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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

RICK RAY

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3K run seeks to raise

Howland to replace Rick Ray as men’s basketball head coach

awareness for healthy

relationships

by Blake Morgan Sports Editor

Emma Katherine Hutto | The Reflector

Go Paint Starkville:

On Saturday morning, the office of Health Education and Wellness at Mississippi State University sponsored a 3K color run that strove to promote healthy relationships. Held on the campus of MSU around Sorority Row, more than 1,000 individuals were registered to participate in the colorful event. A powdered form of various colors of paint were thrown on participates as they walked or ran. The event sought to bring awareness to the victims of violent relationships.

Mill at MSU to complete construction, host opening ceremony in August

Keenum supports staff salary increase

by D.J. Wormley Staff Writer

The eight universities in Mississippi that are part of the Mississippi Institution of Higher Learning are requesting a $36 million

raise for faculty and staff.

Mark Keenum, president of Mississippi State University, said all eight university presidents agreed salaries play a significant role in education.

“When we were talking about strategy, we all agreed that salaries are at the top of the list of important factors, and we have found that the

most critical challenge for universities is competitive salaries,” Keenum said.

Keenum said he believes salary increases are necessary to keep the most talented faculty and staff.

“We have to continue to maintain the best and brightest faculty, and in order to do that, we need competitive

salaries,” Keenum said.

According to Keenum, it is upsetting when good faculty members feel the need to leave because of low salaries.

“A university is only as good as its faculty and staff. We frequently lose outstanding faculty because of salaries, and that is very disheartening to me,” he said.

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by Katrina Smith Staff Writer

The Mill at Mississippi State University will open its doors in August 2015.

The grand opening ceremony is set for August and will be an informal ceremony until everything is fi nished, and a formal ceremony will follow late in the fall of 2015.

The Mill at MSU is a $40 million project that has transformed the E.E. Cooley Building into a state-of-the-art conference center.

The building’s amenities will include a parking garage with 450 spaces and a hotel with 110 rooms. The conference center also has a ballroom that can hold 1000 people, media rooms with 100-200 seats each, and office spaces of 30,000 on the west end.

Stricklin addresses lifetime baseball seats

by Kayla McNair Contributing Writer

The plan for the new Polk-Dement Stadium at Mississippi State University’s Dudy Noble Field appears to be a field of dreams for some.

However, not everyone is pleased with the changes.

Recently, there has been a minor dispute over “lifetime” seat purchases that owners have to rebuy their seats in the new grandstands they thought they secured when the current facility opened.

Scott Stricklin, athletic director at MSU, said he is unsure how individuals gathered the tickets were of lifetime value.

“The word ‘lifetime’ was never in any material the university put out, but that’s kind of what people have taken it as,” Stricklin said. “(When evaluating the definition of lifetime) you get into whether it’s the lifetime of the stadium or the lifetime of the person.”

Jacob Follin | The Reflector

MILL, 3

Recently, there has been confusion about previous purchases of lifetime MSU baseball tickets.

MSUʼs Athletic Director Scott Stricklin confirmed tickets were never of a lifetime value.

Mississippi State University has zeroed in on Ben Howland to be the next head coach for the men’s basketball team MSU officially announced Monday night.

“I am impressed with Coach Howland’s resume,” MSU president Mark E. Keenum said in a news release. “He has been successful at the highest levels of college basketball, and I have every confidence he will bring that same proven, winning formula to Mississippi State as well.”

Rob Dauster of nbcsports.com was the fi rst person to report the former UCLA coach had emerged as the front runner for the job.

Evan Daniels of scout. com tweeted that, according to a source, there was high interest on both sides to get the deal done, but nothing was fi nal on Sunday.

Jeff Goodman of espn. com reported Monday morning MSU and Howland had verbally agreed on terms for him to become the head basketball coach. Gary Parrish of cbssports.com tweeted MSU’s affi liation with Adidas played no small part in the hire. Howland has had a relationship with Adidas for years.

Howland has been the head coach at three different schools throughout his career. Howland began his head coaching career at Northern Arizona then moved to Pittsburgh. He most recently coached the UCLA Bruins from 2003-14.

The former 2001-02 AP National Coach of the Year has a career record of 398205. Howland previously led UCLA to three straight Final Fours from 2006-08.

He took UCLA to a fi rstplace fi nish in the Pac-12 in 2012-13, but was fi red after the season.

Howland served as a television analyst for the past two years for NBC Sports.

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BASKETBALL, 8

Kinsey Collection owners expand on culture

by Savannah Taggart Contributing Writer

Owners of the “Kinsey Collection” spoke to

audiences on campus Sunday, a day after the opening of the exhibit displaying over 100 of their treasures in AfricanAmerican history.

Bernard Kinsey, former Xerox vice president, Shirley Kinsey, his wife and former

teacher and Khalil Kinsey, their son and curator of the collection, presented “An Afternoon with Bernard and Shirley Kinsey: Exposing the Untold Stories of African American Achievement and Contribution” in

Bettersworth Auditorium at Lee Hall.

Bernard and Shirley Kinsey, both Florida natives, attended Florida A&M where they met in 1963 after a civil rights protest where Shirley was arrested. The

two married after graduating in 1967 and moved to Los Angeles with only $26 to their name.

The couple began the collection in the mid-1980s after Khalil, then in the third grade, brought home a homework

assignment to research his family’s history. They soon began to realize they did not know enough about their own culture.

“We decided to collect what I call our ‘collective ancestry,’” Shirley Kinsey said.

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After expressing the benefit a salary increase would have for staff at MSU, Keenum said students would greatly benefit as well.

“The increase would allow us to be able to retain and attract faculty and to recruit the best. Students who have motivated staff would benefit, and it would also allow our outstanding scientists to be able to conduct cutting-edge research,” Keenum said.

Brett Harris, president of the student association at MSU, said he believes MSU has a high honor and reputation for being a superior research institution is because of its ability to provide adequate compensation to its excellent valuable employees.

“Mississippi State University is a Carnegie One Research Institution.

The reason we have this high honor

and recognition is due to the faculty and staff that we have at our University,” Harris said.

According to Harris, Mississippi professor salaries are roughly 10 percent lower than fellow institutions, and it is necessary to fight for more funding to bridge the pay gap between.

“In short, it would allow us to continue to attract an amazing faculty

and staff and continue to recruit the best researchers and professors possible,” Harris said.

Shavon Gandy, business administration major at MSU, said she believes the raise would be a good idea because it would have a positive effect on faculty and staff as well as students.

“I think it is a great idea.

Considering the fact that tuition

goes up each year and the amount of students entering into MSU is increasing, I think that is only fair,” Gandy said. “Giving raises ensures better work ethic because it gives the faculty and students something to look forward to. I think the raises would be more of an incentive and would probably increase positive attitudes within instructors and give students more stability.”

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“(Which includes) all the wonderful stories and contributions of our people,” Shirley Kinsey said.

During the event, Bernard Kinsey presented the audience with a virtual tour of the collection. The tour featured the artifacts on display at MSU, highlighting a first edition of poems

by Phillis Wheatley’s from 1773, prints of the first black Congress members, correspondence from Martin Luther King, Jr. and copies of the Dred Scott and Brown v.

Board of Education court decisions.

Bernard led the audience through

the complete history of AfricanAmericans from the first Africans coming to America in the 16th century to the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century.

Bernard said the key to a unified and equal future begins with recognizing and informing others about the successes African-Americans have had in the past.

“When you get new information, you change your mind,” Bernard Kinsey said. “We love being here at Mississippi State.”

Their son grew up with an

ever-expanding collection of his African-American history. Khalil Kinsey recalls his friends coming over just to learn more about the collection.

“Speaking from personal experience, I can say this collection has a transformative effect,” Khalil Kinsey said. “The information contained in it challenges, inspires and gives broader context to our rich and complex history.”

The Kinsey Collection is one of the most important AfricanAmerican art and history exhibits in

the world, and has been seen by over four million visitors since the start of its national tour in 2007. The collection houses more than 100 original historical artifacts, documents and pieces of art that tell the often untold and forgotten story of the history and experience of African-Americans from the 1600s to the present.

“What the Kinsey Collection does is put the ‘African’ in American history,” Bernard Kinsey said. “This is the story of a people who did so much with so little, and this collection begins to fill in the blanks,

5 THINGS TO KNOW FOR YOUR TUESDAY 1. Cruzing toward the election. Texas Rep. Senator Ted Cruz announced his candidacy for President of the United States Sunday night at a press conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. An ardent opponent of Obamacare and recent filibuster participant, Cruz hopes to be America’s first Hispanic president. Cruz is the first to officially announce his candidacy for the 2016 presidential campaign.

2. Public awaits autopsy of Mississippi man. 54-year-old Otis Byrd of Claiborne County, Miss. has been found hanging from a tree two weeks after his reported disappearance. An ex-convict, Byrd was reportedly trying to turn his life around by attending church every Sunday. Speculation over whether or not Byrd’s death was a suicide currently surrounds the investigation, but there is currently no evidence the death is race-related.

3. Belated apology from Bob Jones III. The former president of Bob Jones University has apologized for his highly publicized statement that homosexual people should be stoned, which he originally made over thirty years ago. The university has long been known for its hyper-conservative ideals, such as banning interracial dating in the ’70s.

4. Archaeologists discover Nazi lair. A University of Buenos Aires team of archaeologists recently uncovered three ruined stone buildings in an Argentinian jungle, which are filled with Nazi-era coins and decorated with Nazi symbols. The site is an ideal passage from Argentina to Paraguay, ensuring safety for Nazi refugees.

5. ‘Serial’ celebrity to make appeal. Adnan Syed, convicted murderer and subject of popular podcast ‘Serial,’ has made the case that the court should rethink his conviction because of his attorney’s alleged apathy toward his case. Monday, he filed a brief with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, which has agreed to take his case and represent him.

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trying to give those people a voice, a personality and a name.”

Representatives of Visit Mississippi urge the MSU and Starkville community to preview the Kinsey Collection.

“The cultural assets that our colleges and universities in Mississippi can offer visitors are unparalleled,” Visit Mississippi Director Malcolm White said. “We are pleased to partner with Mississippi State University in bringing this impressive collection of African-American treasures to our state.”

BASEBALL Mike Richey, senior associate athletic director for the Bulldog Club and ticket operations, gave details about how these permanent seats were purchased.

“Folks who made a contribution of a certain amount, I think based on where the seats were, purchased those seats and they were to receive a seat as long as they purchased that season ticket in the stadium as long as it was there,” Richey said.

Richey said the office received negative comments concerning the project.

“We’ve gotten feedback from a lot of folks,” he said.

“Some people are disappointed that we’re doing something new with the stadium, but most of it has been positive. I think people are excited about the project as a whole.”

Not all seat owners are disappointed. Jim Sneed, seat owner inside the current Polk-Dement Stadium, said he is enthusiastic about the upcoming changes.

“I was tickled to death,” Sneed said. “It’s a beautiful ballpark and I look forward to being a part of it.

I assumed at some point in

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time if MSU baseball continued to grow and prosper, the stadium would be expanded and there would probably be seat relocations.”

According to Stricklin, the athletic department is grateful for gifts provided by previous seat owners.

“We tried to be sensitive in how we priced it and make sure we gave some consideration for those who did make those gifts when the (current) stadium was built,” Stricklin said.

Although fans were able to purchase permanent seats in the past, such will not be the case in the new stadium. Existing seat owners must make a $300 deposit to secure their seats in the new stadium, and fans who have not previously owned seats must make a $500 deposit to ensure they will have seats in the new stadium, as long as they purchase season tickets.

Contrary to the past, seats will not be sold on an indefinite basis rather they will be available to purchase for 10 years.

This change in operations will prevent anyone from thinking he or she owns the seats for life.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015 REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

Special needs students participate in ‘Bulldogs on the Move’ program

by Taylor Bowden Staff Writer

The Sanderson Center at Mississippi State University will host “Bulldogs on the Move” Friday. This program was initiated by members of Pi Kappa Phi and aims to meet the physical fitness needs of special education students in the Starkville School District.

On Friday, school buses from all three of the Starkville School District elementary schools will arrive on campus to participate in various sports that include basketball, volleyball and kickball, as well as relay races and obstacle courses.

Jacob Boyer, junior special education major and organizer of the event, said Pi Kappa Phi, as one of their local philanthropies, funds “Bulldogs on the

Move.” The event will not be a singular annual occurrence, but will take place several times a year. After this week, the next event

and getting more people involved,” Boyer said.

Jan Houston, special needs teacher at Henderson Elementary and three-year

“Maroon Volunteer Center has helped out tremendously with spreading awareness for the program and getting more people involved.”

-Jacob Boyer, Junior special education major

will be as soon as April 17, with another event at the end of April as well.

“Maroon Volunteer Center has helped out tremendously with spreading awareness for the program

participant of “Bulldogs on the Move,” said this is a great program for her children.

“My blackboard right now has ‘four days to Bulldogs’ written on it,”

Houston said. “We mark it down each day.”

Houston said the program goes beyond increasing physical fitness.

“It is a great program because it involves all three schools and allows us a chance to be together and get to know each other,” Houston said.

Schools in the Starkville school district are divided by age, so as students get older, they have to transfer to new teachers and peer groups.

Houston said the chance for everyone to get together at once and meet and play allows for easier transitions when the students have to move to a different school building.

Anyone interested in volunteering to help run Friday’s activities can sign up online at http://orgsync. com/587/community/calendar. For more information, email Jacob Boyer at JLBoyer12@gmail.com.

Friday, March 20, 2015 4:12 p.m. A visitor was arrested for no tag and suspended driver’s license on MaGruder Street.

5:58 p.m. A visitor reported damages done to his vehicle by an Aspen Heights Shuttle Bus on Stone Blvd.

11:20 p.m. A student was transported to OCH from the Chi Omega fraternity house for medical assistance. A student referral was issued for underage drinking.

Saturday, March 21, 2015 1:45 a.m. A student was arrested for public drunkenness behind Bost Extension Building. A student referral was issued.

12:40 p.m. A student reported losing her wallet at an unknown location.

10:47 p.m. A visitor was arrested for driving under the influence and disregard of traffic device on President’s Circle. A justice court citation was issued.

Sunday, March 22, 2015 12:35 a.m. SPD recovered an MSU golf cart near the intersection of Spring and Russell Street stolen by juveniles.

9:35 a.m. A student reported his vehicle burglarized while parked behind McKee Hall.

11:04 a.m. A student reported his vehicle burglarized while parked in Cresswell Hall parking lot.

5:59 p.m. A student reported a suspicious incident at the Palmiero Center.

MILL David Shaw, vice president for Research and Economic Development, confirmed the project is ahead of schedule and the conference center will be done by August.

The hotel is expected to be finished by the start of 2015’s football season.

The Mill at MSU has won Best Outstanding Project

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for 2014 from the American Planning Association. Upon completion of the Mill, there are hopes to increase tourism and gain representation with this new development.

Mark Keenum, MSU president, said he looks forward to celebrating the completion of the project.

“I understand that

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construction is ahead of schedule,” Keenum said. “If all continues to go well, we expect a mid-to-late summer completion date this year.”

According to Keenum, there are no new details of the project since construction began.

“The overall project includes a conference center,

hotel and parking garage complex centered around MSU’s historic E.E. Cooley Building,” he said. “It will also feature mixed-use business parcels on the land adjacent to the university’s old physical plant.”

Keenum said MSU has needed a conference center capable of accommodating

large academic and professional meetings for many years.

“The Mill at MSU fits that bill and will also provide a more dynamic gateway across the street from this main entrance to campus,” he said. “The project as a whole will be a boon to our ability to

attract important academic conferences and visitors, provide much needed office space, and be more appealing to prospective students and faculty members. It has the potential to provide a tremendous economic boost for Starkville, Oktibbeha and the entire region.”

THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Letter to the Editor Roots of capitalism in history prove its relevance and supremacy

by Steve Casey

The academic study of civilization is predominantly a study of wars. The approximately 6,000 years of recorded human history is dominated by nations becoming empires by conquering other nations, taking their wealth and either enslaving their people or demanding high taxes and tributes from them.

The primary slavery in world history had nothing to do with race. It was based on who conquered whom.

In fact our word “slave” comes from the word

“slav.” The Slavic people, who inhabited a large part of Eastern Europe, were taken as slaves by the Muslims of Spain during the ninth century.

The most prominent form of government throughout history has been monarchy where a king or queen ruled over everyone else. In many cases, these rulers were worshipped or considered to be endowed with divine rights. Some monarchies evolved into socialism, which claimed to be a sharing of wealth and a creation of equality. In most cases, this system developed into

an elite group replacing or working with the monarch. The result has almost always been a small group of rich and powerful ruling

of governmental systems similar to capitalism, it was not until the 13 American colonies rebelled against the monarchy of England

“These methods of conquer, enslave and control continued to dominate history until the development of capitalism.” over a large group of poor.

These methods of conquer, enslave and control continued to dominate history until the development of capitalism. Though there were brief moments

that true capitalism was born.

Though moving civilization in a good direction, this new system of individual rights did not immediately shake off all

the problems of 6,000 years of history. Seven of the 13 colonies immediately outlawed slavery, but it took over 80 years to completely eradicate legalized slavery.

Conquering and possessing still existed as the nation moved west. But this too ended, and the new system became the defender of nations rather than the conqueror of nations.

As this new system based on individual worth and freedom developed, it evolved into the America we know today. Capitalism’s basic economic principle is the right of the individual to earn and keep that which

he has earned. The greatest defense of capitalism can be seen in visiting nations where monarchy and socialism are still being practiced and comparing the living conditions with those in capitalistic nations. Sure, there are some who would like to leave America and live elsewhere. But most of the world would love to trade places with us.

This being said, why do we now have so many people who wish to destroy the system that has given its people the highest living standard in world history?

The alternatives are not very promising.

Moral relativism problematic for modern ethics

by Matt DeBerry Contributing Writer

In the secular world today, our society is taught there are no moral absolutes. This is to say, nothing is absolutely right or wrong and all of ethics are simply based upon man’s opinion.

In this article I attempt to show how this position not only denies reason, but is also an issue that is undermining the very fabric of our society.

In the words of the wellknown 19th century atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, “You have your way, I have my way. As for the right way, it does not exist.” From this statement flows the underpinning of

our modern secular thought on ethics. No person has the answer as to what is actually right and wrong, and everyone is entitled to have his or her own truth with no objective standard to look toward.

Few people understand the implications of this philosophy of moral relativism of which Nietzsche spoke.

Just think for a moment of the consequences of this belief. If moral relativism is true, then who can say it was wrong for Adolf Hitler to murder over nine million Jews in the Holocaust?

Who can say it was wrong for slavery to have existed in this nation until 1865? Who can say any action a human being ever takes, whether it be murdering someone

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or feeding the homeless, is right or wrong? The answer from the atheistic worldview is it doesn’t matter one bit. If there are no moral absolutes, any behaviors — whether rape or giving to charity — aren’t inherently right or wrong. If Hitler’s society taught it was right to kill Jews, that’s what was right for him and his people, according to this atheistic philosophy. This philosophy confl icts with reason and sanity.

In the face of this atheistic worldview that simply doesn’t believe right or wrong, we are left with the only logical conclusion that is big enough to explain what we already know. Every human being has written upon his or

her heart the knowledge there is absolute right and wrong behavior. The reason behind this is that a creator whose very being is goodness itself has made us in his image. This is the only foundation a society that values upon which ethics can rest. If God exists, then we can absolutely say moral absolutes do exist and return to sanity by reaffi rming what we already inherently know to be true: murder, stealing, cheating, mischief, rape and all other wrong behaviors are absolutely wrong and not subject to man’s opinion.

“As for the right way, it does not exist,” Nietzsche said. Based on his own logic, I would ask this: is the atheistic philosophy of no

moral absolutes absolutely right? In the end, I believe this atheistic approach to ethics collapses upon itself.

In the words of Fyodor Dostoevsky, “If there is no God, everything is permitted.” Unless we have society that understands moral absolutes of right and wrong do actually exist as a result of a God whose very nature is goodness, we have no grounds to ask any single person on the planet to behave in a particular way. Again, if all ethics are simply man’s opinion, there is nothing inherently wrong with the Holocaust, the Spanish Inquisition or any other atrocity in history. I fi rmly believe atheistic moral philosophy, which came to rise in the

nineteenth century, gave rise to the bloody twentieth century. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin — who combined killed over 50 million people — were great admirers of Nietzsche’s philosophy, and Hitler even gave copies of Nietzsche works to his Italian ally Benito Mussolini. Atheism is a license to kill. The only approach that values the worth of human life, dignity and ethics and satisfies sanity is the belief in a creator God. One might ask: well where do we go from here?

In the words of the great Catholic Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas “How can we live in harmony? First we need to know we’re all madly in love with the same God.”

“When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”

The Steady Stride

Overseas focus leads to oversight of local poverty As undeniably valuable as compassion is, its distribution often provides a curious look at the motivations of those offering it. Thus, I find it important to assess the manifestations of compassion as a whole — specifically the ways in which we often neglect our very neighbors due to the favoritism shown toward people

Managing Editor Catie Marie Martin

of more pronounced destitution elsewhere in the world.

Compassion most regularly falls upon those bearing the stereotypical image of poverty: the starving of Africa, those living in slums in the Far-East, the war-ravaged villages, those dying of disease. These visions, and many more, provide what may seem sufficient

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qualifications to warrant our compassion. They rightly elicit an emotional response: often, a feeling of sympathy.

Yet in the United States, the poverty within miles of each one of us does not, from my angle, receive the same sort of sympathy. You may say those in developing countries experience a sort of hardship none here will ever know, and that may be true.

But I believe we too quickly ship our compassion and

be found elsewhere, among the “less fortunate.” That perspective is a great luxury, but also a lie. We are all “less fortunate” in some way or another.

There is an interesting trend that has taken hold in recent decades, particularly among the young and affluent. For those who have the means, it has become quite the posh excursion to visit other countries that bear the marks of abject poverty. We

“By the way many treat those who live among us in our own cities, neighborhoods and schools, one might deduce we care very little for each other...” ourselves overseas without asking our neighbors what we can first do for them. By the way many treat those who live among us in our own cities, neighborhoods and schools, one might deduce we care very little for each other. We are actually quite selfish at home, but travel abroad to share our goodness with the needy. How noble of us.

Somewhere along the line, it became commonplace to be admonished for neglecting starving children in Africa when caught wasting food. While acknowledging a very real need in many parts of the world, and challenging careless eating practices, such a dichotomization keeps us ever looking into the distance for a recognition of need, while we must first address what is right in front of us. We do not see insolvency as something present with us, but only something to

in the U.S. are largely free of the wholesale poverty that afflicts large swaths of populations in developing countries. And this lack of exposure makes us unsure of how to deal with those forms of poverty that we do see domestically. It is admittedly strange and uncomfortable to be faced with unexpected privation. Yet I submit that our response to that which we find locally could stand to borrow from the flashy, offhand concern that we feel for remote regions of impoverishment. The poor and deprived on our own streets deserve attention as well.

A further rift in the offering of compassion is: who deserves it? We have a great interest in the “innocent-poor,” those who have committed no discernable crime and seem harmless.

But we are not so interested in those who have been stigmatized by violence or misdeed.

These people are admittedly harder to get excited about, to serve and love, as they are not quite as desirable. But with this mindset we are throwing many desperate people to the curb, even while we so openly and enthusiastically embrace others that do meet our ideas of “worthy candidates.” Remember, not all with genuine need can offer a cute smile and be held tenderly in return for your services. There are many who may seem to have nothing redeemable in them who will beckon you to be close to them. And there does exist destitution that will not fit blithely into an Instagram post.

In my own life, I have been fortunate enough to grow up comfortably. But I realized one day, to my own shock and conviction, that less than a mile from my house was a set of railroad tracks, on the other side of which was an entirely different set of experiences from my own. It was then I realized I did not need to go to a foreign land to feel like an alien. I did not need to cross an ocean to meet someone who was familiar with daily hardship. How simple yet consistently neglected is this truth? I am often guilty.

Personally, I am not so sure I have earned sufficient credentials to take my own personal compassion-show on the road. If love is absent at home and isn’t extended fully to those within my vicinity, what a master of deception I must be to convince those abroad that I genuinely love all people as sincerely as my brief time with them may seem to indicate. When I feel within myself spontaneous and unprecedented urges to go far away and “make a difference,” I conclude that

Andy Moore is a senior majoring in political science.

He can be contacted at opinion@ reflector.msstate.edu.

it may not be other people that I love and care for, but myself, with my own ideas of self-righteousness being where my heart really lies.

Were you to ask me right now whether I’d rather take a trip to Ghana or to a homeless shelter in the center of my very own city, I would likely choose the former, even if it came at great cost monetarily. Why? There is some mystical allure of faroff countries, where I would likely be a spectacle and the focus of much attention. It is sexy. There I might even be tempted to carry vain visions of being some sort of white savior for the darker peoples at the margins of the world. There is a Jars of Clay song that takes a particularly severe blow at such inappropriate ideas; in the song “Light Gives Heat,” they sing, “heroes from the West, we don’t know you, we know best” as an admission of an attitude all too common among the people of the nothern hemisphere. A far cry from this is where meaningful concern and useful service begins. A wholesome view of what it means to be a neighbor seems like a great place to start. There is work to be done.

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2015

An In-Class Distraction

CLASSIFIEDS POLICY

The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m.

Thursday; the deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Classifieds are $5 per issue. Student and staff ads are $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found: found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed for standard ad cost.

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CLUB INFO

The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday.

MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email to club_info@ reflector.msstate.edu with the subject heading “CLUB INFO,” or a form may be completed The Reflector at office in the Student Media Center. A contact name, phone number and requested run dates must be included for club info to appear in The Reflector. All submissions are subject to exemption according to space availability.

MSU HILLEL

Jews wanted! If you’re Jewish, let us know!

Like us on Facebook at Hillel @ Mississippi State University. Join us for meetings. For more questions, contact Joseph Metz at 601-813-7720.

YOGA MOVES CLUB

School or work stressing you out? Get moving into Yoga Moves. Try our moves to get into shape and our relaxation techniques to handle the stress. Yoga Moves meets at the Sanderson Center in Studio C, Thursday evenings from 5:30-7 p.m. Like Yoga Moves Club - MSU on Facebook.

STUDENTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS

Care about the environment? Love activism? Come join SSC on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. in McCool 111 to make a difference. Follow on Twitter @MSU_SSC. STATE RUGBY

Think you’re tough???

Think again… Join State Rugby. 2014 SEC Division Champions!

Practices T, W, R @ 5:30 at Rec Plex. For more info: rugby.org.msstate. edu or rugby-info@org. msstate.edu.

BALLROOM DANCE CLUB

The Ballroom Dance Club is having its 10th Annual Moonlight Ball. It will be $20 for students and $25 for non-students and includes a catered dinner. It will be held April 11 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanderson Center.

SOCIOLOGICAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The Sociological Student Association will meet the last Thursday of every month at 5 p.m. in Bowen Hall room 250.

All majors are welcome.

For more information, contact Dr. Lane at lane@soc.msstate.edu.

WESLEY FOUNDATION

Join us for Insight, a night of worship and Bible study at the Wesley Foundation, Tuesday nights at 8:00.

ANTHROPOLOGY CLUB

The Anthropology Club will be having a meeting March 24th at 5 p.m. in Cobb 100.

Follow the SPORTS SECTION on Twitter

@SPORTSREFLECTOR Saturday, March 28th 1 p.m. until 11 p.m.

City Hall Lawn / Meridian, Mississippi

March 20 solutions:

The Featuring

is

now accepting APPLICATIONS for

Managing Editor, Section Editors, Photography Editor, Multimedia Editor, Copy Editor, Graphic Designer and Ad Manager for the 2013-2014 school year

Interviews will be conducted until Wednesday at 8 p.m.

Applications may be picked up from The Reflector main office in the Henry F. Meyer Student Media Center. Interview sign-up times are posted on the Publication Board Room.

Call 325-2374 for more information.

T he W ailers Drivin ‘n Cryin Black Pistol F ire Old Southwest and many more

Tickets: $20 in advance/$30 at the gate

www.59twenty.com Children under 12 free

THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Book-to-film ‘Insurgent’ is action-packed Green sheds light

by Mary Rumore Contributing Writer

The second movie in the Divergent Series, “Insurgent,” premiered in theaters on Friday in 2D and 3D, with more action scenes and shocking plot twists than the first movie of the series, “Divergent.”

The New York Times reported, “Tighter, tougher and every bit as witless as its predecessor, ‘The Divergent Series: Insurgent’– the second segment in the cycle – arrived with a yawn and ends with a bang.”

“Insurgent” is based on the book trilogy for young adults by Veronica Roth.

Stars of the movie include Shailene Woodley, Theo

James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts and Octavia Spencer.

The movie takes place in dystopian Chicago, Illinois, where society is split into five factions based on its members’ personalities.

There are also divergents, who are people that do not fit into any one faction.

According to Jeanine (Kate Winslet,) the leader of the factions, the divergents will be the downfall of society, and she is set out to destroy them.

Woodley plays the heroine of the story, Tris Prior.

She is a young divergent dealing with the death of her parents, and she wants to kill Jeanine to bring peace to the dystopian world. With the help of her boyfriend Four, played by Theo James, and a group of

other divergents, they fight Jeanine throughout the movie.

“Insurgent” has more action and special effects than its predecessor. After being trained by the dauntless faction in “Divergent,” Tris is more willing and able to fight in the second movie than in the first. Although Tris is small and looks unintimidating, she is the main character in every action scene. At one point, Tris is even in a simulated fight against herself. ABC News said “Insurgent” is actionpacked, but it is just like every other movie in which only a teenager can save the world, similar to “The Hunger Games.”

“The action, although predictable, is bigger and bolder than in the first movie,” the news outlet said.

To people who have not read the books, “Insurgent” is full of shocking plot twists as well as action scenes. The most shocking moment was the betrayal of Tris’s brother, Caleb (Ansel Elgort) to Tris and the rest of the group.

Peter, played by Miles Teller, is another member of the group in the fight against Jeanine. Peter contributes to another one of the movie’s surprising plot twists. Unlike Caleb’s betrayal, Peter’s loyalty to the rest of the group is a surprise to viewers. Peter also adds some comedy to “Insurgent.” CNN said Peter gives welcome comedy to the otherwise serious movie.

The third movie in the Divergent Series, “Allegiant: Part 1,” is set to premier in theaters on March 18, 2016.

on sexual assault

Bailey McDaniel| The Reflector

929 Comedy Night

Laci Green spoke on Thursday at the Colvard Student Union. Green addressed topics and issues pertaining to the vices of rape culture.

by Bailey McDaniel Staff Writer

Emma Katherine Hutto | The Reflector

Starkvilleʼs Nine-twentynine hosted a comedy night Saturday. Comedians from various places in Mississippi entertained the crowd with hilarious acts.

MSU hosts Miss Maroon and White

by Jessi Cole Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again — the prestigious Miss Maroon and White pageant is just around the corner.

The pageant will be held on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Lee Hall’s Bettersworth Auditorium. Doors will

Mon.-Thurs: $.25 Martinis at Lunch Mon.: $2.00 Margaritas 9-12pm Tuesday is Ladies Night!

open at 6:30 p.m. There will be 53 students competing for the title of Miss Maroon and White this year. Tickets are $15 each and may be purchased online. Students can purchase tickets for $10 in the Center for Student Activities.

The Miss Maroon and White pageant is a beauty review in which contestants compete in interviews and formal wear presentations. The winner will go on to represent MSU at various appearances and functions.

Lacy Trelles, junior political science major and 2014 Miss Maroon and White, said her reign as a representative of MSU has been quite the experience.

“This past year has been incredibly busy, not just for Miss Maroon and White, but also for MSU

as a university. The excitement around sports and huge events happening on campus made everything even more enjoyable, and I could not have been blessed with a better year of opportunity to represent State,” she said Haleigh Smith, freshman biological science major, said she is nervous, but excited to compete in Miss Maroon and White.

“I’m anxious to see the kind of impression I can give the judges. I decided to compete to bring myself out of my comfort zone and experience something that I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I know all of the beautiful girls entering are more than deserving of the title, and I can’t wait to just do the best I can to represent MSU well and have a fun time.”

Alivia Roberts,

freshman communication major and current Miss Tombigbee, said she is excited to compete in this year’s pageant. She said she fi nds the Miss Maroon and White pageant a wonderful opportunity to represent MSU in a very positive image.

“I have prepared myself physically, mentally and intellectually by involving myself in the necessary activities. I do hope each participant understands that it is the experience that gives the pageant its worth,” she said.

The pageant has not seen this many competitors since the ‘80s. Current title holder Lacy Trelles and 2014’s Miss MSU Randi Kathryn Harmon will emcee, and Trelles encourages “all the students to come out and support the girls vying for the crown.”

Thursday, blogger and activist Laci Green spoke for Women’s History Month at Mississippi State University. Green gave a harrowing presentation on taking down rape culture in today’s society.

Slut-shaming, the media’s portrayal of rape and victimization were some of the main points she discussed during her speech.

Green is known for her popular YouTube channel “Sex+,” in which she addresses issues pertaining to subjects such as relationships, body image, sexuality and gender.

Hannah Holetz, freshman psychology major and longtime fan and follower of Green, said she thought having Green give a presentation on rape culture was needed to show just how common and overlooked this issue is, especially on a college campus.

“Having been on campus for close to two semesters, I have seen fi rsthand how oblivious students are to the stigma that is attached to sexual assault,” Holetz said.

“Instead of looking at victims as sluts and whores who were asking for trouble, we need to prosecute perpetrators and provide support and justice to victims. This presentation was needed to give students and faculty the information regarding rape culture and tools on how to end it.”

During her presentation, Green

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pointed out specific cases and examples of common rape culture that the public often overlooks.

She pointed out the horrifying truths behind Robin Thicke’s No. 1 bestselling song “Blurred Lines.” With lyrics like “I know you want it” and “I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two.” Green said this song is a prime example of how society encourages pushing people’s limits when regarding sex.

Emily Brown, freshman biochemistry major, said persuading someone to go further than they wish in a sexual encounter is a major problem in today’s society.

“I’m honored to have gotten to hear Laci Green speak on the issue of rape culture,” Brown said.

“Consent is a subject that everyone needs to understand. ‘Yes’ means yes and ‘no’ means no.

There should never be persuasion or coercion in the matter, and Laci clarified that.”

Green discussed the fact that over one hundred college universities are under investigation at the moment due to discrepancies regarding sexual assault cases on campus.

In almost every video and case brought up during the presentation, a fraternity or athlete with a “promising career ahead of them” was involved.

With well-known cases like Steubenville and the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity from Yale chanting “no means yes, yes means anal” in front of the female freshman housing residences, rape culture is clearly a pressing issue.

Sports

7 THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Women’s basketball falls to Duke in round of 32

by Zach Wanger Staff Writer

Even though Sunday’s 64-56 loss to Duke brought tears from the majority of the players, when the fi nal whistle blew in the Mississippi State University Bulldogs game.

MSU Head Coach Vic Schaefer applauded his team’s work effort after the game, but lamented the fact the shots just simply would not fall for his squad when they needed them the most.

“I’m proud of our effort.

We just didn’t make shots,” Schaefer said in a news release. “At the end of the day, if you get shots, sometimes you’ve got to make shots. We just didn’t make shots.”

The Bulldogs came out of the halftime locker room fi red up and pushed their lead at the time up to as many as six points with 15:49 left in the second half before the momentum would swing drastically back in the favor of the Blue Devils, who would not look back on this occasion.

In particular, Blue Devil freshmen Azura Stevens and Rebecca Greenwell were the keys for Duke in helping stave off a late Bulldog run to seal the victory and clinch a berth in the Sweet 16. Stevens posted a 22-point and 10-rebound stat line while Greenwell added 17 points, most of which came from the threepoint line in the second half.

From the 15:49 mark on toward around nine minutes left in the game, Duke would go on the defi ning run of the game, outscoring MSU 12-2 over this stretch, all of which would occur

Andy Mead| Media Relations

The Mississippi State bench cheers on the team against the Duke Blue Devils. The Bulldogs finished the season with the most wins in school history with 27.

with Victoria Vivians on the bench, as she picked up her third foul earlier in the half.

Throughout the season, the Bulldogs became reliant on Vivians’ ability to score the basketball, and the difference between having her on the court versus on the bench ended up being the

deciding factor in whether they won or lost games.

Unfortunately for MSU, Vivians’ hand injury during the SEC Tournament loss to Kentucky and her foul trouble against Duke on Sunday would end up being more examples of how instrumental it was to have her on

the court rather than on the bench.

Although the Bulldogs faced a large deficit halfway through the second half, they valiantly fought back as a team to cut the Duke lead down to six with almost a minute left to play.

The Bulldogs were denied

Miss

an offensive foul call on Duke when it was deemed that Greenwell was impeded by Bulldog sophomore Dominique Dillingham, rather than pushed by the Blue Devil.

Schaefer saw it in the later fashion than what the referee saw and let his opinion be

known loudly and demonstratively. He received a technical for his actions, and if it had not been for the bench restraining him, he may have been shown an early exit from the game.

Afterward, Schaefer said he will always stand up for his players when the time is right, especially one who works as hard as Dillingham.

“I’m going to fight for her every day and twice on Sunday,” Schaefer said.

“That kid gives me everything she’s got. When I think something’s going on that isn’t fair to her, you’re going to fi nd me in the middle of it.”

Duke would go on to win by nine, ending what could be argued to be one of the most successful seasons in the history of the MSU program—statement that many may not have seen this success as even in the realm of possibility roughly three years ago when Schaefer took the job. Grant said she remembers hearing from her coach all that time ago that this fi nish was possible.

“Three years ago when coach Schaefer came, he told us, if the (players) he inherited stayed out, we’re going to get you here,” Grant said. “Three years later we’re here. Obviously, he’s a man of his word.”

Looking forward, Schaefer likes the future make-up of his team and reiterated after the loss there should be plenty of good times to come for the Mississippi State women’s basketball program.

“Bottom line is we end most games with two freshmen and two sophomores on the floor,” Schaefer said.

“I feel, obviously very, very good about our future.”

Sports THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015

Menʼs tennis falls to Texas A&M: No. 35 Mississippi State

Sarah Story| The Reflector

University fell to No. 7 Texas A&M 4-1. The matches were closer than the score suggests.

“That was a tough match, but still canʼt say enough about our guys and their fight against the No. 7 team in the nation,” Head Coach Matt Roberts said in a news release. “We had a great crowd and a lot of energy, but it was a back-and-forth match and Texas A&M pulled it out.” The Bulldogs will return to action Wednesday at 5 p.m. to face Ole Miss at the A.J. Pitts Tennis Centre in Starkville, Mississippi.

Low and Away

MSU hire holds potential Rick Ray’s tenure as Mississippi State University’s men’s basketball coach has come to an end. On Saturday, MSU Athletic Director Scott Stricklin announced he decided to take the basketball program in a different direction with the decision to let Ray go.

“After much thought and deliberation, I have made the decision to replace Rick Ray as Mississippi State’s men’s basketball coach,” Stricklin said in a press release. “This has been a difficult decision, as I have the utmost respect for Rick, and am highly appreciative

in an up-and-coming coach.

This is where Stricklin found Rick Ray. Ray was an assistant at Clemson before taking the head coaching job at MSU three years ago.

Although it wasn’t the most glamorous hire, it gave Ray a chance to prove what he could do. Unfortunately, the world of sports is a cruel place at times.

The most interesting aspect of Ray’s firing is the timing. It did not come directly after the season ended, but it still came before the 2014-15 season has completely ended. This is intriguing on many levels.

“If MSU wants to stay competitive in the SEC, it needs Howland. You cannot expect to run with the big boys like John Calipari (Kentucky), Billy Donovan (Florida) and new threat Bruce Pearl (Auburn) without a big name of your own.” in the effort he put forth in leading our basketball program.”

But which way will the program go from here?

A common practice of Stricklin in hiring new head coaches has been to take the assistant coaching route. This can be beneficial in two ways. One, it is much cheaper than getting the big-name coaches many fight over, and two, it offers a chance to see the potential

BASKETBALL

“I’m just so humble and grateful to be the new basketball coach at Mississippi State university,” Howland said. “I’m elated and excited the opportunity build a consistent winner here at State.

I know we have some of the greatest fans in the country and I look forward to

Does Scott Stricklin have a proven coach up his sleeve already?

Speculation began circling around who the new hire would be almost immediately after the decision to let Ray go. Will Stricklin’s trend continue along the assistant coaching route? Or are we in for a change?

If you don’t know the name Ben Howland, you might want to get familiar with it. Howland was the

Shane Anderson is a senior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@ gmail.com.

head coach at UCLA for nine years and collected a record of 233-107 and made three consecutive Final Fours with the Bruins from 2006-08. In 2002 he was named the Naismith National Coach of the Year at Pittsburgh and won the Big East tournament in 2003 with the Panthers. He also led UCLA to two Pac-10 tournament championships in 2006 and 2008.

NBCsports.com and others reported Howland was the front-runner on the Bulldogs’ new head coach list, and since being let go by UCLA, Howland has been searching for head coaching jobs. Howland was officially hired Monday evening.

So what does Stricklin landing Howland mean for Bulldog basketball in the future? The answer is simple: MSU, would become an SEC contender again.

If MSU wants to stay competitive in the SEC, it needs Howland. You cannot expect to run with the big boys like John Calipari (Kentucky), Billy Donovan (Florida) and new threat Bruce Pearl (Auburn) without a big name of your own.

MSU dismisses Rick Ray

by Blake Morgan Sports Editor

Mississippi State University has decided to let men’s basketball Head Coach Rick Ray go after a 37-60 record in three seasons at the helm.

Athletic Director Scott Stricklin released a statement Saturday morning regarding the decision.

“This has been a difficult decision, as I have the utmost respect for Rick, and am highly appreciative of the effort he put forth in leading our basketball program,” Stricklin said in the statement. “To Rick’s credit, we have seen great strides from our student-athletes in several areas, including academics.”

Ray fi nished the 20142015 season with a 13-19 record.

“The more I thought about it, I am just not convinced or have the confidence that as much as I want Rick Ray to be the guy to lead us forward,” Stricklin said in a press conference. “I just don’t know how much confidence I had that that was going to be the direction that we wanted it to be.”

Noah Siano | The Reflector

Rick Ray served as the assistant basketball coach at Clemson before MSU.

Stricklin said he will lead the search for the next head coach and will not hire a search fi rm to help fi nd a new candidate.

“I have an idea of some names that interest me more than others, and I have already started the process

of figuring out which of those names will be fruitful,” Stricklin said.

Ray had two more years left on his contract and will receive a portion of the fi nal contract. Ray released a statement on Instagram thanking MSU fans.

Beyond the Arc

Howland brings credibility Ben Howland will become the next head coach of the men’s basketball team at Mississippi State University which changes everything for MSU. Adding Ben Howland will make MSU instantly relevant again for the first time in possibly half a decade. His credentials speak for themselves.

Howland went to three straight Final Fours at UCLA and was named the AP National Coach of the Year when he was the coach at Pittsburgh.

The Mississippi State basketball program will immediately be in the mix in the wide-open SEC with the addition of Howland. From general obscurity to the national spotlight once again.

On the “Eye on College Basketball” podcast Gary Parrish said Athletic Director Scott Strickin had this deal in place before he let Rick Ray go Saturday

morning. This is not totally surprising when you think about it. How would Stricklin be able to go from firing a coach to hiring the biggest free agent name in the coaching carosuel in less than 36 hours? Stricklin and Howland had conversations about the job and were brought together by the people at Adidas.

Did Stricklin do Ray a disservice by talking to another head coach while he was under contract?

Of course not, as slimy it can appear on the surface this is just the name of the game. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive told the SEC athletic directors this past summer men’s basketball needed to become more of a priority. If the right guy is

Blake Morgan is the Sports Editor at The Reflector. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@gmail. com.

not in place, get someone who is, was the basic message of the meeting.

Howland will be that guy.

He has been to two more Final Fours than MSU has in the school’s history for crying out loud. MSU has finally found the right guy for the program.

CONTINUED FROM 1

making them proud of our team and our efforts. Hail State.”

With the hire MSU becomes the third school in college sports to employ coaches that have been in the New Year’s 6, College World Series and Final Four in football, baseball and

basketball respectively. The other two schools with this accomplishment are Texas and Louisville.

Stricklin found the replacement for former Head Coach Rick Ray. Ray was at the helm for the Bulldogs for three years and posted a 37-60 record.

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