Friends reflect on Jacob Seaman following his passing, page 2 OPINION: Students should unify in face of tragedy, page 5 THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2016
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SG, community hold vigil for fallen officers BY KATIE GAGLIANO | @katie_gagliano
CYNTHEA CORFAH / The Daily Reveille
Tiger Stadium was lit up blue inside and out in memory of three slain Baton Rouge law enforcement officers. More than 100 people gathered outside Memorial Tower for the Forever Baton Rouge vigil Wednesday afternoon following the shooting deaths of three law enforcement officers Sunday. Student Government members, University administrators and community leaders stood together in the sweltering summer heat to promote a message of peace, unity and leadership in the face of hardship. Organizers addressed the death of the officers Sunday, as well as the death of Alton Sterling, the 37-yearold man who was killed during an altercation with police on July 5. Rev. Raymond Jetson, the keynote speaker, said the events of Sunday and July 5 mark a pivotal moment in the Baton Rouge community. Jetson called on University students to stand as leaders and commit to bringing forward change in the community. Jetson said change is necessary for the community to begin healing, but that healing cannot begin until we acknowledge
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there is a wound. “It is critical that we recognize that there is a challenge before us, and pretending that it does not exist won’t make it go away,” Jetson said. Jetson said young people have been catalysts of social change for generations, and it is important that young people are willing to face today’s challenges. The current generation of students needs to assume leadership roles now, not in the future, he said. If action is not taken, this opportunity for change may become just another moment in history, he said. “Are we going to once again be captivated by the allure and seduction of the moment?” Jetson said. “Or are we going to become a part of a movement?” Vigil organizer and SG director of policy Monturios Howard proposed students begin making change through small actions. Howard said making a conscious effort to meet a diverse group of people on campus and in classes is a step toward promoting
see VIGIL, page 7
Body identified as LSU grad
STAFF REPORTS @lsureveille
Baton Rouge Police responded to a call about a body found outside the University House-Baton Rouge apartment complex Tuesday morning. The body was identified as Jacob Seaman, a recent University graduate who was scheduled to enroll in the petroleum engineering graduate program. Seaman’s death was ruled accidental by the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner’s Office, and the cause of death was multi-system trauma, secondary to the fall. University House posted a statement on Facebook and Twitter to express condolences and provide information on the incident. The post said the apartment officials were informed of the body around 7:16 a.m. The post also said the complex arranged for the LSU Student Health Center to offer counseling services. “We are deeply saddened to learn of what appears to be an accidental death of a 20 year old male that occurred at our community this morning,” the statement said on Sunday morning. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.” The statement was signed by Mitchell Smith, the chief operating officer for Scion Group, LLC, which acquired University Housing Communities earlier this month.
ENVIRONMENT
Students, Baton Rouge residents organize lake cleanup day BY BETH CARTER @bethie_carter Several students will be working alongside Baton Rouge residents on Saturday to clean up the LSU Lakes. The students, coordinated through Volunteer LSU, will help residents who live near the lakes remove trash, clear weeds and mow grass along popular jogging routes. Parry “Matt” Thomas, president of The University Lakes Improvement and Preservation Association, said he was
approached by the University to coordinate a cleanup day during his work removing water hyacinths from Lake Crest along Dalrymple Drive. Thomas has been an integral part of the removal process for the water hyacinths, which is set to begin on Thursday. The hyacinths, which first sprouted up in the spring and cover around 70 percent of Lake Crest, have now been spotted around University Lake as well. Although Thomas said he would like to use Saturday as a chance to remove hyacinths
from the shorelines, his main focus is general beautification of the lakes and cleaning the Corporate Canal between West Lakeshore Drive and Millard Wampold Memorial Park. “Corporate Canal catches a lot of trash that comes down from Baton Rouge, which is washed all the way through campus,” Thomas said. “Our intent is to get a canoe down in the water and scoop up all the trash so it doesn’t get into the residential area, and pick up all the garbage in the canal all the way back to campus.”
Thomas worked with assistant director for campus life and Volunteer LSU faculty advisor Josh Dean to organize a group of students who would be interested in cleaning up the lakes before the start of the fall semester. Dean said although the lakes are not University property, their proximity to campus means students should do their part to preserve the area. “So many members of LSU enjoy the lakes, so I think it’s important that with any
see LAKES, page 7
EMILY BRAUNER / The Daily Reveille
The Common Water Hyacinth is a highly invasive species that has been crowding Baton Rouge lakes.