The Daily Mississippian - November 10, 2015

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THE DAILY

MISSISSIPPIAN

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Volume 104, No. 56

T H E S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M I S S I S S I P P I S E R V I N G O L E M I S S A N D OX F O R D S I N C E 1 9 1 1

news

DOMA attorney Roberta Kaplan speaks in Oxford Monday See thedmonline.com

lifestyles

Holiday cook-off taking entries now

THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN HOLIDAY COOK-OFF

See page 5

Visit theDMonline.com

@thedm_news

sports

Rebels will host NCAA tournament at home Page 7

Demonstrator bombs Walmart weeks after visiting campus AUSTIN HILLE

ahille1234@gmail.com

PHOTO BY: TIMOTHY STEENWYK

Marshall Leonard, a self-described professional freelance activist, visited campus on Oct. 20 to support the state flag. Leonard allegedly set off an explosive device on Nov. 1 at a Walmart in Tupelo. No one was injured, and Leonard was later jailed.

A supporter of the Confederate and Mississippi state flags entered a Walmart in Tupelo Nov. 1 and detonated a homemade explosive device to express his disagreement with the international decision to remove Confederate flag-related items from its shelves. No one was injured at the location of the incident. Marshall Leonard, 61, confessed to the crime. He could now be facing life in prison and is currently being kept at Lee County Adult Detention Center, with bail set to $150,000. Leonard was on campus on Oct. 20, the day the ASB Senate voted to remove the Mississippi state flag from campus. He arrived at the Circle in his vehicle that morning and displayed multiple Confederate and state flags atop poles attached to his car. The vehicle also displayed multiple “Boycott Walmart” stickers, an initiative with which Leonard has been involved for about 20 years, according to msnewsnow.com. The University Police Department directed him to the area in front of Fulton Chapel, according to Danny Blanton, the public re-

lations director for the University. “He stayed there for a brief period of time, complied with all of their requests, never showed any signs of trouble and then left,” Blanton said. Crowds of students accumulated around Leonard at the Circle and in front of Fulton Chapel, asking him questions and posing arguments for and against his cause. Many students expressed concern for campus safety because of the short time between his presence on campus and his attempted bombing. “It is a bit disturbing that somebody like that was on our campus,” Adam Lewis, freshman political science major, said. “I am just glad that nothing happened here and that nobody got hurt at the bombing.” Blanton said the University does not necessarily share this concern regarding the incident, and said the situation was handled by the University police to lower any chance of danger for students. “UPD kept an eye on him the entire time he was here,” Blanton said. “I think, if anything, that should give students comfort. When he was here before, he wasn’t here without our know-

ing he was here. We were able to monitor him, and watch him, and make sure nothing bad happened.” Many students agreed, finding it difficult to bar the campus from dangerous individuals all together. “It’s kind of scary, but I don’t think you can prevent that type of person from coming on campus,” Hayden Benge, freshman journalism major, said. “It would be hard to try and stop all of that. Anyone could turn around and pull out a gun.” Although no specific precautions or changes have been put into place, Blanton said the University is aware of the increased threat to security posed by the controversy regarding the state flag and is confident safety will not be compromised as a result. “We will remain vigilant,” Blanton said. “We are confident that we have the law enforcement presence to continue to do that. You might say we have a heightened awareness of what’s going on on campus right now.” In addition, the University encouraged students to report any suspicious activity they see to help ensure a safe and secure campus for all.

Library, UM Green Fund increase conservation efforts ALEXIS NEELY

anneely@go.olemiss.edu

As the University’s second-largest recycler, the J.D. Williams Library staff and housekeepers deal with a variety of materials, from tons of paper to the plastic found inside old VHS tapes. Now, the library is looking to bigger ways of leaving an even greener footprint. Library staff wrote a proposal for the installment of low emissivity window tint on the windows of the library through the UM Green Fund in 2014. This innovation reflects about 57 percent of solar energy, thus reducing heat and effectively lowering energy costs for the building. Created in the spring of 2013, the UM Green Fund is a pool of funding of about $15,000 overseen by a committee of students, faculty and staff. Anyone can write a proposal to suggest a project that promotes sustainability. All donations are matched 50 percent by the University. Since

PHOTO BY: ROYCE SWAYZE

Among other strategies to reduce its environmental impact, the J.D. Williams Library has increased its efforts for conservation through tinting the north windows to reflect heat. its founding, the Green Fund has successfully funded five projects. Buffy Choinski, head of the science library and library Green Team chair, said the library staff

initially placed tinted windows above the J.D. Williams east entrance for ultraviolet ray protection. When they noticed the change helped with energy costs,

they submitted a proposal to the Green Fund for the library’s south windows as well. Anne McCauley, assistant director at the Office of Sustainabil-

ity, said she is proud of the fund and the opportunities it presents. “It gives everyone an outlet for bringing a project on campus,” McCauley said. “It allows for innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit.” Senior linguistics major Sabrina Kosloske and library employee said the library’s measures were helpful for the campus as a whole. “Since the library is in a central location on campus, it’s important for them to promote recycling, and they do a good job of it,” Kosloske said. Library operations manager Stan Whitehorn said a little help from students goes along way to complement the efforts of campus organizations. “Take care of your business,” Whitehorn said. “I look at the garbage cans around here and there’s so many empty plastic bottles, when right beside them are plastic recycling receptacles. It’s easy enough. A bunch of stuff you’re throwing away? Paper here, plastic there.”


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