When LSU biology senior Steven Rougeou says he races karts, he’s not referring to the Mario variety.

Rougeou is a professional kart driver, and he’s just one person in a self-acknowledged “gear-head” minority at LSU that combines a passion for driving and engineering to create and race vehicles with average speeds of 120 mph.

Rougeou’s journey began with a circular dirt track, a red kart and an interest.

Rougeou said when he was in sixth grade his father bought the kart from a co-worker out of mere curiosity. The father-son duo practiced driving every day until a family friend recommended they enter a race in nearby Hammond.

“In my first race, I flipped over and ended up with a concussion and a broken arm. My mom said I had to stop racing after that,” Rougeou said with a chuckle.  “But I didn’t.”

Rougeou said he and his father continued to practice in secret, calling the sessions “sneak races.” After weeks of practice, Rougeou returned behind the driver’s wheel to race again.

“[It] turned out we were pretty good. I was the youngest in my class and I kept up with the experienced racers,” Rougeou said excitedly

But it wasn’t until Rougeou finally won his first race later that year that he and his father revealed the “sneak races” to his mother.

“By that time, she was OK with it. Or at least she said she was,” Rougeou said.

Throughout middle school, Rougeou remained on dirt tracks, accumulating several disqualifications along the way.

“We had no idea what was legal and what wasn’t. The officials accused us of cheating, so I moved to open class racing where I could drive whatever one cylinder engine I wanted.”

With time, Rougeou graduated to road racing on open shifter karts — karts that lack a safety cage around the exterior, making them more dangerous. Road racing, he described, is a mix between long racing, which contains different turns, and short racing, which emphasizes sprinting.  In these 30-minute races, karts can reach speeds of 120 mph.

“We weren’t even close to the best,” Rougeou laughed as he described his first shifter kart race.  But Rougeou and his father quickly learned the rules of the road, and once Rougeou graduated from high school, the two began to travel more and more.

Rougeou credits his relationship with his father as a driving force in his passion for racing.

“Without my father the races couldn’t happen. He’s the main sponsor, truck driver, trip planner, kart-owner and engine builder … he even sold his ’55 hot-rod to pay for a new kart. My dad makes everything happen,” Rougeou said.

Today, Rougeou races in the World Karting Association Dunlap Road Racing Series presented by Mazda. The seven-race series takes place on tracks across the nation from May until October, with this year’s finale in Ohio. Since entering the WKA last year, Rougeou won three races and continues to improve his finishes at every race.

While Rougeou’s primary role of driver might be more familiar to non-racers, his second job as the self-proclaimed “chassis guy” is equally, if not more, important.  The chassis is the internal framework of the vehicle. It controls how a kart turns, which plays a large role in the strategy of kart racing.

For Rougeou, the first thing he does after arriving to a race is learn the track.  By either asking other racers or walking the course, Rougeou determines how to change his chassis for optimum speed.

“All you need is a good chassis in a race. You can have an okay engine, but it’s the chassis that will help you win,” Rougeou said with complete certainty.

According to Rougeou, another strategy is location in the race.

“I don’t care what they say. A race is won or lost in the first lap,” he said.

Racers are lined up according to ranking for the first five karts, then by registration order.  After the first lap, the real race is among the first pack of cars, Rougeou said.

One racing tactic is a process called “bump drafting,” where drivers use physics to defy air resistance. Rougeou explained when one kart pushes another in the race, it helps both karts by decreasing air resistance for the pusher, and increasing the speed of the pushed.  Although this practice is illegal, Rougeou said race officials often overlook it.

Finally, some of the most important strategy is carried out off the track and away from the races.  Whether it is a new type of tire or steering wheel, racers look for different ways to improve their vehicles.

“There’s a difference between the innovators versus the monkey-see-monkey-do types,” Rougeou said. “Everyone’s looking for an advantage somewhere.”

Some of the racers get this in the form of small-scale sponsorships. In exchange for wearing a particular logo or pasting a sticker to a kart’s side, drivers can get free food, equipment or parts. In fact, Rougeou’s sponsorship with Kevin Kelly of Mezzo Technologies gave him an advantage in the form of a cutting-edge radiator, which was designed by LSU student Nathan Roberts.

“With parts costing thousands of dollars, sponsorships are a great way to improve your kart,” Rougeou said.

In addition to expensive kart parts, Rougeou said the current economy is taking a toll on kart racing.

“With gas prices at $3.50 a gallon, travel costs are stopping lots of drivers. For some trips, it can cost more than $1,000 in gas money to bring the karts there and back. And that’s not even counting registration fees and extra parts,” he said.

As Rougeou’s racing career accelerates, he described the difficulties in juggling school and driving.  In his time at LSU, Rougeou said many instructors haven’t accepted kart racing as a valid excuse to miss class or assignments.

“Racing has to fit in there somewhere,” Rougeou said with a shrug after describing an incident last year where he flew directly from a race in North Carolina after his car broke down in order to sit for an exam.

“I’ve had teachers make comments.  One of my professors told me ‘There are lots of choices in life; make sure you’re making the right one,’” Rougeou said. “I don’t feel as if [instructors] think [racing is] a legitimate sport.”

Despite Rougeou’s experiences, racing does have a legitimate place in LSU’s curriculum.

The College of Engineering’s Society of Automotive Engineers offers Formula SAE — a national design competition where engineering students design, build and race a Formula One race car as a capstone class every year.

Team Captain and mechanical engineer senior Roberts, who was also the student who designed Rougeou’s radiator, explained that the program has two stages. During the first semester, the team of mechanical and electrical engineers focuses on fund raising and design, while the second semester is spent building and testing the car. The project culminates with a race at the Michigan International Speedway in May.

At the Michigan International Speedway, the cars go through a series of three tests. The first is a static event that judges the safety of the vehicle. Second is a design event where judges break down the cars’ fundamental designs to determine complexity and craftsmanship. Last is a race event where cars are tested in acceleration, lap time, break time and, most recently, fuel mileage.

“To be honest, many times the tests are there to determine if the car falls apart or not,” Roberts said laughing. “The cars have to be built so quickly that many times they won’t even finish.”

While the best professional race-car teams take about three months to complete a car, LSU’s team intends to build theirs in a single month.

“We want to have more time to practice driving the car, as well as have an unveiling for our investors in February,” Roberts said.

Much like Rougeou, the LSU team is forced to find sponsors to fund their vehicle.

“The school doesn’t fund our team,” Roberts said, as he listed the team’s past sponsors, which include international companies like Exxon Mobil and Shell.

But despite the difficulties of the program, Roberts maintained the sacrifices are “worth it.”

“This program is why I came to LSU,” Roberts said.  “It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”

Roberts said he became interested in auto-engineering after his own experiences racing shifter karts, and echoed Rougeou’s statement that many professional race-car drivers begin on the kart track.

Despite working with different types of vehicles, both men share a passion for racing. For Roberts, the thrill comes from designing a high-speed vehicle, while Rougeou said he enjoys the thrill and prestige that comes with winning races.

“When you’re going that fast,” Rougeou said, “there’s a feeling of freedom.”

Driving Force: A Photo Gallery

Madeline’s life was a challenge from the beginning. Her parents divorced when she was an infant and she was forced to move every two years because of her stepfather’s job. Her mother and stepfather would also later divorce. At the age of 14, Madeline began to regularly drink alcohol.

She started using cocaine at the age of 16, which sent her to rehab for the first time that year. The average age for experimentation with cocaine is between 18 and 25, according to drug-rehabs.org.

Her cocaine usage, combined with excessive drinking led to a myriad of problems, such as breathing loss, frequent blackouts and a felony charge.

Madeline, who chose not to give her last name while she recovers from her addictions, continued to abuse cocaine for several months and started to experience “comedowns,” which are the after-effects of heavy drug usage. The results are feelings of constant paranoia and can include repetitive picking at body parts.

“For a while, I was picking at my gums. When I went to the dentist, he told me that I had gotten down to picking the bone. I didn’t even know,” Madeline recalled sheepishly.

Upon her release from her first stint in rehab, she was sent to Louisiana to live with her father and forced to start a new life in the middle of her high school career. When she arrived, her drug habits resumed.

“I was still drinking a lot and smoked a lot of pot,” Madeline said. “I also experimented with Ecstasy and Xanax.”

Fast forward to 2008, where as a guileless freshman, LSU became Madeline’s playground for relapse. Her heavy alcohol use led her to experiment with even harder drugs. During her sophomore year at LSU, she befriended a student who encouraged her to try heroin.

“Her boyfriend cheated on her and she wanted to relapse after recently recovering from her addiction,” Madeline recalled. “When I first tried it with her, it was a snap decision because I was drinking … but it didn’t count because I didn’t feel it and I wanted to, so I did it again the next day. I was literally crying because I wanted more. It was desperation.”

Madeline continued to use heroin every day for a two-month period. She lost a significant amount of weight — 20 pounds. Her weight loss, paleness and chronic fatigue made her appear sickly.

She normally stands at 5’4 and 135 pounds, a healthy height-to-weight ratio for a woman her age.

“I started hanging out with a guy who kept giving it to me,” Madeline said. “I lost all of my friends.”

Madeline used half of a gram of heroin each time she shot up. A new user could get at least two hits from half a gram.

“After I had been off it for about two months, I did it again with half of a gram. It could have killed me,” Madeline said. “The guy I was with was able to do a whole gram at once because his tolerance was much higher.”

Madeline’s body was only so tolerant, however, and she faced health problems with the continued use.

“A couple of times I actually stopped breathing,” Madeline recalled. “He had to give me CPR. He told me about it after and I didn’t even remember it happening.”

Madeline’s reckless need for heroin eventually landed her in jail. She and her friend broke in to his father’s home in New Orleans and stole $400. Before they could escape, his father already had local police hunting for them. It was only a matter of time before they were arrested for possession of heroin.

Charles Mann, LSU Mental Health Center substance abuse counselor, says that relapse can mean different things to different people.

“Some see any use of a substance after committing to abstinence as ‘relapse.’ Others may view this as a ‘slip,’” Mann said. “Some researchers have found that the perception of the use by the user is most important and that some persons in recovery will view any use as the end of recovery and go into a thinking and behavior pattern of ‘I’m a failure and will never recover.”

According to a 2008 report from the Drug and Alcohol Services Information System, it is common for substance abusers to relapse after a period of abstinence. Being admitted to treatment more than once can be seen as part of the process of achieving long-term abstinence.

After being arrested in New Orleans, Madeline was sent to another rehab facility, New Beginnings, in 2009. Because the circumstances were extremely confining for patients, Madeline said this particular place produced her most haunting memories.

“We stayed in one room all day and they’d separate girls and boys. There were less than ten of us and we were only allowed in our bedrooms to go to sleep,” Madeline said. “We had to stay in the room the whole time with a camera on us and were only allowed to read the AA book.”

Other restrictions included citations for doing anything prohibited by the center’s rules, such as swearing accidentally.

Madeline describes having multiple roommates during her six-month residency because others did not stay as long.

“I would always share a room with another girl. There was one girl who was really little and addicted to Oxycontin and born addicted to heroin because of her mom,” Madeline said. “There was another girl who was there for a crack addition, but then she switched her addiction to eating and threw everything up.”

Madeline didn’t think she could handle the rest of rehab and tried to leave early.

“I remember begging my mom to get me out of there but I couldn’t because I had to graduate for court,” Madeline said.

Requirements of the center included talking to a counselor once a week and journaling daily. Madeline says she began to pray and meditate in solitude.

“I think going there changed me because I appreciated a lot more when I got out,” Madeline said. “Before, I took advantage of little things.”

After Madeline’s release from New Beginnings, she moved back to Washington to live in an Oxford house, a facility that provides a smoother transition for those just coming out of rehab and allows its members to make their own rules. She stayed there for eight months.

During her time at the Oxford house, she met a man who soon became her boyfriend through a mutual friend at an AA meeting.

“We were inseparable and we spent so much time together,” Madeline said. “I got kicked out because I was with him too much.”

Madeline and her boyfriend moved in together. She began looking for a roommate when things didn’t quite work out after a few months.

“I moved in with a girl who claimed she had a year of sobriety, but she didn’t. She even had a bottle of gin in her closet,” Madeline recalled.

They discussed the possibility of drinking one night, and decided it would be better to go to an AA meeting instead.

“We went to the AA meeting and then left and bought vodka. Fifteen months of sobriety and all was gone,” Madeline said.

After drinking again for the first time in more than a year, Madeline went to her ex-boyfriend’s apartment. He smelled the alcohol on her and took Madeline to her mother’s house.

“After that, I made the decision to go back [to the Oxford house]. It’s definitely what I need right now,” Madeline said.

Madeline has now been at the Oxford house for more than a month and is recovering well. She says she finally feels normal again and is used to being sober.

“I had to go to rehab before because of legal stuff, but now I know I’m choosing this because I want sobriety. The only way you can get sober is if you’re doing it for yourself,” Madeline said. “I also started going back to church.”

Although Madeline is still in the process of recovery, her previous experiences have led her to realize that she is the only person who can change herself.

Mann said he encourages users to view a relapse as a bump in the road.

“It does not need to lead back to dependence. It is a sign that more work needs to be done and the sooner the better,” Mann said.

Madeline has been sober for two months and has reconnected with her ex-boyfriend. Now she plans on staying in the Oxford house for a couple more months and going back to school in the winter. She aspires to be a drug and alcohol counselor.

“I want to help people like I was helped,” Madeline said.

The loud thuds on the door startle you out of your chair. You peek out the peephole to see who it is. A friend? The mailman? The landlord?

All wrong.

It is a woman holding a manila file folder. She has a gun and pink handcuffs on her waist. She means business.

She is a bounty hunter, and she has a warrant for your arrest.

Bounty Hunting 101

Agents Jim and Laura*, a local married team employed by Perkins Bail Bonds, have arrested more than 400 people in the past three years, and they work on every aspect of a fugitive case.

“We’re detectives first, patrolmen, and then when it comes down to it, we’re SWAT,” Jim said.

As bounty hunters, also known as bail enforcement agents or fugitive recovery agents, they often take on missions police will not handle and with smaller numbers. The largest team they have ever used is seven people, and they often execute warrants with only two or three.

“We’ll go two deep in an area where [police] won’t go six deep. We go in and get them every time,” Laura said.

Jim added, “Where cops are scared to go, we walk with thunder.”

Bounty hunters have nationwide authority, but this team uses common courtesy law, which involves telling the local law enforcement it is entering the area to find a fugitive. Jim added that not all bounty hunters do this, but police can’t stop them or interfere, especially if they have a fugitive in transport.

Laura noted they have no restrictions on time, date or location for their arrests.

“I can take you out in a church on Sunday in the middle of a wedding,” Laura said. “I like hitting you at odd hours, and you never know when I’m going to show up.”

Since 80 percent of the warrants they get are for outstanding traffic violations, they try to be courteous if possible, Jim said. Sometimes the agents will help the fugitives get a new court date for certain circumstances or depending on the crime. Jim said they help those who forgot their court date or hard workers who couldn’t get off work.

“For things like traffic tickets or domestic disagreements, we’ll try to help you out and get a new date,” Jim said. “Things like spousal abuse, sex crimes and crimes against cops, you’re going back to jail.”

Jim said they make 10 percent of the bond amount, so if they don’t find the fugitives, they don’t get paid.

Basics of Bail Bonds

When someone is charged with a crime, bail money ensures that person will show up in court. A bail bondsman can put up a bail bond, a loan, in return for a percentage of the total bail. Being out on bail is an extension of the jail time.

The bail bond acts as insurance, guaranteeing the accused will show up for his or her scheduled court appearance. However, if the fugitive skips town on his bail bond and does not appear in court, it is the responsibility of the bail bondsman to capture the fugitive in 180 days or fork up the cash.

While some bondsmen choose to do their own hunting, others pass it into the hands of bounty hunters, which is legal in two nations: the United States and the Republic of the Philippines.

Other countries consider bounty hunting to be kidnapping.

An Average Case

Jim said a case begins when a person is bonded out of jail and given a court date. If they miss the court date, the bail bondsman will attempt to make contact with the person. If they cannot contact the fugitive, they begin the investigation.

“When a bondsman bonds someone out of jail, they get a laundry list of information such as residences, the co-signer of the bond and relatives,” Jim said. “We begin the investigation with that information as well as a background check.”

Jim said they keep building information and keep searching until they find the person and attempt to bring the fugitive in.

“That’s when we go to the doors and ask, ‘Is Joe Smith home?’ and search the place even if they say no,” Jim said.

They continue to research until they find the person, arrest them and bring them back to jail.

The Agents

Jim, who has bounty hunted for 13 years, said the trade is in his blood.

“In my family, you’re either an officer or a preacher,” he said.

During his first week bounty hunting at Perkins Bail Bond, he closed 17 cases, some of which were cold. Laura said she got into bounty hunting randomly four years ago, and the couple works it in around taking care of their three children.

“I got called into the office one day, and they said I was really good at [bounty hunting],” Laura said. “We do all of this between dropping off kids and picking them up from school.”

Training

Although there is no state mandate for training, Jim requires the agents who work with him to be trained. He often works with people who have a background in police, security or military work.

Jim, who has participated in seven tactical schools, also trains people who want to be agents, as well as police.

He trains them in entering, room clearing and searching techniques, and also has them take a firearms class. Also, to work as a bounty hunter, they must be certified bail bondsman, so they are required to take that class as well.

“I take them on runs. First, I put them at the back door to get an idea of how we work, and then I take them on a run and they do entry with me,” Jim said.

Equipment/Wardrobe

In Louisiana, agents are required to wear apparel identifying them as such. Although a simple badge is considered identifiable apparel, they like to have the words “Fugitive Recovery Agent” written on at least two sides of them, such as their arms and chests or backs.

Laura prefers to go into hunts without lots of tactical gear, often with just her gun, pink handcuffs and the file containing a warrant and facts of the case, unless she knows it will be a difficult or violent arrest.

Legality of Bounty Hunting

Bounty hunters portrayed on television sometimes act lawlessly, but real life hunters have to follow the law.

Cheney Joseph, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the LSU Law Center, has taught several criminal law classes at the University and had some insight on the legality of bounty hunting.

Joseph said an arrest warrant is necessary for a police officer to enter an individual’s home, and a search warrant is necessary if they are in the home of a third party. The same rule partially applies to bounty hunters.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court case Taylor v. Taintor, bounty hunters can enter the premises of the fugitive and re-arrest them without a warrant. This, however, can vary from state to state depending on the local laws.

In the case, it was established that the person into whose custody a defendant accused of the crime is remanded to as part of the defendant’s bail (the bondsman) has sweeping rights to recover that person.

Joseph noted that Louisiana Criminal Code 349.1 deals with the issuance of the arrest warrant. It states that if a defendant fails to appear in court, “the judge may, or shall on motion of the prosecuting attorney, issue a warrant for the arrest of the defendant.”

Photography by Grant Gutierrez

We sit in the dark on musty couches. The room is illuminated only by the headlights of passing cars, tiny lights from equipment and the moon.

The sole sounds in the room come from a radio set to constantly scan AM channels. A ghost box, they call it. It allegedly allows a paranormal being to pull energy from the radio and speak through it. The people I am with say different things, trying to evoke a response.

“Who are you? … Were you a Confederate soldier in the Civil War? …We thank you for your service. … What is your name?”

They ask several times to see if they can get a response.

“What is your name?” they ask again.

Suddenly, through the static, a voice rings out.

“Jake.”

Everyone in the room hears it and looks at Steve Coleman, who is holding the ghost box. My photographer and I cling to each other on the couch. This is the first remotely paranormal experience either of us have ever encountered.

And I want more.

I am with a team of seven paranormal investigators from Louisiana Spirits, a group comprised of more than 20 people across the state who investigate claims of paranormal activity. We are investigating Tyrone Plantation in Alexandria.

Birthplace of LSU

Brandon Thomas, co-founder of LA Spirits, said this plantation is where the idea of LSU was originally sketched out.

“This plantation is the birthplace of LSU. The founder lived here before LSU was located near Pineville,” Thomas said.

The sign in front of the house reads “Tyrone Plantation 1843.”

Rae Swent, the plantation owner, said her family bought the home in 1954, and she and her children moved into the house in 1974.

“We didn’t use the downstairs until 1995, which is where the bed and breakfast is now,” Swent said. “It wasn’t until we renovated downstairs that people started hearing and seeing things.”

Earlier in the evening, before the ghost box was used, the investigators set up cameras and digital video recorders to monitor the allegedly active areas, where people claim to hear laughter and see children playing.

To prepare for this claim, the team set up cameras on both porches, where the children are rumored to play most often, and put a ball on a child sized table, hoping the beings there would play with it.

Guests have also spotted and heard a Civil War soldier walking from room to room.

For this claim, they set up several cameras downstairs that monitor the rooms and trace paths the being is reported to walk.

Once they finish setting up, they gather and discuss where to eat before the investigation begins — a team ritual.

Basics of an investigation

Jennifer Broussard, LA Spirits director, said some team members believe in paranormal activity, but there are also skeptics.

“Everything is in theory. I can’t tell you for sure that we’ve seen and believe, but we do try to give our clients something tangible,” Broussard said.

What makes investigating difficult, Broussard said, is that they cannot make things happen on command. Charles Gardner, LA Spirits media director, agreed that finding paranormal activity on an investigation is a lot rarer than one would think.

“Most times, an investigation is like watching paint dry,” Gardner said. “The claims don’t always happen when we are there, and we can’t do anything about it.”

LA Spirits approaches investigations with skepticism. At the beginning of every search, the team walks through the location to uncover logical reasons for the client’s paranormal claims.

Brad Duplechien, LA Spirits founder and webmaster, said they rule out about 85 percent of the claims in the preliminary search.

After the group gets back from dinner, they set up the last infrared camera and gather on the second floor. They turn off their phones, prepare their personal equipment and divide into two groups, all while socializing.The photographer and I go with Coleman, Lori Russell, Brian Guillot and Elissa Lehnhardt to the first floor to begin the search for paranormal activity.

The investigators with tell stories of previous investigations while we go downstairs and kill the lights. Each investigator has a voice recorder and other various equipment.

We wait.

Paranormal activity and equipment

Thomas said paranormal activity can be a sound, movement or anything out of the ordinary that cannot be explained.

The most controversial evidence of activity is an orb, which is often caught in photos or videos. A true orb, a collection of energy, is recognized by the scientific community. They have certain characteristics that make them identifiable, like omitting their own light source and often having a tail like a comet.

“Orbs … I hate orbs,” Thomas said. And many serious investigators agree. Thomas said many new investigators take photos and see balls of light and automatically assume it is an orb and evidence of a ghost, but he explained that those are usually dust or humidity catching the light.

However, even when it is a true orb, it doesn’t mean there is a ghost or paranormal activity, which is why they look the evidence as a whole, Thomas said. For example, they examine the evidence to see if an orb is paired with a change in temperature or another paranormal instance.

Electronic voice phenomena are another aspect of paranormal activity and are most often found using a voice recorder. Duplechien said EVPs can be obtained by asking questions out loud, such as “Why are you here?” and “What is your name?”

“At first you feel silly just talking out loud because it feels like you’re talking to yourself, but you get used to it. And sometimes you find answers on the voice recorder,” Duplechien said.

Thomas said the first EVP was captured by Thomas Edison and they are accepted by the scientific community.  EVPs can be broken into three classes: C includes strange noises, mumbles, etc.; B includes somewhat decipherable words; A includes clear words and whole sentences.

Most often, they find C’s, but they have captured A’s before. One of the most memorable capturing of A’s was at the Waverly Hills Sanitarium in Louisville, Ky., which is the favorite investigation for many team members. The sanitarium, a tuberculosis hospital for more than 50 years, is well known to the paranormal community and has been featured in many TV shows and movies focused on paranormal activity.

Broussard said the sheer amount of activity, including shadow people and object manipulation, makes the investigation vivid in her mind.

“The entire way home, we didn’t rest. We drove like 36 hours home straight and we were listening to our audio. It was so amazing and very active,” Broussard said.

The evidence collected at the sanitarium is posted on the group’s website, www.laspirits.com, which includes audio of “paranormals” talking back to the investigators.

Another piece of equipment LA Spirits uses is an electromagnetic field meter, which they use to find any sudden increase or decrease in the electromagnetic field.

They also use infrared thermometers to measure the ambient temperature for drops or rises. Duplechien said if a spirit is trying to manifest, there will be temperature changes.

For both the EMF and IR thermometers, an initial reading is captured by walking through the location for a base reading; that way they can look for differences from the base reading when conducting the investigation.

The investigators also use digital video recorders so they can watch several rooms at once.  Here they look for object manipulation, which can include anything from doors or cabinets opening to objects in the room being played with or moved.

IR cameras are also used during the investigation because, in theory, it is easier to spot paranormal occurrences through infrared, Duplechien said. They also use a thermal imaging camera to view everything by temperature.

For a while, nothing happens, until we hear the name “Jake.” We all ask questions and sometimes get answers such as “yes.” We hear the name several times and then move to a side room to see if the “paranormal” will continue to speak to us.

Various questions are asked, and for awhile no answers are given. Coleman then explained to the being that if he wanted to say “Hi,” he could do so through the ghost box.

“Hello.”

Clear as day, the greeting rings out in the room, and my breath catches in my throat. The investigators look at each other.

“Did you hear that?”

“It said hello.”

“I heard it, too.”

The radio continues to play static for a few more minutes and the group decides to take a break and go outside. The teams are switching floors. The photographer and I decide to stay on the first floor and see if the second group can find any evidence supporting the Confederate soldier sightings.

Who is Louisiana Spirits?

LA Spirits does investigations across the state through their five chapters and occasionally in Texas, Arkansas and Mississippi.

“Any given weekend, we can have up to five investigations across the state,” Broussard said.

LA Spirits is not the only paranormal investigation team in the state, and other teams range from large to a small handful of friends.

“There are more paranormal investigation groups in Louisiana than I can count on two hands,” Gardner said. “We are one of the biggest and maybe the second or third oldest.”

Martin Delatte, the case manager for the Southeastern chapter and LSU psychology senior, has been doing paranormal investigations for almost two years.

“I enjoy the history lesson you get, as well as the thrill of getting to experience something that can’t be explained through hard science. It’s invigorating,” Delatte said.

One area LA Spirits has not yet had a chance to investigate is Pleasant Hall on LSU’s campus. Delatte said he has been attempting to find a way to do an investigation on campus but has had no success yet. The stories of Pleasant Hall have intrigued him for years.

“I definitely think it could be haunted, and it excites me,” Delatte said. “There is so much history surrounding this school. Anything is possible, but I don’t think it is exceptionally rare. I wouldn’t put it past many universities to have somewhere haunted, especially the older ones.”

The second group of investigators contains Gardner, Broussard and Thomas. They try to use the ghost box, but there are no solid answers.

Thomas notices that the temperature has dropped, according to his thermometer.

Broussard wants to see if the being can drop it further and says, “Come on, drop it to 56. I want you to drop it. You can do it.”

She taunts the being, and the temperature continues to drop slowly.

“Come on, you can’t do it,” Broussard says. “You’re weak; a real man ghost could do it.”

It continues to change temperature, briefly increasing and then decreasing. Eventually it rises back to the original temperature.

Gardner, who had been on the bed in the bedroom where the ghost resides, said that while the temperature was decreasing, he felt strange in a way he couldn’t explain. He said he knew before being told the temperature returned to its initial reading because the sensation left him.

Duplechien explained that when a paranormal being is trying to do something, whether speak, appear or move, it pulls energy from things around it, such as people or electronics.

Post investigation

Once the investigations are over and all of the evidence is collected, the team packs up and goes home. At that point, they analyze everything and see if there is any significant proof that paranormal activity is present.

“Equipment is only so accurate,” Duplechien said, “which is why we take a look at all of the information together and see if there is a pattern.” Duplechien noted that they never tell clients the area is haunted or they have a ghost.

“We’ll say this place is active, but never use the term haunted,” Duplechien said. “There is no 100 percent positive there are such things as ghosts.”

If they have convincing evidence, they present it back to the client, as well as put it on their website, but they will not do anything to alter the paranormal activity for the client.

“We want to go in and document any activity that is actually there, but if they want it cleared or banished, we don’t do any of that,” Broussard said. “If we do find proof of paranormal activity or things happening, it’s not that we’re going to save those people. We are going to document.”

LA Spirits will, however, put people in contact with those that will help them take care of the paranormal activity.

Broussard said people need to consider that paranormal experiences aren’t dangerous.

“Through these investigations, I’ve learned just because you don’t understand it and don’t see it, doesn’t mean it will hurt you,” Broussard said. “I am more afraid of the living than I am the dead. The living can actually hurt you.”

Photography by Melanie Cascio

Indoor Rock Climbing:

• What: Indoor rock climbing is a great total body workout. It helps increase strength, coordination, endurance and balance. It is a great way to burn calories, build problem-solving skills and socialize.
• Where: UREC, LSU campus
• What to wear: Shorts and T-shirts are best. Climbers must wear closed-toe shoes.
• How much: Free for LSU students. Guest passes for non-LSU students are $10.
• Who I am: I am 21 years old. I do light exercise like jogging or kayaking several times a week, and I’m not a big fan of gyms.

I tried indoor rock climbing a few months ago and was pumped to try it again. The UREC climbing gym was nice because there was no wait or hassle. I just walked in, a worker told me some safety guidelines and I started climbing. The floor is lined with thick mats in case you fall, which I certainly did. I hadn’t worked out my upper body in a while, so I got weak quickly. I could only make it about halfway up the wall. It was slightly embarrassing considering the climber next to me was racing up the wall like a spider monkey.

There are three walls. One is a 19-foot top rope wall, where climbers must be hooked to a harness. The other two were 13-foot bouldering walls. I was more comfortable being hooked up to a harness than I was on the bouldering walls. Falling from the boulder wall didn’t hurt, but the drop was unnerving. The boulder pegs were color-coded according  to their difficulty, which I found extremely useful. Maneuvering up the wall was challenging but often exhilarating. Some pegs are easy to hold onto; others trip you up and leave you plummeting toward the mats.

Climbing is far more exciting than weight lifting to build strength and endurance. I was sore from head to toe the next day, but I had a blast. Climbing with a friend makes the experience much more fun: There’s always someone to laugh with when you fall on your face.

BY SARAH CHAMBLESS

PIYO:

• What: PiYo is a combination of Pilates and yoga rolled into one strenuous workout. The routine lasts for about an hour, with the first half dedicated to yoga and the second half to Pilates. It is recommended for all fitness levels, according to the UREC website.
• Where: The UREC offers a GroupX class anyone can join on Thursdays at 4:45 p.m. An online session of the class is also offered on the UREC’s website. The online version lasts about 40 minutes.
• What to wear: Loose-fitting gym clothes.
• How much: The UREC’s group classes and online classes are free with memberships.
• Who to call: LSU UREC 225.578.8601
• Who I am: 20 years old with absolutely no experience in Pilates or yoga — or any form of structured exercise for that matter.

While making it over to the UREC for a workout session is something I set out to do every week, the combination of school, work and penciling in time for sleep interrupts my exercise ambitions. I was glad to have an excuse to use the PiYo online exercise workout as this week’s substitution for visiting the UREC.

Having never participated in Pilates, yoga or any group workout program, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve never been particularly interested in Pilates or yoga because I associated the two physical-fitness systems with flexibility, which I simply don’t have. I was pleasantly surprised to find out, however, that the exercises are not as strenuous as I imagined. With a little ambition, anyone could participate.

Yoga requires a great deal of balance, which was difficult to maintain as a newcomer. I found many positions required me to twist and turn my body in specific directions while balancing on one leg. The biggest challenge was keeping up with the speed of the video, as the instructor used an array of yoga terms with little elaboration on their meanings.

The Pilates portion was more stringent than the yoga, which felt more rewarding. The routines were more ab-driven, and many of the exercises were done lying on a mat doing more peaceful forms of crunches. I was certainly receiving a more thorough workout. Yoga seemed more meditative, whereas the Pilates focused more on the physicality, which I value more.

The best thing about PiYo is that it doesn’t thrust a plethora of exercises at you all at once. Many workout videos and routines are too fast-paced for newcomers to enjoy thoroughly, but the peaceful aspect of yoga and Pilates made the experience stringent and effective yet still enjoyable.

BY MATTHEW JACOBS

P90X:

• What: P90X, or Power 90 Extreme, is the home fitness revolution produced by Beachbody that claims to get you into the best shape of your life in 90 days. The workout is available to buy through Beachbody.com and comes with 12 DVDS, a nutrition plan and a fitness guide to enable you to achieve that extraordinary body.
• Where: P90X was designed so that anyone could do the routine in their own home. It is possible, through a little technological magic, to put the videos on an iPod or other portable video player and do the workouts at the gym, or anywhere else.
• What to bring: Normal gym clothing like shorts, a t-shirt and tennis shoes are recommended.
• Who I am: 21-years-old, experience in weight lifting and running, haven’t been on a steady workout schedule in about a year.

When I told my friends I was starting P90X, some looked at me like I was crazy, others laughed and my girlfriend smiled, imagining what I could look like after 90 days. As as a senior, I’m constantly studying or working, and it is difficult to keep  a steady workout schedule. P90X offered me the chance to follow a preplanned routine without having to pay a gym membership fee or wait for weights or machines to open. I did use a pull-up bar, exercise bands and dumbbells, but these are optional. The videos show multiple ways to do each exercise.

These workouts are intense. Using your own body weight or resistance, the program builds muscle, cuts fat and makes you faster. For the first week, every part of my body ached for days, and there were a few workouts that I could only get halfway through before my legs or arms gave out. The second week wasn’t much better, but by the third, I had gotten the hang of everything and saw some progress. I felt stronger, faster and more flexible (one of the workouts is yoga). When the routine changed to the second phase, I began a new set of workouts for four weeks. Overall, P90X is a tough workout, but it’s fun, accessible and customizable. Best part: I saw results.

BY JAKE CLAPP

Staff writer Emily Slack tries aerial ribbons.

Aerial Silks:

• What: Aerial silks, or silk climbing, is the art of climbing lengths of a special fabric attached to the ceiling with which climbers perform acrobatics without the use of safety lines. This is similar to the fabric performances of Cirque du Soleil acrobats.
• Where: The movement studio of the Music and Dramatic Arts building.
• What to wear: A tank top or form fitting shirt and tights. You don’t want anything covering your calves because it will get in the way of climbing the silk. A tighter shirt is handy so it doesn’t fall down if you hang upside down.
• How much: Free.
• When: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., though many people come and go during this time.
• Who to talk to: Nick Erickson, associate professor in the Music and Dramatic Arts program.
• Who I am: An active 21-year-old. I ride my bike every day, occasionally run, swim and lift weights. I haven’t been on a regular exercise routine for a few months, but when I am I tend to work out as often as possible.

When the class started, I was thrown off by several exercises involving a game in which the instructor, Erickson, would call out different commands in rapid succession. Afterward, Erickson explained that this exercise heightened awareness and built trust with other class members, which is essential when climbing silks.

The class (which isn’t exactly a class — Erickson and the other students will teach you moves to start, but many of the students are there to just practice) takes place in the MDA building’s large “movement studio” in which three long lengths of fabric hang from the 27-foot ceiling. Mats line the floor in case you fall.

I learned basic climbing first, which involves wrapping the silk around one foot and keeping it in place with the other. I immediately noticed how physically demanding it was, as you’re lifting your entire body weight with your arms and abs every time you move up the silk. After a few times climbing the silk, my arms had practically turned to Jell-O, but it is incredibly fun. I eventually learned a move in which I wrapped the silk around my ankles to hang upside down.

There are climbers of all skill levels in the class, and it was worth showing up just to watch the more advanced climbers display their incredible skill with the fabric. The advanced climbers make it look easy, but it is difficult unless you have experience lifting weights.

I would definitely go back to build core strength and for the fun of climbing the silks. I wouldn’t recommend it to those without upper body strength, as it requires a significant amount even for the beginner. Also, if you have any fear of heights, silk climbing requires you to be anywhere from 9 to 25 feet off the ground and not secured by any safety lines. If you have experience with dance or gymnastics, you’ll definitely be at an advantage.

BY EMILY SLACK

Staff writer Chelsea Brasted tries pole fitness.

Pole Fitness:

• What: Pole Fitness is a pole-dancing inspired class for women, that teaches the same moves exotic dancers use in nightclubs. The flirty and sexy dancing is tough work, and it’s a great workout for your arms, legs and core muscles.
• Where: Mindfulness & Motion, 440 N. Foster Drive, Suite 326
• What to wear: “Booty shorts and your stilettos … Have exposed skin so you can grip the pole,” according to instructor Margie Ford.
• How much: $120 per person for five hours of instruction in groups of at least five women.
• Who to call: 225.272.4447 or 225.939.6937, or go to www.mindfulnessandmotion.com
• Who I am: 20 years old with some experience in dance and yoga and I run about 10 miles every week.

I’ll be honest: I never imagined myself working a pole — for work. Walking into the pole-dancing studio, I saw my nervousness reflected in the mirrors lining the wall as Michael Buble began to echo from the sound system. Margie Ford, my instructor and the founder of Mindfulness & Motion, quickly got me into my red pumps and on the pole. After she took me through the fast, domineering, you-own-the-world walk, we tried the slowed-down-sex-kitten walk.

Once I mastered the differences, Ford took me through a few more moves taught in a typical class. Though I only had a half hour teaser of a regular class (which normally runs for more than an hour) Ford taught me some of the traditional moves. It wasn’t long before I was jumping onto the pole and swirling down to the floor, only to snake back to the top. By the end, I was feeling the burn in my upper thighs and arms; it’s not easy flipping your hair, dancing like a sexpot and maintaining balance on stiletto heels.

BY CHELSEA BRASTED

Tune into Tiger TV at 7 pm on Thursday (Feb. 17) and catch “Your Source.” The program will include a half-hour special about LSU Budget Cuts, followed immediately by J Hudson’s “State of the University” Town Hall.

Join us Thursday night in the Holiday Forum, or catch the show on Tiger TV (campus channel 75)

Submit questions for J at yoursource@tigertv.tv

Photographs by Hilary Scheinuk

Trent Johnson, men’s basketball head coach: The one thing I would change is keeping our campus and city clean. Enhance our campus and make it more beautiful. The latest and newest buildings — and clean.

Van Chancellor, women’s basketball head coach: I would make all of our budget worries go away with the stroke of one hand on a big check. But, the one minor thing I’d do is I’d get a different system for faculty parking on campus. That thing with the wand is the most aggravating thing I’ve run into.

J Hudson, President, SG: I would use the money to pay for every student’s tuition. I know that a lot of students have a hard time paying for college, so I would alleviate that by paying for their education.

Mike Martin, Chancellor of LSU: The first priority would be to hire a cadre of outstanding young faculty. If the faculty is strong and committed, we will attract and inspire the best students and garner national, and indeed, international recognition.

Astrid Merget, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of LSU: I would invest in people. I would particularly invest in faculty to retain and recruit the best and the brightest of scholars to not only educated the next generation but also to advance knowledge and help develop solutions to pressing problems. People make a university work. People are the core of it and it’s really the faculty who are the intellectual, academic and professional energy that animate the institution. And in turn, they recruit the students.

Paul Mainieri, baseball head coach: I would give free tuition to all students so that anyone that is qualified and wishes to attend LSU would be able to do so financially!

Michelle Franklin, Tiger Trails bus driver: I would try to work on traffic. Make more crosswalks, especially when it gets busy, like when y’all change classes. They just jump off the sidewalk.

Jake Fontenot, biological engineering junior: Probably just tear it down and start over. Or if I could genetically re-engineer professors, that would be awesome, too.

Tabitha Bullman, psychology senior: Give us the availability to rent books instead of buying them.

Wayne Caneza, general business sophomore: I wish exams were two weeks. I hate cramming five tests into one week.

Ray James, political science senior: I would finish the f***ing Union. I want to see it finished before I graduate. I seriously doubt that will happen, but it would be nice if they would finish it, but they’ll probably just start over again.

Joseph Moody, biology and Spanish junior: Tuition. I would subsidize people’s tuition on a need-based scale.

Jordan Ward, sociology senior: The rats. Get rid of the rats. Years ago they got rid of all the cats — but now we have rats.

Vickie Ryan, Campus Federal Credit Union teller: Variety of better food.

Joseph Alleva, LSU athletic director: I would create a huge endowment so LSU would not be dependent on state funds and could grow into one of the elite schools in the country.

Jack Weiss, chancellor, Hebert Law Center: I would spend money to recruit and retain outstanding classroom teachers, especially those who teach a substantial number of students.

David Cronrath, dean of College of Art and Design: There are so many things that LSU requires. My top priority … build a dome over the campus to protect us from the weather and the legislature.

Eric Reid, assistant director of parking, traffic and transportation: Being a former track athlete here at LSU, I would help build a world class track stadium. Our track program has won more Division 1 NCAA Championships than any other university in the nation (the last time I checked) and we need a venue to continue to recruit top athletes. Our current track will take a facelift soon, but we do not have any locker rooms for the athletes to shower and change. We have the state-of-the-art football, basketball, baseball, and now softball venues, and the time has come for a new track and field venue.

Jay Geagham, chair for experimental statistics: The administration.

John W. Grubb, director for College of Basic Sciences: Accessibility. Traversing this campus is extremely difficult. Ramps are poor (not all but some), railings are often blocked by bikes, or missing altogether. There are buildings without elevators, restrooms that aren’t accessible at all. At any point in our lives, any of us may become impaired and need the facilities, ramps, handrails, et cetera. [They seem like an inconvenience] to those not requiring them, [but] are a necessity to anyone who does.

Sarah Lawson, editor of The Daily Reveille: Bring back all the cut degree programs, finish the Union in two weeks and start a cooking school!

Olivia LeBlanc, chemical engineering junior: I wish that they would finish all construction before starting any new projects. For example, the Union should have been finished before this new business building (that is so unnecessary) was started.

Payton Boyer, art history junior: Skating rink. Definitely a skating rink.

Luke Tant: Les Miles. 25. Dr. Moshe Cohen, mathematics doctoral graduate (May 2010): Summer storage of student stuff. Students moving out of the dorms could donate dorm furniture in good repair for incoming students. This could reduce waste and save students money.

Amanda Glinky, May 2010 Microbiology graduate: I would like a better system to keep tenured professors in check. Some of the worst teachers that I’ve had at LSU were tenured, making it practically impossible for them to be removed from their all-mighty positions of authority. I understand that research is important, but first and foremost, faculty should be here for their students. Without students, you have no university.

Nicholas Johnson, history and German junior: I would like the recently cut foreign language programs to return.

Amanda Muhleisen, management senior: Make it so I don’t have to sell my organs to pay out of state tuition.

Charlotte Cox, Storyville manager and photography graduate, May 2010: I would update the dark rooms in the photography department and allow more money for ink.

Nicole Bower, education masters student and barista at Highland Coffee: I would keep all the online library databases open.

Cindy Stevens, owner of Cindy’s Creations and producer of LSU ribbons at Tiger District and LSU Bookstore: Make more visitor parking. There’s nowhere to park if you’re not a student. It’s the worst thing ever.

Mary Wygle, hostess of The Chimes: Put more focus on the art department.

Butler Murrell, manager of The Bicycle Shop: Separate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Hillary Thompson, general studies senior and hostess at The Chimes: Get more classes. I have trouble scheduling every semester. And bring back the women’s and gender studies department.

John Hoover, manager of Raising Cane’s at Northgate: Make football games affordable again, whether that means making the stadium twice the size or lining someone’s pockets.

Benjamin Eckel, computer science graduate student: Buy more tigers, fire more teachers.

Daniel L. Williams, photography senior: Burn it down and rebuild sandellas.

Rene Abythe, photography senior: Have the Magnolia Room lit by candlelight.

Barrett Allen, mass communication senior: I would do two things: Renovate the Huey P. Long Fieldhouse building and develop some sort of film and TV major for the College of Art and Design to tie in with the growing Louisiana film industry.

Coty Engler, psychology junior: I’d improve draining on Highland so students aren’t required to step in two feet of water on the way to class on a rainy day.

Jared Nuss, general studies senior: Stop raping us with budget cuts and tuition and fee increases. My butt hurts.

Laurel Keys: I would implement a serious and effective sexual assault prevention and treatment program complete with bystander prevention strategies and sane nurses.

Phillip Arceneaux, communication studies and international studies sophomore, section leader in Tiger Band: Reserved parking for LSU Band and cheerleaders on game days.

Samuel Dell Lockhart, English junior, Southeastern student who attends ROTC at LSU: Reserved parking for ROTC Cadets. We go through a lot already, it would be nice to be able to park in faculty parking or something.

Michelle Johnston, marketing junior: I’d probably build a bunch of parking garages. Living off campus — it’s such a big ordeal to get here.

Dr. S. S. Iyengar, computer sciences professor:If given an unlimited amount of money, I would marshal all of the available resources to the further hiring of young, dynamic, and innovative faculty and the placement of these faculty in areas of high-priority.

Dr. Denise Newsome, resident for equine practice: More hands on teaching labs for veterinary students to get them out of the classroom and into real life.

D-D Breaux, gymnastics head coach: I would do three things. First thing — I would build a modern, safe gymnastics training center. Second thing — I would build a new recreation center for students, faculty and staff to rival Alabama. Why should we not have that as good as Alabama? Third — I would tear down Middleton Library and build something to match our beautiful campus.

Clift Baradell, interior design junior: I would like to know that the money they use for higher education isn’t subject to budget shortfalls. That’s the biggest problem at this university. It shouldn’t be affected by this.

Katrina Andry, studio art master’s student: I would really make the old engineering building a proper facility for people who have to use it. It’s where all the art students are. There’s no air conditioning … it changes the way things come out. Like, you can get bird shit all over your stuff.

Gaines Foster, interim dean for College of Arts & Sciences: It’s such a strange concept at the moment [having money]. I’m struck by the need for more faculty and more graduate assistantships. That translates to more classes and choices for students.

Yvette Girouard, softball head coach: I would fix up the facade of all the campus buildings, just make this place a world-class facility. The grounds are already like that, but the buildings need it.

Hanna Munoz, public relations: I’d upgrade everything, like the bathrooms.

Jaclyn Rivera, human ecology sophomore: I like sitting in places like [right outside the Design Building]. It’s hard to find quiet places outside to study.

Joyce Jackson, associate professor for department of geography and anthropology: I would hire more professors of color and recruit more students of color.

David Chicoine, assistant professor and anthropology undergraduate adviser, department of geography and anthropology: Elevate the whole state of Louisiana, so when sea leavels rise we won’t be underwater. Just kidding — I would secure the employment situation and expand departments and hire new faculty, invest in programs and assistantship programs, buy a big blimp that says “Geaux Tigers,” cover Mike the Tiger’s cage in gold, maybe also build an above ground metro system to link LSU to the rest of Baton Rouge. I would probably hire another football coach, maybe even have three football coaches.

Brajesh Gupt, physics graduate student: Funding certain departments. Engineering has a lot less funding than others. Physics of course [would get the most].

Christopher D’Elia, School of the Coast and Environment dean: I would want more endowed professorships and scholarships for students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to deal with the increasing challenges of providing energy and environmental quality for society. We cannot neglect these issues any longer.

Beth M. Paskoff, dean of library and information sciences: I would fully endow the University so that salaries and all other expenses are covered.

Natalie Mault, assistant curator of LSU Museum of Art, Shaw Center for the Arts: I would allocate funds to improve and strengthen academic departments and expand to allow new ones. I can’t help but think how wonderful it would be if an academic institution were able to strengthen its departments as opposed to being forced to make cuts.

Kirby Goidel, associate professor of mass communication and political science: Free football tickets for faculty, no more grades or grading, and a moratorium on committee work.

John T. Caprio, professor of biological sciences: Have the state provide the appropriate funds to allow LSU to remain in the top tier universities and make sure these funds are protected from other state expenses.

Donald R. Marchiafava, engineer with Facility Services: Get the professors back and people laid off and start those classes back up to keep our educational system up to par.

Patrick Carnahan, music education senior: We should get a huge food court in the Union.

Tom Livesay, executive director of the LSU Museum of Art: Put the LSU Museum of Art on the first floor of the Shaw Center.

Robert Stewart, managing editor of The Daily Reveille: Finish all construction, and give juniors and seniors Easy Streets passes.

Jacy Rawls: Fee bills would cease to exist for everyone.

Samantha M. Alleman, English/creative writing senior: For [LSU to offer] those majors and classes that everyone wants but we don’t have.

Will Monson, graphic design graduate (May 2010): Create programs that get students more involved in local business.

Mary Helen Hayes, library sciences masters student: [Create fewer] cases of adding things and more of preventing subtracting things. Keep student services, [library sciences], especially.

Steve Watkins, associate professor of chemistry: Put it all into student scholarships.

Kate Renken, geography Ph.D. student: I would change the Tiger Athletic Fund to make it accessible to academics.

Elizabeth Benton-Levith, animal sciences junior: I’d fund the Equine major that was proposed, approved, but can’t move forward because of the budget cuts.

Samantha Dupaquier, civil engineering junior: I would increase LSU’s efforts in commitment to community and increase the impact of LSU’s community service in Baton Rouge.

Photograph courtesy of Darrell Bezet.

A 54-year-old man rolls around on the red bricks in front of the glass of Mike the Tiger’s habitat. He ignores the smudges that appear on his khaki slacks from the water leaking out of Mike’s pond. Mike VI, the Bengal-Siberian mix that resides on LSU’s campus, watches from atop a rock near his pool.

Mike’s regal head leans toward the ground as he stalks forward. Mike watches as the man wobbles precariously, steadied slightly by the use of a black cane. His eyes follow him around one of the habitat’s pillars as he disappears from sight. The tiger’s head drops another couple of inches as he lifts his paws to move closer and closer to this man.

Suddenly, Mike runs and leaps as the man peers around the next pillar, jumping and pawing at the net that confines him.

“That’s my buddy! I love you, too! That’s my buddy!” the man shouts, giggling loudly and pawing right back at Mike.

Darrell Bezet is not a shy man. This is the kind of guy who calls everyone “bay” and keeps cat food in his car for strays he sees at gas stations. Accessorized by a thatch of thinning brown hair, dark Ray-Ban sunglasses, a downward curving mustache and that ever-present black cane, Bezet proudly displays a shirt his sister-in-law made for him. Embroidered in gold thread, the black shirt designates him “Darrell, Tiger Whisperer.”

Made famous on campus through YouTube and word-of-mouth, Bezet is an early-morning staple at Mike’s habitat.

“I say he’s my tiger and I just let LSU take care of him,” Bezet says as he circles the habitat. “I try to come every day … I was sick for three days … I had Mike withdrawals. I finally made it here on the third day, and he was so ecstatic. He was like, ‘Where have you been? I’ve been waiting for you.’ And I felt the same way.”

Bezet came to see Mike for the first time about a year ago — a time he recalls as especially difficult. After getting in “a stupid little fender bender wreck,” Bezet began feeling pain throughout his body. A doctor soon discovered a four-inch long bone spur threatening to sever Bezet’s spinal cord.

“I worked in nursing [and] took care of quadriplegics. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, there’s no good deed goes unpunished. Since I cared for quadriplegics, now I’m going to be one,’’’ Bezet recalls. He was living alone and in constant pain when Bezet says he had a life-changing experience.

Mike VI responds to Darrell's commands as much as any domestic house cat would. Photograph by Erin Arledge

“I was home praying, just praying and praying and a voice spoke to my heart … the voice said, ‘Come on, we have to go now,’” Bezet says. That voice, which he recognizes as “when the Lord spoke,” directed him to immediately leave his one bedroom shotgun home in Spanish Town — where he still lives with three of his own cats. When he drove away Bezet “didn’t know where [he] was going” but soon found himself on Nicholson Drive.

“I thought, ‘Well, Lord, there’s nothing here but Mike the Tiger,’ and he said, ‘That’s right, that’s where we’re going,’” Bezet explains. So he pulled his white Lincoln Towncar into the lot by Mike’s habitat, and there was the tiger — waiting.

A corrective surgery took care of the bone spur, but Bezet continues to live in constant pain due to other health issues, which causes him to take narcotic medication daily. He altered how he takes his medication so he is able to play with Mike every morning.

“Mike is such a blessing, and I know with all my heart he is a gift from God,” Bezet will say to anyone who will listen, and lots of people have. Though Mike has other loyal friends who visit as often as Bezet does, Bezet is quick to say that he knows he’s “number one on [Mike’s] list.”

Bezet has made other new friends in his visits to Mike, even from outside the state. One woman, a gospel singer from Florida, heard Bezet’s story. She saw videos on YouTube of the connection between the two friends and drove all the way to the University to see Bezet in action. She shared her own story with Bezet before returning home to Florida.

“She was telling me about how she was left behind a house in a basket under a tree. I just looked at her and said, ‘God leaves some of his most precious gifts in broken vessels,’” Bezet remembers fondly. “Tears were just streaming down her face because I touched her so much.”

Darlene Woodford, a Baton Rouge resident who met Bezet at Mike’s habitat, has become an avid fan as well.

“This tiger just relates to him so well. Mike knows his car. It’s like therapy for [Bezet]. It’s not a bad thing for the tiger,” Woodford says. “One time he came in the afternoon, and that’s when Mike sleeps in the corner. There were people in the corner calling and as soon as [Bezet said], ‘Hey buddy,’ boom! He’s right up.”

Most people, like Woodford, have usually responded well to Bezet’s visits, Bezet says. When he arrives, shouting and pawing at the glass toward Mike, crowds will usually form.

On Friday, February 19 Darrell Bezet comes as close as he ever will to petting his best friend Mike VI. Photograph by Erin Arledge

“It’s almost like a circus act, and that’s not what I want. It’s about Mike loving me,” Bezet says. “I tell everybody when they come out here and they see me playing with him. I encourage them, just talk to him. I say, ‘You’ve got to talk to him.’ He understands more than you realize.”

Mike certainly does understand Bezet. On a recent afternoon, Bezet instructed Mike to bite his toy tire, and Mike grabbed it with his teeth, tearing and biting. Bezet then asked him how high he could climb, and Mike pattered over to the center support pole to climb and jump upon it. Other visitors stood nearby in wonder, snapping photos on their cameras.

“I believe Mike has a great personality, as in people. Animals all have different personalities, and Mike just has a great personality,” Bezet says.

However, the young tiger’s personality is expected to change as he ages.

“Mike is going to be five in July,” Woodford says. “When he gets to be five, he may not be as playful, but really he’s just been adorable. Like [Bezet] says, well, we’ll see.”

Dr. David Baker, director and professor of the division of laboratory animal science at the University School of Veterinary Medicine, is in charge of Mike’s care. Dr. Baker has told many of Mike’s friends that Mike will probably be less playful as he ages.

Bezet staunchly contends Mike “will always love” him.

“All I can say,” wrote Dr. Baker in an email, “is that nobody, including Mike, can have too many friends.”

TIGER WHISPERER VIDEO

TIGER WHISPERER PHOTO SLIDESHOW >>

It’s a typical summer Friday in South Louisiana — the kind of day where you can bottle the air and drink it through a straw — and in an open barn off a derelict highway in Covington, I was just bitten by an alligator.

This alligator — along with 1,500 others — resides on Insta-Gator Ranch in Covington, where 88 percent of the crocodilians will grow up to be wallets, shoes, belts, handbags and sausages. The remaining 12 percent will be released into the wild. One thing they all share in common, though, is the potential to one day save lives.

Insta-Gator Ranch, the only gator farm in the state that allows visitors, takes part in the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries “sustained use management program” of alligators. This system, implemented in 1972, helps restore the species’ population after it’s classification as endangered five years prior.  By 1987, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service announced a complete recovery of the species.

Harvesting for Insta-Gator requires an Ultralight aircraft for egg spotting and an airboat to retrieve the eggs.  However, handling eggs while alligator mothers hover nearby does present its problems.

“[Harvesting eggs] scares the heck out of you,” exclaims Jim Piculas, a substitute teacher-turned-alligator rancher.  “These are monsters.”

Most of these “monsters,” separated in water-filled pens according to age and length, will one day sit on dinner tables or become expensive accessories. Researchers at LSU and throughout the scientific community, however have  found even more practical uses for alligators.

Tucked away in an office in the food science building, Dr. Jack Losso, a jovial associate professor, talks excitedly about his studies with alligators.

“There’s close to two million pounds of alligator waste per year … we wanted to use alligator waste — bones, unused skin … to isolate collagen for cosmetics,” Losso explains.  “What we produce is almost 100 percent pure.”

Losso and his colleagues have succeeded in producing this collagen from alligator carcasses.  The product is already on the market.

Collagen, the most naturally abundant protein in the animal kingdom, is responsible for providing human skin and tissues with strength and protection from certain degrees of sun damage.  The protein is already used in a wide array of cosmetics and injections for cosmetic surgery.

Collagen also has curative properties, as it can aid in regenerating tissues, helping to heal wounds and possibly inhibit growth of tumors.

The natural environment in the marshes and swamps of the Gulf coast is ripe with opportunities for infection and disease. Gators, however, are some of the healthiest animals.

“Alligators can be exposed to bacteria and have never been exposed to them before but their bodies know how to fight them … ours don’t,” says Lancia Darville, a chemistry graduate student at the University.

Darville, who works with Dr. Mark Merchant from McNeese State University, explains that their project began when Merchant took parts of blood from an American alligator, isolated them and exposed them to different types of microorganisms — bacteria, viruses and fungi.

“He found that the majority of those microorganisms were depleted after being exposed … The same thing happened with HIV.  Over 90 percent of it depleted, so that’s really exciting,” Darville says.

All 16 of the microorganisms placed in alligator blood serum were killed, including the herpes simplex virus, HIV, E. coli and the bacteria that causes staph, strep, salmonella and dysentery.  Human blood serum was only successful in killing six of these.

The ultimate goal is to be able to sequence antimicrobial peptides from American alligator blood.  Sequencing these peptides — which are essentially small portions of proteins found in blood — would lead to a basic blueprint for production of future medicines.  Because implantation of alligator blood in humans is deadly, a synthetic chemical version of the proteins could allow humans to still obtain the medical benefits of those peptides.

“Ultimately we would like to be able to mimic them for medicinal use,” explains Darville.

Price has seen the natural immunities  alligators possess first-hand at Insta-Gator.

“I’ve never had a vet come here,” he said about his ranch.  “We’ve raised over 35,000 and only lost a few to unknown reasons.”

Price began Insta-Gator Ranch in 1989.  It was not until twelve years later, in 2001, that it was opened to the public for tours.

Though some found it odd that he went from hunting a species to working to protect it, Price explains that it’s really part of the same cycle.  The money the state charges for hunting and fishing licenses (and even for the tags placed on Price’s released gators) goes toward protecting its animals.

“Hunting of animals is really protection of animals … Ducks Unlimited is one of the biggest supporters of wetland conservation [and they sell hunting goods],” says Price.

Louisiana’s own sustained use policy of the American alligator has actually served as an oft-cited model of animal re-population worldwide.  This intense re-population of the alligator means that Louisiana could stand to be in for growth of a lucrative new medical market.

“We want our Louisiana business to be in a position to take advantage of these new markets,” Losso says.

Until more breakthroughs are made, however, the possible key to fighting the economic recession will be lurking in swamps and marshes of the Gulf Coast.

As I waited for the adolescent alligator jaws to release my finger, Piculas tell me this little guy won’t be able to cause any real damage for about another year.  Though his sandpaper-like teeth only hint at the development of something more menacing, I find the force behind his jaws undeniable.  At 9 inches, he’s only a miniature version of his powerful ancestors, but with scientific advances on the horizon, his potential is ultimately infinite.

Gator Aid Fun Facts:

● There are 60 licensed gator ranchers in Louisiana.

● Ranchers use 88% and release 12% into wild.

● The 12% of gators that are returned to wild represent a larger number than would survive on their own.

● Less than 15% of hatchlings ever renew adulthood in wild.

● Once a gator reaches four feet it is considered an adult.

● Gators can jump 2/3 of their body length.

See a slideshow of more photos from the gator ranch.

“Have you ever done salvia? It’s like a three minute dream,” a Ra Shop customer said while perusing through posters.

Store manager Lane Link returned to his station behind the counter after helping another customer and explained some misconceptions about what the Ra Shop sells.

Link said “salvia,” or Salvia divinorum, is a plant that, when smoked, produces short-term hallucinatory effects. It was carried at the Ra Shop on the Northgate

of campus until 2005, when it was made illegal in Louisiana.

Today, the store sells raw herbs, incense and smoking herbs that only promise a “good buzz” similar to tobacco.

“[Incense gets] rid of negative air … demons,” Link said.

But some people use herbal blended incense like spice gold as a marijuana substitute.

Link said these herbal blends can cost around $20 a gram and are sold strictly as incense. Both Link and Kathy Saichuk, wellness coordinator at the LSU Health Center, warn against consumption of incense and other

products that have the label “Not for Human Consumption” written on packaging.

“One of the issues related to unrestricted herbal-type substances, such as synthetic cannabinoids … is the chemical makeup of the substances,” Saichuk said. “Since they are not controlled by an agency such as the FDA … the risk is the levels of the chemicals within these products.”

Link said Ra Shop employees don’t sell to people who display intent to smoke the incense.

“People will find a way to abuse anything … like huffing glue,” Link said. “The Ra Shop does not condone irresponsible use of any herbs.”

David, an electrical and computer engineering sophomore who requested to not be identified, has “abused” incense, smoked salvia and experimented with several other “legal drugs.” Not only has David tried the substances, he has done his homework. David spends so much time researching that he seems to be a human Wikipedia page on drug facts and legality.

“I don’t prefer one to the other,” David said on “pseudo weeds” in comparison to marijuana. “I don’t like salvia at all … It basically confuses the shit out of you … It’s scary for a while.”

David said research chemicals bought online, like Dimethytryptamine (DMT) give hallucinogenic effects like salvia, but are “a lot better.”

When taken in large doses, DMT can cause intense hallucinations. Users commonly see elves. Yes, elves.

“At first you’re falling through a tunnel, then you kind of wake up in this alien world with all of these creatures that are dancing [and] multiplying,” David said of how people describe their encounters with DMT.

DMT users rarely seem to remember anything except the elves they see.

These creatures are so ubiquitous with DMT, there are religious theories that the chemical creates a spiritual connection. David said the drug affects the “pineal gland” in the brain, the same one affected by near death experiences, supporting mystical fables.

Dr. Rick Strassman, clinical associate professor of psychology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, conducted research in the early 1990s at the UNM in Albuquerque. It supported the theory of the pineal gland’s spiritual link. His research led him to call DMT “the spirit molecule.”

Strassman’s Web site includes various findings he discovered about the drug during his tenure. He states that DMT occurs naturally in the pineal gland when we are born, die and have near death experiences.

“I thought it was just a bunch of high people being stupid,” David said.

That was until he tried the chemical.

“I was aware I was in my room physically, but at the same time I wasn’t in my room,” he recalls. “I just knew [the figure I saw] was … saying ‘it’s OK.’”

David said the figure he saw — who he called “She” — looked similar to a robot, yet was constantly morphing into new shapes and figures. “She” kept telling David she understood he was “overwhelmed.”

Taking such strong hallucinations into consideration, is the drug safe?

“Well they’re research chemicals, they’ve never been tested,” David said.

Synthetic forms of DMT have “not undergone toxicological studies and its possible harms are unknown,” according to Erowid.com.

The Web site states those currently taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors — a class of powerful antidepressant drugs prescribed for the treatment of depression — or with a family history of early onset mental illness should be cautious when considering ingesting

such chemicals.

David explained how research chemicals have a wide range of variation in recipe and how long the drug lasts. Some last for a few hours, others more than a day.

Natural forms of DMT that are extracted from plants are currently an illegal Schedule I drug in the U.S., according to Erowid.com. However, 5-MeO-DMT, a variation of the drug, isn’t currently Schedule I.

Saichuk said Schedule I drugs are those deemed so “terrible” and of such an

“addictive nature,” they are made illegal.

But some abused and addictive-natured substances are helpful when taken as directed by a physician.

“There are a lot of really excellent substances used for health reasons … [but] all of these drugs have side affects,” Saichik said. “You need to look at the long term … What you do to your body when you’re 18, 19, 20 years old, may not show up immediately.”

Saichuk said all drugs, even Asprin, have side effects, and users should weigh the benefits against the cons. However, many students don’t take this into consideration when having a good time.

Alcohol is so prevalent on football game days because home games are considered “fair days” in East Baton Rouge Parish. This means open containers and consumption of alcohol for students 21 and older is legal. Students younger than 21, however, will receive a Minor In Possession ticket if found drinking alcohol.

The day after a football game, campus is riddled with pancaked Bud Light cans and broken Abita bottles, even though alcohol is prohibited on campus.

An MIP can equal a fine, community service and a one-time, three-hour class taught by Saichuk. The course, Tiger Education on Alcohol/Drug Matters, spends about 60 percent of the class covering the effects of alcohol and the rest of time is dedicated to drugs.

Cassie LeBlanc, mass communication senior, paid a more than $100 fine, took the TEAM course and spent four hours washing dogs for community service – twice.

LeBlanc, 22, received two MIPs last football season, both while tailgating near Nicholson Extension.

LeBlanc said she was sober when she received her first MIP while holding a drink for a friend. She explained that she tried to argue her way out of the first citation, but she knew she was guilty the second time.

Just shy of her 21st birthday, LeBlanc and a couple of friends were dancing in a sea of exited tiger fans. Two apparent tailgaters approached the girls and enthusiastically asked them what they were drinking.

LeBanc was very animated when she reenacted her answer, rowdily saying “Tequila!”

The next question was if the girls were 21 years old. When they said they were underage, the strangers revealed they were police officers.

She smiled while recounting an anecdote from her second offense. LeBlanc said she continued drinking while officers wrote her ticket. When one officer questioned her actions, she remembers saying “Oh right,” and dumping her cup onto the grass.

“I went to the class, and I was already 21 [years old],” LeBlanc said about the repercussions from her subsequent MIP.

Though she attended the class, LeBlanc said she “didn’t pay attention.”

LeBlanc said she was a bartender at the time and the basic alcohol facts given in the class were not very informative.

“[The MIPs] made me really pissed off … I wasn’t causing a scene, LeBlanc said. “I had [drunk] friends watching me get an MIP. Other people were literally throwing up on the ground; that should have been addressed.”

Saichuk said the University got serious about ridding itself of the reputation as a “party school” in 1997 after former student Benjamin Wynne died from alcohol poisoning.

Wynne’s death brought national attention to the University — which was ranked 10th in the nation on the Princeton Review’s list of top party schools at the time.

An article in Time magazine said Wynne and several other members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were celebrating their initiation into the brotherhood. The article states: “The festivities ended with upperclassmen wheeling the pledges out of the bar in shopping carts, because they were too far gone to walk.”

According to the magazine, police found nearly “two dozen men” passed out in the living room of the frat house. Wynne was dead by the next morning and “had a blood-alcohol level six times the amount at which the state considers a person intoxicated.” He was 20 years old at the time.

Saichuk feels the University’s image as a party school has decreased in the 12 years because of the University’s attempt to crack down on alcohol. The University has banned alcohol from residence halls (with the exception of on campus apartments), mandates freshmen complete online alcohol course at mystudentbody.com and provides the TEAM class.

The University may be attemping to transform its image, but the way students socialize has stayed the same. The 2009 LSU Baton Rouge Core Alcohol and Drug Survey claims that 93.4 percent of male students and 85.9 percent of female students feel drinking is a central part of social life.

Hobie Artigue, mass communication senior, jokingly said the only college where alcohol wasn’t a cultural norm was “Bringham Young University.”

Artigue, now 21 years old, received an MIP two years ago while walking to an off campus apartment complex. He lifted a sealed case of beer from a car, placed it onto a sidewalk, an undercover police officer caught him and charged him with the misdemeanor.

Artigue said the MIP was expunged after he paid nearly $500 and attended a first-time offense class with people who had been caught with drugs.

“Basically, I didn’t learn a thing,” Artigue said about the class.

He added that the course at the EBR

Parish court house mentioned “nothing about alcohol,” but focused mostly on “weed and cocaine.”

Artigue said he was in the “wrong place at the wrong time,” as he commonly sees younger students drinking in public. Artigue acknowledges many students do get cited, but he feels a lot goes under the radar.

“The first time I got in trouble, it made me more aware,” Artigue said. “But, did it stop me from drinking underage? No.”

Artigue acknowledges how hard it is to regulate alcohol, but believes it comes down to personal choices. But some students have problems regulating alcohol themselves.

With the current awareness of alcohol education at the University, several students still don’t know where to go when the party’s over.

Saichuk said the University doesn’t offer group therapy sessions and past attempts to have Alcoholics Anonymous meetings on campus have failed. She explained that

organizations like AA have a policy that they cannot turn anyone away. A lot of older people attended campus meetings, making students uncomfortable.

Despite the absence of an on campus support group, Charles Mann, LSU mental health center clinical social worker, expects the Mental Health Service to offer one in the future.

“The Mental Health Center does offer group therapy for other issues,” Mann said. “There are Alcoholics Anonymous groups … not connected to the University, which meet in the LSU vicinity.”

Mann said the Mental Health Center is voluntary to students, and most of his clients visit him within two weeks of a serious binge. They usually complain about stress and anxiety, not realizing its connection to substance abuse.

“Generally, if you are wondering if you have a problem with alcohol or other substances, there is a good chance you have a problem,” Mann advised students. “You may already be finding yourself missing classes … putting yourself in dangerous situations. Please ask for help …. The act of saying ‘I think might have a problem’ and seeking help really is the first step toward health.”

On the night of Dec. 31, 2001, most seventh graders were setting off Roman candles and playing with sparklers. Joshua Dear wasn’t one of those kids. He was sick at home with the flu for the third consecutive New Year’s.

“I got really sick … my fever spiked over 105 [degrees] … my body couldn’t beat the fever,” Dear said about the flu that acted as a catalyst to even more “bad luck.”

Unfortunately for Dear, things didn’t improve after the holiday season. In fact, the next few years of his life were filled with severe pain and numerous unanswered questions.

Dear first noticed changes in his joints. He was no longer able to pop them and they constantly felt stiff. He remembers waking up for school during those following months not feeling refreshed, but with excruciating joint pain in his back, lower neck, hands and feet. Things got so severe, that he spent most of eighth grade on crutches, and by high school he was no longer able to jog or run.

“It took me about two minutes to tie a shoe,” Dear said about how swollen and inflexible his fingers had become.

After years of increasing, mysterious pain, Dear’s family began to investigate the problem. He went to numerous doctors who performed dozens of tests — all of which came up with no answers. One doctor even accused Dear of being lazy and faking pain for attention.

“I spent three hours under a machine … had blood work [drawn]. It took the course of an entire day … I was just really frustrated because I knew something was wrong,” Dear said about the doctor who accused him of exaggerating.

Dear began to lose hope but found an answer during a routine trip to his dermatologist, Dr. Sam Tumminello.

“[Tumminello] said ‘Josh what’s wrong with your hand,’” Dear recalled, while showing me his arthritic fingers.

Dear remembered telling him that was “just how my hands looked.” But Tunmminello pointed out that Josh’s curved fingers could be a symptom of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and recommended specialist, Abraham Gedalia.

After 13 rounds of blood work and a myriad of tests, Gedalia confirmed Dear had JRA. He feared Dear would be in a wheelchair by age 17 and began to rigorously treat the autoimmune disease caused by the holiday flu.

Dear underwent chemotherapy and took numerous, sometimes risky radiation-related medications. But despite all the tests and therapy, Dear feels the most helpful treatment came not from a capsule or injection, but from God.

“Medicine gives us the ability to be healed, but a lot of people don’t think miraculous healing still happens,” Dear, who calls himself a “fairly religious person,” explained.

This belief, and the realization he was taking more pills than his grandparents, prompted him to stop taking all of his medications — except his chemo — and be healed by God via the prayers of his pastor and members of the congregation at his Pentecostal church.

“[They] brought me to the front of the church, all of the elders and the very religious men. The pastor and bishop anointed me with oil and anointed me with a prayer cloth,” Dear said about his healing at his Harrisonburg church.

Dear isn’t a stranger to miraculous healings. He recalled seeing a deaf ear healed and his nephew’s vision corrected. He also said the “cloth” used during the ceremony is to be carried around with the person as a symbol of faith. Dear kept his cloth in his wallet until this summer, when Laika, his young pit bull, ate it.

“In a way [I] laughed about. It’s just a symbol … I know what it stands for,” Dear said.

After being healed, Dear believes his pain decreased from “severe, to almost normal aches and pains.” He believes his faith helped in another facet of healing, giving him strength that no doctor foresaw.

During a boring day of physical education –— a course that JRA kept Dear from participating — he went into the weight room and noticed his peers lifting. They called him over, and after a moment’s hesitation, he accepted. Weighing in at 90 pounds, Dear put his worries aside and bench-pressed 70 pounds, nearly 80 percent of his body weight.

“Everyone else laughed … I was like ‘OK I’m going to make this better.’ And within two months, I more than doubled that,” Dear said.

He continued to secretly exercise and lift weights, while also attending his physical therapy sessions. Dear was feeling “better than ever,” and physical therapy tests confirmed that the range of motion in his joints increased by 50 percent. When Gedalia found out about the weightlifting, he warned Dear that lifting anything over 10 pounds could accelerate his JRA.

But Dear couldn’t be stopped.

He continued to improve and lift weights throughout high school and after two years, Gedalia was surprised that weightlifting helped control the progression of his JRA.

Dear, now an anthropology junior, has continued this hobby as a member of the Powerlifting Club at LSU.

Dear lights up when talking about his powerlifting “family.” He proudly displays pictures, explains inside jokes and describes the bond he and his teammates share. Though he has this support system and is confident in his ability, Dear knows he’s not “immune to pain.”

“[JRA] affects me in the technical senses, but I can follow all the rules a normal, healthy person would in competition … I just have to be a little more watchful with my joints … and take a lot of Aleve,” Dear said, cocking his eyebrows.

Dear’s powerlifting career didn’t start off the way he wanted. He finished last at one of his first competitions. But hard work and intense training helped him place first at the national competition in April while recovering from a JRA flare-up in his elbow.

This success gave Dear the chance to travel to Brazil earlier this month and compete in the world competition.

“It’s crazy … I’ve never been out of the country,” Dear said proudly.

Dear was nervous about competing against the world’s best weightlifters but feels he’s “training with the best team and coaches.”

“Josh has beat the odds not only overcoming a handicap that would normally sideline a lesser person, but he has accomplished the unbelievable by earning a spot on the U.S. World Powerlifting Team in a very short time. Most athletes take many years to advance to such an elite level,” said Mike Godawa, Josh’s powerlifting coach.

Despite Dear’s successes, he still struggles with JRA, is considered “disabled for life” and is registered with the Office of Disability Services.

OSD assisted Dear and 910 other University students last spring by providing various accommodations to suit their needs.

Because of his arthritic fingers, OSD provides Dear with a note taker, the option to type essay tests and the most common accommodation provided to registered students, extended time on exams.

Benjamin Cornwell, associate director of Disabilities Services, said his office does everything in its power to assist Dear and the nearly 1,000 other students registered with OSD.

“The most important part of my job is to see that students get what they need and have a level playing field … giving them the opportunity to succeed on campus,” Cornwell said.

And Cornwell’s office has done just that.

“[Disability Services] does their best to help you,” Dear said.

He added that OSD keeps him updated on how to handle situations or utilize services. But despite Dear’s positive feelings toward OSD, he and his coach feel Dear’s condition hasn’t limited him.

“I have never noticed him give up or appear depressed over his situation. He only attacks his training with more enthusiasm and perseverance,” Godawa said. “He is an inspiration to all our lifters and should be to those in the crowd at our competitions as well.”

Dear sometimes feels guilty for comparing his disability to others, because he’s not in a wheelchair nor is his disability obvious to people when they meet him. Dear feels thankful for his blessings, including his

ability to walk.

“I hear people say, ‘Oh I had to walk across campus’ … [Well] I was supposed to be in a wheelchair,” Dear said about those who take routine activities for granted.

While Dear faces obstacles and feels overwhelmed at times, he’s learned to quickly get over a bad day.

“You put limits on yourself and these are the only ones you have. I guess you roll with the punches and do [your] best with what life throws at you,” Dear said. “Basically, [life’s] been a long road of trying to keep the faith and put God first and letting him keep me safe … and it makes for a good story.”

Photographs by Sahir Kahn