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ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
LSU gymnastics freshman allaround Haleigh Bryant cheers after her vault where she scored a perfect 10.00 March 3 during LSU’s 197.875-196.175 win over Missouri in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.
BRILLIANT BRYANT
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After a phenomenal freshman season, Haleigh Bryant has emerged as one of LSU gymnastics’ newest and brightest stars. NEWS
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Some female students express concerns over safety and the need for a shift in campus culture.
ENTERTAINMENT
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Check out this playlist curated by our entertainment editor, featuring songs from Justin Bieber and Lana Del Rey.
SPORTS
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LSU gymnastics looks to continue its long and extensive post-season success in the 2021 NCAA National Championship.
OPINION
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“Social media has created a mirage of expectations for how we should be experiencing romance.”
L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le
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SETTING THE BAR
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LSU gymnastics heads into the NCAA Championship behind freshman phenom Haleigh Bryant ABBY KIBLER /The Reveille
LSU gymnastics freshman all-around Haleigh Bryant performs her floor routine while her teammates cheer her on March 3 during LSU’s 197.875196.175 win over Missouri in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La. BY ANTHONY MOCKLIN @anthony_mocklin Haleigh Bryant is in a class of her own. Her 2021 campaign has been remarkable, but that’s nothing new for her. A freshman from Cornelius, North Carolina, Bryant’s resume before coming to LSU is equally impressive. From the early age of three, Bryant has always loved being in the gym. She trained at Georgia AllStar Gymnastics until 2011 when her family moved from Atlanta, Georgia, to North Carolina. Bryant then began to train at Everest Gymnastics, a U.S. National Team training center. Bryant won four Junior Olympic National Championships as a Level 10 gymnast at Everest. She was named to the Junior Olympic National team three consecutive years from 2017-2019 after taking home gold medals in the allaround, vault (twice) and bars. In 2020, Bryant was the Nastia Liukin Cup all-around, vault and bars champion and recorded the first perfect vault score in the history of the event. She decided she wanted to come to LSU as an eighth grader in 2015 after Head Coach Jay Clark visited her gym and told her she’d look good in purple. “That stuck with me ever since,” Bryant said. “Jay was one of the first college coaches that came to my gym when I was a Level 10. I think ever since he came, I told myself that this is where I want to go. I came for a visit and fell in love with this program. I loved the academics, all the coaches and the team camaraderie. I knew I wanted to spend four years of my life here.” After last year’s postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was uncertainty for Bryant heading into her freshman season. She said that while protocols have limited what the team can and can’t do,
she has still thoroughly enjoyed her time at LSU. “We can’t really hang out with people outside of gymnastics,” Bryant said. “I think it’s made our team a lot closer. It benefited us because we’re closer than maybe we would’ve been. I think I’ve adjusted pretty well. I came to college not really being with a team and kind of competing by myself in the Junior Olympics, but I love it here. I love competing with the team. Everybody here is so supportive, and I love it.” Bryant kicked off her freshman season with an all-around title in her first collegiate meet against Arkansas on Jan. 15. She earned a 9.975 on floor, the highest by an LSU freshman in their debut meet in program history. Bryant’s 39.600 all-around score earned her the SEC Gymnast of the Week title. Bryant earned the first perfect score of her career on vault against Missouri on March 5 and shared the all-around title with sophomore Kiya Johnson. Both finished with overall scores of 39.625 and recorded the only perfect scores of the meet. Bryant won 11 total titles as a freshman — five vault, four all-around and two floor. She attributes her success to her confidence and sees it as something she’s been able to build on over the course of the season. “What I’ve been doing this year has helped a lot,” Bryant said. “It’s believing in myself a little bit more and knowing that everybody here is doing things for me and is supportive. I’m looking forward to the next three years here and being with this team and the coaches because it’s just amazing.” LSU finished second at the SEC Gymnastics Championships in Huntsville, Alabama after recording a 197.775 team score. The Tigers fell just .100 points shy of their fourth straight SEC title de-
spite putting up the third-highest SEC Championship score in program history. Bryant and fellow freshman Elena Arenas led LSU’s vault lineup, each securing titles in the event by scoring 9.95s. Bryant earned a 9.80 on bars, a 9.775 on beam and a 9.925 on floor to finish with an all-around score of 39.450. Vault is an event that Bryant said has always come naturally to her. She’s worked with assistant coach Bob Moore ever since she stepped on campus to perfect her landings and avoid any deductions. Bryant’s performances during the regular season earned her three All-America honors from the Women’s College Gymnastics Association. She received firstteam All-America honors for vault and floor and second-team honors for the all-around. Bryant was named the 2021 SEC Freshman of the Year after ranking No. 3 nationally in vault, No. 4 in floor and No. 9 in the all-around. She became the third gymnast in program history to win the award (April Burkholder, Kiya Johnson). Bryant is the only freshman in the conference and one of two freshmen in the nation to record a perfect score this season. “She’s had an incredible season,” Clark said. “It became relatively obvious that that was going to be the case. To have her win it consecutively with Kiya winning it last year, I think that just speaks volumes about what the future of this program looks like.” LSU has staked a claim to the award in back-to-back seasons. Johnson, who Bryant said is one of her role models, won the award last season as a freshman. “It’s an honor,” Bryant said. “It was definitely a goal that I set before I even started competing here. I think working hard every day and knowing I wanted
to achieve one of those goals and now achieving it is just an honor following in Kiya’s footsteps. I just want to be like Kiya and I try to follow her. She’s just a great leader.” LSU’s six seniors — Reagan Campbell, Bridget Dean, Christina Desiderio, Sami Durante, Sarah Edwards and Olivia Gunter — have also helped Bryant through the season. The veteran leadership they bring is something Bryant said is invaluable to the program. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility for all collegiate athletes, including seniors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic should they elect to return. Bryant said that while she hopes the seniors return next season, she wishes them the best of luck in their future endeavors. “They’re just amazing leaders inside and outside the gym,” Bryant said. “They’re always there for us and we can go to them if we need them for anything. Even if it doesn’t have to do with gymnastics they’re still there for us. I love each and every one of them, and I’m so proud of them and how far they’ve come from their freshman year.” Bryant said she feels that the sky’s the limit for this team, which qualified for the NCAA Gymnastics Championships after its performance in the Salt Lake City Regional on April 2-3. “I think we’re really confident because we know how much we can do and how much we can improve on the little details,” Bryant said. “We still had a great score even though we didn’t win at the SEC Championships. We didn’t want to come out of that being disappointed or being defeated because we have so much more we can do and we’re really excited. We’re going to keep working hard and hopefully all of our hard work pays off in the end.”
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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
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‘COLLEGE IS SUPPOSED TO BE SAFE SAFE.’.’
ACADEMICS
School of Theatre to offer new degree program BY JADA HEMSLEY @JadaH_reports
never approach a woman when she is alone in an isolated area. “When three men approach you, even if they don’t mean it, it’s very intimidating. It’s very scary, because if they did try something, how am I going to defend myself against three men?” Bultron said. Chemical engineering freshman Kourtnee Holzendorf said she usually feels unsafe when on campus during the evening
The School of Theatre will offer a new degree program, a bachelor’s degree of fine arts in film and television, in the fall 2021 semester. The School of Theatre currently offers classes to cater to students interested in film and television, but this new program will provide a hands-on experience through providing “deeper and more experiential training” for film and television production, Assistant Professor of Film and Television Isaac Pletcher said. Pletcher will serve as head of the new BFA program. “If you want a program that is going to help prepare you to be ready to be in the entertainment industry, this is going to be the best option for you,” Pletcher said. By following professional world guidelines in theatre and film, the students can take what they have learned from these specific courses and apply them
see CONCERNS, page 4
see THEATRE, page 4
Some female students express concerns over LSU campus safety ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
Tiger Stadium shines bright Sept. 15, 2020 at night on N Stadium Road on LSU’s campus. BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone Bellah Bultron was cornered by two men driving a truck one night as she walked across the un-lit bridge leading to the University Recreation Center. Even after asking to be left alone, Bultron said the men harassed her with questions to see where she was going. The men eventually relented and let her pass, but the experience served as a warning to Bultron that other situations
may not turn out so harmlessly. Now, she avoids going anywhere at night without a male friend accompanying her. Since Husch Blackwell’s Title IX conclusions were presented at the March 5 Board of Supervisors meeting, the LSU community has focused heavily on the need to change campus culture. Many female students have suggested that the current culture is one in which women feel victimized and physically unsafe on campus, primarily due to lighting issues.
“As women, we’re made to feel crazy whenever we think that everyone out there is going to hurt us or threaten us,” Bultron, a psychology freshman, said. “But you can’t be overly precautious. Too many things happen at our college to not be prepared.” Bultron said on one occasion she was approached by three male students while walking across the Parade Ground back to her dorm at night. She recalls feeling threatened and unsafe, and said she would advise men to
POLITICS
Biden administration may make changes to Title IX BY JOSH ARCHOTE @JArchote
President Joe Biden signed an executive order March 8 directing the Department of Education to review “all of its existing regulations, orders, guidance and policies” related to sexual violence in education within 100 days, signaling there could be changes to the 2020 Title IX regulations that went into effect in August of last year. Secretary of Education Miguel A. Cardona will “issue new guidance as needed” on how schools and colleges should enforce Title IX rules, and “consider suspending, revising or rescinding” elements of the current regulations that are “inconsistent” with the Biden administration’s approach to Title IX, according to the order. “It is the policy of my administration that all students should be guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, including discrimination in the form of sexual harassment, which encompasses sexual violence,” the order read. In May 2020, Biden vowed to
put a “quick end” to the new Title IX regulations under the Trump administration, which he said “gives colleges a green light to ignore sexual violence and strip survivors of their rights.” Those changes, implemented by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, were the first major regulatory changes to Title IX since 1975 and the first change to deal explicitly with sexual harassment. The regulations were introduced in May and went into effect on August 14 for all federally funded colleges and universities. Some of the most significant changes included requiring colleges to hold cross-examinations of both parties in live hearings led by institution officials in cases of formal sexual harassment allegations, limiting sexual misconduct that occurs off campus from Title IX oversight and establishing formal definitions of sexual assault and harassment. Trump and proponents of the regulations said the changes boosts the rights of those accused of sexual misconduct and improves due process on college
campuses, but victims’ advocates, like Tigers Against Sexual Assault co-President Angelina Cantelli, said mandatory hearings and cross-examinations would retraumatize victims and discourage others from reporting cases of sexual misconduct. “Allowing them to be cross examined by a representative of the abuser is damaging and it’s basically putting their story on the line and operating under the presumption that they are lying and you’re trying to catch them in that lie,” Cantelli said. “If we want survivors to report what happened to them and we want to have a true idea of what’s going on at our universities, we have to get rid of those kinds of things.” Cantelli is also the deputy chief of staff of Student Government and a member of SG’s Sexual Violence Prevention Committee. Following the Husch Blackwell report, she spoke at a Semate Select Committee on Women and Children hearing on how Louisiana universities have handled Title IX
see BIDEN, page 4
COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Joe Biden answers a question during a news conference in the East Room of the White House March 25 in Washington.
Monday, April 5, 2021
page 4 CONCERNS, from page 3 because of how poorly lit areas around LSU are. “LSU could follow in the footsteps of many other schools that have the blue light towers that students can press in order to send an emergency signal in the event that the student feels unsafe,” Holzendorf said. Mass communication freshman Emma Trigg said campus is poorly lit and walking around after dark is “definitely a worry” for her. “There needs to be a lot more lights around campus; it is extremely dark in the parking lots when you’re walking back to your dorm,” Trigg said. Co-president of Tigers Against Sexual Assault Angelina Cantelli said the nature of LSU’s unsafe environment is unique from other parts of Baton Rouge, and administration should be doing more to solve it. “I think campus is more unsafe [than other parts of Baton Rouge] in the sense that there are certain types of violence that are unique to college campuses,” Cantelli said. “Women are more likely to experience sexual violence while they’re in their undergraduate career than at any other time of their life.” Cantelli said she’s noticed
THEATRE, from page 3 to their real-world experiences in their fields. “What we’ve done here is build a really strong program to help students prepare and be ready for work in Louisiana’s entertainment industry,” Pletcher said. Pletcher will work to provide students with access to places where they can use their training. The program also allows students who have a passion for both theatre and film and television to fulfill both interests. “We have a huge pool of Theatre personnel who have an interest in film, and by doing this we’re going to find more ways to have the two worlds work together,” School of Theatre Managing Artistic Director Vastine Stabler said. “What this program is providing is a talent
men at the University are more willing to approach women with no precursor to ask them for a date, their phone number or social media. These situations usually don’t occur around other parts of Baton Rouge, she said. Cantelli said she believes the University needs to take definitive action to make campus safer instead of repeating the same excuses and doing nothing. “Every year, administrators go to the Student Government ‘Light Walk’ and they walk around campus to identify areas of poor lighting,” Cantelli said. “But have any of them been fixed? They keep doing it every year. It’s been excuse after excuse.” Biochemistry junior Laiba Iqbal serves as Director of Student Government’s Department of Campus Affairs and Sustainability, which oversees the Light Walk every year. She said areas students have reported as unsafe on the Light Walk have yet to be resolved, such as the Enchanted Forest and Greek Amphitheater area. “My perception of administration is that you have to really pester them and bother them and set up meetings all the time to get what you really want,” Iqbal said. She added that administration has been unwilling to consider
pursuing sustainable lighting sources on campus every time her department has brought it up, and because of this it doesn’t surprise her that they would brush off related safety concerns. “College is supposed to be safe,” Iqbal said. “You’re here to succeed and learn.” From 2015-2020, 14 exterior lighting projects were completed. This includes improvements to existing lighting structures as well as the additions of new light sources. It is unclear if these projects were completed in response to the Light Walks or if they were initiated independently by the University. TASA believes that a large part of solving the sexual assault misconduct issues on campus begins with better educating students about their rights and responsibilities at LSU. “There’s no reason why during a football game there can’t be a 30-second [video] that talks about your rights as a student on this campus,” Cantelli said. “First of all, the athletics kind of owe it to the women on this campus. And also, we have resources that we use to promote other things around campus — it isn’t hard. It would be free for LSU to advertise these things, they just have to commit to doing it.” One resource students can
pool that we need for the economy of our state to grow our film program.” With the program continuing to build their facilities, skills, and products that students get to work with, the department is able to provide students with greater opportunities when it comes to professional training. “We have opportunities for students to make films with funding from the school,” Stabler said. “We are making a lot of efforts to help build up of great tools. We are very excited about the future and opportunities this can provide.” The School of Theatre is accepting applications for the new degree program. The School of Theatre was recently ranked the second public university on OnStage Blog’s list of top university theatre programs, according to a University press release.
BIDEN, from page 3
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille
A group of students walks through the Parade Ground on March 3 toward the LSU Law Center.
cases and has been a central voice in the student protests against the University’s mishandling of sexual assault allegations. Currently, universities are required to have “reasonably prompt” periods for carrying out each step in the Title IX complaint process. Cantelli said she’d like to see universities be required to complete investigations within a specific time frame. She also said Title IX offices should have jurisdiction over more cases, such as complaints that take place on study abroad trips. LSU higher education professor Joy Blanchard wrote an op-ed in Inside Higher Education about the regulations in May 2020. She emphasized the importance of focusing resources and effort on prevention rather than punishment. “Universities can spend upwards of $1 million in providing the staff, training and infrastructure to comply with regulatory mandates such as Title IX,” Blanchard said. “Yet I think that money can be better spent on innovative programming that seeks to eliminate campus sexual assault.” Blanchard told the Reveille she’d recommend the Biden administration leave Title IX regulations as they are since university administrators usually don’t have the necessary legal training to delegate cases of sexual misconduct. “These are very complicated legal issues that are usually left to a judge and a jury to decide with very specific criminal procedure guidelines,” Blanchard said. “I would encourage [Biden] to put money into programming at the middle school, high school and
make use of is the Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response (STAR) Center, which offers free legal services to victims of sexual violence. Cantelli, who interns at STAR, said go to STAR before reporting anoything to LSUPD to make sure the process would be handled correctly. “I would want to report to LSU but I don’t trust that they would do it correctly,” Cantelli said. “I would get legal representation first and then report, so that if they’re shortcutting anything I know there’s someone on my side doing what’s right for me.” Political science, Spanish, and international studies junior Abbie Grace Milligan serves as Director of Safety for Student Government and said she has concerns about the vulnerable position women are put in while on campus. “I live on campus and I almost never feel safe walking to and from my car at night,” Milligan said. “Lighting is very poor, and I rarely see police canvassing the area.” Director of the Women’s Center Summer Steib said she is aware of the concerns students have presented about campus safety and she is currently working with several student organizations to address them. Associate professor of geography and anthropology Jill Trep-
agnier shared that she has never felt threatened or unsafe while walking around campus at night, but that she generally does not like to be out when it’s dark and tries to avoid it. “I don’t think LSU has created an environment where people feel unsafe — I think that general society has created a place where people feel unsafe,” Trepagnier said. “I say ‘people’ because it isn’t gender-specific. People who generally are more vulnerable feel more unsafe – it is hard for LSU to try and change that.” Trepagnier said that students remembering faculty are there to help is “an important part of the puzzle.” She hopes students feel comfortable enough to approach her and other professors for guidance during the oftentimes complicated sexual assault process. “Make sure you come to us if something happens,” Trepagnier said. “Trust that we will help you.” Trepagnier suggested that LSU implement call boxes around campus that immediately call the police and sound an alarm when picked up. “I love environmental conscientiousness, but I am all for more lights — maybe solar powered [lights] that hold a charge for night?” Trepagnier said.
COURTESY OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House March 25. college level to talk about consent, bystander intervention and social norming.” “I think everyone would agree it would be better to work on preventing these instances from happening than being so worried about the Department of Education assessing every nuance of how the campus hearings go.” It took nearly a year and a half for Trump’s Department of Education to review more than 124,000 public comments on the issue and finalize the proposed regulations. Formally changing them again would require the same lengthy process, Blanchard said.
Cantelli said not all aspects of the Trump regulations were bad, like the establishment of formal definitions of sexual assault and survivors’ sexual history being irrelevant to investigations. “I would really encourage the Biden administration to listen to the voices of students when it comes to these changes, especially with everything that’s happened at LSU,” Cantelli said. “Having feedback from students and valuing their voice about what they’ve experienced in the Title IX process on their campus is going to be huge in making this an effective law.”
ENTERTAINMENT
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EDITOR’S PICK
A March playlist featuring new songs from Justin Bieber, Lana Del Rey and more
BY ENJANAE’ TAYLOR @_queenet_ March did not disappoint with the good tunes. We got great new projects from Justin Bieber, Benny Blanco, Lana Del Rey and more. Here’s some of my favorite tracks from the month. “Poster Girl” - Zara Larsson Zara Larsson’s sophomore album has finally arrived and it’s full of fun and upbeat jams. The title song of the album, “Poster Girl,” is one of my favorites and has been on repeat ever since it dropped. “Unlearn” - Benny Blanco, Gracie, Abrams Iconic music producer Benny Blanco dropped his second album “FRIENDS KEEP SECRETS 2,” and I love it just as much as the first
one. “Unlearn” pulls at your heartstrings and rounds out the project very well.
“MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” - Lil Nas X
With every new song I become more and more obsessed with Tate McRae, and the artist finally released her EP “TOO YOUNG TO BE SAD” this month. I love all the tracks but this one hits different.
This has been a song many of us have been waiting on since last year, and Lil Nas X finally dropped the banger along with an iconic music video. “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” is catchy, fun and just proves the artist is far from being a one-hit wonder.
“Wild At Heart” Lana Del Rey
“Spinning” - No Rome, Charli XCX, The 1975
After many months of waiting for the anticipated album “Chemtrails Over The Country Club,” I have to admit my excitement for it died down a bit. However, the album is great and reminiscent of the “Ultraviolence” era, which is one of my personal favorite projects from the artist. “Wild At Heart” is one of my favorite songs from the album.
As a big fan of these artists, I was excited when No Rome took to Twitter to announce this song was coming. “Narcissist” by No Rome and The 1975 is also one of my favorite songs by the band, so I knew this song was going to be another banger. Charli and Matty’s vocals are magic, and the song is such a fun party anthem.
“bad ones” - Tate McRae
“Leave The Door Open” Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic I’m pretty sure we’re all obsessed with this song at this point. I liked it when I first heard it, but the groovy Grammy’s performance sealed the deal for me. I’m excited to hear the full project from this new duo.
I was not excited when Bieber shared he was dropping a new album again, but this in my opinion is a way better pop album from the artist. It’s going to be perfect to listen to during the summer, and “Peaches” gives nothing but good vibes. I will say though, the tiny desk concert version of this track must be released, the R&B vibes it gave off was immaculate.
“Pretty Places” - Aly & AJ “2Drunk” - Nick Jonas We all know I’m a big Aly & AJ fan, and this song makes me eager to get back to traveling. The music video is also a classic aesthetically pleasing Aly & AJ masterpiece. “Peaches” - Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, Giveon Justin Bieber released his new album “Justice” this month and... I really like it? After “Changes”
Solo Nick is my favorite Nick, and dare I say “Spaceman” might be my favorite Nick Jonas album. The transitions are flawless, the inspiration behind it is meaningful and as always, his vocals are angelic. This song is my favorite from the project, I can’t help but dance when I put it on. Also, thanks for adding a JoBro collab to the album Nick you’re a legend.
FOOD
Don’t just ‘wing it:’ The top 5 wing places in Baton Rouge BY EMMA JACKIMOWICZ @emmajackimowicz After countless trips my family and I have taken to eat at the home of buffalo wings in Buffalo, New York, my standards were pretty high when I came to Baton Rouge and had wings here for the first time. Buffalo wings are a traditional American cuisine consisting of unbreaded chicken wings that are deep-fried then coated or dipped in buffalo sauce. Chicken wings in general can be dipped or coated in other sauces such as BBQ or garlic parmesan, and they taste even better when you dip them in ranch or blue cheese sauce. In Baton Rouge, I have seen certain food establishments put their own twist on traditional buffalo wings. In no particular order, here is a list of five delicious spots to eat wings in the Baton Rouge area. 1. Pluckers This wing-oriented chain restaurant never misses when it comes to having a large variety of sauces. Pluckers was founded in Texas but has several locations in Baton Rouge. The location I usually go to is the one on Nicholson Drive right by Tigerland; it is always fun to go from the bars then end the night sharing a plate of wings with friends. I am a huge fan of how many
options there are for sauces and dry rubs, and how they split them up by the flavoring of each sauce (a.k.a the Founder’s Favorites, BBQ, buffalo and dry rub). There are times where the servers also encourage you to try new sauces
tra $2 (which I always do). Not to mention that this place has my favorite boneless wings out of any other restaurant on this list. Part of the reason I love this place so much is because the food is amazing for the price you pay,
These wings are packed with so much flavor no matter what rub or sauce you get. I particularly like how they cut their flat wings differently than most other places in Baton Rouge. The customer service is just
Boulevard is worth the drive if you want some authentic tasting wings with a variety of sauces to choose from. The slogan is “We are not a fast food restaurant, we are a fresh food restaurant,” and I couldn’t agree more. One of the most unique parts of this establishment is that they offer Southern fried chicken wings as an option as opposed to only bone-in or boneless wings. The soft, fluffy, sweet honey rolls they give you with your wings are the perfect way to tie together your meal here. My personal favorite wing sauces from Sauce and Bones are Jamaican Jerk and Sweet BBQ. 5. Rotolo’s Craft and Crust
when you go. My personal favorite wing sauces from Pluckers are BBQ Gold Rush and Hot Buffalo. 2. Wings N’ Things I make it a point to go to Wings N’ Things on Lee Drive as much as I can because of how friendly the staff is and how great the deals are. You can get wings on their own or make it a combo with fries and a drink for an ex-
and because the cooks always tend to put more wings in the box than you ordered. Overall, this place has never disappointed me. My personal favorite wing sauces from Wings N’ Things are Mild Buffalo and Honey BBQ.
as amazing as the food you get here. Empire also has a great selection of sides to go alongside your wings, such as the V.J. fries covered in ranch and BBQ sauce. My personal favorite wing sauce from Empire is the OG “Buffalo” Redipped.
3. Empire Wingz 4. Sauce and Bones There are so many ways I could describe the wings at Empire, but the main word I would use would have to be “delectable.”
This location is a bit further out than the others, but Sauce and Bones on Sherwood Forest
This may come as a shock to most when they see this Burbank Drive restaurant on the list, but the fact that they grill their wings as opposed to frying them makes them stand out. While this is not the cheapest option on the list, it is worth every penny considering how flavorful these wings are. Rotolo’s is also great about giving you an even proportion of flats and drumsticks in your meal, and if you dine-in, the wings are given to you in a large bowl with a plate on top so you can flip it and take the bowl off to use for your bones. My personal favorite wing sauces from Rotolo’s are Garlic parmesan and Challmet sauce.
Monday, April 5, 2021
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Monday, April 5, 2021
SPRINGTIME IS HERE
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Blossom by blossom, spring slowly begins, adding new life and color to LSU’s campus.
BY MATTHEW PERSCHALL
White flowers grow on a tree on March 21, outside the Pentagon Community of LSU.
Purple flowers sprout on March 21 on a tree branch near Kirby-Smith Hall on LSU’s campus.
White azaleas bloom on March 21, outside of Coates Hall in the Quad.
An American robin stands among flowers on March 26, in LSU’s Enchanted Forest.
An American robin sits perched on a tree branch on March 26 near The 5 Dining Hall on LSU’s campus.
Flowers grow in the roundabout on March 21, near the Journalism Building.
Memorial Tower stands tall on March 21, surrounded by flowers and other plants on LSU’s campus.
Purple and yellow flowers grow among the grass blades on March 26 in LSU’s Enchanted Forest.
Sunlight hits some azaleas on March 21 in LSU’s Quad.
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Monday, April 5, 2021
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Hunan Chinese Restaurant is hiring part-time professional servers. Experience preferred but we are willing to train the right person to join our growing team! Apply in person, Tues-Sun 2-4pm at 4215 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd, 70816.
Senior Care Near LSU - Flexible Hours, Light Duties, Meals, Housework. Experience with Seniors a Plus. Email: Orchestra2202@gmail. com
Kingfish Communications, LLC dba Louisiana Radio Network, and Tiger Rag Magazine is seeking an experienced advertising sales representative to join our established sales team. Candidates must be goal-focused, aggressive, and possess a strong sense of ownership. Qualified candidates have the potential to earn a six-figure salary.
Local direct mail company has part-time position for data entry. $15/hr, 20 hours a week, flexible hours, paid weekly. Familiar with Excel a plus. Office located on Highland Road near Kenilworth Blvd. Email resume and/or cover letter to brett@leadmkt.com if interested. Thanks!
To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter to office@lousianaradionetwork.com
LsuReveille.com! Fat Cow burgers is now hiring for all positions. Flexible hours and great pay. Apply in Person. 4350 highland rd Ste B1.
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THE Daily Commuter Puzzle ACROSS 1 Summer blower 4 Q-tips, for example 9 Delete 13 Primary color 14 Groucho’s prop 15 Track-and-field event 16 Where the sun rises 17 Shunned; blackballed 19 Fitting; appropriate 20 Woman’s garment 21 Marsh grasses 22 __ cats & dogs; pours 24 Fellow 25 Comes in second 27 French or Hugo 30 Wasn’t well 31 Building block 33 Solemn promise 35 __ for; bought 36 Bellyache 37 “I Love Lucy” actor 38 Late coach Parseghian 39 Injures 40 Miscalculated 41 “You __, you lose” 43 Go by, as time 44 Find a purpose for 45 In __; left hanging 46 Bring joy to 49 Tows 51 “__ says so?”; skeptic’s query 54 Much more than a giggle 56 Kitten’s cry 57 Diamond corner 58 First stage of an illness 59 Common metal 60 Catch sight of 61 On one’s guard 62 Dangerous critter DOWN 1 Part of a book cover 2 Adelaide native, for one 3 Word attached to work or flix
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4 Treats with disdain 5 __ up; gets shrewder 6 Insurance co. reps 7 Saloons 8 Fem. title 9 “Murder on the __ Express” 10 Lab rat’s path 11 Like cinnamon rolls, often 12 Allen & Knight 13 “Don’t __ stranger”; parting words 18 Fissure 20 Passed away 23 __ a test; passed easily 24 Small rodents 25 Dad 26 Dishonest folks 27 Bigwigs, for short 28 Conquers 29 Romantic gift 31 Soft cheese 32 Curved border 34 Extensive 36 Stare
4/5/21
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37 Dull-colored 39 Walk leisurely 40 Hardwood trees 42 Wall plug 43 Four score 45 Beer 46 Flows back 47 __ year; 366-day period
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48 “Besides that…” 49 Copenhagener 50 Hoax 52 Hula __; twirling toy 53 Part of MYOB 55 Response to a texter’s pun 56 Sara or Kirshner
SPORTS Swimming FLOOR-SPEED AHEAD andtodiving the
page 9
MEN’S SWIMMING
LSU gymnastics continues its journey to a National Championship
BY MORGAN ROGERS @morgan_rogers LSU gymnastics competed in a tight race against Utah, Kentucky and Arizona State on Saturday night. The fighting Tigers placed second with a score of 197.750, its highest away score of the season and second best score in an NCAA regional in school history. “We survived and advanced tonight,” Head Coach Jay Clark said. “I loved the fight in these kids. This was an incredible regional and it came to the very end. It felt like a national championship tonight. We had such great energy all day and you could feel it for this meet. I am especially proud of this senior class. They really got it done today. They showed up today and never let up.” The team opened the meet on floor and put up a score of 49.475. Alyona Schennikova and freshman Sierra Ballard scored 9.9s while Kiya Johnson anchored the event at 9.95. Haleigh Bryant could not land her final pass on floor for the second night in a row, finishing with a 9.35. The Tigers moved to vault next. Freshman Bryant redeemed herself by scoring her second
perfect 10 of her career. Elena Arenas managed a 9.875 while senior Sarah Edwards and Schennikova followed with 9.85s. Allaround Johnson snagged a 9.9, giving the team another 49.475 for the second event. LSU’s pace slowed on third rotation at bars, with Johnson starting the event with a 9.325. Freshmen Chase Brock, Olivia Dunne and Bryant all followed with 9.85s, scores not quite strong enough to overcome their opponents of the night. Senior Sami Durante anchored the event to give the team its sole 9.9 on the event. Down by a considerable deficit, the Tigers knew that the beam rotation would be the deciding factor for their ticket to the Championships. With beam usually being the team’s weakest event, the meet had a chance of going either way for LSU. The seniors were fully aware of the stakes and completely delivered. Senior Christina Desiderio started with a 9.9 while senior Durante followed with a whopping 9.95, breaking her former careerhigh on beam. Senior Bridget Dean matched her career-high with a 9.925. Schennikova was inserted into the lineup at the last
finish line
BY LILLIAN O’CONNELL @lillyoconnell
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
Gymnastics sophomore all-around Kiya Johnson throws her hands up with assistant coach Bob Moore after her vault March 3, during LSU’s 197.875-196.175 win over Missouri in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La. second in place of Bryant, scoring a 9.825. Johnson struggled in her routine and finished with a 9.150. Senior Reagan Campbell anchored the event at 9.925 to give LSU a 49.525, its highest event score of the night. The Tigers narrowly survived
against the competition at Regionals and will only face even more challenging teams in the coming weeks at Fort Worth, Texas. LSU will compete in NCAA Semifinal II at the Dickies Center on April 16. The meet will stream on ESPN2.
A handful of Tigers represented LSU at the 2021 NCAA men’s swim and dive championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. On Thursday, Juan CelayaHernandez finished in third place on the one-meter springboard. He ended up earning a bronze medal and was named All-American for the event. In the finals, he twisted to a score of 405.25, earning him the fourth NCAA podium finish of his career. “That was an excellent performance by Juan tonight in a highly contested competition, as it should be at the NCAA Championships,” LSU Head Diving Coach Doug Shaffer said. “This is his highest place finish on onemeter, and he has now achieved a bronze finish on all three boards. It is only a matter of time when all the chips fall and he moves two steps up the podium.” Brooks Curry swam his way to Honorable Mention All-American
see SWIM, page 10
FOOTBALL
LSU football looks to return in the fall as ‘mean, tough, nasty’ BY PETER RAUTERKUS @ peter_rauterkus After a historically bad season on defense, LSU football is looking to bring a new mentality to its defense later this year. With new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, the Tigers are looking to put a defense on the field that is “mean, tough and nasty.” In a forgettable 2020 season, LSU finished the season with its worst winning percentage since 1999, with most of the problems stemming from the Tigers’ horrendous defense. LSU gave up just under 35 PPG, which led to former defensive coordinator Bo Pelini getting fired after just one season with the Tigers. With Jones replacing him this offseason, Head Coach Ed Orgeron claims he has already noticed a difference in the defense since the beginning of spring practice. “I do see a difference,” Orgeron said. “I see our guys with their cleats in the grass, I see better communication, I see the defense simpler and I see our guys playing attacking football.” Orgeron himself plans to take a bigger role in running the defense in 2021 after admitting to
staying out of things more in 2020. Before becoming the head coach at LSU, Orgeron was the Tigers’ defensive line coach and has decades of experience coaching defense. “I’ve coached defense for 40 years and last year I kind of stayed out of it, but this year I’m not,” Orgeron said. “If I see something I don’t like, we’re not doing it.” Experience will be a major advantage for the LSU defense in the 2021 season. The team is returning nine of its 11 starters from 2020, including arguably the best cornerback partnership in the country. Derek Stingley and Elias Ricks already showed glimpses last season of how well they can play together, and with a year of experience together and a new, simpler scheme, the sky is the limit for their production this season. The defensive line is another position group with plenty of returning starters next season. All four of LSU’s starting defensive linemen will be back for the Tigers in 2021 while adding extremely talented freshman Maa-
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
see FOOTBALL, page 10
LSU football junior defensive lineman Ali Gaye (11) cheers to the crowd Sep. 26, during LSU’s 44-34 loss against Mississippi State in Tiger Stadium
page 10 FOOTBALL, from page 9 son Smith to that mix. Smith was the No. 1 player in Louisiana in the class of 2021, and Orgeron believes that he can make an early impact for the Tigers on the defensive line. “He’s our best pass rusher inside right now,” Orgeron said at his weekly spring press conference. “I do believe that he is go-
SWIM, from page 9 in the 50-yard freestyle. He finished 10th place with a time of 19.08 seconds. Curry’s swim in the finals marked the first time an LSU swimmer qualified for a final swim at the NCAA Championships since 2016. “Today was obviously a good start for the Tigers,” LSU Head Swim Coach Dave Geyer said.” It is hard to believe that after two seasons, this was Brooks’ first race at the NCAA Championship level. I think he was able to work off some first race jitters this morning and was much more relaxed tonight. I am looking forward to tomorrow.” On Friday, Celaya-Hernandez competed again, but this time on the three-meter springboard. He earned another bronze medal for this championship, the sixth medal of his career. In the finals, he spun and flipped to a score of
Monday, April 5, 2021 ing to play a lot as a freshman and he’s going to be one of the best freshmen on our team.” With the amount of talent that LSU has on its defense, the coaching staff is entering the new year with the mindset of putting the players in the best position to make plays. Communication and simplicity are two huge things that LSU’s defense lacked in 2020 and are things that Jones is trying
to emphasize going forward. “We want to put our guys in the best position to make plays,” Jones said. “We want to minimize error, make sure we are overcommunicating and have an attacking defense where we can play fast.” Looking back at the problems with LSU’s defense in the 2020 season, a focus on simplicity will be huge for the Tigers in improving this season. Coverage busts
and allowing players to run free down the field was a common occurrence for the LSU defense last season. The scheme looked to be over complicated and there was a clear lack of communication both on the field and on the sidelines. The players-first mentality that this new defensive staff brings will look to reverse these things and change the culture of this LSU defense.
On top of everything, the focus of the defense going into the 2021 season will be to return to the toughness and viciousness that LSU defenses in the past have been known for. Both Orgeron and Jones have made it clear that the goal next season will be to return to that style of play, and the team has done all the right things so far this spring to get there.
452.50 and earned All-American on the three-meter for the third time in his career. “The men’s three-meter event was one of the best and deepest contests I have seen in years,” Shaffer said. “Juan competed very well and definitely rose to the occasion. I am proud of his efforts.” In the pool, Curry competed in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of just over one minute and 33 seconds, earning him sixth place. Curry became the first swimmer to swim in an ‘A’ final at the NCAA Championships since 2007 and received his first AllAmerican. Elite freshman Mitch Mason competed in the 100-yard breaststroke. This was his first NCAA Championship race ever. Mason finished in 21st place with a time of 52.35. “Today was a great day in the pool and on the boards,” Geyer said. “Brooks took care of what
he needed to do this morning to secure that ‘A’ Final swim and earned his first All-American honor. Mitch had a great first race at these championships where he won his heat and advanced his ranking.” Curry finished in seventh place in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 41.99 seconds on Saturday. He broke his own school record this morning in the preliminary with a time of 41.77 seconds. He ended up being the first Tiger swimmer to earn All-American in three different events at one NCAA Championship. Mason competed in the 200yard breaststroke and swam the second-fastest time in LSU history. He tapped in with a time of one minute and 55 seconds and earned 28th place. He also earned the fastest 100-yard breaststroke in school history. Celaya-Hernandez finished his season by qualifying for the con-
solation final on the platform. In the final, he dove a score of 348 to finish in fifth place. “Brooks really put himself out there tonight to contend for a great finish,” Geyer said. “We just
did not execute at the walls the way we needed to. Mitch was able to follow up Brooks’ performance this morning with a huge personal best time to put him at number two all-time.”
ABBY KIBLER / The Reveille
Diving senior Juan Celaya-Hernandez throws his hands up and takes a deep breath Nov. 6 during the LSU swimming and diving vs. Alabama meet where men lost 194-84 and women lost 183-117 in the LSU Natatorium on W. Chimes Street in Baton Rouge, La.
OPINION
page 11
Gun control should not still be a controversial topic EMILY ON CAMPUS EMILY DAVISON @ichigoemily My pre-University academic experience can be pretty accurately summed up with a few core memories: the unparalleled joy of the Scholastic Book fair, the frantic anxiety that came with standardized testing, the excitement of planning for a school dance and, of course, the horrors of lockdown drills. I think it’s a fair argument to say that one of these things is not quite like the others. But, unsurprisingly for a young person in America, I’ve been forced to come face to face with the impact of gun violence in our society. This harsh truth became more of a reality in my seventh-grade year when my school went into a lockdown out of reasonable suspicion of a gunman being on and around our campus. I remember being 12 years old and looking at my friends’ quiet faces in the dark under our desks. Nothing like this had ever
happened to any of us, and I couldn’t make up my mind whether I should be telling them goodbye or not. I decided to keep silent so as not to speak a tragedy into existence. Luckily, our lockdown turned out to be a false alarm — but for so many children, teens and adults in this country, these situations have taken much, much darker turns. The mass shooting epidemic in the United States has taken a significant toll on our society. Since 1966, around 1,290 people have been killed as a result of mass shootings, and thousands of others (including family members and survivors) have suffered the extreme physical, mental and emotional ramifications of these horrific events. It’s a devastating truth that young people in this country have had to become accustomed to these troubling statistics; many receive extensive training to protect themselves from potential shootings in a moments notice. I find it disgusting that, in 2021, it’s still necessary to teach elementary school students the “run, hide, fight” tactic in antici-
pation of potential active shooter situations. Despite the number of casualties and traumatic experiences, it seems like there has been littleto-absolutely-no political reaction to the gun violence epidemic; the rate of mass public shootings in the U.S. is still far higher than that of other similarly developed countries. I know at this point it seems like beating a dead horse, but we need change — desperately, and soon. In my mind, the logical solution is to tighten up restrictions on gun purchases and ownership. But, for reasons I don’t understand, many people are opposed to this supposedly radical proposal. A perfect example is the March 22 King Soopers grocery store shooting in Boulder, Colorado. The gunman, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, was extensively described by family members as having mental health issues, and was found guilty of third-degree assault in 2018. Yet he was legally cleared to purchase the Ruger AR556 pistol he would use to carry out the attack just six days later.
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10 people were left dead. Frankly, this doesn’t add up. We’re far past the need of a more effective background check system when it comes to weapon purchases. Guns “getting into the wrong hands” shouldn’t be such a common occurrence in this country, and I feel like increasing gun control shouldn’t be such a hot topic or touchy subject when it all comes down to saving lives and preventing absolute
devastation. It seems we’ve been repeating ourselves over and over again with no outright positive results or changes. Even still, I think more people voicing their concerns and discontent with current gun control measures will be the main source of change on this front. Emily Davison is a 19-year-old anthropology and English sophomore from Denham Springs.
Stop letting your social media dictate your love life GOING SOUTH TAMIA SOUTHALL @tamiabrem_ The evolution of social media has changed so many aspects of our lives, including the way we experience love and relationships. Members of Gen Z are spending too much time looking up to the relationships they see online and expecting their love lives to reflect that. Young people are feeling more lonely because they are not receiving the same kind of love others are constantly posting about on their social feeds. Social media has created a mirage of expectations for how we should be experiencing romance. People on my own timeline put too much energy into couples on social media and YouTube that don’t even know they exist. The truth is, we don’t know what happens behind closed doors with these couples. Cute pictures and
videos don’t mean their relationships are healthy. Their viral posts don’t mean they are happy or treating each other right, and I’d rather be single than mistreated. Stop letting social media trick you into thinking your love life is supposed to be in a certain place right now. Your love life does not have to reflect what you see on social media. We should focus on our own happiness and peace rather than the mirage social media has created for us. Social media has made us feel like we have to have somebody in our lives. There is nothing wrong with finding yourself and waiting for someone to treat you properly. It is okay to be lonely. We should not expect our partners to be like the people we see on our social media feeds. Just because your boyfriend didn’t buy you 100 roses for no reason doesn’t mean he loves you any less. Social media has also changed our perceptions on dating as a
whole. In reality, you don’t have to be tied down to one person. Our youth is for exploring what we like and what we don’t like. You don’t have to spend your days as a young adult being someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend. We need to discard the image social media has created in our heads. We should spend our youthful days living life and loving ourselves instead of other people. Love is an unexpected and adventurous. The way famous YouTube couples like De’arra and Ken handle their relationships will be different than how we handle our own. We need better representations of love in our lives. Our parents looked at their parents’ relationships for guidance, but somehow we have strayed from that. Parents should try showing their children how to create positive and healthy relationships rather than letting them buy into the façade of how it should be from social media platforms
like Twitter. Heartbreak and love are undeniably intertwined, so we are all bound to experience both emotions at some point in our lives. Social media should not delegate how we experience the inevitable. It is important to understand the concept of love outside of social media before you dive into the unrealistic expectations others set for you.
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Editor in Chief Managing Editor News Editor Deputy News Editor Opinion Editor
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.
Everyone has a different path in life. You should not expect your life to be a certain way at a certain age because of what you see on Instagram. If you try to expect what you cannot control, you are going to end up disappointed. Tamia Southall is a 20-year-old mass communication junior from New Orleans.
COURTESY OF UNSPLASH
Quote of the Week “Barbecue may not be the road to world peace, but it’s a start.”
Anthony Bourdain Chef and Author 1956 — 2018
Monday, April 5, 2021
page 12
The Ever Given stopped global trade and our hearts SAUCE BOSS CÉCILE CÉCILE GIRARD
@_cegi_
The family of Ever Given regrets to inform fans of the container ship’s decision to indefinitely leave the public eye. Catapulted to international fame after becoming impossibly
COURTESY OF MADISON CARLSON
lodged in the shores of the Suez Canal on March 23, Ever Given became the most iconic container ship of the 21st century overnight. Some blame strong winds from a freak dust storm for the accident, others blame piloting errors, but one thing is certain — Ever Given was prepared for its moment of stardom. One of the biggest ships in existence at over 1300 feet in length (longer than the Empire State Building is tall!), Ever Given seemed destined for success since its launch in 2018. However, Ever Given always felt like a “regular kid” despite its mammoth size, crediting this sense of normalcy to being the fourth-oldest in a line of 11 equally massive ships in the Golden class of Evergreen Marine. His 10 siblings — Ever Golden, Ever Genius, Ever Gifted, Ever Glory, Ever Globe, Ever Goods, Ever Grade, Ever Gentle, Ever Govern and Ever Greet — were unavailable for comment at the time of writing.
The ship had had a brush with infamy once before in its life. In February 2019, Ever Given collided with a German passenger ferry on the Elbe River. The ferry was severely damaged, but Ever Given, as resilient (and remorseless) as ever, continued on its path unharmed. Although impressive, the Elbe incident pales in comparison to Ever Given’s run-in with the Suez Canal. Lost transit fees, damage to the canal and dredging machinery brought the cost of un blocking Ever Given to nearly $1 billion for the Egyptian government. Some 367 ships had to wait amid the traffic jam in the oneway shipping passage, and a dozen others decided to skip the canal entirely and take the scenic route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. When Ever Given was finally freed on Monday, March 29, it was the breathtaking conclusion to a glorious six-day stint of Twitter stardom. The ship had
managed to unite the world through giddy memes and commentary to a degree rarely seen since former President Trump got COVID-19 in October. For many, Ever Given was more than a container ship. It was a symbol of the fragility of our global economy, a reminder of life’s unpredictability and a reminder to demand the world’s attention if and when we need it. Ever Given proved it’s the journey that counts, not the destination. Ever Given’s time in the Suez Canal is survived by its legions of fans, thousands of memes and the rest of the “Ever G” fleet. Its death was preceded by that of the ship pilot’s career. An estimated $9 billion a day in global trade may have been delayed by Ever Given’s star moment, but the memories we made were priceless. Cécile Girard is a 21-year-old psychology junior from Lake Charles.
Good reason for uneven female interest in true crime FROM THE HOUSE OF HARD KNOX NATALIE KNOX @natalieknox444 Several studies have shown that women overwhelmingly flock to the true crime genre in comparison to men. A lot of people may see this as strange, seeing as how despite being statistically less likely than men to be the victims of violent crime, women are overwhelmingly depicted as the victims of these crimes in true crime podcasts, docuseries, TV programs, books and other forms of sensationalized consumer media. I myself am a voracious consumer of the true crime genre, always excited to find a new podcast or docuseries that focuses on morbid but fascinating topics. The weirder, the better. Lately, I’ve had several conversations with men who have pointed out that, at least among the people they know, young, single women who live alone tend to stand out as being the most attracted to these kinds of stories. The general consensus I heard was that this phenomenon of female interest in true crime seems innately contradictory — that it goes against logic and instinct. However, when considering my own reasons for being attracted to the genre, I find that it actually makes a lot of sense why women would be disproportionately drawn to true crime stories. I did some research into the topic, which offered some additional insights I had not previously considered. While 80% of homicide victims in the U.S. are men, TV shows and other story-telling platforms
predominately feature female victims. One reason for this is while men may be more likely to be murdered in general, women are more likely to be the targets of what we consider to be the most disturbing crimes. It’s also relevant to note that when women are the victims of violence and murder, the perpetrator is usually someone they know. This makes it easy for news platforms and true crime narrators to push the idea that a particular crime could happen to anyone — even you or someone you know! — which is important because getting audiences to identify with the victims and inciting feelings of fear and worry are key elements used to capture and keep their attention. Now, I feel it necessary to recognize that statistics and studies on this topic can only offer us preliminary insights due to some inherent limitations that they face. Namely, they struggle to assess data that doesn’t fall into easy scientific categories and that can’t be accurately assessed within small focus groups or surveys. For these reasons, I find it important to note that of the studies I read, one did acknowledge a small portion of people who identified as non-binary in addition to a larger group who identified as female as all being equal participants within a study comprised of all women. Another study simply used Amazon reviews and anonymous account profiles, which allow users to construct and represent their own gender identities, as its main focus group. Therefore, I think (or at least hope) it is safe to say that, when talking about female versus male consumption of true crime stories, we must do so under the presumption that these categories are not all-inclusive, but aim
to present a general picture of a gendered discrepancy in viewership. Similarly, it must be acknowledged that true crime podcasts, docuseries and other media platforms most commonly depict white, middle-class women being attacked by men, even though that is a less common scenario in real life when it comes to violent crimes. So, why are women so disproportionally drawn to this genre? Part of the answer is simply human nature. Many of us, men and women alike, are drawn to these stories, and we likely feel similarly conflicted about our desires to consume images and stories depicting violence, murder and other obsessive crimes. What does that say about us, about the world? A very succinct, comprehensive answer to this can be attributed to a thesis published on this topic by Catherine M. Traylor: Audiences often stay tuned because they want to understand the motivation behind the gruesome act, perhaps even rationalizing during the process a reason why it wouldn’t happen to them. “The fact that true crime is so accessible, gives audiences an opportunity to engage with the stories from the safety of their own homes...This allows audiences to dive as deep into a case as they would like with the option to back out into their comfort zone at any moment.” This idea of catharsis is something I’ve always felt was part of my experience when watching a docuseries or listening to a podcast about a truly heinous act or individual. Not only does it allow you to live out your worst fears from a safe distance, but it also allows you to take a kind of morbid pleasure in exploring curios-
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ity about the more devious, twisted aspects of human nature and society without the responsibility and guilt of the thoughts being your own. In a way, true crime media creates a safe outlet for thinking about horrific things, even though it can also be argued that the nature of such programs is generally exploitative of the real victims who are portrayed as characters. In addition, women in particular may be more inclined towards this genre because, while research shows that men are more attracted to violence in general, true crime is more appealing to women because it engages their survival instincts. Though women are statistically less likely to be murdered than men, they have been shown to fear victimization significantly more. So, by consuming true crime stories, women gain the opportunity to learn defense tactics from those who have survived attacks or manipulated their kidnappers and managed to escape. They may also want to learn about and understand the underlying motives and psychological
factors that could drive someone to commit a violent crime, so they may detect signs of a potentially violent person in their life and be able to anticipate and avoid similar situations. Kate Tuttle describes this in an article she wrote for the New York Times: “Perhaps our fascination with these stories stems in part from wanting to learn from them. If a woman escaped her attacker in this particular way, we think, perhaps I could too ... My fascination springs from the same sources that have always drawn people to the genre: straightforward curiosity, vicarious thrills and a kind of magical thinking that maybe if you consume crime as art you’ll never confront it in real life.” Ultimately, I find that the more I think about it, the more sense it makes why women would be so disproportionately attracted to this genre than their male counterparts. It isn’t counterintuitive at all, but actually quite logical. Natalie Knox is a 23-year-old English senior from Lake Charles.