Tight end Bauer Sharp faces his former team Southeastern.
LSU says it doesn’t plan to build more parking lots as it aims for a more pedestrian campus.
HOW IT’S MADE
BY BRETT KEMPER Staff Writer
For many LSU fans, the magic of an LSU game day is signified by the crack of a cold aluminum can on a cool Louisiana morning, as the sun crests the horizon and finds its place in the eastern sky.
For others, it’s the blare of “Hold That Tiger” as the Golden Band from Tigerland proudly marches down Victory Hill. For millions more, it starts when that ever-familiar ESPN trill plays as the Goodyear Blimp glides into view across their TV screens, revealing a sold-out Tiger Stadium packed to the brim with bloodthirsty Tiger fans.
What fans know as Tiger Stadium, a pantheon of concrete and steel, is actually an amalgamation of seven different buildings that together form the place known as Death Valley.
And for the people who make that spectacle a reality, it’s not a Saturday, it’s a season. A lifestyle measured in triple shifts, tons of waste hauled away and to-do lists that never run out.
Saturday night in Death Valley
The gates open two hours before kickoff, and by then, more than 3,000 stadium workers have already passed through a security check-in known as Retail, a nationwide background screen for event staff.
Those 3,000 workers will spend their day, which often starts before sunrise, selling concessions, bagging trash and keeping the show running until the clock hits triple zeroes.
By kickoff, 102,321 fans will pour through the gates. Tiger Stadium is the fifth-largest stadium in the United States and one of the loudest venues in the world.
Over the course of a typical game, they will consume 65,000 beers, 70,000 bottles of water, 4,000 bags of popcorn, 4,000 hamburgers and 8,000 hot dogs, generating between $1.5 million and $2 million in sales, which are then distributed throughout LSU Athletics.
Add it all up, and Tiger Stadium is similar to a small city that eats and drinks its weight in hours.
What fans never see is the hidden machine. Thousands of employees work around the clock to ensure the lights stay on, the beer stays cold and the turf looks flawless.
“It’s constant attention,” said Neil Pendleton, LSU facility services director of electrical systems. “You can’t predict when something will break, only that it’ll break at the worst possible time. So we plan for everything and hope the fans never know we’re there.”
The week starts on Tuesday While fans are still replaying highlights, LSU Athletics is already preparing for the next game. Mondays are set aside for recovery and cleanup.
By Tuesday, the cycle begins again with a gameday operations meeting that gathers more than 60 staffers from across the athletic department.
“Monday is for recuperation, but Tuesday comes quick,” Julie Cribbs, assistant AD for operations, said. “We get everyone together, talk about what went right,
what went wrong and what needs to be fixed. Then we start planning Saturday night in Death Valley all over again.”
At the same time, 18-wheelers unload thousands of pounds of concessions. LSU’s contracted janitorial crews scour bleachers and walkways, blasting away the last traces of soda, beer and worse. In a nearby equipment shed, paint crews also prepare for the stadium’s most iconic flourish.
The Tiger Eye comes to life
On Wednesday, Assistant AD of Operations Jon Pfeifer’s field crew begin a two-day ritual: painting the field. Unlike most stadiums, Tiger Stadium paints yard markers every five yards. Between the hashmarks, numbers, logos and the 10-yard-wide Tiger Eye at midfield, the crew burns through 355 gallons of paint each week.
“People don’t realize how much goes into it,” Pfeifer said. “It’s not just the Tiger Eye, it’s making the whole thing pop on TV. Every blade has to look right.”
That attention comes at a price — LSU spends more than $100,000 a year on paint and machinery to
keep the field pristine. By Thursday, janitorial teams are finishing the cleanup while TV trucks begin their setup.
Technicians haul cables through tunnels, secure their cameras, run tests and review the “run of show” to ensure everything planned for Saturday night goes smoothly.
Inside the stadium, LSU’s facility services and athletic operations team is working hard to complete work orders and last-minute maintenance items before the stadium is locked down.
Last-minute preparations Friday begins with recruit visits and a team walkthrough, but by 6 p.m., the stadium goes into lockdown. Only staff with load-in credentials are permitted to enter.
Bomb squads sweep the stadium, a process that lasts until 2 a.m., after which the stadium is completely empty, minus the watchful eye of LSU’s overnight security team, which will secure the stadium until 7 a.m. on Saturday.
see PREPARATION, page 10
LSU says it has no plans to add parking. Here’s why
BY LIV TEES Deputy News Editor
LSU Parking & Transportation announced there are no plans to increase parking spots despite growing concerns from students and faculty at the Faculty Senate meeting Tuesday. They also have no plans to build any additional parking garages on campus.
The communications specialist for the office, Broty Stelly, said there are “around 45,000 students, 2,000 faculty and almost
4,000 staff” on campus.
“We’re looking at around 50 to 52,000 people that make up the Baton Rouge LSU campus,” Stelly said. “According to the Bureau of the Census, we are technically a small metropolitan city.”
Stelly said that the battle for land on a campus with this many people is impossible to win. The Campus Mobility plan that started in 2019 is LSU’s solution. The plan is aimed at providing a more pedestrian-friendly campus and shift more people to
use the Park and Geaux lots. LSU wants to prioritize safety and accessibility for all its community members.
They expect a near car-less campus in the next 10 to 15 years.
“It kind of outlines where LSU is going in terms of not only the miniature city that it is, but the academic institution that we strive to be,” Stelly said.
Starting next semester, several parking lots across campus designated for faculty will close to make way for construction
staging for the new library. LSU expects to break ground on the library at the end of the spring semester.
As the parking presentation concluded, there was significant faculty pushback against the university for pushing the Park and Geaux. Faculty members questioned how the students would get to and from their cars in a reasonable amount of time without continuously missing classes.
see PARKING, page 4
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RESEARCH
LSU scientists use AI to predict dead zones in Gulf of Mexico
BY EMILY BRACHER Staff Writer
Baton Rouge, Louisiana is situated on the Mississippi River, about 230 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. A team of professors and postdoctoral scholars at LSU has closed that distance by discovering a way to track hypoxia in the Gulf quicker and more efficiently.
Hypoxia is when oxygen levels are low or none, creating a “dead zone” that negatively affects ma-
rine life. The hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico is 4,000 square miles and is caused by excess nutrients.
The estimated direct economic impact from hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico is $80 million per year.
George Xue, an oceanography and coastal sciences professor, Supratik Mukhopadhyay, an environmental science professor, Yanda Ou, a postdoctoral researcher and other team members created a new model using artificial intel-
ligence tools to make daily hypoxia forecasts.
“The hypoxia condition is very serious every summer in coastal Louisiana, but we do not have enough observations,” Ou said.
Ou said the Gulf’s hypoxia was usually studied at a seasonal scale via observations or at a daily scale using mechanistic models. Those models were expensive and hard to maintain without an HPC system. By incorporating AI into the numerical model, Ou said that
they can forecast hypoxia significantly faster.
The concept is to train an AI model using numerical output and then compare the predicted hypoxia area against the observation. Ou said more observations and mechanistic model outputs are required to further enhance the AI model’s predictive performance.
“The beauty of AI is the high computational efficiency, that we can try a lot of data and then do
STATE OF THE UNI
Interim President Matt Lee talks growth, ongoing projects
BY AIDAN ANTHAUME Satff Writer
Interim President Matt Lee delivered his first State of the University address on Wednesday at Memorial Hill Library, stating the flagship is in a “meteoric rise” driven by record demand from students, expanding research and a renewed push to prepare work-ready graduates for Louisiana’s economy.
“Together, we’re building something bold, something unified, something truly transformative for the state,” Lee said. “LSU is not just a collection of campuses but a dynamic system of scholars and educators, side by side, solving Louisiana’s greatest challenges across all 64 parishes and far beyond.”
Lee announced the university’s largest freshman class in history this fall, welcoming over 8,000 first-time students.
The incoming group repre -
sents the most academically accomplished, with an average GPA of 3.85 and more than 450 valedictorians. Among those are 5,000 Louisiana residents, the largest number to ever begin at LSU in a single class.
“This momentum isn’t limited to Baton Rouge,” Lee said, citing record-breaking enrollment at LSU campuses in Eunice, Alexandria and Shreveport. “These records aren’t just a bragging point for LSU. By recruiting and educating more students than ever before, we are directly injecting high-caliber talent into the local and state economies that drive Louisiana’s future.”
The university is reshaping programs to meet Louisiana’s workforce shortages, particularly in healthcare, construction management, cybersecurity and energy.
“We’re launching new academic programs in high demand fields to meet the state’s work-
force needs and address real world problems, particularly in healthcare, where Louisiana faces a critical shortage of professionals, and today, every LSU campus offers a healthcare pathway,” Lee said. “From Eunice to LSU Health New Orleans, students are training on state-of-the-art equipment and preparing to step into roles that make an immediate impact.”
LSU’s research enterprise surpassed $500 million for the first time last year, a benchmark Lee called “a huge accomplishment” and a foundation for the system’s goal of joining the nation’s top 50 public research universities.
“We’re not stopping there,” Lee said. “We’re working to grow that portfolio to eight or 900 million and nearly double our doctoral student population. So LSU remains a hub for advanced scholarship and talent development.”
Strategic investments are being focused on five areas: agri-
an ensemble of the output that can also help to increase the accuracy and kind of help the research see what is the uncertainty of the prediction,” Ou said.
Xue is Ou’s supervisor and helps secure the funding for his research. This recent finding is not the first of Ou’s, the postdoctoral scholar has spent years researching ways to better understand his work.
Paramedic shares game day safety tips
BY TORI BONIN Staff Writer
A Baton Rouge paramedic shares tips she wants all Tiger fans to know ahead of the next gameday, including how to stay safe during all the tailgating, cheering and partying.
Arien Morgan works as a paramedic and is the public service coordinator for East Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services. Morgan emphasized the importance of staying hydrated on hot gamedays.
“I mean it’s Louisiana, it is hot,” Morgan said. “You know it’s 90 degrees, so pre-hydrate.”
According to the Mayo Clinic some common symptoms of heat exhaustion include heavy sweating, faintness, fatigue, muscle cramps and nausea.
culture, biomedical and health, coastal resilience, defense and cybersecurity and energy. LSU’s health campuses are pursuing Louisiana’s first National Cancer Institute designation, which would allow cancer patients to remain in-state for clinical trials and advanced care.
“We’re not copying someone else’s playbook. We’re writing our own, building a team that knows the goals, trusts the process and executes with precision,” Lee said.
The university has also reorganized its energy programs into the LSU Energy Institute and declared its intention to become “America’s energy campus,” with research on topics from carbon capture to renewable power.
“When we set a goal, we pursue it with rigor and resolve,” Lee said. “That’s why we’ve realigned several research units into the
Morgan also emphasizes the importance of calling 911 in the case of an emergency. She recommends giving the operator a description of your location, especially when on campus, to help them locate you quicker.
“When calling 911, especially on campus because we have such a large number of people, give clear information about where you’re located; the section of the stadium, the tailgate area, the parking lot, if you are on the Parade Ground look for landmarks,” Morgan said. “A lot of times we get calls and it’ll be female down in a purple dress on the Parade Ground. Well we both know that’s a sea of purple and gold.”
EMS is located across campus with medical carts, bike teams and even a medical trailer on Nicholson between the Quad and Tiger Stadium. Morgan recommends having a
PAYTON PRICHRD / The Reveille
Interim President Matt Lee sits in David Boyd Hall during an interview June 6 on Tower Drive in Baton Rouge, La.
SAEFTY
see DEAD ZONES, page 4
ADMISSIONS
Law school welcomes 231 firstyear students
BY LIV TEES Deputy News Editor
The LSU Law School welcomed 656 students to campus for the 2025-2026 academic year. This included the largest first-year class in recent history with 231 students. Last fall, the school’s enrollment was 644 students with 228 first-year students.
There are 215 second-year students, 194 third-year students and 16 students pursuing a Master of Laws degree.
The first-year’s class GPA and LSAT are slightly higher than the previous first-year class. The median LSAT score rose one point for a grade of 157 and the median GPA rose 0.02 points to 3.71.
Louisiana residents make up 61% of the class and LSU was the top undergraduate school represented. The class also represents 79 additional undergraduate schools from 28 states and three foreign countries.
newly established LSU Energy Institute, fortifying our strength in energy innovation.”
Lee also linked LSU’s athletic achievements, including recent national championships in baseball, women’s basketball and gymnastics, to the broader brand of the university.
“This is more than a winning streak,” he said. “It’s a culture of excellence that unites our campuses and elevates the LSU brand worldwide.”
With construction projects totaling hundreds of millions of dollars, Lee says the university is reshaping its campuses to meet the needs of a larger student body and a shifting economy.
“We’re also expanding student housing, adding another 1,200 new beds by 2027 to meet growing demand and strengthen campus engagement,” Lee said. “And next year, we’ll break ground on a 193,000 square foot LSU library, a modern academic centerpiece designed to support student success and foster interdisciplinary learning.”
Among the upcoming projects is a $107 million Construction and Advanced Manufacturing Building, which will relocate the Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management and add new state-of-the-art labs.
“We’re investing over $100 million in the construction and advanced manufacturing building. A facility that will directly
DEAD ZONES, from page 3
The numerical model used a process similar to weather forecasting. Xue explained that with an ocean forecaster, they solve equations for the fluid dynamics in the ocean region. He used the example of tracking the wind and how it might affect the growth of a certain plant.
Even though the new AI model still relies on numerical models to generate data, it computes results much faster.
“We need to understand what caused this dead zone and how we can better forecast it,” Xue said.
The dead zones caused by hypoxia threaten various types of marine life. Xue said that in all ecosystems, every organism has its niche or special role. If an area of hypoxia lasts for too long or happens too frequently, different species can start dwindling in numbers, therefore affecting others that rely on them.
Not only does this affect the creatures living in the ocean, but also the industries that rely on them. Ou said that forecasting hypoxia allows fishermen a better understanding of what is going on with what they are catching and what to expect. Higher hypoxia means fewer fish to catch leading to higher seafood prices. Ou said that hypoxia affects everyone.
Algal blooms are another consequence of hypoxia and are toxic to humans.
“There will be a cascade of consequences,” Xue said.
support Louisiana’s workforce and economic future, training the next generation of builders and engineers.” Lee said.
Nearly 70% of LSU construction management graduates stay in-state after earning their degrees, a trend Lee said reflects how campus investments translate into economic strength.
“These projects reflect a shared vision to build the future of Louisiana through education, innovation, and opportunity,” he said. “They ensure that LSU remains a destination for top talent and a driver of progress for decades to come.”
Throughout the address, Lee stressed the university’s strength lies in its role as a unified system, stretching from Baton Rouge research corridors to healthcare pipelines in Shreveport and New Orleans.
“The heart of LSU’s mission is our faculty and staff,” Lee said. “If we want to lead nationally, we must invest boldly in them, and we seek to continue to do so.”
Lee reminded the audience that LSU’s progress depends on more than new buildings and record enrollment. He said sustaining the university’s momentum will require a shared commitment from lawmakers, alumni and industry partners vital to meeting the needs of communities across Louisiana.
“As we look ahead, one thing is clear: LSU success is Louisiana success,” Lee said. “Every new graduate, every research break-
Mukhopadhyay said there are two causes for hypoxia. The first is stratification, which is when there is a difference in density because of salt water and fresh water mixing. He used the example of when a river meets a sea or ocean, the two mix with the heavier going down and the lighter going up.
The second cause is nutrient pollution. This is human-induced, where nitrogen and phosphorus form a layer on the water. It comes from agricultural runoff, sewage wastewater and other man-made waste.
By predicting hypoxia before it happens, Mukhopadhyay said they can work on improving solutions to decrease it. One of those solutions is encouraging repeat nutrient pollutant offenders to dispose of harmful waste more sustainably.
“For AI for science to progress, we need mechanistic models that are transparent indeed of open models because science is all about transparency,” Mukhopadhyay said.
The team’s next steps are working on increasing the resolution of the model. The current resolution is about five kilometers, but they want to expand to one kilo for a better forecast.
They also plan on collaborating with more stakeholders, including federal agencies like NOAA to better serve the public.
“This work would not be possible without the talents in my group,” Xue said. “We need to make sure the talents are retained in Louisiana.”
SAFETY, from page 3
form of identification because it helps medical personnel assist you quickly. It also helps responders notify family or emergency contacts in case of an issue.
PARKING, from page 2
“There is a very clear impact on our student life with this lack of parking,” said one faculty member during the Q&A portion of the presentation. “You have to take into consideration that [most] seniors, juniors and sophomores are not living on campus. They are commuting.”
At the start of the meeting, students from the organization Students for a Democratic So -
What Morgan wants not only students, but anyone attending the game to know is to hydrate, drink responsibly and most importantly call 911 in the event of an emergency and identify one’s location. It will help EMS get to you quicker.
ciety sat in the front row while one student made a public comment concerning the LSU presidential search committee.
Zane Sutor-Benfield, a sophomore majoring in screen arts, spoke about the “unfairness” among members on the committee. After he spoke, the students handed letters to the executive members of the Faculty Senate asking them to deliver the letters to the search committee for review.
LSU, LIGO celebrate anniversary of Nobel-winning Einstein proof
BY DREW SARHAN Staff Writer
LSU researchers at LIGO recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of proving Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity after over half a century of observations.
LSU has been studying gravitational waves with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, for 55 years. The theory was proved with the observatory’s laser interferometer, a tool used to study gravitational waves made up of mirrors, lasers and a light detector. When there aren’t any waves, the light and the laser cancel each other out, and the detector is stagnant. However, gravitational waves will slightly shift the laser, causing the detector to register an imbalance. This indicates a gravitational wave event, which only lasts a few seconds at most.
Joseph Giaimie is a professor at LSU and the observatory head of LIGO Livingston. He works with the interferometer every day.
“It’s particularly hard to do it because the amount of change in length is minuscule,” Giaime said. “Truly crazy minuscule, again, that’s why it took the bet-
ter part of a century to work out how to do it.”
LSU researchers have been studying gravitational waves since 1970, when emeritus professor William Hamilton came to LSU from Stanford with his bar antenna, a bar of aluminum cooled to absolute zero that could detect gravitational waves. But nature didn’t send any signals strong enough to register on the antenna.
LIGO proved the theory by observing the activities of two orbiting black holes around a billion light years away. As they orbited, they emitted gravitational waves. As the black holes got closer together, more waves were emitted until they fused. Because of the distance between the observatory and the black holes, LIGO can only detect waves in the final few rotations.
The theory of general relativity states that the presence of matter and energy causes spacetime to curve, and the curvature, local to the object, tells it how to move and determines how lengths are measured.
“General relativity has been proven true in many other ways,” Giaimie said. “But we hadn’t actually done it, so that
was a big deal.”
The event to celebrate the discovery was held on Saturday at the LIGO Science Education Center in Livingston, Louisiana. Inside the main area, the center has a Nobel Prize on display in the foyer. On the left was an auditorium where a presentation was prepared.
LSU Boyd Professor Gabriela González was the main speaker during the presentation, where she spoke about the history of LIGO, the discovery itself and the future of the observatory. Other speakers included Brian Wallace, a senior policy advisor for Gov. Jeff Landry, and LSU Interim President Matt Lee.
On the right side of the building was an exhibition hall of gadgets and gizmos. Various machines showcasing scientific laws adorned the hall, from a giant slinky showing how waves work to an oscillation machine made from an acoustic guitar, with different strings showing various wavelengths. The decommissioned bar antenna will be displayed in this gallery.
Despite the discovery only happening over the course of a couple of seconds, the impact of the observation changed science forever.
ALEXIS PERSICKE / The Reveille People try to find parking in the UREC lot Aug. 26 in Baton Rouge, La.
MATT LEE, from page 3
RESEARCH
ENTERTAINMENT PUZZLES
Don’t miss these upcoming events at LSU’s annual Family Weekend
BY MIA HATTAWAY Staff Writer
Family Weekend at LSU means more than just cheering for the Tigers; it’s about experiencing Baton Rouge together. From Thursday, Sept. 18 to Sunday, Sept. 21, there are plenty of things to do both on and off campus with your loved ones.
Check-in for Family Weekend starts on Thursday, Sept. 18 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the LSU Barnes & Noble. Once you’re checked in, you’ll receive a clear bag that adheres to Tiger Stadium requirements, badges for Family Weekend events, T-shirts if you preordered them and an assortment of smaller goodies, like pins or fans. If you need something to fill the rest of your evening, you’re in luck.
Every Thursday from midSeptember through October, Perkins Rowe hosts Rock N Rowe, a free live music event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Headlining the show on Sept. 18 is Mike Broussard & Night Train, a swamp pop band from Gonzales, Louisiana. Bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets and dancing shoes for a fun night in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge.
Check in continues on Friday, Sept. 19 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble on campus.
Starting at noon, the leisure river at the UREC will be open until 9 p.m. Additional guests can purchase day passes for $5, while members of the Family Association can bring two complimentary guests upon presenting their membership cards.
Families of first generation college students are invited to attend a presentation overviewing
academic resources and opportunities available at LSU from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the International Room in the Student Union.
The Hill Memorial Library will host a research gallery talk from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., while the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse will see a College of Human Sciences and Education carnival at the same time, with snow cones, games and food.
Stop by the UREC Outdoor Center from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. with your Tiger Card to rent out beach cruisers for your family for up to two hours.
For families that purchased the Purple or Gold packages, head to Tower Drive at 5:30 p.m. for the Bengal Block Party, with music, food trucks and performances from groups including the Tiger Girls.
Afterward, members of the Family Association are invited to a game night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom in the Student Union.
If you’re in the mood to get away from campus, Live After Five is hosted every Friday from mid-September to the second to last week of October. From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., you can enjoy NOLAinspired Beatles tunes with the Walrus at Rhorer Plaza. Nearby restaurants include Capital City Grill, Town Square Pizza and Tsunami.
On Saturday, check in will begin at 11 a.m. and end at 4 p.m.
Only 15 minutes away from campus, Cypress Coast Brewing Co is hosting its fourth annual Oktoberfest on Saturday, Sept. 20. Be sure to come ready for the stein hoisting competition. Doors open at noon with free entry.
Also on Saturday, is a trunk sale with The Pink Elephant, in-
cluding twenty additional vendors. Down the road from The Pink Elephant is The Market at Circa 1857 and Polished Peacock Antiques if you want to extend your thrifting trip.
The tailgate for Purple or Gold package families spans from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Parade Ground with live music, photo ops, food and games. Also at the Parade Ground is a cornhole tournament starting at 2 p.m.
The classic Victory Hill Parade will begin around 4:30 p.m. Following the march down Victory Hill, all gates to the stadium will open at 4:45 p.m. with kickoff against Southeastern Louisiana at 6:45 p.m.
Need a pick-me-up after gameday? On Sunday, Sept. 21, families who registered are able to attend the jazz brunch with a buffet, live music and prizes.
Starting at 9 a.m., you can go on a tour of Tiger Stadium at the top of every hour. The tour costs $10 per person and lasts 45 minutes.
The UREC Outdoor Center is offering another round of free bike rentals from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The leisure river will be open again from noon to 10 p.m., with the same $5 guest passes and two complimentary passes for Family Association members.
For the full Louisiana experience, make sure to get beignets from Coffee Call and a seafood boil from Crawfish King at some point in the weekend.
With over 8,000 attendees every year, Family Weekend is always a hit. No matter how you choose to spend your Family Weekend, you and your family are guaranteed to have a fantastic time on and off of LSU’s campus.
A family poses for a picture under a balloon arch at the LSU Family Weekend Tailgate on Sept. 24, 2022, on the LSU Parade Ground in Baton Rouge, La.
Talon ted
A rooster’s spurs are trimmed.
LSU fourth-year veterinary student Alec Filson draws blood from a red shouldered hawk.
Veterinary techncian Sean Braud holds a Eurasian collared dove.
BRCC veterinary technology student Ayanna Irvin listens to the heartbeat of a
LSU Vet School students practice various procedures and techniques on a rooster and a red-shouldered hawk Sept. 16 at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge, La.
Zoological medicine resident Dr. Tim Brunner and fourthyear veterinary student Astrid Mejias trim a rooster’s spurs.
Photos by Luke Ray | Design by Riley White
barred owl.
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SPORTS STAYING SHARP
LSU vs. Southeastern is a full-circle moment for Bauer Sharp
BY CHLOE RICHMOND Sports Editor
Amy and Jason Sharp have busy weekends.
On Fridays, they’re in Dothan, Alabama, watching their son, Tyler, play high school football.
Following the conclusion of that game, they’re on the road for a six-hour journey to Baton Rouge to support LSU tight end Bauer Sharp in his final season of college football.
This year is Sharp’s first in purple and gold, and after watching him play in the first two home games against Louisiana Tech and Florida, his parents couldn’t be happier.
“Purple looks good on him,” Amy said.
This week, they’ll be in town for LSU football’s next match against Southeastern Louisiana. The game is going to be one for the history books in many ways.
Despite the schools being just an hour apart, this cat fight has
only happened twice before. This is the third time ever and first since 2018 that this in-state battle will occur, with LSU head coach
Brian Kelly and SLU head coach
Frank Scelfo standing off for the first time.
It’s also a reunion for Scelfo and LSU defensive coordinator
Blake Baker, who was recruited to play football at Tulane by Scelfo in 2000.
For the Sharp family, it’s a personal affair, too. Some might even call it a full-circle moment.
Sharp is an Oklahoma transfer, and was the first addition LSU picked up in the offseason.
He spent the 2024 season racking up receiving yards in crimson and cream, but before that, he was in green and gold. From 2021 to 2023, Sharp was at SLU.
Before college, Sharp manned his high school offense at quarterback, but this changed when he got to SLU. He was “probably third or fourth on the [QB] depth chart,” but there was no denying how “ex-
tremely athletic and big” he was, Jason said.
So, the coaches considered all their options on where to put Sharp, because — whether he was going to be slinging the ball or on the receiving side of it — they needed to get him on the field.
“They saw how fast and athletic he was, so they started using him more in different packages, and slowly just kind of made his way to the tight end position,” Jason said.
“Once he played a few games, he said, ‘I’m never going back to quarterback again,’” he added.
The position change proved to be a good one. Sharp helped SLU win a Southland Conference title in his breakout year at tight end in 2022, then was also utilized as a wildcat quarterback in the two seasons following.
After transferring to Oklahoma for the 2024 season, he started all 12 games at the position and led the Sooners in receptions and receiving yards.
His last game with the Sooners
was against LSU on Nov. 29. Exactly two weeks later, a press release announced his commitment to the Tigers.
“His goal is to always play at the highest level he can,” Jason said, “and if that meant changing schools, we would change schools.”
As it is with any major change in life, there’s always going to be an adjustment period. In college athletics, the same can be said about transferring programs. Sharp didn’t even expect to be a tight end, let alone at a top-tier program like LSU.
But even with all the signs pointing to a long learning curve, “it took about a week,” Jason said.
When Sharp came down to Baton Rouge, the university helped his family find a place for him to stay. Shortly after Sharp expressed his boredom in his one-bedroom apartment to his parents, Whit and West Weeks called him up.
History of LSU and SLU’s cat fight
BY
As LSU football enters Week 4 at 3-0, the Tigers and the Lions will battle it out to be named the top cats in Louisiana on Saturday night.
LSU and Southeastern have only met twice before in school history, but that doesn’t mean a rivalry couldn’t be sparked. When the two met most recently in 2018, the Tigers triumphed 31-0.
Southeastern is often regarded as Louisiana’s “little sibling” team to LSU, particularly due to the similarities the two schools share. From the big cat mascots to the sharing of gold, down to their proximity to each other.
Conner Fairbanks is a sophomore at Southeastern and a Louisiana local originally from Jonesville. He said that although a Lion at heart, he has to root for the Tigers on Saturday night.
“It’s pretty surreal to get to watch my school play the school I’ve lived my whole life cheering for,” Fairbanks said. “In 2018, I watched this same matchup and thought nothing of it. It’s almost hard to cheer against my Lions, but go Tigers!”
This little sibling mentality could potentially light a fire beneath Southeastern’s team and lead it into Death Valley with a chip on their shoulder.
In his weekly press conference, LSU head coach Brian Kelly stated that many players on the Southeastern team will be playing with a sense of vengeance.
Kelly said the Tigers are look-
Dashawn Spears made most of his opportunity against Florida
BY TRE ALLEN Staff Writer
With a sea of yellow smothering Death Valley, safety Dashawn Spears held up two fingers as he crossed the endzone.
Not just to tell quarterback DJ Lagway “goodbye” after sneaking past him on the sideline, but to signify his second interception on the night.
In a gold-out game for LSU’s SEC opener, the Tigers defeated the Florida Gators 20-10, improving their record to 3-0 on the season. The highlight of the weekend goes to the LSU defense that picked off Lagway five times in the 10-point victory. The new and
improved defense for the Tigers continues to make strides to bring back the LSU defense we all remember from the past.
With playmakers across every position, it’s no surprise that the Tigers’ defense has been performing the way it has against highly praised quarterbacks and teams such as Cade Klubnik with Clemson and Lagway with Florida.
And against the Gators, the playmakers made plays. Defensive backs Tamarcus Cooley, AJ Haulcy and DJ Pickett all grabbed interceptions, and linebackers West Weeks and Davhon Keys registered over 10 total tackles.
However, it was Spears who earned national recognition for his performance.
While Spears didn’t fill up the stat sheet, tallying up only two total tackles, he impacted the game far more than anyone could imagine with two interceptions, including a momentum-changing picksix in the third quarter.
Those two takeaways earned him the game ball and the national defensive player of the week honor. What makes this performance so special for a player like Spears is the type of role he’s playing.
Usually, when a player finds himself making multiple plays like Spears did against the Gators, it’s because he’s a starter and constantly on the field.
However, Spears is not.
When LSU went to the offseason this year, there was a clear
position that needed a makeover, and it was the safety spot.
The last line of defense and one of the most pivotal positions on defense, LSU went into the portal and targeted smart, athletic playmakers who could create turnovers and change the game.
The Tigers did exactly that, bringing Haulcy from Houston and Cooley from North Carolina State.
We’ve already seen the impact of both safeties, with each of them having an interception against the Gators and both ranking inside the top six for tackles on the team.
While LSU added two playmakers that could change the identity of the team, the addition forced Spears to drop in the depth chart.
Spears saw the field in eight games last year as a freshman, racking up 25 total tackles. He found himself rotating at the safety spot with guys such as Jardin Gilbert and Sage Ryan.
The No. 2 safety in the class of 2024 generated a lot of excitement within the team, and many people believed him to be one of the key contributors to the future of the secondary.
Although his role may not be as significant as it could potentially be, he’s still a massive part of the defense.
The sophomore was seen getting reps with the first team defense during fall camp and has
RAMI BURKS Staff Writer
PREPARATION, from page 2
Meanwhile, landscape services fans out across campus with over 5,000 trash and recycling cans, ensuring every tailgate has access to a bin. Temporary fencing is installed, trees are trimmed and grass is mowed to keep campus camera-ready.
“Three hours before kickoff, those crews start circling Tiger Stadium,” said one of the facilities managers. “They’ll keep collecting trash until the end of the first quarter, and then come back at 4 a.m. Sunday to start all over again.”
After kickoff, the priority shifts to inside the stadium, where most fans direct their attention to the gridiron. Operations and facilities staff keep the show on the road, with maintenance calls coming in minute by minute. They’re all over the place, but most won’t even notice.
By the time the clock hits triple zeroes, cleanup has already begun, and 15 minutes later? The field is cleared, and Pfeifer’s staff is already repairing the damage sustained in-game.
While the bleachers are being cleared of trash and the last stragglers are escorted out, the turf
SPEARS, from page 9
made plays to stand out in front of the team. Head coach Brian Kelly has noticed his hard work and is trusting Spears more and more.
“He’s been grinding,” Kelly said. “Every single day, he comes in and he’s looking for an opportunity to get on that field.”
Those opportunities came on pivotal third downs during the game on Saturday.
In the first quarter, on 3rdand-10 with the ball on the Tigers’ 43-yard line, LSU rolled out with six defensive backs in an obvious passing situation, including Spears playing underneath.
Spears located the receiver in his zone, tracked the ball once it was in the air and undercut the corner route to snag the ball for
SHARP, from page 9
“They said, ‘We got another bedroom, why don’t you come live with us?’” Jason said. “He immediately moved in with them. He became instant best friends with all of them.”
Other than the Weeks brothers, Sharp has also grown closer to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier. Jason expects them to continue thriving on the football field, as the two have already gelled so well together this early on.
“I love the vibes around the
CAT FIGHT, from page 9
ing at this week with a sense of urgency because the Lions have players that are very similar to their own. Kelly compared Southeastern’s Kaleb Proctor to LSU’s Bernard Gooden, also mentioning that the Lions are likely excited for this opportunity.
All of this will play into how
crew is tamping down the grass, moving equipment and preparing for the next battle, which Pfeifer says is a losing one.
“Grass grows by the inch and dies by the foot,” Pfeifer said, referring to the care that goes into keeping the turf in prime condition, only to be torn up the second someone sets foot on it.
The morning after By sunrise on Sunday, campus looks like a battlefield.
Trash that, for whatever reason, did not make it into one of the 5,000 trash cans available on game day, is picked up on Sunday morning, but it’s the numbers that tell this story.
On average, there are 30 tons of waste after a game, and in some cases, more; following the Ole Miss game last year, 52 tons of waste were generated. In the overtime victory against Alabama in 2022? 70 tons. That’s just what was outside the stadium. There’s so much inside the stadium that they don’t even count.
Between 90 and 120 staff members arrive around 4 a.m. with garbage trucks, recycling trucks and sweepers. By noon, the Parade Ground looks nothing like it did just 24 hours earlier.
“That’s the magic part,” said
the interception.
It’s a play that highlights his football IQ, playing in the correct spot and giving himself a chance to make a play.
Florida may not have been guaranteed points on that drive, but the interception from Spears nullified any chance of points and erased any momentum for the Gators.
His second interception came in a similar situation.
On 3rd-and-18, once again, defensive coordinator Blake Baker sent out six defensive backs for a passing situation with Spears playing underneath.
With the ball on LSU’s 49-yard line, Florida was looking to get in a better field goal position. Needing to pick up 18 yards is a hard task on third down in Death Val-
team,” Sharp said in spring practice. “It feels like I’ve known them for five years… the camaraderie in the locker room and the brotherhood is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Heading into this Week 4 game, all the talk in the LSU locker room has revolved around what needs to be done to take down the Lions.
For Sharp and his SLU friends, there’s also been plenty of talk — trash talk, that is.
Eli Sawyer and Kaleb Proctor are two of Sharp’s best friends and former roommates from SLU, who
Kelly approaches the in-state matchup, as it might not be an easy week of play like most fans would assume.
“We have to work on ourselves this week with that sense of urgency and working on the technical part, the tactical part, so we put a great performance together on Saturday,” Kelly said.
Like any other week, Kelly and
Tammy Millican, executive director for facilities and campus sustainability. “On Monday morning, no one has any idea that 150,000 people were here two days earlier. That’s because our crews take so much pride in making sure it disappears.”
Millican also oversees LSU’s sustainability initiatives, including recycling drives that have earned national recognition. Currently, only about 20 percent of gameday waste is recycled; however, Millican and LSU Athletics are working to significantly increase that number.
Crises you’ll never hear about
Fans cheer for touchdowns, but behind the curtain, the battles are stranger. Rally towels clog sewer lines, and a sewage pump failure could cause severe issues within 30 minutes, which is why a hydrovac truck sits on standby every game.
Electricians pace with thermal cameras to spot hot spots before they spark. HVAC techs nurse aging motors through SEC heat, hoping back-ordered replacements arrive in time.
“There are plumbers stationed around the stadium during games, just waiting for a call,” said Daryl Trudeau, LSU’s direc-
ley, so it’s important to give your kicker at least a chance and gain positive yards.
As Lagway turned to his left to throw a slant that would’ve been well short of the line to gain, Spears followed the eyes of the quarterback and stepped in front of wide receiver J. Michael Sturdivant for the interception.
Spears strided into the endzone, returning his second interception for a 58-yard pick six, giving the Tigers a 20-10 lead in the third quarter and ultimately being the dagger in the game.
For any player who doesn’t start, it’s about finding ways to impact the game. For a guy like Spears, who was a rotational player as a freshman, it may feel like his role or playing time has been depleted.
were also in the stands during the Florida game. Sawyer used to play quarterback and Proctor is a senior defensive lineman for the Lions.
“He’s not nervous, I asked him,” Jason said. “He said, ‘Nah, I get to take shots at my friends and they’re going to take shots at me. It’s going to be a blast.’”
There’s plenty of fun to be had, but there’s also a game to win — which, at the end of the day, is the focus for Sharp.
When Sharp committed to LSU, Kelly commended him for his willingness to learn. A press confer-
the Tigers are looking for a win — and not just any win, a comfortable win that looks good to the playoff selection committee. Using these nonconference games to gel as a team is going to be crucial heading into the next several weeks of conference play, and that is exactly what Kelly said will be of focus on Saturday night.
“These guys are still grow-
tor of mechanical systems. “Most of the problems are in bathrooms. That’s the reality. We stage ourselves strategically inside the stadium so we can be there in minutes if something goes wrong.”
Even Mike the Tiger has a gameday checklist: his habitat gets a weekly Thursday tune-up under a strict lockout-tagout protocol, the same safety procedure used to secure heavy machinery.
The invisible army
Every person in purple and gold has a story of the moment they fell in love with Tiger Stadium. For staff, those memories exist alongside the knowledge of what it takes to make them possible.
From 36-hour shifts, like those pulled by recycling manager John Marquies, to emergency drills that cut power to test generator systems, to the thousands of small fixes that fans never see, the scale is almost beyond comprehension.
Ask what they would change with unlimited money, and staff rattle off infrastructure projects: upgrading legacy systems in the old bowl, expanding electrical capacity and modernizing lighting. Ask what they are proud of, and the answers turn human: ESPN
Regardless, it’s what you do with the opportunity that forces the coaches to carve out a role, making you impossible to keep off the field.
praising the look of campus on GameDay, the stadium lit at sunset, a Monday morning campus scrubbed clean.
“It’s those only-in-Death Valley moments,” said Dave Haskin, LSU associate AD for marketing and broadcast operations. “When the lights hit just right, the crowd shakes the ground, and you know all the invisible work made it possible.”
“You don’t think about us when the beer is cold, the suites are cool, and the restrooms work,” another facilities leader added. “That’s the point. If you’re not thinking about us, it means we did our job.”
The real answer
So, how many people does it take to make game day happen?
At LSU, it takes thousands: crews sweeping at 4 a.m., painters bent over hashmarks, plumbers crouched behind restroom doors, electricians waiting for the blink of a breaker.
It’s an invisible army that builds the stage so Saturday night can feel like magic.
Because the one thing Death Valley would be incomplete without, the one thing no generator, checklist or work order can summon, is you.
Spears showed that on third downs in obvious passing situations, he’s a guy that must be on the field. With a high IQ and ability to make game-changing plays, it’s a moment he’s been ready for.
“Just hunkering down and doing everything I’m supposed to do throughout the week, then I know my moment will come, and it did Saturday,” Spears said.
ence happened the same day his transfer was announced, and Kelly said although it’s apparent that he’s a talented player, the Tigers looked at him for his physicality and versatility in the run game and the passing game.
“He came here knowing that he was not done developing,” Kelly said. “That’s what we appreciate about him the most.”
While the season has only just begun, Sharp’s development has already started to show. He was on the other end of a 65-yard pass during the Florida game, which is
ing and developing,” Kelly said.
“I’m bullish on this group. I think they’re going to be really good as we can continue to develop. They’re going to be a good group, but we’ve got some work to do.”
Southeastern may appear like an easy win for LSU, but the Lions will bring everything they’ve got to one of the hardest places to play football in the nation. The home -
one of the LSU offense’s best plays this season and a career-long reception for him.
Still, he continues to work to be better, and Tiger fans are sure to see him level up every game. That’s just the nature of the athlete he is.
“He’s always been a guy that just wants to help the team win,” Jason said. “He’s willing to do whatever, and he likes being a part of a team. He likes being a part of a good team. He loves the tradition that LSU has with winning, and he just wants to win.”
grown Louisiana boys at Southeastern won’t be taking this matchup lightly.
The state pride is strong in this Lions team. 66 of its 100-player roster are Louisiana natives. Being able to take down the state’s “standard school” is the goal.
For all the marbles, the Tigers take on the Lions at 6:45 p.m. Saturday in Death Valley.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
LSU football freshman safety Dashawn Spears (10) runs a drill during warmups Sept. 28 before LSU’s 42-10 win against South Alabama at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
OPINION
‘The Summer I Turned Pretty’ finale was everything I wanted
This column contains spoilers for The Summer I Turned Pretty season three finale.
Oh boy, where do I begin? I guess all good things must really come to an end.
Author Jenny Han’s book trilogy “The Summer I Turned Pretty” was adapted to the hit series many know and love today.
While the show has received great ratings since day one, season three takes the cake. If you weren’t tuning in every Wednesday, you were probably confused as to why so many were hating on an Abercrombie & Fitch lookalike and his epic tantrum over a dark chocolate raspberry coulis mirror glaze cake, or why peaches were all of a sudden the fruit of the season.
The final season has made waves on social media, giving multiple generations of viewers something to look forward to. People went so far as to hosting watch parties with team Conrad shirts and other show related merchandise. And by people I mean myself
and thousands of others including eateries and bars.
As a member of team Conrad, I’m not surprised with Belly’s decision. After all, Jeremiah never stood a chance. Belly and Jeremiah were always meant to be the best of friends, nothing more. Their engagement and invisible ring ended with a disastrous canceled wedding, leading Belly to book a oneway trip to Paris.
Honestly, Jeremiah proved to be a man-child while Connie baby showed all the makings of a man. The list of Conrad’s romantic acts goes on and on, including but not limited to the following from season three alone:
From bringing Belly to Michael’s to suggesting she use Susannah’s hydrangeas, to delivering one of his best lines — “anything I buy you can have” — there was no shortage of considerate acts from Conrad. Not to mention in episode six, Conrad convinced Laurel to attend Belly’s doomed wedding, putting his own yearning for Belly aside. His goal was always Belly’s happiness.
I started to wonder if Belly was suffering from a brain injury, because if that string of words “any-
thing I buy you can have” doesn’t make you fall for a guy, I don’t know what will. Conrad Beck Fisher is a man of exquisite taste. He dresses well, does dishes (in a denim shirt, might I add), wears a slutty little watch, never forgets Belly’s birthday, bakes her favorite birthday treats, does home maintenance and feeds her constantly. He occasionally forgets seasoning, but that’s an easy fix. I think Conrad’s methods should be studied by anyone with hopes of engaging in a non-toxic relationship.
It’s hard to fathom how one could be team Jeremiah. Did his siren eyes hypnotize you through your television screen? Or do you find emotionally stunted, immature, insecure boys your type?
Before I continue to rejoice over everyone’s favorite couple, I would like to extend my congratulations to the newest TikTok Chef, Jeremiah. This line of work suits you well, my friend.
The final shot of the series shows Belly and Conrad standing in front of the illustrious beach house, looking like the king and queen of Cousins Beach. I had literal chills.
There was speculation that Han
would surprise fans with a bonus episode, but we were so wrong.
The “Summer I Turned Pretty” movie was announced instead. I’m thinking the film will be set during the holidays since the credits of the series finale ended with adorable holiday pics of Belly and Conrad spending Christmas in Paris.
Just like the iconic couples Rose and Jack from Titanic, Bella and
Edward from Twilight and Elena and Damon from The Vampire Diaries, Belly and Conrad were always endgame. Anyways, it’s been a fun three seasons. See you in the city of love, friends. And remember, we’ll always have summer at Cousins.
Ava Francis is a 22-year-old journalism major from New Orleans.
COURTESY OF AMAZON
Biden, Trump and the collapse of presidential standards
RILEY’S REVIEW
RILEY SANDERS
The sentiment, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free,” still rings true to the American ear, though more so now on the latter note of “at least I know I’m free.” In recent years, it has become more difficult to take pride in American identity — not because our core values and freedoms are not something to be proud of, but because our leaders do not conduct themselves in a respectable way.
Most would consider a leader to be someone who embodies honesty, integrity, ambition, tact and is fit to wield power under pressure over a constituency for its good. Under the previous and current administrations, however, America has seen anything but leadership as it ought to relate to the above qualities.
The Biden administration came into office in a time of great tumult. The nation was reeling from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the times were unprecedented to say the least. As a nation that had not dealt with a severe pandemic since 2009 with the H1N1 outbreak, much less one that had never seen such widespread
socioeconomic shutdown, former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris had a major mess on their hands. Despite a rushed vaccine effort and widespread shutdowns, 230 million Americans were vaccinated by the end of their term. The national issue of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, took great precedence over most issues in the news cycle at the time.
How could Americans ponder anything other than the impending doom of the coronavirus? The pandemic response masked major cracks in the administration. At the beginning of the term, the Biden administration enacted and revoked several policies that opened the border with Mexico to illegal immigration, including ending the Remain in Mexico Program and construction on a stronger physical border. Additionally, they used government funding to pay for flight expenses of some of the 7.2 million illegal immigrants across the border into the United States. This all occurred as they claimed the border was under control.
In August 2021, the Biden administration also oversaw a nightmarish withdrawal of U.S. troops and civilians from Afghanistan. The intent was to prevent “another generation of troops [from fighting and dying]
in a conflict that had no end in sight,” according to the National Security Council.
While a noble aim, the actual withdrawal was entirely botched and endangered the lives of countless Americans due to Biden’s choice to opt for a date later than May 1 (the agreed-upon withdrawal date between the prior administration and the Taliban). It was an embarrassment for the entire nation.
Arguably, the largest blunder was the cover-up of Biden’s health and ability to run the country. Almost everyone witnessed the unfathomable events of the first debate between Biden and President Donald Trump ahead of the 2024 election. During the debate, 81-yearold Biden consistently mumbled and lost his train of thought to the point that the moderator had to cut him off repeatedly in order to maintain a coherent discourse.
Now out of office, even Harris has admitted that it was “recklessness” that Biden was running yet again while at an age most Americans would consider senile. By the end of its term, the Biden administration made clear that it was neither honest nor effective.
The Biden administration’s failure to present a productive, strong and unified Ameri-
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can front paved the way for the election of the Trump ticket, under which many Americans subscribed to the promise that Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance would “Make America Great Again.”
Unfortunately, this adminis tration has made the shortcom ings of the prior administra tion seem like child’s play. The Trump administration, to date, has not even attempted to hide the vulgarity under which it op erates. At the bare minimum, professionalism is required of a political leader; however, Trump has repeatedly engaged in behaviors impermissible for a sitting president, specifically his posts on his Truth Social plat form.
Just one month ago, Trump made a post supporting an American Eagle ad with Sydney Sweeney that very clearly had eugenicist subthemes, and he also denounced Taylor Swift as “NO LONGER HOT” for not being Republican.
Trump has also put forth a great deal of effort to project military power to stamp out illegal immigration, anti-American sentiment and crime. When protests and riots broke out in Los Angeles over the deployment of ICE into local communities, Trump sent 2,000 National Guard members into LA to “address the lawlessness” despite the objections of Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom. Trump’s decision blurred the lines between Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, as Trump did not seek gubernatorial approval, nor did the riots quite fit the definition of a rebellion on a federal level.
In addition to this earlier presentation of executive power, Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. to curb crime and threatened to do so in Chicago and New Orleans as well. All three of these cities are notably sanctuary cities. These events led to an expansive discourse on the power of the president to do whatever he pleases, especially while superseding the law he ought to represent — and so there is validity in the “No Kings” sentiment that many Americans currently hold, though both administrations have abused their station.
The latest frustration of the Trump administration is its failure to be forthright in regard to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. A major Trump campaign promise was the release of the Epstein files sometime after the election. Recently, a Senate bill
that would have called for the release of the files was thwarted by an almost unanimous Republican vote. Trump had asked back in June why the Democrats hadn’t released the files if there was “a smoking gun.”
It is notable that the Democrats did not always demand the release of the Epstein files. However, it is also notable that Trump was just accused of allegedly penning an inappropriate 50th birthday card to Epstein that had “Donald” signed in the woman’s private area and Trump’s full name just above. According to reporting on materials subpoenaed of the Epstein estate from the House Oversight Committee.
Regardless of what you may make of the above events and their several nuances — as there than certainly more than can be presented in an article of this size — you cannot deny that the sheer level of scandal attached to the prior and current administrations is embarrassing for our nation. We appear weak, disheveled and immature, all purely from the great missteps of our leaders.
We cannot allow the sheer dishonesty and frailty of the Biden administration, nor the petulance and abuse of power presented by the Trump administration, to become the standard for our leaders. In order to recover our reputation and confidence as a country, we will require no kings, fools nor infirmity.
Riley Sanders is an 18-year-old biology major from Denham Springs, La.
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“A girl should be two things: who and what she wants.” Coco Chanel Fashion designer and businesswoman 1883 — 1971
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