STATE TATE TOUR
B-16 Hodges Hall
TATE ON TOUR
LSU president surveys LA’s needs, promotes Scholarship First agenda
BY AIDAN ANTHAUME @aidanth
LSU President William F. Tate IV embarked on a four-day whirlwind tour across Louisiana last week, connecting with communities and showcasing LSU’s dedication to the state’s future.
The Scholarship First Bus Tour focused on aligning the university’s research with Louisiana’s economic needs, as Tate met with students, alumni and industry leaders across several key communities in Louisiana from Oct. 15-18.
“We have 64 parishes. The university has a presence in every single one of those 64 parishes,” said Ashley Arceneaux, Tate’s chief of staff. “. . .For those places where we don’t necessarily have a campus, it’s nice for the people to see the president come and put feet to the ground, shake some hands, listen to the people’s problems.”
From operating heavy machinery at a logging facility to trying his hand at shooting skeet, Tate engaged with communities during the 1,000-mile tour, showcasing Louisiana’s unique culture and industries.
Day 1: Start, Rayville, Chase, Monroe
Kicking off in Start, Louisiana, the first day of the tour featured a celebratory send-off with U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) and a performance by LSU student and rising country star Timothy Wayne. The day embodied the “Start Small, End Big” motto of Start Elementary, the tour’s first stop.
The first scholarship of the tour was awarded to Anna-Marie Poland of Riverfield Academy, marking the start of her LSU journey as a member of the class of 2029.
“I think one of the most powerful things we did was start in Start, Louisiana…” Arceneaux noted. “Start has maybe 800 people in it, but people are so closely connected with one another and the town’s identity.”
Following the scholarship award, Tate and Surgeon General Ralph Abraham visited the Guardian Health Clinic in Rayville,
where a panel discussion at the Rayville Public Library addressed the unique challenges and potential solutions for delivering healthcare services in rural areas.
The day continued with a visit to the LSU AgCenter Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase to commemorate its 75th anniversary. Tate even tried his hand at digging sweet potatoes, experiencing firsthand the agricultural heritage of Louisiana.
The day concluded with Tate joining LSU Shreveport’s champion bass fishing team in Sterlington for a fishing trip, showcasing the diverse interests and talents of LSU students. A lively alumni fish fry provided a fitting end to the first day.
Day 2: Winnfield, Arnaudville, Fort Johnson
Tate started the second day by learning about the logging industry with State Rep. Jack McFarland, gaining insight into this vital economic driver for the state.
“Forestry is a massive industry in Louisiana, and we do a lot of work and research in that area as well,” Arceneaux said.
A visit to the Louisiana Political Museum in Winnfield provided a glimpse into the state’s rich political history, followed by a trip to Fort Johnson in Vernon Parish
to discuss potential partnerships with local leadership.
The day took a cultural turn with a visit to the NUNU Arts & Culture Collective in Arnaudville, where Tate received a warm welcome, learned Cajun and Creole phrases and even participated in a cooking lesson.
“We went to the NUNU collective in Arnaudville, which was just such a beautiful moment,” Arceneaux said of the experience. “There are all these folks there who are really intent on preserving the Cajun and Creole culture.”
Arceneaux said the people from Arnaudville were excited to welcome the university’s president.
“That’s kind of the refrain we kept hearing everywhere we went,” Arceneaux noted, saying Arnaudville was “... just a really warm, welcome, great community.”
The day concluded with a festive reception at Bayou Teche Brewery, celebrating the vibrant culture of Acadiana.
Day 3: New Iberia, Avery Island, Houma
The third day began with a visit to Conrad Rice Mill, America’s oldest rice mill, followed by lunch at Cane River Pecan Pie Bar in New Iberia.
The tour then moved to Avery Island, home of the iconic Tabasco sauce. Discussions centered around how brands like Tabasco and LSU, with their deep Louisiana roots, represent the state’s culture on a global stage.
The day concluded with a visit to Danos, a family-owned and operated company that has grown into a national corporation, emphasizing the importance of family values and legacy in Louisiana’s business landscape.
Day 4: Morgan City, Port Allen, Plaquemine
During the last day of the tour’s stop in Morgan City, Tate announced the construction of a new $107 million Construction & Advanced Manufacturing Building at LSU.
The new building will house the Bert S. Turner Department of Construction Management and provide state-of-the-art facilities for advanced manufacturing and construction research.
Tate then visited the Bridgeview Gun Club, where he met with the five-time national champion 4-H Shooting Club and received a shooting lesson. Then the tour headed to Plaquemine for a visit with A. Wilbert’s Sons, the familyowned company that sponsored the Scholarship First bus tour.
“We really got to go see some of their precision agriculture work and in action, which is really amazing because Louisiana is such an agricultural-based state,” Arceneaux said.
The tour concluded with a celebratory reception in Port Allen, marking the end of a successful journey across Louisiana.
“We’re really proud of this,” Arceneaux said. “It’s really important for the university to really make itself as a public university, to make itself available to the people of the state, but also to reach out and demonstrate how we are helping people.”
Front cover image courtesy of Ashley Arceneaux, LSU’s chief of staff.
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COURTESY OF KATHERINE SEGHERS / LSU
President Tate and others stand in front of the Scholarship First Bus on the last day of the 2024 tour.
COURTESY OF OLIVIA MCCLURE / LSU AGCENTER President Tate sits behind the wheel of a tractor on the second day of the 2024 Scholarship First bus tour.
COURTESY OF KYLIE RICHTER / LSU SHREVEPORT President Tate fishing with the LSUS champion bass fishing team at a secret location on the first day of the 2024 Scholarship First bus tour.
NEWS TEN COMMANDMENTS
Suit against Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law pits history vs. religion
BY WESLEY MULLER
LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR
Opponents of a new law that requires displays of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana classrooms point out that its language includes a quote attributed to one of the nation’s founding fathers that he didn’t actually say.
But that may not matter if a federal judge finds testimony one expert gave Monday in court irrelevant.
Those comments came Monday during arguments for a lawsuit that seeks to block the law from taking effect Jan. 1. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, heard from a professor who called into question whether the Ten Commandments is a historical document that influenced America’s founding, as supporters of the law claim.
While many see the legislation only for its provisions requiring classrooms to display a Ten Commandments poster, its other and
perhaps more significant purpose, as evidenced in the first two pages of the law itself, is to try to establish an official record that ties the origins of U.S. law to a Protestant Christian doctrine. If its advocates succeed, the Louisiana law could revise a national historical record that has long supported the separation of church and state.
The problem is that some of what lawmakers placed into the legislation is flat out fake and based on myth, according to Steven Green, professor of law, history and religious studies from Willamette University, who testified on behalf of a group of parents challenging the constitutionality of the Louisiana mandate. The parents filed the lawsuit with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups.
Judge deGravelles heard arguments Monday on whether Green should be allowed to testify as an expert witness in the case and whether the court should grant a preliminary injunction to stop
schools from complying with the new law before a decision is made or dismiss the case altogether.
The judge said he plans to rule on the matter by Nov. 15. School system leaders in the five parishes where the plaintiffs reside – East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon — have agreed to hold off on placing the Ten Commandments posters in classrooms until mid-November and aren’t legally required to do so until Jan. 1, 2025.
The bill lawmakers passed earlier this year contains what it purports to be a quote from James Madison, the fourth president and the chief architect of the U.S. Constitution: “(w)e have staked the whole future of our new nation … upon the capacity of each of ourselves to govern ourselves according to the moral principles of the Ten Commandments.”
Green, an expert on First Amendment issues involving school prayer, religious displays and the separation of church and state, told
the court the quote cannot be traced back to any primary historical documents related to Madison or any peer-reviewed research papers from scholars who have studied him.
Several different versions of the quote exist online as people continue to tweak it for various reasons.
Green went on to discount many of the other passages in the bill, noting that none of America’s founding documents — such as the U.S. Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights — make any mention of the Ten Commandments. The same holds true for the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact and Northwest Ordinance, all referenced in House Bill 71.
Calvinist and Protestant church leaders published the early school materials, such as the New England Primers and McGuffey Readers, referenced in the legislation before a public education system was wellestablished. Those materials referenced the Ten Commandments only two or three times among hundreds of lessons and were eventually
omitted as education became more secular over time, Green said.
There were many different religions and religious sects in the early American colonies, so Madison and the other founders were very aware that any establishment of religion or indication of religious favoritism would cause discord, Green said. Some of the nation’s early criminal laws are indirectly based on the principles of the Ten Commandments and other philosophical writings, but the historical record shows no direct connection between any religion and the founding of America, he said.
“The influence is indirect, at best,” Green said. “We have a lot of founding myths, and this is one of them.”
The state, led by Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, did not attempt to defend the historical accuracy of the claims within the bill while also not conceding to the plaintiffs’ version. Rather than
EDUCATION, page 4
BY SARAH WALTON @sarahrosewalton
Gov. Jeff Landry names Nov. 29 ‘Acadian Day’ to celebrate Acadian history and culture Black Women Leadership Association hosts panel
Gov. Jeff Landry signed a proclamation earlier this month naming the day after Thanksgiving this year “Acadian Day,” in honor of the Acadians and their contributions to the state.
Friday, Nov. 29, was named Acadian Day to celebrate the arrival of the Acadian people to Louisiana. The holiday will bring “recognition of the fact that much of the early economic and political development of Louisiana is directly attributable to the industry of the Acadian people, through cultivation of land, utilization of Louisiana’s natural resources and the interest of the Acadian people in political self-determination and American democracy,” according to the proclamation..
The Acadians originated from Vendee, France, and settled in what is now Nova Scotia in 1604, according to the National Park Service. In the time the Acadians lived there, their population increased from a few hundred to around 15,000, an article from 64 Parishes reported.
Over time, control of the land changed, but it wasn’t until 1713 that the British took over. The British gave the Acadians the ability to own land, but their residence in Nova Scotia was dependent on their allegiance to the Crown and
their church. By 1755, Acadians were being forced out of their homes. They were rounded up by the British, separated and sent all over the world. This moment in time is called Le Grand Dérangement, or The Great Disturbance, and it continued until 1764.
During the next few years, Acadians traveled far and wide to find their new home, with over 3,000
settling in Spanish-controlled Louisiana. When arriving, the Acadians had to adapt to their new surroundings. They grew and created their own culture and practices, including music, textiles, art and infrastructure. The Acadians also learned how to rely on the land, with some eventually owning plantations, becoming craftspeople and forging their own place in Louisiana.
Louisiana is known for its traditions and culture. A great part of that is Cajun culture, which would not have existed if it wasn’t for the Acadian migration to Louisiana.
Landry’s proclamation says state workers will “benefit from an additional legal holiday during a time period when families traditionally gather together to remember their blessings and promote family values.”
The Black Women Leadership Association hosted a leadership panel on Oct. 21 to discuss challenges Black women face in the professional world.
BWLA is a student organization whose mission, according to tis Tigerlink, is to cultivate, empower and unify Black women to become effective leaders in all aspects that are both inspiring and impactful. BWLA was chartered on LSU’s campus at the beginning of the Fall 2024 semester.
The event was broken down into four different discussion topics: Embracing Blackness within a workspace, networking, communication and navigating difficult conversations. Each topic was discussed among the five different panelists invited by the organization, all of them Black women in leadership positions from across Louisiana.
“I feel like when it comes to
BY ALAYNA FORD @alayna_fordd
HOLIDAY STUDENT LIFE
GRAPHIC BY JACOB CHASTANT
BWLA, from page 3
Black women’s development in leadership it needs to improve, especially with having collaborative places where we can talk about how we feel in professional workspaces,” said BWLA President and LSU chapter cofounder Jada Mukes, is also a marketing junior. “Because it’s important for the transition of going from our collegiate careers to professional workspaces.”
Here are some key moments from the discussion.
Communication
Communication was an important topic discussed at the event. Speakers were asked how Black women can learn to communicate effectively in a professional environment.
“Honesty is the best way to lead the relationship with your
EDUCATION, from page 3
try to refute Green’s testimony, the state’s lawyers argued that history is irrelevant at this juncture in the case, and the court should not allow Green to testify as an expert witness.
The attorney general’s team of lawyers also argued Green is biased because he previously served as the legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State
employer,” said BWLA Chapter Advisor and Co-founder of BWLA at Nicholls State University Tamera Castle. “You all need to be very direct about your expectations of your supervisor and hold them and yourself accountable.”
Jasmine Babineaux, the leadership and service coordinator at LSU Campus Life, gave attendees healthy communication practices to try out in hopes the students will be better communicators in a professional environment.
“Actively listen to everything people are saying and be an intentional listener,” Babineaux said. “Be observant. Observe the people you are working with ... the more you observe your environment, the more you become self-aware and socially aware, the better you can communicate what’s going on in your mind.”
and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.
While questioning Green under cross examination, the state’s lawyers tried several times to argue that he was testifying as a legal expert rather than a historian, but the judge seemed annoyed with the state’s lawyers for continuing to suggest it.
Building on what Babineaux said, LSU Campus Life Assistant Director of Leadership and Civic Engagement Bri McManus gave some encouraging words on how Black women should always remain sure of themselves when communicating as a minority.
“I really want black women to understand that you do not have to make yourself palpable to anybody, you just have to do your job,” McManus said.
LSU Academic Coordinator for Upward Bound Iriel Nunnery explained how keeping a paper trail while communicating is crucial and can be used as protection within the workforce.
“Use communication as a tool to protect yourself,” Nunnery said. “Use it as the one weapon that you have in your back pocket because at the end of the day who’s going to protect yourself?
“He’s not qualified as a legal expert,” deGravelles said emphatically. “That’s what I said about three times.”
Other arguments from Murrill’s team could prove more persuasive at getting Green’s testimony struck from the record and winning a dismissal of the case. Her attorneys argued that the court should at least see the posters before ruling on whether to block the law.
The state’s lawyers pointed out that no case law exists in which a court has ever adjudicated an “imaginary” religious display that
You.”
Networking
Many college students struggle with networking, so McManus gave the organization ideas on how to go about networking when in a space where opportunities are not freely given.
“All the networking I had to do when I got to LSU, I had to do on my own,” McManus said. “Nobody created space for me … I had to create that space, and often you have to be the change you want to see and if you want to network you have to be the owner of that experience.”
No stranger to the world of networking, Tonya BoldernBall, who serves as a regional director of diversity and inclusion at Ochsner Health, offered a personal anecdote on how networking has positively impacted her life, referring to a once in a lifetime opportunity to be inter-
no one has seen.
“We think it’s premature,” Murrill told reporters following the hearing.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that their clients include Catholic and Jewish families who shouldn’t be forced to look at Protestant scripture. The law requires the display of the Ten Commandments found in the King James Version of the Bible, which differs from the Catholic and Jewish scriptures. The state did not
viewed for a keynote in Essence magazine.
“You have to know your voice,” Boldern-Ball said. “Make sure you know your elevator pitch. This is very important and don’t be scared.” She further explains that even when an elevator pitch doesn’t work out, that not everyone is perfect and to not give up.
After the panel, Mukes expressed her satisfaction with the discussion and its successful turnout, planning to host a similar event in the future.
“I hope members and nonmembers understand that there is no time limit on success,” Mukes said. “Success is a mindset … and I hope that they learned that it’s okay to feel like you’re running low on time because you’re not. You just have to have the confidence within yourself.”
refute the claim that the posters are Protestant religious displays.
At one point in the hearing, the state’s lawyers presented an example of a Ten Commandments poster that would meet the minimum requirements set in the law. When the judge saw it, he noted the font was so small that it was nearly impossible to read from where he was sitting.
The law calls for the displays to be at least 11 inches by 14 inches.
The dining halls should give students one free meal per day
TANTAWI’S TABLOID
MOHAMMAD
TANTAWI
@mowinator
As the economy continues to be the main concern for Americans heading into the election, LSU students should ask themselves, “what has my school done to relieve some of my financial burden?” Probably not much, but a free meal would be a good way to start.
Every student should be guaranteed one free meal per day at any LSU dining hall.
Students are constantly faced with the burden of finding parking or facing an overpriced ticket given to them by underpaid workers driving run-down Dodge Caravans.
But let’s give LSU some credit. They have not raised tuition in the past five school years, despite inflation and the increased cost of everyday goods.
The dining halls do great work catering to students’ hours and providing a variety of nutritional options. I looked over LSU’s meal plan options, seeing the cheapest was the 12-meal swipe (12 divided by seven made for bad math) per week plan priced at $4,688 per year.
I never had a meal plan, so Collier Roberts, a finance sophomore, helped me understand how 12 meal swipes work.
“I ate 2 times a day and had to find another way to eat on Saturdays,” Roberts said.
I’m 24, so I know that paw points are just another way of saying, “coffee and stress food money.”
“My paw points went by way quicker than I would’ve liked. I spent [the] majority of them in the first few months,” Roberts said.
My conclusion after our conversation was the same one I had beforehand; LSU needs to step in.
I took a visit to the LSU food pantry to see if I could survive a day with what I could grab. Heavy student traffic forces the pantry to cap the amount of time you can take. This means you must make time every day to
make a trip and hopefully have enough time between classes to make it back home to put cold items in the refrigerator.
Arriving at the meat freezer, I opted for a microwavable dinner because I needed to stay on campus. Above my 5-foot 7-inch frame a label marked “take one” was placed. “If I eat this microwaveable chicken salad now, what’s dinner looking like?” I thought.
I was expected to cook and season the rice and beans for dinner and have some sort of protein at my house to complete the trio. All this while allowing time to return to campus, finish my homework in the library and get enough sleep for my 5 a.m. workout.
Could it be done? Yes. Is it convenient? No. Should the university offer us some help? Yes.
A free meal would ease the stress of spending money on a necessity, allowing students access to a nutritional meal while saving time and money. It could also create a collaboration between the pantry and the dining halls for students, further enhancing their options.
The arguments of meal prep -
ping are valid, however, not sufficient. Not every student handles the pressures of class, homework, employment, social life and hygiene with the efficiency needed to make, package and wash the dishes needed to repeat the process.
Programs are great, but a direct change in the image of a free meal will leave graduates with a memory of their school being interested in improving their day-to-day lives. There’s no need to add another handful of administrators to the payroll.
Students are here for an education. Institutions should be expected to pave the road along their journey to make it as smooth as possible. However, as unglamorous as it may be to cater to a minority, we must remember that they are studying to escape poverty. Let us allow their college experience to encompass a level of stability. Let us not overlook the potential unleashed when a student is able to overcome food insecurity.
Mohammad Tantawi is a 24-year-old mass communication senior from Smyrna, TN.
Michael Myers is a monster with a heart
AMYRI’S VANTAGE
AMYRI JONES @acamelliasssss
This is a hot take, but true fans of the “Halloween” franchise will hear me out. Michael Myers was awful and a literal serial killer. But being that he’s a fictional character, I think it’s possible to rationalize with him. If he were real, it’d be a different story.
This past weekend, I decided to watch the very first “Halloween” movie. Learning Myers’ lore is always interesting, but the film was not the best. I know it was made in 1978, so I had to overlook the bad acting and the weird, and unnecessary sexual scenes and innuendos.
But as I was watching the movie, I noticed a pattern. Anytime Myers saw someone being bullied or if he’s the one being bullied, he either scared the bullies away or murdered them. Bullying was some sort of a trigger for him. This alone made me see his human nature. Somewhere inside of all of his darkness, there was a light. But because we get so caught up in his senseless killings, we don’t always acknowledge this.
I would go as far as saying that many of the villains we see in a cinema have some sort of reason behind their behavior. In some instances, this could be pointing to trauma or alienation, which deserves a bit of sympathy. Instead of them finding ways to cope with the treatment they received from others, characters like Myers chose to be heinous in response to it.
Whether you like it or not, this is the case for Myers. I don’t think Myers was born mentally ill. He was made into the monster that we all know him as. I say this because he shows that he has heart in the ways he protected those who were bullied.
Knowing that Myers was an anti-bullying king makes me wonder if he could’ve been saved. The first movie doesn’t go into much detail about Myers’ life, and I think that allows the audience to try and piece things together, so hear me out as I try to do so. I think Myers was definitely mentally ill, but just because someone has a mental disorder does not automatically make them evil. Horror movies of-
ten make this assumption, and it’s concerning, but that’s a topic for another day.
Since Myers was the youngest child in his family, I think that he was often forgotten about. His parents would go off without him and his older, teenage sister would be somewhere with a guy, as the first movie points out. Due to his constant isolation and neglect from his family, Myers became angry and lost touch with reality. This is what turned him into a monster.
It’s scientifically proven that social isolation can lead to negative mental health symptoms that can then morph into disorders, like psychosis and depression, according to the National Library of Medicine. You could drive yourself mad from a lack of human interaction, that’s why it’s important to have people to navigate life with. Myers didn’t have this, and it sent him straight into insanity.
In my opinion, monsters are born from the absence of love. While Michael is still considered a monster, I can’t help but acknowledge that his transformation into the man we know him as was not inevitable, but rather a tragic outcome of neglect and abandonment.
Amyri Jones is a 22-year-old digital advertising and religious studies senior from Baton Rouge.
Editorial Policies and Procedures Quote of the Week
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.
“Seabelts everyone!”
REAGAN COTTEN / The Reveille Students look at food options on Sept. 21, 2023 in the 459 Dining Hall.
RYAN GREEN / UNIVERSAL PICTURES VIA AP This image released by Universal Pictures shows the character Michael Myers in “Halloween Kills,” directed by David Gordon Green.
TIGERAMA
LSU Department of Bands and School of Music present the 41st annual ‘Tigerama’ on Oct. 22 in the LSU Student Union Theater.
LSU Tiger Band clarinets play LSU Drum Cadences.
LSU Colorguard performs during Tigerama.
LSU Tiger Band drum major senior Trent McKinney keeps time during LSU Drum Cadences.
LSU Tiger Band saxophones play LSU Drum Cadences.
LSU Associate Director of Bands Simon Holoweiko conducts the band during God of Our Fathers by Claude T. Smith.
Photos by Alexis Persicke
Spread by Riley White
EMPOWERING
How has social media transformed sports?
BY MARTIN SULLIVAN @marty_sulli
Social media has played a significant role in all kinds of changes to the world of sports -- many bad, many good.
Reporting, economics, public dialogue and the fan experience have all seen dramatic change because of social media. In just over a decade, it has empowered players, shaped NIL and changed how sports are consumed.
While much of this change existed before the legalization of NIL, the industry-shifting decision certainly intensified it.
When asked on The Pivot what made 2023 different from other years in popularizing women’s basketball, Angel Reese answered confidently.
“It’s social media. That’s just what everything has come down to,” Reese said. “Even just staying in college. As a woman you
can make more money in college than going to the WNBA.”
A recent Washington Post article found LSU to be one of two in a 12-school data set where women earned anywhere near as much as men. Of NIL income at LSU, men made 53%, the women’s basketball team made 24% and the gymnastics team made 22%.
Much of that is due to social media, a relationship that a 2021 Sport Management Review study examined.
“On average, female studentathletes post more content than their male counterparts; however, male student-athletes generally have more followers than female athletes, yet, the median female and male athlete have comparable numbers of followers, suggesting that social media provides a somewhat more level playing field, in contrast to traditional media channels where fe -
male athletes receive less than 4% of all coverage.”
Male student-athletes at LSU had less than half a million followers across platforms last season, while the women’s basketball team alone had over 13 million.
Trace Young, a men’s basketball player at LSU, played two minutes last season but a platform of more than 350,000 followers across social media platforms afforded him large endorsement deals and higher NIL earnings, the Washington Post reported.
The Sport Management Review study also found that student-athletes associated with top-tier athletic institutions have more followers on average than at mid-tier institutions.
The ugliest side of social media’s impact has been the access users have to players. This can be
FOOTBALL
LSU vs. Texas A&M is a battle for the SEC
BY TRE ALLEN @treday0314
There’s nothing better than a rivalry game with high stakes. That’s what’s happening on Saturday.
With Georgia defeating Texas last week, there are now only two undefeated teams in the SEC: the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies. They will face each other in a primetime matchup on ABC at 6:30 p.m. in College Station.
How did they get here?
If you asked the majority of people who would be at the top of the SEC through seven games, you’d most likely hear teams like Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama and even Tennessee. However, the Tigers and Aggies have surprised people across the country.
Both teams started their seasons with a loss to an out-of-conference opponent in week 1. LSU lost to USC 27-20, while Texas A&M lost to Notre Dame 23-13. Despite that obstacle early in the season, neither team has lost since, and both sit at 6-1.
So far in conference play, the Tigers beat South Carolina, then No. 9 Ole Miss and most recently Arkansas. The Aggies have beaten Florida, Arkansas, then-No. 9 Missouri and Mississippi State.
The Tigers lost a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, and there were many concerns about whether their offense would be able to produce like last year. There is no recreation of the historic season that Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. had, but LSU is still productive with a variety of weapons.
the injury of star defensive player Harold Perkins.
However, the unit has consistently improved with the help of a new defensive staff.
Players such as linebacker Whit Weeks, who leads the team in tackles with 68, Bradyn Swinson, who leads the team in sacks with seven, and Zy Alexander, who leads the team in interceptions and has solidified himself as the starting cornerback, helped lead the way.
Texas A&M set high expectations for the past two years by securing the best recruiting classes in 2022. After going 7-6 last season, Texas A&M decided to move on from head coach Jimbo Fisher and replace him with former Duke head coach Mike Elko.
Losing 26 players to the transfer portal was going to be a tall order to answer, but Elko has done just that.
Running back Le’Veon Moss has been the focal point for the Aggies’ offense, running for 674 yards on 106 carries and eight touchdowns. The Aggies have also shaped their identity by having a top-30 defense in the country. Linebacker Tauren York has been their anchor on defense, leading the team in tackles with 40, and defensive back Will Lee III has provided blanket coverage with eight pass deflections on the season.
The Aggies are now in the driver’s seat for the SEC.
What’s next?
After this Saturday, there will only be four games left for both teams. The Tigers still have to take on No. 15 Alabama, Florida, No. 25 Vanderbilt and Oklahoma.
Fans throwing trash may change rules
Georgia-Texas incident caused game-changing reversal
BY ETHAN STENGER
No. 5 Georgia’s 30-15 triumph over top-ranked Texas could go down in NCAA infamy forever, but not for the reason you would think.
The game had astronomical implications for the SEC and the new 12-team college football playoff picture. The Bulldogs went on a 23-0 run to start the night and never looked back. The victory raised Georgia to No. 2, while the Longhorns now round out the rear end of the top five.
But the real story came late in the third quarter as Texas was mounting their comeback attempt.
Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck looked left for receiver Arian Smith and threw it toward the sideline. Longhorns defensive back Jahdae Barron made contact with Smith at the top of his route while watching Beck’s eyes. When Beck threw it just wide of Smith, the opportunistic Barron made a play on the ball.
It was a massive interception in Georgia territory, as Texas now had momentum, trailing 23-8 midway through the second half. But as Barron ran it back, a penalty marker fell on the field. Barron was flagged for defensive pass interference. It was a bad call. The contact went both ways and did not warrant a foul on Barron, and the re -
cord 105,215 who packed Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium agreed. They couldn’t believe it.
In retaliation, the Longhorns crowd began throwing water bottles and beer cans onto CambellWilliams Field. Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian walked over to the section that was chucking the trash, raising his hands and yelling, telling them to cut it out. The officials were forced to hit the brakes as the game had come to a screeching halt.
The extra stoppage time allowed the officials to discuss the recent penalty further, and they overturned the call. It was an extraordinary end to an unprec-
SOCIAL MEDIA, page 10 see BOTTLES, page 10
Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has stepped up into the starting quarterback role, throwing for 2,222 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Kyren Lacy is leading the team in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns with 36 receptions, 512 yards and six touchdowns. Right behind him is Aaron Anderson, who’s on the verge of having a breakout season with 33 receptions for 488 yards and three touchdowns.
The Tigers have been lacking in the running game, but freshman running back Caden Durham has provided the spark that they needed. Durham has run for 382 yards for six touchdowns on 36 carries.
None of this would be possible without an offensive line that has only given up two sacks on the season. Led by Will Campbell and Emery Jones Jr., it has shown that it’s one of the best offensive lines in the country.
The most concerning part for them was the defense. At the beginning of the season, it seemed like it was going to be another long year for them, especially with
As for Texas A&M, they still have South Carolina, New Mexico State, Auburn and No. 5 Texas.
Although the season is nowhere near being over, whoever wins this game will have full control of their destiny to not only the SEC championship but also the College Football Playoffs.
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille LSU football head coach Brian Kelley yells on the sideline Saturday, Oct. 19, during LSU’s 34-10 win against Arkansas at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on North Razorback Road in Fayetteville, Ar.
@lsuwoj
SOCIAL MEDIA
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well intentioned and wholesome, but it can also bring trolling and even death threats.
“Anything beyond criticism about playing the game we love is wrong,” Reese said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sept. 26. “This is why I started my podcast. To take my voice back and create the narrative of who I really am.”
Reese has been the victim of bigoted hostility and threats ever since she got a spotlight at LSU. The total freedom fans have to address players behind a screen regularly leads to hateful and derogatory messages.
edented turn of events.
“I won’t comment because I want to respect the wishes of the SEC office,” Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart said. “But I will say now we have a precedent that if you throw a bunch of stuff on the field and endanger athletes, that you’ve got a chance to get your call reversed.”
Saturday night’s soap opera opens up an officiating can of worms. If the home crowd isn’t happy with a call, projectile-launching garbage onto the field gives the referees a chance to overturn the original call on
“We’re people,” former LSU linebacker Eric Hill (1985-88) said. “We love the same way, we want to laugh, we want to smile, we want to have fun. We’re complicated beings because it’s very hard to do something at a high high level and not be different.”
Reese uses the immense status she has built to control how her words are broadcast.
“I’ve never in my life had privilege but I definitely know the power I have through my platform,” Reese said in another Sept. 26 post on X. “That didn’t come overnight. I grew that on my OWN.”
This interest in regulating the narrative has also given fans a
the field. Not only will this slow down games for prolonged officiating conversations, something all sports fans are already sick of, but as Smart stated, propelling water bottles, beer cans and other waste onto the gridiron puts those on the turf at risk.
On Sunday morning, the SEC released a statement regarding the situation’s uncanny circumstances.
“The game officials gathered to discuss the play, which is permitted to ensure the proper penalty is enforced, at which time the calling official reported that he erred, and a foul should not have been called for defensive pass in-
more personal insight to the lives and personalities of athletes.
Now, athletes can express how a situation has affected their lives practically and emotionally. Zoomed-out footage from a television presents athletes as a product of entertainment; with social media, consumers can see the individual beyond the game.
This cut out of the middleman has also changed reporting. Athletes can now simply announce their own injury and better communicate the cause and decisions involved.
Even beyond injury, the prospect of monetizing one’s status on anything from streaming to podcasts has produced stories
terference,” the statement reads.
While it’s good that the referees made the right decision and the play didn’t affect the game’s outcome, incorporating a new rule to avoid these types of situations should be No. 1 on the NCAA’s to-do list. Officials should not be allowed to overturn a call due to a stoppage unrelated to what’s happening on the field; what’s done is done, no questions asked.
As November nears, college football has increasingly intense matchups with potentially significant playoff implications. The NCAA doesn’t have time to address this in the offseason; it
and anecdotes from athletes that would be much harder for reporters to access.
Former players are now regularly hosting on shows and podcasts to discuss a variety of topics, primarily in relation to their careers. This provides community to retirees who struggle turning the page after a life entirely oriented around their sport.
Among the most important changes social media has brought to sports is the platform it has given to athletes to speak on what matters to them.
An informed perspective and knowledge of issues cannot be achieved without the voices of athletes, not to mention the pow-
must act now before it’s too late.
The SEC fined the university $250,000 for Saturday night’s incident. The next morning, University of Texas system chairman Kevin Eltife, president Jay Harrell and athletic director Chris Del Conte released a statement.
“While we deeply appreciate the passion and loyalty of our fan base at The University of Texas at Austin, we do not condone the unsportsmanlike conduct that was exhibited by some individuals throwing objects onto the field during last night’s game and sincerely apologize to the University of Georgia players, coaches, and fans, as well as the Southeastern
er they hold with their celebrity.
“With the way social media is, these guys speak up on everything,” former LSU defensive lineman Karl Dunbar (1986-89) said. “Social justice, all kinds of things that they want to talk about that’s true to them… It’s very empowering.”
There is no doubt athletes have an increased exposure to hate from social media users, but the voice and platform of athletes has also produced dramatic changes to sports overall.
The outcomes of empowering athletes have ultimately been tremendously positive and should be used to inform the direction of sports going forward.
Conference and officiating crew,” the statement reads. “This type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
“Respect, sportsmanship, and fairness are the values that drive our program, and we expect all of our fans to uphold these standards. We are committed to fostering a positive environment for all participants, teams, officials, and fans, and we will take steps to ensure that this type of behavior does not happen again.”
While we don’t know how or when the NCAA will react, one thing is sure: Saturday night’s showdown could send shockwaves throughout college football for eternity.
ENTERTAINMENT
HIGH FASHION
Use of sustainable hemp fiber in fashion
BY
@camillemill333
There is a cannabis hotspot on campus, and it’s located in the Human Ecology Building.
The LSU Department of Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising presents its newest exhibit, “Hemp Impressions: Sustainable Fiber and Fashion Reimagined,” which displays diverse garments created with hemp fiber fabrics.
The exhibit celebrates the versatility and sustainable potential of industrial hemp fabrics in clothing design. Casey Stannard, TAM associate professor and the exhibit curator, feels that the showcase has important implications for the future of the fashion industry.
“It’s something where professors who are familiar with the fiber and its sustainable potential, they’re going to promote it within their classrooms, which is going to get to future designers and get out into the industry,” Stannard said. “It’s sort of a ground up approach.”
Before the Farm Bill of 2018, hemp was illegal to grow in the United States. As a result, hemp fabric is an unexplored fashion resource that could be a sustainable alternative to synthetic clothing materials like polyester and rayon. It also has some advantages over cotton, as it requires less water and pesticides to produce.
In addition to featuring hemp textiles, the exhibit contains several other sustainable fashion elements including upcycling, vegetable dyes and zero-waste garments. Other garments contain removable elements or real flowers, while some display intricate techniques like weaving and quilting.
“We have a lot of wearable pieces,” Stannard said. “We’ve got quite a range in here, which is exciting to see as well. It’s like everybody is on the top of their game and kind of showing what’s cutting edge in design land.”
Stannard’s own design incorporates lace reused from a previous garment, a wicker basket bodice and upcycled fabric rosettes.
Designers from universities across the United States are represented in “Hemp Impressions”, but spots were limited.
Designers had to use over 50% hemp fiber or textiles to create their piece. Each look was then photographed and sent to a blind jury, who determined what garments would make it into the final exhibit.
Mary Elliott, TAM instructor and internship coordinator, decided to apply for the exhibit while she was working on an embroidery project for a different class. She combined her love for embellishment and her willingness to experiment to create her piece.
“One of the things that sort of always gets my creative juices flowing is the actual textile product itself,” Elliott said. “Just the idea of getting to work with a fabric I had never worked with before was interesting to me.”
Her look highlights intricate Shisha mirror embroidery, which originated in Persia and grew popular in the United States in the ‘70s.
Martha Rigney, a junior TAM major, also designed a look that made it successfully into the exhibit. She was inspired by denim and diamonds to make her bedazzled hemp fiber garment.
“I thought it would be a cool opportunity to take a fabric that people don’t know much about and elevate it using that trend and make something that I think people around here would actually buy from a boutique,” Rigney said.
Rigney is excited to be part of an initiative that spreads awareness on hemp’s eco-friendly nature and versatile design qualities.
“Hemp is a growing agricultural product in the United States, and I think it’s really important to know your options in the textile industry,” Rigney said. “I think
Student offers exclusive, artisan chocolate recipe
BY EMILY BRACHER @emily_bracher_
The term “sweet treat” has swept the internet and vocabularies by storm.
Whether it is an ice cream trip to Andy’s Frozen Custard or a late night cookie run to Insomnia, most people have their go to sweet in mind. One Baton Rouge business has taken this experience to a new level.
she preferred over the American one, so Khalaf decided she would start making them at home.
it’s super cool to get in on the first push to popularize such an unknown fiber. I saw some really cool ideas, and I think it was really inspiring.”
“Hemp Impressions” will be on display in the lobby of the LSU Human Ecology Building through Oct. 31. From Nov. 7-9, the garments will move to a pop-up exhibit at Louisiana’s Old State Capitol. Stannard will give a special lecture in conjunction with the showcase at 6 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 8.
Stannard has been proud to curate an exhibit that pushes the window of sustainability and creativity in the fashion industry.
“I’ve been in this game for a long time,” Stannard said. “I’m always interested in new areas where I can exhibit design work. I’m always looking for new ways to help my fellow design people and students to have places to exhibit their work and experience new things. It’s a beautiful, beautiful textile.”
Funding for the showcase was provided by the LSU AgCenter, Therapeutic Cannabis Research Initiative, which will conduct its own research regarding customer attitudes toward hemp fabric.
Chocolate Bijoúx LLC makes handcrafted artisan chocolates and sells them at Baton Rouge storefronts such as Juban’s, Local Supply BR, The Keeping Room, Lighthouse Coffee and Mulberry Market. The business, with a blend of Arab and Southern influence, started in February 2023 by current LSU senior Maram Khalaf. Khalaf makes an arrangement of specialty chocolates with flavors like caramel, cookies and cream and most famously the pistachio Dubai bar.
Khalaf said there is more to it than just mixing ingredients together to make her chocolates. As a biology and education major, she likes to approach this process with a scientific mindset. All of this started when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and her mother couldn’t get the Swiss chocolate
CLOTHING
“The skills I develop in my studies—such as experimentation, creativity and problem-solving—enhance my chocolate-making process,” Khalaf said. “This unique blend of science and artistry allows me to innovate while ensuring quality, making each chocolate creation not just delicious but also a product of careful thought and study.”
The process is not as simple as it may seem. Khalif shares each step in the process of her chocolate making skills here:
Step 1: Polish the molds to ensure a glossy finish on the bonbons.
Step 2: Temper the cocoa butter and use it to decorate the molds. This could be with a brush, splatter effect or airbrush for added color and design.
Step 3: Temper the chocolate. This gives it a smooth, shiny finish and a satisfying snap when broken.
Step 4: Shell the molds into each cavity, ensuring they are evenly coated. Tap out the excess chocolate to form a thin shell.
Step 5: Allow the shells to set
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Boutique Business Bonanza
Over 30 vendors gather to clear their shelves
BY EMILY BRACHER @emily_bracher
The fifth annual “Boutique Blowout” was on Oct. 20 at the Crowne Plaza with over 30 vendors selling a range of items from athletic wear to formal dresses.
The event ran from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with a special VIP entrance at 9 a.m. for $20. Everything was organized by Jennifer Gomez, who has been involved since the event started and took over everything this year. She said that the main goal of the blowout is to help local businesses clear out their shelves before they get new inventory for the changing seasons.
“There’s a line of people waiting to get in at the beginning because they know that there are no sales like this anywhere else,” Gomez said.
Vendors come from everywhere in the South, including Baton Rouge, New Orleans, the North Shore, Mississippi and even Texas. Gomez said that these businesses usually like coming back because they build a community of boutique owners that connect through this space.
The possibilities are endless with clothes for kids, men and women, along with jewelry and accessories for everyone. Sizes range from an XS to plus size.
“This event is really for everybody, so it’s really great for the whole family to come,” Gomez said.
Fab Boutique started in 2013 and relaunched in 2020, and the business has been part of the Boutique Blowout for the past four years. Owner Shanrika Dangerfield said that what she sells gives off a unique vibe, and she mentions on her website that her vision is to create a “oneof-a-kind” shopping experience. Since being a part of this event, she said that it has been the people that she has met that keeps bringing her back.
Grace Lasseigne and her boutique, Shop The Kate, started attending the Boutique Blowout in 2023. Lasseigne said it was enough to bring her back. She originally came across the event on Instagram and liked the opportunity to sell items from past seasons. Lasseigne attends pop-
CAMILLE MILLIGAN
CAMILLE MILLIGAN / The Reveille
A hemp textile bag adorned with real orchids and Dr. Stannards jumpsuit with upcycled elements.
CAMILLE MILLIGAN / The Reveille Garments featured in the “Hemp Impressions” exhibit in the LSU Human Ecology Building.
CHOCOLATE, from page 11
by cooling them.
Step 6: Fill the shells with filling. All fillings are made in-house from nut roasting to nut butters to caramel.
Step 7: Cap and seal the bonbons with more tempered chocolate over the tops of the molds, completely sealing in the filling.
Step 8: Crack out the bonbons once they’re fully set.
Step 9: Package the bonbons carefully, ensuring they stay fresh and are beautifully presented. When making chocolate bonbons, the company treat presentation and flavor with equal importance.
Chocolate Bijoúx has been able to help cater and fulfill people’s sweet treat dreams since opening. Khalaf said that running a niche business like her own in Baton Rouge is rare and unique. Unlike the usual cake or cookie, it is hard to find anything else
BOUTIQUE, from page 11
up shops often as her business is an online storefront and said that there, she is able to meet new faces.
“I think I have a little bit of everything,” Lasseigne said. “I have styles from formal dresses, I have casual stuff, I have jeans. Come shop.”
Lasseigne sold out of all of the jewelry she brought before the event was even over.
Professional home and office organizer Sara West and her business South Coast Organizers were there to assist shoppers who needed help organiz-
DOCUMENTARY
like the chocolates she is selling, since all ingredients are whole and natural with no artificial additives or chemicals.
“With a focus on creativity and community, we often give back and emphasize the importance of paying it forward,” Khalaf said. “We strive to stay on-trend and provide something that isn’t available anywhere else at the highest quality, like our viral Pistachio Dubai bar.”
Customers are able to customize orders with chocolates of all kinds, Khalaf said. Whether it is a pick up at businesses such as Mulberry Market or a local market, Khalaf and her chocolates can be found all over Baton Rouge.
“My business blends passion, culture and creativity,” Khalaf said. “Essentially my goal is to bring people together through chocolate, creating an inclusive space and proving that anyone can succeed with hard work.”
ing all of the clothes they just purchased. West said she got involved with the event because she is really good friends with Gomez, and she thought it would be a good audience for her business.
“When you do these types of events and you own your own business, you end up meeting other business owners and making those connections. It’s always a good thing to see,” West said.
The next Boutique Blowout is scheduled for March 23, 2025. For more information, check out their Instagram, @shopbatonrouge.
Alumni sibling duo creates documentary celebrating heritage
BY ARIS WILLIAMS @arisofmars
LSU alumni sibling duo Ugonna Njoku and Uzoamaka Njoku recently ventured into the world of filmmaking to create their first documentary.
“The Social Boot: Boundaries Unchained” began as a vision that Ugonna “Ugo” Njoku had while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic as an LSU student. He eventually convinced his sister, Uzoamaka “Uzo” Njoku, to be involved, and the film became a collaborative project.
“I started conceptualizing this in 2020,” said Ugo, the 2022 graduate who doubled majored in psychology and sociology at LSU. “I got a boost of confidence from my friends and sister, who went on to be huge parts of the process.”
The film was shot throughout the southern United States and features a vibrant collection of music, spoken word and narrations. The Social Boot was an established creative collective, which led the Baton Rouge natives to involve longtime friends in the process.
“Community was a major aspect of this project. Our entire crew is people that we’ve went
to school with or people that we’ve known for years,” said Uzo, who earned her bachelor’s in psychology from LSU in 2023.
“Everybody poured into the project and trusted our vision. My favorite part of creating this was our filming sessions back in 2022.”
Ugo and Uzo credit their lived experiences as major inspirations for the project. Their Nigerian American heritage and the influence of their parents,
who documented their formative years using a film camera, are ever present in the subject matter.
“That adds another layer of the ‘why’ for storytelling,” said Uzo. “We want to emphasize the importance of personal stories and how they are to you.”
The circumstances that the Njoku siblings navigated heavily influenced the direction of the documentary. Their father works in the medical industry, so through his patients, they were exposed to different stories and circumstances. This was the formative experience that got Uzo into storytelling and helped her see its importance.
“We have early memories of navigating natural disasters, and Baton Rouge is a heavily redlined city,” explained Ugo. “Just being a black kid in Louisiana and observing these things subconsciously fueled the things we’ve been building and creating.”
Major themes of the film are health, shared identity and resilience. Parallels between their West African heritage and the culture of South Louisiana is an example of the interconnectedness that the film aims to high-
light.
“I want people to realize that we are more similar than we’re lead to believe and that similarity can help us find power in our situations,” said Ugo. “Resilience is a major theme, as well as the ways our circumstances affect our health; it is a health film, but it’s not going to be told in a clinical tone.”
With Ugo earning his master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins, and Uzo set to earn her master’s in public health from Tulane in May,
the two plan on continuously taking their creative advocacy to new heights. This film is a captivating step of a long-term mission.
“I’m excited about the way these films can go and the ways it can touch people,” said Uzo. “It isn’t your typical approach to the issues we’re discussing, but I feel like people will start to digest these concepts or build upon them.”
To keep up with their project, follow @thesocialbootnet on Instagram.
PHOTO COURTESY OF UGO AND UZO
Ugo and Uzo, Baton Rouge natives and LSU alumni.
EMILY BRACHER / The Reveille
Clothes lined up at the fifth annual Boutique Blowout.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHOCOLATE BIJOUX
Specialty chocolates from Chocolate Bijoúx, via the business’ website.
A still from the film, provided by The Social Boot.