Vo lum e 130 · N o. 7
E s t. 18 87
Mond ay, M ay 31, 2 021
RECUSED All three Baton Rouge federal judges recuse themselves from presiding over two high-profile lawsuits against LSU athletics.
Graphic by Hannah Michel
Read on
page 2 NEWS
p ag e 3
University faculty members convened a Faculty Senate for the first time in more than a decade hoping to urge for mandatory vaccinations.
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Paul Mainieri announced his retirement on Friday, capping a successful 15-year run coaching the Tigers.
p ag e 4
Olivia Rodrigo’s debut album “Sour” satisfies expectations and impresses audiences.
OPINION
p ag e 6
“...Why has that right been stripped of Palestinians with the support of America and its allies over the years?”
L SU Re ve i l le.co m @l s u r e ve i l le
page 2
JUDGMENT CALL
Contextualizing judge recusals from LSU’s high-profile Title IX lawsuits
NEWSROOM (225) 578-4811
BY REED DARCEY @byreeddarcey Judge Brian Jackson, a federal judge of Louisiana’s middle district, dismissed the last lawsuit filed against LSU athletics. That was 2013, and the plaintiff in that suit was Tony Minnis, former head coach of LSU’s women’s tennis program, and the first Black head coach in LSU history. After 21 seasons coaching the Tigers, Minnis’ relationship with then-Athletic Director Joe Alleva had soured. He alleged in his federal civil rights, employment discrimination lawsuit that Alleva had harassed him, retaliated against him and wrongfully fired him after years of providing of unequal pay and inadequate facilities. Jackson decided that Minnis’ evidence didn’t back his claims and dismissed the lawsuit. Minnis declined to comment for this story. After the Minnis suit, eight years came and went without a federal lawsuit against LSU athletics arriving on Jackson’s desk. But in 2021, two high-profile lawsuits in which LSU athletics employees are defendants were brought before the court in the wake of LSU’s Title IX and sexual assault scandal. This time, Jackson and the two other Baton Rouge federal judges — Shelly Dick and John deGravelles — recused themselves from ruling on either suit. The lawsuits then went to a fourth judge from New Orleans, Susie Morgan, who recused herself from one of the lawsuits. Morgan will rule on the other. Judges “shall disqualify” themselves from presiding over lawsuits when their “impartiality might be reasonably questioned,” according to state law. Judges are not required to disclose a reason for a recusal. None of the four judges who recused could be reached for comment. “I’ve never seen judges recuse themselves to this extent,” said Katherine Redmond, a sexual as-
B-16 Hodges Hall Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, La. 70803
Editor in Chief REED DARCEY Digital Editor NATALIE KNOX News Editor NICK FREWIN Senior News Reporter MADELYN CUTRONE News Reporter CADEN LIM Sports Reporter NATASHA MALONE Entertainment Reporter ASHLEY LATCHA Opinion Columnist CLAIRE SULLIVAN Opinion Columnist DOMENIC PURDY KRISTEN YOUNG / The Reveille
LSU Students Elisabeth Andries and Samantha Brennan publicly speak at the protest following their appearance on USAToday on Nov. 20 at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N Stadium Dr. sault victims’ advocate. Redmond has worked for over 20 years as a consultant and advisor to athletic departments and professional sports teams across the country, advising and training them on prevention and response to Title IX issues. She follows lawsuits filed against athletic departments to spot “trends” in schools’ choices of lawyers, consultants and advisors. The recusals in the LSU suits surprised Redmond. “I’ve never seen that happen in my life,” Redmond said. Jackson, Dick and deGravelles have all previously ruled on numerous suits in which LSU and its board of supervisors are parties. Dick currently presides over three LSU-related lawsuits: two job discrimination cases, one filed by an LSU Alexandria employee and the other by an LSU veterinary school professor. The third is for the fraternity hazing death of Max Gruver, which still has more court dates scheduled. The two latest lawsuits are different from other lawsuits filed against the university in the last eight years in that athletics em-
ployees are parties. Common parties for both suits are Alleva, the LSU Board of Supervisors, former university president F. King Alexander, Executive deputy Athletic Director Verge Ausberry and Associate Athletic Directors Sharon Lewis and Miriam Segar. Both Dick and Jackson have previously ruled on suits in which the Board of Supervisors and Alexander were parties. Jackson, in the Minnis suit, presided over one in which Alleva and Segar were parties. That leaves Lewis and Ausberry as the two shared parties who have not previously been involved in a middle district federal lawsuit. The plaintiff in the first lawsuit is Lewis, who is alleging that the university’s higher administration harassed and retaliated against her for years when she tried to report sexual misconduct in athletics and cry foul of the school’s Title IX practices. Lewis said some of the 20 defendants — most notably Alleva, Ausberry, Alexander, Les Miles and LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward — violated the Racketeering In-
fluenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), a federal law designed to take down organized crime syndicates. Morgan gave Lewis and her attorneys 20 days from May 24 to answer a list of questions about how she plans to prove the RICO allegations. Lewis is a defendant in the other notable lawsuit against the university and its athletic department, a class action suit filed by seven former students, athletes and athletic department student workers. The plaintiffs came forward in the past several months, alleging a campus-wide failure to respond to their reports of sexual assault, rape and domestic violence. The class action suit, which names over a dozen defendants, including Alleva, Ausberry, Alexander, Segar, the Tiger Athletic Foundation and Julia and Michael Sell, LSU women’s tennis coaches — now sits in the courtroom of Wendy Vitter, a federal judge in New Orleans. Attorneys for plaintiffs are waiting for Vitter to approve the class, and for each defendant to retain counsel.
Production Editor HANNAH MICHEL Copy Editor SHELLY KLEINPETER Copy Editor SARAH LAWRENCE Photographer CHYREN McGUIRE
ADVERTISING (225) 578-6090
Layout/Ad Design SHELLIE MILLIRON Layout/Ad Design SAMIRA AWAD Layout/Ad Design SARAH FRANCIONI Sales Representative EDWARD BALL
CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsureveille.com.
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 ‘RECIPE FOR DISASTER’
page 3
Faculty Council passes resolution urging LSU to require vaccines
BY CADEN LIM @CadenLim5 The LSU Faculty Council overwhelmingly passed a resolution at a council meeting Tuesday urging upper administration to mandate all students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination before the Fall 2021 semester. Over 600 members of the Faculty Council participated in the vote, with 89.62% voting in favor of the resolution. Interim President Thomas Galligan presided over the meeting, which hasn’t been convened since 2005. Media and public affairs professor Bob Mann said that there was an initial miscommunication with the university’s administration regarding holding the council meeting, but upper administration was very helpful in organizing the meeting and is very supportive of the faculty meeting to possibly mandate a COVID vaccine. “If [mandating vaccinations] is deemed not legal, we are asking the university to take every measure possible to ensure the safety
of our students,” Mann said. Law professor Olivier Moreteau said the upper administration’s hesitation to mandate vaccines could have both political and legal reasons. The vaccines currently only have emergency authorization from the FDA; it’s hard for the university to mandate them until they get full approval, according to Moreteau. Once the vaccines get full FDA approval (Pfizer is currently first on the list to be approved right now), any legal concerns will become obsolete. “The general council at LSU is paid to be careful,” Moreteau said. “Maybe their fear is that if anything goes wrong, there are liability issues and may cost money to LSU.” Moreteau said politically “pushing to a mandate could be counterproductive.” The university could possibly lose money from students and families that oppose the vaccine and could face discrimination charges if they restrict students access to campus based on vaccination status, according to Moreteau. History professor Meredith
Veldman said she believes the council meeting “makes it pretty clear” the faculty desires a mandatory vaccine. Mann said since the Faculty Senate and Student Government also proposed resolutions to require vaccines, the entire LSU community wants mandated vaccines. Now it is up to the LSU Board of Supervisors to take the next step. “I hope the board of supervisors chooses to follow science and recognize we all want to return to normal life,” Veldman said. “And the best way to do that is through mandatory vaccinations.” Mann said he is worried for the upcoming semester because despite the upper administration’s support, he hasn’t seen any softening on their position not to mandate vaccines. He said the current position of the university is a “potential recipe for disaster.” “It could spark a very sudden shutdown of the university,” Mann said., “And we could go back to online learning like in the spring of last year. Nobody wants that.” Moreteau said the current dis-
cussion to mandate vaccines is facing tough timing. He said if the FDA fully approves the vaccine, it won’t happen until late June or even into July. He said if the upper administration is going to mandate vaccines, to do it sooner rather than later. “You cannot at the last minute, a few weeks before the start of the semester, tell students they are required to get the vaccine,” Moreteau said. “Don’t wait until it’s certain and settled to make the move.” Mann said he hopes the uni-
versity announces mandatory vaccines soon so the university can be a leader to promote health and well-being of students around Louisiana. He said the leadership of the university’s faculty hopefully will inspire other public universities across the state to follow suit. “We are not fighting administration, we just want administration to go the full way,” Moreteau said. “Let’s give a show of support to the admin to go the extra mile so our students and our community are better protected.”
MATTHEW PERSCHALL/ The Reveille
People wait in line and fill out paperwork on Mar. 14 while social distancing at the Tiger Stadium vaccination site.
FACULTY
Manship’s search for a new dean will continue in the fall BY MADELYN CUTRONE @madelyncutrone LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication expects to continue its search for a new dean throughout the 2021-2022 academic year after the previous finalists were dismissed in April. In the meantime, Joshua Grimm will continue to serve as interim dean of the college. The search process for the next dean is extensive, Grimm explained. The search committee, comprised of 13 faculty and staff members, receives a large pool of candidates then immediately narrows the list down to 10-12 semi-finalists based on the information presented in the application process. Those candidates are interviewed via Zoom, and the list is further reduced to a select group of finalists. The finalists then come to campus and meet with a host of individuals involved in the LSU community, such as the provost, vice provosts, deans, the student media director, as well as faculty, staff and students of the college. From there, the provost listens to feedback from the community and makes a final decision on who will be the next dean. In last year’s case, Provost Stacia Haynie decided to continue the search instead of appointing one of the
two finalists. Following that decision, Haynie wrote in an email that “it was clear that there was a consensus among the faculty, staff, students, and alumni that the search for the next dean of the Manship School of Mass Communication should continue.” Ogden Honors College Dean Jonathan Earle chaired the committee over the past year and said “there is not anything particularly unusual” about Haynie deciding to continue the search after being presented with the finalists. “Next year is an ideal time to search for a new leader for the Manship School: the worst of the pandemic is over, and the various departments have been able to talk more about what they want in a new leader,” Earle said. “The faculty and students have never been stronger.” Grimm said that he does not serve on the search committee but is actively involved in the process at the same level as other faculty, staff and students. “It looks like the candidates did not clear the bar, for whatever reason,” Grimm said. “I think they both had strengths, but based on committee feedback there were also hesitations – enough that didn’t warrant bringing them in for the position.”
Grimm said that he is not up for the position of permanent dean because he is currently an associate professor and the position requires a full professor. Both are tenured positions, with a full professor being a higher level than associate. “It is what it is,” Grimm said. “I’m happy to stay in my position and serve as interim. My goal is to help in any way I can to make
sure the Manship school is moving forward. We need to make sure we’re adapting and being as agile and creative as possible to put the school in the best position to succeed.” Grimm said that his time serving as interim dean has been “a lot of work but so rewarding.” He plans to return as associate dean once a permanent candidate has been selected, but ultimately that
will be a decision for the incoming dean. The search committee will reconvene over the summer to determine who will stay on the committee and who will step down to allow other faculty the opportunity for input. Earle said he assumes he will not chair the committee next year. “My bold prediction: a terrific new dean will start next summer,
ABBY KIBLER/ The Reveille
The Manship School of Mass Communication on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019 on Field House Drive.
SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
page 4
COURTESY OF THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LSU head coach Paul Mainieri celebrates with the team May 30, 2010 after beating Alabama 4-3 during the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
THANK YOU, COACH. LSU baseball coach and active wins leader Mainieri retiring ASSOCIATED PRESS BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU baseball coach Paul Mainieri, who leads active Division I coaches in career victories and won a national championship with the Tigers in 2009, is retiring at the end of this season. The 63-year-old Mainieri, who announced his impending retirement on Friday, has coached for 39 seasons, the last 15 with LSU. If the Tigers (3422) receive a bid to the 64-team NCAA tournament, he’ll continue to coach as far as LSU advances before his tenure officially ends. “I have been the luckiest guy in the world to have lived out a childhood dream of becoming a college baseball coach,” said Mainieri, who also coached at St. Thomas (1983-88), Air Force (1989-94) and Notre Dame (1995-2006). “It’s very difficult to leave a profession that I truly love, but I’m so grateful for the amazing opportunities that have been presented to me through the years.” His career record of 1,501774-8 places him seventh all-
time for career Division I victories. His 637-282-3 record at LSU ranks second for victories behind only Skip Bertman, who went 870-330-3 from 1984-2001. “To have carried the torch of a program built by Skip Bertman, the greatest college baseball coach of all time, has been a tremendous privilege,” Mainieri said. Mainieri’s six SEC tournament titles ties him with Bertman and former Alabama coach Jim Wells for the most in league history. LSU advanced to the College World Series five time under Mainieri, a four-time national coach of the year who was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2014. “Paul Mainieri has made an immeasurable impact not only at LSU, but across college baseball,” LSU Athletic Director Scott Woodward said. “He has honored the game he loves with his class, his character, and his commitment to excellence. We are forever grateful for the championships
he has won, the student athletes he has inspired, and memories he has gifted our fans.” Mainieri was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, and raised in Miami. He played at LSU as a freshman in 1976 before playing one season for his father, Demie, at Miami-Dade North Community College. He then spent two seasons at the University of New Orleans, playing second base and helping the Privateers win two Sun Belt Conference titles and advance to the 1979 N C A A Tournament.
THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES
LSU head baseball coach Paul Mainieri hugs senior outfielder Raph Rhymes (4) May 18, 2013 during a pregame ceremony honoring the team’s seniors in Alex Box Stadium.
Monday, May 31, 2021
page 5
SOUR, SWEET, GONE Sour by Olivia Rodrigo is a sweet listen BY ASHLEY LATCHA @ashleylatcha Following her number one hit, “Drivers License”, that stayed on Billboard’s Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks, Olivia Rodrigo finally released her first full album “Sour” on May 21. With the pop star rising to fame at age 18, teenage angst is made very clear throughout the album, which seems to bode well with the majority of her audience. The very first track, “Brutal” seemed to set the tone of the album with heavy influences of rock and alternative vibes, something that truly hasn’t been perfected by any “Gen-Z artist” until now. The aggressiveness of her lyrics as well as the music was something that I actually enjoyed right from the start. It is very clear that this can be considered a “breakup” album. However, Rodrigo shifts back to a melancholy melody with “Traitor” immediately after. The lyrics mixed with the melody turns “Sour” from a headbanger to a tearjerker. The album does a fantastic job of portraying the rollercoaster of emotions that follows love, heartbreak and growing up. The album continues with the softer, dream pop genre until we reach “Good 4 U,” which
COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
Olivia Rodrigo’s album, “Sour,” released May 21. is personally one of my favorite tracks. The song gives hardcore “early Avril Lavigne” vibes which took me by surprise. Rodrigo goes back to the rock, alt-pop genre and delivers even more angst through her lyrics.
The song became Rodrigo’s second No. 1 hit on Billboard Hot 100 Charts, making “Sour” the first debut album to receive two No. 1 debuts. The music video is also still trending top-10 on Youtube and includes a hilarious
psychotic ex-girlfriend-slashhighschool cheerleader Rodrigo (which parallels her acting on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series on Disney+). The album shifts to an acoustic number, “Enough for You”,
which is quite heartbreaking to listen to. Teenage insecurities start to show in the lyrics towards the middle, which I think is a really realistic change of tone. The beginning of the album gives “it’s your loss” energy which morphs into another altpop song like “Jealousy, Jealousy” (my second favorite from the album). Then there seems to be closure with the last two tracks. The album finishes off in beautiful notes, and the anger, pain, and jealousy all turn to “Hope Ur Ok” which suggests quite literally what the title implies. One of the reasons why I believe this album is doing so exceptionally well is due to the way her audience can completely empathize with the state of mind that is being portrayed by another teenager, and it would be a lie if I said tears were not shed while listening to some of the tracks myself. With the newer generation being out of touch with “old school” ideas, Olivia Rodrigo does an excellent job at keeping the essence and capturing the realness of what it is like to be a teenager. The full album “Sour” is available on all streaming platforms including lyric videos for each track on Youtube.
TRENDING
Finally, fans’ long-coveted BTS McDonald’s meal is here BY ASHLEY LATCHA @ashleylatcha After being announced back in April, the widely recognized K-pop group, BTS, had their official McDonald’s meal debut on May 26 in 10 different countries, including the U.S. The meal includes 10-piece chicken McNuggets, medium fries, a Coke and the debut of two new McDonald’s dipping sauces: sweet chili and cajun. The two sauces were inspired by the recipes of McDonald’s South Korea and have gotten great reviews so far. The BTS Meal is the first Famous Order to be available globally, making its debut in nearly 50 countries by the end of June. The fast food chain has also dropped limited edition merchandise that is inspired by the group’s signature purple color. The line includes t-shirts, hoodies, bathrobes, sandals, socks and more and can be found on Weverse, a fan-community app created by the record label of BTS. “The collection is a perfect representation of an iconic
partnership between two fanfavorite brands,” McDonald’s announced. Also included with this collaboration is the release of exclusive digital content that can be found on the McDonald’s app which includes the BTS x MCD (McDonald’s) Flipbook which will be made available on June 2, a final backstage 360 degree experience launching on June 9 and a virtual Portrait Series to be released on June 16. The group is also featured in a McDonald’s commercial with their newest single “Butter” that was released on May 21. “It truly means so much to have a meal named after us. We are super excited to share our go-to order with everyone,” says BTS member and group leader, R.M. Billions of fans all around the world have been raving about their meals. However, one major disappointment can be found in the packaging. Based on the BTS Meals from around the globe, the U.S. did not live up to anyone’s expectations. According to fans overseas, the
COURTESY OF GETTY IMAGES
BTS, the popular K-pop boyband, released their signature McDonald’s meal on May 26. BTS Meal includes a very unique signature purple packaging with a Korean inscription only meant to be understood by true BTS fans; however, the packaging in the U.S only includes the paper bag with the K-pop group and McDonald’s logos. The fans that have received
the exclusive packaging have already gotten extremely creative with it by creating keychains, wall decor, phone cases, and tumblers. The packaging is also so exclusive that people are even selling their McDonald’s cups, bags and containers online for a huge profit.
The BTS Meal will only be available statewide until June 20. Until then, purchase the limited edition merch on the Weverse app, listen to “Butter” on Spotify, Apple Music and Youtube and stock up on the special BTS Meal sauces (and paper bag)!
OPINION
page 6
Nothing complicated about Israel’s human rights violations DOM’S DISCOURSE DOMENIC PURDY
@Tigerdom16
Let’s not mince words: Israel is an apartheid state, occupying and displacing native Palestinians. Even before its founding in 1948 as a Jewish state, Israel expelled and subjected Palestinians in an attempt to give the Jewish people a home following the devastating effects of the Holocaust. In creating a preventative measure for another anti-Semitic Holocaust, an apartheid state was established, slowly colonizing Palestine until only Gaza and the West Bank remained as “the world’s largest open-air prison.” With the recent evictions of Palestinian families from the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood by the Israeli Defense Force at the start of the month, tensions once again rose in the IsraeliPalestinian ‘conflict.’ Following the evictions, IDF forces accompanied Israeli settlers as they raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the holy month of Ramadan. More than 300 Palestinians were injured in the raid. Following the raid, the international community’s eyes were drawn to Israel once again, watching countless videos of Palestinian buildings crumbling and Israeli citizens espousing rhetoric that promotes further colonial efforts at best and ethnic cleansing at worst. For many, myself included, the Israeli actions against Palestinians were something that was confusing, muddled by claims that the conflict is “complicated.” In reality, the conflict is anything but complicated; it is the struggle of a colonized people struggling to exist within areas deemed unlivable by the United Nations. There’s nothing “complicated” about the morality of human rights violations. For myself, it is impossible not to sympathize with the struggles of the Palestinian people. No one deserves to live in fear of whether a state sanctioned bombing run will destroy your school or worry about armed forces raiding your place of worship. “It is human nature to seek
revenge in the face of relentless suffering,” the Palestinian doctor Izzeldin Abuelaish wrote in a 2010 book. “You can’t expect an unhealthy person to think logically.” Of course, the Palestinian people would turn to Hamas, an Islamic fundamentalist group, to defend themselves. Hamas itself is morally repugnant, an extremist group in its own right, and does not represent the entire population, but Palestinians have been left with no other option to defend against a government that restricts their very access to fresh water. Israeli citizens have a stateof-the-art defense grid known as the Iron Dome and shelters to defend from the actions of Hamas. Meanwhile, the Palestinians in Gaza are left with no warning before IDF weapons paid for by America and its allies destroy their homes and businesses, taking the lives of countless innocent men, women and children. Israel’s excuse for silencing the screams of fearful Palestinians? Hamas MAY be in the buildings that they knock down. To the Israeli government, the use of force against a civilian population is not even a concern if they have the ability to possibly, without any concrete evidence, destroy a fundamentalist rebellion against their apartheid regime. And what does the White House do in the face of these actions for all the world to see? They fund the Israeli occupation further with a $735 million stimulus. Still, as the Israeli government and some of its citizens commit human rights violations against a native population much like America and Europe before it, it is important not to conflate the entire Jewish community with the actions of Israel’s far right regime. “There is no room for antiSemitism in the movement for Palestinian liberation,” Representative Alexandria OcasioCortez tweeted on May 21. “Our critique is of Israel and their human rights abuses. This is not an excuse for anti-Semitic hate crimes.” Jewish leaders have even taken an active role in protests for the liberation of Palestine, including at LSU itself. The
ADEL HANA/ Associated Press
Palestinian school children walk in the rubble left days after an Israeli strike. “March for Palestine” on campus organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, the Black Student Union and Cooperation Rouge included speakers from the New Orleans chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization devoted to speaking out about the Israeli occupation. Cooperation Rouge—formerly Democracy @ Work—echoed sentiments from Norm Finkelstein, a Jewish activist and descendent of Holocaust survivors dedicated to distancing Zionist and Jewish identity.
“The Zionists indeed learnt well from the Nazis,” Finkelstein said. “So well that it seems that their morally repugnant treatment of the Palestinians, and their attempts to destroy Palestinian society within Israel and the occupied territories, reveals them as basically Nazis with beards and black hats.” Critique of Israel is not an act of anti-Semitism, but the condemnation of the actions of a far-right apartheid state. If all people have the right to self-determination, why has that right
Editorial Policies and Procedures EDITORIAL BOARD Reed Darcy
Editor in Chief
Nick Frewin
News Editor
Domenic Purdy Opinion Columnist Claire Sullivan
Opinion Columnist
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.
been stripped of Palestinians with the support of America and its allies over the years? To critique Israel is not an act of hatred for the Jewish people but an act of sympathy for the people of Palestine, a people who have had their very humanity stripped of them, a people who fear for their lives on a daily basis with the entire world watching. Domenic Purdy is a 20-year-old journalism junior from Prairieville.
Quote of the Week “Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.”
Sam Keen
Author 1931 — present
Classifieds
Monday, May 31, 2021
page 7
Now twice a week. To place your ad, visit www.lsureveille.com/classifieds and click Submit an Ad
Costs: $0.34 per word per day. Minimum $3.75 per day. Personals free for students
Deadline: 12 p.m., three school days prior to the print publication date FOR RELEASE MAY 31, 2021
REEL IN SOME
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle
business! $TUDENT $PECIAL!! WALK TO LSU!! LARGE 1 BR APT $650 / MONTH 225- 266-8666
Let Your Business Bloom place a classified at
LsuReveille.com! Summer Camp Fun! Looking for positive, enthusiastic staff to enrich the lives of children in Baton Rouge this summer! Start immediately - part time or full time. Science, arts, field trips, swimming, water days, talent shows and more! Email resume kidcambr@gmail.com.
Boil Up
Some Interest!
Place a Classified
LSUReveille.com
make a
splash with YOUR business!
Gino’s Restaurant is seeking PT/ FT evening hostesses. Please apply between 2-5pm Monday - Friday at 4542 Bennington Ave.
ACROSS 1 __ the wrong way; irritate 4 D-sharp 9 Also says 13 Levelheaded 14 Actress Anne 15 With 17 Across, Italian restaurant entrée 16 Helper 17 See 15 Across 19 “__ to Billie Joe” 20 Kiwis & cuckoos 21 Awkwardly tall and thin 22 Sounds from a den of lions 24 “__ Along, Little Dogies” 25 Fully ripened 27 Most recent news 30 Gladden 31 Intensive air raid 33 Engine need 35 Bowl-shaped pans 36 Word attached to meal or work 37 Racing sled 38 That lady 39 Floorboard noise 40 __ max; fully 41 William Tell, for one 43 See the __; take a tour 44 Sunbeam 45 Calcutta cash 46 Play a sitar 49 Shapeless masses 51 “__ Doll”; song for the Four Seasons 54 Wealthy 56 Mayberry resident 57 Eur. nation 58 Eat to excess 59 Stitched joining 60 Golf shop purchase 61 Sire children 62 Suffix for custom or second DOWN 1 Bug spray 2 Cemetery employee 3 Flying insect
Schlittz & Giggles is looking for out-going, charismatic individuals wanting to express their love for pizza! Whether you’d like to be a pizza maker, bartender, or server - we are hiring for all. No experience required, flexible scheduling. Apply online at schlittz.com or on our Facebook page.
our classifieds are
TEA-RIFFIC! Place a classified at LSUReveille.com
Place a Classified today! LSUReveille.com
Place your
place a classified at
LsuReveille.com!
classified
smawe’re the rte st Place a classified at LSUReveille.com
{ { HE RE
Place a classified at LSUReveille.com
by Jacqueline E. Mathews
Created by Jacqueline E. Mathews
4 Realm 5 Terrors 6 Shortening 7 Hemingway’s “A Farewell to __” 8 __ chi; relaxing martial art 9 Fly 10 Martin or McDermott 11 Unpleasantly moist 12 Murder 13 __ Paulo, Brazil 18 Razzle-dazzle 20 Unclothed 23 Time-__; game pauses 24 Backyard access 25 Calico cries 26 Hilo hello 27 Enjoy a lollipop 28 Alabaman or Arkansan 29 Like undies too small 31 Coffin stand 32 Grassland 34 Majors & others 36 Hunted animal 37 Theater balcony 39 Winner
5/31/21
Saturday’s Puzzle Solved
©2021 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
40 Q-__; medicine cabinet items 42 Pie bottoms 43 Group within a group 45 Cheek coloring 46 Quarrel 47 Word of agreement 48 Got up
5/31/21
49 Fondue cheese, perhaps 50 Like “War and Peace” 52 “Queen for __” of old TV 53 PE class building 55 Recede 56 As crazy __ loon
Monday, May 31, 2021
page 8
The realities of climate change in Louisiana cannot be ignored SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire In its most recent flooding event, Lake Charles was pelted with 15 inches of rain in the span of 12 hours. The water submerged entire vehicles, trapped children in their schools and damaged hundreds of homes. This extreme flooding that would have been bad enough on its own followed a year of devastating weather events in Lake Charles. Hurricane Laura, a Category four storm, ravaged the city last August, leaving behind years worth of damage and hundreds of displaced residents. Then followed the new terror of Hurricane Zeta, and, in February, a frost that burst pipes and left tens of thousands in Louisiana without power. And if that wasn’t enough, meteorologists now predict the 2021 hurricane season will break records as the sixth year in a row above normal activity. The residents of Lake Charles have endured repeated environmental disasters, all through a historic pandemic far more than any community should have to bear. Though climate change is not entirely to blame for these weather events, it contributes significantly to their frequency and intensification. Increased
temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico allow storms to absorb more energy and water vapor as they pass over, leading to heavier rainfall and more intense weather conditions. The role climate change plays in worsening these deadly storms cannot be ignored. “Climate change is something that is affecting this community,” said Nic Hunter, Lake Charles’ Republican mayor, following the most recent flooding. “I know that phrase can engender a lot of emotions with different people, but it is real and it is happening. I just think it would be ridiculous to say that something is not happening.” While it is vital for the future of the Earth to treat the causes of climate change and cut global greenhouse gas emissions, Louisiana cannot ignore the symptoms of rising global temperatures that its residents are forced to grapple with today. Extreme weather is one manifestation of this problem, and the coastal land loss crisis that plagues the state is another. Louisiana loses a football field of land every hour due to the combined effects of sediment loss from levying of the Mississippi River, salt water intrusion caused by oil and gas pipelines, natural land subsidence and, significantly, rising seas due to climate change. The combination of these factors gives Louisiana the highest
rates of relative sea-level rise in the world, and its effects have already made climate refugees of Louisiana residents. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority issues the Coastal Master Plan every five years under a mandate from the state legislature, outlining projects to preserve and rebuild land along the coast. CPRA has already completed hundreds of projects, focusing its funds evenly between restoration and risk reduction. The legislature does not approve CPRA’s entire budget, but rather offers funding on a project-by-project basis, increasing the difficulty of completing these essential projects. The Coastal Master Plan is an important reaction to the disastrous consequences of decades of poor environmental policy choices. But the fact of the matter is that even if the legislature funded all of CPRA’s projects, the data suggests that there will still be significant portions of coastal Louisiana underwater in the next century. This fact doesn’t mean the work of CPRA is an unworthy endeavor, but it does mean that Louisiana cannot ignore the gravity of these problems any longer. The impacts of climate change have and will continue to bring struggle to the lives of Louisiana residents, whether that be through extreme weather, coastal land loss or other results of global temperature
RICK HICKMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
Cars sit stalled on a flooded Sale Road during heavy rains in Lake Charles, La. rise. Bold international policy is necessary to combat climate change, but it is not a promise Louisiana can rely on. Recognizing the reality of climate change is not alarmist, but rather the only practical path forward for the state. After all, how often can southwest Louisiana face unusually active hurricane seasons before that becomes the new normal? And how much longer can coastal residents watch waters creep higher before politicians decide it’s time to act? Lake Charles cannot be expected to rebuild over and over again with nothing but its deep-
ly admirable resilience, and residents in southwest Louisiana must not be left to deal with inevitable land loss on their own. Ignoring these issues only guarantees worsening inequalities and economic despair driven by the climate crisis. After every environmental disaster, legislators in Washington, D.C. and Baton Rouge offer their thoughts and prayers to the people of southwest Louisiana. It is far overdue that they offer their solutions. Claire Sullivan is an 18-year-old coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury, CT.
Louisiana should not revoke federal unemployment benefits SULLY’S SCOOP CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire Every state on Louisiana’s border plans to cut the $300 per week in additional benefits allocated to the unemployed under the American Rescue Plan. Last week, business groups sent a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards asking him to do the same, arguing that government assistance is disincentivizing the unemployed from returning to work. Edwards says he is hesitant to embrace such a proposal at this time due to Louisiana’s reliance on tourism, instead asking the Louisiana Workforce Commission to study the economic impact of opting out of federal unemployment assistance. Now or later, it would be a mistake to deny Louisiana residents these benefits. The argument that unemployment assistance disincentivizes work is based on misconceptions, not facts. The Louisiana legislature’s own economist Greg Albrecht rejected the idea that benefits play a significant role in keeping people from work, noting that Louisiana’s
greatest employment rise during the pandemic actually came during the period of $600 per week federal unemployment benefits. Research on unemployment assistance does not support the conclusion that it disincentivizes work. In fact, unemployment assistance actually has positive effects on the economy. The additional $300 a week in benefits is a stimulus to the Louisiana economy; after all, if residents don’t have any income, neither will local businesses. And without this vital social safety net, even more people would be facing poverty during the pandemic than already are. It’s also important to note that Louisiana already deals out the second stingiest unemployment benefits in the nation at $247 a week. And as reinstated by Edwards last August, jobless Louisiana residents must file proof that they are actively searching for work in order to retain benefits, poking another hole in the argument that the unemployed are unnecessarily relying on government assistance. Ultimately, these lobbies and their GOP allies fail to provide any data-driven evidence for taking away the benefits that
almost 230,000 Louisiana residents rely on as the economy continues to crawl back. Instead of addressing the true obstacles for the unemployed, conservatives make a boogeyman of government assistance. Lack of access to childcare, unlike unemployment benefits, is a major obstacle to returning to work for many parents. Childcare centers have still not bounced back from lockdowns last March, contributing to the lowest female workforce participation rate the country has seen in 33 years. And even outside the pandemic, childcare costs often eat up the majority of earnings from low-wage jobs, making staying home instead of working the more practical option for many parents. The true scarcity exists not in labor but in access to childcare and well-paying jobs. To solve the so-called worker shortage, businesses should offer a living wage, and the government should work to enact policy that empowers workers. But these real solutions aren’t something these business lobbies are eager to embrace. This recent push to strip the unemployed of federal benefits is an attempt to rob Louisiana workers of their autonomy.
TRAVIS SPRADLING | ASSOCIATED PRESS
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards holds up his own mask, taken off while he was speaking Whether lobbies admit it or not, the intention of their proposal is to put workers in a position where they have no choice but to accept what are often inadequate wages and conditions. The pandemic has made many workers realize that they don’t have to accept a corporate system that treats them as dis-
posable. As Louisiana emerges from the pandemic economy, there is a unique opportunity to fight to improve the lives of Louisiana workers and families. Let’s take on that fight. Claire Sullivan is an 18-year-old coastal environmental science sophomore from Southbury, CT.