The Reveille 3-6-19

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An inside look at how LSU gymnastics designs its leotards

BY KENNEDI LANDRY | @landryyy14

THE

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In LSU football, fans know the team will wear the classic white jerseys and gold pants. LSU baseball fans know the weekend rotation will go white, purple and gold, in that order.

For LSU gymnastics, fans never know what they’ll get when they walk into the PMAC for another sold out meet.

Gymnastics is a sport that is just as much about presentation as it is athleticism, and teams across the nation use that every week with new leotards throughout the season.

“It’s important that you feel good about how you look,” LSU coach D-D Breaux said.

“There’s a tremendous amount of pride in wearing your school colors. In gymnastics, the uniform and the pomp and circumstance of the beauty of the leotard plays a part in feeling good about how you look, and it’s important.”

Some schools order leotards from catalogs from various companies, but many bigger name schools like LSU design their own.

IVES

photo by

MITCHEL

L SCAGLI

ONE

continue reading on page 2

NEWS

p ag e 3

From Mike I to Mike VII: a look at the long history of the live mascots at LSU.

SPORTS

p ag e 7

Will Wade has “awakened a sleeping giant” as LSU basketball exceeds expectations.

ENTERTAINMENT

p ag e 13

Fresh Cube seeks to bring fresh produce to areas in need.

OPINION

p ag e 17

“If the Klan starts to ‘ride again,’ this country will have an unfixable problem.”

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 LSU gymnastics assistant coach and floor choreographer Ashleigh Clare-Kearney has been a part of the LSU gymnastics program since her freshman season in 2005, and she’s contributed to the success of the Tigers in many different ways. Perhaps the best and most entertaining contribution is her leotard designs.

Around 2014, Clare-Kearney, who is an attorney for the state, negotiated LSU’s contract with the leotard company Alpha Factor, who allows Clare-Kearney to order three customized leotards per year as part of the contract.

“What I found when I started being a part of it is that everybody’s leotards are getting more elaborate and intricate, and the catalog leotards are not designed for that because they’re supposed to be cost efficient and effective,” Clare-Kearney said. “Not that we don’t try to be cost effective, but we have a little more leeway to be creative.”

Breaux said she used to participate in the designs, but she was fine handing off the mission to Clare-Kearney and student assistant coach Ashleigh Gnat.

Leotards have changed a lot since the time Breaux was a gymnast, or even since Clare-Kearney was a gymnast just over 10 years ago, but the evolution of the sport is what makes it that much more interesting.

The intricacies of the patterns and materials and crystals — LSU uses swarovski crystals — are becoming more and more complicated.

“It just one of the little things that matter because the girls care about what the leotard looks like,” ClareKearney said. “I believe — and D-D believes it, too — that when you look good or when you feel good, you compete well. So if you love the leotard and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to put this on,’ you already have a heightened sense of excitement going into the meet.”

Clare-Kearney said she’s never been artistic and cannot draw at all, but she has a creative mind that allows her to envision what kinds of “uniqueness” she wants before it comes to life.

She said it’s rare that a complete design just comes into her head and certain things are limited because of the fabrics and materials that are able to be used on leotards.

“What inspires me the most is gowns — evening gowns, specifically like red carpet events,” ClareKearney said. “When I see a gown, sometimes I see multiple gowns, and I try to put it together and add my own flare to it ... for the most part, it’s a combination of my ideas or what I envision and also those evening gowns that I see.”

Though inspiration comes from different places, she doesn’t necessarily have much of a creative process. Clare-Kearney says that two and three heads are better than just her own, and she often asks for input from Gnat or even the gymnasts themselves.

Senior all-arounder Sarah Finnegan said that Clare-Kearney once walked into the locker room with blank sheets of paper and told

the gymnasts to draw a leotard in colors — it screams Mardi Gras to me with the fan and the feather order to spark ideas.

“It’s just interesting to hear and accents.” different perspectives,” Clare-KearFor Clare-Kearney, the more ney said. “I get input from people stones and crystals the better. She too before I finalize anything. It’s said you can usually tell the older, an exciting process for me, and I catalog leotards from the newer hate when it’s over.” custom ones by how shiny and Typically, Clare-Kearney likes sparkly they are. to save the best and newest leoThe signature style for tards for last. Most of her favor- the 2018 Super Six leotards ite designs have been used at the is a cutout at the top — with SEC Championship meet, the Su- added crystals. per Six or the NCAA Semifinals Clare-Kearney came up with the day prior because those are the design for those leotards the most televised and watched because she likes shirts with meets. It puts an exclamation point that style that can be dressed on the season. up or down.

Though nobody talks about “I was thinking that nobody it, Clare-Kearney knows that peo- had an actual hole. People had ple are paying atmesh cutouts, but tention to what not an actual hole,” “I believe — and leotards teams Clare-Kearney said.

D-D believes it, too “That was the one come out in.

“I pride myself — that when you thing that I did that on trying to make was different. The look good or when back on this one them look different and utilizing you feel good, you — I wanted it to the colors in a difbe delicate. I saw compete well.” ferent way so it’s a dress that sort doesn’t look like of looked like that ASHLEY CLARE-KEARNEY we’re coming out and had the straps in the same leotard LSU gymnastics assistant coach like this. It didn’t every week,” Clarehave the stones Kearney said. “We like this, but I don’t have anything where LSU thought we definitely is the focal point, I think it’s be- need stones. cause we’re not a red school, so A leotard inspired by a we can get away with not naming Balmain dress worn by a Karour leotards.” dashian debuted at the 2017 NCAA In that same vein, Clare- Semifinals and was worn when Kearney knows that leotards the Tigers faced Missouri earlier preferences are not the same for this season. Breaux said that was every person. “a classic.”

“It’s just a form of art,” Clare“I wanted to do something that Kearney said. “A lot of people looked like patchwork because don’t like the same type of art. I you can only do so much the colthink that’s another thing that ors,” Clare-Kearney said. “I try to I love about design — I don’t think about fashion and what I like to feel like people don’t like like. I wanted to do something what I do, but I appreciate it be- that nobody else had done, so I cause it reminds me that everyone thought about these patches. I addis so different. Different minds ed that. This was just on a dress coming together is what makes that I saw.”

One of Clare-Kearney’s favorite the world such a special place. I think its like a microcosm of the leotards to design was a white one world. It allows people to express that debuted at the 2017 SEC Chamdifferent things.” pionship meet.

Clare-Kearney doesn’t repeat D-D Breaux always says “Winleotards within a season. She likes ners wear white,” but Clare-Kearto switch it up enough to keep the ney was hesitant to use white as girls and the fans excited about the prominent color on a leotard.

She said she felt like the team was what’s coming.

“They all tell a different story,” in a good place mentally and physiClare-Kearney said. “I know what cally to give it a shot.

“I had a conversation with the goes into having it come to this point. It’s just an opportunity for girls because, again, I think it’s me to express my artistic and cre- important for them to feel comfortative side. It’s fun that I’m able to able,” Clare-Kearney said. “I felt also do it with leotards.” like it was a show stopper. Putting She also likes to make sure on white, being able to rock white that every gymnast is comfort- on a leotard is a big deal because able in the leotards that she de- people don’t do it. signs. As a former gymnast and “This one was inspiring to me. dancer, she knows they can be The fact that they rocked the white body-conscious. they way they did. They rocked So for 2017’s Super Six it like they were confident. Other leotard, Clare-Kearney designed it teams commented and said, ‘I can’t so that the lines came inward at the believe you guys wore white, that’s waist and at the bottom so it “pulls crazy.’ And they wore it so well. This one is moving.” you in.”

“For me it’s fun,” ClareLSU has two leotards that are used every year — the Mardi Gras Kearney said. “I just think it’s so leotard and the pink and blue leo- pretty. They didn’t do all the glitz tard for cancer awareness, which like this when I was a gymnast. It’s has a new design this year. exciting for the girls, and it’s fun for “I love [the Mardi Gras me to create. It’s nice to see different leotard],” Clare-Kearney said. creative minds and what different “It’s just so unique to me. I people think is gorgeous or what think the accents and the de- will work for leotard to leotard or tails are just so different. I feel team to team. It’s become a part of like it screams — beyond just the the sport.”

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NEWS OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO

page 3

FACILITIES

Military Science program declining

BY SHERIDAN WALL @slwall7

mentary prioritizes its students’ reading and writing skills.

Besides the school’s partnership with the University for Read Across America, Buchanan Elementary students participate in a range of activities, including book fairs and the Accelerated Reader program, to develop their reading comprehension and language skills.

School of Education instructor and Elementary Homes program supervisor Julie Rollins said it’s imperative that students develop reading skills because reading is the fundamental basis for all subjects. Reading aloud to children is even more beneficial because it helps children develop their language and comprehension skills.

Rollins said children must

The Military Science Building isn’t much different than any other aging building on campus — except that the military and ROTC programs were integral to the University’s founding. Now, almost 160 years later, the building is in disrepair, and these programs receive little support from the University.

“Our position on campus used to be deeply rooted,” said Johnathon Price, military science senior and ROTC recruiting officer. “The Corps has been pushed into this corner that we’re in, and now we’re sitting here struggling to keep our head above water.”

The roof leaks constantly and moisture gathers on the window sills, said Laura Morrow, interim executive director of Facility Services.

The two cannons that once marked the building as home to the country’s future men and women in uniform have since been removed, Price said. The hallways are filled with buckets collecting water from the leaking roof on rainy days, but moisture damage persists despite efforts to catch the water.

There’s a gaping hole in the parade field behind the building where the Corps of Cadets and ROTC students train.

But it’s not just the Military Science Building that’s been pushed to the backburner. As the building and facilities decline, so does the program’s prominence on campus.

Prized University traditions like the

see READING, page 6

see MILITARY, page 6

BAILEY CHAUVIN / The Reveille

Students, faculty promote reading for pleasure with Read Across America

BY BAILEY CHAUVIN @BaileyChauvin LSU College of Human Sciences and Education students and faculty showed elementary students that reading is exciting for all ages. Volunteers from the University read to students from Buchanan Elementary School from Feb. 27 to March 1 to celebrate Read Across America.

Read Across America, sponsored by the National Education Association, promotes reading motivation and awareness and encourages every child to enjoy reading. The program is celebrated on March 2, the birthday of children’s author Dr. Seuss.

All students and faculty within the college were invited to participate in the program by going to Buchanan

Elementary and reading books to students in grades pre-K through fifth. Over 30 students and faculty members volunteered over the three-day period, including the School of Education Interim Dean Roland Mitchell and School of Education Director F. Neil Mathews.

College of Human Sciences and Education Director of Advocacy and Engagement Renée Boutte Myer said the program has even attracted volunteers from outside the college.

“They just heard about it, showed up and are coming back to volunteer again because they had so much fun,” Myer said.

The University has partnered with Buchanan Elementary for Read Across America for three years. Myer works with Buchanan Elementary librarian Michael

Guess to coordinate specific times when volunteers can read to students in each of Buchanan Elementary’s seven grade levels.

Guess said Buchanan Elementary’s partnership with the University has greatly benefited the students and their families.

“It means a lot not only to the kids, but also to the community,” Guess said. “Parents have the chance to come and see their kids in the classroom having some fun and what we do as a school to accommodate their needs.”

Students were encouraged to dress up during themed days during the week. Students could wear silly socks on Tuesday, dress as their favorite book character on Wednesday and wear Dr. Seuss hats on Thursday.

Guess said Buchanan Ele-

CAMPUS LIFE

From Mike I to Mike VII: The history of LSU’s live mascots

BY RAYMOND CONSTANTINO @r_dog_3 Mike the Tiger’s status as a bachelor with one sweet crib has mostly been solidified since the completion of several additions to his enclosure in 2017. But in 1945, Mike I had a fateful encounter with a tiger femme fatale.

According to the book “Mike the Tiger: The Roar of LSU,” a student body vote declared the majority thought Mike I needed to prove his manhood and produce cubs.

Soon after, Mike I was on his way to a zoo in Jackson to meet his potential mate, Desdemona.

When Desdemona caught sight of Mike I, she snorted and growled. The University’s own apex

predator could not bear the huffy treatment, and according to the book, “instead of returning the greeting, Mike I jumped back in such fear, he landed on his back.”

The lack of tiger sex to phone home about quickly became a problem for the late Jim Corbett, the director of sports information at the University from 1945-55. A 2007 article from The Times-Picayune said Corbett had to keep the story out of the media in fear of the rival school discovering Mike I’s failed attempt at love.

“Can you imagine the hit LSU would have taken if the word got out Mike [I] was not macho?” Corbett questioned then. “I looked [the name Desdemona] up. She was the sexy wife of Othello in the Shake-

speare tragedy. Think of the PR tragedy LSU might have faced.”

Mike I was on campus for nine years when he met Desdamona in 1945. Eleven years before, the Tiger Athletic Foundation said athletic department trainer Chellis “Mike” Chambers along with athletic director T.P. Heard, intramural swimming coach William G. Higginbotham and University law student Ed Laborde decided the Ole War Skule, as the University was called then, needed a live tiger mascot.

On Oct. 21, 1936, students skipped class and gathered on Highland Road with other onlookers to see their new mascot.

Mike I died in 1956 and Mike II arrived soon after. But, the new

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Mike the Tiger enjoys the cold weather on Jan. 14, 2018, in his habitat on LSU campus.

see MIKE, page 6

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 4 STUDENT LIFE

African Student Organization promotes African culture, unity

BY BRITTNEY FORBES @ItsBritForbes Students of African descent and those interested in African culture can find a sense of unity at the University with the African Student Organization.

ISDS sophomore and vice president of the African Student Organization — Jasmine Mungai found her place in the organization during her freshman year at the University. Although she was born in Kenya, she made her way to Louisiana at the age of 4.

“I like Africa,” Mungai said.

“I like the people in the club, and I have leadership skills, so I was thinking why not [join]?”.

Kinesiology senior and director of programs of the African Student Organization Glory Ogunyinka said she had the same experience as Munagi when joining the organization. She said she likes the idea of unity and walking among those who share the same ethnicity and facing mountains, such as college, with members.

“It’s nice to relate with people who come from similar backgrounds,” Ogunyinka said.

“The organization makes you a lot more ambitious.”

The African Student Organization currently has about 50 members, but Mungai and Ogunyinka said there are about 30 active members. Although the organization currently meets in the LSU Student Union at 6 p.m in room 329 bi-weekly, they are transitioning to meeting only during special monthly events.

The organization initially began in the late ‘90s, being known as one of the “big, thriving” organizations on campus, Ogunyinka said. At the time, the organization collaborated with everyone on campus, having

internships and college-career programs available.

Mungai said her mission this year is to “make ASO great again” in order to revamp the organization because there are constantly new generations of students pouring into the University.

The African Student Organization consistently hosts social events for members in the organization and the community, including performances, food, fashion shows and African Night in the spring.

The organization also hosts

mentoring activities for its members, including study groups around finals. It also provides academic and job opportunities for members, including a workshop to help members create a resume.

In February, the organization hosted a Galentine’s Day where African girls got together, shared ideas and passions and made memories.

The organization also has upcoming volleyball and soccer tournaments. Munagi said outside activities help strenghthen the bond members share.

courtesy of JASMINE MUNGAI

(Left to Right) Afolabi Ige, Gilles Numkam, Dilichi Ejim, Jasmine Munga and Glory Ogunyinka stand at the African Student Organization table at the Spring 2019 Involvement Fair.

Mungai said she hopes the organization grows in size. She said she wants to let the African population in the University know that there are more from their community with the same ethnicity.

“They don’t have to be [at the University] by themselves,” Mungai said. “Our goal is to be a home away from home.”

Ogunyinka said she hopes the organization is not known only for its social events. Since she is graduating from the University soon, she said she wants the organization to be filled with those who really care about the African community.

“After ‘Black Panther’ came out, there was a whole ‘reconnecting with your roots thing’ definitely making a greater bond between [Africans] and African American organizations,” Ogunyinka said. “I want to see more programs [and] more officers ready to work. I want us to be ‘that’ talked about organization again, like we used to be 20 years ago.”

The African Student Organization invites any organization interested in partnering with them to reach out.

“We’re trying to raise the bar [for the organization in the future],” Mungai said.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 5

ACADEMICS

Career Center helps students discover professional opportunities body’s path is different and the way we go about that is different,” said Olinde Career Center The LSU Olinde Career Cen- Director Jesse Downs. “Let’s ter is an on-campus resource for talk about what that goal is earstudents and alumni, located ly on and craft a plan together on the first floor of the Student that we can coach and support.”

The University’s online caUnion that assists in choosing platform, Handshake, careers, obtaining work expe- reer rience, developing job skills launched last April and provides and securing employment or students and alumni with access to job opportuniadmission to ties and career graduate school.

It serves the en- “I don’t think I would resources. It does at a rate tire campus — all be in the position I this that far outpacstudents of all majors and am graduating in May es the previous areers2Geau x all classifications. if it wasn’t for the Csystem, acAccording career center.” cording to the to the Olinde annual report.

Career Center BRENT NEAL Handshake 2017-18 Annual Civil Engineering senior personalizes caReport, the cenreer recommenter had 48,009 dations based on a total student engagements, which includes student’s interests and network. everything from one-on-one This helps students discover opmeetings, Handshake, Careers- portunities, companies and on2Geaux, event attendance, pro- campus events. Companies are gramming and outreach and able to narrow down potential hires through advanced filtering on-campus interviews.

Through all the opportuni- options. This program is free to ties that the career center pro- University students.

The most utilized service of vides, students can find an individualized approach to finding a the career center is resume review, making about 26.6 percareer path.

“It is important for the LSU cent of appointments. 55 percommunity to know that every- cent of one-on-one meetings

BY SOPHIE LIBERTO @LibertoSophie

are dedicated to job search as a whole. In the 2017-18 academic year, there was a 3 percent increase in one-on-one appointments, according to the annual report.

The center also facilitates over 15 recruitment events throughout the year, which range from large-scale expos to smaller, niche events for specific colleges, Downs said.

“Sometimes, students and parents don’t realize that career services actually start at the beginning of your journey,” Downs said. “Sometimes, there is a perception that it only helps you when you are graduating.”

Civil engineering senior Brent Neal has landed two internships with the help of the career center. He used the resume review and participated in construction interview day, an oncampus event where many engineering and construction firms interview students.

Neal got his first internship through construction interview day. Currently this internship is where he works and will continue to work once he graduates.

“I don’t think I would be in the position I am graduating in May if it wasn’t for the career center,” Neal said.

BELLA BIONDINI / The Reveille

The Olinde Career Center is located on the first floor of the LSU Student Union.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 6 MILITARY, from page 3

hear a word three times to imprint it into their memory. Through consistent oral reading, children can quickly learn many words and build their vocabularies.

“Reading aloud is just great all the way around,” Rollins said.

“I can’t think of one negative aspect of reading aloud. It’s one of the most important things we can model for children and encourage them to do.”

Student volunteers from the University were excited to act as role models by reading with the Buchanan Elementary students. Kinesiology senior Joshua Growden read to a pre-K class at Buchanan Elementary and enjoyed it so much he volunteered again the next day.

“It’s a cool opportunity to hang out with some kids and have some fun reading to them,” Growden said.

“The book I chose for the pre-K class had some great pictures, so they loved it.

Seeing their reactions was really cool.”

Kinesiology senior Jacob Shipper also enjoyed his volunteering experience, especially because of the impact it had on the students he read to.

“It was fun seeing all the kids when you walk in the room and they’re all excited,” Shipper said. “You might think reading a book to a couple of kids isn’t really that much, but you can see that it really means something to them.”

march down Victory Hill, LSU Student Ambassadors and the Golden Girls are now absent of their military roots.

The Corps of Cadets commander used to hold a place in the student body president’s cabinet, but the last three administrations have not included a place for the commander, Price said.

The Corps of Cadets doesn’t receive funding from the University “despite being the sole reason this university exists,” Price said.

William Tecumseh Sherman established the University in 1860 as a military seminary, one of a few land grant universities around the nation founded to develop military and agricultural programs.

The parade field behind the building, now obstructed by exposed piping and shallow holes from pooling water, serves as the ROTC’s only training area, Price said. Students can’t access the rappel tower in the training yard either.

“Do you continue to put money into building that has deferred maintenance costs and needs that are as much as the value of the

MIKE, from page 3 tiger died of pneumonia after one month. With the football team in a losing season and fearing ridicule, The Times-Picayune article said Corbett sent a notice to The Daily Reveille, explaining Mike II was having trouble with his new surroundings and would be kept inside “until he becomes more accustomed to the excitement of being a mascot.”

Then-athletic department busi-

building?” said Tammy Millican, executive director of facility and property oversight.

But Facility Services is playing a balancing game with buildings like Military Science, whose deferred maintenance cost almost equals the cost of a new building, Morrow said. And this building is just one of the many on campus to need renovations with a total of $720 million worth of deferred maintenance needs across LSU. Facility Services has a deferred maintenance list detailing all the repairs needed across all the campus buildings, Millican said. But limited funds only allows them to respond to emergencies like waterline failures.

The deferred maintenance across campus and the lack of funds to complete long-term repairs is just another consequence of cuts to higher education across the state, Millican said. There was a period of time when Facility Services at the University didn’t receive any deferred maintenance funding.

Despite the ROTC being one of the longest standing student organizations, as of 2016 it wasn’t recognized by the University as an of-

ficial student organization and had to re-establish its programs, Price said.

The University used to require every able-bodied male student to serve in the ROTC or Corps of Cadets programs for at least two years, Price said. However, the mandatory two-year conscription was revoked in the late 1960s. Since then, the Corps has decreased from around 7,000 students to 400 current students.

“LSU made it very obvious that that’s not the direction that they wanted to take, and now we’re to the point that we don’t have any funding from the University,” Price said. “I’m the recruiting officer, and I can’t recruit the best in the state.”

Price said the equipment is also outdated. Most of what the University has available to military science students is surplus supplies that the program acquired on its own. Price said some of the equipment dates back to what his father used in the army during the Gulf War in the ‘90s.

As the University prepares to update its campus over the next 10 to 25 years, Price said military science students are con-

cerned that their program’s needs won’t be considered during the new construction.

A contract agreement between the Department of Defense, ROTC program and the host school requires the University to maintain adequate facilities for the ROTC and Corps of Cadets programs.

But Price said he’s concerned with the lack of plans for a new indoor range, rappel tower and parade field, all of which are considered necessary facilities for the military science program.

Millican and Morrow said the University’s Master Plan does include relocating the military science program to a newer building, which will provide the students with the necessary training facilities and equipment.

The Master Plan is a “high level view” over the next few decades, Millican said, so there isn’t a specific timeline for the military science relocation yet. But she said it’s likely the program will be relocated to a building nearby and that it will share that building with another program.

ness manager Jack Gilmore said in The Times-Picayune that he, Corbett and then campus police chief C. R. Anderson, buried Mike II after midnight underneath a willow tree on the Mississippi River.

“When [Corbett] got word the first Mike II died, he was already thinking in PR terms,” Gilmore said.

“He was thinking about people making jokes, about how Mike [II] died because he couldn’t handle the shame of what was happening on the football field.”

Gilmore quickly located another tiger cub in a Seattle zoo, and soon the second Mike II took up his residence on campus. Ironically, he was also short-lived, staying only one season before dying after complications from multiple fractures to his back left leg. TAF said the University does not know how or when he sustained the fractures.

TAF calls the tale of the two Mike II a “legend” on Mike’s official website, but photographs from the first Mike II’s arrival and after the second was put back in his habitat show two obviously different tigers. The story became public knowledge when Gilmore wrote an essay about the ordeal.

Mike III was introduced on the first home game of the 1958 football season, which also happened to be the first championship season for the football team as they beat Clemson 7-0.

Mike III spent 18 years as the University’s mascot from 1958-76 and died of pneumonia after the only losing season of his lifetime.

TAF said Mike III is the only tiger mascot known to have growled on command. Joel Samuels, Mike III’s caretaker from 1965-67, used this to his advantage one gameday.

Samuels was able to get Mike III to growl by saying “Get ‘em Mike.”

TAF said during one LSU-Alabama game, Alabama’s players were crowded around Mike III’s cage.

Samuels quietly gave Mike III the signal, and he scared the players so badly that Alabama coach Bear Bryant gave Samuels a stern talking-to.

Mike IV arrived on campus in 1976. His reign signaled a new era for the University’s live mascot, as he was donated from Busch Gardens while the University purchased the previous tigers. The University has not purchased a tiger since Mike III. TAF said Mike IV spent the summer of 1981 at the Little Rock Zoo while his enclosure was expanded from 400 to 1,100 square feet.

Also in 1981, pranksters cut

the locks on Mike IV’s cage early in the morning. He escaped and roamed around campus, enjoying his newfound freedom. LSUPD notified Mike IV’s vet at the time, Dr. Sheldon Bivin, who then had the task of sneaking around campus at 1 a.m. in search of a roughly 400-pound tiger that naturally hunts at night.

Bivin was armed with a shotgun and tranquilizer, according to The Times-Picayune article. But once Bivin found Mike IV inside the LSU Bernie Moore Track Stadium, he shot Mike IV with three tranquilizer darts before the feline went down and his caretakers safely returned him to his habitat.

The University retired Mike IV to the Baton Rouge Zoo in 1990 due to declining health, and he died there in 1995 as the oldest Mike ever.

Mike V had an unusual introduction to the University because Mike IV was not actually retired by the time he arrived on campus. TAF said Mike V is considered to be the friendliest and most playful mascot of all.

One of the most notable events in Mike V’s reign was the “I Like Mike” campaign in 2001, a fundraising effort to improve and expand Mike V’s habitat. The project was completed in 2005 and Mike V moved into his new home in August 2005. He died in 2007 from kidney failure, because he was too weak to withstand the anesthesia from emergency surgery.

Mike VI came to the University in 2007 when he was 2 years old. In May 2016, Mike VI was diagnosed with spindle cell sarcoma, an inoperable form of cancer. Despite treatment, Mike VI’s tumor grew and his condition worsened.

On Oct. 11, 2016, Mike VI was euthanized in his night house.

Mike VII is the University’s current tiger mascot. He was donated from a wildlife sanctuary in Florida, and was introduced to the public on on Aug. 21, 2017.

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SPORTS THIS IS MARCH

page 7 OPINION

LSU fans need to be patient, give Mainieri time CAL’D UP CHRIS CALDARERA @caldarera11

MITCHELL SCAGLIONE / The Reveille

LSU’s march to madness: Awaking the sleeping giant

BY BRANDON ADAM @badam___ A little less than two years ago, Will Wade stood in front of a podium addressing the LSU faithful for the first time. His energy reverberated through the room and it was matched by a crowd starved for a consistent winner.

“As you go through coaching you’re always looking for spots,” said Wade said at his introductory press

conference. “You go, ‘Man, why hasn’t it been able to be done consistently there? Why are things the way they are?

“Long ago, I identified LSU as somewhere that was an absolute sleeping giant.”

That day, he preached unrelenting aggression and refused to believe in waiting for something good to happen. For Wade, winners make things happen and seize every opportunity. His approach drew the ire

of the NCAA and other college coaches, but it hasn’t slowed down LSU or Wade, who at 36 has compiled a 13365 record and a soon third NCAA tournament appearance in six years as a head coach.

In two years, LSU transformed from a beaten down group coming off its worse season ever to a team that is poised to win the Southeastern Conference and make a run into the NCAA tournament as a top-four seed.

The Tigers dominated of late,

see MARCH MADNESS, page 9

winning 17 of its last 19 games, including two wins over top-5 teams, and sit at 24-5 atop the SEC. Wade’s group is one win away and a Tennessee loss from winning the SEC outright for the first time since 2009.

The team’s success hasn’t come out of nowhere, however. Wade and his staff made sure they got the right recruits to build a consistent winner.

It started with star point guard Tremont Waters, who signed with Georgetown but was released from his

There are few tasks more intimidating than assembling a jigsaw puzzle.

Hundreds of jagged pieces are spread across a table waiting to be assembled in their respective places. It’s not a pastime for the faint of heart, and something only the boldest daredevils should seek out. To make matters more chaotic, the brave few that attempt to solve puzzles for fun must do so without instructions, only using the illustration on the front of the box as a guide.

This provides an interesting challenge because puzzle enthusiasts know that all the pieces they need are in front of them, and they know what the finished product should look like.

The trick lies in the time-consuming job of organizing the pieces in their proper fashion.

Similarly, LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri has a puzzle-like challenge at this point in the season. It also happens to be the time in the course of a baseball season where fans begin to hit the panic button.

The Tigers previously held No. 2 rankings in the D1 Baseball and Baseball America polls, and a No. 1 ranking in the Perfect Game poll.

However, after a disappointing weekend in which LSU was swept by No.

see MAINIERI, page 9

BASKETBALL

Kavell Bigby-Williams sparks big moments, contributions

BY DAVID LEBLANC @DavidLeBlanc95 Earlier in the season when asked about his senior transfer from Oregon, LSU coach Will Wade said that Kavell Bigby-Williams would be worth “three or four more” wins this season. So far, those words have rung truer than ever.

In fact, you can make the case that the senior forward’s impact helped decide the two biggest games of the season for this LSU basketball team.

Whether it was on the road against then-No. 5 Kentucky where he provided the key last second tip-in that sent the Tigers

home with the win, or his fight for the key rebound and followup basket in the overtime against then-No. 5 Tennessee that would tie the game, and set the stage for the eventual hectic and euphoric ending.

The senior is averaging 7.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per games, and the Tigers are 8-0 against opponents over the course of the season when he records a double-double. The numbers may not be eye-popping, but it is the things he does that do not show up on the stat sheet that set Bigby-Williams apart and make him such an integral part of this team.

Sure, the highlight reel blocks and rebounding numbers look

nice, but as Wade likes to put it, “it’s the shots that he affects and the shots that opponents don’t take” when he’s on the floor for the Tigers that prove to be so vital. Wade often says that his senior forward doesn’t get enough credit for what he does.

But finally with LSU’s recent run of success, people are finally starting to notice just what Wade has been telling the media since the beginning of the season.

“I was actually talking to an NBA team today, and they said they thought he was one of the top 10 centers in the country and I certainly didn’t disagree,” Wade

see BIGBY-WILLIAMS, page 9

MITCHELL SCAGLIONE / The Reveille

LSU senior forward Kavell Bigby-Williams (11) dunks the ball during the Tigers’ 83-78 victory over Auburn on Feb. 9 in the PMAC.

page 8

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

BASEBALL

Brock Mathis brings energy, communication to pitching staff Garnering that connection with an entire pitching staff is a difficult job. It’s not easy It’s 60 feet 60 inches to home to catch the 15 different pitchplate from the pitcher’s mound. ers LSU has already used this When a pitcher throws a ball that season, especially with the doesn’t reach that distance there talent on the roster.

Mathis said he has never is one person who can keep the ball in front — the catcher. For caught a group of pitchers with LSU, sophomore Brock Mathis is the stuff and velocity who can entrusted with that role for the consistently throw strikes with a strong mindset.

2019 season.

With a loaded Mathis has “He wants to pitching staff that been labeled as is young, comgritty, tough and contribute any way disciplined by he can, and it’s a rare mand of breakballs isn’t alcoaches and teamoccasion when you ing ways there in the mates. All of these aspects make up find a catcher who early part of the or a a great leader and is so into what the season, career. A catcher catcher.

These pitchers do.” that can block characteristics balls in the dirt also earned the PAUL MAINIERI puts the pitchtrust of an enorLSU Baseball Coach er’s confidence mously touted “through the roof,” pitching staff.

Dunn said.

Fre sh m a n Mathis has a done just that right-hander Jaden Hill said he feels comfortable and confident through the first 11 games of the throwing any pitch with Mathis season. LSU’s opponents have 22 behind the plate. Mathis gained wild pitches. Mathis has started that trust from his staff quickly. every game for LSU, and he has Pitching coach Alan Dunn said it nine wild pitches with only three passed balls. began in the fall.

Mathis’ understanding of great “I think right away they went, ‘Hey, this is the guy that I want pitching shines beyond the statisto be in that foxhole with,’” tics. LSU’s young staff struggled during a few early games with Dunn said.

BY BRENNEN NORMAND @BrennenNormand_

freshman pitchers throwing many stress pitches in an inning. Mathis made trips to the mound to give the young staff a mental break.

The ability to have someone on the field who can do that is invaluable for a team with a young staff.

The overarching characteristic that coaches and teammates rave about Mathis is his communication. He’ll talk to the staff in between innings, talk to Dunn about what he sees or stop the game for a mound visit to talk with his pitcher.

LSU has had many great catchers in the past, all with different physical makeups, but they all had similar traits. Dunn said Mathis is made up of the same mold as Ty Ross, Kade Scivicque or Michael Papierski.

Mathis said he loves to watch Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Pérez because of Pérez’s highintensity, and they’re both bigger catchers. Mathis said he wants to bring energy and positivity to the clubhouse the same way Pérez does with his team.

Mathis showed his energy during the Texas series when he hit a chopper down the third base line which looked like it would be an easy play. Mathis hustled down the first base line and caused the third baseman to throw the ball

Salvatore Camarda / The Reveille

LSU sophomore catcher Brock Mathis (22) awaits the pitch during LSU’s 4-3 win over Bryant on Feb. 24 in Alex Box Stadium. away putting LSU up six to three and keeping the momentum on the Tigers’ side.

Mathis has struggled at the plate through the first 11 games — hitting for a .172 batting average. Mathis said he’s working with hitting coach Sean Ochinko, but he knows the biggest part of his game is his defense and working with the pitching staff.

LSU didn’t win the game

against Texas, but it was an example of how committed Mathis is to the team regardless of what happens.

“He wants to contribute any way he can, and it’s a rare occasion when you find a catcher who is so into what the pitchers do,” LSU coach Paul Mainieri said. “He takes it personal if a pitcher doesn’t pitch well.”

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019 MARCH MADNESS, from page 7 letter of intent when a coaching change took place.

Waters was one of the most highly sought after players in the summer of 2017, and Wade went out and brought him to Baton Rouge all the way from New Haven, Connecticut, to be the first major piece of the new look Tigers.

Waters arrival at LSU showed Wade wasn’t comfortable taking his time to rebuild.

There was going to be no rebuild — LSU was going to win, and they were going to do it soon.

Then Wade went to the Northwest and found Oregon transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams that same summer, but he had to sit out a year due to transfer rules. So instead, LSU made due with only two true big men on the team and relied on a feisty, smallball lineup that led to an 18-15 record and an NIT appearance.

While pleased with the progress in the first year, Wade knew the NIT was a stepping stone not a landing spot — he wanted more.

First, he signed the face of Louisiana basketball in Javonte Smart, a three-time state champion from

page 9 Scotlandville High School in north Baton Rouge. Smart parlayed his relationship with top-15 national recruit Naz Reid, a 6-foot-10 power forward who became LSU’s highest-rated signee since Ben Simmons in 2015.

Add in junior college transfer Marlon Taylor and two more top recruits like Darius Days and Emmitt Williams, and the result is a top-5 recruiting class ranked next to the likes of Duke, Kansas and North Carolina.

“When you have a special group, everything just comes together in the right way,” Wade said. “You can always have talent, but when the talent gets along like our guys do – you never know exactly how all the stuff is going to go.

“In recruiting, you think you fit the right personalities, but sometimes you hit on it, sometimes you don’t. We obviously hit on it, and its propelled us to a solid season so far.”

And while the expectations were high for LSU, they weren’t this high.

The Tigers were picked to finish sixth in the SEC and were often projected as a mid-seeded team in the NCAA tournament. Wade aimed higher, however, and he viewed LSU’s current situation as realistic.

“I thought we were really good

from the beginning,” Wade said. “We obviously hit some bumps in the road and we didn’t go as quickly as we thought we’d go, but I thought we were very, very good.

“I wasn’t very bashful about that earlier on in the year. I knew we were going to be good.”

Wade speaks of the bumps such as losses to ranked opponents like Florida State and Houston – two games where LSU held double-digit leads in the second half – and a blowout loss to Oklahoma State. Though he does believe those early missteps led the Tigers to where they are now, the process paid off.

Yet, some nationally still don’t believe in LSU, and it was even hard for Smart to picture all this happening.

“It’s half-and-half,” Smart said.

“Somehow I expected us to do big things, but somehow I didn’t. I’m just happy were in this position.”

Even Reid is somewhat surprised by what they have accomplished, although he believes LSU is right where they are supposed to be and the sixth place projection was “a reach.”

And LSU is right where Will Wade wants them to be.

Awake.

BIGBY-WILLIAMS, from page 7 said last week during his weekly radio show. “I totally agree. Top ten? How about top five?”

When Bigby-Williams was asked by the media about being recognized by the NBA, he put things in a humbling perspective and also emphasized that there is still work to be done this season.

“Obviously, it’s great to be noticed by NBA front offices and GM, but I’ve got to focus on this season and finishing it strong and helping our team win a championship,” Bigby-Williams said.

“That’s what I’ve got my mind focused on.”

The senior’s impact has been felt in a lot more ways than one this year. Bigby-Williams’ role has especially been huge for the development of LSU’s sensational freshman forward Naz Reid’s game, too.

“He’s a big presence, Reid said. “Being able to block shots, he defends well. If I need help on the backside, he’s there. He’s always there whenever one of us

guards or bigs need him.”

If you could single out the biggest impact that Bigby-Williams has brought to this team, it would probably be the theme of unselfishness, and his play on the court defensively symbolizes that.

“I know my role on this team and I know my biggest strength is on the defensive end of the floor,” Bigby-Williams said. “I’m always willing to help the team defensively, and offensive is just a bonus. I don’t really look to score, and if I do score, it’s nice, but my main focal point is rebounding and blocking shots, guarding and defending different positions.”

His play and contributions are going to be key for this team’s success as they get ever closer to the SEC and NCAA tournaments later this month. Bigby-Williams has played on the big stage before but this young Tigers team will surely look to the big man on and off the court for advice as they traverse a road that many of them have not experienced before.

MANIERI, from page 7 19 Texas, the Tigers have plummeted to No. 13, No. 10 and No. 14, respectively, in those same polls.

While I believe it’s far too early in the season to pay close attention to any polls, fans are certainly disgruntled to see a group that many believed to be one of the best teams in the country struggle so mightily on the road against the first quality opponent on the schedule.

I would caution the fans and pundits to not write this team off so quickly though. LSU had a dismal weekend at the plate going 16-for-99 (.162 average) and was equally woeful on the mound where the pitching staff combined to issue 22 walks in the series.

That’s definitely a bad weekend, but chances are high that the Tigers won’t be that bad moving forward. After all, this is still the same team that many ranked among the best in the country. The only changes between the beginning of the season and now are the team’s record and rank.

The puzzle pieces for another trip to the College World Series are still in front of Mainieri, and he certainly knows how to put the

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU coach Paul Mainieri stands in Alex Box Stadium during LSU’s 9-3 victory over University of Tennessee on April 13, 2018. puzzle together.

Mainieri has taken five Tiger teams to the College World Series, held annually in June, finishing as the champion in 2009 and the runner-up in 2017.

We’re still a long way from those summer months though, giving Mainieri plenty of time to find the right lineup and pitching rotation.

Patience is key in the sport of baseball, and, while I realize patience isn’t necessarily a virtue

RESOLVE TO

TRIM DOWN THIS YEAR!

associated with fans, I’m confident that this LSU team will hit its stride when the Southeastern Conference tournament begins at the end of May. Until then, fans will have to enjoy the roller coaster ride that nearly every baseball season creates. The Tigers will certainly experience a few more low points in the next several months, but it’s the lows in March and April that make the highs of May and June so worthwhile.

MITCHELL SCAGLIONE / The Reveille

LSU senior forward Kavell Bigby-Williams (11) helps up freshman forward Naz Reid (0) during the Tigers’ 82-80 victory over Tennesse on Feb. 23.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 11

THROW ME SOMETHING, MISTER! PHOTOS BY MITCHELL SCAGLIONE

Thousands of people come together to celebrate the Mardi Gras season at the Iris, Tucks and Endymion parades in New Orleans.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 12

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ENTERTAINMENT GIFT FROM ABOVE courtesy of THEE HEAVENLY DONUT

page 13 FASHION

Tim’s Garage creates modern apparel for community

BY MASIE O’TOOLE @masieotoole

Thee Heavenly Donut provides patries for LSU Dining

BY RACHEL MIPRO @remroc15 At Thee Heavenly Donut, work begins before the sun rises. By the time the typical college student gets up, thousands of desserts are fresh out of the oven and ready to be delivered.

The popular donut shop has been providing the Baton Rouge

community with its baked goods for 18 years, open from 4 a.m. to midnight, and serving up kolaches, apple fritters and cinnamon rolls in the early hours. While everyone else is sleeping, they’re feeding shift workers, police officers and others in the morning crowd. And since August, they’ve also been feeding University students. Kara Castille, owner of Thee Heavenly

Donut, has a contract with LSU Dining, which allows it to provide pastries to the CC’s on campus, as well as the desserts for City Pork.

She says that its products have been appreciated on campus.

“They are definitely seeing a difference in the quality of the cinnamon rolls, apple fritters and pastries that we’re providing there, and of course, I can tell that the

see HEAVENLY DONUT, page 16

students do love it, just from talking to the staff members that have been working there for a while,” Castille said.

Castille, who runs the business with her husband, makes sure that everything is freshly made and delivered each day. Along with donut-making, Thee Heavenly Donut does catering and delivers products for different organizations in

If you’re looking for an oil change from a man named Tim, you’re about to be sorely disappointed.

Brad Jensen, owner of Tim’s Garage, is a creator of clothing and designs anyone can appreciate. From vintage-inspired LSU gear to Illuminati-esque logo prints, this boutique has a t-shirt for any Baton Rouge resident.

Tim’s Garage is Jensen’s brainchild, a culmination of his projects all the way from his college career to now. The store carries all seven of his brands, and even allows Jensen to support other local businesses and stock their merchandise as well. Essentially, the store can be whatever he wants it to be.

The LSU alumnus said his interest in fashion spawned from his love of BMX. As a kid growing up in the small town of Haughton, Louisiana, he had little exposure to the world of art and design. BMX opened that door for him.

“I spent most of my time in between the races going to tshirt vendors,” he said. “When I was in high school, I got into that. That really sparked my interest in design.”

Once it came time for

see TIM’S GARAGE, page 16

BUSINESS

Eye Spy Escape Rooms delivers dose of adventure

BY RICHARD HAYDEL @magnetodorito There’s no escaping the exciting atmosphere of Eye Spy Escape Rooms, a foray into the everpopular escape room novelty that lives to serve the Baton Rouge community.

Situated on Perkins Road and minutes from the University campus, Eye Spy offers a literal sense of escapism with minimal gimmicks and maximum enjoyment.

Offering sessions for groups of two to eight people, the establishment finds itself as an ideal destination for gatherings like parties and team events.

Emery Lancaster, owner of Eye

Spy, believes that his business is advantageous in the fact that it doesn’t rely heavily on the notion of technological overload in escape rooms — in addition to there being only three rooms, as traditional and as accessible to all age levels as they come.

“Eye Spy Escape Rooms has three different rooms to experience,” Lancaster said. “Our rooms are not scary or claustrophobic.

Our puzzles provide codes and keys to open our locks. We don’t use much technology within our rooms … we think there’s a lot of satisfaction in finding a code, putting it into a lock and then pulling it open to reveal your next clue.

The rooms are three diverse

adventures, promising a different set of obstacles and a collection of trickery all their own.

One such room is Casino Heist, which involves the players as they attempt to pull off a robbery in a luxurious casino. Swaddled in puzzles and featuring live actor interaction, the room is a total immersion into a fascinating scenario.

Another is The Baker Street 5, a room based on the adventures of famed fictional detective Sherlock Holmes. The theme has players racing to find Sherlock as he goes in hot pursuit of a murdering gang member before time

see EYE SPY ESCAPE, page 16

courtesy of EYE SPY ESCAPE ROOMS

Eye Spy Escape Rooms, located at 10771 Perkins Rd., offers three escape room experiences.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 14 LIFESTYLE

Fresh Cube trucks bring healthy food to local areas in need

BY ENJANAE’ TAYLOR @_queenet_

Fresh Cube is the new innovative way to bring food to places in Baton Rouge.

The CEO Mind Foundation starts initiatives that allows mobile vehicles like the Fresh Cube to bring fresh produce to local neighborhoods.

Founder of the CEO Mind Foundation and LSU alumnus, Jasiri Basel, began to develop his business skills at a young age and has spent the last five to 10 years of his life using those skills to help others.

The non-profit organization has many initiatives, like Grow Baton Rouge, which works to serve local communities.

“The Fresh Cube is actually a part of a much bigger initiative that we created called Grow Baton Rouge which is aimed and targeted at curing or combating food deserts and nutrition,” Basel said.

Grow Baton Rouge focuses on places like North Baton Rouge where health and wellness should be worked on more and fresh food is needed. This is where the Fresh Cube comes into play.

The organization has multiple community gardens where they grow produce. These gardens are where fresh produce is grown for food swamps, areas with an abundance of unhealthy food, and food

deserts, areas where it takes more “The Fresh Cube is the third vethan one mile to get healthy fresh hicle we’ve released and it’s an acproduce. The Fresh Cube is ex- cumulation of hands on experience tremely valuable to the youth and to what the community needed and senior citizens who are either im- a solution to be able to get fresh mobile are live in senior citizens produce directly to those areas that homes. needed them the most and had the “We’re a USDA-certified farm- hardest access to them,” Basel said. ers’ market and The Fresh we’re also a Cube is only one part of the Louithe initiatives “You actually have to of siana Grown the CEO Mind visit it to really Program, which Foundation has means a great created to help understand.” deal of what the people of Baton Rouge. There we grow and a JASIRI BASEL are more than 10 percentage of CEO Mind Foundation Founder different vehicles what we carry in the works is Louisiana that serve the grown,” Basel said. “That means a lot of what we community in some form or fashcarry is seasonal.” ion. These include mobile cookThe Fresh Cube has a sched- ing kitchens and The Transformer ule that’s put up every week, but which Basel described as a “giganit is possible to request for it to tic stem lab.”

They also have programs that come to your neighborhood. Basel shares how they’re always looking teach students how to contribute to expand to places in need, and if to the community in their Youth people want to reach out to help or Empowerment Zone.

“That’s one of the most innovadonate that helps it grow faster and put things in places to where they tive and creative spaces you can imagine,” Basel said. “You actually don’t have them.

Basel hopes to expand to mul- have to visit it to really understand.” tiple vehicles throughout the city This summer, the company will and eventually on campuses like be working on a program that foSouthern and LSU, with students cuses on things like welding and helping to promote and work with small engine repair. The CEO Mind Foundation makes and customizes the initiative.

its vehicles in-house, so it’ll work on showing kids skills they can use to help the foundation make some of the things it puts out in the community of Baton Rouge.

Basel has worked with some of the biggest companies in the world on engineering and business, but these initiatives have allowed him to shift gears.

“My background is coming from a place where people hire me to make concepts reality,” Basel said.

“So coming in and doing that for the community is where the change came in.”

Since the CEO Mind Foundation is a non-profit organization, some volunteers are needed to help with all of their projects.

“It takes resources to do all the things we’re doing in the community and the majority of our work is not grant funded or anything of that nature,” Basel said.

“So if somebody wants to chip in resources to contribute to the good that we’re doing for the people in the community, those things are always helpful. Or just be a voice. You can be a voice and say here’s some good things happening and spread that throughout the community and whatever network that you have.”

Interested volunteers can visit theceoming.org, theyez.org, or ca.theceomind.org.

courtesy of CEO MIND FOUNDATION STAFF

The Fresh Cube truck focuses on areas of Baton Rouge where fresh produce and food is scarce.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

REV R ANKS GRETA

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Thankfully, toward the end the film began to gain a bit of momentum. It was obvious that Wright and Jordan are much better with the actual thriller component after the derivative exposition, and despite Moretz’s typical dead-behind-the-eyes look she pulled off panic rather convincingly.

Masie O’Toole @masieotoole

BETTY

Betty Who

The album represents female empowerment with songs like “Old Me”. With a funky beat, the song shares how she feels like herself after getting over a break-up. “Do With It” follows it and is all about the woman being in charge and is another one of my personal favorites from the album.

EnJanae’ Taylor @_queenet_

WHITE DRAGON Two Brothers Pictures

The mystery’s failure to entice the audience is partly due to the characters as well as the flaws with the storyline.

The conspiracy-centered plot involving a central character facing a corrupt government and bringing down the system is overdone and unrealistic.

Lia Salime @liasalime

POD SAVE AMERICA

Crooked Media

In both episodes, I think they did a good job covering current issues, but “A very revealing Cohenoscopy,” while having a great title, was a little too dramatic. The Cohen hearing wasn’t great, but it’s not the demise of the Republican party as we know it.

Rachel Mipro @remroc15

Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment

page 15

‘The Lego Movie 2’ creates strong sequel for original film

BY RICHARD HAYDEL @magnetodorito Arguably the most surprising release in the history of modern cinema was 2014’s “The Lego Movie,” a film about one of the world’s largest capitalist empires with a surprising amount of humor and heart.

So when a sequel was announced, many were holding their breath that it would continue in the vein of the former – an honest introspection on the beauty of childhood imagination instead of a blatant and gross opportunity to sell out.

Fortunately, “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” takes all the pieces of its predecessor and builds something beautiful out of it, clicking at all the right places and providing ample playtime for kids and adults alike. It’s also one of the funniest movies you’ll see in a long time.

The movie revolves again around overly-optimistic Emmet (Chris Pratt) and his gang of colorful friends as his hometown of Bricksburg is ravaged by aliens – made out of Duplo bricks and hysterically voiced by a host of child actors. The city is then turned into a post-apocalyptic wasteland reminiscent of films such as “Mad Max,” with Emmet being the only person unchanged by this fallout.

Another alien attack sees all of Emmet’s friends, including an extremely self-centered and egotistical Batman (Will Arnett), abducted and taken to the Systar System on the outer fringes of the universe. Emmet then goes on a quest to get his friends back and prove he’s more than a plastic punching bag.

Does this plot sound absurd?

It’s because it is, on par with “2001: A Space Odyssey” in terms of absolutely bogus and trippy movements across the cosmos.

In one segment of the movie, Emmet receives help from Rex Dangervest, a self-professed “galaxy-defending archeologist, cowboy and raptor trainer,” who is clearly an intentional lampoon of Chris Pratt’s recent roles as a macho action star in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Jurassic World.” The fact that the producers made half the film about Pratt’s conflicting personalities is genius and insane

courtesy of WARNER BROS ENTERTAINMENT

all at once.

But go further down the rabbit hole and you’ll see that the plot of “The Lego Movie 2” actually makes a lot of sense. And once the pieces snap into place – brick pun – you’ll see that the movie is a subtle statement on the power of childhood just like its predecessor. It’s astonishing to see how the film reveals its true meaning as time goes on.

Thankfully, the slapstick magic that made the first movie so critically-acclaimed has not been lost. From a war-torn version of Abraham Lincoln and Gandalf from “The Lord of the Rings” to a running gag involving Bruce Willis and an incessant amount of air vents, “The Lego Movie 2” slings jokes at a breakneck speed for the young ones in the theater and the parents who may end up laughing even more.

Of course there was never a chance the sequel would outdo the sheer brilliance and originality the first film brought to the

table over five years ago. The bar was set at almost unreachable heights, but “The Lego Movie 2” comes shockingly close to replicating that splendor the first one provided.

If you’ve never heard the terms “Armamageddon,” “Syspocalypsestar,” and “Queen Watevra Wa’Nabi,” the film is worth a watch. If you’ve never seen Batman break out into a musical number, the film is worth a watch. If you ever wondered how Maya Rudolph would react to stepping on a Lego brick, the film is worth a watch.

Point is, there are few films in this world that takes so many brands and notions from the spectrum of popular culture and manages to make it work. “The Lego Movie 2” makes it look easy.

Although the message of the movie is that everything isn’t as awesome as it used to be, seeing the film is an awesome time for everyone – highly recommended.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 16 TIM’S GARAGE, from page 13

EYE SPY ESCAPE, from page 13

college, Jensen decided to turn that interest into a career. While pursuing his degree in graphic design, he started his first tshirt brand, Icon. He worked at a printing shop, learned to print his own shirts, and began producing merchandise.

Though his career began in BMX, the designer slowly began to expand into more universal designs after a friend wanted a shirt, but didn’t ride bikes.

“I started thinking about my brand,” he said, “Kind of simultaneously, I learned about street art and turned my Icon t-shirt brand into an art moniker.”

In 2009, Jensen opened up an art gallery called Bricks and Bombs. He used the space to more formally display his own art, as well as feature other local artists’ work and build the community around creativity.

He began making shirts as merchandise to promote the gallery, and soon enough, the gallery became a clothing brand itself. From there, his collection of designs only grew. The gallery evolved into a retail space, and in October 2017, Jensen moved to his current location and decided to rebrand. Now, we have Tim’s Garage.

Though the name may seem bizarre, it’s actually been a long time coming. In high school, a friend of Jensen’s always showed up with unique clothing uncommon to small town Louisiana. They were handme-downs from a friend. Every time Jensen would ask where he got something, he got the same

runs out.

The last is WW3: The Conspiracy Theory, a delve into a new world that wonders if the possibility of global warfare lies in one event. Participants have to defuse the schemes of a rogue CIA officer before her plans of starting WW3 are fully realized.

Lancaster believes Eye Spy Escape Rooms has something to offer everyone, and the convenient Perkins Road location along with a tendency to cater to most of the vast demographics that Baton Rouge houses gives the business no reason to lock up anytime soon.

BELLA BIONDINI / The Reveille

Tim’s Garage, located at 4556 Government St., creates a wide variety of t-shirts catering to all customers’ needs. response — “From Tim’s garage.”

Jensen decided then that if he ever owned a boutique, that would be the name. Now, the eccentric namesake sparks a fair dose of curiosity, but also allows the owner to make the business whatever he wants it to be.

“It’s like your garage in your house,” he said. “You find a little bit of everything in it. I thought that the theme of that would allow me to have a lot of flexibility.”

Now, Jensen uses that flexibility to his advantage. He doesn’t just produce one type of design. Instead, his brands draw from a plethora of inspirations, especially vintage aesthetics.

“Design that was produced in the 1950’s or 60s when the print-

ing process was a little bit more crude and the capabilities of the production were limited,” he said. “I think that has translated into my eye for design.”

In the future, the designer wants to use his involvement in the small business community to help rebuild Mid-City and encourage more people to appreciate what it’s becoming, especially students at the University.

“I want to help drive more people to this area,” he said.

“It’s all about being part of a business culture that can help reshape this area that is yearning for it.”

New designs and upcoming events can be found on Tim’s Garage Instagram account, @timsgaragebr. Current stock can be found at www.timsgaragebr.com.

Coughing, wheezing, sneezing?

HEAVENLY DONUT, from page 13 Baton Rouge.

As part of Thee Heavenly Donut’s wide range of offerings, Castille likes to create many different dessert combinations, making everything from scratch. The store is especially known for its fried king cake, which is fried, glazed and then filled with the customer’s choice of icing.

“We make our own dough, our own glazes, our own chocolates,” Castille said. “We make our own cake donuts, apple fritters and then we go into the whole roll of all the other donuts. We’re more than a typical donut shop, more of a restaurant-style cafe because we offer so much more than a typical donut shop offers.”

Donuts have been a huge part of Castille’s life since she was 4 years old. Growing up in her mom’s donut shop made her realize that she also had a passion for dessert-making. After Castille graduated from high school, she moved to Baton Rouge and started building her own business at the age of 18.

Castille has been running the shop for almost two decades, eventually even meeting her husband in the store, when he was one of her customers. She came up with the store name when she was working in the kitchen with her mother.

“We were in the kitchen one

He offered words of advice for those who are relatively unacquainted in the art of picking locks, solving riddles and cracking codes.

“If you haven’t done an escape room, it’s time to try it out,” Lancaster said. “It only takes an hour.

If you’re good it will take less!”

One only needs to look at the mission statement of the establishment to see what Lancaster and the rest of the staff want to provide to the city of Baton Rouge: “Fun comes first!”

Contact with Eye Spy Escape Rooms can be made through their Instagram page, @eyespyescapebr, or through their Facebook page. day playing around with some doughnuts, and we had some light buttercream icing we had made, which is in our chocolate and our caramel, and we kind of looked at each other jokingly,” Castille said.

“We were like, ‘This is heavenly, oh thee heavenly donuts.’ We just came up with the name through a spontaneous thought.”

Thee Heavenly Donut also makes a point of being involved in the Baton Rouge community.

Leftover baked goods are given to the Veteran’s Home as snacks for the veterans. It also gives some products to Baton Rouge shelters, and works with other charity organizations, like food pantries and the Junior League of Baton Rouge.

“Any time I have the opportunity to use my products to shed light on a good organization, I always take advantage of the opportunity,” Castille said.

She wants Thee Heavenly Donut to be an important place for people and hopes that it will also be important to University students as they get older and start to have families.

“We know that those students will one day have families of [their] own and bring [their] kids in for a sprinkle doughnut, and we’ll get to watch [their] families grow as we’ve watched other people grow,” Castille said. “We really try to be a part of what is so near and dear to the Baton Rouge community.”

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page 17

Student segregation damaging to college experience

TEKAY SAYS TE’KAYLA PITTMAN @QueenTekay Being African American in a predominately white institution like LSU, I have noticed how separated students are from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. I have also noticed how easily people migrate to the people that look like them. I often wonder why that is.

There are cultural divisions going on in today’s society that aren’t as eye-opening as they were in the ‘60s. For example, when I walk through the Quad, I look at the groups of people and notice how segregated they are.

The only section of the Quad that doesn’t seem segregated is the area where smokers gather.

That sounds like a joke.

When I applied to a predominately white institution , I didn’t realize what I was getting into. I applied to get better opportunities for my major and to attend the Manship School of Mass Communication. No one told me how big of a cultural shift it would be, or how it is so divided. I did want to experience getting to know people who are different from me and have friends from different ethnic backgrounds. I just didn’t know it was going to be so hard.

When I first arrived at the

University, my first friend was also African American, from Atlanta and in the same major as myself. I didn’t try to find anyone different at all. I stayed in my comfort zone. To this day, I am upset about that because I didn’t branch out to find different people during my entire first semester. I let my own beliefs and insecurities get in the way.

Another form of separation I’ve found at the University is the ranking of how races are viewed, with some being “better” than others. I never realized how strong white privilege was until I got here. Growing up, I always saw everyone as equal, and I didn’t ever feel affected by white privilege until I got here.

During my first semester, I kept going back and forth wondering if I made the right decision in coming here. I am not just writing this based on what I have witnessed or what I just feel. I write this because I have actually been involved. From dining halls to tailgates to home games, I’ve had encounters with the race who are meant to attend a PWI in the first place.

In the dining hall, my things have been removed from my seat so that they can sit there and refused when I asked for my seat back. I’ve gotten smoke blown in my face on purpose and then laughed at afterward. During a football game, a white man told someone who appeared to be

of Hispanic descent that he will still think about him when President Donald Trump deports his family.

Countless times I wonder why I did not go to a historically black college—wondering why I chose to come somewhere where I don’t seem to belong. I soon realized the reason I chose to be a mass communication major. I chose this major to have my voice heard and to make a change. I see now that I had to encounter these obstacles to become better and stronger in my field. Even though I was angry while it happened, it did open my eyes for change.

Our first step should be desegregating campus. Students should give speeches at Free Speech Plaza about how they feel and spread positivity to one another. We should rid ourselves of separated GroupMe’s. I get that these are made to get in contact with “your people,” as it is hard to find one another and not lose your true self in the black community. I understand, but we could make one with everyone from different races, as well.

We are making a mistake continuing to separate ourselves, and we are too often stereotyping.

I believe that history is what separated us from each other. If we didn’t focus so heavily on history and what our ancestors did to each other, then we wouldn’t

cartoon by ETHAN GILBERTI / The Reveille

see each other as different. I am not saying we should throw history away, because that is where we come from. However, we don’t ever speak on where we could be now and how to create a new history. Children aren’t born racist—they learn from adults. It’s not too late to

change our views on one another. It starts by stepping out of your comfort zone and learning about those who seem different than you.

Te’Kayla Pittman is a 19-yearold mass communication freshman from Atlanta, Georgia.

Catholic minor abuse scandal requires Pope’s transparency SMITT’S TEA JAMES SMITH @itssmitt I went to Catholic school my entire life until college. My ancestor built the first Catholic church in my hometown of Grand Coteau. I received four out of the seven Holy Sacraments. My mom teaches at a Catholic school. I select “Catholic” when filling out admissions and surveys, but I only go to Christmas and Easter mass with my family.

I’m not a practicing Catholic, but I have a deep-rooted appreciation for it.

In 2002, The Boston Globe broke the bombshell story about child sex abuse and cover-up by priests and bishops. Since then, thousands of similar incidents have come to light. To say that it is one of the most horrible blemishes on the Church in its 2,000-year history is putting it lightly.

At the end of February, Pope Francis gave a speech to the Vatican Summit on Child Protection.

It was shameful and fell far short of the reparations he needed to make. He failed to be utterly transparent about the Church’s role in perpetuating abuse. In short, he managed to play the victim on behalf of the church.

This speech offered the opportunity for the Church to make real strides in public opinion.

Thanks to the work of journalists and lawyers around the world, the Church can’t hide behind excuses or a curtain of secrecy that allowed abuse to continue for decades, perhaps even centuries. Nothing can ever repair the damage done to thousands of lives.

“I make a heartfelt appeal for an all-out battle against the abuse of minors, both sexually and in other areas,” Pope Francis said, hopefully with those thousands of lives in mind. But, a heartfelt appeal requires an intensive amount of self-reflection, transparency and honesty. The speech felt like an attempt to shy away from the elephant in the room.

Ever since I saw the movie “Spotlight,” which chronicles the

way The Boston Globe reporters uncovered the scandal, I haven’t been able to go to church. I can’t sit in a pew and listen to a priest delivering a sermon without wondering if he played any role at all in any cases of abuse.

This sentiment is felt by Catholics around the world. A better speech wouldn’t have undone anything, but I would’ve much preferred to hear Pope Francis acknowledge and own up to the Church’s mistakes.

The public trust of the church is shattered beyond repair. The first step to regain any trust, in any situation, is to acknowledge all wrongdoing. There are documents held in the Vatican that could reveal so much more than we already know. The Church refuses to make them public. That is unacceptable.

Pope Francis cannot claim to be a leader in the fight against abuse of minors whenever he continues to play an active role in one of the most tragic and shameful cases in modern history. He should’ve used the opportunity

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Pope Francis spoke at the Vatican Summit on Child Protection in February 2019. to at least accept accountability for his role. A confession, if you will, would have been far more appropriate.

James Smith is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Grand Coteau, Louisiana.

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 18

The KKK, Confederate symbols have no place in our country DROP THE MIC

sylvania Avenue in broad daylight. Although the Klan is not as strong as it used to be, the want for them to rise again is still here.

DONALD Goodloe Sutton, publisher of FOUNTAIN @Official_DFound the Democrat-Reporter in Linden, Alabama, wrote an editorial The Ku Klux Klan is still alive calling for “the Ku Klux Klan to in America. Given the history night ride again.” When Sutton the Klan has, it’s scary to realize was given the opportunity to America has not put this group walk back and clarify his comin the ground. I should not have ments, he stood firmly by his to say the KKK and confederate opinion. It is terrifying to think symbols are bad for this country, people like this hold positions in but this is where we are. America the media.

On Feb. 23, two pro-Confedmust commit to cutting ties with erate groups marched in Oxford, its racist past.

The U.S. is a like a person in Miss. to protest Ole Miss distanca new relationship with equal- ing themselves from Confederity. America says it’s committed ate symbols. In New Orleans, Confederate beads to equality, but its were thrown in ex, racism, is still a parade. Groups allowed to hang The Klan and the the KKK and around.

Would Confederacy are a drug like pro-Confederates you be happy if your boyfriend or which affects too many are allowed to exgirlfriend stayed people. Drug addicts ist because this country protects in frequent conwill always find a hate speech. We tact with his or her reason to keep their need to rememex? We’ve all seen enough movies to drug habits. America ber these are than just know these types knows this is a problem more hate groups. The of relationships but fails to do anything Klan is a group of never work out. murderers and the The KKK is about it.

Confederacy were one of the worst traitors to this exes to have becountry. cause they never The Confederacy went to war know when to quit. Since the slaves were freed in the 1860s, with our country. The Confedthe Klan has come and gone like eracy killed thousands of Amerithe changing of the seasons. We can lives to preserve their way of should never forget how closely life and maintain slavery. When connected this country was with a Confederate flag is waved, it is the Klan. In the 1920s, the Klan in remembrance of the people was marching down 1600 Penn- who fought to keep black people

cartoon by ETHAN GILBERTI / The Reveille

enslaved. I never understood why this country allows its citizens to honor its traitors. If the Confederate flag is the only way to honor the good parts of the South’s past, is it worth remembering? Anyone who attempts to defend the Confederate flag and the KKK needs to go to rehab.

The Klan and the Confederacy are a drug that affects too many people. Drug addicts will always

find a reason to keep their drug habits. America knows this is a problem but fails to do anything about it.

This country will never reach its goal of equality if its racist past isn’t put away for good. Freedom of speech is a right to all Americans, but people like the KKK and Confederate supporters are not truly American. These two groups will never be able to op-

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erate in this country without conflict. If the Klan starts to “Ride again,” this country will have an unfixable problem. If America does not fix this problem, it’s only a matter of time before they ride again.

Donald Fountain is a 21-yearold mass communication sophomore from Saint Francisville, Louisiana.

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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.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

page 19

Unregulated social media detrimental to society’s democracy LET ME BE FRANK MICHAEL FRANK @BigMpfrank96 As a means for increasing the potential for nuanced and informed conversation, social media can be the key for society’s continued advancement. There’s this amazing potential that platforms like Facebook and Twitter represent, and then there’s the propagandistic reality.

What often gets branded as news on these websites is little more than pointed bias or conspiratorial musings. This is not to say that social media utterly lacks ethical journalism. What social media does lack is any way to distinguish between fact and fiction besides the user’s own discretion.

On Feb. 26, Twitter announced it was permanently suspending the account of Jacob Wohl, a prominent online hoaxer and far-right political supporter, following an interview in USA Today where Wohl admitted to intentions of creating fake accounts in order to manipulate the votes in the 2020 presidential election.

Wohl stated that he planned “to steer the left-wing votes in the primaries to what we feel are weaker candidates compared with Trump.”

This isn’t the first time Wohl has gotten in trouble for his actions online. He’s been accused of creating fake identities to make baseless claims about Robert Mueller sexually harassing women, but under his own account, he’s made equally outlandish claims about Rep. Ilhan Omar marrying her brother, questioned Sen. Kamala Harris’ eligibility for presidential election and started rumors about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s secret death.

Although Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s decision to suspend Wohl’s account was commendable, Wohl doesn’t seem perturbed by his suspension in any sense. “I’m going to continue to own their platform and make them useful to me so it doesn’t really matter to me, to be honest,” Wohl said in response to his suspension.

Anxieties about the role of social media in politics are still high following the 2016 presidential election, where Cambridge Analytica, a political consultant for the Trump Campaign, gained personal political information from Facebook through questionable methods and fake accounts were used by Russian meddlers to impersonate American voters. It’s become clear that social media is a far more imposing medium than

those who use it to watch videos of babies cuddling with puppies first assumed.

In his April 26 testimony to the House Judiciary Committee, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg denied an active censoring of conservative speech on his website. “It’s not enough to just connect people, we have to make sure those connections are positive,” Zuckerberg said. Some legislators hold a bipartisan fear that “positive connections” is a code for censored rhetoric. Still, other legislators believe government-sanctioned regulations are becoming a necessity as social media continues to grow.

The threat of social media doesn’t only pertain to the U.S. In 2018, the Turkish government suspended more than 200 social media accounts accused of terrorism. That’s one of the major problems in regulating social media — the internet is both difficult to define and a daunting task for any one state seeking to regulate the activities of its own citizens.

We’ve reached a point where it seems irresponsible to shirk social media regulations any further, but the question remains— how do we regulate these websites without limiting free speech, and is there a way to regulate social media without government involvement? As the 2020 election

approaches and the consequences of the 2016 election continue to play out, the responsibility to regulate social media sites can no longer fall on the sites themselves. But, the responsibility can’t fall solely on the government, either. Just imagine the authoritarian possibility of every Twitter user being mandated to follow the President.

Third party companies should be formed as groups of unbiased fact checkers to flag and suspend fake accounts, inflammatory rhetoric and accounts that spread misinformation. Mark A. Cohen, the CEO of Legal Mosaic, argued that this “filter” group should consist of a team of lawyers. Cohen likens social media to an unregulated courtroom, and he positions lawyers as the guardians of legal action.

To those who still question the need for regulation in social media, I’d remind you of philosopher Karl Popper’s paradox of tolerance. “If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them,” Popper said.

The sad truth is it’s nearly impossible to find a viral social media feed that lacks inflamma-

courtesy of WIKIMEDIA

Twitter announced its permanent suspension of the account of Jacob Wohl, a prominent online hoaxer and far-right political supporter. tory or hateful speech these days.

Rational discourse has failed, so it’s time we delegate social media regulation to a group that can actually keep the forums clear of hate and misinformation.

Michael Frank is a 23-year-old political science and English senior from New Orleans, Louisiana.

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