lsureveille Editor's Blog

What? Midterms already?

No way. It can’t be true. I thought school just began.

As the tired adage goes, time flies when you’re having fun. And The Daily Reveille is certainly having fun.

October is a big month. Voodoo Fest, breast cancer awareness, heated gridiron battles and a much-anticipated announcement regarding Apple’s iPhone. And that’s only the beginning of the list.

It’s also a big month for The Daily Reveille.

We plan to launch a fresh version of our redesigned entertainment page at lsureveille.com, and we’re continuing to make advances on our upcoming iPad app. Stay tuned for both. You’ll be the first to know when they launch.

As we expand, I want to know how TDR is serving you.

Are we covering topics and events that you want to read about? Do you feel confident that your University’s newspaper is providing you with all the latest news? Is there enough content to keep you entertained and informed every day?

Shoot me an e-mail and give me your honest feedback. We are here to serve you, meaning it’s vital to hear from our stakeholders.

Let your voice be heard. I’m ready to listen.

Matthew Jacobs
editor@lsureveille.com

As today’s front page declares, welcome back, LSU.

This summer was full of news. LA GRAD Act 2.0 passed, the debt ceiling almost exploded and America was glued to a heart-wrenching murder trial three years in the making.

These hot topics may have died down now, but this semester promises to bring a slew of buzzworthy happenings. The LSU community has already been fixated with Jordan Jefferson’s altercation, and the semester is just kicking off.

As news plays out this semester, The Daily Reveille promises to serve as your go-to source for LSU news and more five days a week.

If this is your first time ever picking up The Daily Reveille, greetings. Great things are in the works for your campus newspaper this semester.

The Reveille will amplify its entertainment coverage, expanding the section to two days a week. Every Tuesday and Thursday, we’ll provide glimpses at the latest trends and what’s going on throughout Baton Rouge. Our new pop-culture column, Culture Club, will debut Tuesday. Also, look for a profile in Thursday’s Entertainment section on Anthony Ryan Auld, a University alumnus currently competing on “Project Runway.”

Do you wonder what your peers are saying about what’s in the news? Check out our new feature The Peanut Gallery. Slated to run every Wednesday on the Opinion pages, The Peanut Gallery will spotlight students’ thoughts on timely topics. This week, see what students have to say about the recent Jordan Jefferson scandal.

You can depend on The Reveille to stay on top of LSU football, impending budget cuts, the October governor elections and a litany of other timely topics.

Head over to lsureveille.com for continuous news updates throughout the day, as well as interactive features, online polls and photo galleries of some of the hottest campus events.

If you have an iPhone or Android, download The Reveille app to get breaking news on your phone. Stay tuned for our upcoming iPad app, which is currently in development.

You can purchase a commemorative look at the school year via Gumbo, the University’s yearbook. The Daily Reveille and Gumbo have merged forces to bring you the best imaginable newspaper and yearbook. Order your book today at lsugumbo.com.

Also check out last year’s book for free at lifepages.com.

And if you ever see news happening on campus or want to voice your opinions about the your campus paper, call the newsroom at 225-578-4810. You can also send feedback to editor@lsureveille.com. I would love to hear from you about how we can serve you better. As LSU students and faculty members, you are our most important stakeholders. The Reveille is here for you, and we want to make sure we are serving you well.

Have a tremendous semester.

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Matthew Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief

Reveille Readers,

Just wanted to make sure you are all aware of our newly released Reveille app for Android phones. It was a long time in the making and has taken the time and dedication of one of our talented developers, Chris Keele.

The app is complete with breaking news, sports, entertainment, opinion and weather, as well as instant Twitter and Facebook posting capabilities.

Check out the app, and feel free to send your feedback to editor@lsureveille.com.

And for the Apple users, don’t forget about our Reveille app for the iPhone! We’ve just released an update this week, and will continue to strive to make the app the best news iPhone app available.

Be sure to check out both of these apps (depending on your phone preferences) and hit us up with your feedback at editor@lsureveille.com!

- Steven Powell
Editor-in-Chief

Welcome to the Summer 2011 edition of The Daily Reveille, pleased to make your acquaintance! I am Steven Powell, a mass communication senior, and will serve as your Reveille editor-in-chief for the semester.

As you may have seen, we publish twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) until the end of the summer term. With the publication of today’s paper we’ve completed our second week, and fourth edition.

I hope to bring you some fascinating news, breaking headlines and fun entertainment ideas this semester.

As the student newspaper of Louisiana State University, we’re here to serve you, the students. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, ideas or feedback, or would like to submit a letter to the editor, email me at editor@lsureveille.com.

Until then, I’ll be updating you regularly from this blog, as well as bringing you the latest and most important campus related news.

And don’t forget to keep up with the news 24/7 online at lsureveille.com.

That’s all for now!

- Steven

Steven Powell, Editor-in-Chief

Student Media has stringent policies for choosing its student editors and managers.

Candidates must write out an extensive application and manifesto as well as present themselves to a board of media professionals and campus representatives. They’re grilled on their ideals, ethical decision making and their visions for the future of the medium.

So every editor chosen through this process is highly qualified to serve the LSU community and its readers. For next fall, we’re proud to present  new Student Media editors: editor of The Daily Reveille, Matt Jacobs;  editor of Gumbo yearbook, Erin Chambers, and  fall editor of Legacy magazine, Chelsea Brasted. They’re all more than capable to give you the best, most responsible coverage of your campus and community, and we’re anxious to see their new directions for the publications.

Media Board will choose the editor of The Reveille summer edition, KLSU station manager and Tiger TV station manager this coming Friday, so be sure to pay attention to find out who your student leaders will be after this spring.

But we’ve still got major stories and projects in store for the rest of this semester, including a long-term collaboration with Tiger TV, KLSU, Gumbo and Legacy. The Daily Reveille is teaming up with the rest of Student Media to produce stories and video about the effects of the BP oil spill on the state and LSU a year after the explosion on April 30, 2010.

The Reveille will be providing tidbits leading up to the May 5 air date of the Your Source special on Tiger TV, where we’ll be looking at the research money coming into the University from BP, the effects of the spill on the marsh beds, and the students and La. natives that have been effected by the disaster. It’ll mark the finale of our collaborative project for this semester, and it will over you insight into parts of our University that other media simply aren’t covering, so don’t miss it!

Until then, check out the storylines we have on tap for this week, including a look at why your Student Government leaders have parking wands that use about $1,000 in student fees, how LSU students are building an artificial exoskeleton for a paralyzed man and what’s behind the superfan of LSU sports — purple and gold wig-wearer, Matt Clark.

Let us know what you think on lsureveille.com, Facebook and Twitter. Spring Break is almost here…

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SARAH LAWSON
Editor-in-chief

Mardi Gras is upon us, and whether you’re staying in Baton Rouge, heading toward the mobs in New Orleans or branching out to the sticks for some old fashioned Fat Tuesday shenanigans, there will be something for you to do all weekend through Tuesday.

Check out the Entertainment section Thursday for things to do if you decide to stay in the city for the holiday as well as a few highlights you might have overlooked in Nola. There are plenty of shows coming up in both areas, so you’ll be covered even if you opt out of the parades.

Speaking of shows, I saw folk-rock band Luke Ash & the Black Squirrels perform last weekend during the Orion parade downtown, and the stage totally surprised me. The musicians rocked out in the large parlor of a second-story house front on Laurel and 7th streets. I’d never been to a show like that, but frontman Luke Ash said it’s sort of a trend among new local talent.

Organizers send out a Facebook invite to friends who spread the word to their friends, people come (BYOB, of course), a friend collects a few bucks at the door, and the band rocks out in the most intimate setting imaginable. I had no idea these living room gigs were so common, but it was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. If a show you want to see is sold out in the bar scene, I’d highly recommend patrolling Facebook for a house show. This one was at the Haven.

In news, if you haven’t seen Matthew Albright’s story on the creationist lecturer from last week, you should take a look. The online version is buzzing with comments, some of them outrageous, and it was even retweeted by film critic Roger Ebert.

The lecturer, Sid Galloway, spoke to a group at the Chapel on Campus about how biblical explanations for the universe are more logical than evolution. Whether you subscribe to creationism or evolution, it’s a good read, and the comments are even better. You can follow Albright @TDR_malbright, and be sure to check out the Opinion section for the letter to the editor Galloway wrote in response to the story and a column by TDR’s Andrew Shockey.

Sports blogger Ryan Ginn has been tearing up Tiger Feed with breakdowns of the NFL combine and LSU baseball. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @TDR_ginn — he goes to just about every LSU sporting event, so your Twitter feed will never go hungry. You wouldn’t want to miss any sports news while you’re selling your soul for some beads. He’s chock full of  knowledge and opinions for every sport at every level — so tweet at him if you dare.

SARAH LAWSON
Editor-in-Chief

Greetings!

In this space, I hope throughout the semester to give you a more personal look inside your campus newspaper. Our staffers and editors put out stellar content every day, but we’re not news machines operating behind an iron curtain. We’re students like you, and we have a lot of fun. My hope is that I can put a face to the paper, and if you ever wondered what a newsroom is like, I hope this blog can show you. I’ll give sneak peaks of the exciting coverage we have coming up as well as what’s going viral in our newsroom and newsrooms around the country.

On tap for this week, Reveille Radio will continue its own version of NPR’s “This I Believe” personal essay series, where yours truly will be making a vocal appearance. In Entertainment, we’ll be summing up all the major music festivals this spring and summer to help you decide where to throw your ticket money and get the best sound for your buck. And follow our entertainment writers on Twitter for coverage leading up to and during the Oscars on Sunday.

In sports, we’ll be taking a closer look at women’s basketball freshman guard Jeanne Kenney in a special feature. And on Thursday and Friday, look for coverage online and in print of the hearing for the lawsuit by Southern University students against Gov. Jindal. The Southern University Action Coalition will be holding a vigil on the steps of the courthouse downtown in support of the lawsuit on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

And last but not least, we’ll treat you to a video detailing how to play the “dirtiest” game in the workplace — Lick the Floor — again starring yours truly. That’s about all the details I’m prepared to give on that.

You may have noticed we like pets at The Reveille. We cram cute cats into our slideshows, put them in our blogs and cover pets, more pets and even more pets.

Right now, here’s what we’re laughing at — hipster puppies are where it’s at.

Check out TDR’s Flickr account for more off-the-wall snapshots, download the LSU Reveille iPhone app, and follow me on Twitter @sklawson.

SARAH “SLAWSON” LAWSON, editor-in-chief

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Contact Sarah Lawson at editor@lsureveille.com.