The new year excitement fades, and the awkward exchanges of “Hi, how were the holidays” small talk flood in. As creaturey of habit, we all fall victim to cliche resolutins, and that’s expected. With the holidays and reminiscence of the year before, I realize that the experiences that I have had in my young adult life are all a part of a cycle.
We all know the very large football crowd that comes with LSU territory. Known for its star-studded team and frequent winning streak, LSU football is renowned all throughout the nation. So what does LSU do to maintain the comfort of their precious selected few? I got to witness this first-hand on campus move-in day. Dozens of entourages decked out in LSU attire. A videographer and glamorous decorations. An actual red carpet rolled out for LSU freshman football players.
I love my school, I love my community and I have as much respect for athletes as the next person. I think their talent should be celebrated and rewarded, but that doesn’t take away from the equally talented scholars, artists and architects, around us.
This campus move-in a day; however, I was reminded of the very distinct difference we all have compared to athletes. Special treatment, which brings me back to that cycle. We all can pin point in our adolescence when we were made to feel different than a group of people, less than and unworthy. I wouldn’t have felt so strongly about reporting my experience that day if it meant all students moving in were treated with the same lavishness.
To add even more to the very eventful start of the semester, a fire occurred in my building on campus. Though the firefighters and police got the situation under control, it led my roommates and floormates to evacuate for several hours. Left to roam the block around the apartment complex, we somehow managed to find ourselves in the very established football facilities whilst awaiting to return to our rooms.
Though the experience was memorable, my roommates and I were lucky enough to be safe and comfortable. I thought about my own department facilities and the lack of dry-erase markers. As I stared at the freshly painted walls and fully stocked shelves in the football facilities, I realized how fortunate the athletes are to have these amenities at their leisure. I could only think about those dry-erase markers; if only there was equal disbursement of support for other areas on campus.
I hope as all students return to campus facing whatever challenges await them, they recognize their resilience to continue to work hard even if that means not being rewarded equally as athletes. It goes deeper into social class, status and association, which can affect someone’s self-esteem. What makes someone else’s efforts more deserving? Money, attention? Sadly, this is the reality we promote when we emphasize certain people over one another.
No matter your ticket to success in life, your niche or calling, there will always be someone better, more talented or wealthy. That’s one of the many famous laws of the universe. The way institutions choose to buy into the mainstream idea of ego in 2025 is just elementary to me. It makes you wonder how the people in authority really evaluate status. They must discriminate within their own careers and possibly in their friend groups.
When you look around and put these ideas into perspective, you realize how superficial social rules even are. I don’t know who lied and told everyone humility was out, ‘cause it’s very much in. Look it up, write it down, live it, learn it and promote it. I want to reiterate how important giving credit where it’s due is. But if you really have to make it known and broadcast how much status you have, do you even really have it?
I think it is as simple as just being disappointed that I can’t even move into a new place and not be reminded of the importance of status. A false status that was set up by my educational institution that is supposed to lift me up despite our differences in interests and fields.
Blair Bernard is a 21-year-old theater performance major from Lafayette, La.
