The Reveille 4-16-26

Thursday, April 16, 2026

This honors course teaches students the ins and outs of clown performance.

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CLASS OF CLOWNS

LSU class encourages students to take things less seriously

BY PAUL TIBBETS Staff Writer

Professor Henry Goldkamp’s honors course “Class Clown: The Art of Being an Idiot” is teaching students to take themselves a little less seriously.

Goldkamp was not always in touch with the clown world. He first stepped into the field out of boredom with the poetry scene during the COVID-19 quarantine. With readings and performances moved to Zoom, sitting at the laptop and listening to people recite poems began to get stale. Goldkamp felt like he was losing his mind with the isolation and repetition, so he reinvented what a virtual performance could look like.

His laptop camera became a prop in his poetry. He would film himself outside and from different angles to break up the monotony.

“To this day, I still don’t know anybody that’s done some of the things that I have with Zoom in terms of performance,” Goldkamp said.

Clowning was his logical next step.

This was not a switch everybody took to with open arms. Goldkamp said that early in his clowning journey, many people dismissed his new method.

“It’s important to disrupt that passivity of just, ‘I’m going to sit here, you talk to me and then I’m going to go home,’” Goldkamp said. “So, a lot of my poetics and my performances involve people like clowning does.”

Despite pushback from some in the poetry community, the LSU Honors College was more than happy to hear about clown poetics.

He began teaching HNRS 2021, his clown class, just a few years ago. So far, it has made a big impact on many students.

One such student is biology and English literature sophomore Claire Burton. She said that despite her apprecition for the class now, she almost did not stick with it.

“First class, you go in and he’s explaining the class and everything,” Burton said, “and I literally sat there the whole time, [and] I was like, ‘I’m going to drop.’”

Still, Burton is glad she pushed through that first week. A big hurdle to get over initially was the embarrassment of the activities students had to do in class.

After getting through her first clown moment, she realized it was not as bad as she thought, and it would get even better as time went on. She recalled a lesson Goldkamp taught his students on how to push past their embarrassment.

“‘The speed of fun is supposed to be faster than your worry and louder than your critic,’ I think is the way it was quoted,” Burton said. “It’s just being able to do it without thinking about the implications of what you’re doing, but everyone has that ability. It’s just whether or not you choose to unlock it in yourself.”

This is a lesson Goldkamp understands all too well. Not only does he put a lot of trial and error into his own personal art projects, but in the classroom as well.

Each lesson plan goes through a cycle of working and not working, and it is different for every class. He will sometimes have a successful attempt one semester, and then the same method will completely bomb the very next semester.

Goldkamp recalled a time when he was trying an exercise about mirrors. He had students sit across from each other and mime what the other was doing until they experienced a complete loss of self. Several students underwent such an existential moment that they broke down crying.

It seemed like a surefire hit — at least that is what he thought. He tried the same experiment the next semester, but the results were less than desirable with this new class.

“They just thought the whole thing was really stupid, and everyone got a case of the giggles,” Goldkamp said, “so no one could take it seriously.”

Burton considers herself lucky that she has such a good group of people in her class. She said that all of her classmates truly commit to the clowning and turn out some

funny bits.

She has even taken her clowning outside of the classroom, which she promised herself she would never do. Making her friends laugh as a clown gave her a sense of enjoyment greater than just telling a joke. She credits Goldkamp’s class with helping her see her artistic side.

“I don’t ever consider myself a particularly creative person,” Burton said. “Honestly, this class has made me realize how creative I can be when given opportunity to.”

It means a lot to Goldkamp as well. He sees a synergy between his students learning about how to let loose and be a clown and him learning through evaluating how they do it.

When speaking to strangers at an airport, he always gets a kick when they ask him what he does for a living. Ultimately, he said he is grateful for the opportunity to do this not just for himself, but with all of his past and present students.

“All things considered, I’m just really glad that this course exists, and I’m glad that people seem to take after it and be into it,” Goldkamp said. “I hope to continue to just keep doing this in perpetuity.”

If Burton had a chance to take this class again with the exact same people, she said she would do it in a heartbeat. She had a great time growing, learning and laughing with her classmates. With that, she has one final message for her class.

“I love my class, so if they read this, I want them to know that they were a great group of people,” she said. “I’m going to miss them.”

HNRS 2021 sign ups are open for the fall semester while slots are available. If you want to learn more about Goldkamp and his work, you can check out his website, henrygoldkamp.com.

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CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

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ABOUT THE REVEILLE

The Reveille is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. A single issue of The Reveille is free from multiple sites on campus and about 25 sites off campus. To obtain additional copies, please visit the Office of Student Media in B-39 Hodges Hall or email studentmedia@ lsu.edu. The Reveille is published biweekly during the fall, spring and summer semesters, except during holidays and final exams. The Reveille is funded through LSU students’ payments of the Student Media fee.

‘SUBSTANTIAL RISK’

University Court halts Student Senate bill after General Counsel issues opinion

The LSU University Court has issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against a Student Senate bill limiting outside election influence.

The bill, SGB 22, was passed by the Senate on April 2. Four days later, on April 6, Student Body President Lavar Henderson vetoed the bill due to concerns of it violating the First Amendment.

The Senate then met on April 9 and voted to override the veto, passing the bill without Henderson’s signature.

SGB 22 aims to ban funding from politically affiliated organizations to Student Government tickets.

The order from the Court comes from the legal opinion of the Vice President of LSU’s General Counsel, Trey Jones.

Jones’ opinion concludes that the bill is of “questionable constitutionality” for imposing content-based limitations on political speech.

In his written opinion, Jones cited Citizens United v. FEC, in which the Supreme Court ruled that political spending is a form of protected speech. Therefore, political contributions are protected under the First Amendment.

“Student elections do not create a unique exception that lets officials pick and choose “acceptable” political donors,” Jones wrote.

While author of the bill, Sen. Luke Ducote said the bill is entirely apolitical, the Court found the bill was not “viewpoint-neutral” and is not likely to meet constitutional requirements around governing political speech and association.

“Enforcement of a statute subject to such constitutional infirmities presents a substantial risk of unlawful suppression of protected speech,” the order reads.

As a result of the order, SGB 22 is unable to be enforced or implemented despite overriding the veto.

Sen. Konnor Crowder, co-author of the bill, told the Reveille he thinks the bill should stand due to the sup-

port it received.

“The Student Senate has voted twice; the veto session did better than the original vote; the bill stands,” Crowder said. “The Senate represents the student body with diverse perspectives, and what we voted on should be implemented.”

The Court will conduct further investigation to determine whether or not to maintain the injunction.

Faculty Senate president running for third term

BY MAIA TYLER Staff Writer

LSU’s Faculty Senate president is currently running unopposed in the body’s upcoming election, showcasing the university’s high regard for his leadership.

For the past two years, Daniel Tirone has served as the president

of LSU’s Faculty Senate. He is also an associate professor of international relations at LSU, focusing on the complex dynamics of global affairs.

As president, he backs the skills and contributions of the university’s faculty, managing the challenges of both academic and practical leadership.

Tirone said he is a dedicated supporter of academic freedom, advocating passionately for faculty’s right to pursue scholarship and teach without restriction.

He has also been involved in fostering task forces to monitor state legislative developments, develop guidelines for the ethical use of generative AI and help build trust among colleagues.

“What I’m hoping to do is serve the role

of providing feedback to the administration about the needs of the faculty, so that they are represented and their needs are communicated,” Tirone said.

The Pittsburgh native said that after earning his doctorate in political science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2012, he received many offers to teach.

He ultimately chose LSU because it’s a research-heavy university, and the culture of Louisiana and Baton Rouge intrigued him, fueling his dedication to both research and teaching excellence.

Since joining the LSU faculty, he has risen to the rank of associate professor in the Department of Political Science.

Along with this, Tirone dedicates his time to researching political methodology to better understand how global economic integration shapes the internal governance and security of sovereign states.

He is highly regarded by peers and students, fostering trust and pride in LSU’s academic community.

“[His] mentorship throughout my final two years at LSU was pivotal to my undergraduate success,” said Morgan LeBlanc, a political science major who graduated last spring. “He exemplifies qualities

LSU honors Sexual Assault Awareness Month

BY MADELYN LONG Staff Writer

During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, LSU programs and organizations come together to support and educate students on available resources.

Although initiatives to prevent and handle sexual violence on campus are present year-round, April marks a time when the campus amplifies these topics.

“[The month] serves as a major opportunity to highlight conversations surrounding consent, healthy relationships, bystander intervention, community support for survivors and available support services across campus,” said Natalie Walton, associate director of The Lighthouse Program.

LSU’s Lighthouse Program started off the month with its Believe March on April 7 at the Parade Ground.

This event brings students, faculty, staff and community partners together to participate in a silent march to focus on sexual assault awareness.

“It sends the message to survivors: ‘I believe you. I believe this happened to you, and it’s not your fault,” Walton said.

such as approachability, concision and resourcefulness, which make him an excellent role model and leader in academia.”

He said he emphasizes clear communication as president, ensuring faculty and administration are well-informed about each other’s needs and priorities. This helps to foster confidence and mutual understanding.

“The thing I respect about Dr. Tirone is that he genuinely cares,” said Kirsten Healy, a member-atlarge on the Senate. “While he’s certainly incredibly well spoken and intelligent, I notice he approaches every topic with interest and intent to make the best possible decision for all interested parties.”

When he’s not bridging the gap between administrators and faculty members, Tirone is working for the people around him.

“We’re producing more research, we’re educating our students, our faculty feels supported,” Tirone said. “We created an environment in which the faculty can thrive. By extension, the students can then get the educational experience they deserve, and a stronger LSU is better for Louisiana.”

The Faculty Senate’s election will be held on Tuesday.

Walton emphasized the work it takes from a spectrum of people to make sure students have access to both prevention education and support services and resources for survivors.

On the same day, the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights and Title IX hosted the Sexual Assault Awareness Month Kickoff on Tower Drive.

During this event, various campus departments, student organizations and community organizations set up resource tables and shared how the campus can work together to end sexual violence.

These events also include efforts from LSUPD, which plays an active role in sexual assault prevention by combining education and partnerships to create more visibility.

Marlon Hawkins, LSUPD Community Outreach Sergeant, explained that LSUPD conducts community policing presentations, teaches self-defense classes and connects students with critical support.

LSUPD is also involved in the criminal aspect of sexual assault, making sure that sexual assault cases are handled with care and privacy.

Hawkins said all sexual violence cases are investigated by LSUPD’s Criminal Investigation Division, which has the proper training to conduct thorough investigations

ACADEMICS

LSU’s coastal environmental sciences students prove successful

BY JORJA ETHRIDGE Staff Writer

The LSU Olinde Career Center’s outcomes data for last year’s undergraduate class revealed high starting salaries and an increased positive outcome rate for coastal environmental sciences graduates.

A positive outcome means a graduate has secured an opportunity such as employment or admission to graduate school within six months of graduating.

CES graduates had a positive outcome rate of 92% and reported an average salary of almost $76,000, which is $13,000 more than the national average. Additionally, 70% of CES graduates stayed in Louisiana.

Brian Snyder, director of the undergraduate CES program, said the small size of the program contributes to its success. There are about 200

SUPPORT, from page 3 through trauma-informed response techniques.

“While all crimes are taken seriously, sexual assault cases involve additional privacy protections, specialized investigators and protocols, close coordination with Title IX and advocacy services and a victim-centered approach that helps get the

undergraduate CES students and 50 faculty.

Snyder said this 4:1 student-tofaculty ratio creates a small, close-knit college environment with the resources of a major research university.

He added that some CES faculty members are world leaders in their fields, so students get to learn from experts. The outstanding students are what contribute the most to the program’s success, though, according to Snyder.

He said LSU’s CES students are smart and hardworking but also genuinely passionate about the environment.

“Our degree program is rigorous, but students meet that challenge because they want to go into careers where they can make the world a better place,” Snyder said.

Snyder oversees advising, recruitment and retention within CES. He

best outcome,” Hawkins said.

Campus organizations, such as Tigers Against Sexual Assault, use April as a way to promote their organization’s mission alongside campus partners as well.

TASA hosts tabling and awareness events throughout the entire month, including their Denim Day initiative and “Perks of a Being a Wallflower” movie night.

said he also prioritizes connecting students with research opportunities and internships.

Lilley Sartwell graduated last year with a degree in applied coastal environmental sciences. She now works as a marine fisheries biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

She said she thinks the success of LSU’s CES program is tied to its uniqueness. Sartwell is from Houston, and she said universities in Texas do not offer this specific major.

While she gained diverse coastal knowledge from a broad spectrum of classes, Sartwell was still able to focus her classes toward her own interests. She said she took fish-focused classes that still fulfilled her requirements.

Sartwell emphasized the importance of coastal sciences and said it is important to spread environmental information to the public.

These events provide LSU students with the opportunity to learn more about sexual assault, even if they are not survivors themselves.

Sophia Murray, a psychology junior and TASA’s vice president, said that knowing how to handle situations when survivors share their experience is very important to avoid stigmatizing sexual assault.

Murray said events hosted by

“Obviously coastal land loss, if you’re in Louisiana, you know about it,” Sartwell said. “And a lot of environmental stuff in general is under fire right now.”

At her current job, Sartwell is on a field team that often does research in a boat. She said LSU’s CES program prepared her for what she does now.

“I’ve wanted to do what I’m doing now since I was a kid,” Sartwell said.

Leighton Flanagan is a current applied coastal environmental sciences senior who will graduate next month. She plans to pursue graduate school and then find a job in environmental management or communication.

She said LSU’s CES program has prepared her to take the next steps.

“A lot of these classes have been eye-opening in terms of how much it’s not a black-and-white field,” Flanagan said. “When I started this degree, I was like, ‘Save the environ-

TASA are, “not only trying to teach how to avoid bad situations where sexual assault could happen, but also knowing how to handle it if it does happen.”

There are many more events taking place on campus for students to get involved, including LSU’s Feminists in Action “Take Back the Night” on Thursday, starting at 6 p.m. on the LSU Parade Ground.

ment,’ and then you realize it’s not that easy.”

Flanagan thinks LSU’s proximity to the coast helps CES students thrive. She said the program provides students with plenty of hands-on opportunities.

She recalled going on a trip to Grand Isle and doing fieldwork for a class. Flanagan also worked in a lab at LSU that helped predict the future in terms of climate change.

Although Flanagan chose a coastal-focused major, she feels prepared to pursue jobs post-graduate school that are coastal or inland.

“I think the direct upper-level courses and lab experience have really helped shape the scientist I am and who I want to become,” Flanagan said.

Editor’s note: Brian Snyder is the parent of a Reveille staffer.

“Attending these events helps students learn how to support friends or their peers who may be impacted, identify resources to support them, understand consent and healthy relationships and contribute to building a safer and supportive campus culture,” Walton said.

A list of upcoming events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month can be found here.

ENTERTAINMENT

Stressed about school? Smashing a TV might help release your frustration

BY MIA HATTAWAY Staff writer

As finals approach and the heat is starting to blister, my aggression is reaching its season’s peak. School stressors make the commute to campus all the more irritating, and once I finally arrive, I quickly become overstimulated by the bustling Student Union, vexed by the speeding scooters and irked by my pinging GroupMe notifications.

With these feelings and frustrations only mounting with each passing day, I could only come up with one solution: going to a rage room.

Rage rooms, or frustration spaces, first grew in popularity in Japan to help workers with stress management. During the 2008 U.S. financial crisis, the concept became mainstream in American culture.

Now, social media seems to have taken well to the concept, with over 80,000 posts on TikTok alone tagged with #rageroom.

Going into this experience, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

Though I am a pretty highenergy person, I’ve never been someone whose anger manifests physically. Outside of my love affair with boxing — which fizzled out by seventh grade — I have a hard time channeling my frustration into anything beyond internal stress and the occasional eye roll.

Upon arriving at Anger Management off of O’Neal Lane, I suited up in coveralls, a protective mask and gloves. In the walkway leading to the actual rage room is an array of various weapons, including bats, hammers, golf clubs and mallets.

Anger Management allows you to connect your phone to the bluetooth speakers, which I most certainly took advantage of, playing artists like Charli XCX, Mitski and Amy Winehouse.

Unexpectedly, I felt apprehensive about the entire experience. For the first 10 minutes, I was quite standoffish to the actual breaking of things for fear of hurting or embarrassing myself. Suddenly, everything changed. All of my nerves dissipated and all of my rage came back. I remembered why I came.

This shift in perspective, of course, was prompted by Rihanna’s “Breakin’ Dishes” blasting over the speakers. It was as if a beast within me had woken up. I started plotting on the trashed TV in the corner while spinning the baseball bat on the palm of my hand. Thinking about left-hand turners on East Boyd Drive, I took my first big swing. It gave in slightly, but I wasn’t even close to being finished.

An abrupt flashback to shuffling in and out of tour group

traffic in the middle of the Quad popped into my mind. The frustration of having to navigate around gawking parents and awkward high schoolers fueled my next hit, which disconnected the stands of the TV.

As my brain cycled through different events of the week, I zoned in on the littered confetti affecting our beloved mascot. How could some of my peers treat Mike like this? Looking down, one of the standlegs was in several pieces, with the other now across the room from me.

The package you pay for dictates what materials you trash, as well as how many materials you receive. With the Date Night package, I received a mediumsized crate of plates, mugs and other dishes, as well as a box of empty liquor and wine glasses.

I also took advantage of a large bowling ball, which I attempted to hurtle at a pyramid of mugs. Though this venture wasn’t as satisfying as I pictured, largely due to a strange grip on the ball caused by the gloves, the ball was much better suited to smash directly onto materials, particularly the liquor bottles. Finally, my anger for Unity Field being shut down was put to good use.

The hammers on the other hand certainly packed the punch but required too much proximity for me. For someone more comfortable with the concept, I’m sure it’d be a great weapon of choice, but it was a bit too far off the deep end for my first trip.

My favorite weapon quickly became the golf club. Using it with more traditional methods — lining up bottles on the floor and swinging as if I were teeing off

— was just as satisfying as using it for downward batting practice.

A rope hung from the ceiling, which guests can attach to materials to break. My first instinct was to attach the rope to a bottle to fling it against the wall. Unfortunately, I am but a mass communication student who did not calculate the risk of it simply bouncing back to me.

Pivoting, I hung the bottle from the rope to break with my trust bat, smashing it into a million little shards as I thought of all of the time I’ve wasted waiting on a Tiger Trails bus.

In between rounds of damage, I kept going back to a white board in the back of the room. Guests have left various messages about their lives, ranging from expletives about their struggles to celebrations about their victories. Reading these notes, I felt a deep connection to people I may never meet. I found the board deeply grounding throughout my experience.

Soon enough, my ammunition was less about anger and more about the simple pleasure of smashing everything in sight. I felt the urge to scream, to laugh and, most importantly, to rage — so I did.

Although I had to warm up to the process, I walked away from Anger Management more emotionally prepared for the week ahead. It isn’t a cure-all; my academic and personal stressors still exist and, on the drive home, I immediately hit I-12 traffic, which may have set me back to exactly where I was before.

One thing is certain though: rage, when used responsibly, can be surprisingly productive.

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LOCAL SAFARI

A variety of animals on display at the Baton Rouge Zoo April 9.

Mishaps and mayhem are at every turn in ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’

BY SARAH WALTON Staff Writer

In the final weeks of the school year, LSU Theatre students are still hard at work pulling together the last show of the year. For some of them, it will be their last LSU show ever.

In the Reilly Theatre sits one of the most complicated sets LSU Theatre has ever attempted for the department’s last Main

Stage show, “The Play That Goes Wrong.”

Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, “The Play That Goes Wrong” is a comedy full of wild events and mishaps. The story follows a group of performers as they put on a murder mystery, but things do not go as planned.

Because of the nature of the play, with all the physical comedy and the technical work that needed to be done, it took a large team and a lot of group effort to produce.

Ethan Rodgers is a senior technical theatre major and the designer behind the set. Rodgers started designing the look and functionality of the set all the way back in November.

“It was a long road to finalize

what we were going to do before we even started,” Rodgers said.

In the show, set pieces break and fall and things can get dangerous really quickly, so safety was a real concern.

There was an added complication with the venue choice for a show. When it comes to theaters, a stage can come in different shapes and sizes. The most common is the proscenium stage, which creates the illusion of a fourth wall separating the stage and audience. However, the Reilly Theatre is a thrust stage, which means the stage can be seen not just by one side, but three.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” was written for a proscenium, and so Rodgers had to work out a way for an audience to enjoy the show on every side of the stage.

Rodgers said there was a lot of “throwing ideas at the wall and just, seeing what sticks. The set is so much part of the energy of the show. It’s kind of like another actor.”

Within the world of LSU technical theater, Rodgers has become the go-to for set designing, and that does not happen naturally. Rodgers said that from the moment he came to LSU, he knew what he wanted to do, and he completely invested in it. He mentioned his luck in LSU’s choice of technical design professors.

“[They are] genuinely fantastic people and fantastic teachers that are super enthusiastic about teaching students,” he said.

Rodgers closed by saying, “This is a really cool, lighthearted opportunity for people to be able to come here and enjoy things. And it also is kind of cool that it’s showing off like the power of LSU’s theater tech department, which I feel like it isn’t super obvious the work that we do.”

Eric Rhode is a senior theatre performance major, and he plays Max Bennett in the show. Rhode

described the show’s characters as odd, and maybe a bit clueless. Outside of his new role, Rhode might be best known for playing Tobey Maguire in “I’m Gonna Marry You Tobey Maguire.”

Though Rhode is a natural when it comes to comedy, this show was a little bit of a new challenge. Because of all of the events that play out onstage, the cast needed to be off-book before starting rehearsal.

“It was just really cool to see everybody just jump into it, gung ho ready,” Rhode said. “And every single day, they added in new little prop pieces or set pieces to work around that just added a level of randomness and discovery throughout.”

When creating a show, actors come to a rehearsal space every day for hours at a time, working away at shaping characters and a story in hopes that an audience connects to the show. For Eric Rhode, one of the best parts of

performing is the audience.

“I’m very excited for the audience to be there because the audience is just an energy machine, and they’re going to find this show hilarious,” he said.

For many people in the cast and crew, this is their last hurrah in LSU Theatre. “The Play that Goes Wrong” stands to be the culmination of their careers at LSU.

“I started thinking about that within the last couple days where this is the last show, and with such a well known show like this, I kind of cannot be more grateful to be a part of it,” Rhode said. “It has shown me again and again and again how much I love this world that is theater and how much I just desire to do it for the rest of my life outside of LSU.”

He said he’s grateful to be a part of this production.

“The very fact that I am being able to put my stamp on it to have people see my interpretation of it – I’m really, really grateful,” Rhode said.

“The Play That Goes Wrong” opens at the Reilly Theatre on April 17. Tickets to the show are available through the PurplePass website.

PAUL’ S PLATE

Josephine’s Italian Cuisine pairs an artsy atmosphere with classic Italian cooking

BY PAUL TIBBETS Staff Writer

For a taste of Italy straight out of grandma’s cookbook, newly-opened Josephine’s Italian Cuisine is the place to be.

Josephine’s has only been open for around two and a half months, but the recipes have been around for much longer. Chef Russell Davis was inspired by his grandmother’s name and love for cooking in the opening of this restaurant.

There has been a small yet lively buzz surrounding this spot to eat, so what is the verdict?

The atmosphere

Josephine’s interior is a minimalistic design, yet it offers a sense of refinement. The walls are trimmed with a light green paint that extends to the bar, cabinets and even booth seating. It adds a nice pop of color to the white walls and rafters.

Decorations in the main room include a handful of art pieces and mirrors. In a sense, it feels like patchwork tattoos. The second room feels even more artful, with a mural lining the walls. The vibrant blues and greens feel like an Italian impressionist painting.

I appreciate the open windows that follow you throughout the restaurant. No matter where you sit, there is always light pouring in behind you, livening up the place.

The service

Service at Josephine’s is nothing short of superb. Every single member of the staff, whether they be host, waiter or chef, greets you with a warm smile and happy demeanor.

Despite only being there two months and some change, I would have thought my server Elaina Rich had dedicated her whole life to Josephine’s. Her knowledge of the menu and the food itself was astonishing and helped me make the most out of my experience there.

Each food item came out not 10 minutes apart from each other. This is all the more impressive knowing everything is made to order, according to sous chef Logan Gaspard.

The food

Of course, deciding on your first round of food pairs best with a tasty drink. I tried the strawberry Italian soda. This

drink was the definition of refreshing. While it may have the taste of a Strawberry Fanta at first, the aftertaste offers a delicious tanginess found in regular strawberry flavor.

For my appetizer, I turned to the arancini on a bed of caponata with a pomodoro tomato sauce. The arancini itself is a deep-fried ball of rice and cheese that was simply a delight. Its crust was so thinly crispy with a rich creamy flavor on the inside.

This, combined with the tangy caponata, gave a whole new layer to the profile. Caponata is a dish made with eggplant, celery, onions and tomatoes bathed in a vinegar-based sauce. These two tastes together were perfectly balanced for a deep and well-rounded experience.

I kept it a bit simpler with my entree and got myself a pizza. For my selection, I got Josephine’s picante pizza. It was a wonderful dish featuring a burst of fresh tomatoes with salty pepperoni and peppery Italian sausage.

Many spicy pies are unfortunately overwhelming or fall into traps of hot sauce and jalapeños, leaving me feeling disappointed. The spiciness of the picante pizza had a beautiful subtlety to it where it hit hard,but did not stick around for uncomfortably long.

Rounding out my meal, I had to try the tiramisu for dessert. While the mascarpone layer was fluffy and velvety, the ladyfingers left a bit to be desired. I still quite enjoyed this course, but the espresso flavor was a little too subtle for me.

Overall, Josephine’s Italian Cuisine is a restaurant that is a worthwhile investment. You will be treated to a fun time with above and beyond service and fantastic food.

You can check hours and menu on Josephine’s Italian Cuisine’s website.

SPORTS

NO-HIT HEAVENER

Softball run rules UL-Lafayette behind sophomore ace’s pitching

BY ADAM KIRSCHMAN Staff Writer

No. 17 LSU softball breezed by UL-Lafayette for an 8-0 run-rule victory Tuesday.

The almost perfect night on both sides of the ball was headlined by Jayden Heavener’s second career no-hit performance.

LSU played much better offensively this go-around against UL, after the 2-1, 10-inning battle when the two faced off in the Purple and Gold Challenge. LSU recorded six hits to UL’s zero, showing how much the Tigers have improved offensively through this season.

The biggest storyline of the night was Heavener, though, who recorded LSU’s first no-hitter of the season, along with two strikeouts. She seems to be back to her best after also looking great against Arizona over the past weekend.

After neither team could get anything going in the first inning, LSU’s offense exploded in the second.

UL’s pitching got off to an awful start, as starter Julianne Tipton was pulled off the mound after letting the bases get loaded off three straight walks. Bethany Noble would replace the sophomore, but she proved no help.

LSU’s Destiny Harris started the scoring with a two-run single, which marked her seventh RBI of the season and her first since March 24 against Louisiana Tech.

On the next at-bat, Avery Hodge would do well adjusting to an awkward pitch to make contact and drive in another run despite a short groundout.

LSU then advanced another run-

GYMNASTICS

BRYANT / The Reveille Softball sophomore pitcher Jayden Heavener (00) pitches the ball during their win over Co-Lin Community College on Nov. 12 at Tiger Park.

ner home on the third straight atbat as Jaila Lassiter blasted a tworun homer into right-center field.

In a flash, LSU jumped up to a 5-0 lead, forcing UL to make more changes. Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Alyson Habetz chose to replace Noble with Sage Hoover, who was able to force two outs to end the poor defensive inning.

Heavner looked strong on the mound in UL’s second turn at bat, forcing a quick 1-2-3 out inning.

It would not take LSU’s offense long to get going in the third, as Maci Bergeron’s unusual catcher replacement, Char Lorenz, would hit a single. Allie Hutchins then followed that up by getting on base off a walk before UL was able to slow down LSU by forcing two outs.

Despite the outs, LSU kept on applying the pressure and eventually drove in another run off a bad pitch, which hit Sierra Daniel. Luckily for the Cajuns, that was all they’d give up in the third as Daniel was caught out at second base.

UL would try to get things going in the third, but Heavener stayed perfect and again forced three quick outs.

LSU once again dominated the next inning, as Franklin was walked on the first at-bat. Two batters later, Lorenz hit a two-run homer down the left field line, giving LSU enough of a lead to force a run-rule if UL failed to score in the fifth.

After the run, the Tigers seemed to take their foot off the gas, as UL forced two straight outs to end that

half of the inning.

LSU’s defense did not let up in the fourth, though, as Heavener forced another no-hit inning off two flyouts and a groundout. That would mark 10 straight batters retired by Heavener.

LSU only got one hit in the fifth inning off a Rylie Johnson single, before UL forced three straight outs.

Now, LSU only needed to hold the Ragin’ Cajuns scoreless through the inning to end the contest early, and Heavener would refuse to slow down. She’d again force three straight outs off two flyouts and a strikeout, giving LSU the easy 8-0 win.

Now, the team looks toward the weekend, where it’ll start the series against Ole Miss on Friday at 6 p.m.

WOMENS BASKETBALL

Flau’jae Johnson to play for Seattle in WNBA

BY TRE ALLEN Staff Writer

The Golden State Valkyries selected LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, but they decided to trade her to the Seattle Storm in a draft night switch-up.

Johnson was exchanged for draft rights to Marta Suarez, who was selected at No. 16, and a 2028 second-round pick.

After spending four years with the Tigers, averaging 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, Johnson now begins a new chapter in her life playing professional basketball.

In her career, Johnson has solidified herself as one of the greatest athletes to attend LSU, helping bring a national championship during her freshman year in the 2022-23 season.

To go along with the national championship, she never missed an NCAA Tournament, making it to the Sweet 16 four years in a row and going to the Elite Eight twice.

She’s also been selected to the All-American third team twice by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

In her final season with LSU, she joined history by becoming the sixth player in the program to surpass 2,000 career points.

Gymnastics to compete in national championship semifinals

BY DELANEY POTTHAST Staff Writer

Set to step foot in Dickies Arena for Session 1 of the NCAA gymnastics national championship semifinal in Fort Worth, the No. 3 LSU gymnastics team is headed into battle with two regional wins under its belt.

Also taking part in the first session is No. 7 Stanford, No. 2 Florida and No. 5 Georgia, who will surely give the Tigers a run for their money in the race to make it to the final.

The last time LSU shared a floor with the Gators was at the SEC Championship, and before that, it was during its regular season dual meet in Gainesville. While LSU finished behind Florida both times, the semi-final matchup is looking to be some -

what of a different story.

Against the Gators on the road during its last meet of the season, LSU took a loss despite its season-high matching score of 198.325. While it wasn’t a winning outcome for the Tigers, their exceptional performance had defined the night for a confident entrance to the conference championship.

Despite this, the Tigers fell just short of defending their title with a third place finish at the SECs, while Florida took the crown with a 0.225 point lead over LSU.

“We had a lot of things going on behind the scenes that had to do with ailment and injury,” head coach Jay Clark said. “It was just a lot of stuff that all can clutter. I thought the kids in a whole, did a great job. I mean, they competed

hard.”Given the circumstances of both meetings this season, the Tigers are hopeful for a semifinal matchup where they’ll look to overcome one of the hottest teams in the NCAA.

As for Stanford and Georgia, there are mixed expectations ahead of the semifinal round. The Bulldogs found their first win at home against LSU during the second week of the season, scoring 197.200. Since then, however, the Tigers have managed to put up higher overall totals in every competition.

“We walked into the beginning of this year knowing that we wanted it to go differently, so we attacked our culture differently, we attacked relationships differently and we just really took a full analysis of last year,” senior Ashley Cowan said. “Knowing

that, I think it’s really propelled us through these tough competitions that we’ve gone through this year, and that is really going to carry us through formidable opponents going into this weekend too.”

In the final spot of Session 1, Stanford also finds itself moving on from the Baton Rouge regional. Though Stanford has met LSU in a regular season dual meet, the performance it put up in the regional round proved why it holds the No. 7 spot in the National Qualifying Score rankings. Stanford took down a highquality team like Clemson early in the season and also found success in the ACC Championship for a second place finish. Still, the Tigers ended the regional final with a 0.600 lead over Stanford, making them the favorable com-

petitors in Fort Worth.

While the year’s statistics say that LSU should have a guaranteed spot in the championship final, last season’s semifinal upset proves rankings and recent scores aren’t the only thing to be counted on.

LSU takes the competition one event at a time and doing its “normal” will be imperative for the team to keep in the top two spots, knowing that anything can happen.

“We’re not worried about anyone else on the floor,” sophomore Lexi Zeiss said. “It’s all about us, and we don’t really care about the other teams. We’re there to do what we want to do, and we’re going to compete to our best. So, [we’ll] really stand in our bubble and do our normal because normal is enough.”

FROM BALLOU TO BAYOU

How this freshman gymnast is fulfilling her childhood dream of being a Tiger

BY GABBY GRAY & DELANEY POTTHAST Staff Writers

Since she was 9 years old, LSU gymnastics freshman Nina Ballou has bled purple and gold.

Now she gets to compete wearing those same colors on her back, representing one of the nation’s top collegiate gymnastics programs.

At just age 2, Ballou found her gymnastics start at her older sister’s birthday party. The event was hosted at a gym, the very place where the Florida native fell in love with gymnastics right in front of her parents’ eyes.

“Nina started gymnastics as soon as she was able to be potty trained,” her mother, Diana Ballou, said. “Immediately, [even though she] couldn’t walk, [she] was climbing the ropes, was crawling around [and] really loved it.”

Even at a young age, when Ballou entered the gym, all that mattered to her was getting to do gymnastics. According to her mother, she never lacked the energy to do so.

“She never did ‘mommy and me,’ which is super popular [for young children],” Diana Ballou said. “She literally just went in by herself and did gymnastics, and she was good.”

her family relocated to Boca Ra ton, Florida, where the gymnast got her start at American Twist ers. There she met Gary Ander son, an elite coach who would guide Ballou through her ca reer and onto the NCAA.

selecting what looked to be gifted or talented kids,” Anderson said. “They had to be a little more coordinated, a little stronger, a little more flex ible than the normal kid that’s in a 6 or 7-year-old class, and she was, right from the start, a little superstar.”

was eager to offer Ballou a spot on the competition team. How ever, because she was balancing dance and recreational gymnas tics at just 3 years old, her family shelved the idea as they consid ered the time investment of the sport.

where her only choice was to pursue competitive gymnastics if she wanted to progress.

“We talked to her, and even that little, Nina’s always been very talkative, and she’d tell you what she wanted at a very young age,” Diana Ballou said. “We said, ‘You know, if you’re going to do this, do you want to quit dance?’ And she said, ‘No, I want to do both”’.

So, at 5 years old, Ballou was doing both competitive dance and gymnastics and then began a very decorated career, reaching level 10 and even making an appearance on American Ninja Warrior Junior at just 11 years old.

“[She had] immense competitiveness, where she had to

doing a simple drill or competing in the state championship.”

When the time came for the five-time national champion to commit to a university, LSU had remained at the top of her list ever since attending the program’s summer camps.

“One of the things that kept her leaning towards LSU was she went to their camp at a young age,” Anderson said. “Fell in love with the campus and got to know the coaches, and it just sort of was a self-recruitment job on her part.”

Beyond that, Ballou’s family ties in the bayou allowed her to attend annual family reunions on her father’s side in Sulphur, Louisiana.

“I started coming to camp here

Whether she was visiting Oklahoma, UCLA or taking a trip back to Florida, Ballou always had Baton Rouge and the LSU staff on her mind.

“I knew all along she was coming here,” head coach Jay Clark said. “There was no shot she was going to go anywhere else, because she’s been bleeding purple and gold since the day we met her.”

Since her commitment, Ballou has had a smashing start during her first year as a Tiger. Serving as a staple performer in the team’s floor lineup, it’s the gymnast’s electricity that draws fans in.

“Her last name is Ballou, but we’ve adopted this [nickname], sort of like Joe Theismann, and now she’s Nina ‘Bayou,’” Clark said. “She’s such an alpha. She wants to be out there, and when she’s not able to be in a lineup, she handles it like a seasoned veteran.”

bunny out there,” Clark said. “It’s infectious, and she sucks you into everything she’s doing because she just gives off such positive rage. It’s awesome.”

The scores Ballou puts up on the competition floor aren’t the only asset she adds to the team. In the locker room, she brings a bubbly personality, along with what Clark describes as an “uncanny sort of wisdom beyond her years.”

Anderson said her personality was inherited from the culture she grew up around at the gym. Now at LSU, she continues to carry those same attitudes and behaviors around her teammates.

“She is the best person to be around,” teammate Konnor McClain said. “She brings your mood up when you’re down, and like she said, she wants to be authentic, and that’s exactly what she is.”

Ballou’s time at LSU has already had quite the effect on the

team and its fans, but for her, everything that she does seems to be bigger than herself.

Her dedication to her sport and love for the bayou is a testament to her Louisiana family, the state itself and, of course, LSU.

“She’s a little alpha dog that wants to compete all the time and wants it for LSU,” Clark said. “As time goes by, you’re going to see that she is more and more of the identity of this program.”

OPINION

Hungarian election should serve as a model for Democrats

CRAWFORD’S CORNER

GORDON CRAWFORD Columnist

This month, one of the most globally-watched and regionallysignificant elections in the world took place in a corner of the EU many have heard of, but may have difficulty placing on a map: the Republic of Hungary.

The election pitted incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has ruled the nation at the head of a far-right Christian nationalist government for 16 years, against Péter Magyar, a former member of Orbán’s party turned rapidlyrising opposition leader following a years-long media campaign against corruption in the nation.

The result was truly monumental. Orbán was swept out, his government utterly demolished as Magyar’s party went from zero seats to a 137-seat supermajority

in the National Assembly.

Many have hailed this result as a significant blow to the global far right due to Orbán’s close ties to both Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump. Vice President JD Vance even rallied with Orbán in the leadup to the election.

But why should you care about what goes on in this faraway nation?

Well, Hungarian politics have had reverberations across global politics for years now. This switch in power is likely to have significant ramifications.

The most significant impact is this: Russia just lost its number one cheerleader in the EU. Due to unanimity rules, Orbán has been the one big roadblock in the flow of EU aid to Ukraine for years, and with Orbán out, that opens up a number of possibilities: renewed loan packages, eased flow of arms and even potential EU enlargement.

A more unified EU foreign poli-

cy could also potentially strengthen the bloc as it squares up with an increasingly hostile American administration. Trump’s late decision to dive headfirst into backing the Orbán campaign leaves him with egg on his face, and the EU could very well take firmer policy positions against the U.S., emboldened by that public rebuke.

Plenty of Americans have also looked toward this election as a sign of hope: that people like Orbán, like Trump, can actually be defeated.

The similarities between the two governments are fairly obvious. Both figures rode in on a wave of anti-establishment populism, retreated toward authoritarianism and have struggled with regular allegations and outright exposures of corruption.

However, I would also caution against reading too excessively between the lines here. The gravity of this victory was largely driven by specific, catastrophic scandals, like the Zebra fiasco, wherein an

As a Catholic, President Trump’s

RILEY’S REVIEW

RILEY SANDERS Columnist

As a young Catholic American, it’s been an incredibly disappointing week, to say the least. On Sunday evening, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to do quite possibly one of the least presidential things he could have done.

He publicly shamed Pope Leo XIV.

What might the pope have done to deserve such a public lashing?

He called attention to Trump’s war on Iran by urging world leaders to adopt a spirit of togetherness and peace-seeking and also staunchly declaring that, “[God] does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war but rejects them.”

Such a comment is perhaps on the more assertive side of the Vatican’s public platform. In recent memory, most papal statements have been low-profile, quiet urgings toward peace. That said, the role of the papacy in the Church and in the broader world has always been to direct humanity toward a spirit of ecumenism, even when it requires going against the grain.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Jason Willis Editor in Chief

Flood

So, Pope Leo’s declaration certainly was jarring but not entirely out of the ordinary.

Instead of responding to Pope Leo in any remotely respectful way, Trump decided to practically declare himself pope. He also claimed responsibility for Pope Leo’s installation into the papacy.

“He wasn’t on any list to be Pope, and was only put there by the Church because he was an American, and they thought that would be the best way to deal with President Donald J. Trump,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “If I wasn’t in the White House, Leo wouldn’t be in the Vatican.”

As if this wasn’t entirely egocentric, which is the president’s entire brand at this point, he doubled down and said that he didn’t want “a Pope who criticizes the President of the United States.”

Having been staunchly Catholic for my entire life, I am heavily disappointed by Trump’s blatant disrespect for Pope Leo. Imagine if former presidents Joe Biden or Barack Obama had claimed responsibility for the papal installment, threatened the Pope or declared infallibility for their own positions — the American people, conservatives in particular, would have their heads on spikes.

What’s worse, Vice President

estate tied to Orbán’s family was found to have a menagerie of exotic animals. It was also driven by over a decade of voter fatigue and Magyar’s personal charisma.

Another significant difference between Hungarian politics and our own: there has been no truly significant “left-wing” opposition in Hungary since the mid-2000s.

However, it does present a solid model that Democrats can build on. Magyar focused almost entirely on classic “kitchen table” issues: rising healthcare and food costs, pensions and taxes. He combined this with an all-out social media campaign, an almost entirely uncontested realm due to Orbán’s overreliance on traditional media, where he presented a bold, concise policy plan early in the campaign and stuck to selling that agenda.

There are significant risks to going all in on a campaign which focuses solely on economics and remains pragmatic otherwise. By failing to take a strong stance on

significant social policies, farright rabble-rousers like Orbán and Trump are allowed to dominate the narrative and define the terms of debate before engagement.

I see Magyar with the same mix of slight optimism and immense skepticism that I see the big “anti-Trump warrior” centrist liberals like Gavin Newsom or Cory Booker. Technocratic agendas are purely Band-Aids for a larger problem, and if you don’t actively engage and dismantle the far right by actively defending the vulnerable, they will inevitably be used as kindling for the next nationalist flareup.

Take heed, America. Hungary shows the cracks in the foundation, but the next Democratic leader needs to pack some dynamite if they want to truly tackle the far right in this country.

Gordon Crawford is a 20-yearold political science major from Gonzales, La.

blasphemy deeply disturbs me

light protruding from his hands as angelic soldiers descended from above and Americans literally worshipped on their knees before him.

It’s worth noting that he removed the post shortly after publishing it on his Truth Social account, as much a declaration of shame as having posted it in the first place.

How could the president of the U.S., a man who notoriously ran on a Christian platform and made a point of drawing up the MAGA movement as God’s plan for restoring our great nation to its proper and right glory, depict himself as Jesus Christ himself?

It was blasphemy. It was the most un-Christian thing someone could possibly do.

JD Vance, the nation’s highestranking Catholic in the government, openly went against the Pope and said that he needed to stick to “being careful on matters of morality.” Is war somehow separate from morality? I think not. What Trump posted shortly after, however, was my final straw. He posted an AI picture of himself as Jesus, in a white robe and red vestments, healing a man in a hospital bed with beams of golden

Then, the President had the audacity to assert that he believed he was being depicted as a doctor and played in the faces of every single American Christian. What doctor wears white and red vestments and has glowing hands? Who prays to their doctor?

In Matthew 6:24, the Bible states that Jesus says, “You cannot serve two masters.” Trump is most certainly America’s golden calf, much like the Israelites’ self-made idol in Exodus, but Trump is no God. Trump is no savior.

The Jewish people believed

that their prophesied Messiah would be a military revolutionary who would save them from their political oppressors. Jesus turned out to be the exact opposite, a peacekeeper sent to save the people from themselves, their iniquity and to invite them to share in His eternal life.

How could any American Christian, in good faith — literally — see these declarations from Trump as anything but against God?

To my fellow Christian brothers and sisters, Catholic or not, I’m not going to tell you to submit to Rome. I’m not going to tell you to even subscribe to the idea of Pope Leo acting in persona Christi. What I am going to tell you is that you cannot claim to be Christian if you do not follow Christ, the same Jesus Christ who the Jewish people thought would be a revolutionary leader and was instead a peacekeeper.

You cannot serve two masters, and Christ made that abundantly clear. Let me make it abundantly clear — Trump will not save you from your sins. Trump can’t even save us a few cents on the gallon at the gas pump.

Riley Sanders is a 19-year-old biology major from Denham Springs, La.

Editorial Policies and Procedures Quote of the Week

The Reveille (USPS 145-800) is written, edited and produced solely by students of Louisiana State University. The Reveille is an independent entity of the Office of Student Media within the Manship School of Mass Communication. Signed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, The Reveille or the university. Letters submitted for publication should be sent via e-mail to editor@lsu.edu or delivered to B-39 Hodges Hall. They must be 400 words or less. Letters must provide a contact phone number for verification purposes, which will not be printed. The Reveille reserves the right to edit letters and guest columns for space consideration while preserving the original intent. The Reveille also reserves the right to reject any letter without notification of the author. Writers must include their full names and phone numbers. The Reveille’s editor in chief, hired every semester by the LSU Student Media Board, has final authority on all editorial decisions.

“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.”

Thomas Merton Trappist Monk 1915 — 1968