Photos: Ring in the Lunar New Year with a traditional lion dance
DISSENTING
Students protest for reinstatement of law professor.
‘ATTACK ON FREE SPEECH’
Students claim law professor’s suspension sets a dangerous precedent
BY AIDAN ANTHAUME Staff Writer
LSU law students gathered on the steps of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center on Tuesday to protest for the reinstatement of Professor Ken Levy after his suspension for comments made in class.
In mid-January, Levy, a tenured criminal law professor, was removed from his teaching duties after reportedly expressing political views in class. While LSU has not publicly disclosed the exact remarks that led to his suspension, transcripts obtained by WAFB indicate that Levy expressed his party affiliation, his displeasure with the election of President Donald Trump and referenced a colleague who faced repercussions after his comments.
Students rallying behind Levy argue that the free exchange of ideas is fundamental to the law school experience and that firing him would be setting a dangerous precedent for free speech at LSU.
“Law school is political,” said Matthew Brousard, a third-year law student, “You can’t talk about the law and not politics.”
Students who took Levy’s class said he was a respected professor who encouraged open discussion. “It was surprising to me when I heard it,” Brousard said. “Who reports Professor Levy? That’s like kicking a puppy, why would you do that?”
The protest included speech-
es from law students and others, including Ryan Spalt, president of LSU’s Students for a Democratic Society. “I am not a law student, and I have not been a student of Professor Levy, but I can see by everyone who is here today and everyone who has signed that petition that he is cherished
by his students and firing him would be a mistake and an attack on free speech,” said Spalt, a biochemistry junior.
The group of about 30 protestors marched their petition to LSU’s administration building, calling for Levy’s reinstatement. The petition, which gathered signatures from students, was
started by Kayla Meyers, a thirdyear law student and former teaching assistant for Levy.
As the protesters arrived at the administration building, they were met by Winston DeCuir, LSU’s vice president of legal affairs, who accepted the petition on behalf of LSU President William F. Tate IV.
Math department banner allegedly stolen from Lockett Hall’s east entrance
BY REVEILLE STAFF
A banner hung on the eastside of Lockett Hall reading “Welcome Back Students” was allegedly stolen this week, prompting LSU Mathematics to call for its return.
The banner was put up around a week before students returned for classes, according to Soula O’Bannon, LSU’s Department of Mathematics’ undergraduate program manager.
O’Bannon has filed a police report and requests the alleged thief return the banner to one of Lockett’s doors, addressed to “Ms. Soula, 301 B Lockett.”
This isn’t the first time one of the building’s banners has gone missing. In 2017, a banner hung to celebrate Pi Day was taken. It was returned in a few days with a note saying “Miss Soula, we are sorry we stole your banner. Here it is!”
O’Bannon said the banners are valued at $250 to $300 each.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF LSU STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
Students protest for the reinstatement of LSU law professor Levy on Jan. 28 on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge, La.
CAMPUS
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOULA O’BANNON
NEWS MAJOR INVESTMENT
Board of Regents touts Meta AI center as a significant win for Louisiana
BY CADE SAVOY Staff Writer
In their January meeting this Tuesday, the Louisiana Board of Regents discussed a plan to build a $10 billion AI center in Richland Parish.
Funded by Facebook’s parent company, Meta, the Board celebrated the AI center as a step forward in the organization’s Meauxmentum movement — an ambitious plan that promises to “move Louisiana aggressively forward” by ensuring that “60% of all working-age adults… hold a degree or high-value credential by 2030.”
Speaking on behalf of the planners, Executive Director of Business Development for Louisiana Economic Development Devin Harrison lauded the center as a major step forward for higher education and economic development in Louisiana.
“There is a wide array of jobs that will be coming to Richland
Parish and, because of this, there are different types of education requirements required to meet the needs for these jobs,” Harrison said. “We want to partner with local education institutions to make sure they have what they need to meet the workforce demands.”
In particular, he noted that the project would require work-
ers with bachelor’s degrees in network engineering, mechanical engineering and business administration.
“This will be big for colleges in the area like ULM and Grambling,” he said.
This project also presents opportunities for graduating LSU students. One of the state’s leading suppliers of young engi-
neers and business leaders, LSU is graduating more students with engineering and business degrees than ever.
According to the university’s Office of Budget & Planning, the number of students graduating from the College of Engineering and the College of Business has
HEALTH Campus org. uplifts students’ well-being
BY ALAYNA FORD Staff Writer
Content warning: Article contains mention of suicide.
Mental health student organization For the Mental at LSU had its first meeting Monday in Coates Hall, laying out its goals of destigmatizing mental health and promoting healthy conversations about it.
For junior social work major and FTM President Michaela Martinez, advocating for mental health is incredibly important.
“I know for mental health a lot of people look at it like a negative word,” Martinez said, “but I think it’s something positive because you can always put the work in and change how you go about your life and your lifestyle and how you view the world.”
In that spirit, FTM’s mission
see META, page 4 see MENTAL, page 4
Everything to know about the Bourbon Street victims’ lawsuit
BY SARAH WALTON Staff Writer
New Year’s in New Orleans. Set to be just like any other year, the city was full of joy and life. That was all until a moment. An attack that shook New Orleans and Louisiana to its core.
For the first time in recent memory, there was a terrorist attack in the heart of the city. On New Year’s Day, a little after 3 a.m., a man drove a truck through crowded Bourbon Street, exited the vehicle and fired his gun into the crowd.
Fourteen people were killed, and at least 57 people were injured. The FBI’s website says there were approximately 136 victims in total, with the investigation still ongoing.
Following the attack, it emerged that some of this tragedy could have been avoided. The street’s bollards, barriers used to stop cars, were disarmed the night of the attack.
In 2016, Nice, France was attacked. A 19-ton cargo truck rammed into the streets on Bastille Day, killing 86 people and injuring 434 more. After that attack, the City of New Orleans took note and spent $40 million to put safeguards in place. The bollards were supposed to go up every night to protect pedestrians.
On Jan. 1 of this year, most of the bollards were missing or not working. The city was in the process of replacing them in preparation for the Super Bowl. The New
York Times shared the report and mapping of how many barriers were not working that night.
Now, survivors of the attack are suing New Orleans for damages after it was revealed the city was notified there was a high risk for a terrorist attack in a report published in 2019. The plaintiffs include attack victims Corian Evans, Alexis Windham, Justin Brown, Gregory Townsend, Shara Frison and father of the deceased Brandon Taylor, Joseph Taylor.
The City of New Orleans, Hard Rock Construction, Travelers Excess and Surplus Lines Company are named in the lawsuit, but the development, engineering and management consulting company Mott MacDonald is the main focus.
The lawsuit calls the injuries and deaths of Jan. 1 tragic, but preventable, and alleges that every defendant in this case was notified of
detailed explanations of risks they could’ve taken action on to improve public safety.
“This isn’t just the story of a bad plan, though,” the lawsuit reads. “There is also bad execution. City contractors failed to live up to contractual obligations and perform work in the order and manner specified.”
The history of knowledge surrounding the risk of an attack is laid out in the lawsuit. It first references a report New Orleans contracted from the construction company AECOM that said the French Quarter is at risk of a mass casualty incident.
In 2018, bollards were up and running on Bourbon Street. Less than a year after the implementation, issues with the bollards came to light, with many being disabled from beads, spilled drinks, rain and other contaminants.
In 2019, the French Quarter Management District requested Interfor International create a study assessing possible safety concerns with the current system. The report found safety risks, of which it notified the city.
“The risk of terrorism – specifically mass shooting and vehicular attacks – remains highly possible while moderately probable,” Interfor’s 2019 report reads.
Later, the report says the bollard system doesn’t work, with the recommendation that the barriers be fixed immediately. The lawsuit documents that Mott MacDonald saw issues with its design, specifically that the system did not protect pedestrian walkways.
The attempt to replace the bollards recently was noted, but the lawsuit said Mott MacDonald is at fault for not putting temporary protection in place.
“Mott MacDonald seemingly did not think it prudent – or negligently failed to recommend – a system that would protect the sidewalks of Bourbon Street from a vehicle attack,” the lawsuit reads.
The suit notes temporary or working barriers were not used on the day of the attack.
Matthew D. Hemmer, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, explained how this attack has affected his clients. Hemmer explained his job is to “find out not only who is responsible, but why. That’s important because it prevents things
like this from happening again, and it also lets you fix the reasons that led to it.”
Originally there were seven plaintiffs in the case, but after the filing, more victims are joining the lawsuit. As for what the plaintiffs were looking for, Hemmer said the suit isn’t about the money, and that most of the victims are looking for answers.
“This is something they are going to live with for the rest of their lives,” Hemmer said. “And I think they want to know why they are going to carry this burden with them.”
Some victims want to make sure this incident isn’t repeated, and others are looking to relieve the massive medical bill and the lost income that they will be facing in the coming months and years.
Hemmer talked about the evidence shown in the lawsuit, alleging Mott MacDonald and others knew the risk posed to Bourbon Street.
“In 2019, we knew this is a plan torn directly out of the ISIS playbook. From that time on, when you look at the terror weapon of choice of these monsters, it’s vehicle ramming attacks.”
The lawsuit also states Mott MacDonald knew and used Ford F150s, a similar model to the Ford truck that was used in the attack, as an example of cars that could pass the bollards. The suit alleges
PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUISIANA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
PHOTO COURTESY OF MATTHEW PERSCHALL
A Bourbon Street sign using the Spanish name in New Orleans, Oct. 1.
META, from page 3
grown by 34% and 30%, respectively. For these students, Meta’s data center offers a promising long-term job prospect.
The AI center will also require specialists from a wide variety of trades to meet short-term demand needs.
Citing LED estimates, Harrison explained in addition to supporting 500 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs, the project will require over 5,000 construction workers during its most intensive construction phase.
Higher education is already adapting to help satisfy Meta’s labor demands.
According to a recent announcement from the Office of the Governor, “Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) has committed $250,000 in Workforce Rapid Response funding to Delta Community College to develop programs and expand capacity.”
BOURBON ST, from page 3
the consulting firm knew about the bollards’ dangers back in April of 2024, and the same car they used as an example manifested less than a year later.
“When you’re talking about what someone who’s supposed to be a worldwide expert in the field,” Hemmer said, “I can’t think of any
Located between Rayville and Delhi, the data center is one of the largest private corporationled economic investments in Louisiana’s history.
Gov. Jeff Landry has touted the project as a major victory for his administration.
“Today, Louisiana begins a new chapter. Today, we are delivering new jobs and economic growth on a scale unimaginable before we took office,” Landry said in a recent statement. “Meta’s investment establishes the region as an anchor in Louisiana’s rapidly expanding tech sector, revitalizes one of our state’s beautiful rural areas, and creates opportunities for Louisiana workers to fill high-paying jobs of the future.”
According to Harrison, construction has already broken ground in North Louisiana, and Meta anticipates continuing construction through 2030. He also anticipated that the center’s official operations will begin in 2027.
good reason why that could not have been entirely foreseeable and preventable.”
In Hemmer’s opinion, the City of New Orleans trusted Mott MacDonald, a well-known and trusted global company, and the company failed the city. He sees that the city did the best it could do, and he said he was bothered to see how much these companies were paid only to
MENTAL, from page 3
is to spread awareness of mental health issues around campus and to provide a safe space for struggling students or those who just want to practice healthy mental practices.
There is no shortage of mental health awareness programs and organizations on campus, but according to social work junior and FTM Secretary Amyria Colson, what sets them apart is their president.
In September 2022 Martinez attempted suicide, and after a week in the hospital and a lengthy battle with LSU, she was put in contact with new resources and received the help she needed. Her experience is the driving purpose of FTM: to help people who are fighting the silent fight.
“I wanted to create a support system,” Martinez said, “where if you don’t have to say it we’re just here for you, for whatever, whenever.”
provide subpar protection.
In the transitional period for the bollards, the companies were to take out the bollards that could stop 15,000-pound vehicles driving 40 miles per hour. Their plan was to replace them with ones that can stop 5,000-pound vehicles going at 10 miles per hour.
Hemmer hopes in the aftermath of the attack the city moves away
FTM also strives for diversity and inclusivity, emphasizing that everyone has a place within the organization and that they would love students to come and visit.
“The organization is very accepting of anyone no matter the major, age or gender,” said Victoria Noon, a chemical engineering senior and FTM treasurer. “I think that’s what also brings us all closer is that we’re all here just to help each other out and bring awareness to mental health.”
With most of the executive board being upperclassmen, leadership will soon pass to political science sophomore Breanna Whitlock, the FTM social media chair. With Whitlock set to take the helm, the organization has a positive outlook on its future.
“I can say that our vision would be to continue throughout the years … so passing it down into the right hands, looking for candidates that are still passionate about mental health as we are,” Whitlock said.
from the original plan and puts up stronger bollards.
Currently, Hemmer and his team are working on filing an intervention to add more plaintiffs to the lawsuit. Hemmer says that he feels very confident about the future of this case.
“Big tragedies are rarely the result of one bad decision…” Hemmer said. “When you have something
A support system Supporting students both silently and vocally is FTM’s specialty. Before the end of the fall semester, students may h ave noticed an influx of positive sticky notes in random places around campus. Turns out, it was just a token of good luck from FTM as students went about their day.
Those sticky notes are one of the many projects the organization has in store for the spring. Others include a Plant-a-Seed event, an Unplug and Destress walk around the University Lakes, yoga on the Parade Ground and much more.
The organization hosted a charade match during their first meeting as an ice breaker, allowing members fun within a safe space. FTM wants to balance fun with advocacy in a healthy way.
“We like to bring people’s spirits up,” Colson said. “To remind people that like you say it’s okay to not be okay, but also have fun learning self-care and mental health tips.”
like this, there’s so many opportunities for the problems to get fixed, for better plans to be made, for corrections to be made for something like this to happen. There had to be a lot of bad decisions, and a lot of missed opportunities.”
Mott MacDonald, Hard Rock Construction and the City of New Orleans did not respond to requests for comments.
ENTERTAINMENT
Snubs and surprises: Students react to 2025 Oscar nominations
BY LEXIE WARE Staff Writer
The highly anticipated nominations for the 2025 Oscars were released on Jan. 23, and LSU students are passionate about their favorite nominees.
The prestigious award show is hosting its 97th ceremony this year at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater. Many popular movies this year received nominations, such as “The Brutalist” and “Nickel Boys.”
The nominations for Best Picture, generally believed to be the most important award, has several impressive contenders this year. The announcement garnered both positive and negative opinions from students.
Junior Isabella Cerniglia, a business management major, had a hard time choosing just one winner.
“It’s between ‘Anora,’ ‘Wicked’ and ‘The Substance,’” she said. “I just have such strong emotions towards being a woman and girlhood.”
Body horror film “The Substance” is a strong contender among students for Best Picture.
“‘The Substance’ should win
Best Picture, because it rocks and it’s gross and bloody and it’s awesome,” theatre performance junior Ricardo Mendoza said. “It is boundary pushing and had me jumping out of my seat in the theater.”
Another popular nominee for Best Picture is “Nickel Boys,”
which film and television freshman DJ Flood feels strongly towards.
“There were so many details in the cinematography, the performances and the script that made it amazing,” Flood said. “It absolutely sucks you in, and when it’s done, you have to take a second to remember who you are and what else you have to do today.”
Several students believe that “The Brutalist” will end up winning the prestigious Best Picture award. Oreoluwa Onasanya, a recent alumni of LSU’s theatre program, shares this opinion, though he does not feel it is necessarily deserved.
“It’s basically how I felt about ‘Oppenheimer’ last year,” Onasanya explained. “One is just so good at being the great American epic that it ends up sweeping, even though something else is basically breaking the form and changing how you think of movies being made.”
“Emilia Pérez” dominates overall nominations with 13, which is just two nominations shy of being the most Oscar-nominated movie of all time. Several students are adamantly against the film’s nomi-
nations, some even calling them foul.
“I am shocked ‘Emilia Pérez’ has been propelled this far into award season,” Cerniglia said. “I think it really shows the extent favors and pulling strings can get you in Hollywood.”
Mendoza feels that the public’s dislike of “Emilia Pérez” is due to its divisive nature.
“It’s polarizing because both communities it sought to represent have turned on it,” Mendoza said. “Both Mexicans and the trans community are offended by it.”
Another nominee that some students were unhappy about is “Wicked,” which Flood called completely overhyped. Onasanya shares this opinion with Flood and stated that “Wicked” was his least favorite film this year.
“It’s one of those cases of them knowing it’s so loved that simply making it would make memories for people, whether or not any actual effort was put into it,” Onasanya said.
However, what caused the most uproar among students were the films snubbed from a nomination entirely. One such movie is “Challengers,” directed by Luca Gua-
dagnino.
“‘Challengers’ was absolutely snubbed of best screenplay, best director, best cinematography and best original score,” Flood said.
Mendoza agreed that “Challengers” was snubbed, declaring that the snub will go down in history.
“That was my favorite movie last year,” he said. “Justice for everybody involved.”
Many actors and actresses were also snubbed from awards such as Best Actress in a Leading Role.
“I was distraught to find out [Nicole Kidman] didn’t get nominated for ‘Babygirl,’” Mendoza said.
“Jodie Comer not getting nominated for ‘Bikeriders’ isn’t surprising, but it’s by far the performance of the year,” Onasanya said.
Will students tune in to watch the ceremony? Cerniglia said definitely not.
“I feel over the years, The Academy has actively snubbed actors and projects that were more than deserving of an award,” she added. “To be actively excluded in order to highlight weaker performances in the industry is insane.”
The Oscars will take place on March 2 at 6 p.m.
FILE PHOTO
An Oscar trophy.
Lion dancer smiles as he holds up
Lion dancer stands on a beam and turns towards the crowd.
Lion dance performers play cymbals.
Lion dancers practice before a performance.
Lion dancer jumps around oranges arranged in a circle during a performance.
Lion dancers perform at Umami Japanese Bistro on Jan. 27
Photos by Gabriella Guillory
Page design by Rei Zimmerman
2025 BATON ROUGE PARADES TO LOOK FORWARD TO
BY EMILY BRACHER STAFF WRITER
Krewe of Oshun
The fifth annual Krewe of Oshun starts at 12 p.m. at 3200 Harding Blvd, Baton Rouge. The parade goes on until 2 p.m. and the festival goes on until 5 p.m., including music and food.
FEB.
16
FEB. 15
Mystic Krewe of Mutts
The Capital Area Animal Welfare Society will host the Mystic Krewe of Mutts and Bark in the Park. This is the organization’s biggest fundraiser with 100% of the proceeds going towards their spay and neuter programs.
It’s every Louisianian’s favorite time of the year: Mardi Gras. Baton Rouge is getting ready for parade season as February nears. Here is a list of some, but not all, festivities to look forward to.
Costs: $0.34 per word per day.
Krewe of Orion
The 26th annual Krewe of Orion Mardi Gras parade will start at 6:30 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge. Those in the crowd have the opportunity to catch signature Krewe of Orion footballs, lighted throws and beads.
Mid-City Gras
This completely volunteerrun parade will take place down North Boulevard at 1 p.m. and the ball from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. This year’s theme is “Squirrels on Film.”
Krewe of Artemis
Baton Rouge’s first and only all female parading Mardi Gras Krewe will take on their parade route at 7 p.m. in downtown Baton Rouge.
Krewe of Mystique de la Capitale
Krewe of Mystique de la Capitale is one of the longest running parades in Baton Rouge, but does not currently have any updates on their 2025 schedule and parade routes. Stay updated on their website.
FEB. 23 FEB. 28
Krewe of Southdowns
The Krewe of Southdowns’ 38th annual parade will happen on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Southdowns neighborhood. Everyone in the family can join in, even pets and children, for this year’s theme: “Safari.”
Spanish Town
Baton Rouge’s first and only all female parading Mardi Gras Krewe will take on their parade route at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21 in downtown Baton Rouge.
MARCH 1 MARCH 3
6:30 p.m.,
end
Krewe of Shenandoah
The Krewe of Shenandoah’s parade rolls at
the start and
point at Tiger Bend Road near Woodlawn Middle School.
SPORTS
Why hasn’t LSU men’s basketball won a national championship?
BY GORDON CRAWFORD Sports Columnist
LSU has no shortage of men’s basketball heroes.
While it may not produce them at the rate of the more storied programs, the bronze statues displayed in front of its training facility show that they can develop superstars. The three men on display, Bob Pettit, Shaquille O’Neil, and Pete Maravich, gave a combined decade of service to the program.
Only one of those men, Bob Pettit, would ever reach the Final Four. The other two didn’t make it past the second round.
In a tournament with a penchant for chaos and unpredictability, the Tigers frequently find themselves the friends and foes of the ever-changing direction of fate. In 1985, No. 4 seeded LSU was defeated 78-55 by No. 13 Navy. The next year, the No. 11 seed Tigers took out No. 1 seed Kentucky to proceed to the Final Four.
Yet LSU always falls short of claiming the prized crystal basketball. Despite it’s phenomenal talents, several solid coaches and a fair bit of luck, the Tigers have never quite been able to seal the deal. Why?
The first hurdle LSU has always faced is getting into the tournament. The Tigers have been consistent postseason contenders since the ‘80s, and have generally maintained that success. However, they still had to
RULES
face Kentucky, one of the most prestigious programs in college basketball, and Florida, which had transformed into its current form as an SEC powerhouse in the late ‘90s.
LSU has also usually been unable to fully capitalize on it’s star players.
Maravich almost always put up over 40 points in an era without the 3-point line, but in an era without at-large berths, the Tigers’ lack of any other true stars meant they always failed to win the conference against a more well-rounded Kentucky.
Similarly, O’Neill put up mind-boggling numbers night
after night and was a two-time SEC Player of the Year, but Dale Brown could never get him over the hump. It didn’t help that in their 1990 second-round loss to Georgia Tech star point guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, one of the Tigers’ highest scorers that year, had a rough night, putting up 13 points, half of his average. Another factor is coaching, more specifically, Brown’s polarizing tenure.
As the architect of modern LSU basketball, heading the program for a quarter-century, Brown brought the Tigers to the Final Four twice in his tenure. He is unquestionably an excep -
tional coach, and his recruiting skills, passion for the game, and genuine love for his players were all major strengths that brought the program great success. He is deserving of the respect he commands amongst the LSU fanbase.
That being said, Brown was also a flawed coach. He relied heavily on intensity and energy, which successfully overwhelmed weaker programs but often failed against the well-disciplined basketball elites. He was often stubborn and inflexible in games and frequently out-coached in critical moments.
Of course, any discussion of Brown must also at least mention
his constant war with the NCAA, and his violations of NCAA rules resulted in the program being forced into probation in 1998.
The head coaches since Brown have been generally solid, with John Brady leading the Tigers to its most recent Final Four appearance and the rest keeping the ship relatively steady. However, many of the same structural flaws remain, with many seasons ending with a middling record despite having solid rosters.
Is it possible for LSU to win a championship? Absolutely. However, it could still be a while before the Bayou Bengals hoist the coveted trophy. The organizational shakeup in the aftermath of the Will Wade violations fiasco leaves the team in an era of change.
However, the possibilities afforded to coaches in building a team through the transfer portal provide an immense opportunity for a purple and gold coach to build a powerhouse team, especially utilizing the immense brand power of LSU sports.
Matt McMahon has extensively used the portal, essentially creating a team from scratch. While that team ultimately ended up with a losing record, the transfer portal furthers LSU’s competitive recruiting ability.
If McMahon can put together a few stars, maintain a strong defense, and harness a bit of March Madness luck, the day the Tigers hoist the crystal ball will be on the horizon.
Should the College Football Playoffs expand again in 2026?
BY ETHAN STENGER Sports editor
The first year of the brandnew 12-team College Football Playoff is officially in the books. The Ohio State Buckeyes are your 2024 national champions.
But as the dust settles, one question remains: Is 12 enough?
In 2023, the CFB Board of Managers voted to expand college football with a 12-team playoff starting in 2024. However, after 2025, the current contract between the 10 FCS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua will expire. As a part of the new deal, these 11 could choose to rock the college football world once again.
At the Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum on Dec. 3, 2024, CFP executive director Rich Clark announced that the CFP Governance is contemplating a 14team playoff that would first arrive in 2026.
“The commissioners will look at is 14 a better number after they see results of this play-
off,” Clark said. “How can we make it better? Fourteen is one of the options, staying at 12 is one of the options.”
So, what would a 14-team playoff look like? Would it be beneficial enough for the NCAA to be willing to expand the CFP again?
To answer these questions, we first have to look at the first rendition of the CFP.
In 2014, the NCAA introduced its first iteration of the CFP: four teams, three games, two bowl winners and one national champion. After fifteen years, the era of the Bowl Championship Series was over.
But fewer teams naturally mean fewer games, viewers and revenue. A disaster 2022 national championship game in which the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs ran through the No. 3 TCU Bullfrogs, 65-7, led to the lowest national championship ratings of the CFP era (17.2 million, via the CFP).
So after a decade of a final four, it was finally time to make a switch. The NCAA expanded to a 12-team CFP and immedi-
ately got paid right after doing it.
In 2013, ESPN acquired the exclusive rights for the CFP through the 2025-26 season for $5.7 billion, approximately $470 million per season over the next 12 years. On March 19, 2024, ESPN agreed to a six-year, $7.8 billion contract extension to remain the exclusive media rights holder of the CFP through the 2031-32 season.
That means that ESPN is paying over a billion dollars per year to host the CFP solely on its network, an event that it paid less than half the price for 10 years ago. The price tag has gone up.
So, if the NCAA is in line for another payday, what concerns would prohibit it from enlarging the postseason playing field again? It worked at the professional level.
In 2020, the NFL expanded from 12 playoff teams, with six coming from both the AFC and NFC, to 14, with seven coming from each conference. It’s been the league standard over the past half-decade.
Last January, the NFL playoffs averaged 38.5 million viewers for the Wild Card, Divisional and Conference Championship rounds. It became the most watched playoffs in league history, with viewership on a 9% rise from the previous year via NFL Football Operations.
So if 14 playoff teams worked for its big brother, why not the NCAA?
Well, for starters, the NCAA first needs to properly fix its playoff format.
In the 12-team CFP, the five highest-ranked conference winners receive automatic bids, with the top four receiving first-round byes, regardless of the conference winners’ rankings compared to other playoff teams.
This season, the No. 9 Boise State Broncos, the Mountain West champion, and the No. 12 Arizona State Sun Devils, the Big 12 champion, both received the final two byes over much higher-ranked teams.
Awarding lesser conference winners with an off week over some of college football’s most formidable programs feels like a disservice.
While automatic bids are likely to stay, as they’ve become a staple across college sports, the NCAA could use the 14team playoff to put power in the hands of its powerhouse conferences: the SEC and the Big Ten.
In a 14-team playoff, both conferences would receive upwards of three automatic bids. In fact, in the first 14-team playoff proposal, the SEC and Big Ten each wanted four automatic bids.
In the NCAA, the rich programs and conferences continue to get richer.
More spots also diminish the value of the regular season and conference championships. It enlarges the margin of error for teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina, which each finished the season with three losses and failed to even reach the SEC Championship game.
So, while the NCAA may look to expand the CFP for a quick payday, it might want to hold its horses.
It could be a detrimental mistake in the long run.
PAYTON PRICHARD/ The Reveille
LSU men’s basketball 5th-year senior forward Derek Fountain (20) attempts to score during LSU’s 78-74 win against Arkansas on Jan. 14, in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.
Here’s how Trey’Dez Green can rescue LSU men’s basketball
BY ETHAN STENGER Sports Editor
LSU men’s basketball is getting reinforcements, and it might just be what it needs to save its season.
Tigers forward Trey’Dez Green made his highly-anticipated debut on the road against No. 4 Alabama on Saturday.
In a hostile environment against a top-five team in the nation, Green secured his first NCAA basket all by himself, blocking Crimson Tide guard Chris Youngblood’s 3-point jumper before taking and slamming the ball home on the other end.
“Immediately, players respect how hard he works and what he brings to our team,” Tigers head coach McMahon said.
While LSU ultimately lost their fifth SEC matchup of the year, 8073, to move to 12-7 overall, Green was a bright spot. He posted his two points on 1-2 shooting (50%), with three rebounds and a block in his first nine minutes of collegiate basketball.
On the last day of 2024, Green hauled in a 10-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Garrett Nussmeier to help lift the Tigers past Baylor in the Texas Bowl, 4431. He caught 13 passes for 101 yards and four touchdowns from Nussmeier in the fall. But now, less than a month later, Green is gobbling up rebounds and sending back opponents’ shots for LSU basketball.
“I have such respect for what he’s doing,” Tigers head coach Matt McMahon said. “He hasn’t been in a single meeting, practice [or] work-
out since he got to LSU until a week after the bowl game.”
But how can Green continue to develop as a hooper? Could his impact be large enough to turn the tide for the Tigers throughout their final 12 conference contests?
“It’s really impressive what he’s been able to do in a short time,” McMahon said.
The 6-foot-7, 230-pound freak of nature was highly recruited in football and basketball out of Zachary, Louisiana. Green was a fivestar football recruit, the No. 31 overall player in On3’s 2024 football recruiting class and the top tight end prospect in the country. In his junior year at Zachary, Green averaged 24 points per game as a power forward.
On Sept. 23, 2021, LSU offered
Green a basketball scholarship. Less than a month later, on Oct. 12, Tigers head coach Ed Oregon offered Green a scholarship to wear a football helmet.
Instead of deciding between the gridiron and the hardwood, Green committed to LSU on one condition: he wouldn’t have to choose.
With an entire football season under his belt, Green has switched out his football cleats, turf and No. 14 jersey for basketball shoes, nylon nets and No. 8 for the Tigers.
“He’s been a very quick learner,” McMahon said. “He’s a great teammate. He brings tremendous energy to practice.”
Green was granted a week off after the Texas Bowl before doing individual drills. He worked with the scout team before making his
How LSU’s NIL department, athletes are preparing for a TikTok ban
BY RAMI BURKS Staff Writer
On Jan. 19, TikTok went dark, leaving influencers, creators and users of the app confused. TikTok’s return has left them wondering where its future lies.
Name image and likeness allows for college athletes to benefit from their image while playing college athletics. Athletes get deals based on their social media branding. With TikTok’s return, athletes find comfort in the time of limbo due to the continued hype around the app.
“When it went down for 24 hours, you know, there was an immediate panic, then it came back up,” said Taylor Jacobs, associate assistant director of NIL and strategic initiatives at LSU.
“I think everyone is saying, ‘Okay, I’ll continue to create the content that I’m comfortable creating.’”
Jacobs said they have prepared their athletes to use multiple platforms from the beginning. She speculates that Instagram is the next route if TikTok does go dark again.
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne
took to Instagram when the app was down and posted a Reel, appearing sad about the ban.
But when TikTok still worked, Dunne later posted to the app, confused and excited.
“Me opening TikTok out of habit, but it’s actually working again,” Dunne posted to her TikTok.
Jacobs said companies aren’t shying away from the athletes because of the ban. Athletes had been posting to multiple platforms before the scare of a TikTok ban, and that will have little to no effect on the athlete’s branding or the company’s side.
Even though nothing should change, athletes who do not want to move to Instagram could lose their deals.
“If you have a following on TikTok and you’ve never done anything on Instagram, the brand has every right now to say you don’t have the platform and the exposure and the reach that you had when you had TikTok,” Jacobs said.
Before the ban was discussed, Jacobs said that companies had never appealed strictly to TikTok audiences. She said
that she’s seen only one deal that was TikTok-specific, and that’s why she has always told the athletes to use multiple platforms.
“We always encourage our student-athletes to try to crosspromote,” Jacobs said. “So if they’re really active on TikTok, be sure they’re taking some of that content, posting it on Instagram or vice versa, because that cross promotes your followers and opens you up to a larger audience.”
Jacobs said that the longer the app went dark, the more hype was created around TikTok.
“I know several people who made accounts when it opened back up, or they had an account and became more active because they were like, ‘Oh, it’s back,’” Jacobs said. “So I think there’s more hype around it now that people are on it, and I feel like it’s increased engagement as of late because everyone’s talking about it.”
But until U.S. President Donald Trump’s 75-day extension of the app’s life in America has passed, TikTok’s fate remains in the air.
first appearances in live team practice over the past week and a half.
“I think it’s just a matter of trying to fast-track learning,” McMahon said. “I think one thing thats really stood out where he’s done a great job is his chemistry with the team. You wouldn’t know that he hasn’t been with us for the first eight months.”
McMahon has carefully crafted this purple and gold roster around speed and shooting, which carried the team to an 11-2 record through non-conference play. But as we’ve entered the second half of the season, the roster’s glaring weakness has been exposed.
Even with a much-improved roster, McMahon and his group are on track to fall well short of the nine SEC victories they had a year ago. Through their first six conference matchups, LSU has an abysmal 1-6 record. The team is ranked No. 13 in the SEC in defense with 70.2 opponent points per game and is in danger of another threegame losing streak when it hosts the nation’s No. 1 team, Auburn, on Wednesday night.
While it may be naive to think that Green will change everything, if he can help the Tigers stop a bit of the bleeding on the boards and guard well defensively, LSU has a serious chance to, get hot and make a serious run prior to the SEC Tournament.
His natural athleticism and bounce give the Tigers an advantage of having a threat underneath both rims.
“There’s just so many scenarios that are getting thrown at him in short order, and I think just with continued experience, he’ll keep getting better and better,” McMahon said.
So, as McMahon and his team continue to look for life in the back half of the schedule, keep your eyes on No. 8.
Blink, and you might miss an eye-popping, high-flying play from LSU’s most versatile dual-sport ath-
Following the loss of starting forward Jalen Reed to a torn ACL against Florida State, LSU lost one of their three tallest players at 6-foot-10. While Corey Chest, Daimion Collins, Robert Miller III and Derek Fountain have all helped contribute on the glass, it hasn’t been enough for the Tigers to match the astounding physicality of playing in the SEC.
SportsCenter will be live outside the PMAC
BY ROSS ABBOUD Staff Writer
ESPN’s SportsCenter will be live from the PMAC plaza from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday ahead of LSU’s top-15 matchup between No. 7 LSU and No. 13 Oklahoma.
The show will feature interviews from LSU gymnastics’ Olivia Dunne and LSU women’s basketball’s Flau’Jae Johnson and
Aneesah Morrow. SportsCenter host Christine Wilkerson will interview Johnson and Morrow live, but Dunne’s interview will be pre-recorded. This live event is SportsCenter’s first stop in the spring, following multiple stops in the fall on campuses around the country.
Johnson and Morrow represent the Tigers on the show Thursday. Johnson is LSU’s leading scorer with 19.7 points per game, and Morrow is the nation’s leader in rebounds, averaging 14 per game and double-doubles with 19.
Dunne is a veteran fifth-year gymnastics team member, an AllAmerican on bars, and a returning member of last year’s national championship team. This year, she is a key part of the team on bars, beam and floor.
The PMAC is set to host three top-15 teams in three days: men’s basketball faces No. 1 Auburn on Wednesday, women’s basketball faces No. 13 Oklahoma on Thursday, and gymnastics faces No. 9 Missouri on Friday. Also at the PMAC this weekend, men’s basketball faces Texas on Saturday, and women’s basketball faces Mississippi State on Sunday.
GABRIELLA GUILLORY / The Reveille
LSU football freshman tight end Trey’Dez Green (14) runs onto the field on Saturday, Nov. 30, during LSU’s 3717 win over Oklahoma at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille LSU fans enjoy Game Day festivities outside the PMAC on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, on N. Stadium Drive, in Baton Rouge, La.
ANALYSIS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Column: Jay Johnson has set a recruiting standard with LSU baseball
BY BRETT KEMPER Staff Writer
Following what can only be described as a masterclass in recruiting by LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson, the Tigers are itching to put on their pinstripes and take the diamond in search of the program’s eighth national title.
This year’s LSU baseball team has already been raking in the preseason accolades. Perfect Game ranks the Tigers at No. 2, and D1 Baseball has them at No. 3. LSU’s Jared Jones and transfer Daniel Dickinson also received preseason All-American honors as first and second basemen.
According to Perfect Game, the Tigers also boast five top-100 sophomores, five top-100 juniors and two top-75 seniors as they charge full steam into their 18 preseason practices.
As opening day draws near, the preseason chatter surrounding LSU baseball has garnered extensive media attention.
But after three full years of Johnson at the helm for LSU, the number of eyes on the Tigers so early in the season does not seem startling. It’s become nothing short of normal for the recent title winners.
When the Tigers earned their rings after a Game 3 victory over Florida in the 2023 College World Series, it revitalized Baton Rouge as the home of the Powerhouse of College Baseball.
When a team wins a national championship, the expectations surrounding that subsequent coach and that program skyrocket.
It can change the course of a program for years to come.
Soon after the transfer portal’s creation and NIL’s subsequent introduction to college sports, coaches’ and players’ paths to a national championship changed.
While Johnson has been upfront about his distaste for the transfer portal, he quickly realized it was here to stay and began using it immediately after being hired at LSU.
Johnson recruited soon-to-
be Tiger legends Paul Skenes and Tommy White to transfer to Baton Rouge and Dylan Crews to stay at LSU.
That season, the purple and gold hoisted their seventh national championship trophy in Omaha.
Since winning the 2023 National Championship, the Tigers have sent 22 players to the MLB draft, with 13 in 2023, tying the NCAA single-draft record, following up with 11 in 2024. Cumulatively, those 22 players have signed contracts for over $28 million.
Additionally, following the 2024 season, LSU had 11 players enter the transfer portal, which left the Tigers with only eight returning players.
The upside? LSU’s coaching staff remained almost unchanged, and most importantly, it retained Johnson, the fourth-year Tigers head coach.
While only three players from the 2023 national championship team remain on the roster, LSU baseball is ranked the No. 3 team in the country by the NCAA.
But how is that even possible? The answer is Johnson.
Johnson doesn’t like to lose, and following the Tigers’ heartbreaking loss in the Chapel Hill Regional, he went on one of the most incredible recruiting runs in college athletics to date.
Johnson recognized where the Tigers needed some help, “and we’re gonna go get it,” Johnson said.
When asked what he needed to add, Johnson said, “Great pitchers, great hitters, and great defenders.”
Johnson was clear he knew what he needed, and he went and took it.
Johnson’s hyper-aggressive approach to players who entered the transfer portal and toward high school draft prospects enabled him and his staff to haul in a No. 1 ranked recruiting class.
By the end of his recruiting run, Johnson had signed 25 new LSU players, including 11 NCAA DI transfers, four junior college transfers and 10 high school players.
A crazy stat? Three of those 10 high school prospects chose to withdraw their name from the MLB draft to play for the Tigers.
Derek Curiel, an outfielder, Cade Arrambide, a catcher and William Schmidt, a right-handed pitcher and native of Baton Rouge, all chose Johnson and LSU over professional baseball. It’s a massive statement about the opportunities that LSU athletics can provide to its athletes.
These players are turning down life-changing money and notoriety to don the purple pinstripes.
While the world of NIL has monetarily bridged the gap between college and pro sports, it begs the question: Is Johnson’s “air raid” recruiting technique a blueprint for success for other programs around the NCAA?
Johnson’s approach to NIL and the transfer portal has been vastly different from that of the many coaches in college athletics. Johnson has not been coy about using the portal.
“My preference is to build our program with the players that we bring in out of high school, but the reality is that nobody can abandon the portal,” Johnson said in a February 2024 interview.
Johnson did not let his preferences interfere with his wants and needs in the portal, though. He made sure that his players were getting the teammates they needed to win another national championship.
“My goal is to keep our players at the forefront of everything we’re doing,” Johnson said.
On that same note, whether he likes it or not, Johnson didn’t try to fight the fact that no matter what, quality players will cost money.
According to an anonymous source quoted by the Athletic, it’s been estimated that both Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews signed six-figure NIL deals for approximately $250,000.
Last year, LSU struggled tremendously in the depths of its pitching staff. But when pitching wasn’t the issue, the bats were; both those problems compounded in the midst of critical at-bats and innings, leading to a worn-out pitching staff and some boom-orbust at-bats trying to will the Tigers back to Omaha.
When LSU fell short of its ultimate goals, Johnson recognized the Tigers’ biggest weakness, depth in the pitching staff, and attacked the recruiting trail ferociously, hauling in six transfer pitchers.
Johnson laid the blueprint for LSU’s success, and as other LSU coaches in differen sports adapt to this new air raid-style recruiting technique in the portal, the ultimate goal is to put rings on fingers.
The Tigers will have their chance to prove that the 2023 team wasn’t just one in a million when their season opens on Feb. 14 against Purdue Fort Wayne at Alex Box Stadium.
Who’s wearing symbolic No. 8 for LSU baseball?
BY RAMI BURKS Staff Writer
The fall before baseball season, the LSU coaches decide who they want as captain, earning the coveted No. 8 jersey.
The tradition started with Mikie Mahtook in 2009. Mahtook was an outfielder from Laffayette, Louisiana. He wore the jersey until his junior season, beginning the tradition of the lifetime.
Mahtook began the ’09 season as a reserve outfielder before becoming instrumental in LSU’s run to the College World Series Title. He was named to the 2010 SEC All-Tournament Team, 2011 first-team All-SEC, 2011 first-team All-American and many others.
The first player chosen by Paul Mainieri and his coaching staff to wear No. 8 was Mason Katz in 2012 after Mahtook was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Rays. Katz, from Horahan, Louisiana, was chosen to wear the No. 8 jersey his junior season, and continued to wear it into his senior year. Along with the No. 8 jersey, Mahtook seemed to pass on the clutch gene.
In the 2012 NCAA Super Regional versus Stony Brook, Katz hit two home runs and then a walkoff single in the bottom of the 12th to give the Tigers a 5-4 victory.
Following Katz, Alex Bregman was given the famed jersey in 2014. Bregman was the first player to be chosen for the jersey that was not from Louisiana or an upperclassmen, he quickly proved why.
As a sophomore, Bregman was awarded NCAA All-Regional Team, SEC All-Tournament Team, second-team All-SEC and several other awards. His junior season, he was a Golden Spikes finalist, was named a first-team All-American, a part of the ABCA Gold Glove Award Team.
Bregman went on to become one of the highest paid athletes
on the Houston Astros, further solidifying the appreciation behind the name of LSU’s No. 8 jersey.
After Bregman, a long line of athletes followed Mahtook’s tradition of being chosen to wear No. 8: Jake Farley (2016), Cole Freeman (2017), Antoine Duplantis (2018-19), Daniel Cabrera (2020), Matthew Beck (2021), Gavin Dugas (20222023), Hayden Travinsky (2024) and now, Gavin Guidry.
Being chosen by the coaches as the person to wear No. 8 at LSU shows the trust the staff has in the athletes ability to live up to the legacy, be a good representation of LSU baseball and create a name for themselves while doing it.
Being compared to Mahtook, Katz and Bregman is no small feat. Guidry will have to prove it this season.
MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille
LSU baseball sophomore right-handed pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) walks into the duggout after striking Florida players out during LSU’s 6-4 loss against Florida on March 23, at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
PETER NGUYEN / The Reveille
LSU baseball head coach Jay Johnson talks about the team uniforms during his press conference Jan. 28, 2022, in Alex Box Stadium on Gourrier Avenue in Baton Rouge.
MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille LSU baseball freshman pitcher Gavin Guidry (1) throws the ball June 11, 2023, during LSU 8-3 win against Kentucky at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La.
BASEBALL
OPINION
Gov. Landry should be impeached
ANDREW’S ANGLE
ANDREW SARHAN COLUMNIST
On Jan. 16, a report by the Louisiana Illuminator came out about Gov. Landry. The report disclosed that he used $5.5 million of state police funds to purchase a private jet.
This isn’t the only time Landry has done something that can be seen as unethical. Earlier this week, his Ethics Board questioned Landry on redactions of addresses in an official report from the Louisiana Illuminator. In accordance with a statute founded in 2008 by the Louisiana State Legislature, if you hold certain positions, both your full name and address become public.
There are numerous ethical concerns, many of which will be mentioned later, that have impacted Landry’s term. Because of this, Gov. Landry needs to be impeached. Landry’s ethics have been so callous that I would consider him more unethical than Edwin Edwards, a former Louisiana governor.
In fact, Landry’s own ethics board is unethical. Landry signed a law to include five more people on the board, all appointed by himself. These people that Landry appointed were vetted so that Landry could find some “yes men” and allow all of his unethical behavior to go without challenges.
Nevertheless, as a state, we are in debt. According to KATC 3, our sales tax is the highest in the country (thanks to Governor Landry), and we have had to make massive cuts to education. Not only that, but according to a report by Louisiana Illuminator, he also vetoed bills that would benefit the general population, such as increased funding for homeless shelters.
Governor Landry doesn’t care about impoverished people, which can also be seen in the detention centers he is forcing them into during the Super Bowl in New Orleans. These inhumane conditions, especially in the cold, could kill somebody. I bet Landry wouldn’t even subject his dog to those kinds of conditions, so why should we force humans to?
Instead of addressing the state’s homelessness crisis, Landry would rather go dove hunting in Argentina with one of his biggest donors, showing truly how out of touch he is.
The plane that Landry bought? It came from the Louisiana State Police (LSP)’s budget. That money comes from many sources, but the income most important to this story is inspection stickers. Those money-grabbing inspection stickers.
According to KLFY News, in 2024, a bill was proposed to the Louisiana Legislature to get rid of inspection stickers; however, this bill was killed when the LSP, the same organization Landry used funds from to purchase his jet, mentioned how getting rid of inspection stickers would detriment them financially.
This is just further evidence that Landry, and in turn, the Louisiana Republican Party, does not give a damn about the working class. Landry doesn’t care about his own constituents. The Republican Party of Louisiana would rather spend millions on a plane than a bill that would benefit the common people.
For all of these things mentioned in this article, I feel like it is time to impeach Landry. He has has done so much damage to our state. We are already at the bottom of most rankings, and Landry’s blatant disregard for us “common folk” only sinks us further.
Andrew Sarhan is an 18-year-old mass communication freshman from Baton Rouge, La.
Book bans pose a significant threat to marginalized communities
GARRETT’S GAVEL GARRETT MCENTEE COLUMNIST
The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 is a very long document listing several problematic and worrying ideas. Amongst them, one stands out quite personally to me: its plans for banning books. More specifically, its new codified criteria for which it will ban books containing content they deem irredeemable.
Before going into the deep and murky waters of my own sordid past and why this has made me so anti-book banning, allow me to confidently say that banning books is a horrible thing that only the fallible, ignorant and weak deem agreeable.
The desire to ban books comes from an unparalleled level of ignorance and contempt for the human experience. Many of the worst leaders in history have wanted to ban books for showing traits they didn’t find admirable. And let me not mince words; these traits that demagogues deem bannable are traits or themes like homosexuality, queerness, transgenderism, being non-white and critical race theory.
They deem these things, which can’t be controlled by human beings, as worthy of ban-
ning. But since you can’t go about yelling, “burn the queers” as a politician, they settle for banning books that portray characters with any of the aforementioned distinctions.
As a literate man and a human whose queerness has always been omnipresent, I found escape in literature. I have always been a voracious reader, and thus, by fifth grade, I was already bored and over the readings assigned and gifted to me. So I went on and researched books that I wasn’t “supposed to read.” This was perhaps my moment of radicalization.
One of the first memories I have of being possessed by that unique blend of sadness and rage was going through some online articles about why many books were banned.
I always knew I was queer, it was in my blood and bones. I learned that my favorite medium of escape was not as free and vast as I thought because of that article, I learned what homophobia truly was.
Gaining awareness of the banning of books and why they were banned lit what is an insufferable fire under my ass, mainly because the only reason to ban a book is ignorance, misplaced fear or hate.
Project 2025’s criteria classifies anything that deals with queerness as pornography. If this doesn’t immediately disgust you
Procedures
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.
then allow me to enlighten you as to why it’s so repellent.
By classifying these things as pornographic on the basis of containing queerness, you immediately say that there is a difference between heterosexual and cisgender literature and everything in between. This is discrimination and division, more specifically, the division that actually divides and not merely separates two thoughts.
When books containing people of color’s writings, anecdotes and critical race theory are banned, you’re telling the reader that the oppressions they face are either not worthy of being portrayed in media or that you don’t want them to learn about the issues they suffer from.
All these bans serve as the first move against vulnerable communities; they serve to silence literary voices, serve as an agenda to keep the masses ignorant and reliant and serve to sever empathy from the American people.
We must fight these bans in every way we can. This issue must transcend political discourse because the death of thought is quick and fast. The division of the masses is even faster. Book bans serve no one but the demagogues and harm only the sensible.
Garrett McEntee is a 19-year-old English sophomore from Benton, La.
AP PHOTO
Gov. Landry talks to reporters outside the Supreme Court, Jan. 7, 2022, in Washington.
AP PHOTO
Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents on Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City.
Colin Falcon Editor in Chief Managing Editor Jason Willis