The Reveille 2-13-23

LEARNING CURVE

LSU women’s hoops suffers its first loss of season

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BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8

The phrase “all good things must come to an end” was deemed true Sunday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina.

The LSU women’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the season to the No. 1-ranked South Carolina Gamecocks in a 88-64 battle.

South Carolina, simply put, was the better team Sunday afternoon. When it came to depth, height down low and scoring consistently, LSU just couldn’t keep up with the Gamecocks. South Carolina got off to the fast start they needed, going up by as many as 16 points in the first quarter.

“The worst thing you can do on the road is allow the home team to start from the tip, and we did,” head coach Kim Mulkey said. “The tone for the whole game was set from the jump ball.”

Alexis Morris led LSU with her veteran experience. She scored a team-high of 23 points along with six rebounds. In the first half, she scored 15 of the Tigers’ 32 points.

Angel Reese was certainly tested by South Carolina’s postplayers. Her double-double streak came to an end, as she

finished with 16 points and four rebounds.

“I just think they have a lot of girls that can guard Angel [Reese] with their size and physicality,” Mulkey said. “I don’t think they did anything different than against any other team they’ve played against.”

Sa’Myah Smith finished with seven points and six rebounds, and LaDazhia Williams added six points. Williams fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks’ post players made themselves most known. Their height was too much, and the ability to gain control of the game early made it that much worse for LSU.

Aliyah Boston backed up her top-draft pick hype with 14 points and nine rebounds. The 6-foot-5 forward certainly presented a challenge to the Tigers, but Kamilla Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center, challenged them even more. She led the team in scoring and finished with a doubledouble of 18 points and 13 rebounds.

“She’s [Cardoso] a presence in the paint, and boy do they use that paint,” Mulkey said. “When you’re that big and tall, I’d stand in the paint until they make me get out because they really do know how to post up good.”

Cardoso was especially a force on defense, as she finished with 10 defensive rebounds. Boston added seven rebounds on the defensive end. This being said, while it was hard for LSU to make shots, especially early in the game, South Carolina’s post players never made it possible for the Tigers to grab secondchance shots.

Zia Cooke and Brea Beal complemented their post players with their consistent scoring. Cooke led South Carolina in scoring the majority of the game, and she finished the game with 17 points. Beal added 11 points, seven rebounds, and four assists for the Gamecocks. Raven Johnson also added 10 points.

Whenever Cardoso and Boston gave South Carolina an edge, their guards would be there to score on the other side of the post players didn’t already convert.

“They just have so many weapons that we don’t have,” Mulkey said. “They have the length at all positions, and size matters…it just matters.”

Overall, the Gamecocks’ depth was a factor that LSU knew it couldn’t match, and it ended up being a reason why South Carolina never seemed to slow down. The Gamecocks had eight players score points in the

matchup, and 10 players recorded stats in the game.

South Carolina made itself known even more Sunday afternoon, and they certainly backed up the hype that comes with being the top-ranked team in the country. With LSU losing, South Carolina is now the only remaining undefeated team left in the country.

“I’ll give my utmost respect and comments about how good they are, how big they are, how tall they are, how talented they are,” Mulkey said. “It’s South Carolina, in my opinion, and everybody else.”

This loss puts LSU in an unfamiliar position: How does it bounce back after a loss?

“I think it’s quite a learning experience today,” Mulkey said. “You build confidence in a program, you build excitement in a program, and we’re doing that. And now the next phase is to go get that experience. And today was a good day to see where we are and where we have to get better.”

Luckily for the Tigers, they have several days to regroup and figure that out. The Tigers will be back in the PMAC on Thursday to take on Ole Miss. The game will be a Pink Out and a Play4Kay game, and tip-off will be at 8 p.m.

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

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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.

ERIN BARKER / The Reveille

The LSU women’s basketball team warms up before their 76-68 win over Tennessee on Jan. 30 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

COVERING TRUMP

Manship School hosts national reporters to kick off speaker series

BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN & GABBY JIMENEZ LSU MANSHIP SCHOOL NEWS SERVICE

Ashley Parker was enjoying sleeping in on a fall Saturday in 2019, her husband tending to their young daughter. Then her phone started vibrating nonstop.

President Donald Trump had tweeted out that Parker and her Washington Post colleague were “nasty lightweight reporters” who “shouldn’t even be allowed on the grounds of the White House because their reporting is so DISGUSTING & FAKE.”

She had earned what political rivals and many covering Trump often received–a dismissive nickname. She kept her head down and kept working.

Parker, a senior national political correspondent at the Post, and her husband, Michael C. Bender, an author and White House correspondent for The New York Times, visited the LSU Manship School of Mass Communication Thursday to share their experiences as journalists covering Trump during his attacks on the press.

They also talked to more than 100 students about how they clung to their training, talking to multiple Trump aides for even the simplest stories, despite all the fake news claims.

Funding for Parker and Bender’s visit came from a $100,000 gift to the Manship School by Charles “Chick” Moore, a retired Baton Rouge lawyer.

LEGISLATURE

Moore, who is troubled by rising distrust in the media, said he wants people to understand more about how journalists work and why their work remains important.

Parker and Bender met while

covering Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush in 2016. They’ve “almost always been competitors,” Bender said.

To beat GOP leaders like Bush and then Democrat Hillary Clinton, Trump “flipped the playbook

Arrests made in mass shooting

ASSOCIATED PRESS

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) —

Police in Louisiana’s capital city have arrested two people for a mass shooting that left 12 others wounded at a nightclub in January.

Two 19-year-olds, Nikeal Franklin and Jy’Shaun Jackson, were arrested Friday, the Baton Rouge Police Department said. Franklin was charged with 12 counts of attempted first-degree murder while Jackson was charged with 12 counts of principal to attempted first-degree murder.

On Jan. 22, shots rang out around 1:30 a.m. in the Dior Bar & Lounge in Baton Rouge. A dozen people were injured, and most sustained non-life-threatening injuries. Three victims were initially listed in critical condition, but their conditions later improved.

of how you run presidential campaigns,” Bender said, by attacking his rivals right out of the gate and using the media as a foil.

Even with the attacks, Bender

Police said they believe the shooting was not a random act of violence and that it was “targeted.” Sgt. L’Jean McKneely Jr., a police spokesman, told The Associated Press in the days following the shooting that investigators believed the shooting was targeted at one partygoer and that bystanders were hurt in the process.

Before the shooting, the nightclub had advertised a Southern University and Louisiana State

see JOURNALISM, page 5 see ARRESTS, page 4

Here’s some laws proposed by Louisiana legislators so far

BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire

Louisiana lawmakers have started filing bills for the regular legislative session that begins April 10. This session will focus mainly on fiscal issues, but other topics are up for debate, too.

So far, around 30 bills have been proposed. Their topics range from burglary to the tax code. Here’s some you might want to keep your eye on.

“In God We Trust” in every classroom – including at LSU State Rep. Dodie Horton, a Republican from Haughton, has proposed a law that would require every classroom in public schools in the state to display “In God We Trust.” Horton’s law, House Bill 8, would require a minimum of a paper sign.

The current law requires the saying to be in every public school building. This new law will include public post-second-

ary institutions like LSU.

Horton proposed a bill last session that would ban discus -

sion of sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through eighth grade and

school employees to discuss their “personal sexuality or gender identity” with students kin-

dergarten through 12th grade.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Tree branches frame the State Capitol on Jan. 23 on North Third Street in Baton Rouge, La.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

The Senior National Political Correspondent for The Washington Post Ashley Parker and the White House Correspondent for The New York Times Michael Bender laugh on Feb. 9, during their discussion on public distrust of media as part of a speaker series at the LSU Journalism Building in Baton Rouge, La.

What candidates are running in Louisiana 2023 governor race?

BY OLIVER BUTCHER @OliverButcher73

Louisiana’s governor race may be nine months away from election day, but it’s already begun to take shape with multiple candidates either declared or actively considering jumping into the race.

Louisiana operates under an open primary system, known as a jungle primary, in which every declared candidate is put on the same ballot regardless of party affiliation. A candidate who gets the majority of votes wins, but if no candidate reaches that majority, the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance into a runoff where whoever gets the most votes wins.

Louisiana is one of three states with a gubernatorial election this year and will be tasked with deciding who will replace the termlimited Gov. John Bel Edwards, who is the only Democratic governor in the Deep South.

Republicans appear eager to put an end to that Democratic irregularity, with a total of five GOP candidates declared for the race so far:

• Attorney General Jeff Landry

• State Senate Majority Leader Sharon Hewitt

• State Representative Richard Nelson

• State Treasurer John Schroder

• Businessman Xan John (who says he supports Landry and doesn’t expect to win)

Landry, who jumped into the race first in October, was quickly endorsed by the Louisiana Republican Party. He’s a Trump-aligned conservative who’s made headlines most recently for his push to restrict childrens’ access to certain library books.

Though he was swiftly endorsed by his party, not all within are backing Landry.

“The notion that a handful of

ARRESTS, from page 3

University-themed party as the two schools kicked off new semesters. Spokespeople for both LSU and Southern University told The Advocate that the event at the club that evening in Baton Rouge was not affiliated with either school.

In a social media post Friday, police said the investigation was ongoing and did not release any details beyond an announcement of the arrests.

Although the number of homicides in Baton Rouge decreased last year from 2021, Louisiana’s capital city has been plagued by gun violence. In October, an early-morning shooting near Southern University’s campus in Baton Rouge left nine people injured.

The Baton Rouge shooting occurred just hours after a gunman killed 11 people and wounded nine others at a Lunar New Year celebration in Monterey Park, California.

people could go into a back room and emerge with an endorsement of a candidate without ever considering others who are running or considering running is arrogant, ill-conceived and detrimental to the party,” Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, a Republican, said in a statement about Landry’s endorsement.

Nungesser opted to run for another term as lieutenant governor, putting more eyes on Congressman Garret Graves, a Republican

from Baton Rouge, as another potential candidate.

Graves so far has been noncommittal about the race.

“Right now I’m 100% focused on my campaign and my job now in Congress,” Graves said when asked about his candidacy in an interview with the USA Today Network.

On the Democratic side, things are less clear, with only a LaSalle Parish teacher named Daniel Cole officially throwing his hat into the

ring. State Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson may jump into the race still as a Democrat, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.

Katie Bernhardt, chair of the state Democratic Party, signaled interest in entering the race with a TV ad but opted not to run after facing widespread backlash from inside her party.

Hunter Lundy, an Independent and Lake Charles attorney, has also declared as a candidate.

It’s unclear how Gov. Edwards will be involved in the race.

“I just don’t know if Edwards is going to get involved this early,” said LSU political communication professor Robert Mann. “He may lay back and wait until the end to have the most impact…But I’m certain that he wants to support a candidate who will not undo his legacy, and if he can’t find that, publicly or not I think he’s going to be behind whoever’s running against Jeff Landry.”

MICHAEL JOHNSON / Associated Press

Dior Bar & Lounge on Bennington Avenue was the scene of an overnight shooting that left multiple people injured, Jan. 22, in Baton Rouge, La. On Feb. 10, police in Louisiana’s capital city of Baton Rouge arrested two people for a mass shooting that left 12 others wounded at a nightclub in January.

MEG KINNARD / Associated Press

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry gives remarks ahead of a keynote address from former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan’s Faith & Freedom BBQ fundraiser on Aug. 22, in Anderson, S.C. Landry has officially launched his bid for governor in Louisiana in a highlyanticipated gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards.

said, there was a “certain charm” about the former president that helped him get elected.

Though Trump leveled attacks at her, Parker said that as a real-estate developer and golf club owner, he was a natural host when he met with reporters privately. He would offer her a soda when she came to interview him and ask if she had been taken care of by the White House staff.

Trump even once left Bender alone in the Oval Office for 30 minutes.

One on one, “this was not someone who hated the press,” Bender said of Trump.

But that did not stop the public attacks, which helped damage the media’s credibility and insulate Trump from negative stories.

Parker recalled a campaign rally in 2016, when Trump called her out by name, asking if she was there.

Unlike other politicians’ rallies, Parker said Trump kept the press box in the middle of the crowd, making reporters part of the spectacle.

Trump’s aides had large name cards for the reporters that day, Parker said. She said she slowly slid hers under her laptop and looked around to pretend to search for the women everyone was jeering and hissing at.

Bender wrote a book called “‘Frankly, We Did Win This Election’: The Inside Story of How Trump Lost.” Besides describing Trump’s administration and his 2020 campaign, he shares the stories of the self-proclaimed “Front Row Joes,” the supporters who attended dozens of Trump rallies over the years and camped out for days to be at the front.

Bender said he had a different relationship with the president than his wife did. He worked at

Horton shelved the bill last year but said she plans to bring it back again this session.

Fathers cover half of pregnancy-related medical expenses

State Rep. Lawrence “Larry”

Frieman, a Republican from Abita Springs, proposed a bill that would allow mothers to recoup half the costs of pregnancy-related medical expenses from the father of their child.

Under his law, House Bill 5, mothers could exercise this option “only after the paternity of the child has been proved by clear and convincing evidence.”

Frieman told BRProud it’s not fair women should cover pregnancy costs alone. His bill comes months after Louisiana instituted a near-total ban on abortions.

Paving the way for recreational marijuana in Louisiana

State Rep. Candace N. Newell, a Democrat from New Orleans, filed two bills that aim to decriminalize the possession and distribution of marijuana and pave the way for recreational facilities in Louisiana.

One of those laws, House Bill

The Wall Street Journal during the Trump administration, a publication the president liked. And he said Trump would almost always give him the benefit of the doubt.

But there was another quality of his that earned him the special attention of the president.

“He really liked my hair,” said Bender, who has wavy brown locks. “He constantly complimented it in front of other reporters.”

Bender recalled taking their 8-year-old daughter with him to the White House on Take Your

Kid to Work Day, where Trump greeted her warmly.

“Your dad’s a great reporter,” Trump told her. “He gets it right about 80% of the time.”

Bender said his relationship with Trump took a turn in the summer of 2021. The former president took issue with the parts of Bender’s book about Trump’s response to the Black Lives Matter protests. Trump sent out an email calling Bender a “third-rate reporter.”

Covering the Trump admin-

istration also had other unique challenges in that the president often would make news late at night or early in the morning by posting tweets, the couple explained. “Trump burned through reporters … He was capable of creating news around the clock,” Bender said.

Trump’s aides were divided into different factions, Bender said. Before Trump’s administration, he had never seen multiple people be at the same meeting and have very different under-

standings of what had happened inside.

While Trump was in office, this meant Bender would have to talk to every person inside to understand what happened.

Bender said he, Parker and other reporters took these extra steps to triple-check what they were hearing and be able to explain it to the public. “The only thing we have here is our credibility,” Bender said. “Once you lose that in this business, there’s nothing left.”

17, would allow up to 10 licenses for the cultivation and processing of marijuana and 40 licenses to sell it.

Newell filed a separate bill, House Bill 24, that would decriminalize the possession and distribution of marijuana on the contingent that the Legislature passes a regulatory system and sales tax on cannabis.

Newell has filed a similar bill

twice in the past with opposition from her colleagues, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.

The law won’t prevent employers or schools from having drug policies that prohibit workers or students from using marijuana. It also wouldn’t impact the penalties for driving while intoxicated.

Louisiana may have accidentally legalized THC, according to

The Advocate, but officials are now trying to backtrack.

Taking the litter out of Mardi Gras season

Anyone who’s been in Louisiana around Mardi Gras season is well familiar with the beads swinging from trees and scattered along roadways. State Rep. Foy Bryan Gadberry, a Republican from West Monroe, proposed a law aiming to lessen the

litter of the season.

His law, House Bill 23, would require local governments that issue permits for parades to require the parade organizations to have the litter cleaned up.

Parade organizations would have to do this within 24 hours of the parade. The law would require them to pay a deposit as security that they’ll follow through on the litter removal.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

Students and visitors gather on Feb. 9 to listen to the Senior National Political Correspondent for The Washington Post Ashley Parker and the White House Correspondent for The New York Times Michael Bender as part of a speaker series on public distrust of media at the LSU Journalism Building in Baton Rouge, La.

GERALD HEBERT / Associated Press

In this Aug. 6, 2019, file photo, marijuana plants grow at GB Sciences Louisiana, in Baton Rouge, La.

BILLS, from page 3

ENTERTAINMENT

Lonely Valentine’s Day? Here are the best rom-coms to watch

BY EMILY POIRRIER @Enily_Poirrier

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, which means it’s prime rom-com season.

Whether you’re spending this Valentine’s Day with your special someone or flying solo, these five romantic comedies won’t let you down.

As the movie continues, Scott struggles with being famous and having a love interest, continually letting Thacker down.

In hopes to win her lover back, Scott says the iconic lines of “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” But will those words be enough to keep these characters together?

This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, but will give you the happy ending you’re looking for this Valentine’s Day.

“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”

Anna Scott is an American actress with a big ego. William Thacker is a clumsy British bookstore owner that works in Notting Hill, England. The two meet at his store and continue to bump into each other. In one instance, Thacker spills his orange juice all down Scott’s blouse causing her to have to change at his house.

If you’re looking for a laugh this Valentine’s Day, “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is the movie for you.

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey star as Andre Anderson and Benjamin Barry. Anderson, an advice columnist, comes across Barry in a bar and plans to use him for her next story. All the while, Barry, an executive,

has placed a bet with his colleagues that he can get any woman to fall in love with him.

The two use each other to achieve what they want. This movie will have you cringing, giggling and feeling the second-hand embarrassment.

Plus, if you’re a fan of Carly Simon (or have heard this song used on TikTok over and over again), her song “You’re So Vain” is also butchered by McConaughey.

on an island in Greece and is preparing to have her daughter Sophie’s wedding there. Sophie’s dad is not in the picture, so in an attempt to find him in time for her wedding she goes through her

mother’s diary. After finding three possible contenders, she sends them all invites.

ner, must learn how to navigate her new life.

Jenna discovers she’s an important magazine editor for “Poise” and many people rely on her. As she explores her life, she experiences

many firsts and learns about love and how to feel confident.

If you’re looking for a movie with multiple love plots this Valentine’s Day, check out “Mamma Mia!”

“Mamma Mia!” is a musical romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep and Amanda Seyfried as Donna and Sophie. The movie is based off of the musical group ABBA’s songs.

Donna owns a hotel

“13

This movie follows Sophie and Donna’s love stories and is sure to have you invested and singing along. In this movie, awkward 13-year-old girl Jenna wishes on her birthday to turn 30 after

worrying about her self image.

If you’re looking for a trip down memory lane this Valentine’s Day, this movie is the one for you. When her wish comes true, Jenna, played by Jennifer Gar-

Looking for love? Here are the places to fall

BY OLIVIA TOMLINSON @OliviaMersade

Everyone wants to find love, especially as Valentine’s Day approaches. It can be hard to find someone, and even harder on a campus as big as LSU’s.

If you’re struggling to meet someone, here are the best places to be on campus in order to make sure you have a Valentine’s date.

1. Student section at a home football game

Everyone is on their toes. There’s 10 seconds left in the game. LSU scores and the student section storms the field. You’re so excited that you grab the person next to you and start screaming in each other’s faces. This could be you and your soulmate.

The energy at an LSU home game is unmatched. It’s one of the best places to be on campus and definitely one of the best places to fall in love. In between chanting and cheering, you could lock eyes with your future partner.

There is nothing like mak-

ing new friends, or maybe more than friends, around you in the student section. If you just so happen to meet the love of your life at a game, just know the story will have a happy ending because everyone always has a good time at Tiger Stadium.

2. Line to get into Himes Hall

It’s been a busy semester and you scheduled your exam at the last minute. It happens to the best of us and we’ve all been there.

As you are stuck in a long line, trying to calculate what score you need in order to pass this class, you want to talk with the people in line with you. There are easy ways to start a conversation with the people around you in order to calm yourself down. You could ask for a pencil, a test-approved calculator or even the answers.

Conversations at Himes could be the best or worst. Just make sure not to make anyone uncomfortable, they are already nervous enough. As you make your way into the basement, wish the people around you

good luck, they probably need it.

Don’t forget to get their number before you have to turn off your phone.

3.

The LSU Tiger Trails is a great way to get from point A to point B on campus. All kinds of different people going to different places will use this transportation service. The best kind of days to look for a partner on the Tiger Trails would be those cold, rainy days.

Getting into those tightly packed buses with shivering students may not seem ideal, but it could be a great way to meet people. You could start with a simple “excuse me” and work your way into a conversation.

The best conversation starter is to ask where they are going, so instead of scrolling on your phone until your next stop, make some eye contact. It is the most organic way to meet another student, and perhaps even a partner.

The next time you hop on the bus make sure to look

This spunky movie will have you feeling nostalgic and wishing you could live her life.

If you’re feeling down this Valentine’s Day or looking for something to watch with your partner, you’re sure to fall in love with one of these films.

in love on campus

around for some potential Valentine’s and start a conversation so you don’t get off and regret your decision.

4. UREC

Although you may not look your best here, the LSU UREC could be where you meet the one.

If you go to the gym as part of your daily routine, it’s possible you will develop a “gym crush.” A gym crush is the type of person you want to be with. If they’re consistent with working out, they automatically have their life together, and that is what you need for a healthy, stable relationship.

You two could exchange workout playlists, spot one another or even share pre-workout. Now that’s true love.

However, if you try to meet your next Valentine at the UREC, some rules come with it:

Do not go up to someone in the middle of their workout. That’s just annoying.

Do not check them out for too long - this can get very creepy, so be careful.

Lastly, if they have their

headphones on and/ or a hoodie over their head, do not bother them. They are in the zone.

5. The Bell Tower at midnight on Valentine’s Day

This spot on campus is for all of those last minute planners out there. Finding a Valentine on Valentine’s Day can be tricky, so this one can be a hit or miss.

Every year at midnight on Valentine’s Day it’s an LSU tradition to kiss beneath the Bell Tower in order to become official University lovers. This is the one time a year that the tower chimes past 10 p.m. The origin of this tradition remains unknown, but many couples continue to celebrate every year.

Many couples look forward to this event; however, there could be some singles out there wanting to watch the romantic tradition (it’s not creepy don’t be weird). If you attend this event, take a look around. Maybe find a lonely person counting down until midnight? As you walk towards them, you could hint at a midnight kiss.

“Notting Hill”

Going on 30”

“Mamma Mia!”

Tiger Trails

How easy is it to make your own candy hearts in a dorm?

BY ALISON AGENA @alison_hana

Looking for something to make for your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day? Even though there are so many options, it can be hard to do something special when living in a dorm.

Everyone loves the little heart-shaped candies that people give out on Valentine’s Day, so I tried learning how to make candy hearts in my dorm. Here’s how it went.

The first thing I did was find a non-bake recipe. I only have a microwave, so baking was out of the question.

The recipe I found was from seriouseats.com. The main ingredients are gelatin, sprite, and powdered sugar. Then, you can mix in different flavors and food colorings.

I bought all of my ingredients at Walmart. In total, it cost me about $20. It would have been less if I didn’t misread an

ingredient. I got way too much sprite when I only needed four ounces.

Once I got everything into my dorm, I followed the recipe to make the candy hearts.

Everything was going fine until I had to add the powdered sugar. I first started by trying to mix with a whisk. Then it got stiff. The mixture kept getting stuck inside the whisk and I eventually had to give up on it and use a fork.

After fighting with the mixture for about 10 minutes, I was ready to start kneading the dough. I realized I would have to use my desk to knead the dough because I had no other surfaces that would fit it.

I put down powdered sugar to prevent the dough from sticking. This sort of helped but it made a mess everywhere. The kneading process was kind of soothing once I found my rhythm.

After it was smooth, I cut it

into thirds and began to flavor and color the dough. I used the flavors banana, strawberry and orange with corresponding colors to match the fruits.

The next step was to make them look like hearts. I did not have a heart-shaped cutter. So, through trial and error, I worked on getting them to look as close to heart shaped as possible.

I first tried cutting them out with a knife. These hearts ended up too big. Then, I tried making them by hand and they looked a little funny. The method I found to work was rolling them into little noodles, folding them into hearts and then squishing them down.

After I finished making all of the hearts, I left them out to air dry for 24 hours.

The next day, I went to try the candies. They ended up tasting almost exactly like the storebought candy hearts.

Taking the time to make these candies makes them a

more sentimental gift. However, is it worth spending between $15 to $20 to make something you could have bought for $5? It deends on your situation, but, for me, I would just buy candy hearts, especially while living in a dorm. There is not enough space for everything, and I got powdered sugar ev-

erywhere. My desk is still sticky from the sugar.

Plus, mine didn’t have cute messages written on them like the store-bought ones.

Making these candy hearts was a fun experience, but if you live in a dorm, I would not recommend this Valentine’s Day gift.

The best TV show ‘ships: From ‘Bridgerton’ to ‘Heartstopper’

BY MOLLY TERRELL @keenryanti

Love is hard to find in real life, but in TV shows it’s easy to find a relationship to be obsessed with.

I looked back at some of my favorite television relationships from past and current TV that help me believe in love.

I decided to rank them based on the storyline, the quality of the shows and characters and my personal taste in ships.

self-discovery and makes the audiences believe in love for its entire eight-episode run.

3. Belly and Conrad from “The Summer I Turned Pretty”

Comedies are notorious for having iconic “will they or won’t they” romances, and Janine and Gregory from “Abbott Elementary” are no exception.

An oldie but a goodie, Rory and Jess are a classic tale of good girl meets bad boy, and they’ve enraptured multiple generations of audiences with their tumultuous romance.

These two have had a connection from the start, and season two has only led to more tension-filled scenes. Fans have been raving about Janine and Gregory’s budding romance from the beginning. I can only imagine the excitement if the two actually take their connection to the next level.

This one might be controversial, as there is a loud number of fans who are still rooting for Leighton to end up with Tatum, but I personally never got over Leighton and Alicia. The two are perfect opposites, and both have a lot of flaws, but they ultimately make each other better, which is all you can hope for out of a significant other.

This show was the hot topic of the summer and although the series’ main draw is the love triangle between Belly and the two Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah, it is clear which boy comes out on top.

Belly and Conrad’s romance is the best part of the show, but if the show’s adaptations of the sequel books are lacking, this ship might quickly fall into the back of the ranking.

“Cobra Kai” is an allaround great show if you love the “Karate Kid” franchise and cheesiness. The show is full of humor, nostalgia and romance, and is nothing short of a masterpiece.

“Heartstopper,” a series of graphic novels turned into a Netflix adaptation, is a romantic show that will make you feel giddy all the way through. The show is about the blossoming romance between Charlie Spring and Nick Nelson, two teenage boys from different social circles.

The relationship is full of

Nick and Jess may be the primary couple of this show, but Cece and Schmidt are the show’s embodiment of true love. They have one of the most romantic love stories of all time, and my personal favorite proposal scene in all of television.

My favorite couple in the show is Tory Nichols and Robby Keene, who are also known as Keenry by the fanbase. I love this ship so much that it inspired my Twitter username. I enjoy every scene with them and think they are underutilized by the writers in every conceivable way. Let them go on a date.

These two are a prime example of an epic love story. The growth from both characters that propels the relationship forward is endearing and their angst isn’t aggravating to the point where you start rooting for the relationship to fail.

If you’re looking for an adventurous show with a good romantic subplot, look no further than “Outer Banks.”

It isn’t much of a shock that these two have made the top of the list centered around romance. They are adapted from a series of romance books, after all. Still, these two managed to hold down an entire season as leads, despite the show doing everything it can to disrupt their love story.

While fans are nervous that Simone Ashley (Kate) and Jonathan Bailey (Anthony) might leave the show now that their season is over, the characters are now the heads of the Bridgerton household, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to not get any screentime in the following seasons. So don’t fret Kanthony fans, we should be seeing this lovely married couple for years to come.

GRAPHIC BY MADDIE FITZMORRIS / The Reveille

9. Rory and Jess from “Gilmore Girls”

8. Nick and Charlie from “Heartstopper”

7. Janine and Gregory from “Abbott Elementary”

6. Cece and Schmidt from “New Girl”

5. Leighton and Alicia from “Sex Lives of College Girls”

4. Tory and Robby from “Cobra Kai”

2. John B and Sarah from “Outer Banks”

1. Kate and Anthony from “Bridgerton”

Help Wanted

SPORTS

TIGER SHOWDOWN

LSU gym falls in the last rotation, losing to Auburn

BY MORGAN ROGERS @__morganrogers

On Friday night, the No. 9 LSU gymnastics team stepped into a sold-out arena to face No. 5 Auburn team. Surrounded by orange and blue, the Tigers knew the crowd was eager to witness Suni Lee’s final season in collegiate gymnastics.

Despite putting up their second-highest score of the season, LSU fell to Auburn 197.500-197.750. With two wins and five losses under the team’s belt, fans may wonder whether there’s any hope left for the postseason.

The biggest “win” of the night for the LSU Tigers was probably found in the youngest Finnegan sister. Reeling from her success against Georgia last week, Aleah Finnegan stuck a perfect omelianchik to earn her first perfect 10 on vault. The sophomore earned her first two perfect scores in her collegiate career within a span of two weeks.

“Aleah is doing exactly what I knew was going to happen,” said head coach Jay Clark. “She is growing into her role and maturing as a competitor. This was

MEN’S BASKETBALL

the most complete meet that she’s put together so far.”

Finnegan took home the allaround title with a career-high

39.800. This is her second allaround title on the season. Lee followed with a 39.775. Haleigh Bryant fell into the third spot

with a 39.600, losing the allaround for the first time this

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Former Tigers impress in NBA

BY HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_

Following Kyrie Irving’s request for a trade just over a week ago, former LSU standout Cam Thomas took full advantage of the star’s absence, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score over 40 points in three consecutive games.

He became one of the biggest NBA talking points this week and appears to be one of the centerpieces of the next era of Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Though he has been the only recent LSU draftee to receive this much mainstream attention, there are a few other players from the Will Wade era that have progressed and prospered since joining the league. In this article, I’ll discuss those players, their roles and impacts on both LSU and their current team and their best traits and improvements so far.

Cam Thomas

This article wouldn’t be complete without talking about who inspired it.

First-half woes reemerge as LSU men’s hoops drops to A&M

BY HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_

It isn’t out of the ordinary for LSU Men’s basketball to struggle out the gate, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Most of its lower scoring games in SEC play were due to slow starts, with the Tigers having a hard time even reaching 20 points in the first half.

But it seemed like those problems were in the past or had at least been mitigated. LSU had reached at least 32 points by halftime in three of its last four games, with the exception coming against one of the best defenses in the SEC in Mississippi State.

Unfortunately for those who had been optimistic about that preceding stretch of games, they had to bear witness to one of its worst halves of the season on Saturday. In the first half against the thriving Texas A&M Aggies, nothing went right on either side of the ball.

After an early midrange jumper from Tyrell Ward to get the Tigers on the board, they would remain at two points until the 10:40 mark of the half and wouldn’t convert on another

field goal until there was just over eight minutes left in the period. It managed to scrape together some points toward the end of it, but still entered halftime with just 17 points and a large, 24-point deficit to chip away at.

“I appreciate the fans who stayed, I would have left at half time,” LSU head coach Matt McMahon said on the performance. “When you’re playing against teams in this league, you’ve got to come out and put your best foot forward from the opening jump ball.”

A comeback in that position was highly improbable, but LSU still found a way to make it a game. It opened the period on an 11-3 run, quickly cutting its deficit from 24 to 16 thanks to three straight three-pointers. Then, with continued success from behind the arc, the game steadily got closer, eventually becoming a single-digit game with four minutes to go.

Adam Miller scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, coming to life after a rough first half from the field, where he converted on just one field goal at the buzzer. Tyrell Ward added nine to LSU’s eventual 45-point

second-half points, finishing the game with a career-high 15 points, and the team as a whole shot 53% from the field and 47% from three in the period.

“We exerted a lot more en-

ergy than we did in the first half, not just on the court, but with our communication, picking each other up,” Miller said on the team’s second-half performance. “The intangibles in

the game were picked up in the second half.”

But against a team in position to win its tenth conference

ERIN BARKER / The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team huddles together Feb. 3 during LSU’s 197.700 - 196.925 victory over Georgia in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

see SHOWDOWN, page 12 see NBA, page 12

see LOSS, page

LSU Board changes ‘Dale Brown Court’ to honor Sue Gunter

BY ADAM BURRUSS @AdamDBurruss

LSU’s Board of Supervisors voted Friday morning in favor of amending LSU’s basketball court to the Dale Brown-Sue Gunter Court to honor former LSU women’s basketball coach Sue Gunter.

The academic committee voted 6-2 for approval and the full board passed it with one objection.

The board renamed the Pete Maravich Assembly Center court after the winningest basketball coach in LSU history, Dale Brown, in September 2021 on a 12-3 vote.

Gunter coached the Tigers from 1982 to 2004, as she amassed 448 wins, eight Sweet Sixteen appearances, four Elite Eights, and one Final Four. At the time of her death in 2005, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer left LSU as the third all-time winningest women’s basketball coach in NCAA history.

Some controversy emerged around the decision, as prominent sportscaster and former

basketball head coach Dick Vitale voiced his criticism about the potential naming.

“How absurd-in Louisiana the Governor wants to change the name of the LSU basketball court that was named Dale Brown Court in a dedication ceremony about a year ago,” Vitale said. “Dale deserved the honor and it was finally affirmed.”

One of LSU’s Board of Supervisor members, Jay Blossman also levied criticisms against the process of the vote. He voiced displeasure that the Board had not been told about Sue Gunther’s nomination prior to her March 17 nomination.

Another board member, James M. Williams, also voiced displeasure with the notion that the Board had some level of outside pressure to make this decision and did not make this decision of their own accord.

“I think it is insulting to this board and insulting to our governor that anyone could be told what to do,” Williams said. “However this vote turns out, it’s a very unfair characterization of what we are trying to do.”

SHOWDOWN, from page 11 season.

“Overall, I thought it was a very good meet,” Clark said. “We stayed aggressive and stayed true to our message. We’ll continue to keep climbing and keep getting better.”

The team has improved upon their weaknesses meet by meet, but consistency seems to be a persisting problem. Pressure seemed to get the best of the LSU gymnasts when they endured a shaky start on bars, recording one of their lowest scores on the event this season.

Alexis Jeffrey led the lineup with an uncharacteristic 9.675 on bars, massively underscoring her average on the event. Freshman Ashley Cowan followed with a 9.775 in her collegiate debut. Sophomores Tori Tatum and Aleah Finnegan added a 9.850 and a 9.875 respectively in the next two spots in the lineup. In her usual fashion, Haleigh Bryant anchored the event with a strong 9.950 to match her career-high on bars.

Besides Finnegan’s perfect vault, LSU’s performance on the second rotation was less than their usual, to say the least.

Junior Elena Arenas started the event with a 9.800. Alyona Shchennikova followed with a season-high 9.925 while KJ Johnson recorded her lowest vault score this season at 9.725. In the anchor spot, Bryant finished with a 9.900.

Meanwhile, Auburn was accumulating a hefty score on bars. Lee wasn’t planning on letting Finnegan’s 10 be the only perfect score of the night. The Olympic champion finished in her usual fashion, earning a perfect score in the event for

the second straight week. The team wrapped up the rotation with a 49.500 to give them the lead.

The purple and gold put up a worthy fight on floor. Sierra Ballard scored a 9.825 in the leadoff spot. Shchennikova matched her career high 9.925 while KJ Johnson recorded a 9.875. Scoring a 9.975, Finnegan took the co-title on the event alongside Lee and Auburn’s floor anchor Derrian Gobourne.

The floor score was enough to keep the two teams neckand-neck until the last rotation. Moving onto beam, Arenas led with a 9.750 before Shchennikova posted a 9.850, matching her season high. Kai Rivers turned the tide with an electric 9.900 to record a season high on the event. Bryant followed with a 9.900. Determined to finish the night on a high note, Finnegan anchored the event to match her career-high 9.950 and take the co-title with Lee.

Despite recording their highest score on beam this season, it still wasn’t enough to take down Auburn.

LSU’s latest performance may have ended with a loss but the Tigers proved that they’re on a track towards improvement. Auburn could only overcome the purple and gold by scoring their highest score this season.

Nearly every LSU gymnast has found massive success at one point this season. Moving forward, the Tigers just need to learn how to harness their talent and skills altogether.

Pressure will rise when the purple and gold return to the PMAC for their next meet on Friday as they host No. 2 Florida. The meet will be streamed on ESPN2 at 8 p.m.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

People leave the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Feb. 20, 2021 after an LSU basketball game.

ERIN BARKER / The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team celebrates after Chase Brock sticks her landing on vault Feb. 3, during LSU’s 197.700 - 196.925 victory over Georgia in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

LOSS, from page 11 game of the season, it just wasn’t enough. Each time the Tigers got the game within single digits, the Aggies responded on the other end.

Eventually, LSU ran out of time.

A solid second-half performance, one of its best halves of the season, was overshadowed by the fact that it couldn’t get the job done because of how south it let the game go early on.

The Tigers outscored the Aggies 45-33 in the second half but at the end of the day, it’s still just a moral victory. When asked what the difference was between the two halves, both McMahon and his players highlighted effort and energy as key reasons why the team struggled in the first half.

“We didn’t play 40 minutes, we played 20 minutes,” Miller stated. “If we would have played 40 minutes, we probably would have been more tired than this. It is kind of like a cycle that we have to break.”

LSU now has six more chances to end its now 12-game losing streak before the conclusion of the season. Its next chance comes on the road against Georgia, a winnable matchup against a team that has lost six of its last eight games.

NBA, from page 11

From the beginning of his LSU career, Cam Thomas had high expectations, coming in as a five-star prospect and one of the best shooting guards in the country according to 247sports. And after scoring 27 points on decent efficiency in his debut, the hype surrounding the guard would only continue to grow.

He attributed his season-high just six games later in a considerable 32-point outing against Texas A&M and ultimately finished the season as the fourth highest scorer in the country with 23 points per game.

His success in his lone season with the Tigers led to him being drafted late in the first round by the Nets in 2021. And though he was drafted to a super team featuring Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving on its roster, he did everything he could to get noticed.

He was named Co-MVP of the 2021 Summer League, averaging 27 points per game on 42.3% shooting from the field and 36.3% from behind the arc. His minutes were inconsistent through the first couple weeks of the regular season, but each time one of the team’s stars missed time, he took advantage of the opportunity.

In February of 2022, James Harden got traded to Philadelphia and Kevin Durant missed time with injury, which allowed Thomas to briefly show what he could do with starter-caliber minutes. In the eight-game span following Harden’s trade, Thomas averaged over 21 points per game on incredible shooting splits.

Though his minutes dropped

once Durant returned, he rarely missed a chance to prove himself.

In the 2022-23 season, when eight starters including Irving and Durant were ruled out in a matchup against the Pacers back in December, Thomas not only led the team in scoring, but he also guided the team to an unexpected victory. Twenty-one of his then career-high 33 points came in the fourth quarter, and being that the Nets only won by three, every single one of those points was necessary.

That career-high would get trumped just a few months later, as he again guided the Nets to victory with a 44-point showing against the Wizards. One game later, it was surpassed again.

Now, as a 21-year-old in his second year in the NBA, Thomas is a prominent starter with unlimited potential on the offensive end.

Naz Reid

Reid currently ranks as the program’s seventh best all-time recruits according to 247sports, entering the 2018-19 season as the

fourth best power forward in the country.

Like Thomas, he showed what he could do very early on in the season, putting up 29 points with a field-goal percentage of 78.6% in just his second game against UNC Greensboro. He still wouldn’t come close to Thomas’s scoring average, but through conference play, he was consistently dependable, putting up more than 10 points in 12 of the team’s 17 SEC matchups he was featured in.

Reid finished the season as LSU’s top rebounder and secondleading scorer, scoring 13.6 points and grabbing 7.2 rebounds per game. He headlined the best team of the Will Wade era, a team which won the SEC regular-season title and made it to the Sweet Sixteen in March Madness.

He’d declare for the NBA Draft following the season, going undrafted before signing a two-way contract with the Timberwolves. After spending some time playing with their G League affiliate, Reid

made his NBA debut in December, and when Minnesota became shorthanded in late December, he’d experience his first uptick in playing time.

He put up 13 points on lessthan-stellar efficiency and maintained his heightened role until Karl Anthony Towns returned, consistently scoring in double figures and having success on the boards, despite standing at 6-foot-8. Towns went down again in February and as an undrafted rookie, Reid would make his first career start against the Celtics, attributing 19 points and nine rebounds on decent shooting splits from all points of the floor.

Since then, he’s maintained a solid role with the Timberwolves, even with the team acquiring Rudy Gobert in July 2022. While his numbers aren’t improving considerably, that’s more due to the team’s depth at big man rather than lack of improvement. Whenever he has received considerable playing time this season, he’s shown he’s capable of taking on a bigger role, evident by 28 and 27-point performances against Oklahoma City and Dallas back in December.

Tari Eason

Heading into the 2021-22 season, Cincinnati transfer Tari Eason was expected to be impactful, but mostly on defense. He averaged just over seven points per game with the Bearcats and didn’t have much of a three-point shot.

But through the first few games, that outlook started to change. Even when the schedule started to become more difficult, Eason consistently led the Tigers in scoring and played a large role in their undefeated start, especially in their win over then No. 18 Tennes-

see, where he put up 24 points on 56.3% shooting from the field.

The team would ultimately get bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but Eason had done more than enough to garner attention from the league. His stats were considerable, as he attributed 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 52% from the field and 36% from three, and that proficiency led to him being drafted midway through the first round of the NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets.

Like Cam Thomas, Eason balled out during Summer League, averaging 17.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 steals through four games and making the All- Summer League First Team. And while his regular seasons don’t jump off the page, they do show a lot of potential.

On an average of just under 17 minutes, Eason is averaging 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on 44.2% shooting from the field and 35.2% from three. While his scoring hasn’t progressed much throughout the season, he’s already seen rises in his rebounding and shooting percentages, as he’s gone from averaging 4.8 rebounds and shooting 41.8% from the field in November to 6.1 rebounds and 46.3% in January.

His playing time has consistently shifted throughout the season, but he’s had ample opportunity to show what he can do and has flourished, progressing by the month. His best stint of games came just a few weeks ago, when the rookie attributed three straight double doubles, capped off with a 20-point and 13-rebound performance against Oklahoma State to kick off February.

ERIN BARKER / The Reveille

LSU men’s basketball players wait on the side to go in the game on Feb. 11 during LSU’s 74-62 loss to Texas A&M at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU freshman guard Cameron Thomas (24) draws the foul Jan. 16, 2021, during LSU’s 85-80 win over South Carolina in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge.

Valentine’s Day is a day not just for others, but for yourself

MADDEN’S MADNESS

It was easier when we were in elementary school. We would decorate our paper bags and watch as our classmates filled them with store-bought valentines. These were the days we all had a valentine. We never spent Valentine’s Day alone

I don’t believe we should display our love for others solely on this day. If we truly love each other we show it 365 days a year.

Valentine’s Day is expected to generate almost $26 billion dollars in 2023, according to the

National Retail Federation. It’s a business. The day has used commercialization to its advantage to emphasize the romantic form of love.

We shouldn’t beat ourselves up for not having a valentine. It’s the day of love, after all.

Love is like an open flame, except this flame never runs out. It lights the world around you on fire. Love brings light to the darkness. Hope to the hopeless. It’s so powerful you can’t help your craving for it. We all crave to be loved and to feel the love we give.

Love is scary. Love can hurt. Love can rejuvenate. Love makes the impossible possible. Just because you don’t have a valentine doesn’t mean you are unloved.

We all experience love in many different forms.

A mother loves her child in a way many will never understand.

A sister loves her brother, and a brother loves his sister, but the two may never fully comprehend the love shared. Many love to watch the flowers bloom and the sun rise and set, but these forms of love will never be reciprocated back.

We love to watch our friends excel at things that they do best. We love that feeling we get after doing well on a test. We love sharing old memories we have, and we all wish they were a place we could go back to. And, while there are many forms of love around us, we push aside the

most important portrayal of this act.

Do you love yourself? I hope that you do. If not, I dream that one day you will love yourself in the way you love others and the world around you.

You deserve to be loved by others, but more importantly, you deserve to be loved by yourself.

Don’t believe the lie that you are unloved without a valentine. You’re not alone on this day or any other day.

Listen to the words of Miley Cyrus. You can buy yourself flowers. Write your name in the sand. Talk to yourself for hours. You can take yourself dancing. You can hold your own hand. You can love yourself better than anyone

else can.

This Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a reminder that you are not in a relationship. Spend the day treating yourself the way you desire to be treated.

Go on a long drive. Watch the sunset. Eat your favorite meal and snacks. Watch your favorite movie. Accomplish things on your overdue to-do list. Have a dance party. Spend time with wholesome friends. Embrace this day of love and its many different forms. Enjoy this beautiful existence that we all get to share together.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Lauren Madden is a 21-year-old mass communication major from Mandeville.

Giving President Tate’s administration a mid-term grade

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION BENJAMIN

Late last month Forbes named LSU President William Tate IV one of its “10 Black higher ed CEOs to watch in 2023.”

To some around campus, perhaps, the honor comes as surprise. Those who have paid attention to LSU under Tate’s tenure know that the president’s administration has been marked by controversies and infrastructure – some Tate’s fault, and some not.

It’s not Tate’s fault, for instance, that LSU’s previous president, F. King Alexander, and Louisiana’s previous governor, Bobby Jindal, left our state’s flagship university in a poor condition, complete with serious financial difficulties and infrastructural decay; it isn’t Tate’s fault that the state Legislature and the Board of Regents largely determine LSU’s annual budget; nor is he to blame for recent tragedies, such as the death of Madison Brooks, who was allegedly raped and then struck by a car, that occurred in the surrounding Baton Rouge community.

Which isn’t to say that Tate is powerless in his response or in his policy in reaction to these issues, but it is to say that he by no means caused them–a fact that we should recognize.

But there are certainly other things for which Tate does need to take at least some responsibility.

One of these areas is the fo -

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Josh Archote Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor Hannah Michel Hanks

Claire Sullivan News Editor

cus of Tate’s heralded “Scholarship First Agenda,” which aims to bring grant and scholarship money for LSU, broadly speaking–something that is all well and good, if it focused on the university as a whole instead of what it effectively does: only bring in money for STEM-related programs.

Thus far Shell has donated $27.5 million; the state Legislature has allotted $12 million for a brand-new artificial intelligence computer; and the Louisiana Children’s Medical Center and Our Lady of the Lake Medical Center has committed $245 million to help keep LSU students and athletes healthy.

Noticeably absent is anything resembling substantial funding for the humanities or social sciences.

Another was Tate’s unwarranted criticism of this paper, the Reveille,

whose coverage Tate called “negative”–an inappropriate thing for a university president to do. Though Tate has since apologized for his remarks, there is a noticeable stain on his reputation among some student journalists at LSU, at least many of the ones I’ve talked with.

Yet another was the university’s refusal to renew a contract with Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response, or STAR, an organization committed to “serving youth and adult survivors of sexual trauma and building institutional capacity to prevent and respond responsibly to sexual violence in the Baton Rouge community, according to its website.”

This move particularly came back to bite Tate’s administration in his public response to the death of LSU freshman Madison Brooks,

which the College Democrats of Louisiana State University called “tone-deaf” and “victim blaming.”

In a public statement by the LSU chapters of Feminists in Action and the College Democrats of LSU, Tate was said to perpetuate LSU’s “rape culture” and of using “alcohol as a scapegoat.”

The list of problems could continue: LSU’s lack of parking spaces, the university’s shady multi-million-dollar betting deal with Caesar’s Sportsbook, and the school’s subsequent advertising of gambling opportunities to underage students; repeated Title IX issues; or Tate’s lack of support for tenure.

With all these in mind, why and how does Tate receive his recognition by Forbes?

According to one anonymous professor, who was asked to “grade” Tate on his performance at LSU thus far, the explanation for Tate’s public accolades compared to the felt, mixed results on campus, thinks it is due to the president’s ability to use his PR team to his personal advantage:

Tate gets an “A+ for turning the president’s office/system office into a PR operation almost solely devoted to burnishing his image and making him more attractive for a better-paying, more prestigious president’s job somewhere else,” the professor said Meanwhile, he gets a “C- for his refusal to advocate on behalf of faculty free speech-academic freedom, especially his unfortunate and ill-advised decision to endorse the study committee on tenure proposed by the state Senate’s most outspoken critic of ten-

ure,” the professor said.

In other words, the explanation for Tate’s public, compared to his actual, success is that he simply good at producing an immaculate public persona in which he exhibits all the markers of an efficient 21st century university regime–a picture that isn’t representative of reality.

Whether or not this analysis is representative of Tate’s intentions is unknowable; we can’t peer into Tate’s mind to unveil what exactly his motivations are for any given decision he makes, or the specific reasons for his choice to brand himself in the way that he has to the public.

But what we can do is judge the positive and negatives of Tates’ tenure as president of LSU. And it’s safe to say that the results are mixed: Though riddled with preexisting and self-inflicted problems, Tate has also done several good things, such as raising graduate student pay through the Provost’s “zero-based budget”, bringing in grant money for the school (even if it isn’t fairly distributed –some money is better than none), as well as a few others.

Ultimately if today was the day that midterm grades had to be submitted, and if Tate’s tenure at LSU was a college course in which he was enrolled, Tate’s grade would be passing–but barely. He has a lot more work to do, it seems, to get his grade up to a level deserving of his public praise.

Benjamin Haines is a 24-year-old graduate student from Shreveport.

Editorial Policies and Procedures Quote of the Week

Deputy News Editor Gabby Jimenez

Brandon Poulter 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 editor@lsu.edu 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.

“A dirty joke is a sort of mental rebellion”

George Orwell

THE REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU President William F. Tate speaks with others April 20, during the annual LSU Day at the Capitol at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge, La.

The course of history can be changed by anyone, including HEADLINE

NAVIGATOR BRANDON POULTER @brandopinione

Every single word that every person will ever say matters.

My columnists all have heard from me. I tell them that every single word they write matters, but the implications of this sentence reach far beyond the creative spaces of the world.

In the grand scheme of reality, it may not seem that singular events matter, but of course, once you amalgamate them all into the grand structure that is reality itself, it’s easy to see how this is true.

After all, a butterfly in Brazil flapping it’s wings the wrong way causes a hurricane in Florida, right?

What if Donald Trump’s parents had not decided to get intimate one night? What if that one soldier on that one Soviet submarine had decided to launch the nuclear missile in the Cuban missile crisis? What if George Washington hadn’t decided to cross the Delaware? What if you had decided not to go to college? What if you hadn’t decided to go to that bar where you met your significant other?

The chains of events that expand from singular decisions are often longer-reaching than one might think. The bigger decision points make the difference more starkly, but smaller decision points are just as important.

You might be walking into your apartment late at night and see someone drop their groceries and help them pick them up. That person may have been suicidal, and you may convince them that there is still hope. They may go on to be the next Elon Musk or Martin Luther King.

Events like these have many parallels in history. Often singular events, singular words, and singular actions have monument effects on history.

The grand scheme of humanity is nothing more than an amalgamation of the billions of experiences we create each and every day, and we have direct influence over it whether we know it or not.

Your life may be short in the grand scheme, but the legacy you leave, the experiences you create and the love you spread can change the entire history of the human race.

You don’t have to build rockets. You don’t have to found a country. You don’t have to die

for Civil Rights. You don’t have to stop a nuclear war.

All you must do is spread love unconditionally. All you must do is take responsibility for the legacy you leave on this earth and choose to be good. If you choose to do these things, you can leave

something behind that is bigger than life.

The life of this world is informed by experience, and while you may not have direct control over the experiences of every person on earth, you have control over your own actions, and

you can choose to do something good with those actions. You can choose to change the world. Piece by piece.

Societal neglect of sexual health needs to be addressed

ed to students.

Even with all the free resources, it means nothing if people aren’t educated.

As a society, we have dropped the ball when it comes to safe sex habits and sex education. More education and better habits would vastly improve this.

Louisiana has over 70,000 reported STD cases, including HIV, chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea. Where are these alarming numbers coming from?

It’s no secret that condoms aren’t popular amongst Americans. Only 13% of people consistently use male condoms. This means there’s a heavy reliance on females using contraceptives.

While using contraceptives is important, they don’t protect from all STDs.

I think the lack of male condom usage derives from a lack of sex education and cultural influences. It’s not cool or “it doesn’t feel as good” to use condoms, so culturally it’s not as popular as pulling out or using Plan B.

Consistently using male condoms can help normalize them and change society’s attitude.

Luckily, LSU’s Student Health Center offers endless resources to help students with STD prevention and safe sex practices. Free condoms, panel screenings and pregnancy tests are provid-

Encouraging the right mindset surrounding sexual health starts with education. Unfortunately Louisiana does not require public schools to teach sex education courses.

Considering that Louisiana has the second highest rate of STDs nationally, sex education is needed.

In schools that have sex education, the courses usually promote abstinence. Avoiding the topic of sex and only discussing its consequences is irresponsible. Abstinence means nothing when the average teen doesn’t even know the correct terms for their body parts.

Fifty percent of adolescents don’t know how to get birth control or where to get it from, according to the Guttmacher Institute. I believe this is a direct result of only teaching abstinence in sex education programs.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a prime example of how ignorance can impact sexual health. Decades worth of prejudice has led to misinformation and myths surrounding the disease.

While HIV is typically thought of as a “gay man’s disease,” people fail to realize that heterosexual males and females account for 22% of new HIV cases, according to the CDC. This is one of the many myths surrounding HIV and sex edu-

cation overall.

Simply talking about sex can help normalize it and encourage safe sex.

Sex is a taboo subject to discuss with children, but it shouldn’t be. Sex is natural and

children deserve to know what it is and how it works. Not educating them can lead to bad habits and the spread of misinformation.

If adolescents are taught about sex, their knowledge can

grow into adulthood and positively impact sex culture, safety and habits.

Brandon Poulter is a 27-yearold political science and psychology major from Baton Rouge.

Jemiah Clemons is a 19-yearold kinesiology major from Miami, Florida.

GRAPHIC BY BLAINE SWANZY / The Reveille

Social media brings more positivity in the world than negativity

HAMMER

Many believe that social media has been a net negative on the world, but while doing so, ignore all the positive changes that social media has brought to civil society.

Social media has had a very positive effect on the world, and it has impacted our entire way of life as a society positively too. There are many ways that social media has positively impacted us, and as life goes on, the benefits from these will only grow. For starters, it has changed the way we stay connected.

Social media has allowed us to connect with our friends and family who might stay far away. Social media has also allowed us to reconnect with old friends who we might’ve lost contact with in the past.

Along with that, social media allows us to form new connections with other consumers or even brands as well.

The social media platform TikTok is a great example of this. Many consumers have turned into influencers on this platform because they were able

to connect with other influencers and brands as well through social media. “More than 80% of our respondents intended to dedicate a budget to influencer marketing in 2023,” according to a report from Influencer Marketing Hub.

Another way social media has changed the world is the way that we receive our news. “In just two years, the share of US adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has roughly tripled from 3% in 2020 to 10% in 2022,” according to data from the Pew Research Center.

When something is happening anywhere in the world news outlets with their connected social media platforms have articles and social media posts informing the public. This has revolutionized how news can spread and has helped all forms of consumers stay informed.

“A sizable portion of Americans continues to turn to these sites for news. A little under half of U.S. adults say they get news from social media ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’,” according to Pew Research Center.

Social media has become a way for consumers to express themselves creatively as well.

With one search on any social media, you can find tips and re -

sources to help with any interest you need information on. “Ninety-one percent of search engine users say they always or most of the time find the information they are seeking when they use search engines,” according to data from Pew Research Center. Social media platforms can be used to help understand how the world views certain issues too. Multiple platforms are used

to learn and get insight into various topics. These topics range from cooking, dancing, reviews on products, hair, beauty, business and fashion tips. The list goes on, but the possibilities are truly endless. Many common social media apps are filled with influencers that have lots of helpful tips on all these topics and many more.

As social media keeps evolving, the positive possibilities will continue increasing. Social media already plays such a major role in our lives as of 2023. Imagine how positively it will impact our lives in the next 30 years.

Lindsay Bickham is an 18-yearold Mass Communication Major from New Orleans.

MADDIE FITZMORRIS / The Reveille