At the heart of LSU lies the ancient marvel of the LSU Campus Mounds. These grassy giants stand as testaments to a rich cultural heritage, predating the university itself by millennia.
Yet, despite their historical significance and announced plans for revitalization, a stark chain-link fence continues to separate the mounds from the campus community, raising questions about progress and priorities.
Two years ago, the committee to preserve the LSU Campus Mounds unveiled its plan to transform the feature into a dynamic center for education, research and cultural engagement. The project, estimated to cost $4 million, promised to replace the fence with an open barrier featuring a plant buffer to keep people from walking on the mounds.
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“The fence was our temporary option to provide the necessary protection for the mounds,” said committee chair Sibel Ates, an associate dean in the College of the Coast and Environment.
Once proper funding is secured, the committee can commence its plans to once again connect the campus mounds with the community. But securing funding for the project has proven a challenge.
“The grant has been proposed, and it’s out there, but we haven’t received word on it yet,” said Assistant Director of Campus Planning Dennis Mitchell.
“It’s a marketing project,” Mitchell said. “It really needs to be a project that we get the public excited about and the university excited about.”
Many students can remember a time when the mounds were open and free to walk on, even being used as a frequent gameday tailgate spot for families.
Like many others, Luke Hopkins, a pre-med freshman, has fond memories of the mounds from a young age.
“We would take flat cardboard boxes and sled down; it was really a kid thing, they were like a playground,” Hopkins said. “It’s a memory I’ll always cherish, and it’s sad to see them closed away like that.”
But the historic nature of the mounds has made their preservation crucial. Those efforts include warding off foot traffic.
“It makes sense. The mounds could be older than the Pyramids; you don’t see people walking on the Pyramids,” Hopkins said.
According to LSU’s Campus Mounds website, years of neglect has taken its toll. From people sledding, climbing or even just standing on them, the mounds have been significantly damaged. For years, the sacred aspect of the mounds was ignored and forgotten.
“These mounds are sacred … it’s like going into a church,” Mitchell said. “The mounds were here first, and now we’re going to preserve them in a way that we can interpret them and tell a story.”
With the fence serving as their temporary guardian, the future of the Campus Mounds hinges on securing funding for the revitalization plan.
Through various initiatives, the committee will continue to seek public understanding and a sense of shared responsibility for these irreplaceable treasures. Its success depends on securing community support through grants and fundraising efforts.