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LAST AGAIN T hu r s d ay, M a r c h 25, 2 021
50TH
PLAC E
Louisiana ranked last in performance for fourth year in a row Read on
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NEWS
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Three Student Government campaigns discuss Greek Life and campus issues in 2021 SG debate.
ENTERTAINMENT
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“‘Spaceman’ stays true to the album title, with sci-fi blips and techno, almost video game reminiscent sounds dispersed throughout.”
SPORTS
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LSU basketball’s run in the NCAA tournament comes to an end after suffering a loss to top-seeded Michigan.
OPINION
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“It is a quick fix for a problem that demands a much more complex and lasting solution.”
L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le
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U.S. News and World Report ranks Louisiana last in performance four years in a row BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote Louisiana is ranked last in performance in the United States, according to the U.S. News and World Report’s 2021 state rankings, which has placed Louisiana last four years in a row. Louisiana ranked 50th in crime and corrections, 49th in natural environment, 48th in education and opportunity, 47th in economy and infrastructure, 46th in healthcare and 42nd in fiscal stability. Compared to 2019’s rankings (no rankings for 2020), Louisiana moved up slightly in every category except for healthcare, education and crime and corrections. Despite these improvements, the Pelican state remains at the bottom of the barrel in key quality of life indicators. In 2017, Mass Communication Professor Robert Mann wrote a column in The Times-Picayune The New Orleans Advocate titled “Let’s face facts: Louisiana is sick and dying.” “The question isn’t whether there is much hope or aspiration left in Louisiana’s people,” Mann wrote. “There is not. The question, instead, is whether this is a place our promising young people should abandon as soon as possible.” Recently, he told the Reveille he’s not any more optimistic about the outlook for the state than he was three years ago. “I think it’s still very bleak and very gloomy,” Mann said. “I would not argue at all with one of my children or one of my students who said they wanted to leave because the state is hopeless. I have no good argument for why that’s not an accurate statement.” From 2007-2017, Louisiana lost more college-educated individuals than it gained, according to data compiled by an economist at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Texas pulls college graduates from Louisiana more than any other state. It has three large cities rife with opportunity — Austin, Dallas and Houston. Political science junior Nate Wiggins was born in Lafayette and grew up in Baton Rouge. He said LSU was his last choice for college, but ended up being the most affordable option. He plans to move to Texas after graduating. “I’m still proud to call Louisiana my home even with all of its mistakes,” Wiggins said. “But I feel like I’d have better opportunities somewhere else and with my future children.” The state’s student migration problem is nothing new. The Advocate dedicated a year-long series on the topic in 2002, and Louisiana politicians have long referred to the issue as "brain drain."
LOUISIANA RANKINGS according to U.S. News and World Report
2018 2019 2021 Healthcare
47
45
46
Education
49
48
48
Economy
44
49
47
Infrastructure
44
48
47
Opportunity
50
50
48
Fiscal Stability
48
43
42
Crime & Corrections
48
50
50
Natural Environment
—
50
49 no ranking for 2020
“I think a lot of Louisianans our age have to confront this awful conundrum of ‘do I want to leave home and family so that I can pursue good opportunities?’” LSU College Republicans’ president Ben Smith said. “It sucks because this place could be so much better, and I think we all know that it can be more.” LSU students often cite the lack of economic opportunity as reason for leaving the state. “I always knew that I would eventually want to leave the state because I didn’t see myself raising a family here or living here in the long term,” international studies junior and Baton Rouge native Reva Menon said. “I don’t think the state provides enough opportunity for people that don’t have specific experience with the most familiar job sectors here.” Mann was inducted into the Louisiana Political Hall of Fame in 2015 for his career in Louisiana politics. He covered Louisiana politics as a journalist in the early 1980s and worked as a press secretary for multiple Louisiana senators and as communications director for former Governor Kathleen Blanco. “There’s really not much for you anymore,” Mann said. “The state’s leaders have not taken the problems serious enough to give young people, and even old people like me, a lot of hope for things to get better here." "If you want economic opportunity, if you want to live a bigger, better, larger life, then maybe this is not — in the immediate future — the place you need to be. If you stay, maybe
you need to think of your service more like missionary work.” Mathematics sophomore Zyaire White is from New Jersey. He said LSU was his dream school, but Louisiana is a lot different than his home state. “Being in Baton Rouge opened my eyes to how different the laws are in the South and how much progress here still has to be made,” he said. History Professor John Bardes studies the Antebellum South and slavery in Baton Rouge. He said Louisiana’s economic problems can be traced to the legacy of slavery. “Part of the problems we’re talking about are problems that many, if not most, post-slave societies run into,” he said. “You can find this in the Carribean, Latin America and throughout the U.S. South.” With emancipation, post-slave states struggled to transform from a slave-labor economy to a diversified economy, Bardes said. As cotton and sugar became less productive in the 20th century, Louisiana pivoted toward prioritizing oil and natural gas production. “In a lot of ways, oil and natural gas replaced sugar and cotton as the main business that dominated Louisiana’s economy,” Bardes said. “There’s not really opportunities for the professional classes. There’s not a diversified economy. There’s oil and gas work, tourism; but there’s not really a tech sector, for example. There’s just very few options for people. Naturally, you’re going to have a brain drain.” James Richardson is an eco-
nomics professor and the director of the Public Administration Institute in the E. J. Ourso College of Business Administration. He served the state as the private economist on the Louisiana Revenue Estimating Conference since 1987. He’s been involved with organizations like the Council for A Better Louisiana and Public Affairs Research Council, which do research and offer policy solutions for the state’s problems. Despite the many commitments Louisiana politicians have made, improving opportunity in the state is a long-term goal. “Every governor knows it’s a 20-year issue and unfortunately we tend to be short-sighted,” Richardson said. “It’s very hard to get people to vote on something that’s going to help them in 20 years.” LSU College Democrats’ new president James Simpson recognizes that his organization is fighting an uphill battle in Louisiana, a solid red state, but he wants to stay nonetheless. “It’s just not that great to live here,” he said. “I definitely understand why people leave. There’s a lot of work to be done, especially in this area, and I would like to keep doing that work.” LSU political science professor Belinda Davis moved back to Louisiana for her family and to help address some of the state’s problems, especially poverty. “I have three kids. One’s at LSU right now and I don’t want him to graduate and move across the country because Louisiana can’t offer him what he needs,” Davis said. “I look at you and your friends that want to leave and I say ‘Don’t leave, fight.’ Stay here and help us figure out how to turn this situation around. We can’t do that when our best and brightest are moving to other states.” Davis said she believes there are a growing number of people willing to put their individual interests aside for the long-term betterment of the state. “I want to create a Louisiana where my child wants to stay,” she said. “If we want to turn Louisiana around, sometimes it takes taking a long view and investing in things that are not going to give you an immediate result.” Mann said Louisiana is his home and that he plans to stay and fight to change things for the better. “I think for so long the unofficial motto, or sensibility of the state has been that we are not worthy of clean air and water, of a real world-class educational system, that we’re just not worthy of those things,” Mann said. “We all sit around here and pretend we don’t have a problem but that’s just self-delusional. Nothing’s going to get better if we just sit around and pretend everything’s fine.”
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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. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.
NEWS CAMPAIGN CLASH Three LSU SG campaigns face off in 2021 SG debate
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ADMINISTRATON
Former LSU president resigns from OSU REVEILLE STAFF REPORT
COURTESY OF JACOB CHEATWOOD
BY CAROLINE SAVOY @carolinesavo LSU’s 2021 Student Government debate on Monday, March 22 hosted six candidates for SG president and vice president and gave the three campaigns a platform to communicate their plans for the upcoming school year.
More than 500 students viewed Tiger TV’s coverage of the debate, which is available on its YouTube channel. The three campaigns, Bowman-Milligan, It’s Time and UNITY answered questions about how they would improve the University if elected. They mentioned encouraging cohesion within SG, striving for anti-
racist changes within Greek Life and illuminating the corner of LSU’s campus known as Glock. Candidates all agreed that SG needs reform. Javin Bowman, a criminology and political science junior and the head of the Bowman-Milligan campaign, said his administration would restructure SG’s staff to allow assistant directors to fo-
cus on specific student needs with a more targeted approach. His running mate, political science, Spanish and international studies junior Abbie Grace Milligan pointed out the climate of “toxicity” within SG. “We represent the students, and it’s not students’ job to be
see DEBATE, page 4
Former LSU President F. King Alexander resigned from Oregon State University Sunday amid investigations into LSU’s mishandling of sexual assault reports. “Dr. Alexander no longer has the confidence of the OSU community,” OSU Board of Trustees Chair Rani Borkar said in a meeting Tuesday. Borkar said Alexander offered his resignation to the board on Sunday, effective April 1. The board held a meeting Tuesday to discuss the resignation and hold an executive session. Alexander’s resignation was unanimously accepted by the OSU board of trustees. He has been placed on administrative leave until April 1st. OSU’s Provost Edward Feser will assume the president’s duties pending appointment of an interim president. The board met March 17 to discuss Alexander’s role in LSU’s mishandling of sexual assault
see ALEXANDER, page 4
COVID-19
Members of the LSU community begin to receive COVID vaccine BY HENRY WELDON @Hankweldon3 In recent weeks, members of the LSU community have started to receive vaccines as eligibility has included more residents. As vaccine eligibility requirements slowly expand, more students and staff will likely have the opportunity to get vaccinated in the coming weeks. Around LSU’s campus, there are multiple pharmacies and stores that are currently providing the vaccine. Gov. Jon Bel Edwards announced Wednesday that all Louisiana residents age 16 and older are now eligible for the vaccine. The University is hosting a mass vaccination event Friday in the south endzone of Tiger Stadium. Participants should enter through Gate 22, and parking will be available in Lot 401 across South Stadium Drive. The vaccination event will require an appointment which will be based on a first-come-firstserved basis. The University will be unable to accommodate walk ups, according to a schoolwide
email. LSU has received limited quantities of both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the email read Marketing junior Pirakant Suksucheep received his vaccine at a local CVS pharmacy. “The registration process was really easy,” Suksucheep said. “The only questions they asked me were about which priority group I was in. Then, when I got to my appointment at CVS, they handed me a piece of paper to confirm my priority group and I signed it.” Suksucheep said he was surprised at how quick and expeditious the process was. “They [CVS] didn’t even check my ID or ask for any proof of my priority group,” Suksucheep said. “I got the Johnson & Johnson vaccine which had awful side effects the next day.” Mass Communication Professor Leonard Apcar received both of his shots at two different local Walmart stores in Baton Rouge but said it was not an easy process. “I had trouble,” Apcar said. “I
signed up and was placed on a waiting list at a pharmacy that I still haven’t heard from. I signed up at my own doctors group and they said vaccines were arriving fast and furiously, and I never heard back from them.” While Apcar said he didn’t experience any difficulties on the day of his vaccination appointment, he did say that people must allow about an hour of their time. “It wasn’t in and out,” Apcar said. “Some of the signage wasn’t quite clear, they’re still running it like a pharmacy.” On Feb. 25, Walmart announced on its website that 43 locations in 18 states would begin hosting events to help improve vaccination rates. Some local Walmarts in Baton Rouge were included in that announcement. As the vaccine eligibility requirements began to expand, Louisiana citizens were registering in droves to get the two shots. This caused trouble for some
see VACCINE, page 4
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille
People wait in line and fill out paperwork on Mar. 14, while social distancing at the Tiger Stadium vaccination site.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
page 4
involved in petty drama with the executive staff on Twitter,” Milligan said. It’s Time presidential candidate and mass communication junior Mia LeJeune said she will reinvigorate the presidents’ cabinet, a department of SG comprised of presidents of all student organizations on campus, in order to reach all corners of campus. Angelina Cantelli, English junior and vice president of the It’s Time campaign, said that instating a chief of staff and a deputy chief of staff within the College Council would take pressure off of vice presidents and make College Council more cohesive. Preston White, a geography junior and UNITY’s vice presidential candidate, said that to combat the “unwelcoming” reputation of SG, he would increase outreach between SG and other student organizations. Amina Meselhe, a civil engineering junior and presidential candidate for the UNITY campaign, said increasing communication within SG is important so that members are up to date about initiatives. While debating Greek Life, Milligan said that because its lack of diversity starts at the recruitment process, she would fight to abolish the legacy system as soon as August 2021. “If you have a relative who was in a sorority or fraternity, you receive preference during Rush,” Milligan said. “This prioritizes and gives an advantage to white students. We need to widen the playing field.” LeJeune said that as the only presidential candidate in Greek Life, she knows the “scandals” have made Greek students feel unheard and unrepresented. She said her membership in a sorority makes her the best candidate to represent Greek issues in office. Meselhe said that while some Greek organizations welcome discussions about diversity, the responsibility should not
fall on students of color to educate their peers. To combat this, White said that UNITY would ensure diversity training from professionals for all members of Greek Life. Whispers started in the debate room when candidates were asked to discuss the claim that a secret organization known as “Glock” influences SG elections. The question read, “Is there any merit to this claim, and if so, are any of you in or backed by Glock?” LeJeune said that Glock is a real threat to transparency and accountability at LSU. “As a woman, I would not be allowed in Glock,” LeJeune said. “I am not in it, nor will I ever be, and I condemn that organization wholeheartedly.” Cantelli, SG deputy chief of staff, said that she learned of Glock’s legitimacy through conversations with members of SG’s current administration. She said that as she, like LeJeune, identifies as a woman, she would never be offered membership in Glock. Similarly, Meselhe said that she is not in the secret organization. She said that she understands Glock to be a student-led organization comprised of student leaders on campus, referencing other colleges that have similar, but public, organizations. “If it is such a good thing, we can have it out in the open,” Meselhe said. “Having secret organizations, whether they give you money or not, is not a good thing. Taking steps to combat Glock like ranked choice voting is a step toward evening out the chances.” White said that he is not in Glock, but he feels like its members want to see change on campus. He made pleas toward Glock to renounce its secrecy and show students any positive change it has made. Before giving his answer, Bowman said that he felt like the inquiry was targeted at the Bowman-Milligan campaign. “This campaign is built on student leaders whose work is
seen on this campus each day,” he said. “We are not backed by no secret hand. We are doing this on our own merit.” Milligan said that while she has no knowledge of Glock’s legitimacy, she is not a member. “I would rather place my trust in facts, not rumors,” Milligan said. “I don’t let anyone tell me what to do, so I wouldn’t let a secret organization of men tell me what to do.” When asked about the best and worst thing LSU does for its students, Meselhe said that while 75% of LSU students receive scholarships from the University, its attention to students “drops off after freshman year.” According to the University, 25% of students leave the school between their second and third year of study. White said that LSU provides resources to students without adequately advertising those resources to the students who need them. He said that LSU started offering free laptops and chargers for students to rent for the school year, but many students don’t know this program exists. Bowman said there are “not that many good things” LSU does for its students. Milligan said that the University needs to provide proper resources for students affected by natural disasters and protect survivors of sexual assault, two issues that affect student morale. Cantelli said that LSU student organizations offer each student a home on campus. LeJeune said raising tuition is the worst thing LSU does for its students and that she would work with the state legislature to lower tuition. “We need to lower tuition so that we can start paying our grad students better, protecting sexual assault survivors and getting the resources we need to students experiencing natural disasters,” LeJeune said. When asked if It’s Time, a campaign that follows the Democratic party on all social media platforms, would be able
to serve conservative students, Cantelli said that the ticket has candidates and staff members from “both sides of the aisle.” She said that in SG, there are no party lines. LeJeune said that It’s Time is the largest ticket with 114 candidates representing all 17 senior colleges and that each of those students has a different background and political ideology. “There are Republicans, Democrats and Independents on our ticket,” LeJeune said. “The governor is a Democrat, and if I have a connection there, I’m going to use it for the betterment of the LSU community. That does not mean that I won’t work across the aisle with Republican legislators.” In regard to the campus climate, Milligan said that sexual assault is “a culture thing” at LSU, and she and Cantelli, a cofounder of Tigers Against Sexual Assault, have been working tirelessly to reform sexual assault policies. “[Change] won’t happen unless LSU is held accountable and implements the recommendations from the Husch Blackwell report in the way that students want, not in the way administration wants,” Milligan said. Cantelli said the campus climate is one that is calling for change and that students are asking questions about the nature of LSU’s administrative bodies like the President’s Office and the Board of Supervisors. She said that she and LeJeune will bring students’ pleas to administration. “President Galligan has seen me cry, he’s seen me yell, he knows how I feel about these issues and he knows that I will continue being a proud woman no matter what, and he knows that Mia will do the same,” Cantelli said. “We’re not in this for a letter of recommendation, so we’re not afraid to make people upset.” Meselhe said that morale is low on campus, and White said that UNITY will bring joy and community back to campus
VACCINE, from page 3
ALEXANDER, from page 3
people who already received their first shot but were trying to schedule an appointment to receive their second shot. “For the second shot, I didn’t hear from them,” Apcar said. “About the third week, I started clicking around to see if I could make an appointment. This time, I was having trouble. It was getting more crowded. It was obvious that it was better known that Walmart was giving out shots.” In Apcar’s case, he was able to get both vaccinations without experiencing any major issues. He also avoided the negative side effects that some people experience after they get vaccinated. “Lots of people have a tough time with the second Moderna shot, which is what I got,” Apcar said. “I got it at 10:30 a.m. and I was tired that night but I didn’t feel too badly.”
reports while he was head of the University. The board voted to put him on probation during that meeting. Alexander was president of LSU from 2013 to 2019 and first became president at OSU in 2020. In a letter to Borkar March 22, LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Robert Dampf said he is “beyond offended” by comments made by Alexander about Louisiana’s culture and the culture of LSU during last week’s meeting. “When sharing his opinion that Louisiana has a different moral standard than Oregon, he omits the facts that he enthusiastically counted himself as one of us for almost seven years,” Dampf wrote. Dampf said Alexander was invited twice by Husch Blackwell, the firm investigating
LSU’s mishandling of sexual assault reports, to be interviewed in the investigation. Dampf said Alexander said he would “only accept questions in writing.” Dampf also clarified claims that Alexander made during the March 17 meeting. He said that all LSU campuses already had Title IX coordinators on each campus before Alexander’s arrival to LSU and Greek organizations’ activities were suspended under Alexander in response to a Max Gruver’s death, not Title IX concerns as Alexander had indicated. “Had Dr. Alexander consented to be interviewed, Husch Blackwell could have sorted through the inconsistencies and provided an opportunity to correction,” Dampf wrote. “That time has passed and it seems fruitless to quibble with the previous president about what happened during this tenure.”
LSU President F. King Alexander speaks to the Baton Rouge Press Club in the Belle of Baton Rouge Casino & Hotel.
DEBATE, from page 3
through the Black Marketplace, a space for Black students and business owners to share their ideas and products. “Students aren’t happy with the administration and other student leaders,” Meselhe said. “It’s integral that our students feel safe, loved and a sense of joy when we hear the LSU name aside from when we’re winning football games.” When asked about campus safety, Cantelli said that proper lighting the campus should be the 19th recommendation on Husch Blackwell’s list. She said that students of all genders feel unsafe on campus at night. Meselhe referenced UNITY’s “Stay Safe Tigers” platform that includes policies like fixing issues within LSU’s SHIELD app, a resource for students in peril. White referenced their Lock and Key initiative that would allow all on-campus residents access to the first floor of any dorm, apartment or residence hall in case of emergency. Milligan said that as SG’s Director of Safety, she attended the Light Walk that allowed students to point out areas on campus that need increased lighting. “It’s not just about pointing out where lighting on campus is bad or where students feel unsafe,” Milligan said. “It’s about checking up and following up. I have no problem telling President Galligan when he’s wrong or when I don’t think he’s doing his job correctly.” LeJeune said that her Senate candidates are working on writing legislation to fund plots for National Panhellenic Council students and ensure that Greek fall recruitment does not take place during students’ first week of class. Meselhe said that Black students don’t want the “tokenism” of NPHC plots, so her Senate will produce legislation that increases funding toward Black student leaders’ projects, movements and events. Bowman agreed and Said his senate candidates are working to the same end.
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
ENTERTAINMENT
page 5
REV R ANKS
Nick Jonas’ album ‘Spaceman’ lands among the stars BY AVA BORSKEY @iamavab Once again, this Jo Bro is flying solo. “Spaceman” is Nick Jonas’ first solo project since the Jonas Brothers reunion in 2019. The album was first released on March 12, then a deluxe version dropped on March 15. Excluding the different album covers, the major difference between the two versions is “Spaceman (Deluxe)” has five additional tracks: a bonus Jonas collab with Kevin and Joe, an exclusive, original song and three “Chill Version” song remixes. You can listen to either version of the album on Spotify. It’s also available on Apple Music with a short writeup of an interview with Jonas, as he reflects on the story, inspiration and meaning behind the songs. “Spaceman” stays true to the album title, with sci-fi blips and techno, almost video game reminiscent sounds dispersed throughout the tunes. Between Jonas’ trademark high notes and the strong synth and drum accompaniments, the album gives off an updated ‘80s pop vibe. The best way to listen to the album is in order from top to bottom. One of the most remarkable aspects of this project is the transitions between songs. There’s hardly any “dead air.” Each track flows and fades so smoothly into the
other that it’s truly an effortless listening experience. You’ll moonwalk across the 16 songs without realizing nearly an hour has passed. The album starts off strong with memorable and catchy tunes like “Don’t Give Up On Us,” “Spaceman” and “2Drunk.” “2Drunk” is probably my favorite from the album. The lyrics are both humorous and relatable, not to mention extremely easy to sing along to. The fifth
track, “Delicious,” is the most upbeat song on the album. It has a distinct beginning with a static sound that clears up just as you start to wonder what’s going on. The static fades away into a fun horn section that carries you through and concludes the piece, leading straight into the sax solos of song six, “This
is Heaven,” which Jonas said might be his favorite track on the album. The very beginning of the ninth track, “If I Fall,” reminded me of a Phil Collins song. At nearly four minutes, “If I Fall”
is the longest track on the album, and it loses the Collins’ similarity as it progresses into the chorus. Nevertheless, in his interview with Apple Music, Jonas named
Collins, as well as Peter Gabriel and Steve Winwood as influences for “Spaceman,” and I’d say he largely delivered on this vision. Immediately following is the thematic extension of the “forever love” addressed in “If I Fall,” with the song “Death Do Us Part.” It’s the shortest track on the album. And no, your WiFi didn’t cut out. It really does end that abruptly.
“We cut the track off abruptly at the end to signify that there’s never really an end to that journey,” Jonas said. “I wanted it to feel like it’d go on forever if we hadn’t stepped in.” One of my other personal favorites included song No. 11, “Nervous.” It’s a sweet love song about a relationship with a sustained sense of excitement and butterflies, even “after all this time.” The original
album release concludes with “Nervous.” Track 12 marks the start of the deluxe content. “Selfish” sounds exactly like what it is, the Jonas Brothers collaboration. As someone who grew up listening to the Jonas Brothers during the Disney Channel golden era, this song had such a nostalgic vibe, and I loved it. “Dangerous,” the other deluxe exclusive, has echoey vocals and a chorus that utilizes just the right amount of repetition. To close the deluxe album, Jonas sings the three “Chill Versions” of “Don’t Give Up On Us,” “2Drunk” and “This is Heaven,” created by the songwriter and producer, Wendy Wang. While the regular versions of these songs have stronger instrumental accompaniments, often with a noticeable reverb, like the heartbeat opening in the original “Don’t Give Up on Us,” the “Chill Versions” offer more of an acoustic style. Simply put, the “Chill Versions” provide exactly what the name suggests, a chill listening experience. Jonas’ voice holds a more mellow tone, almost like a slow burn. I’d like to think the “Chill Versions” are made for when you’re indeed “2Drunk in all of your feelings” at 2 a.m. Overall, “Spaceman” was a solid album and an enjoyable listen. It’ll be staying downloaded to my Spotify in its entirety, so I’d call it a mission success.
to In the end, there’s so much more here that I enjoy than I dislike. I was expecting to watch this and enjoy a singular aspect: the orchestral music of Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL. The music was incredible, but I left with something more, much more. I left feeling catharsis about a director and a movement that I spent so long dismissing. This movie will never change my feelings about Snyder’s previous films, which I despise. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is a mildly flawed, yet perfect metaphor of redemption for a filmmaker I despised, especially for an experience I never thought would even exist. Domenic Purdy | @tigerdom16 Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment
Practically everything works in “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.” It is undoubtedly a hefty piece of work to watch, but it is just so rewarding. Everything about the film is incredible, from the way it’s structured in eight distinctive parts to the head-spinning soundtrack by Tom Holkenborg to the ripped-off-the-comic-book-page visuals. It’s mammoth, mythic and feels like an old campfire legend that’s passed down for generations. “Justice League” is a story of heroes persevering, defying the odds and overcoming an insurmountable force of evil. COURTESY OF THE VERGE
ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE
MOVIE
Connor McLaughlin | @connor_mcla Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment
Thursday, March 25, 2021
page 6
KRISTEN YOUNG
KRISTEN YOUNG
LSU baseball freshman first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) slides into home plate on March 21.
LSU baseball freshman infielder Jordan Thompson (13) hits the ball on March 21.
Thursday, March 25, 2021
page 7
LIFE’S
A
PITCH
KRISTEN YOUNG
LSU baseball sophomore catcher Hayden Travinski (25) looks for the pitch call on March 21. KRISTEN YOUNG
LSU baseball sophomore outfielder Mitchell Sanford (22) rounds third on March 21.
Over the weekend, LSU baseball suffered an overall loss 1-2 against Mississippi State during its SEC series opener.
KYLE VALDEZ
KRISTEN YOUNG
LSU baseball sophomore infielder Collier Cranford (16) views his hit toward right field on March 20.
LSU baseball freshman first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) celebrates a double on March 21.
Scores: March 19 6-1 Mississippi March 20 0-3 Mississippi March 21 8-3 LSU
KYLE VALDEZ
LSU baseball junior utility Gavin Dugas (6) follows through on his swing on March 20.
KYLE VALDEZ
LSU baseball freshman infielder Jordan Thompson (13) shows the ball to the umpire after tagging a baserunner on March 20.
KYLE VALDEZ
LSU baseball junior right-handed pitcher Landon Marceaux (11) delivers a pitch on March 20.
KYLE VALDEZ
LSU baseball freshman righthanded pitcher Will Hellmers (48) touches first base on March 20.
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Thursday, March 25, 2021
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FOR RELEASE MARCH 25, 2021
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 “__ Around”; Beach Boys hit 5 Egyptian President Anwar el-__ 10 Demonstrate 14 Uber alternative 15 Minimum required or maximum allowed 16 Volcanic output 17 __ up; say no more 18 Acting secretly 20 “For __ a Jolly Good Fellow” 21 Late Yugoslav president 22 Representative 23 Juicy fruits 25 Actress Longoria 26 Make 28 Plumber’s tool 31 Steed 32 “__ home is his castle” 34 Know-__; expertise 36 Out of town 37 Sawyer or Keaton 38 Bread for a gyro 39 Animal in the house 40 __ Haute, IN 41 Rescued 42 Winger & others 44 Place 45 Eye protector 46 Can wrapper 47 Pulsate 50 Cutting tools 51 “__-a-dub-dub, three men…” 54 Folk singers’ gathering 57 Golfer’s cry 58 Border on 59 Mrs. Ralph Kramden 60 Sled race 61 In __; as a whole 62 Hamelin’s visitor 63 Utilizes DOWN 1 Eczema symptom 2 Destructive wind 3 Drive crazy
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews
4 TV’s Conway 5 British estate owner 6 Mothers of cousins 7 Airhead 8 Feasted 9 Paving substance 10 Motto 11 “Little pitchers __ big ears” 12 Baker’s need 13 Unsightly growth 19 Primitive homes 21 __ Donovan; actor on “The O.C.” 24 As __ as pie 25 Sea eagle 26 British fellow 27 Used oars 28 Dwindle 29 Gallant 30 Traveler’s stop 32 Haughtiness 33 Spoil 35 Walk in ankledeep water 37 Deceased 38 Walk back & forth
3/25/21
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
40 Sioux or Chippewa 41 Cries hard 43 Drunk 44 Attorney 46 Medieval weapon 47 “All __ Jazz”; song from “Chicago” 48 Bum
3/25/21
49 Drive out 50 Make tiny cuts 52 Encourage 53 Flying insects 55 Part of a toddler’s day 56 Man named “Athlete of the Century” 57 Respiratory virus
SPORTS
page 9 BASEBALL
BOW BOW OUT
LSU basketball’s March Madness dance comes to an end as the Tigers fall to Michigan 86-78 BY ANTHONY MOCKLIN @mocklin_anthony The LSU men’s basketball team (19-10, 11-6 Southeastern Conference) faced No. 1 seed Michigan in the NCAA East Regional second round on Monday night. The eighth-seeded Tigers defeated No. 9 St. Bonaventure 76-61 on Saturday to advance to the Round of 32. The Wolverines advanced after taking down Texas Southern 8266. Michigan led the Big Ten Conference in three-point shooting and ranked 53rd in the nation in opponent points per game (65.4) and 13th in opponent field goal percentage (39.3%). Contrary to his game against St. Bonaventure, freshman guard Cam Thomas exploded in the first half with 12 of LSU’s first 17 points, making five of his first six shot attempts. He scored as many as the Wolverines’ entire team early in the game as both had 12 points with 12 minutes to go in the half. A three-point play from junior forward Darius Days put the Tigers up nine before the Wolverines clawed back to take a 43-42
Four takeaways from SEC opener BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons
lead at the break. Thomas had 19 points, one rebound and a block in the first half. Junior guard Javonte Smart filled the stat sheet with nine points, four rebounds, five assists and one steal. The second half was a game of runs. LSU did not commit its first turnover until 15 minutes and 42 seconds left in the second half. The Tigers held onto a six-point lead before a 10-0 Michigan run gave the Wolverines a 55-51 lead. LSU responded with a 12-3 run of its own to go back up by five, but Michigan’s huge 22-7 run to take an 80-70 lead with 3 minutes and 27 seconds left to play spelled the end for the Tigers. The Wolverines closed things out 86-78 to advance to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 appearance. “I thought it was a great game,” Head Coach Will Wade said. “The game got away from us at the end of the first half. We had a pretty good working margin, got off to a great start. We got the lead in the second half by six. They made some huge threes. We just
see BASKETBALL, page 10 ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
LSU men’s basketball freshman guard Cameron Thomas (24) attempts to make a jump throw while South Carolina men’s basketball redshirt-sophomore guard Jermaine Couisnard (5) blocks Jan. 16 during LSU’s 85-80 win against South Carolina at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.
LSU baseball lost its SEC opening weekend series to Mississippi State two games to one, losing the series opener on Friday and Saturday and bouncing back for a win on Sunday to avoid a sweep. Here are four takeaways from the series loss. Landon Marceaux is just as dominant against the SEC In Marceaux’s first start against an SEC lineup this season, the junior allowed just two hits over seven innings. A run did score, but it was ruled unearned, extending his scoreless inning streak to begin the season to 30. He’s the only SEC pitcher to not allow a run yet this season. Marceaux and the rest of the starting rotation had a solid weekend in their first look at SEC bats. LSU will continue to rely on them to keep the opponent’s scoring low as the young LSU offense navigates the struggles of facing higher-quality pitching. Centerfield and catcher are up for grabs After over 20 games and through the first weekend of conference play, centerfield and catcher are seemingly the only positions still up for grabs. There are two players competing for each spot,
see BASEBALL, page 10
SWIMMING
How an LSU professor rediscovered a love for swimming BY LILLIAN O’CONNELL @lillyoconnell1 Herman Kelly is not your typical college professor. He swims laps at the crack of dawn, and he has a friendship with an LSU swimmer unlike any other. This meaningful friendship started four years ago when Kit Hanley, a swimmer, was a student in his class her freshman year. Kelly had been a competitive swimmer all through high school and college but now needed to get back into swimming for exercise. Hanley went out of her way after class to talk to him about swimming. Kelly asked if she would coach him, and she said yes — this was the start of an incredible friendship. “We just bonded because of the water,” Kelly said. “We just had that chemistry.” There were many times where Hanley would get up early with Kelly or stay after
practice to coach him. He has another coach now, but Hanley still gives him pointers. When she graduates, they will still stay in touch. “She wanted to help me,” Kelly said. “She knew what my goals were.” Hanley helped him prepare for his first competition, the Senior Olympics in 2018, and he won three first-place awards there. This year, he qualified for the National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He also is going to compete in three events for The State of Louisiana Meet in the fall. There is never a doubt in Hanley’s mind that Kelly will be successful at these meets. “I totally believe in you,” Hanley said to Kelly. “I am excited to help you achieve those goals.” Hanley said they communicated a lot through Twitter. They would practice the butterfly and
breaststroke techniques, plus dives and turns. She would record him on her phone and show Kelly what he could improve on from the recording. Kelly would always be appreciative of her help. He was very coachable, Hanley said, and whenever she would critique him, he would fix it right away and execute it well. “He’s been really successful in his swim career,” Hanley said. “We have stayed in touch throughout the years.” Hanley has seen him improve so much since the start of their first practice together and could not be more proud of him. Kelly went from belly flops to diving off the block like second nature, she said. “He got the form down,” Hanley said. “He just inspires me.” Hanley and Kelly are always willing to help each other, even outside of the water. Kelly’s wife is going through cancer treatment, and the two of them are
planning to have a Swim for Life at Crawfish Aquatics, where Hanley will swim to help raise money for her treatment. Kelly is also giving back by teaching
swimming lessons to children. He saw a need and decided to fulfill that need himself. “God spoke back to me,” Kelly said. “Your gift is swimming.”
COURTESY OF KIT HANLEY AND HERMAN KELLY
LSU swimmer Kit Hanley and professor Herman Kelly pose for a photo at LSU’s UREC. Hanley has coached Kelly to wins in many swimming competitions.
page 10
Thursday, March 25, 2021
BASKETBALL, from page 9 had some poor closeouts, some poor switches below the ball and weren’t able to overcome them.” LSU committed just three turnovers in the game, but Michigan got a big boost of 26 bench points compared to the Tigers’ two. The Wolverines’ stout defense kept them in the game as LSU shot just 39.1% from the field and 28.6% from deep. “We could just never string together enough stops to make a run and expand our lead,” Wade said. “We could never get the lead above 10 in the first half. Second half, after we got the six-point lead, we gave up a couple threes and missed a floater in the lane. We could never sustain what we were doing.” Thomas and Smart each played all 40 minutes. Thomas once again led all scorers with 30 points and added three rebounds, a block and a steal. “Their run coincided with us having those guys out there a long time at the end of the first half,” Wade said. “In the second half, we ran out of gas in the last ten minutes. So I do think that probably had something to do with it.” Smart scored 27 points, grabbed nine rebounds, dished five assists and came up with one steal in what was likely his final game with the Tigers. He declared for the NBA Draft in April but ultimately decided to return to LSU for
his junior season. “Talking to my mom and coaches, I felt like coming back would be the best thing for me,” Smart said. “I feel like this year helped me learn a lot more about myself and about growing up as a man. This year was one of the biggest years you could ask for. Pandemic, COVID — it was hard. I want to give it all to the NCAA for being able to have this.” Sophomore forward Trendon Watford had 11 points, four rebounds and three blocks. “I’m proud of our guys, our younger guys, and even Trendon and Days,” Smart said. “Me and Days came in together and me and Trendon are always together. That’s my guy. We’re roommates, and we were always working out together.” Michigan now leads the headto-head series 3-1. Wade said +the Tigers will look ahead to next season in hopes of retaining some key players. “We’re certainly going to lose some very, very good players,” Wade said. “We’ve got some talented young kids in the program that we feel really good about. We’re going to try to mix in some veteran guys here in the spring, have two or three scholarships to mess around with. We’ve got to keep the young core together, get those guys in the gym, get back to work, add a couple veteran pieces and I think we can be right back where we are tonight.”
BASEBALL, from page 9 and both bring something the other does not. At catcher, it’s a battle between Alex Milazzo and Hayden Travinski, where Milazzo offers the defensive upside while Travinski brings the offense. Milazzo’s defense was on full display in Saturday’s loss when he threw out two base stealers. To contrast, Mississippi State was comfortable taking extra bases on Travinski while he continued to work his way back from an elbow injury. Even though Travinski went hitless in seven at-bats this weekend, he’s still hitting over .300 on the season. In centerfield, it’s a similar competition between Mitchell Sanford and Giovanni DiGiacomo; Sanford brings the bat and DiGiacomo brings the glove. Ultimately, it will come down to whether coach Paul Mainieri wants to prioritize offense or defense on a given day. If one of these four can showcase something that their counterpart is known for, they would easily run away with the position. Collier Cranford has solidified second base Second base, at least defensively, had been a weak spot in the infield. Zach Arnold suffered a few game-changing errors in recent weeks, and Mainieri spoke earlier in the week about possibly making a change. He inserted sophomore Collier Cranford into the lineup, playing
KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille
LSU baseball players celebrate a home run March 21, during LSU’s 8-3 win against Mississippi State in Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge. second base and batting near the bottom of the order. Cranford had just one hit in eight at-bats, but his impact came defensively. “Collier Cranford was the storyline of the weekend,” Mainieri said after Sunday’s win. Cranford made all the routine plays and even some unroutine ones. His inning-ending double play that got LSU out of a sixth inning jam on Sunday was particularly special. Deep bench provides lineup options LSU’s deep bench gives Mainieri a slew of options in any circumstance he could encounter. Need a late-game defensive replacement at shortstop or in the outfield? There’s
Drew Bianco. Need a left-handed pinch hitter? There’s Brody Drost. Need a pinch runner? There’s Will Safford. Need a new catcher after the starter was pinch hit for? There’s Jake Wyeth. Not to mention others like Arnold and whoever isn’t playing between Sanford, DiGiacomo, Milazzo and Travinski. This weekend, we saw two different starters at centerfield, second base and designated hitter. Bianco and Wyeth came in to the games in the later innings on Sunday and Saturday, respectively. The deep bench offers the team flexibility that not many teams have, and it allows Mainieri to be ready to throw somebody at any situation that may arise.
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OPINION
page 11
We should question motives behind University’s new Title IX website FROM THE HOUSE OF HARD KNOX NATALIE KNOX @natalieknox444 Last Wednesday, March 17, the Office of Communications and University Relations launched a new website with the aim of supporting those who have been impacted by domestic and/or sexual violence. The University launched this website in an effort to take some responsibility and show that it cares for student welfare in light of the controversial Title IX report released earlier this month. That said, it is necessary to wonder about the quality of this new site in light of the rushed timing and context surrounding its release. A fair question must be asked: Does this new website actually offer new and improved resources to survivors in our com-
munity, or does it function mostly as an effort to repair the University’s reputation? So, how useful of a resource is this new website? At first glance, the website does appear to be an improvement. Defining terms like “sexual assault” and trying to determine what falls under the umbrella of sexual harassment have been major issues when it comes to Title IX laws and regulations, and it seems like the University has made a sincere attempt to show a broader variety of reportable behaviors, listing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking as major categories of sexual misconduct. I commend the University for this, as well as for the general tone of the website, which emphasizes that reporting an incident is the survivor’s personal choice and notes that members of the community can receive medical care after an assault in the form of medical exams, testing and collection of
evidence even without choosing to file an official report. Overall, the website compassionately addresses those in the University community who are struggling with issues related to sexual and/or domestic violence, and it does offer some useful tips for individuals seeking to collect evidence after an assault. However, upon further exploration, I find the new website to also be somewhat problematic. Though the website does attempt to show that the University is committed to acknowledging and responding to instances of sexual violence by addressing survivors head-on, it also works to shift the burden of proof onto those survivors — and move the burden of responsibility away from the administration The site repeatedly emphasizes that the University strongly encourages people to report these crimes, as that is the only way that they can help, while also adding
that it is always an individual’s personal choice whether to report or not. “If you choose not to disclose to LSU, the University is unable to investigate or take disciplinary action against the respondent (accused person)... It’s important to note, with minimal information there might not be enough evidence to conduct an investigation or look further into the incident.” The above quote comes directly from the website’s portal for confidentiality and anonymous reporting. It should also be noted that aside from an anonymous tip resource line, the only links given to survivors are for pre-existing University services, namely the Student Health Center, Mental Health Services and the Lighthouse Program. In essence, the website does not really offer anything new to survivors in our community. It is no secret that officials are in a precarious position after the
Husch Blackwell report was released earlier this month to shine a light on some major issues in the University’s approach to handling instances of sexual assault on campus. However, this flippant construction of a new website, offering mostly recycled resources and heavily emphasizing the individual’s responsibility to report if they want the University’s help, does not do much to show a more than surface-level commitment to change. It is a quick fix for a problem that demands a much more complex and lasting solution. If the University truly wants to repair its image and relationship with the wider Baton Rouge community, it will need to show a commitment to real change in repairing its procedures, not merely its reputation. Natalie Knox is a 23-year-old English senior from Lake Charles.
Looking back, lockdown has taught us to see life in a different light EVAN ON EARTH EVAN LEONHARD
@evan_leonhard
Unbelievably, it has been just over a year since the onset of the various orders and precautions we now think about under the ominous umbrella of the “lockdown.’” In one sense, the pre-pandemic world seems legendary, like a figment of the ancient past; in another, I find it impossible to believe that we have actually spent over an entire year with gloomy coronavirus clouds lingering over our heads. I vividly remember the day we received the message about campus closure and our order to return home for the semester. It all happened so fast. In a matter of 48 hours, the entire campus had transformed from near normalcy to chaotic evacuation mode. In amazement, I watched the rest of the semester evaporate before my very eyes. As a student, my primary source of day-to-day purpose and stability had been yanked from underneath me. It is through these often strange and personally unprecedented experiences that I came to see this past year as an object of intense reflection and commemoration. The
events of lockdown encouraged me to grapple with some simple, yet undoubtedly uncomfortable, insights into the inherent uncertainty of human life. In early to mid-February of last year, just as murmurs of the soonto-be pandemic had begun to bubble up in our news cycles and online communities, I wrote a column — one I would later come to regret — dismissing early panic about the virus as mere alarmism and media over-saturation. To be fair, my position was relatively standard at the time. There had only been a small handful of reported cases of the virus in the country; most people, including myself, assumed that the powers that be — scientists, hospitals, the government, etc. — would simply “take care of it,” whatever that meant. The thought of a year-long, society-bending struggle against coronavirus never even remotely entered my mind. But that’s just my point. In retrospect, I realize that my reasoning for being so flippant with early pandemic panic can basically be boiled down to my naïve inability to fathom a world in which our trusted sociopolitical infrastructures could falter, allowing outside forces to come crashing through
and obliterate the status quo. Watching the entire world grind to a halt and collapse at the feet of natural disaster was a sobering reminder of how incredibly vulnerable we are, inescapably at the mercy of factors beyond our control. It seems to me that our culture frequently suffers from an uncritical humanism and tends to presume an intrinsically upward trajectory to human history, believing that the continual accumulation of scientific and political progress will indefinitely distance modernity from the atrocities of history. I have repeatedly found myself turning to the work of French existentialist author Albert Camus while trying to make sense of this past year and what its greater spiritual (so to speak) significance might be. His 1947 novel “The Plague” directly takes on the social and philosophical implications of unmanageable contagion. In it, we encounter the small ocean town of Oran and its citizens. They are, like us, explicitly “modern” people who lack any sense of their susceptibility to full-scale cultural disruption. Prior to the outbreak, they find themselves in a bubble of blind comfort and complacency, reluctant to see how anything could possibly pose a threat to this existence.
Needless to say, that bubble gets popped. For Camus, plague is inevitable; disaster and suffering are non-negotiable aspects of the human condition. And sure, someone could absolutely make the case that, if governments and social institutions had handled things differently, this whole thing could have been avoided. Maybe. But that misses my point completely. We obviously can and should work to curtail catastrophe whenever possible. Who knows — we might very well be able to de-
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Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor
Evan Leonhard is a 20-year-old English and philosophy sophomore from New Orleans.
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille
A classroom sits empty on Jan. 15 inside Cedar Hall.
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fend ourselves against another pandemic in the coming decades. That said, this past year has been helpful in forcing us to pierce through the veil of modern comfort and see life in a renewed light. While confidence in human accomplishment can certainly be a good thing, we should be careful to not forget our mortal contingency: that we are fragile and irreducibly interdependent.
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.
Quote of the Week “I want to make a ding in the universe.” Steve Jobs inventor 1955— 2011
page 12
Thursday, March 25, 2021
Catholic Church’s stance on same-sex unions disappointing, yet unsurprising DOM’S UNCANNY DISCOURSE DOMENIC PURDY
@tigerdom16
The Catholic Church announced last week that the Vatican cannot bless same sex unions despite Pope Francis’ October statement calling for civil union laws for LGBTQ+ couples. According to the Vatican, no matter how devout and positive these relationships are, God “cannot bless sin.” This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who knows the Catholic Church. It serves merely as a reminder of the Vatican’s roots. It is the 21st century and the Catholic Church — the arbiter of morality for 1.2 billion people — still views LGBTQ+ relationships as sinful. The Pope can welcome gay Catholics into the church until he’s blue in the face, but that won’t matter as long as their marriages
are deemed affronts to God. This isn’t a mere statement by the Church but an affirmation of the teachings of the Catechism. The doctrines of the Catechism call homosexual acts “disordered.” Simply put, the Catholic Church doesn’t view the relationships — or even the lives — of LGBTQ+ members as equal to their heterosexual parishioners. No matter how many times you claim it’s not unjust discrimination, you cannot claim to welcome a community if you deny them the basic rights and privileges others are granted freely. Claiming that same-sex couples are invalid and do not form loving relationships is an absurd statement. A same-sex couple is just as capable of love and compassion as any straight couple. In the eyes of the Catholic Church, the love of two of the most kind hearted men I have ever met is deemed a sin. My maternal uncle Peter Rosen
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA
and his husband Andrew Jimenez have been married for nearly three years in a relationship that I can best describe as unconditionally loving. Jimenez himself was raised a Catholic, questioning his own sexuality through the lens of the Church since he was a child. “For many years while I still considered myself Catholic, it was about hiding that part of my identity,” Jimenez explained. “I had a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and I, multiple times, went to that book to look up homosexuality and it made it very clear that the Church viewed that as a sin and to act on that is a sin.” Jimenez began looking outside of the doctrines of the Catholic Church for the answer to his identity that the Vatican wasn’t capable of answering. He felt that he needed another doctrine that was more capable of accommodating his identity. “I saw that there were other perspectives to religion that did not require me to hide my identity in order to live a different life,” he said. “Through Peter I was introduced to Judaism and a way to keep tradition and values in a home.” It pains Jimenez to know that there are young LGBTQ+ people in the Church that think it is impossible to “live life as a gay, happy spiritual person.” This is nothing new. The Church has been consistent in its messaging about LGBTQ+ individuals for years. But that doesn’t make it right to strip away someone’s happiness or their sense of belonging based on who they love. “Every time they come out with a reinforcement of that message as
the years go by, it seems so obviously out of touch,” Jimenez said. “The Catholic Church will come to a point of reckoning on this. In the meantime, they will continue to lose LGBTQ+ people when they realize they can live a spiritual life outside of the Church. That’s the Catholic Church’s loss.” While there are denominations of every religion that allows more liberal interpretations of scripture, Catholicism is very much rigid in its interpretation, especially in relation to LGBTQ+ matters. Jimenez feels that every person has to “grow up a bit” and find their own path to see what suits them. “There’s a whole host of options you can take,” he said. “The church you came from may not like that, the family you came from may not like that, but that is what speaks to you. Take the path that you feels betters yourself and others.” For many like Jimenez, the Catholic Church played a role in every facet of life growing up. It was daily prayer, Mass on Sunday and blessings at every meal. It is nearly impossible to come to terms with who you are if every aspect of your world is telling you it’s wrong. Jimenez is currently seeking excommunication from the Catholic Church to more fully align with his Jewish identity. According to the Catholic Church’s canon laws, living in a same-sex civil union can be grounds for automatic excommunication — although the practice is hardly used. It’s a damn shame that the Catholic Church requires same-sex couples to get wiped from its records just because they choose to get
married. “The Catholic Church wants to have it both ways,” Jimenez explained. “They want to say, ‘here are these people committing these sins’ and say they’re not going to bless them, but they still want to be the largest denomination of Christianity. From my perspective, you can’t have it both ways. In a perfect world, I would start some non-profit to help gay people to send letters to their churches to ask to be excommunicated.” The experience of my uncle is not a unique one. There are Catholics — and practitioners of other religions — around the world who identify as LGBTQ+ and feel they are unable to live a spiritual life and be happily married as a result. No one should see their beliefs tell them they don’t deserve to be happy, be it in Buddhist, Catholic or Jewish theology. The Catholic Church may never reform to allow same-sex marriage. With an institution that extends back to the Roman Empire, change isn’t something you should expect. What the Catholic Church will lose in this inaction is thousands of LGBTQ+ members being told they are living in sin. Telling an entire community that they are sin incarnate is not exactly a stirring endorsement for your church. If Catholicism is about loving God’s creation, then no love should be deemed sinful, no matter if it’s between a man and a woman or a same-sex couple. Why should we discriminate and distinguish between that beautifully complicated thing we call love? Domenic Purdy is a 20-yearold journalism sophomore from Prairieville.
Student meme pages provide much needed comfort, sense of community BUI WAS HERE ANTHONY BUI @da_bui_ Memes are the future. Older generations may look at a meme with confusion on their faces, wondering what humor can possibly come from a picture of SpongeBob overlaid with alternating upper and lowercase letters of text, but my friends and I bond over this. We send them to each other and laugh together over how much we relate. Most students at the University know that it has its own personal and unique set of memes, which come from Instagram pages like @lsu_memes_for_acadian_teens and @lsu_memes_for_laville_ teens. Typically, these memes serve as nothing more than cheap laughs. On many occasions though, they become too real, too relatable; surprisingly, they can actually help keep you up to date on the latest news at the University.
These pages, as silly as they may seem, provide much-needed humor while still giving key information about life at the University through the form of memes, jokes and other creative outlets. One day, I opened Instagram and saw a meme about completing fee bills for the semester. I laughed, as this meme expressed the panic a student would feel when they realized their failure to click a simple button had resulted in them not being able to pay their fee bill. It was then that I realized I hadn’t yet completed my own. What was the moral of that story? For those of us who don’t check our emails as often as we check our Instagram feeds (I am definitely talking about myself here), these memes become our first line of information sometimes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve checked Instagram to find that inclement weather has led to class being canceled, and then proceeded to open up my email inbox to confirm the meme. Yes, you read that right.
I am not ashamed of it either. These past two semesters have been rough for the entire student body. We have had to adjust pretty quickly to online and hybrid classes, navigating how to properly learn material through Zoom. These experiences have made for great meme-worthy material. These memes unify us, even if
only for a couple seconds. We can scroll through comment sections and see that we are not the only ones feeling this struggle. We are not the only ones who hate Zoom classes. We are not the only ones who miss hanging out with our friends and attending sporting events at full capacity. One split-second of that realization is all we need. We look at the
meme, we laugh at it; then we get back on our laptops and churn out a sea of words just in time for the deadline. At the beginning of this column, I stated that memes were the future. But I was wrong. MeMeS aRe ThE pReSeNt! Anthony Bui is a 20-year-old English major from Opelousas.
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU students sit at socially distant tables on Jan. 25 in the Student Union on LSU’s campus.