The Reveille 8-23-21

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DEJA VU

Preparing for third semester amid COVID surge

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ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU journalism freshman Chloe Carygehman of #MaskUpLSU poses for a photo Sep. 17, 2020 on a bench outside of Coates Hall in the Quad at LSU.

NEWS

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As Louisiana faces its worst COVID surge, students return to campus with little to no restrictions.

SPORTS

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LSU defense revamped over the off season adding coaches and transfer players, hoping for a turnaround this season.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Saweete and McDonald’s collaboration meal produces some crazy meal combos as well as twitter memes.

OPINION

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“[Our leaders] traded the health and safety of those on campus for the easier political choice.”

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

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SHOT AT NORMALCY

LSU prepares for a ‘normal’ semester as Delta variant ravages the state

BY CADEN LIM @cadenlim5 As Louisiana faces the worst Coronavirus outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic, hospitals are overrun and vaccination rates remain abysmal. The fourth COVID-19 surge has targeted the younger population, specifically teenagers and young adults, harder than ever.

Last week hospitalization rates rose to over 2,400 patients, with approximately 90% of those patients being unvaccinated, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

Meanwhile, LSU students return to campus Monday with relatively few restrictions in place, aside from a statewide mask mandate.

The university has been working since the surge began to minimize COVID-related issues while retaining a normal semester for students arriving on campus.

Policies put in place for the fall include monthly testing for unvaccinated students and the use of masks on campus per Gov. John Bel Edwards’ most recent mandate.

The University will also test 25% of unvaccinated students weekly, according to LSU spokesman Ernie Ballard. All student organizations on campus – especially Greek organizations – are encouraged to reach an 85% vaccination rate.

“We believe that achieving a high vaccination rate among our Greek community gives us the best chance to maintain health and safety among that community of students,” Ballard said.

“An 85% vaccination rate among the Greek community provides us with far more flexibility as we adjust to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

LSU announced Wednesday that 90% of Greek students who have completed entry protocols are partially or fully vaccinated, though only about half of the over 6,000 Greek students have responded.

Lauren Steven, a marketing junior and Phi Mu risk management chair, said she hopes everything can return to normal this semester but is willing to cooperate with whatever protocols the university imposes.

“Everyone’s a little settled into all the restrictions, so if we need to wear masks and have vaccine requirements in order to be inperson, I think we’ll be able to do that,” Steven said.

LSU found high amounts of COVID-19 in the wastewater surrounding several Greek houses on East Lakeshore Drive on Thursday. The university required every Greek member to get tested for the virus by 6 p.m. the next day – regardless of their vaccine status.

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LSU students sit on campus on Jan. 25, doing their online classes in Student Union on LSU’s campus.

ISDS junior and Sigma Phi Epsilon member Philip Hymel said he wished the university could have given them more time to complete that protocol, and that giving thousands of students 48 hours to get tested was unfair.

“I thought that if they wanted to do something like that, they should have given us at least a week,” Hymel said. “I waited in line for an hour, and I’ve already been vaccinated. I heard of people who were in line for two to three hours. That’s ridiculous.”

About 8,600 students moved into residence halls and on-campus apartments Aug. 14, 75% of which completed COVID entry protocols and reported partial or full vaccination, according to Ballard.

Several faculty members throughout the summer expressed concern about teaching in-person classes to unvaccinated students.

Some demanded that LSU go back to online classes, though the university pressed forward with returning to normalcy.

“Our goal is to have as many in-person interactions as possible for all of our student organizations,” Ballard said. “Health and safety will continue to be our guidepost as we make these decisions.”

Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Matt Lee released a letter of classroom guidelines for professors to follow as students go back to class Monday, including indoor mask use, restricted capacity for large classes and the option to teach hybrid.

“We will continue to monitor the campus and community conditions, and let you know if any changes are needed to our current protocols,” Lee wrote. “I am

grateful for the high level of engagement we have had from the campus community during our preparations for the fall semester.”

Faculty members exchanged a template note to students early July offering medical advice and encouraging them to get vaccinated, though former Executive Vice President and Provost Stacia Haynie soon after informing them they were prohibited from doing so due to university policy.

“There is concern about faculty members, using their faculty status, personally providing what could be interpreted as official medical guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations,” Haynie wrote in the letter. “(Policy Statement) 15 does not allow faculty or staff to communicate on behalf of the university unless officially designated to do so. In the case of COVID-19, all official communications must come from the Office of Communications & University Relations.”

Administration says LSU will require the vaccine once the FDA approves any of the available COVID-19 shots. Following the mandate, Ballard said LSU students will be required to show proof of vaccination or submit a waiver form to visit or live on campus – though the logistics of doing so haven’t been disclosed.

Civil engineering junior George Demopoulos, a member of Marines ROTC, said the protocols have proven effective within military programs, and that his program has only seen two COVID cases.

“We are keeping our training as up to date and rigorous as possible while still staying safe,” Demopoulos said.

Though he’s concerned an-

other surge in cases could cause campus to shut down – military organizations have gotten by this past year, he said, but it would be impossible for officers to hold virtual training.

“We do have to follow all guidelines set by the university, the Department of Defense and by the CDC,” Demopoulos said.

“We will hope it doesn’t get out of control, and our concern is that we will go back to a virtual climate, but we will always adapt and overcome.”

Executive Director of the Student Health Center Julie Hupperich said the Student Health Center is preparing for a possible surge in COVID cases on campus. A multiple-phase program is in place to minimize exposure, which includes separate entrances for sick students and a partitioning of the building in the event of a spike in cases.

“It’s an easier way to provide services to students where it’s convenient to them,” Hupperich said.

Hupperich added they implemented a new urgent care model for students to walk in at any time, similar to any other urgent care center.

Hupperich said that there are two ways this semester can go: a surge in COVID and more variants of the virus if students don’t comply with protocols, or if the campus reaches herd immunity, students can be hopeful of a normal semester.

“If we can focus on vaccination and masking up and everyone does their part, we have the best shot for a normal semester with normal connections,” Hupperich said. “I think that is everyone’s end goal.”

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

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NEWS Members LACKLUSTER AT BEST of SG plan

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

TASA remains concerned about Title IX, sexual assault entering semester

BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16

Students and activists remain concerned about the university’s previous mishandling of sexual assault cases on campus as the fall semester begins.

Student organization Tigers Against Sexual Assault is hoping to lead the conversation in the wake of law firm Husch Blackwell’s investigation into the university’s Title IX practices designed to report incidents of sexual discrimination, harassment and assault.

“The student body felt betrayed by LSU administration, and it will genuinely take years to not feel that betrayal,” TASA co-president Angelina Cantelli said. “It’s almost like we’re on our own.”

Cantelli said TASA feels the university’s efforts to make campus safer are lackluster at best.

The university once had phones that connected users directly to LSUPD. These aptly nicknamed ‘blue light phones’ – for their blue hue when they were in use – were abandoned by the university after the call boxes were frequently misused by prank callers, Cantelli said.

The SHIELD app is the university’s “free tool designed to improve the safety and security of the LSU community,” according to LSUPD’s website.

TASA feels the app is a step backward from the “immediate intervention” its predecessor pro-

JALEN HINTON / The Reveille

LSU’s Title IX office sits in Himes Hall on Aug. 20 in LSU’s campus. vided, according to Cantelli.

“The SHIELD app isn’t super effective either,” she said.

“I’m not sure if many students on campus use it and feel confident in it. A big thing would be a marketing campaign for the app; how to use it, why it’s effective. If that’s LSU’s response to blue light phones, make that loud and clear and give students confidence in the app rather than just saying it exists.”

TASA was founded in spring of 2020 to educate students and prevent sexual assault, but shifted its focus to advocacy after the allegations in the Husch Blackwell report came to light in spring 2021.

“Eventually we’ll start addressing Title IX on an academic side more openly, but will the athletics department ever address it? No,” she said. “I don’t think they’ve proven that they truly care about it.”

Architecture sophomore Lilli Bourgeois feels the issue of sexual assault will just get “swept under the rug” as it did in previous semesters.

“One of my main concerns is that no true strides will be made to make campus safer,” Bourgeois said.

Bourgeois echoed TASA leadership’s sentiment. She said she finds it upsetting that “there are football players who are com-

agenda ahead of semester

plaining that they have to take courses on how not to assault women.”

“I pay to go here to be educated and safe, not to pay for a locker room and boost egos,” she said. “How is it possible that most girls know someone or have been sexually assaulted or harassed, but men don’t know a man that has harassed or assaulted a woman?”

TASA leadership worries that gestures like boldly displaying teal lights on Tiger Stadium as a symbol of solidarity during Sexual Assault Awareness Month on social media is the extent the university is willing to go when it comes to addressing issues related to sexual assault and Title IX on campus.

“First off, that’s performative.

Second off, how come none of the other events going on for Sexual Assault Awareness Month were ever posted on LSU’s Instagram,” Cantelli said. “The only thing that gets promotion is the football stadium but not the TASA or Women’s Center events that are actually beneficial.”

Even with good news in the form of $4 million from the state legislature towards lighting campus, TASA and students alike are tired of waiting for real change to come through the Tate administration and feel more action is necessary to reverse the “institutional betrayal,” according to Cantelli.

Student Government’s priorities for the fall have changed as COVID-19 continues to surge in Louisiana, said Javin Bowman, the newly elected SG president.

“When we first came in, we all ran on the idea that COVID-19 would be gone by now, so none of us were planning on having to deal with it,” Bowman said. “Of course our first priority has changed.”

In February 2021, as vaccinations slowly made their way to LSU’s campus, it looked like the university would be able to operate as it did before the pandemic, assuming that vaccinations went as planned.

At the same time, Student Government spring elections were taking place and many campaigns ran on agendas designed for campus problems unrelated to COVID-19 they planned to address this fall.

Fast forward to mid-July and only 35% of Louisianans were fully vaccinated, even as vaccine supply outstripped demand throughout the state. COVID-19 cases began rising once again, as the more contagious delta variant fuels the worst surge the state has seen.

The Bowman-Milligan cam-

see ACTIVISTS, page 4

see SEMESTER, page 4

BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3

STUDENT LIFE

Quick Takes: LSU students share advice for President Tate

BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote As the fall semester kicks off and President William Tate begins his tenure as LSU president, multiple issues grip LSU administration.

Louisiana is experiencing its worst COVID-19 surge yet, and questions remain about how the university will respond to an outbreak on campus as only around 40% of students are vaccinated.

LSU faculty has voiced concern over returning to in-person teaching and being exposed to the virus.

Tate is also taking over after a Title IX scandal put the university under the national spotlight for mishandling cases of sexual assault on campus. And the university continues to be investigated by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

What advice do LSU students have for the new president?

Adam Dohrenwend

Angel Upshaw Tigers Against Sexual Assault co-founder and co-president

Remember that the student body is what makes LSU. Above all else, if the university isn’t working for us, it isn’t working at all.

Ethan Lauvray

Geography graduate student LSU Student Senate

Political science and history senior

Recognize workers and the dignity of work they perform to keep campus running—including that of our underpaid and undervalued workers and graduate workers.

Continue to seek wise counsel and to remain unfazed by those that think they know how to do his job better than him. Also, it’s important to build great relationships with student leaders on campus.

Remember that survivors of sexual violence are people with real emotions. An institution’s reputation does not supersede a survivor’s health and safety.

Jillian Coco Mass communication sophomore

Devin Scott

Black Male Leadership Initiative co-chair Student Government chief of policy

Prioritize the student experience at LSU. After COVID-19, many students will not have the same motivation to go to class in person. Try to make sure the student experience at LSU is diverse, academically engaging and fun.

Codee Jones Black Student Union president College Democrats vice president

Listen to students. Be understanding of our concerns and opinions, even if you do not see eye to eye with us at times. It’s important that our president makes us feel heard and is conscious of our personal liberties.

Monday, August 23, 2021

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emptions due to religious beliefs or pre-existing conditions.

“We’ll address and handle those students and try to help them and work with them to see what the best solution is for them,” Bowman said. “For students like that, the best they really can do is to continue to get tested for COVID and then

limit their exposure to people.”

The switch to online and hybrid classes led to many issues between professors and students, a problem that caught the attention of Student Government leaders.

Some students didn’t receive the final grade they were expecting because they felt like their professors were taking too long to enter grades, leaving some students with little to no answers.

“We’ve been focusing on holding both students and professors accountable,” Bowman said. “With COVID we saw a lot of students and teachers alike who hated Zoom learning. We saw professors not responding as was the same with students. We’ve been working to address that issue with the provost.”

One method which Student Government leaders hope will help enforce this new rule is the requirement that professors must now enter their grades before midterms and finals.

Bowman said he talked to the provost about working with profes-

sors to set a two-week time period for entering grades.

“After you have an assignment, you have two weeks to enter in those grades,” he said. “That way, we can always see how we’re doing because a lot of students last semester reported that they failed a class or didn’t get the grade they wanted in the class because they never knew what it was in the first place.”

While Bowman acknowledged that some professors are busy adjusting to new teaching methods, he hopes that these new rules can foster a better relationship between students and professors which could result in better grades and more efficient learning.

“If a student or teacher sends an email, if it elicits a response then it needs to be responded to within 48 hours excluding weekends,” Bowman said.

Another issue that will take priority is public safety.

With a return to normal conditions, more students are likely to

go out to bars and parties which is raising concerns from some members of Student Government.

“With colleges returning back to normal, a lot of these students have never been immersed in a setting like this,” Bowman said. “They’re going to be very eager to go out to bars and to have fun and that’s great but it’s also scary because they’re young people who are getting high and inebriated.”

He said there will be a large focus on making sure students are aware of their resources with the LSU Police Department, as well as a renewed approach on addressing students’ mental health needs.

Bowman said that with the return of widespread in-person learning, there will likely be some mental health cases that arise among students and he wants to make sure that everyone receives the help they need.

“Students are going to be very excited,” Bowman said. “It’s important that safety remains a top priority for everyone’s sake.”

about the power of the student body,” Cantelli said.

In the face of these critiques, the university has made numerous changes over the past year to improve its image surrounding Title IX. Jane Cassidy, the university’s Interim Vice President for Civil Rights & Title IX, explained that

the administration is making a long term commitment to changing the campus’ culture alongside its students.

“We recognize that prevention education is the key to changing the culture at LSU,” she said.

A Student Task Force for the Prevention of Sexual Assault and Violence was established as part

of this commitment. The committee consists of student leaders from TASA, Student Government, Athletics, Greek Life and the Black Women’s Empowerment Initiative, Cassidy said. Cantelli sits on the 11-member student committee.

Cassidy said the committee is planning a student-led fall cam-

paign including workshops and peer-to-peer conversations “designed to increase awareness of issues related to sexual misconduct as well as education on reporting and support measures.”

“We hope these will be the first steps in creating a culture of respect for all members of the LSU community,” she said.

SEMESTER, from page 3 paign ran on getting students more involved in administrative decisions, sexual assault, promoting diversity and inclusivity on campus and implementing a three-strike parking policy that would require LSU Parking and Transportation give out two warnings before ticketing a student who is parked in an unauthorized spot.

These policies are still a part of this fall’s SG agenda, Bowman said, but getting more students vaccinated and other policies related to COVID-19 have taken unexpected precedence over other issues.

“At first, our priority would have been sexual assault and working on fixing everything we’ve done wrong,” Bowman said. “We are still fighting that fight.”

Regardless, Bowman said working toward getting as many students vaccinated is more important right now. He also said that SG will work to find solutions for students who receive COVID vaccination ex-

ACTIVISTS, from page 3 Despite the organization’s concerns, Cantelli and TASA members are hopeful that the future will bring change on this front as more people engage in these issues.

“We’re frustrated with our administration but we’re optimistic

COURTESY OF CAROLINE SAVOIE

ENTERTAINMENT

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SELF--CENTERED SELF It’s all about your selfie at Baton Rouge’s newly-opened Art Buzz Studios selfie museum COURTESY OF ART BUZZ PHOTOS

BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab In this museum, photos are allowed—encouraged, even. After all, that’s the whole point of a selfie museum.

Art Buzz Studios, located at 13510 Perkins Road, is billed as Baton Rouge’s first and only selfie museum.

Selfie museums have become a trending experience in recent years, with places like the Museum of Ice Cream and Color Factory popping up in New York City and Houston. These immersive art installations often include rooms with brightly colored backdrops and interactive

props to offer visitors a variety of settings to snap social mediaworthy pics.

“I thought it would be a great idea to bring the experience here and kind of, you know, start bringing more positive things to Baton Rouge to do,” owner Erika Joseph said.

Joseph wasted no time putting her idea into action. The entrepreneur already owned a paint party studio, known as Art Buzz.

She converted the parties to mobile-only and focused in on the selfie museum.

Joseph contacted her financial adviser, drew up a business plan and found a new, larger studio. She knocked out the wall

between two suites in the St. George Square Shopping Center on Perkins Road to create a 2,460-square-foot selfie space.

Art Buzz Studios includes 18 individually-themed selfie rooms.

Visitors can step inside a bright orange recording studio with a microphone in the center and records lining the walls.

They can walk down the hall to a school classroom with desks and a whiteboard before taking a break for P.E. in a locker room -themed selfie space equipped with sporting equipment.

“It’s the vibe,” Joseph said.

“You’re coming in here with your friends, you’re taking pictures, you’re helping your friends take

pictures.”

Joseph said patrons of all ages love jumping into the ball pit in an all-white room nicknamed the “Splash-N-Dash.”

“They splash, but they don’t dash. They stay in there a long time,” Joseph said.

Joseph designed some of the rooms herself, while local artists designed others.

Monica Lockett created a fantasy wonderland where selfietakers can stand against large butterfly wings.

Balloon artist Chrys Dixon created a room with a balloon wall, which is the favorite room of Jariel Christopher, a mass comm freshman and selfie guide.

“When you walk in the room, you can’t see the effect, but the minute you take a picture it’s like the balloons are coming at you and it’s swallowing the person,” Christopher said.

She welcomes visitors to the museum and assists with picturetaking and poses as needed.

“It’s very interactive,” Christopher said. “There’s props and, like, just different photo ops for you to get into.”

Beyond the rooms, visitors can find more photo-ready spaces in the candy-themed lobby area and the send-off green hedge backdrop with neon pink letters

see ART BUZZ, page 6

FOOD & DRINK

Saweetie’s “Saweet” McDonald’s Meal offers endless choices

BY ASHLEY LATCHA @ashleylatcha Hip-hop artist Saweetie has collaborated with McDonald’s to create her own Saweetie Meal.

The rapper’s signature meal launched Aug. 9, about three months after the famous McDonald’s and BTS collaboration.

The Icy Queen’s meal includes a classic Big Mac, 4-piece chicken Mcnuggets, fries and a Sprite. The meal also features a twist on the famous Sweet ‘N Sour dipping sauce called “Saweetie ‘N Sour” sauce, the only item with custom packaging.

One of the main promotions of the Saweetie Meal involves “remixing” the meal in different ways: McNuggets replacing the patty on the Big Mac, fries replacing the bun, dipping sauce as a topping, patties with fries

in between—“seriously, anything” as written on a promotional remix poster.

Saweetie even says “as long as you’re doing you, you’re doing a Saweetie Meal,” and the reviews have been flooding in. Twitter memes have also pervaded Twitter feeds as customers exaggerate the endless variety of choices.

Along with the meal, Saweetie has also collaborated with McDonald’s on “Saweetie Saweetstakes,” which is comprised of a chance to win two limited-edition Brandon Blackwood handbags and a five-day trip to Vegas with two VIP tickets to catch Saweetie live in concert. Anyone who orders the Saweetie Meal through the McDonald’s app is eligible.

The Saweetie Meal, along with the Saweetie Saweetstakes, will only be available until Sep. 5.

COURTESY OF EATER.COM

Monday, August 23, 2021

page 6 BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

Movies in all the right places: 7 Baton Rouge theaters

BY CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN @connor_mcla

Not to sound like an infomercial, but are you tired of sitting on your couch and binging your favorite show again? If so, then this is the right article for you.

Despite the ongoing pandemic, movie theaters are truly back and open for business with new releases to look forward to every week. In Baton Rouge alone, there are seven different movie house locations: two AMCs, two Movie Taverns, the Cinemark at Perkins Rowe, a Celebrity Theaters and, of

ART BUZZ, from page 5 reading, “hope you enjoyed your selfie.”

There’s also the “Wall of Fame,” where Adrieana Vessel signed her name and Instagram handle after going through the museum.

Vessel, a junior at Southern University, had never been to a selfie museum before. The fashion major has a passion for photography, so when she saw a video about Art Buzz Studios on Twitter, she decided to check it out the same day.

course, the iconic Manship Theatre in downtown Baton Rouge.

You cannot go wrong with any of these choices, as there is always something new and exciting to see.

Personally, I frequently visit AMC Baton Rouge 16 on Hatteras Ave. because of its kind and helpful staff, comfy seating, superbly immersive Dolby Cinema and IMAX auditoriums.

It was the first theater I went to after I moved to Baton Rouge in fall 2018 and has been nothing short of excellent.

Conversely, the AMC near the Mall of Louisiana should not be slept on either, as they some-

times show films that AMC 16 does not. It’s closer to campus than AMC 16 and within the mall, so you can save some gas and shop some too before the show. In short, both are great locations.

Originally called The Grand Cinema, Celebrity Theatres is another excellent theater choice too. Baton Rouge local Jane Lynam sings high praises for the theater, calling it “super homey” and saying “it doesn’t feel like one of the chain theaters even though it is one,” due to its pleasant atmosphere, huge arcade area and games throughout the lobby. The Celebrity

“To see it was right down the street, I was like, ‘Yeah, I got to go,” Vessel said.

Vessel said she took a picture in every room and even asked for an application to apply to work at Art Buzz Studios.

“I really did like it,” Vessel said. “It was really cool.”

The first selfie room switchup will come in October, according to Joseph. She said the most popular rooms will stay, while others will be updated.

Joseph said she’s not sure why people love taking selfies.

“Maybe because they know

they look good. They’re confident. They’re strong. They like to upload pictures,” she said.

Whatever the reason, Joseph said she hopes selfie museum visitors gain a new and different experience.

“I want people to love themselves,” she said. “Take as many pictures as you want, have fun doing it.”

Art Buzz Studios is located in suites F and G at 13510 Perkins Road. Joseph encourages all visitors to book their time slots ahead online. Tickets are $30 for one hour inside the museum.

LEADERS

Theatres will surely make you feel like a celebrity on George O’Neal Road.

Moreover, who doesn’t love dinner and a show? By taking a trip to the Movie Tavern at the Citiplace Market or Juban Crossing, you can see the coolest movies playing today while simultaneously munching on a juicy Tavern Cheeseburger, wings, nachos—or a salad for those with a greener palette. I personally recommend pepperoni pizza with bell peppers. As for seating, the luxurious lounging chairs allow for maximum comfortability that imitates the feeling of watching a movie on

your bed or couch, while offering a premium setting with tasty food and popcorn.

Not too far in Lake Charles, there are only two Cinemarks that rarely screen indie films or anything outside of big-budget titles, so the wide array of theaters is quite wonderful in Baton Rouge.

So, go to the movie theaters because there are plenty of new and exciting movies playing right now—with many more to come (get hyped for Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” if you’re not). It absolutely beats streaming something from your living room.

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Monday, August 23, 2021

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WE KNOW THAT THEY’RE TOXIC Britney Spears vs. The World: Updates on the celeb’s conservatorship COURTESY OF PAGE SIX

BY EMMA JACKIMOWICZ @emmajackimowicz “Oh baby, baby...” why won’t they let Britney go?

The 1990s international pop star we all know and love, Britney Spears, and her legal team, have fought relentlessly to free Spears from the conservatorship placed upon her by her father following her highly publicized mental health crisis over a decade ago.

A conservatorship is where a judge appoints a person or organization to help manage someone’s finances or themselves. In this case, Spears’ father controlled both until 2019, when he had a care professional

supervise Spears while still being in charge of her finances.

While the Kentwood native is now doing a lot better in the years after her breakdown, she has still lost a great deal of autonomy from the guardianship her father placed and is ready to fight back.

However, it was recently announced that Spears’ father said he would be stepping down from the conservatorship after about 13 years of handling her and her estate.

With this news came a lot of excitement from hardcore Spears fans, all celebrating her freedom and hopeful return to music. While this past summer seemed to be easier for Spears,

things may have taken a turn for the worse when one of Spears’ housekeepers claimed that the singer had hit her on Aug. 16.

There were no reported injuries from the incident when deputies responded to her Southern California home that night. The staff member reported that Spears had “slapped” the housekeeper’s phone out of her hand.

In an email to NPR, Spears’ attorney Matthew Rosengart has denied this happening, claiming this accusation is another form of “tabloid fodder” against Spears since there was no harm essentially done after the report.

The slap was allegedly

caused by another fairly recent situation regarding Spears’ dogs going missing. TMZ reported that the singer’s dogsitter took the two dogs to the vet in early August and never came home with them, claiming that they were sick and were neglected.

Spears’ housekeeper showed her a photo of one of her dogs looking ill and apparently assumed that these photos were sent to her father. This allegedly caused Spears to “slap” the phone out of her hand, thus inciting the housekeeper to file a report against her. The stress of not knowing where her dogs were caused a great deal of stress to the singer, sources claim.

While the battery investigation ensues, Spears’ die-hard fans are still giving the pop star a wave of support during this series of events. #FreeBritney is still actively being used on Twitter and other social media sites as well. The campaign was bolstered by claims of Spears checking into a mental health center in 2019 after citing emotional distress from her father canceling a Las Vegas residency.

Spears is now backed by a new generation of fans as well, following the release of the 2021 documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” detailing her rise to stardom and subsequent fall into her conservatorship.

BATON ROUGE COMMUNITY

New crib, same cuts: Webb’s Barbershop moves spots

BY GIDEON FORTUNE @asapfortune Buildings do not travel, but tradition does. Webb’s Barbershop and its more than 90 years of tradition moved to a new location on its native street, Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive in late July.

In the heart of Baton Rouge, Webb’s remains one of the city’s premier locations to get a haircut, and their most recent upgrade only helps that claim.

Lenny Davis, the grandson of founder Henry Webb, bought the land parallel to the original location in 2016 and began planning the move soon after.

“It’s right across the street,” Davis said.

He added that the 100-foot move didn’t result in the loss of any regular customers, despite

that being a common problem for businesses that change locations.

All of the decorations and most of the furniture are the same, making the shop feel familiar to returning customers.

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic did not hinder the move but has changed day-to-day operations.

Anyone familiar with Black barbershops knows the role that they play in the Black community.

The socio-cultural impact of the large gatherings and heated conversations within barbershops is immeasurable. Webb’s in particular, where the staff consists of two brothers and a father and son duo, has a rich and history-filled environment that relies on people socializing freely.

“It stopped people from coming in and waiting. It stopped a lot

of conversations we had with our customers,” Davis said.

One-on-one conversations between barber and customer still occur, but it is not the same as a full shop.

Now in a larger, newer location, one can only fathom what the environment at Webb’s will be like when the pandemic is over.

Almost a century of history has been moved into Webb’s current location, where Davis and the other barbers are feeling at home.

They all laughed simultaneously when asked if there was anything they missed about the old location.

“Nothing really,” Davis replied.

Progress is just as important as history, but neither is as important as the feeling you get when you hop out of the barber chair with a fresh cut.

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

The new location of Webb’s Barber Shop sits across the street from the old location on Aug. 20 at Eddie Robinson Sr. Dr.

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SPORTS MEN IN THE MIDDLE

page 9

COLUMN

Guice suspension a ‘slap on the wrist’ HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_

the system and where he would play, believing that LSU was a better place for him to develop for the next level.

“I felt like it was going to happen eventually,” Jones said talking about his transfer to LSU. “I might as well try to put myself in a position where I can grow and challenge myself as soon as possible.”

Along with transfers Strong and Jones, LSU returns three guys at the linebacker position that Orgeron expects all will contribute this season. Damone Clark, Micah Baskerville and Jared Small are all guys that have been around the program for a while and have impressed many at fall camp. Clark

Over the past year, former LSU Tiger and second-round draft pick Derrius Guice has faced accusations of domestic abuse, sexual assault and rape. Though many would love it if he never saw the field again, there is one organization that believes he deserves a second chance: the NFL. Guice was suspended for the first six games of the NFL season in regard to the allegations of domestic violence made by his exgirlfriend. Those charges included three counts of assault and battery, which have since been dropped after the pair reached a settlement in June.

But that settlement should not erase what the woman said occurred and should not nullify his punishment in any way.

The NFL’s policy regarding domestic violence is a six-game suspension for first-time offenders and a lifetime ban for repeat offenders. The NFL held true to that in this instance, but is this enough

see CORE, page 10

see GUICE, page 10

How LSU Football’s linebacking core will be different in 2021 ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU football senior linebacker Damone Clark (18) tackles senior wide receiver Jontre Kirklin (13) April 17 where the LSU football white team defeated purple 23-14 during their spring game at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus After possibly the worst season from a linebacking core in program history, LSU football has made growth at the linebacker position a huge point of emphasis for the 2021 season.

LSU’s defense in 2020 was unlike anything the program had seen in a long time. From giving up over 600 passing yards in the season opener to a quarterback who was benched just weeks later to finishing the season ranked 123rd out of 128 FBS teams in total defense, it would be almost impossible to have a worse year.

One of the biggest weaknesses on defense was at the linebacker po-

sition where, simple mistakes and missed assignments seemed to be the norm. However, with an overhaul of the defensive staff along, with multiple exciting transfers at the linebacker position, there is hope for Tiger fans that there could be a massive improvement in 2021.

The main source of the problems both in the linebacking core and the defense in general during the 2020 season was Defensive Coordinator Bo Pellini. It was clear early in the season that the players did not respond well to Pellini — that can explain a lot of the miscommunications and simple mistakes that were common in 2020.

With Pellini now gone and Blake Baker being brought in to coach

the linebackers, that seemed to be the first piece of the puzzle to bring this group up to speed.

The next piece was to bring in some talented players to breathe new life to the position, and Head Coach Ed Orgeron did that by signing transfers Mike Jones Jr. and Navonteque “Bugg” Strong. Both guys have impressed so far in fall camp and are expected to make an immediate impact this season.

Jones has been arguably the most talked about new player on this LSU roster coming from Clemson. Last season as a sophomore, Jones started seven games, tallying 30 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions and a forced fumble. Jones’ decision to come to LSU had a lot to do with

SOCCER

LSU soccer opens season strong with win against Sam Houston

BY MICHAEL SANCHEZ @MikeSanchez525 The LSU soccer team lit the scoreboard ablaze in an 8-0 win over Sam Houston to extend their regular season record to 2-0 Sunday.

Head Coach Sian, Hudson commended her squads performance, but also realizes going into this five-game road stretch is no easy feat.

“I thought our performance from start to finish had a lot of good energy today,” Hudson said. “The pace at which we moved the ball today was impressive. This gives us a confidence boost as we head into our road trip to Florida this coming week. We know there are still things for us to get better at, and we will continue to work on those things as we progress through the season.”

In this matchup senior forwards Tinaya Alexander and Alesia Garcia made history becoming the first two players in LSU soccer history to both re-

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

The LSU soccer team celebrates Aug. 22, during their 8-0 win against Sam Houston at the LSU Soccer Stadium. cord a hat trick in one game.

Alexander tallied up four goals in the outing against Sam Houston. She had a hat trick within the first 31 minutes of the match. The third goal scored by

Alexander was an upper 90 shot that was ultimately unblockable for the Sam Houston goalkeeper.

She capped off her outing with a late game goal to close out the win 8-0.

Garcia did not get on the scoreboard until the second half, but wasted little time to mark her presence on the pitch.

She knocked in two goals within minutes of each other to start

the second half and capped off the hat trick with a skillful move to weave around the goalkeeper, sending the ball into an open net. Garcia also added an assist to her stat sheet with a pass to defender Grace Haggerty that headed into the goal.

LSU played a near-perfect game, only allowing one shot on goal through 90 minutes. On the other side of the pitch, the attacking front fired a total of 35 shots at the goal, with 22 being on target. The Tigers held control of the game through smart passing and possession. LSU ended the match with 61% possession compared to Sam Houston’s 39%.

With the score getting out of hand, Hudson was able to experiment with the lineup. Throughout the match, 23 players saw playing time on the pitch.

The Tigers will now focus their attention on a five-game road stretch starting in Florida against South Florida. This game will be televised Thursday on ESPN+.

page 10 CORE, from page 9 and Baskerville both got playing time last season and have talent in abundance, but it just seemed like they were put in a bad situation last season. Clark, despite struggling last season, is still seen as the leader of the group, and is expected to start again this season.

Baskerville seemed to come up to speed during the second half of last season and Orgeron has been very hard on him during fall camp.

“Micah Baskerville’s coming along too,” Orgeron said. “He’s in the best shape he’s been in.”

Jared Small is a name that might be unfamiliar to many LSU fans, but he has waited his turn

Monday, August 23, 2021 and as a senior has shown that he’s ready to be a contributor on this defense. Orgeron was complimentary of Small when speaking about the linebackers during fall camp.

“Jared’s very quick to the football,” Orgeron said. “He can key and diagnose, plays with great leverage, is strong and has speed.”

Between fresh faces coming in on the field and in the coaching staff, there is every reason to believe LSU’s linebacking core will see massive improvements from last season. Jones, Strong, Clark, Baskerville, and Small will all make an impact on this LSU defense, and expectations are reasonably high for this group in the upcoming season.

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU sophomore linebacker Damone Clark (35) runs the field on Monday, January 13, 2020 during LSU’s 42-25 National Championship win against Clemson in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

GUICE, from page 9 of a punishment considering what else Guice has been accused of?

In a USA Today article released in November that highlighted LSU’s disgraceful handling of sexual assault cases at the University, Guice’s name was heavily featured.

The allegations against Guice included multiple cases of rape and a case where a student named Samantha Brennan said he took and distributed an unsolicited nude photo of her.

Husch Blackwell investigated these cases, along with many others, and released a report on its findings a few months later. This report went into full detail of the accusations against Guice and highlighted cases that were not mentioned in the USA Today article.

Along with providing full details of Guice’s assaults and the University’s mishandling of them, the report highlighted another instance involving Guice, where he allegedly sexually harassed a 74-year-old Superdome security guard. A few months after the report, a new lawsuit added legal teeth to one of the rape allegations reported by USA Today. The plaintiff, a woman named Ashlyn Robertson, joined the ongoing class action suit on LSU’s mismanagement of sexual assault and domestic abuse.

While the “innocent until prov-

en guilty” mindset is an important one to have, given the number of victims that have come forward and Guice’s track record, the NFL’s hesitancy to carry out serious punishment against Guice shows a lack of care and belief in the victims, along with an inability to act.

Even though it is unlikely that a team will be desperate enough to sign Guice at this point, the NFL should use this opportunity to set an example and show both current and future NFL players that behavior like this will not be tolerated.

And, could you imagine if he somehow found his way back on the field? What kind of message is that going to send to not only the alleged victims of Guice, but also to other victims across the country?

The fact that Guice has the opportunity to not only get out of this scot-free (minus the millions of dollars he has lost due to loss of potential future endorsements) but also make his way back into the league and garner millions is absurd. The message that sends is that committing atrocities such as rape and sexual or physical assault may result in a slap-on-the-wrist punishment.

Because that is exactly what a six-game suspension is: a slap on the wrist. These offenses are not meant to be treated as learning experiences for the offender: they should be treated as the horrible and unforgivable acts they are.

It is understandable that the

NFL would want to uphold their domestic violence policy when figuring out the proper punishment, but Guice’s case is one that should be treated vastly differently. While the threat of a lifetime ban looming over his head provides motivation for him to never commit these atrocities again, as mentioned before, the things Guice stands accused of are unforgivable.

It is worth noting that the suspension only makes note of the domestic violence occurrences and does not touch on the accusations of sexual assault. But why haven’t they been touched on? The league has had an ample amount of time to investigate these claims and come to a decision.

Sweeping said claims under the rug is not an option in this situation. To disregard these allegations without at least providing an explanation or telling us what they are planning to do about this would be a huge mistake.

Guice is a free agent in the NFL who could see the field as early as Week 7, if a team offers him a contract. The NFL still has a chance to not only bar a player from the league that would hurt its reputation if he were to play again, but to set an example for current and future NFL players and show victims of domestic and sexual abuse that their voices will be heard and empathized with.

The question is, will they do what needs to be done?

OPINION

page 11

Withdrawal from Afghanistan disorganized, embarassing FROM THE CRO’S NEST ELIZABETH CROCHET

@elizabethcro_

With the last days of summer behind me, there is a lot I could be doing to prepare for my classes.

However, as I get my apartment ready and buy new school supplies, I cannot stop thinking about how different my life is compared to that of a young woman in Afghanistan.

While I write in my agenda and plan events for this semester, these women fear for their lives under the newly reinstated Taliban rule.

Terrified mothers relinquish their babies to U.S. soldiers over barbed wire fences, clinging desperately to the hope that their children will face a future brighter than Afghanistan’s.

These scenes of hopelessness were avoidable. The Biden Administration’s plan—or lack thereof— has caused an absolute humanitarian crisis. Regardless of your political affiliation, it is clear that

RAHMAT GUL / Associated Press

A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the city of Kabul, Afghanistan Aug. 15. the withdrawal from Afghanistan has been an utter disaster.

Leaving Afghanistan is undeniably the right decision, but there is a right way to do it.

The last administration made their plan very clear—first, you evacuate every American expatriate. After that, our military equipment comes home and lastly, our

military. It seems like common sense, but to President Joe Biden it is not.

We currently have an estimated 10,000 Americans still stranded in Afghanistan. According to a memo released by the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, “the U.S. government cannot guarantee [the] security” of Americans fleeing Afghanistan,

meaning Americans must navigate alone through streets patrolled by the Taliban to make it to the Kabul airport.

One U.N. report warned of the Taliban going house to house to kill and torture people who have collaborated with the U.S. Yet, according to Biden, the American government has made “significant progress” in evacuating its citizens.

The horrendous planning of the Biden administration allowed terrorists to overtake Afghanistan in a matter of days. Now, these terrorists are armed with billions of dollars worth of assault rifles, helicopters, ammunition and more— all paid for by American taxpayers.

Perhaps empathy and open communication would have made this crisis more bearable. However, we have gotten neither from the Biden Administration this week.

On Aug. 13 Pentagon spokesman John Kirby described Kabul as “not...in an immediate threat environment.” Two days later, the Afghan capital fell to the Taliban.

All the while, Biden has offered little explanation of his ad-

ministration’s movements out of Afghanistan. Biden blamed former American administrations, Afghan political leaders and military forces—but not himself—at an address on Aug. 16. The following Wednesday, he gave an address on the pandemic, not once mentioning the crisis in Afghanistan.

No communication.

There is now a viral video of Afghans clinging to the body of a U.S. C-17 plane. Many fell to their deaths in a vain attempt at attaining a better life abroad, a life like the one I am blessed to have in the United States. When confronted about this scene in an interview with ABC News, Biden dismissed it as being “four days ago, five days ago.” Why that matters, I wish I knew.

No empathy.

Twenty years, over 20,000 wounded, over 2,000 dead. May we never forget the sacrifices of these brave men and women.

Elizabeth Crochet is a 20-year-old political communication junior from New Orleans.

University’s COVID-19 safety plan flawed, ineffective SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire COVID has never been worse in Louisiana.

The state has shattered hospitalization and case number records again and again. Hospitals have been forced to cancel hundreds of elective surgeries. Waiting times for emergency room beds span hours. Medical professionals are being stretched to exhaustion.

But one would hardly imagine a state in crisis looking at Louisiana’s flagship university over the past week, where Welcome Week superspreaders abound. A carnival, a silent disco and, soon, full capacity classrooms—nothing to suggest a hospital overrun with COVID patients just a few miles down the road.

With hardly 40% of the student body vaccinated and the pandemic reaching new heights of destruction, our community desperately needs strength from the university. But all the administration has to offer is misinformation and weak policy.

The university’s new COVID plan does nothing to meet the gravity of the moment and ignores repeated pleas from faculty to offer remote teaching options.

One of the most egregiously weak measures laid out in the COVID map is the monthly testing of unvaccinated students.

The Delta variant is more contagious than chickenpox and twice as contagious as previous strains of the virus, rendering monthly testing essentially useless. From one test to another, a student could catch COVID, spread it throughout the community and recover, all without ever realizing they were infected.

Testing students who are not fully vaccinated twice weekly is a reasonable, common sense measure based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why the university refuses to implement what should be an obvious policy—especially after failing to mandate the vaccine and lying to do so— is unclear.

Another new measure announced in the plan requires students to submit either proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test “prior to arriving on cam-

pus,” a measure that has been largely unenforced.

Clearly, “required” means little more than “pretty please.”

The appearance of mitigation than actual mitigation.

Understandably, these lackluster protocols, combined with an often unenforced mask mandate and a nonexistent vaccine mandate, have left many faculty and staff afraid for their health and the health of their loved ones.

In response to these fears of the low vaccination rate among students, President William Tate said, “people have their own risk mitigation strategies, and we have to respect that while preparing to lower our collective risk.”

A person’s decision to not get vaccinated puts all those around them at risk. When it comes to public health, all “personal” decisions are ultimately of collective concern, something the individual liberty argument recently embraced by the administration ignores.

University leadership believes a student should be able to choose not to get vaccinated, but a vulnerable professor should

have no choice but to be exposed to the virus. Biweekly testing is apparently an obstruction of liberty, but not wanting to teach in a classroom too small to accommodate social distancing is an “abandonment of duties.”

If professors are unable to gain approval to move their classes online, they are left with two options: step down, or move instruction remotely under threat of termination. With a deadly virus raging through the state, that’s not a choice anyone should have to make.

For all his promises of putting “scholarship first,” Tate is doing little to address the heartwrenching concerns expressed by so many faculty and staff.

The anxiety of many in our community, the inevitable outbreaks of COVID on campus to come, the further stresses on the local hospital system and another abnormal semester of college could have all been avoided with one email from the university to the Louisiana Department of Health requesting permission to mandate the vaccine.

But our leaders didn’t have the courage, even as the legal and constitutional validity of

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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.

mandates were upheld across the country and state. They traded the health and safety of those on campus for the easier political choice, cowering behind the nonbinding legal opinion of corrupt Attorney General Jeff Landry.

Tate has promised to mandate the vaccine once it is approved by the FDA. Approval set to come for Pfizer on Monday, and Tate has yet to say how long students will have to get vaccinated or how strictly that mandate will be enforced.

Even in the best case scenario, it will be weeks before newly vaccinated students are fully protected. In the meantime, the administration needs stronger pandemic protocols to keep the campus safe.

We’re all hopelessly tired of the pandemic, but that doesn’t mean it’s over.

Public health must come before revenue, football games and all else. In Louisiana’s darkest hour, the university must finally act in ordinance to that priority.

Claire Sullivan is a 19-year-old coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury, Connecticut.

Quote of the Week “August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.”

Sylvia Plath Author 1932 — 1963

Monday, August 23, 2021

page 12

Vaccine superiority online only worsens vax hesitancy BUI WAS HERE ANTHONY BUI @da_bui_ The COVID-19 vaccine is one of the most sensitive topics at the moment. For the past year or so, the virus has graced headlines across every global news network and social media platform, making it impossible to avoid opinions about this pandemic and how it affects our lives here at the university. There are concerns about the vaccine mandate, classes, mask policies and even the state of our football season.

Since the recent introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, some people have begun expressing their pandemic-related opinions even more strongly than before. Many of those who have received the vaccine have been aggressive towards their unvaccinated peers and adamant that they receive their vaccine doses. It has gotten to the point where some resort to intimidating, insulting and looking down upon those who choose not to receive the vaccine due to their own specific personal reasons.

I myself have gotten the vaccine, but my point is not to make a statement for or against the vac-

CARTOON BY BRANDON SHEPHERD

cine. Rather, it is the sense of superiority among individuals who have received the vaccine that catches my attention. I understand that they are doing what they think is best in the name of public health, but their methods are just ineffective and unnecessarily hostile. They have a hierarchical view of the world where,

without question, the unvaccinated are second-class citizens.

Loki may have just opened the doors to the multiverse, but I can’t imagine a universe where this confrontational method of persuasion is effective. If anything, these methods further discourage those who have not gotten the vaccine. It’s frustrating to

scroll through social media and constantly see posts that blatantly trash and belittle people without mRNA fragments in their bloodstreams. Vaccine promoters who present information in a kind and instructional manner certainly exist, but the population with the superiority complex is louder and more present

online.

They draw a line and bold over it a million times so no one can miss it. Blame has been placed on one group of people.

No longer is it a battle between man and virus, but one between vaccinated and unvaccinated.

The media and government officials have aimed the gun and loaded the bullets; the people now have their finger on the trigger.

Before the angry emails pour in talking about the rising cases and defending their aggression online, let me reiterate that I never spoke ill of the vaccine nor of those who have chosen to take it. I understand both sides, and I understand that ultimately it can be a difficult personal decision to make. This decision is made even harder when there are people pressuring you into making the decision they deem morally superior.

Imagine having a decision to make, but as you voice your concerns people push your hesitations aside, calling you selfish and ignorant. This would certainly make me not want to do the thing that I was already hesitant about.

Anthony Bui is a 21-year-old English senior from Opelousas.

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8.18.21