Why Airbnb sales consistently spike during LSU football season.
PROJECT PLANK
The Plank Road Restoration Project aims to revitalize historically underserviced North Baton Rouge.
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PLANK ROAD REDO
After decades of neglect, this historic city corridor is being revamped
BY QUINN MARCEAUX & MEL BRIDGES
Plank Road presents a faded snapshot of North Baton Rouge’s once-vibrant past. The road is lined with cracked pavement and faded street lines, giving way to jagged potholes that make your car vibrate as you pass over them. Rows of mismatched buildings line the street, each with its own charm and history. Some are occupied, others abandoned, but all seem to whisper stories of a oncegreat area.
North Baton Rouge has seemingly been forgotten about. The community along Plank Road, just west of Interstate 110 and near the Exxon Mobil Plant in the city’s northwest, never truly got back on its feet after a white flight in the 1990s took a large portion of the population of the area. Residents who have been here for decades are dying off, and no one is coming to take their place, leaving shuttered businesses and derelict homes.
Residents and business owners along Plank Road are fighting to change this trend. They’ve applied for government grants, worked with the East Baton Rouge Mayor-President’s Office and witnessed the beginning of the city-parish’s Plank Road Restoration Project – a $46 million initiative to improve the 5.3 miles of road from I-110 to Airline Highway. For those who live and work near Plank Road — the vast majority of whom identify as Black — the area remains in a state of limbo. But despite the omnipresence of blight, residents of Plank Road have faith that the community will turn around.
“You’ll now have small businesses that will start to scout the area of being a storefront off of the Plank Road area,” Laci Sherman, president of the nonprofit North Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, said. “If they’re a storefront off the Plank Road area, now you’re bringing more money to the community, which is resources. You have people that are getting out of their homes and keeping the dollars in the North Baton Rouge area, versus going maybe to get their nails done in South Baton Rouge because the road and the traffic is a little bit easier to navigate through.”
Plank Road in Decline Father Tat Hoang, the pastor at St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church on Plank, oversees over 200 students at the adjacent Catholic school. Most of them are Black.
“A lot of people outside of Plank Road are so scared of the Black community around here,” Hoang said. “But there is really nothing to be scared of. The little kids come up to me
after mass and give me these big hugs, and they don’t want to let go.”
Hoang pointed to a white flight in the 1990s as a major reason why Plank Road went downhill. Census data supports this: in Baton Rouge in 1970, 30.9% of residents identified as non-white. In Baton Rouge in 1990, 43.8% of residents identified as Black. As of the 2020 census, 93% of residents in the 70805 ZIP code — which encompasses St. Gerard and the part of Plank Road being restored — identified as Black.
The population has declined, too. What was once a popular and important area with a population of over 8,500 in the 1960s was reduced to around 5,000 people in the 1990s and down to fewer than 3,500 people in 2020.
As people — especially white people — began leaving the area, Black residents stayed. However, as the area lost more and more of its tax base and the population was significantly reduced, the area started being left behind by the Baton Rouge city government.
The Plank Road Restoration
Project
Across the street from St. Gerard is a vacant building. Hoang said it used to be a Firestone, a tire and car care chain. In fact, the same Firestone — then open and lively — is visible in the background of promotional pictures published by the mayorpresident’s office to celebrate the groundbreaking of the Plank Road Restoration Project in early September.
The mayor-president’s office has described the project as “a transformative effort to breathe new life into one of the city’s most historic and vital corridors.” It includes improvements such as repaving sidewalks and curbs and better lighting and signals.
These measures may not sound like a lot, but Sherman said snowballing issues can lead to a “ripple effect” for residents of Plank Road as they fall into a cycle of damage to their vehicles.
“When it’s [Plank Road] not complete, things like roll damage happen to your cars. I know all about that,” Sherman said. “And it’s just so expensive when that happens. And then those dilemmas just put you out of commission for your transportation. And then, when you’re out of limits for transportation, it’s a continuance of issues. Now, kids are not going to school. Now, parents are not going to work. Now, parents are being laid off because they do not have transportation.”
Improvements and Fears
Most of the residents of Plank Road are low income.
The median income in the area in 2022 was $27,556, just under half the median income in the state. Around one in every two residents of Plank Road lives under the poverty line compared to around one in every four residents across Louisiana.
Or, as Hoang put it, “We’re a poor area with really nothing to lose. If the government does something, anything for the area, it will be greatly appreciated.”
And the government does plan to do something. The Plank Road Restoration Project is already underway, though it’s not expected to be completed until June 2026. The road’s surface has been stripped off and is bumpy. But this time, it’s different. The bare asphalt is a tangible promise of better things to come.
Similar Restoration Projects and the Future of Plank Road
Similar upgrades to those coming to Plank Road have been implemented in other areas of Baton Rouge, leading to noticeable improvements in those communities: the Perkins Road Expansion Project completed in 2007, the Sullivan Road upgrade completed in 2016, and more recently, the improvements made along North Sherwood Forest Drive completed in early 2024. Each of these similar projects brought noticeable benefits to those who live in the areas, such as a reduction in traffic and a more attractive area for business.
While these projects have improved these areas, some people, like Metropolitan Councilman Cleve Dunn Jr. of District 6, worry that those poorer citizens who live near Plank Road may not see all of the benefits from these projects that the wealthier
B-16 Hodges Hall
residents of Perkins Road and North Sherwood Forest Drive residents saw.
“I think the next civil rights movement is an economic one,” Dunn said. “Oftentimes, we have fought for good roads, good schools, community centers, you know, access to things of that nature. And oftentimes, we’ll get a good road, we’ll get a bridge, but white folks get wealthy building it.”
Dunn, who is Black, also worries that Black businesses do not know or will not want to go through the lengthy process of applying for the many business assistance grants offered through Build Baton Rouge, a government organization created to redevelop blighted areas. Plank Road residents like Tony’s Seafood manager Darren Pizzolato believe that these grants could be a key part in helping to keep the businesses currently on Plank Road and help attract new ones.
Dunn, a small business owner himself, agreed.
“I saw the disparities in the procurement numbers and the contracting numbers, specifically for local minority-owned vendors like myself,” he said. “In the early ‘14s and ‘15s [2014 and 2015], the city-parish had a billion-dollar budget, and less than 4% of those dollars were spent on people who look like us.”
Despite these challenges, hope persists. Residents and officials alike see initiatives like the Plank Road Restoration Project as a chance to breathe new life into places like Plank Road, transforming areas of blight into pathways of progress for Baton Rouge.
“Those who pay taxes deserve to see improvements in their communities,” Dunn said.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE
Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome celebrates the groundbreaking of the “Restoring Plank Road Initiative” on Sept. 18..
INCURABLE
Many women battle underresearched condition, PCOS
BY EMILY BRACHER & ELLA RAY
Amanda Scheyd left her doctor’s office in Covington, Louisiana different than when she entered. The hair that kept growing around her chin and the absence of her period for the last four months was starting to make sense. The doctor confirmed the then 14-year-old’s fears: something was wrong.
Scheyd was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome, better known as “PCOS.”
Now, at 22, she still struggles with it. If not for her younger self’s research on her symptoms, she said, she might have never known what was wrong.
PCOS is a hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age. It’s characterized by highly irregular periods, excess hair growth on the face or body, weight gain and ovarian cysts. Although the disorder affects 8 to 13% of women, little research has been done on the incurable syndrome.
“I am still looking for a doctor who will help me besides telling me to just lose weight,” Scheyd said.
PCOS can affect every aspect of a woman’s life: mental health, weight, fertility, mood swings, insulin resistance, energy levels and more. Combined, these things make it harder for a woman with PCOS to get through daily life, much less college life.
“I probably have every day somebody comes in and literally in their note it says ‘I wanna be tested for PCOS,’” said Rebecca Breaux, a nurse practitioner at the LSU Student Health Center.
Scheyd’s story is similar to most people who are diagnosed with PCOS: a young girl, between puberty and her early 20s, notices irregular menstrual cycles that start at a later age or cause her to go months between periods. She seeks help from a doctor who tests her for several things before landing on PCOS, a syndrome she didn’t know anything about before.
“It’s a lot of scare for people that shouldn’t be scared about it,” Breaux said.
The National Institutes of Health, a medical research center under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reported that PCOS was ranked 300th out of 324 research areas for federal funding. It only started receiving federal funding in 2022 at $9 million, increasing to $11 million in 2024.
About 70% of those affected by the disease are unaware because of the lack of steady research, said Hannah Cabre, a postdoctoral fellow at Pennington Biomedical Research Center. Her research focuses on women’s health and reproductivity, including how hormonal contraceptives influence nutrition and exercise – work that she says has made her familiar
with PCOS.
“A lot of times, women will not know that they have PCOS until later in life, when they are trying to conceive or when the symptoms become a little more prominent,” Cabre said.
PCOS affects not only Cabre’s professional life, but also her personal life as she was diagnosed with it recently. Similar to other women’s experiences, she didn’t know what her irregular periods meant until an ultrasound revealed that her ovaries had cysts.
Cabre said one of the driving factors of whether women find out early is based on how severe their insulin resistance is. The severity of insulin resistance is usually measured by a significant weight gain and rapidly rising glucose levels. These symptoms are easily comparable to those who have type 2 diabetes. Because most symptoms are not considered “rapid,” Cabre said, there are fewer diagnoses and more misdiagnoses.
Coarse facial hair or dark skin coloring are other minor symptoms that Cabre said many might not attribute to PCOS.
“It could be possibly that women aren’t educated on this and don’t have the resources to look into it for themselves,” Cabre said.
Cabre and her mentor Leanne Redman have discovered
LSU launches new AI assistant MikeGPT
Platform answers faculty’s LSU-related questions, will be expanded to students
BY AIDAN ANTHAUME
As AI reshapes industries around the globe, LSU is tapping into its potential with MikeGPT, a custom-built AI assistant designed to quickly provide information about LSU resources and operations.
Developed under the leadership of Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty, MikeGPT streamlines access to information by drawing from over 35,000 documents across LSU’s website.
Inspired by ChatGPT, Haggerty said, “I thought it would be a wonderful thing if we could create something similar that was specific for LSU that would allow us to answer questions that someone in their daily life of working or studying at LSU would want to know.”
Following the release of ChatGPT in 2022, Haggerty envisioned MikeGPT as a way to improve efficiency and address resource limitations at the University.
“At LSU, we are resource constrained,” he said. “Something that I’ve always looked for as provost is a way, or ways, to enhance productivity of faculty and staff without adding hours to their day.”
MikeGPT’s development began with a collaboration between Haggerty, Assistant Professor James Ghawaly and a team of student developers from an AIfocused course co-taught by Haggerty. Over the summer and fall of 2024, the team built the tool using OpenAI’s language model integrated with Microsoft Azure’s secure cloud service.
The AI is designed to handle a variety of questions based on information available on LSU’s official website. However, it excludes topics like athletics and the LSU Foundation. Its standout feature is its ability to provide source links
for every response, ensuring users can verify information independently.
“It can handle pretty much any question about LSU ... if the information is available on an LSU website,” Haggerty said. “We hope to expand MikeGPT out to be able to do some specialized tasks, like being able to query Moodle pages for course notes, syllabi or other materials.”
During a live demonstration, Haggerty showcased MikeGPT’s capabilities. From helping faculty locate specific policies to guiding students on academic procedures, the tool can offer precise and reliable assistance in less than 10 seconds.
MikeGPT can answer questions like: “How do I appeal a grade?” “Where is the student health center?” or “What are the steps to change my major?”
One of its key features is its refusal to guess answers it isn’t confident about, a deliberate design choice to avoid spreading misinformation.
Although currently accessible only to faculty and staff, MikeGPT will expand to students sometime this spring, with plans to integrate it into Moodle and Workday Student, simplifying processes like class registration and grade management.
The development of MikeGPT places LSU among a select group of universities pioneering the use of AI to enhance campus operations and services.
“I’m only aware of less than five universities in the United States that have developed something like this,” Haggerty said. “I expect within a few years, every university will have something like this.”
Development of MikeGPT is ongoing, with plans for speed enhancements and expanded capabilities.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LSU
GRAPHIC BY JACOB CHASTANT
that aerobic exercise is beneficial for the ovaries. Beyond anti-diabetes medications that are used to treat PCOS like metformin, she said that increasing activities such as running, biking, swimming or other exercise can help in managing symptoms.
Diet management is another step that people with PCOS should take, Cabre said. Eating low-inflammatory foods and managing carbohydrate intake can help regulate blood sugar levels to avoid a rapid spike. Cabre said women with PCOS still want to eat these foods but should space them out, almost like someone with diabetes would. Following this type of diet can help manage sugar while also increasing energy, as many women with PCOS deal with excessive fatigue.
“So right now, a lot of it is revolving around energy expenditure and how that can change with this condition,” Cabre said. “This is also looking towards how it helps reduce risks of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”
A lot of research still needs to be done. Over the past few years, attention has increased on PCOS, but not enough to get immediate answers, Cabre said. She anticipates that research will increase, especially be -
cause women’s health initiatives have designated a significant amount of money towards the NIH. Part of that money will be put towards research on female endocrinology and reproductive health issues like PCOS.
“I think personalized medicine is becoming a really big front within all clinical research here at Pennington,” Cabre said. “I can see in the future that PCOS is part of that.”
After her diagnosis, Scheyd started taking medication and supplements to manage her symptoms. Even so, hair continued to grow on her face and her periods remained irregular.
Scheyd has to shave her face every day.
Scheyd also has struggled with weight since her diagnosis. Because of PCOS, she has to watch everything she eats including gluten, dairy and processed foods. This can all be attributed to insulin resistance.
She said it’s frustrating to watch women without PCOS eat the same things, in the same portions, but not have to deal with excess weight.
Scheyd was diagnosed with anxiety while in high school, something she thinks is directly linked to her PCOS. She said beyond the hormonal imbalances affecting her moods, she worries about her fertility.
“I am in a constant state of
worry about my life and future,” Scheyd said.
Biological engineering senior Anna Claire Ricks-Boyd was diagnosed with PCOS two years ago, the main indicator being that she did not start her period until she was 17 years old. She referred to her periods as “crazy irregular,” her cycles sometimes being up to 90 days apart. Other instances where they were 25, 40 or 60 days apart proved a lack of consistency, leading her to get tested.
Leading up to her periods, usually around two weeks before it started, Ricks-Boyd said that she experiences serious depressive episodes. After talking to both her doctor and therapist, she was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder, which her therapist said is directly linked to her PCOS.
PMDD causes severe irritability, depression or anxiety in the weeks before a woman’s period. An estimated 5% of women of childbearing age have PMDD. Further symptoms include mood swings, low energy, panic attacks and more. It is usually treated with antidepressants called SSRIs, which change serotonin levels in the brain.
Ricks-Boyd takes Adderall to help manage her ADD, a medication she said clashes with Metformin. Now instead of anti-
diabetes medication, she said that eating clean and taking herbal supplements has helped her a lot. Despite the positive outcome, Ricks-Boyd said that dieting like that is not sustainable as a college student.
“One of the best things that I figured out in college that has helped me is just making little swaps,” Ricks-Boyd said.
PCOS affects every aspect of food management sophomore Alexis Goodall’s daily life.
“It can mess with you a lot,” she said.
College is already a difficult time in the lives of young men and women, Goodall said that PCOS layers onto the stress and struggles. In the midst of a heavy class load, running her own dessert business and working in retail part time, she deals with mood swings, irregular sleep schedules, a lack of energy and troubles with weight and dieting every day.
“It’s hard to put into words, but it can be very draining,” Goodall said. “It takes a toll on your body, your mind and definitely my soul.”
For students at LSU struggling with PCOS, the college provides options and resources. Doctors, gynecologists and nurses like Breaux at the Student Health Center can diagnose and treat the disease all within the campus grounds.
“We check all their labs,” Breaux said, going on to describe the tests that they can do for PCOS and other problems like insulin resistance, concerning glucose levels and increased testosterone levels.
Accommodations like absence or tardy excuses for classes, note-takers, additional time or a non-classroom environment for test-taking and more are available through the Office of Disability Services. The LSU Women’s Center provides free counseling and support from other female students.
Scheyd lived in a sorority house for three years while attending LSU. Before this, she lived in a dorm with shared bathrooms. She said that this made it hard for her to go through her daily face-shaving routine, something she would do after waiting for everyone to leave the bathroom.
PCOS-friendly food options were not available at her sorority house, which made it hard for her to properly manage her food intake. This would lead her to spend more money on options from places beyond campus. She said that now that she has graduated, she has found easier ways to eat cleaner.
“Everyone has a different journey, what works for someone else may not work for you,” Scheyd said.
ENTERTAINMENT
By Sarah Walton
With his trench coat, playing cards and a charming smile, Remy LeBeau, better known as the Mutant Hero Gambit has returned to the pop culture consciousness. Gambit is one of Marvel’s most cherished characters, making a television and film comeback with appearances in Disney Plus’ “X-Men ‘97” and Marvel Studios’ “Deadpool and Wolverine.”
Gambit first appeared as a Cameo in the X-Men Annual in May 1990, and he later made a full appearance in Uncanny X-Men issue 266 in June.
Hailing from New Orleans, Gambit takes space in comics as one of a very small group of superheroes from Louisiana. He is also the only Cajun superhero. Gambit is known for his Cajun accent and his fluency in Cajun French.
Remy Etienne LeBeau was born in New Orleans, where he was abandoned because of his red eyes and adopted by the New Orleans Thieves Guild. They raised Gambit, and taught him how to steal, fight, and survive.
Storm was his introduction to the X-Men. Gambit met her after she was changed into a child version of herself without her memory. Gambit helped her and ended up meeting Professor Charles Xavier and the rest of the X-Men.
Nick, a Comic book fan who works at Van’s Comics in Ridgeland, Mississippi, talked about what makes Gambit such an interesting character.
“He’s one of the most charming mutants to ever live. One of his powers is that he has almost a hypnotic charm, because he has the ability to affect kinetic energy, that includes the kinetic energy between people, and he kind of has a hypnosis charm about him,” Nick said. “He’s one of those flawed heroes where he has a past he’s trying to make up for by doing good deeds, and he’s always very much on a redemption arc. Even though he might stumble on the way, he continues to try to be that better version of himself.”
According to Nick, Gambit’s go-to story for new readers is a highly contested issue among fans. To him, however, Gambit’s best moments come from when he’s a part of a team.
“Every time they give him a solo story, they revert back to his old stories. They never explore what he could become. He’s one of those characters that everyone likes, but they like him where he is instead of where he could be,” Nick said
“One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about comics is when they take a character that has been established for so long and they change them so slightly. Not when they change his power,” Nick continued “Don’t change him like that, change him as a person.”
In March 2024, “X-Men ‘97” premiered. It stood as a follow-up to “X-Men: The Animated Series” which aired from 1992 to 1997. Nick from Van’s Comics especially loved Gambit’s representation in this show, as the ‘90s series was his first introduction to the character.
“Oh, he’s this guy that wears this trench coat, and he throws cards, and he’s from the south like I am. Which was so cool because there aren’t a lot of southern superheroes. It’s like Rogue and Gambit, and that’s pretty much it.”
Nick continued pointed out that there are other Southern heroes, but “they don’t embody what it means to be from the south… He very much embodies that Southern attitude.”
Clayton said that when “X-Men ‘97” was announced, he was cautious, “I thought that it was a bit of a silly idea to revive the ‘90s series instead of just making a new X-men story… I expected it to be as silly and as Saturday-morning-cartoony as the original show was, and then I was absolutely blown out of the water by how good it actually turned out to be, and I think they wrote Gambit wonderfully.”
Spoilers for Episode 5 of X-Men ‘97
In episode five, during the genocide of Genosha, the safe haven for thousands of Mutants, Gambit gives up his life, saving hundreds and ending the massacre.
Clayton said, “It’s one of my favorite Gambit moments ever. There’s a wonderful little nod they give in it as well, a lot of the show seems to be in conversation with the comics, they go out of their way to let certain characters get redemption for things they’ve done in the comics,”
Clayton thinks Gambit has some universal appeal, due mostly in part to the character’s cool factor.
“I think the real selling point is that he’s the king of thieves, the cool thief guy, and he is charming and awesome, and his power is really cool… Here’s the charming Cajun Rogue that does whatever he wants, steals things, a very Robin Hood-esque,” Clayton said. “And on the deeper level, he is this really damaged and interesting character that covers for himself in this way by presenting himself as what he knows everyone is going to love.”
The comics also gave the backstory to Gambit’s iconic outfit, his trench coat and strange body suit.
“I talked to Claremont about that actually, we were at Comic-Con, and he was talking about how he put him in this outfit originally and never really thought about what it could be and so later he addressed that it was from aliens. Which was a weird pick, but also it’s for comic books,” Clayton said. “So, before the events of X-Men, Remy got an alien costume because why not?”
Gambit also made a return to the big screen in “Deadpool and Wolverine” after 15 years of being gone after “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.”
Being such a prominent figure in the Gambit community is a double-edged sword, to Clayton, as three days before the movie came out, he was receiving waves of messages from people spoiling the character’s inclusion in the movie.
Outside of spoilers, Clayton enjoyed the movie and Channing Tatum’s portrayal of the character.
“In a more X-Men film, I hope they treat the culture he’s from with a little more respect,” Clayton said about the response from Cajun Gambit fans hoping that making fun of the accent doesn’t become a trend.
Moving forward, Clayton has a few hopes for the character.
Nikhil Clayton, a content creator, writer and a long-time fan of Gambit, talked about the essence of the character and his most recent iterations. During the interview Nikhil talked about the relationship between Gambit and Rogue, a Mississippiborn mutant cursed with a power that prevents her from touching anyone, and why it’s so compelling.
“I think [the writers] do a wonderful job writing their relationship always. It’s set up to be a very classic romantic relationship, like in the old sense of the word, it’s like a romance novel almost. There is this guy that is so sex obsessed, he’s such a ladies’ man and he’s so lustful, and he has this woman that he can’t touch, and he can never be intimate with. And he still loves her, and it’s still a very fulfilling and great relationship for the both of them without the physical.”
Rouge and Gambit’s first romantic interaction happened in X-Men (1991) #4, but they didn’t have their first date eating Gumbo until X-Men (1991) #24. They’ve had a back-and-forth relationship for the past 30 years, until they got married in X-Men Gold (2017) #30.
Clayton also thinks Gambit’s inherent connection to the Cajun South is a unique trait that gives the character an extra wow factor.
“I do think it is very neat that he is a Cajun superhero. It’s not a background you see very often. What I would tell people about it, in school and stuff, about why he’s my favorite, there would be a point where I’d say, ’He’s a Cajun superhero.’ Which is like, not a thing,” he said. “You get a lot of New York superheroes, there is one Appalachian superhero, and there is one Cajun one across both DC and Marvel.”
Gambit’s character is largely defined by performance, and Clayton thinks a Gambit story is only worth its weight in ink if the writers remember that the character’s suave coolness is only a mask.
“He’s a very angsty boy underneath, Clayton said. “Sometimes people just like that persona he puts on, so that’s all he is, but X-Men 97, does a great job at not just seeing him as a Rogue.”
One of Gambit’s more recognizable traits is his womanizing, as he’s frequently portrayed as a sort of playboy.
Clayton argued that this too, however, was only a performance, “He doesn’t truly womanize that often, it’s just a thing he pretends to do. He has been in a pretty monogamous relationship for a lot of his publication history. So I think that’s the most important aspect of him, is his dual-sided nature there.”
In 2022, the character received a solo comic run with one of his creators, Chris Claremont, at the helm.
“I thought it was fantastic,” Clayton said. “I love Gambit solo stuff because they always dive more into the side of the character I really like, which is the thief part.”
The Claremont series was set when Gambit first met Storm, and before he met the X-Men.
“It was good to see a lone-wolf and cub-style adventure between these two, and their relationship was so cute, and I think it helps cement them being the good friends they are later.”
“I think ‘X-Men ‘97’ was a perfect little show of how to use him. I don’t think he needs a solo movie. I’d go see it, but I don’t know how popular it would be with everyone. But he is a wonderful character in an ensemble like the X-Men,” Clayton said. “As long as you treat him with some actual seriousness, I think he’s a fantastic character, and I think it’s easy to throw him in a box of that jokester type, but if you ever give him any depth like ‘X-Men ‘97’ did, I think it works perfectly.”
Illustrated by Mike Collins
LOUISIANA NURSERY
Take a look at the fall flowers on Nov. 27 in Baton Rouge, La.
Photos by Alexis Persicke
Design by Kaitlyn Hoang
Red and white diabundas sit.
Pink and white azaleas sit.
A white and purple pansy sits.
Pink and yellow poinsettias sit.
Purple and orange ornamental cabbage sits.
A purple and black hybrid petunia sits.
A shelf of aloe vera sits.
Pink and white orchids sit.
Black and yellow pansies sit.
Purple and green coleus leaves sit.
How does LSU football affect the Airbnb market in Baton Rouge?
BY CHLOE RICHMOND, GRACELYN FARRAR, & AUDREY LIVIGINI
A Saturday night in Death Valley is every Tiger fan’s happy place. Make that a Saturday night against one of Louisiana State University’s biggest rivals, and you’ve got a game no one can miss.
For Tiger fans who don’t live in Baton Rouge, that can mean a pretty steep price, sometimes over $1000 a night, to stay in the capital city for the weekend. That’s on top of a very expensive football ticket. They’ll book hotel rooms or, more often, look for short-term rentals like Airbnbs that are closer to Tiger Stadium.
“About 60% of the rentals that we do at Airbnb are somehow associated with LSU,” said Matthew Callac, who has been an Airbnb host in Baton Rouge for over six years.
The LSU football season happens every year during the fall semester, attracting a huge group of people who often stay only for a short weekend, making Airbnb perfect for these tourists.
People visit Baton Rouge for many reasons – visiting family, meeting with constituents at the Capitol or fulfilling building construction assignments, as noted by Callac – but seeing an LSU football game is reason enough for many to make the trip.
Callac’s alma mater is LSU, so he’s well aware of the impact its football team has on the community. Despite not being an avid football fan himself, Callac knows what the demand for places to stay during game day weekends is like. Airbnb also recommends price increases for weekends with big rivalry football games in Baton Rouge.
“On any given weekend, you have your nightly rate, but for LSU football games, it ends up just like a hotel where you increase the price because there’s more demand coming into town,” Callac said.
Similar to Callac, Karlee Burleson, library director for LSU’s School of Veterinary Medicine, took a chance on the short-term rental market because of the university’s football culture.
Burleson moved to Baton Rouge at the start of 2023. She and her husband had been renting out a mother-in-law suite at their primary residence for long-term stays, but once the last tenant moved out earlier this year, they decided to capitalize on the football season through Airbnb.
“We first started renting out in October 2024,” Burleson said. “We rented out our room for every football game [afterwards]…Ole Miss, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.”
Despite a late start halfway into the season, Burleson said, they still turned a large profit. Her rate on a weekend without a home LSU football game was $160 a night, while her rate on a weekend with a home football game ran for $1,000 a night.
While a nightly rate of $1,000 a
night may come as a shock to some, Fallon Gerald Tullier, research and technology manager for VisitBatonRouge.com, wasn’t surprised at all.
“I bet she sold out,” she said.
Tullier emphasized the university and its football culture’s importance for tourism attraction. In comparison to other regions in the East Baton Rouge parish, Tullier said the surrounding area of LSU has the most short-term rental properties.
She also said that on a regular weekend in Baton Rouge, the occupancy rate usually is anywhere from 65 to 70%. On a game day weekend, the occupancy rate is closer to 85%.
“LSU is such a big brand right now and everyone wants to experience game day in Death Valley,” Tullier said. “People want to do something, people want to experience new things.”
As someone who works closely with a team to plan around visitor traffic, Tullier attributes people’s desire to see LSU and its football team to the welcoming culture of the South. She believes that LSU gameday culture specifically –“gathering together, whether to tailgate, whether to watch sports together, whether it’s going out to eat and watching the game” – is attractive to people not just in Baton Rouge but all over the country.
“It’s just a lot – the brand of LSU itself and college football, especially in the South, is a big draw,” Tullier said. “That’s just a part of Baton Rouge’s DNA – I think that this is one of those culture things you can’t really find anywhere else.”
On any game day weekend, real estate agent Gabrielle Mckellar spends her Friday morning dashing between her 13 Airbnb locations around Baton Rouge in preparation for the weekend’s guests who will arrive later in the day. She said she stays fully booked for home games at LSU. During the weekend of the football game against Ole Miss, she had to decline 27 additional requests for one of her Airbnbs.
“For every home game, I’ve been consistently booked,” she said, “which is nuts.”
Mckellar, 33, grew up on a farm in Mississippi and she had never been to a football game until September 2020 when LSU played Mississippi State.
“It was crazy to be introduced to football as an adult, to Tiger Stadium. Go big or go home,” Mckellar said.
Six years ago, Mckellar lived in a condominium near the Perkins Road Overpass District. She had just gotten out of a relationship and needed money, fast. She decided to move into a cheaper lodging she had access to and start renting out the condo with Airbnb.
“I was struggling. I started this only because I was scared,” said Mckellar. “And it turned into something that brings me so much pride and joy and the ability to serve.”
One of her previous clients requested multiple units a little over
a year ago. She decided to take the short-term rental business fulltime, in addition to her work as a real estate agent, and took on 12 other properties.
“I just took a chance,” Mckellar said. “Because I know they knew that they were taking a chance on me too, that I could provide multiple, and I did.”
While it takes Mckellar halfway through the football season to turn a profit, she depends on tips from guests and the relationships she has with the people who rent out her properties to extend into the off-season. Some of the people who stay for a game day weekend at one of her properties will reserve a unit for the whole year, especially if they have kids that go to LSU. She’s also had people who called looking for places to entertain their clients and rented out six or seven properties at a time.
While many individuals feel positively about the idea of shortterm rentals in an urban setting, others are opposed. Their concerns range from increased noise and traffic issues to the possibility of creating a short-term-rental only neighborhood.
According to the City of Baton Rouge Planning Commission, there are 460 short-term rental properties in the East Baton Rouge Parish. With this high number of properties and not a guaranteed occupancy year round, residents have expressed concerns regarding the possibility of a vacant neighborhood that would create a divide in the sense of community in residential areas. Due to the backlash, EBRP has taken the matter into legal hands to mitigate the conflict.
Lauren Edens, a host who lives in her own property said, “I know Baton Rouge has tried to pass some laws to prevent Airbnb rental property.”
The city of Baton Rouge placed parameters for short-term rentals in East Baton Rouge Parish in November 2022. According to a meeting with the Metro Council in 2022, permits will be acquired for these rentals whether the host resides in the home or not. A study done by the City of Baton Rouge Planning Commission found that regulations were put in place for “owner-occupied” properties on a limited basis in all single-family residential zoning districts.
This decision was frustrating for many neighborhoods as short-term rental properties now must register with the parish. Previous to this decision, short-term rental companies like Airbnb were relatively free of regulation. This parameter is meant to ensure that the owners or Airbnb hosts are paying taxes on their properties.
No matter the backlash to the short-term rental business, it is clearly a very successful entrepreneuring endeavor in Baton Rouge thanks to the tourism brought by LSU.
“LSU provides the missing piece to my hospitality year-round,” Mckellar said.
SPORTS IN HOT WATER
Kyren Lacy wanted on negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run charges
BY ETHAN STENGER
Louisiana State Police issued a warrant for the arrest of superstar LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy.
On Dec. 17, 2024, Lacy, 24, crashed a 2023 Dodge Charger south on LA Highway 20 before fleeing the scene two days before the projected first-round pick declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.
According to the police report, Lacy “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a designated No-Passing Zone.”
His alleged reckless driving caused a vehicle in the oncoming lane to abruptly brake to evade a collision with Lacy’s car. The car behind them, a Kia Cadenza, swerved left into oncoming traffic to avoid rear-ending the first vehicle. The Cadenza collided head-on with a Kia Sorrento that Lacy sped by as he drove around the crash and allegedly fled the scene.
The alleged traffic crash killed a passenger in the Sorrento, Herman Hall, a former marine, and injured two others, according to police.
Lacy is wanted on charges of negligent homicide, felony hitand-run and reckless operation
GYMNASTICS
of a vehicle. His agent released a statement on the matter after police issued a warrant for his arrest
“We are aware of the allegations that have been made regarding Kyren Lacy, and we want to take this opportunity to address them,” the statement read.
“First and foremost, Kyren is fully cooperating with the authorities.
We strongly believe that the facts will ultimately demonstrate the
truth, but we respect the need for a full and thorough investigation. We recognize the concern and questions that may arise from these recent allegations. To anyone impacted, directly or indirectly, we want to assure that this matter is being taken very seriously, and we are committed to resolving it responsibly. Out of respect for the investigation and everyone involved, we will not be
making further comments at this time.”
Lacy attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette before transferring to LSU in 2022.
Across his five-year collegiate career, Lacy caught 162 passes for 2360 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns while serving as Tigers’ quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s No. 1 option in the LSU passing attack.
BY TRE ALLEN
LSU men’s basketball fell to the Ole Miss Rebels 77-65, making it three consecutive conference losses. It was a rough offense showing for the Tigers. While Ole Miss does deserve credit defensively for making it difficult to get anything offensively going, LSU simply could not put the ball in the hoop.
LSU shot roughly 41% from the field and 23% from the three-point line, failing to find any rhythm on offense. A key issue for this Tiger team is that they fall in love with the threepoint shot. LSU took 31 threepointers in its game against Ole Miss and only made seven of them.
Although LSU lost its prominent paint presence in Jalen Reed with a torn ACL for the season, the three-point shooting is not one of the team’s strengths. The Tigers rank 13th in the SEC for three-point percentage.
The Tigers are settling for shots beyond the arch rather
LSU gymnastics places second in annual quad despite injuries
BY AINSLEY FLOOD & GABBY GRAY
After facing multiple injuries in the early season, LSU gymnastics achieved second place behind Oklahoma at the annual Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad on Saturday.
In last week’s season opener, the Tigers won 197.300-194.100 in a landslide victory despite losing top scorer Haleigh Bryant to a preseason injury.
Konnor McClain, another crucial member of the 2025 squad, was also recovering from an Achilles tear from last May in preparation for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
In further upsetting news for fans, KJ Johnson, who served as the opener for vault, suffered an ankle sprain and was therefore excluded from Saturday’s lineup.
These injuries left fans concerned about the gymnasts and LSU’s 2025 season, but after its victory against Iowa State and its performance at the Collegiate Quad, some hope has been restored in the eyes of Tiger fans.
The annual invitational was held in Oklahoma City, where No. 2 LSU, No. 1 Oklahoma, No.
4 Utah and No. 6 California met for the first time this season. LSU earned a total score of 197.650, just short of Oklahoma’s 197.950.
Given Olympic order, the Tigers began on vault, and Johnson was substituted for freshman Lexi Zeiss as the leadoff. Johnson posted a 9.85 to set the tone for
the Tigers.
Fresh out of the 2024 Olympics, Aleah Finnegan scored a 9.90, and fellow senior Chase Brock succeeded with a 9.925. Kaliya Lincoln and Amari Drayton followed with identical scores of 9.825.
Freshman Kailin Chio round-
ed out the event and landed the top score with a 9.95 after nailing her Yurchenko one and a half.
After earning SEC Freshman of the Week for her performance in the season opener all-around, Chio’s vault score stood the highest of the meet.
After the first round, the
composite score was 49.450, the highest of any other team in the event. Entering the second rotation, LSU trailed Oklahoma by a margin of .075.
Onto bars, Zeiss opened again for the Tigers, followed by Ashley Cowan, who crucially came through with an almost perfect routine, scoring a 9.95. Olivia Dunne made her first appearance on bars this season and accepted a 9.725, while Chio posted a 9.90 and Finnegan a 9.825.
In her eighth month of recovery, Konnor McClain anchored the team and celebrated a 9.925, an improvement from her score of 9.80 in the season opener.
LSU’s score totaled 98.875 at the halfway point, trailing the Sooners by .175.
As the Tigers lined up for the third rotation of the meet, they took on the balance beam where graduate student Sierra Ballard began and landed with a 9.850.
Following Ballard, Dunne made her way to the beam and performed a routine that earned a 9.775, the second-to-lowest score of the event.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
LSU football 5th-year-senior wide receiver Kyren Lacy (2) shakes his head after failing to receive a pass Sept. 21, during LSU’s 34-17 win against UCLA at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille
LSU gymnastics all-around senior Haleigh Bryant adjusts her crown Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, during LSU’s 198.125197.600 victory over the University of Kentucky in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. see STRUGGLES, page 10
At a university where nearly every athletic program is nationally relevant, there’s never a shortage of options. There are always electric playmakers to be found.
The Reveille Athlete of the Week is LSU women’s basketball Kailyn Gilbert.
The Arizona transfer has been a crucial addition to this year’s roster, delivering in crunch time multiple times this season, most recently, against Tennessee.
With the game tied and just seconds on the clock, Gilbert drove to the lane, spinning as she drained a hook shot with her left hand, leaving less than a second on the clock.
It would amount to LSU’s most impressive win of the season, though without Gilbert the game would not have gone the same.
She finished with 22 points, five rebounds and an assist. It was her third straight game with over 15 points, all in SEC play.
“I feel like I’m 6-foot walking around, so I don’t see nothing when those girls are in the paint,” Gilbert said. “They’re women just like me.”
Wednesday’s game winner was not the only time Gilbert has come through late this year.
She sank another game winner against Washington in November and made a 3-pointer with 17 seconds on the clock against Stanford.
Saving the team from three losses within just a couple months of play sufficiently emphasizes the importance of Gilbert to this
STRUGGLES, from page 9
than attacking downhill with guys like, Cam Carter, Jordan Sears or Vyctorius Miller.
LSU is one of those teams that will be forced to take and make threes throughout the season. As of right now, Cam Carter is the only player who is shooting above 40% from three while everyone else is hovering between 20 and 35 percent.
With a team that struggles to shoot or create isolation offense, the team offense must be better to get players good looks and better shot opportunities.
Tigers’ roster.
Gilbert was cut from Arizona’s roster just under a year ago before transferring to LSU in the spring.
Since then her role under head coach Kim Mulkey has been invaluable. Able to generate offense at will, her aggressive cutting frequently opening up a sometimes lagging Tiger offense.
“I think KG can get past anybody if she wants to,” LSU guard Aneesah Morrow said. “You gotta guard her as honest as you possibly can.”
Further, her improvement on off-ball defense has been credited by Mulkey.
Last season’s team struggled with a thin bench that wasn’t always able to contribute. This put pressure on the starters to do more with less rest.
In the portal, Mulkey added a number of valuable additions.
Gilbert headlines this group, already one of the most important names on the team.
This season she averages 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per games in 20.8 minutes per game.
“KG can score the basketball as good as any perimeter player I’ve ever coached,” Mulkey said.
A guard who can create steals, activate an offense and improve as the pressure increases is about the best you can ask for out of a bench player.
Gilbert will be a fundamental part of defining how far LSU is capable of going in the postseason.
There’s a lack of movement offensively that’s allowing defenders to watch the ball and make plays that stall the offense.
One of the most underrated parts of the game of basketball is the cutting and movement. It keeps the defense honest, makes defenders have to fight
COMPETITION
, from page 9
However, Chio and sophomore Konnor McClain were able to land more points in LSU’s favor, both earning 9.850s on beam.
Given her recovery from her previously mentioned injury, McClain seems to keep growing, with her score on the beam being higher than what she earned last week, competing against Iowa State by .025.
After McClain’s routine, graduate student Haleigh Bryant made her debut after suffering from her preseason injury.
On December 16th, Bryant strained her UCL after hitting the vault table during an exhibition meet.
While straining a UCL is terrible news for anyone, it’s even worse for an athlete like Bryant who is fully committed to her sport.
Last season, she was named the SEC Gymnast of the Week six times and received the title of the 2024 NCAA All-Around Champion, so her absence from the team speaks volumes to fans.
As head coach Jay Clark reported to the press, the balance beam was the only event she
through screens and creates mismatches. In the LSU offense, there’s not a lot of that going on.
Players such as Sears, Miller, Carter or Curtis Givens are easily capable of generating their own offense, but it has not been working so far in conference play.
Look at the play of Daimion Collins, an athletic forward who struggles to shoot the ball but has scored in double digits in three of the last four games.
Collins is shooting 63% from the field, but the majority of those shots are in the paint, where he can dunk either on put-backs or lobs plays. Another example is Corey Chest. He’s shooting 63% from the field on the season but most of his points come inside where he can clean up or use his post moves down low.
That’s where LSU needs to start attacking if they want to
was eligible to compete in due to her injury. She earned a score of 9.750, which was controversial among fans.
Since the audience is used to seeing nothing short of perfection from Bryant, they expected her return to be dazzling. However, they took to X to express their disappointment, leaving a string of comments on a post from LSU Gymnastics celebrating Bryant’s return.
“Wth is going on!” one fan posted.
“I think that’s her lowest score for any event since 2023,” said another.
However, it isn’t Bryant that fans appear to be frustrated with as they continue to express sympathy for her recovery, but rather the NCAA judges.
“That’s a perfect score deservedly,” commented another fan on the same post.
While fans appear to be furious with Bryant’s score, their anger isn’t likely to change the outcome of the third rotation.
Finnegan followed Bryant’s routine with a 9.925, bringing the Tigers to a composite score of 49.250, which placed them in third place for the event.
They followed California, who
in Baton Rouge, La.
find success on offense. However, the movement doesn’t matter on offense if you can’t take care of the ball. The Tigers had an abysmal 17 turnovers in their matchup against the Rebels, and it’s not the first time the Tigers couldn’t keep the ball in their hands.
In the conference opener against Vanderbilt, LSU lost the ball 15 times. In their most recent matchup against Missouri, LSU had 14 turnovers.
The Tigers are currently tied in the SEC for most turnovers per game with 13. In a conference that is largely known as one of the best conferences in basketball, it will to get harder down the road against better opponents.
If a team struggles to generate isolation basketball due to not shooting well and turning the ball over, it might be time to change the game plan on offense.
placed second with a 49.325 and Oklahoma with a 49.525.
As the Tigers made their way into the fourth and final rotation on the floor, Finnegan once again led her teammates with the highest score of the event, with her routine earning a 9.975.
Drayton’s score trailed just behind Finnegan’s – earning a 9.950 on the floor. Chio followed Drayton with a 9.925.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
LSU men’s basketball senior guard Cam Carter (5) blocks a Loyola player for redshirt junior forward Daimion Collins (10) during LSU’s 110-48 exhibition win against Loyola on Oct. 29 at the PMAC
FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille LSU gymnastics Konnor McClain sticks a landing April 20 during the NCAA Gymnastics Championship.
BY MARTY SULLIVAN
JACOB CHASTANT / The Reveille
OPINION
South Quad Drive’s name is misleading
ANDREW’S ANGLE
ANDREW SARHAN
South Quad Drive is a short, less-than-a-mile stretch of a road that starts at an interchange at Highland Road and ends at a stoplight on Nicholson Drive. Prior to 2017, this street used to be named Nicholson Drive Extension.
However, there’s just one thing about South Quad Drive. The name of the street is only partially accurate. It most certainly is south, as it is the southernmost road on LSU’s campus, and it is a drive because it’s a road. However, it is a half-mile walk from the LSU Quad.
You can’t even get a glimpse of the Quad from the street. The name is entirely a misnomer and can confuse out-of-towners trying to locate where places are around campus. This is unusual because most street names around campus make sense, such as North, South and West Stadium Drive and Tower Drive.
However, South Quad is different. It’s such a short stretch of road to where it doesn’t really matter what it is named, as long as it is not misleading. Because the name as it is makes it quite confusing to locate the LSU Quadrangle, why don’t we rename this street again?
South Quad Drive should be
renamed to Sherman Way, Sherman Drive or Sherman St., after General William Tecumseh Sherman, former superintendent of LSU and a Civil War hero.
Sherman was the superintendent at LSU before the Civil War and was said to have produced the finest military units of the time. One time, Sherman openly defied the order of the governor of Louisiana to send his troops to fight for the Confederacy because of his loyalty to the United States government.
For his valiant effort in defeating Confederates in his march to the sea in Georgia, Sherman was touted as a hero to the Union Army and to the U.S. I believe that because of the service he did for the country, he deserves some name recognition around the campus he was the superintendent of.
Not only would name recognition finally allow Sherman’s legacy at LSU to be more than a feeble plaque in front of the campanile, but it’s also a nod to LSU’s military academy days. Even though South Quad Drive is just a short distance away, naming it after Sherman allows us to remember the big impact he has had on not only LSU’s history but also the history of the United States.
Andrew Sarhan is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Baton Rouge, La.
EDITORIAL BOARD
Colin Falcon Editor in Chief
Editor John Buzbee
Don’t give up: a guide to sticking with New Year’s resolutions
KATE BESKE
New Year’s Resolutions have become a societal trend that can inspire growth, but most people quit within the first month, leading to stress and shame.
Setting goals and improving yourself is a positive way to start a year. Most resolutions revolve around positive life changes, such as quitting a bad habit, beginning a good one or improving on something.
According to a Forbes article, New Year’s resolutions are inherently hopeful and optimistic, and this positive outlook motivates action.
Setting beneficial goals at the beginning of a new year sets you up to act on those goals throughout the year, but some people quit trying after their first slip-up. Instead, it’s essential not to have an all-or-nothing attitude about it and give it another try.
It’s not easy to adopt a new habit, but by trying it more than once, the chances of it sticking grow.
A blog on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website discusses that some reasons people quit their resolutions are because the goal they set is unrealistic or takes too long to accomplish.
There are things to remember when setting resolutions or goals that can help make them feel more attainable, such as setting reachable goals that you can imagine reaching.
The most important thing is to set a goal that motivates you, as that motivation will lead to your success. According to the aforementioned blog, focusing on progress rather than perfection and practicing self-compassion is also essential.
According to USA Today, so many people quit their resolutions that the second Friday in January is often called “Quitter’s Day.”
They also encourage those who fail at their resolution to
Editorial Policies and Procedures
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 editor@lsu.edu 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.
blame the plan rather than themselves and take new action steps to reach their set goal.
While it’s normal to feel down about failing to accomplish a goal, it will only hurt you to be stringent and hard on yourself when you make a mistake.
While New Year’s resolutions may not be helpful to everyone, if they motivate you to try a little harder or make a beneficial change in your life, it doesn’t hurt to set a few and try, as long as you don’t stress yourself out or beat yourself up along the way.
The most harmful thing that can come from resolutions is setting unattainable goals, blaming yourself when you cannot reach them and not giving it another go.
When the end of January comes, think about your resolutions; if you have “failed” already, find a new approach and try it again.
Kate Beske is a 21-year-old journalism senior from Destrehan, La.
Quote of the Week
“Just when I thought I was out, they put me back in.”
Michael Corleone
Editor
Willis
Butcher News Editor
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Gen. William T. Sherman inspects battlements at Atlanta in 1864 prior to his March to the Sea during the American Civil War.
BESKE’S BUZZ
PETER HAMLIN / AP Illustration
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
TAYLOR HAMILTON
Unlike previous years, I have a bit more optimism for the year 2025. And contrary to many other years before, I hope to take better care of myself mentally, emotionally and physically. I want to work out more, eat healthier foods and consistently do little things to better my mental health. Things like doing my skincare routine everyday, reading more books and writing to let my mind be free. Just anything to make me feel better during times of absolute chaos and immense anxiety. So, that’s my New Year’s resolution for this year, and I genuinely hope to make it happen.
COURTNEY BELL
I am no stranger to coffee shops, and in fact, most of my joy comes from buying coffee out. But this has taken a serious toll on my bank account. So this year, my New Year’s resolution is to make coffee at home more often, and to buy drinks out less. I have not been successful so far, but there’s a lot of 2025 left.
EMMA DUHE
This year, my new year’s resolution is to regu- late my sleeping habits so that I can become a better functioning member of society. That means unfortunately cutting my number one vice, 5-8 p.m. naps that leave me feeling both under and overstimulated at the same time. This also means going to sleep before 2 a.m. This will hopefully go hand in hand with my other goal, which is to cut down on my screentime considerably. I received enough blank stares in response to my X references in 2024 to last a lifetime, and I’m ready to heal my brain.
ERIN BARKER
My big aspiration for 2025 is to get stronger so that I’m able to do at least one pull-up, maybe two. In this new year, I am dedicated to learning epic skills such as juggling and doing a handstand.
CHLOE RICHMOND
While I don’t necessarily have one primary New Year’s resolution, the focus is the same among everything I intend to work on this year: myself.
I want to knock off a couple of books on my TBR list, so if I can read at least one book a month, I’ll be satisfied. I also want to work on enhancing my professional skill set through various certifications while also utilizing LinkedIn more efficiently. As I approach the end of my college career, prioritizing my personal and professional goals is at the top of my list for 2025.
COLIN FALCON
My New Year’s resolution, like everyone else’s, is about bettering myself. I don’t intend to do any work to improve my physical or mental health, but I’d like to pick up a skill. On June 6, 2007, history was made when the “Daft Hands - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” YouTube video was published. By Jan. 1, 2026, I intend to be able to recreate this video down to the smallest twitch of the smallest muscle. For those not in the know, this video is essentially a tightly choreographed dance routine that uses only the hands in place of the entire body. Once I’m able to do this, I’ll finally be able to attend a party without experiencing crushing anxiety over what I would do if someone asked me to do something cool.
JASON WILLIS
This new year, I’m shooting to implement a few new positive things into my routine. I want to cook for myself most nights – even if it means laborious trips to ALDI every Sunday. I also want to try to read more books and consider picking up a novel the next time I want to hop on the Xbox.
OLIVER BUTCHER
There was a day last year in which I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast, an Italian sub for lunch and a grilled cheese for dinner. That’s three sandwiches in a day, at least one over the amount I think the average person should consume daily. With that sandwich de- pendence in mind, my New Year’s resolu- tion is to finally learn how to cook at a respectable level. I’ll leave it up to me in a few days to figure out what that really means.
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