Several Tiger Trails routes killed then revived, for now...
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Carlos Reina-Flores, a 30-yearold studying pre-cardiopulmonary science, can’t legally drive a car because of a traumatic brain injury. He also can’t safely walk or bike to campus.
That means a sudden decision by LSU Parking and Transportation Services to cut the bus route that stops by his home left him in a lurch.
He moved from Honduras and lives with his grandma. Tiger Trails, LSU’s bus system, stopping close to his home made coming to LSU possible.
“If I knew this before, one of two things would’ve happened,” Reina-Flores said. “I wouldn’t have come to LSU, or I would’ve looked for a different place and restructured my life.”
But Reina-Flores and other students caught off guard by the cancellation of the Garden District bus route found relief shortly before the start of the fall semester. On Friday afternoon, Parking and Transportation Services announced it would restore the bus route starting Monday, the first day of classes, until the end of the fall semester—with some modifications.
Service will run 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. with pick-up and drop-off every 50 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic, the email said. Riders can see real-time updates on the bus’ location through the Transloc app.
Parking and Transportation acknowledged in its Friday email that its decision left some riders without much time to plan.
“Parking and Transportation Services understands that our communications about the cancellation of the Garden District Route may have not made it to you,” the email read. “Additionally, we understand there is a need for more time to plan for this disruption in each of your lives.”
It’s the second time in recent weeks the university has reversed its decision to terminate routes after complaints from students.
Brian Favela, the director of Parking and Transportation Services, said routes were modified or removed because they were “underutilized.” According to him, the low ridership created too high of a cost disparity, with the passenger cost per trip on the Garden District route being 1.9 times the average of the rest of the routes.
Regardless of the ridership, many along the route find the bus essential. And though it’s been restored for a few more months, its abrupt termination shocked some riders.
Spenser Biernacki, a 29-yearold biology doctoral student who lives in the Garden District, was heading to campus in mid-July and opened the TransLoc app to
check the bus’ status, only to be greeted by a notification claiming the route would be shut down on Aug. 11. Biernacki said she then got on the bus, where a small flier with the same warning was posted on the vehicle’s interior.
Biernacki was especially confused by the cancellation because of a conversation she had with Parking and Transportation months prior. Biernacki said she heard a rumor about the Garden District route being canceled from a bus driver in October 2022 and immediately emailed Parking and Transportation to confirm if it was true.
The next day, the director of Parking and Transportation, Favela, responded with an adamant denial of the rumor. He also claimed that if that decision was ever made, Parking and Transportation would be the ones to notify people.
“PTS is committed to communicating any planned changes in a timely manner, and if any changes were to occur, those communications will come directly from my office,” Favela said.
Biernacki said Favela’s reassurance from months earlier made Parking and Transportation’s handling of the situation even more disheartening.
“It just seems like they don’t care,” Biernacki said.
After finding out about the route termination, Biernacki reached out to as many fellow grad students and Garden District residents as possible to make sure people knew about the change. For Samantha Rutledge, a 24-yearold graduate student working as the curator of birds for the LSU Natural Science Museum, this was how she learned the news.
“There was a small flier on the bus. I didn’t really read it in full because I was just kind of like, it’s just background info,” said Rutledge. “But other than that, there wasn’t any announcement that I saw. It was just kind of put there on the bus by itself, and if you saw, it you saw it.”
Rutledge said the flier and app notification were insufficient means to warn the Garden District community and speculated that there are many people who only found out about the closure when the bus stopped coming.
Rutledge feels far more warning should have been provided, because the lack of bus transportation is a significant problem for many people in the Garden District. She said owning a car is nearly impossible for her and many other grad students because of the low university salary they receive. Without the bus, Rutledge said she will have to take a 15-to-20-minute bike ride to campus every day.
“It’s a problem on days where there’s bad weather, or if you’re too sick to do that,” Rutledge said about the issue of relying on a
bike.
Other routes brought back from the dead
The Garden District wasn’t the only route the university recently killed and then revived. The Tigerland A and B routes were removed at the beginning of the summer semester and reintroduced on Aug. 14, a week before classes began, as the NicholsonRiver Road A and B routes.
According to Favela, the new route will “connect Tigerland residents with the campus through the Nicholson Gateway Community and into the core of campus on North Stadium Drive.”
As with the Garden District cancellation, some riders felt they were given little to no notice about the change.
“One day I came to the bus stop, but I waited for like 20 minutes. I thought there was a problem with my network or my phone,” Mohsena Lopa, a 30-yearold engineering science doctoral student living in Tigerland, told the Reveille in July about the day she learned the routes were no longer in service. “If you are starting service or stopping service, there should be some head’s up.”
Lopa came to LSU from Bangladesh in spring 2023. Like many other international students living in Tigerland, Lopa said she doesn’t have a car due to practicality and cost issues. Without many other options and classes that still needed attending, she began walking to campus in the summer heat.
Lopa walked to her office in the Alex Box stadium almost every weekday without the bus. She said one trip took 50 minutes at minimum. She usually stayed at her office for eight to ten hours at a time, so she walked with three bags containing her laptop, food and other essentials. Additionally, the intense summer heat, which usually sits comfortably in the 90’s, and occasional storms often made the trek far more difficult, she said.
“There’s no shade on the walk, so you can’t even wait anywhere when it’s raining,” Lopa said. “It’s too hard.”
“I thought that it would be easy for me to use the Tigerland bus to help find out where buildings are and get to campus. But suddenly I noticed the buses stopped,” 25-year-old Faud Hasan said.
After only living in the U.S. for a couple of months, Hasan used the bus routes to plan his living situation for the school year. Hasan is a Bangladeshi engineering student studying for his doctorate, and this summer was his first semester at LSU.
The updated routes will run Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and make the following stops, according to Parking and Transportation:
Nicholson-River Road A
1. South Gate Outbound
2. Nicholson-Bob Pettit
3. Oakbrook (Outbound)
4. Campus Crossing
5. Varn Villa
6. Blox
7. Brightside View
8. Park & Geaux Hub
9. North Stadium Drive (New stop)
Nicholson-River Road B
1. Brightside View
2. Blox
3. Varn Villa
4. Campus Crossing
5. Oakbrook (Inbound)
6. Nicholson-Jennifer Jean
7. South Gate Inbound
8. North Stadium Drive (New stop)
9. Park & Geaux
Students can submit complaints to Parking and Transportation through an online form. They can also contact the Reveille about transportation issues at editor@lsu.edu or through the anonymous tip form at LSUReveille.com.
Claire Sullivan contributed reporting to this story.
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Roy Haggerty, LSU Vice President and Provost, used ChatGPT to make the syllabus for the class he’s teaching about articifial intelligence. He said it saved him hours.
The class, called HNRS 3035, is designed to teach students the ethics, the real-world applications and the development of large language models, a variety of AI akin to ChatGPT. The class was announced via email in late July.
Haggerty personally oversaw the course’s creation in response to the “world changing” after the widespread release of ChatGPT late last year.
“Tools existed prior to ChatGPT being released, but what ChatGPT did was democratize access to these kinds of models, meaning that all of a sudden, essentially the entire world had access,” Haggerty said.
He said he spent many weekends and evenings learning about ChatGPT under the pretext that large language models held tremendous potential to complement applications in higher education. Every part of day-to-day work can benefit from it, he said, for faculty and students alike.
Haggerty explained this by providing a hypothetical he believes is a realistic possibility:
He said the university could benefit from a large language model, which he dubbed MikeGPT for the sake of example, that could prowl LSU’s multitudes of publicly accessible documents to provide users with information that should be theoretically accessible but are hard to locate or understand.
“It’s a very, very rapidly evolving field,” Haggerty said. “One of the best ways to help position LSU
to take advantage of AI would be for us to have a real world class on AI here. Why I’m teaching it personally is because I’d like to develop the LSU capacity in artificial intelligence for practical use at the university.”
Haggerty said he’s aware of the piling worries and criticisms that a large number of professors hold over these rapidly evolving technologies, many of whom saw
FITZMORRIStheir syllabuses’ plagiarism and academic dishonesty clauses disenfranchised overnight.
“The better way to look at these is ‘How can I teach the students to use these technologies responsibly,’” Haggerty said.
He said AI’s emergence in the classroom is similar to the introduction of the calculator when he
LSU’s latest class of freshmen was just settling into campus Aug, 14 when Louisiana’s governor issued a state of emergency over the extreme heat.
The Bayou State is used to high temperatures, but this summer has been abnormally hot. Baton Rouge was one area of the state to see two record-breaking months of heat in a row.
The heat killed at least 16 people in June and July, and those two months alone put more people in emergency departments for heat-related causes than the average year does.
“This declaration will allow the state to mobilize resources and aid those most affected,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said. “Please continue to take precautions when you are outside and check on neighbors who might need assistance.”
“A state of emergency is an administrative step that authorizes the use of state resources to aid in emergency response efforts,” according to the governor’s office. Updates will be provided by Edwards and the Governor’s
see EXTREME HEAT, page 4 see AI, page 4
BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN LOUISIANA ILLUMINATOR
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is trading Congress for college — at least for a few hours each week.
This fall semester, the Baton Rouge Republican will be teaching a 2000-level class at LSU’s Ogden Honors College. The course, taught alongside adjunct bioethics instructor Dr. Mike Rolfsen, is called National Issues: Strategies and Tactics.
The class will give students “the rare opportunity to engage in open dialogues with Senator Cassidy, gaining unique perspectives from his distinguished career in public service,” according to an email sent to students Friday.
The senator will be paid $10,000 for the semester, according to LSU media relations coordinator Abbi Rocha Laymoun. Cassidy’s annual salary is $174,000 as a member of Congress.
Cassidy previously received $20,000 a year to teach for LSU’s medical school.
Cassidy will discuss “the intri-
cacies of policymaking, the legislative process, and the impact of effective governance on society,” focusing on issues like national security, climate change, foreign policy and trade,” the email said.
The course seeks to build students’ communication and advocacy skills, analyze national issues, assess the consequences of proposed policy solutions and mirror real policymaking by encouraging teamwork and diverse perspectives, the email said.
The course will run around three hours every Friday at the college and count as a general education credit.
“The best honors colleges are laboratories for innovative and unique courses like the one taught by Senator Cassidy,” Jonathan Earle, dean of LSU’s Honors College, said in a statement. “This class is a tremendous opportunity for our students, as we welcome the largest and most academically talented freshman class in our college’s history.”
LSU’s course catalog shows the 18-person class filled up shortly
after the class was broadcasted to students.
Cassidy earned his bachelor’s and medical degrees from LSU. It’s
not the first time he’s returned to his alma mater as a teacher; before becoming a senator, Cassidy helped train medical students at
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans.
This report originally appeared in the Louisiana Illuminator.
EXTREME HEAT, from page 3
Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
The record-number of excessive heat warnings have been worsened by minimal rain that has led to drought conditions. The Louisiana state fire marshall declared a state-wide burn ban
was a child. It was true that calculators made doing long addition mentally harder but it was more practical to use a calculator for the sake of furthering mental capacities in other ways, he said.
Leveraging AI in the classroom is like the calculator, he said, adding it’s true that many large language models suffer unignorable flaws, like ChatGPT’s tendencies to fabricate references or make up information.
He said by front-running the class, he said, LSU can trailblaze in an industry that’s here to stay.
“The reason I’m teaching this class is to try to seed the local economy with individuals who are knowledgeable about this topic. In the end of this we’ll have a dozen to 20 students, mostly graduating seniors, who understand how to deploy and develop large language models,” Haggarty said.
James Ghawaly, a senior AI and machine learning research
earlier in August because of the extreme dryness.
As LSU freshmen partake in Welcome Week activities and upperclassmen move back to campus, there are a few key safety tips they should keep in mind, per the Louisiana Department of Health:
Drink plenty of water; avoid
scientist at the Stevenson Disaster Management Institute, will be the class’s technically-focused professor. Ghawaly said by the end of class students will have made working AI models usable by the university and local businesses.
Henry Hays, a disruptive innovation entrepreneur and AI consultant for business will be the class’s business focused professor. Hays said the response he received after contacting large local businesses seeking AI help through LSU’s class was overwhelming.
Ghawaly and Hays will do most of the class’s teaching, Haggerty said.
Ghawaly said the class will kick off with an introduction to machine learning, followed by how Python coding relates to large language models and a dive into concepts like neural networks and deep learning as they relate to AI.
Enrolled students are not required to have a background in coding or AI, Ghawaly said.
alcohol and caffeine, which can cause dehydration.
Wear sunscreen with at least SPF 15; apply 30 minutes before going outside.
Wear loose, light-colored clothing.
Take breaks from being outdoors.
Never leave pets or children
They will work in teams made up primarily of business and computer science students, Hays said, and the entire class is project based. There will be two projects directly related to LSU, and there are two pending projects related to local businesses, he added.
Hays emphasized how important it was for young professionals to know how these systems worked as they enter the workforce because they’ll be expected to know.
All three of the class’ instructors said that LSU was the only university they were aware of that offered a class of this caliber.
Going forward, all of them believe, to some degree, the class will continue as a mainstay course.
“This isn’t going away is the understatement of the year,” Hays said. “I suspect that the idea of this class, the collaboration, bringing in different resources and parts of the university to assist the students’ learning will only grow from here.”
in cars.
Heat-related illness can range in severity and symptoms.
Heat exhaustion may come with muscle spasms, clammy skin, dizziness or headaches. If you or someone else is experiencing these symptoms, sip water and move to a cooler place.
Heat stroke, which can be
deadly, may include symptoms of a fast pulse, hot skin, high body temperature, confusion, nausea and more. Call 911 if you or someone else experiences these symptoms.
The state of emergency will be in place until Saturday, Sept. 9, unless Gov Edwards ends it sooner.
BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN @sulliclaire
For LSU students syllabus week will be a sweet return— before assignments, quizzes and exams creep up and suddenly you’re desperate for that workplace that’s just right.
With 35,000 students, there’s a lot of people looking for a place to study. Maybe you’re a freshman still figuring out campus, or maybe you’re an upperclassman yet to find that place that’s just right to sit down and concentrate.
Regardless, here’s the Reveille’s guide to the best study spots on campus, depending on your vibe and how you work best.
Some people can’t study with any noise or distractions. In that case, the upper levels of the LSU Library might be right for you.
The first floor, and even sometimes the second, can sometimes be chatty or full of people filing in and out. The third and fourth floor, however, offer a nice reprieve for those who want a distraction-free study space. You can even rent a little room just for you if you want the ultimate alone time. (Or, if you want a place for a group project.)
The third floor is good for those who like it quiet but not so quiet you feel like you’re making too much noise breathing. The fourth floor is for the quietest of the quiet. It’s a good place for highly concentrated work.
If you like a little company, you can study with a dinosaur. The Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex has tables and chairs, and the museum vibe sets a good tone for working. It’s generally a quiet place to work, though you may see some tour guides showing off our prehistoric model.
If you live on campus, the dorms also have study spaces and computer labs that make nice places to work. On-campus apartments have recreation centers with computers and tables (though you might be interrupted by ping-pong players).
For those who like to work with others or be around people as you work individually, there are a few spots on campus that might do the trick.
One is the Art and Design Building. You can get some yummy bites or coffee at City Pork and sit down inside or outside (when it’s not oppressively hot). You can also see the sculpture grounds and take a
Chairs sit beside one another on April 25, in the LSU UREC. break on the swingset.
Another option is Patrick F. Taylor Hall, home to the College of Engineering. This is especially good for STEM majors who might already be in the area for classes. PFT has a Panera Bread where you can refuel in between classes or assignments. There’s people around you, but it tends to be on the quieter side depending where you sit. (And it’s a huge, relatively new building, so there’s plenty of corners to explore.)
The Student Union is another classic choice to get some work done, but if you don’t like being in noisy crowds, you might be better off avoiding the food court area, especially during lunch time.
The first floor of the library is a good mix of quiet and chat. There’s a CC’s Coffeehouse if you need some energy or snacks, and plenty of comfy chairs. There’s also computers, printing and a host of other resources.
Highland Coffees, just steps off campus, is a good public working space if you need caffeine or the eyes of others to get your work done.
But there’s one work space that rules supreme (sources say), and that’s the Reveille newsroom. It’s available for Reveille staffers, and conveniently, spots are still open for our news and investigations staff. Apply at LSUReveille.com
A24’s newest horror movie shows what happens when you mess with the other side.
“Talk to Me” follows Mia, a high schooler who is still trying to grasp the loss of her mother. Her friends Hayley and Joss have been going around playing with a cremated hand that allows them to talk to the dead, connecting their world to the other side.
Mia starts seeing her mother the more she talks to the other side, but the more she opens to the other side, evil starts to take over.
The movie was directed by Danny and Michael Philippou. The brothers started out making YouTube videos and now have their first film out in theaters.
The casting for the movie was great. Everyone played their roles to perfection from Mia played by Sophie Wilde, to her best friend Jade played by Alexandra Jensen, even to Miranda Otto who played her mom Sue.
My big criticism of the movie was that I didn’t think it was scary, jump-scare wise. Now this isn’t a bad thing.
Scary movies are not all about jump-scares. Sometimes you walk out feeling uneasy and disturbed from what you saw. I can say that “Talk to Me” left me feeling like that.
The production of the film was awesome, especially for it being their first film.
The shots of each one of them being possessed were amazing. Changing camera angles really changed the entire shot.
The most disturbing parts of the movie included not only Mia, but the character Riley played by Joe Bird.
Riley was practically a brother to Mia, and seeing him get entagled in what she was messing with made it more disheartening.
The scenes of Riley were disturbing. Moments felt so real at times that I felt uncomfortable.
One scene alone made the movie all the more horrifying: when Mia sees the underworld. The mix of production and sound used was phenomenal. There hasn’t been a horror movie that made me feel like that since “Hereditary,” so I was pleasantly surprised by how well the scene was directed and shot to give it that eerie, unsettling feeling.
While “Talk to Me” may not
For LSU football, the secondary has been regarded by many as its biggest weakness entering the season.
Even though the Tigers have been nicknamed “DBU,” many people aren’t confident that LSU can hold its own in the secondary.
However, this defensive back unit is underrated and has potential to outperform expectations. The secondary is similar to how it was built last year, and that was through the transfer portal. The Tigers lost multiple defensive backs to the NFL, such as Jay Ward, Colby Richardson, Jarrick-Bernard Converse and Mekhi Garner, but they reloaded this offseason.
LSU added cornerbacks Zy Alexander from Southeastern Louisiana, Duce Chestnut from Syracuse, Denver Harris from Texas A&M, Andre’ Sam from Marshall, and JK Johnson from Ohio State, who is currently injured.
Alexander, a 6-foot-2 lengthy cornerback with three years of college experience, had four pass deflections and three interceptions last season. He took two of them back for touchdowns and showed off his shutdown ability at the FCS level, earning him a spot at LSU.
Chestnut is someone who brings tremendous play recognition and tight coverage. His ball skills are his biggest strength, as he had four interceptions and nine pass deflections in his career at Syracuse.
Another strength is his tackling ability. Adding that with
RECRUITING
his already lockdown coverage, he shows why he was one of the best corners in the Atlantic Coast Conference for two years.
Harris came over from Texas A&M as a five-star recruit only appearing in five games, due
to being suspended twice. Although he didn’t see the field much last season, his talent as a corner is undeniable. Being ranked the No. 2 corner as a transfer, according to 247sports, the Tigers are adding a talent-
ed player. He has a nose for the football as he is constantly looking to jar the ball loose and isn’t afraid to tackle in the open field.
see POTENTIAL, page 10
LSU football had its final practice of fall camp Saturday, running through drills and scrimmaging in front of former players and families in Tiger Stadium.
With two weeks until it kicks off its first game against Florida State Sept. 3, LSU now transitions into normal practice and game preparation.
The team finished Saturday’s practice with a scrimmage following the normal warmups and drill work, giving one final look at how the first team offense and defense lines up before the first game. Here are some observations from the practice.
Harris was absent from LSU’s team picture last week, and had missed three prior practices. Brian Kelly gave an update on Harris’ status Wednesday, saying that the sophomore defensive back was “handling some personal matters.”
Kelly also added that Harris could be back this weekend, which was the case at Saturday’s practice. At practice, he was running with the third-team defense, where he has spent much of fall camp.
The defensive backfield has become one of LSU’s biggest
FOOTBALL seeBREAKDOWN, page 10
The 2023 summer has just about come to a close, and the 2024 LSU Football recruiting class has shaped up to be one of the best in the country thus far.
Not only have the Tigers reached into other states to grab some elite talent, but they’ve also been able to lock down the state of Louisiana in order to keep some of the best recruits in the state home.
According to 247sports, LSU’s class of 2024 is ranked seventh in the recruiting class team rankings. The Tigers currently hold 23 commitments: 14 of those being from Louisi-
ana. Since June 1, LSU landed 11 commitments.
With the 2023 summer in the books, here’s 10 LSU commits in the 2024 class that are expected to have a big senior season this fall.
All Rankings are via 247sports.
Caden Durham No. 94 overall recruit in the country
Durham is LSU’s highest rated commit, according to the 247sports composite rankings.
Many consider him to be LSU’s biggest recruiting victory this year, as the running back from powerhouse Duncanville High School committed to the Ti-
gers over Oklahoma and Texas A&M. He also held over 30 offers in his recruitment, and he is also being recruited for track at LSU as well.
Four-star Cornerback Cai Bates No. 106 overall recruit in the country Bates is arguably one of LSU’s biggest victories on the recruiting trail, as he held over 40 offers throughout his recruitment. He committed to LSU on July 26. In his junior season, he intercepted four passes and broke up another seven. On offense, he caught 17 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown.
Four-star Safety
Dashawn McBryde No. 115 overall recruit in the country
McBryde committed to the Tigers on April 22. In his junior season at Denham Springs, he finished with nine interceptions. He held offers from Ole Miss, Tennessee, Florida and more.
Four-star Wide Receiver
Kylan Billiot
No. 279 overall recruit in the country
Billiot had a stellar performance at LSU’s Elite Camp in June, which allowed the Tigers to extend him an offer. Just four days later, on June 14, he committed to LSU, and quickly became one of Louisiana’s top
recruits.
Four-star Athlete Michael Turner No. 378 overall recruit in the country
LSU added speed with Turner’s commitment. After attending a camp this summer, where he ran a sub-4.3 second 40-yard dash, LSU was quick to extend an offer. He committed to the Tigers on June 23.
Four-star Safety Joel Rogers No. 281 overall recruit in the country Rogers was being heavily recruited by both LSU and Ala-
UP-AND-COMING, from page 9
bama, but the Tigers got him to stay home with a commitment on June 12.
Four-star Quarterback
Colin Hurley
No. 315 overall recruit in the country
Hurley reclassified to the Class of 2024 from the Class of 2025. The talent speaks for itself, as he was an Elite 11 finalist, and held 25 offers in his recruitment, which should technically only be heading into his junior season. He’ll be 16 years old when he starts college classes, so he is expected
to redshirt as a true freshman.
Four-star Cornerback
Ondre Evans
No. 200 overall recruit in the country
Evans is another recruit LSU snagged from an opposing SEC state, and the talent is definitely there. After LSU offered Evans on June 2, it got him to commit on his official visit on June 15.
Three-star Linebacker
Davhon Keys
No. 435 overall recruit in the country
Keys’ commitment was a huge recruiting victory, espe -
cially because of the area he comes from. The Dallas/Fort Worth region is arguably one of the most talented regions in the country for football, and LSU added a recruit that plays at what is run like a college program in Aledo High School.
Three-star EDGE Ahmad Breaux
No. 675 overall recruit in the country
Breaux committed to Duke on January 26. But after an unofficial visit to LSU on March 4, the Tigers extended him an offer. That’s all it took for Breaux to flip his commitment to LSU just a day later.
POTENTIAL, from page 9
What these additions do for the roster is add much-needed depth. It was noticeable that last year’s problems were depth in the secondary due to either injuries or inexperience. Adding players from the transfer portal who are not only talented but experienced as well, seals up those gaps in the secondary.
While injuries to Johnson and Sage Ryan have hurt that depth, when everyone is healthy, LSU is deep in the secondary.
These defensive backs brought through the transfer portal are full of talent whether it’s four and five-star recruits or players who made their respective all-conference teams. Something important when adding transfers to a roster and looking for an immediate impact is experience.
Alexander started the last season at Southeastern Louisiana. Chestnut was a two-year starter at Syracuse and has shown to separate himself from the others as a starting corner, being able to win reps against a talented receiver core at practice.
Sam the most notable of the transfers, started 48 games at McNeese State and Marshall in his career. He will be going into his sixth year of college football. Having that playing experience goes a long way with a unit that lost a lot.
BREAKDOWN, from page 9
concerns entering the season, and that continued despite Harris’ return. Sage Ryan ran with the first team at boundary corner, but left practice early with an apparent left arm injury. Ryan and Zy Alexander started with the first team during the scrimmage, with Duce Chestnut replacing the injured Ryan.
Ryan is now the second no -
table injury in the secondary after JK Johnson’s foot injury earlier in camp. Freshman Ashton Stamps also rotated with the first team at corner, but spent most of the scrimmage with the second team.
The defensive backs struggled against LSU’s wide receivers during one-on-one drills, but forced more incompletions during the scrimmage. Greg Brooks Jr., Andre Sam and Ma-
jor Burns all rotated with the first team at safety.
The biggest takeaway of the scrimmage was the running back play, highlighted by freshman Kaleb Jackson. Jackson had two touchdowns, one of them being a screen pass that he took over 70 yards to the endzone. Jackson still might be towards the bottom of the rotation given
his lack of experience, but he stood out more than any other running back Saturday.
The first-team offensive line continued to impress, and saw freshman Zalance Heard get reps with the first team Saturday. Heard rotated in at right tackle, replacing Miles Frazier and pushing Emery Jones to right guard.
The wide receivers continued to impress against LSU’s
On top of that there are returners who played crucial roles in last year’s season such as Greg Brooks Jr., Major Burns and Ryan who can provide leadership. There are also players such as Laterrance Welch and Mathew Langlois who are looking to increase their roles this season.
Welch played exceptionally well during the spring game and has been building off that ever since. His confidence and skills have continued to improve. I like what Welch brings to the secondary with his excellent coverage skills and physicality. Even though he is only a sophomore, he is starting to perform like a player who has been starting for years.
Something that is being undervalued with this defensive back unit is the amount of versatility it has. Players like Burns, Ryan and Brooks are listed as safeties but have shown the ability to play man coverage and matchup with wide receivers and tight ends. This allows LSU to play more packages and not have to worry about mismatches.
There are only two weeks left before LSU has to play Florida State in the season opener in Orlando. There are still some questions that have to be answered, but these next two weeks will be crucial for these players who still need to develop.
secondary, with Malik Nabers, Kyren Lacy, Chris Hilton Jr., Brian Thomas Jr., Aaron Anderson and tight end Mason Taylor all getting targets among others. Jayden Daniels took a more methodical approach when running the first team offense during the scrimmage, throwing more underneath routes than Garrett Nussmeier, who took a few deep shots, but couldn’t connect.
MATTHEW PELLITTIERI @m_pellittieri
Election season should be a chance for us to remember and celebrate the important role of citizens in democratic government.
Unfortunately, this year’s Louisiana elections offer just the opposite opportunity. Instead of celebration, we are left with the confrontation of the weakness of our state’s democracy. This is especially concerning in the current context of the worrying state of democracy in the United States and the world as a whole.
So, what could be so concerning as to cause such electoral dread?
Well, it starts innocently enough. Candidates qualifying for this October’s elections wrapped up on Thursday, August 10. Prospective officeholders from around the state traveled to Baton Rouge to fill out paperwork, give press statements and officially kick off their campaigns. They are running for everything from parish president to governor. The real work of the democratic process will be played out in the coming weeks, but many politicians can just sit back and wait for their term to
begin in January.
This is because, as some observers have noted, the vast majority of our state legislative seats for the next few years have already been filled. In the House, 55 seats will be held by Republicans and 28 by Democrats. In the Senate, the numbers are 20 and eight, respectively. In some of these races, there are multiple candidates, but they are all from the same party (including in some competitive districts). That leaves only 22 house seats and 11 Senate seats with multiple
candidates from multiple parties on the ballot.
The partisan outcome is not surprising. After all, Louisiana is a red state and the GOP has controlled the legislature for about a decade now. The problem is that it is August, not October or November. No votes have been cast. The people have not spoken. This is obviously not how elections are supposed to work.
There are some possible explanations for all this.
Maybe these races are uncontested because of quality
candidates, stellar incumbency records and widespread popularity. This is the answer that many politicians allege. They post on social media thanking their constituents for their overwhelming support. Some even receive positive feedback from their followers, but X (Twitter) replies are not representative of reality.
The truth is, popularity and quality are preposterous justifications for uncontested elections. These instant victories certainly should not be praised or equated to real elections in any way.
The actual reason lies in our state-level political efficacy, or voters’ belief in their own ability to affect change in government through political action.
When voters recognize their own power, they can do more than just vote. They can also run for office themselves, campaign for others, testify before the state legislature and do so much more.
The paltry number of contested races we face this fall is evidence of what happens when that power is not wielded—when voters do not recognize and embrace their role as citizens.
Something has to change, but it is too late now to fix the problem for this year’s elections. Luckily, democracy is strong enough to survive lapses in public confidence in its effectiveness.
Maybe Louisiana election season 2027 will show a strong democracy with diverse and quality candidates from multiple parties standing for every office across the state. For that to happen, people would actually need to run.
That would be something to celebrate—and given this year’s qualifying, something shocking enough to remember.
GRAPHIC BY MADDIE FITZMORRISJEMIAH CLEMONS @Miclemah
Discussing intersectionality is acknowledging that everyone has categorical layers to their identity. Kimberlé Crenshaw, a UCLA law professor coined the term “intersectionality,” and defines it as, “a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.”
In relation to the LGBTQIA+ community, this topic becomes quite convoluted because the matters of race, gender and sexual orientation are always at play. Dissecting the racial aspect of this will allow community members to thrive together.
In today’s social climate, white gay men have developed
BOARDa stigma involving cultural appropriation and the erasure of their privilege. Since white men are at the top of the social hierarchy, making a change will start with them.
“I can’t be racist; I’m gay.” This and other painfully ignorant phrases are commonly spoken by white queer men. I believe this mindset comes from wanting to be oppressed also while trying to erase the historic damage that’s been done to people of other marginalized groups. These men seem to think having an aspect of intersectionality absolves them of their privilege as not only men, but as white men.
No one is fully privileged or oppressed. This factor makes the discrimination within the LGBTQIA+ community very difficult to navigate. For white queer people, yes there’s op -
pression in place, but their white privilege will always trump that, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc. Racism and misogyny within this community has existed for a long time. For example, the ballroom and drag subculture gained popularity in the 1920s in New York City, with shows consisting of cross dressing, expressive makeup and vibrant music.
While this sounds like a welcoming environment, it was quite the opposite. Black and brown performers were hardly ever allowed to participate alongside their white male counterparts. As a result, those who were not able to express themselves flocked to create their own version of the art.
As the new version gained popularity, the original lost its touch. Decades later, ballroom
culture and drag competitions have made quite the splash in mainstream media. Beyonce’s Renaissance album and RuPaul’s Drag Race have brought the artform to millions of viewers across the world. The people of color who were ostracized are now the figureheads of a subculture and art form.
In recent years, white gay men have made a return to ballroom culture in a way that includes everyone. While it should be known that ballroom and drag is an art for everyone, it is ironic that the oppressor is now joining the oppressed.
While the Black and brown people within the community had to hide their identities in shame, white gay men were and still are able to walk around with little to no repercussions. This is just one of several privileges that white men have with-
in the community.
Balancing race, gender and sexual orientation is extremely difficult, and whether it’s intentional or not, white queer men need to change their behavior in order to have a true community. It’s because of this behavior that the rift between white gay men and queer people of color exists.
As a short term solution, education on this issue and holding people accountable is imperative, along with communitywide effort. White supremacy is deeply rooted in this country and reaches far beyond the LGBTQIA+ community.
Queer white men’s behavior will not get any better unless the systems in place change.
Editor
