SPLATTERBEAT 2011!

"It’s messy fun! When students strike trash cans to the beat of the music, paint in the lids splatters everyone in the vicinity. Splatterbeat is an annual part of the Homecoming festivities." - LSU News on Tumbler




 Presented by LSU RHA, Splatterbeat 2011 was awesome!  Check out pictures here! 

Boo in the Shoe: It's a Zombie Party!

Boo in the Shoe is a chilling Halloween tradition at LSU. It was hosted in Evangeline Hall, and is in its eleventh year of existence. The event featured a DJ, an array of food and beverages, pumpkin painting, and a zombie-themed thrill-attraction in the basement.

Boo in the Shoe's participants spared no expense in the costumed department. Pictured: Marge Simpson

Residents were excited to display their Halloween costumes and show spirit by painting pumpkins and dancing the night away. Songs ranged from contemporary pop and hip hop to Halloween classics like "Thriller" and "The Monster Mash".

Boo in the Show was a crowded and lively event.

The biggest attraction at this year's Boo in the Shoe was easily the zombie outbreak. Beginning with a Tiger TV news-brief about a zombie pandemic, attendees were moved through the basement of Evangeline Hall where they descended into terror. Actors in HAZ-MAT suits escorted the event patrons through the ghoulish setting as they were pursued by hungry zombies. The zombie outbreak was a huge success. Many residents went through the spine-chilling zombie filled basement multiple times!

A zombie eyes the Purple Polo's correspondent with sinister intentions.

Residents decorate pumpkins in a ghoulish fashion.

Zombies hunted the scared Boo in the Shoe attendees.

Tiger TV reports on the zombie outbreak.

A Look At Kirby Smith Hall

The new and improved Kirby Smith Hall is back in business.

Re-opened in August 2011, Kirby Smith Hall has become a popular residence hall and quite the social hangout. Morgan, a first-year Kirby Smith Hall resident talks about living in the hall, "I love living in Kirby Smith. I know people who lived here years ago before the renovations when I bring up living here they have all kinds interesting comments on the hall."

Kirby Smith Hall prides itself on its newly renovated state.

Kirby Smith is the largest residence hall on campus, standing at 154 feet tall and having 13 floors. Named after Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith, the hall was built in 1967. Kirby Smith Hall remained active as an all male residence hall until 2006. It was taken out of commission and reopened as a co-ed hall in the Summer of 2011.

Vintage picture of Kirby Smith Hall from 2005.

The first seven floors are used specifically for student housing while the remaining floors are used for university offices and other uses. Kirby Smith Hall may not completely resemble the hall it was five years ago, but is still held with high regard and respect by the residential community.

Fall Break leaves campus sparsely populated but full of life.

Two students who have decided not to leave campus shoot the breeze.

Student activity on campus was noticeably less busy than usual over Fall Break last week, but res halls were still bustling with students choosing to stay on campus While the Quad and Student Union were eerily quiet, the Purple Polo caught up with students who stayed on campus over the break. Here’s what you missed if you went home…

John watches ESPN on Saturday of the break, while his comrade gets some much needed rest.

John, a first-year student from Herget Hall said, "It's a good weekend to hang out, do laundry, catch up on your schoolwork, catch up on your sleep and watch some football." 

Parking lots were nearly empty on fall break.

The albino squirrel was spotted twice by the Purple Polo during fall break. Regrettably, he was unavailable for comment.

Nick, a senior living in the East Campus Apartments described his fall break experience as, “I stayed in and studied for most of the break, I went downtown on the weekend and had a great time."

Michelle, a sophomore living in Miller Hall expressed a similar story about her break, "I went to the volleyball games on Friday and Saturday, and pretty much just studied for the rest of the weekend."

Kirby Smith Hall was totally deserted with only the desk assistant on the first floor.

While the majority of students left campus and visited their friends and family, students who stayed on campus were able to have fun and rest up for the upcoming week. No matter if it’s during a break or in the middle of session semester, there are always things going on at LSU's residence halls and apartments.

Fall Fest 2011 has a little something for everyone.

A small portion of the Fall Fest crowd interacts with each other.

On September 30, the quadrangle became host to a well-received festival of live music, exciting contests, and delicious food.  According to the students who attended, Fall Fest 2011 was a great success.

Resident assistant (RA) Isaiah Owens enjoys himself at Fall Fest.

One performance in particular that was well received was the Love Purple, Live Gold Yard Show, a spectacle that involved members of Greek Life dancing and playing to the crowd. The Golden Band from Tiger Land and Baton Rouge based rap group Da Future also provided musical performances for the festival. Student attendee David Kern remarked, "Da Future were incredible, they really got the crown moving!"

The Love Purple, Live Gold Yard Show was a hit.

"I got to the Fall Fest early, that way I was able to take advantage off all the free food and drinks!" said student attendee Jennifer Smith. Hamburgers, veggie-burgers and po-boys made up the Fall Fest menu, and they were free to any student attending the festival.

Dance moves were on full display at Fall Fest.

Chad Freeman, Graduate Residence Director (GRD) of Broussard Hall, described Fall Fest as an "awesome way to spend an afternoon." Live performances, delicious food, and fun contests wowed the crowds and made this Fall Fest something to remember.

Students throw their hands in the air trying to catch t-shirts and other Fall Fest swag.

Miller Hall gets beautiful!

Miller Hall's "Pretty Up Miller" beautification was a total success.

Miller Hall took a creative approach to its "Pretty Up Miller" beautification by having its residents add a personal touch to the look of their residence hall. Miller RAs Hayley Solomon, Kim Allen and Kelsey Bradberry put together an event that involved beautifying their hall using materials that were common and inexpensive. Miller Hall was made to look floral and festive using pipe cleaners and newspaper. Residents put their creative skills to work and created a botanical wonderland of paper flowers.

Flowers were displayed with pride by Miller Hall's enthusiastic residents.

In addition to contributing to the botanical garden of newspaper foliage, dirt cake was served. Dirt cake is a tasty dessert made with crushed cookies, chocolate pudding, milk and butter. Served out of a clay pot with a garden trowel, the dirt cake was met with fanfare and applause.

Miller Hall RA Kelsey Bradberry displays the remains of her dirt cake.

Residents also had the opportunity to paint clay pots which will remain outside Miller Hall until spring 2012.

Miller Hall residents add personal touches to their pots.

Miller Hall Residence Life Coordinator Colby Kinder works hard on her flowers.

When asked about the reasoning behind "Pretty Up Miller", Miller Hall Residence Life Coordinator Colby Kinder explained, "Our residents are highly involved in various aspects of campus so we work very hard in finding ways to make their days a little brighter and create educational opportunities that are fun for everyone involved. It also always helps to have some yummy dirt cake! The event was a success."

An attempt at making a flower from the Purple Polo's correspondent.

"Is it better to live on the east side of campus or the west side of campus?"

Jacob (Annie Boyd Hall) and John (Herget Hall) boldly agree to be pictured as they rep their residence halls.

         One of LSU ResLife's most frequently asked questions is "Is it better to live on the east side of campus or the west side of campus?" To answer this question, the Purple Polo decided to go straight to the source.

Our Participants Include:

Jacob, a first-year finance student living in Annie Boyd Hall.

John, a first-year pre-pharmacy student living in Herget Hall.

Lauren, a fourth-year marketing student who lived in The Pentagon.

Chris, a First-year agriculture student living in Blake Hall.

Would you use the east and west sides of campus to point out buildings?

Jacob: "Not really. I know where each building is, but I wouldn't say I would identify them by side."

John: "No. I'm familiar with all the buildings on this side of the campus and all the buildings on the other side. If I was giving you directions, I wouldn't tell you to go to the 'west side' of campus because there are easier ways to point locations out."

Lauren: "Only if I got lost. If Tiger Stadium is behind me, I have headed too far east. I need to turn around and head west to get home."

Chris: "Yes."

The Student Union, U-Rec, lakes, and library are located on the east side of campus.

How far do you travel for class?

Jacob: "It's not too far. Annie Boyd Hall is close to most of the places I need to be. Roughly about ten minutes."

John: "I have to drive. My classes are at the Pharmacy building (Himes Hall), so I have to drive about 5 minutes because there is always traffic. If I walked it would take me about 15-20 minutes."

Lauren: "I had to walk about five minutes when I lived in The Pentagon, but it was nothing worth complaining about."

Chris: "I actually am taking one of my classes in Blake Hall. The other classes aren't far. Seven minutes tops."

The west side of campus contains both the Manship School of Mass Communication and Tiger Stadium.

What is your favorite part about living where you live?

Jacob: "I like the atmosphere, everyone is generally pretty cool at Annie Boyd."

John: "People are friendly and considerate. I make new acquaintances every day. The Horseshoe is a big meeting place pretty much."

Lauren: "I loved the common area in the middle of The Pentagon. We would all just hang out there all day. The Indian Mounds are great too. Great place to hang out, and a good study spot. Proximity to Mike (the tiger)  is awesome too. Before my classes I used to see him every morning."

Chris: "Living near the U-Rec is awesome."

 

Where do you spend most of your time?

Jacob: "I visit the Student Union every day. It is right across the street. I usually grab lunch and meet friends there. I also use the U-Rec pretty regularly. On the other side of campus besides Tiger Stadium and the PMAC, I don't head over there too often."


John: "I visit the U-Rec about once a day, and I hang out in the Student Union and the library when I have to. On the other side of campus, I visit Tiger Stadium and the PMAC pretty frequently. I go to the Indian Mounds pretty regularly during games and while tailgating. Rolling down the Indian Mounds is a tradition. They put up some barriers but everyone still does it."

Lauren: "I visited Tiger Stadium, the PMAC, and the baseball stadium whenever they had games. I visited the Greek Theatre to enjoy some peace and quiet, run along the lakes, and love checking out what Mike is up to. I had a membership to an outside gym, so I never really visited the U-Rec. I used the Student Union when I had to and the library pretty regularly around test time."


Chris:  "The U-Rec for the most part. I lift everyday. I don't really visit the west side of Campus, unless I'm going to a football game."

The Indian Mounds hold a fine tradition of students rolling down the hills with reckless abandon.

What is the best kept secret about living where you live?

Jacob: "Everything is localized. You have the Union, the library, the U-Rec, classrooms, The Faculty Club, all of that in one specialized area."

John:  "The best kept secret on this side of the campus is the lakes. Running along the lakes, hanging out by the lakes, fishing in the lakes, looking for alligators. On the other side of campus, I gotta give a shout out to the Indian Mounds."


Lauren: "The Pentagon is right next to the Indian Mounds, which are awesome. Also, you have a live tiger on your side of the campus. A real live tiger. When he's not asleep, I could watch him for hours."

Chris: "Well, I've mentioned the U-Rec numerous times, but the U-Rec. Indoor pool, Indoor track, rock climbing wall? Not even a contest."    

Mike's Habitat is located on the west side of campus.

Any final words about your side of the campus?

Jacob: "I can't imagine living anywhere else but Annie Boyd. I love it here."


John: "I love Herget but I also love the other side of campus. I don't really view the campus as two different sides. It's all one big community. You come and visit us, we'll come and visit you."

Lauren: "I loved living in the Pentagon. There is fun stuff everywhere at LSU. Enjoy it while you can!"


Chris: "It's all good. Geaux Tigers."