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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2019

134th YEAR ISSUE 31

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Student Health Center reports ITS Update: rising number of flu cases New student

email domain announced

EMMA WARR STAFF WRITER

It’s that time of year when the weather is changing, flowers are blooming, baseball season is beginning and the flu is here.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has done extensive research into the flu, including its effects on people and how it spreads.

“Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses,” the CDC states. “It can cause mild to severe illness. Serious outcomes of flu infection can result in hospitalization or death. Some people, such as older people, young children, and people with certain health conditions, are at high risk of serious flu complications.”

According to the CDC, experts believe the flu is spread through physical contact of the virus to a person. For example, when someone coughs or sneezes, the virus is distributed to the area that is coughed or sneezed on. If another person happens to be within that path, there is a chance of them contracting the virus.

Dr. Clifton Story is the executive director of University Health Services and medical director of the Student Health Center at Mississippi State University.

Student worker emails switch to Exchange, Duo deemed a success KATIE POE

announced its plans to create a new student email domain, which would separate the It has been a busy start students from staff and to the spring semester at faculty.

Mississippi State University’s ITS reached out to the Information Technology Student Association (SA) to Services (ITS) with the come up with an appropriate requirement of Two-Factor possible name for the new for students, Λορεμ ιπσυμAuthentication δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ,domain. σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ According to τινχιδυντ Mayahυ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι the introduction of a new Emerson, SA president, the ιριυρε δολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν student email domain and theδελενιτSA conducted a φευγαιτ poll with οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε νυλλα the φαχιλ Rosalind Hutton Λορεμ ιπσυμswitching δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ,possible σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ of student worker domains to gather ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι echoed Story’s wordsΥτ by δολορ σιτ αμετ, from BullyMail toελιτ,student input,νιβηand surveyors Λορεμ ιπσυμemails χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ stating the importanceωισιof ενιμ αδExchange. μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι decidedσυσχιπιτ on @student.msstate. ιριυρε δολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν the yearly vaccine and listing semester, ITSδελενιτedu.

ITS, 2 οδιο διγνισσιμ θυιLast βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ how to get well again ifΛορεμ youιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι have been diagnosed. Υτ She Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ said she has seen 139 cases ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι of the flu since January.ιριυρε δολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ δελενιτ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ Ball said to decrease Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ Υτ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι chances of catching Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ the flu, follow these ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι recommendations: washδολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν ιριυρε οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ δελενιτ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ your hands, avoid shaking Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ hands and hugging friends Υτ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ in greeting, use respiratory ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι etiquette like coughingιριυρε intoδολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ δελενιτ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ your elbow, and have tissues ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ handy and dispose of Λορεμ used Υτ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι tissues properly. She Λορεμ saidιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι to avoid close contact ωισι with ιριυρε δολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν people during flu season οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ δελενιτ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ when possible. Υτ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι NEWS EDITOR

According to Story, there have been over 100 cases of the flu already diagnosed at the Student Health Center in the past two weeks.

When it comes to getting better after one gets the flu, Story explained the most important thing a person can do is to stay away from other people and hibernate.

“I’d go to the doctor and get tested,” Story said.

“There is flu medicine, and the sooner you get it and start taking it, the better it will work and the more effective it is to help you get over the flu quicker.”

Story said a new medicine for influenza looks

promising.

“There is a new medicine this year that looks better than previous medicines, too. Step one is to get tested, the second thing is to stay away from people.

We usually tell people to go 24 hours without fever and without fever medicine,” Story said. “So, stay away from people, hibernate, chill out in your dorm room or in your apartment, drink plenty of fluids, get plenty of rest.

The key is to stay away from affecting anybody else.”

Nancy Ball is the nurse manager at the Longest Student Health Center with a BSN in nursing. She

FLU, 2

Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσεχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ υ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλιθυι ιριυρε δολορ ιν ηενδρεριτ ιν ϖυλπυτατε ϖελιτ εσσε μολεστιε χονσεθυατ, ϖελ ιλλυμ δολορε ευ φευγιατ ν οδιο διγνισσιμ θυι βλανδιτ πραεσεντ λυπτατυμ ζζριλ δελενιτ αυγυε δυισ δολορε τε φευγαιτ νυλλα φαχιλ Λορεμ ιπσυμ δολορ σιτ αμετ, χονσ εχτετυερ αδιπισχινγ ελιτ, σεδ διαμ νονυμμψ νιβη ευισμοδ τινχιδυντ Υτ ωισι ενιμ αδ μινιμ ϖενιαμ, θυισ νοστρυδ εξερχι τατιον υλλαμχορπερ συσχιπιτ λοβορτισ νισλ υτ αλι

Students respond to new Perry Cafeteria cookies EMMA DRAY BRASWELL STAFF WRITER

The beginning of this semester marked many changes at Mississippi State University. One such change was the Perry Cafeteria’s chocolate chip cookies, which are known campuswide for their taste and texture.

Many students are against this change, and are not wanting to adjust to it.

A new petition, started by freshman communication major Hannah Blankenship, was created so MSU students would have the chance to come together and show support for the original Perry cookies.

The petition is solely focused on creating a collective voice signed by students who hope to bring the old cookies back to the Perry. Blankenship said signing the petition shows support for what she and other students are working toward.

Kaylee Ricchetti, an animal and dairy science major, was one of the first students to sign the petition.

FRIDAY HI: 44 LO: 31 SKY: Partly Sunny POP: 5

Student Counseling Services hosts wellness workshops

DREW GARDNER

and helped students hone in on specific types of wellness, such as holistic wellness, wellness balance and dimensional wellness.

Kären Robinson, the speaker for this event and staff counselor at the SCS, said “Well Mind, Well Body” was the last workshop being held until the week after spring break.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Student Counseling Services (SCS) organized one of its themed Wellness U workshops in Dorman Hall to help students with their concentration, mindfulness and overall well-being on Feb. 5. “Well Mind, Well Body” was the theme for the workshop,

WELLNESS, 2

Hannah Blankenship | Courtesy Photo

Students Jonah Holland, Kaylee Ricchetti and Jason Hwang react negatively to the new cookies served at Perry Cafeteria.

“Last semester I really loved the cookies,” Ricchetti said. “They reminded me of the Chips Ahoy chewy cookies.”

Ricchetti said one special quality of the old cookies was how soft they were, but she does not necessarily dislike the new dessert option.

“I still like the new cookies,” Ricchetti explained. “I just liked the old ones better.”

SATURDAY HI: 48 LO: 44 SKY: Partly Sunny POP: 17

SUNDAY HI: 56 LO: 50 SKY: Cloudy POP: 25

This petition began on Jan. 30, and according to Ricchetti, it initially was not very serious.

“We were signing it because we had talked about it, and we were just trying to see what the public would say about it as well,” Ricchetti said.

This opinion was popular among the first people to sign the petition, as Blankenship also expressed starting the petition originated as a joke,

and she did not realize how easy it was to start a petition.

“It took two seconds,” Blankenship said. “Then friends retweeted and shared it.”

Though Blankenship’s original hope was to get over 20 people to sign it, the petition has grown into something bigger. As of Feb. 7, 328 people had signed it.

However, there are some students who have refused to sign it.

COOKIES, 2

Brianna Laverty | The Reflector

Staff Counselor Kären Robinson discusses the importance of one’s well-being.

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ITS

“ITS requested that the Student Association ask students their opinion, and that is what we did,” Emerson said. “Out of the four choices, choices generated by students, student.msstate.edu was the clear winner, with almost 1,000 students selecting it as their number one choice.”

The other options on the poll included @1878. msstate.edu, @dawgs. msstate.edu and @maroon. msstate.edu.

Emerson said she is grateful ITS reached out to gather student input.

“With all of the changes happening on our campus regarding technology, I am thankful that students were consulted every step of the way,” Emerson said.

ITS Security and Compliance Officer Tom Ritter said the change may take some time, but ITS is working on pushing it forward.

“We’re moving forward with making that work. It will take a while to actually complete that move,” Ritter said. “Think about all the data that comes out of banner and all that, so we quite a bit of backend changes, but we’re going to start making it available now.”

Email change to Exchange In the ITS department’s

newest email change, student workers were switched from a BullyMail email to a Microsoft Office Exchange account. The change, which happened in late January, was influenced by the way workers received spam.

“It all goes to Microsoft first, and then it lands in people’s mailboxes who are there, but we’re using Microsoft for our antispam engine for Google.

So, it goes to there, gets classified as spam or not, and then gets sent over to Google,” Ritter said. “So what that meant was the students who were already in Exchange and had accounts, well it landed in their mailbox there. It never even makes it to Google.”

Ritter said the Office 365 program is extremely convenient in that one can have Exchange, Word and Excel all in the web, as well as One Drive, which is a web-based cloud system.

“We’re trying to simplify and make things cleaner,” Ritter said. “It’s still a pretty complicated email environment.”

Ritter said due to this change, regular BullyMail users who were not switched to Exchange will now see spam messages in their junk folder.

“Now you should look in your junk mail folder to see if there’s any messages that might have gotten configured as spam

CONTINUED FROM 1

that you didn’t want to be configured as spam and you can white list them,” Ritter said.

Duo deemed a success Since Jan. 15, students have been required to have Two-Factor Authentication through using Duo.

is still a way to send mail without using two-factor, and account hacks are still possible.

“We still do have some compromised accounts.

For example, just last week we locked a few accounts because somebody’s password had been posted on the web. That’s still a concern,” Ritter said.

“We are very excited that we’re the only school in the state that’s doing it.We view it as a competitive advantage that we care about our students’ security, and we’re kind of leading the state in that element of user security.”

- Tom Ritter, ITS security and compliance off icer Ritter said most students had signed up before the deadline, and he considers the launch a success.

“I would say we had well over 75 percent of the students enrolled before even coming to the deadline,” Ritter said.

“Students listened and signed up for it.”

Ritter said the number of compromised accounts are down considerably since the launch of Duo. However, Ritter said there

“There are still ways to send mail without sending twofactor, we’re shrinking that down and eventually there won’t be any way to send mail without it being twofactor.”

Ritter said another way for hackers to get in is for them to obtain a user’s password and then the user accidentally tap “approve” on the Duo app. Because of this, Ritter said any time a known password is exposed on the internet, the user’s

account is locked.

“We’ve had a handful of those, but it’s been a very small number compared to the big numbers that we used to have,” Ritter said.

At this point, all current students are signed up with Duo. Ritter said the number one complaint is people get new phones and cannot log in at first.

“We’ve not heard a lot of complaints,” Ritter said. “There is always the issue that, ‘I’ve got a new phone and I can’t log in.’

That’s now become a fairly common support request.”

Cameron Massengill, a junior computer science major, said he is not a fan of the new requirement.

“I understand why they did it, just to make sure we are securing our myState accounts, but at the same time, it kind of sucks just because I have to have my phone on me just to get into my account, and sometimes our phones are dead or we forget our phones and can’t get into our account when we need to, like to check our balance or to pay for something,” Massengill said.

Ritter explained this is what many people believe, but thankfully there is a way for users to log in without using their phones. It is more complicated though.

“Students can always log in. They can go to the 2fa. msstate.edu page and from

COOKIES

Walker Thames, an electrical engineering student, is against the petition. He stated the new cookies are delicious.

“The new Perry cookies are different, they are just as good,” Thames said. The new ones might even taste more homemade.”

Jonah Holland disagreed and claimed the former Perry cookies were something he looked forward to when going to the cafeteria.

Blankenship said she still believes while the Perry has made changes to progress the cafeteria, the cookie changes were not progressive.

Thames, on the other hand, claimed the cookies are part of progress.

CONTINUED FROM 1

“The biggest lesson to be learned here is that people are scared of change,” Thames said. “I don’t think it’s necessary to go through and create a whole petition

the old cookies were good.”

Thames said he does not understand why it is such an opinionated topic.

Blankenship said her plan for the petition is to

“I don’t know if a bunch of college students can really band together and get them to change the cookies when they just changed them, but it’s worth a shot.”

- Jonah Holland, student who signed the petition to try and change them back. I definitely thought

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there, that’s where you get a bypass code, so even if you’ve lost your phone, you’ve run over it with a truck... no matter what if you’ve gone through that you can generate, even without your phone, you can generate a passcode for 24 hours that’ll let you get in,” Ritter said. “You just have to answer a bunch of questions about yourself.”

The bypass code is a way for students, faculty and staff who do not have their phone on hand to still log in and get to their account, but Ritter said he does not recommend going through this process every login.

“We don’t really encourage you to use that all the time because you have to answer a whole bunch of stuff and then you’ve got to generate a code and it’s kind of a pain, but it’s convenient,” Ritter said.

Ritter said there have been no other complaints to ITS about Two-Factor Authentication, and its application has gone well since its inception at MSU. MSU is currently the only school in the state utilizing this type of account security.

“We are very excited that we’re the only school in the state that’s doing it,” Ritter said. “We view it as a competitive advantage that we care about our students’ security, and we’re kind of leading the state in that element of user security.”

110 Lynn Lane

reach dining services and show there is support for wanting to return to the old cookies.

The Reflector reached out to MSU Dining, but did not receive a response by the Friday deadline.

Many students said they

are now wondering just how far this petition will reach and what, if anything, it will be successful in doing.

“I don’t know if a bunch of college students can really band together and get them to change the cookies when they just changed them, but it’s worth a shot,” Holland added.

Thames said he hopes it “fizzles out,” but he is interested to see where it goes.

“If it’s something enough people are behind, it would be neat to see something like that go somewhere, even if I don’t agree with it,” Thames said.

The overall goal of this petition, though, according to Holland, is “just to make people smile.”

Students who want to sign the petition to bring back the classic Perry cookie can go to this link: change.org/p/msu-diningser vices-bring-back-theold-perry-cookies.

WELLNESS These workshops are normally held in Dorman or at the SCS, located in 115C Hathorn Hall. All of these events cover a multitude of topics, from helping students with sleep hygiene to Tai Chi led by a martial artist.

CONTINUED FROM 1

required, any student can attend these events free of charge. At no cost, students can take a break from their studies and learn from a speaker for an hour.

After spring break, the Wellness U workshops

“We know that students who are well succeed academically.”

- Kären Robinson, SCS staff counselor Previously, these events were available exclusively to students who participated in single or group therapy with the SCS. However, Wellness U opened up to all students at MSU this semester. With no prerequisites currently

FLU The CDC website emphasizes the importance of staying hydrated with clear fluids, staying away from others and resting as forms of self-care for those diagnosed with the flu.

For those who have

will begin again for six consecutive weeks with the locations and topics to be announced.

These workshops are put on to benefit students and help them reach their full potential.

CONTINUED FROM 1

been able to avoid the virus, vaccination is important.

For a short time, the vaccine will be available at the Longest Student Health Center located behind the Mitchel Memorial Library on Hardy Road.

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SUDOKU

BAD DAWGS Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019 • Resident of city/county was transported by EMS to OCH for medical assistance.

• Student reported her wallet stolen while at Ole Main.

• Student was issued a post arrest citation and student referral for possession of marijuana in McKee Hall.

Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2019 • Student was issued a postarrest citation and student referral for possession of marijuana in Mosley Parking lot.

• Officer responded to the Wise Center for a medical assist. Subject refused transport via ambulance.

• Landscaper reported breaking a window to a

vehicle while working at Hand Lab. • Student transported to OCH from Ruby Hall for medical assistance.

• Employee reported being harassed by ticket scalpers near the Humphrey Coliseum.

Notable traffic citations: • MSU citation issued for running a stop sign on Bailey Howell.

• Justice Court citation issued on East Lee Boulevard for no insurance.

• Six MSU citations were issued for speeding, the most notable of which was 44/20 on Stone Boulevard.

• Justice Court citation issued on Stone Boulevard for disregard of traffic device.

An In-Class Distraction

Feb. 5 puzzle solutions

ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY...

… in 1955, John Grisham, American author of legal thrillers, was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The son of a construction worker and a stay-at-home mother, Grisham graduated from Mississippi State University with a degree in accounting in 1977. He betrayed his alma mater by then going and getting his law degree from Ole Miss in 1981.

Grisham was an attorney in Southaven for nearly 10 years, and even served in the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1983-1990.

After hearing a 12-year-old rape victim’s testimony in court, Grisham began imagining what would happen if the victim’s father would have murdered her assailants as retribution. This sparked his first novel, “A Time to Kill,” which he finished in 1987.

He juggled this novel with his law career, working on his manuscript in the morning and between courtroom breaks. “A Time to Kill” was finally published in 1989.

Grisham began working on his new novel “The Firm,” which involved a young lawyer and the mafia. He sold the movie rights for a dandy six-figure sum, and the story was a best seller in 1991. In 1993, the film, which debuted in 1993 starring Tom Cruise, also became a major hit.

Grisham later sold the movie rights to his first novel, and in 1996 the screen-adapted version starred Matthew McConaughey and Samuel L. Jackson.

So far, Grisham has written over 20 books. Nine of which, along with on unpublished manuscript, have been adapted for film. history.com

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 @REFLECTORONLINE

OPINION

We need to talk about the way we approach true crime JACK WEEKS

This question never settles well with me. The question seems to award a sort of praise to a person who committed an ultimate act of evil. It blurs that line between curiosity and admiration.

As far as curiosity is concerned, it leads you toward discussions and research of understanding the “why,” trying to understand something a person should never be able to do, looking into the reasons different people committed the acts, and trying to find the connection between them.

Admiration, however, takes this curiosity and adds a sense of forgiveness for the atrocities committed.

This is not to say being impressed by the way something is done is bad.

Watching the precision of execution when it comes to anything from jail breaks to home invasion is often remarkable, but trying to excuse what they have done because they did it so well, or were so charming or handsome, can lead to problematic results.

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The true crime community is one of the most dedicated groups of people I have ever found myself involved with. It branches deep into this dark, seedy side of humanity for no true or explicable reason.

Perhaps it stems from a morbid curiosity of what makes a person commit an act of pure atrocity, or maybe it stems from trying to understand something they fear.

These fans dive headfirst into a world they are not from, often seeking answers to unanswerable questions.

This research tends to lead to two different results: people who are curious and people who find a sense of admiration for those they are researching.

There have been many groups I have joined on social media that ask the same question any time someone new introduces themselves, “Who is your favorite serial killer?”

What a shame, he was just so cute!

Rosalind Hutton

Getting tattoos, wearing their faces on t-shirts and generally being upset they were caught and were not continuing their sickening journey, generally falls into the realm of admiration. Giving these people a platform for other impressionable people to enjoy or learn from is not only dangerous, it is stupid.

When it comes to mass shootings, there is a media obsession that begins a dangerous cycle. The event happens, the person’s face is

Tom Brady is the G.O.A.T ZACHERY ABUNEMEH

is a senior majoring in political science.

Contact him at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.

Unlike any other position in professional sports, the quarterback position in professional football is truly the face of his team, franchise and league. No position in sports decides more wins and loses than the quarterback; therefore, deciding who is the greatest of all time, or the G.O.A.T. for short, always sparks a heated debate.

Everyone has an opinion and there is almost no wrong answer when discussing true greatness, but in my humble opinion, one man stands head and shoulders above the field: Tom Brady.

To be fair, there are plenty of other quarterbacks in the running who have legitimate arguments for the title of G.O.A.T. Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, all retired or are going to retire, with many of the major passing records, such as passing yards, touchdowns, completions and many others.

However, all of their Super Bowl victories combined amount to the number Tom Brady has alone: six. Terry Bradshaw won four super bowls, Bart Starr won five NFL Championships overall and Otto Graham went to 10 straight championship games in his 10-year career and won seven of them. Nonetheless, they all played in heavy runbased schemes which limited their passing and impact on the game. Unlike everyone else, Brady has the wins and the statistics to make his case for greatness.

In most people’s eyes, there is only one man who can truly compete with Brady: Joe Montana. Montana was the quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers from 19791992 and won four Super Bowls in 10 years from 19811990.

For decades, Montana was considered the G.O.A.T. by most, and it is easy to see why. Not only did he win four Super Bowls, only the second man ever to do so after Terry Bradshaw, but he did so while revolutionizing the sport.

Under head coach Bill Walsh, Montana ran the “West Coast System” which, according to Alen Dumonjic of Bleacher Report, “was [an offense] that relied heavily on a method, ball-control passing game that utilized the backs and tight ends as primary receivers.”

Rosalind Hutton

This new offensive mentality changed the game forever as we still see Walsh’s system used in many of today’s offenses, but no one runs it as effectively as Montana. Montana retired as the game’s highest-rated passer, and was elected to eight Pro Bowls, five All Pro Teams, won two NFL MVP awards and was a member of the NFL’s All Decade team of the 1980’s and the NFL’s 75th anniversary all time team in 1994. Most importantly, though, Montana was known for his wins.

Montana went undefeated in Super Bowls, winning all four of his appearances.

According to Larry Schwartz of ESPN, he won three Super Bowl MVP awards and “completed 68% of his passes for 1,142 yards with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions; his quarterback rating was 127.8 (out of 158.3).

Under Montana, the 49ers won over 71 percent of their games and were among the greatest teams ever assembled.

There is a reason why Montana was considered the G.O.A.T. for many decades before Brady started playing.

The argument is still there to be made, but there is one fact that puts Brady over the top: the salary cap.

As defined by John Perritano of Howstuffworks. com, the salary cap “refers to a set amount of money that each of the NFL’s 32 teams is allowed to spend on players’ salaries for any giver league year.”

The cap was institutionalized in 1994, and since then, it has caused major ramification on the NFL. Unlike before, teams could no longer hoard talent to build dynasties. Players had become more valuable, and with a restriction on the amount teams could spend, hard decisions had to be made by owners and coaches. It is for this very reason we see so many turnovers on each NFL team every offseason. Unlike Montana, Brady’s roster could not consistently be filled with great players and hall-offamers every season in order to continue their dynasty.

While Montana won Super Bowls with great players and hall-of-famers such as Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott, John Taylor and Tom Rathman, Brady just made it to his record-breaking ninth Super Bowl with only one other Pro Bowler beside himself.Montana won three Super Bowls throwing to Jerry Rice, a man who is largely considered the greatest wide receiver of all time and who has the most catches, yards and touchdowns of any player in history. On the other hand, Brady had one Pro Bowl receiver in his first three Super Bowl victories from 20012004. Brady simply had to do more with less, and Brady sure did a lot with such marginal talent.

In every conceivable way, Brady is the G.O.A.T. He has the wins, the stats and he has done it all while managing the salary cap, something no other G.O.A.T. before his time had to handle. To make matters worse for the rest of the NFL, Brady is not finished yet.

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and listening to find some semblance of understanding for a world in which they are just tourists. The objective is to research and learn what morbid, evil beings there are in the world, and try to figure out why somebody can act on these impulses. It is to look at the harmful nature of the actions committed, and see the impact on the victims, their families and communities. To go against this foundation and cross the line into admiration is wrong and disrespectful, and it minimizes the impact of the actions on everyone involved.

So next time you load up social media to talk about how much one of these people inspired you, or discuss how they are your favorite, take a moment to ask if anything you are saying is putting their actions on some sort of pedestal. If you are interested in learning about any of this, just find a case, go to your library and grab a book or load up a podcast and get to learning.

You never know what you might discover.

The silent war on diversity of thought

MICHAEL BOURGEOIS

is a freshman majoring in English. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

American universities are facing a diversity crisis threatening the very purpose of higher education.

I am not referring to diversity of race, gender or sexual orientation, as college campuses are the most accepting places on the planet for personal expression.

No, this crisis refers to a lack of diversity far more paramount than skin color or pronoun preferences.

Diversity of thought, the freedom to express dissenting viewpoints intelligently is under fire inside the modern college campus.

It is no secret the majority of college students believe in left-wing ideology, but the reason for this fact is far more sinister.

Liberal politics are not innate in every student, they are unknowingly learned by the very people who are instructed to prepare young people for the challenges the world provides: college educators.

According to James Barrett of The Daily Wire, conservative faculty are outnumbered 12.7 to 1, turning college campuses into political echo chambers in which the malleable minds of the students are caught in the center.

This cannot be allowed to continue. Irrelevant politics must be removed from college classrooms so that objectivity can be restored to higher education.

The politics of professors, especially in circumstances where it is unnecessarily interjected, is detrimental to creating well-educated individuals who are capable of forming

unique beliefs.

Undermining students’ active pursuits of knowledge through college education by feeding them rehearsed, superfluous and questionably accurate political rhetoric is immoral, and should bring shame to any professor guilty of the same.

“For many conservative students, the answer is simple: college will be four years of frustrated silence.”

According to former Governor Bobby Jindal’s for National Review, “Many universities are moving away from a search for truth and towards promoting their vision of social justice.”

The moment institutions of higher learning move away from its purpose of educating is the moment it fails the next generation of Americans. Professors teach their opinion as objective fact, and when a student questions their beliefs, they are denying truth.

Students are lured into a logical trap, constructed by a liberal conformation bias and perpetuated by the fact that left-wing beliefs are the norm on college campuses.

Potentially doubting students are met with the ultimatum to conform to the majority or face the wrath of an angry mob, which includes the person who controls their grades.

For many conservative students, the answer is simple: college will be four years of frustrated silence.

In denying students’ dissenting viewpoints, college professors are doing a great disservice to them.

According to Haley Glatter of The Atlantic, 42.3 percent of college students

identify as moderate, 35.5 percent of college students identify as liberal and 22.2 percent of college students identify as conservative.

Despite the fact the conservative presence is lower than the liberal presence, it exists nonetheless.

Imagine the possibilities for learning that could occur, should conservative views not be demonized to the degree they are.

Political discourse could be conducted in a civil manner with the objective to educate and find a solution, not to attain a political victory.

Jindal writes, “For today’s students, who come to campus already believing in inherent bias, systemic racism, gender fluidity, and the need for drastic government action to mitigate global warming, I would argue they are better served by being forced to consider the world from the perspective of smart professors and students who disagree with them.”

This is the objective of college: to find the best ideas by the smartest people to work toward a better world.

Rather than championing this, academia often act as a roadblock due to their contempt of conservatism.

As academia believe conservative ideas are meritless, one would think they would welcome a debate instead of dismissing them as racist, homophobic, misogynistic or whatever the leftist buzzword of the day may be.

Keeping politics out of the classroom should be the standard.

Students need to demand an objective learning environment, one dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge above political conformation bias.

Groupthink on college campuses must be eradicated for the sake of ideas, for the sake of discourse and for sake of diversity.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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plastered on TV, their name is said repeatedly, the victims tend to fall to the wayside and other people who have the same qualities of loneliness and narcissism see this and follow suit.

For years, I have stood by the belief that the media should not name the perpetrator of mass shootings, they should not show their image and they should not put it on rotation for days at a time. The only acceptable exception is if

that perpetrator has gotten away; but when the dice have fallen, it is time to stop.

In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, research shows given the symptoms shown by perpetrators of mass shootings, responsible media coverage could lead to a reduction of these crimes by one-third. It is sickening to see mass media outlets choose to sacrifice responsible reporting to keep eyes glued to the TV screen.

This extends past the concept of mass media and to our homes as well.

Docuseries downplay the actions of these sick individuals with an objective to seemingly get you to side with them. Movies like “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile,” which according to Matt Patches of Polygon is essentially “a rockstar biopic for a serial killer,” make the subject seem like this largerthan-life heartthrob.

It completely seems to negate the reason the true crime community spends hours researching, reading

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5LIFE -Life& ENTERTAINMENT 5 THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 @REFLECTORONLINE

The People’s Cup brings new brews MARY MADELINE LAMASTUS STAFF WRITER

In university towns, few goods are higher in demand than on-the-go coffee.

Every day is a coffee day for students and professors, and The People’s Cup MicroRoastery’s loves meeting this daily demand.

While Strange Brew and the Nine-Twenty-Nine Coffee Bar are ideal places to sit and sip coffee, the People’s Cup is the only to-go style coffee stand in Starkville.

The location is perfect: right off of Lummus Drive, in the middle of the historic Cotton District. It is strategically placed, and many students live within a stone’s throw of the stand.

Open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., the business meets the demands of early, weekday coffee drinkers.

When I visited the microroastery for the first time, the entire process of getting a cup of joe was an experience. Simply walking up to the stand made me feel as if I was treating myself.

The stand matches the District in its fashion: borderline bougie.

Handmade pottery and fresh flowers decorate the front of the venue. Washboard signs display a simple menu of aeropress coffee, pour over coffee, drip coffee, yaupon tea and granola.

The community supporting the roastery seemed tight knit. The staff knew their customers, and

one of the baristas was even the artist of the displayed pottery.

Even in the early afternoon, sleepy students walked out of their apartments to grab their routine daily cup, rubbing their eyes to read the menu and casually chatting with the baristas.

Tyler McKinney, a sophomore English major, had just woken up and immediately came to make his daily purchase.

McKinney is a regular of the shop, and he confidently claimed the People’s Cup is the best coffee in town.

“I have been drinking the owner’s coffee since before it was open. This is by far the best coffee in Starkville,” McKinney said.

“The flavor ratings are always in the 90s, and that is all the explanation I need.”

His favorite menu items are the aeropress and the pour over coffee.

“I usually load my coffee with sugar and cream, but I do not add anything to this coffee,” McKinney said.

“It’s that good.”

I decided to take heed of McKinney’s recommendation and try the aeropress coffee. The staff was extremely friendly and informative.

The shop’s owner, Blair Edwards, proudly informed me that many of their blends were single-origin, a trademark in comparison to most local roasteries. I prefer medium roast, and upon recommendation, I chose the gisagara blend.

Mary Madeline LaMastus|The Reflector The People’s Cup MicroRoastery officially began serving Starkville patrons on Jan. 28. The new coffee establishment is located at 12 1/2 B Lummus Drive.

Edwards described it as “juicier blend, with more of a zest and a molasses-type sweetness.” Within three minutes, I was able to try it for myself.

The nodes were very fruity and tasted sweet, though I had not added anything to the coffee. I could tell the beans were very high quality. The coffee was pretty decent, and the aeropress process added a deep smoothness to the drink. I really enjoyed it, and I would like to try the yaupon tea next time.

There are few things I appreciate more than an aesthetic coffee cup.

Half of the reason to buy coffee is to hold the cup, and the People’s Cup did not disappoint, featuring and ink-blocked and artsy design.

I returned to the shop shortly after to catch some

details on the mission of the shop. I appreciated the fact Edwards puts a heavy focus the ethical sourcing of the coffee, mentioning that he goes out of his way to make sure the producers are paid and treated fairly.

“Coffee is just like any other thing that grows out of the ground: quality matters, and it matters where it comes from,” Edwards said.

He added organic and high-quality coffee is better for the customer as well. I admired the humanitarian focus from the shop, noting it was true to its name.

One cannot avoid the fact that with quality, comes cost. For regular drip coffee, the price is a reasonable $2, but be ready to pay $5 for a regular aeropress cup or $6 for a large. However, for coffee fanatics, the price is likely no big deal.

Review: Lyceum Series kicks off semester EMMA DRAY BRASWELL STAFF WRITER

This past Wednesday, the Aquila Theatre productions brought Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to life at the Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall as part of the Lyceum Series.

As soon as the audience walked in, there was an immediate old, traditional feeling in the auditorium.

This, of course, was exactly the play’s intentions. The music was classical. The amount of people talking before the play began meant I had to strain to hear the music, so while it was beautiful, it was hardly even audible.

The lights were beautiful, and they highlighted what would become the backdrop of the play in an elegant way. The setting, a forest, was presented in an amazing artistic show, as the trees seemed to come out of the faux wall that was the background.

The play began with quite possibly the best introduction ever. Of course, every play or movie has some sort of sign, recording or commercial telling everyone to turn their

phones on silent, or better yet, turn them off. This play, however, used one of the most amusing and alarming voices I have ever heard to instruct this. Automatically, I was smiling and looking forward to the actual acting.

Let me inform you that I have never seen nor read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

I knew the general idea of the play, but that did make it a bit confusing when every actor was naturally playing roughly three roles. I quickly saw the most impressive actors, and the most interesting realm of the story.

All of these actors did an incredible job with this play. Still, actress Andrea Bellamore, who portrayed both Titanya and Hippolyta, was probably the most impressive, particularly when playing the fairy Titanya. Her emotions were constantly spot on, and the amount of feeling she conveyed was effective and remarkable.

However, even Bellamore’s lovely acting could not save the real-world portion of the play. For readers unfamiliar with these three different parts, the play is based in the real world, but there are playwrights also

Q&A with Morgan Wallen

writing about their play to be performed in the real world, and there’s also an entirely different realm where fairies exist and mischievously play Cupid.

These actors overall were talented, and it was obvious they worked hard for this performance.

“Their ability to actually conceptualize theatre and present it in a very real format makes you feel like you were there when it was written,” said Brad Hill, assistant director for student activities at MSU. He also added, “The story really comes alive,” which held true in the performance.

This production was supposed to be a comedy, and while in ancient theatre comedy only implied a happy ending, in 2019, it requires the audience to laugh. This being said, I am not entirely sure how amusing the original script was, but there were definitely some changes made in this play that made the audience laugh.

Still, my least favorite part of the play was when the actors portrayed characters in the real world, whether it was a wedding play or writing said play. Overall, the most

captivating performances were all done by each cast member, either as a fairy or by falling into a messy, complicated love triangle.

Those are the scenes with the most emotion portrayed, the best success and the most interesting stories. However, some would probably argue the very last scene was entertaining enough, which it most certainly was. Despite being in the real world and having a less interesting plotline, the actors pulled it off, making the entire audience laugh at several instances in this scene.

While this live play was a one-time-only chance, there are more Aquila Theatre productions coming up. If you are a student who would be interested in going and seeing more productions similar to this, “recommendations (are) given to a performing arts committee on campus. That committee takes into account the budget and the availability of the artist to put together the season for each year,” Hill said.

Overall, I do not regret seeing this production. With tons of talent, the people involved successfully caught their audience up in the play.

John Shearer | Courtesy Photo

TALLY DUKE

I’m forever thankful for that.

STAFF WRITER

The country music sensation climbing the charts, Morgan Wallen, is ready to rock the town this Saturday at Starkville’s own Rick’s Café. This 25-yearold small town “good ole boy” from Sneedville, Tennessee, has always had a passion for music.

When did your passion for music begin?

“I started singing as soon as I could make noise.

My dad was a preacher, so my mom threw me up on the stage when I was like three and I fell in love with it. I always had a thing for music, but never thought I could make a career out of it. I moved to Nashville in 2015, and I’ve been rocking ever since.”

What or influenced sound?

who your

“My Dad most definitely. He listened to classic rock like Led Zeppelin all the time, and I grew up listening and loving it. I grew up listening to Bad Company.

My mom listened to a lot of Christian contemporary too, but I don’t know if you’d call that an influence.

When you come to my show, you can really hear the classic rock influence in my songs.”

Tell me about your time on “The Voice.”

“Yeah, that was back in 2014. My mom actually signed me up, I didn’t even know what the show was. I was 20 when I was on the show, I didn’t even really know how to sing to be my best. I just wanted to sing country, but the show wanted me to sing pop, so I started writing songs, but I really didn’t know who I was as an artist yet. The show was a super positive stepping stone for me because it taught me how to sing raspy, and shaped me into the artist I am now.”

What is the story behind the hit “Whiskey Glasses”?

“Yeah well, it was based on heartbreak, so it’s a heartbreak song. I didn’t want it to be a typical sad song though I wanted it to be clever. We did a play on words ‘P-O-O-R me’ and ‘P-O-U-R me,’ which is pretty clever I think.

This song seems to be climbing the charts right now, which is awesome.

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding it. It’s crazy how a song rooted in heartbreak can give you so much joy.”

Your show in Starkville is sold out, do you plan on What’s it like going coming back? from a small town “I’ve never been to Starkville, but my buddy to having fame?

“I mean it really doesn’t feel that much different, at least not to me. There’s just a lot more pressure, and a lot more people are counting on me, which I guess is different. I’m super thankful that I come from a small town because it left me with certain values, and

who’s opening for me loves it down there, so I’m excited to come down. You never know what could happen, I’d love to come back. These sold-out shows end up having some of the best crowds, so I’d love to have the chance to come back, but you never know.”

66-Sports SPORTS

THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2019 @SPORTSREFLECTOR

Signing day rings in a new class of Bulldogs Hoops lose thriller to LSU

HUNTER CLOUD

MEGAN TERRY

SPORTS EDITOR

STAFF WRITER

A new class of “Bullpups” officially joined the Mississippi State University family today, as 22 players signed national letters of intent to continue their education and athletic careers at MSU. Of those 22 new players, 11 are from Mississippi, three from Alabama, two from Florida and Tennessee and one from Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, and North Carolina. Fourteen of the 22 players also signed on the December signing day, but the other eight signed Wednesday, rounding out the 2019 recruiting class.

MSU head coach Joe Moorhead said their biggest goal with this class was to fill positional needs left open by graduates. The two biggest groups of signees were the defensive backs with six, and offensive line had five.

“When you look through, there’s always a delicate balance in roster management and recruiting, in making sure that you’re addressing positional needs,” Moorhead said. “While at the same time, recruiting the best available players regardless of position.

I think that we did a good job along those lines.”

The team only filled 22 of the new 25 scholarships allowed, but Moorhead said they made a conscious decision as a staff in their approach because of the way the new transfer portal or system is working.

“With the way recruiting is going now, and the availability of players down the road through the transfer portal, we felt it probably benefited us to have a couple left,” Moorhead said. “If we were able to find a guy with experience down the road who could help us address one of our glaring positional needs.”

One of the new signees who will have a chance to come in and make almost an immediate impact on the team is Garrett Schrader, freshman quarterback from Charlotte, North Carolina, as he is ranked No. 6 in the country at his position by ESPN. Schrader started classes at MSU in January, and Moorhead said he is excited to see him compete once spring ball starts.

“He could have gone to

A rocky start with fouls on fouls on fouls had Mississippi State University fans leaving just before half-time. With three minutes left before the half, MSU had a shift of mindset, and the points for MSU on the scoreboard started skyrocketing and the Bulldogs lead Louisiana State University. However it was not enough, as MSU lost 9288 in overtime.

Blaring buzzards and a roaring fan base just before halftime set MSU up for an exciting second half.

Quinndary Weatherspoon, a senior guard from Canton, lead the MSU offense until the final ticks on the clock.

He said if two plays were different, it could have changed the game’s outcome.

“I think down the stretch, the one I tried to hit Reggie and it hit off his feet, and then the last one the ball bounced off Williams’ leg and came back onto me,” Weatherspoon said. “If I could just get back those two plays, there’d be a different outcome.”

Reggie Perry, a freshman forward from Thomasville, Georgia, struggled to make his free throws during the game, getting just over 50 percent. In the game against LSU, the small details piled up, which ultimately lead to MSU’s last minute demise.

“I feel like we’ve got to defend a little bit better on the stretch,” Perry said.

“Making our free throws and we’ll be fine.”

A second half full of fouls, and a race to the final seconds in overtime resulted in LSU leaving MSU in the dust after keeping possession of the ball and running down the clock in the final 30 seconds. MSU head coach Ben Howland saw

Bullpups

in training

play at just about anywhere in the country,” Moorhead said.

“He’s a mid-year enrollee and doing a real nice job for us right now. I’m excited to see him in the spring.”

MSU added a veteran running back to join the likes of Aeris Williams, a senior from West Point, and Kylin Hill, a junior from Columbus, in Kareem Walker, a transfer junior from Irvington, New Jersey, who Moorhead said is one of the best running backs in the country.

“I’ve known him since his days in New Jersey. He kind of took the path from there to Ann Arbor, to Kansas and now here,” Moorhead said. “I believe he was the No. 2 or 3 ranked running back in the country when he came out of high school. He’s done a good job there, and I’m excited to see a more mature and seasoned version of him.”

According to 24/7 Sports, MSU is ranked 24th in the nation with this signing class.

Moorhead said recruitment rankings are more of a barometer or indication of how well you are doing recruiting than anything else.

“Certainly, there is a correlation between recruitment ranking and success, as much as you want to admit or not admit,” Moorhead said. “For us to be in the top 25 now for the second straight year, with a number of four- and five-star guys we added, in addition to some under-the-radar prospects, I think it’s a good

piece of information. Those guys work hard, and I think they do a good job with it.”

This year was the first year of an early signing period for college football, as 14 of MSU’s recruits signed early in December. Moorhead said this was great because it meant the kids were committed and recruiting was over for them, but the real question arises when they choose not to sign early.

“Are they taking other visits to confirm their commitment to the school, or are they taking other visits to enjoy the experience, for lack of a better term?” Moorhead said. “That is always a delicate balance, and you are never really quite sure. I don’t know if there is a greater or correct answer to it, but it is something that merits more discussion by our staff moving forward.

I don’t know if you will ever have the right answer because it is such a fluid situation. No two kids’ situations are alike.”

MSU benefited from one player showing patience and not signing early, as they were able to snag Dylan Lawrence, an incoming freshman cornerback from George County, as he signed on the last possible day.

“We had been in contact with Dylan (Lawrence), and he had always been around,” Moorhead said. “He had been at a bunch of games and is a guy that grew up as a State fan wanting to be here. There is a part of me that that means something to. He has the

Softball swinging for the fences MEGAN TERRY STAFF WRITER

Out with the old, and in with the new as the Mississippi State University softball team is ready for a fresh chance to level up after a previous season full of success. Slides, steals and endless reps are what can be seen on the practice field, with dirt clouds lingering and players’ excitement growing.

All eyes are on MSU and the rising underclassman stars.

Emily Heimberger, a senior utility player from Pawleys Island, South Carolina, said she and the team are excited. Heimberger explained she is looking forward to making this season even better than the last, which means working hard and never giving up.

“We have a saying, ‘We don’t go away.’ It’s one of our core covenants, and our definition of competitive,” Heimberger said. “Basically, we have our foot on the gas from start to finish—whether it’s start to finish of the game or start to finish of the season.

We’re never going to let up.”

Softball fans’ eyes are on the team, and locked on star player Mia Davidson.

Davidson’s freshman year proved to be exemplary, and her team believes she will continue to succeed.

“I think the sky’s the limit for Mia and it was incredible to be a part of all the amazing things she did, and we are all ecstatic to be able to take the field with her,” Heimberger said. “I have no doubt she’s

going to do things even better than last year because she’s one of those players that works her butt off every single day and really tries to push herself to the best of her ability.”

Davidson, a sophomore infielder from Hillsborough, North Carolina, said this team is amazing and the girls have a strong bond with good chemistry. This season’s team is important to Davidson and her teammates, especially approaching their home opener.

“Words can’t describe it because I think this team is special,” Davidson said.

Davidson continued by sharing more on her team and their connection. The

team has put in countless hours during the off season to prepare for the season.

Davidson thinks the team will go far if they trust the process.

“As long as we do what’s best for the team and trust each other, I think it’ll be fine and everything will be put into its place,” Davidson said.

Mississippi State University is ranked No. 7 for the 2019 college recruiting class by FloSoftball. Even with this ranking, the team is not complacent with their previous progress. They are planning on working hard and giving this season their all.

The MSU home opener will be against Middle Tennessee Friday at 3 p.m.

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ability. He has the upside. He is another one of those guys that is under the radar.”

One of the players who signed late was Nathan Pickering, defensive tackle from Mount Olive. Moorhead said he had a tremendous impact on social media even though he was not officially at State yet, he was still very committed to the success of the program.

“Nathan (Pickering) always had a firm belief in myself, our defensive staff, our university and our football program,” Moorhead said.

“For him to be a guy that could have gone just about anywhere in the country if he wanted to, through thick and thin, high and low, through all the changes, he remained steadfast and firm in his commitment to us.”

The new Bulldogs who are currently enrolled will join the upperclassmen on March 5 as they report for spring football.

The Maroon and White game will be played on April 13 at Davis Wade Stadium.

THANKS

opportunity to learn from the game.

“We took some shots I thought at times, especially when we had a eight, nine point lead, where we maybe want to manage it a little better and not be in such a rush,” Howland said.

Weatherspoon said he was not thinking ahead to what LSU player Waters would do as a follow up to his moves. He explained he just played the game and followed the calls Howland called for the team.

“Playing within the system, calling, playing what coach Howland’s calling, running it, and I was just able to get some overshots,” Weatherspoon said.

In a game where time ticked by as slow as ever, a sudden shift–just as this game displayed–can speed up the flow of the game. In the blink of an eye, MSU fell too far behind and could not pull back ahead when it mattered most as they fell in the last seconds.

“Credit to all those kids, you know Reid is a heck of a player, he had the big play,” Howland said. “We had a lead then when we lost the ball... They had all that time, they called a quick little hitter that got Reid open on a little back screen that was a huge play right there, a quick turn around.”

Howland said he takes responsibility for the loss as his team fought back several times but couldn’t close it out.

“I didn’t do a good enough job managing our minutes,” Howland said.

“Getting enough minutes for Tyson [Carter] and Robert [Woodard II] in the second half. It really hurt us as the game wore on. So, it fully starts right here with me. I didn’t do as good of a job as I needed to.”

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Trevor Foshey celebrates in a match against Miami on Friday. MSU would