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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS 400 MARYLAND AVENUE, SW WASHINGTON, DC 20202-1475
REGION XI THISSTATE LOUISJA ALBAMEHA
February 2, 2021
Jennie Delatte Production Editor, the Reveille Project of designing pages 0721 Cool Kid Dr. Baton Rouge, LA 70820
DEAR LSU, U.S. Department of Education launches two investigations into LSU’s Title IX practices.
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page 2 NEWS
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As LSU plans to operate under pre-pandemic circumstances, students and professors speculate what that will look like.
ENTERTAINMENT
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The entertainment staff travels to “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” to rank the iconic Star Wars films.
SPORTS
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LSU baseball is off to a rough start in SEC play, but Beloso and Thompson could get the team back on track.
OPINION
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“This is when I realized our society is unaccommodating to and borderline prejudiced against the nocturnal.”
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Another Investigation BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone
Department of Education opens two investigations into LSU’s Title IX procedures The U.S. Department of Education launched two investigations into LSU’s handling of sexual assault cases. The first investigation, announced Feb. 2, will look into possible violations of the Clery Act. The second investigation is being conducted by the Office of Civil Rights. It was announced March 3 and will examine Title IX compliance at LSU over the past three years. In a letter issued to Interim President Thomas Galligan on Feb. 2, the Department of Education said it would conduct an investigation into LSU’s transparency in reporting crimes and sexual violence that occur on campus. LSU officials must provide an “audit trail” showing all incidents of crime from 2016 through 2019, among other documents, for the first investigation. The first investigation will determine if LSU was transparent with its stakeholders regarding crime reporting and other acts of abuse that occurred on campus. It will focus on LSU Athletics and Greek Life and determine if the University violated the Clery Act, a federal statute requiring colleges and universities participating in federal financial aid programs to disclose campus crime statistics and security information. The Clery Act is intended to protect students by forcing schools to be transparent about campus crime in order to maintain federal funding. The University could be at risk of losing Title IV funding if it does not comply with the investigation, or if the investigation determines LSU violated the Clery Act. Title IV affects federal financial aid for students that is distributed by the University. “LSU administers all Title IV federal programs which are based on a student’s demonstrated financial needs,” according to LSU’s website. There are close to 13,000 LSU students who received some form of federal financial aid for the 2019-2020 school year, according to data collected by the University. A little less than half of these students received financial aid in the form of Pell Grants. President of Safety Advisors for Educational (SAFE) Campuses S. Daniel Carter told the Reveille that a university has never had its federal financial aid affected due to a Clery Act violation. SAFE Campuses is a national nonprofit organization that works with institutions to improve their Title IX procedures. “Closest that has happened was Michigan State put on a form of strict oversight for han-
dling their financial aid after their Clery Act investigation, but no institution has actually had their aid limited, suspended or eliminated,” Carter said. The second investigation will examine Title IX cases over the past three academic years and will be conducted similarly to Husch Blackwell’s investigation. The Department of Education will interview students, staff and administration, then release a final report that will summarize the University’s handling of Title IX cases. In addition to Title IV funding being pulled, LSU will be fined $59,017 for each instance of abuse that went unreported, per the Clery Act’s current standards. Junior Vice President of Legal Affairs for LSU Winston DeCuir spoke at a Senate Select Com-
One alumna who was sexually assaulted during her undergraduate career and went through the Title IX process at LSU spoke to Husch Blackwell representatives and was then contacted by the Department of Education for an interview. She said that during the interview, the Husch Blackwell lawyers stopped short of saying complicit LSU officials should be fired, but that the Department of Education investigators said “people are going to get fired. If Husch-Blackwell doesn’t, we’re going to make [LSU]. We’re not playing around here.’” The alumna also said the Department of Education investigators told her “this isn’t just about Title IX, this is about a lot of civil rights violations at LSU.” Pre-law international affairs
Cutting federal funding would only hurt the students more versus holding the individuals responsible who were in charge. ASIA GEORGE-HUFF
Political science junior
mittee on Women and Children hearing April 8 and said that LSU expects the Department of Education investigations to be completed within 12 months. DeCuir said LSU has submitted the first and second rounds of information to the department in compliance with the investigation. Carter said the investigation could take longer than a year based on past investigations. “I don’t envision that any review in the scope of that announcement letter can be resolved by the department in less than a year,” Carter said. Carter said a “multi-million dollar fine” is possible as a result of this investigation, based on how many instances of abuse went unreported as revealed in the Husch Blackwell report. The University released a statement on Feb. 5 in response to the Department of Education’s Clery Act investigation. “LSU was notified that the U.S. Department of Education would be conducting a campus crime program review related to Clery Act requirements. Campus safety and the wellbeing of those at LSU is always our priority, and following Clery guidelines for reporting and notifying the campus community is an important part of crime prevention that we take extremely seriously,” the statement read.
and policies junior Sam Ghelli said she thinks the University deserves to lose federal funding as a consequence for its negligence. “Personally, I think LSU should lose funding,” Ghelli said. “They should have consequences to their actions just as they punish their students for wrongdoings. If I am going to be held accountable for the LSU code of conduct, then so should they. The only way anything will ever change is if it’s out of their pockets.” Ghelli said the University should face more consequences for its lack of leadership. “LSU Cares is genuinely the biggest oxymoron known to date,” Ghelli said. “They don’t care about their students, they care about looking good for the press when they knock on their door demanding answers to the blatant disregard of their students.” Ghelli believes that LSU has the wrong priorities set. She said she would like to see the University place the wellbeing of its students ahead of making money. “LSU would rather see dozens of their students be traumatized and assaulted than hold the perpetrators accountable because we are only dollar signs in their eyes,” Ghelli said. “Unless you are a male athlete making the University money every week on the field, you might as well be rub-
bish in the gutter.” She thinks LSU’s response to such incidents doesn’t fix the issue because of the lack of accountability and action being taken. “The performative activism we see LSU broadcast to the media is a slap in the face to all of the victims that have been hurt by the directions of LSU’s administration’s handlings of this ordeal,” Ghelli said. Political science junior Asia George-Huff said that she transferred to LSU in January 2020 and the allegations of sexual misconduct on campus made her feel “apprehensive.” “If I wasn’t so close to graduating or had a child, I would probably transfer because I feel like LSU has done so poorly on addressing many social issues from Black Lives Matter to sexual assault allegations that are even beyond just the football team,” George-Huff said. She said she’s concerned to stay on campus for safety reasons due to multiple reports of LSU officials failing to address violence and crime on campus. As a female at LSU, she said she has to take extra precautions to ensure her safety and wellbeing. “I have never lived on campus, but I’m exploring options now for the upcoming year and it’s definitely concerning with a newborn child,” George-Huff said. “Just being a female out of state, just to have something else to worry about, and then to not even be taken seriously.” While she thinks officials at LSU should be held accountable, she doesn’t think that federal funding should be cut for the University. “Cutting federal funding would only hurt the students more versus holding the individuals responsible who were the leaders in charge,” she said. The Department of Education has investigated and fined other universities for Title IX issues, including fining Michigan State University $4.5 million in 2019 for failing to properly report sexual assault cases, according to NPR. The Department of Education investigated LSU for an alleged violation of Title IX in 2015, according to the Reveille Archives. In this investigation, the Department of Education received a formal complaint of discrimination from a student who claimed that LSU discriminated against her based on her gender. Henry Weldon also contributed to this report.
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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
page 3
A NEW NORMAL
Aspects of pandemic-era college changes that may be here to stay BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote LSU announced in a March email that it plans to operate similarly in fall 2021 as it did pre-pandemic, assuming vaccinations continue to be administered as planned. “We expect the vast majority of courses to be delivered faceto-face once again, and for the majority of campus operations to be back to normal,” the email read. “We expect that overall, fall 2021 will operate similarly to fall 2019.” But after a year of remote learning, hybrid classes and strict health precautions across U.S. campuses, questions remain about what changes are here to stay at universities: what the new normal may look like at LSU and in higher education more generally for the foreseeable future. The abrupt switch to online learning in 2020 forced students, professors and administrators to rethink certain aspects of college life, like the role of online classes in the traditional university experience, virtual office hours and virtual access to live events — some changes that may be here to stay. Nearly one-third of college students “never want to take another class via Zoom,” according to a College Pulse and
POLITICS
Sexual assault bill advances BY KATHLEEN PEPPO Manship News Service
made it hard for him to understand the material presented in class, and he said it made him feel like a “horrible’’ student. “I’m excited to be able to ask those questions in person, have a classmate I can whisper to and walk up after class to ask questions about things I’m a bit confused about,” Wade said.
A bill to allow survivors of sexual assault to terminate housing leases early moved forward Wednesday. Rep. Aimee Freeman (D-New Orleans), who brought the bill, said that she did so for the sake of all sexual assault survivors, but especially for college students who are victims of sexual assault. “Of course, it’s way more relevant based on all the testimony that’s been happening in this Capitol, even though I started working on it before the stories on sexual assault and the coverup at LSU happened,” Freeman said, referring to criticism of the University’s handling of sexual assault complaints against football players. Current law allows for survivors of domestic violence to abandon a lease early. But if a survivor of sexual assault who is not in a relationship with the abuser asks to be released from his or her rental agreement, and a landlord refuses, the survivor has no choice but to continue paying rent until the lease ends. Freeman’s bill would extend
see NORMAL, page 4
see BILL, page 4
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU students sit on campus on Jan. 25 attending their online classes in the Student Union on LSU’s campus. Inside Higher Ed survey. Half of the respondents said that while some things about remote learning worked for them, they are “anxious to get back to all or more in-person classes.” Mass communication freshman Ashlyn Anderson will take her first in-person class in the fall as a sophomore. She said she isn’t planning to take hybrid classes in the future, but remote
learning has taught her independence and self-discipline. “I’ve had so many asynchronous classes and I’ve had to keep up with due dates and studying on my own,” Anderson said. “I’m taking that into account next semester when dealing with studying and doing classes in the future.” Mass communication junior Austin Wade said online classes
ADMINISTRATION
LSU announces 47 action items to improve Title IX process BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone The LSU Board of Supervisors held a public meeting April 10 at the Lod Cook Alumni Center to discuss progress on Husch Blackwell’s recommendations and other issues pertaining to Title IX. Interim Vice President for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Jane Cassidy announced 47 action items that will be implemented in order to fulfill the firm’s 18 recommendations. The Title IX Office will undergo many structural changes over the next year, including personnel increases from three employees to 15, with a new chain of command and improved reporting lines. The physical office also recently moved to 118 Himes Hall. A new policy for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX will be created to implement clear
reporting guidelines, and sanctions for employees who fail to properly report will be established by July 15. A new Title IX coordinator will be hired by July 1, 2021. Jennie Stewart, the previous Title IX coordinator, will now work on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. Until a new candidate is hired, an external consultant from ATIXA will serve as the coordinator. A timeline with a maximum of 84 days has been established for all Title IX cases. Before August 2020, the Department of Education required educational institutions to keep the process under 60 days. It was revealed in the Husch Blackwell report that this timeline was rarely followed at LSU. A formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been established between the Title IX office and LSUPD. This will
help streamline the Title IX process when students first report to LSUPD, then need to transfer the records to the Title IX office. Beginning May 15, students can use the Navigate app to schedulew appointments with the Title IX Office and Lighthouse. By July 1, Communications & University Relations will finish development on an app that staff can use to make appointments as well. A new reporting website has already been completed. It includes all the resources needed to file reports, in addition to information about medical services, the mental health center, and survivor support at Lighthouse. A new website for the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX will be finalized on April 19. The site currently includes informa-
see TITLE IX, page 4
ABBY KIBLER/ The Reveille
Tiger Stadium shines bright Sept. 15, 2020 at night on N Stadium Road on LSU’s campus.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
page 4
he could teach his classes more efficiently. “Sometimes less is more,” Mari said. “I’ve learned that students don’t need to meet with me every class period. Sometimes it’s okay to have a Friday or Monday class period that has part of it outside of class.” Having taught part-online
classes before, the switch to Zoom wasn’t difficult for Mari. “I’ll use it again,” he said. “I probably won’t use as much of it because I think we’re all a little Zoomed-out, but I’ll use it again, especially for students who need to meet me for office hours.” LSU higher education profes-
sor Ashley Clayton said she was resistant to the online platform. “I am very pro in-person delivery,” Clayton said. “I believe that having that in-classroom discussion is so valuable. I just feel like the online platform is impersonal.” Despite her resistance to online learning, she said the pandemic has forced her and others who study higher education to reconsider how much of the college experience can be replicated online. “Prior to the pandemic, we had less confidence that we could replicate on-campus learning to the online platform, myself included. But I do think after the pandemic, we’ve learned better practices of how to manage the online classroom,” Clayton said. “I do think some meetings and some office hours and interactions with students will remain on Zoom.” The same College Pulse and Inside Higher Ed survey found there are multiple COVID-era experiences students would like to persist even as the pandemic ends: Nearly 80% of students said they’d like to see lectures made available online so they can go back and review material. Almost half said they’d like the option to attend courses inperson or online. Roughly 35% percent said they still want virtual access to
owners. Freeman said she worked closely with the Apartment Association of Louisiana to ensure that the owners of the apartment buildings and other landlords “feel like they’re protected and that there’s a proper way to terminate a lease.” According to the bill, the sexual assault would have to occur after the survivor had signed the lease. Survivors would have to give landlords at least 60 days of notice after the sexual assault occurred and would still be on the hook for at least 30 days of rent. This would give landlords time to fill vacancies. The survivor would also have to provide documentation of the assault from a law-enforcement official involved in the case. The bill would also allow landlords to evict residents accused of committing sexual assault or harassment.
Representatives of both the Apartment Association of Louisiana and the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center spoke in favor of the bill. “It only applies when a survivor is willing to take the step to go forward and identify themselves, which we know is a huge hurdle to begin with, but then also go through the certification process,” Maxwell Ciardullo of Louisiana Fair Housing said. “We think it would significantly discourage any kind of frivolous situation.” Rep. Sam Jenkins (D-Shreveport) moved to report the bill favorably, and the committee approved it without opposition. “I believe the bill is well thought out; I think it’s narrowly tailored,” Jenkins said. “This is not some flimsy reason to get out of a lease. I think it’s a very real situation that needs to have a real solution.”
The Louisiana State Capitol stands tall on North Third Street on March 19, 2017, in downtown Baton Rouge.
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU business junior Cody Harris studies on Jan. 25 in the Student Union on LSU’s campus.
NORMAL, from page 3 Despite many students’ desire to return to campus, some aspects of the online experience could be here to stay, like Zoom office hours. Mass communication professor Will Mari said the switch to remote learning taught him that
BILL, from page 3 the right to abandon the lease to include survivors of abuse who are not in an intimate relationship with their abuser. Freeman said that it is not only necessary for the safety of many survivors to terminate a lease early, as their abusers often know where they live, but also for their healing. “Survivors often have flashbacks or nightmares,” Freeman said. “Sometimes it affects their ability to go to school or work.” One LSU student, Isabella Rovere, who spoke before the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee in favor of the bill described a situation in which she was sexually assaulted and her parents lost rent money on a place where she no longer could bear to live. The bill also includes protections for landlords and housing
TITLE IX, from page 3
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
Memorial Tower stands tall, Sept. 19, 2020 from the top of the Barnes & Noble at LSU parking garage on E Campus Drive.
tion on Title IX, ADA Compliance, Civil Rights, the Clery Act and incident reporting. An oversight committee for the Athletics Department was formed and 14 members from around the community were announced Tuesday. Athletics has also recently established contracts for additional sexual assault training. One session with STAR has already been completed. MyStudentBody, a training program all incoming freshmen have to complete in order to schedule classes, will be reviewed by STAR and updated
live events and online access to college support resources. The pandemic’s disruption of social life affected students most acutely, according to the survey, which found that 73% of students missed “friends and social life” the most. “Students have been isolated in the past year — they haven’t been able to make friends and go to events,” Clayton said. “That is, in some ways, more concerning than the online learning for me.” Academic integration and social integration of students are two main factors that contribute to student success and retention, Clayton said. “There’s tons of research showing that you need both to persist through college,” she said. “If you’re only academically integrated and engaged but you’re not socially integrated, and you don’t have those social outlets and networks, then you’re less likely to persist.” Wade and Anderson said they’re looking forward to being on campus again and experiencing LSU in a post-COVID world. “I miss seeing all the students in the Quad, making friends in classes and the rush of trying to make it from one place to another,” Wade said. “It’s been really hard to relax and find friends since the pandemic started.”
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
accordingly. Cassidy said the office is looking into ways to better implement restorative justice in the Title IX process, which would focus on punishing perpetrators while also correcting actions and restoring relationships between the accused and the victim when appropriate. Cassidy said she has met with one group of students to discuss changes to the Title IX office thus far, but has several other meetings lined up in the near future and will be reaching out to other student organization, like Tigers Against Sexual Assault (TASA), soon. Following Cassidy’s presen-
tation, the board asked Interim President Thomas Galligan and Cassidy to retain a third party to oversee LSU’s Title IX processes and publish a semiannual report based on their findings. “We’re doing it all for our students,” Galligan said. “We’re doing it all to make LSU a safer place.” There have been positive reactions to Cassidy’s action list on social media, with some critiques and questions as well. “We do a lot of great things at LSU, but if we don’t have a safe place for our students, we fail,” LSU Board o Supervisors Chair Robert Dampf said.
ENTERTAINMENT
REV R ANKS
page 5
to
Ranked lists of all the “Star Wars” movies GEORGE LUCAS
MOVIES
The Last No. 1Jedi
The Empire No. 1 Strikes Back
2. The Empire Strikes Back
2. A New Hope
“The Empire Strikes Back.” Jeez. What a picture. This is the ultimate sequel. A game-changing and pathos-driven powerhouse full of thrills and chills. This was the first “Star Wars” film I ever saw as a kid. From that moment on, I was a fan. I remember sitting down and watching the whole film without moving a muscle.
This was the original “Star Wars” movie and nothing about its greatness is attributed to nostalgia. What about the Death Star was not peak cinema? The freeing of the princess and Luke returning to blow the ball of death to smithereens were cinematic gold.
Look, I know some people really despise this movie, but I also know that it’s really hard admitting that you’re wrong. Since initially seeing it on opening night in theaters, “The Last Jedi” has remained my favorite film in the franchise by. It’s a breathtakingly nuanced, bold and gorgeously composed sequel that feels like the culmination of everything the series stands for. Even its minor structural flaws are circumvented by director Rian Johnson’s intimately brilliant storytelling that captures the very essence of this beloved franchise.
3. Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
How do you beat the first Star Wars movie? By having the villain who killed Luke’s mentor professing to him “No, I am your father,” after an epic lightsaber battle. With Hoth, Cloud City and Dagobah, episode five took “Star Wars” to a new level and cemented the franchise as a grail just two films in. Yoda, the legendary wielder of the force made his legendary entrance into the “Star Wars” franchise. This sequel immersed you into the galaxy far far away you had already been introduced to, and now there was no choice but to absolutely adore it.
3. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
If you can’t quote the exchange from Anakin and Obi-Wan’s final duel, are you even a “Star Wars” fan? Jokes aside, “Revenge of the Sith” is the most tragic and heartbreaking entry in the series. One of my all-time favorites.
I rooted for Jyn as much as I have rooted for anyone, and that is what “Star Wars” is about to me: rooting for the good that is fighting against a wicked evil. The way the film dropped you right off at the beginning of episode four made my heart happy. The ending Darth Vader scene may be the best “Star Wars” scene post-1983.
4. A New Hope
4. Return of the Jedi
5. The Force Awakens
5. Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
6. Return of the Jedi
6. The Last Jedi
7. Solo: A Star Wars Story
7. Episode II - Attack of the Clones
8. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
8. Episode I - The Phantom Menace
9. Episode I - The Phantom Menace
9. The Force Awakens
10. Episode II - Attack of the Clones
10. Solo: A Star Wars Story
11. The Rise of Skywalker
11. The Rise of Skywalker
Connor McLaughlin | @connor_mcla Read the full reviews online at lsunow.com/entertainment
Gideon Fortune | @asapfortunate
Thursday, April 15, 2021
page 6
Two friends of Kori comfort each other on April 11.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
page 7
Assistant chief administrative officer to Baton Rouge MayorPresident Sharon Weston Broome, Pamela Ravare-Jones, a family member of Kori, guides the candlelight prayer vigil on April 11.
Body found in Mississippi River confirmed to be Kori Gauthier, LSU says
Sister Laila Gauthier hugs a friend on April 11.
BY NICK FREWIN REVEILLE STAFF REPORT
A friend of Kori claps after Nancy Armstrong performs “Jesus is Love” on April 11. LSU Interim President Tom Galligan speaks to family, friends and supporters of Kori on behalf of LSU on April 11.
Supporters hold hands while Nancy Armstrong sings “Jesus is Love” on April 11.
IN MEMORIAM Friends, family members and supporters of Kori hold hands on April 11.
A candlelight prayer vigil was held for then-missing LSU freshman Kori Gauthier at Galvez Plaza in Downtown Baton Rouge. On Wednesday evening, it was reported that her body was found in the Mississippi River.
PHOTOS BY ABBY KIBLER
Friends and supporters of Kori light candles on April 11. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome speaks on April 11.
Friends of Kori blow their candles out on April 11.
Sisters Taylor Gauthier and Laila Gauthier hug on April 11.
Family, friends and supporters of Kori listen to Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome on April 11.
Friends and supporters of Kori light candles on April 11.
Law enforcement officials confirmed Wednesday that the body found in the Mississippi River in St. John the Baptist Parish Tuesday was identified as Kori Gauthier, the LSU freshman who disappeared last Wednesday. Gauthier had been missing since her vehicle was struck by another vehicle early last Wednesday. The vehicle had been abandoned for an hour prior to the accident, and police only found her cell phone and wallet inside the car. “Since Kori was first reported missing, the LSU Police Department, Baton Rouge Police Department and other law enforcement agencies and volunteers have taken exhaustive measures to locate her and, in the process, to determine what led to her disappearance,” LSU Chief of Police Bart Thompson said. “This is a difficult conclusion for all of us, but we hope this will bring closure for the Gauthier family.” LSU officials and law enforcement have coordinated search efforts along the Mississippi River since Friday morning. “Based on cell phone tracking, video footage and a timeline of the events related to this case – combined with other evidence we shared with Kori’s parents that we are not at liberty to disclose publicly out of respect for their privacy – we have concluded that there was no criminal activity or foul play involved,” Thompson said. A crew member on a tugboat first reported the body a little after 9 a.m. to the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, according to Sheriff Mike Tregre. “On behalf of the men and women of the Baton Rouge Police Department, I want to extend our prayers to Kori’s family and friends,” Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul said. “Over the last few days, we’ve held her close in our hearts, as we’ve worked with other agencies, volunteers and loved ones to find Kori. We will continue praying for Kori’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
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SPORTS
page 9 OPINION
Column: It’s time to hold Pelicans players accountable MICHAEL SANCHEZ @MikeSanchez525
his swing was changing,” Mainieri said. “He wasn’t showing the same bat speed. I thought mechanically he started to change some of the things that he was doing. Eddie Smith and I did some video analysis with Cade and changed a few things back to what we thought he needed to do.” Although the mechanical changes didn’t lead to instant success, Mainieri credits Beloso for sticking with the changes they worked on. “Even though the hits weren’t coming, I felt he was on the verge of breaking out of it,” Mainieri said. “And all of a sudden, he did.”
The New Orleans Pelicans are sitting at a 25-29 record well past the midway mark of the season. They are 11th in the Western Conference, one spot out of playoff contention. After last season’s firing of Head Coach Alvin Gentry and hiring of Stan Van Gundy, most analysts and fans alike assumed that the Pelicans would turn a new leaf heading into the 2021 season. Unfortunately, the young and so-called talented Pelicans squad seems to be even worse this year than the prior season. Year after year the Pelicans organization and fan base have criticized the coaching for being the reason for consistently mediocre campaigns. The time has come to hold the players accountable for the lack of competitiveness week-in and week-out. As a Pelicans fan, it has become difficult to watch the team play due to the fact that its ability to finish out a ball game is non-existent. It seems when the fourth quarter starts, all players with New Orleans on their jerseys decide it is time to quit. Turnovers, missed shots, forced shots and low-IQ play all contribute to the monstrosity that is fourth quarter Pelicans basketball.
see BASEBALL, page 10
see PELICANS, page 10
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
LSU baseball junior outfielder Cade Beloso (24) runs to first base Nov. 4, 2020 during the LSU Purple vs. Gold World Series where Purple won 7-6 against Gold in Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue.
LSU Baseball: Inside Beloso’s and Thompson’s offensive renaissance BY TAYLOR LYONS @taylorjlyons After scoring 27 combined runs in its first nine SEC games, LSU baseball matched that with 27 runs in three games in its series at Kentucky. LSU totaled 37 hits in the three-game series, just short of the 47 combined hits in its first nine conference games. The offensive outburst that led LSU to its first series win over a conference foe is due, in part, to Cade Beloso and Jordan Thompson, two batters near the bottom of the Tiger batting order who have stepped up to provide LSU with a more well-rounded lineup. “It feels good to get some hits
and produce for the team,” Beloso said after Friday’s win. “We win, I’m happy. That’s all that matters.” The story behind Beloso’s and Thompson’s increase in offensive production in recent weeks is a similar one. For both players, Head Coach Paul Mainieri and his staff noticed some troubling faults to each of their games. Beloso’s early season struggles were easy to see. In 20 games through the end of non-conference play and after LSU’s first SEC weekend, a 2-1 series loss to Mississippi State, Beloso hit just one home run and 15 hits in 67 at-bats, good for a .224 average. He slowly slid down the batting order and started to get benched occasion-
ally for younger bats. “This game plays with your mind,” Mainieri said. “When you’re struggling, you wonder sometimes if you’ll ever get another hit. Your confidence starts to drain. You start thinking you have to do something different.” That’s when Mainieri took notice of problems with Beloso’s swing. On the Monday following the Mississippi State series, the two met to discuss Beloso’s struggles and what Mainieri thought might be able to help. Later that day, Mainieri said his junior designated hitter had one of the best batting practice sessions he’s ever seen. “Not only was he struggling, but
MEN’S TENNIS
LSU men’s tennis suffers difficult loss to No. 10 Georgia BY HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_ LSU men’s tennis (11-11) has had its hands full as of late, getting dismantled by two teams in the top-10 in a row before facing off against a third one in No. 10 Georgia (12-5) on Sunday. Despite having a relatively strong showing in singles, the team was not able to score a single point against the Bulldogs, losing 0-4 and completing this stretch against top-10 competition with a combined deficit of 1-17. It first had to compete against a doubles squad that features multiple ranked duos, one of which is No. 6. Despite holding it together throughout the first half of the matches for the most part, things seemed to fall apart
on Courts One and Five later on in the matches. After going back and forth through the first six games, each LSU duo seemed to run out of steam and ultimately, both of them ended up losing 3-6. They were unable to replicate the success they had against Tennessee in doubles, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t cause trouble for the Bulldogs in singles. The first half of singles had its ups and downs. The Tigers got off to a very slow start, and at one point, it seemed like Georgia was going to be leaving Baton Rouge very early. But the Tigers had a brief resurgence. It seemed like they were going to have courts take the first set. That didn’t happen, but the scores at the end of the first sets weren’t blowouts.
In particular, No. 54 Ronnie Hohmann was very close to evening the set at 5-5. With the score being 40-40 in the 10th game of the first set, Hohmann had No. 21 Trent Bryde in a bad position but whiffed on a spike, losing the set in the process. That match would end up being one of the mandatory courts the Tigers would need to go their way if they wanted to upset Georgia, along with Courts TwoFour. Rafael Wagner and Boris Kozlov had leads in their second sets on Courts Two and Four, respectively, and Joao Graca stood a fighting chance on Court Three despite facing off against No. 25 Philip Henning. Hohmann and Graca each went toe-to-toe against tough
see TENNIS, page 10
KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille
LSU men’s tennis senior Rafael Wagner attempts to hit the ball Feb. 28, during LSU’s 1-4 loss against South Carolina in the LSU Tennis Complex on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge.
page 10
Thursday, April 15, 2021
TENNIS, from page 9
BASEBALL, from page 9
competition, earning the upper hand on multiple occasions and putting themselves in position to tie their second sets at 5-5. However, both players would falter, and Georgia’s two best singles players would walk away unscathed. While they each suffered losses, it goes without saying that the LSU men’s tennis program has a strong developing core that will likely feature these two players if they continue to grow. Each player potentially has three more years at LSU. (Hohmann has an extra year due to the redshirt he received from the pandemic). Hohmann has proved himself time and time again this season, and if he were to establish better consistency, he could be one of the best players in the country. And Graca has improved with every match this season, arguably playing his best tennis on Sunday and just missed out on taking a top-25 junior to a third set. Focused on now, the Tigers have one more match this season before the SEC tournament, facing off against No. 22 Alabama on Thursday. A win there would have them finish the regular season just above .500, but with the schedule they’ve had and the younger players still trying to establish consistency, that’s not as bad as it looks.
In 10 at-bats against Kentucky, Beloso had five hits and brought in seven runs. He raised his season batting average to .240, up from the .224 average he sported before that Monday session with Mainieri and Smith last month. “He’s been on the verge of turning it around, and boy, what a difference it made for our team,” Mainieri said. “He got some big hits and drove in some critical runs.” In Thompson’s case, an adjustment in his swing wasn’t needed, rather an adjustment to his approach. Too often for his liking, Mainieri noticed opposing team’s infielders would shift heavily to the left side, sometimes employing three infielders to the left side of second base. “They’ll put their shortstop way over in the six hole almost shaking hands with the third baseman,” Mainieri said. “By nature, he’s got a little bit of a pull swing. Eddie’s worked a lot with him on trying to hit the ball to the opposite field. Other teams have looked at his spray charts and they’re playing him as a dead-pull hitter. He’s probably hit a half dozen balls really hard that would typically be in the hole between short and third, but they got their shortstop playing so far over there that they turn into easy outs.” Similar to Beloso, the work Thompson put in came to fruition
in the Kentucky series. The freshman shortstop had eight hits and two RBIs in 12 at-bats over the three games. He was named the SEC’s Co-Freshman of the Week on Monday. The increased efforts to spray the ball to the opposite field paid off, too. On Sunday, Thompson hit a one-run triple in the right-centerfield gap. “The more he’s able to hit the ball to the opposite field,” Mainieri said, “the more success he’s going to have and the more unshiftable he’ll become, which will open up more holes for him on the left side. Those are some of the things Eddie Smith is working with him on.” Beloso and Thompson’s emergence has given Mainieri and LSU something it hasn’t had all season long: balance. For a large portion of the season, LSU has struggled to get production from anyone besides Dylan Crews, Tre’ Morgan, Gavin Dugas and Cade Doughty. Beloso and Thompson’s emergence, as well as the return of Giovanni DiGiacomo, should help to take some of the offensive load from the top of the order and give Mainieri a more complete one through nine. “It made such a big difference for our team to get them hitting,” Mainieri said. “It gave us eight pretty good hitters in our lineup this weekend and what a difference it made for our team. You got good balance in your lineup and it showed.”
PELICANS, from page 9 Despite the team’s losing ways, there has been some improvement individually among players to be happy about. Lonzo Ball has found a consistent three-point shot, Zion Williamson has unlocked the ability to take over a ball game and Brandon Ingram continues to leave opposing coaches speechless with his ability to score points. The question remains: If this team is so talented, what separates ir from a team like the Utah Jazz, which arguably has less talent on its squad? The simple answer is a desire to win. It seems New Orleans has become nothing more than a quick
stop during a player’s NBA career before they find their true home. The Pelicans sign role players who know their spot on the team is not permanent. For example, Eric Bledsoe admitted that before the trade deadline he was prepared to leave New Orleans, and that was evident on the court. Bledsoe would toss up contested threes, play mediocre defense and cause countless offensive turnovers. The key to success for the Pelicans is to have players buy into the system willingly. Until NBA players no longer view New Orleans as a vacation spot until they are saved by another organization, the losing ways in the Big Easy will continue to ruin Pelicans basketball.
ASHLEY LANDIS / AP Photo
New Orleans Pelicans’ Brandon Ingram heads to the basket during the first half of an NBA basketball game on July 30, 2020, against the Utah Jazz in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
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OPINION
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Society should be more accommodating to nocturnal people EMILY ON CAMPUS EMILY DAVISON
@ichigoemily
Ah, waking up early in the morning. Cue that one classical piece they play in every movie when the main character is waking up. The birds are chirping gleefully right outside your window. With the sun peeking through your curtains and gently, peacefully rousing you from your sleep, you’re well-rested and completely ready to start your day. Must be nice. If I’m being honest here, I can’t remember the last time I’ve woken up early without being extremely disgruntled and angered by it. This semester, more frequently than ever, the sun is up and birds are chirping by the time I actually make it to bed. I’d say it’s a wee bit of a problem. Given these occasional nocturnal tendencies, I get my daily burst of energy around 9-11 p.m.
These are usually pretty productive hours for me. It might be a little weird to do the bulk of my schoolwork at a time when normal, healthy people are getting in bed for the night, but I know I’m not the only one. It’s really no big deal…or so I thought. Recently, I was cranking out an almost-forgotten, due-at-11:59 p.m. assignment during my unorthodox work hours when I realized I was hungry. Desperately hungry. My brain had effectively burned just about all of the calories left in my body, and I had just enough mental fortitude left after hitting “submit” to decide I needed to run to the store. I told my boyfriend I needed to go on a snack run. Given that he shares my nocturnal, anti-circadian sleep schedule, he was down to be my passenger on this snack run. So we were off. We embarked at midnight and headed toward the nearest Wal-
greens. Those are open 24 hours, right? Unfortunately not. Okay, well, we can just hit up the CVS right down the road. Surely that’ll be open; they’re a pretty smart competitor. Nope. Of course not. Needless to say, this was not our desired outcome. He began frantically typing and looking for open stores and supermarkets around campus. Not a single one. Unless, of course, you’re willing to play a dangerous game: taking a 1 a.m. trip to a decrepit gas station or the ominous 24-hour Walgreens on Government Street. We were taken aback. Appalled. Offended. This is when it fully sank in. This is when I realized our society is unaccommodating to and borderline prejudiced against the nocturnal. I think more businesses should adopt a 24-hour schedule and stay open through the night. I feel like they’d get more custom-
ers than anticipated, especially if these changes were made on and around college campuses to accommodate for students’ broken schedules. I know this change is unrealistic, and I’ll probably never get my ideal paradise of a completely nocturnal world — but our collective reliance on the light versus dark, day versus night schedule to dictate when we should be awake and asleep isn’t completely fair. While I’m partly to blame for my own shifted sleep schedule, many people have no other option than to stay awake at night and reserve their resting hours for the day. Take, for instance, those who are stuck on night shifts at work, or those who suffer from a circadian rhythm sleep disorder. Realistically, how is it any fairer for them to sacrifice sleep during the day to run errands than it would be for an essential business to only stay open at night? The longer I think about it, the stranger it appears to me that soci-
ety as a whole so heavily operates around the concept of daytime being for activities and nighttime being for sleep. Earliness and lateness, as well as time itself, are social constructs completely designed and followed by humans. While that’s nearly an entirely different, mildly existential conversation, I’d like to use it to point out that other nocturnal creatures don’t have to wait until daylight to find something to eat or hang out with friends, and they’re doing great. I know this column won’t realistically sway any business owners to alter their hours to fit a nocturnal person’s daily (or nightly) regimen, but I simply wish to point out that it couldn’t hurt to try. Until then, I’ll be grouchily dragging myself out of bed every morning and suppressing my inner raccoon. Emily Davison is a 19-year-old anthropology and English sophomore from Denham Springs.
Mike the Tiger listens to us, but we should be listening to him BUI WAS HERE ANTHONY BUI @da_bui_ Mike the Tiger has to be one of the most beloved mainstays on campus. Amid every corner of campus, every dormitory and every classroom — from the pristine corridors of Patrick F. Taylor to the crumbling basements of Allen Hall — Mike is held on a platform high above everything else. Yeah, Mike is kind of a big deal around here. He brings joy to our stress-filled college lives. Many of us can attest to the fact that Mike is a very good listener. He sits there and listens to students vent about everything going on in their lives. If you are reading this and have cheated on your significant other, Mike probably knows about it. Professors who are failing half of their students: Mike has heard all about your inability to teach. The best part about it is he never leaves until you say goodbye. In the kingdom of his habitat, all are welcome. We come to lay our burdens on him, but we never ask how he
is doing. Do we know if Mike is truly happy? Does he enjoy the food that he is given, and are the caretakers nice to him? There are so many questions we neglect to ask him. Since I am not fluent in tiger and cannot interview him personally, I will dive into the environment that Mike is in and determine whether it is sufficient for his needs. His habitat costs a grand to-
tal of $3.7 million and takes up a whopping 15,000 square feet. It has a nice little stream and waterfall that he can go swimming in, and there’s plenty of places for him to bask in the sun and take naps between his therapy sessions. We put a lot of effort into his habitat, and I am sure that he loves all of the accommodations. Heck, he doesn’t even have to pay rent!
But with all of that space, sometimes it can get lonely without other companions of the same species. We all know how prolonged periods of isolation can affect us mentally. Is it the same for tigers? Would Mike benefit from the occasional visit from a female companion? The truth is, I don’t know. I’m an opinion columnist, not a wildlife expert. But I do know, from my
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brief search of the web, that tigers are solitary animals. They keep their own territory, and they like playing in the water. Mike has all of this, so in theory, he should be happy — right? This column isn’t a PETA-sponsored ploy to get Mike removed from campus. In all honesty, he’s probably living better than most of us. I truly believe he is somewhat happy. I believe that in some capacity he understands how much people love him. The crowds that gather around his habitat daily, and the smiles on their faces show that love and awe. Sometimes, no matter how many people we have in our lives that love us, we aren’t happy. We have bad days — and that is okay. A reminder that people care goes a long way to fix those days. A simple “How are you doing?” holds more power than all the infinity stones put together. Remember these things the next time you go visit Mike. It may be very likely that he won’t understand a word you are saying, but it’s the thought that counts. Anthony Bui is a 21-year-old English junior from Opelousas.
Quote of the Week “I have a lot of stories about being a kid because it was the last time I was interesting.”
John Mulaney comedian 1982 — present
LEADERSHIP LSU 2021 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SPRING COHORT!
Ariel Baise Oscar, LA
Hannah Barrios Pollock, LA
Chandler Black Lawrenceville, GA
Franklin Bonilla Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras
Avery Bracken Ridgeland, MS
Drake Brignac Baton Rouge, LA
Victor Castellon Jr. New Orleans, LA
Hylan Coffman Houston, TX
Callia Cox Charleston, SC
Skylar Culmone Pride, LA
Kennedy Daniels Biloxi, MS
Gabie DeBruler Luling, LA
Caylee Deshotel Morgan City, LA
Caela Donald Atlanta, GA
Carie Fralick Central, LA
Nisha Gallow Chataignier, LA
Taylor Halsey The Woodlands, TX
Abigail Hendren Lexington, KY
Kennedy Jarvis Zachary, LA
Ty’Queese Keyes New Iberia, LA
Tootie Lattier Abbeville, LA
Mechela Lopez Lafayette, LA
Elizabeth Lorenzo Harahan, LA
Rehm Maham Cedar Park, TX
Bailey Malveaux Zachary, LA
Caroline Mitchell Lafayette, LA
Lindsey Nunez Baton Rouge, LA
Sydni Prather Germantown, MD
Gabe Sigl Mandeville, LA
Jayna Stewart Destrehan, LA
Christopher Stockdale Rock Hill, SC
Kaushik Sunder Bengaluru, India
Mallory Von Lotten Atlanta, GA
A tradition more than 30 years strong. We congratulate these leaders for excelling throughout the rigorous application and selection process as well as their participation in Leadership LSU’s adaptive leadership seminars throughout the spring semester.
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