Reveille
GYMNASTICS Courville to leave a lasting legacy page 5
The Daily
TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015
lsureveille.com/daily
OPINION Columnists decide the new face of $20 bill page 13
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Student comedian uses life as transgender woman as source of inspiration BY MICHAEL TARVER mtarver@lsureveille.com
Comedians often target their own lives as a source for the jokes they tell on stage, filleting themselves in front of countless strangers and putting the most sensitive details under the microscope — all for the sake of a laugh. As a young up-and-coming comic, theatre freshman Nick Portier’s transparency on stage rivals even seasoned comedians as she reveals and pokes fun at her life as a transgender woman. Portier said she was born a woman trapped in a man’s body. Though she has faced various obstacles in her personal life over the past year, Portier found solace in comedy when she began her stand-up career. “I’ve kind of been telling jokes my whole life, or at least since middle school,” Portier said. “All my friends told me I was going to be a comedian, but the only reason they said that was because I was the only one allowed to watch Comedy Central, so I would just watch other comics and tell their jokes.” Years later, Portier started writing her own material. She never fully pursued stand-up until she saw a local improvisation group in Baton Rouge, where her brother’s friend introduced the reality of being a comic. A few weeks passed, and Portier decided to take the plunge into stand-up after one of her teachers told her she should be a comic because she was always making jokes in class. Along with the inspiration her teacher provided, knowing there was a place to learn and grow comedically was enough to get Portier on stage for the first time. Her first experience performing was a fiveminute set at The Station Sports Bar off College Drive, giving her an unparalleled rush that would become the inspiration for all
comic relief
HALEY ROWE-KADOW / The Daily Reveille
see COMIC RELIEF, page 15
Volume 119 · No. 120
thedailyreveille POLITICS
Legislation aims to narrow pay gap for La. women
BY AMANDA CAPRITTO acapritto@lsureveille.com Female workers in Louisiana can expect to earn less than their male counterparts for the next 91 years, but an upcoming bill aims to amend the disparity. The Louisiana legislature 2015 LEGISLATIVE WATCH is considering pay equity in the 2015 legislative session with Senate Bill 68. Louisiana Sen. Karen Carter Peterson’s Senate Bill 68 “Louisiana Equal Pay Act for Women” states the state should eliminate discriminatory wages based on gender. According to a recent study from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, gender pay gap in Louisiana falls 49th in the U.S. with women earning 66.7 cents for every dollar earned by a man. The Employment and Earnings chapter of “Status of Women in the States: 2015” shows the median income for women in Louisiana is $32,000 while the
see PAY GAP, page 15
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
SG senator proposes to entomb past Mike mascots on campus SG bill to be voted on Wednesday night BY CHLOE HUFF chuff@lsureveille.com History graduate student Tim Landry, 57, passes Mike the Tiger and his 15,000 square foot habitat every day. His daily admiration of the mascot led him to question what happens to Mike after he passes away. Landry, a Student Government senator, authored a bill to urge appropriate departments to bury or entomb deceased tiger mascots at a publicly accessible spot on campus. The resolution SG senate will vote on April 1 only urges the Vet School, the administration and the athletic department to begin to implement Landry’s plan, but he said his bill hopefully will begin a discussion as the project would
need to be privately funded. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine public relations director Ginger Guttner gave the whereabouts of past tiger mascots. Mike I’s pelt is mounted at the Louisiana Museum of Natural History. The first Mike II is buried on the levee along the Mississippi River, and the second Mike II’s remains were disposed of. The whereabouts of the remains of Mike III are unknown, and Mike IV and Mike V’s ashes are in the Jack and Priscilla Andonie Museum. Landry said he doesn’t think the location of past Mikes’ remains are publicized enough and thinks Mikes deserve to be more ceremoniously honored. “Who gave the most to the bacon and egg breakfast? Was it the chicken or the pig? The answer was the pig. They said the chicken made a donation with the egg, but the pig made a total
commitment,” Landry said. “Our Mike mascots make a total commitment and literally give their lives to service the University, so I certainly think that they should be honored when they pass.” Noting other Southeastern Conference schools’ live mascots, Landry investigated their precedent of honoring deceased mascots. Landry said the University of Georgia buries deceased bulldog mascots near the main gate of Sanford Stadium in a memorial plot with personalized bronze epitaphs. Texas A&M has a graveyard for their Rough Collie mascots within site of Kyle Field’s scoreboard. Landry said because of expansions of the field, the past mascots couldn’t “see” the scoreboard, so the University built a special scoreboard in sight of the Collies and their memorial.
see MIKE THE TIGER, page 15
Student Government senator Tim Landry is proposing a bill to bury the remains of mascot Mike the Tiger on campus.
RAEGAN LABAT / The Daily Reveille