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TUESDAY JANUARY 28, 2020
135th YEAR ISSUE 28
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Starkville Community Theatre takes center stage at annual theatre festival MARY CAITLYN WRIGHT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
During this year’s annual Mississippi Theatre Association Festival and Convention hosted at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Starkville Community Theatre won multiple awards as well as advanced to the regional competition with their traveling production of “A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney” by Lucas Hnath. SCT took home many awards: Special Award for Excellence in Wig Design, Jansen Fair; Best Costume
Design, Abby Jovanovic; Best Directing, Gabe Smith; Best Supporting Actor, Ben Christmas; and Best Actor, Paul Ruff. SCT also won Best Production, which was shared with Tupelo Community Theatre’s production of “Night, Mother.” SCT’s production, a dark comedy/drama, is about legendary filmmaker Walt Disney, close to death and with axes to grind, writing a screenplay about his own life. The play stars Disney himself as the narrator; Disney’s business partner and loyal brother Roy; Disney’s daughter who is referred to only as “Daughter” in Walt’s script; and Disney’s son-inlaw Ron, an ex-football player
enthusiastic about working under Disney and easily manipulated to fulfill his wishes for the company after Disney is gone. Mississippi State University senior Ben Christmas, a theatre major from Star, Mississippi, was one of the cast members for the production. Christmas gave some insight into what it was like playing Roy Disney, Walt Disney’s older brother. “It doesn’t matter what crazy idea that Walt has, Roy will do anything to make him happy, even to the point where they end up getting in trouble for making Lemming jump off of a cliff for a film. So, basically, he is a humble servant and happens to care a
lot for his brother.” Christmas said he has auditioned twice in the past for competition production and was very excited to be a part of this project. Mayor Lynn Spruill of Starkville has served as the president of the SCT officers for two years now. Before becoming president, Spruill was a member of the SCT Board of Directors. Spruill said she is exceptionally proud of SCT. “They are good,” Spruill said. “We have an enormous amount of talent in Starkville. We have a lot of diversity but the massive amount of talent of people who are proud of what they do and take it very seriously and at the same
Bethany Crane | The Reflector
Ben Christmas and Gabe Smith act in SCTʼs fall production of “Moonlight and Magnolias.”
time, who have fun and enjoy it. It has been a vibrant piece of our downtown and our theater and arts community for a very long time. It has been very successful. We have won awards before, and
Mississippi wins big with the passing of lottery law
Prison violence in Mississippi: a look from the local level
BAYLEE HILL STAFF WRITER
Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector
The Oktibbeha County Jail, located in downtown Starkville, currently holds 65 inmates. Every year between 80 and 120 inmates from the jail are sentenced to state facilities.
HANNAH BLANKENSHIP
NEWS EDITOR
While gang violence is not often associated with Mississippi, there is another problem contributing to violence in the state prison system which is more typical of the Magnolia State—a lack of funding. In the past month, the public has seen an alarming spike in prison violence in the state of Mississippi. The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced last week two more inmates had died, bringing the inmate
death toll in state prisons up to nine, the Clarion Ledger reported. The Reflector staff spoke with local corrections officials and experts to gain insight into the factors contributing to the violence. Shawn Word, the Oktibbeha County Jail Administrator, said while the local jail is a stepping stone to prison, with around 100 of their inmates being sentenced to state facilities a year, many of the problems that plague the state prison system are absent on the local level.
According to the Marshall Project, a nonpartisan criminal justice news organization, several of the main factors behind Mississippi prison violence include gang loyalties, contraband and understaffing. Word said he does see evidence of gang loyalties on the local level. “Gangs are something that you deal with as a street patrol officer all the way through the penitentiary,” Word said. However, because of the smaller number of inmates in a local jail, Word
this is just a continuation of building on the things they have done in the past.” Gabe Smith, the chief administrative officer of SCT, was one of many to win an award at MTA. SCT, 2
can easily separate prisoners who have hostilities towards each other, something that is difficult for a state prison with a much larger number of inmates. “I have 30 people in one zone, they have 500 people in one zone. If I have, out of my 30 people, three that don’t get along, I have three or four different zones, I can move, separate, keep them apart… at prison, they don’t have that ability a lot of times, just with the sheer amount of people they have to deal with,” Word said. PRISON, 2
The Alyce G. Clarke Mississippi Lottery Law, which allows a lottery in Mississippi, was passed by the Mississippi State Legislature during a special session Aug. 31, 2018. Retailers in the state began selling scratch-off games Nov. 25, 2019. Meg Annison, director of communications for the Mississippi Lottery Corporation, said a person must be 21 years or older to participate in the lottery games. Participants can play various scratch-off games for a chance to win. In scratchoff games, players scratch off numbers and match their numbers to the winning numbers. Some of the scratchoff games have themes including Mississippi Blues and holidays. The Mississippi
lottery will introduce new games in the future. Annison said Mississippians can go to a map on the Mississippi Lottery Corporation’s website to find a retailer near them. There are thousands of retailers across the state. “The retailers are typically authorized convenience stores, gas stations and grocery stores, but there are some unique locations including a barbershop in Tupelo,” Annison said. The barbershop called Gameday Haircuts & Spa gives their clients the opportunity to buy lottery tickets at their shop. Any retailers interested in becoming authorized retailers can apply by calling the Lottery’s Retailer Services number or filling out a retailer application on the Mississippi Lottery Corporation’s website. LOTTERY, 2
Carter Griffin | The Reflector
Starkvilleʼs Shell gas station on Highway 12 now sells lottery tickets to Mississippi residents.
MSU CAVS associate director advances vehicular autonomy with NATO EMMA KING
STAFF WRITER
Logan Kirkland | Courtesy Photo
MSUʼs Daniel Carruth was chosen to be a part of a NATO task force on vehicular autonomy.
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Daniel Carruth, the associate director of Advanced Vehicle Systems at Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS), has recently joined a North Atlantic Treaty Organization research task group analyzing autonomous vehicle modeling and simulation. Carruth will assume a leadership role in the task
group, which is set to study the standards of modeling and simulation tools until 2023. The ultimate goal of the NATO project is to improve the algorithms utilized by the military and researchers that allow autonomous vehicles to navigate unfamiliar, off-road terrain. Despite the longevity of the research project, Carruth and the NATO team already have a schedule in place. Carruth gave a short synopsis of the next three years. “In the next year, we plan
FORECAST: Temperatures will stay fairly mild for this week. For the most part temperatures will stay in the mid 50s with overnight lows in the upper 30s. Cloud cover will continually stick around, with the chance for rain being the highest on Tuesday.
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to test a number of tools by comparing simulation results to data collected by members of the team,” Carruth said. “We will share data with tool developers and researchers to use to benchmark the software tools. Later, we will plan demonstrations of the capabilities of the modeling and simulation tools for the members of NATO.” This is not the MSU professor’s first time working with NATO as he led two subgroups for the organization last year. One fell along similar
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lines of his current project with a focus on benchmarking modeling and simulation tools, while the other involved virtual environments and sensors. The modeling tools will be compared to real-world autonomous vehicle testing, allowing an accurate measure of their performance. In his latest NATO research group, Carruth will be comparing the performances of these modeling and simulation tools. NATO, 2
Policy: Any person may pick up a single copy of The 4 Reflector for free. Additional 4 copies may be obtained 5 from the Henry Meyer Student Media Center for 25 cents per copy.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 28
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LOTTERY
Approved retailers receive a 6% commission on their ticket sales. Tina Hurley, a Mississippi resident from Pascagoula, has won small prizes from scratch-off games. She buys her winning games from convenience stores in Pascagoula. Hurley said she thinks the lottery can help the state of Mississippi in many ways and allows for Mississippi residents to play fun games. Communications Director Annison said winners can claim their prizes in several ways. “Prizes up to $599 are paid out at any approved retailer,” Annison said. “Prizes that are $600 to $99,999 can be mailed in or brought
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to the Mississippi Lottery Corporation’s headquarters in Flowood, Mississippi.” A scratch-off ticket winner must claim their prize within 90 days. For multistate drawings, winners must claim their prize within 180 days. Annison said the lottery can help the state in several ways. Legislators decided that net proceeds up to $80 million will go toward infrastructure needs, such as projects for roads and bridges. The $80 million going to infrastructure will only last for 10 years. After 10 years, $80 million will go toward general funds. Proceeds over $80 million will go toward the education enhancement fund
which includes programs like pre-kindergarten and various school supplies for classrooms. Annison said starting on Thursday, Mississippi will start selling multi-state lottery tickets like Powerball and Mega Millions. Powerball drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays, and Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays. “This is a giant jackpot that can get people really amped up,” Annison said. “Any approved retailer who is trained and currently selling will be able to sell the Powerball and Mega Millions tickets.” According to the Mississippi Lottery Corporation’s website, fake
lottery scams are common, and players should be wary of suspicious activity. Players will not hear from the Mississippi Lottery until after they claim their prize. A winner will never be asked to pay taxes on a prize because taxes are paid before a winner receives his or her prize. The website states if someone receives information saying they won a lottery in another country, that is a scam because lotteries from other countries are not allowed in the United States. If someone thinks they are being scammed by someone posing as the Mississippi Lottery Corporation, they can contact the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office at (601) 359-4230.
SCT Smith began his journey with SCT at the beginning of 2001 as a performer and volunteer. Since the summer of 2015, Smith has been in charge of day-to-day operations at the theater. He also chose the competition piece for this year. “I picked this competition piece,” Smith said. “I am a real nerd for Disney theme park stuff. When I was a kid, I was lucky enough to go a few times with my parents, and it stuck with me. Now that I am an adult, my love for Disney has not diminished but has grown. I still remember the Disney specials on TV and the parades, and I am a big fan of the Disney mythos and mythology about Walt and I am a theatre guy. I
NATO
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came across the title of the play, and I thought I would read it because it sounds fascinating. Based on the interest, I picked it up and read it and thought ‘I would love a chance to work with this someday.’” Smith said he is very excited about advancing to the regional competition and the achievements the cast has made. “Every once in a while in theatre, you work hard to do your best, and sometimes you do feel like you are a part of something that is a special mix of things,” Smith said. “Every little thing matters and every piece of the production comes together to create something bigger than an individual piece.” CONTINUED FROM 1
Clay Walden, the executive director of CAVS, believes Carruth’s work will influence the field for years to come. “The work he’s doing with NATO will define the next generation of autonomous vehicles,” Walden said. “It helps us understand army technology roadmaps and where they’re heading. His work with NATO is critical to CAVS.” At CAVS, Carruth leads the advanced vehicle systems research group which is developing and testing systems for selfdriving vehicles in off-road environments.
CAVS recently received 50 acres from MSU to use for autonomous vehicle testing in numerous physical off-road environments. In support of the Army’s ground mobility research, the center was awarded over $3 million from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center. Carruth’s research interests are in modeling and simulating autonomous systems in diverse conditions. One part of this research involves the study of how people interact with autonomous vehicles using virtual reality. With this task group
being his third time working with NATO, Carruth said he was eager for another learning experience. “Working with NATO has been very exciting,” Carruth said. “I have been working with a large group of international researchers to understand the state of the art in modeling and simulation tools for autonomous mobility for military ground vehicles. The work is more about discussion and an exchange of ideas than hands-on research.” The research task group meets almost every week via teleconference, and Carruth travels twice a year to a week-
long international meeting. Paramsothy Jayakumar, the co-chair of the NATO task group and United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center senior technical expert, described the significance of NATO’s ability to determine the performance quality and applicability of autonomous technologies in military contexts. “It is critical to set up standard methods and tools for assessing military autonomous vehicles and be able to confirm their ability to fulfill strategic maneuvers and wider operations in
a quantitative manner, especially since the military context provides extremely challenging and rough situations,” Jayakumar said in a press release. Jayakumar said Carruth’s contributions will be integral to the long-term success of the task group. “Given that this activity is likely to result in a long-lasting methodology and/or tool similar to the current NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM), which is widely used in military acquisitions by NATO member nations, such development will be a valuable investment for the future,” Jayakumar said. “The
PRISON
leadership and contributions provided by MSU’s Dr. Daniel Carruth are extremely critical to the success of the NATO Task Group.” Carruth has lived in Starkville since 1995. He earned both his bachelor’s and Ph.D. from MSU, the latter of which he received in 2008. His plan was not always to remain in Starkville, but Carruth said he is glad he did. “I didn’t intend to stay, but my wife and I love Starkville,” Carruth said. “Working at MSU and CAVS, I have access to world-class research capabilities and get to work with researchers around the world.” CONTINUED FROM 1
Additionally, Stacy Haynes, an associate professor in MSU’s Department of Sociology whose research has involved surveying correctional officers at Parchman, said other factors, such as a higher concentration of violent offenders and the permanence of being in a prison in contrast to the
temporary status of being held in a jail, can contribute to high tensions among prisoners. According to the Marshall Project, contraband, specifically cell phones, has been a component in spreading violence in prisons with phones being stuffed into footballs and thrown over fences or prison
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employees paid off to bring them to prisoners. Word said contraband is not a problem in his jail but has been an issue on the state-level for a long time. “The state level has a problem with contraband, that’s not a secret,” Word said. Across the board, officials and experts agreed a lack of
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funding which contributes to understaffing is the main issue at play in the current prison violence. “The prisons are understaffed, so we have lots of positions that are unfilled in the facilities. It’s also the case that staff are underpaid, salaries are really low, so on that side of it that can be problematic if you have fewer people who are willing to supervise inmates,” Haynes said. Word agreed, saying the quality of officers is a huge component to the environment in a prison. “I don’t think (state prisons) are fully staffed, I
don’t think they’ve been fully staffed, and I know that’s something they’re trying to do is get good employees to work the job because that’s where it all starts,” Word said. Haynes said the quality of care for officers affects the quality of care for prisoners. “You’ll hear stories of officers talking about not knowing when they go to work in the morning if they’re going to be working overtime, and so that kind of uncertainty can create problems and it puts stress on the officers doing the jobs, but also on their home life, and so the quality of officers that you have affects how they’re going
to treat inmates and that can affect the relationship between inmates and correctional officers,” Haynes said. Oktibbeha County Criminal Investigation Lieutenant Brett Watson said another issue stemming from a lack of funding and contributing to violence is poor living conditions in prisons. Brett said Word, the Oktibbeha County Jail Administrator, runs a clean jail, officers take time to listen to inmates and improvements are constantly being made. These are all factors that contribute to keeping tensions at a minimum. “If you read Facebook over the past few weeks, you can see people commenting whose family members are in there (Mississippi prisons),” Watson said. “Now, I always take it with a grain of salt because what comes out of an inmate’s mouth is usually not the truth, but I know for a fact some of the things that come out have to be, and I think some of those living conditions could be much improved … and that goes a long way to making it all better from top to bottom.” Watson said he believes part of the problem is people disliking the idea of spending money on prison reform but not realizing there are consequences to maintaining poor living conditions for prisoners. Haynes said one solution to the issue of a lack of funding could be considering other punitive options besides incarceration. “(Funding for corrections) is expensive,” Haynes said. “It’s always going to be expensive, and that’s where we have to consider ‘Is this the best use of our money?’ There are a lot of sanctions that you could have in the community that would work equally well if not better.” While there are many issues plaguing the Mississippi prison system. Haynes said she has seen from her work with correctional officers, most of them truly are concerned about the well-being of the prisoners and are willing to implement programs to help them. “I think that people who are working in corrections, a lot of the administrators, really do have interest in doing some of these kinds of programs, but I think it’s hard when there aren’t resources and when there are more pressing issues that they’re having to deal with,” Haynes said.
THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 @REFLECTORONLINE
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
3
Review: Coffee and Barre at Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar
KERRIGAN CLARK
STAFF WRITER
Mats line the floor of Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar as instructor, Jonette Shurden, prepares to begin this month’s barre class. Jonette Shurden, Bell Moody and Heather Warren are all owners of Starkville’s Studio Barre and Wellness, a locally owned and operated fitness studio. The trio hosts an event called “Community Barre and Coffee” once a month in the Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar’s basement. This event attracts potential customers and gives them taste of what a typical barre class would be like in their studio. Both the event and the coffee is free for anyone who wants to attend. Barre is a form of group-exercise that is usually conducted in gyms or studios. It incorporates the use of a ballet bar and movements from ballet while also drawing in movements from yoga, pilates and dance. In barre, you use equipment such as resistance bands, exercise balls and hand weights. Shurden started the class off with a couple of light stretches, just to get the body moving; however, the speed of the class quickly picks up. Shurden puts a lot of emphasis on form, which is very important in an exercise class geared towards strengthening different parts of your body. Positions quickly move between laying on the mat, being on all fours and standing on your toes and stretching. As someone who does not exercise regularly and has relatively low strength, this class was challenging for me, but it was definitely manageable. Shurden constantly encouraged each person in the class to keep going. If we were having
trouble with a certain move, Shurden would even give us alternatives so we could get our work out in without pushing our bodies too much.
“We want
to encourage people to try us out because barre is for anybody, at any point in their life or in their journey. We try to be a non-intimidating environment.” Jonette Shurden While working out in classes, I think it is extremely important to have encouragement, not just from the teacher, but also from the other students, and this is exactly what was provided at this class. There were people who were regulars and people who were there for the first time smiling at each other and encouraging each other throughout the class. One of the owners of Studio Barre, Heather Warren, said she wants to focus on community and connection through barre. “We are really all about going community and the mind-body connection of helping people get passionate about movement. That’s our number one goal: wanting everyone to be passionate and feeling comfortable,” Warren said. The class ended with more stretching and breathing techniques which helped
everyone cool down and feel relaxed after their invigorating workout. A group picture and a drawing for a free month of barre classes closed out the event. Everyone grabbed their free coffee, rolled their mats up and socialized before parting ways. Courtney Purvis, a junior communications major, has enjoyed coming to barre since the beginning of the semester. “I started coming regularly to barre at the beginning of this semester, and I received a free 10 class pass for Christmas, so I’ve really enjoyed barre so far because you can get your full workout in. It’s actually a really fun even for someone like me who doesn’t really enjoy exercising,” Purvis said. It does not seem like exercising when you have a group of people and an instructor who is is so determined to help you have a good time. Jonette Shurden is adamant about community and promoting health and wellness through the barre classes and encourages everyone to come and join. “Studio Barre is run by women that are trying to make a difference in the community and promote health and wellness. If that interests you, then we want to encourage people to try us out because barre is for anybody, at any point in their life or in their journey. We try to be a nonintimidating environment and are really welcoming,” Shurden said. Studio Barre is located at 500 Russell St. Suite 25 next to McAlister’s Deli. They offer six different packages for taking classes: one year, six months, three months, one month or one-week unlimited classes. Prices and bookings can be found on their website and through the Vagaro App.
Bethany Crane| The Reflector
Nine Twentynine Coffee Bar collaborated with Studio Barre and Wellness to host “Coffee and Barre,” a monthly event open to the public.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020 @REFLECTORONLINE
OPINION
Mangum gets record, Dawgs win series
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Disney’s force chokes the entertainment industry JACK WEEKS STAFF WRITER
Growing up, Disney movies were my primary form of entertainment. From animated movies like “Aladdin” to the classic Disney Channel afternoon lineup with “Gargoyles,” a lot of my adolescence was shaped by a company focused on making families happy around the world. Disney has been successful in creating a generationspanning series in their Marvel Cinematic Universe and bringing in record box office numbers year in and year out. Unfortunately, all that glitter is not gold. When it comes to the preservation of the industry as a whole, frankly, Disney does not give a damn. We are over a decade into Disney’s relentless overtaking of the film industry that has seen numerous studios get pulled into its bubble, most noticeably Lucasfilm Ltd. and Fox. Not to mention, we absorb a massive amount of Disney on television with any ABC owned network being a subsidiary of Disney. According
to Carlos Aguilar from Cartoon Brew, television channels like History, Lifetime, Vice, A&E and ESPN are all subsidiaries of Disney. Disney is even taking over streaming, having numerous movies contracted out to places like Netflix and Amazon as well as running their own service. The reach of Disney is far, and while this is a little off-putting, it is not even the biggest issue the company’s expansion presents. For years, Disney has relied on the “Disney Vault” to drum up the scarcity of their products, removing them from time to time to artificially increase prices for new generations. It has happened with VHS to DVD and DVD to Blu-Ray, and now, we are seeing some movies released from the vault for the UHD era. It is a nice little trick, making your fanbase pay $40 for “The Lion King” for the fifth time because it will “look better in 4k.” I suppose it is a company you can trust with upscaling their animation considering the ratio of “The Simpsons” on Disney Plus cut entire visual
Rosalind Hutton
gags out of the frame, as reported by Richard Lawler from Engadget. According to Ryan Faughnder with the LA Times, the placement of Fox’s library into vaults may not seem that big of an issue, but there is an entire industry of indie-circuit theaters which rely on replays of Fox films such as “Fight Club,” “Die Hard,” “The Princess Bride” and “Alien” to keep their
business afloat through the years. These theaters are not big enough for Disney to care about housing their large MCU or Disney/ Pixar releases. On top of that, their decision to pull the plug on allowing films like “Fight Club” and “Die Hard” to be shown drastically hurts smaller, local movie theaters. Who cares about old movies you can buy or
stream at home? The death of small theaters takes away a large beacon of hope for underrepresented filmmakers to put their works out for people to see. This is another threat to an industry that is already controlled by a handful of titan companies. Disney does not care about the art of filmmaking anymore, opting to replace the classic style with exhilarating thrill-ride
concepts. They are leaning into what the people want to see. Disney wants to play underhanded tricks and eliminate anything that takes eyes off of their new products as quickly as they can. Disney is the evil, mustache-twirling villain they have presented to us for years. There is nothing wrong with liking the films they provide, but ignoring the repercussions of Disney’s actions on the industry as a whole is problematic. It is really ironic to see people argue about underrepresented groups in filmmaking, which is still needed, but in that same social media post, they praise Disney and defend them for keeping their backlog out of independent theaters. You should make an effort to support a production company that not only cares about equal representation but also MS does not try to constantly bring your attention to it. It always sucks to see your heroes live long enough to become the villain, but perhaps we should have known they were the villain after “Song of the South.”
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Prisoners deserve human dignity We need modern mindfulness
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TAYLAR ANDERSON
is a sophomore majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
In light of the disgusting conditions the prisoners at the Mississippi State Penitentiary, also known as the Parchman Farm, have had to live in, I believe it is time to discuss how our society treats both prisoners and ex-convicts. While I firmly believe in justice and doing the time for your crime, we have lost sight of the true purpose of prisons and commonly forget prisoners are human beings, not the violent animals they are being treated as. According to StoptheACA.org, prisons are supposed to have four major purposes: retribution, incapacitation, deterrence and rehabilitation. Retribution refers to the removal of criminals from society to pay for their crimes, and incapacitation refers to removing criminals so they may not harm other innocent people. Deterrence refers to dissuading future crime, and rehabilitation means to offer these prisoners the chance to learn from their mistakes while imprisoned with programs and activities which hope to produce law-abiding citizens and psychologically healthier individuals. However, over the years, many prisons have become a source of harsh punishment and cheap labor. The idea of rehabilitation has become a memory of the past. Prisoners face psychological and physical abuse nearly every day, often caused by the degrading and abusive treatment of inmates by the careless officers meant to guard them. Not to mention, both men and women can be raped and/or sexually abused by both other inmates and staff. Our failing prison system
BEN MACKIN
Rosalind Hutton
could be considered a form of modern-day slavery, especially with these harsh conditions. On top of that, private prisons are not required to provide healthcare or food for their forced laborers, who barely make $1 an hour. According to Etienne Benson of the American Psychological Association, prisons now produce more negative effects than those of which they were made to correct. The failure of the system is obvious considering 15-20% of prisoners have a mental illness, and there has been a decrease in rehabilitation programs offered in prisons over the years. Due to the lack of rehabilitation programs, inmates are forced into contact with inmates suffering from similar behavioral problems and mental issues who are not receiving the help they need, which does not encourage improved behavior upon release. Life after prison is extremely hard to rebuild when ex-convicts are discriminated against so heavily in the workplace. As a result, this significantly contributes to the rate of reincarcerations. According to Joan Petersilia of the National Institute of Justice, Congress and state legislatures were passing dozens of laws in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, closing off many job opportunities to ex-offenders and restricting their access to welfare benefits and housing subsidies. When harsh conditions follow inmates after prison, it only further discourages them from reintegrating into society because it treats them as lesser members of society. Though I agree we should be cautious of letting ex-felons be part of
several different professions, they should be allowed a second chance just as much as anyone else. Lastly, the Parchman Prison crisis only publicly shows the truth of our prison system. It also shows the worst in our laws and government officials which essentially allows for this to happen. According to Amir Vera at CNN, there have been eight deaths at the penitentiary in the last month. Parchman has been known to be under scrutiny for its failing infrastructure and its harsh conditions for years, and its viral-inside video surveillance has caused national attention to their inhumane conditions and treatments of their inmates. The conditions of these prisons, from rooms and food with mold to unsolved killings, are unconstitutional. This is an example of cruel and unusual punishment and is likely caused by the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ absolute negligence and carelessness towards its inmates and their humanity. With Parchman’s history and lack of order in leadership, I urge our Mississippi law enforcement and elected officials to consider its closing if we cannot find a solution soon. No matter what crime they have committed, prisoners are still people who deserve to be treated as such. They already have their freedom deprived of them, as well as harsh labor with little to no pay, so they should, at the very least, be allowed to live in habitable conditions without constantly living in peril. Our prison system nationwide is clearly failing miserably, and as taxpayers, we must advocate for and require a solution.
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Graphics Editor/Rosalind Hutton
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In 1974, towards the end of the Vietnam War, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk wrote a letter from exile in France to a staff member of the School of Youth for Social Service in South Vietnam. Thich Nhat Hanh was the founder of the school and author of the letter which was translated in 1991 for print under the title “The Miracle of Mindfulness.” In his letter, Hanh suggested, “while washing the dishes one should only be washing the dishes, which means that while washing the dishes one should be completely aware of the fact that one is washing the dishes.” As someone whose kitchen sink is perpetually filled with the remnants of my morning oatmeal and the eight separate, yet completely necessary, glasses of water, I thought Hanh’s advice was perplexing. How could Hanh credibly give dishwashing advice to peace workers who were witnessing the atrocities of war? If I, a simple college student, could not even motivate myself to do the dishes, let alone mindfully, how could they? I have found answers to these questions through my own practice of mindfulness, which I believe can help other college students like myself. I stumbled across mindfulness in a yoga class that was recommended to me by one of my more spirituallyminded friends. Having struggled with anxiety since freshman year, the simple advice of focusing on my breath, unfortunately at the cost of contorting my body in ways which my genetics do not favor, was eye-opening. After that class, I felt like I
m am
Rosalind Hutton
had always taken my breath for granted and began to notice it throughout the day. I realized even when my mind had been preoccupied with school, relationships or anything which could trigger my racing thoughts, my breath had been a constant companion which brought me peace and had been waiting to be recognized for its loyalty. Although an awareness of the breath is how I would recommend introducing yourself to mindfulness, mindfulness can be applied to just about anything. According to mindful. org, mindfulness is the “basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” Any person has the capacity to practice mindfulness. You do not have to be a Tibetan monk or a yoga guru to find a little more quiet throughout your day. One of my favorite meditation sayings is if you do not think you have enough time to meditate, you probably need to meditate more often. You may associate meditation with a strong spiritual experience. While this is certainly true for advanced practitioners of meditation, who meditate on life, death and other weighty subjects, for many people, meditation is simply a way to help clear the mind. I will often meditate before a test or a challenging
conversation. If you are new to meditation, I would recommend downloading a meditation app like Headspace, which provides guided meditations as short as a minute. However, it would be a mistake to limit mindfulness to meditation. One of my other favorite practices is meditative walking. During this practice, which can be done during the walks between classes, you simply notice the sensation of placing one foot in front of the other. Focus on the feeling of the ground beneath your feet, and engage all your senses, taking note of what you see, smell, hear, feel and even taste. In the stress of life, it is often easy to forget the miracle that is the ability to walk. Noticing the sensation of walking will produce a sense of gratitude which you can carry with you throughout your day. The benefits of mindfulness are endless. It allows you to slow down and appreciate life on life’s terms. Being in college can feel like you are constantly being asked to achieve, but mindfulness only asks that you be. If you happened to pick up this copy of the Reflector in a rush between classes, if you are scrolling through this article on your phone as fast as your thumb can take you or if you simply do not know why you are reading this article, but you are here—pause and breathe. Maybe even plan on washing some dishes later.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Life Editor/Mary Madeline LaMastus
news@reflector.msstate.edu
Sports Editor/Hunter Cloud
is a senior majoring in sociology. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
Circulation/Sierra Pruitt circulation@reflector.msstate.edu
Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector. msstate.edu. Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.
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5-Sports SPORTS
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Lady Bulldogs beat Ole Miss for 12th straight time HUNTER CLOUD
The Mississippi State University Lady Bulldogs used the last seconds of the game to cap off a dominating performance as they won their 12th straight game against the University of Mississippi with an 80-39 defensive effort. It is the second win in a row for MSU as they had previously defeated Vanderbilt on the road in a hard-fought game. Jordan Danberry, a graduate guard from Conway, Arkansas, said the team came out with more energy at the start of the game which helped them outscore Ole Miss by 24. By the end of the first quarter, they were leading 30-6. “We had a rough game there as well,” Danberry said. “We just knew that we had to punch first, and it’s a rivalry game, so we’re going to have a lot of energy for that game.” Defensively, MSU played
lock-down as the forced 23 turnovers by the Rebels. This was mainly due to the high energy in the first 10 minutes of the game. The momentum carried the Bulldogs forward. Head coach Vic Schaefer said he was not only proud of the 9,503 fans in attendance, but also the way his team played the game. “Proud of our kids for the way they came out and played in the first 10 minutes and set the tone for the whole game,” Schaefer said. “We are really giving God the glory for six (wins) and one (loss) and almost to the halfway point through the SEC.” Schaefer also approved of the performance by Xaria Wiggins, a sophomore guard from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who had five assists and eight points in 22 minutes of game time. Practice is where a player like Wiggins can work her way into a starting role. That is exactly what she did. Schaefer said a point he has been trying to prove is, if
entire generation of fans. In the wake of his passing, thousands of Kobe Bryant stories, interviews and performances have resurfaced, fresh on the minds of grieving basketball fans. There are far too many of those stories to be told here, but many of them are worth reading, telling tales of his incredible dedication both as a basketball player and as a father. Fans were hit with an additional layer of tragedy when they found out Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna Bryant, was among the nine killed in the accident. Recently, a clip of the elder Bryant talking basketball tactics with his daughter at an NBA game
went viral. Bryant talked about Gianna during a 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel. When Kimmel asked Bryant if he thinks his daughter would like to play in the WNBA, his face immediately lit up. “She does for sure man,” Bryant said. “I mean this kid, man.” Kimmel went on to explain how many fans believe Bryant needed to have a son to carry on his basketball legacy. He did not seem to share that opinion, as he beamed with pride talking about Gianna and her confidence. “Dude, man, I’m telling you. The best thing that happens is when we go out
SPORTS EDITOR
Mary Georgia Hamilton| The Reflector
SU’s Jordan Danberry drives toward the basket against Ole Miss. Danberry scored five points.
they keep working hard, they will get their opportunity. “She wasn’t playing that great earlier in the year,” Schaefer said. “But she put in the time and has been doing some good things in practice. When she’s been given the opportunities during the ball games she has come through.” Wiggins said she feels she has performed well when she gets opportunities like today. It helps build confidence for herself. “Getting the confidence from the minutes I’m getting on the court,” Wiggins said. “My teammates sitting here and supporting me and pushing me every day, that definitely helps too.” As head coach, Schaefer always emphasizes the importance of seizing the moment. He addressed the team before the game as news broke of Kobe Bryant Bryant’s daughter Gianna and six others, tragically passed away in a helicopter accident. The team found
out before the game. Danberry said the news was heartbreaking, adding that the team gives their condolences and prayers to the Bryant family. “We were all watching the news and listening to it right before the game,” Danberry said. “So, it definitely impacted us a lot just to hear that news of a legend and his daughter, just to see a little mini Mamba. We definitely are hurt by it.” In his address to the team before the game, Schaefer said he talked about his son’s own near fatal accident and how people are only guaranteed today and how life is fleeting. “When you’re young, you live so carefree, and you think you are going to live forever,” Schaefer said. “Things can change in one moment. It is such a tragedy, for somebody who did so much for our game as a player, as an ambassador and as a great dad.”
Column: It is up to us now to carry on Kobe’s legacy GARRETT SMITH
a sophomore majoring in communication. ontact him at reflectorsports@gmail.com
Basketball lost one of its reatest players Sunday. Kobe Bryant, a Los Angeles Lakers egend who will be inducted nto Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, was killed Sunday morning n a tragic helicopter crash in Los Angeles County, as first eported by TMZ Sports. Known for his Mamba mentality, Kobe Bryant is mong a select few names
regarded by basketball fans as potentially being the greatest player of all time. On Saturday, Jan. 25, current NBA star Lebron James surpassed Kobe’s career point total of 33,643. The achievement was just as much a reminder of Kobe’s greatness as it was a testament to Lebron’s. Eighteen-time NBA all-star, five-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP, Kobe Bryant is unquestionably one of the best to ever play the game. He will be remembered just as much for his impact as he will his statistics. With two decades in the NBA, he was known as an important player by an
Rosalind Hutton
and fans will come up to me and she’ll be standing next to me they’ll be like ‘You got to have a boy, someone to carry on the tradition.’ She’s like, ‘I got this. Don’t need no boy for that. I got this,’” Bryant said. Gianna was, by all accounts, a rising star in the world of women’s basketball.
She was also clearly confident in her ability to live up to her family name. With her undoubtedly bright future tragically over in just an instant, it is now up to the rest of us, from his closest friends to his millions of fans, to carry on the legacy of Kobe Bryant. Don’t worry, Gianna. We got this.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020