The Reveille 11-11-21

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From the Frontlines LSU nursing students share tales from the pandemic frontlines

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The COVID-19 pandemic has weakened global supply chains, hurting small businesses and delaying deliveries.

ENTERTAINMENT

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John Mulaney’s “From Scratch” tour stopped in New Orleans, where he delivered a personal but hilarious show.

SPORTS

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Men's basketball opened up their season with a boom. The PMAC was packed with 2,000 fans for the Tigers victory over ULM.

OPINION

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“...I have had no shortage of air-crackling moments throughout my time studying English here.”

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COST OF COVID 'You cannot get someone's life back from COVID'

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BY BELLA DARDANO & PIPER HUTCHINSON @BellaDardano & @PiperHutchBR Carlos Perry assisted a man in his early 40s last summer while working at Tulane Medical Center at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He remembers watching as the man was told he’d have to be intubated due to his worsening condition from the virus. The man called his wife and said he’d talk to her again in two weeks.

Two weeks came and went, and the man passed away without ever getting to speak to his wife again. Perry, a nursing student, said this was just one of many tragic stories he witnessed during his work with ICU patients in the midst of the Delta variant surge, where patients dying from COVID-19 became younger and younger as the surge peaked.

“They would get admitted to the ICU and would be dead two days later. People were just dying a lot faster,” Perry said.

“There were people that were my age that weren’t making it

In Christine Rider’s six years as an ICU nurse, nothing has compared to working through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She worked almost every day of the week in 12-hour shifts, and her days off were only spent catching up on classwork for nursing school and sleeping.

“When it was really bad, you didn’t cope with it. You didn’t think about it, you just did it,” Rider said. “And now that it’s time to calm down, you have to retroactively think about what you did, and what you went through and try to come to peace with what has happened over the past year and a half.

This year I’ve had to do a lot of reflection.”

Rider attributed her ability to handle the recent surge and treat COVID-19 patients to LSU’s nursing program, where she said professors “highly stress evidence-based practice in every class.”

Benita Chatmon, assistant dean for clinical nursing education, said she is beyond proud of the work the nursing students

Editor-in-Chief LARA NICHOLSON Managing Editor ENJANAE’ TAYLOR Digital Editor JAYDEN NGUYEN News Editor MADELYN CUTRONE Deputy News Editor JOSH ARCHOTE Sports Editor REED DARCEY Deputy Sports Editor JOE KEHRLI Entertainment Editor GIDEON FORTUNE

COURTESY OF LSU HEALTH NEW ORLEANS

Chatmon is confident students will graduate “ready to tackle what healthcare looks like now.”

Nursing senior Luke Daniels began working at the University Medical Center in New Orleans in fall 2020, where he completes

COURTESY OF LSU HEALTH NEW ORLEANS

out of there.”

LSU School of Nursing is based in New Orleans, an early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. LSU nursing students, who frequently hold jobs as nurses and nurse technicians, have been on the frontlines of the pandemic from day one.

According to the New York Times as of Nov. 9, there are 215 people hospitalized in Louisiana due to COVID-19, down 32% in the past two weeks. There have been 998 COVID-related deaths in Orelans Parish since the start of the pandemic.

have done in the midst of the pandemic.

“Our students are doing everything. They’re doing vaccines. They’re on the frontline,” Chatmon said. “But most importantly, our students were on the frontline when everybody was scared of what COVID was.”

Chatmon said she was proud of students’ flexibility and resilience as the school adjusted to the pandemic, along with their impact on the community through vaccine administration, patient care and testing.

Through their experiences,

basic tasks for patients like taking vitals. Soon after he began work, he witnessed one of his patients spend over a month in the hospital, much of it on a ventilator. The patient missed Thanksgiving with his family, but by Christmas Eve his condition was much improved.

“It was the first time that [he and his son] ever had gotten to hug each other and see each other since he’d been in the hospital,” Daniels said. “That was really sweet to me, getting to see him go out because I knew how long he’d been there.”

Daniels said that LSU prepared him for the challenge of working with COVID-19 patients.

“My first two semesters, I had an amazing instructor who really prepared me for the foundation and just talking to patients,” Daniels said. “I think you can be an intellectual nurse, but like, if you’re not carrying them, you know, I don’t think it really matters.”

Daniels, Rider and Perry all emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19 as a means of mitigating another surge, and that their education has allowed them to have meaningful conversations with patients hesitant to receive the vaccine.

Daniels urged the public to have patience.

“As long as we have patience, we can get through this. We’ll be out of this whole thing in the near future,” Daniels said.

Of those requiring hospitalizations for COVID-19, more than 98% were unvaccinated.

Rider said talking to unvaccinated patients didn’t leave her with any resentment or anger toward them—mainly because she’s “too tired to be resentful”—but instead she feels sad that they are likely victims of misinformation who come to regret their decision.

“Sometimes with COVID, if you haven’t had it, or don’t know someone that has, it all seems very remote,” Rider said. “I think it needs to be, ‘What can I do to help the stranger beside me?’

Because you never know if the stranger beside you at Rouse’s is immunocompromised.”

“I can understand being skeptical. But then [they’re] getting [COVID-19] and thinking, ‘Oh crap, I should have gotten vaccinated. You cannot get someone’s life back from COVID,” Rider emphasized.

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille.

If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.

ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille 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.

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NEWS SUPPLY SHORTAGE A look at how COVID-19 has damaged the global supply chain

get items out to sellers.

Small businesses nationwide are facing increased labor cuts that are difficult to face. This cost is passed on to consumers through “shrinkflation,” which occurs when the size of an item is reduced, but not the price.

Another factor is through direct price increases—Chaturvedi said that most consumers have seen their grocery bills increase by 35-40%.

“So we are not a third-world country,” Chaturvedi said.

“Many of the people said they felt like it.”

BY PIPER HUTCHINSON @PiperHutchBR The global supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the supply chain has grown many new weak links, culminating in shortages and increased prices.

What’s Happening Hitendra Chaturvedi, a business professor at Arizona State University and a global supply chain expert, explained that there are many factors leading to what soon may become a global economic crisis.

Chaturvedi explained that COVID-19 caused countries to open and close their ports at different times. Due to this, even if a country was able to export goods, the intended country may not be able to receive them.

“So you have empty containers, as a matter of fact, some estimates for 70% of all the containers on the Trans Pacific were sitting empty in our ports because we have literally come under lockdown,” Chaturvedi said.

Compounding this issue was an unforeseen increase in demand as the pandemic improved in spring and summer of 2021.

“Imagine a python trying to

COURTESY OF BET-R SUPERMARKET

Lettuce, broccoli and other healthy food sit in the child seat of a grocery cart while a man shops for Thanksgiving at Bet-R Supermarket on the corner of Baywood Avenue and Kalurah Street. swallow a pig,” Chaturvedi said, explaining that the pig is consumer’s large demand.

Meanwhile, labor shortages were crippling not only small businesses, but also the port system. While the efficiency of the port system decreased by about 20%, incoming products increased by about 30%. Instead of a three-day turnaround to

unload a cargo ship carrying 20,000 containers, Chaturvedi said it’s taking port workers seven.

Once those containers are unloaded, trucker and rail worker shortages mean that it’s even harder and slower to get those imported items to warehouses.

Then, warehouse worker shortages compound the difficulty to

page 3 FACILITIES

Why is the Union closed on game day?

BY HENRY WELDON & JARED SAUCIER @ HankWeldon3 & @jared_saucier

Small Businesses The supply chain problems will be of particular harm to small businesses, which employ nearly half of all Americans.

About 200,000 small businesses have closed since the start of the pandemic. This number is likely to increase, according to Chaturvedi.

One issue small businesses face is increased labor costs, which many can’t afford. They also face a disadvantage when ordering products internationally.

“A Costco or Walmart can charge for their own ships to bring their products into the U.S., a small business guy cannot,” Chaturvedi said. “And as-

The Student Union once served as a much-needed reprieve from tailgating on the Parade Ground, offering students and fans food options and bathroom access.

But multiple incidents that occurred over the past few years in the building during home games led the university to close the Student Union starting during the 2021 football season.

LSU spokesperson Ernie Ballard said that the decision was made to ensure the safety of everyone in the building on those Saturdays.

“After consulting with LSU Public Safety and Risk Management, it was determined that it was not feasible to continue to keep the building open on home game days,” Ballard said.

Assistant Director of Risk Management Ashley McGowan said incidents are confidential and they are unable to comment.

On non-game days, the Student Union is open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., leaving on-campus residents with the option to

see SUPPLY, page 4

see UNION, page 4

ADMINISTRATION

Where does tuition money go? Here’s everything it covers

BY MADDIE SCOTT @madscottyy Every year, students see the daunting number on their fee bill grow larger and larger, yet many don’t know why it’s increasing or where the money goes. Interim executive vice president for Finance and Administration Donna Torres breaks down where tuition and other fees go every semester.

Seventy-six percent of LSU is funded by tuition money, and 24% is funded by the state. This ratio used to be inverted, where the state paid for 76% of tuition and students paid for 24%, until public policies changed due to the state’s economic troubles.

“We went through a number of budget cuts with prior administration, and as the budget from the state was cut, tuition increased in order to offset those cuts,” Torres said.

Every semester, students can view an itemized list of expenses on their fee bill, of which tuition is the highest charge.

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French and English sophomore Grace Galeziewski balances herself atop nine crates at the UREC’s Grand Opening event on Sept. 8, 2017.

Fees are divided by unrestricted and restricted accounts.

Restricted funds are dedicated to a specific purpose and are nontransferrable to other offices or services. All auxiliary services

receive their money from student fees, not the university’s general fund or tuition.

The unrestricted account is made up of tuition and the state’s appropriations and is considered

LSU’s “general fund.” It can be allocated as the university sees fit, but primarily covers facility and faculty expenses.

“All of those separate fees go into separate pots and they’re restricted to be used only for their designated purpose,” Torres said.

One example of a restricted fund is the student technology fee. LSU can only use the money collected from that specific fee for technology projects, and those funds are allocated through a council comprised of mostly students.

Unrestricted funs are allocated out to departments based upon enrollment and student credit hours. It is based partly on credit hours to ensure money is proportionately designated. That number can show where additional classes and professors are needed.

“What do we do with your tuition dollars? We run the university,” Torres said. “We pay the utilities and the water, sewer— all of the things you need. Maintain the buildings, pay faculty

salaries, pay the fringe benefits related to the salaries so retirement.”

The UREC, sports teams, LSU dining, student media and housing are all examples of facilities not paid for by LSU’s general, unrestricted fund—they are all funded by LSU’s student fees.

All of LSU’s athletics are selfsupported. They acquire their funding through athletic activities such as ticket sales or concessions, along with donations to the Tiger Athletic Foundation.

None of the coaches are paid directly by LSU’s academic funds.

“When you pay the fee for [sporting event tickets], the revenue from that fee goes directly to athletics,” Torres said.

It’s the same for housing: LSU doesn’t fund housing, students do. The housing payment students make on their bill is directly allocated to a small pot restricted for housing services, such as renovating infrastructure, facility bills and paying residential advisors and staff that work for Residential Life.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

page 4 SUPPLY, from page 3 suming there is limited supply or manufacture in Asia, who do you think that they will favor first? A large guy who has a big order, or the small guy who has a small order?”

Additionally, small businesses can’t maintain a large inventory due to limited cash flow, which can usually help mitigate the issue for larger companies.

“The small businesses are getting hammered from all sides,” said Chaturvedi. “They are getting a very, very raw deal.”

Holiday Shopping The holidays are going to cause an increased demand and stress on the supply chain.

UNION, from page 3 study, take a break or get food.

Students who utilized the food options and bathroom access and on-campus residents who used the complex for food and the UPS Store during games voiced frustration with the change.

Sports administration junior Emily Farrell often used her free time on Saturdays to pick up packages.

“They should at least have people in [The UPS Store] orga-

Harking back to his python example, Chaturvedi says that holiday demand will turn that pig into an elephant.

“Things are going to become worse before they get better and with supplies constrained, prices are going through the roof,” Chaturvedi said.

Chaturvedi explained that part of the problem is that inventory to sales ratios are very low, as inventories are continually depleted. The inventory to sales ratio describes the relationship between the value of a seller’s inventory and their total sales.

As people go holiday shopping, sellers’ inventories will become more and more depleted.

After the holidays, those sellers will order a large quantity of

merchandise, which will again cause disruption in the supply chain.

With all of the supply chain issues, Chaturvedi warned consumers not to wait too long to buy Christmas presents.

“If you’re going out and buying your gifts now you’re already too late,” Chaturvedi said.

nizing everything,” Farrell said.

Farrell added that when the Student Union closes, it creates a backlog at The UPS Store because packages have to wait to be processed. Long lines of students waiting to pick up their packages can be seen on most weekdays, especially this semester, Farrell said.

Psychology junior A’Miricol Stallworth agreed and said the closure creates more problems than it solves.

“It’s an inconvenience because it’s just a game day and

you never know if you might need to go in and get something like a package or food,” Stallworth said.

Law student McKenna Dorais said she agrees that the Student Union should be open on game days.

“I think the Student Union should be open during game days because of the bathrooms being available,” Dorais said. “Most of the buildings are closed, leaving people with no option but to use a port-a-potty which can be hard to find.”

Gas Prices Gas prices are currently at a seven-year high, with the average gas price being about $1 per gallon higher than it was this time last year.

David Dismukes, an energy studies professor at LSU, says that there are a variety of factors that play into that increase.

“The pandemic and the disruption is created and sup-

ply and demand have a lot to do with that,” Dismukes said.

“That, coupled with the general uncertainty in the industry.”

Dismukes said that consumers may see gas decrease after the holidays.

“Economic activity is going to start slowing down, and that will take pressure off of supplies,” Dismukes said. “OPEC [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] itself thinks that they may even be in a situation where they have more supply than demand by the end of the year around December or January time frame.”

Hope for Improvement Chaturvedi said he does not expect to see improvement in the supply chain until late 2022

or early 2023.

“If there is a new strain of Coronavirus that comes and we have not prepared, all bets are off,” Chaturvedi said.

In the meantime, consumers should get used to higher prices and adjust expectations appropriately. During this time, he suggested remembering that everyone–nationally and globally–is in this journey together.

“With the holiday season coming up, I think we need to reignite that spirit,” Chaturvedi said. “I need to help my neighbor, I need to help my local business weather the storm. If I need to buy gifts, I’m going to buy gifts locally, I will buy less.

If there are many people who are going hungry, I want to feed them.”

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A flight of stairs sits Sept. 23 in the Student Union on LSU’s campus.

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FRIDAY

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Frank Foster | The Texas Club

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A whole lot of boots will be on the ground at The Texas Club on Friday, Nov. 12 as Frank Foster performs. The Louisiana native takes the stage at 9 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $24 and available to purchase online. The Texas Club is located at 456 N. Donmoor Ave.

Trunk Sale | The Pink Elephant Antiques Antiques, vintage items and all kinds of outside vendors will be on parade at the Pink Elephant Antiques Trunk Sale on Saturday, Nov. 13. Drop by the Pink Elephant at 2648 Government St. anytime from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. to see what treasures you can find.

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SATURDAY

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The Pink Elephant Antiques sits Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020 on Government St. in Baton Rouge.

October 20th to March 20th

Candice Lin: The Agnotology of Tigers | LSU Museum of Art The LSU Museum of Art presents an exhibit by Candice Lin, a Prospect.5 artist from Massachusetts who specializes in sculpture and installations. “Candice Lin: The Agnotology of Tigers” features work based on archival images from LSU and explores the history of social violence and indentured Chinese labor. The LSU Museum of Art is found on the fifth floor of the Shaw Center for the Arts, 100 Lafayette St.

courtesy of LSU Museum of Art

courtesy of LSU Museum of Art

Thursday, November 11, 2021

page 6 THEATER

John Mulaney starts ‘From Scratch’ in his nationwide tour

BY EMMA JACKIMOWICZ @emmajackimowicz After about a year out of the spotlight and following his highly publicized rehab stint, John Mulany lays it all out on the line in his new comedy tour “From Scratch.”

The “From Scratch” tour started off in San Diego in late October before making its way to New Orleans for a five-day run from Nov. 3 to Nov. 7. I attended his show on his second tour date, located at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for Performing Arts in Louis Armstrong Park, not knowing what he would be sharing about his time in rehab or the events leading up to it.

Unapologetically, Mulaney outdid himself with an animated performance filled with macabre themes and personal anecdotes detailing his recovery.

“His show had a different, more real vibe to it than before which felt more authentic and felt as though we were getting the real John Mulaney,” said senior marketing major Madeline Krielow, who praises Mulaney for his genuineness. “He does not hold back about anything and has a great sense of humor about all of the latest happen-

courtesy of Sanger Theatre

ings in his life.”

Compared to past comedy specials and shows Mulaney has done, there was a stark difference in the kind of topics covered in “From Scratch” compared to his 2018 Netflix comedy film “Kid Gorgeous.” The comedian started off the night discussing how his intervention went and how “star-studded” it was, specifically mentioning how fellow comedians such as Nick Kroll, Nastaha Lyonne, Seth Meyers, and Fred Armisen were there.

While talking about what was

undoubtedly a personal and difficult time in his life, he continued to make the audience gasp in shock and laughter with due to the callousness in which he talked about the situation. At this show specifically, it was plain to see that Mulaney had come to terms with his struggles and was proving this by delivering such dark yet comical quips.

One of the standout bits in the show was near the end, where he read the audience a hilarious GQ article that he was interviewed for over the phone

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while being on cpoious amounts of cocaine. He describes his responses, which were more than out of pocket. He answered the question “How was your day?” by telling the journalist that he could not stop thinking about a haunted building he walked past earlier in the day in New York City. There is no way to possibly do the bit justice by trying to reenact it, but I can safely say it was hilarious enough for me to belly laugh in my seat.

Mulaney’s grim humor received a positive reaction from

the audience, a reaction due in part to him interacting with a few audience members throughout the show. One audience member he chose to call out during one performance was a 14-year-old boy, who he targeted because of his age, joking with him about not being prepared for the dismal nature of the show. He kept referring back to the boy sarcastically whenever he would bring up something related to his addiction and or how he started abusing drugs from a young age. With this, Mulaney put a large emphasis on how beneficial his rehab experience was for him at the end of the day and how grateful he was for the overwhelming amount of support from fans that allowed him to be able to do stand-up again.

All in all, “From Scratch” left no room for disappointment for Mulaney fans and dark comedy fans alike. While the show’s topics may not have been as cheerful or laid-back as other notable Mulaney performances, he was still able to leave smiles on the faces of everyone in the theater and make everyone feel comfortable laughing alongside him about the peace he has made with his hardships.

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MUSIC

Geauxchella: A new local music festival for LSU students

BY EDDY HAGE @hage_eddy The Student Activities Board launched Geauxchella, a new music festival for LSU students, on Nov. 3 featuring live performers and free food.

The idea for Geauxchella stemmed from information systems and decision sciences senior Jordan Joshua in the fall of 2019.

“The organization process was challenging at first,” said Joshua.

“You want to figure out - hey, you have a music festival. What do you wanna do? What do you

wanna have at a music festival?”

Joshua is the president of the Student Activities Board and was very excited to see students enjoying the bands he scouted.

“I actually went on Instagram and started looking up local Baton Rouge music venues and clubs seeing who was performing,” Joshua said. “I would see a band or a DJ and listen to more of their stuff to see if they would be a good fit for Geauxchella. I’m a big music fan so I’m excited to hear all the different music.”

Geauxchella featured six local performers: DJ DOC, DJ Brushy,

Kav, Paris Avenue, LVVRS and Wave Runner.

LVVRS bassist and communication disorder senior Arib Qureshi was performing on campus for a third time and had a much better experience at Geauxchella compared to his previous performances.

“They were prepared and ready for us to be there. It felt like a regular show for the band,” Qureshi said. “A cloud nine moment for me being an LSU student, playing in front of friends meant so much more. I’d love it if they kept the trend of doing orig-

PETER NGUYEN / The Reveille

inal music, its the prefect scene for it.”

Plant and soil systems freshman Will Dubecq and agricultural business freshmen Cooper Gower went to Geauxchella together and soaked in the musical ambiance.

“It’s a good time,” Dubecq added. “We were jamming to that Lady Gaga song, ‘Bad Romance.’”

A long line stretched from a lone food truck on the Parade Ground where students queued up for Cajun food with red beans and rice, meat pies, catfish, chicken tenders and bread pudding being offered.

“The food was good,” Dubecq said. “I got bread pudding, and they put white chocolate on top of there. It made my night.”

Despite attendees enjoying themselves, multiple students noted how a large event like Geauxchella should have been promoted more at LSU, as there were no physical flyers around campus.

Psychology sophomore Simon Smith said, “It was definitely not spread around much. They could’ve advertised it more.”

Microbiology sophomore Sam Elliott also stated, “You’d think they would send out some sort of email.”

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A guitarist of the band Paris Avenue hypes up the crowd Nov. 3, during Geauxchella on the Parade Ground at LSU’s campus.

However, as the night went on, a crowd of students gathered near the stage to listen to the live bands perform.

“I’m happy with the turnout,” Joshua concluded. “It seems like students are having a good time.

They’re now up at the stage rocking out so I’m happy with it.”

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GLORY DAYS

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LSU basketball senior forward Darius Days (4) tries to anticipate a pass on Nov. 9 during LSU’s 101-39 victory over ULM in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

LSU obliterates ULM: Five takeaways from men’s hoops dominant season opener

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus “A total team effort,” is how Head Coach Will Wade described LSU’s 101-39 drubbing of Louisiana-Monroe.

The Tigers were dominant from wire-to-wire and answered many of the questions asked of them going into the season. With that said, here are the five biggest takeaways from the game: They weren’t lying about the defense One of the biggest points of emphasis that Wade and multiple players preached leading up to the start of the season was how much the team improved defensively.

This certainly proved true against Louisiana-Monroe as the Tigers held the Warhawks to just 39 points, the lowest total LSU has allowed under Wade. Players were swarming and making plays all over the court, forcing 25 turnovers and scoring 38 points off of

those turnovers. Mwani Wilkinson led the way for the Tigers on defense with six steals, and was the overall leader of the team on that end of the floor.

“Mwani sets the tone on defense,” Wade said. “He’s like a coach on the floor.”

This was a major point of emphasis during the offseason after struggling on defense for much of last season. The Tigers were also impressive on the glass: They out-rebounded Louisiana-Monroe 47-26 and held them to only seven offensive rebounds. Tari Eason led the way in that department with 10 boards, finishing the game with a double-double.

Darius Days is that guy It was well known coming into the season that Days was LSU’s most proven returner, and the leader of the team, but 30 points later, he looked like an early contender for SEC Player of the Year.

Days set a new career-high with 30 points and shot a remark-

able 8-9 from beyond the arc. The most impressive part of Days’ game wasn’t just the amount of points he scored, but how he was scoring. Days has always been a great catch-and-shoot player, but in this game, he hit multiple threes off the dribble and had success driving to the basket while still hitting multiple catchand-shoot three pointers.

“Coach just said let it fly,” Days said. “Guys had confidence in me to make those shots, so I made them tonight.”

Seeing Days evolve into more of an all-around scorer is promising for this LSU team. Having a player like him who can stretch the floor while also getting to the basket and being physical in the paint is a huge plus for any team.

Efton Reid is as good as advertised Coming into the season, there was a lot of hype surrounding the freshman center Reid, and for good reason.

Reid came to LSU as a five-star

prospect and was a standout high school player at IMG Academy.

Wade talked before the season about how skilled of an offensive big Reid is, and that was on display against Louisiana-Monroe.

Reid finished with 16 points on 7-10 shooting and was a matchup nightmare when guarded oneon-one in the post. There didn’t seem to be any first-game jitters for Reid either on the court, which is something he credited to his teammates.

“It was pretty good to be honest,” Reid said. “I just trusted my teammates to find me, and I trust my teammates every time I step on the court, so I’m just blessed to be out here.”

Reid’s ability to score in the post helped open up the offense for LSU and will continue to be key for Tigers on offense as the season continues.

see MEN’S BB, page 9

Wade takes advantage of transfer portal

BY PETER RAUTERKUS @peter_rauterkus Apart from just the talented freshman class coming in, LSU signed an talented group of transfers who will make an immediate impact. Illinois transfer Adam Miller will miss the season with an ACL injury, but Xavier Pinson and Tari Eason are both players who will make an immediate impact.

Pinson joins the Tigers from Missouri, where he played three successful seasons, headlined by an impressive junior season where he averaged 13.6 points per game. He will take over the role at starting point guard for LSU, and Wade has been very high on him since coming to LSU. “Xavier Pinson is better than I thought, he’s been a huge surprise,” Wade said at his first press conference of the season.

“I knew he was a good basketball player, but just the way he’s able to play point guard and pass and see the floor, he’s as good as I’ve seen at getting down the seams and creating rotations and drives. He’s going to be a really good player for us.”

Pinson will fill in the role that Javonte Smart held for the last three years, but is expected to play as more of a playmaking, pass-first guard. Though

see WADE, page 9

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

LSU women’s hoops is fun again: Mulkey’s squad wins big

BY DYLAN SANDERS @DillySanders LSU women’s basketball is entering a new era this season under Hall-of-Fame Coach Kim Mulkey. One constant that LSU fans can look for is fifth-year senior Khayla Pointer. Pointer enters this season just outside of the top-20 for career scoring and fifth in career assists for the Tigers.

Before the season I asked Pointer what difference LSU fans can look for this season. She simply said, “Fun.” According to Pointer, they have been practicing new fun, electric plays more than ever this

off-season. And for the fans in attendance for the 82-40 opening day victory for the Mulkey era, that’s exactly what they got.

Fun. It’s going to be a word to follow all season with this new LSU women’s basketball team.

Next to the media, sat a couple of classes of kids who certainly didn’t know that LSU hasn’t won the SEC since before any of them were born. All they know is what they saw on the court, and around them in the media. All they know is Kim Mulkey’s basketball team. That was plenty for them to scream their heads off in excitement for four quarters.

I think we can learn a lot from them as we enter into this

new era. LSU can’t expect to win a NCAA championship in year one, but they’ll have fun with the foundation being built in Baton Rouge. I mean, Kim Mulkey isn’t making that a very hard task through one game.

To do that - to transport ourselves into the mindset of those kids on a field trip, we need to ask ourselves: What is fun? Is three-point shooting fun? The Tigers finished 276th in Division I three-point shooting last year, connecting on 27.92% of attempts. Throughout the offseason, LSU’s players reassured us that they had shooters and

see WOMEN’S BB, page 9

SAVANNA ORGERON / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey listens to the speaker Oct. 26 during The Fast Break Club Kickoff event in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

WOMEN’S BB, from page 8 they would be better this year.

They followed through on that promise in game one, bumping that number up to 42.9% with six made threes.

Personally, I find defense very fun. I know Mulkey does too.

LSU’s players came to play defense Tuesday. They held Nicholls to their lowest points total since Dec. 3, 2019. I told this to Mulkey post-game, and she was unaware of the uncharacteristically low point total for Nicholls.

I asked her what she liked about the defensive effort.

“I like that stat,” she laughed.

But she loved the effort that her players showed. “Can we keep

MEN’S BB, from page 8 The offense feels smoother and more like a unit One of the biggest things that was immediately noticeable from the Tigers on offense was the flow and cohesiveness of the unit.

The team ran a lot more sets and moved the ball a lot compared to the ISO ball that was seen for long stretches last season. This has a lot to do with the personnel of this year’s team, as it allows for LSU to play more together and share the ball more. A big part of this is having two talented true point guards in Pinson

page 9 up the scoring in the 80’s? I don’t know. But what I do know is that every game we can come out and play defense.”

Winning by a lot? Totally fun. LSU won by 42, their largest margin of victory since Dec. 11, 2018.

So far, I think Pointer has followed through on her promise of fun. I’m sure she had fun becoming the third player in LSU women’s basketball history to record a triple double, and I’m sure her teammate Faustine Aifuwa had fun scoring her 1,000th career point as an LSU Tiger. I asked Pointer about having fun after the game, and she confirmed.

“When we’re out there playing like that,” she said, “it’s impossible to not have fun.” and Eric Gaines. Both players had seven assists each to help lead the Tigers’ offense that looked much smoother than it did at times last season.

“We have to move the ball more,” Wade said. “We ran a lot more sets than we did last year, we just have to be more efficient with what we’re doing.”

The offense definitely looked efficient in this game, and that efficiency will be something that LSU will need to get consistently as the season goes on.

The PMAC is back Looking past what happened on the court, the biggest difference between this game and any

Pinson is more than capable as a scorer, his skillset as a playmaker will play a huge part in LSU shifting away from the isolation-based team that was seen last season.

Senior Forward Darius Days echoed this point and spoke highly of Pinson, having played against him the last three years.

“With Xavier, he leads the team, he puts everyone in the right positions, he takes care of the ball and he’s not afraid to say anything to me. He holds me accountable,” Days said.

“He’s a great player, and he’s going to bring some things we

haven’t seen at LSU in the past few years.”

The other transfer expected to make a big impact this season is Eason out of Cincinnati.

Eason is a sophomore forward who earned Freshman All-AAC honors while at Cincinnati. He had a very impressive performance in the exhibition against Nicholls State, leading all scorers with 22 points while adding 15 rebounds to complete a double-double. Eason brings extra athleticism and grit to the Tigers’ roster that was badly needed after how much LSU struggled on the glass last season. Wade described him as a “rugged” player, which is exactly the kind of big LSU needed after last season.

point last season was the energy in the building created by the fans.

Coming off a year where LSU played all of its games in front of limited crowds, it felt refreshing to have fans back in the building, creating a great atmosphere. This atmosphere came mainly from the student section, which showed out in full force for the season opener.

Over 2,000 students were in attendance, which created an atmosphere that was badly missed last year. With LSU being as dominant as it was, it can only be believed that the crowds will continue to grow, and the arena will be rocking like it was before COVID-19.

LSU basketball sophomore forward Mwani Wilkinson (5) runs onto the court on Nov. 9 during LSU’s 101-39 victory over ULM in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on North Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

WADE, from page 8

ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille

LSU men’s basketball team walks out Jan. 16 after LSU’s 85-80 win against South Carolina at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

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OPINION

page 11

Growing trend of home-schooling will benefit future students MATTERS OF MILK AND HONEY CANAAN CHARRIER

@canaanbcharrier From the beginning of lockdowns last March to today, many parents have decided to take their children’s education into their own hands. In fact, the Census Bureau reports that the number of independent homeschoolers has more than doubled since last year.

Once thought to be a fringe alternative learning movement, homeschooling has become a racially, socioeconomically and ideologically diverse community of families, including my own. As a now-sophomore in college, I think back on my 18

years of home education fondly, and believe the rapidly expanding schooling choice will benefit countless students.

By far, my favorite part of homeschooling was the flexibility I had with my education. As a young student, I struggled with math but never with reading or grammar. Since I was in a class of my own, I could devote my time and attention to classes as I needed to.

With no definite class schedule or due dates, my family could schedule “school days” around a busy work and extracurricular schedule. My days typically consisted of finishing school quickly to pursue whatever interest I had at the time. A routine like this allows students to pursue whatever they’re most interested in, all

while working through the core curriculum at their own pace.

Because homeschooled students aren’t bound by traditional test days, due dates or homework assignments, detractors frequently cite concerns with student performance. This thinking has led officials to require higher standards of their homeschooled students than their traditionally educated counterparts.

For instance, a Louisiana homeschooled student must have an ACT composite score two points higher than a Louisiana high school student to be eligible for TOPS’ entry-level Tech Award.

This comes at seemingly no consequence to homeschooled students, as they consistently perform better than publicly schooled students on the ACT, according to

ACT.org. Moreover, a 2010 study by the Journal of College Admission found that homeschool students finish high school with more college credit and a higher GPA, meaning more scholarships and opportunities await them in post-secondary education.

As homeschooling’s popularity has grown, so have programs to foster a social livelihood for these students.

Homeschool groups around the nation often offer weekly meetings, called “coops,” where parents offer academic and recreational classes to an intermingled homeschool crew.

Sports teams across the nation have thrived by competing with other homeschool and some private school teams.

These groups have expanded and, with them, the ability to

have universal high school experiences. Events like homecoming games, prom and graduation have all migrated to the homeschool world, giving homeschoolers a social life nearly indistinguishable from that of traditional students.

Homeschooling has given my family and others the freedom to pursue an education tailor-made for individual students, allowing them to flourish where they can and focus where they need. As more people join this academic pajama party, I certainly believe there’s plenty more that homeschooled students have in store for the future of our world.

Canaan Charrier is a 19-year-old finance, religious studies and international relations sophomore from Monroe.

Making friends in college is critical, but harder than ever SAM’S TWO CENTS SAMUEL CAMACHO

@SamuelE17713784 Making friends in college is harder than ever.

Thinking back to my own freshman year experience reminds me of this all too often. I used to have the epitome of a college life—the constant carousing on my parents’ income, joining clubs and organizations, drinking (though not as often as my friends)—the whole American college experience.

And, of course, lots of friends, but that’s not the case anymore.

Nowadays, I start my day with a long commute, hoping I’ll be early enough to find a parking spot near the UREC. Already flustered, my days aren’t nearly as fulfilling as they used to be. I spend them rushing from one activity to the next, only to get home and spend my nights studying. Then there’s rent, car insurance and what seems like an infinite list of bills that just keep piling up.

Making friends, an activity that once yielded high returns with little effort, is now yet another arduous job. I’ve really had to work hard for it, even though I don’t have the time. I’d say that for every 10 friends that I made as a freshman, I now make one or two.

To be clear, I have some great friends, but very few of them are

CARTOON BY EMILY TRAN

friends that I’ve recently met.

Many of my old friends have graduated, moved out of town or are still online, and this decaying number of friends has really taken a toll on me.

At times, I’ve felt lonely, but I worry even more about my peers.

What about the abundance of other students struggling with men-

tal health?

How does my friend who revealed to me the other day she struggles with depression, feel about this growing epidemic of loneliness?

A large-scale 2017 survey reported that 64% of college students felt “very lonely” in the past year. Another 62% reported feel-

ing “overwhelming anxiety,” and 69% of them were “very sad.” Half of students believed “things were hopeless” and more than 10% said they had seriously considered suicide.

COVID-19 has aggravated every one of these problems. The university’s online transition has been tough on all of us, especially

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those of us trying to make new friends.

For the class of 2024, who began college with all-online classes, making friends has been one grueling odyssey. If making friends in real life is already hard, I cannot even imagine what it’s like to start your college career trying to make friends through Zoom.

The cliché that college is the “time of your life” feels hollower than ever.

Making friends, especially in college, is extremely important.

Friends increase your sense of belonging and purpose, make you happier and help you cope with stress from school.

In college and beyond, making friends also serves a practical purpose. It helps you build your professional network, which is key when you apply for jobs or ask for letters of recommendations. Having connections to a company is perhaps the most important predictor in securing a dream job.

Yet, Gen Z has been dubbed the “lonely generation” because we simply don’t have as many friends as our parents. In fact, the average American “has only one close friend.”

I’d love to make more friends, and would love for other people to make more friends.

Does anyone have any tips?

Samuel Camacho is a 21-year-old economics junior from Maracaibo, Venezuela.

Quote of the Week “That [deep fryer] looks like the community pool in Flavortown.”

Guy Fieri

restauranteur 1968 — present

Thursday, November 11, 2021

page 12

Guest Column: #BlackburnTakeover model for student activism

BY JOSHUA JORDAN Howard University students, who haven’t been treated with the dignity and respect they rightfully deserve, are holding their president and administration to account.

Dating back to at least 1968 and the #HuResist sit-in, the #BlackburnTakeover is part of a long tradition of sit-ins on the campus of Howard University.

In the present, Howard students have been attempting to make contact with an obtuse and obstinate president and administration, with protestors living in tents no less while doing it.

“We will not bend, we will not fold until we get what we deserve,” said Aniyah Vines, a Howard University senior and leader in this movement, to The Hilltop, Howard University’s student newspaper.

Though bearing witness to it is soul-crushing, #BlackburnTakeover is sending a message: “We want to see Howard grow and flourish, but take care of every student that walks across the Yard.” Something had to be done, and Howard students are

DREW ANGERER / Getty Images

Students pitch tents outside Blackburn Center in protest of unsafe living conditions in residential halls at Howard University. doing just that. For that, they are commended.

“It’s time to take power into our own hands and demand that our administration listen to our grievances for not only ourselves, but for future Bison,” one student told Refinery29.

Their demands are threefold: one, “an in person townhall with Howard University President Dr. Wayne Frederick;” two, “the reinstatement of student, alumni and faculty trustee positions which were eliminated last year” and three, “a

meeting to propose a housing plan to protect future incoming classes.”

Taken together, what Howard students are demanding is simple: fairness and transparency. A voice. A seat at the table. All things which are sorely

needed not just at Howard but elsewhere too— including LSU. Remember, what is happening is not surprising. Time and again, whether shafting students on housing and representation or hiding sexual harassment and allegations of rape (hello, LSU)—this is the chicanery we have to deal with from administrations who really think they can swindle us.

They can’t. Not today.

We have our obvious differences with Howard University.

Neither our histories nor our struggles are entirely the same.

Howard is, in fact, an HBCU and we are, in fact, an HWCU. Alas, some patterns are the same, and students the nationwide can learn from the #BlackburnTakeover. In the words of Teddy Pendergrass, “Wake up, everybody.”

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it,” once said author Zora Neale Hurston.

Stand with #BlackburnTakeover.

Joshua Jordan is a media and public affairs graduate student at LSU.

LSU English department more historical than many may think EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD

@evan_lenhard

“Yale, Johns Hopkins and LSU,” were the three major institutions from which the 20th century’s taste for literary research emerged, according to Mark Bauerlein, cultural critic and professor of English at Emory University.

LSU? A national hub for the study of literature akin to the elite Yale and Johns Hopkins?

Bauerlein is undoubtedly referring to the university’s historical status as an early stronghold of New Criticism, an immensely influential movement in literary theory which famously placed exclusive focus on the formal qualities of a given text.

Two particularly distinguished faculty members who taught and studied here in the early ‘30s made critical contributions to the emerging movement: critic and novelist Robert Penn Warren, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “All the King’s Men” and critic Cleanth Brooks.

Together they forged methods of close reading that would dominate literary study in academia for decades, up until New Criticism’s influence waned with the rise of fresh theoretical imports from continental Europe, most famously through the work of thinkers like Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida—another campus favorite with ties to our philosophy department.

Warren and Brooks were also

instrumental in founding the “Southern Review,” a nationally renowned literary journal which, throughout its over 80 years in print, has published the likes of T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, Wallace Stevens, Eudora Welty and Joyce

filled its volumes, especially the older ones.

A Reveille article from 2019 boasts that the presence of the Southern Review on campus prompted F. Scott Fitzgerald to refer to our university as the

tensive expansion of higher education in the state.

The years of the Long era were a bit of a golden age for arts and letters here on campus.

These were the years of the famous “Reveille Seven,” who,

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

Stamp collection from submissions sent into the “Southern Review,” a quarterly magazine co-founded in 1935

by Robert Penn Warren, Cleanth Brooks and Charles W. Pipkin.

Carol Oates. Time magazine deemed it “superior to any other journal in the English language.”

In preparing for this piece, I made a point to look through the journal’s online archives and was astounded by the absurd number of literary legends that

“Athens of the nation.” I could find no other source to back this up, but I am willing to take the leap of faith on this one—it is just too good.

The department’s mid-century prosperity was the result of then-Governor Huey Long’s ex-

after printing critical remarks about Long, revolted against university attempts at censorship.

Not long after, in 1942, the German political philosopher Eric Voegelin began a 16-year stretch at the university. His writings on religion and totalitarian

ideology would go on to be massively influential. In fact, the political science department’s Eric Voegelin Institute is dedicated to his legacy.

After name dropping LSU, Bauerlein goes on to reminisce on the supposedly long-lost excitement of literary study since the ‘60s and ‘70s when one “felt the air in the departments crackling with ideas.” For him, the field’s turn toward and eventual oversaturation with the methods that eclipsed our homegrown New Criticism are to blame for a cataclysmic breakdown for literary study in American universities.

Whether literary study has truly declined since the mid20th century, I cannot tell you; I’ve only been associated with an English department for two and a half years as an undergraduate.

What I can say is that I have had no shortage of air-crackling moments throughout my time studying English here.

Whether it be Professor Chris Barrett reflecting on what the English Renaissance can teach us about the climate crisis, reading a review of Professor Maurice Carlos Ruffin’s latest short story collection in The New York Times before heading to his class, or hearing the recent news of alumna Mona Lisa Saloy becoming the state’s poet laureate, our English department clearly maintains its august tradition of literary excellence.

Evan Leonhard is a 21 year-old English and philosophy junior from New Orleans.