A student-led organization blocked the parking lot entrances at LSU’s football operations building for three hours Monday, protesting what they call a weak response to the release of a much-anticipated report into the university’s handling of sexual misconduct cases.
There were cordial exchanges between the student protesters and athletic department employees. A spirited verbal argument with an LSU football player. A harsh reception on social media.
Then, after the protest ended, student leaders attended a scheduled meeting with LSU interim President Tom Galligan, who said in an interview there’s “no movement to change” disciplinary decisions made after Husch Blackwell, the law firm LSU hired to investigate its Title IX policies and cases, released its 150-page report on Friday.
“We had a very hard, painful conversation and I always appreciate their viewpoints and having a chance to listen to them,” Galligan said. “I would also say I totally support their ability to have a peaceful protest about domestic and sexual violence and any other subject.”
There are students calling for yet another protest, said Angelina Cantelli, 19, who organized Monday’s sit-in as the co-founder of Tigers Against Sexual Assault (TASA), a campus organization partnered with the nonprofit Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) Center.
“We still have a long way to go,” Cantelli said. “I’m glad the university is listening. I’m glad they wanted to hear our voices. I hope that continues because I think we have a lot of work to do before we really get this right.”
TASA was one of the student organizations that protested on campus in November, when USA Today released its deep investigation into LSU’s failures related to several high-profile sexual assault cases on campus. TASA had demanded LSU fire any employee who covered up sexual assault allegations.
No LSU employee has been fired due to the Husch Blackwell report.
Along with a pledge to make appropriate changes to policies and bolstering the Title IX staff, Galligan announced Friday that two high-ranking athletic department officials — executive deputy athletic director Verge Ausberry and senior associate athletic director Miriam Segar — are briefly suspended without pay for their inactions.
Ausberry’s suspension will last 30 days, Segar’s will last 21, and both will be required to go through training on sexual misconduct and domestic violence.
TASA member Grace Schneider, 21, said she was “disappointed” and “frustrated” when she watched the LSU Board of Supervisors meeting on Friday and said she “started to cry a little bit” when they announced the discipline.
“There’s years of trauma, years of pain for these young women,” said LSU junior Shelby Kleinpeter, 20, “and 21 days of suspension or 30 days of suspension, I just don’t think that the university is doing enough to let these victims and let students like myself know that they care about them and they care about their safety.”
A group of about 50 men and women student protesters split up on both sides of the parking lot. At times they chanted, “Get some nerve, fire Verge.” Others held signs: “Protect your students, not your reputation.” LSU sophomore Carley Oakley, 20, wore a mask covered by a dollar bill with “Title IX” written on it in red ink, which she said symbolized LSU “always valuing money and earning over students.”
Deep in its report, Husch Blackwell contrasted how LSU’s football program won the 2019 national championship with “appropriate resources and personnel” and how the university’s Title IX office is staffed with one coordinator and one lead investigator for a campus of 34,000 students.
A row of 15 student protesters sat cross-legged at a fenced exit that bordered LSU’s indoor football practice facility. A small group of football players exited the $28 million football operations building and tried to exit the parking lot in their cars. Three circled the parking lot, parked, and sat while their cars idled.
Former LSU wide receiver Eddie Kennison, now on the football team’s staff as a director of player development, walked over and cordially appealed to the students to let the players leave.
“I appreciate the protest, believe me I do,” Kennison told the students. “But our guys, they’re just trying to get out and go to class.”
Several protesters responded that the players could walk across the street to campus and attend class.
“I appreciate it,” Kennison replied before leaving. “Believe me, I do. I want you guys to be out here all day.”
LSU tight end Aaron Moffitt then approached the student protesters with two other football players and argued that their form of protest (a sit-in) was ineffective compared to a march. He said LSU’s football players were the wrong targets, claiming they’ve had six meeting with Title IX employees and are having another this week.
Husch Blackwell probed cases involving 10 different LSU football players accused of sexual misconduct in recent years, nine of whom played under LSU coach Ed Orgeron.
Moffitt, the son of LSU strength and conditioning coach Tommy Moffitt, pointed to the LSU administrative building across the street and said the students should protest where the administrators were. He also said the sit-in prevented him from going home and feeding his dog.
“I would like y’all to stand up, get off your ass and start walking around because nobody is seeing you right now,” Moffitt said. “What we see is a text message that says, ‘Hey guys, go park over the railroad tracks because there’s people blocking the roads.’ That’s what we’re seeing. So whenever I come out here and I’ve got to go home to go feed my dog, this is what I’ve got to deal with. I’ve got to deal with a bunch of people sitting on their ass, not doing s***."
#LSU tight end Aaron Moffitt and a few other players have come over and debated the protest.Moffitt says he has to leave to feed his dog, contending “y’all don’t know any better” because they should sit-in the admin building across the street. pic.twitter.com/OmKLm9TpRn
— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) March 8, 2021
TASA co-founder Angel Upshaw, a 20-year-old LSU senior, was one of the student leaders who shared Moffitt’s exchange, plus a series of vulgar social media messages other unknown people sent them, during their meeting with Galligan.
Upon watching a video of Moffitt’s partial exchange, Galligan posted a statement on Twitter that said “we support survivors of sexual assault” and “we also support our students’ right to protest peacefully and participate in the dialogue about a terrible social ill.”
Taylor Perrodin, a 24-year-old TASA member and senator in LSU’s Student Government, was sitting at the gate when Moffitt approached. She shared in an interview that she is a survivor of sexual assault that happened when she was 6, and she couldn’t understand why Moffitt “would still go about his privileged life than sit here and try to make change for people.”
“Why wouldn’t you do anything except take a stand with us?” Perrodin said in an interview.
The protest continued. Two LSU employees handed out cold bottles of water to the students. Around 2 p.m., the protest ended. The students left. The cars exited the parking lot.
Cantelli said it was "upsetting" to have arguments with football players and to see "disgusting comments" on social media regarding their protest.
“I just hope the university knows we’re not going to accept the crumbs that they gave us,” Kleinpeter said. “It feels like crumbs and it feels like they’re turning their backs on victims and on some students that are concerned about their safety.”
