As students start to flee campus for Mardi Gras break, LSU is left deserted for almost a week. While some students are Mardi Gras novices, others are seasoned veterans.
Business sophomore Ally Pearce is not new to this celebration, having grown up in Mandeville, Louisiana. She has attended many Mardi Gras in her lifetime.
“If you live in Louisiana, yes it’s a big deal, but it’s kind of normalized to me,” Pearce said.
Last year, Pearce decided to use her break to go home, spend time with her family and work at her local coffee shop.
“I took some time to get away from the hecticness of school and everyday life,” Pearce said.
She still attended the smaller Mardi Gras parades happening during the day in Mandeville. This year she is staying at one of her friend’s aunt’s house in downtown New Orleans to attend the big parades and experience Mardi Gras as a college student.
Pearce said she plans to attend class in the morning on Friday but go straight home to pack and leave for the exciting events this weekend.
Biochemistry freshman Chloe Axelrod is not a Louisiana native like Pearce. Coming from Minnesota, Axelrod has never attended Mardi Gras.
“I have no idea what it’s going to be like, but I’m super excited,” Axelrod said.
She said she is looking forward to going to the parades, walking around Bourbon Street and making new memories with friends.
Although Axelrod is excited about this well-needed break, she is not missing any classes on Friday.
“I am leaving right after I finish my Biology test,” Axelrod said excitedly.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Cayla Roche is another non-native Louisiana student who has never experienced Mardi Gras. Roche is an out-of-state student from North Carolina. She stayed on campus last year and said the campus looks almost dead during the break.
“I didn’t see many people that week, even walking all around campus,” Roche said.
She said all the parking lots were empty, which, as many LSU students know, is rare. Roche said the dining hall was open every day except Fat Tuesday and it was super quiet and dull.
Roche had all of her classes on Friday, even though she thought some would be canceled due to the low amount of students attending. Roche said she is also staying on campus this Mardi Gras and planning on attending her classes on Friday as well.
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Strategic management sophomore Nick Kallay is another out-of-state student from Virginia who has never been to Mardi Gras. Kallay said last year he noticed the campus had been way more empty than a regular week.
“I enjoyed the quiet because there were no lines for any restaurants in the Union or the dining hall,” Kallay said.
While Kallay did not attend any Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans last year, he attended the Spanish Town parade in Baton Rouge. Kallay said he also plans to stay on campus this year and attend more parades in Baton Rouge again.
“LSU also hosted a couple of Mardi Gras-inspired events this year, like Mardi Gras Mambo, that I attended,” Kallay said.
English professor Alison Grifa has been teaching at LSU for many years. She said she expects absences the Friday before the Mardi Gras break, but most students have generally shown up for her class.
“I find there are more absences right before Thanksgiving or Spring Break when students might be traveling long distances,” Grifa said.
Grifa said she tries not to assign any specific homework or have anything due during the break. She said she treats the week before break like any other week, but if there is an assignment looming during that time, she tends to have it due before break so students can relax and not worry about it.
No matter if you’re staying in or going out to party, enjoy your Mardi Gras break and laissez les bon temp rouler.