The Reveille 4-22-24

CHAMP

LSU gymnastics wins first ever national championship.

‘A WIN FOR EVERYONE’

LSU gymnastics wins first ever NCAA National Championship

BY AVA HEBERT @avahebe4

LSU’s gymnastics team etched its name in Tiger history after winning its first national championship on Saturday in the Dickies Arena.

“It was just tremendous,” head coach Jay Clark said. “That’s all I can say.”

The Tigers were the only team to break 198, ending with a final score of 198.225. California-Berkley came in second with 197.850, Utah followed with 197.80 and Florida finished fourth with 197.3375.

After trailing Utah by .037 going into the final rotation, the Tigers performed one of their best beam routines of the year.

“It was very clutch,” Clark said. “Every team was out there fighting for their lives. It could’ve gone any of four ways.”

Sierra Ballard led off with a stellar routine, scoring a 9.950. Konnor McClain followed with a meet-high score of 9.9625, and Kiya Johnson stuck her doublefull dismount to record a 9.950.

Haleigh Bryant’s routine was close to perfection, as she followed Johnson with another 9.950.

After Aleah Finnegan hit all of her passes, stuck her landing and scored a 9.950, the Tigers knew that the trophy was theirs.

“I was extremely confident when she got up there that she was going to knock it out of the park,” Clark said. “And she did.”

LSU finished with an event score of 49.7625 which is the highest scoring balance beam routine in national championship history.

The Tigers were unable to perform in Olympic order, which rotates from vault to uneven bars then beam to floor.

However, they took full advantage of starting the meet on their best event — floor.

Freshmen McClain and Amari Drayton continued to be leadoffs.

McClain led the Tigers off with a 9.925, while Drayton posted a 9.9125. Finnegan followed with a 9.9125, Bryant posted a 9.9375 and Kiya Johnson anchored with a 9.925.

The Tigers ended the first rotation in the lead with 49.6125. Cal followed closely behind the Tigers with 49.475 on the balance beam. In third was Utah with 49.4375, and Florida trailed with 49.25.

Although LSU had an exceptional first rotation, it struggled to carry its momentum over to vault.

The Tigers started the second rotation with a plethora of 9.80s.

KJ Johnson led off with a 9.80, and Finnegan followed with a 9.8375, Drayton posted a 9.825 and Savannah Schoenherr followed with a 9.875.

It wasn’t until Kiya Johnson’s pass that the 9.90 drought ceased to exist. Johnson’s 9.9125 started a rally that set Bryant up to anchor with a 9.950.

The Tigers remained on top going into the third rotation, increasing their score to 99.0125.

LSU was the only team to

break 99 points by half, giving it a major advantage going into the second half of the meet.

Following the Tigers was Utah with 98.9125. After Cal’s floor exercise, its total increased to 98.850, and Florida remained trailing with 98.725.

LSU’s rally continued into its uneven bars rotation.

Alexis Jeffrey and Ashley Cowan led off the third rotation with two stuck-landings. Jeffrey’s resulted in a 9.90 and Cowan’s a 9.8875.

Kiya Johnson followed with another 9.8875, McClain scored a 9.90 and Bryant anchored with a 9.875.

LSU knew from the beginning of the season that it had the capability to be the best in the country, and the Tigers proved that to be true.

“This team is full of individuals that have incredible character and integrity and love for each other,” Clark said. “I’m just so happy for them.”

On the highest stage in collegiate athletics, they remained poised and consistent, just as they have been all season.

“I can’t even put it into words,” Bryant said. “I’m just so excited to bring this national championship back home to LSU … This lives up to every expectation and exceeds everything.”

Although the 2024 squad was excited to hold the trophy, they knew it was for more than just their 22-man roster.

“This isn’t just a win for this team,” Kiya Johnson said. “It’s a win for everyone that’s ever been involved with LSU gymnastics.”

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team gets handed the trophy following LSU’s NCAA Championship win on April 20 in Fort Worth, Tx.

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille

LSU gymnastics freshman all-around Amari Drayton yells in celebration after landing her flip during the NCAA Gymnastics Championship on April 20 in Fort Worth, Tx.

INSPIRING CHANGE

LSU students organize informational panel on Black femicide

BY COURTNEY BELL @courtebell09

International studies junior Sy’rai Adams and psychology sophomore Claudia Bell on Wednesday hosted “LSU Against Black Femicide,” an informational panel on Black female homicide.

Bell explained that Black femicide is the killing of Black women.

“I define it as the word ‘female’ and ‘homicide,’ and you just merge it together,” Bell said. “So you get femicide.”

The World Health Organization notes that femicide is usually perpetrated by men, and most perpetrators are either current or former partners. These situations, WHO says, can involve abuse, threats, intimidation and sexual violence before the murder occurs.

In a report published in 2023 with data from 1996 to 2020, the Violence Policy Center found Louisiana was ranked in the top 10 states for most women killed by men every year except 2008. KNOE News 8 in Monroe reports 2023 was the third year in a row Louisiana had been ranked fifth in the country for highest homicide rates of women murdered by men.

The Violence Policy Center highlighted the disproportionate rate of Black femicide from 1996 to 2020. In 2020, 31% of the females killed by males were Black when the race of the victim was

The panel consisting of Director of the Lighthouse Program Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis, Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Prevention Education/Training Miranda Brown, Annie Sheehan-Dean and Executive Director of the Iris Domestic Violence Center Patti Joy Freeman answer questions April 17 at the Black Femicide Panel in Coates Hall on LSU’s campus.

known, though Black women made up only 14% of the female population. Black women in the U.S. were killed by men at a rate nearly three times higher than white women.

“For Black femicide especially, or just Black women, we face rates of homicide, domestic violence, interpersonal violence, genderbased violence … at disproportionate rates compared to our oth-

er peers or our counterparts,” Bell said. “So, we certainly wanted to raise awareness about that.”

The event was inspired by the femicide of LSU freshman Ashlei Hinds, who was shot and killed on Jan. 1 in Washington D.C. Bell said hearing about Hinds’ death made her and Adams want to raise awareness for her story and about femicide overall.

“She didn’t get as much me -

dia coverage compared to other deaths that we’ve seen within the university,” Bell said. “So, we decided to take that on ourselves and really spread the word about it.”

Hinds’ mother and grandmother attended the event. Adams and Bell invited the family after connecting with Hinds’ mother over Facebook.

The panel aimed to spread awareness and educate LSU students and staff about Black femicide, an issue Adams said many people aren’t aware of.

“Our goal is to educate people that this is a problem, and to educate them about how this problem impacts Black women, the Black community, and then also try to inspire people to start having those conversations to do whatever is necessary for us to try and calm or address the issue,” Adams said.

To make the event possible, Adams and Bell partnered with the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX, the African American Cultural Center, Student Government’s Black Caucus, the student organization Future Black Women in Law and the women’s, gender and sexuality studies department.

On the panel was Lighthouse Program Director Kreslyn KelleyEllis, Annie Sheehan-Dean, a history, political science and wom-

La. GOP refuses to pass proposals

BY ELIZABETH WHITE LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE Republicans on a House committee refused Wednesday to pass proposed constitutional amendments, preferring to wait for a constitutional convention sought by Gov. Jeff Landry.

Nine constitutional amendments were on the House and Governmental Affairs Committee’s agenda, but only two passed. The other seven were deferred due to member concerns over how they would be implemented if the Legislature authorized a limited constitutional convention in late May and early June.

House Bills 48 and 49 were the only two constitutional amendments that advanced. Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, sponsored both, and they stemmed from the chaotic way that major budget decisions were made in the last half hour of last year’s legislative session.

HB 48 would require that House-Senate conference committee reports for bills appropriating money be posted 48 hours before they are voted on. It passed through the committee 9-6.

HB 49 would allow the Legislature to extend a session in two-day increments for up to six days if re -

see BLACK FEMICIDE, page 4 see AMENDMENTS, page 4

Louisiana Senate panel advances bill to gut public records law

BY CLAIRE SULLIVAN LSU Manship School News Service

BATON ROUGE Louisianans

may soon lose access to great swaths of government records currently made available upon request under the state public records law.

A Senate panel voted 6-2 Wednesday to advance a bill — backed by Gov. Jeff Landry and sponsored by Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek — that would gut public access to information at every level of government.

The proposal, Senate Bill 482, would bar access to “any records reflecting advisory opinions, recommendations and deliberations comprising part of a process by which governmental decisions and policies are formulated.”

Cloud said this would allow government employees to give opinions to decision makers “without fear of later being subject to public ridicule or criticism” and prevent unfinalized information from being disseminated.

“To put that information out

prematurely would be disingenuous, misleading and potentially catastrophic in some cases,” Cloud said.

A host of critics from the news media and good-government groups said the bill would severely restrict the public’s access to information on how their governments operate. One First Amendment lawyer, Scott Sternberg, called the proposal “a repeal of the public records law.”

Another section of Cloud’s bill — which, in contrast, stirred little debate — would protect the schedule and security details of the governor, his spouse and his child. In addition to the governor, her proposal was supported by the attorney general and the lieutenant governor.

“The public records law is designed to bring transparency to the taxpayer as the government spends their precious tax dollars,” Landry said in a statement. “Over time these laws have become weaponized to stifle deliberative speech.”

“I am 100% committed to the transparency of final decisions and to communicating with our citizens those decisions,” Landry added.

Changing the state public records law was not part of Landry’s campaign. In the legislative session on criminal justice shortly after he took office in January, he pushed for one bill that would make publicly accessible certain information about juvenile offenders and another that would shield from the public certain information about executions.

Sternberg, who serves as general counsel for the Louisiana Press Association, said Cloud’s bill would prevent the public from ever learning how government officials reached a certain decision — not just during the time in which the conversation was ongoing but also after.

In justifying the bill’s scope, Cloud said there is already judicial precedent that allows government officials to reject public record requests that include deliberations.

She argued this bill would simply codify that rule, which she argues was established in the 2004 state case Kyle v. Louisiana Public Service Commission.

Critics rejected Cloud’s interpretation of that ruling. Sternberg said he has never seen a public records request denied citing that judicial precedent. Neither has Lee Zurik, an investigative reporter for WVUE-TV in New Orleans, who said he files 450 requests a year.

Three journalists — Zurik, Investigate TV reporter Chris Nakamoto and WBRZ-TV managing editor Kelly Kissel — testified against the bill, a highly unusual move for journalists, who typically cover meetings, not partake in them. But they said the potentially dire consequences on public transparency brought them to testify.

“It’s intentionally vague, intentionally broad, and I’ve never seen anything like it before,” Nakamoto said. “I foresee it being used to block nearly all public information from ever being released. It’s going to overburden the courts in an

already overburdened system.”

Steven Procopio, president of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council, said his organization usually avoids filing red cards to speak in opposition to bills. “But honestly, if I had the option to put in five red cards, I’d do that,” he said.

He asked lawmakers to imagine the next time a natural disaster strikes Louisiana, and people want to understand why the government made certain decisions.

Under this bill, he said, those deliberations would be shielded from public view.

Cloud said that throughout the testimony on her bill, she was in and out of the room talking with others about the potential implications. “I don’t want to do harm, I want to do good,” she said. “That’s what the people who sent me here and my Lord and Savior expect of me.”

She promised she would work to address some of the issues before her bill was heard on the Senate floor, where it is headed next.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

LEGISLATURE

BLACK FEMICIDE, from page 3

en’s, gender and sexuality studies senior, Iris Domestic Violence Center’s Executive Director Patti Joy Freeman and the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX’s Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Prevention Education and Training Miranda Brown.

Brown was happy to see how many students attended the event.

“It’s always amazing to see when students are engaged in a

AMENDMENTS, from page 3

quirements outlined in HB 48 are not met. The committee passed it unanimously.

Bacala assured the panel that if there is a constitutional convention, he will not advance either bill.

Bacala’s bills were the first to be heard at the meeting, and they prompted concerns about constitutional amendments conflicting with a possible convention to arise.

“I absolutely agree with you, but I’m not going to support a constitutional amendment simply because we are probably going into a constitutional convention,” Rep. Polly Thomas, R-Metairie, said.

House Bill 273, by Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn, R-Hornbeck, calls for a constitutional amendment that would impose term limits on some local governing authorities. Schamerhorn voluntarily deferred the

topic that they don’t have to be engaged in,” Brown said. “So, to see this many students out tonight to come and support fellow students in their quest to talk about Black women and Black femicide, I think it’s phenomenal.”

Brown said it’s important for students to learn about Black femicide because they will have the opportunity to create change.

“You all will be the catalyst for the next big changes that happen in this society, and that’s why I

bill after members expressed their support for the amendment but said they would not vote for it given the possibility of the convention.

“I fully support what you’re doing; the timing is just horrible,” Rep. Les Farnum, R-Sulphur, said. “I hate that this is the circumstances. But I’m also going to have to not support putting another constitutional amendment on the ballot in the fall.”

Rep. Kyle Green, D-Marrero, sponsored five constitutional amendments, including House Bill 157, which would create term limits for statewide elected officials. After it was defeated 9-7, Green deferred consideration of his other bills.

“Mr. Vice Chairman, seeing the writing on the wall, I’m not going to belabor or waste any more of the members’ time,” Green said.

Throughout the hearing, multiple members of the committee took

think it’s important for [students] to be here, and to be engaged and to know those things,” Brown said.

Adams said one of the gratifying parts of hosting the panel was hearing students speak about its impact. One student who attended the event, painting and drawing freshman Texira Jackson, said it provided her context for her personal experiences.

“I learned a lot of statistics behind a lot of things I have seen in

issue with their fellow members refusing to vote in favor of or hear out the proposed constitutional amendments given the possibility of a convention.

“We need to be debating these bills on the merits of the bill itself, not on the fact that we might have a constitutional convention,” Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, said.

Marcelle also said that she had asked if the proposal for a constitutional convention would limit debate and was told that it would not.

Testimony also continued on House Bill 800, the bill that would authorize the limited constitutional convention. Members and critics continuing to take issue with the May-June timeline presented for the convention since it would overlap with the legislative session.

The committee is expected to vote on the bill next Tuesday.

my life, just being a Black woman, and culture,” she said, “and how to put into words that a lot of the things that happen against us happen in our community.”

Jackson said events like this give her a sense of community at LSU.

“I’m from a very small town, so seeing people who look like me, who go through the same issues, caring about those issues, working to fight against them, that means a lot.”

Adams and Bell had been planning the event for over two months. They said they were proud of their work to educate the LSU community.

“While it’s been a lot of work, organizing this … has been a place of joy and pride to say that we are actually putting our feet to the ground and putting together something that is going to impact so many more people outside of ourselves and even just the attendees,” Adams said.

FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille

Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, sponsored bills calling for constitutional amendments to help avoid chaotic last-minute budget decisions, as in last year’s Legislature.

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Purple Brick Road to Wondaland’: the Black feminist dreamland

BY CATE EMMA WARREN @cateemmawarren

A new original play came to the HopKins Black Box Theatre last week. “Purple Brick Road to Wondaland,” which ran Wednesday to Sunday, is a show about Black feminist futurity and it is a celebration of community and “sistahood”. The show takes viewers on an out of this world experience, following themes of academia and selfdiscovery.

The writer and director of the show, Taren Wilson, is a theater doctoral candidate. She based the concept of the show off of her own experiences in higher education. She emphasized the use of autoethnography and the desire to tell a story that intersects with the experiences of black women in doctoral programs.

“I like playwriting, and I’m doing my degree in theater,” Wilson said. “That’s really where it started. How do I adapt this model to put my research in this kind of format? And then in the research, there’s a lot of polls about Black women’s experiences and Ph.D.’s. I was like this would be a really cool way to encapsulate my experiences and my research and just kind of tell a cool story.”

Wilson has created a new world that she calls a “Black feminist dreamland.” In this society, there is an ideal world for learning and higher education.

“The concept of Black feminist futurity is performing a future you wish already happened, so that it can happen,” Wilson said. “What I was really intentional about when it came to contextualizing was get-

ting things far enough away that people can actually digest what I’m saying, but close enough that we all know what I’m talking about.”

Wilson said the play tries to talk about Black women who have built academic institutions that have now been forgotten. She said speaking these women’s names brings them back to life and allows the audience to pay homage.

Madison Dumas, animal science and theater freshman, played Tea, the lead of the show. She was in the most recent Black Box production, “Yearning,” when she decided to audition for this show.

“I love the whole message and everything it stands for, and I really wanted to be a part of that sto -

ry,” Dumas said. “My favorite thing about my character is how she grows in the story and the changes she makes to herself. She accepts criticism, and she allows herself to be more true to who she actually is.”

Mass communication junior, Lorena Patterson-Vallian, said that she enjoys working in the Black Box because the audience feels more involved. Her character, Turquoise, is a student in Wondaland who struggles through the show exploring who she truly is.

“What drew me to this production was the description of the show which kind of featured Black women in academia,” PattersonVallian said. “I really wanted to

be a part of that because so far. I haven’t been a part of a show that featured Black women and their experiences.”

Brooke DiMaggio, environmental engineering freshman, enjoys working behind the scenes in theater productions. She said her involvement in the show has helped with her abilities in costume making and alterations.

“I started organizing the costume closet and getting people’s measurements and altering it to people,” DiMaggio said. “It’s fun being able to work behind the scenes as well as onstage. It’s a different part of the theater, which is really cool to see.”

Trelle Duperon, communication

studies senior, portrays the role of Mykie in the show. Mykie is the lead character’s best friend. She said being a part of the production and being able to share space with others was uplifting for her.

“‘Serendipitous’ was the word that came to mind for me for this show, casting and everything,” Duperon said. “This show, the people and their energy throughout came at just the right time and unexpectedly.”

Duperon feels that the show has helped her connect with the other members of the theater company. She said that in many ways, the show was a healing journey for her.

“I’ve become more in tune to my energy and my nature around people,” Duperon said. “This is the place where we can all be vulnerable and be connected and enjoy it.”

Demi Davis, professional theater sophomore, said representation in the industry is essential.

“I hope that the audience walks away feeling empowered,” Davis said. “I believe they should take away that no matter what walk of life you come from there’s a sense of belonging especially in fine arts.”

Wilson hopes the audience will be influenced by the story and its theme, with introspection and selfreflection at its core.

“I think at the very least, I’ve not seen a story like it told in the Black Box, and I think that that’s probably one of the most exciting things about it,” Wilson said. “I want my audience to go on this journey with this character and to relate and learn and have a good time.”

Short film screening provides a rare opportunity for animators

BY CAMILLE MILLIGAN @camillemill

For about 90 minutes on Friday evening, the big screen at LSU’s Digital Media Center Theatre presented 11 unique short films created in places around the world for the 23rd Animation Show of Shows. The screening featured three new films and eight films from past shows. The event was open to the public and free to attend.

The Animation Show of Shows is an annual film screening that takes place in theaters on college campuses throughout the U.S. The show is a rare platform for individual artists to get their work on a big screen in a theater. The show displayed a variety of films employing different artistic techniques and animation styles from stop-motion to computer animation.

Ron Diamond, the founder of the show, joined a Zoom call that was projected onto the theater screen and briefly introduced the show. Diamond curated the films for the screening himself selecting animations with many different

themes. What each film did have in common was the effort and care put into animating them.

“They’re films that I sort of hand picked because I think that they are audience pleasers, extraordinary storytelling and unusual storytelling,” Diamond said. “All animation is incredibly laborious.”

Diamond started the Animation Show of Shows in 1998. Since the start of the program, 41 of the films displayed in the shows have been nominated for Academy Awards, and 11 films have won an Oscar. Most of the short films shown during the screening aren’t available online or on streaming platforms.

Mark Aubanel, director of the digital arts and engineering program, helped host the event. He discussed the importance of events like ASOS, which spread awareness and appreciation for short films and the art of animation.

“I think from a cultural standpoint, I feel a responsibility to show students things they can’t see online,” Aubanel said. “These are not released. It’s an art form that doesn’t hold up well to the

memey, noisy internet culture. Aubanel said a lot of these were designed for the big screen, not a cell phone video screen.”

Animation in the U.S. dates back to the early 20th century, and Aubanel feels that it’s rich history and cultural significance is worth protecting.

“It’s a cultural tradition in this country,” Aubanel said. “It’s one where there are fewer and fewer venues for them to show, so I think it’s important culturally to preserve the art form.”

Katy Tye, a digital arts and engineering graduate student, worked alongside Aubanel to host the event. Coming from a background with graphic design, she feels that ASOS does a good job of displaying films that reflect the labor and artistry that goes into animation.

“A lot of these you can tell the rough sketches are still a big part of the art form, so it’s exposing not just culture, but this particular form of art,” Tye said. “It expresses a way different feeling and reality when the pictures are actually moving. I would definitely say it brings more interest into the art

side of animation.”

The films shown in the screening Friday were all made by small groups of artists using animation as a medium to express their creativity.

“As someone who has done individual pieces and been able to claim the recognition for ‘I made this,’ it’s not the same as working on a whole team,” Tye said. “It gives them just that spotlight on themselves and not necessarily on a team.”

The audience in the Digital Media Center ranged from kindergarten students to senior citizens. Some viewers attended searching for creative inspiration while others just stumbled upon the event and gave it a try.

Mitchell Stolier, a staff member at LSU Online, discovered the Animation Show of Shows by chance. He went to the film screening to break the monotony of searching for something to stream or watch online. Though he doesn’t have experience with animation, Stolier appreciated the individuality and creativity represented in the short films.

“It was nice to see a variety of

different perspectives and to step out of the comfort zone of just scrolling around Netflix and finding something to watch,” Stolier said. “There’s so much content that’s just automatically served to us with algorithms and things like that, and I think it’s liberating in a way to try to find opportunities to see things that are more curated by people.”

Poster for the 23rd Annual Animation Show of Shows.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LAUREN CHIVINGTON

Cast members of Purple Brick Road to Wondaland sit onstage.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!

LSU gymnastics won its first ever National Championship on April 20 in the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, with a score of 198.225.

SPORTS

IMMORTALITY

How LSU gymnastics won its first national championship

BY ETHAN STENGER @lsuwoj

It was a season of destiny for LSU.

The Tigers topped CaliforniaBerkley (197.85), Utah (197.8), and Florida (197.43) with a score of 198.22 to clinch their first national championship in program history at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

LSU was down by less than a point going into Saturday night’s final rotation with legacies on the line.

What stood between the Tigers and a national championship: the balance beam, an event that has given this LSU squad trouble in the past.

On Saturday, the Tigers had five of the top seven finishers on beam all night, with all five notching a 9.95 or higher.

Kiya Johnson has been yearning for a national championship since she first stepped on LSU’s campus in Baton Rouge half a decade ago. As a Dallas native, Saturday night’s Fort Worth championship meant something extra to her.

“I definitely had a lot of family and friends in the crowd, so it was really cool,” Johnson said. “To accomplish this big dream and goal in front of all the people that were with me from the start is really exciting and really special.”

Haleigh Bryant’s 2024 campaign was something special.

Bryant put together one of the most impressive individual seasons of collegiate gymnastics ever seen, but what does a national title mean for her legacy? A national championship places Bry-

ant in her own tier regarding LSU gymnasts, bringing the program home its first national title.

A question Bryant must ask is, what is there left to accomplish?

She’s already established her-

BY TYLER HARDEN @ttjharden8 FOOTBALL SOFTBALL

Takeaways: LSU falls to Tennessee

BY LIZZIE FALCETTI @lizziefalcetti

No. 7 LSU softball lost the rubber match against No. 4 Tennessee on Sunday to drop its third straight Southeastern Conference series.

After the Vols shutout the Tigers 3-0 in the first game on Friday, LSU responded with a 1-0 shutout on Saturday.

With the series tied, each team battled to secure the win in game three. After five scoreless innings, Tennessee scored three runs in the sixth to take the series.

Because of the win in Game 2, head coach Beth Torina made history for the Tigers.

She became the most winning head coach for LSU softball with 527 wins. Torina is among five LSU head coaches with at least 500 wins and the only active coach at LSU with 500 or

LSU football in search of experience for its defensive line

As the spring transfer portal window opened on April 16, LSU football remained in full pursuit of strengthening its depth chart. However, one position remains a priority to add to this offseason: defensive tackle.

“We need to get some help at the defensive tackle position, which we will, we’re addressing it,” Head Coach Brian Kelly said.

The Tigers added defensive tackle Gio Paez from Wisconsin; he committed to LSU on March 26. Paez is a sixth-year player, providing experience to LSU’s defensive tackle room.

Additional experience is the angle Kelly and his staff are taking when recruiting defensive linemen out of the transfer portal.

Indiana defensive tackle

Phillip Blidi was in Baton Rouge for an official visit on April 10. Blidi will be entering his fifth season at the collegiate level after spending three seasons at Texas Tech and one at Indiana. At Indiana this past season, Blidi totaled 30 tackles.

LSU also extended an offer to Kent State defensive lineman CJ West on April 16, who will also be entering his fifth sea-

son. West was an All-Mid American Conference selection with 40 total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble this past season.

TCU defensive tackle Damonic Williams will visit LSU on April 30. Williams totaled 60 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble in his two seasons at TCU. He’s also set to visit Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado before LSU.

Landing one or two defensive tackles out of the transfer portal is imperative for LSU. In this season’s transfer portal cycle, both winter and spring, the Tigers have lost three defensive tackles to the portal in Bryce Langston, Tygee Hill and Fitzgerald West.

While the three received minimal playing time in their times at LSU, their departures meant strength in numbers are even less in LSU’s favor. So much so that rising junior offensive lineman, Kimo Makane’ole, was switched to the defensive line.

“They’ve been helping me a lot, Coach Baker, Coach Bo Davis, helping me with the techniques, especially at the fronts too, and getting to know this new position I have,” Makane’ole said.

Whether the switch was because of lack of depth or

the new defensive staff seeing Makane’ole as a better fit on the defensive line, there still isn’t a lot of experience.

Jacobian Guillory is the leader in the defensive tackle room, entering his fifth-year senior season. But regardless of his extensive time and experience within the program, as he appeared in all 13 games this past season, Guillory has only started three games over the past

two seasons.

Jalen Lee will also be entering his senior season on the defensive line. But similar to Guillory, Lee hasn’t had a ton of action. This past season, Lee finished with two total tackles.

Guillory and Lee both have experience, but adding a player or two out of the portal with both experience and production would put the defensive line in a more comfortable spot.

Until that happens, Shone Washington could be a newcomer that could potentially make an impact from the start of the season. In LSU’s Spring Game, Washington showed a lot of good flashes.

Washington finished the Spring Game with five total tackles, a sack, and one-and-ahalf tackles for loss. He signed

FRANCIS DINH/ The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team celebrates with their trophy April 20 following the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tx.

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille

LSU head coach Brian Kelly talks to the team after the LSU Spring Football game on April 13 in Tiger Stadium.

CHAMPS, from page 9

self as one of the greatest college gymnasts to ever touch the floor, and whether or not she returns to Baton Rouge, there will never be another Haleigh Bryant.

While the senior can return for one more year as an LSU Tiger, her future is still unknown. LSU may be without the best gymnast in the nation next spring, but Tigers head coach Jay Clark doesn’t seem too worried about the future.

“I feel incredibly optimistic about what we have coming back and the freshman class we have coming in,” Clark said. “I’m excited.”

Freshmen Konner McClain and Amari Drayton instantly became key contributors to the Tigers early during their championship campaign. The two have brought a sense of youth to a heavily experienced Tigers roster and will be the faces of the program for years to come. The future is bright for

LSU gymnastics, and a national championship will only attract more talent.

This 2024 LSU gymnastics

squad will forever have their names etched as national champions, and nobody can take that away from them.

more wins.

The showdown in Rocky Top featured three pitchers duels. It was LSU’s Sydney Berzon and Kelley Lynch vs. Tennessee’s Payton Gottshall and Karlyn Pickens.

These pitchers recorded over 30 strikeouts, and the outcome of each game came down to a few runs.

LSU is now 35-10 and 11-10 in the SEC. Here are takeaways from the series loss.

LSU adjusted to Tennessee’s top-tier pitching, but Vols came out on top Vols pitchers Gottshall and Pickens rank in the SEC top five for ERA. Pickens constantly throws 74-75 mph and has an effective changeup that throws batters off.

In Game 1, Gottshall shut out LSU and pitched a perfect game for five innings. Pickens then closed the game to get the win.

LSU would have to adjust for the next two games.

On Saturday, the Tigers

changed their approach at the plate and attacked early pitches, putting balls into play off fast pitches to avoid Pickens’ change up.

While they came up short with repeated ground outs, Raeleen Gutierrez capitalized on the powerful pitching in the fourth inning. She timed a fastball perfectly to blast a home run to the right field bleachers.

In Game 3, the Tigers were getting on base, but couldn’t stir up anything to bring a runner home. On the other hand, the

DEFENSE, from page 9

SERIES LOSS, from page 9 with Georgia out of high school, but after a season in Athens, he transferred to East Mississippi Community College.

Last season at East Mississippi, Washington finished with 26 tackles and a sack, making him a big part of a defensive front that only allowed 19 points per game.

In addition to the more experienced players on LSU’s defensive front, the Tigers are also bringing in five-star defensive tackle Dominick McKinley from its high school Class of 2024.

Standing at 6-foot-6 inches and weighing 280 pounds, McKinley was the top-ranked player in Louisiana, the No. 4 defensive tackle in the country, and the No. 14 overall recruit in the 2024 class, according to 247sports.

McKinley could arguably have the most potential out of anyone in the defensive line room, including players LSU could add. But asking a true freshman to come in and start from the beginning is a tall task. It’s not unheard of, but certainly not a frequent occurrence.

The additions of a couple

of pieces to the defensive line is essential to continue LSU’s consistent success it’s had since Kelly arrived in Baton Rouge. And while there is a new defensive staff for this season, the defense especially needs to respond.

It all starts with experience, and that’s what the Tigers need to look for in this transfer portal season. And Kelly and his staff are confident they’ll find it.

“We have to win right away, and I get that,” Kelly said. “We’re going to put together a defense that puts us in a position to win the SEC.”

Vols pitching staff was making it hard with consistent strikeouts.

Together, Gottshall and Pickens won the battle over Berzon in the series finale.

Errors cost LSU the win in Game 1

LSU, who is fifth in the SEC for fielding percentage, made many errors that gave up runs in the first game.

In the fourth inning with two Vols on base, shortstop Taylor Pleasants threw an out at second that went off Karli Petty’s glove. The runner on third base scored.

A few plays later, a ground ball went off the glove of freshman Sierra Daniel, and Tennessee extended its lead to 2-0.

Then, Daniel tried to dive for a ground ball between the 5-6 hole, but missed, and the Vols got their last run of the night.

Freshman third baseman shined in first collegiate start

Madison Manning came to LSU with the expectation she’d redshirt her freshman year.

After Daniel made two errors in game 1 to give up a run, Manning was put in for her first collegiate start on Saturday.

She created five outs and caught a few line drives that would’ve been singles.

The road to finding a replacement for Danieca Coffey after her season-ending injury has

been tough for the Tigers. The trial-and-error process resulted in their batting lineup changing multiple times, and it has been a revolving door at third base.

In this series, Manning proved to be an answer for LSU’s problem.

Controversial call in Game 3 effects outcome

Berzon threw a pitch in the sixth inning to Vols’ hitter Giulia Koutsoyano that was called a ball. However, every LSU player and coach believed it was in the strike zone.

Torina called a meeting in the circle, and catcher Maci Bergeron nodded her head yes that it was a strike.

With two outs and the bases loaded, the count was then 2-0. Berzon then threw two consecutive strikes. If the call would’ve been a strike earlier, the inning would’ve been over.

But, Koutsoyano hit a fullcount double to bring home two runners, giving Tennessee the go-ahead runs.

Torina was heated and then ejected. The game would’ve been scoreless if that call was a strike.

LSU will aim to bounce back and finish the regular season strong. The Tigers play their last SEC series against Arkansas starting on April 26 in Tiger Park.

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille

LSU softball head coach Beth Torina speaks with the umpire Feb. 8 during LSU’s 8-0 win against Nicholls at Tiger Park in Baton Rouge, La.

MADALYN CUNNINGHAM / The Reveille

LSU football redshirt sophomore safety Austin Ausberry (36) holds back his “opposing side” teammate to keep him from running the ball during the LSU Spring Football game on April 13 in Tiger Stadium.

FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille

The LSU gymnasts walking to their next event April 20 during the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tx.

FRANCIS DINH / The Reveille

The LSU gymnastics team is introduced to the crowd April 20 before the NCAA Gymnastics Championship in the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Tx.

OPINION

Private schools make for socially stunted children and adults

GARRETT’S GAVEL

GARRETT MCENTEE @9are_bear

I’ve been immersed in academia since birth. Not the academia you’re envisioning. It wasn’t French brick halls nor mahogany bookshelves, and it most certainly wasn’t people in suits or fineries.

I was born into the public education system. My mother and grandmother are both educators. I’m even pursuing an English degree — secondary education.

My academia was harsh overhead lights and early mornings waiting in my mom’s classroom as a child. It’s quiet talk of, “We don’t have the funding.”

Academia for me was having the ugliest school uniform imaginable — a cross between free dress and uniformity: khaki, violet, maybe shades of heather gray, a touch of white and yellow. It was school lunches being weird most days but the cafeteria staff making up for it.

My education was public; it was imperfect. But the idea and reality of public education is that it builds a commonality among the people who attend (81.9% of Americans, according to the American Community Survey). It gives us an equal slate and similar rules and standards.

I adore public education, perhaps not for how it is, but what it could and should be.

However, my feelings toward private schools are less positive. I believe they’re detrimental for

the youth of today.

Public schools are open to everyone; private schools aren’t. Shocking, I know. However, the deeper implications of this are that students in private school settings aren’t exposed to enough social diversity in general.

Most, if not all, of the students attending a private school will be in an upper tax bracket. They’ll speak and act similarly. And because of harsh grooming and dress policies, they’ll look similar.

These children aren’t exposed to our ever-diversifying world. They just get pumped out of the private school system and into the real world, an already challenging feat for the average graduate. These private school alumni will struggle. Hard.

In my own experience at public high school, you could tell who went to the local private school because of how badly they struggled with socializing. They didn’t have a clue on how to find connections through common experiences, because how they were living and who they were living and interacting with didn’t have common experiences.

Moving past the relative social ineptitude, we arrive at the issue of learning and education in private schools. Because private schools aren’t held to the same standards as public schools, they generally avoid the standardized tests that are a pillar in public schooling.

The main reason people support private education is because it’s seen as better, and parents trust the private school to align

with their own beliefs. While private schools typically score higher on average, I’d argue that it’s not a fair match up, as the two forms of education have entirely different demographics, especially in Louisiana.

It’s generally agreed upon that students in lower-income classes perform worse (often due to economic stress), especially in the highly valued areas of STEM. Of course, most private schools need not concern themselves with the peasant folk and their economic issues.

And I’m not trying to say that the public education system is without flaws, but I’d argue that it’s the better system for the future of America. It better prepares children to deal with social issues through personal experience, and it provides a definite baseline of education to be held at a universal standard for testing.

It’s blatantly more diverse, because it’s open to everyone.

Garrett McEntee is an 18-yearold English freshman from Benton.

The public hate for Angel Reese reeks of disguised racism

AMYRI’S VANTAGE

AMYRI JONES @acameliasssss

LSU woman’s basketball star Angel Reese has been under fire since the beginning of her career at this school. Her confidence and competitiveness have garnered negative responses from many basketball fans despite the fact that basketball is a competitive sport.

Though Reese is her own person, she’s been compared to Caitlin Clark, a basketball star from the University of Iowa. There’s nothing wrong with comparison but it’s interesting to see the way the general public treats them both, especially now that both have been drafted into the WNBA.

One player has been getting dragged through the media for her attitude, and the other has been praised. I think you see where I’m going with this. Ultimately the difference in the kind of criticism thrown at each

player boils down to racism.

Society has a weird obsession with policing Black people. Everything we do gets scrutinized to the point where our humanity is stripped from us. We’re not given grace, and we sure as hell don’t receive empathy.

Leah Goodridge, a writer for Teen Vogue, said it best regarding the public’s perception of Angel Reese, “Spectators want us to be gracious losers and humble winners; we are humans first and always.” It’s true.

Even when we’re “accepted,” it’s only under certain circumstances. We have to assimilate and succumb to the status quo. Therefore things like speaking ebonics or wearing Black cultural hairstyles like box braids and locs aren’t ok, according to societal standards.

If you’re Black and a woman, you get a double dose of poison, one being racism and the other being misogyny. It’s difficult to avoid both since we live in a violently anti-Black and patriarchal world.

The biggest example of the double standards set in place

for Black women as it relates to Reese would be when she imitated Clark’s “you can’t see me” gesture in a basketball game last year. Clark made the gesture to an opponent in one game, and Reese returned the favor when they went head-to-head in another.

I remember seeing people call Reese petty and classless, but Clark’s actions were permissible. The problem isn’t the gesture; it’s an example of competitiveness and confidence, which is fine in sports. The issue lies in the public’s difference in assessing the gesture.

Don’t get me wrong, Clark isn’t free of criticism either, but you have to admit that Reese faces an insane amount of hatred and bullying due to her identity. It’ll never sit right with me.

These racial dynamics go beyond basketball. The public perception of Reese and Clark just brings to light all of the darkness that’s so often swept under the rug in this country and world. Black people aren’t your objects of entertainment; we’re

people.

So to Reese and all of the other Black athletes or really members of the Black community in general, we’ll be hated regardless of who we are or how we behave, so who cares.

Remain authentic and keep it pushing.

Amyri Jones is a 22-year-old digital advertising and religious studies senior from Baton Rouge.

GRAPHIC BY JACOB CHASTANT

MATTHEW PERSCHALL / The Reveille LSU women’s basketball junior forward Angel Reese (10) runs out onto the court Nov. 9 during LSU’s 112-55 win over Queens in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, La.