The Daily Reveille - April 4, 2012

Campus Events: ‘Guyland’ speaker talks male maturity and gender inequality, p. 3

Our View: SG campaign restrictions violate free speech rights, p. 8

Reveille The Daily

LEGISLATIVE SESSION

www.lsureveille.com

National Spotlight: Isom appears on ‘Ellen,’ p. 5 Wednesday, April 4, 2012 • Volume 116, Issue 124

Senate panel passes bill that could allow guns on campus Brian Sibille Staff Writer

The possibility of firearms on campus is closer to reality after a State Senate judiciary panel voted Tuesday during the regular session to change the Louisiana Constitution and eliminate gun prohibition.

The proposal, SB 303, could reach the Senate floor as early as next week for debate, according to

Jason Droddy, University director of external affairs.

“It could mean guns on campus,” Droddy said.

He said the future of the bill won’t be clear until the end of the legislative session, but it has already acquired most of the 26 co-signatures needed to pass through the Senate.

He said the bill’s language wipes any restriction on guns and possibly all types of weapons.

Current Louisiana law recognizes the right to carry firearms but allows for laws that restrict where citizens can carry them, such as private businesses and school campuses.

The bill’s rewrite “provides that any denial, infringement and restriction of this right be subject to a standard of strict scrutiny by a court in determining its constitutionality.”

The bill’s passage would make restrictions more difficult than

before, Droddy said.

“The legal bar for a restriction is very high,” he said. “You need compelling government interest. That means a very hard time with any restrictions.”

The proposal passed 6-1 in the Senate committee, according to The Associated Press. The only senator to vote against the bill was Sen. Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, a University graduate.

‘Titanic’ will go on Oscar-winning film creates buzz with 3-D release Josh Naquin

Entertainment Writer

The Titanic is sinking again, but this time some of the audience members will be prepared.

Chris Allsup, history freshman, organized a Facebook event with fellow “Titanic” buffs to see the 1997 classic rereleased in 3-D, and the group is planning to bring life jackets in preparation for the big wreck.

“Our idea was to fashion some makeshift life jackets, write ‘Titanic’ on them and wear semi-formal attire underneath,” Allsup said. “The idea is to give the impression that we are passengers from the ship preparing to board life boats.”

Allsup is one of many fans of the 11-time Academy Award-winning epic who is eager to see the reformatted 3-D version of the film, which premieres in theaters today.

The release date for “Titanic 3D” was not set in motion by a floating iceberg, but was set for this April in concordance with the centenary anniversary of the real Titanic’s demise. The RMS Titanic carried more than 1,500 passengers to their frigid, watery graves 100 years ago as of this April.

‘TITANIC,’ see page 11

photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

A columnist says ‘Titanic’ director James Cameron is just in it for the money.

See page 8.

The Board of Regents gave a statement during the committee meeting highlighting the bill’s implication on university campuses, according to Meg Casper, Regents associate commissioner for public affairs.

“We’re certainly concerned,” Casper said.

Contact Brian Sibille at bsibille@lsureveille.com

ELECTIONS

Unofficial SG website shared over Facebook Danielle Kelley Staff Writer

An unofficial Your LSU support website arose Monday night and quickly spread via Facebook, but the Your LSU ticket members say they don’t know anything about it.

The Daily Reveille spoke to Your LSU’s Landon Hester and Kristina Lagasse and their campaign managers Joe Gipson and Hilary Soileau, as well as the former R.E.A.L. Campaign’s Joshua Hollins, who did not understand the website.

Your LSU vice presidential candidate Lagasse said she does not “understand the message or motive” of the site.

She and the Your LSU campaign managers said no one from the ticket was notified about the website until it was already live.

“We were surprised when we saw it,” Gipson said. “That [banner] was taken without our permission. We have no involvement with that.”

Changelsusuperpac.com links to a video on Facebook titled “A Message from the Renegades.” The video features the Hollins brothers, among other students, showing their support for Your LSU. The website also contains use of Your LSU’s official banner.

“The above image was copied without permission from YourLSU.com. If you have a problem with that … e-mail us: ChangeLSU@gmail.com” is written below the banner.

The website has a link to donate money to the website, though “no, don’t really donate” is written below it.

Contact Danielle Kelley at dkelley@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

Nation & World

page 2

INTERNATIONAL

NATIONAL

U.N. nuclear agency cautious concerning visit to North Korea

Tornadoes and damage but no initial injuries reported in Texas

VIENNA (AP) — As international tensions rise over a planned North Korean rocket launch, the U.N. nuclear agency is taking a waitand-see attitude on an offer from the North to allow agency experts back into the country, according to a letter shared Tuesday with The Associated Press.

In the March 30 letter, circulated internally among the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35 member-nations, IAEA head Yukiya Amano expressed thanks for the March 16 overture by North Korean Atomic Energy head Ri Je Son.

DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes tore through the Dallas area Tuesday, peeling roofs off homes, tossing bigrig trucks into the air and leaving flattened tractor trailers strewn along highways and parking lots.

The National Weather Service confirmed at least two separate “large and extremely dangerous” tornadoes. Several other developing twisters were reported as a band of violent storms crept through the metropolitan area, destroying

mobile homes and forcing hundreds of flight cancellations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Haiti sees jump in cholera cases as island nation enters rainy season PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti is seeing a jump in the number of cholera cases as the Caribbean nation heads into the annual rainy season, a United Nations humanitarian agency said Tuesday.

The U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a monthly bulletin that the new cholera cases were found in the western and northern parts of the country and that Haitian health officials recorded 77 new cases a day for the whole country in early March, when the rains began.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

STATE/LOCAL

Unidentified body found in Red River, autopsy is inconclusive BATCHELOR, La. (AP) — Pointe Coupee Parish sheriff’s detectives are trying to determine the identity of a woman whose nude body was found floating Sunday in the Red River close to its intersection with Old River.

Sheriff’s Capt. Steve Juge tells The Advocate that authorities recovered the body and sent it to Lafayette for an autopsy shortly after a tugboat captain discovered the body floating in the water around 4 p.m.

Juge said detectives have not yet determined how long the body was in the water before its discovery, and Monday’s autopsy findings proved inconclusive.

City Council juggles interests of French Quarter bar owners, residents

photos courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Top Right] Phoebe the dog is held by her owner’s father after the pooch was rescued by officials from under a destroyed home after a storm moved through Arlington, Texas. [Left] A tree fell on a truck in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday. [Bottom Right] Homes in Kennedale, Texas, lay destroyed by a tornado.

MEET Your KLSU DJs

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans City Council members are finding it a difficult to balance the interests of residents and bar owners in the historic French Quarter.

A council committee on Tuesday reviewed a proposed plan to tone down the music blasting from bars so it doesn’t disturb the neighbors.

The measure would govern the placement of loudspeakers in bars and other businesses in the Quarter.

PHOTO OF THE DAY

DJ Ponytail & DJ Giddyup Dj POnytail loves breakfast food Dj giddyup owns five cats their favorite color is pink

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Today on lsureveille.com Tiger Feed sports blog reflects on March Madness.

Check out “The Full Monty” on LMFAO entertainment blog for a spring break guide.

Reveille Radio discusses the master’s in business program’s partnership with the industrial engineering undergraduate progam on 91.1 KLSU at noon and 5:20 p.m.

Get the latest news by downloading the LSU Reveille app in the iTunes Store and Android Market

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Weather TODAY Isolated T-storms

82 67 THURSDAY

FRIDAY

86 60

82 60

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

85 61

84 62

AUSTIN BENNETT / The Daily Reveille

A green anole lizard shows off Tuesday on a tree branch on campus. Submit your photo of the day to photo@lsureveille.com.

CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS

Yesterday was National Ninja Awareness Day, and I wasn’t even aware.

Well played, Ninja, well played.

The Daily Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes which may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsureveille.com.

POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

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The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

CAMPUS EVENTS

INNOVATION

Alumni pair enter Walmart contest Father, son created fishing rod fix Shannon Roberts Contributing Writer

TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille

Michael Kimmel discusses masculinity Tuesday night at the Union Theatre.

Masculinity expert discusses ‘Guyland’ Emily Herrington Staff Writer

Some may say it’s a man’s world, but Michael Kimmel visited the University’s Union Theatre on Tuesday to talk about “Guyland” and his book of the same name.

About 350 students and community members attended to hear Kimmel, a researcher and writer on masculinity, animatedly discuss a man’s journey into adulthood and evidence that gender inequality continues into today’s world. His talk centered on his book, which was based on interviews with more than 400 young men in the Guyland phase.

Kimmel defines Guyland as a new developmental stage for men ages 16 to 26 in which they transition from boys to men.

The Guyland population consists of about 22 million mostly white, middle-class men, Kimmel said. He said males in this demographic are typically confused and afraid to make commitments — whether they’re relationship or job-related. Guyland revelers desire postponing adulthood and celebrating video games, sports and depersonalized sexual relationships.

Guyland emerged because there are historical markers of adulthood — complete an education, get married, get a job and move out of one’s parents’ home — and now, it’s taking young men longer to achieve these adult goals, Kimmel said.

Demographics, the economy, changes in parenting styles and changes in women’s lives are contributing factors, he said.

“This new stage is lasting a full decade,” he said. “This is not going away.”

Men in the Guyland phase of their lives often feel the need to prove their masculinity, but only have other males their age to prove it to, Kimmel said.

“How you walk, how you talk, how you move are constantly policed by other young men,” he said as he demonstrated gestures that would be considered acceptable versus those considered “sissy,” though only minor differences existed.

Kimmel said young men try to invent ways in which they can test

page 3

and prove themselves to other men.

This is often evident in fraternity hazing, he said.

The reason young men engage in these head-scratching activities all boils down to the three-word guy code: “bros before hoes,” Kimmel said.

This bond often leads young men to feel superior to women because the female counter-code “chicks before dicks” just doesn’t cut it, he said. Young men often feel like they’re victims of reverse discrimination, which can lead them to resent gender equality, he said.

He said women are forced to choose between two personas — “babe or bitch” — and he offered several examples of gender inequality continuing to exist in today’s culture.

Fraternities are permitted to serve alcohol in the house, while sororities are prohibited. Hookup culture also oozes gender inequality, as he said his interviews with young people revealed women are more concerned with bringing pleasure to their male partners than to themselves.

Kimmel invited a questionand-answer session at the close of his talk, and one audience member asked what people should do to quell inequality between genders.

“We should challenge the institution that promotes this gender inequality,” Kimmel responded.

Contact Emily Herrington at eherrington@lsureveille.com

Being avid fishermen, a fatherand-son University alumni duo saw a problem with their fishing lines and tried to fix it by creating the RodHugger.

Curtis Colson Jr. is a 1981 architecture graduate, and his son Curtis Colson III is a 2002 microbiology graduate.

Colson Jr. Growing up in Mississippi, both enjoyed fishing but often encountered tangled fishing lines.

“There’s gotta be a better way,” Colson Jr. said of the tangled lines.

Colson III He visited several outdoors stores looking for a product that would stop the entanglement, but nothing worked. Colson Jr. then experimented with different materials to create a product that would hold the line and prevent it from slipping out and wrapping around the other lines.

He decided to use Velcro to wrap around the lines, but by itself, the Velcro would slip off, he said. He then went through different materials looking for a non-slip material to put on the backing of the Velcro, including his son’s scuba-diving suit.

In 1998, once Colson Jr. designed a non-slip material specific to the Rod-Hugger’s purpose and had it patented, he went with it to the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades and entered it in a contest. Colson Jr. said he was surprised when the Rod-Hugger won Best in Show, beating out

better-funded products.

He said the North American Fishing Club contacted him soon after, wanting to run tests on the product. When the club finished testing the product about eight weeks later, Colson Jr. said they told him the Rod-Hugger had received the highest rating they had ever given at the time.

“We got 94 percent approval on the product,” Colson Jr. said. “[The Rod-Hugger] does exactly what it says it will do. It’s simple; it’s smooth.”

Colson Jr. and his son entered the Rod-Hugger in Walmart’s Get on the Shelf contest, which ended Tuesday evening. The contest allowed people to submit products not sold

by Walmart, and the public voted on their favorite products through text messaging and Facebook, according to the contest’s frequently asked questions page.

Colson III said they heard about the contest through the local news.

To enter the contest, they had to make a YouTube video, submit the

video’s link and provide a name and address.

The top 10 products will go to a second round that begins April 11, Colson III said.

“If we get in the [top 10], I’ll be very happy,” Colson Jr. said.

At the end of the contest, the top three contestants will be offered a chance for their products to be sold on Walmart’s website and given marketing support. The grand prizewinning product will have the opportunity to be sold in Walmart’s stores, according to the website.

“What they’re doing is offering their know-how, their tools,” Colson III said.

Colson Jr. likes to call the RodHugger “reusable duct tape” because he said it functions like duct tape, but can be used for years. He joked that the only issue with his product is that it lasts for a long time. He has used his own for five years, he said.

Contact Shannon Roberts at sroberts@lsureveille.com

Monday: $14.99 All You Can Eat Wings and $3 Specialty Drinks Tuesday: $3 Margaritas and Mexican Beers....Kids Eat Free Wed: $4.50 34oz Mother Plucker Mugs....Live Trivia at 8pm Thursday: $12.99 All You Can Eat Boneless Wings... $4.50 34oz Mother Plucker Mugs and $5.50 Patron Margaritas.

Sunday: $3 Specialty Shots, Specialty Drinks and Margaritas.

Everyday: $4 Goose, Crown, Jack and Patron. $3 Jager.

African American Cultural Center Robing Ceremony sign up & purchase your kente cloth today! $25

Office of Multicultural Affairs (student union 335) or AACC (Hatcher Hall 316)

DO YOU HAVE AN OCCURRENCE? Call Becky at the Student Media Office 578-6090, 9AM- 5PM or E-mail: oncampus@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

page 4

CAMPUS CRIME BRIEFS Woman arrested for bad checks Chikita Williams, of 2080 Lobdell Drive, Baton Rouge, was arrested March 26 for issuing worthless checks at the LSU Bookstore.

LSU Police Department spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said during the month of March, the 28-year-old wrote three separate checks at the University bookstore from a closed checking account.

Lalonde said Williams returned some of merchandise bought in the transactions, but $100 of merchandise remains unaccounted for.

She was arrested and issued a misdemeanor.

Man arrested for iPhone theft A 23-year-old man unaffiliated with the University was arrested March 27 for one count of felony theft.

Lalonde said LSUPD received a report of a stolen iPhone from the LSU University Recreation Center on March 26. Investigators

identified Adrian Mark Steib of 43026 Cypress Bend, Gonzales, as a suspect. Lalonde said Steib admitted to the theft, and officers recovered the phone.

He was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish prison.

Man stays in Union after forbidden Joseph Boyle of 755 Napoleon St., Baton Rouge, was arrested March 28 for remaining after being forbidden from the Student Union.

Lalonde said officers were dispatched to the Student Union in response to an abandoned bag in the hallway. Officers found an ID belonging to 62-year-old Boyle.

Lalonde said officers learned Boyle was previously banned from campus. Boyle returned to campus to recover his property and was placed under arrest.

At this time, Lalonde said officers searched Boyle and found a hypodermic needle and a glass tube used for smoking crack cocaine.

He was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish prison.

Man arrested for possession of Xanax Thomas Odessa Dixon of 385 Camp St., Centerville, Miss., was arrested for possession of narcotics on campus.

On March 31 at approximately 4:30 p.m., an anonymous tip informed officers at Alex Box Stadium that a subject was seen crushing pills into powder and snorting it. Lalonde said officers identified Dixon as the subject.

Lalonde said the 20-year-old admitted to snorting the powder in the bathroom of the stadium. After being placed under arrest, officers found Xanax in Dixon’s possession.

He was arrested and booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish prison.

Contact The Daily Reveille’s news staff at news@lsureveille.com

HEALTH

SmokingWords talks air quality Jacy Baggett

Contributing Writer

Spring cleaning isn’t just a time to organize closets. The SmokingWords team considers spring a time to clean the environment of cigarettes and all their negative effects.

The SmokingWords team hosted a guest speaker Tuesday evening in the Journalism Building who discussed the consequences smoking has on health and the environment.

Daniel Harrington, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the LSU Health and Science Center in New Orleans, conducted air-quality studies in Alexandria after the city implemented a smoking ban in the bar and gaming area and found a sweeping improvement in the air quality.

“Tobacco is one of the most well-documented health hazards,” Harrington said. “If you don’t have exposure, the risk isn’t there.”

Harrington’s research found that

the air quality in Alexandria after the smoking ban was 36 times cleaner.

Harrington said if an establishment has a smoke-free policy, the majority of the people won’t smoke.

“What’s the negative?” he asked the audience.

The Louisiana Smoke-Free Air Act, established in 2006, prohibits smoking in most public places and workplaces, according to the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living.

North Gate Tavern, a popular student hangout located on West Chimes Street, remains a smoke-free establishment despite the bar’s exemption from the Louisiana SmokeFree Air Act because of its status as a standalone bar.

North Gate Tavern’s owner Dusty Cooper said she decided implementing a smoke-free policy was important when she noticed most customers appreciated the cleaner atmosphere.

“We are really proud to say that

we are one of the only bars here in Baton Rouge that is smoke free,” Cooper said.

The SmokingWords team also attempted to gain more student support for a tobacco-free campus Tuesday by cleaning up the cigarette butts in the Quad.

The team collected two gallonsized Ziploc bags and another halfgallon bag’s worth of cigarette butts in one hour near Middleton Library.

SmokingWords members had a banner available for students to sign in support of a tobacco-free campus.

These signatures will add to the 160 signatures collected at the Wellness Fair in March.

Erin Bernard, mass communication senior, said she hopes their effort will raise awareness that smoking is not just an air-quality problem, but also a littering problem.

Contact Jacy Baggett at jbaggett@lsureveille.com

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Sports

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

page 5

Mo Isom appears on ‘Ellen’

Rachel Warren Staff Writer

Faithful Ellen DeGeneres fans on campus got a treat Tuesday when LSU senior soccer goalkeeper Mo Isom strode on stage during “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Isom discussed her attempts to join the LSU football team, yet it was never mentioned that she didn’t make the cut this spring.

The segment began with a clip of Isom on a field, talking about her dream to land a spot on the football team, as well as shots of campus monuments.

“When I realized I could kick the skin off a football, I decided to try. The guys took me under their wing right away,” said Isom, who

will re-audition for a spot on the team this fall. “It’s so much fun. It’s a whole other level of intensity.”

Isom told DeGeneres she wanted to join the team because she was raised to love football as a child.

“I grew up in a football culture,” she said. “I’ve always loved sports; my dad was a football player. I’ve always been competitive and athletic.”

Isom said she enjoys trying to “pull off the impossible,” but it took her a while to learn the new skill.

“It’s very different from kicking a soccer ball,” she said. “It’s completely different mechanics.”

Isom said she received positive responses from the team’s coaching staff and players, and they were “too excited” to get involved right away.

“I hope a lot of young women are listening to this right now,” DeGeneres said. “You don’t want this to seem like a publicity stunt; you really, really want to make this team.”

Isom’s segment ended with shots of her kicking field goals on a studio lot. She gave the audience a final piece of advice before the show came to an end.

“The only thing more dangerous than allowing others to put limitations on what you can achieve is allowing yourself to believe them,” she said. “Go where your passion is.”

Contact Rachel Warren at rwarren@lsureveille.com

photo courtesy of WARNER BROS

LSU senior soccer player Mo Isom kicks field goals Tuesday during her appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to discuss her tryouts for the football team.

to Morris Better Tigers take on SOFTBALL

Man behind legendary ’96 home run had rollercoaster career at LSU

Scott Branson

Sports Contributor

“Swung on and hit to right field. That’s way back there, way back there! Home run! Tigers win! Tigers win! Warren Morris hits a two-run, home run and the Tigers are the national champs! I don’t believe it!”

With these words, LSU radio broadcaster Jim Hawthorne captured the moment the Tigers claimed the 1996 College World Series championship — the Tigers’ third national championship in six years.

Three-and-a-half seconds is all the time it took Miami Hurricanes

photos courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

[Top] Former LSU second baseman Warren Morris hits the gamewinning home run June 8, 1996, in the bottom of the ninth inning at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb. [Above] Morris hugs a teammate following the victory against Miami in the College World Series. [Right] Morris celebrates the victory while rounding the bases.

All-American freshman closer Robbie Morrison’s breaking ball to clear the right-field fence in the most dramatic moment in College World Series history.

Never before and never since has a college championship game been decided on the final pitch.

LSU junior second baseman Warren Morris hit the historic home run, bounded around the bases and touched home amid his frenzied teammates.

But not captured in Hawthorne’s broadcast is how the nine-hole hitter ended up at the plate with a runner on third base, two outs and the Tigers’ season hanging in the balance.

MORRIS’ CAREER UPS AND DOWNS Morris arrived at LSU in 1993 as a walk-on with an academic scholarship from Alexandria.

Buried on the depth chart by All-American second baseman Todd Walker, Morris redshirted and took to soaking up as much information and as many ground balls as possible.

“That was probably the best thing that happened to me,” Morris said.

“I got to get stronger, better and see what big-time college baseball is about.

It also gave me some confidence that even though these guys are good, I can compete with them.”

Then-LSU coach Skip Bertman said when watching tape of Morris and Walker’s swings, coaches couldn’t tell the two apart.

“You could have put him into a shadow,” Bertman said. “What that showed me was that Warren took all kinds of advice from Todd, who he knew he would succeed.”

When the Minnesota Twins drafted Walker with the eighth overall pick of the 1994 MLB Draft, Morris took his place at second base and thrived.

Morris hit a teamleading .369 and hit eight home runs in 1995.

The following season, Morris hurt his wrist while batting against Tulane and missed 39 games after MORRIS, see page 7

Nicholls State Albert Burford

Sports Contributor

With a pivotal road trip to No. 2 Alabama looming this weekend, the LSU softball team (26-8, 9-1 Southeastern Conference) must survive a contest with Nicholls State tonight before shifting its focus to the Crimson Tide.

Nicholls State (8-21, 4-4 Southland Conference) visits Tiger Park after a 1-0 win on Sunday against Texas State, who was favored to win the Southland Conference.

The No. 24 Tigers last faced the Colonels on March 7 in Thibodaux, where LSU routed Nicholls for a 10-2 victory.

The teams’ first encounter this season ended in five innings and was highlighted by back-to-back home runs with two outs from senior left fielder Ashley Langoni and freshman shortstop Dylan Supak.

Langoni finished that game with three RBIs and two runs, while Supak added two RBIs and two runs of her own. Junior catcher Lauren Houston tacked on two more RBIs. Junior pitcher Rachele Fico racked up six strikeouts, while sophomore pitcher Meghan Patterson secured the win with a perfect, two-strikeout seventh inning.

LSU coach Beth Torina said keeping the Tigers focused on Nicholls the week before Alabama has been difficult.

“Even in my own head, it’s difficult to focus when we have such a big weekend coming up,” Torina NICHOLLS, see page 7

The Daily Reveille

page 6

BASEBALL

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Tigers top Louisiana College, 10-2 Scott Branson Sports Contributor

The LSU baseball team’s bats came alive Wednesday night, pounded out 15 hits in a 10-2 victory over Louisiana College (10-15) to win its sixth game in a row to improve to 23-6 on the season.

LSU coach Paul Mainieri used a lineup composed primarily of reserve players in advance of the team’s trip to Gainsville, Fla., to face No. 2 Florida for a three-game series beginning Thursday.

“You give them a chance to play, and they get the opportunity to show whether or not you can count on them or not,” Mainieri said. “I thought some guys showed well, other guys were fair and some other guys didn’t show well at all.”

Louisiana College lead-off batter Cole Bagbey sent LSU freshman pitcher Cody Glenn’s first pitch of the night through the left side for a single.

Glenn balked three pitches later to advance Bagbey to second base.

The Wildcats followed with two ground outs, the second of which scored Bagbey from third base to give Louisiana College an early 1-0 lead.

LSU junior second baseman Casey Yocom provided the Tigers’ first hit of the contest in the second inning on a single through the left side. Yocom advanced to third base on two wild pitches and later scored on a sacrifice fly from freshman third baseman Evan Powell.

Louisiana College senior pitcher Greg Uzee entered in the third inning, and the Tigers met him with three runs on three consecutive hits before the Wildcats could record an out.

LSU added another run in the frame, totaling four runs on six hits to push its lead to 5-1 through three innings.

After the Wildcats closed its deficit to three in the top of the fourth, the Tigers answered back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI ground out from sophomore designated hitter Jackson Slaid,

giving the Tigers a 6-2 lead.

With runners at first and second in the bottom of the fifth, LSU freshman center fielder Jared Foster hit a ground ball just inside third base to score senior catcher Jordy Snikeris.

Junior right fielder Alex Edward followed the run with a hard grounder deep in the hole to shortstop. The throw to first was in time, but dropped by the first baseman, allowing senior second baseman Beau Didier to score from third.

Freshman catcher Tyler Moore, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs on the night, capped off the Tigers’ fifth inning with a two-RBI single to right field, busting it open, 10-2.

LSU used seven pitchers who combined to allow four hits, while striking out seven and issuing five walks. Junior pitcher Brent Bonvillain earned his first win of the season.

Snikeris got his second start behind the plate and delivered with a career-high three hits, while scoring a run and adding an RBI. “I was really seeing the ball

BRIANNA PACIORKA / The Daily Reveille

LSU junior outfielder Arby Fields safely slides under Louisiana College infielders to steal second base Tuesday at Alex Box Stadium. The Tigers won, 10-2.

well,” Snikeris said. “I’ve been working in the cages a lot, especially not having too many opportunities early in the season. You’ve really got to take advantage of the opportunities you get, and I think I did a pretty good job.”

Mainieri said he started Snikeris partly because he wanted a veteran behind the plate to manage the bevy of LSU pitchers.

“Jordy caught a great game,” Mainieri said. “I wanted him to catch tonight because I knew we were going to pitch a lot of young pitchers. I wanted a veteran leader back there, and I thought he did a really nice job.”

Contact Scott Branson at sbranson@lsureveille.com

MEN’S BASKETBALL

LSU looks at height, depth in recruting 2012 class Chris Abshire Sports Writer

The Kentucky Wildcats closed out one season of college basketball Monday night with a national championship, but they proved titles are usually won during the sport’s other season: recruiting.

Recruiting will take on an added prominence at LSU during this offseason.

With three seniors exiting the program and five scholarships available, this year’s haul could define the Tigers’ long-term hardwood hopes.

To date, it’s been a mixed bag for LSU and coach Trent Johnson especially within the state.

LSU infamously lost out on Louisiana’s two-time Gatorade Player of the Year, 6-foot-8 Riverside forward Ricardo Gathers, who has verbally committed to Baylor.

Gathers implied Johnson and his staff were lazy in their pursuit, which Johnson dismissed as “comical.”

“Anyone that knows me knows that I’m about basketball,” Johnson said in February. “I take recruiting seriously because it’s about these kids. The work is for them.”

But Johnson has landed fellow Class 2A four-star shooting guard Malik Morgan, whom several scouts believe may be the state’s real star.

Morgan, a sleek 6-foot-4 shooter, led John Curtis to the Louisiana 2A title last month.

But with the senior departures, Johnson said LSU is far from finished in this season’s recruiting class.

“We want to sign two, maybe three more guys in this latter period,” he said last month. “Losing seniors is always a concern, but bringing in talented players is also a lifeblood for any program.”

The Tigers’ recruiting focus begins on the post. While Johnson

won’t comment directly on any specific player, he acknowledged last month in a season wrap-up that LSU needs interior replacements.

It’s considered a long shot, but LSU is in the running for 6-foot-10 center Norvel Pelle, the No. 1 center in the Class of 2011 who had to attend a southern California prep school after not making adequate grades.

His coach recently said Pelle is considering LSU, and Johnson’s rampant West Coast and California connections could give the Tigers an outside shot at landing the coveted post phenom.

UNLV, San Diego State and UCONN are also pursuing Pelle, who decommitted from St. John’s in November.

Also high on LSU’s list is 6-foot-6 junior college forward Shavon Coleman.

A Thibodeaux native, Coleman recently completed his second season at Howard College in West Texas, where he averaged 14.5 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, making him the No. 8 JUCO recruit in the country.

Coleman would likely be an immediate starter and an instant boon to an LSU perimeter that shot 32 percent behind the arc last season.

He’s also expressed a keen interest in his home state’s flagship program, along with Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Iowa and Southern Mississippi.

“If you’re from Louisiana, when you were a kid everybody dreams about playing for your home school,” Coleman told Scout.com in March. “LSU recruited me in high school, but not as hard as they are now.”

LSU’s other primary target has a distinctly international family feel.

Shane Hammink is the son of former LSU star Geert Hammink

and one of the top 15 recruits in Europe, according to Rivals.com.

A 6-foot-6 small forward who is expected to grow a few more inches, Hammink plays at the prestigious Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain and is a lanky defensive force.

He was born in Baton Rouge in 1994 and is considering LSU’s

official offer, along with Florida, Iowa and Miami.

But getting all three promising prospects isn’t probable, and LSU may have to look at another late signee, much like Anthony Hickey’s unsung commitment last spring.

Prime candidates for that include Pennsylvania power forward

Barnett Harris and academically plagued shooting guard Nate Guy. Signing Day arrives on April 11, and with it comes a likely glimpse into the Tigers’ future.

Contact Chris Abshire at cabshire@lsureveille.com

Wednesday, April 4, 2012 Torina said Nicholls’ senior third baseman Ashley Ray has been said. “But we’re trying to only talk a particular point of interest when about Nicholls today.� scouting the Colonels.

Senior right ďŹ elder Ashley Ray played a season at No. 8 Applegate said a win against the Louisiana-Lafayette, a team that Colonels could lead to has lost only one game success when the Tiso far this season, beNext up for gers face the Tide on fore transferring to the Tigers: Friday.

Nicholls. “Playing well on Who: No. 24 LSU (26“She’s always a Wednesday will al- 8, 9-1 SEC) vs. Nicholls tough out for us,� Tolow us to continue to rina said. “We want to carry the momentum State (8-21,4-4 Southland make sure we’re not that we need into our Conference) facing her with runseries next weekend at When: Today at 6 p.m. ners on base and we’re Alabama,� she said. getting people out in Momentum isn’t Where: Tiger Park front of her.�

NICHOLLS, from page 5

running short for LSU, as the Tigers have won their last 11 games.

MORRIS, from page 5

doctors struggled to diagnose the injury. “I knew something was wrong right then,� Morris said. “I didn’t hear a pop or anything like that, but I couldn’t squeeze my hand, and it didn’t feel right.�

Doctors originally prescribed rest and time off from swinging the bat, but when the pain continued, Bertman tried to contact another doctor. “I called them, and naturally I couldn’t get them, but I left a number,� Bertman said.

The same day, the doctor called Bertman back and diagnosed Morris’ injury as a broken hamate bone. Tasked with choosing between surgery or playing through the pain, Morris decided to have the surgery, just 16 days before the NCAA Regionals. “Everybody is able to recover from surgery and get back to playing again at different levels,�

Morris said. “I felt like if anybody could heal fast and get back in there, I could do it.�

Morris played a limited role in the days leading up to the championship game, still healing from the surgery. “The ďŹ rst game I played was about 28 days after the surgery,â€?

Morris said. “I couldn’t swing, but I was fortunate to be back as soon as I was.�

In batting practice prior to the championship matchup with Miami, Bertman remembers Morris

Torina said if LSU allows players to get on base before Ray steps to the plate, Ray

telling him he ďŹ nally felt 100 percent healthy, just in time for the season ďŹ nale.

Later that day, with the Tigers trailing the Hurricanes 6-5 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Morris found himself staring down the pitcher on the biggest stage in college baseball. “The last thing on my mind was hitting a home run,� Morris said.

Nevertheless, Morris deposited the ďŹ rst pitch in the right-ďŹ eld bleachers. “When I turned toward second base and saw Miami’s whole inďŹ eld on the ground like somebody just opened ďŹ re on them, that’s when it really registered that we just won the World Series,â€?

Morris said.

Bertman said the path Morris took to end up at-bat with a chance to win the World Series is as remarkable as the home run itself. “If that doctor didn’t get back to me that day, and Warren doesn’t make the decision to have surgery that day, we didn’t win that thing.�

Bertman said.

MORRIS SEES SUCCESS AFTER COLLEGE Days after his game-winning home run, Morris traveled to Millington, Tenn., to participate in the Olympic Trials.

Morris made the U.S. Olympic team — coached by Bertman — won a bronze medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in

The Daily Reveille “will make it a ball game.�

In the ďŹ rst meeting between the Tigers and Colonels this season, Ray hit two-for-two, accounting for half of Nicholls’ offense with two of the Colonels’ four hits and one of their two RBIs. She also scored a run.

Senior shortstop Juliana Santos said it’s important to play well against other in-state teams. “Nicholls, McNeese and Southeastern — they always come with their ‘A’ game,� she said. “They always play tough, and they always play us very well.�

Contact Albert Burford at aburford@lsureveille.com Atlanta, Ga., and soon after signed a major league contract as the ďŹ fth round draft pick of the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers traded Morris to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1998, who named him its opening-day starter at second base for the 1999 season. “You have to pinch yourself that ďŹ rst day,â€? Morris said. “Now you’re ďŹ elding a ground ball and it’s Tony Gwynn that just hit it or Chipper Jones or Barry Bonds.â€?

Morris saw time with the Pirates, Twins and Detroit Tigers before ďŹ nishing his baseball career in 2005.

The Alexandria native returned home, where he now lives with his wife, 7-year-old twin daughters and his youngest daughter who is nearly 2 years old.

Morris is now the assistant vice president and investment executive at Red River Bank in nearby Ball, La. Morris said he can now give back to those who supported him throughout his playing career. “People come to me with problems, needs, buying a new house or starting a new business, and I’m able to help them ďŹ nd a solution,â€? Morris said. “It’s good to be back home.â€?

Contact Scott Branson at sbranson@lsureveille.com

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The Daily Reveille

Opinion

page 8

OUR VIEW

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Oppressive Student Government campaign ban goes too far The Daily Reveille Editorial Board

College is often deemed practice for “the real world.”

Engineering students construct designs, English students compose short stories, chemistry students swirl solutions in beakers. We at The Daily Reveille publish articles to inform our campus, serve as a platform for discussion and hold our policymakers accountable, whether they hail from the state Capitol, the Board of Regents, the LSU System Office, the University’s administration or Student Government.

SG claims to function the same

way that an actual government entity would — it has executive, legislative and judicial branches, the president can issue executive orders, the Senate uses parliamentary procedure and the University Court issues rulings, many of which spark controversy.

Members of SG often gripe about why people don’t take them seriously, why their voter turnout is low and why people don’t appreciate their hard work. The UCourt’s most recent ruling answers that question.

After a few SG election code violations, the most prominent of which found Your LSU using the SG logo on a Facebook page, UCourt

ruled Your LSU could no longer campaign during the runoffs, held Monday and Tuesday.

“If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein,” ruled former Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson in 1943.

Injunctions, which mandate that some form of expression be halted, are exceedingly rare at the Supreme Court level.

But by forcing the Your LSU ticket to stop campaigning, the SG UCourt essentially issued an injunction preventing them from expressing their right to free speech in a public arena. What damage could have come from Your LSU campaigning that would have been great enough to force them to stop doing so?

Would the ticket’s use of the SG logo inflict pain upon every member of the student body? Would it cause mass chaos and anarchy at the University?

Yes, the Your LSU ticket broke the rules. Its members deserve to be punished, but not to the extent of

surpassing the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which weighs a bit heavier than the SG constitution.

If SG members want students to take them seriously, perhaps they should consider playing by the same rules as the politicians of the United States and ensuring the right to free speech is extended to every student on campus, whether or not they agree with the message or the way in which it’s delivered.

Contact The Daily Reveille’s Editorial Board at editori@lsureveille.com

Sunk again ‘Titanic 3-D’ goes down with Cameron’s greed THE PHILIBUSTER Phil Sweeney Columnist The RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in 1912.

It sank again in theaters in 1997.

And today, it sinks yet again — in 3-D. As James Cameron’s Oscarwinning epic “Titanic,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane, embarks upon a second silver-screen cruise, my heart, for one, won’t be going on.

“Titanic 3D” ultimately is what it is: sweeping, succulent, smoochy.

It’s Cameron, along with Billy Zane, at his best.

Which, of course, is filmmaking at its worst.

To put it plainly, Cameron’s a loathsome asshole.

There’s a certain hard-hearted cruelty about Cameron, something inhuman, something “Alien.” An alter ego Cameron is someone everfaithful recurring collaborators call “Mij,” or “Jim” backwards.

But one shouldn’t mistake

Cameron’s layer-cake personality for depth.

It’s been said that people are icebergs, that much of their bulk is submerged — Cameron is, too, I suppose.

He’s more an ice cube, though.

Cameron is the quintessential big-budget filmmaker, for all intents and purposes. His movies — for they are certainly not merely “films” — are among the most expensive ever made.

“Terminator 2: Judgement Day” was the first $100-million-budget movie. “Titanic,” the 1997 voyage, was the first movie to navigate $200-million waters.

Cameron’s most recent offering “Avatar” exceeded even that, costing $237 million.

But Cameron’s Hollywood legend is his hustler’s penchant for delivering titanic returns on titanic cinematic investments. Astonishingly, the gross box-office receipts of “Avatar” totaled almost $2.8 billion, a record-breaking performance that might never be eclipsed.

What’s more is that it was Cameron’s “Titanic,” grossing more than $1.8 billion, that

The Daily Reveille Editorial Board

Matthew Jacobs Chris Branch Ryan Buxton Bryan Stewart Andrea Gallo Clayton Crockett

Editor-in-Chief Associate Managing Editor Associate Managing Editor Managing Editor, External Media News Editor Opinion Editor

SHIZUO KAMBAYASHI / The Associated Press

Director James Cameron poses for cameras March 30 during a news conference in Tokyo to promote his 3-D version of “Titanic.”

“Avatar” leapfrogged.

With the superpower of special effects, Cameron is the superhero of cinematic capitalism, something of a filmmaking Green Lantern.

His superhero symbol: $.

And why not? The man’s a walking dollar sign.

According to legend, when Cameron pitched a sequel to Ridley Scott’s “Alien” to Twentieth Century Fox, he casually soft-pedaled to the room’s drawing board and scrawled: “Alien$.”

“Aliens” was subsequently released in 1986, suffice it to say.

But no Superman is without his weakness.

Cameron’s kryptonite: $.

For the re-releasing of “Titanic,” Cameron has been predictably criticized.

“Look, there’s always going to be people that can piss in the soup of anything good,” he said at the film’s red-carpet premiere in London. “But frankly, I think that remembering Titanic, remembering the history — that’s what the film was there for.

That’s why I made it, you know.”

Sure, Jim — or is it “Mij”?

Cameron’s argument holds no water, unlike the subject of his movie.

Though his words may have once floated, they immediately sank when he commissioned the re-release of “Titanic,” his dollar-signed eyes on a bountiful prize: The rerelease coincides, of course, with the disaster’s 100th anniversary.

“I think the film is a good focusing agent for [the disaster] at a time when we should be remembering the

Editorial Policies & Procedures

The Daily Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University.

The Daily Reveille is an independent entity within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, paper or University. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to opinion@lsureveille.com or delivered to B-26 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must have a contact phone number so the opinion editor can verify the author. The phone number won’t be printed. The Daily Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration without changing the original intent. The Daily Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Daily Reveille’s editor-in-chief, hired every semester by the Louisiana State University Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

wreck and its message, the disaster and its message for all of us,” he said.

The message: $.

Ultimately, Cameron is captaining a sinking ship, but he won’t humbly go down with it. There’s not a cell of virtue in the man’s body.

Like his “Titanic” character Rose, Cameron “will never let go.”

Of the almighty dollar, that is.

Phil Sweeney is a 25-year-old English senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_PhilSweeney.

Contact Phil Sweeney at psweeney@lsureveille.com

Quote of the Day

“If you set your goals ridiculously high and it’s a failure, you will fail above everyone else’s success.”

James Cameron Canadian film director Aug. 16, 1954 — present

The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Opinion

page 9

‘Stand Your Ground’ is good in theory, still fatally flawed THE C-SECTION Chris Grillot Columnist Fight or flight.

If someone attacks you, what do you do?

If you’re unarmed, flight seems to be the most logical way to save yourself. But if you are armed, sometimes fighting back may provide you with the best chance for a positive outcome.

And the laws in many states back this logic. Such a law, commonly known as “Stand Your Ground,” most recently made headlines in the Trayvon Martin case.

Florida law allows people to use deadly force against an assailant if they feel their lives have been threatened.

Louisiana has nearly the exact same law, allowing residents to kill an attacker if they believe there may be great bodily harm or risk of death.

For the most part, both of these laws have basically been around forever — and they make sense, too. When it comes to life and death, legally being able to

defend yourself is a right everyone should have.

Unfortunately, recent “Stand Your Ground” cases highlight problems with the law.

The most recent Louisiana incident occurred Jan. 2 in Raceland.

Jamonta Miles, a 15-year-old eighth-grader, and seven friends who were all members of a gang, set out into a neighborhood to confront an enemy with whom they had an argument on Facebook, according to The Associated Press.

Instead of finding their Facebook adversary, the group of teens, armed with a handgun, wound up assaulting people at random, The Times-Picayune reported.

One of their victims, 21-yearold Byron Thomas, fought back, firing 9mm rounds in the gang’s SUV as they drove away. One bullet struck Miles in the head and killed him.

Despite the fact Miles was driving away, detectives concluded Thomas’ actions were out of self-defense, and he wasn’t arrested.

Another similar incident occurred in Baton Rouge on

Jan. 28, 2011. Late that night, Keith Brown allegedly kicked in the door to Baton Rouge resident Richard Alexander’s home.

Alexander grabbed a handgun and chased Brown out of his home. As Brown ran down the driveway, Alexander shot and killed him.

Though Alexander told police he thought Brown had a weapon — Brown allegedly reached for his waistband — Alexander was arrested for manslaughter.

It turns out Brown did not have a gun after all.

In this case, the “Stand Your Ground” law apparently no longer applied since the shooting occurred outside the home.

Where is the line drawn?

Does it only apply if the assailant has a gun?

These two Louisiana cases are extremely similar. Both involved instances where a person could have felt his or her life threatened, yet there was a different outcome in each.

But if the facts were correct, I think both victims probably felt their lives were in danger.

While Louisiana cases point out one flaw, the Trayvon Martin

case sheds a whole new light on it.

On February 26, 28-year-old George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchdog, thought 15-yearold Trayvon Martin looked suspicious as he walked through his Florida neighborhood, so Zimmerman called the police.

According to police reports and phone calls, Zimmerman was asked not to follow Martin and to wait until police arrived.

Zimmerman followed Martin anyway.

When Martin, who was on the phone with his girlfriend, realized a strange man was following him, Martin’s girlfriend testified to police he was scared and didn’t know what to do, so he started walking faster.

At some point during the chase, it appears Martin may have turned to defend himself.

But really, who wouldn’t? He had a strange guy chasing him.

Conflicting witness reports leave us skeptical as to whether Zimmerman or Martin started the fight, but it ended with Martin being shot in the chest.

Zimmerman has yet to be arrested. But he should.

If “Stand Your Ground” laws

don’t apply to someone who had his or her door kicked down, I have no idea how it can be justified for someone who essentially scared someone into a fight.

Moreover, whether or not you start a fight, if you mysteriously start chasing someone while you’re carrying a gun and decide to kill them because they try to fight you, and then you claim self-defense, you deserve to go to jail for a long time.

Zimmerman didn’t stand his ground — Martin did, and it appears he was murdered for it.

In most cases, “Stand Your Ground” laws are able to justify killings, but the Trayvon Martin case and recent Louisiana cases point out that the law may also hurt the law-abiding while protecting killers.

Chris Grillot is a 21-yearold English and mass communication senior from New Orleans. Follow him on Twitter at @TDR_cgrillot.

Contact Chris Grillot at cgrillot@lsureveille.com

NYC public schools over-censor standardized tests SCUM OF THE GIRTH

Parker Cramer Columnist Who the f--- is in charge of New York City’s public schools?

It’s understandable to censor a sentence like the previous one, but what about children’s standardized tests?

The Department of Education has taken political correctness to an entirely new and absurd level — references to “dinosaurs”, “birthdays” and “Halloween” will not be seen on NYC’s standardized tests.

Alluding to these topics has been deemed potentially offensive to children belonging to certain groups. For example, a reference to dinosaurs would upset any idiot who is dumb enough not to believe in dinosaurs.

We have fossils. Dinosaurs were here and they’re awesome.

Accept it.

Mentioning birthdays could be offensive to Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not celebrate them. Birthdays will now be referred to as the day your father accepted stretch marks as a fact of life.

References to wealth and poverty are outlawed because they could make children jealous and more likely to rob and physically assault their fellow classmates.

The Department of

ROLAND PARKER / The Daily Reveille

Education insists this is not censorship, but rather a regular change in language undertaken by the publisher.

Regardless of who is responsible, I think we can all agree this is overkill.

Public institutions are often too politically correct, and concern about offending a small minority has suddenly made nonoffensive words offensive.

A reference to a birthday has never been a middle finger to Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s just something about 99.9 percent of us celebrate, so we talk about it.

Halloween is the same story.

Anyone who is even the slightest bit fun celebrates Halloween, and 99.9 percent of Americans like to have fun.

Quoting “Jurassic Park” was never meant to offend anybody

dumb enough not to believe in dinosaurs. It’s a great movie, and about 99.9 percent of Americans have seen it.

Fact check me, I dare you.

Everything is 99.9 percent.

Tests were never offensive.

In the past, they may have recognized differences in culture by alluding to Christmas, Kwanzaa, Halloween or birthdays.

Tests may have included

questions regarding one individual having more money than another, but this was never to offend the poor or alienate the rich.

It was done to teach kids how to add and subtract.

We are actively trying to make our society as uniform as possible by masking our differences instead of celebrating them.

In the real world, people are different. In the real world, people celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Easter, birthdays and many other holidays.

So why do we avoid teaching our youth about topics they will undoubtedly face as adults? Are we educating kids more by not teaching them about important aspects of American culture?

Any parents who would be offended by a reference to any one of these topics need to have a long, hard look at themselves.

Hiding cultures from America’s children when they are young could cause them to be distrustful of those cultures as adults.

We are all unique — why should we hide it?

Parker Cramer is a 21-yearold political science junior from Houston. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_pcramer.

Contact Parker Cramer at pcramer@lsureveille.com

The Daily Reveille

page 10

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012 ‘TITANIC,’ from page 1

Allsup described “Titanic” as his “borderline obsession” because of the relevance the movie holds to him personally and historically.

Allsup said the movie sparked his interest in travel, boats and his eventual major discipline, history.

“The Titanic sinking was a pivotal moment in history where class tension was high and man became a victim of the cult of technology in a major way,” Allsup said.

Historical merit is just one reason Susie LeJeune, English senior, is a fan of James Cameron’s $1.8 billion-grossing blockbuster.

“Titanic has suspense, romance, action and history,” LeJeune said. “A little bit of everything.”

LeJeune helped Allsup coordinate the life jacket-wearing group of moviegoers and said she is thrilled to see the film in theaters.

“I was little when the movie first came out, so I think it’s really cool that I get to see it in theaters for the first time,” LeJeune said.

LeJeune is not the only “Titanic” fan anxious for the movie’s rerelease in theaters. According to local Rave Motion Pictures manager James Jordan, the theater sold an excess of 60 tickets in advance for today’s inaugural screenings of “Titanic 3D.” LeJeune said another reason for the movie’s high anticipation may be the plot’s renewed sense of plausibility, brought on by a recent commercial ship sinking.

On Jan. 14, the Costa

“Titanic” movie facts: • The studio wanted to cast Matthew McConaughey as Jack’s character, but James Cameron was adamant about casting Leonardo DiCaprio.

• The companies that crafted decor for the actual Titanic did much of the movie’s decor construction.

• The ocean that extras jumped into was about three feet deep.

• When Jack and Rose meet on the grand staircase at the movie’s end, the clock displays the time when the actual ship sank.

• Director James Cameron sketched Kate Winslet in the drawing scene and his hands, not Leonardo DiCaprio’s, are the ones in the film.

• During the “flying” scene when Jack and Rose kiss, the sunset behind them is real.

• Every female actress on set wore a corset, even the extras.

• It took 27 takes before the first spitting scene looked the right way.

• On the final night of shooting in Nova Scotia, pranksters mixed PCP into the clam chowder the cast and crew ate, leaving 80 people ill. Many were hospitalized with hallucinations.

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The Daily Reveille Concordia cruise ship capsized after running ashore on the Italian coast. The tragic event proved to be an eerie reminder that an event similar to the Titanic sinking can still occur, even in today’s state of heightened technological prowess, LeJeune said.

Amy Beecher, kinesiology junior, said she plans to see the 3-D movie in theaters for sentimental reasons. Beecher said she has seen the movie more than 20 times, and it still takes her on an emotional roller coaster.

“It’s the first movie I ever saw and really understood to be very sad,” Beecher said. “I cry every time.”

Beecher said buzz over “Titanic 3D” has extended to people outside the antiquated, romantic realm of the film’s fandom. She said she has overheard chatter among male students as to their thoughts on the movie’s most alluring quality — 3-D breasts.

Beecher is referring to the famous scene in which Leonardo DiCaprio sketches Kate Winslet wearing nothing but a blue diamond necklace.

Allsup and LeJeune’s group may have chosen to mirror lifeboat survivors’ attire rather than that of Rose, Kate Winslet’s character, but that doesn’t diminish the group’s admiration of the curlyhaired star.

“Rose is caught in the middle,” Allsup said. “She’s a rebel because she is willing to forsake a snobby, upper-class life in favor of a chance at love.”

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photo courtesy of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this film image released by Paramount Pictures, the luxury ship is seen sinking in the 3-D version of James Cameron’s romantic epic “Titanic.”

Contact Josh Naquin at jnaquin@lsureveille.com

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The Daily Reveille

Wednesday, April 4, 2012