Five standout figures in Privateer athletics history will be inducted into the LSU New Orleans Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming Weekend. The 2026 class includes Joey Favaloro, Carmen Reedscott, Brian Traxler, Xavier “Butch” Webster and Ted Wood.

Webster, who played basketball from 1969-71, became the program’s first All-American and remains the school record holder in both points per game (25.2) and rebounds per game (12.5). As a senior, he helped lead the Privateers to a 23-5 record and a No. 1 ranking in the final NCAA Division II AP Poll. Webster was selected by the Buffalo Braves in the 1971 NBA Draft.

Wood and Traxler, teammates from 1986-88, left their marks throughout the Privateer baseball record book. Wood still holds the program records for career batting average (.380) and runs scored (230). He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1988 Summer Olympics and was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 1988 MLB Draft.

Traxler remains the program’s career home run leader with 49 and ranks second in career RBI with 206. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1988 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut with the Dodgers in 1990.

Reedscott was a two-time All-American with the women’s basketball program, earning honors in both 1984-85 and 1985-86. She scored 1,189 points and collected 665 rebounds during her Privateer career and continues to hold the program record for career field goal percentage with a minimum of 200 attempts at 55.9 percent.

Favaloro led the women’s basketball program for 24 seasons and holds the program record with 382 coaching wins. His teams captured the 1983 Women’s NIT championship, made the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1986 and recorded seven 20-win seasons.

The 2026 Privateer Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony will take place Friday, Nov. 6, at the Homer Hitt Alumni Center as part of Homecoming Weekend. The reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by the program at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50.

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LSU New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop alumnus Bryan Washington has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors recognizing exceptional creativity.

Washington, who earned his MFA from the University of New Orleans in 2018, is a fiction writer known for stories exploring relationships, family, place and everyday life. His books include the short story collection Lot and the novels Memorial, Family Meal and Palaver. His writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine and Granta.

Often referred to as a “genius grant,” the MacArthur Fellowship recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and the potential for significant future work. Fellows do not apply for the award and receive $800,000 in unrestricted funding over five years, allowing them to pursue their creative work without specific requirements.

Washington is one of the 2026 MacArthur Fellows selected from across a wide range of fields in the arts, sciences and humanities.

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Cheng Shi, Ph.D., received a five-year, $1,862,500 award through the R35 “Maximizing Investigators’ Research” program for his project, “Investigating the role of lipid metabolism in germline-soma interactions and stress responses.” His research will explore how high levels of reproductive activity affect the health and lifespan of the rest of the body.

The research will focus on how the reproductive system communicates with the rest of the body, particularly through lipid metabolism, or how the body uses and stores fats. Dr. Shi hopes to fill an important gap in scientists’ understanding of how high reproductive activity affects overall health and whether changes in lipid metabolism could help the body meet increased reproductive demands while maintaining its health over time.

“This five-year grant gives us an incredible opportunity to investigate an area of biology that is still largely unexplored,” Dr. Shi said. “With the research facilities, students and collaborative environment at LSU New Orleans, we can study these connections at a much deeper level. Ultimately, we hope this work provides new insight into how reproductive health, metabolism and healthy aging are connected.”

Dr. Shi’s work reflects LSU New Orleans’ commitment to advancing research that addresses fundamental questions about health and aging. The grant will also create opportunities for students to participate in scientific research and gain hands-on experience while contributing to discoveries that could have an impact far beyond the laboratory.

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For four decades, the LSU New Orleans Survey Research Center has been asking residents of Orleans and Jefferson parishes about the issues that shape their everyday lives. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Quality of Life Survey, a longstanding effort to study and serve the surrounding community.

The telephone survey examines residents’ perceptions of quality of life in the two parishes, including their views on the economy, transportation and public safety. It also asks residents to evaluate local government services and officials, providing an opportunity for voters to share their perspectives between elections.

Because the survey is conducted regularly, researchers can track changes in public opinion over time and identify areas where residents believe government services are improving or may need more attention. The findings can also provide local government leaders with insight into the priorities and concerns of the communities they serve.

The project has an important educational component as well. More than 1,000 LSU New Orleans students have served as survey interviewers over the years, gaining hands-on experience conducting community-based research. Undergraduate and graduate students learn how scientific surveys are conducted, how data are collected and how public opinion research can provide a better understanding of the electorate.

This year’s interviews concluded Sept. 30, marking another chapter in a 40-year tradition of connecting LSU New Orleans research and students with the Greater New Orleans community.

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From vampires and ghosts to monsters, magic and folklore, New Orleans has long been associated with the supernatural. Beginning in October 2026, LSU New Orleans students can explore those connections through the new Horror Studies Badge.

The badge recognizes undergraduate students who demonstrate an interest in the macabre, the culture of New Orleans and the study of horror across literature, folklore and other creative works.

To earn the badge, students complete two courses and two related activities. Course options explore everything from vampire literature and ghost stories to werewolves, monsters, witches and folklore. Activities give students opportunities to take those interests beyond the classroom and experience the connections between horror and New Orleans culture firsthand.

Sample Courses

Courses that may count toward the Horror Studies Badge include Vampire Literature, Ghost Stories, Monsters and the Monstrous, Werewolves, Crafting the Witch, Women’s Vampire Literature, When Yokai Attack, Methods and Research: Vampires, Folklore, Horror in the Long 19th Century, Monsters, Horror and Crafting the Witch.

Independent research opportunities focusing on vampires or folklore may also be available as part of the course options.

Sample Activities

Students can fulfill the activity portion of the badge through experiences such as taking a ghost or vampire tour of the French Quarter, visiting a haunted landmark, attending a reading of applicable critical research or creative work, attending a play in the horror genre or attending a campus screening of a horror film.

The Horror Studies Badge gives students an opportunity to approach the supernatural through critical inquiry while making connections between their coursework and the history and culture of New Orleans.

The badge is not a degree and is available to LSU New Orleans undergraduate students. Students interested in participating can contact Dr. Robin Werner at [email protected] for more information.

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M.O. Walsh, director of the Creative Writing Workshop at LSU New Orleans, is preparing to release his newest novel, L3K, a story inspired by the beauty, challenges and resilience of his home state of Louisiana.

PEOPLE exclusively revealed the cover of L3K this week, offering readers a first look at the forthcoming novel, which will be published by Little, Brown and Company on Feb. 2, 2027.

Set in a near-future Louisiana, L3K centers on a chain of abandoned offshore oil rigs that have been transformed into a habitat for endangered animals and marine life. When a government official is sent to shut down the facility, she finds herself at odds with the biologists determined to protect it. The novel explores environmental change, community and what it means to preserve a place and culture threatened by a changing landscape.

Walsh told PEOPLE that the idea for the novel has been with him for more than 25 years, predating both Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. A Louisiana native, he described L3K as an adventure story shaped by the contrasts he sees in his home state, including celebration and hardship, promise and loss.

Walsh is a professor of fiction and director of LSU New Orleans’ Creative Writing Workshop MFA program. He is also the author of My Sunshine Away, a New York Times bestseller, and The Big Door Prize, which was adapted into an Apple TV series.

L3K will be released Feb. 2 and is currently available for preorder.

Check out the exclusive cover reveal in PEOPLE