SPORTS: Football players’ sizes change from past averages, p. 7 Visit lsureveille.com for an exclusive database showing the changes.
Reveille The Daily
www.lsureveille.com
Thursday, November 1, 2012 • Volume 117, Issue 49
RICHARD REDMANN / The Daily Reveille
The grass at LSU Golf Course soaks in the sun’s soft sunlight on Wednesday in the breezy afternoon.
ELECTION
Socialist candidate tours Louisiana
Alyson Gaharan Contributing Writer
advanced breed of athletic field grass. After seeing how quickly it recovered from weekly 90-minute cleated beatdowns in 2007, grounds crews and administrators decided they should install the tenacious Bermuda breed everywhere else as soon as the opportunity arose. For Alex Box, a perfect storm of good fortune landed the fresh sod into the outfield by late September, despite a weeklong setback from Hurricane Isaac during the project’s initial launch.
Although 28-year-old presidential candidate Peta Lindsay is too young to be elected president of the United States, she toured Louisiana from Oct. 27 to 30 as part of her campaign to build support for the Party for Socialism and Lindsay Liberation. “We have no illusions. We’re not going to win,” Lindsay said. “The campaign isn’t about getting votes. It’s to raise activism.” Lindsay, a graduate student from Los Angeles, took a semester off to campaign. After graduation, she wants to be a high school teacher. Although she does not meet the age requirement to be president, she refuses to accept being marginalized because of her age. Lindsay’s running mate, Yari
GREENER, see page 6
SOCIALIST, see page 6
Greener Pastures
New grass more durable, requires less to maintain
Ben Wallace
Senior Contributing Writer
About a month ago, Alex Box Stadium received a new outfield. It’s durable, sturdy and aggressive — much like the admirable qualities found in the football team’s star-studded defensive line and exactly like the hallowed
lawn it tramples on during home football games. Celebration Bermuda, also known by its conveniently peppy shortened nickname ‘Celebration,’ now blankets the earth atop almost every athletic field on the University grounds. “I honestly believe Celebration in this region of the country is going to take over,” said Assistant Director of Athletic Facilities and Grounds Eric Fasbender. “And anybody who doesn’t have it is making their job a lot harder.” The hardy grass has its roots in Louisiana, unlike the grass
previously grown at most of the University’s athletic facilities and still used at the football practice fields, called Mississippi Choice. Although developed at Mississippi State University, it is grown in one of the nation’s driest cities — Phoenix, Ariz. LSU Athletics experimented with Celebration in 2007 with the soccer fields. Since then, Tiger Park, Tiger Stadium, Alex Box Stadium’s infield, the LSU Golf Course’s driving range and now Alex Box’s outfield, have all been outfitted with what Fasbender calls the Southern region’s most
SAFETY
Recent attacks prompt concerns Luke Jones Contributing Writer
For some students, the issue of personal safety prompts questions concerning the state of campus security, including patrolling police officers, adequate lighting and constant surveillance. But the challenge of remaining safe on campus is largely an issue of personal responsibility, according to Kathy Saichuk, Health Promotion Coordinator at the Student Health Center. Over past weeks, a few areas around campus were the scenes of several attacks, including the rape of a woman after she was abducted in broad daylight near Brightside
Drive, Saichuk said. There was no description of the suspect, who reportedly forced the unnamed victim into a wooded area before returning the victim to her home. “We are seeing an increase in reporting of incidents,” said Capt. Cory Lalonde, LSU Police Department spokesman. This increase, according to Lalonde, stems from more awareness of and questioning about suspicious activity. Personal safety campaigns like “See Something Say Something” are designed to improve reporting of crimes, which decreases future crimes by limiting the opportunity for attacks, Lalonde said. “If you limit the opportunity, you lessen the risk of becoming a
victim,” he said. Saichuk agreed that more crimes have been reported. “From a sexual assault perspective, it’s still the most underreported crime anywhere, anytime,” Saichuk said. Crimes of this nature raise questions about taking steps toward improving personal safety, which requires “some personal responsibility for your own safety,” Saichuk said. Ridding daily activities of distractions is an integral part in decreasing the risk of being attacked or abducted, Saichuk said. Taking simple steps, such as planning ahead, notifying friends or family of SAFETY, see page 6
SPOOKY SPIRIT
TAYLOR BALKOM / The Daily Reveille
Sarah Friday, communication studies senior, sits Wednesday in the Quad decked out in face paint for Halloween. See more students’ costumes on page 6.