Strong pitching fuels LSU’s series win, page 3 OPINION: Clinton too centrist to benefit Democratic party, page 5 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016
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Volume 121 · No. 30
thedailyreveille POLITICS
‘LEGEND’
University unveils statue of Hall of Famer Bob Pettit as former Tiger reflects on career BY CHRISTIAN BOUTWELL On Saturday, Bob Pettit, a 1951-54 Tiger basketball player, was joined by his 10 grandchildren, hundreds of friends, family members and former teammates as they uncloaked a nearly 30-foot statue beside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. It depicts Pettit moments before scoring one of his 1,916 points collected as a Tiger — a silkysmooth, perfectly-formed jumpshot rendered in shiny bronze. Pettit stood in awe. “I never dreamed in my wildest dreams that something could happen like that,” he said. “I didn’t know I had that many muscles and that much hair, but I thought it was a great job.” The sculpture’s pedestal is blanketed in gray marble, with Pettit’s name etched in gold on a plain granite background. His basketball career began much like the new memorial — from the ground up, surprisingly unassuming. As a sophomore hooper in high school, he wasn’t skilled enough to make the team. His lanky, 6-foot-2 frame and woefully
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uncoordinated, veiny hands weren’t enough to impress thenBaton Rouge High School coach Kenner Day in 1948. But Pettit worked on his game and grew three inches before his senior year. He led Baton Rouge High to a State Championship victory in 1950 against St. Aloysius, which he said was “one of his greatest moments” in a storied career, including his days as a world-famous Tiger and NBA legend. He knew he had a special skillset, as well as the burden of greatness that accompanied it. “Being from down here, you never realize where you’re going,” Pettit said. “And here I am, with a statue. I’m very flattered. Did I ever dream it? No, never.” Pettit, a 6-foot-10 forward at LSU, said his best attribute as a player was rebounding. He gathered 1,039 rebounds during his three seasons and remains LSU’s all-time fourth-best rebounder. He was one of only two Tigers to tally 60 points in a game. The other was Pete Maravich. Pettit’s jersey was retired in
see STATUE, page 7
EMILY BRAUNER /
The Daily Reveille
Student voter impact lags in Louisiana BY SARAH GAMARD @SarahGamard According to the 2016 report released by Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), measuring which states’ young voters have the most significant impact on election results, Louisiana is not among the top 10 for any of this year’s presidential, senate or house races. Scores are based on the Youth Electoral Significance Index, which measures factors such as past young voter behavior and involvement, state-specific laws, race, college education and poverty rates. Iowa ranked first for the 2016 presidential election, followed by New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. According to the most recent update from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, about 800,000 people ages 18 to 34 across the state of Louisiana are registered to vote. Though there are approximately 300,000 college-aged students in Louisiana, marketing sophomore and Geaux Vote LSU vice president Maddie Melancon said 80,000 aged 18 to 20 are registered voters. College-aged voter turnout in
see REGISTRATION, page 7
STUDENT LIFE
Archivist says LGBT archives create sense of shared heritage, belonging BY KATIE GAGLIANO @katie_gagliano Rebecka Sheffield is good at reading between the lines. Sheffield, the executive director and archives manager of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, visited the University last week as part of a broader mission to shed light on the hidden histories of LGBT individuals. Her work aligns with the social justice imperative of the organization, which acts as a catalyst for improving the lives of LGBT people, Sheffield said. By preserving the histories of LGBT individuals and sharing their stories with the public, the
organization achieves this goal. From meeting minutes and court documents to matchbook covers and 70s era shirts, Sheffield’s archives include a variety of items. The non-traditional materials result from the scant evidence of gay and lesbian lives from the time period, Sheffield said. Many LGBT lives were hidden, and as a result, lesbian, gay and transgender individuals collected any items possessing traces of their culture. Finding evidence of these communities’ existence often requires “reading through the lines,” Sheffield said. “When you talk about scant
evidence, sometimes you’re talking about documentation kept by oppressors and suppressors as opposed to queer people themselves,” Sheffield said. “You look to police files, you look to surveillance documentation, you look to court files about who was going to prison and who wasn’t going to prison. You really have to read through the lines.” A story from New Orleans especially struck Sheffield while researching the gay and lesbian history of Louisiana. On June 24, 1973, an arsonist set fire to the UpStairs Lounge, an LGBT bar in the French
Rebecka Sheffield, the executive director and archives manager of the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, visited the University last week as part of a broader mission to shed light on the hidden histories of LGBT individuals.
photo courtesy of
see ARCHIVES, page 7
REBECKA SHEFIELD