The Reveille 6-28-21

Vo lum e 130 · N o. 7

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Mond ay, Ju ne 2 8 , 2 021

DEAR MR. PRESIDENT,

WE NEED CHANGE At one of the most tumultuous times in modern university history, Interim President Tom Galligan’s tenure has come to an end, a multitude of unsolved problems awaiting his successor.

Galligan’s administration, which began in January 2020, was marked by the pandemic, national and local racial justice movements and a months long Title IX scandal. The search for a permanent president began in November, and the Presidential Search Committee set out to avoid the controversy that surrounded the election of former president F. King Alexander in 2013.

The man ultimately chosen for the job, Dr. William F. Tate IV, comes to Baton Rouge at a critical juncture in time as the university reckons with COVID-19 missteps, an ongoing struggle with its racist history and public revelations of years of university mishandling of sexual violence reports.

The LSU Board of Supervisors’ appointment of Tate on May 7 was historic.

With his election, Tate will become the first Black president in both university and Southeastern Conference history.

This won’t be Tate’s first time in the conference, having most recently served as the provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at the University of South Carolina, a position he’s held since July of last year. Before South Carolina, Tate spent 18 years as the dean of the graduate school at St. Louis’ Washington University.

Tate’s qualifications are broad and impressive, including a Ph.D. in mathematics education from the University of Maryland and multiple Master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas and the Washington University School of Medicine. Though his educational prowess is clear, his election still sparked controversy because of the abnormal process that preceded it.

BY THE REVEILLE EDITORIAL BOARD

see TATE, page 3

Read on

page 4 COURTESY OF KATHERINE SEGHERS

NEWS

p ag e 3

More rape allegations against former university star football player Derrius Guice as additional women join lawsuit against university

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

p ag e 5

LSU baseball announces the hire of Arizona coach Jay Johnson to become head coach of the program, replacing legendary coach Paul Mainieri.

OPINION

p ag e 8

“Generational arguments like this, in my opinion, are just another way to divide people, masquerading as a unifier.”

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

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TOMMY TURMOIL

Galligan’s tenure marked by protests, Title IX scandals amid pandemic

BY REED DARCEY & NICK FREWIN @byreeddarcey & @itsnickfrewin When former LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Mary Leach Warner asked Tom Galligan to step in as interim president, she said his tenure would run from six to nine months.

Eighteen tumultuous months later, Galligan will return to his classroom in the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and LSU will transition to a new president, William Tate IV. He’ll lead a university reeling from a massive Title IX scandal, a nationwide reckoning on race and a pandemic that shut down campus and killed nearly 11,000 Louisianians.

Galligan said he wasn’t expecting the board to offer him the position in late 2019. He took the job quickly and eagerly, blissfully unaware of the challenges that laid ahead.

Student leaders expressed gratitude to and sympathy for Galligan.

He is a good man and a compassionate leader, they said, who was ultimately bound by a lawyerly decorum, a powerful athletic department and the constant reminder that his reign was only temporary.

During a year in which students cried for protection — from a virus, from racism, from a malignant Title IX office — Galligan could promise only so much. He was a placeholder, not a power broker.

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU Interim President Tom Galligan sits in a chair and cups his hand around the flame of the candle April 11, during the candlelight prayer vigil for missing LSU freshman Kori Gauthier at Galvez Plaza in Downtown BR. Invigorated by the challenges of the office, unswayed by the chaos, Galligan announced in October 2020 his plans to run for the permanent position. He “got the bug,” as he put it.

“I’d love to see this COVID thing through, the conversation we’re having about diversity and inclusiveness, I want to be a part of that,” Galligan told The Advocate.

Not even a month later, USA To-

COVID-19 Galligan became president two months before the university would shut down on March 12 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. He would oversee the initial transition from in-person learning to virtual education during the 2020 Spring semester.

During the summer prior to the start of the 2020 Fall semester, the university committed to reopening campus in some capacity, but Galligan stressed that student’s safety would be the foremost priority.

“We need to get back to business, but we need to get back to business safely.” Galligan said last year to the press. “We will do everything we can to get back to campus, to get back to school and to do so safely.”

On July 14, Galligan welcomed Vice President Mike Pence to Tiger Stadium. Pence, alongside Gov. John Bel Edwards and senator John Kennedy, stressed the importance of finding safe ways to reopen schools for the fall and play the football season.

“As Coach O and I discussed today, I think it’s important not just for the student athletes, not just for schools like LSU, but it’s important for America,” Pence

said.

This mostly virtual education would carry on into the 2020-2021 academic school year, with a majority of students obtaining a large percentage of their education virtually.

Football would be played in front of sparse crowds. Several LSU games, as well as countless across the country, would be shuffled around to circumvent virus outbreaks among players.

Numerous COVID-19 testing centers were implemented across campus, students were required to fill out a daily symptom tracker, and the university made the unpopular decision to cancel spring break.

A year later, a return to a sense of normalcy has crept back onto campus. The availability of vaccinations for the public has revealed an end to the pandemic. The faculty council convened for the first time since 2005 to demand the university mandate COVID-19 vaccinations, but Galligan and the Board of Supervisors stopped short of joining the roughly 100 universities across the country to mandate the vaccine. Instead, they urged the state to add it to the required immunization list.

day published a bombshell report, detailing LSU’s systemic Title IX indifference. Galligan would spend the next few months answering for cover-ups and failures that happened on his predecessor’s watch.

When the dust settled, Galligan flew up to New Hampshire to

spend time with his children and his 14-month-old grandson, born around the onset of the pandemic.

He hadn’t seen his family since his grandchild was only a week old.

As he held the toddler, he mulled his future with the university and LSU’s ongoing presidential search.

It was a cherished time for a family that suffered tragedy in August 2019, when Galligan’s middle daughter, Aisling, died from an aggressive cancer.

Only a few weeks later — amid concerns his run posed a conflict of interest as he tried to clean up the scandal’s mess — Galligan dropped out of the presidential race. Perhaps the Title IX scandal was what squashed “the bug.” Or perhaps it was a fresh outlook on life, left in the pandemic’s retreat, that did it in. Either way, Galligan’s tenure as president would mercilessly conclude to a standing ovation at an LSU Alexandria board meeting.

The board bestowed upon Galligan a new title: president emeritus. The new-old law professor accepted it gracefully and welcomed Tate to LSU. “There’s no one more excited for him to be president than me,” Galligan said.

Protest A Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd on May 25, 2020, igniting the largest resurgence in the Civil Rights movement in 50 years. The protests and renewed discussions on race in America made their way to LSU throughout the summer.

Galligan joined students in several protests across campus. During his tenure, Troy H. Middleton’s name was taken off the library, the African and African American Studies program (AAAS) was promoted to a department, a move AAAS faculty had requested for 20 years, and LSU welcomed yet again the most diverse freshman class in school history. The Black Student Athletes Association was formed, and students are still calling for more Black faculty and more Black mental health counselors.

In early June, Galligan joined students in a Blackout LSU protest on campus. A few days later, a video surfaced on social media of an incoming freshman named Drew Dollar loudly shouting, “I hate n******.” LSU came under fire for saying it could not restrict the student’s right to free speech. Many in the LSU community said the university should have instead cited its policy on harassment and hate speech, citing the Student Code of Conduct for reference.

A week later, LSU removed the name of Middleton, former

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university president and devout segregationist. Some students applauded the move, but questioned its sincerity after pointing out the other dozen buildings on campus named after confederates, slaveholders and segregationists.

“My problem is [Galligan] mainly calmed the flames instead of putting out the fire, which describes his entire presidency at LSU,” Exquisite Williams, one student who led the charge to remove the Middleton name, said. “He handled it better than other presidents in the past though.”

The school formed a committee to evaluate the other names.

It expects to complete its research by September 2021.

“Tom Galligan is a really great guy to talk to,” said Devin Scott, SG Director of Diversity.

“He’s always open and willing to meet with students. He and I have had lunch a couple of times, and he’s just been really transparent with me about anything the whole time.”

“It’s not like we agree on everything,” Scott said, “but I just think [Galligan] is a great advocate for students and student interests.”

Soon after the fall semester began, a police officer shot a man named Jacob Black in Kenosha, Wisc, leading to more protests, especially among ath-

see GALLIGAN, page 4

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille.

If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsureveille.com.

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

A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.

NEWS HITTING ‘HOMESTRETCH’

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LSU’s building name research expected to be done by September

BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey LSU’s Building Name Evaluation Committee expects to complete its research and send its findings up the chain of command early in the Fall 2021 semester, Vice Provost for Diversity Dereck Rovaris said Thursday.

The 16-member committee is evaluating roughly 20 buildings on campus named after confederates, slaveholders, segregationists or racists and working on a list of names that it will recommend administration remove.

The full panel last met on March 11. The university’s presidential search and the members’ busy schedules delayed the process, Rovaris said. The committee decided not to make any final decisions until new President William Tate takes over on July 2.

“We’re close to the wrapping it up, I believe,” Rovaris said.

“If if I had to guess, now that I think about it, I’d say by September we should have that recommendation to the provost. It could be a lot sooner than that though.”

Rovaris said the committee is placing recommendations into three categories: names that clearly should be removed, names that should stay and a more ambiguous middle ground. When its research is complete, the panel will send

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

Murphy J. Foster Hall sits Wednesday, June 17, 2020 on LSU’s campus. the suggestions to a different, permanent eight-member naming committee. That group will then forward their conclusions up the administrative ladder: to the provost, president and finally, to the board of supervisors.

Rovaris declined to give example of names that fall in the “middle category.” He said members have combed through hundreds of documents to gain an understanding of each namesake’s full body of work and beliefs. If a person were a staunch segregationist or racist

their entire lives, he said, then their names would go to the “clear removal” category. But if their beliefs on race evolved or changed over time, then the namesake would go to one of the other two categories.

“We did the hard work of combing through texts and biographies just to find out who these people were before we just said ‘well you know, they were a member of the confederacy, so they come off,’” Rovaris said. “We didn’t do that.

That would have been an insufficient assessment. We wanted

to do a complete, thorough assessment on these folks.”

By the time the committee’s work is complete, it will have been a year since it first convened in August 2020. A student-led advocacy group named Cooperation Rouge (formerly Democracy at Work LSU) researched the building names and wrote a list of 13 names they wanted changed. The group started a petition that received over 3,000 signatures.

Some students expressed frustration that the process has lasted months. They ques-

tioned why the university could decide to remove Troy H. Middleton’s name from the library in weeks, but wait months to decide whether or not to remove the other 13.

“There is no good reason why they should delay in voting to remove the remaining 13 names,” Cooperation Rouge wrote in a July 2020 statement.

“The Board already has our research detailing the history behind the remaining 13 names.

If they understood the importance of removing Middleton’s name, then they should doubly understand the importance of removing the other 13 names, all of whom oppressed people and/or committed genocide in the name of white supremacy.”

Rovaris said the long process is simply “due dilligence.”

Some of the buildings have been named for decades, he said; Some biographies are 400 or 500 pages long. Removing names without “exhaustive” research would be inappropriate — the process is not “cavalier, quick or easy,” he said.

“We have not been sitting on our thumbs,” Rovaris said. “We have done the work. It is intensive work. And [the students] would be very proud of their student committee members because they’ve had loud voices and and informed voices.

The student reps on the committee have done a humongous job. We’re just really proud of the work that they’ve done.”

TITLE IX

New plaintiff says Guice raped her, Orgeron dismissed complaint

BY NICK FREWIN @itsnickfrewin Three more women have come forward to criticize the university for mishandling their complaints of sexual harassment and assault. In April, a mix of seven current and former students filed a Title IX lawsuit against the university.

Three additional women were added to the list of plaintiffs after a Friday filing in Louisiana’s Middle District.

The complaint includes more rape allegations against former university star running back Derrius Guice.

Ashlyn Robertson, who enrolled at the university in 2015, is named as a new plaintiff.

Robertson hosted a party at her apartment in 2016 and said she was raped by Guice while passed out on her bed and was

told by her friends on the football team that Guice bragged about having sex with her, according to the lawsuit.

Corinn Hovis said she went to a Tigerland Bar in 2020 and left in a highly intoxicated state with a “highly recruited quarterback on LSU’s football team” and that he raped her while she was blacked out in an SUV. Hovis pursued a Title IX investigation, and the football player was found responsible for the sexual assault and suspended from May 10, 2020, through May 31, 2021. The player transferred to another university in 2020, a profile match of Peter Parrish, who is now on the football roster at the University of Memphis.

The third new plaintiff in the lawsuit is former graduate student Sarah Beth Kitch, who was enrolled in the political

science Ph.D program in 2009.

Kitch was sexually harrassed by her adviser, who is referred to as “John Moe” in the lawsuit.

Kitch finished her doctorate in 2014 and reported her adviser to the university’s Title IX office in 2019.

LSU officials told Kitch that “it was a good choice not to report the harrasment when she was a student because ‘no one would have done anything’ and she would have faced consequences as a result of the report,” the lawsuit says.

“We are reviewing this update to a previously filed lawsuit, but as stated before, we are focused on taking actions to ensure that we can create a campus that is safe, just and worthy of the trust that has been placed in us,” Ernie Ballard, LSU Media Director, said to The Reveille in a statement.

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

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, in Tiger Stadium.

Monday, June 28, 2021

Protest GALLIGAN, from page 2 letes. The whole LSU football team walked out of practice and marched across campus through the rain to Galligan’s office. There, they met with the interim president, Ed Orgeron and Scott Woodward.

“I’m 64,” Galligan said.

“This has been happening my entire life. And every time I think it gets better, it happens again. We’re here because it’s got to stop. We’ve got to do something about it.”

TATE, from page 1 Tate wasn’t among the 23 candidates released to the public by the university, but was interviewed as one of three finalists in an 11th-hour application. During his interview, Tate revealed that he met LSU Board of Supervisors members and learned of the position at the Governor’s Mansion following a football game between LSU and South Carolina.

His absence from earlier candidate lists released by the Presidential Search Committee was reminiscent of the infamous and highly secretive selection process that elevated Galligan’s predecessor, F. King Alexander, to the presidency, raising questions of transparency that the committee was founded in order to avoid.

Other criticisms of his election relate to the university’s continued Title IX scandal that has dominated community discourse over the past few months and garnered national news attention. South Carolina, over a similar time period, has had a Title IX scandal of its own. And Tate, much like our own administrators, was criticized by some students for his response.

Three professors at South Carolina have been accused of sexual harassment by students, and all three are being paid full salaries following their removal from campus and teaching duties. Female students say the university repeatedly mishandled their sexual harassment allegations and failed to prevent further abuse. Sound familiar?

Tate, the second most powerful man on the UofSC campus, was criticized for the administration’s lackluster response. Students dawned protest signs reading “fire all abusers’’ and compared the sabbatical pay received by the professors to “paid vacations.”

Our university has never had a president willing to fight fiercely and unequivocally for Title IX. Considering his history at UofSC, Tate may not be that president either. In his application for LSU president, Tate promised he would “hold members of the university community accountable” and focus on “trauma-informed approaches” to Title IX – promises he seems, in the eyes of at least some of his former students, not to have fulfilled at UofSC. As Interim President Galligan said following the release of the Husch

page 4

Title IX Controversy erupted for the university when in November USA Today released a report detailing the many failures of the university’s Title IX practices, and Galligan was at the forefront of addressing the situation.

The ensuing criticism swifitly prompted the university to hire law firm Husch Blackwell to investigate the university’s failures to address sexual assault allegations and the continued mishandling of Title IX cases.

“The president’s office under Tom Galligan’s leadership

Blackwell report, “actions will always speak louder than words.”

Only time will tell if Tate’s words hold up better than those of his predecessors.

Tate steps into the presidency in a difficult time for the university. Like most universities around the world, our community has been substantially affected by the pandemic – academically, socially and financially.

The university reportedly lost $27 million in revenue over the past year. The 2020-21 school year budget decreased 1.5% from previous years, though Governor John Bel Edwards recently signed a significant $56 million increase for the 2022 higher education budget.

This increase gives Tate access to resources that Galligan didn’t have at his disposal – resources that will allow him to better tackle the greatest issues our university currently faces.

Racial justice movements of the past year have forced the university to reckon, at least in part, with its deep-rooted history of white supremacy.

Student organizations like Cooperation Rouge, formerly known as Democracy at Work, put pressure on the Galligan administration to rename 12 buildings, including what was formerly known as Middleton Library. Additionally, Galligan created the Diversity and Inclusion Roadmap as his administration began to address inequalities present on our campus.

These new policies that Tate will inherit are aimed to “ensure the Office of Diversity is staffed at levels to sustain existing programming and develop new initiatives/development opportunities.” In addition to this recent diversity plan, Tate will work with the newly appointed Associate Vice provost for Diversity Luz Randolph.

Other campus changes over the last year include new buildings like dorm halls Azalea and Camellia, which will replace the decades-old Acadian, McVoy, Kirby Smith and Herget halls: physical representations of a new direction for the university.

Despite these positive changes, the university still grapples with the aftermath of the enormous problems the Galligan administration was defined by.

As Tate awaits his swearingin, the university finds itself at a crossroads. The past decade

did take us very seriously, was willing to have multiple meetings with us to discuss different things,” said student leader Mia LeJeune.“He was so keen on listening to students and hearing their perspectives.”

Husch Blackwell would compile a 150-page report detailing the university’s many Title IX policy failures. At the Board of Supervisors meeting where the report was presented, Galligan announced the suspensions of Executive Deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry and

Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar. Ausberry received a 30-day suspension without pay and Segar received a 21-day suspension without pay.

The reluctance to fire the duo prompted outrage from students, notably Tigers Against Sexual Assault (TASA), which started numerous protests throughout Galligan’s presidency.

“It felt like he was almost not listening again and we were kind of back in that place where we were with other

COURTESY OF KATHERINE SEGHERS

William Tate IV speaks during the interview process in LSU’s presidential search on May 6. Tate was named president of LSU on May 7. of university history has been scarred by exhausting scandals, turnover of leadership and national social and political upheaval.

The university desperately needs stability, and Tate has the opportunity to be the figure that finally brings us out of what has been a seemingly endless storm.

The soon-to-be president has many important choices before him that will shape the character of our university for years to come.

Tate must carefully choose how he relates to and works with the Board of Supervisors and the state government. While it is important to foster positive relationships with legislators, he must remain firm and with the well-being of students as his first priority as he advocates for higher education at the state capitol. Our university also desperately needs someone with the reported backbone to stand up to the backroom deals and social sway of Board members.

As Tate takes office, he must prioritize issues that have fallen to the wayside during past administrations.

Campus infrastructure is in desperate need of attention and funding. The university struggles to house its annually record-

breaking freshmen class. Buildings like Lockett Hall are notoriously decrepit and dysfunctional.

The LSU Library floods while the football team gets a multi-million dollar facility upgrade. It is vital that Tate lobbies for resources to improve and expand on-campus housing and educational spaces, keeping accessibility for all students top of mind.

Tate must act with unapologetic courage in rethinking the Title IX system that has robbed so many on our campus of their well-being, rights and education.

He cannot continue the superficial accountability and bare minimum reforms of the Galligan era.

Tate should aim to create a Title IX system that is exemplary, not merely compliant with the federal guidelines ignored by the university for decades. He must listen to the stories of students, the advice of advocates and the lessons of past failures.

In addition to tackling sex discrimination, the new president must work for racial and economic justice on campus.

The university continues its disturbing use of prison labor which relies on the unpaid work of predominately Black incarcerated men and was described by an LSU professor as “slavery on

administrators,” LeJeune said, “where we just weren’t being listened to, and that was really disappointing.”

At one point, Galligan faced a hearing of state legislators to defend his choice to suspend Ausberry and Segar.

“At the end of the day, I think Galligan cared greatly for students and tried his best to implement change,” said student leader Angelina Cantelli, “but he was bound by the Board of Supervisors and existing cultures at LSU.

campus.” Campus union organizers are fighting to provide every worker at the university with a higher, living minimum wage of $15 an hour. Our university still severely underrepresents Black students, and racist attitudes and systems remain a problem on campus. Tate should work with student organizers and activists to address these, and other, longstanding problems.

Tate – a distinguished professor of epidemiology, among other subjects – must also tackle the pandemic with the authority often absent from the Galligan administration.

In February, the university announced that it expected “we will be able to operate the way we did before the onset of the pandemic,” but with Louisiana vaccination rates at a dismal 34%, student vaccination at only 26% and new virus variants coming to the United States, that claim remains uncertain. Tate should heed the Faculty Senate’s overwhelming passage of a resolution to add the existing COVID-19 vaccines to the required list for students, and must also decide if maintaining the mask mandate in the Fall is appropriate.

He will face these urgent public health choices soon after entering office. His number one priority must be public health, not revenue or public opinion.

So while Tate enters office with an increased budget and some improvements from the Gwalligan administration, he also inherits a university suffering from issues that cannot be solved with a simple transition of power. This new administration, though a welcome change for many students, must be held with scrutiny to account.

Students cannot settle for the same tune from a different leader.

We must demand change in campus systems, attitudes and priorities that are failing students. This change cannot come from a passive student body, but instead demands a loud, educated community. The university cannot live in the past any longer, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that Tate ushers us into the future.

For the first time in over a decade, the University House will be home to an LSU president and his family. May its new resident have the courage, grace and authority to navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

BR Soul Food Festival was a treat

WELCOME TO THE BOX

BY ASHLEY LATCHA @ashleylatcha

opened College World Series play against Vanderbilt.

“LSU Baseball is the premier program in the nation, and the interest we received from great coaches across the country was significant,” LSU AD Scott Woodward wrote in a statement. “Ultimately, Jay’s track record of postseason success, explosive lineups, and highly-ranked recruiting classes set him apart from the field.”

With a two-day long celebration, the Soul Food Festival returned to Baton Rouge this year for the fourth time. After the year-long hiatus due to the pandemic, vendors reopened their booths to welcome the city once again. Right in the front of the River Center plaza, street vendors lined up their carts along the streets of downtown, where crowds gathered from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 26 to partake in the delicious treats that the vendors had to offer. From seafood, to cocktails, to gourmet popcorn and shaved ice, there was something in it for everyone.

A live band played throughout the day with songs full of blues, jazz, gospel and of course, soul. My favorite was a jazz rendition of a song quite literally called “Soul Food” with the lyrics just pertaining to the foods that were being sold and how they made the artist feel (which was happy, obviously).

see JOHNSON, page 6

see FOOD FEST, page 6

LSU baseball to hire Arizona coach Jay Johnson as head coach ABBY KIBLER/ The Reveille

LSU baseball players listen to head coach Paul Mainieri Jan. 29 during baseball white vs. gold media day.

BY MORGAN ROGERS & REED DARCEY @morgan_rogers & @byreeddarcey LSU baseball has reportedly hired Jay Johnson, officially ending their month-long search for a new coach, The Athletic reported Thursday evening.

Johnson has led the Arizona Wildcats since 2015 and reached two College World Series. The 44year old coach went 208-114 in six years, with the recent 2021 team

finishing with a 45-18 record and a Pac-12 Championship.

“I am humbled and honored to be the head baseball coach at LSU and serve as the steward of the next generation of national champions,” Johnson said in a statement.

“LSU is a phenomenal university and athletics department, and I am very thankful to Scott Woodward and Stephanie Rempe for entrusting me to lead this storied program into its next winning chapter.”

Johnson leaves the confer-

ence after six seasons to join LSU after recently being named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year. During his first season with Arizona, the team boasted a 49-24 record, the second-most in its school history while achieving runner-up in the College World Series.

Johnson interviewed for the gig via zoom on June 15, The Lafayette Daily Advertiser reported. That was a couple days after the Wildcats’ victory in the Super Regionals and four days before Arizona

REV RANKS

Rev Ranks: Tyler the Creator finishes an iconic trilogy

BY NICK FREWIN @itsnickfrewin Stars: 5/5 Tyler Okonma, better known to the world as Tyler, The Creator dropped his seventh studio album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” June 25. The 16-track long album is just over 50 minutes long.

My expectations for Okonma are high since he delivered fantastic albums that pushed his artistic boundaries with his most previous albums “Flower Boy” and the Grammy winning “IGOR.” While his earlier projects saw Okonma delivering vulgar and raw lyrics with his iconic low voice, Okonma has shown extreme growth and a willingness to incorporate new sounds with his last two albums.

The noticeable difference upon listening to “Flower Boy” exemplified Okonma’s willingness to open up more to audiences about his personal love life and his sexuality, while “IGOR” saw Okonma shift away from rapping to a production heavy project which features soul heavy hits like “A BOY IS A GUN” and “ARE WE STILL FRIENDS?”

Two years since the release of “IGOR”, the music industry excitedly exploded over the June 17 announcement of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” The rollout for this album was fantastic, especially in an era in the music industry where some artists announce projects that end up being postponed for months with no release date in sight. The fifth track from the album “LUMBERJACK” was released the day prior to the album announcement, and two skits were uploaded to Okonma’s YouTube that give an idea to what the storyline of “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST.” Before listening to this album, I realized that if Okonma is able to recreate the same quality on this album as his last two previous, “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” would finalize this three-album run as one of the best in contemporary hip-hop.

After a first listen through, this album is at surface level a braggadocious victory lap by Okonma, and in his usual fashion has adopted yet another alter-ego for this album, Tyler Baudelaire.

At many points throughout the album, Okonma references his lavish lifestyle that is available to him because of the many successful ventures he is involved in, which he explicitly details on the spoken word track “BLESSED.” Sonically, this album’s production is phenomenal and showcases Okonma’s abilities as a producer.

This natural knack of his really stands out on “WUSYANAME,” which sees a verse from Baton Rouge native NBA YoungBoy and backing vocals provided by Ty Dolla $ign. If you would have asked me a month ago if I thought Tyler, The Creator and NBA YoungBoy would make a song together, much less a good song, I would have said there is no chance for the two very different artists to collaborate successfully. After hearing the final product of their craftmanship, I can gladly say I was wrong.

This collaboration with YoungBoy also reveals an interesting anecdote about the album, and that is the prevalence of Louisiana raised artists on this project. Besides

see REV RANKS, page 6

COURTESY OF TYLER THE CREATOR

Tyler, The Creator’s new album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” was released June 25.

Monday, June 28, 2021

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REV RANKS

Rev Ranks: “Apply Pressure” the hidden gem of the summer

BY ASHLEY LATCHA @ashleylatcha Stars: 5/5 After her solo debut with her brand new label featuring “Where In The World” back in 2020, Grammy Award winner Joelle James is back with another promising hit. James released her single “Apply Pressure” this May. The song features a great summer sound with a hint of 90s R&B. James is known for being pretty contributive to the R&B genre with a peak in her career being the recognition and appraisal of Chris Brown back in 2014. Since then, she has been

active in writing songs for artists such as Tamar Braxton and even contributed in writing Ella Mai’s “Boo’d Up,” which landed James her first Grammy in 2019.

“Apply Pressure” was a really great listen for many reasons, however the main focus of the song is, of course, the vocals.

The beginning of the song starts off with a very bright, upbeat melody that gives off that 90s vibe as mentioned before. With an enhancement of the addictive beat found in Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” the song becomes just as fun to listen to. Once James starts in on the melody, I automatically felt the need to turn the volume up. I was actually blown

away by the chorus. James gives an amazing vocal performance that matches really well with the beat as well as the lyrics of holding onto a broken relationship.

The song gives a very relaxed, windows-down kind of vibe, perfect for playing on repeat this summer.

With a new album dropping in July, Joelle James is definitely a star that should be in everyone’s playlists. “Apply Pressure” is just a snippet of what kind of new music to expect from her in the future. The song is available for streaming on Youtube, Spotify and Apple Music, and be sure to catch her new album coming out soon.

COURTESY OF JOELLE JAMES

Joelle James’ latest single, “Apply Pressure,” released summer 2021.

JOHNSON, from page 5

FOOD FEST, from page 5

Johnson and LSU agreed to a five-year deal worth a total of $6.5 million, according to a preliminary term sheet the university released.

On an annual basis, he’ll earn $1.2-1.4 million, roughly the same amount as ex-coach Paul Mainieri.

“He’s made an immediate impact at every program he’s led, and he’s one of the most energetic, innovative, and focused coaches in America,” Woodward said. “I am confident he is ready to add to our extensive championship tradition at LSU, and we welcome Jay and Maureen to Baton Rouge.”

At Arizona, Johnson reportedly earned $850,000 annually. His LSU contract puts about $750,000 toward his buyout. If his team wins an SEC Championship, he’ll receive a $20,000 bonus, and if his team wins a national championship, he’ll receive $100,000.

The coach will now take on a six-time national championship program who hasn’t returned to the College World Series since 2017. Johnson will find a multitude of young talent on the Tigers’ roster, but also find gaps to fill from

REV RANKS, from page 5 YoungBoy, New Orleans native Lil’ Wayne delivers the best guest verse of the album on “HOT WIND BLOWS,” which is one of my favorite tracks off the album. Another Louisiana-raised artist who makes an unofficial appearance on the album is Okonma’s long time collaborator Frank Ocean, who was raised in New Orleans after moving there from California when he was four. Ocean makes an appearance talking on the telephone at the end of “LEMONHEAD.” Throughout the project Okonma alludes to a sadness stemming from a failed relationship, and this is fully laid out for the audience on “WILSHIRE,” an almost nine-minute-long voyage through Okonma’s memories of falling in love with a very special woman.

Unfortunately for Okonma, this particular woman is involved in a relationship with a friend of his, and the drum-heavy track continues as Okonma stoically navigates the complexities of the love trian-

supported by the community.

There were also contests that were held during the earlier portions of Saturday with a judged soul food cooking contest.

Ricky and Kwanda, the children of Lizzie Griffin won the Pioneer Award for their contributions to the soul food industry. Lizzie Griffin is a wellknown figure in the community with her soul food contributions within her restaurant, Lizzie’s Restaurant, as well as serving patrons at the former barroom Night Cap. The event proved that no matter rain or shine, Baton Rouge is always ready for the Soul Food Festival and that being outdoors again and immersed within the community was something that was really taken for granted.

“The optimism that we are seeing for months with music and food lovers is giving us unlimited hope about the future of our festivals,” said Turner about the turnout for the event.

The vendors served great dishes all throughout. The excitement for what’s to come next year is already in play.

the probable departure of upperclassmen Landon Marceaux, Gavin Dugas, AJ Labas and a few more.

LSU’s other considerations reportedly included Oregon State coach Pat Casey, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco, Florida coach Kevin O’Sullivan, Notre Dame coach Link Jarrett and East Carolina coach

Cliff Godwin.

“I view this as the opportunity of my lifetime,” Johnson said, “and will do everything in my power to have our team playing a brand of baseball that makes everyone at LSU, the Baton Rouge community, and the entire state of Louisiana incredibly proud.”

Henry Jr. Turner, the organizer of the Soul Food Festival, exclaimed his excitement towards reviving the festival as the pandemic left a lot of event planners with huge uncertainty over what would happen for this year.

Many of the musical performers and vendors that were scheduled last year managed to make their appearances for 2021. One highlight that was presented for both Saturday and Sunday ended up being the presentation of the kings and queens of the Mr. Black Louisiana and Miss Black Empowerment. Artists that ended up showing included comedy from Eddie “Cool” Deemer and even acts from Joe Monk Jam. The festival still followed all of the newer COVID-19 protocols.

Alongside the food and music, the festival also included a lot of arts and crafts. A caricaturist was present at the event and was personally a favorite of mine. There were tables and booths set up around the perimeter that included crafts, clothing items and more businesses

gle. Okonma refers to this relationship, and how perfect this woman is for him, many times throughout the album, most notably on the final verse of “CORSE”.

For those who do not know, on all of Okonma’s previous albums the tenth track has always been two songs in one. This is continued on “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” with the nearly ten-minute melodic marathon “SWEET / I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO DANCE,” which features vocals from R&B artists Brent Faiyaz and Fana Hues. The piano backed transition works perfectly with connecting the two parts of this song, and the lyrical contents consists of Okonma’s appreciation and contemplation of his unnamed love interest.

When put all together, this album is phenomenal. Some of the top tracks for me personally must be “MANIFESTO,” which sees Okonma reconnect with Domo Genesis, who was my personal favorite member of Okonma’s collective Odd Future. Other amazing tracks were “JUGGERNAUT,”

which feature one of Lil Uzi Vert’s best verses in recent times, but more importantly sees Pharrell Williams deliver a top-tier verse that, to be frank, nobody expected. The song that it seemed like Okonma felt most comfortable rapping on was “MASSA”, and the drums featured throughout are exceptionally complimentary alongside Okonma’s cadence on the track.

I very much enjoyed this album, and for me it lived up to the expectation that I had set for it. It was experimental enough production and sampling wise to create intrigue while still delivering the elements of his past that I have always enjoyed. Also, the continual enthusiastic adlibbing by DJ Drama made the album immediately better. It is of my personal belief that this is the best three-album run since Kanye’s “The College Dropout,” “Late Registration” and “Graduation.”

The full album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” can be found now on all streaming platforms.

Tyler, The Creator’s new album “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” was released June 25.

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

The LSU baseball screen and Tiger Stadium sit Jan. 29.

COURTESY OF TYLER THE CREATOR

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ACROSS 1 Frying pan spray 4 Have the same opinion 9 Wineglass part 13 Place to store fodder 14 Baggy 15 Actress Winslet 16 Brown seaweed 17 Expertise; ability 19 Indignation 20 Walk leisurely 21 Correct 22 Shred cheese 24 Signer’s need 25 Clergyman 27 Like pastureland 30 Yellow Brick & others 31 Two-colored weasel 33 Soup veggie 35 Possesses 36 Reply to José 37 Grumpy person 38 Last of twelve: abbr.

39 Fortune teller’s deck 40 U.S. state capital 41 Gobi or Mojave 43 Artist’s supplies 44 Endeavor 45 Toss 46 Poe or Bergen 49 Riverboat hazard 51 Edison’s monogram 54 Humongous 56 Paper towel brand 57 Delight 58 Bird of prey 59 Exclude 60 Stitches 61 Lock of hair 62 Become one DOWN 1 Landing place 2 “I pledge __ to the flag…”

3 Janitor’s tool 4 “Little Women” author 5 Waterbird 6 “The Eternal City” 7 Notice

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

8 Special-order shoe 9 Coils of yarn 10 Orange-flavored drink 11 Carve initials 12 Encounter 13 Word after water or Jet 18 Grab the tab for everyone 20 Cathedral service 23 Maroon & crimson 24 Seek divine guidance 25 Egg on 26 Oared 27 Petting zoo animal 28 Planting season 29 Bread ingredient 31 __ of; to some extent 32 Deuce 34 Lincoln & Fortas 36 __ a soul; nobody 37 Quarter, for one 39 __-cotta; patio pot clay

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©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

40 __ out; exit in a parachute 42 Phases 43 JFK arrivals 45 Barn newborns 46 Quiche ingredients 47 Roy Rogers’ love 48 Got bigger

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49 Hollywood Walk of Fame symbol 50 Massive 52 Very eager 53 Advice from the cook 55 Hair covering 56 Solemn promise

OPINION ZOOMERS & BOOMERS

page 8

Our generational differences are nothing to fight over DOM’S DISCOURSE DOMENIC PURDY

@tigerdom16

Each year in June, my family takes a trip to the beach with my extended family of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

And every year I take notice of the different attitudes each generation possesses.

Regardless of their political views and religious backgrounds—which are varied— each generation’s members have a similar perspective on the world. Those who grew up labeled Gen X like my father and his older siblings see the world in completely different ways from their younger Millennial siblings.

On the beaches of Pensacola while the waves crashed around us, I recall my father and his younger brother discussing how their generations are different from one another.

“You Millennials are soft,” my Gen X father would say. “Not like us; we’re the greatest generation.”

“We grew up with the best of both worlds,” my Millennial uncle would retort. “My generation was the last one to grow up with analog and the first to use digital.”

This generational warfare that defined that day on the beach is fascinating. Each of them viewed their worldview as superior to their brother’s. Why was there such a gap between the two of their perspectives about the world?

It got me thinking about how two men who shared the same house growing up and grew up in the same town in central Mississippi were so different just because they were born 11 years apart. Instead of focusing on the multitudes that unified them, the conversation was—playful as it may be—about how different they were.

Every generation sees the one that succeeds them as lazy and too sensitive, the same way every generation sees the one

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

A photo of students outside the Union from 1975 sits along with a current image of the Student Union from March 9, 2021 in Baton Rouge. that preceded them as backwards and stuck in their ways.

It’s how the world has always been, especially since the advent of sociology drew attention to generational differences.

I noticed that Gen X has this edge to them. They’re more preferential to tough love and masking emotions. Unlike their predecessors, Millennials are more understanding. They acknowledge that sometimes the world is hard, and you can’t always lift yourself up by your bootstraps.

Neither of these things is a net-positive or a negative, however.

The world’s the two generations were raised in are completely different. Gen X grew up in a world reeling from cultural changes and mistrust in government, thus the ‘do-it-yourself’ mentality, whereas Millennials were born into a world where society was changing at a rapid rate and the way the world was perceived shifted into the digital age.

The Gen X perception of Millennial’s as too sensitive or lazy is simply a reaction to seeing someone raised in a way you were not. It’s the same for Millennials’ complaining about

antiquated world views or perspectives on mental health in previous generations. The world changes and so do the people that live in it, for better or worse.

Again, neither are good, neither are bad. Just different.

Why should it matter whether Millennials aren’t as tough as Gen X or what styles Gen Z prefers over their older Millennial counterparts? Generational arguments like this, in my opinion, are just another way to divide people, masquerading as a unifier.

Let’s take the recent debate on social media over the differ-

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Reed Darcy

Editor in Chief

Nick Frewin

Managing Editor

Domenic Purdy

Opinion Columnist

Claire Sullivan

Opinion Columnist

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.

ences between Millennials and Gen Z ‘Zoomers.’ My Twitter and TikTok feeds were full of observations about how Zoomers were superior because they didn’t wear the skinny jeans that Millennials wore, or who was more tolerant, whose childhood movies were better. The banter went on and on.

Instead of creating solidarity between Millennials or Zoomers that think their version of Spider-Man is the greatest adaptation of the character, the debate created hatred for the opposing ‘team.’ In reality, the aesthetic differences between the 90s and the 2000s weren’t that different.

A lot of the differences this generational ‘war’ was fought over are for naught.

Both Millennials and Zoomers grew up with their own versions of Nintendo, Disney, style and culture. The existence of one does not invalidate or discredit the other. The reason people are so defensive of the culture they grew up with, at least in a consumer, capital driven society, is nostalgia.

In the end, it’s nostalgia for the ‘good old times’ that makes every generation so adamantly defend what they grew up watching or doing. For each generation, however, these good times are different.

And now the people that grew up watching things in the late 90s and early 2000s are the ones determining what’s popular. That’s the reason why we are seeing a revival of shows like “iCarly.” You will always look back fondly on what you grew up with, and you’ll always defend it.

Generational nostalgia is a powerful thing. That’s why Gen X, Millennials and Zoomers will all fight tooth and nail to defend their favorite movie or defend the way they were raised.

It’s not about whether your generation is right or wrong. It’s about what each generation feels is right.

Domenic Purdy is a 20-yearold journalism junior from Prairieville.

Quote of the Week “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”

David Bowie

Singer 1947 — 2016