The Reveille 2-22-21 by Reveille

E s t. 18 87

Vo lum e 129 · N o. 79

Mond ay, Fe b r u a r y 22 , 2 021

PITCHING PARADISE LSU baseball commands opening day behind strong pitching performances.

Read on

page 2 ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

NEWS

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East Baton Rouge saw its highest number of homicides on record in 2020, according to the coroner’s office.

ENTERTAINMENT

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These classic TV theme songs from shows like “Friends” and “iCarly” will make you skip the “skip intro” button.

SPORTS

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LSU baseball closer Devin Fontenot continues to grow on and off the field as he overcomes hardships.

OPINION

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“Twitter is a great platform for breaking news, celebrity updates and memes. It is not the place for nuanced discussion.”

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

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Hill, pitching staff shine in dominant outing: ‘They really made our job easy’ BY JARED BRODTMANN @_therealjarbear As the Tigers headed into this year’s baseball season, everyone knew one of their biggest strengths would be their vaunted pitching staff. Opening day reflected that belief in a huge way. Led by Jaden Hill’s assertive starting performance, the story of the day was how well LSU’s pitching staff played as the team won its season opener against Air Force. Combined Tiger pitching efforts on Saturday allowed one run on six hits. They threw 14 strikeouts, walked just one and hit two batters. With 104 strikes thrown out of 149 pitches, the pitchers were in control of the plate and tempo of the game. Hill was everything LSU fans hoped he’d be in his first game as a Tiger. He threw four innings, struck out five and shut out the Falcons without any walks either. His fastball was blazing, and his slider and changeup broke hard

and fast. Despite all that, Hill wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance in Saturday’s game. He felt his control could have been even better than what he showed. “I have a lot of work to do,” Hill said. “It was something I didn’t do consistently. I would say I didn’t have my slider. My offspeed stuff isn’t as consistent as I want it. I had it in certain big moments, but I didn’t have it to where I needed it. Mainly, I really just had a fastball today, to be honest, and so I definitely need to go in with coach [Alan Dunn] and watch film, get back on the field in two days and get back to work.” While Hill might have struggled a bit, his performance was more than enough to appease Head Coach Paul Mainieri. “Jaden Hill was absolutely fantastic,” Mainieri said. “I thought it was a great start for him. I only wanted to have him go three innings, but he was only at 44

pitches. He was begging me for another inning.” Hill confirmed that once his three-inning limitation Mainieri had placed on him before the weekend had ended, he was determined to convince his coach to let him go out and throw just one more inning. “As I was walking off the field, I went straight to coach,” Hill said. “I told him, ‘I want to go another inning; I have another one in me.’ He looked at me and said, ‘You sure?’ and I said ‘Yeah, I’m ready to go.’” After Hill came off for the fifth inning, a cluster of strong performances from Garrett Edwards, Matthew Beck, Alex Brady and Aaron George followed. The Tiger bullpen only gave up a pair of hits and allowed just one run of a passed ball by George. “The whole bullpen was fantastic,” Mainieri said. “We really should have pitched a shutout. We had a couple misplays behind the plate there to allow the run-

LSU PITCHING STATS

Jaden Hill

#43

Garrett Edwards

#8 #46

Matthew Beck

Alex Brady

#32

Aaron George

4.0 3 0 1.0 1 0

0 0

5 2

1.1 0 0

1.0 0 1

0.2 1 0

#28 1.0

Devin Fontenot

1 0

0 0

2 2

ner to get into scoring position and then score on a passed ball, so we should have had a shutout for the way those guys pitched.” Devin Fontenot was warming up for a chance at a save as the Tigers’ designated closer as LSU came in with a comfortable 4-1 lead in the bottom of the eighth, but thanks to Zach Arnold’s tworun homer, the cushion for LSU’s lead grew to where the save opportunity was lost. Regardless, Fontenot was rock solid, surrendering a hit and picking up a duo of strikeouts to secure the Tigers’ first win. “They really made our job easy,” first baseman Tre’ Morgan said about the entire pitching staff. “I feel like I only had to catch maybe one ball at first base. They just weren’t hitting them hard at all.” It was a great start and good confidence booster for a staff that, depending on their consistency, could be one of the best in the conference.

LSU took early control of its opening day game against Air Force and stayed collected as the day carried on. Riding their strong pitching and timely, diverse ways to plate runs, the Tigers defeated the Falcons 6-1 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 1-0.

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

The Tigers played Air Force again Sunday afternoon at Alex Box Stadium, losing 6-5. They will finish up the extended weekend with a 6:30 p.m. match against Louisiana Tech Monday night. IP Innings Pitched H Hits R Runs BB Walks X Strikeouts

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

ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.

NEWS

page 3 COVID-19

New local research promotes COVID-19 testing in Black community

G N I L IL K Y R ’ E Y V L I E G, ’S FAM N I T OO EONE H S Y M R O E S V ‘E PACTS IM

BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3

crime, especially homicides, increased dramatically during the second half of 2020,” Barton said. He pointed out that most violent crime that occurs in the parish is confined to the city of Baton Rouge and neighborhoods located north of downtown. “Violent crime is an issue throughout the parish, but it increased in north Baton Rouge where crime was already high

Pennington Biomedical Research Center is implementing a new study that aims to offer and promote COVID-19 testing in some Black communities within Baton Rouge. A higher percentage of Black people experience severe symptoms or die from COVID-19 compared to other people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Despite this, a large number of Black residents in Louisiana remain reluctant to get tested for the virus, according to a press release issued by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Dr. John Kirwan, executive director of Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said he thinks that more people might be willing to undergo tests, and later get

see CRIME, page 4

see PENNINGTON, page 4

Baton Rouge crime hits record high in 2020 BY HENRY WELDON @HankWeldon3 East Baton Rouge Parish passed a grim milestone in 2020, and it wasn’t COVID-19 related. On Dec. 4, the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office announced on Facebook that it had investigated 125 homicides. This means that 2020 shattered the record for most homicides ever in East Baton Rouge Parish. “This is more homicides than

any year in the last 20 years, making 2020 the deadliest year on record for homicides in East Baton Rouge Parish,” Coroner William “Beau” Clark said in a video. On Feb. 1, the trend continued after the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office announced that January 2021 was on record for being the most violent month in the history of East Baton Rouge Parish. Seventeen people were murdered that month, a high

number compared to previous months. The most murders to occur in a single month last year was 14 in November. January 2021 saw 19 homicides, more than double the number of homicides in January 2020. Michael Barton, associate professor of sociology at LSU, believes that multiple factors play a role in violent crime rising expeditiously in Baton Rouge. “The data shows that violent

BUSINESS

How some LSU students joined the January stock market frenzy BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote Many LSU students invested money in companies targeted by a group of online amateur investors in January. AMC Theaters and other movie companies have seen their stocks decline throughout the pandemic. Marketing sophomore Xavier Kent predicted AMC’s stocks would increase as vaccines became available and people started going to the movies again, so he purchased shares of AMC in November 2020 when the stock was around $3. He said he planned for it to be a long-term investment — buying shares at a low price, leaving it there for years and selling it at a higher price — in a process called holding. What Kent didn’t plan for was a group of online amateur investors on sites like Reddit and Discord plotting to artificially trigger a significant increase in the price of the stock. Kent sold his shares in Janu-

ary when shares reached as high as $13.26, profiting much sooner than he expected to. “I might as well take advantage of it now and sell it because it’s doing so well when no one expected it to,” he said. Kent was unaware of what triggered the increase in the price, but said he wasn’t too concerned either. “I had no idea. I woke up one day and it just happened,” he said. “I saw it trending on Twitter. That was crazy.” Members of the subreddit WallStreetBets, mostly amateur investors, rallied to buy shares in multiple stocks that were being targeted by Wall Street hedge funds. A hedge fund, a collection of investors pooling money together run by a hedge fund manager, would target a stock that it believed would fail, like AMC and Gamestop, betting against the company and profiting through a process known as shorting. Short selling is when an investor believes that a stock will drop in price, leading the inves-

tor to borrow shares, sell the shares, and then purchase the stocks again and return them to the original owner. The investor stands to profit if the value of the stock decreases as expected. GameStop’s stock has been declining since 2015 and the company’s business model has become less appealing as many people buy games online and download them without leaving their homes, a problem the pandemic has only made worse. This led many short sellers to believe shorting GameStop’s stock was a safe bet. People on r/WallStreetBets noticed this and began buying Gamestop stock en masse, forcing hedge funds to clear their positions and costing funds such as Marvin Capital billions of dollars in losses. GameStop’s stock peaked at $347.51 in January, a massive increase from the stock’s price in 2020 that sat at around $5. “Retail investors who bought the stock earlier at a cheap price

see STOCKS, page 4

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIE VAGIANOS

Monday, February 22, 2021

page 4 CRIME, from page 3 due to extreme disadvantage, limited conventional opportunities for work and a high prevalence for gang activity,” Barton said. Barton said the pandemic is the cause of the recent rise in violent crimes, due in part to the fact that a lot of people had their traditional lives upended once the virus invaded Baton Rouge. Many citizens who spent their days at work or who had other responsibilities saw those vanish once everything shut down due to the pandemic. “A likely driver of violent crime, nationally or in the City of Baton Rouge, was likely the strain that people were feeling due to the pandemic,” Barton said. “Many people lost their jobs. The lockdowns encouraged people to stay home where they may be exposed to sources of victimization they would otherwise be able to escape. Many people act out in aggressive or violent ways when strained.” This rise in crime has brought a sense of consternation to officials in Baton Rouge. “Baton Rouge, we are better than this,” Donna Collins-Lewis,

PENNINGTON, from page 3 vaccinated, if they do so in a place that is familiar and comfortable with them. “The new, more dangerous variants of COVID-19 and the need to distribute vaccines fairly make it all the more urgent that we do a better job of testing in underserved Black communities,” Kirwan said in the press release. Researchers plan to use a multimedia campaign to promote and conduct rapid testing at 16 churches, schools, clinics and community centers across north Baton Rouge, according to the press release. Researchers also plan to collect saliva samples from 2,000 adults as well as information on their age, sex, race, socioeconomic status and other information. The data collected by scientists will help them determine how these factors are related to testing rates. This strategy is not new to Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In the past, the research center

a council member for district 6, said. Collins-Lewis, along with others, spoke at a news conference in October to address the staggering number of homicides that have plagued the parish this year. “Every shooting, every killing impacts somebody’s family,” she said. In 2019, East Baton Rouge Parish saw 97 homicides. In comparison to 2020, the parish saw 136 homicides which set a new record. “Crime is crime, murder is murder,” Collins-Lewis said. “It impacts every family and everybody across this city.” During the first month of 2021, the parish continued to grapple with grief and sorrow over the record-setting number of homicides. “Every week we have a commanders meeting where I sit around with all of my captains from around the district,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said. “Every meeting we start off with prayer. That’s how we start our meetings off.” It has been difficult for law enforcement and investigators to deal with such a high number of

homicides in just one year, according to Paul. “We pray for the community, we pray for our officers and we pray for peace,” Paul said. It’s not always new offenders committing these homicides, according to Paul. “The same individuals, that is what I hear from my officers,” he said. “We arrest them and then we have to deal with them again. Shooting incidents, what’s right about that?” While the police work tirelessly to curb the increase in crime, they also need the public’s help. “Our police officers are out there working,” Paul said. “We’re doing our part and we’re going to continue to ask the community to help us in those efforts.” Officials stressed the importance of help from the community. “It’s a collaborative effort from our whole community to be successful,” Todd Morris of the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office said. The ability of both the Sheriff’s Office and BRPD to work together has allowed for the agencies to resolve crimes at a much quicker rate.

used a similar strategy to help lowincome patients with obesity lose weight. The research center also placed health coaches into primary care clinics, which was a more familiar setting where study participants felt more relaxed, according to the press release. Mayor-President Sharon Weston-Broome said in the press release that there is a distrust of the health system and other related health studies in the Black community and that encouraging residents to get tested and vaccinated will require some work. “The coronavirus has exposed, and continues to expose, the gap in access to health care that divides our city, parish, state and country,” Broome said. “Increasing testing in Louisiana’s Black communities is vitally important to understanding and slowing the virus’ spread. The data the scientists collect will also help us understand the role health disparities play in the coronavirus’ impact on our residents.” Pennington Biomedical Re-

search Center and the Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CaTS) received a $1.8 million grant through the National Institutes of Health to conduct the research, according to the press release. Researchers are partnering with HealthyBR to achieve the project’s goals. HealthyBR is an organization that seeks to foster a movement based on communication, coordination and collaboration that promotes a better and healthier life for all people in the city of Baton Rouge, according to its website. The partnership between researchers and HealthyBR is a collaboration among Baton Rouge’s 73 top health and human services organizations and hospital systems. The goal of this work is to gather more information about why COVID-19 affects the Black community more than other communities in Baton Rouge and to help stop the spread of the virus among Black residents. Dr. Peter Katzmarzyk, Pennington Biomedical associate executive director for population and public health science, hopes to understand the barriers that the Black community faces in regard to testing and getting vaccinated through this research. “We have some ideas about why people are not getting tested,” Katzmarzyk said. “Some people may not have a way to get to a testing site. Others may not be able to take time off from work. Still, others may have issues finding healthcare. We’re going to ask members of our Black communities what they think the barriers are to testing and what approaches they think would be best to get more people tested.” Testing began Feb. 10. The hours at each testing site are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays.

COURTESY OF SAM KARLIN

“We work side by side with the sheriff’s office everyday and we see the great work that our detectives are doing and sometimes we don’t give them the praise that they deserve,” Paul said. As law enforcement officials work to get the violence under control, medical officials are fervently trying to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which has resulted in the death of 693 people in East Baton Rouge Parish since the coronavirus first began, according to state health data. Despite this, the parish has also seen more overdoses, deadly wrecks and natural deaths compared to 2019. “Because of the almost exclusive coverage of the virus, other tragedies in our community such as overdoses and homicides have been overshadowed,” Clark said in a Facebook video. While local media has been continuing its coverage of the pandemic and high numbers of homicides, overdoses have been left out of the spotlight. “2020 has become the worst year yet,” Clark said. “To date, I have investigated 220 overdoses ,which nearly doubles last year’s record of 128, making 2020 the

deadliest year on record for overdoses in East Baton Rouge Parish.” Andrew Burns, a sociology of deviance instructor at LSU, attributes the rise in overdoses to the ongoing pandemic. “There is reason to believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor in an increase in overdose deaths,” Burns said. “Social isolation and depression may play a role. Many former drug users may have experienced relapses, and new drug use may have developed due to isolation, anxiety or depression.” Burns said that most people aren’t living their normal lives, which could be a contributing factor to the staggering number of overdoses the parish experienced in 2020. “In discussing this topic with certified peer recovery specialists, first responders working in EMS and fire and with current and former addicts, the consensus is that the increase in overdoses has a lot to do with the loss of established routines, access to resources and a lack of adequate coping strategies to replace those which were no longer possible during the pandemic,” Burns said.

COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS

STOCKS, from page 3 and sold at a high price, they did make money,” Tengfei Zhang, finance PhD student at LSU, said. “Others who heard the news and rushed to the stock market — they were followers, not leaders.” Digital advertising sophomore Drake Bartels said he lost some money after investing in AMC. “I invested into AMC after GME [GameStop] prices rose since I was too late to that,” he said. “I thought AMC wouldn’t be up to the same amount of price as GME, but I knew it’d go up significantly. Overall, I lost about $300. I was up to about $500 and I could’ve sold then, but it was not about the money for me.” Bartels, like many others on the subreddit, said they wanted to invest and hold their shares because it was more about making hedge funds lose money than making money themselves. “This was 100% something bigger than making money,” Bartels said. “Lots of profiles on the r/WallStreetBets subreddit outright mentioned that they were

in it to screw over the rich. This was definitely more of a community effort just to be funny and make some hedge funds lose everything they had.” GameStop short-sellers lost $3.3 billion betting against the stock in 2021, according to the financial analytics firm S3 Partners. Zhang explained that although these hedge funds lost money, others profited from the increase as well. “Some other hedge funds looked at this opportunity: Gamestop’s price is $300, it’s time for them to short again,” he said. “The first group of hedge funds lost a ton of money. The second group of hedge funds [that] short sell Gamestop price at $300. They made tons of money. There’s winners and losers.” Zhang advised against students investing in the targeted companies. “Most of us are uninformed investors,” he said. “We don’t have private information. It’s like gambling for us in the shortterm. We don’t have the ability to do that kind of technical analysis — It’s hard to predict.”

ENTERTAINMENT

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G O-T O I N T R O S

TV theme songs that will make you want to skip the ‘skip intro’ button BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab Most of us would agree that the “skip intro” button is one of the greatest inventions for streaming services during this generation, especially when binge watching. However, there are a few television theme songs that just never seem to get old: “Friends” “So no one told you life was going to be this way,” but did anyone ever tell you not to skip the “Friends” intro? “Even if it hasn’t been your day, week, month or year,” it’s hard to resist clapping along to “I’ll Be There For You” by The Rembrandts. The “Friends” theme song is fun, relatable and recognizable. “That ‘70s Show” “Hello Wisconsin!” The “That ‘70s Show” theme song is perfect for jamming in the car with your

best friends, which is literally what the actors are doing during the show’s intro, switching seats and drivers the whole time. It may be the same old song you heard last week, but it’s “alright” to turn up the volume when it comes on shuffle as you drive down the street in your Vista Cruiser.

sung by Carly Shay’s actress, Miranda Cosgrove. It also features Drake Bell, so it’s only fitting to give a nod to both of these childhood TV theme song hits.

“Drake and Josh” Throwback to your childhood. “I never thought it would be so simple” to skip the “skip intro” button, but “I Found a Way” sung by none other than lead actor Drake Bell will make you put down the remote.

“Hawaii Five-O” Even though this theme song is purely instrumental, it’s got a pulsating rhythm that makes an insanely catchy beat. Originally composed by Morton Stevens for the “Hawaii Five-O” police drama series in the late ‘60s, it’s simply called the “Hawaii FiveO Theme.” A shortened version of it stuck around for the 2010 reboot.

“iCarly” I know you see the “skip intro” button at the bottom of the screen, but that’s okay, we can listen to the “iCarly” theme song. No need to rush to the show, “I know somehow we’re going to get there.” In true Nickelodeon fashion, “Leave It All to Me” is

“Succession” This HBO satire also has a purely instrumental intro. This layered theme was composed by Nicholas Britell. It gives off classical vibes with a traditional piano score and a string orchestra, but there’s a unique twist. Some hiphop beats are added beneath the

symphony. It’s oddly attractive to the ear. “True Blood” I don’t know who you think you are if you’re skipping the “True Blood” theme. The opening for this Louisiana horror series kicks off with “Bad Things” by Jace Everett. It starts with a guitar sound that’ll send chills down your spine and gets steadily better as the song progresses. “NCIS New Orleans” Keeping it local, “Boom Boom” by Big Head Todd and The Monsters and Tom Lord-Alge has a similar beat to “Bad Things” but with a little more punch. If you’re still skipping the “NCIS New Orleans” theme, all I can do is ask, “How, how, how, how?” “One Tree Hill” If you’re tired of looking around rooms wondering where the remote is to skip the in-

tro for a show, just let this one play. I don’t want to be skipping the “One Tree Hill” theme song anyway. “I Don’t Want to Be” by Gavin DeGraw is one of those themes that will have you nodding your head and singing along. “The Jeffersons” Moving on up to the top of the list is “The Jeffersons” theme song, “Movin’ on Up.” Even though this sitcom ran from ’75’85, Ja’Net DuBois and Jeff Barry’s tune is catchy and great for karaoke fun today. So, if you’re watching throwback TV on Hulu, “The Jeffersons” is definitely a theme song you won’t want to skip. We ran a poll on our social media accounts asking you what your favorite TV show theme songs were. Many made the list, but some fan favorites included “Game of Thrones,” “New Girl,” “Zoey 101,” “Disenchantment” and “Bojack Horseman.”

MOVIES AND TV

‘Double Jeopardy!’ round: Game show announces more guest hosts BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab As promised, “Jeopardy!” has updated its list of guest hosts with four more big names. You know the drill. Clue values are doubled. Get your buzzers ready for the “Double Jeopardy!” round: Don’t confuse him with the great and powerful. After years appearing as a health expert on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” he has his own daytime series. This health talk show host will take his turn hosting the gameshow. If you rang in and asked, “Who is Dr. Oz?,” bump up your score. From watching the gameshow in high school to appearing in “Power Players” tournaments to guest hosting, he’s making a “Full Circle” on “Jeopardy!” for a complete 360°. And the question to accompany that clue is, “Who is Anderson Cooper?” Cooper has appeared on “Jeopardy!” four times as a contestant, winning two matches. One loss came during a 2010 “Million Dol-

COURTESY OF JEOPARDY!

lar Celebrity” game to none other than Cheech Marin of the comedy duo “Cheech and Chong.” No smoke there, Cooper and Marin teamed up to pay tribute to Alex Trebek following the longtime host’s death in November. You may have seen her once already “Today.” This NBC morning show co-anchor has made the new guest host roster.

If you were quick enough on the buzzer and answered, “Who is Savannah Guthrie?,” you’re correct. You can now add “Jeopardy!” to the list of this neurosurgeon’s television appearances. This Emmy award-winning documentarian is a familiar face on CNN where he serves as chief medical correspondent.

If you guessed “Who is Dr. Sanjay Gupta?,” you got it. In a post to his Instagram, fact-appreciator Gupta said it was an honor to be chosen, as he grew up watching “Jeopardy!” with his parents and now watches the gameshow with his own kids. Following the “Jeopardy!” GOAT Ken Jennings’ stint as guest host, Executive Producer

Mike Richards will man the lectern. Previously announced guest hosts include Aaron Rodgers, Bill Whitaker, Katie Couric and Mayim Bialik. “Jeopardy!” will make a donation to a charity of each guest host’s choosing, matching the total winnings of the contestants competing during the games they serve as host. If you read my last article, “I’ll take guest host for $200: The current lineup of guest hosts for ‘Jeopardy!’” you’ll remember I took a poll of sorts on my Instagram and Snapchat, asking who else people would like to see guest hosting the gameshow. Out of all the answers I received — some among them quite interesting, ranging from Steven Tyler to James Franco to other previous “Jeopardy!” champions like James Holzhauer — the only one that has come to fruition so far is Cooper.

Stay tuned!

The game show says even more guest hosts are set to be announced later in the season.

LSU baseball junior outfielder Giovanni DiGiacomo (7) flexes after he makes it to first base.

IS LL BA SE BA

The LSU baseball team members hold their caps during the National Anthem.

LSU baseball sophomore infielder Zach Arnold (2) catches the ball.

Monday, February 22, 2021

page 7

T Fe he L b. S 21 U b at as Al eb ex al Bo l te x S am ta de di fe Ph um a ot se , m ted os as a A by on rk ir Ab . ing For by th ce ei 6Ki rf 1 bl i rs on er t w Su in nd of ay th , e

Monday, February 22, 2021

page 6

The LSU baseball team talks at the dugout while Airforce has the field.

LSU baseball first baseman freshman Tre’ Morgan (18) catches the ball.

CK BA

LSU baseball freshman first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) leans over the dugout to catch a ball.

LSU baseball freshman first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) slides back to first base.

The LSU baseball team huddles up just before the start of the game.

LSU baseball junior right-handed pitcher Jaden Hill (0) pitches.

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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Scale divisions: abbr. 4 Ancient Peruvians 9 __ around; twirled 13 Boxing match 14 Mary Tyler __ 15 Garment for Julius Caesar 16 Partner in war 17 Came __; arrived on time 19 “Come one, come __!” 20 Hoodlums 21 Tricky tactics 22 Wee __; very early morning 24 Coretta’s monogram 25 Fold line 27 Company 30 Reluctant 31 Say hello to 33 Grown-__; big people 35 Does sums 36 Wanders 37 Leave out 38 Billy __ Williams 39 Daytime serials 40 Zodiac sign 41 Most abnormal 43 Paleness 44 Actress Arden 45 Secretariat or Seabiscuit 46 Sudden & sharp, as pain 49 Smooth and shiny 51 Rather, for one 54 Simple gymnastic maneuver 56 Nation in Africa 57 “Heidi” setting 58 Run __; chase 59 Had debts 60 TV’s “Empty __” 61 Itty-bitty 62 Plus DOWN 1 Lounge about 2 Stupidly stubborn 3 Pig’s digs 4 Contaminated 5 Subjects of sentences

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews

6 __ out; fall asleep 7 Forms a curved line 8 Salon offering 9 Pieces of celery 10 Explorer Marco 11 Hideous 12 Certain votes 13 Pasture cry 18 Rattled 20 Shove 23 Quaker product 24 Gives an actor a signal 25 Clothed 26 Cowboy competition 27 Emeralds & sapphires 28 Ramshackle; dilapidated 29 VP Agnew 31 Farm animal 32 Lil Wayne’s music 34 “When You Wish Upon a __” 36 Late Kennedy matriarch 37 Kinkade’s paintings 39 Lop off

2/22/21

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

40 Word attached to sky or meadow 42 Hate 43 Wordsworth’s specialty 45 Keller or Reddy 46 As wise __ owl 47 “Old King __ was a merry old soul…”

2/22/21

48 Foul callers 49 Not in danger 50 Stringed instrument 52 Past one’s prime 53 Silent assent 55 Weekend opener: abbr. 56 __ tee; precisely

SPORTS

page 9

Molded by

GYMNASTICS

Gymnastics drops its second straight meet

Hardship Fontenot develops as pitcher, leader BY JARED BRODTMANN @_therealjarbear Let’s set the scene. Bottom of the 12th inning, in a Super Regional elimination game, Devin Fontenot steps on the worn pitching rubber in Alex Box Stadium. The sophomore has been battling each pitch against the Florida State Seminoles to keep his team’s diminishing hopes of a trip to the College World Series alive. So far, he has been nothing short of spectacular for every one of the 11,713 purple and gold faithful who were fortunate enough to see Fontenot pitch six innings without allowing a hit. But finally, a Seminole runner has reached scoring position after a base hit and a wild pitch. Drew Mendoza, Florida State’s best hitter, is at the plate, strapping up his batting gloves and repositioning himself for a chance to send his team to Omaha. Freshman year prepared Fontenot for this. In 2018, LSU struggled with growing pains throughout the season. It would end up as a two seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011, matched up with a vaunted and vengeful Oregon State in Corval-

lis. Fontenot posted a rough 6.18 ERA on the campaign. But the development time paid off. He jumped to a 3.71 ERA in 51 IP, posted 54 strikeouts and held opponents to an insane .180 batting average in this sophomore campaign. He was ready enough. What happened next could have defined Fontenot’s legacy at LSU. He could get out of this jam and keep his team in the game long enough to generate some runs to survive and advance. He could also give up a base hit that would effectively put his outfielders in a position to make a tough throw to catch the runner at 2nd, and he would be brandished in highlight reels of game-winning college baseball moments as the Tiger who gave up the hit. The latter scenario transpired. Mendoza stroked a beautiful swing to right field over second baseman Brandt Broussard, where Antoine Duplantis was unable to get any reasonable throw off. The unforgettable, gutsy performance by Fontenot was quickly tarnished by the painful memory of the raucous mass of beige jerseys celebrating a walkoff win to escape Baton Rouge.

BY MORGAN ROGERS @morgan_rogers

ing him, but only to transform Fontenot into one of the best relief pitchers on the college circuit. His takeway? Leave everything on the field. Everything. “That was definitely a turning point for me,” Fontenot said, looking back on the game. “To go out there and leave it all on the line every game. Ever since that game, I just made it a point to not hold back anything. You’ve got to give it your all every game,

LSU gymnastics lost 197.725197.325 to No. 6 Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Friday. This marks the team’s second loss of the season, moving its record to 4-2. The Tigers had somewhat of an off weekend and scored some of their lowest scores of the season. Meanwhile, the Crimson Tide pulled off some of their highest scores this season. Kiya Johnson scored 9.875 on bars, and Bridget Dean placed second with a 9.80. Feshman allaround Haleigh Bryant came in with a 9.875. Schennikova picked up the pace with a 9.90, while Sami Durante capped the rotation with a 9.875. Alabama took away the bars title but a majority of the LSU gymnasts were at the top of the scores. The Tigers hit vault next with the highest scores coming from senior Sarah Edwards and Bryant at 9.90. Shchennikova had a weak score of 9.775, unlike her scores from the last two meets that exceeded 9.90. Ranked 10th in vault, Alabama came out on top of the Tigers again, who are

see FONTENOT, page 10

see GYMNASTICS, page 10

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU senior right-hander Devin Fontenot (28) celebrates during the Tigers’ 2-1 victory over Kentucky on March 16. 2019, in Alex Box Stadium. Fontenot crouched down, looked down at his glove and walked off the field, head down in dejection with his teammates. But Fontenot had a choice. The colossal moment and devastating outcome could have left him as a fraction of the pitcher he had worked so hard to become. He could have taken a downward turn after pitching at peak performance level for six innings and it still not being enough to win. He could have let that brief instant define him. In a way, it did end up defin-

BASKETBALL

LSU basketball dominates Auburn, Cam Thomas drops 27 BY ANTHONY MOCKLIN @anthony_mocklin The LSU basketball team returned to action after Thursday’s game against Ole Miss was postponed due to inclement weather. LSU (14-6, 9-4 SEC) hosted Auburn (11-12, 5-9 SEC) on Saturday afternoon and defeated them 10480. It was all LSU in the first half. The team went on a 17-2 run to take a 22-12 lead in the first six minutes. LSU continued to pull away after a barrage of buckets from guards Cam Thomas and Javonte Smart, taking a 22-point lead with 4:24 left in the half before Auburn cut things to 16. Thomas had 16 points and two rebounds at the break while Smart added 11 points, three rebounds and two assists. Sophomore forward Trendon Watford scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. LSU brought more of the same in the second half. Both teams started off trading baskets, but junior forward Darius Days helped keep the foot on the gas with three three-pointers in the first

four minutes of the half. Auburn responded by cutting the deficit to 15, but LSU’s lead never fell below 20 in the final 12 minutes as LSU coasted to the victory. It was LSU’s highest-scoring game of the season, scoring itsmost points against an SEC team since 1996. “I thought we guarded well,” said Head Coach Will Wade. “I know they scored a lot of points, but the game was high possession. We did a nice job on the backboards. I thought we prepared well. Just a solid win.” Thomas notched his 15th game of at least 20 points this season with his 27-point performance. Watford recorded a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Days scored 17 points while Smart added 16 points and six assists. Junior forward Josh Leblanc also recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. “He always gives us a big spark,” Thomas said. “Defensively, rebounding, he’s always there to help. His contribution today was huge.”

LSU held Auburn to just 37% shooting from the field and 25% from deep. LSU also had 25 fastbreak points compared to Auburn’s 13. “I thought our defense led to our offense,” Wade said. “We were able to get the stops. We basically doubled them up in transitions and did a phenomenal job on the offensive glass. I thought we played pretty well in both phases.” “Anytime you shoot over 50% and hold the other team under 40%, if everything else is somewhat manageable, you’re going to have a great chance to win,” Wade said. “I thought we did that today.” LSU is currently projected as a No. 8 seed for the NCAA Tournament but could certainly see its stock rise in the final three games of the regular season and SEC Tournament. The team will look to make another deep run after reaching the Sweet 16 in 2019. LSU will travel to Athens, Georgia., Tuesday to take on Georgia before closing the regular season with Arkansas and Vanderbilt.

KYLE VALDEZ / The Reveille

LSU men’s basketball freshman guard Cameron Thomas (24) attacks the rim on Feb. 20. during LSU’s 104-80 win against Auburn at the PMAC.

page 10 FONTENOT, from page 9 because sometimes I had to face some challenges and I was trying to figure out why I wasn’t pitching as great as I knew I could, but it was because I was holding back a little bit.” If that message didn’t hit home after the loss, it certainly was nailed in when his junior year was cancelled just 17 games into the season. COVID-19 represented another obstacle in overcoming adversity. Going even further, Fontenot was contacted by an MLB team about possibly being drafted late in the abbreviated draft this year. Fontenot was thrilled to see his work translate into a tangible result: an opportunity to get into a big-league farm system. However, the team elected to draft someone else and left Fontenot off to determine what his next choice would be. But at this point, it was easy. This was just another bump in the road to success. If the club didn’t want him, fine. He would happily go back to a place where he’s always felt welcomed in LSU. “Whenever they chose somebody else, it was obvious to me that I wanted to go back to school,” Fontenot said. “You have a chip on your shoulder. You want to come back and you want to accomplish more things.”

Monday, February 22, 2021 Fontenot now is much more than a pitcher. He is the epitome of a person with a clear sense of who he is and why he can keep coming back stronger. “The focus that it takes to come each and every day and know that it’s a new day and you’re going to have something new to face,” he remarked on how to face challenges. “It’s never going to be the same thing, so I’m just trying to do my best to help the team and not worrying about what the future holds. Just living in the moment.” Now, the metamorphosis is complete. Fontenot is a first team All-American and All-SEC pitcher, with a 95-mph gunslinger of a fastball and a winding snake of a slider from the Woodlands, Texas native. With hard work and experience come maturity, and maturity often brings command for pitchers. In his seven appearances last year, he posted a .90 ERA in 10.0 IP, with just a .90 WHIP, 17 strikeouts and four saves. Everyone has been singing Fontenot’s praises about the pitcher and man he has become. “The biggest change I see in Devin was his mentality change,” catcher Alex Milazzo said. “When he gets on the mound, he knows he’s the guy who’s got to go up there and throw strikes.”

“I can definitely see a progression from freshman year to now,” fellow pitcher AJ Labas said. “I lived with him for the past two years. Seeing him grow over the past two years, it was really good to see him grow and mature and become the person he is today.” “It’s amazing that a kid that is a preseason All-American and has done the things that Devin has done can seem to be underrated by most people,” Head Coach Paul Mainieri said. “He has such a better understanding of what he is as a pitcher and what (pitching coach) Alan (Dunn) and I expect out of him.” Mainieri quickly silenced any notion that it would be someone else pitching with the game on the line in those innings just like that fateful night against Florida State. “He’s our closer,” he said. “There’s no question about that.” When the moment comes, the veteran coach knows what he sees. In Fontenot, he sees a hungry but focused, fiery but controlled competitor to take the ball from him in winning time, ready to imprint his legacy as the LSU pitcher who never backed down, who kept getting back up when the world knocked him off his feet, and who threw as hard as he could every single pitch.

GYMNASTICS, from page 9 ranked fourth in this rotation. LSU raked its lowest floor score of the season Friday at 49.250. Schennikova came in at 9.750 while freshman Sierra Ballard scored a mediocre 9.725, putting the Tigers down from their usual 49.350. On the bright side, floor anchor Bryant bounced back from her performance last week against Florida and scored a 9.950 while Edwards garnered one of her highest scores this season at 9.90. The team finished the night on beam without senior Reagan Campbell. The beam anchor presumably is still out due to her hip flexor injury. Instead, Shchen-

nikova anchored the event with a 9.875. Usual powerhouse Durante had a rocky landing off beam and was given a 9.625. The other four LSU gymnasts in the lineup all finished with 9.875s. Alabama gymnastics seemed to have a better night overall. The Crimson Tide swept every title of the night, including the all-around. Gymnasts Lexi Graber and Luisa Blanco both scored 9.975s on floor, topping their former career bests of 9.950 and 9.850. LSU gymnastics will be on the road again next weekend in Lexington, Kentucky on Friday, Feb. 26 at 7:15 p.m. The meet will be filmed on SECNetwork+ through the ESPN app or website.

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team gathers in a circle on Jan. 8, before No. 3 LSU gymnastics’ 196.550-196.350 win against No. 15 Arkansas.

OPINION

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Extreme COVID-19 virtue signaling promotes more harm than good SAUCE BOSS CÉCILE CÉCILE GIRARD @_cegi_ Twitter is a great social media platform for breaking news, celebrity updates and memes. It is not the place for nuanced discussion. Several weeks ago, I stumbled across a thread of people arguing over whether it’s OK to jog outdoors without a mask. Even though the CDC says that provided a berth of at least six feet, high-intensity exercises can be done outdoors without a mask, some Twitter users believe stepping outside unmasked to be an act of violence and claimed they would continue yelling at anyone they saw doing so. To be clear, I agree that masks should be worn any time you are within six feet of a stranger. I’d

much rather live in a world full of these everything-gives-youCOVID-19 zealots than with any number of anti-maskers, as this pandemic would certainly not have lasted as long as it has if that were the case. Nevertheless, the self-righteous COVID-19 police, constantly virtue-signaling online to prove they’ve been safer and more willing to make sacrifices than anyone else, are annoying. Besides the dubious credibility of many of their claims — have they really not left their homes or talked to other humans in person since March? — they also promote practices that are ultimately detrimental to the hope of actually surviving this pandemic with some semblance of mental stability left over. Humans are not wired for long-term isolation. Maybe there’s a hermit in a mountain cave

somewhere who can write in to disagree with me, but ultimately, the majority of us need human contact to stay sane. Robust social networks help to improve self-esteem, reduce depressive symptoms and manage stress. A healthy social life can even improve physical health, with proven links between a “low quality or quantity of social ties” and increased rates of cardiovascular disease, cancer and slow healing. The need for socialization is so fundamental that the listed benefits seem almost too obvious to even be worth mentioning. Yet when I see people bragging online about how infrequently they’ve made contact with friends in the past year and being outraged that others are struggling to do the same, I wonder how far deep within themselves they have buried their suffering.

By making it seem like there is only one correct way to forge through this pandemic (a way that requires complete seclusion, no less), these COVID-19 extremists discourage any conversation surrounding more realistic ways to remain healthy during the pandemic. By lumping a park hangout with a friend and a crowded rave into the same category of impermissible risky behaviors, they make people like myself feel guilty for just trying to stay afloat. These virtuous online claims reek of an elitism that assumes everyone has the privilege to stay home and use the pandemic as an opportunity for leisure. These people can order delivery and buy their groceries online only because a DoorDash worker drove to a restaurant for them and an Amazon employee clocked in

at a fulfillment center. Not everyone is choosing to go outside out of reckless frivolity — some are just trying to survive. Maybe assuming that these COVID-19 shamers are truly being as safe as they claim is too generous of me. More than once I’ve seen someone shame others on Twitter for being at a party, only to later post a video from a tailgate on their Snapchat story. The virtue-signaling from online users pushing extreme measures to combat COVID-19, and their claims to be doing so easily, is nothing more than typical social media posturing. Everyone is struggling right now, and pretending otherwise for some kind of online social currency does nothing but alienate the rest of us. Cécile Girard is a 21-year-old psychology junior from Lake Charles.

Attorney General Landry’s latest lawsuit an attack on free press BETTER CALL SAL SAL BEEBY @salbeeby On Feb. 5, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry sued Andrea Gallo, a reporter for The Advocate, in response to a public records request Gallo filed. Gallo’s request sought files from the Attorney General’s office relating to the handling of sexual harassment complaints about Pat Magee, the head of the AG’s criminal division. Magee was placed on unpaid administrative leave on Dec. 14, 2020 — the same day Gallo first filed a request for records — and returned to work on Jan. 19, 2021. The Advocate has expressed its support for Gallo and called on readers to file public records requests of their own. The details of this case may seem legal and technical in nature, but Landry’s lawsuit represents an escalated attack on the press that we should all be concerned about. But before we get into the significance of the lawsuit: what even is a public records request? Journalists, businesses, lawyers and private citizens use public records requests to obtain information from government

agencies and officials. Different states have different public records request laws, giving citizens varying amounts of access to the workings of government in that state. In Louisiana, the public is entitled to view a wide range of documents, including things like emails and text exchanges between public officials. For many journalists, filing public records requests is a common workplace occurrence. Gallo said in an interview with NPR that she has filed hundreds in her time as a journalist, and that these requests are “vital” to her job. Unfortunately, it’s also common for government officials and agencies to stall on public records requests, or heavily redact information. What’s thoroughly uncommon is a government official suing a reporter for making a request. So why was Gallo sued? Landry’s lawsuit asks the judge to deny Gallo’s request and seal the files in question. The AG’s office said it’s trying to protect the privacy of witnesses, employees and potential whistleblowers. “We don’t want to silence anyone. This is a legal question that we need to have a court make a legal decision on,” Press Secre-

tary Cory Dennis said in a recent interview on NPR, when asked if the attorney general was acting in retaliation. Despite the explanation about protecting whistleblowers, the lawsuit goes even further than that: Landry’s lawsuit seeks to charge Gallo with all legal fees related to the proceedings. It is this detail that provides a clue into the intent of the lawsuit. Gallo is fortunate to be backed by her employer, the largest newspaper in the state. She has access to the necessary legal resources. But imagine if a reporter from a smaller, online publication was sued. Imagine if a Reveille employee was sued and threatened with the possibility of having to pay thousands in legal fees. Even the threat of legal action alone might be enough to discourage a person from inquiring into the behavior of public officials, from seeking information about their own government. This is a disturbing potential consequence of the attorney general’s lawsuit. Journalism is a fundamental aspect of our democratic system. Transparency in government allows Louisiana voters to make more informed decisions about the people they elect to public office. As Gallo succinctly put it, “We would like to know more

COURTESY OF ALLYCE ANDREW

Rep. Jeff Landry, R-La., talks to supporters at his election night watch party in Broussard, La., Nov. 6, 2012. about how our tax dollars are being used and how our public officials are behaving in office.” The inconsistent explanations and legal jargon from the attorney general’s office distract from the reality of the situation. “It feels like I have filed a public records request with a government official and been retaliated against by being the subject of a lawsuit,” Gallo told NPR. To me, that’s exactly what it seems like. This lawsuit is a warning to other journalists, telling them not to inquire into the affairs of a public official. But it’s not the attorney general’s job to attack journalists. Gallo, an LSU alumna who was

Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Bailey Chauvin Lara Nicholson Katherine Manuel Nick Frewin Grace Pulliam

Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor

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

once editor-in-chief of The Reveille (shoutout), should feel empowered and not deterred by this lawsuit. Landry may be a gubernatorial candidate in 2023, and though that election is a few years away, Louisiana voters should consider this case when deciding whether to give Landry even more power in the state government. Landry should drop this lawsuit, release the records and offer an honest and transparent explanation as to what transpired. We’ll see if that happens. Sal Beeby is a 21-year-old political science junior from Oakland, CA.

Quote of the Week “You owe it to all of us all: get on with what you’re good at.”

W. H. Auden

Poet Feb. 21, 1907 — Sept. 29, 1973

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Monday, February 22, 2021

Louisiana must commit to fighting violence against women SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN

@sulliclaire

For a decade now, Louisiana has held the unfortunate distinction of having one of the highest national rates of women murdered by men, known as femicide. The state ranked second in the U.S. in 2019, with femicide rates over twice the national average. The following year brought slight improvements, moving Louisiana down to the fifth spot but maintaining a rate 77% higher than the national average. For several years prior to 2020, the state’s increasing femicide rate outpaced the overall national upward trend. It has also disproportionately impacted Black women, who made up 63% of all femicide victims in Louisiana in 2018. “These numbers point to a crisis in our state. Women are being murdered at sky-high rates, in most cases by current or former intimate partners,” said Executive Director of the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Mariah Wineski. Femicide is often the culmination of years of abuse, meaning it is necessary to understand domestic violence in Louisiana more broadly to get the full scope of the epidemic. The majority of these crimes are committed by victims’ former or current intimate partners. Thousands of cases of domestic violence are reported each year in Louisiana, though it’s difficult to know how many more instances go unreported. At the

end of 2019, Louisiana had almost 35,000 reports of misdemeanor domestic violence and over 3,000 active protective orders in the national registry. There are several factors that may be contributing to the alarmingly high rates of domestic violence and femicide in Louisiana. First, the state directs far too little money toward helping domestic violence victims, meaning people experiencing those situations often have to turn to nonprofits for counseling and other services. Though these organizations do great work, this often leaves deserts of resources for victims. Only 13 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes contain centers for assisting victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other related crimes. Inadequate transportation systems leave victims in rural areas with few options. It is gut-wrenching that there are people in this state trapped in abusive situations because our government has failed to provide them with the necessary resources to escape. Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the state diverted $200,000 away from the Governor’s Office on Women’s Policy budget, which primarily funds domestic violence services. The move appeared to signal an underlying belief among officials that such services are nonessential. One cannot help but wonder: How many of these deaths could have been avoided if we had done more to help these victims? If the Louisiana government seeks to actually address the issue at hand, its budget must re-

flect that desire. Until then, it remains clear that fighting domestic violence against women is simply not a high enough priority for the state. Inadequacies in the criminal justice system may also be partially to blame. Wineski explains that, in many communities, “... criminal justice practices still fail to hold abusers accountable before homicide occurs.” By allowing domestic violence to go unchecked, the criminal justice system leaves abuse victims vulnerable and creates opportunities for circumstances to escalate drastically. It is significant to note that two-thirds of Louisiana femicides in 2018 were committed with a firearm. Many activists point to Louisiana’s lax gun laws as a contributing factor to Louisiana’s high rates of femicide. Increased restrictions on convicted abusers owning guns, universal background checks and closing gunpurchasing loopholes could all help prevent firearm violence in the future. Economic opportunity is also an important factor in domestic violence. Louisiana consistently ranks as one of the poorest states in the nation, with almost 20% of residents living in poverty. Lack of economic opportunity can be a significant factor keeping people — most often women — in unsafe relationships. Abused women often fear that leaving their partners may cause increased financial pain for them or their children, leaving many to believe suffering in silence is the preferable option. It is estimated that, nationwide, almost half of all homeless

women and children are fleeing domestic violence. Having to choose between an abusive home and no home at all is a decision no one should ever have to make, especially in a country with more than enough resources to prevent such a dilemma. It’s surprising how rarely these statistics have permeated the public dialogue in Louisiana. Perhaps even more troubling to witness is the ways our own University represents a microcosm of these chronic, state-wide issues, particularly when it comes to preventing and prosecuting violence against women. A recent crime report showed that in the past three years, the University has had 56 reports of sex offenses, 17 reports of fondling, 28 reports of dating violence, 18 reports of domestic violence and 69 reports of stalking. It is important to stress that these only represent the number of reported crimes. Incidents of sexual assault and domestic violence are incredibly underreported, so statistics may not even be truly representative of the scope of this issue on campus. The frequency of these crimes is especially concerning in the context of the 2020 USA Today investigation that revealed the University’s repeated mishandling of sexual assault allegations. Included in this article were many disturbing findings that demonstrated the University’s failure to protect survivors of sexual assault and dating violence. The report suggests that several administrators at the University were aware of instances of abuse or assault and failed to re-

port them. By doing so, these administrators created the potential for continued violence, putting the survivors in danger on their own college campus. One woman reported that the University placed her in a class with her abuser — and told her she would have to change her own schedule if she was uncomfortable. Other women reported officials in the Title IX office dismissed their concerns and took months to launch investigations. Some were even asked to contact their own abusers in the process. The University has made it abundantly clear that its goal is not to protect survivors but to save its own reputation and financial interests. In this way, the University acts much like the state-atlarge; doing the bare minimum to protect survivors, while those in power simply look the other way. While the factors that contribute to these problems on campus and in this state are numerous and complex, it ultimately comes down to the fact that these institutions fundamentally undervalue the well-being of survivors, who are primarily women. The University and state government have been able to get away with these failures for so long for the simple fact that they are not built to serve the interests or concerns of women — especially not those living in poverty, who are disproportionately victimized by these crimes. To fix these issues, we must first fix our priorities. And it is far past time we finally do so. Claire Sullivan is an 18-year-old coastal environmental science freshman from Southbury, CT.

New discoveries bring fresh perspectives, restore passions SPILL THE TEA WITH MARIE MARIE PLUNKETT

@MarieC_214

February has been a great month for mummies — or at least for those of us interested in studying them! A Feb. 17 study published in the academic journal “Frontiers in Medicine” revealed the truth behind the gruesome death of a mummified pharaoh from the 16th century BCE using computed tomography (CT) imaging and X-rays, and the connotations for academia are as exciting as the finds themselves. Pharaoh Seqenenre Taa II’s mummy was X-rayed in the 1960s and shown to have severe wounds to the head, but it wasn’t until the more recent CT scans that researchers were able to identify the cause of death: a military execution. Evidence of the pharaoh’s hands being tied together as well as the rather untraditional mummification process, indicates that

he was not killed by an assassination attempt or in battle but by an execution which took place far from where his remains were found. The study goes on to talk about the specifics of the weapons used and the grave goods that were found (the Smithsonian Magazine does a great job of summarizing it), but it’s not the details of the study or even the findings that drew my attention when I first heard about it. Even if you don’t keep up with recent archaeological finds or don’t have a particular interest in Egyptian history, the sheer passion and perseverance that pushed this project and facilitated this incredible collaboration between STEM and the humanities should be enough to excite all of us. We all participate in an academic community here at the University, whether as students, faculty, staff or alumni, and we all have our own place in the University’s legacy. That passion and drive is something a lot of us forget

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Aisles of books on the fourth floor in LSU Library on Nov. 19, 2019. about or lose somewhere along the way in our four-year undergraduate journey of undergrad. We focus on “just getting through this week,” or on cultivating the perfect resume or on when we’ll get to go back to bars. A lot of us, including myself, lose sight of what led us to and encouraged us

to continue our studies in the first place. These past few semesters, I got so caught up in making myself competitive for graduate school programs and potential employers that I forgot to take a step back and enjoy myself; to take time to read articles and books because I genuinely love the subjects and not just because they were assigned for class. Writing about this new discovery and reflecting on the partnership between STEM and the humanities gave me back some of that academic joy and made me look at my current courses with a new appreciation. Instead of stressing out about upcoming projects and reading just to find the bare minimum of details to get me through my next class, I’ve found myself enjoying my assignments again. Rather than feeling resentment and frustration towards STEM fields for getting better funding and advising or more attention, I felt appreciation for advancements that have helped professionals in humanities make

these groundbreaking discoveries that could potentially change the way we view human history. I didn’t choose to study ancient history and dead languages because I thought I’d make a lot of money or because I thought it would be super easy; I chose this path because I genuinely fell in love with it and I want to be for the next generation what my professors, mentors and teachers have been for me. Although it took an X-ray of a mummy to bring my passion back into focus today, my professors have been guiding me, teaching me and giving me a strong academic foundation for the past three and a half years. All it takes is one spark to light your fire and remind you why you chose to dedicate your life to the things you did, so why not open yourself up to the joy of learning again? Being cynical might be “cool,” but loving what you do will bring you bliss. Marie Plunkett is a 21-year-old classical studies senior from New Orleans.