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There has been confusion surrounding LSU’s reorganization of its cultural centers. Here’s what has changed since last semster. GRAPHIC BY ALEXANDRA GERSTNER
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CENTER REVISIONS
LSU officials, former employees speak on cultural center changes
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BY VIVIAN SARHAN Staff Writer In July, LSU announced a reorganization effort, eliminating 25 jobs total and consolidating positions at cultured student centers under the LSU Division of Student Affairs. The African American Cultural Center and the Women’s Center remain open, but they are now operated by Student Affairs, said Meg Sunstrom, LSU chief communications officer. The Office of Civil Rights & Title IX used to run the centers. However, not all cultural centers are still open. Abbi Rocha Laymoun, LSU’s director of public relations, said that “the LGBTQ+ Center has closed, and the space will be repurposed for academic use.” The space that used to be the Intercultural Center in the Student Union is now LSU Cares. Sunstrom said all students and organizations can use the Women’s Center and AACC. “The physical buildings have not changed and the resources available to students have not changed. They’ve just been put under Student Affairs,” Sunstrom said. Other changes include letting go Todd Manuel, former vice president of the then LSU Office of Engagement, Civil Rights & Title IX, and cutting seven other staff members from the office to comply with recent Department of Education directives to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion from higher education, according to Sunstrom. “We are operating under LSU policy and U.S. Department of Education directives that don’t allow us to consider demographics in our programs or activities,” Sunstrom said. “That’s part of the reason [why the cen-
Editor-in-Chief LAURA ALLEN Managing Editor GARRETT MCENTEE Digital Editor SAMANTHA SUNDBERG News Editor JORJA ETHRIDGE Deputy News Editor MADELYN LONG Sports Editor ALEX SHEESLEY Deputy Sports Editor RAMI BURKS Entertainment Editor MIA VIZZI ERIN BARKER / The Reveille
The sign for the LSU Women’s Center sits outside on April 13 on Veterans Drive. ters] are now open to all registered student organizations. That gets us in compliance with the law.” Additionally, LSU dropped “engagement” from the title of the office, and now it is just Office of Civil Rights & Title IX. LSU also eliminated other positions unrelated to the directive. The Division of Marketing and Communications received major cuts, laying off 16 writers, videographers and other staff members. While Sunstrom said that student workers were made aware of the restructuring efforts in advance, Nia Laugand, an August 2026 graduate and former front desk employee at the Intercultural Center and Women’s Center, said she wasn’t made aware of the changes until Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Brandon Common emailed her. “I had a key, and I kept coming into work,” Laugand said. “When I was working over the
summer, my boss was just gone one day. I didn’t hear a thing.” Aiyana Lockley, a political science senior and president of the NAACP at LSU, said that NAACP’s vice-president, Brooklyn Thompson, who is also former vice president of programming for the AACC, wasn’t notified about the reorganization either. Lockley said Thompson’s boss was fired and didn’t know who was now in charge of the AACC ambassadors. Laugand said that the centers were already open to all students but noted that not all students were recognized or knew about the spaces. “I’m glad that it’s open to all, but I hope that the purpose and the who and why these centers were created for don’t lose that safe space,” Laugand said. Lockley said that the AACC provided a sense of belonging for Black students at LSU, and that the changes could cause
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The Clarence L. Barney, Jr. African American Cultural Center sits Feb. 13, 2022, on Veterans Drive.
the center to lose its identity. “The AACC was a sense of home and family. It was where Black students and organizations could go and be comfortable with hosting and programming events and seeking resources,” Lockley said. “It is true that minority students, especially Black students, have other needs — especially at a primarily white institution.” According to Lockley, the NAACP had a meeting with LSU administration about some of the changes to the center. NAACP members asked if the AACC would keep its name. “[Administration] responded that they’re not sure, and that they’re not in these conversations, leading us to believe that there are conversations of the name being removed,” Lockley said. “But they said they would get back to us on that. They never got back with us.” Clarence L. Barney, the namesake of the center, was a civil rights activist who first championed the idea of an African American Center in the 1980s, with the center being established in 1993. Barney also served as the first African American chair of the board at LSU in 1992, serving for 14 years, and died in 2005 at the age of 70. LSU voted to rename the center after him in 2017. Sunstrom explained that LSU has resources for students who feel discriminated against through LSU Cares and the Office of Civil Rights & Title IX. Laugand and Lockley think LSU still does not listen to its minority students. “It’s like LSU no longer sees the struggles of what it’s like to [be] minority students in the Deep South at a PWI,” Lockley said. “It’s not enough to just say ‘Go to LSU Cares,’ because if it was enough, the centers would not have existed in the first place.”
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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS The Reveille holds accuracy and objectivity at the highest priority and wants to reassure its readers the reporting and content of the paper meets these standards. This space is reserved to recognize and correct any mistakes that may have been printed in The Daily Reveille. If you would like something corrected or clarified, please contact the editor at (225) 578-4811 or email editor@lsu.edu.
ABOUT THE REVEILLE The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.
NEWS RIGHT TO WRITE
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LSU Injustice Reform educates students on finding, contacting lawmakers
BY KALLIE ROMERO Staff Writer LSU students learned how to communicate their concerns to elected officials Tuesday during LSU Injustice Reform’s Dear Legislator, an advocacy event focused on letter writing. Eighteen students attended the event in Oscar K. Allen Hall to learn about the process of finding their representatives, researching topics they care about and drafting letters to legislators. Senior political science major N’Khia Zachery, president of Injustice Reform, said that while voting is one way to participate civically, students should also know how to reach out to their elected officials outside of election season. Zachery emphasized the importance of amplifying younger generations’ voices in today’s society. “The people who are in politics and holding power right now, they don’t [always] see things the way we do. So it’s important that we get our voices heard, especially right now,” Zachery said. Zachery added that Injustice Reform strives to teach students about flaws within the justice system. The previous president of the organization, A’shawna Smith, created the group after her internship exposed her to common problems
ALEXIS PERSICKE / The Reveille
Students smile at LSU Injustice Reform’s event on Sept. 15, in Allen Hall. with criminal interrogations. People are either unaware of their rights or feel intimidated during questioning, Zachery said. “We want students to know what rights they do have, if that’s constitutional, Miranda or natural rights that they have,” Zachery said. Dear Legislator was the first event the organization has hosted that focuses primarily on teaching students how to contact lawmak-
ers directly. Although Injustice Reform focuses on criminal justice-related issues, students were encouraged to write to legislators about anything they cared about. Topics including transportation, road conditions and mental health were just a few of the issues students wrote about during the event. Destiny Simeon, a junior law and legal studies major and advocacy lead for Injustice Reform,
explained how the event helped students. “I think in order to make change, you have to start with education,” Simeon said. “This is something that maybe people didn’t even know that they could do: write letters to their legislators. Not only is it bringing that awareness out, it’s teaching them how to do it.” Along with helping students at the event, Simeon wrote a letter to
her legislators about Louisiana’s transportation system and poor driving conditions. She emphasized the potholes on campus and Baton Rouge roads. “I think we need more representation in these conversations, especially at LSU, because the issue affects not just the parking lots but the whole campus. It should be fixed, or at least brought to higher levels of awareness,” Simeon said. Morgan Shorter, a sophomore forensic psychology major, said she would like to write about how mental health affects criminal behavior and believes people’s internal struggles can shape how they act. “I actually had an assignment [and] it was about the effects of mental health and how it can relate to criminal activity. So I definitely feel like we should bring more awareness and have early prevention for criminals,” Shorter said. Hearing about the process made reaching out to an elected official seem less daunting for Shorter. Following the event, she said she would be likely to contact a lawmaker independently. “It’s something I might do now. Knowing all the new proposals, I want to be more aware of what’s going on. I could talk to other students and maybe we could draft a letter together,” Shorter said.
RESEARCH
LSU professors lead coastal prediction, restoration project BY GEORGE DEBLANC Staff Writer LSU and the University of Rhode Island are working together to create prediction models to aid in planning restoration projects for local wetlands. The project, called EcoCARE, will provide tools for the general public to run simulations to predict changes in Louisiana and Rhode Island coastal wetlands. The model will be available on the project’s website and feature different tools to help a variety of industries invested in coastal land development. Xiaochen Zhao is EcoCARE’s lead investigator and a research assistant professor at LSU. She explained that one of the focuses of the project is to promote the research and get more people using the model. “Our scientific findings, how can we deliver it to the community, to the fisheries, to the stakeholder?” Zhao said. “Will they use it? That’s the challenge.” The project will utilize previous developments in research car-
ried out by LSU, according to an LSU press release. Some of Zhao’s previous projects, including the Gulf of America Coastal Hazards Forecast System and Prediction-toMap approach, have built systems that will aid EcoCARE in gathering as much data as possible. The goal of the EcoCARE project is to help plan future locations of restoration efforts and estimate how much they will cost, according to Zhao. EcoCARE differs from previous projects because of its implementation of artificial intelligence. AI will be used to produce rapid flood mapping and as a chat assistant, according to Zhao. She added that the use of AI within the project assists people who would not have been able to fully understand or use the technology before. The challenge with AI is maintaining user and data security, which requires following strict cyber safety protocols when working, according to Zhao. “My point is that we need to adapt, we need to use and take advantage of AI,” Zhao said. “On the other hand, we should be very
careful to keep ourselves thinking and not just using it directly.” EcoCARE is funded through a $4 million National Science Foundation award, which was granted after Zhao began developing the project. Zhao explained that LSU can only send one proposal for funding through NSF’s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. Before the proposal, Zhao worked to establish a team to work with her on the project. According to Zhao, she worked with staff at LSU’s Health Center in New Orleans and legal experts across the state. “This is my first successful funding, so I learned a lot through this whole process,” Zhao said. “I think that’s a great experience and a great learning piece for all the early scientists, especially for myself.” The EcoCARE project is building off of ideas and technology created in another LSU gulf research program, MissDelta. “We’re hoping that we can then come back [after the EcoCARE project is completed] and fertilize,
if you will, another phase of MissDelta research,” said MissDelta CoDirector Samuel Bentley. Bentley is also the Billy and Ann Harrison Chair in Sedimentary Geology. He said that MissDelta is more about predicting changes in the future, while EcoCARE is focused more on providing tools for actual restoration projects. Even with these differences, many of the same professors have worked on both projects, including Zhao. However, Bentley explained that low public trust in science could act as a barrier to the success of projects like EcoCARE and MissDelta. Local trust in scientific findings has gone down in the last couple of decades, according to Bentley. “In particular cases, for example, in Louisiana where strategies to restore different portions of the coastline can produce very heated political arguments,” Bentley said. “Trust is a very important factor.” The EcoCARE project aims to support all people living on and using coastal wetlands, which gives Zhao’s work more of a humanitarian feel according to Clint
Willson, dean of the LSU College of the Coast & Environment. “There’s a version of this work where we publish papers and hardly any decision-makers ever read them,” said Wilson in an LSU press release. “This team went the other direction — connecting first-hand with the people who are most impacted by coastal change and the agencies in charge of coastal restoration.”
COURTESY OF XIAOCHEN ZHAO
The Barataria Bay salt marsh wetlands sit Sept. 19, 2023.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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LSU Libraries offers wellness, self-care events for students BY ABIGAIL ANDERSON Staff Writer September is Suicide Prevention Month, a month dedicated to rasing awareness about suicide prevention, supporting mental health and remembering those who have died by suicide. LSU Libraries hosts a variety of wellness and self-care events that can support students’mental health. Autumn Bailey, information desk coordinator at the LSU Library, is the primary planner of many events. Bailey comes up with and hosts wellness events twice a month to give students an opportunity to relax and socialize, not only with other students but with library faculty as well. Many faculty members who students will see at programs are subject librarians who can provide help with research,” Bailey said. “Students feel comfortable asking questions about resources at programs because of the chill environment.” Bailey noted that a lot of depression and anxiety-related feelings can arise from the desire to succeed academically. It is important to her that the library provides opportunities for students to take a break. On Aug. 31, the LSU Library
ABIGAIL ANDERSON / The Reveille
Students decorate journals at LSU Libraries event on Sept. 9. hosted a DIY Stress Balls event that attracted just under 100 students. Freshman technical theater major Sarabi Cecil said that these events help students feel seen within such a large community on campus. “I think it is important to host events for suicide prevention to help people be aware
of suicide, and let the people struggling know that there are people who can help with those feelings and thoughts,” Cecil said. Cecil manages her work by putting everything in a Google Calendar. While the workload in high school was a lot less, she understands that she has to
hold herself accountable for her learning. Similarly to Cecil, Ellana Arnette is also a freshman adjusting to college life. She’s a mechanical engineering major. On Sept. 9, LSU Library also hosted a journal decorating event, which gave her another selfcare activity to add to her day.
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“The event reminded me to journal more often,” Arnette said. “Just taking five minutes to write down my thoughts or worries so they stop circling my head.” Arnette added that on top of journaling, she also likes to set aside time to go to the gym or do a hobby that she enjoys. “I want to make sure my body is getting enough movement during the day,” Arnette said. “I usually feel more focused afterwards.” Occasionally, college students feel hesitant to discuss what they’re going through. Arnette agreed, but when she feels like the stress is too much to handle, she turns to loved ones. “I do find it hard to ask for help when I feel overwhelmed. I tend to want to do things on my own. I usually overcome this by talking to family,” Arnette said. “Sometimes just talking to somebody about your worries is all you need to release some stress.” For struggling students who need help beyond stress relief and self care, the Student Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline number is 988, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
ENTERTAINMENT Ross Lynch speaks about his path to success at LSU Delta Gamma lecture PUZZLES
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BY MIA VIZZI Entertainment Editor
LSU’s Gamma Zeta Chapter of Delta Gamma hosted Ross Lynch on Wednesday in the LSU Student Union Theater for the sorority’s Lectureships in Values and Ethics series. Lynch also sat down with the Reveille for an exclusive interview ahead of the lecture. While Lynch is well versed in touring, he describes college visits as a temperature check for both content and pacing.
EVAN TOUCHET / The Reveille
Ross Lynch sings Sept. 16 in the LSU Student Union Theater. “Usually when we’re performing, like in the band or what have you, the people that go to the shows are very excited to be there,” Lynch said. “A college crowd, obviously, are still enthusiastic for the most part but also will just be honest with however the show is going,” he continued. “So if the show is kind of teetering off, it’s a good way to refine the craft of keeping someone’s attention, if you will. I think college kids give you a really nice honesty.” Lynch has previously performed at colleges, including universities like Tulane University, Syracuse University and University of South Florida. Generally, his preference for college visits tends to be bigger schools. “Every school is pretty different because you go to a school like this, like LSU — it’s pretty nice. It’s comfy, kind of,” Lynch said. “Whereas you go to some other schools that we went to, and you’re playing in, like, a hut, you know?” Delta Gamma hosts Lectureships in Values and Ethics on a regular basis, with previous speakers including “The Bachelor” star Daisy Kent, LSU football alumnus Tyrann Mathieu and actor Gabrielle Union. The events are always open to the public with free admittance. When planning for this year, event co-director Anna Stookey shared that lining up relevant figures is a consistent priority for the lectureship. “We all kind of grew up seeing [Lynch] in our favorite childhood shows and movies,” Stookey said.
“I think [Lynch] is a great person to have here with us tonight because he is someone that we resonate with.” While it is Lynch’s first time formally visiting LSU, Louisiana isn’t new territory. “I’ve always loved Louisiana,” Lynch said once he was on-stage. “It’s so beautiful here. I’m a really big fan, and I also love Joe Burrow.” When asked if LSU would win against Ole Miss this Saturday, Lynch’s answer was simple: “Hell yeah.” Lynch’s panel centered on his upbringing, career and personal outlooks on life. With nearly 1,000 attendants seated, Lynch discussed finding the balance between hustle culture and following one’s instincts. “Sometimes I think in our overoptimization culture that is in America, we’re always like — or in entertainment — it’s like the show must go on,” Lynch said. “There’s other times when your body or your heart, if you will, is saying this is not right. And then because I’m stubborn, I just didn’t do it, and it kind of worked out. So I guess I would just say stay true to yourself by listening to your intuition.” In line with following his instincts, Lynch shared that turning 30 changed his relationship with alcohol. “You should probably live your life and have your fun for sure; but there does come a time where you’re like, ‘Well, it’s not doing anything positive for me,’” Lynch said. “I got to a point in my life where I was just like, ‘I don’t need it. It’s not doing anything.’ So I stopped drinking about a year ago.” Though Lynch hasn’t had any particular struggle with substance abuse, he labels alcohol as something that can hinder others’ enjoyment of everyday life. “I think ultimately today, we — and for a long time humans — have been the byproduct of the capitalist consumerism that we’ve been raised in for a long time, and alcohol certainly falls under
that umbrella,” Lynch said. “The good thing of social media is that people are realizing how extreme that’s become, and they’re realizing hopefully that fulfillment exists outside of it.” Lynch closed out the night playing “Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’” from “Teen Beach Movie,” “Steal Your Heart” from “Austin & Ally” and “On My Own” from “Teen Beach 2” while the crowd sang along. For freshman Sarah Young, this sing-along was a stand-out part of the night, ultimately reminding her of her childhood. “It just brought back the nostalgia of us having our parents’ mattress in the living room, and me and my four sisters sitting on the bed watching Disney Channel,” Young said. Longtime Lynch fan and LSU alumna Bella Post also attended the lecture. Last spring, she attended The Driver Era’s concert at Tulane and noted the Baton Rouge event as being more intimate and personable. “I feel like here it was just a different experience,” Post said. “Him actually referencing LSU meant a lot to me.” Students who didn’t have the chance to see Lynch in the Union can still catch him in his upcoming Netflix film “Heartland,” with other stars like Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Nettles. The mystery thriller film will be available for streaming on Nov. 13. “It was a joy to work on, and it was fun to play a little country singer, a little pop star dude,” Lynch said. “It’s a suspense film, so you know, it’s a very whodunit kind of thing.” Though Lynch has had a fruitful career in acting and music, he attributes much of his success to the people that he has chosen to spend time with, and advices other young people to do the same. “It’s important to spend time with the people that you aspire to be like, but also to put yourself in environments that are conducive to the outcomes you want to achieve,” Lynch said.
EVAN TOUCHET / The Reveille
Ross Lynch plays the piano Sept. 16 in the Delta Gammas sorority house.
FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
THE Daily Commuter Puzzle by Stella Zawistowski ACROSS 1 Stalk of a flower 5 Right to bear __ 9 More than adequate 14 Catholic leader 15 Mortgage, e.g. 16 Centers of apples 17 Sheet of aluminum 18 Corporate emblem 19 WWII submarine, for short 20 Document of government principles 23 Open-meshed fabric 24 __-help books 25 Quarterback Darnold 28 Thin battery type 30 Very dry areas 33 Hoppy beer: Abbr. 34 Warm-up exam 36 Ingest 37 Not near 38 Natural __ (fossil fuel) 39 High card in poker 40 __-state area 41 Rustling sound 45 “__ Hard” (Bruce Willis film) 46 Tales 48 Knight’s title 49 Cardinals’ city: Abbr. 50 Artemis agency: Abbr. 51 In the past 53 Constraints 58 Church donation 59 Tampa Bay’s MLB team 60 Davenport’s state 63 Election participant 64 Political “dirt” 65 Spoken aloud 66 Rigid and harsh 67 Fluorescently bright 68 __ in line
9/17/26
Created by Stella Zawistowski
DOWN 1 Banana Boat letters: Abbr. 2 Overly 3 Large-scale tale 4 Cantaloupe, e.g. 5 Top athlete 6 Plant’s anchor 7 The Three Wise Men 8 Obnoxious brat 9 Most severe 10 Alabama city 11 Checks for errors 12 Low in fat 13 Approximately: Abbr. 21 Type of tide 22 Employs 25 Puts through a sieve 26 Not together 27 Stringed puppet 29 Sponsorship 30 Work areas 31 Understood but unspoken 32 Strong alloy 35 Light brown 41 Water reservoir
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved
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42 Hindmost 43 Go-between 44 Therefore 47 More illconsidered 52 Pungent veggie 53 Hilarious person 54 Laundry appliance
9/17/26
55 Sleeveless cloak 56 Error in print 57 Feeling achy 58 Sets at sports bars 61 Candlemaking material 62 Ctrl-__-Delete
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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STUDY SPACES
LSU students study in the Howe Russell Geosciences Complex.
Benches rest in the LSU Business Education Complex.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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Photos by Charles Christiansen | Design by James Miller
Tables and seats are laid out in the LSU Museum of Natural Science.
Benches are arranged in the LSU Quad.
LSU Students study in the LSU Main Library third floor.
The Greek Theatre.
Tables and seats are laid out in the LSU Journalism Building.
Background: Trees stand the Enchanted Forest.
As the semester kicks into full gear and exams begin, take a look at some cool study spots on LSU’s campus Sept. 15-16.
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Thursday, September 17, 2026
CULTURE
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month through media SARAH WALTON Staff Writer September 15 marked the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the people, history and the cultures that are part of what make the United States what it is. There are over 60 million Hispanic and Latino Americans in the U.S. today, carrying a rich culture and history here from around the world. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, here are some books, films and TV shows that are about Hispanic culture, made by Hispanic creatives. “Pose” “Pose” is an Emmy Award winning show that follows the lives of queer Latino and Black Americans as part of ballroom
culture in New York. The cast includes Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, who plays Blanca RodriguezEvangelista. “One Day at a Time” A reboot of the ‘70s series of the same name, “One Day at a Time” is a Netflix show starring Justina Machado and Rita Moreno. It follows second-generation Cuban American Penelope, a retired veteran, her kids and her mother. The show is a heartwarming look at living in a multigenerational home in the 21st century. “National Treasure: Edge of History” Filmed in Baton Rouge, the show is a spinoff of the “National Treasure” films. Jess Valenzuela discovers secrets about her family and her father’s connection to the treasure protector. Her in-
vestigation into her father’s path leads her and her friends on a dangerous and fun adventure. “Tender Is the Flesh” Written by Argentinian author Agustina Bazterrica, “Tender is the Flesh” is a wrenching best-selling dystopian horror that takes place in a time where cannibalism becomes legal. Marcos works processing human meats, but he ends up making contact with someone set for slaughter, which could get him killed. “In the Dream House” “In the Dream House” is a memoir about self and life after an abusive relationship. This award-winning book written by Carmen Maria Machado is a reflection on her relationship while she was in school for her master’s degree.
“The House on Mango Street” Set in Chicago, “The House on Mango Street” follows 12-yearold Esperanza Cordero growing up in her Hispanic neighborhood and all the troubles that come with being a girl of color. “The Book of Life” One of the most acclaimed animated films to come out of the 2010s, “The Book of Life” is a fantastical story of gods, family and love infused with Mexican culture. Created by Mexican artist Jorge R. Gutierrez, and with names like Guillermo Del Toro attached, the story is full of rich characters. The story follows the love story between Manolo and Maria as the gods Xibalba and La Muerte wager whether or not the pair will fall in love. Chaos ensues and Manolo ends up go-
ing to the underworld just as a threat comes to destroy the town he calls home. “Real Women Have Curves” Based on a play, made into a movie and now a musical, “Real Women Have Curves” is about a young woman named Ana García. She dreams about going to college but is held back by the need to help her family. When her teacher says she may have a chance of going to Columbia, everything changes. “Y tu mamá también” Set in Mexico in 1999, “Y tu mamá también” is a coming-ofage film about two 17-year-old boys and a beautiful older woman who travel around Mexico for the summer. As the characters go on a journey of self-discovery, the film also explores political issues.
THEATER
Rev Rank: Local production of ‘Hamlet’ is moving despite flaws BY SARAH WALTON Staff Writer Some stories stand the test of time. William Shakespeare’s work is known for its evergreen status, and there is one tragedy of his that has persisted and reinvented itself hundreds of times over. “Hamlet” is the story of a young prince saddled with the death of his father and the duty to take revenge against his uncle. There are retellings like “The Lion King” and expansions of the play like the 2025 film “Hamlet,” starring Riz Ahmed that took the young man full of grief and placed him within the context of the Indian community in London today. Recently, the film “Hamnet” received enormous critical acclaim. The film is an interpretation of William Shakespeare’s relationship with his wife and the story of how the play came to be after the death of their son. The true beauty of Shakespeare’s plays is that anyone can take the story and breathe life into it, and recently, that is what the Louisiana Shakespeare Company
has done. “Hamlet” opened Sept. 11 to an almost completely sold out theater at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Instead of a normal proscenium theater, the play took place in the middle of the room while the audience sat on either side of the actors. For this production, the play was set in the modern day and the cast was shaped well around that fact. I will say, my one and only criticism as a Shakespeare fan is that some less experienced actors clearly struggled with the language a bit, not in forgetting but in the deliverance of the poetry. The meaning of the words, their weight and the poetry of it all was sometimes lost. Shakespearean language is incredibly intentional and is poetry, so to see some of the meaning be lost is noticeable. Overall, though, “Hamlet” was a wonderful experience. Seeing the ghost of Hamlet’s father come out for the first time is as awe-inspiring as one would expect. His costume, a suit withered and covered
with moss, mixed with the lighting and sound set such a strong tone for the rest of the play. The play went further than your average Shakespeare show. The text was used well to bring quite a bit of levity and laughter to the audience. Chris Dalton who played Polonius was exceptionally good at bringing the comedy to the text. Like in any mode of visual storytelling, there are motifs, and the creative team behind the show did a great job by communicating that to the audience. One of the most potent visual motifs are the daggers used throughout the play. Daggers and swords were somehow worked in effortlessly to the story despite it being set in modern day. The fight choreography for the end of the show was truly electric and eye-catching. Chase Bernard plays a wonderfully rageful Laertes that helps make the ending that much more unfortunate. Antoni Amina Karryen as Ophelia has to be one of my favorites I have ever seen. Her sweet and trusting disposition shaped into tragic madness as the play pro-
COURTESY OF LOUISIANA SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
COURTESY OF LOUISIANA SHAKESPEARE COMPANY
ceeds was incredibly well done. Louis Mangiaracina as Hamlet was just as memorable as expected. Mangiaracina has performed with countless local theaters so far. He was in Sullivan Theater’s “Noises Off” and recently co-wrote an adaptation of “Peter Pan.”. The special thing about Mangiaracina is his voice, especially in his delivery of Hamlet’s famous monologue. It is so rich, and he has such a knack for diction and putting weight in everything he says. Mangiaracina’s Hamlet is sincere, striking the perfect balance of mad, earnest and witty. His performance alone makes this show worth seeing. Julie Roundtree played Queen Gertrude, and she gave a wonderful amount of depth to the character. Oftentimes Gertrude is brushed to the side or has a lack of complexity in performance, but Roundtree delivered something truly beautiful to the audience, especially juxtaposed to Claudius. Personally, I’m not a big fan of portrayals of Claudius as an innocent participant in Hamlet’s story, so I was glad to see that Travis
Daigle delivered a noticeably conniving King Claudius. Roundtree and Daigle were ultimately a great pair. The beauty of this production is how human it feels; not fully in the sense that there were constantly overwhelming emotions but that one could feel the community in the room. The theater was so tight-knit that you could see the other audience members across from you. As someone’s arm brushes against yours, Hamlet sees Ophelia presented for burial. The audience’s laughter echoes as Polonius gives ridiculous advice. Excitement is palpable as the fight between Laertes and Hamlet plays on. It is a joy to see community members come together to tell one of humanity’s favorite stories. To experience live theater is a gift, and that can truly be felt with the Louisiana Shakespeare Company’s production of “Hamlet.” There are two more performances of “Hamlet” on Sept. 18 and 19. For more information regarding tickets for “Hamlet,” and the Louisiana Shakespeare Company, visit the website.
SPORTS ALL EYES ON OXFORD
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The history of Magnolia Bowl rivalry ahead of Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss
BY DELANEY POTTHAST Staff Writer A rivalry 132 years in the making, LSU football and Ole Miss have met 114 times on the football field. This Saturday, the 115th meeting will take place as LSU head coach Lane Kiffin makes his return to Oxford, starting this rivalry’s newest chapter. What began in 1894 as a 26-6 LSU loss in the series opener is now an all-time record advantage, 6444-4 for the Tigers. It wasn’t until 1945, however, that the Tigers and Rebels would meet annually each season. Even then, a Halloween night showdown years later would be the catalyst that took the matchup from regular foes to true rivals. The rivalry begins On Oct. 31, 1959, defending national champions and No. 1-ranked LSU faced No. 3 Ole Miss. Though the Rebels had held a 3-0 lead into the fourth quarter, Billy Cannon broke seven tackles in an 89-yard punt return that gave LSU a 7-3 victory. While the game played a part in Cannon earning the 1959 Heisman Trophy, it’s also often credited as the start of the feud between the programs. Just over a decade later, a controversial 1972 game took place at Tiger Stadium. LSU had just four seconds left on the clock when it threw for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Though the pass was complete, Ole Miss players had thought the game was over, unaware that there was one second left on the clock. As such, the Ti-
gers earned the 17-16 win and the game was deemed “The Night Time Stood Still.” The game led to conspiracies that time was added to the clock, but the win stood for LSU and the tension between teams deepened. The modern rivalry 1986 and 1997 saw the Rebels hold off close comebacks from LSU, but 2003 was when drama really picked back up between the programs. A Rebel squad that had an undefeated conference record at 6-0 with quarterback Eli Manning hosted the Tigers. Ole Miss was on the cusp of making it to its first SEC Championship Game in 40 years. The game was neck-and-neck, but LSU came out on top. LSU went on to win both the SEC and national championship under head coach Nick Saban that year. Three years later, the Tigers would upset the Rebels in 2006. After trailing 20-7, LSU finished ahead, 23-20. LSU constantly challenged Ole Miss in the fight for contender status during this time, and the comeback was one in a long line of close games between the two schools. The Magnolia Bowl Simultaneously, the rivalry matchup had officially been deemed the Magnolia Bowl in 2008, a name adopted by students and fans who anticipated the annual meeting every season. 2009 saw the Rebels hold off an extremely close LSU comeback. However, in 2010 LSU prevailed to hand head coach Les Miles a fourth
PAYTON PRICHARD/ The Reveille
LSU football junior linebacker Whit Weeks (40) is the victim of a facemask penalty during LSU’s 19-24 loss to Ole Miss Sept. 27, at the VaughtHemmingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. Tiger victory against Ole Miss. The 2010 edition was a game that switched leads six separate times. Miles would lead the Tigers to three additional victories against the Rebels in his time at LSU, though two iconic comeback wins in 2012 and 2014 have been vacated due to the Vadal Alexander scandal. The Tigers 2012 victory paralleled Cannon’s Halloween night spectacle. Odell Beckham Jr. returned a punt 89-yards to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Jeremy Hill would go on to score a third touchdown as LSU triumphed 4135, killing what would have been a statement victory to start the Hugh Freeze era at Ole Miss. 2014 would leave a bigger wound on Ole Miss fans. No. 24 LSU pulled an upset on the No. 3
Rebels, taking a 10-7 lead on a last minute interception from Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace. The two programs have continued to meet in big-time matchups up until now. Leading the series, 9-4 in the last 13 games against the Rebels, LSU’s last win took place in Death Valley after yet another comeback in 2024. The Tigers entered the fourth quarter trailing 20-14, but a lategame rally from the purple and gold sent the game into overtime, tied at 23. The Rebels, who received the ball first, only managed to score on a field goal. Once turned over to quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, a game-winning drive ended when a completed 25-yard pass to wide reciever Kyren Lacy sealed the vic-
tory for LSU. The Kiffin Saga After so many iconic moments on the field, the rivalry now enters a new chapter that has reached new personal levels. The drama surrounding LSU head coach Lane Kiffin making his return to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is almost impossible to ignore, and for good reason. Kiffin departed Oxford after leading Ole Miss through one of its most memorable seasons in 2025. With a record of 55-19 across his six seasons with the Rebels, Kiffin left behind a team headed to the College Football Playoff, forfeiting his coaching abilities during the playoffs to head to Baton Rouge. During his messy exit, the exhead coach brought an arsenal of staff from Ole Miss as well. Making the move across the border alongside Kiffin were nine coaches, most notably offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. Players TJ Dottery, Winston Watkins Jr., Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen all made the transfer to purple and gold and have already become key stat leaders in the first two games of 2026. Ole Miss served Umanmielen with a lawsuit relating to his departure at LSU’s practice facility on Tuesday. LSU heads into Oxford expecting the worst of the worst. An already iconic rivalry now grows deeper with the Kiffin Saga. After living in the headlines all offseason, the spotlight has never been brighter on LSU and Ole Miss.
LSU looks to shake three-game losing streak in Oxford BY MARISSA REISS Staff Writer An old saying highlights the intensity of No. 7 LSU football’s Week 3 Top-10 matchup versus No. 8 Ole Miss as the two teams face off for the first time after Lane Kiffin’s departure from Oxford. The saying is, “We’ll meet again.” LSU heads into the 2026 Magnolia Bowl looking to end its three-game losing streak against the Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Since Kiffin’s tenure with the Rebels beginning in 2020, LSU has gone 3-3 versus Ole Miss. All of the Tigers’ wins were in Baton Rouge, and all three losses occurred on the road. Kiffin strategized against LSU while in Oxford, but in 2026, circumstances are different, Kiffin gets to strategize for the same away team he once game planned against and defeated.
“The competition gets harder,” Kiffin said in a press conference. “We’re going to play one of the best teams in the country.” LSU’s losing streak dates back to Oct. 23, 2021, when No. 12 Ole Miss team found an impactful 3117 victory over the Tigers. The Rebels’ offense was the key in the victory. Ole Miss finished with a total of 470 yards. Then-quarterback Matt Corral completed 18 of his 23 passes for 185 yards with a single touchdown. The Ole Miss defense also forced three turnovers. September 2023 was the second loss of LSU’s losing streak. It was an exceptional matchup between the Rebels’ former quarterback Jaxon Dart and the Tigers’ Jayden Daniels, and it was a nailbiter until the end of the 55-49 game. It was all offense from both sides throughout. With five seconds on the clock in the fourth quarter, a potential LSU gamewinning touchdown fell incom-
plete. The 55 points put up by Ole Miss marked the most in its program history against a ranked opponent. The most recent Magnolia Bowl was an all-around disaster for the Tigers. In 2025, No. 11 Ole Miss topped No. 4 LSU thanks to its defense in the 24-19 win. This exasperated the Tigers’ offense on every possession. LSU failed to convert under pressure on all but two of its third downs during the game. To assist the defense, Rebels’ quarterback Trinidad Chambliss passed for 314 yards with 70 rushing yards and 23 completions. Even with a three-game losing streak as the Tigers head into Vaught-Hemingway, there’s a difference in the 2026 LSU team under Kiffin. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt has given Tiger fans a newfound excitement with his mobility. Leavitt recorded 113 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns against Clem-
son, and ended the night with 3 touchdowns over in-state foe LA Tech. Leavitt has totaled 574 passing yards with 41 completions in 2026. On the receiving end, the Tigers’ junior tight end Trey’Dez Green continues to make an explosive impact and leads the team with 162 total receiving yards. Dilin Jones, Winston Watkins Jr. and Eugene Wilson III are 3 additions who contributed stellar offensive performances. Jones leads the rushing with 179 yards, while Watkins Jr. and Wilson III follow behind Green in receiving: Watkins Jr. totals 153 yards and Wilson III with 128. The LSU defense poses the biggest threat to opponents under defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s leadership. On the line, the Tigers’ defense has made their presence familiar to opposing quarterbacks, recording 7 sacks versus LA Tech and 4 against Clemson. The efficiency of linebackers
TJ Dottery, a former Rebel, and Whit Weeks has been crucial in the defensive success. The pair have combined for 26 tackles for LSU, with Dottery also forcing 2 fumbles. With the threat of Chambliss and the Ole Miss offense looming on Saturday, this duo will be expected to quickly put a stop to that. “We know we’re walking into a hostile environment,” Weeks said about the atmosphere in Oxford ahead of the game. That’s exactly what the matchup in Vaught-Hemingway is expected to be for LSU: A hostile, challenging environment where Kiffin and the Tigers have a chance to put all of the noise to rest. But that’s not Kiffin’s focus. “It won’t be about all the other stuff and all the noise,” Kiffin said. “It’ll be about how well did we practice, how well did we prepare, how well do we play on gameday going into a place that has had a lot of success there.”
Thursday, September 17, 2026
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LSU, Ole Miss head coaches to reunite in Saturday matchup BY TYLER GRUBBS Staff Writer A top-10 showdown in Oxford forces former colleagues onto the field against each other as LSU football prepares to battle Ole Miss in one of the most anticipated games of the year. As No. 7 LSU rolls into VaughtHemingway Stadium to face No. 8 Ole Miss, the college football world is fixated on the most surreal coaching reunion of the season. LSU is riding high after a pair of big season-opening wins, and this matchup is a chance to showcase just how sharp the transition to the Kiffin era has been in Baton Rouge. As the current Ole Miss head coach and former assistant to Lane Kiffin, Pete Golding has tried to maintain a steady public front regarding Kiffin’s split from Oxford. He noted during the off-season that “Lane and I are good,” and that he has “no ill will toward coach Kiffin,” but fans can’t help but speculate about how much bad blood remains, if any. Kiffin, on the other hand, hasn’t let the narrative fade into the background. During SEC Media Days, he leaned heavily into the humor of the situation. When discussing Golding moving into his old house,
Kiffin joked with reporters about his old Ring doorbell camera tracking his former coordinator’s movements. “He can’t be wherever it was at this recruit’s house, he’s on my couch. I just saw him walk in.” Kiffin said. “I told him afterwards, ‘You might want to change the Ring camera.’” Behind the jokes, the lingering tension over how coaches and staff members moved between programs remains a topic of conversation and has continued to draw attention. “I don’t expect Pete Golding to agree with everything I do, nor would I agree with everything he said in press conferences during that transition,” Kiffin said at the end of last season. “It’s not my job to do what he wants. It’s not his job to do what I want.” Kiffin did talk about his regret over how messy the move was from Ole Miss to LSU. As far as what’s been seen in the media, Golding and Kiffin appear to be going into this game on good terms, masking what was once a tense transition to a civil rivalry. Even while downplaying any lingering tension, Golding did acknowledge that the past is hard to fully bury. “If you do get married, right,
and you have an ex that your wife knows about, she doesn’t ever age, she’s never dead — she’s always going to be brought up,” Golding told a reporter at SEC Media Days. “That’s kind of where it is right now.” That civil, but strained, tone carried right into Monday’s gameweek press conferences, where both coaches were pressed again on Kiffin’s return to Oxford. “From a friendship standpoint, I developed a really good relationship with him over three and a half years. From a football professional standpoint, we don’t bounce ideas off of each other like we used to,” Golding said. “Definitely still friends.” Kiffin wasn’t directly asked about his relationship with Golding. He addressed that the sticky points of his return to Oxford would be the hostility awaiting him, not necessarily seeing his old coaches. For Golding and Kiffin, the weight of the rivalry sets the scene for a hostile environment this weekend, with everyone eager to see these two former allies on opposite sidelines. Golding might have the keys to the house now, but on Saturday, he has to look across the field and face the man who built it.
OLE MISS FOOTBALL HEAD COACH PETE GOLDING
LSU FOOTBALL HEAD COACH LANE KIFFIN
What LSU can do to stop Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss BY TRIPP BUHLER Staff Writer What LSU needs to do to stop Ole Miss’ quarterback LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin can’t stop bringing up Nick Saban — one of his most impactful mentors. He served as Saban’s offensive coordinator for three years at Alabama. Kiffin said at his Monday press conference that he had the upper hand coaching against Saban for the first time because he spent three years learning what Saban didn’t like seeing from his opponents. New Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding is in a similar situation after taking over for Kiffin
in January. He has a strong idea of the defense that Kiffin will deploy against Ole Miss elite quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss. “If you look at Trinidad [Chambliss] and [running back Kewan Lacy] last year, there’s very few negative plays at all,” Kiffin said. “They both have phenomenal feet, so even when we don’t block somebody, what happens is you don’t get negative plays because Kewan makes the guy miss and Trinidad scrambles around.” LSU’s front seven has to continue its dominance to win Saturday’s game. The Tigers are No. 1 in the country in yards given up per game and No. 2 in rushing defense, allowing less than a
yard per carry. Edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who transferred to LSU from Ole Miss, has 5 sacks through two games, and Jordan Ross has a pick-six and 1.5 sacks on the other end. Kiffin said his defensive tackle group is still going to see a lot of rotation, but true freshman Deuce Geralds has been a standout with a forced fumble and 2 sacks. The linebacker core featuring Whit Weeks and former Ole Miss Rebel TJ Dottery has been among the nation’s best. One of LSU’s best resources outside of on-field talent is defensive coordinator Blake Baker. He has already shown a masterclass in changing up coverages
PAYTON PRICHARD / The Reveille
LSU football freshman cornerback DJ Pickett (3) runs down the sideline during LSU’s 19-24 loss to Ole Miss Sept. 27, at the Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss.
and disguising pressure. Edges dropping back and linebackers blitzing shook up Clemson and Louisiana Tech, creating positive results for LSU. Baker schemed this matchup last year and held Chambliss and company to only 24 points. If he gameplans the 2026 matchup to a similar degree or better, LSU will be in a good position. “Blake has done great through two games. Obviously the stats are unbelievable,” Kiffin said. “I look at things about process, not just outcomes. Yes, the stats are great, but then I look at calls where we’re taking away things [that our opponent is] doing.” Dottery had a monster game against Louisiana Tech, forcing 2 fumbles and making 9 tackles. He started every game over his two years at Ole Miss and is familiar with how Chambliss plays. His quickness lends him to being a perfect quarterback spy. Dottery and Weeks’ ability to rush the quarterback and stop the run has caused many threeand-outs, but they haven’t faced a backfield that can compare to Ole Miss’ yet. It will take nearflawless and focused play to stop Chambliss. “[Chambliss] doesn’t make many mistakes,” Kiffin said. “You’re dealing with a really mature quarterback that doesn’t make many mistakes, you’re going to have to play really well for a long period of time.” LSU has to bring relentless pressure to force Chambliss into
short plays, even if they aren’t negative. In Ole Miss’ opening game against Louisville, where the Rebels won on a last second field goal, Chambliss’ 36 passes traveled for an average of 9 yards in the air, while his 21 completions went for 17.4 yards per play. Nearly half of his passes came on first down. These are trends that the LSU staff is surely aware of and can be ready to capitalize on. The LSU secondary has also been so strong that it’s hardly been brought up during games. The pressure doesn’t allow for many good passes, and the defensive backs have been quick to lock up receivers. Cornerback DJ Pickett and safety Ty Benefield are the two best players in the secondary, but are going to be tested by Chambliss’ favorite target. Ole Miss wide receiver Deuce Alexander has already put up 235 yards on just 13 receptions, with two 62-yard touchdowns against Louisville. Dashawn Spears, who occupies the versatile star position for LSU, is also going to play a key role in stopping the Heisman candidate quarterback. He will join Dottery as an occasional spy on Chambliss and play a part in stopping any scrambles or improvisations. Having one of the most talented quarterbacks in the country against arguably the best defense in an emotional top-10 matchup will make for one of the best battles of the season.
OPINION
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New marijuana restrictions distract from college alcohol abuse WAINER’S WORLD JACK WAINER Columnist Louisiana has drawn an invisible line around college campuses, implementing a law that makes smoking, vaping, consuming, or otherwise abusing marijuana within 2,000 feet of college campuses a felony. Not only is this extreme and unnecessary, it turns a blind eye to bigger campus issues and pushes students to buy from illicit street dealers. For LSU students, that boundary now stretches well beyond campus property. The Louisiana Legislature enacted Act 305 on Aug. 1, increasing the penalties for using marijuana on or within 2,000 feet of any Louisiana school property. What was once mainly handled through LSU’s university administration policy can now carry consequences at the federal level. The law arrives as marijuana use is largely increasing among young adults. A 2023 study by the American Addiction Centers reported that 40% of college students used marijuana. This doesn’t imply that marijuana is harmless, but it does
raise the question of whether treating every marijuana-related offense as a potential felony is truly necessary. The focus on marijuana has drawn attention away from the more visible dangers of alcohol on college campuses. Misusing alcohol can lead to poor decision-making, impaired driving and other dangerous situations, yet marijuana has faced far more strict penalties. While marijuana has its own risks, alcohol accounts for 4.7% of all deaths every year, accounting for about 2 million of the annual total worldwide. Every university has a responsibility to address conduct that can endanger students, but that responsibility needs to apply consistently across the multitude of substance use dangers. Alcohol abuse is actually the more significant problem on college campuses. In the 2026 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 46% of young adults aged 18-25 reported consuming alcohol on a monthly basis. Additionally, according to The University of Michigan’s “Monitoring the Future” study, 24.8% of college students report consuming four to five drinks in one sitting while nearly 15% report doing so twice a week.
The LSU Police Department also identified alcohol as a critical and institutional threat to student safety. That distinction matters as LSU has faced this problem in the past. A 2011 report cited an LSU student survey stating that 31.5% of students reported drinking and driving, compared with 15.2% nationally. While the data is over a decade old, it shows that alcohol has been a campus concern at LSU for some time. Meanwhile, Louisiana has tightened restrictions on marijuana within and beyond college campuses. But will these harsh penalties make campuses safer or just change where marijuana use actually occurs? The Cato Institute, a policy organization that supports cannabis legalization, argues that prohibition can drive consumers into the unregulated and illicit market, where product contents and potencies may be uncertain without any reliable information. Is this something we really want for our peers? This doesn’t mean LSU should ignore the risks of marijuana use. Universities have a responsibility to educate students about the risks of consumption and substance abuse. Addressing harmful behav-
ior is one thing, but giving felony-level consequences for using marijuana within 2,000 feet of a college campus is completely unnecessary. Drawing an invisible line around LSU will not automatically make the campus safer. Marijuana users will keep smoking, and students who drink alcohol will keep drinking. Louisiana should determine its policies by whether or not they cause harm as well as the necessary means of reha-
bilitation for users, not by how harsh the penalties are. Harsher penalties do not always lead to less criminal activity, and consequences like these are not the type of consequences that prevent further drug use. The more Louisiana moves backward with marijuana policies, the worse off we will be. Deterrence will not make our campus safer. Jack Wainer is a 20-year-old journalism major from Dallas.
CARMEN RANDOLPH / The Reveille
You’re allowed to embrace joy even in times of great despair MONTGOMERY’S MONOLOGUE KELSI MONTGOMERY Columnist Everyone needs a little joy: The little moments of childish glee, spurts of careless happiness and genuine enjoyment. Joy is hard to maintain in a world that is riddled with conflict, and social media only projects and prioritizes these troubles. With wars, humanitarian crises, economic decline, corrupt politics, failing governments and protesting citizens, we’re in a time of heightened tension across the world, and it’s almost certainly impossible to ignore it. As a society, we attempt to help those involved in these conflicts and
those who can’t help themselves inside and outside of our communities. And of course, with enough people rallying together in hopes of piecing our world together, there’s a chance for some sort of beautiful utopia. Regardless of how much we help and how much we hope, conflict in the world is objectively depressing and mood-killing. However, there’s a pattern of behavior I’m starting to notice in the midst of advocacy and activism that’s deeply alarming and could potentially create a dangerous precedent. I’m starting to notice a lack of joy. It’s not exactly because we don’t want it or because there’s something physically restraining us from experiencing joy. It’s because someone else is policing it. There are many instances in which I have been scrolling down the usual social media apps like most do. As always,
CARMEN RANDOLPH / The Reveille
I see news coverage about awful, vile things every day that no doubt should be addressed. Much like the sun parting storm clouds, I would often prefer to see something a bit more wholesome in the midst of such a disparaging reality. Maybe someone went to a concert, traveled to a bucket list country or simply enjoyed a nice meal at a nice restaurant. I could scroll the comments and indulge in this happiness vicariously for the original poster, but inevitably I would see some concerning comments. Comments would appear along the lines of, “You know [insert conflict] is happening here, right?” “How can you do this when there is [insert conflict] happening here?” “This is so disrespectful to [insert group] in [insert geographic location].” The list goes on and on. I’ll be honest — I understand what these rude commenters are trying to do. They’re trying to bring awareness to a problem that needs it, to gather help and sympathy for those who can’t help themselves. However, what they’re actually doing is condemning the original poster, implying that they’re not only dismissing what’s going on in the world, but by experiencing tiny slivers of joy, they’re somehow being insensitive or tone deaf about the situation. That, my friends, is the pure defi-
nition of overcorrection. There’s no denying that there are major issues going on in the world, but when did happiness equal not caring or having fears or concerns? Here’s a fatal flaw: Those who are criticizing on social media may not see the full scope of one’s advocacy or activism in a certain conflict. We all know social media is a show, a projection. You see what the poster wants you to see. In the midst of this, there’s this culture being created in which your advocacy must be purposefully projected outwardly on a social media page, or it’s not true advocacy. This begs the question: Are the people who claim to be advocates on social media actually doing the real work in real life? Or are they just policing what other people are doing for some sort of moral high ground? Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. But we can’t really take a lot of things on social media for face value, can we? Living life, experiencing things and being happy does not equal a lack of knowledge or context. Two things can be true at once: We can be deeply horrified and shaken by what’s going on, while also finding deep joy in the little things. And for college students and young people? We happen to be in a uniquely complicated position. We’re supposed to be in the best years of our lives, but we are simultaneously living through immense
tragedy. It creates room for this dichotomy that people may be uncomfortable with. The people who criticize those embracing their joy have the perspective of, “we can’t be happy until these people in major conflicts are happy.” And to that I say, If we are withholding our personal joy and pleasure until the world is at peace, we’ll never have joy. Now — read the room. This argument does not defend those who choose to flaunt their riches and “glory” as a way of “stunting” on those who have less. This is not an argument for those who do not acknowledge the tense position our world is in, who choose to block out reality and live in their own crystalized bubble. That’s where joy becomes vanity, self-centeredness and selfishness. The argument is for those who are living and advocating, but are villainized for choosing to find little pockets of peace in all of the chaos. I’ll leave you with this: Live in the balance. Know that our world is sometimes falling apart right at the seams. Know that as young people in charge of our destiny, we must fight back against the things that threaten our joy. And despite it all, we must keep our joy. Kelsi Montgomery is a 19-year-old journalism major from Baton Rouge.
Monday, September 14, 2026
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Priority ticket rewards would be a win for students, LSU Athletics JOHNSON’S JOURNAL LAUREN JOHNSON Columnist Every year, the LSU Athletics department has no choice but to show its disorganization and disregard for student satisfaction. From football fans struggling to enjoy their favorite sport to other sports struggling to receive representation and assistance, LSU needs a solution that redefines how students experience athletics. It’s not news that LSU Athletics’ lottery system is a mess. Every year, too many students share their frustration of being unable to obtain football tickets. Within minutes of going on sale, tickets are sold out, leaving thousands without the opportunity to buy student tickets for their own school. Additionally, LSU has now changed its system so that tickets are non-transferrable. Students can no longer sell or transfer their tickets to other students, making the high demand for student tickets even higher and the act of obtaining them even harder.
A different change should be made to the ticket system: LSU should adopt a rewards program. Colleges like the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, the University of Alabama and the University of Missouri have adopted a type of rewards system for purchasing tickets that benefits the students and school as a whole. By attending other campus athletic and student events, students are rewarded with priority for football tickets. This program is exactly what LSU needs to elevate its athletic experience. It’s worth noting that LSU utilizes a “priority points” system for away football game tickets but not home games. With the suggested ticket rewards system, LSU can control the chaos and uncertainty that comes from its current lottery system for high demand season tickets at home. In a scenario with the aforementioned rewards program, a student who has points from going to other athletic events is granted the privilege of a higher chance at being selected in the lottery system; this way, all 41,000+ of LSU’s students are not flooding to buy tickets at once, and LSU ends up getting tickets out to
more students than it did without the rewards program. The University of Tennessee is a great case study here. Before their rewards system, 16,077 students were selected in the ticket lottery and awarded at least one ticket throughout the home football season. In 2024, after adopting the rewards system, that number grew to 21,999, and 5,922 more students were able to attend at least one game in 2024 than 2023. There was a 36% increase in the number of students who were able to experience football games. More than benefiting the LSU football program, the rewards program stands to uplift the rest of the university’s athletic teams and organizations as well. These athletic organizations aren’t funded or recognized on similar levels as the football team. There are many teams that are just as exciting as the football team, and LSU students showing up for them means extra engagement, recognition and participation for them that they don’t typically receive. The same can be said for many of LSU’s intramural sports clubs that are struggling to be regarded as serious
and trying to move up in their associations; they’re putting in all the work they can, but they could use the help. Attention gives them the chance to thrive through additional means like extra funding. LSU can create a culture where every athlete and student feels valued. The energy of LSU fans is infectious, and that special spirit deserves direction beyond football. Students can discover their enthusiasm for more than just one sport, and the more participation that is cultivated for teams outside of football, the more other sporting events may become equally as exciting to attend. These teams could receive the
hype, confidence and acknowledgment they certainly deserve but are not always afforded. Overall, LSU would be enhancing its student life with a rewards program. They can appease its students, solve its ticket issue, offer support to its athletic teams outside of football and grow student experience across campus and at every athletic event. The LSU Athletics department’s operations are often a mess for us as students, athletes and fans, but they don’t have to be. With a rewards system, we can become a further united community. Lauren Johnson is a 20-year-old journalism major from New Orleans.
CAROLINE SIMONEAUX / The Reveille
Highly publicized criminal trials are not for your entertainment BULLION’S BRIEF AVA BULLION Columnist Recent technologies within the media have produced the ability to widely broadcast criminal trials. Within the last decade, apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and more have given people the chance to not only watch bits and pieces of ongoing trials, but also the ability to give their opinions and interpretations of what they believe the outcome should be. The use of inadmissible evidence among social media apps presents sentiments from the public regard-
ing trials they have no say in. Recent cases such as the Lindsay Clancy trial, in which a woman with three first-degree counts against her for the murder of her children, has gained emotional traction from the public. People around the world have begun giving input on the case, gathering their own evidence and debating on what they believe the verdict should be. While Clancy did not deny killing her children, she pleaded not guilty, saying her mental state was impaired due to postpartum psychosis. CBS explains the morality surrounding the case made it difficult for the jurors to reach a decision. Despite the almost two-month-long
CARMEN RANDOLPH / The Reveille
trial, the judge ruled the case as a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury unable to reach a unanimous decision. This case is difficult, macabre and hard for many individuals to read about because it can hit close to home. Many women, mostly mothers, have come forth on social media saying that a mother would never do this to their children, and that some form of persuasion or manipulation must have taken place. As the case gained more traction, many individuals began sending evidence to Clancy’s attorney, posting videos of how evidence given in trial doesn’t add up with the injuries sustained. Many individuals also went through surveillance footage to try and prove Clancy’s innocence. This woman is not personally known by the majority of the public; because of the circumstances of the case and what she is on trial for, however, she has gained sympathy from thousands of people keeping up with the trial. Short clips of the trial on social media can only show so much of what is really happening in that court room. The public only sees a certain amount of the evidence presented and the eye witness testimonies given. Making judgements of a defendant based on bits and pieces of what is perceived through other
people, who are not professionals with experience in law or medicine, is not the main point of such trials. While sending evidence to attorneys active in trial is legal, it can bring forth many ethical issues such as confidentiality laws, altered documents, the way the evidence was obtained and more. In our day and age, the use of artificial intelligence is extremely relevant. Sending evidence that could potentially be altered by AI, especially if it is used in court, to make a trial sway in a certain direction is detestable and unethical. Crimes, such as the murder Lindsay Clancy was on trial for, are gruesome and inhumane, no matter what the outcome is. Instead of taking key points away from the trial on the immorality of such acts, the public has turned trials into a game: Who can solve the trial first? Myself or the judge? Media outrage and emotional responses to the trial can also make it difficult for jurors to make an unbiased ruling decision. It is the Sixth Amendment right that Americans have to an impartial jury, and making posts and videos with seemingly incomplete points and evidence can make purely listening to the evidence presented in a courtroom difficult. With the public’s mindset be-
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ing to try and solve the case, acts of murder and homicide are presented as part of the puzzle. This mindset completely desensitizes humans to how horrible murder actually is. Just last week, another mother was alleged of murdering her child too, but she pleaded not guilty due to psychosis. She was supposedly very invested in the Clancy trial, as she discussed it often with her friends and relatives. This poses a serious question: Are such trials’ popularity somehow inspiring people to commit crimes? I’m not saying such trials aren’t compelling to keep up with, but knowing that the defendant in that room is being convicted in real time of a real crime puts the trial into more perspective. The people on the stand are real people, who have witnessed horrifying acts, who then go on their phones to see conspiracy theories about what really happened. It is not the public’s job to investigate on their own or to interfere with private trials, so instead of watching social media conspiracy videos, keep up with the real evidence presented by professionals on the live trial. Ava Bullion is a 19-year-old political science and criminology double major from Baton Rouge.
Quote of the Week “Bigotry dwarfs the soul by shutting out the truth.”
Edward Hubbell Chapin American poet and preacher 1814 — 1880