The Reveille 7-12-21

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‘TRUST’ LSU President William Tate IV promises to restore faith in the University.

Read on

page 2 COURTESY OF KATHERINE SEGHERS, LSU

NEWS

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University president Tate has begun his presidency prioritizing the transformation of the university’s existing Title IX policies and procedures.

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Former LSU sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson lost her spot to compete for the U.S. in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for THC.

OPINION

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“A reasonable institution – one that values integrity and student safety – would have suspended Orgeron from coaching duties.”

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

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‘SCHOLARSHIP FIRST’ Tate promises to find academic solutions to university problems

BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey After the camera lights shut off, the microphones lowered and the press dispersed, a woman approached William Tate with her six-year-old son. She asked the new president of LSU for a photo.

In his first morning on the job, Tate met with the Faculty Senate in the Faculty Club, then walked to the Student Union to field questions from reporters. His third task of his presidency was to take a photo with the family and the young Black child, who peered up at the first Black university president in SEC history.

His mother said her son will come to LSU one day, hopefully to play football or basketball. Tate smiled and offered some advice.

“For every football you catch,” he said, “read a book.”

That was the theme of Tate’s introductory press conference: “scholarship first,” he reiterated, in every facet of university life — from Title IX, to athletics, to campus infrastructure and virus protocols.

“This isn’t a legitimate institution until we seek truth first,” he said.

Time will tell if Tate’s scholarly credentials will hold up to a mighty athletic department and his new football-obsessed world.

The last man to hold permanent status in Tate’s new office, F. King Alexander, oblivious to the cries of a fan and donor base, was reportedly forced to replace an athletic director in a backroom at Juban’s. The interim president, Tom Galligan, had to clean up

COURTESY OF KATHERINE SEGHERS, LSU

William Tate IV speaks during the interview process in LSU’s presidential search on May 6, 2021. athletics’ Title IX mess and answer for their wrongdoing, while Les Miles, Joe Alleva, Verge Ausberry and Miriam Segar stayed quiet.

Like Alexander, Tate is an outsider academic from a small school. He spent 18 years of his accomplished career as the dean of the graduate school at Washington University in St. Louis, a private school of 15,000. After a year as provost and executive vice president of academic affairs at the University of South Carolina, Tate moved down to Baton Rouge, where he was asked if he thinks he can rebuild the flagship school’s national reputation.

“Yes,” he said flatly.

Tate said Title IX will be priority No. 1 in his first weeks in office. If Galligan’s job was demo-

lition, Tate’s will be construction.

So he’ll pick up a hard hat and get to work, building up his vision of a Title IX office: a transparent, consistent system based in science and public health, he said.

“You have to create processes that people trust,” Tate said.

“Consistency builds trust.”

Establishing that trust will be key, Tate said, as he stressed the importance of reporting sexual misconduct. He said a proper Title IX office views campus through a “trauma-informed” lens. Survivors, who too often are treated like the problems, have physical and emotional needs that the institution must meet, as it tries to levy justice.

Tate, answering questions after only two hours on the job, said he has not met with any athletic

department officials. LSU General Counsel has not yet briefed him on the two lawsuits the athletic department faces, he said, but he said he’s thankful for the litigation because “everything will be exposed.” The truth will surface.

Like church and state, athletics and academics will remain separate under Tate. If an entity is successful, he said, you shouldn’t de-invest in it and reallocate resources. Instead, you should develop the area that needs it. Tate promised infrastructure and resources to a faculty that deserves it, but said that that money should not come from athletics. Tate will not push to resurrect the fundtransfer policy that current AD Scott Woodward ended.

“No one has ever cut their way to excellence,” he said.

Tate said he’ll soon meet with student government leaders and greek life representatives. He values relationships with students, he said — undergraduates, graduate students and doctoral candidates. He closed his remarks with a little homework for his new students.

First, he told them to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Only 26% of students have received their shots so far, a number that Tate, master of epidemiology, called “not good.” He said that the rate must increase.

Then, as he told the six-yearold boy, he asked the students to read a book. He promised to hold up his end of the bargain — in Title IX, academics and campus infrastructure.

“We can help people if we do this right,” Tate said.

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NEWS

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Tate promises to revamp Title IX system

BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone

As William Tate graciously enters into the role of president at LSU, he has Title IX on his mind. Tate says it’s his No. 1 priority and of utmost importance to rebuilding trust in the institution.

Before coming to LSU, Tate served as provost of the University of South Carolina while the college managed the aftermath of a Title IX scandal in which faculty members were accused of engaging in sexual relationships with subordinates.

Of the four known cases that were investigated, one faculty member will go on paid sabbatical in the fall, one resigned from their position and another is barred from campus while performing administrative duties. These punishments were doled out based on advice from UofSC’s council during the civil litigation period.

Two of the men who maintain status on campus are art professor David Voros and Chief Technology Officer for ITS Mike Dollar. Three lawsuits were filed against Voros.

Allegations included exchanging sexual favors for employee benefits, making unwanted sexual advances on faculty and students, violating no-contact orders, as well has repeated harassment, stalking and bullying.

A plaintiff said that Dollar engaged in an affair with her, a subordinate professor, and then forced her to have an abortion after learning he had impregnated her. The plaintiff testified in court that he harassed, bullied and intimidated her with threats of getting her fired if she didn’t comply.

“The laws are very specific about the implications for the different ways of [reprimanding faculty],” Tate said. “If you give them a paid leave, in many respects you have more degrees of freedom about what you can do with them afterwards, and we made those kinds of decisions in consultation with lawyers.”

Tate said his experience at U of SC has better prepared him to manage LSU’s own Title IX problems. He has a few key ideas about how LSU can improve the current system.

“What you learn quickly in Title IX is that it’s important that you have a very clear process that everybody can understand,”

Tate said. “If a person who is on the street cannot read your process and understand what’s going to happen, you have to figure out a way to communicate it better.”

The Husch Blackwell report released on March 3 highlighted that many employees who were required to report incidents of sexual assaults were potentially unaware that they had an obligation to do so. In many cases, this enabled abusers to continue harming LSU students.

Tate also noted that an integral part of Title IX is making sure individuals who have been victimized feel comfortable reporting to the on-campus office, now located in 118 Himes Hall. ACLU found that 95% of campus rapes go unreported, and RAIIN similarly noted that only 310 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are brought to the police.

“We have to make sure people feel comfortable reporting to Title IX and that the investigation process is thorough as well as the part where we take care of the victim and make sure they’re not retraumatized,” Tate said. “If you do that, and do it very well, you’re going to be a national model.”

Tuesday, July 6, was Tate’s first day on the job. He had yet to be briefed on LSU’s two ongoing lawsuits, but will be meeting with General Council and Title IX representatives in the coming week to learn more about where the university stands in these cases.

“I think we need to design [a system], then have the community examine it as well as a set of experts look at it to ascertain whether or not what we put together seems like it’s robust enough to handle a caseload for a place like LSU,” Tate said. “This is a massive institution, and unfortunately there are a lot of cases that are associated with Title IX and have to be managed in a timely fashion.”

Tate said that, as a doctor of epidemiology, he is a strong believer in the peer review system and will be relying heavily on experts to verify LSU’s Title IX methods.

“We’re going to be tested fast, folks,” Tate added. “We have to make sure our design is robust and is something we can replicate over time and be consistent, because if we’re consistent with what we do, we’re going to build more trust in the community.”

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.

ADMINISTRATION

Haynie out as executive vice president, provost

BY REED DARCEY & NICK FREWIN @byreeddarcey & @itsnickfrewin Stacia Haynie is no longer LSU’s executive vice president and provost, according to an email President William Tate sent to faculty and staff Thursday afternoon. Haynie will return to the faculty of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).

“Setting us on a new, strategic direction may sometimes require that we seek a fresh start in certain areas,” Tate wrote. “It is not meant to imply that things aren’t going well in those areas.

In fact, there may be many posi-

tive things happening that we can and should continue to build on while also going in a different direction.”

Matt Lee been will take over the position in an interim capacity until a permanent replacement is found. Lee was previously the vice provost for academic programs and support services.

Haynie first joined the LSU faculty as a political science professor in 1990. She then moved up to administrative positions, working as an associate dean and interim dean of the Graduate School, vice provost of academic affairs and dean of HSS. She has been provost since 2018.

JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

LSU’s Provost, Dr. Stacia Haynie, speaks during an interview on Sept. 18 in her office at Thomas Boyd Hall.

TITLE IX

LSU AgCenter researcher returns after Title IX violations

BY CADEN LIM @cadenlim5 A researcher in the LSU AgCenter was reinstated July 12 after going on paid administrative leave in April while LSU investigated a Title IX sexual harassment case against him, university officials said.

Niranjan Baisakh, who was reported to have sexually harassed and assaulted a graduate student in a series of events from 2014 to 2016, will return but will not have graduate faculty status, according to the Baton Rouge Business Report. He will not be able to supervise or work on projects directly with any graduate students.

LSU researchers said Baisakh will still be able to be in contact with graduate and undergraduate students while doing his own research, just without the honorable graduate faculty status.

LSU officials declined to comment on Baisakh’s case, since it is a personnel matter. However, even after Baisakh’s case came to light earlier this year, he was not removed from the faculty.

He was allowed to continue research at the AgCenter during a “pause” in his academic tenure from 2017-2020. He was only prohibited from working with graduate students.

Baisakh’s academic tenure was briefly reinstated until the Business Report filed a public record request in March about the case, where he was then placed on paid administrative leave until the results of the review came out.

LSU officials refuse to reveal much about the results of the case review. Several LSU faculty members said “pausing” academic tenure and then reinstating it is very unusual in higher education. Officials did confirm however that AgCenter Vice President and dean of the College of Agriculture Bill Richardson approved the decision.

At the time, AgCenter policy granted the vice president the authority to make such decisions. LSU Vice President of Strategic Communications Jim Sabourin said in recent weeks, the policy changed, and the LSU President must now approve any personnel matters of the AgCenter.

SPORTS

page 4 OPINION

Column: Cannabis shouldn’t take away a shot at gold

DREAMS DASHED

DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16

hemiah said that Richardson began pouring all of her concentration into future competitions after the devastation of her suspension.

Richardson took the nation by storm back in 2019 when she broke the 100-meter record at the NCAA Track & Field Championships with a time of 10.75 seconds, the quickest in women’s collegiate history.

The freshman went pro following the performance and eventually improved her personal record to 10.72 at a silverlevel invitational meet in Flor-

Despite the rapid demise of the cannabis stigma among the American people in the past decade, an Olympian has been barred from competition because of her use of a substance that has been legalized in 19 U.S. states.

Twenty-one-year-old ex-LSU sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson qualified for the 100-meter dash with a 10.87 second time on June 19. She was set to compete in the event during the delayed Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics next month.

This performance was nullified after she tested positive for THC on a mandatory drug test. In response, Richardson accepted a 30-day suspension that concludes July 27. The Tokyo Olympics start July 23.

Richardson was on track to be one of the U.S. Team’s brightest stars.

Now a lifetime of work is ruined by the presence of a substance that can be legally enjoyed in more than a third of the nation she was set to represent.

Unlike practices like blood doping and substances like steroids, THC has not been conclusively linked to performance enhancement.

see RICHARDSON , page 5

see COLUMN, page 5

US Track & Field leaves Sha’Carri Richardson off Olympic relay team

ASHLEY LANDIS / Associated press

BY MORGAN ROGERS @__morganrogers Track officials are allowed to pick two athletes for the Olympic’s 4x100 relay team despite how they performed in the trials.

There was some speculation that suspended sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson would still likely run in the relay even though she couldn’t make her signature event, to give the runner a chance to at least appear in the Tokyo Olympics.

After U.S. Track and Field officials recently released the full list of names competing in the

4x100 in August, however, it was clear that Richardson had completely missed her shot to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games.

USATF said that the athlete’s situation is “incredibly unfortunate and devastating for all.”

While they shared their sympathies with Richardson, they mentioned that it would be unfair to relinquish another hopeful U.S. team member’s spot on the team in favor of the ex-Tiger. USATF acknowledged that the current list of banned drugs may perhaps need revision, but that Richardson’s suspension was based off specifically fol-

lowing the current procedure for that particular failed drug test.

“All USATF athletes are equally aware of and must adhere to the current anti-doping code, and our credibility as the national governing body would be lost if rules were only enforced under certain circumstances,” the organization said.

“Our heartfelt understanding lies with Sha’Carri, but we must also maintain fairness for all of the athletes who attempted to realize their dreams.”

Yet, Richardson hadn’t petitioned to join the relay squad anyway. Her agent Renaldo Ne-

BASEBALL

Arizona All-American to transfer and join Jay Johnson at LSU REVEILLE STAFF REPORT All-American infielder Jacob Berry from the University of Arizona has transferred to LSU, according to Head Coach Jay Johnson.

Berry, of Queens Creek, Arizona, helped lead the Wildcats to the 2021 College World Series and the Pac-12 Championship. He had a .352 batting average and led the team with 17 home runs and 70 RBIs. Berry will start classes at LSU on August 23 and is immediately eligible for his sophomore season as an LSU Tiger.

Collegiate Baseball newspaper

named Berry Co-Freshman of the Year and earned a first-team AllAmerica honor from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. He also earned second-team All-America recognitions from D1Baseball and Perfect Game.

Berry and LSU sophomore Dylan Crews, who received the 2021 Perfect Game Freshman of the Year, are teammates on the Stars squad of the U.S. Collegiate National Team. Berry has hit a team-leading four home runs this summer. Through four games, he hit .500, another team lead.

Crews hit a double, home run and four RBIs through four games.

He batted .313.

COURTESY OF LSU ATHLETICS

LSU Baseball Head Coach Jay Johnson is introduced to the media on June 28, at Alex Box Stadium.

Monday, July 12, 2021

page 5

STUDENT LIFE

LSU athletes begin to capitalize off name, image, likeness

BY CADEN LIM @ cadenlim5 The day has finally come.

The NCAA passed a slew of rule changes on July 1 that will allow college athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) from various business opportunities without losing their eligibility.

Schools themselves can’t pay athletes, but athletes will be able to exchange their appearance as star college athletes in companies’ advertisements for money.

State laws and individual school

RICHARDSON, from page 4 ida, becoming the sixth-fastest woman ever. On June 19th at the U.S. Olympic Trials, the track star continued to skyrocket to international fame, clocking in a wind-aided 10.64 and a 10.86 time at the semis and finals to finish first and punch her ticket straight to Tokyo.

Even against the likes of Jamaican runners Elaine Thompson and Shelly-Ann FraserPryce, the Tiger was confident that she could bring home an Olympic gold medal in the 100-meter event for the first time in 25 years.

Breaking news on July 2 seemed to crush the dreams of Richardson and the hearts of many hopeful Americans when the track star was given a onemonth suspension by the USADA for testing positive for THC. The U.S. sprinter had learned the news of her mother’s death just days before the trial compe-

policies would determine restrictions and guidelines on NIL. Several star LSU players have already announced their partnerships with various sponsors.

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne stands to earn perhaps more than any collegiate athlete in the country off the new rules.

Advertisers would seize on a chance to reach her one million Instagram followers and her four million TikTok followers. Thus far, Dunne has taken a patient approach to the new NIL era; she has yet to announce a partnership.

Other Tigers were quick to capitalize.

Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr, who many college football analysts believe to be the best player in the country heading into this upcoming season, will be partnering with Louisiana-favorite Walk-On’s.

Quarterback Myles Brennan has announced his partnership with Smoothie King and Smalls Sliders.

Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, offensive lineman Austin Deculus and others will start working with Yoke Gaming.

tition in Oregon, a state where marijuana is legal. The heavy news was delivered to the young woman from a reporter in an interview which sent her into “a state of emotional panic.”

The sprinter said the moment of hearing a complete stranger inform her of such shocking information was definitely “triggering.” The grief of loss combined with immense pressure seemed to push Richardson into finding a way to cope and temporarily relieve her anxiety and stress.

“Being in that position in my life, finding out something that I would say is probably one of the biggest things that have impacted me,” Richardson said on The Today Show. “Leading up to that, dealing with my mental health leading up to the games, every time stepping onto the track expecting to be a record-breaking time. Just with that pressure in itself was just a whole other thing.”

The positive marijuana test therefore erased her first-place win at the U.S. Olympic Trials and relinquished her spot on

“Everything I do comes from me naturally.

No steroids. No anything. ” SHA’CARRI RICHARDSON

the U.S. team to compete at the 100-meter event at the Olympic Games. The 21-year-old’s suspension will lift on July 28. The 100-meter Olympic event will begin on July 30, starting with the preliminary and heats, and end with the semifinals and finals on July 31.

“I want to take responsibility for my actions,” Richardson told NBC about her decision to ac-

ABBY KIBLER/ The Reveille

LSU gymnastics freshman all-around Olivia Dunne performs her uneven bars routine cept the suspension rather than appeal it. “I know what I did. I know what I’m supposed to do and am allowed not to do, and I still made that decision. I’m not making an excuse. I’m not looking for any empathy in my case.”

After the 2012 London Games, the classification for a positive marijuana test was pushed from 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150 nanograms per milliliter instead. International regulators explained the change was to detect in-competition use rather than usage in the weeks leading up to a competition.

“Everything I do comes from me naturally. No steroids. No anything. This incident was about marijuana,” Richardson said. “After my sanctions are up, I’ll be back and able to compete, and every single time I step on the track I’ll be ready to compete for whatever anti-doping agency to come and get what it is that they need.”

COLUMN, from page 4 “It’s not a steroid. It’s not a growth hormone. It’s nothing to make you run faster, jump faster, throw faster — furthest thing from that,” Joseph Hanna, an attorney who has represented several professional athletes, said. “It has more of an opportunity to slow you down than to speed you up.”

Cannabis and other THC consumption methods are no more beneficial to an athlete than a night at the bar or a late night run to McDonalds. Steven Hawkins, the interim president of the United States Cannabis Council, compared smoking cannabis to smoking a cigarette or eating a greasy hamburger.

“These things have nothing to do with an athlete’s performance,” he said.

Richardson’s THC consumption was in the legal state of Oregon. According to an interview she gave Friday morning with “The Today Show,” she turned to cannabis as a way to cope with the death of her biological mother.

“Don’t judge me because I am human,” Richardson said.

Unlike the inconclusive science behind THC’s connection to performance enhancement, the scientific and public community has

ASHLEY LANDIS / Associated Press

Sha’Carri Richardson waves after winning the women’s 100-meter run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. largely accepted the role of the drug in stress and anxiety relief.

A 2019 study found that stress and anxiety were reduced by around 58% after THC consumption.

Consumption of a substance that you can legally buy for recreational and medical use should not destroy years of work, years of training to reach peak physical fitness. Richardson and her story are almost universally sympathized with. “[Many] don’t even realize how

galactic [she] was going to become in Tokyo. Like global-icon-shooting-star galactic,” sports editor at The Nation Dave Zirin tweeted.

“What they have taken from her over some weed is incalculable.”

News of Richardson’s suspension comes the same week that Soul Cap — a swimming cap designed to allow swimmers with natural black hair to swim without barriers — was banned from use in Tokyo.

Both Richardson’s suspension

and the Soul Cap ban are seen nationwide and internationally as continued existence of white supremacy and racism in modern society. Cannabis’ current status as a schedule one substance is attributed to racist attitudes relating to Hispanic and black communities in the early 20th century.

“The criminalization and banning of cannabis is an instrument of racist and colonial policy,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said.

“The notion that weed is a

The USADA’s rules state that an athlete will actually receive a 3-month sanction in return for testing positive for any drug that is not classified as performanceenhancing. The agency states that the athlete can undergo a program to reduce their suspension to one month though.

In spite of completing this program, Richardson’s 30-day suspension will still prevent her from competing at the 100-meter event in the Olympics due to her qualifying time at the Trials being nullified. The 100-meter Olympic event will begin on July 30 starting with the preliminary and heats, and end with the semifinals and finals on July 31. The 4x100 relay race will be held Aug. 5-6, eight days after the sprinter’s suspension lifts.

“This will be the last time the Olympics don’t see Sha’Carri Richardson,” her agent said, “And this will be the last time the U.S. doesn’t come home with a gold medal in the 100.” problematic “drug” is rooted in racism. It’s insane that Team USA would disqualify one of this country’s most talented athletes over thinking that’s rooted in hatred.

It’s something they should be ashamed of,” responded Seth Rogen, actor and owner of Houseplant Cannabis. “Also if weed made you fast, I’d be FloJo.” Responding to the suspension of one of his nation’s finest athletic champions, President Joe Biden said on Saturday that “the rules are the rules.”

“Whether they should remain the rules is a different issue,” Biden said.

It’s been nearly a decade since the first state legalized cannabis.

Given the universal response to Richardson’s suspension, maybe it is time to reconsider some of the rules behind anti-doping as we continue into the 21st century— and this nation’s perception of cannabis in general.

In a better world, Richardson wouldn’t be giving interviews trying to justify her actions and talk about how she can’t compete in the event she broke records for at LSU; she would be basking in Olympic glory.

Domenic Purdy is a 20-year-old journalism junior from Prairieville.

OPINION

page 6

University should have investigated Orgeron months ago SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire An amended Title IX lawsuit puts legal force behind deeply disturbing allegations of a rape cover-up a USA TODAY investigation detailed almost a year ago.

Former university student Ashlyn Roberts, who was anonymous in the original news publishing of her story in August, says her then-boyfriend, a football player, informed Head Coach Ed Orgeron that running back Derrius Guice raped her, and that, instead of fulfilling his legal and moral obligation to report the case to the Title IX Office, Orgeron simply told the boyfriend not to worry because “everybody’s girlfriend sleeps with other people.”

When this story became public, Orgeron released a statement saying “I have complied — and I will continue to comply — with all Title IX protocols and procedures” and claimed that the quote was “not accurate.”

Then, just like that, the university moved on. Serious, public allegations had emerged, claiming that its head football coach covered up a rape report against a star football player, and university officials, at least externally, threw the problem out with the news cycle.

Though that’s unsurprising in the context of the university’s culture around sexual violence, let’s be perfectly clear: nothing about that should be considered normal or acceptable. A reasonable institution — one that values integrity and student safety — would have suspended Orgeron from coaching duties until it could conduct a thorough, independent investigation into the allegations made against him. But this university shows time and time again that its decision-making is instead led by the ever-higher forces of football, fame and fortune.

And still, additional allegations against Orgeron revealed in the Husch Blackwell report were not enough to prompt action from the university. In 2017, 74-year old Superdome worker Gloria Scott says that Guice sexually harassed her in an incident so degrading she said, “I might not never get over this until I die.” Scott says she told several administrators and Orgeron, but that no action was ever taken against Guice. Orgeron told

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Former LSU running back Derrius Guice (5) embraces LSU football coach Ed Orgeron after the LSU Tigers’ 27-23 victory against Auburn on Oct. 14, 2017 in Tiger Stadium. investigators that he never spoke with Scott, a claim refuted by both Scott and her granddaughter.

Ultimately only two things can explain the university’s public blindness to these accusations.

The first is that university officials don’t believe these women are credible, an explanation that would say something disturbing about the culture of the university and its athletics department. This ignorant denial of even a possibility of wrongdoing by Orgeron would be deeply negligent, especially considering the amount of corroboration both these women

have.

The second — and, in my view, much more likely — is that they think the claims are credible and simply don’t care. The allegations are viewed not as a concerning insight into the character of Orgeron, but rather an inconvenient public relations problem, much like the rest of this year’s Title IX scandal.

The same administrators and board members that sat idly by while claims that one of our university’s most powerful men covered up a rape allegation made against a football player want you

to believe that everyone involved in the years of Title IX abuses at this institution are long gone.

When these officials speak of change, how can students possibly believe them? Their failure to investigate Orgeron alone proves the disingenuous reality of their proclamations. Though they can feign outrage over Title IX problems they’ve known about for years, the leaders of this university ultimately suffer from the same lack of courage and competence they so condemn in their predecessors.

Orgeron is a celebrity in Baton Rouge and adored by the loyal fan-

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Reed Darcey Nick Frewin

Editor in Chief News 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.

base of the LSU Tigers that he gave a National Championship Title to in 2019. But, far more importantly, he has been credibly accused of covering up rape and sexual harassment allegations made against one of his players.

The question of Orgeron’s conduct poses a simple dilemma to the university: football or students.

It seems they’ve made their choice.

Claire Sullivan is an 18-yearold coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury,

Quote of the Week “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”

Sam Keen

author 1931 — present

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ACROSS 1 Aspiration 4 Reverie 9 Swindle 13 Suffix for fashion or afford 14 Spine-chilling 15 Tramp 16 Dissolve 17 Erroneous; incorrect 19 So. state 20 Plumber’s supplies 21 Takes a break 22 Good buys 24 Krypton or radon 25 Wreak havoc on 27 __ chicken; small fowl 30 TV sitcom waitress 31 Follow relentlessly 33 Living in the __ of luxury 35 Word of surprise 36 Be in a bee 37 Stallion’s mate 38 That woman 39 Repeat a grade 40 Funeral song 41 Venerated 43 Punch repeatedly 44 Female animal 45 Be terror-stricken 46 Frequently 49 Napped leather 51 Regulation 54 Long-distance runner 56 Ness or Lomond 57 “__ Man”; Robert Downey Jr. film 58 Still breathing 59 Resound 60 Knight & Koppel 61 Pulls up stakes 62 “Big __ Country”; Montana

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

4 Corrupt; make impure 5 Gathers crops 6 Author __ Stanley Gardner 7 Needs a doctor 8 __ culpa 9 Most bashful 10 Pigeon cries 11 Border on 12 Velvety ground cover 13 “I __ Rock”; 1965 hit song 18 Pencil sharpener handle 20 Senate gofer 23 Every 24 Nerve; boldness 25 Tattered cloths 26 Luau greeting 27 Stop & refuse to go on 28 Nightstand item DOWN 29 Bart’s mom 1 Cain’s victim 31 Tater 32 Bill denomination 2 Reckless; 34 Rind foolhardy 3 Was introduced to 36 Murdered

7/12/21

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

37 Actress Kennedy 39 Facade 40 Sand mound 42 Indian & Arctic 43 San Diego team 45 Aggravate 46 Cross out 47 Ride cost 48 __ on; trampled

7/12/21

49 Song for one 50 Brown or Berkeley: abbr.

52 Sore 53 “__ cares?”; indifferent attitude 55 Sandwich meat 56 Bandleader Brown

Monday, July 12, 2021

page 8

Critical race theory is strengthening America’s youth DOM’S UNCANNY DICSOURSE DOMENIC PURDY

@tigerdom16

“Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.”

I vividly remember hearing this quote from philosopher George Santayana for the first time from my middle school history teacher, and it’s something I have kept with me ever since.

History teaches future generations lessons, and the study of history seeks to prevent repeating our ancestors’ mistakes and build a better world.

The phrase, cliché it may be, is especially relevant in the modern discussions on race in this country.

Turn on Fox News, or tune in to The Daily Wire and you’ll hear critical race theory thrown around. According to conservative pundits and their followers, critical race theory is being taught in schools across the country in an attempt to demonize ‘whiteness’ and indoctrinate students with unamerican sentiments.

It’s the same culture war that Fox News has been leading the charge on for the past few years with critical race theory being the newest engineered griev-

ance after ‘Antifa’ and ‘cultural Marxism,’ among others.

Critical race theory is not the racism against white people that conservatives like Tucker Carlson’s rhetoric would have you believe. It isn’t a subsect of Marxism that is turning your kids into filthy communists.

It’s as simple as the name implies: it CRITICALLY looks at America through the lens of RACE. Critical race theory is a school of thought dating back nearly 40 years that attributes prejudice and discrimination not solely to individual actions of racism, but institutional and systemic constructs within society dating back to this nation’s founding.

“Critical race theory is a practice. It’s an approach to grappling with a history of White supremacy that rejects the belief that what’s in the past is in the past, and that the laws and systems that grow from that past are detached from it,” said founding critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw.

Teaching critical race theory is really teaching an analytical approach to history, not the sanitized version that many, including myself, were taught growing up.

For example, many states in

the South have history curricula that inaccurately reflect the Civil War and what it was fought over.

In an attempt to whitewash history and sanitize the terrible actions of their ancestors, The Daughters of the Confederacy led movements in the early-20th century to alter the narrative of the war to be one over states’ rights.

It wasn’t until I was able to learn about the topic on my own closer to high school that I came to terms with the ugly reality of history. The reality was that the war was fought over the issue of slavery, particularly southern states’ rights to own slaves as stated in their confederate constitutions.

Even still, critical race theory is not taught to third graders like some conservatives would lead you to believe. Critical race theory is mainly taught in colleges, with a survey from the Association of American Educators finding that 96% of K-12 teachers surveyed “said their schools did not require them to teach critical race theory.”

It isn’t a coordinated attack on the minds of children to infect them with anti-American values like the Tucker Carlsons or Ben Shapiros of the world would have you believe.

What conservatives call criti-

cal race theory is simply acknowledging the fact that this country’s origins and some of its continued practices are rooted in prejudice; they don’t teach whiteness as being inherently bad, but teach the actions of those who oppress others as bad.

The critics of this diverse, or even just accurate education see it as anti-American propaganda.

The reality of the matter is, inaccurately learning American history as nothing more than good triumphing over evil without the accurate history of prejudice that exists on this nation’s underbelly is nothing more than propaganda itself.

Conservatives that claim that they don’t want students learning from the critical race theory inspired 1619 Project — a 2019 New York Times initiative that reframes the narrative of history around African American oppression — are more than content with teaching overexaggerated tales of the revolution or how America single handedly won both world wars.

Acknowledging the disproportionate number of Black men, women and children killed by the police each year isn’t critical race theory. Neither is learning about the Tuskegee Experiments on non-consenting black

populations to test vaccines.

This is just reality. This is history.

We must learn from the mistakes of the past to build a better future. That’s impossible if conservatives and Republican pundits who claim they care about freedom of speech are actively attempting to retell history in a way that preserves historical prejudice.

Critical race theory is merely a more accurate retelling not bolstered by lie that “all men are created equal.” Critical race theory at its most basic is not a form of brainwashing kids into hating their white neighbors, but a way to learn from the past and the mistakes our nation has made and continues to make.

Crafting history in a dishonest matter is how we get January 6. If we as a country are going to progress, we shouldn’t censor our history with idealized versions of events like the Civil War or the omission of events like the Tulsa Race Riot or Tuskegee.

“Learning history through rose-tinted glasses is how we repeat the mistakes of the past,” Crenshaw said, echoing Santayana.

Domenic Purdy is 20-yearold journalism junior from Prairieville.

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