LEGACY Magazine Spring 2015 issue 3 by Reveille

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

SPRING 2015

ISSUE 3

MASCULINITY Is it what it seems?

FASHION Get eccentric this spring

MIKE’S CARETAKERS More than a mascot

LEGACY | Spring 2015

Editor in in Chief Chief Editor Raina LaCaze LaCaze Raina

Managing Editor Editor Managing Anna Jiang Jiang Anna

Lead Designer Designer Lead Hailey Curtis Curtis Hailey

Designers Designers

Anne Lipscomb Lipscomb Anne Zachary Wiley Wiley Zachary Kristin Hudson Hudson Kristin

Writers Writers

Mary Lagroue Lagroue Mary John Hanley Hanley John Deanna Narveson Narveson Deanna Bianca Smith Smith Bianca

Photographers Photographers

As students, are choices: given choices: your dreams or As students, we arewe given PursuePursue your dreams every every day orday wait wait around for them to stray just out of your reach. around for them to stray just out of your reach. we connect ourselves one another for support in atHere atHere LSU, at weLSU, connect ourselves to one to another for support in attaining taining those goals. those goals. Since my sophomore my ambition was becoming edSince my sophomore year, myyear, ambition was becoming Legacy’sLegacy’s editor, and itor, and because of the supreme my two predecessors, I am because of the supreme leadershipleadership of my two of predecessors, I am now doing now doing what I love. what I love. Never let temporary lack ofkeep vision keep you from driving. Never let temporary lack of vision you from driving. Whether your goal is as monumental as a community service initiaWhether your goal is as monumental as a community service initiative tive (pg. 8 ) or as simple as a couple seeking acceptance (pg.16), encour(pg.8 ) or as simple as a couple seeking acceptance (pg.16), wewe encourage age you to share your goals with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. you to share your goals with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. EvenVI’s Mike VI’s ambitions, or rather, food preferences, are covered in Even Mike ambitions, or rather, food preferences, are covered in this this issue. issue. is a diverse community withassortment a vast assortment of background LSU is aLSU diverse community with a vast of background stories, stories, and Legacy’s is to encompass our unique campus in words, picand Legacy’s goal is goal to encompass our unique campus in words, pictures tures and design. and design. they inhale this magazine inspire you to your conquer yourthey goalsLet thisLet magazine inspire you to conquer goals-inhale passion, passion, they emit purpose. but theybut emit purpose.

Katherine Lea Lea Katherine Charles Champagne Champagne Charles Allie Appel Appel Allie

Raina LaCaze

Sales Manager Manager Sales Sam Accardo Peter Chaze

Raina LaCaze Editor in Chief Editor in Chief

Technology Advisor Advisor Technology Alex Cook Cook Alex

Advisor Advisor

Bob Ritter Ritter Bob

Publisher Publisher

The Office Office of of Student Student Media Media The

Legacy Magazine Magazine Legacy lsulegacy lsulegacy lsulegacymag lsulegacymag

Mission Statement: Statement: LEGACY LEGACY isis aa Mission quarterly student-produced student-produced magazine magazine quarterly that that explores explores the the diverse diverse community community of of Louisiana Louisiana State State University University through through in-depth in-depth features, features, profiles profiles and and photography. photography. LEGACY LEGACY focuses focuses on on student student entertainment, entertainment, leisure leisure and and academics, academics, and and itit strives strives to to be be informative, informative, provocative provocative and and dynamic. dynamic.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

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Inside Boxed Out

How much can professors say in the name of learning?

Anxiety Haze

Men and Roses

Some strains of marijuana keep student users on edge.

Young college men often face pressure to conform.

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30 35

LEGACY | Spring 2015

All For Th

Vet students earn their stripes to care for Mike Story: Deanna Narveson

Photos: Katherine Lea

ou can’t really train a tiger. “He’s a cat. He knows he has to do certain rituals to get what he wants,” said second year veterinary medicine student Lindsey Clemones, one of LSU’s live mascot Mike VI’s caretakers. Clemones and Trevor Davis, also a veterinary medicine student, spend about two hours with Mike each day doing these rituals. Together, the teammates split the tasks required to keep the tiger healthy. They clean his habitat and night house, feed him, check to make sure he is uninjured and do enrichment activities to keep the 410 pound tiger happy. Last year, Clemones and Davis were selected out of seven teams by Mike’s primary veterinarian, Dr. David Baker. Ginger Guttner, director of media relations for the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, said no one knows what Baker is looking for in these teams, but he has selected them each year since his arrival in 1995. “He has said he will never explain in detail what it is he is looking for because he doesn’t want anyone to pretend to be something they aren’t,” Guttner said. After they were chosen, Clemones and Davis trained for four months with his previous caretakers. Before their 2016 graduation, Clemones said they will train the next generation of caretakers. After working with Mike for almost a year, Clemones knows his preferences about his food, which is logs of meat and other vitamins and minerals. “He likes the end pieces of his food the best,” Clemones said. “If you put it in a circle he doesn’t like that, and that’s mean so I don’t do that. Sometimes I break [the food logs] in half and stack them all up so it looks like it’s all ends, and that makes him happy.” She knows what the sounds he makes mean too. If he “chuffs” he’s happy, if he moans he’s talking 104

Design: Kristin Hudson

and he only roars when he’s very upset. He likes the smell of Tiger Balm, cinnamon and food shaped into meatballs, but he doesn’t like catnip. “Taking care of a tiger isn’t always a glamorous job,” Clemones said. Sometimes he pees on her or she gets bits of meat stuck to her boots. Picking up waste from his habitat isn’t the best part either, but she loves Mike. She and Davis are paid a stipend for their work, but Clemones said, “everyone knows we’d do it for free.” “Obviously him recognizing you and being happy to see you and loving on you is awesome because a tiger loves you,” she said. “Sometimes in the mornings I love it when I let him out and there are families and kids watching and they get really happy.” Mike VI arrived at LSU in 2007 at two years old. “As he’s grown older, he’s gotten more skeptical,” Clemones said. “It’s normal for a tiger, but it means he’s less likely to walk into the trailer and attend football games.” “We come in, we have his trailer backed up, hooked up, we open the door and that’s it,” Clemones said. “We wait. If he goes in, he goes to the game. If he doesn’t, he doesn’t go to the game; and that’s his choice. We’re not going to make him.” The work is divided into nights and mornings. Clemones said the caretaker who feeds Mike at night will be the one to let him out into his habitat in the morning. Mike’s night house is divided into four rooms, one for eating, one for sleeping, one for food preparations and a chute leading out into his habitat. Each room of his night house can be completely closed off so there is always a barrier between the caretaker and tiger. LEGACY | Spring 2015

he Paws

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“I have class at 8 a.m., so I usually get here about 6 or 6:15 a.m,” Clemons said. “Now on weekends or holidays, I will let him sleep in a little because he is not a morning tiger.” “Mike’s schedule relies on Clemones’ and Davis’s classes, but he’s always out by 8 a.m. and inside his night house by 8 p.m.,” Guttner said. “When I walk in on a school morning he’s passed out,” Clemones said. “It takes a little while to motivate him to open his eyes and stand up. Once he goes outside, he’s good though because he loves outside.” Mike is weighed every morning to monitor his health. His teeth are checked regularly, but he hasn’t had health problems in the time Clemones and Davis have been his caretakers. At night, after letting him into his night house, Clemones sometimes studies or does homework with Mike. She and Davis are on call all day, every day, and one of them must be in Baton Rouge at all times, meaning they spend some holidays with the tiger instead of their families. Clemones said the job is easier on her because she’s from Baton Rouge, but Davis’s family is in Arkansas. “On Christmas morning I woke up at 5 a.m. so I could take care of Mike and then go home and get

dressed and make it to be with my family, but [Davis] had Mike on New Year’s Eve,” she said. Clemones said she has always wanted to be a vet. After graduation she wants to work as a veterinarian for lab animals, which is what Baker does in addition to caring for Mike. Part of the attraction of caring for Mike, she said, is the fact he is Mike the Tiger, but she would love him even if he wasn’t a tiger. Next year, it’s Clemone’s and Davis’ turn to pass on the keys to Mike’s habitat. “Its always a rough transition,” Clemones said. “You have two really happy people and two really sad people.”

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LEGACY | Spring 2015

LSU student Kurt Ristroph shares his service initiative through the TEDx platform. WORDS: MARY LAGROUE

PHOTOS: ALLIE APPEL

n February 28, 2015, Baton Rouge will host its third annual TEDxLSU event, fostering discussion on topics relevant to Louisiana, which share a common theme. This year’s theme: Connect. Twelve speakers have been selected to give talks on issues, ideas and innovations that have the potential to define Louisiana communities and perhaps even extend beyond the state. Of the speakers, only one is a college student: Kurt Ristroph, a Baton Rouge native and LSU junior pursuing a dual degree in chemical engineering and classical civilization with a focus in Latin. Growing up, Ristroph’s mother took him and his brother to the public library “every two weeks, like clockwork,” he said. “We’d check out as many books as we could, and we’d go home and read them all, and in the next two weeks we’d return them and get more.” Ristroph will speak about VOLUMEN, a Latin word for book. VOLUMEN has come to stand for a local project spearheaded by Ristroph, with a focus on books, libraries and the simple, powerful pleasure of reading. Library visits encouraged Ristroph to read as a kid and acquainted him with a vast collection of books. He would revisit that same library as a college student—this time, seeking not books but ideas, more specifically, ideas for a service initiative. Annually, through the Roger Hadfield Ogden Leaders Program, the Honors College grants as much as $5,000 to up to five “student-organized, student-designed service initiatives that in some way benefit Louisiana,” he explained. During fall 2013, Ristroph decided to apply; he only needed an idea. Ristroph traveled around Louisiana during his fall break in search of ideas and inspiration. He would eventually find the roots for his project no farther than his hometown of Baton Rouge.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

DESIGN: KRISTIN HUDSON

Inspiration sparked when his brother suggested a project based on electronic textbooks; however, the fellowship funds could not supply enough textbooks for even one school. With electronic books in mind, Ristroph made the connection that became the basis of his project after visiting the East Baton Rouge Parish Library website. Although he frequented the library as a kid, he knows, “that’s not the norm; that’s not experience that most people have.” With his own childhood experience in mind, he then set a goal to make reading a normality and to help children learn to read above their grade level. Knowing the need for educational resources in Louisiana, he said he came to a solution: improve or increase the amount of literature resources that the students have access to. “A lot of school libraries don’t have the infrastructure to maintain thousands and thousands of books,” Ristroph explained, “but they have the students. On the flip side, the public library has all the resources, but students can’t always get to the public library; and therein lies the problem.” Drawing from his Latin vocabulary, Ristroph’s solution came to be known as VOLUMEN, an acronym for Volunteering Our Library’s Universal Materials for Educational Needs. Essentially, the VOLUMEN project connects the school systems in East Baton Rouge Parish with the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system through their mutual concern for literacy. After proposing the project to the Honors College, Ristroph became the sole recipient of the 2014 Ogden Leaders Fellowship. With the fellowship funds, he purchased custom VOLUMEN library cards to be distributed to East Baton Rouge Parish elementary schools this

year, giving students access to a large online library of books and materials. “Kurt saw all of this potential to multiply the impact of the Ogden Student Leaders funding by using it to make this connection available, and he’s done a great job seeing it through,” said Michael Blandio, Assistant Dean of the Honors College. Ristroph considers VOLUMEN the product of both his many library excursions as a kid and his current role as an engineering and classics student. He bridged his “Latin side,” which he said promotes literacy, with engineering, actually building the bridge to connect those systems. As “a nice holistic use” of his own education, VOLUMEN now reflects his commitment to educating others through readily available online resources. “Here you have an honors engineering and classical civilizations major designing a process to serve ideals of accessible knowledge,” Blandino said. “Kurt is a great example that these interdisciplinary connections are both possible and meaningful.” After working with Ristroph through the Fellowship, Blandino encouraged him to take VOLUMEN further and apply as a TEDxLSU speaker. The TEDx platform will give VOLUMEN the opportunity to evolve. Ristroph hopes his talk will encourage more elementary schools to sign on to the project. Eventually, he hopes his initiative will spread to more parishes and states, and even grow into a non-profit. “If someone wants to work to make that happen without my help,” he said. “I’m happy to have provided the spark of an idea.” “Everyone says, ‘now, why didn’t I think of that?’ So there are surely other, equally simple ideas out there that can have profound impacts on systems and education,” Ristroph said. “I managed to figure one out with some help, and if this talk provides that help for someone else piecing a simple, powerful idea together, I will be thrilled.” While he plans to attend graduate school and become an engineering professor, he also hopes to continue the VOLUMEN project. He expressed his gratitude to the Honors College for the opportunity to imagine such an initiative in the first place. The TEDx Talk means a great deal to me,”

Ristroph added, “[because] I want the VOLUMEN idea to be available for anyone else to incorporate into their own parish or county to help children.” Connecting the facets of his interests and talents, his past and present and major parish systems, no less, Ristroph invites young students to share his love for literacy—to use literacy and education to their advantage and to open up untold opportunities.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

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“I do not believe there is any place for censorship subjects are a part of the humanities. So, what may s charge asserting their perspective as the legitimate one Schumake believes that professors should be able to they are or what subject the professors teach, and tha

BOXED OUT

STORY: JOHN HANLEY

PHOTOS: JOHN SMITH

mericans are serious about freedom. Freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion are all protected under the Bill of Rights and are considered inherent to American society. With this emphasis on free speech and expression, censorship can be a controversial subject. For the most part, Americans are allowed to speak their mind and discuss what they want so long as it doesn’t do harm to anyone else, but freedom of speech can go out the window in certain situations. Many jobs force employees into positions of secrecy or neutrality: government agencies like the CIA and FBI, police work, doctors and teachers. Many other career paths involve certain amounts of self-censorship, with the general understanding that one should limit one’s political and religious opinions while in the workplace. But the question of censorship continues to tap a nerve in academia, with college being a melange of strong opinion and provoked thought.

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DESIGN: KRISTIN HUDSON

“In the classroom, the student is a kind of customer and is expected to receive instruction in a special topic,” said Kevin Cope, an English professor at LSU and president of LSU’s Faculty Senate. “So, even if a professor were speaking with perfect civility on the topic of agronomy in a class devoted to calculus, that would be something of a violation because that upsets the contract relation between the student and the teacher.” At LSU, policies mostly limit what faculty can say when representing the university specifically. According to PS-10, LSU controls “reputation defining” materials like advertising, recruitment, promotion, fundraising materials, uniforms, logos and

photography. In other words, materials that represent LSU and can affect its reputation. However, the policy also states it is “not intended to restrict faculty and staff from expressing LEGACY | Spring 2015

p [in universities],” she said. “Most controversial seem like censorship may simply be the authority in e.” o express opinions, regardless of how controversial at it is the students’ responsibility to formulate their

opinions or providing information to media representatives regarding their research and/or areas of expertise.” So, generally, professors are allowed to express their personal opinions as individuals, but not as LSU representatives. Although professors can speak opinions in the classroom, PS-36 encourages and expects teachers to stay with the curriculum and keep their thoughts relevant to both their area of expertise and the course material at hand. So, professors can speak their minds so long as 1) they present themselves as an individual and not representative of the university, and 2) their thoughts are relevant to the course. Technically, this still leaves a lot of wiggle room for professors. Despite the legal and contractual leeway given to professors, and despite the propensity for socially based subjects like history, sociology and English to

LEGACY | Spring 2015

steer in subjective and opinionated directions, professors often take neutral stances in classrooms. Blair Brown, a history student at LSU, said this kind of self-censorship is potentially harmful. “A friend of mine told me about an experience in a religious studies course when the religion of Islam was discussed in a very negative and demeaning manner by the students,” said Brown. “In this case, the professor did not make an effort to change the conversation or steer it away from…harmful stereotypes.” Professors may take these neutral, silent roles in class discussion simply to avoid controversy for themselves and the university by appeasing as much of the student body as possible. As Brown noted, the pressure on professors to remain neutral can create an environment where both students and professors are prevented from comfortably expressing opinions or questioning conventions. It also, as in Brown’s example, has the potential to leave students vulnerable to

attacks or ostracization. On the other end of the stick, Brown says professors have also used self-censorship as a way to pick and choose which topics they are comfortable talking about. “In one particular situation, the professor spoke negatively about abortion and nontraditional marriage in previous classes, but when asked a question about the influence of racial bias during the hiring process, that subject was suddenly ‘too political for the classroom.’” In other words, censorship can be a double-edged sword, forcing professors to remain quiet when students say harmful or problematic things in the classroom, but also allowing professors to avoid subjects that could or should be discussed in academic discourse. It would seem appropriate for professors to limit their opinions in the classroom, especially if the content of the class is generally objective, but Shamaka Schumake, planning to start grad school at LSU to study social work in the fall, believes otherwise. “I do not believe there is any place for censorship [in universities],” she said. “Most controversial subjects are a part of the humanities. So, what may seem like censorship may simply be the authority in charge asserting their perspective as the legitimate one.” Schumake said she believes professors should be able to express opinions, regardless of how contro-

versial they are or what subject the professors teach, and that it is the students’ responsibility to formulate their own thoughts. “The purpose of research and a college education is the development of critical thought, not the simple amassing of data. Any form of censorship only hinders that development,” she said. Dr. Cope echoed this sentiment to a degree. “I think that as far as academic speech goes, with regard to academic topics, there should be no censorship whatsoever,” he said. “[But] there’s a distinction between censorship and the regulations governing the contractual relation between the student and the teacher.” So, contractually speaking, college professors owe it to their students to teach the course’s material. But according to PS-36, an “excellent teacher” is also expected to “arouse students’ curiosity” and “[stimulate] creative work” through the “dissemination of knowledge and understanding.” Part of that understanding can come from the material, but as Schumake noted, learning the material might not be the most important part. “Now, we tell students what to think rather than to critique what they are taught,” she said. “That is not intellectually healthy.” College is, in her words, meant to inspire students to think, not just to know.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

Grey Area Integrated couples jump through hoops to gain acceptance.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

y a

WORDS: BIANCA SMITH

PHOTOS: ALLIE APPEL

Imagine you met someone burden can be personified by parents on a random Tuesday and eventually or close relatives who grew up in date them. Imagine learning a different generation where the everything about that person: standards for relationships were less their habits, fears and dreams, and accepting. opening up to your significant other Kinesiology sophomore while they do the same. Molli Dutt was in an interracial However, disapproval in relationship with kinesiology blended relationships is common. sophomore Austyn Adams for three Think of discrimination like years. During that time, Dutt faced the roots of a tree. As the roots spit negative reactions from her family. apart, they affect different aspects of “My uncles and grandfather were our society. Remaining firm in their very against me dating an African place, they become a part of our American,” she said. However, her society’s foundation. parents were more accepting. “I In African American culture, didn’t get negative reactions from interracial dating is a sensitive my parents,” she continued. “But topic due to America’s history (and they’re pretty open minded about the social standards that resulted race and gender issues.” from it). Within the social realm, Reactions of objection to the stigma is more prevalent and couples lacking uniform skin color commonly known. are often unnerving and bothersome. Laureanna Crump, a biology For Dutt, the constant disapproval sciences junior, explains why there from those around her bothered her is so much negative attention as a at first, but she eventually decided result of a black male dating a white to ignore it. female. “I decided that it wasn’t “Because with slavery, white their lives so it shouldn’t matter to people took so much away from us,” me if they approve or not,” she said. she says. “So when a black guy dates While interracial dating a white woman, [African American has become more common, the women] feel as if something has been frequency remains low due to the stolen from them.” social stigmas that surround it. For She goes on to say there example, according to a study done is a double standard. “When it’s at Illinois Wesleyan University, the a black man with a white woman, divorce rate for interracial couples it’s insulting, but when it’s a white is higher than same race couples, man with a black woman, it’s more leading to the belief that many accepted.” interracial couples are set to fail. One of the roots that So why does this matter to college remains untouched is interracial students? Because according to the couples and the disapproval they study, college students usually use face. Today, many interracial couples this time in their life to evaluate face reactions of shock, anger or their dating habits that influence the confusion. decision making process for finding a Proof of the lack of future spouse. acceptance for interracial couples is However, with college already out there. While students students, social stigmas are less are more accepting of interracial significant because of the generation relationships, the stigma society has gap many students place themselves placed before them still hangs over in. This doesn’t mean interracial their heads like a burden. That couples won’t be met with

LEGACY | Spring 2015

DESIGN: ANNE LIPSCOMB

bewilderment from their friends and acquaintances. Dutt confessed the amount of curiosity and confusion her friends confided in her. “I also got a lot of questions from my friends such as ‘Oh my god how do your parents feel about you dating a black person?” She said, “I bet they’re so disgusted!’or ‘Is it weird because he’s not white?’” The evidence of disapproval didn’t truly appear until the couple was surrounded by strangers. When Dutt was out in public with Adams, she noticed negative reactions grew more prevalent. She described how they would go out in public and receive “disgusted” stares. In some instances, people would just get up and move away from where they were sitting. She goes on to describe an incident when a driver at a local Walmart parking lot slammed on his brakes just for the purpose of staring at them, and expressing his disapproval, before driving away. Adams, Dutt’s ex-boyfriend, expressed how the mistreatment from the public affected him emotionally. “It was very hard to see people disapprove of someone you find no flaws in,” he said. “More than anything it’s just frustrating to keep having to explain to people that there is no difference in dating someone outside your race.” Dutt has since decided to educate herself on the mistreatment of minorities. “I was always aware of the injustices against blacks, but I became more passionate about those injustices and became more educated on issues in the black community,” she said. “It also allowed me to educate my friends and family on injustices in an effort to make them understand and be passionate about them as well.”

The tale of an art sanctuary that has long been forsaken

WORDS: BIANCA SMITH

PHOTOS: KATHERINE LEA

hen the sun goes down and everyone is tucked away, a group of people head over to a dark granite palace where the real fun begins. Granite’s only real presence is in the murky bathroom sinks and the rusted steel lockers lining the hallways, making it look like a scene that even a ghost buster wouldn’t be caught dead in. The ivy and greenery that line the outer walls are turning grey as if they have seen better days, better days that were placed decades ago. The sculptures that scatter the outer rims of this “palace” are confusing. The building has not seen a janitor since the Kennedy administration, and the bathrooms look like a suite from Davey Jones’ locker. The people that come here are quirky, dark and perfect for a Wes Anderson film, if Anderson were gutsy enough to touch a place like this. These young adults are spunky and way too witty for the normal world to welcome them. They sit in the dirt bathing in the darkness that seems more pure than the one this world has placed on them. They dress in bright colored frocks with exquisite fabrics that represent the old world, the world they never knew. So they form an alliance here, in a

DESIGN: KRISTIN HUDSON

place where dust flies like fairies and graffiti is a welcomed form of interior design. A place where some of the lights flicker on and off while most of them refuse to work in a place like this. This is the place where dreams come true, if they were dreamt by a vampire. Where color, frill and dust clash in a surprising fashion. A place where a maid would go in and throw in the towel right then and there. But the people don’t care because they are only here for a good time. Sure, they may use dust to line the rims of their margaritas or drink hot bottles of Zima. They suffer from sporadic incidents of crazed birds flying up the ceiling and dropping their leftovers. The windows may be broken, but it’s the only way to let a little fresh air in. The words “air” and “conditioning” do not exist in the floor plan of this reject pile of a building. Because when the moon rises, so do the children, even if it is on a Monday. This placewell what is left of it- is where the heart is. A place where they can call home and be their weird and dysfunctional selves. Where the stairs constantly creak but it’s considered a soundtrack to their creative lives. And, yes, this place is a spook house gone bad, but they will treat this house like paradise and look damn good while doing so.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

Brand: MariahV Designer: Deshane Nelson Stylist: Brittny Dyson Shop at MariahV.com

LEGACY | Spring 2015

ANXIETY

HAZE Some strains of marijuana keep student users on edge.

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WORDS: DEANNA NARVESON

arijuana is touted as a drug that relaxes, calms and can be beneficial in medicine, but it may increase mental health problems in individuals who already suffer from anxiety disorders. Marijuana was classified as a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, placing it alongside heroin and lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD, according to the Food and Drug Association’s Website. The drug became legal for recreational use in Oregon, Washington and Colorado last year, and will soon be legalized in Alaska. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association’s poll in 2013, 13 percent of Louisiana residents age 18 to 25 used the drug in the last month, compared to about 8 percent of all adults in the United States. The drug is not yet legal in the state, or for LSU students, but a study completed at the university by Psychology Professor Julia Buckner shows people who suffer from anxiety disorders may worsen their anxiety by using marijuana. Buckner is the director of the LSU Anxiety and Addictive Behaviors Lab. She said marijuana users who struggle with anxiety problems may turn to the drug as a way to selfmedicate, only to find their anxiety increased or unchanged. Because their anxiety gets worse or remains unchanged, they come back to the drug over and over again.

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DESIGN: ANNE LIPSCOMB

“About half the people with an anxiety disorder have a drug use disorder as well, and a lot of times they are using it as a way to manage their anxiety,” Buckner said.

person or bad. Guidry said unless more dialogue and information is gained about this, people will not be able to judge for themselves the risks involved with drug use.

Normally, marijuana users with anxiety problems who wish to stop using the drug are told first to go to treatment for their marijuana use, and then when that is resolved- for their anxiety problems, Buckner said.

People’s brains change on a thought per thought basis, Guidry said. He believes marijuana can heighten whatever thoughts a person is dealing with.

“They don’t do as well with this treatment because they don’t know any way to manage their anxiety other than marijuana,” Buckner said. “So, in the study we are doing right now, we are combining the two steps.” Austin Guidry, president of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy at LSU, said the studies about marijuana use and anxiety problems are a good thing. He said more information about the brain and drugs is always beneficial. Guidry said the strain of marijuana a person uses can also change how it affects their brain and anxiety because different strains are more psychoactive than others, meaning they have more of the “get you high” properties. “If they are already dealing with anxiety and then they are using a strain that is quite psychoactive, then being high can be overwhelming for some people,” Guidry said. He said anxiety and mental health have many factors because people are complex, and marijuana or other drug use can be either good for a

“Whenever people self-medicate with marijuana, or they’re using it recreationally, if they already have existing problems using that drug, it may make it worse while on it,” Guidry said. Buckner said there are three main types of anxiety: one associated with social situations, another with generalized fear about the future and a third where the sufferers deal with panic attacks. When people come into the LSU Anxiety and Addictive Behaviors Lab wanting help with both marijuana use and anxiety problems, they are given rating for the severity of their anxiety, diagnosed and told about their marijuana use, Buckner said. Buckner said the goal is to be able to treat both problems simultaneously so they no longer feel the need to selfmedicate with drug use. “None of the clients say that their anxiety is about the illegality of it,” Buckner said. “People tend to be anxious first and then start using marijuana to cope with their anxiety.”

SCENES DOWN SOUTH LSU film students are preparing for life in a booming local industry.

Giant, white letters on a Californian hill. That’s the first thing that comes to most people’s mind after hearing the word “Hollywood.” The letters still stand tall on the West Coast, but the industry behind them seems to have found a home in the South. Louisiana’s film industry has boomed recently, setting it at the very head of American movie production. In 2013, The Pelican State actually beat out California in movie productions by three. With award-winning movies and shows like Beasts of the Southern Wild and American Horror Story coming out of Louisiana, young filmmakers in Baton Rouge are finding themselves thrust into a tempestuous ocean of big names, big businesses and big competition. LSU film assistant professor Joshua Overbay said this spike in Louisiana film can be advantageous to current LSU film students. “I’ve never seen such accessible productions,” he said. “It’s kind of easy to get on a film shoot, and that’s crazy. It’s not like that anywhere else.” However, Overbay said this boom in business could be temporary. “Right now, because of the tax incentives, [Louisiana] is very visible,” he said. “If those tax incentives go, we’re going to lose a lot of runaway productions from

California that are coming here.” In order to keep the local film industry flourishing, Overbay said Louisiana needs to look to its own. “Long-term…it’s going to require a commitment to indigenous filmmaking. Louisiana needs to be able to persist and needs to be able to have a sustainable film industry regardless of the existence of these tax incentives.” But it seems LSU students are ready to take up the challenge. Writer and creator of the award-winning show True Detective, Nic Pizzolatto, graduated from LSU with a B.A. in English and philosophy. Today’s LSU students aren’t far behind. Sam Cosby, a film student at LSU, has already worked for NBC’s The Voice as a production assistant and TEDxLSU as a camera operator, along with work on student films and freelance projects. Cosby said he plans to spread his skills to as many in the industry as he can. “The nature of the film industry means that you won’t have guaranteed work three months in the future,” he explained, “so if I can have as many contacts as possible, my chances of finding work will be higher.” Film students are no strangers to making connections, but being from Baton Rouge might not offer advantages in and of itself.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

“As with anything, it takes passion and persistence to accomplish goals,” said Seth DiSalvo, a theatre and mass communication double-major at LSU. “In this industry, one has to be able to adapt and respond. Wherever the film industry is, I will follow it.” But while being from Baton Rouge might not offer much advantage, being in our city at a time like this definitely can. “In the next few years, the market will be more welcoming to Louisianabased crews once there is a more experienced workforce to fill the production roles,” said Cosby. “LSU has a lot of talented individuals that could work in the film industry,” added DiSalvo. “My plan…is to create a team of people from this pool of talent at LSU who will get noticed. When the team gets noticed, you get noticed.” Louisiana has definitely gotten noticed recently, and LSU students are on the path to gaining their share of the attention as well.

WORDS: JOHN HANLEY

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PHOTOS: CHARLES CHAMPAGNE

DESIGN: ANNE LIPSCOMB

Here, No Mixing things up for the sake of Louisiana tourism.

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ot There LEGACY | Spring 2015

Words: Mary Lagroue

Photos: Charles Champagne

Design: Kristin Hudson

LEGACY | Spring 2015

rom famed food and toe-tapping music to architecture and scenic beauty uniquely its own, the Southern charm of Louisiana attracts visitors from the world over. Yet to those of us who call Louisiana home, the charm can too easily fade; the places we frequent become mundane, too familiar, and we feel the need to travel afar, hungering for new adventures. Look no further. With this list of Southern Louisiana tourist spots and known staples comes a list of alternative places here and nearby, offering authentic experiences in a state where culture abounds.

CLASSIC ARCHITECTURE: Magnolia Mound Plantation vs. Oak Alley and Oakley

How often do you pass Magnolia Mound on

Nicholson Drive without a second glance? Framed by sweeping oak branches, Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, a classic Southern site, demands a visit for its dreamy setting and picturesque appeal. For a more modest choice, see the charming Oakley Plantation in St. Francisville.

NEIGHBORHOOD:

French Quarter vs. Downtown Baton Rouge

Romantically scenic and historic, perhaps no place rivals the French Quarter as an iconic center of Louisiana culture—and tourism. The Capital City, however, is also blossoming as a hub of culture; downtown Baton Rouge hosts gems of its own: art galleries, museums, fall and spring concert series, restaurants, nightlife and historic landmarks. The LSU Museum of Art and the Louisiana Art and Science Museum (LASM) feature exhibits from Louisiana and all over the world. The Ancient Egypt Gallery at the LASM, for example, preserves a 2,300-year-old mummy. For especially local fare, browse stands of fresh produce at the Red Stick Farmers Market, located at 5th and Main Streets, every Saturday. LEGACY | Spring 2015

OUTDOORS:

Swamp Tour vs. Lake Martin

Pick up a Louisiana travel guide and you will find a few treks through the Atchafalaya, the country’s largest wetland and swamp. To make the experience your own, drive to Lake Martin in Breaux Bridge and rent a kayak for views of swamp, cypress trees and resident alligators.

SPRING FESTIVAL:

New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival vs. Festival International de Louisiane.

Similar to Jazz Fest in its commitment to cultural heritage and a legacy of music, Festival International unfolds in downtown Lafayette every spring, this year scheduled for April 22-26. Celebrating Louisiana’s French heritage, the free festival showcases a local and international array of musicians, a market of handcrafted artisan goods, and flavorful cuisine.

FOOD:

Chimes vs. French Press

While Chimes earns its right as a Baton Rouge staple, head west to French Press in Lafayette, the heart of Cajun country, for contemporary Cajun and American cuisine to savor. Order the Sweet Baby Breesus—three buttermilk biscuit sliders with bacon, fried boudin balls and Steen’s cane syrup.

BAR:

Bourbon Street vs. Columns Hotel’s Victorian Lounge Bar

Replace barhopping on Bourbon with another sort of classic, arguably more memorable, New Orleans night. A student favorite only steps from the St. Charles Streetcar line, the Columns retains old New Orleans charm and character. Order a house cocktail and return outside to a front porch table

BEARD SOAP

BEARD SHAMPOO

A flawless fellow’s guide to grooming STORY: DEANNA NARVESON

PHOTOS: ALLIE APPEL

’ve noticed more beards in the last few months. I already felt like beards were wildly popular in the last couple of years, but now this must be an all-time high since before razors came around. I looked into what it takes to maintain a proper beard. There are as many products for beards as there are for the hair that grows on top of your head. It can be so overwhelming. I’m relieved it would take hormone therapy to get my face to grow one. For the people who have beards, or might in the future, here’s a breakdown of the products you can use to keep your beard looking and feeling the way you like. First, there is pre-shave oil. This product softens the skin and whiskers to make it easier to obtain a closer shave. It conditions and keeps skin from getting irritated by the razor or shaver. Next, is shaving cream. Shaving cream makes you look like Santa Claus while also allowing a barrier between the skin and the razor so the razor can smoothly glide across your face and catch each hair. Another option is shaving soap, which serves the same purpose as shaving cream, but is applied with a brush and contains different oils and bases. Shaving soap is preferred by some because it is used with hot water and can help achieve a closer shave. The heat

DESIGN: KRISTIN HUDSON

opens pores and softens hairs. When you are growing a beard, after using a razor to shape your facial hair, the best way to take care of a longer beard is to use a beard trimmer with a guard. According to GQ Magazine, a no. 3 guard should be used over the whole beard. Then, use a closer guard to allow the length of hairs to fade into where the underside of the chin meets the neck. GQ Magazine also recommends using a beard conditioner or oil to keep the beard feeling soft and to avoid a scratchy or itchy effect. Sephora sells Phyto’s Phytobaume conditioner, but there are a number of online retailers that sell beard oil. TheArtOfManliness. com has a recipe for beard oil made from mixing coconut oil with a scented oil you like. Every face looks best with a certain beard shape, so experiment for a while to choose one for yourself. Before launching into growing a beard, you could have a friend draw different shapes with a marker or make up to see what you might like to grow. Once you’ve figured out what kind of beard you want, let it grow and maintain it using these tips to stay a cut above the rest. Facial hair deserves as much attention as the top of your head.

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MEN & ROSES Young Young college college men men often often face face pressure pressure to to conform. conform.

LEGACY | Spring 2015

WORDS: JOHN HANLEY | DESIGN: ANNE LIPSCOMB

“I

t takes a real man to wear flowers.” I’ve heard that several times since buying my hoodie, printed with a pastel flower design. It’s meant as a compliment, but it fails as such. Do I need the self-confidence of a “real” man to wear something as unusual, as laughable, as a feminine, flowery jacket? This disparity between genders that makes flowers as “girly” as makeup and the color pink usually starts before a child is even born. However, the imposition of what is “masculine” vs. “feminine” only picks up speed as life moves forward. At LSU, a sports-oriented, southern university, expectations among peers on campus remain just as strict, and the culture here tends to discourage any fluidity among genders. Classes focused in women’s and gender studies remain overwhelmingly female. Football, our pride and joy, remains a maleonly sport that focuses on masculine attributes, while men’s gymnastics was a cut a few years ago. Bar culture around LSU encourages predatory behavior from young, college men. The list goes on. The idea here on LSU’s campus is men must be masculine and women must be feminine, and anyone who does not conform to that standard is an outlier. Peter Jenkins, a graduate student at LSU who identifies as genderqueer, is a marked example of this phenomenon. “I’ve noticed that when I wear slacks to class my opinions are treated with more respect than when I wear a skirt,” said Jenkins. Any person of the male gender who doesn’t dress the part is subject to the same treatment. A man is not allowed to express femininity because it’s considered demeaning; it represents emotion, frailty and weakness – adjectives for women, not men, right? Male gender expectations don’t stop at dress. As college students, our expectations for how a man should act stifle male students’ ability to express anything other than confidence or anger.

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Expressions of emotion or pain automatically rank a man in the feminine category. If you’re crying or scared, you’re a “pussy.” If you do something wrong, you’re a “bitch.” If you do anything remotely nonmasculine, you’re a “faggot.” That vernacular, largely prevalent in the college community, is exactly what works to invalidate the right for a man to be emotionally honest. The same vernacular simultaneously works to demean women, LGBTQ people and anything feminine, furthering the divide between genders. We have an expectation for men to exhibit power and strength and to lack empathy and emotion. This is part of what leads to problems like sexual harassment in Tigerland and the spike in sexual assaults the LSUPD reported in 2013. Granted, gender expectations themselves are not directly what cause these cases, but they are what helps justify rapes and sexual assaults if a man is ever brought up on charges. The false dichotomy of “masculine” and “feminine” enforced on students is restraining and repressive. It breeds exclusion, fear, hatred and pain, and it is entirely unrealistic to the reality of our student body. The reality is LSU’s campus is composed of male, female, trans*, gay and lesbian students, and every other gender and sexuality in between. Gender is not defined by hard lines and does not dictate how someone should behave. Rather, it is a mass of gray area that has essentially been cut off from exploration for fear of the unknown.

LEGACY | Spring 2015