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IS SPEECH FREE? National civil liberties organization ranks LSU as third worst in counting for free speech in classrooms and on campus.
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page 2 NEWS
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As concerns are raised that HEPA filters are being unplugged in classrooms, officials wonder – did LSU waste millions?
ENTERTAINMENT
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Find out what to do this weekend in and around Baton Rouge from a boutique sale to a BBQ contest.
SPORTS
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LSU was well represented at the Sanderson Farms Tournament last week, and one Tiger lifted the trophy.
OPINION
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“Administrators went to great lengths to enrich certain employees while ignoring the proper treatment...of women.”
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SILENCED SPEECH
B-16 Hodges Hall Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, La. 70803
LSU ranks one of the worst U.S. colleges for free speech
BY DOMENIC PURDY & JOSH ARCHOTE @tigerdom16 & @JArchote LSU ranked one of the worst U.S. colleges for free speech in the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s 2021 college free speech rankings released Sept. 21. LSU placed 152 out of 154 universities. Researchers asked students from each university 23 questions to gauge their comfort in speaking their mind to professors and other students, students’ tolerance of political speakers on campus and if the university’s administration upholds free speech among the student body. Among the report’s findings: • Fifty-eight percent of students feel somewhat uncomfortable or very uncomfortable publicly disagreeing with their professor. • Nearly half feel uncomfortable expressing their views on a controversial political topic during an in-class discussion. • Sixty-one percent say they occasionally, fairly often or very often have felt uncomfortable expressing their opinion because of how students, a professor or administration would respond. • Just under a third of students say it’s never acceptable to shout down a speaker to prevent them from speaking on campus. • LSU students identified racial inequality, abortion and sexual assault as the most difficult issues to talk about on campus. Student responses looked more positive when asked specifically about administration: • Only 13% of students say it’s not clear that LSU’s administration protects free speech on campus. • Seventy-eight percent of students believe it’s clear that the administration would protect a speaker’s right to express their views if a free speech controversy were to arise. “I endorse free speech as well as rebuttal,” LSU President William Tate IV said in a written statement. “Our strength as an intellectual body rests in our ability to debate with passion, while supporting the rights of others to share opposing views. We must maintain a community of students, faculty and staff where contested ideas are discussed in a principled fashion without suppression. “Open, vigorous and civil debate of ideas is the hallmark of academic life.” Seven free speech components were added together to give universities their overall ranking: openness to difficult topics, tolerance for liberal and conservative speakers, administrative support for free speech, comfort expressing ideas, disruptive conduct (preventing speakers from expressing their views) and the universities’
written policies regarding free speech. Other than FIRE’s review of universities’ written policies, the six components were all scored by student responses and totaled to give each college a score out of 100. LSU scored a 52 overall. FIRE gave LSU’s speech code, the written policies regarding free speech and expression on campus, a “code red,” though it’s unclear which policies specifically warrant such a poor rating. Tulane was the only other Loui-
siana university in the rankings, also receiving a low score of 53, ranking 148th. This ranking isn’t anything out of the norm though — free speech surveys for colleges from FIRE and other organizations last year gave LSU a ranking of 53 out of 55. Political science senior Nate Wiggins said the results of the FIRE study were “very disappointing but not very shocking.” “I know several of my friends who are very concerned with expressing anything because of these types of things,” Wiggins said. “I’ve never personally seen [people face repercussions for sharing their beliefs] before but people at least think that it’s possible. And that’s something that’s really concerning.” As the director of programming at BridgeLSU, an organization designed to promote civil discourse on campus, Wiggins said that he feels the university and administration can do a better job making all of campus as open to free expression as Free Speech Alley, but he feels that people can, for the most part, “people can express themselves on campus.”
“It just depends on what people are saying,” he said. In her short time on campus, general art freshman Madeline Barr found that the study’s results don’t accurately reflect her experience with the larger LSU community. Her experience in courses like HNRS 2000 are free-speech positive, providing a safe space where she feels comfortable to debate her peers. “I find that a lot of people here are really accepting of different viewpoints all across the spectrum
and you’re not necessarily going to get any hate for anything you believe, especially in areas like Free Speech Alley,” Barr said. Pre-med kinesiology junior Macy Laurent offered a differing opinion to the study’s results, saying she would feel uncomfortable expressing a differing opinion from that of her professor — especially if said opinion invalidated her own. Consistent with the study’s findings, Laurent feels one of the most sensitive topics of discussion on campus right now is abortion. Against the study’s findings, however, she feels conservative speakers’ views are tolerated more than those of liberal speakers. “The general population of more conservative people in the South kind of gears toward accepting more conservative views in free speech,” Laurent said. Wiggins agrees with the FIRE data when it comes to the university’s openness to facilitate free speech. He feels that the administration “has done a pretty good job at protecting free speech on campus.” “I think they should continue
to do so in the face of pressure, but I can certainly understand why they may be wary of protecting freedom of speech when it could have serious implications for their tangible, monetary position,” Wiggins said. Members of university faculty also critiqued the FIRE study. Media and public affairs professor Robert Mann found the methodology of the study flawed. “This is a useful tool in some ways but it should only be used in concert with other, more objective metrics,” Mann said. Mann also noted that the difference in the top ranked school, Claremont McKenna College, was only 20 points removed from LSU’s 152nd ranking. He said that because there were so many similar statistics, the study really doesn’t show much. Mann said he wished the study was a better contextual representation of LSU’s student body, with demographic data showing what students who expressed their opinion in the study were studying. “If you’re uncomfortable sharing your political views in your mechanical engineering class, you should be. That’s not what you’re there to do. If you want to talk about politics, there are places for that but it’s not a mechanical engineering classroom,” Mann said. FIRE is a non-profit group founded in 1999 devoted to protecting free speech and expression rights on college campuses. The organization has sparred with a number of universities over free speech controversies and campus policies. Former Faculty Senate president and English professor Kevin Cope feels the study “does very little to promote LSU as a credible, nationally prominent, research university.” Cope feels statistics like the 58% of students uncomfortable with disagreeing with their professors make it clear that the university is not creating a culture where controversy and disagreement is encouraged. “Somehow or another, the university has communicated to students that controversy, disagreement, dissent and deviation from the status is not a safe or a good thing,” Cope said. “That is a recipe for obedience rather than an intelligent and educated citizenry.” Cope said he always encourages students to speak their minds and wants them to actively participate in open debates. He said the university really doesn’t have something like that right now. “Most universities the size of LSU have public speaker series where speakers of all sorts come to give presentations and the public comes and asks questions. We have virtually none of that at LSU,” Cope said. “The few times we have had a controversial speaker it has prompted adverse reactions on the part of the university to discourage anything along those lines.”
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NEWS MILLIONS WASTED?
page 3 DIVERSITY
Growing club promotes diversity
BY GABRIELLE JIMENEZ @gvjimenezz
be run. He said students shouldn’t be passive about HEPA filters’ use. “I would strongly recommend to students that they take it into their own hands to make sure that they’re on,” Pardue said. “I wouldn’t sit in a classroom if the professor unplugged it. I wouldn’t.” Some students, however, are not convinced the filters are necessary. Kinesiology freshman Cross Talley said he would feel comfortable without any COVID mitigation measures, including if HEPA filters weren’t used at all. “I’m that guy - we’re young, our immune systems can handle it,” Talley said. “If we didn’t have to wear masks or we didn’t have that air filtration system, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to me personally. It’s a bigger risk to get COVID, of course, but I know I could survive.” Political Science freshman Skylar Savitt said that she’s not confident the HEPA filters are effective
A new and rapidly growing Student organization on campus aims to help low-income families by providing access to medicine, education and community development projects. MEDLIFE at LSU is a chapter of the non-profit global MEDLIFE movement. According to their website, the organization aims to empower communities in need with a vision of “a world free from the constraints of poverty.” Biology and interdisciplinary studies senior Calli Nguyen, president of the new club, said that as a first-generation Vietnamese college student, she faced difficulty finding a club on campus that she could relate to. So she, along with vice president Tanner Aucoin, co-founded MEDLIFE at LSU last spring. “A big reason why I cofounded MEDLIFE is because my passion is [helping] the disadvantaged population,” Nguyen said. The club, although only in its second semester, has over 200 members. Many in the club are pre-health students — but students majoring in computer science, physics and pre-vet and pre-law are involved. “As I started talking to our members… they all told me the biggest reason [they joined] was MEDLIFE’s mission,” Nguyen said. Aucoin, a sociology senior
see HEPA, page 4
see CLUB, page 4
‘Sabotaging the process’: Has LSU’s multi-million dollar investment in HEPA filters gone to waste? FRANCIS DINH / The Daily Reveille
A HEPA filter sits in corner, Sunday, Sept. 9, 2021, in a studio in Atkinson Hall on LSU’s campus. BY PIPER HUTCHINSON @PiperHutchBR Before students returned to campus for the fall semester, LSU made a multi-million dollar investment installing HEPA filters in every active classroom to help mitigate the spear of COVID-19. But it has come to LSU’s attention that many professors aren’t using the HEPA filters, and some students are unplugging them amid complaints of being unable to hear in class. While masks catch the potentially contagious droplets that come out of noses and mouths, HEPA filters catch smaller aerosols that float in the air. HEPA filters work in tandem with air conditioning units to increase ventilation, which is the primary way to combat aerosols. Civil and environmental engineering professor John Pardue, the director of the LSU COVID-19 wastewater testing program and the engineering representative
on the Health and Medical Advisory Committee, says that studies revealed partway through the pandemic that COVID-19 could be transmitted by aerosols from a distance greater than 6 feet, the distance frequently stated as necessary for social distancing. Pardue said that HEPA filter non-compliance is common on campus and has raised concerns among administration. “The last couple of weeks, either faculty are turning it off or students are going around unplugging them because they can’t hear. It’s just rampant,” Pardue said. “I haven’t been in a room where one’s been running until I walked in in the past two weeks.” Pardue said he is concerned that somebody is “sabotaging the process.” He emphasized that not only was a large investment made on this equipment, but that the filters play an important part in keeping students safe, especially in older buildings with less effective air conditioning.
“It can’t only be departments in the new buildings that are the ones that are safe,” Pardue said. “So I do appreciate that we have done this across the board.” While Pardue said that he understands the noise the filters produce is an annoyance to both students and faculty, he urges the LSU community to follow the science. “This wasn’t a political thing, it’s solely a scientific thing that was revealed, and the campus realized it and said ‘we really want students to be safe.’ We could’ve used this money for something else, but they purchased all these things after a pretty careful evaluation of the quietest one we could get that would give the air exchanges we need,” Pardue said. “It is disappointing for people to just reject it out of hand and say. ‘that’s a little noisy, so I’m just not gonna have it for the class.’” Pardue explained that whenever a room feels stuffy, it means that there’s not enough ventilation and that is when the filters need to
ADMINISTRATION
LSU’s hands tied in holding Saturday classes, officials say BY CADEN LIM @cadenlim5 Saturday classes may sound appalling to the average LSU student, but according to administrators, the university doesn’t have a choice. After the onset of Hurricane Ida, LSU ended up cancelling an entire week of school. Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Matt Lee said it is university policy that if more than one day of school is cancelled, every day missed must be made up. If only one day is cancelled, that one day does not have to be made up. “Everybody has done everything they can to make these
arrangements work and understand this isn’t ideal for everyone,” Lee said. Most professors don’t actually hold classes on Saturdays, opting to adjust their syllabi without the make-up days. Lee said some departments that require hands-on practice are more likely to hold the Saturday classes. Lee said the university is required to have a certain amount of class hours for the academic year to be in compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The accrediting agency would place sanctions on the university if the university didn’t meet the minimum class hours. Lee said in the most ex-
treme case, the university could lose its accreditation. If that were to happen, every degree would be meaningless in the professional world. Chemical engineering junior Joey Dupre said he was “disgusted yet not surprised” when he heard he’d be having Saturday class. “I don’t think it’s necessary because most teachers either skip it or don’t teach meaningful material on that day because of poor student turnout,” Dupre said. Accounting junior Seth Taylor said a lot of learning comes from personal work outside of class. He said Saturday classes helped him learn concepts a little, but he
didn’t think the Saturday classes were necessary. “Whether you went to Saturday class or not, you can probably still do well on the exam,” Taylor said. Taylor said students, especially those in more demanding majors, should be able to use weekends how they please as a way to recover from the previous week and prepare for the next. “I think weekends are really important because you get to take a break, do something to take your mind off school and [it] allows you to work on things that you didn’t have time for during the week,” Taylor said. Taylor said Saturday classes
are especially conflicting for students during football season. “Obviously as an LSU student, football games are the main event on Saturdays,” Taylor said. Lee said LSU strategically plans Saturday make-up days so that they will never fall on the same day as a home football game. The make-up classes only occur on Saturdays where the LSU football team is on the road. Lee said the university prioritized weekdays that were originally planned off. These weekdays usually remove breaks such as fall break from the academic calendar. Then when the univer-
see MAKEUP, page 4
Thursday, October 7, 2021
page 4 HEPA, from page 3 in preventing COVID. “I feel like one air filter in the front of the class does nothing for people sitting all the way in the back,” Savitt said, adding that the filters were yet another obstacle to hearing the professor and other students. “You already have your masks, the professor is all the way in the front of the class so you can barely hear, there’s really no point to add another problem for hearing,” Sav-
itt said. University spokesman Ernie Ballard said that students can report faculty who are not following HEPA filter protocols by using the mask violation reporting form. “Facility Services and Building Coordinators check the filters periodically to ensure they are plugged in and working properly,” Ballard said. “They are programmed and can’t be shut off but can be unplugged. They are looking at ways to secure the plugs as well so they can’t be unplugged by anyone.”
MAKEUP, from page 3 sity runs out of weekdays to replace, it is forced to start using Saturdays. Dupre said losing half the weekend can affect someone’s mental health negatively and the academic workload can be overwhelming to some students. “I think it affects everyone’s mental health because I feel the breaks are necessary for students’ mental well-being,” Dupre said. Lee said he understands Saturday classes pose a lot of problems, but they must happen to stay in compliance with the accrediting agency. “The basic issue is you’re trying to balance a lot of factors,” Lee said. “The bottom line is, the last thing we want to do is shortchange any student’s education.”
KRISTEN YOUNG / The Daily Reveille
Students listen to lectures Friday, Jan. 22, 2021 while in HIST 2057 in the Cox Communications Academic Center.
CLUB, from page 3 said he comes from a Mexican and Cajun background and will be the first in his family to graduate college. Aucoin spoke about wanting to use the club to overcome the stereotype that pre-med students are “sharks” who don’t support each other. “We try to really support the pre-med environment at LSU,” Aucoin said, adding that the club is built on the belief that “if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together.” Biochemistry and sociology senior Luuanne Nguyen, MEDLIFE’s secretary, said that as a first-generation Vietnamese student, the message of the club spoke to her. Luuanne Nguyen’s parents came from Vietnam with her uncle, who is paralyzed. In Vietnam, they couldn’t receive the medical funding needed to care for her uncle, so the family immigrated to the United States, where her uncle could receive the medications he needed to stop his seizures. “It really spoke to me and my family,” Luuanne Nguyen said. “This is something that could really help not just Baton Rouge… but [people] around the world.” MEDLIFE at LSU recently hosted a question-and-answer session where they received overwhelming participation,
with questions focusing on schoolwork and the stress that comes from being in the premed field. Biological science senior Camille Landry has been a member of MEDLIFE since its inception. She said the officers have done a great job connecting with members and displaying their friendly personalities, even through Zoom. “I like [MEDLIFE] way more than I thought I would,” Landry said. “Everyone on the exec committee is so outgoing, and they treat you like family.” While the executive board had to overcome the obstacle of starting a new club with Zoom meetings, they were able to have their first interactive event in April. MEDLIFE participated in Geaux Big Baton Rouge, a service day where LSU organizations served the Baton Rouge community. At the event, MEDLIFE set up a disposal site where people could dispose of hazardous waste like paint, coolant and batteries. Then, teamed up with other organizations, they were able to reuse around 160 cans of paint for Habitat for Humanity. In September, MEDLIFE hosted a Hurricane Ida Relief Supply Drive in collaboration with Cajun Navy Relief, a nonprofit focused on providing rescue and relief to people across the country during natural di-
sasters. MEDLIFE collected various supplies, such as women’s products, diapers, toothbrushes and canned goods. “All the stuff gathered will go back into the community to help these people rebuild,” the supply section chief at Cajun Navy Relief David Howell said. “These initial donations are huge in helping [people in need] have the basic stuff that nobody thinks of.” The next event for the club is a giveback night at the IHOP on College Drive on Oct. 18 from 2-10 P.M. MEDLIFE plans to participate in other volunteer events throughout the year and hopes to begin offering clinical shadowing opportunities so members can have real-world experience in the healthcare field. The executive committee is also working on having servicelearning trips where members can travel outside the country to serve poverty-stricken areas and provide necessities and assist in giving out food and medical supplies. The club is still growing, and Aucoin is excited to see its diversity increase. “I love the diversity in our club because it means the next generation of healthcare providers is going to be so beautifully diverse,” Aucoin said. “It’s going to change the face of medicine in America.”
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ENTERTAINMENT
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THIS WEEKEND IN BR
Want to see your event in The Reveille? Email information to editor@lsu.edu.
BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab
FRIDAY
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COURTESY OF VISITBATONRUGE.COM
Wars Meeting | Tureaud Hall
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The LSU Wargaming and Roleplaying Society club is holding its introductory meeting from 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. in Tureaud Hall. RSVP on TigerLink.
Live After 5 | 238 North Blvd. The Live After 5 concert series welcomes Shaun Ward Xperience. From 5 p.m.-8 p.m. enjoy funk, hip hop, R&B, rock and soul from this creative violinist.
SATURDAY
Movie in the Park | Baker
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Grab your toast, toilet paper and rice and go to the Greenwood Community Park in Baker to watch an outdoor screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” hosted by BREC. The event is adults only, and costumes are welcome.
Holy Smoke BBQ Competition | St. Aloysius
Starting at 2 p.m., St. Aloysius will be hosting a BBQ competition at 2025 Stuart Ave. There is a $10 entry fee to enjoy some of the best local BBQ. COURTESY OF 225 LIVE EVENTS
Boutique Blowout Sale | Crowne Plaza
SUNDAY
Over 20 local boutiques will have booths full of sale items at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
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Sunday in the Park | 100 Lafayette St.
COURTESY OF IHG.COM
The Greater Baton Rouge Arts Council is hosting a free concert downtown at the Shaw Center for the Arts Plaza from 2 p.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, October 7, 2021
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Thursday, October 7, 2021
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Frequeenters work and enjoy coffee Sept. 28, on top of marble countertops at Light House Coffee on 257 Lee Drive.
French Truck labeled cups lay stacked on the coffee counter Sept. 28 at French Truck on 2978 Government St.
Brew Ha-Ha! labeled merchandise rests on the counter on Sept. 28 on 711 Jefferson Highway.
Customers enjoy their coffee while completing school work Sept. 28, at Light House Coffee on 257 Lee Drive.
Photos by Savanna Orgeron
Coffee drips from an Oji coffee dripper Sept. 28, at French Truck Coffee on 2978 Government St.
A La Marzocco coffee machine sits on the counter along with Topeca coffee bags Sept. 28, at Light House Coffee on 257 Lee Drive.
Regulars sip on coffee and work on their laptops Sept. 28, while sitting at Light House Coffee on 257 Lee Drive.
Get a glimpse into four of the most popular coffee shops in Baton Rouge.
A customer orders a hand-crafted coffee beverage from the barista Sept. 30, at City Roots Coffee Bar on 1509 Government St.
SPORTS LONG-TERM GOALS
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LSU soccer on three-game skid: What went wrong and how the Tigers can rebound
BY MORGAN ROGERS @__morganrogers LSU soccer showed fans this year that they can do anything they put their mind to. The flip of a switch in less than a year made the Tigers national talk for weeks, as they achieved their highest ranking in school history within the first few games. The Tigers were ranked No. 6 in the country and hit an 8-0 record, the longest streak in the program’s history. In those eight games, they scored 28 goals and allowed a mere five. In five of those games, they walked out with a clean sheet, including a shutout against Mississippi State. Through eight matches, they’ve already overcome three top-25 opponents and defeated six teams by at least two goals. And then they lost — three times in a row. A team that had a 14-game winning streak dating back to March of the spring season suddenly lost their footing and fell to three teams who couldn’t match their record at the time. So what happened? That’s the big question on everyone’s mind now. Looking back at two of their last three matches, the Tigers were outshot by a large margin. Against Ole Miss, the team made a mere five shots. Although four were on goal and granted them a high shot-on-goal percentage, those statistics didn’t seem to matter when the Rebels were allowed 19 shots. Ole Miss didn’t take half of their shots on-goal; however, they had nearly four
times the chances that the Tigers did to get one into the net. There was a similar situation with their match against Alabama: the Tigers took more shots on goal, but the Crimson Tide had double the chances. During their undefeated run of the season, the Tigers’ quick playing style granted them an average ball possession of 56%, along with an average 4.8 allowed shots on-goal from the opposing team. Through numerous trial-and-error runs, the team seems to have found comfort with a three-centerback defensive formation. The three matches prior to their first loss, the Tigers shot an average of 18 shots each game. With such a low amount of shots in their recent games, it’s no surprise that they’ve been shutout for two of them. It’s important that the team stays consistent in their playing style despite their unfamiliarity with the formation and new player additions to the field. “I want to move the ball through our lines and play to feet,” Head Coach Sian Hudson said. “I want to play an attacking brand of soccer and press high up the field and get a lot of players into the attack.” This possession-based method of playing allowed them more shot opportunities, but above all, it gave them the confidence in their talent and capabilities within a unity of teamwork. Their second loss, against Georgia, came just a few days after a crushing first defeat from the Rebels. Despite outshooting the Bulldogs, they
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
LSU soccer senior midfielder Wasila Diwura-Soale runs the ball down the field Sept. 26, during their 2-1 loss against Georgia at the LSU Soccer Stadium in Baton Rouge. still lost to a goal in overtime after being tied for over eighty minutes. Similar to last year, the Tigers weren’t beaten by a landslide, but seemingly couldn’t execute their usual level of performance. Other factors to take into account are the doubled amount of fouls and yellow cards they
received in comparison to Alabama. They were away from their usual stomping grounds for two of their biggest rivals yet, and the fact that it’s only been nine days that these losses have occurred. LSU still has plenty of time to recover and shouldn’t be shaken up by a few bad games.
Besides, Hudson still stands by her word, when she said that she’s focused on the Tigers in the long run. New coaches, staff and players can be bewildering and doesn’t ever ensure consistency within a team, no matter how talented they are.
see SOCCER, page 9
GOLF
Trolio thrives on Tour: Freshman golfer makes PGA debut
BY JOE KEHRLI @joekehrli9 “Grip it and rip it”, “Don’t go right”, “Be the ball.” These are normal swing thoughts golfers tell themselves when lining up over a shot. Not freshman golfer Cohen Tolio, who made his PGA debut last Thursday at The Sanderson Farmers Championship in Jackson, Mississippi. The newly turned 19-yearold entered his first round calm and collected, and with plenty of sleep. He was not slated to tee off until later in the afternoon, when the local forecast had shown slight bouts of precipitation. The rain held off, and Trolio made his “hello world” moment. In a round full of firsts, Trolio
shot a 1-under-par, 71 to place him tied for 71st place. A majority of the field was sitting a few strokes under par, and the leader boasted a score of 8-under par. “It has been cool so far, just hanging out with some older guys who know a little bit more than I do,” Trolio said. Entering the second round on Friday, seven strokes off the lead, Trolio had no intentions to switch up his style of play from Thursday. “I am going to play exactly how I played [Thursday],” Trolio said. “I keep reminding myself that I have been playing golf for a while now, and I have learned that bogeys feel like birdies. I have to keep a positive mindset.” Trolio opened his round on Thursday bogeying the first
hole. Blame it on jitters, or even on equipment malfunction. The rookie mentioned that earlier in the week he had noticed that his driver was cracked and had to replace it. However, he noted that the same club was used in two of his prior collegiate tournaments. Trolio finished even-par and tied for 19th in his first outing and 3-under-par, tied for 11th in the second respectively. His opening hole was not the cliché opening that fairytales would have told, but his friends and family that came to join him knew he would shake off the early misfire. Trolio soaked in the experience and even-keeled with a par on the following hole. His following on Thursday
see TROLIO, page 9
JOE KEHRLI / The Reveille
Freshman golfer Cohen Trolio makes his first stroke on the PGA Tour Sept. 30.
Thursday, October 7, 2021
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SOCCER, from page 8 “We had the makeup of a really good team. We certainly changed up the playing style” said Hudson, a native of Newport, Wales. “The group we inherited were very athletic and maybe a little more direct. They would go from back to front really quickly, and use their athleticism at a high level. I think my vision for the game is slightly different than that.” The 2021 team brought in four freshmen and eight transfers. A combination of fresh talent and veteran experience, paired with a new mentality was a vital attribute to the team’s quick turnaround. Transfers Garcia and Athena Kuehn have already found a rhythm within the team thus far. Garcia boasts five goals and two assists on the season already. Former defender Kuehn has shown to be more than capable as an attacker in the midfield, owning three goals and two assists herself. And of course, the impact that senior Tinaya Alexander has had on the season so far is unforgettable. The forward is tied for fourth in LSU history in career assists and ranked 21st in the nation for number of goals. The England native recorded four goals and an assist in a single
game this season. She is just one out of 11 players who’ve scored this season though, with other players such as Molly Thompson, Rammie Noel, Taylor Doble, and Meghan Johnson also scoring, 11 is a tough number to swallow for the defense of opposing teams this season. Not to mention, goalkeeper Mollee Swift averaged .84 goals since her arrival in 2020, LSU’s defense is arguably as strong as their offense. Experienced midfielder Chiara Ritchie-Williams spoke with the NCAA three weeks ago in lieu of their first SEC matchup. “Regardless of the score, and whether we won the game or not, there is still a lot for us to improve,” Williams said. “For us, I think [the difference] has been making sure that we aren’t complacent, and making sure that anything that we’ve been told to work on, we are working our tails off every day of the week and improving on what we have achieved.” Williams understands the leaps and bounds that the team has made in such a short time, but she was aware that the Tigers would meet challenges that might discourage them along the way. After a historic, recordbreaking start of a season and then the abrupt, crushing disap-
pointment of back-to-back losses, the Tigers are fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead on their hopeful path to a championship year. Within the last week, the SEC has proven to be a competitive conference to conquer, but LSU soccer has no intentions of slowing down just yet. “Of course, if we have to be direct we’re going to [try to] do that,” Hudson said. “We want to win games and we want to excite the fans, but I think teams that control tempo are the ones that succeed in the long term.” In their next battle on Oct 7, the Tigers will face Texas A&M in another highly anticipated SEC showdown. The Tigers are looking to avenge their last time out with the Aggies, who gave them a tough 0-1 loss that took the team out of the 2020 SEC Tournament last year. The Tigers made a miraculous comeback last season, it would be no surprise if they did it again. The team is still eager to prove that to come back from a losing season and become one of the leading contenders of the SEC isn’t just a dream, but a reality. LSU soccer will kick off in Baton Rouge at 6 p.m. Thursday to show their fans and their adversaries that they aren’t out of the race just yet.
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TROLIO, from page 8 and Friday was equivalent to that of defending champion’s Sergio Garcia’s. Trolio was the hometown favorite with lots of “Mississippi love.” On the third hole, Trolio found his stride, birdieing three consecutive holes to go 2-under par. The third hole was playing as a long 584-yard par 5. The West Point, Mississippi native drained his birdie putt from 26, feet seven inches from the hole. The length was not a problem. He carded his first Tour birdie. Then on the par three, No.4 Trolio swaggered up on the green, after thrusting his tee shot and buried his birdie opportunity. Again on No.5, his putter would bring him success. However, the putter was not his friend all day. On the ninth green, Trolio paced his birdie putt long of the hole and had a simple five-foot putt for par, which he misjudged the speed and settled for his second bogey. “I have played golf long enough where I know that one hole is just one hole,” the amateur said. “Obviously there will be some thoughts running through your head, but that’s kind of why you play golf. Just got to say ‘Oh well.’” Trolio rebounded quickly with a highlight reel chip-in on No. 10. He would proceed to par the fol-
3
lowing seven holes and then bogey the last. Trolio has displayed in one round of professional golf that he possesses the talent to ultimately end up on Tour. He teed off on Friday morning at 8:55 a.m. in front of an evergrowing fan base. “Some days are just not your day.[Friday] I’m going to go out and do the same exact thing and see what happens.” On Friday, Trolio’s PGA run concluded. He shot a 3-over, 75, recording his first missed cut on tour. “Hey, Tiger Woods missed his first cut on Tour too,” he joked. Sam Burns, the Shreveport native, who played two seasons for the Tigers, fired off a tournament record-low score of 22-under par, enough to hoist the Reveille Trophy on Sunday night. As an added bonus to the $1.26 million winnings, Burns will also gain exemptions to several top-talent tournaments and majors in 2022 – Sentry Tournament of Champions, The Players Championship, The Masters, PGA Championship. “This is one of my favorite events on Tour and I always enjoy it,” Burns said after the event. “Close to home so my family and friends can come and support. Just glad to get this win in my first start of the new season, and looking forward to carrying this momentum throughout the season.”
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OPINION
page 111
Audits, lawsuits raise serious questions about LSUHSC SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN
@sulliclaire
A recent audit reveals top officials at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans have engaged in retaliation, favoritism, nepotism and other ethically troubling behaviors. Multiple lawsuits have also brought light to their gender-based discrimination. In fact, the workplace environment of the Health Sciences Center is apparently so broken that employees feared speaking to auditors at work or using their work email addresses in case of retaliation. Larry Hollier, who has been chancellor of the Health Sciences Center since 2005, is at the center of many of these findings. Hollier, in one example, preselected a candidate for Chief of Staff, casting aside the search committee process. Even worse, “The sole candidate for Chief of Staff, Louis Colletta, was allowed to exert significant influence over the position’s creation, development and advertisement,” the audit concluded. In another troubling situa-
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The Lion’s Eye Center sits at 2020 Gravier St. at LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans. tion, Hollier fought for bloated raises for Keith Schroth, the vice chancellor for administration and finance, whose annual pay now approaches half a million dollars. But again, it gets worse. Hollier purposely avoided gaining
approval from the university president for these raises, even though policy requires it. Hollier and Schroth also fought for the advancement of Schroth’s son, Jeremy. Hollier received a memo in September 2020 from Jeremy
Schroth’s supervisor, advocating for the Jeremy’s receiving a 20% raise. The kicker? Hollier wrote the memo to himself, pretending to be the supervisor. Lawsuits also reveal troubling patterns in leadership. Carolyn Johnson, a former secretary who spent over a decade at the university, says a doctor sexually harassed her and hit her rear end at work. Johnson reported this to her supervisors, who then, in a clear act of retaliation, moved her to work in a bug-filled storage room, Johnson’s lawsuit says. It is truly heartbreaking the university allowed an employee’s humanity to be disregarded so blatantly. Instead of receiving the support and care she required, Johnson was only subjected to further abuse by the university. Her story says something deeply troubling about the leadership that allowed this to happen. Female employees have also brought lawsuits concerning gender-based discrimination. One 2019 lawsuit contended two female lawyers were being paid tens of thousands of dollars less than their male peers. All these findings paint an abysmal picture of the LSU Health Sciences Center. Administrators went to great lengths to
enrich certain employees while ignoring the proper treatment of others, especially women. It’s important to understand how this happened, and the audit provided some insight, saying, “Our review also indicated a general aversion to oversight by the Baton Rouge campus (President and Board of Supervisors) and LSUHSC-NO Administration’s apparent structuring of actions to avoid it.” It must be a priority of the administration to correct the corruption brought to light by the audit and recent lawsuits. The behavior of these officials does not fit the goal of a fair and ethical university. The past year has been a damning indictment of various administrators at every corner of the LSU system. Everywhere you look—LSU Health Shreveport, the Ag Center, our own athletic department and Title IX Office and elsewhere—top officials shirk university policy and ethics. This leaves our community with an uncomfortable question: What about our institution enables these pervasive patterns of corruption? Claire Sullivan is a 19-year-old coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury, CT.
Anti-abortion politicians are dangerously religiously biased CRADDOCK’S CORNER KATHRYN CRADDOCK
@kcradd4
On March 11 of this year, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas introduced Senate Bill 8, the “Texas Heartbeat Act.” The act was signed into law May 19 and went into effect on Sept. 1. As the strictest abortion law in the nation, this act allows private individuals to sue anyone who violates the ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy when a heartbeat is first detected. The law does not allow exceptions for rape or incest, and violators can be sued for a minimum of $10,000. Medical and legal experts largely believe the six-week fetal heartbeat is deceptive. Embryos do not possess a heart at that stage in development, so the sound heard on ultrasound ma-
chines is simply electrical activity from cells, not the “the opening and closing of the cardiac valves” attended in adults. This is just one of many examples of anti-abortion politicians putting religious fervor over medical knowledge and the well-being of pregnant women. Unfortunately, for an ideology that boasts personal liberty, many conservative figures cannot seem to keep religion out of their rhetoric when speaking on abortion. In a video of the bill-signing ceremony posted to his Twitter account, Abbott attempted to justify the Texas Heartbeat Act by saying, “our Creator endowed us with the right to life.” This “Creator” certainly refers to a higher entity in the Christian religion, and Abbott’s inclusion of this type of sentiment in his political arguments and policymaking directly violates the
separation of church and state. In May 2019, when Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a different anti-abortion bill into place, she said the bill is a testament to the state’s belief that “every life is a sacred gift from God.” References to a higher entity, once again, prove that anti-abortion politicians are not basing their decisions on sound scientific reasoning. State Sen. John Milkovich, who introduced one of Louisiana’s stricter abortion laws, said that a 15-week ban in Louisiana would protect fetuses from pain, even though it is medically unproven that fetuses can feel pain at this gestational stage. Conservative, anti-abortion politicians are prevalent in the Deep South. They are more than just an embarrassment to the country; they pose a safety threat to pregnant people in an area where abortion access is al-
ready scarce. Louisiana has only three abortion clinics in the entire state. With the influx of Texan patients needing an abortion after Senate Bill 8 went into effect, facilities are overwhelmed and waiting lists are extensive, troubling for as time-sensitive procedure as an abortion. Louisiana may soon face even harsher restrictions. A Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks will appear before the Supreme Court on Dec. 1. A ruling in favor of the ban could have national implications on previable abortions. The outcome of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decides the constitutionality of abortion laws like the one proposed by Milkovich. Abortions will occur whether or not they are legal; countries that have outlawed abortions have roughly the same number
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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 opinion@lsureveille.com 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.
of abortions as countries where it is legal. What they will do is increase the number of pregnancy-related deaths and intensify the stress and trauma that come with an unwanted pregnancy. The research shows that outlawing abortions will not decrease the number of abortions, only reduce the number of safe abortions. The intentions of antiabortion politicians are clear— these laws are not proposed to preserve “life.” They are only offered to restrict the bodies of those who are pregnant. To prevent abortions, focus less on pushing laws that increase pregnancy-related deaths. Focus instead on increasing access to birth control and sex education. Kathryn Craddock is a 21-yearold mass communication junior from Patterson.
Quote of the Week “He was a bold man that first ate an oyster.”
Jonathan Swift author 1667 — 1745
Thursday, October 7, 2021
page 12
The state of graduate education at the university is dismal CHARLIE’S ANGLES CHARLIE STEPHENS
@charliestephns
In Pres. William Tate IV’s first report to the university on Aug. 6, he singled out graduate education as one of the core priorities of his tenure. “You can’t recruit PhD students if they don’t have a floor in their stipends that actually allows them to live. It’s simply untenable and... unethical to recruit students in PhD education if you don’t provide those [benefits],” he said. The focus is not surprising considering that Tate formerly served as a graduate school dean at the prestigious Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. I talked with Dean James Spencer, head of the LSU Graduate School, to get a better sense of the current condition of graduate education here at the university. The outlook seems to be a lot more complicated than many have made it out to be. According to Spencer, the graduate school has historically been focused on “pushing paper” rather than “benchmarking the quality of the education on campus.” Under Spencer’s leadership,
the school has entered a strategic planning process to examine its role in the academic journey of students and analyze how to better allocate resources, particularly graduate assistantships and the valuable stipends that come along with them. There are over 1,800 such assistantships on campus. Graduate students across the university have been urging the administration to increase the minimum stipends allowed. In a 2020 interview with The Reveille, a graduate student pointed out: “What we get paid is barely above the poverty line.” Spencer says he is “very sympathetic” to graduate students in need, however he notes that “it’s not ‘we need higher stipends,’ but ‘where do we need higher stipends.’” Spencer says that the university is “slightly over-investing the norm” with its $50 million total spending on assistantships and tuition waivers. Individual colleges have the final say over the amount they provide their graduate students, with some STEM fields allocating dramatically more than the minimum required stipend of $10,800 per year. “We need to set benchmarks,” Spencer said. “We don’t need to up the stipends to the level of Yale. It would kill us if we did
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114 West David Boyd in David F. Boyd Hall houses the LSU Graduate School. that. We don’t need to keep them at the levels of Montana State either. We need to decipher what is the pool that we are swimming in, and benchmark ourselves on the stipend that works for that.” Stipends are only one part of the problem facing our university’s graduate population. The United Campus Workers of Louisiana—the union representing graduate students—released a petition last year urging the university administration to provide
more comprehensive and affordable health insurance, which can amount to one-third of a graduate assistant’s monthly pay. This health insurance cost is unavoidable for those graduate students who are required to maintain it as a condition staying in the country. It is an added cost on top of fees that are already among the “highest in the nation,” according to a 2019 Reveille report. Adam Dohrenwend, a doctor-
ate geography student, shared with me some of the day-to-day concerns of graduate assistants. While he concedes that some improvements have been made recently, the university needs to “seriously consider what it means for exceptionally talented graduate students to live paycheck to paycheck and meal to meal.” What impact does this financial stress have on research output? What impact does it have on teaching quality? As Tate made clear, the university’s current pact with graduates is “unethical” and far from what should be allowed at a flagship university. I applaud him for bringing the issues facing graduate students to the forefront of attention and for committing to change. With the graduate school adopting a new strategic vision, all of the pieces for success are in place. I’m confident change will come. Charlie Stephens is a 20-year-old political communications junior from Baton Rouge. Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article listed the minimum stipend at $10,800 per semester; this sum is actually the annual stipend minimum.
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