Campus at standstill

• Advocate staff report
• Published: Sep 4, 2008 - UPDATED: 11:05 a.m.

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LSU’s campus came to a standstill this week, and the university’s athletic teams will be quiet until next week as well.

Besides the postponement of the LSU-Troy football game until Nov. 15, the volleyball and soccer teams were also affected in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.

The volleyball team’s Tiger Classic was cancelled, costing the Lady Tigers matches against Southeast Missouri State, Rice and Louisiana Tech.

LSU’s soccer team will not host matches against Kent State or Dartmouth.

Gustav whipped through Baton Rouge Monday and inflicted major damage all over town, with the LSU campus taking several hits.

Tiger Stadium was damaged, along with the roofs on the Carl Maddox Field House and the LSU Natatorium.

LSU Athletic Director Joe Alleva said the new softball stadium “did not fare as well,” as the New Alex Box Stadium.

Part of the roof of the new softball complex was ripped off, while the new baseball stadium did not absorb any major damage.

Despite the destruction on campus, two of LSU’s facilities are being used as shelters.

The Field House has been converted to a special needs medical facility, while the Pete Maravich Assembly Center has become a haven for medical evacuees.

In 2005 when Hurricane Katrina barreled through New Orleans, the PMAC was a medical triage center and the gym in the basement was used as a makeshift morgue.

Although much of LSU’s campus incurred damage, Alleva said student housing, including that set aside for athletes was relatively unscathed. He said the school’s student-athletes living on campus are “comfortable” and have backup generators to power their apartments and dormitory rooms.