The Reveille 3-23-23

OH SO SWEET

LSU prepares to face Utah in Sweet 16.

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KEYS TO THE GAME

What to watch for as LSU faces Utah.

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8

LSU women’s basketball punched its ticket to the Sweet 16 with a win over Michigan in the round of 32 Sunday night. But the stakes only get higher, as LSU is set to face off with one of the toughest opponents it will see all season, the No. 2 seeded Utah Utes.

Not only is there a lot on the line with the game being “win or go home,” but the No. 1 seed in the Greenville two regional, Indiana, went down Monday night to No. 9-seated Miami, so the winner of the Tigers-Utes matchup could be in a favorable position to make it to the Final Four.

However, the stakes of this Sweet 16 matchup are high enough for LSU, and adding any pressure to the game may lead to the Tigers’ downfall.

Utah has had its core of three or four players that have led the Utes to success all season, but they are led by forward Alissa Pili. Pili leads the team in both scoring and rebounding with 21 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Guard Gianna Kneepkens and forward Jenna Johnson, work alongside Pili and produce almost as much. Kneepkens averages 15.1 points per game and 5.1 rebounds per game, and Johnson averages 12.1 points per game and five rebounds per game.

Pili and Johnson both being productive post players could interrupt Angel Reese and LaDazhia Williams’ momentum after performing well together against Michigan.

The two showed their power in their round of 32 matchup against Princeton. Pili led the Utes in points, rebounds and assists, finishing the game with 28 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Johnson scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds.

That being said, when it comes to what type of team Utah is, a powerful offense would be a valid description. The Utes are

ranked fourth in the country at both points scored per game with 83.5 and field goal percentage with 48.5%. LSU, however, is ranked above them in points scored per game; they’re ranked third with 84.1.

The Utes’ defense ranks in the bottom half of the PAC-12 standings in points allowed, rebounds, and blocks. To put this in perspective, LSU ranks in the top three in each of these statistics in the SEC.

The bottom line is that this matchup will be an offensive dogfight; lots of points will be scored. The key for LSU to win is to play strong defense. Besides South Carolina, Utah will most likely be the toughest all-around offense the Tigers see. Controlling the Utes’ offense could be the deciding factor in the game, as Utah’s defense might not be strong enough to control LSU’s offense, which is statistically one of the top in the SEC.

The offensive firepower for LSU has shown itself several times throughout the season, but consistency throughout the entirety of the game against Utah is imperative. Reese and Williams have been consistent down low in recent games, but once the perimeter players catch fire, it opens up the game.

If LSU’s offense reaches its full potential, it will be able to compete with Utah’s offense.

But the cliché “defense wins championships,” will be the cen-

terpiece of the game on Friday. While the game isn’t a championship, the defensive production will likely win the team the game. The offensive production will be there for both teams, but

whoever can contain the other better could find themselves in the Elite Eight.

LSU will face Utah at 4 p.m. on Friday. The game will be streaming live on ESPN.

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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.

TARUN KAKARALA / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball sophomore forward Angel Reese (10) makes a rebound during their 66-42 win against Michigan in the second round of March Madness March 19 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

TARUN KAKARALA / The Reveille

LSU women’s basketball sophomore forward Angel Reese (10) excites the crowd during their 66-42 win against Michigan in the second round of March Madness March 19 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on N. Stadium Drive in Baton Rouge, La.

NEWS SUPER SUNDAY

Mardi Gras Indians celebrate culture with parade

BY CROSS HARRIS @thecrossharris

On Super Sunday, March 19, the Mardi Gras Indians took to the streets.

In costumes weighing hundreds of pounds, built from great profusions of feathers and beads, the tribes faced off to see who was the prettiest. Traffic stopped for blocks around. Cowbells cracked. Drums beat. Feet stomped. Gripped by their heritage, the Indians chanted, sang and stepped their way through New Orleans as if each song were their last.

“This is our tradition,” Central City local Irwin John said. “It’s that thing we do.”

His sunglasses caught the light as he smiled. Around him, crowds hummed with excitement. He danced a slow step during conversation and lifted his hands to nod at a distant Indian’s whoop.

The beauty of the tradition, however, arises from a history of struggle. When Black residents were excluded from white Carnival in 19th century New Orleans, they decided to create their own custom. Masking was born as a way to celebrate the day and pay homage to the Native Americans who once helped escaped slaves survive in the wilds of Louisiana, according to the Mardi Gras Indian Council website.

At one time, the gangs of New

Orleans also used masking as an opportunity to settle scores anonymously, said former Mardi Gras Indian Council President Larry Bannock in an interview with Mardi Gras New Orleans. Today, Super Sunday is a demonstration of the city’s raucous history and vibrant soul.

The Uptown celebration takes place at A.L. Davis Park. From there, the Indians traced a circle into Central City. Down LaSalle Street they strutted, hooking a left at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, another at Claiborne Avenue and another at Washington Avenue until a few blocks down, they arrived where they started. The loop was closed. Just as the years passed, another cycle was completed.

Some tribes started their strut on the perimeter. Others radiated from the center and flowed into the parade revolving at the edge.

One tribe shimmied slowly from their start on S. Robertson and third Streets. A few confused motorists drove unwittingly through the beating heart of the celebration, and with the solemnity of a priest, a masker began directing traffic.

Blood red plumes radiated from his person and horns sprouted from the crown of feathers he wore. A hulking Scion Armada insisted on continuing through a barricade toward the park, but an Indian stamped his flagstaff and

shook his head.

“No, sir,” he called out. “You ain’t getting past here.”

A horn blared.

“Try it,” he said with a smile, then danced. “I can do this all day!”

Finally the Scion submitted and turned.

The tribe gathered to march north towards the outer route on Claiborne Avenue. So-called Spy Boys and Wild Men ran ahead to clear the way. Behind them, the Flag Boy pumped the tribe’s flagstaff into the air, and behind him, the Big Chief stepped slowly to the beat of drums and feet. His flock’s feathers brushed the faces of onlookers.

As the maskers sang, “Two pak

Tenure attacks worry faculty

BY OLIVER BUTCHER @OliverButcher73

Tenure in Louisiana has faced attacks from the state house, prompting concerns from some professors.

Academic tenure, which all but guarantees job security for professors that have completed certain educational and research criteria set by their respective college, is intended to allow professors to complete their research without fear of outside influences.

e way, two pak e way,” they parted the crowd like a wing through the wind.

“Oooh, I’m a pretty mother f-!” one man said as he threw his head back and laughed. “Two pak e way, two pak e way,” they stepped into the distance, “Two pack e way, two pak e way.”

Back at A.L. Davis Park, Flag Boy Sleepy of the Red Cheyenne waded into his heavy costume with the help of several hands. “It’s all about the Indians,” he said. “It’s the beauty of the culture and coming out, getting to meet everybody and checking out who’s pretty.” He looked into the distance as two

“The idea behind it historically has been that tenure is a way of ensuring that the ideas within the academy are protected from systems of power or influence so that people can think more freely about issues that may arise,” said Roy Heidelberg, a tenured associate professor in the E.J. Ourso College of Business.

Such a system is what has drawn the ire of Sen. Stewart Cathey Jr., R-Monroe, who is among many conservative politicians in Louisiana who believe the current academic tenure system has enshrined singular viewpoints among higher education faculty.

“Postsecondary students see CELEBRATION, page 4 see TENURE, page 4

Candace Owens draws a crowd at LSU in her speaking tour

BY LIZZIE FALCETTI @lizziefalcetti

A jam-packed audience filled the LSU Student Union Theater on Tuesday to hear from conservative political commentator Candace Owens.

Before Owens stepped on stage, the audience roared with applause and chants ranging from “U-S-A” to “Let’s go Brandon.”

Owens joined Turning Point USA on the Live Free Tour to visit multiple college campuses. Her talks are aimed at energizing students and the community around conservative, pro-American values, according to promotional materials for the event.

Owens did communications for Turning Point USA from 2017 to 2019, during which she caught the attention of Kanye West and thenPresident Donald Trump. She now hosts a show on the Daily Wire, a conservative media site founded by political commentators Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing.

Owens touched on a variety of topics in her nearly hour-long talk.

Owens repeatedly voiced her

opposition to the public school system and advocated for “school choice,” which allows parents to choose alternatives to public schools, like charter schools.

“I think the Department of Education needs to be abolished and burned to the ground,” Owens said.

Owens provided background on how she developed her conservative beliefs, telling the crowd about a Feminism 101 class she took in college, which became a pivotal moment for her. She said her professor “brainwashed” women to blame their oppression on men.

“She [the professor] didn’t want us to think rationally,” Owens said.

“You will find this in classrooms, especially today. They are not teaching you how to think, they are teaching you what to think, and there is a big difference there.”

Owens also said feminists attack the family dynamic by not wanting strong men in society.

Owens has caught widespread attention for her opinions on gender roles, tweeting when Harry Styles wore a dress that it was “an outright attack on men” and making

a call to “bring back manly men.”

Owens said pushing for women to be in the workforce and making motherhood a secondary focus means the government must step in to raise children. According to Owens, women need to drop the drug that causes a “feminism high” after college because “family is fulfilling, and family is what makes you happy.”

Owens connected her thoughts on family to what she said she believes is the United States’ move toward socialism.

“They know that if you come from a strong family, you are way better positioned to become more successful,” Owens said. “It doesn’t matter what your color is, it doesn’t matter what your gender is, you’re going to be better positioned in life if you come from a strong family.”

Owens also described what she believes makes liberals and conservatives different.

“The difference between leftists and conservatives is that when a leftist has an issue, they externalize it. They say I have an issue in my life and who can I blame … Conservatives, we do the oppo -

site. We say I have a problem, and I have the ability to fix that problem,” Owens said.

Graham Head, a finance freshman, attended the talk and liked Owens’ perspective.

“I really liked how she made it clear what the conservative values are,” Head said. “What she is doing is she is not only presenting her side of the story, but she is making it more accessible for all sides of the story.”

The talk ended with questions from the audience, giving attendees the opportunity to address a variety of topics. Questions ranged from her opinion on vaccinations to critical race theory.

Enola Guyer, an animal science freshman, didn’t seem impressed by Owens’ responses.

“A big thing is that when people asked her questions, she kind of danced around the question and used buzzwords,” Guyer said.

CROSS HARRIS/ The Reveille

A Wild Man prepares to clear the way for his tribe as they march on March 19, in Central City in New Orleans, La.

REAGAN COTTEN / The Reveille Candace Owens looks out on March 21 in the Student Union in Baton Rouge, La.

CELEBRATION, from page 3

men fixed his costume.

“Today, we challenge each other with our art,” he said. “And with our art, we shake hands.”

“You know the story of chopping off the head?” Sleepy pointed.

On the front panel of his costume’s skirt, thousands of beads were sewn to depict an Indian wielding a hatchet over a cowboy on the ground. “The Indian there is chopping off the cowboy’s head,” Sleepy said.

On another costume, the tree

TENURE, from page 3

should be confident that they are being exposed to a variety of viewpoints, including those that are dissenting,” said Cathey’s Senate Concurrent Resolution 6, which passed the state Senate unanimously and the state House by a margin of 60-30 in 2022.

The resolution sought to establish a task force to study academic tenure and make recommendations based on its findings, but Cathey told the Louisiana Illuminator in January that he would no longer be convening the task force.

Instead, Cathey said he would draft a bill to address academic tenure directly. The move all but eliminates any chance for public input that would have been al-

of life was sewn. “We had a lot of loved ones that passed away,” the creator, Flag Boy Al, said. “I just wanted to do my suit as a tribute. You know, to show them respect.”

Beside the tree, one Indian reached up toward the sky and another kneeled, looking down into the river of beads. Beyond, deathly black feathers shuttered in the wind.

The tradition of masking is mostly handed down through families. Flag Boy Al’s father masked. Now he does, too.

But 40 years ago, the tradition was slowly dying out. Fewer and

lowed under the task force, as the contents of the bill likely aren’t going to be revealed until its unveiling in the state Senate.

Many professors believe the bill isn’t receiving any specialized input from those it would most severely affect.

“We have no additional information on the contents of this alleged bill or the individuals with whom he is consulting, though we have been told that the senator has not spoken with anyone from LSU about this new approach,” LSU Faculty Senate President Inessa Babayev said at a Faculty Senate meeting.

If the new bill is introduced and ultimately passed, Louisiana would join in a trend of conservative states such as Florida and Georgia in wounding academic

fewer young people sewed costumes. Fewer and fewer strutted. So, in a vie for resurgence, the tribes came together to form the Mardi Gras Indian Council—which continues to this day.

“I’ve been masking since I was two years old,” Flag Boy Al said. “We need more participation. We need more Indians to come out each year.”

Meanwhile, the infant sons and daughters of Mardi Gras Indians were held in their mothers’ arms. Atop their heads were coronets of smaller feathers. And during the

tenure, which is something many academics say Louisiana and LSU can’t afford to do.

“If something were to happen to tenure in Louisiana or at LSU, I think that you would find it will be much more difficult for LSU to attract faculty members,” Heidelberg said.

“If you want to be known for your research, if you want this university to be an R1 in good standing with a national reputation, you need to be able to attract people to come at a senior level,” said Robert Mann, a tenured mass communication professor.

On the prospect of the Cathey’s bill passing, Mann said, “There’s no way anybody would be that stupid to come to a state like this or to Florida.”

The Faculty Senate passed a

parade, a toddler fitted with an aura of plumes and shine wobbled down Washington Avenue, sucking her thumb.

Through their chants and steps and ebullient dress, the Indians are passing on their heritage. The new guard took up the flagstaff, as the old heads traced a path through Mid City they’ve known all their lives. They danced on the ragged streets of New Orleans, some of them by walker and wheelchair, over potholes made deeper with time and construction that flays the loop.

resolution to “reaffirm protections of academic freedom and tenure” when the initial bill to set up the task force passed.

“We stand by the Faculty Senate’s original affirmation of support for tenure and academic freedom,” Bazayev said.

LSU President William F. Tate IV followed suit in the most recent LSU Board of Supervisors meeting.

“The reason that we have tenure is so that these faculty members who are outstanding have an opportunity to speak the truth without any intervention at all… So, if you want to know where I stand on this matter, I personally believe that we ought to invest in our faculty and their ability to give us the truth because it is truly the core of what a place like LSU should be,” Tate said.

Soon, new heads will wear the crowns of feathers that look as light as air but weigh heavy on the temples. The streets they stepped through will pose new bumps and old pitfalls, but they’ll be the same streets.

When the strut ended, the Uptown Skull and Bone Gang sang. “We’ve come to warn you before you die, you better get your life together. Next time you see us, it’s too late to try. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust,” they sang with a dance. “You best straighten up before you come see us.”

But not all academics are convinced of the administration’s response to the academic tenure attacks.

“The higher education leaders in the state have shown no backbone when it comes to fighting for their schools in the past. The only reason this hasn’t gone anywhere really...is because there’s been a Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, who I think everyone assumed would veto the bill,” Mann said.

With Gov. Edwards term limited, the fate of academic tenure may rely on the upcoming gubernatorial election, where candidate Jeff Landry, who has been endorsed by Louisiana’s state Republican Party, has shown a willingness to weaken faculty protections.

ENTERTAINMENT

LSU students go to UREC’s goat yoga class for stress relief

BY WILL NICKEL @WilNickel

Give a college student a goat, and they’re confused. Give a college student a goat and a yoga mat, and they’re happy for a lifetime. Or happy for 45 minutes a least.

Every semester, LSU students are behooved to participate in goat yoga at the university’s recreation center. Goat yoga is, well, yoga with goats. Students enter a fenced-in area and do yoga while goats wander, hop and do other goat activities around or on them.

“It’s popular because it’s rare and it’s different,” Brad Wilson, the UREC’s associate director, said. “There’s the same benefit of doing yoga with the added stimulus of being around an animal. There’s just something cathartic about it.”

LSU’s UREC has offered the program since 2019, and it’s one of the most popular classes. Every time a goat yoga session is available, students butt heads to be the first to sign up. Goat yoga’s popularity has recently prompted the UREC to expand the class from one session a semester to four.

“Last year, registration was full within the first few hours of the signup going live,” Wilson said. “We had over 150 people on a waiting list. It was very obvious to us that we needed to increase our opportunity to do this.”

The class is usually held in the UREC’s outdoor activity field. This November, due to weather, a goat

yoga class moved to the UREC’s indoor soccer courts for the first time. The flexibility of holding the class indoors allowed the UREC to have more sessions without worrying about the weather canceling classes.

Handlers from the Cajun Country Backyard Mobile Petting Zoo, a local petting zoo that rents animals for parties and events, supplies the goats and pens while the UREC supplies the mats and instructors. Each class has six or seven goat participants and 50 non-goat participants.

“That’s just the go-to goat-toperson ratio,” Wilson said.

The yoga sessions last 30 minutes, where participants do conventional yoga poses and stretches. There is a 15-minute period at the end that allows participants to take pictures and pet the goats.

“Obviously there is an expense for us with the petting zoo and with our instructors and everything, but we don’t pass that on to the students,” Wilson said. “We just want to create an experience for students that we know is truly unique.”

The class usually features a mother goat and her baby goats. The babies are not sheepish –they are goatish – and often jump on people’s backs while they’re doing their yoga poses. Aside from baby goats being the cutest, the UREC chooses babies because they are less aggressive and easier to wrangle.

“They’re a little more docile than the older, grumpier goats,”

Wilson said. “They’re more apt to being picked up and open to standing on someone’s back or shoulders without getting agitated. If you get male, adult goats in the same area, they get more territorial, and they want to start doing goat stuff.”

Maddy Robichaux, a mass communications junior at LSU, and her roommate Taylor Jarrell, a kinesiology sophomore at LSU, both said they loved their goat yoga experience.

Robichaux saw an ad for the program on the UREC’s website and immediately told her roommate that they needed to sign up.

“It helped relieve so much

stress, and the goats were so cute,” Jarrell said.

“I think everyone should do it at least once,” Robichaux added. “I would do it again if I got the chance.”

Staff members sometimes have to get students new yoga mats, because the goats relieve themselves on them. However, Wilson says there has never been an issue with the animals not being potty-trained and the staff does not make a big deal about it. As Wilson points out, crap happens.

“Well, they are animals, and animals do what animals do,” Wilson said. “Our staff has brooms and dust pans to take care things

when nature calls. The students are pretty accepting. They understand these are animals, and our staff does a great job taking care of any issues.”

Goat yoga’s popularity is not confined to the UREC’s fields and soccer courts. Margaret DeLaney, a mass communications major at LSU, took a goat yoga class in her hometown of Houston, Texas.

“It was pretty much a regular yoga class, but since it was outside in Houston in the summer, it became more like hot goat yoga,” DeLaney said.

DeLaney said at one point, a goat jumped onto the person next to her while they were doing the downward dog pose and knocked them off balance, creating a new position called the downward goat.

“It was really funny and really cute,” DeLaney said. “It’s supposed to be relaxing, but really, they can knock you off balance really easily. They’re so distracting with how cute they are.”

DeLaney said that she thinks the popularity of goat yoga comes from how cute the goats are. She said she couldn’t help but be happy while spending time with the baby goats.

“It’s hard to think about all the problems in your life when you have a cute little goat on your back,” DeLaney said. “Baby animals just make people really happy and release a lot of endorphins. I would definitely recommend it for people who need cheering up.”

Cava restaurant will make you forget you’re eating fast food

BY MADELON DAVIS @madelondavis

There is a new fast-food place in town. Cava, which has three locations, opened in early March in Baton Rouge. One store is in Perkins Rowe, one is off Corporate Boulevard and the other is near Blue Bayou.

The new locations replaced former Zoe’s Kitchen establishments after Cava acquired the Zoe’s Kitchen franchise for $300 million in 2018, according to 225 Magazine.

Cava is a Mediterranean fastfood restaurant that is similar in style to Chipotle. You can choose from a pre-made list of wraps and bowls or make your own. The pre-made list is called the chefcurated pitas and bowls. These range from $10 to $13. The premade bowls and pitas come with meat and vegetarian options.

Cava also has a “build your own” option. You can make either a pita wrap or a bowl and this is where it’s similar in style to Chipotle. You go down the line choosing your base, rice,

protein, toppings and sauces. These prices start at $10.35, but it has a kid’s option that starts at $6.20.

When building your own you have the option of bases. It has an array of lettuce options and multiple rice options. I started my bowl with arugula and brown rice. The brown rice was seasoned well.

Cava also offers black lentils and saffron basmati rice as well as different greens like baby spinach and romaine.

Next you choose your dips. When building your own you can get three sauces. I tried the tzatziki which is smooth with a strong garlic flavor. I also tried the crazy feta which was fluffy with a kick of spice. It also offers a traditional hummus, red pepper hummus, harissa and roasted eggplant. If you want an extra dip, there is a small upcharge.

After that is your protein options. You can either get a full scoop of one or split it up into half and half of two different proteins. I did the half and half with the grilled chicken, which was well seasoned and juicy, and the spicy lamb meatballs.

The meatballs were amazing.

They were a good size and flavorful, but not too spicy. The meatballs were an upcharge of $2.20. The other options were harissa honey chicken, which is an upcharge of $1.25, braised lamb for an up-charge of $3.30, roasted white sweet potato, falafel and roasted vegetables.

When you’re close to the finish line you get to choose your toppings. You can choose as many toppings as you want. It has fire-roasted corn, Persian cucumbers, crumbled feta, lentil tabbouleh, Kalamata olives, pita crips, shredded romaine and avocado. The only up-charge is with the avocado for $2.30.

Lastly are the dressings. I tried the garlic dressing and the lemon herb tahini. Both were delicious and full of flavor. It also offers yogurt dill, Greek vinaigrette, skhug, tahini caesar, hot harissa vinaigrette and balsamic date vinaigrette. You can choose up to two sauces.

It has a lot of drink options, but not your normal sodas. Cava has in-house options like classic lemonade, blueberry lavender, cucumber mint lime, pineapple apple mint, sweet tea and unsweetened black tea. It also has

in-house drink options.

Maine Root beverages which has an array of carbonated options. I mixed the classic lemonade and the cucumber mint lime. These two blended well together and tasted like the perfect summer

MADELON DAVIS / The Reveille

drink.

Overall, Cava is a great addition to Baton Rouge’s many options of fast-food restaurants. Cava will make you feel like you’re not even eating fast food.

REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU student balances goat on Oct. 12 at LSU’s UREC in Baton Rouge, La.

Cava’s

“LOUISIANA SLUT UNIVERSITY”

Sister Cindy returned to LSU’s campus on March 21 to preach her religious beliefs in Free Speech Alley.

PART TWO

“Hoes go to hell, gay or straight!”

LSU students watch Sister Cindy.

Sister Cindy preaches to LSU students.

Sister Cindy reads aloud from her bible.

Sister Cindy lectures students to, “Ho No Mo.”

Sister Cindy speaks to LSU students.

Photos by Reagan Cotten

“Hoes no mo!”

C l a s s i f ieds

SPORTS

SPRING CLEANING

Three position groups to watch this spring

BY HENRY HUBER @HenryHuber_

While the LSU football program sported more mystery heading into last season, there are still a few position groups that hold varying degrees of mystery to start Spring Camp.

Many of last season’s players, particularly on defense, either graduated or opted to enter the NFL Draft, leaving vacancies that needed to be filled over the offseason.

As LSU approaches fall camp in August, there will be a better idea of which players could headline each respective position.

Cornerbacks

When it came to the secondary last season, LSU had immaculate success operating within the transfer portal. Over the offseason, it landed five cornerbacks in Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Mekhi Garner, Sevyn Banks, Greg Brooks Jr. and Colby Richardson.

Apart from Banks, each player started a minimum of five games and was largely impactful, as its pass defense ultimately finished the season as the 32nd best pass defense in the country, surrendering just over 200 passing yards per game. Unfortunately, that group would only have one year on the field together, with each player graduating or forgoing their eligi-

VOLLEYBALL

bility to enter the NFL Draft. Fortunately, this offseason also produced the same recruiting success as the last one.

The LSU coaching staff landed four talented cornerbacks through the transfer portal alone. Denver Harris, Zy Alexander, JK Johnson and Duce Chestnut were all slated as four-star transfer prospects according to 247sports, with Harris

arguably sporting the most promise having been a five-star recruit in the Class of 2022.

Though the sophomore had his fair share of disciplinary problems as a freshman with Texas A&M, Kelly claims his coaching staff did their due-diligence and believes that the culture at LSU will help Harris mature.

“He had a lot of people speak

on his behalf [and had] a number of interviews with coach Matt House and myself,” Kelly said on Tuesday. “We felt with the culture in which we have put together here that he would make it here because the culture is really strong.”

It should be expected that

BASEBALL

No. 1 LSU baseball bounces back

BY COLE HERNANDEZ @Ct_hernandez

The top-ranked LSU Tigers defeated the Central Arkansas Bears with excellent defense and clutch home runs. Tuesday night’s matchup was the first ever meeting between the two schools.

Central Arkansas dropped to an 11-9 record and LSU improves to 19-2 on the season.

The Tigers’ offense scored the first three runs of the game. Junior centerfielder Dylan Crews blasted a two-run home run, his sixth of the season, in the bottom of the first inning. Junior catcher Alex Milazzo added another run to the lead in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice bunt.

The Bears’ offense responded in the fourth inning with a fourrun rally. Junior designated hitter Tyler Monroe smacked an RBI triple and then scored himself. Senior left fielder Dylan Cyr gave the Bears their only lead of the ball game with a two-run home run. Alex Box Stadium’s lack of noise began to show fans’ concern for the final score.

Sophomore right fielder Josh Pearson, who head coach Jay Johnson has voiced trust in, an-

No. 6 LSU beach volleyball goes 2-2 in weekend tournament

BY CHLOE RICHMOND @chlorichmond

No. 6 LSU beach volleyball traveled to compete against four teams in the March to May tournament this past weekend.

The March to May tournament takes place on the site of the NC Beach Volleyball Championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama, and features some of the nation’s top beach volleyball programs.

Five of the nine programs involved were among the top 10 in the nation and the Tigers got a stab at three of them: No. 10 Georgia State University, No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Florida State University. The fourth team LSU went head-to-head with was Mercer University.

The Tigers started the weekend of play against No. 10 Georgia State and No. 3 UCLA on Friday. Due to expected inclement weather toward the end of the day, the games were ended once a team reached three wins rather than playing out all five matches.

LSU won its morning match against Georgia State 3-0 with wins on Courts 2, 3 and 4. Courts 1 and 5 were marked as ‘Did Not Finish’ games.

Court 2 featured Parker Bracken and Grace Seits. The pair closed out the first set with an easy 21-8 win then went on to take the second set 21-17.

Ella Larkin and Lara Boos finished similarly on Court 3 with a 21-8 first set win, followed by a 21-12 second set win.

The deciding match came out of Court 3 from Reilly Allred and Hannah Brister. With a 2114, 21-18 straight-set win, the Tigers took the match over the Panthers.

Court 1 had Kylie DeBerg and Ellie Shank and Court 5 had Melia Lindner and Amber Haynes. DeBerg and Shank tied the match up after a 19-21, 2114 fight before the game was cut short. Lindner and Haynes lost a close first set at 19-21.

REVEILLE ARCHIVES

LSU football defensive back Greg Brooks Jr. (12) runs while being tackled April 7 during LSU’s spring practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille LSU beach volleyball junior Amber Hayes (12) hits the ball over the net on March 5 during LSU’s 5-0 win against North Alabama at the Beach Volleyball Stadium on Cypress Drive in Baton Rouge, La. see VOLLEYBALL, page 10

FOOTBALL, from page 9

those four transfers will see the field a lot this season, with each primed to land a starting role depending on how they do during the offseason. Fans may also see see sophomore Laterrance Welch and freshman Javien Toviano make an impact as well.

Defensive End

With longtime starting edge rushers BJ Ojulari and Ali Gaye exiting the program, Kelly would have his hands full when it came to replacing them. Through three seasons together, they combined for 215 total tackles and 23.5 sacks.

When it came down to filling their spots, LSU at least had re -

turnees it could turn to in Sai’vion Jones and former four-star prospect Quency Wiggins. But the LSU coaching staff still felt the need to recruit to position heavily for both depth and competition.

It brought in two touted freshmen in five-star Da’Shawn Womack and four-star Jaxon Howard from the 2023 class. Then over the offseason, it added an experienced starter in Texas transfer Ovie Oghoufo and Oregon transfer Bradyn Swinson, who played in 30 games with the Ducks as a rotational player.

LSU isn’t a stranger to having freshmen be impactful at the position and while Kelly cited the two transfers as the mix they were expecting to battle for a starting

hits and only two strikeouts.

role, he also hinted at the freshmen serving an impact. He added that Oghoufo had already gotten to work serving as a mentor to the younger players.

“Ovie [Oghoufo] has been really good as a leader and as a mentor right away to some of the younger players, and I think some of the young kids have shown themselves to be a little bit further along than we thought,” Kelly said. “That will be a position that continues to evolve.”

There are a lot of different combinations that could ultimately serve as LSU’s starting edge rushers and fans likely won’t have a concrete answer until fall camp.

Linebacker

The fact that this is the third

biggest question mark regarding position groups on the roster serves as a testament to how well LSU’s coaching staff has maintained its roster from last season.

Harold Perkins, Greg Penn and Oregon State transfer Omar Speights already look like clear candidates to man the three starting linebacker positions, but there are a few reasons this position group sports mystery.

For one, this group hasn’t yet been in game action together. Perkins did start in eight games last season but served more as an edge rusher/outside linebacker than his natural position at inside linebacker. Though Omar Speights was one of the best defensive players in the PAC-12 last season, it will

take some adjusting to effectively operate in the SEC.

With Micah Baskerville, Mike Jones Jr. and Demario Tolan all exiting the program, this group lacks proven depth. Other than West Weeks, who was a considerable rotational player last season, there aren’t many clear rotational players on the roster. West’s brother Whit Weeks could also serve as a backup, but there isn’t much depth other than that.

With that in mind, this should still be one of the best linebacker groups in college football next season. Penn is already an established starter with the program, and Perkins and Speights are proven talents that should quickly adjust.

swered the rally with an RBI single to third base.

In the second half of the ball game, LSU’s bats were too much for the Bears’ pitching. After walks from freshman designated hitter Jared Jones and junior left fielder Brayden Jobert, junior shortstop Jordan Thompson lined a three-run home run, his second of the season, to give the Tigers a 7-4 lead.

LSU’s offense put three insurance runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning, all of which were unearned. Crews scored on a balk, and Jobert reached on a throwing error by catcher Noah Argenta which scored junior first baseman Tre’ Morgan and senior second baseman Gavin Dugas. This score of 10-4 going into the seventh inning held until the end of the ninth.

Johnson and his coaching staff went with junior right-handed pitcher Blake Money to start the game. This was his first start of the season. Money retired his first nine batters of the ball game before he allowed that four-run rally in the fourth inning. He was relieved after 3.2 innings and allowed four runs on three

VOLLEYBALL, from page 9

After LSU took the match 3-0 over Georgia State, the sand was prepared for the Tigers’ next match against the Bruins.

The Sandy Tigs went up against a more challenging opponent in No. 3 UCLA and were met with a 3-0 deficit. UCLA pulled wins off on Courts 1, 2 and 5 while Courts 3 and 4 were marked DNF.

The first game to finish came from Court 1. DeBerg and Shank lost in straight sets against the Bruins with the first set ending at 16-21 and the second set ending at 19-21.

Court 2 featuring Seits and Bracken ended with identical sets. The Bruins took sets one and two 21-16 to put UCLA up 2-0 over LSU.

The deciding match was on Court 5 with Lindner and Haynes. Set one ended at 16-21 in favor of

Freshman left-hander Griffin Herring provided the Tigers’ defense with 2.1 solid innings of pitching following Money’s performance. He only allowed one hit with three strikeouts and was credited with his first win of the season.

Central Arkansas used four pitchers in the first six innings of the game.

LSU’s offense ranks No. 1 one in scoring average. The Tigers’ most consistent hitter, Crews, extended his hit streak to 19 games. He is also the best in the country for on-base percentage. Third baseman Tommy White, who was named SEC player of the week, leads the nation in RBIs per game.

Defensively, LSU ranks No. 1 in shutouts and hits allowed. The Tigers sit at No. 2 in fielding percentage.

Next up for LSU baseball will be a three-game series in Alex Box Stadium against the Arkansas Razorbacks which begins Friday at 7 p.m.

The Tigers will be looking for revenge after a series sweep for the Razorbacks in Arkansas last year. This was the first time since 2011 Arkansas had swept LSU baseball in a three-game series.

the Bruins and set two followed with a more hard-fought battle. The second set went into extra points, but in the end, UCLA took it 22-20 to secure the match over the Tigers.

Allred and Brister lost the first set on Court 3, 15-21, before it was cut short. The one set LSU was able to take from the Bruins came from Larkin and Boos on Court 4. The pair took the first set 21-19 before the game was stopped.

The Tigers’ 3-0 loss to the Bruins concluded their first day of play in the March to May tournament.

Saturday’s gameplay for LSU started with an early match against Florida State. The Tigers have a long history with the Seminoles, including a meeting in the tournament last season.

Regular gameplay resumed on Saturday with all five matches being played out. Despite hard efforts from the Tigers, Florida

State walked away with a 3-2 win over LSU.

Court 5 with Lindner and Haynes was the first of the match to finish. The Tigers fell in straight sets with the first set ending at 21-19 and the second set ending at 21-15 in favor of the Seminoles.

The next match to finish was on Court 4 with Larkin and Boos.

The Tigers took the first set 21-17 before a tie-breaking third was forced after Florida State took the second set 22-20. The third set was a close battle but ended in favor of the Seminoles at 1512.

LSU’s first win of the match came from Court 1. DeBerg and Shank won the first set 21-17 and went on to take the second set 24-22.

Another LSU win followed after the conclusion of Court 1’s game with Brister and Allred going to three sets on Court 3. The first set was a 21-19 Tiger win,

then the Seminoles walked away with an easy 21-12 win in the second set. A tie-breaking third was underway and LSU was down 8-10 before pushing through to take the set 16-14. The win on Court 3 tied the match 2-2, resting the decision for the winner on Court 2.

Seits and Bracken battled it out and managed to push Florida State to three sets on Court 2. After losing the first set 13-21, the Tiger duo took the second set in extra points at 22-20. The third set ended 15-11 in favor of the Seminoles, giving Florida State the 3-2 win.

LSU closed out its weekend play with a match against Mercer. The Tigers came out with a 5-0 sweep, taking each game in straight sets.

Boos’ closed out the weekend of play strong with a 21-13, 21-12 straight-set win over Mercer on Court 4. Cassidy Chambers took to the sand for the

first time over the weekend with Lindner, and the duo closed out their match on Court 5 with a 2117, 21-14 win.

Brister and Allred finished up on Court 3 with a 21-17, 21-12 win. DeBerg and Shank followed similarly with a 21-12, 21-16 win on Court 1.

The final game for the Tigers was on Court 2. Seits and Bracken handled the Bears with ease and closed out the match with a 21-16, 21-14 win.

LSU went 2-2 on the weekend with one win over a top-10 opponent. The Tigers now sit at 13-4 overall on the season.

The Sandy Tigs return home this weekend for another Tiger Beach Challenge. LSU will see some familiar faces from the season in Florida State, the University of New Orleans and the University of Southern Mississippi, along with new opponents in Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the University of Washington.

BASEBALL, from page 9

MORGAN COOK / The Reveille

LSU baseball junior first baseman Tre’ Morgan (18) bats March 5 during LSU baseball’s 13-0 victory over Central Connecticut State at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.

‘Follow the Science’ mentality was wrong about COVID-19

To discuss politics or current events is to engage with buzzwords, each of which signal a set of socially embedded meanings and subsequent emotions. Take “critical race theory,” for example; to some, CRT means an analytical lens through which to accurately read history, especially U.S. history. For others, CRT is taken to mean the indoctrination of young people in K-12 schools, or the ideology of America-hating Marxists.

There are plenty of other examples: “woke,” “Black Lives Matter,” “Make America Great Again” – each used as a certain linguistic sign unique to one’s worldview. Some are more innocuous than others.

One of the more harmful – or even dangerous – of these is “follow the science.” Coined during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic by science journalist Faye Flam, the phrase was intended to be a reminder for people to heed the conclusions provided by apolitical scientific evidence. Predictably, though, the term was appropriated and then weaponized by opposing forces in American political discourse, both of which claimed to have data and reason on their side.

One side of this debate were those who trusted American institutions, from the media to academia, and were thus frightened by COVID-19. These people seemed to believe that, at least when it came to public health, the government and its employees wouldn’t lie to everyday Americans. (At least when it came to novel coronaviruses, apparently.)

The other was those who were skeptical of the voracity and honesty of mainstream media, and who thought that shutting down the economy or handing out stimulus checks were bad ideas.

The former group – for convenience’s sake, let’s call them believers – liked to shout at the latter any number of emotionally charged arguments: that there were plenty of studies indicating the benefits of mask-wearing, the devastating number of coronavirus fatalities or that there was no evidence to suggest that the pandemic originated in a gain of function research lab in Wuhan.

The latter group – let’s call them skeptics – liked to yell at the former that the studies the believers cited were based on junk science; that it was likely that COVID-19 deaths were being overreported; or that common sense would suggest that it was at least likely that the novel coronavirus was the result of a lab leak.

Now that the dust has settled and the pandemic, for all intents and purposes is over, the verdict about who was right is in: Though their own logic (or lack thereof) is often flawed, the skeptics’ beliefs were more legitimate than not.

Here are four of the most prominent examples: First, when mRNA vaccines were first administered to the public, it was claimed that the jabs were up to five times more effective at protecting people than natural immunity. That claim has now been proven starkly wrong. According

to a study from Israel, of those who contracted COVID-19, vaccinated people were 27 times more likely to be symptomatic than unvaccinated people who had natural immunity through a previous infection.

Second, in 2021, it was claimed that there was no chance that COVID-19 originated from a biomedical lab in Wuhan, China. Now, at least in the opinion of the Department of Energy, is that COVID-19 “most likely” originated from a Chinese gain of function research lab, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Third, the issue of masks. Before the pandemic, there was little to no evidence to indicate that wearing a mask prevented the transmission of respiratory illnesses. But when the pandemic began, the data magically changed: masks were the difference between life and death. According to the believers, you were, at most, responsible for the sickness and even death of others; you were, at least, completely disrespectful of the health of others.

that they are necessarily incompetent – although some are, to be sure. Rather, the explanation lies in some combination of two possible explanations: that ensconced bureaucrats are likely to manipulate data and its subsequent public messaging in order to cover their own mistakes or that there is a general confusion about what public health policy is or should be.

In no person is the ensconced bureaucrat more embodied than Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, and posterchild of believer policy making. In epidemiologist Martin Kulldorf and physician Jay Bhattacharya’s opinions, Fauci has been downright wrong on almost every single COVID-19 policy – from natural immunity to protecting the elderly to school closures to masks to contract tracing to collateral public health damage (such as the effects of lockdowns on mental health).

everything we do. Unintentional injuries are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the CDC. It shouldn’t – it can’t – be the responsibility of the government to protect from every risky activity in which we freely participate.

True, there are reasons for them to limit dangerous activity (speed limit signs are a good example), but the idea that they can police micro-decisions an individual makes is to err on the side of authoritarianism. And when it comes to COVID-19 policy, to try and force someone to wear something like an altogether useless piece of cloth over one’s face is just a silly case of governmental helicopter parenting.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Josh Archote Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor Hannah Michel Hanks

Claire Sullivan News Editor

Now, however, a definitive study by Cochrane, which is considered one of the gold standard medical journals, has shown that wearing a mask “probably makes little or no difference” in reducing the spread of illness. In other words, the scientific opinion that once ruled has returned to its rightful place as the consensus scientific opinion.

Fourth, the problem of overestimating the dangers of COVID-19. According to Robin Dretler, a physician at Emory University, it is possible that up to 90% of those who are in the hospital for COVID-19 are actually in the hospital for some other reason. Those people hospitalized for COVID-19 are likely in the hospital for something else, not COVID-19nor respiratory illness.

Why is it that the believers were so wrong? Was it simply an inability to read the available data? Or something else?

As far as I can tell, it’s not

Whether Fauci is corrupt or simply incompetent isn’t clear, but his connections to the Wuhan lab (he allocated a significant amount of NIH grant money to Wuhan) from which COVID-19 likely leaked makes the former a possibility.

But what is clear is the way in which Fauci has appropriated buzzwords such as “follow the science” for his own purposes. In June 2021, Fauci pompously claimed that anyone disagreeing with him was synonymous with disagreeing with “science.” “Science” in this case is apparently some sort of empirical law determined by the god-king-doctor Fauci.

Another possibility is that Fauci and other public officials have missed the point of their jobs: not to completely eradicate COVID-19, as California Governor Gavin Newsom suggested – an impossibility – but rather mitigate the risks to those who are most vulnerable, in this case the elderly and those with other afflictions.

There is an inherent risk in

This fact, however, is something that a now blasé phrase like “follow the science” can’t accurately convey – especially when it’s appropriated by political actors with sketchy motivations. Science itself is simply a logical conclusion based upon observation and empirical evidence. It’s necessarily devoid of any real qualitative analysis –analysis that only a set of morally embedded beliefs can reach.

We should recognize pleas to “follow the science,” then, with skepticism, just as we might with any other buzzword circulating in our cultural zeitgeist. There’s no actual capital-S “Science” that exists; it’s always tainted with some element of the human. It’s the parsing of the quantitative, the empirical, from the qualitative and the human that’s the tricky part.

Editorial Policies and Procedures Quote of the Week

“I used to be a bad girl at the University of Florida.”

John Buzbee

Deputy

Editor Gabby Jimenez

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.

Sister Cindy Smock American Evangelist 1959 — present

Benjamin Haines is a 24-yearold history graduate student from Shreveport.