“Until I moved back on campus at the beginning of August, it was easy to separate my feelings for LSU from everything else. My life at home felt distant from the events of the spring semester and the upcoming fall semester. Once I saw firsthand how precariously the University was managing the transition back to class, however, it felt like the moment you realize your parents are just people — the cohesive unit of the institution was exposed for the confused, fallible mass of administrators it really is. This humanized the University for me, but it also took a serious toll on my school spirit.”
Cecile Girard | @_cegi_
“As a freshman, I don’t really have a point of comparison for what college is ‘normally’ like. In a way, these odd circumstances may bring the freshman class closer together, as we all understand the feeling of missing out on those traditional high school senior and college freshman experiences. Though everything is so different than what I would have imagined even six months ago, I am still excited to be at LSU.”
Claire Sullivan | @sulliclaire
“Being away from the University for over five months really made me appreciate it more. When classes moved online last March, part of me thought it would be nice to have the option to roll out of bed and attend class on my computer. That mindset didn’t even last through the first week of virtual learning. I like to have a routine, so being away from that really made me miss being on campus. I also miss the interactions with my fellow Tigers, even ones I don’t know as well. There is no lie in saying that 2020 has been a chaotic year, and much has changed — but one thing that hasn’t changed is my sense of pride in being an LSU Tiger.”
Elizabeth Crochet | @elizabethcro_
“LSU has had its problems in the past, but nevertheless we still rallied around our University. The way they’ve handled events in 2020, however, has completely changed that — I can no longer recommend or endorse the University in good conscience. I gave the administration the benefit of the doubt in the spring and thought they were doing the best they could given the unprecedented circumstances of COVID-19… but then they mishandled the on-campus housing crisis, mishandled their response to BLM protests and ultimately proved this fall that money is more important to them than students’ lives. The only good thing the University still had going for it was football, and now that’s ruined too.”
Marie Plunkett | @MarieC_214
“I’ve never been prouder to be a Tiger than I was in January 2020 after we won the National Championship — but being an LSU student should mean more than being a football fan. It should mean being a part of a community where you feel safe. And as a Black female student, I’m just not there yet. Between what I feel was a weak response to the current racial climate, an unsafe and inconsiderate plan for the coronavirus response and the fact that claims of sexual assault against Derrius Guice allegedly went ignored, the University has not given me many reasons to be a proud Tiger right now. However, my classmates’ work towards change makes me hopeful for the University’s future.”
Olivia James | @afroliviaa
“The events of 2020 have definitely affected my school spirit in a negative way. I have not been feeling the sense of community that the University advertises so much. Their students are financially struggling, yet there has been little to no additional effort to accommodate these struggles. The fees and tuition have not decreased at all. It is hard enough to stay above float during a public health crisis and struggling to stay enrolled for financial reasons is not a problem that students should face. Therefore, my energy for school is not enthusiastic.”
Tamia Southall | @tamiabrem_
“Based on how the University has mishandled the coronavirus, accusations of historically racist practices and their general attitude of valuing profit over students, I’ve lost a great bit of school spirit throughout the course of this year. I shouldn’t have to come up with excuses for why I support my university; rather, I should be proud of the place I have chosen to further my education. LSU should be a place where we all feel safe and proud to be Tigers and I hope we can feel that way again soon.”
Domenic Purdy | @Tigerdom16
“This year, if anything, has solidified my belief in the separation of an education and the institution from which it comes. In regards to the Black Lives Matter movements happening across the nation, performative acts like renaming buildings to prove solidarity with Black students seems transparent. These things should have been accomplished long before these national movements, as well as addressing the obvious issues in the social mechanisms of the University. As for the response to the coronavirus, I believe the fact that football is the main concern during a global pandemic says a lot about LSU.”
Gabrielle Martinez | @martinez_g0
“I admit it has been rather difficult maintaining any personal identification with the University after not having set foot on campus since March. I was only in my second semester when quarantine began, so the stressful transition to online class likely stunted my budding sense of school pride a bit. However, I am hopeful for the spring and look forward to the day that we can finally foster school spirit beyond the frustrating confines of Zoom and Moodle.”
Evan Leonhard | @evan_leonhard
“Frankly, I didn’t have much school spirit going into 2020. Our football team winning the championship was exciting, but has little to do with my day-to-day as a student. If anything, the University’s lackluster handling of the pandemic is a much starker sign of its principles.”
Kevin Doucette | @kgdouce
Troy H. Middleton Library, renamed the LSU Library, sits Wednesday, June 17, 2020 on LSU's campus.
