The Reveille 9-30-21

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REDEFINING NORMAL

LSU campus begins to reopen, prompting students to reflect

Read on

page 2 NEWS

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University officials urge students to use caution on campus, especially at night.

Here’s a few of their tips.

ENTERTAINMENT

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Comics are rarely appreciated for their literary merit. Academics and creators are hoping that changes

SPORTS

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How do the LSU Tigers stack up against the Tigers from Auburn? Will we see a TJ Finley revenge game?

OPINION

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“[Bob] Dean is not in the nursing home business to provide care and comfort to people at the end of their lives. He’s in it for a buck.”

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

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LSU BACK TO LIFE ‘Is campus back to normal?’: Students share their experiences

BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16 Angelina Nguyen walked into the Quad like any other day to sit with friends and chat between classes—though this visit was met with the shocking sight of hordes of students bustling past Allen, Coates and other Quad buildings.

The crowds of students was a stark difference in campus life for the architecture sophomore, who was accustomed to an LSU experience marked by pre-recorded lectures, Zoom calls and an almost abandoned campus.

“I’ve only ever seen the Quad with like five people maximum, so seeing this many people is very odd to me,” Nguyen said as she watched classmates pass by.

Nguyen didn’t feel like she lost out on her college experience, despite her only memories of campus being when it was emptied due to a global pandemic. She said she has gotten more involved this semester, spending more time in the architecture studio designed to allow students to work collaboratively and get to know one another.

Seventeen months after the pandemic shut down in person activities nationwide, students are finally able to begin feeling a sense of normalcy in their academic lives with the return of on-campus classes and in-person activities.

On Feb. 24, LSU informed students that they planned to operate under normal conditions for the following semester.

“Assuming that vaccinations proceed as expected, we anticipate that by fall, we will be able to operate the way we did before the onset of the pandemic,” the update read. “ In other words, we expect the vast majority of courses to be delivered face-to-face once again, and for the majority of campus operations to be back to normal. We expect that overall, fall 2021 will operate similarly to fall 2019.”

Less than a tenth of a mile away from the Quad, history and English junior Noah McKinney was happy to once again witness student clubs, Greek chapters and religious organizations line the sidewalks of Free Speech Alley, all ready to chat with any curious student who passed by.

“I think a vast majority of the iconic pieces of campus life have returned,” McKinney said. “Clubs have been starting back up again.

I just saw an ad for the cloud watching club that’s been coming back, which I’ve never partaken of but it’s always interested me, so maybe I’ll go to one of their meetings now that the worst part of the quarantine has passed.”

As she passed out candy and informational flyers regarding hazing awareness in Free Speech

Alley, communication disorders senior Cappi Priola said that community had been missing from the LSU experience since the pandemic arrived on campus.

“Being in school makes me feel like I’m part of campus again,” Priola said. “Being able to go to class in person, go to things with my friends is really valuable to me, especially my senior year.”

are pretty much back where they were.”

Underclassmen like Nguyen may not know what it looks like to operate in person, though those who witnessed LSU prepandemic are glad to see the university filled with life once again—whether it be on the weekdays during classes or on Saturdays, when tailgates blanket

people sitting next to you and to see their faces and to understand how they’re feeling,” McKinney said in agreement. “I think that’s the last piece of the puzzle.”

In addition to masks and a change in how people interact, in-person classes resumed at full capacity with a major infrastructure shift: the presence of large HEPA air purifier machines.

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Editor-in-Chief LARA NICHOLSON Managing Editor ENJANAE’ TAYLOR Digital Editor BROCK SANDERS News Editor MADELYN CUTRONE Deputy News Editor JOSH ARCHOTE Sports Editor REED DARCEY Deputy Sports Editor JOE KEHRLI Entertainment Editor GIDEON FORTUNE Opinion Editor CECILE GIRARD Multimedia Editor ABBY KIBLER Production Editor HANNAH MICHEL HANKS Chief Designer SARAH LAWRENCE

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LSU sophomores (in order from left to right) Ben Huval a finance major; Charles Cherry a finance major; Seth Crowton a general business major; and Sam Ethridge, a pre-med student, sit on Aug. 26, one next to the other in the Business Education Auditorium.

“It’s this kind of transitionary period,” fourth-year student Josh Babin said. “It’s getting back to where it was but it also feels like the culture has changed a little bit as well. You have to wear a mask, you have to ask permission to sit just one seat away, that kind of thing.”

the campus before full-capacity football games in Tiger Stadium.

Kinesiology sophomore Emmalee Drickamer said that for her, tailgating makes her feel like college life is normal, despite never experiencing a pre-pandemic collegiate world for herself. Tailgating and full capacity

Frats [are] on the parade grounds again. Freshmen are dropping their Hydro Flasks on the sidewalk. I’d say things are pretty much back where they were.

ANDREW LARPENTER

Mechanical engineering junior

For mechanical engineering junior Andrew Larpenter, signs of campus’ movement to a postpandemic lifestyle were palpable.

“The testing center line was super long and backed up,” Larpenter said. “Frats [are] on the parade grounds again. Freshmen are dropping their Hydro Flasks on the sidewalk. I’d say things

games gives incoming freshmen and sophomores “a taste of what LSU is like without COVID,” she said.

Drickamer noted that things “will always feel off” until masks are a thing of the past.

“The facial interactions that are limited by masks make it more difficult to get to know the

Regardless of major, numerous students agreed that HEPA machines make classroom life harder. Drickamer said that paired with masks, HEPA machines’ constant noise make it too difficult to learn in person and understand professors.

“It’s almost easier to just be on Zoom. With everything we have to do, it’s just easier,” she said.

Less intrusive changes in the classroom haven’t been too noticeable to students like chemical engineering senior Jacob Beadle, whose lab was split into three groups instead of the typical two to minimize contact among students.

The new organization of his lab “doesn’t change much,” Beadle said.

The changes the university has made since the pandemic first broke out and the subsequent policies they’ve put in place may not have been part of the typical LSU experience, but to the class of 2024 and 2025, this is the normal they know.

“It almost feels not normal because ‘normal’ was last year,” English sophomore Adam Richards said. “It’s so not what we are used to. As opposed to getting back to normal, it’s getting away from normal because my expectations were set last year.”

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

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

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

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

NEWS

page 3 ACADEMICS

SAFETY MATTERS 2018 before the pandemic.

“Focused on student safety, this program was developed with the goal of providing students with a dependable and responsive transportation option at night,” Galasso said.

LSU’s transit services are completely free for students and can be accessed on the TransLoc app.

LSUPD teamed up with the Student Health Center in recent years to offer a Rape Aggression Defense (RAD),a 12-hour selfdefense course.

According to Cassidy, Title IX’s role in campus safety has significantly increased over the past several months, and the office now has two overarching goals: support and prevention.

see SAFETY, page 4

see GUIDELINES, page 4

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

Campus Public Safety sits on Aug. 25 on 204 South Stadium Drive.

Many Universities across the U.S. have emergency blue light boxes, that with a push of a button can notify the campus police department of an emergency at that location. According to Campus Safety Magazine, the emergency boxes serve as visual forms of security.

So where are these emergency boxes at LSU? Resources such as the SHIELD app work better, Interim Vice President for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Jane Cassidy, says.

LSU sent a broadcast email listing the myriad of safety resources available to students both on and off campus. The university has been turning its focus toward safety, especially

regarding sexual misconduct, in recent semesters. LSUPD and the Office of Title IX both offer services that allow students to report incidents and ask for help.

“Your safety is of utmost importance to us,” the email said.

Cassidy said she thinks the SHIELD app is more effective than emergency boxes because GPS trackers on phones allow for the police to have more accurate tracking information. She said the emergency boxes are stationary, so they aren’t helpful in cases of abduction or situations where a potential victim would need to be on the move.

“If you’re between two of the posts, the police won’t have your exact location,” Cassidy said.

“But if your phone is always on you, the police can find you in a case of abduction.”

The university recommended in the email that instead of walking across campus at night or using a rideshare like Uber or Lyft, students should use a campus bus instead.

“These routes service both on campus and off campus locations and are a great alternative for students who may not have a vehicle or find themselves in need of transportation to and from campus after hours,” Transportation Demand Manager Joshua Galasso said.

Galasso said there are over 60 passengers on a weekly basis on the night routes. He said the pandemic substantially hindered passengers from riding the transits, but rates are slowly increasing as operations go back to normal. He said the numbers still aren’t close to what they were in

BY AIDAN PRIMEAUX @acprimeaux The Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education standards review steering committee voted to endorse new K-12 social studies curriculum standards regarding minority groups Saturday.

The new standards will focus on introductory Louisiana and U.S. history for kindergarten through second grade students, and third through fifth graders will learn world history from prehistory to the 1600s before segueing to indigenous Louisiana history and early French colonization.

Junior high students will learn both U.S. and Louisiana history and “evaluate historical events from a variety of different historical and cultural perspectives.”

The Sept. 25 meeting was rescheduled from July 31 after the committee received negative public comments about how the proposed standards would portray historical American race relations.

Louisiana students will be expected to “analyze the role, major contributions of, and limitations placed on” a variety of groups, “including but not limited to women, Latinos, American Indians, Black Americans, European immigrants, and Asian immigrants,” according to the new standards.

Proponents of the new standards say current history stan-

LSUPD, Title IX office urge students to use campus safety resources

BY CADEN LIM @CadenLim5

New LA education guidelines highlight minorites

COVID-19

How much of LSU’s vaccine supply has been wasted?

BY BELLA DARDANO @BellaDardano A surprisingly small amount of vaccines have gone to waste under LSU’s supervision, the Student Health Center reported.

Executive director of the LSU Student Health Center Julie Hupperich said that LSU has discarded only about 8%, or 365 doses, of the vaccines they’ve received from the government. Of the 30,647 students and employees that submitted proof of receiving the vaccine, only 4,500 received it directly from the university.

From May 22 to Sept. 22, the Student Health Center reported

disposing of 102 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, 213 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 50 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The vaccines are provided to LSU in vials that each contain a specific amount of doses. The Pfizer vaccine vials contain six doses, the Moderna vaccine vials contain 14 doses and the Johnson & Jonson vials contain five doses.

The increase in waste of the Moderna vaccine comes from the large vial size, due to the fact that once one dose is drawn, so there is a small window of time the vaccine must be administered or discarded.

Because the federal govern-

ment provides the vaccines at no cost, and the Student Health Center does not charge an administration fee, the minimal waste LSU has experienced does not incur any cost to the university or student body.

The Department of Health released guidance on May 21 that “providers will not be penalized by the state if some unavoidable wastage occurs.”

“We were pleased to receive the guidance when we did, when the demand began to wane,” Hupperich said. “We want to capitalize on every opportunity to vaccinate students in a timely and safe manner.”

After university President Wil-

liam F. IV Tate spoke with President Joe Biden at the White House on Sept. 15 about LSU’s COVID-19 mitigation strategies, he told reporters that LSU’s rate of vaccination is well on the way to having a nearly fully-vaccinated student and faculty body.

“The reality is, what we have done is nothing short of miraculous,” Tate said.

Following those comments, 27 students were unenrolled from the university on Sept. 17 for not submitting proof of vaccination or COVID test results.

According to a waste report from the Louisiana Department of Health, the number of vaccines

wasted in Louisiana is 160,082 as of Sept. 21.

The report indicated that 87,252 doses of the Moderna vaccine, 53,727 doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 19,103 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine have been wasted.

Communications strategist for LDH Kevin Litten said that “there is no cost to the state, provider or patient for a COVID-19 vaccine,” and reaffirmed that there is no cost associated with vaccine waste for LSU or the state.

According to the Louisiana Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, there have been a total of over 4.3 million doses administered in Louisiana.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

page 4 SAFETY, from page 3

GUIDELINES, from page 3

She said victims of sexual assault can use the revamped Title IX office to get the help they need, whatever form that may take.

She also said they’re working on educating both faculty and students so these incidents don’t happen at all.

“It’d be nice if you didn’t need an office like this,” Cassidy said.

Cassidy said the Title IX office has all the resources survivors need to begin the healing process as well as to bring the perpetrator to justice. She encourages students who have experienced any form of sexual assault to visit their office at 118 Himes Hall.

“We have a culture that teaches people the wrong things,” Cassidy said. “It takes a lot of courage to go through with the [reporting and recovery] process.”

Cassidy also said the Title IX office hopes to better educate the LSU community so these crimes don’t happen in the first place. She said people have to learn “what consent means” and how decisions are impaired when influenced by drugs and/ or alcohol.

“We have to respect each other,” Cassidy said. “And if we’re going to respect each other we’ll learn to get consent from each other.”

dards fail to take experiences of minority groups throughout U.S. history into account. Others have taken issue with the language.

Public comments at the previous meeting included parents concerned that the new standards will teach children that their race is inherently either oppressive or oppressed.

Several community members gave feedback at Saturday’s meeting, including Democrat state Rep. Tammy Phelps of Shreveport and one LSU student.

LSU psychology sophomore John Savoy said his experience of Louisiana social studies education prior to the new standards had little focus on the experiences of ethnic minority groups.

“I’ve attended Louisiana education institutions all my life,” Savoy said at the meeting. “I believe the onus is on your shoulders as a committee to amend the standards of my generation that failed to adequately depict slavery and the role people of color played in our state’s great history.”

He added that his social studies education glossed over the achievements of prominent African Americans like Louisiana Gov. P.B.S. Pinchback, the first Black governor in American history.

Only one committee member,

Woody Jenkins, voted against endorsing the standards, saying they need further revision. Jenkins talked about the diverse makeup of the Louisiana population and said the standards are meant to further a political agenda.

“Everybody tends to think their group suffered the most,” Jenkins said. “We need to let our young people know that they can be used for political purposes by emphasizing our differences.”

Several parents and community members also said the standards will open the door for schools to teach critical race theory, a topic at the forefront of education policy debate in recent months.

Critical race theory is an academic framework that examines the ways white supremacy and racial discrimination have influenced public policy and power dynamics throughout U.S. history.

“People are going to say this is critical race and you will have to deal with it,” community member Steven Wilson said at the June 26 meeting.

Sociology professor Heather O’Connell said the standards are too general to reflect a critical race theory perspective because they don’t focus on race.

Critical race theory has been at the center of controversy around the standards despite no

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specific passages mentioning it.

O’Connell says she believes this is because the implications of the field are at odds with much of society’s viewpoint.

“CRT is a body of work that is led primarily by people of color that centers the experiences of people of color,” she said. “That is threatening to white folks.”

She added that the standards do not guarantee a positive outcome of more informed and open discussions of race in the classroom, but it is necessary to deal with the consequences of talking about historical racial injustices more clearly.

Republican state Reps. Valarie Hodges, Chuck Owen and Ray Garofalo, along with several parents and community members, voiced their displeasure with the progress of the revisions at the June 26 committee meeting.

Garofalo was previously ousted from the House Education Committee after he introduced a series of bills that would have prevented Louisiana schools and colleges from teaching that the state or the nation is “systematically racist or sexist” and said schools should teach “the good, the bad and the ugly” of slavery in a hearing.

Garofalo later lost his chair position amid pressure from the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus following his comments.

Public comments from Phelps

and Louisiana Save Our Schools President Jennifer Kerrigan criticized this and other portions of the revisions as lacking specificity and expressed concerns about the consequences of leaving standards open to the teacher’s discretion.

Phelps asked the committee if teachers will have resources provided to teach the updated standards or if they will have to get educational materials on their own and voiced her concern about a lack of framework to enforce the standards in local districts.

“Would this information be provided in a textbook, or would this be information a teacher needs to resource on their own?”

Phelps said. “If it’s up to the autonomy of the school district...

This will bring about a different learning experience for the student.”

Committee member Joseph David also expressed concern about how school districts will be held accountable to the new standards if they are approved.

The proposed standards are now available online for public comment, and the BESE will review and finalize them in December. All members except one voted to endorse the new standards.

Pending approval, the standards will be implemented in the 2023-2024 academic year.

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ENTERTAINMENT COMIC BOOK ACADEMICS

page 5

Professionals celebrate literary merit, fight stigma of comics as childlike

BY DOMENIC PURDY @tigerdom16 During the summer box office run of Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow,” AMC 15 at the Mall of Louisiana gave out free comic book prequels to the film.

After the showings, there was still a large stack of undisturbed copies, and many of the copies that were given out found their way to the nearest garbage cans.

Despite comic book adaptations enjoying more popularity than ever–with over a dozen new television adaptations premiering on various platforms and at least seven big screen adaptations opening–comic books themselves are not attracting the resounding readership of a blockbuster film’s audience.

For comic creators like Lafayette-native Rob Guillory, seeing comic-derivatives succeeding on such a global stage is bittersweet. On one hand, the characters he grew up reading are getting more attention than ever.

On the other the comic creators don’t serve to benefit when Hollywood adapts their work.

“Before the Marvel movies and all that blew up, the idea that comic people had was, ‘if we could just get our material in front of a larger audience, we can just make a Spider-Man movie, [then] that will sell more Spider-Man comics.’ It just hasn’t been true,” Guillory said.

Guillory, who has written

and drawn comics for both Marvel and DC, is best known for his creator-owned work at Image Comics, including the recently–concluded “Chew” with

wrong about six years ago when I was at a comic con in Shreveport. This couple comes up to me both wearing Avengers tshirts, and I asked them, ‘what kind of comics do you guys like reading?’ They said ‘oh, we don’t

world of successful adaptations.

“Evidence of recent years suggests that people are very happy to go see Captain America in a movie and don’t really have any interest in buying a Captain America comic if they weren’t already reading Captain America,” English professor Brannon Costello said.

With a focus on comics stud-

ART COURTESY OF ROB GUILLORY

Artwork from “Chew” No. 6 by Rob Guillory, published by Image Comics in 2009. writer John Layman and his solo creation, “Farmhand.”

In the nearly two decades since he left the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Guillory has been shocked at the large volume of people that are divorced from comics when “Avengers: Endgame” can gross nearly $3 billion.

“I knew something was

ART COURTESY OF ROB GUILLORY

Cover of “Farmhand” No. 1 by Rob Guillory, published by Image Comics in 2018. read comics.’ You’re wearing Avengers t-shirts and you’re at a comic con but you don’t read comics,” Guillory said. “This is really bizarre.”

Those who study comics critically also acknowledge the disappointing reality of comic book sales and popularity in a

ART COURTESY OF ROB GUILLORY

“Howard the Duck” No. 10 variant cover by Rob Guillory, published

by Marvel Comics in 2015. ies in the LSU English Department, Costello curated the Hill Memorial Library’s Bowlus Comic Book Collection, which includes over 7,000 comics from

the ‘Silver Age’—the late 1950s and 1960s. Costello wrote a book titled “Neon Visions,” chronicling the career and stylings of cartoonist Howard Chaykin that was published in 2017.

He also teaches multiple courses on the study of comic books as literature, including a 4000-level capstone class for undergraduate English students and a graduate-level class about comic books in the South.

“It can be both useful but also limiting to think about comics as a form of literature.

The comics that have gotten the most attention from scholars in comic studies are comics that look like more traditional literary,” Costello said.

Through his courses, Costello said he wants to impart that comic books are more than just superheroes, showing the contributions of nontraditional comics from underground and zine movements.

One of the most significant examples cited by Costello is “Love and Rockets” by Jaime Hernandez. The series, which started in 1980, has continued a single narrative thread about a group of Latino punk rock kids from Southern California.

“He has followed the same cast of characters essentially since he was a teenager up to now, and they sort of age in real-time. So it’s a really involving,

see COMICS, page 6

MOVIES & TV

Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman’ remake soars in gruesome horror

BY CONNOR MCLAUGHLIN @connor_mcla 4.5/5 “Tell… everyone.”

“Candyman” is the best horror film of the year and the biggest surprise of 2021, to be completely frank.

Director Nia DaCosta’s incarnation of “Candyman” is one heck of a modern horror film. It’s a visually stunning, thematically relevant bloody romp that I found myself loving, especially after the ominous opening titles featuring the skyscrapers of Chicago inverted and hidden by fog.

Produced by Jordan Peele’s company Monkeypaw Productions, this film serves as a direct sequel/soft reboot to the original 1992 film by Bernard Rose, based on Clive Barker’s short story. It tells the story of visual artist Anthony McCoy, who centers his next piece on the gentrification of the Cabrini-Green housing projects in Chicago. While research-

ing, he comes across a macabre urban legend about a hook-handed ghost known as Candyman,

and unleashes a gruesome wave of violence as his sanity spirals.

While the film is not exactly

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

who can be summoned if you say his name five times into a mirror.

Misguided by his ambitions and destiny, Anthony says his name

scary per se, I developed goosebumps multiple times, leaving me thoroughly disturbed with the imagery onscreen. However, if you

have trypophobia (the fear of irregular patterns or small holes) then you’re going to have an unpleasant viewing experience.

In all honesty though, the scariest part of “Candyman” is how it depicts the horrors that we project upon society, which run parallel to the horror stories we pass down generation after generation. In essence, the message of the Candyman legend is how violence and pain must not be forgotten and shoved to the side. They cannot be misremembered or ignored because then myth will prevail over truth. That pain becomes violent retribution, and ultimately, the cycle will never end from one generation to the next, each with a new horrific face.

“Candyman” stuffs much of its brisk 90 minute runtime with these themes of racial trauma and violence, and while it may come across heavy-handed, it works well.

DaCosta’s direction is sublime, and she imbues this film

with full gravitas from behind the camera. Barring James Wan’s “Malignant,” the film has some of the cleanest, eeriest camerawork in horror films, thanks to director of photography John Guleserian (who also shot Netflix’s gender-swapped remake of “He’s All That,” starring Addison Rae).

The central performances from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Anthony, Teyonah Parris, Colman Domingo, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Vanessa Williams and, of course, Tony Todd are also terrific, with Mateen II delivering a truly compelling lead performance.

I seriously cannot believe how much I loved “Candyman” after not enjoying the first one all that much, although a rewatch is required for me after seeing this iteration. It’s simply excellent, with strong performances, fantastic cinematography, a chilling score

by Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe and a powerful message about racial trauma & gentrification.

Dare to say his name.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

page 6 COMIC, from page 5 really formally sophisticated exploration of these characters,” Costello said.

While Costello does still acknowledge the merit of costumed heroes within his courses, academics studying comic books feel the prevalence of superheroes in the medium hold comic studies under more scrutiny than other branches of literary studies.

As a graduate teaching professor during Spring 2020, English Ph.D. candidate Natalie Shepard taught a course titled “Introduction to Comic Books” that emphasized the breadth of stories that comics were able to tell. She also wanted to dispel misnomers about comics that she experienced as an academic.

“The superhero genre is a necessary part of comic studies and a necessary part of the history of comics, but that public perception that superheroes and comic books are synonymous and exactly the same thing is something I wanted to fight,” Shepard said.

Comic books can be about superheroes, but super-heroics are just one genre in the sea of sequential art.

Superheroes like the Fantastic Four and Batman are discussed in the university’s comic studies courses but are in the minority of the comics discussed.

Some of the literary comics that Shepard and Costello teach in their classes include “March” and “Maus,” the memoirs of latecivil rights activist and U.S. Con-

she said, educators discredited comics as not real literature.

“Educators are realizing that comics aren’t some lesser form of reading, and that it can im-

CHYNNA MCCLINTON / The Reveille

A Marvel Greatest Comics book sits Wednesday, Sept. 22, in the Barnes & Nobles on Union Square at LSU. gressman John Lewis and the son of Holocaust survivors Art Spiegelman, respectively.

Comics are just another way to tell stories that are no different from film or prose, Shepard said. She feels some comics have more complexity than some traditional texts taught in schools.

In recent years, Shepard has noticed a shift in how educators view comic books. In the past,

prove literacy in kids,” Shepard said. “I think we’re seeing a lot less of that ideology and more of people just realizing that comics can not only help kids be a gateway toward real books, but be valuable in and of themselves as a form of literacy.”

Both Shepard and Costello feel that comics can be valuable in developing tools and skills needed to succeed in the 21st

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century, where visual communication is increasing at a rapid pace.

“One of the things that reading comics critically teaches you to do is to read images,” Costello said. “Not just to receive them, but to think critically about the ways that they’re made, the meanings that they generate or that can be imposed upon them, the ways in which multiple images can be put together in such a way to provoke a certain kind of emotion or communicate a certain idea.”

For both academics and comic professionals, comics– especially publications outside of Marvel and DC–provide for more freedom than any other medium.

“I think it is the most pure storytelling medium,” Guillory said. “You have the best of pure literary fiction sans pictures.

You have the best of filmmaking; there’s a reason Hollywood is using comics as source material, because it is essentially a storyboard.”

Sometimes there are stories you just can’t tell anywhere besides a comic book, Costello said. This uniqueness is what’s lost in adaptation to different mediums, he said.

“When there is a really interesting synergy between a writer and an artist, they’re doing things aesthetically that simply can’t be translated,” Costello said.

Comic professionals and academics both agree that comics are still held back by outdated stigmas and misconceptions about the medium.

“I think there’s this misconception about comics, that they’re really difficult to get into, and you have to get in at No. 1 and read boxes and boxes and boxes of comics in order to understand what’s going on and that’s not necessarily the case,” Shepard said. “Especially now with things like digital platforms, I think it’s easier than most people think to pick up a comic and read.”

Shepard said that she feels it is important to promote comics like the recently adapted “Y: The Last Man” that are relatively short at less than 10 volumes that can be finished in a few weekends will help “eliminating the intimidation factor” of comics.

Comics aren’t a monolith, Guillory said. Comics can be deconstructive superhero narratives like Alan Moore’s “Watchmen” or memoirs like Emil Ferris’ “My Favorite Thing is Monsters,” the latter of which received praise from the New York Times.

“I think it’s been stigmatized as childlike for a really long time,” Guillory said.

Academics like Shepard and Costello and cartoonists like Guillory feel it’s time to fight that stigma.

Thursday, September 30, 2021

page 7

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They also have other options to go along with your sushi, like

BY MADELON DAVIS @MadelonDavis

From the Union over to the hidden Subway, LSU doesn’t lack food options.

One of the most popular places on campus is City Pork in the art and design building.

City Pork sells a range of food like muffins and sandwiches.

They also sell a wide range of different types of coffees. One of the best items on the menus is the Cuban pork sandwich.

This sandwich contains smoked pork shoulder, honey ham, Swiss, Dijon and house pickles on Cuban bread. All the flavors blend seamlessly to give you everything you could dream of in a Cuban sandwich.

“City Pork has the best food on campus. It is always fresh and made to order, which is what I like the most,” said marketing junior Lauryn Sweet.

Suppose you’re craving sushi but not at the prices of an off-campus restaurant, you can hop on over to the Union. The student union houses a place called On The Geaux. They sell many different items, from energy drinks to candy bars, but they sell the best sushi on campus. The sushi sold here is

spring rolls and gyoza.

“On The Geaux typically has shorter lines than the other

Union restaurants, and the sushi is super easy to grab and go,” said political communication

The Reveille

Campus map showing the best places to eat on campus: Subway, On the Geaux, City Pork, and Panera Bread

junior, Cece Zimmermann.

The hidden Subway is my go-to spot when I need a quick bite to eat. This Subway is better than any of the off-campus ones. It is located behind the library in an underground space similar to the testing center.

They are also speedy, so never take the long line as a deterrent because they will get you in and out.

Patrick F. Taylor has a Panera Bread. Panera Bread is truly a hidden gem on campus because there is never a line. They have these stations where you can order and pay for your food on a tablet. Just like the hidden Subway, Panera Bread on campus outshines any other Panera I have been to. It’s something about the convenience of not having to leave campus that makes this meal so much better. It is such a nice place to go when you’re studying for your final on a cold December day and you need a nice bowl of hot soup.

There are plenty of other delicious places on campus, but you will be full and satisfied with these places. Before you know it, you too will be a regular customer at these restaurants.

MOVIES & TV

The best episode from each season of ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’

BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab The series finale gave us the perfect goodbye, but the beauty of streaming services is you can always start over. Here’s my top picks from each season of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”

“The Pontiac Bandit” Season 1, Episode 1

DVDCOVER

This episode sets up Jake’s series-long frenemy-ship with Doug Judy, played by Craig Rob-

inson, also known for playing Darryl on “The Office.” Doug and Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) go on several adventures right down to the final season. Any episode with an appearance by the infamous Doug Judy is sure to be a double-crossing, action-packed, karaoke-filled time.

“The Beach House” Season 2, Episode 12 The squad takes a break, traveling to Charles Boyle’s (Joe Lo Truglio) beach house in the middle of the winter. The opening scene of this episode is a fan favorite. After the opening credits, Jake learns Holt (Andre Braugher) had never been invited to an out-of-the-office event and invites him to join the team. The group has to balance their partying personalities — we’re looking at you, fanny pack wearing Vacation Terry — with Holt’s more classical hobbies.

“Yippie Kayak” Season 3, Episode 10 A real-life “Die Hard” situation, or so Bruce Willis fanatic Peralta pretends. While last-minute Christmas shopping, Peralta, Boyle and Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti) get caught in a hostage situation in a department store robbery. If you’re a fan of the 1988 action thriller, you’ll have a lot of fun watching this reference-packed episode.

“Cop Con” Season 4, Episode 17 The Nine-Nine heads to Cop-

Con, the annual tri-state convention. While the squad tries to throw a secret party, Captain Holt is preparing for an important presentation and seriously considering adding color to his PowerPoint slides. Even the subplots are memorable, including Boyle’s robot best friend battle and a love interest for Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller).

“HalloVeen” Season 5, Episode 4

involves his fluffy boy, a Corgi named Cheddar. The episode also involves some special moments between Peralta and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero). Like they say, all’s fair in love and Halloween heists.

“Suicide Squad” Season 6, Episode 18 “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Three recurring antagonists return in the season six finale, but this time, they’re

no) team up with Allstate’s “mayhem like me” commercial star, Dean Winters. Though Winters is better known as “The Vulture” on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the premise stands, his character brings mayhem wherever he goes.

COURTESY OF COLLIDER

COURTESY OF WHATCULTURE

You can’t go wrong watching any “Halloween heist” episode.

They’re all great, but the one that stands out is “HalloVeen.” Things get serious when Captain Holt

working with the squad to eliminate Commissioner John Kelly (Phil Reeves). Holt’s rival Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick) and Captain C.J. Stentley (Ken Mari-

“Ding Dong” Season 7, Episode 7 After a series-long battle of wits and dryly delivered comebacks, the rivalry between Holt and Wuntch comes to a close in this season seven episode. Holt’s insults to Wuntch were the best they’d ever been. If you ask me, this was the perfect goodbye before the perfect goodbye.

“The Lake House” Season 8, Episode 2 Other than the final episode, the best pick out of the last season is episode two, “The Lake House.” Similar to “The Beach House” in season two, the squad takes a group vacation to Holt’s so-named lake house. It doesn’t take Peralta long to turn the relaxing vacation into a parenttrap style mission involving bird watching with Holt and his husband Cozner (Marc Evan Jackson).

SPORTS RIVALRY RENEWED

page 8

Scouting Report: How LSU and Auburn match up ahead of a huge game for both teams

BY DYLAN SANDERS @DillySanders LSU is coming into this game with full momentum after winning their first SEC game in a weird gameplan week against Mississippi State. Auburn is coming off of a week in which they barely beat Georgia State in a game where they were 27.5 point favorites. Bo Nix wasn’t able to seal the deal, leaving former LSU Tiger TJ Finley to come in and win the game in the fourth quarter. First-year Head Coach Bryan Harsin now faces a starter controversy heading into their SEC opener. Auburn and LSU are at similar points in the public view, and all signs lead to this being a fantastic game. LSU can completely change the way they’re looked at with a win this week, so how can they go about coming out victorious on Friday?

Auburn’s offense is under a completely new regime since the last time the two Tiger teams faced off. Auburn hired Harsin and Offensive Coordinator Mike Bobo this offseason. With the two being offensive-minded, they have worked with each other to bring a bunch of new schemes together for this Auburn offense.

You’ll see a balance of the quarterback being both in shotgun and under center. You’ll also see much more of a mix between passing and rushing if things go Auburn’s way.

LSU’s main focus should be on shutting down Auburn’s elite rushing offense. Tank Bigsby and Jarquez Hunter are two of the best running backs in the country. Each back separately has

more rushing yards than LSU as a team. Bigsby is the feature back, averaging about double the at-

yards per clip on 36 attempts.

LSU will need Maason Smith and Damone Clark to carry over their

They gave up three tackles for a loss against Penn State and five tackles for a loss to go with two

top-70 in the country for tackles for a loss or the top-100 in sacks.

LSU’s star-studded defensive line

tempts of Hunter. Tank picks up yards at a high clip with 6.2 yards per attempt. Bigsby is a bit more of a balanced runner. Hunter comes in as a track runner that’s over 200 pounds and is a true home run hitter for the Auburn offense. He is averaging 10.6

play from last week. LSU’s linebackers will have their hands full, especially as a unit that has been struggling early this season.

The offensive line ranks pretty well, but the cracks have started to show as the level of opponents has risen over the last two weeks.

sacks against Georgia State. This offensive line hasn’t faced anything to the level of LSU’s defensive line, who kept their spot as the NCAA’s sack leader despite rushing three defenders for a majority of the game. No opponent they’ve faced ranks in the

should be able to get to the backfield on both rushing and passing plays.

Whether Nix or Finley get the nod to start the game, LSU should know exactly what they’re getting into. Nix has faced the Bayou

see AUBURN, page 9

FOOTBALL

‘It’s my homecoming:’ Will QB TJ Finley start against LSU?

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus The annual matchup between Auburn and LSU always seems to have great storylines, and this year is no different.

LSU comes into the game with plenty of momentum after starting SEC play with a road win against Mississippi State. At the same time, Auburn limps into the matchup with LSU after an emotional loss to Penn State and a narrow escape at home against Georgia State. However, the primary storyline for Auburn is the newfound quarterback controversy that started at the end of last week’s win.

With Auburn struggling to find any rhythm offensively, Head Coach Bryan Harsin elected to bench starting quarterback Bo Nix for LSU transfer TJ Finley.

Finley entered the fourth quarter and finished the game 9-16 with 97 yards and one touchdown, capped off by a game-winning 98-yard touchdown drive. Finley’s performance has led many to speculate whether he will start against LSU, creating a storyline one would only expect to see in a movie.

Finley was born and raised in Ponchatoula, just under an hour away from LSU’s campus. After impressing many during his time at Ponchatoula High School, Finley signed with LSU and got plenty of game time his freshman season after then-starter Myles Brennan went down with an injury. Finley showed flashes of greatness in his first career start against South Carolina, throwing for 265 yards and two touch-

see FINLEY, page 9

BUTCH DILL / Associated Press

Auburn quarterback TJ Finley (1) celebrates with Aubie after they defeated Georgia State Sept. 25, in Auburn, Ala. Auburn won 34-24.

Thursday, September 30, 2021 FINLEY, from page 8 downs in a 52-24 win.

After Finley’s impressive performance against South Carolina, LSU went on the road to face Auburn, where Finley looked nothing like the composed leader fans saw the week prior. Finley finished with just 143 yards and three turnovers in an embarrassing 48-11 loss. Nevertheless, he started three more games until Max Johnson replaced him, eventually leading to Finley’s transfer during the offseason.

“It was a very hard decision

AUBURN, from page 8 Bengals twice, and Finley worked with a lot of LSU’s current staff members last year. Nix doesn’t turn the ball over at a high clip, but he just isn’t winning games for Auburn. He hasn’t thrown for over 200 yards since they faced bottom-15 defense Akron. Both Nix and Finley struggle under pressure. They also don’t yet have an alpha dog receiver to rely on in the passing game.

Auburn brought in Defensive Coordinator Derek Mason to round out their staff this year to replace Kevin Steele, who had been one of the best in the country at countering LSU’s offense in the past few years. Mason is 0-2 against LSU, as he was for-

page 9

for him,” LSU Head Coach Ed Orgeron said after Finley’s departure in May. “He felt that it was the best decision for him in his career, but he did everything right, and we wish him the best.”

It adds even more to the storyline that Finley’s possible homecoming game comes with him playing for the team that some argue had a significant part in the downfall of his LSU career.

Finley’s performance for LSU against Auburn last season was forgettable, and in many peoples’ eyes was the game that marked the beginning of the end of his

LSU career.

Despite the rumors and storylines that have been spread since the game, Harsin has not said anything yet to suggest that Finley will be the starter against LSU. “That’s not been decided yet,” Harsin said. “So many things change throughout the week, so that stuff for me doesn’t really impact anything that we’re going to do this week.”

This is typical of what a head coach would say while discussing a quarterback battle, so there is no natural way of knowing

merly the head coach of Vanderbilt. Mason’s defense, like the offense, uses multiple schemes. He is known for being aggressive in stopping high-tempo spread offenses. When given top-level athletes, his defenses should never be taken lightly.

The main position group to focus on with the Auburn defense is their linebackers. Some of the best players on the Auburn team reside in this group.

Zakoby McClain will be all over the field as a well-balanced linebacker. TD Moultry could be a big impact player against a struggling LSU offensive line, as he leads the team in both sacks and tackles for a loss. Owen Pappoe is just an absurd athlete who can never be counted out of a play.

Not an ideal group for LSU to hope to find their run defense groove against.

Mason likes to use two interior defensive linemen to stop the gaps in the run game as well.

The front as a whole being very talented should not be surprising to anyone who has watched an Auburn game before. That’s their bread and butter, and it isn’t stopping now.

LSU will most likely be relying on Max Johnson to win the game with his arm. Luckily for them, the secondary is the weakness of the team, as a big shakeup in the roster from last year has left them unable to find consistency.

The talent is there for them, but we haven’t seen it completely come together yet.

what will happen until gameday.

However, what is known is the momentum that Finley gave Auburn in his performance and the momentum that he carries into this week. Even if Finley does not get the start, it would not be surprising for him to get playing time, especially if Nix struggles.

Finley welcomed the challenge of returning to Baton Rouge and viewed it as an exciting opportunity.

“It’s going to be amazing,” Finley said. “A lot of players there have supported my decision to come here. There’s no bad blood

Auburn’s Offense Key Stats *ranks are out of 130 Total Offense: 18th Passing Offense: 73rd Rushing Offense: 9th 3rd Down Conversion %: 11th (54%) Red Zone Scoring %: Tied 24th (93%) Time of Possession: 94th

with LSU at all because they understand the situation I was put in. I can’t wait to go back. I told all my teammates it’s my homecoming.”

If there’s anything that Finley showed during his time at LSU, it was that he never backed down from a challenge. He still possesses that quality, which creates even more excitement around the matchup in Tiger Stadium this Saturday. Although it may not be sure that Finley will get the start on Saturday, fans are guaranteed an entertaining matchup and a special homecoming for Finley.

Auburn’s Defense Key Stats *ranks are out of 130 Total Defense: Tied 18th Passing Efficiency Allowed: 84th Rushing Defense: 26th 3rd Down Conversion % Allowed: 50th (34.5%) Turnovers Caused: Tied 86th Sacks: Tied 32nd Tackles for Loss: Tied 1st (with LSU)

Bottom Line on Auburn Strengths: Defensive front. Rushing attack.

Weakness: Passing offense. Passing defense.

Gluten Free Cauliflower Crust

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Major leaguer 4 Talking-animal tale 9 Sport with mallets 13 Period of time 15 Narrow street 16 “__ the Roof”; 1962 song 17 In a __; stunned 18 Cursor mover 19 Short-necked duck 20 Boisterous behavior 22 Singer Williams 23 Bylaw 24 “__ Be Home for Christmas” 26 Messy 29 Pesky kid brother, at times 34 Underground plant parts 35 Exhales audibly 36 “Zip-a-Dee-__Dah” 37 Fisherman’s hope 38 Leigh or Jackson 39 Film genre 40 Hardwood tree 41 Baskin-Robbins shelf supplies 42 Short and to the point 43 Unnecessary 45 Gerritsen and Harper 46 Massage 47 Exhausted 48 Monotonous speaker 51 Vastness 56 Change for a five 57 San __, CA 58 Ark builder 60 TV’s “__: New Orleans” 61 Grandfather, for one 62 Actor Gordon 63 Opposite of admit 64 Hornet homes 65 Mountain __; soft drink choice DOWN 1 Prof.’s degree, often 2 Laugh loudly 3 Greek aperitif 4 Clan

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Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

5 Without companions 6 Depressed 7 Not as much 8 Vision 9 “Don’t __ your eggs in one basket” 10 __-minded; willing to reconsider 11 Heavy burden 12 Part of SRO 14 Do over, as a manuscript 21 Clothing 25 “Viva __ Vegas”; film for Elvis 26 Of the city 27 Nap disturber 28 __ max; fully 29 Fork parts 30 4, 5 & 6, for kindergartners 31 Smells 32 Commotion 33 Al and Tipper 35 Without 38 46th U.S. president 39 Settling in 41 Actor Gulager

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OPINION

page 11

Opinion: Keep reading for your definitive primer on primates HADEN’S HOUSE OF HYSTERIA HADEN DEVILBISS

@SullenDucken

At an institution of prestigious academics such as our university, nearly all topics are subject to scholarly discussion— politics, philosophy, art and, of course, the eternal debate on the quality of each primate. Unfortunately, our discourse on the latter topic is upsettingly limited, so I’ve assumed the mantle of definitively ranking the most common primates you’ll encounter in daily conversation.

HUMANS: 5/10 Let’s first take care of the elephant in the room—humans. I happen to be a human and I’ll boldly assume that most of my readership is as well. As such, I think I can give a fair ranking of humans as exceedingly mediocre primates. Despite their size, humans are disappointingly

weak compared to other monkeys. While many proponents of the human species will cite their unparalleled intelligence as a significant win, even this strength is beset with the problems of general anxiety, existential dread and an unending torrent of moral uncertainty.

Overall, there’s a lot to like, but you must be willing to tolerate a lot of glaring issues.

CHIMPANZEES: 6/10 One step above humans are the chimpanzees, their more well-rounded cousins. The two species are more similar than not, as both use advanced tools, form tight-knit social groups and even use medicinal herbs.

However, chimpanzees don’t have the drawbacks of exceptional intelligence and low physical ability instead they balance a healthy intellect with a more robust physical profile.

The biggest downside to chimps is their aggression. In 1974, the Gombe Chimpanzee

War broke out in Tanzania - one of the first instances of observed “warfare” in nature- which led to the brutal slaughter of six male chimps and a maniacal celebration by the victors.

GORILLAS: 8/10 Gorillas are a superb primate.

When fully grown, the burly silverback Eastern lowland gorilla weighs about 350 pounds, stands at five and a half feet tall and can lift up to 1700 pounds.

This powerful physique is complemented with a surprisingly loving familial side, as demonstrated by Koko—the Western lowland female who famously learned sign language—and her intensely affectionate bond with her handlers and pet kittens.

Gorillas are also the real stars of the primate world. Ever since King Kong burst onto the scene in 1933, gorillas have been the number one primate on the silver(back) screen, with hits like “Tarzan”, “Planet of the Apes,” and even the recent re-

boots of the King himself.

ORANGUTANS: 10/10 Hail to the King. Orangutans— “person of the forest” in Malay—is the perfect pri-

COURTESY OF ANIL PRABHAKAR

An orangutan offers a hand to the warden of an orangutan refuge in Borneo, Indonesia.

mate. But the name is a disservice, as their strength more than surpasses that of humans, and orangutans nearly beat humans in intelligence. One of the most endearing aspects of the orangutan is its playful side, and its somewhat dopey appearance with a prominent chin and lanky arms reflects this perfectly. Looking at orangutans is like looking into a mirror, albeit one that makes you look much better, as orangutans are absolute fashionistas. The striking contrast of dark grey skin and bright orange fur is always a stylish choice, as are the bold facial flanges on the males Overall, orangutans are the best of the best when it comes to primates. They may not be overly specialized in any one area, but if I had to be any primate, you bet I’d be an orangutan.

Haden DeVilbiss is a 19-yearold history and psychology sophomore from Lake Charles.

Opinion: Nursing home evacuation tragedy shows neglect SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN

@sulliclaire

Ahead of hurricane Ida, 843 nursing home residents from seven homes were crammed into an Independence. warehouse.

The conditions they suffered in the following days were horrific.

Residents slept on mattresses on the floor, deflated blow-up beds, their chairs or the cement.

Some were forced to lie in their own feces for hours, crying out for assistance. A resident told the New York Times they had to relieve themselves in buckets; others described a group of indoor Port-aPotties.

As the hurricane bore down, rain flooded the building, leaving nurses to frantically mop. Residents were left without air conditioning and adequate oxygen supplies, and Independence suffered heavy damage from the storm.

Fifteen evacuated nursing home residents died, and dozens more were hospitalized. Coroners declared five of those deaths “stormrelated” and continue to investigate the cause of others.

Bob Dean, the owner of these seven nursing homes and several

COURTESY OF WVUE/FOX 8 NOLA

Seven nursing homes owned by Bob Dean were shut down this week after it was discovered he had evacuated their residents to a warehouse he owns in Tangipahoa Parish. others, told WAFB, “We only had five deaths within the six days, and normally with 850 people you’ll have a couple a day, so we did really good with taking care of people.”

Dean’s lack of remorse is disturbing, to say the least.

The inhumane conditions these residents suffered is a troubling illustration of the way elderly people are too often treated in American culture—hidden from sight without dignity or adequate care.

The Louisiana Department of Health approved Dean’s evacuation plans prior to the storm and failed to intervene before it was too late. The LDH has since revoked the licenses of the seven evacuated homes.

Dean has trifled with the safety of his residents for years, and the state has done little to hold him accountable.

In 1998, two of Dean’s residents died following evacuation from Hurricane George. Dean transported residents in a bus with no air conditioning to a building that did not even meet fire codes. Dean was fined only $1,500 by the LDH. In another incident, a woman in one of Dean’s homes suffered hundreds of fire ant bites. The nurse who discovered her said the ants crawled into the resident’s nose and eyes. For this horrific event, Dean was fined only $900.

How can the state put so little value on the life and safety of these

residents? And why, after these incidents of disturbing neglect and disregard for human life, has Dean been allowed to continue operating nursing homes?

Dean is not in the nursing home business to provide care and comfort to people at the end of their lives. He’s in it for a buck.

The state cannot entrust the elderly with those who view them as profit-makers instead of people.

Though Dean is apparently unwilling to spend his wealth providing his residents with a modicum of decency, he has shelled out over a quarter of a million dollars in political contributions over the years.

Dean gifted $42,500 to Gov. John Bel Edwards in his re-election bid and $25,000 in support of Sen. John Kennedy. According to the Advocate, the PAC supporting Sen. Kennedy has since refunded the $25,000 donation. The senator had previously accepted a $5,000 donation from Dean in 1999.

The people of Louisiana must ask difficult questions about how years of political donations may have shielded Dean from accountability.

After all, Dean appears to be a deeply self-interested man; why would he donate to these politicians if there wasn’t something in it for him? A man with a troubled

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Lara Nicholson

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Opinion Editor

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

history of unethical conditions believed he would benefit from certain elected officials of both major parties being in office. Louisiana residents should ask why that is, and what that says about those politicians.

It’s also concerning how Dean’s multiple businesses provided him an outsized avenue for political influence. A man who showed no remorse for deaths that occurred on his watch has a greater political voice than the vast majority of the state simply because he is very wealthy.

The story of Dean shines a critical light on several deep-rooted American issues: our treatment of the elderly, the failure of regulatory oversight and, certainly, the brokenness of campaign finance.

Dean is under investigation by Attorney General Jeff Landry, and hopefully he will finally be held to accountable.

But this can’t just end with Dean.

These tragedies require a thorough autopsy of the systems that enabled years of neglect against Louisiana’s most vulnerable residents.

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

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