win against ULM at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge, La. was poised to not make another.

LSU needed one out to continue its rally, as Auburn had runners on the

first and third, with Sonny DiChiara, Auburn’s 263-pound, slugging first baseman who leads the SEC in

FOOTBALL

Mac Markway, LSU’s new tight end in the 2023 reruit class

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8 LSU football picked up its second commitment of its 2023 recruiting class on Friday, four-star tight end Mac Markway. Out of St. Louis, Missouri, Markway is one of the highest-ranked and most recruited tight ends in the country, as he is the No. 7 tight end in his class (according to 247sports) and held 27 scholarship offers.

In fact, Markway earned his first offer in the eighth grade, before playing a snap of high school football.

“We went to go visit Michigan, and out of nowhere, they offered me a scholarship,” Markway said.

“That was the craziest experience I’ve ever had, period.”

As Markway is the newest member of the LSU football program, it’s important to know his story, and what he will bring to the team in 2023.

Markway made a verbal commitment to Florida in July 2021 but reopened his recruitment later that year in December. Af-

ter considering schools like Iowa, Miami, Ohio State and LSU, the Tigers stuck out among the rest of his plethora of choices for many reasons.

“Obviously the feel there [LSU], right when we visited there, that was what sealed the deal,” Markway said. “I knew going in I wanted to be a Tiger, but that just sealed the deal going in and seeing it in person, that it really felt like home.”

Markway was also impressed with how Coach Kelly and the rest of the coaches treated him during his recruitment. He was recruited by Kelly and most of his staff during their time at Notre Dame, so he did not have to start from scratch in terms of building relationships.

“Talking to Coach Denbrock, Coach Kelly, Coach Polian, we’re just talking,” Markway said.

“They’re recruiting obviously, but they separated themselves just because they want to get to know you.”

see MARKWAY, page 9

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Daily Reveille

LSU football transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws the ball with head coach Brian Kelly viewing the drill March 29 during LSU’s spring practice in Baton Rouge, La.

page 9

Monday, April 4, 2022 MULKEY, from page 8 year and second in the SEC. This comes off the heels of a 9-13 season last year with much of the core remaining from Nikki Fargas’ last team in star point guard Khayla Pointer, center Faustine Aifuwa and shooting guard Jailin Cherry.

Mulkey was lauded throughout the season for her ability to turn around the program while using many of the current players already on the roster when she arrived.

Mulkey was also a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award, though that award was also given to Staley of South Carolina.

LSU was defeated by Ohio State

in the second round of the NCAA tournament in the PMAC, 79-64, after being ranked a No. 3 seed by the committee. Pointer, Aifuwa and Cherry have all entered their names in the upcoming WNBA draft. A small rebuild may be on Mulkey’s hands in the upcoming season, but that does not take away from what she was able to accomplish in her first year. Mulkey has even warned fans about a potential small rebuild, noting the amount of production that is leaving the team this offseason.

However, Mulkey established a foundation to build on for LSU women’s basketball in the coming years, and that was enough to earn her recognition from the Associated Press.

BASEBALL, from page 8

LSU women’s basketball Head Coach Kim Mulkey does a postgame interview on ESPN Dec. 02, 2021 after LSU’s 69-60 win against Iowa State in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

two, but the lineup was going to flip over in the bottom of the inning.

They needed this out, for the win and for their confidence.

DiChiara grounded the ball in between Doughty and Jordan Thompson, who due to his 10 errors this season was moved from shortstop to second base, while they were shifted to the left for the hulking right-handed batter.

Doughty looked like he was ready to make the play, moving toward first base. Instead, Thompson collided with him and the ball zipped into the outfield, scoring Auburn’s crucial third insurance run.

“We were both just trying to make a play, and we ran into each other,” Thompson said postgame.

“Some miscommunication. That’s just what happened.”

The most ironic part is the play wasn’t scored as an error. DiChiara was given a base hit for his efforts.

But it was a microcosm of why LSU is experiencing these defensive issues: players trying to do too much.

That has manifested in the low fielding percentage and in the eye test.

Sometimes, while the scorebook may not reflect it, there are plays that the players, the coaching staff and the fans feel that the team should be making. A good example of this was the potential groundout that scooted past Tre’ Morgan for a hit on Thursday night in the fifth inning, six-run onslaught Auburn laid on LSU. It was a play that wasn’t scored an error, but one that Morgan knows he should have made.

Being a good defensive team doesn’t mean just avoiding errors.

Good defensive teams make the easier plays without hitches and make the more difficult plays more commonly than the average. Defense in baseball is a spectrum, not an absolute. Right now, LSU is having trouble steering clear of errors and making the plays that many of the top teams LSU wants to compete with are capable of completing.

The defensive problems are not limited to one player and not showing much progress in improving.

And if the Tigers don’t solve this dilemma soon, all the upside this team brought into the season with elite hitting ability and talented

taught me the grind, and taught me how it is just to be a good player…he’s one of my bigger role models just because of that.”

Reuniting with Steeples means a lot to Markway and made the decision to commit to LSU even more convincing.

“Having him at LSU — it’s huge just having a familiar face that I can trust right out the gate,” Markway said. “That’s really the only reason because I’m going to be going up against him in practice, so I’m excited for that too.”

Not only is Steeples a role model for Markway, but Markway’s father, Matt, also gives Mac an extra driving force of motivation in his career.

The Markway family is a big football family. They have a history of sending tight ends to college programs and even the NFL. Matt Markway played football

at the University of Iowa in the 1990s.

“He was going to be a second round (draft) pick, but he blew out his patellar tendon,” Markway said. Mac looks at the opportunity to play college football, and the potential to make it to the NFL as a “grind to carry out that legacy and finish what [Matt] started.”

It is no surprise Markway has the opportunity to finish that legacy, as he can do just about everything you can want out of a tight end. Not only is he a great pass catcher, but he is also an excellent blocker, and he is a physical all-around player.

“I pride myself in being the most versatile tight end in the country,” Markway said. “Being able to put my hand in the dirt, block with the best and then also going to flex outside and really

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

MARKWAY, from page 8 While Markway had ties with the coaching staff, he has an especially tight bond with one coach in particular: Coach Robert Steeples. The new cornerbacks coach for LSU, Steeples coached Markway at DeSmet High School in St. Louis in 2019. Steeples then took a job with the Minnesota Vikings as a cornerbacks coach a year later but will now join Kelly at LSU this upcoming season.

Since Markway’s freshman year, Coach Steeples has made a positive impact on Markway’s game and his career.

“I came in humble, I never wanted to be like a bragging guy, but he [Steeples] was always on me just in case I ever did slip up because I did have offers,” Markway said. “He stayed on me, he

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

The LSU baseball team stands for the national anthem Feb. 20 before LSU’s 21-6 win against Maine at Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge, La. pitching prowess will not bear any fruits.

It’s hard to pinpoint what LSU can do to improve in the field without sacrificing significant offensive firepower. Jacob Berry and Doughty have struggled with their gloves, but they have been two of the conference’s best hitters. Johnson was adamant Saturday that he feels the two of them will be LSU’s best choices to play.

“It’s like the offensive players that Cade and Jacob are, if they were elite defenders, they wouldn’t be in college right now,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to do the best we can to get better. They’re high character guys, they’re hard workers, and we’ll just keep going.”

While the infield play has been ugly to watch, there is a bright spot for LSU: the outfield and the range they’ve been covering. Gavin Dugas in left, Dylan Crews in center, and Gio DiGiacomo in right has settled in as LSU’s best defensive outfield combination. Dugas and Crews each made some phenomenal catches on Friday night to boost Ma’Khail Hilliard’s ability on the mound and

get LSU a win in the second game of the series.

And if there is a coach that is taking on the responsibility to remain diligent in the work he and his players are putting in, it’s Johnson. The growing pains that the team is feeling right now is something Johnson had speculated could happen at the beginning of the year. That doesn’t excuse them, or make them less imminent, but for Johnson to be aware of the problem and take accountability is a good first step.

“It’s about work, it’s about self discipline,” Johnson said. “It’s about not getting discouraged. It’s about continuing to invest in the things we need to do to be better, and that’s my job as a leader to help them do those things.”

But it has to occur soon. Until the defense improves, the ceiling for the team will be remain the same: a decent tournament team who can spray the ball offensively but will ultimately falter when the defense needs to make a stop for them.

And that’s not something LSU will be satisfied with.

just compete with anybody.”

He models his game around tight ends like Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, and former NFL tight end, Jason Witten.

the remainder of it will fly by as well. His high school career has had its ups and downs, but he has had fun and learned a lot along the way.

“It’s been fun. Definitely been a roller coaster,” Markway said.

“Winning a state championship, playing on ESPN, playing my sophomore season, balled out in a COVID-19 year, so that was weird, and obviously I got injured this year, but really, we’ll see what happens.”

The fact that he only has one more season left at DeSmet High School has become a reality to him, but he knows what lies ahead of high school is the result of his hard work and sacrifice.

While Markway looks like he can provide a great amount ability-wise, he is also ready for any challenges that come his way once he comes to Baton Rouge and will make sure he performs to the best of his ability.

“I take pride in being the best in everything on the field,” Markway said. “Whether they put me in the backfield, put me flexed out, put me attached, I’m going to get it done right, I’m going to get it done great.”

Markway won’t be suited up in the Purple and Gold until the 2023 football season, but just as the time of his high school career thus far has flown by, he knows

“It has hit me, and to be honest,” Markway said, “I just can’t wait to get down to Death Valley and play.”

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OPINION

page 11

Letter from the Editor: Donate during the Reveille fundraiser LARA NICHOLSON

@laranicholson_

My Reveille career started on a wintery night at Louie’s Cafe.

I had just gotten a grip on independence and college life as I finished my first semester at LSU in 2018 when I stumbled into then-Editor-in-Chief Natalie Anderson as she ate with some friends. I told her I was interested in working at The Reveille, and when school started again, I walked into the newsroom in the Hodges Hall basement for the first time, ready to begin reporting.

Since then, I’ve studied journalism in Austria, reported from press conferences with Pete Buttigieg and Andrew Yang and even spent three days in the Mall of Louisiana looking for a missing python.

Every work experience I’ve obtained since wouldn’t have happened without The Reveille.

For that reason, I can’t help but ask you to donate during our fundraiser event this week. This

money will help The Reveille provide better resources to blossoming reporters by remodeling the newsroom, covering travel expenses and upgrading our equipment.

The Reveille provides LSU with vital information about what’s happening on campus, whether it be in Student Government, Athletics, administration and everywhere in between. Our newspaper is more than just a learning opportunity for aspiring journalists — it’s a record of history for this campus, and has been for 135 years.

We’ve fought for journalistic freedom for nearly a century, from The Reveille Seven (who were expelled for reporting stories critical of Huey P. Long) to lawsuits against LSU in 2013 for keeping public information secret to sending legal notices to the Faculty Senate just last semester after a reporter was unlawfully ejected from a meeting.

Our countless impressive alumni have gone on to pursue journalism careers at local publications like The Advocate and The Advertiser, and at national publications like Politico, The

DYLAN BOREL / The Reveille

LSU Reville newsstand sits March 9, in front of the Journalism Building on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, LA. Washington Post and The Associated Press. Many others use the skills they learned here to pursue careers outside of journalism, like law.

In order to be able to continue our legacy as the flagship univer-

sity’s newspaper, we need the support of our readers — whether that’s with $5 or $500.

Your donation can help our newsroom meet modern technological standards with monitors and camera equipment (and get a

much-needed paint job). It would help our sports reporters cover the Tigers when they play outof-state. Our staff members can grow their skills at professional development conferences nationwide.

Your donations don’t just get students new furniture or vacation money. They allow us to provide this campus community with more coverage of vital issues.

And if that doesn’t persuade you, we also have mugs, shirts and sweatshirts that you can get with your donation. Who doesn’t like merch?

To donate, use the QR code on page six or visit LSUReveille. com.

You can also support by participating in our Giveback Day on Wednesday, April 6, at Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers on Highland Road or on West Lee Drive and mentioning The Reveille with your purchase.

Lara Nicholson is the editor in chief of The Reveille and a 22-year-old journalism and political science senior from Baton Rouge.

Legislature must address gun violence with firearm reforms Missing in Action MIA COCO @MiaMarieCoco1 Guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens in Louisiana according to gun violence research group Everytown Research and Policy. Fatal and non-fatal shootings cause not only physical pain, but also emotional and financial turmoil for victims and those close to them.

Louisiana has the resources and the ability to curb the increase in gun violence, and it’s time our legislators take action.

In 2019, there were 1,013 deaths involving guns in Louisiana. Over 100 of these victims were between the ages of 0 and 19. Each victim had family, friends and coworkers who were left to grapple with incredible grief and psychological turmoil. These effects can be profound, especially for young people. Children who have been exposed to or victimized by gun violence are more likely to have low grades, depres-

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA

sion, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

As of 2019, Louisiana had the sixth highest gun death rate and the ninth highest rate of diagnosed depression in the nation.

As mental health and gun deaths become intertwining crises, the

Legislature still fails to act.

The FBI and the CDC have studied the effectiveness of different gun laws and concluded that universal background checks, permit requirements and other laws regulating who possesses firearms are the most effective

tools in preventing gun violence and death.

While Louisiana requires a concealed handgun permit in order to carry a concealed firearm, no state permit or background check is required to possess a rifle, shotgun or handgun. People are also allowed to openly carry a firearm in public without a permit. When purchasing guns in Louisiana, you face no restrictions on how many guns you buy, the ammunition you use, the sale of assault weapons or the childproofing of weapons.

Our state laws explicitly work against decreasing gun violence.

States like Rhode Island, Massachusetts and New Jersey are considered to have the strictest gun laws, and, not coincidentally, these states are also considered some of the safest states in the country. If we have statistical data backing up the effectiveness of gun regulation at lowering violence, there is no logical reason for our lawmakers to remain lenient.

To protect teens from the growing rates of gun violence,

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Editor in Chief

Lara Nicholson Enjanae’ Taylor Josh Archote Bella Dardano Claire Sullivan

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 editor@lsu.edu or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

the Legislature must act, even if that action comes in small steps.

For instance, requiring a permit to purchase and carry a firearm would keep dangerous individuals from possessing guns. If anyone can walk into a store, purchase a gun and openly carry it, Louisiana is opening the door to shootings in alleyways, grocery stores and parks.

Rather than act against gun violence, the Legislature has been writing laws to make it even easier to carry a gun. In 2021, a bill was passed in the Legislature that would make it legal to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Thankfully, Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed the bill, but its passage through the Legislature showcased lawmakers’ troubling priorities.

If our legislators want to protect Louisiana’s children and teenagers, they must write laws that actively protect us from gun violence.

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

Quote of the Week “It pays to keep an open mind, but not so open your brains fall out.”

Carl Sagan

American astronomer 1934 — 1996

, y e n o H I’m home! find your forever hive In O

. . k n e W ee

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