09.17.2019 by Reflector Editor

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TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2019

135th YEAR ISSUE 6

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Architecture students take silver nationally GRACIE BYRNE STAFF WRITER

A team of Mississippi State University architecture students earned second place in a national masonry competition for their brick design. The team of students presented their brick design, entitled “The Slant,” in the National Unit Design Competition at the National Concrete Masonry Association’s midyear meeting in Seattle, Washington. The team consisted of Grace Sheridan, a junior from Olive Branch, Kayla Perez, a junior from Metairie, Louisiana and Joseph Thompson, a junior from Brandon. “We made the bricks, and we made the models,” Sheridan said. “And we ended up taking second place, which was cool.” The three became a team during the spring semester,

Christie McNeal | Courtesy Photo

Pictured at the National Concrete Masonry Association 2019 midyear meeting are (left to right) professor Jacob A. Gines; architecture juniors Grace Sheridan, Kayla Perez and Joseph Thompson; and Fred Dunand, president of Saturn Materials LLC of Columbus.

when “The Slant” started out as an assignment for MSU associate architecture professor Jacob Gines’s

materials course. A local competition was then held for their class, which was sponsored by Fred Dunand,

owner and president of Saturn Materials in Columbus. The assignment consisted of producing a set of eight concrete masonry units based on the team’s design. Each block measured 3-5/8 inches by 3-5/8 inches by 7-5/8 inches. According to Dunand, the judging panel for the local competition consisted of one architect, one masonry concreter, Gines and Dunand. A total of 17 groups competed, with three to four students per group. In the end, “The Slant” won gold in the local competition. After they won the local competition and were accepted into the national competition, the team gave Dunand their mold, so his company could make the ﬁnal version since the version made for the local competition was constructed of Quikrete in the workshop on campus, Sheridan said. ARCHITECTURE, 2

Student ﬁlm club arrives on “The Scene” PAYTON BROWN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Gracie Byrne | The Reﬂector

Caroline Matheny, president of the new ﬁlm club “The Scene,” adjusts a video camera.

Along with the addition of a new film minor, Mississippi State University is now home to “The Scene,” a new student organization for anyone interested in film making, acting and scriptwriting. Melanie Loehwing, a faculty aide for “The Scene” and current chair of the Film Studies Committee, said the club was formed with the students’ intent on gaining real-world experience in the varied aspects of filmmaking. “Students created the club to provide an opportunity for students who might be interested

in filmmaking to get some hands-on experience,” Loehwing said. “They do every part of the process themselves. They write scripts, cast actors, direct, shoot and edit, so that you can really get experience of what film-making looks like.” “The Scene” is open to more than just students minoring in film studies, and provides opportunities for those of all majors and for those with a variety of different interests besides standard cinematography. According to Loehwing, the club is flexible and students have a variety of film selections to choose from when deciding what to produce.

MSU alumnus to launch Kickstarter for video game company

like Super Smash Bros., especially at this time,” Gilbrech said. “There’s a ton of potential with this type of game.” “Slayers for Hire” has been in the works for years now, and there is currently a free alpha build version on Discord where players can help alpha test the game. There is currently one character that is playable through this version, with ﬁve others announced, Gilbrech said. After years of work, “Slayers for Hire” is set to release later this month on Kickstarter along with the release of another playable character and the announcement of many more. Gilbrech explained that after the release, the immediate plan for Meta Games is to continue developing and improving “Slayers for Hire.” “Right now, the plan is to keep growing (Slayers for Hire). I’d love to do stuff with this game where you can have an online co-op mode.

KAYLEE RICCHETTI

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Mississippi State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach is dedicated to assisting students in building business startups and has produced multiple successful ventures. One of the startups is MSU alumnus Ryan Gilbrech’s Meta Games video game company. According to Gilbrech, who graduated from MSU with an undergraduate degree in biological engineering and a master’s in business administration, Meta Games, founded in 2015, has been continually working on the creation of its ﬁrst game titled “Slayers for Hire.” The game is a platform ﬁghter style game, similar to the style of the popular “Super Smash Bros” video game. “Games, as a whole, have been a very integral part of my life, and I saw that there aren’t a lot of games

KICKSTARTER, 2

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Rosalind Hutton

MSU to provide statewide educational support through newly awarded grant DANIEL DYE

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Yashaswin Sridhar| The Reﬂector

The U.S. Department of Educationʼs GEAR UP grant program will provide developmental opportunities for secondary schools across the state.

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Mississippi State University was recently awarded a multi-milliondollar grant from the U.S. Department of Education with the goal of developing schools across the state and increasing opportunities for postsecondary education. The grant provides $27.9 million for distribution over seven years, and is a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs grant program, or the GEAR UP grant program. The goal of the program is to not only ﬁnancially support lowincome students as they prepare for college, but to implement different services to better facilitate teachers and administrators MSU President Mark Keenum stated in a press release that the grant is of

FORECAST: The heat will continue for the next couple days as high pressure remains strong along the Eastern U.S. By Thursday, we will begin to see clouds pushing into the area from the east. These clouds will bring down our high temperatures just a little bit while also increasing the chance for some showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon hours, lingering into the

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the utmost importance in developing Mississippi’s future leaders, and he is proud of the university’s inﬂuence on education throughout the state.

to come, which makes it critical that we do everything we can to expand access to all educational opportunities,” Keenum stated. “I am proud of MSU’s leadership in GEAR UP Mississippi and I would like to thank our congressional delegation for supporting our funding request. I look forward to seeing all the positive ways this initiative will impact our state.” The GEAR UP program seeks to accommodate school districts throughout the state in many ways aside from direct funding. Teachers will be offered professional development opportunities and schools will begin to offer both in-school and after-school STEM programs to expose students to computer science early. Aside from school-based programs, the grant hopes to connect schools with their respective communities as well. GRANT, 2

““Education

will play a vital role in preparing Mississippi to be competitive for generations to come, which makes it critical that we do everything we can to expand access to all educational opportunities.” Mark Keenum MSU President

“Education will play a vital role in preparing Mississippi to be competitive for generations

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KICKSTARTER We want to add a ton more characters and fun game modes,” Gilbrech said. However, as a biological engineering graduate, Ryan explained that he came into the video game field without the skills to actually produce the company. As a result, he decided to return to school to get his MBA and learn how to run a business. Video game creation skills such as programming, artistry and animation could be learned through online tutorials or classes, Gilbrech said, but creating and running a company were skills he would need help learning—a decision which led him back to MSU and the E-Center. Eric Alan Hill, the E-Center’s Director of Entrepreneurship, said he and the E-Center worked with Gilbrech throughout the process of creating Meta Games from its initial founding in 2015. “Some of [the work of

However, the current goal of the organization is to gather those interested and move out of the beginning stages of a newly developed organization. The club ultimately plans to direct and compose a short film every semester and has hopes of participating in a 72-hour film competition in the future. According to Caroline Matheny, an MSU sophomore studying foreign language and president of “The Scene,” the idea of this artistic venture came from a group of students during the 72-hour film contest in which the club eventually hopes to participate. “There were a couple of us—Melanie Harris, the organization’s vice president, and I—who were working on the competition and we decided this would be a good, fun idea for everyone,” Matheny said.

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Melanie Harris, an MSU communication professor and “The Scene’s” faculty advisor, volunteered to help the students develop their idea into an organized club. “The idea came up that the students wanted a film club, and there was not a film minor at this point. So, they asked me if we could start a club, and I said ‘let’s do it,’ and I volunteered to do it. The first part of being an advisor is helping them get organized, and I felt as if I could do that much,” Harris said. The purpose of the club is for students to have a support system in their filmmaking ambitions, Harris said. “It’s not a watch movies or talk about movies kindof-club, but what they really want it to be is a group of people who come together to support each other as they try to work on their own project,

or as they are building their own skills in film-making. We’ve got people in it who like writing screenplays or who love editing, and this is a way for them to have a formalized way to get together and find ways to make someone’s project come to life,” Harris said. According to Matheny, the club’s goals for the semester include members gaining film experience, and for the club itself to gain momentum for the cinematic arts in the local community in order to obtain the funds to produce a new film each semester. The club is currently working on lining up fundraisers for equipment and hosting workshops and guest speakers. For anyone interested in joining “The Scene,” find them on Engage or contact Matheny at cgm291@ msstate.edu.

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the E-Center] was just being a sounding board. All this comes together to refine the idea and turn it from a hobby or interest into an investment opportunity,” Hill said. According to Hill, in addition to assisting in the creation of Meta Games through advising and idea refinement, the E-Center also connected Gilbrech with Wade Patterson, the president of the Bulldog Angel Network, a group of investors dedicated to helping MSU student businesses through investments. Gilbrech’s Meta Games was actually the first recipient of one of these investments through a grant of $150,000, which was meant to act as early capital to help with startup expenses. While the opportunities the E-Center was able to offer to help build and refine Meta Games were crucial in its formation, Robert Moore, a marketing

professor at MSU, said Gilbrech’s success should be attributed to his work ethic and the way in which he used the opportunities he was given. “Ryan is very much a self-starter,” Moore said. “He used his time here very effectively, strategically choosing the types of classes that would make him most successful.” Overall, both Hill and Moore said Gilbrech’s dedication to his dream of creating Meta Games and his diligent work to make it happen were just as important, if not more so, than his work with the E-Center in achieving the degree of success and potential he now has in the video game field. Additional information about Meta Games and “Slayers for Hire,” such as release information or access to the newsletter, can be found at discord.ggmetagames or metagames. studio.

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The goal of Mississippi State University’s new student filmmaking club, called “The Scene,” is to produce one short film each semester.

ARCHITECTURE “It was pretty cool to see the more technical side,” Thompson said. “We usually just present it and that’s it.” Dunand’s company, Saturn Materials, produces concrete masonry products. After the local competition, a tour was organized for the winning team to tour his plant and learn more about the production process, Dunand said. “It was cool to see the other side and actually see that process,” Thompson said. The team submitted copies of the brick and presentation sheets to the NCMA in late May. After being chosen, Sheridan said they spent the summer perfecting the product through group chat and group FaceTime. According to Sheridan, the NCMA sponsors three groups to attend the national competition and MSU was one of them. When the team arrived in Seattle, they spent their time getting their presentation together, along with rehearsing the presentation. The competition took place Aug. 6-8 in Seattle, and

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the team gave a presentation on “The Slant” during their time in the Emerald City. Sheridan said the group wanted to design something that would serve a purpose.

“

Future generations are going to make up our nation, and professionals like me can make a difference. Knowledge is nothing if you don’t share it.” Fred Dunand President and Owner Saturn Materials LLC

“It was quite an adrenaline rush, but it was also the fruits of our labor,” Sheridan said. The team received $250 after winning the local competition, and then each member received $150 each after winning second place nationally.

GRANT MSU has many partners assisting with the statewide implementation of the grant, including the MS Department of Education and the MS State Research and Curriculum Unit (RCU). Betsey Smith, director of the RCU and one of the principal investigators for the grant, said she believes the grant is a perfect fit for the state of Mississippi and the university. “MSU and the RCU have been partnered with the State Department of Education for over 50 years, so we have a good relationship with the school districts. GEAR UP was a good fit for our staff. It is something we are already doing in the state, so we are able to just use our resources,” Smith said. The grant’s foremost

This was MSU’s second year to participate in the competition; last year the university took first place. Thompson said he learned a lot from the project that started back in March. “Just to have the experience and being able to say you’ve done that before,” Thompson said. “It’s just having that experience in the bag now.” As for the name, Gines suggested giving the brick a designation. “We didn’t really know what to name it,” Thompson said. “We just kept it simple.” “The Slant” has a bright future, as the brick design will be patented with MSU. “It’s not just a prototype, it’s something that can be done,” Dunand said. The design will also be included on Dunand’s website as an option for his customers. “I think more professionals should take the time to do it, to involve students,” Dunand said. “Future generations are going to make up our nation, and professionals like me can make a difference. Knowledge is nothing if you don’t share it.” CONTINUED FROM 1

purpose is providing services and funding to three target school districts throughout Mississippi in areas of high need. The districts include middle and high schools in the Greenville Public School District, the McComb Public School District and the Meridian Public School District. Within the first year of the grant, over 4,000 students throughout these districts will be provided with support. According to Carol White, a professor in educational leadership at MSU and a co-principal investigator for the program, the process of choosing the targeted school districts involves not only looking at economic qualifications, but geography as well in

order to make an actual statewide grant. “The program starts with middle school students in high-need populations,” White said. “There was a priority for federally designated ‘opportunity zones’ or economic development zones. We put together a map and found all that qualified, so we started looking at geography. We didn’t want to have everything next to Mississippi State. We could do that, it would be easy, but we wanted to make sure there was good coverage across the state for the services to make it a truly statewide grant.” The services and funding of the grant are scheduled to begin October 1, 2019.

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... In 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was signed in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention by 38 out of 31 delegates. While it was signed, it would not become binding until ratification was acquired by nine of the 13 states.

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... In 1976, NASA unveiled the first space craft, Enterprise. This was the first space shuttle to be developed and took almost a decade. This cost approximately $10 billion. ... In 1983, Vanessa Williams, 20, became the first African American for Miss America. Ten months later, she gave up her title as Miss America because nude photographs of her surfaced. ... In 1996, Oprah created an influential television book club, Oprah’s Book Club. The first book she chose was “The Deep End of the Ocean” by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

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OPINION

Why Christianity cannot and should not be used to justify racism

COURTNEY CARVER

is a senior majoring in communication. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate. edu.

Racism has always been, and is a prevalent issue we face throughout the world. Whether it be through violence, racial slurs or the disapproval of interracial relationships, the denial of a place to wed for the happiest day of an interracial couple’s life while using Christian beliefs as an excuse is heinous in every sense of the word. In light of a Mississippi event hall refusing to host an interracial couple’s wedding earlier this month, controversy has risen as the business owner implied interracial relationships are an abomination. According to a report from WLBT, the

soon-to-be-married couple was scheduled to meet with the owner to tour the venue, but the morning of, the bride got a horrendous message that sparked many questions for the family. The owner stated the venue could not host the wedding due to her “Christian beliefs.” “First of all, we don’t do gay weddings or mixed race, because of our Christian race, I mean our Christian beliefs,” the owner said in a video provided online by LaKambria Welch, the sister of the groom. At first glance, the headline made me want to hurl. While the owner is legally correct on being able to deny business to homosexual couples in Mississippi, which is backed by the Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act, there was no accuracy in her statement implying the marriage of mixed-race couples is able to be refused on grounds of religion. Section two of the act states, “The sincerely held

Extending the SMART bus route schedules would benefit students

religious beliefs or moral convictions protected by this act are the belief or conviction : (a) Marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman; (b) Sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage; and (c) Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.” This act allows for business owners to lawfully deny business to homosexual couples based on the business owners’ religious beliefs as the Bible does state in Leviticus 20:13, “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination.” However, there is no law defines interracial relationships as unlawful; there, also, is no scripture in the Bible implies interracial relationships as being sinful. Often times in cases of racism, the Bible is used as an excuse to say

a mixed-race couple shall not be in a relationship. In full disclosure, I am in a interracial relationship, so this issue really hits home for me. I have had such racist slurs said to me from members of my family because of my decision to begin dating my significant other over two years ago. “Don’t expect him to ever step foot in this house” was only one of the heartshattering statements I was told in response to my relationship. I have heard two common excuses from my family members I hear constantly from people who live across the South: “that is just how I was raised” and “those are just my Christian beliefs.” While the owner of the venue has since recanted her statements and offers her apologies, she also stated, “My intent was never of racism, but to stand firm on what I ‘assumed’ was right concerning marriage. [I] have come to the conclusion my decision which was based on what I thought was

correct to be supported by the Bible was incorrect.” Regardless of race, we are all God’s children made to His image, so why even use Christianity as an example to be racist against other? What ever happened to thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, as stated in Matthew 22:39 in the Bible? It is not ‘thou shalt love thy neighbour of only the same skin color.’ According to Numbers 12:1, Moses married an Ethiopian woman. This is textual evidence that interracial relationships are, in fact, biblical. So, the fact interracial relationships are often deemed sinful is ludicrous. People who are racist, yet say they are Christians and continue to use the Bible as an excuse to inflict discrimination, are not setting the right example for our future generations. This is not how we are all supposed to treat one another. We should love everyone, regardless of color because we all bleed the same color blood.

Politically correct language is socially corrosive

Rosalind Hutton

I think there is only one race: the human race.

BUS STOP

MICHAEL BOURGEOIS

TAYLAR ANDERSON

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

is a sophomore majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

As many of us are Mississippi State University students, we are aware of the occasional prompt to participate in polls directly affecting us as a student body. For example, some of you may know when last semester a poll was released asking students for their thoughts on the grading scale at MSU. The poll asked students if they thought the grading system should be changed or remain the same (i.e. should a 92 remain an A or should a 92 be an A-). While such a grading scale may still be implemented, having a negative student response may deter such an occurrence. Being able to have your voice heard is also an important part of the MSU experience and is one of the many things separating college from high school. In high school, the people responsible for making decisions affecting the students were members of a school board. Rarely, if ever, did students have the opportunity to give an input about what they thought was the right course of action. Sure, many schools had people with the titles of “Senior Class President” and other members of a student government, but when it came to larger decisions like uniforms or grading scales, those were left to other people. Jacoba Urist of The Atlantic discusses the importance of students giving their opinions about matters directly affecting them. Urist explains many students would prefer to have a say in important matters, and many of the mistakes students would make in voting are the same adults make. For instance, only focusing on trivial matters like cafeteria

food and homework. However, many adults only express the importance of cutting taxes, and do not think about how to cut the taxes or why it would help or hurt the economy. Voting in college is also a way to be involved that is beneficial to both the students and the administrators. It gives students an indirect way of communicating with the administrators responsible for putting different policies in place. For example, a poll was recently released asking students a few questions, one of which asked if students living in the dorms would prefer if laundry costs be added to the cost of housing, or if students should continue to pay $1.50 to wash, and $1.50 to dry their clothes. Some students may have enough financial aid to cover the extra costs, and they may see it as a cheaper and more effective way of paying for laundry if the costs were added to their housing. However, if a student is from Starkville, or somewhere nearby, they may prefer to wash their clothes at home, and adding laundry to the cost of housing could be an unnecessary expense for them. Some may also fear they will be overcharged for laundry expenses if they do not wash clothes as often as other people. All of these are important factors to take into consideration, and being informed about things like this and voicing your opinions and concerns is important because ultimately, decisions made about on-campus policies can affect both your grades and your wallet.

At the beginning of August, the Democratic Socialists of America held their biannual convention in Atlanta to discuss what changes they would make to the American system should they hold political power. Their dreams of creating a socialist utopia aside, looking at how this organization operates within itself paints a frightening picture of American social order that they wish upon the country. The convention itself seemed to devolve into a contest to see what delegate could be the most offended. They complained the use of the word “guys” to address everyone is a point of personal privilege because it is gender specific language, clapping should be replaced with jazz hands because it is less triggering to people with sensory overload and prefacing everything a delegate said with their personal pronouns. This laughable display of oversensitivity actually proved a hindrance when looking at the substantive nature of the convention and its real purpose. This is the slippery slope of politically correct culture— forcing the word to conform to the needs of the individual for the sake of personal sensibilities. Nowhere is this mentality more prevalent than on a college campus, where personal values and reality itself are denied for the sake of being “woke” and what the left sees as socially conscious. It is an indoctrination effort, and it cannot be escaped. I personally have endured three separate diversity trainings for organizations I am a part of, and I am only a sophomore. Three critical aspects of how the Left tries to control the debate in the pursuit of being PC are the nature of privilege, micro-

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This is my decision, and as Hannah Brown, the former Bachelorette, said, “Jesus still loves me” and he loves my significant other just the same. While she was stating this in relation to her sexual life, it relates to any experience where someone is being judged because of their decisions and relationships. Who cares about the color of someone’s skin? We are not defined by our race. We are defined by our love for one another. For someone to use Christianity as an excuse to deny this interracial couple a venue for the happiest day of their lives is very disheartening. Even though she recanted her statement, she serves as a prime example many are still living in the old days with racist remarks. Many seem to be “raised to believe one thing,” but do not actually research their beliefs. They just assume the Bible justifies their statements or actions, especially in the circumstance of race.

Rosalind Hutton

aggressions and safe spaces. Let us begin with privilege, for it is the most insulting of the three tactics as well as the easiest to refute. According to the National Conference for Community and Justice, the concept of privilege is defined as “Unearned access to resources (social power) that are readily available to some people because of their social group membership.” The social groups range from white people, heterosexual people, Christians, men and whoever else is deemed to be an oppressive class who needs to “check their privilege.” Of course, the nature of this concept is politically motivated to make the debate easier. Joanna Williams of the American Conservative writes, “Calling on someone to check his privilege is a cheap form of ad hominem attack. It focuses on the person rather than what they are saying; it asks others to make judgments based on who an individual is rather than the strength of his argument.” The political motivation is the primary concern, but think about the cultural

repercussions of privilege as well, about how unAmerican the idea is. The idea is that some people are incapable of succeeding on the basis that they do not have advantages which people of a different skin color or sexual orientation do and, as a result, they need the government to level the playing field and for society to conform to their needs. Let us shift to microaggressions, which Jenée Desmond-Harris of Vox defines as “people’s biases against marginalized groups [that] reveal themselves in a way that leaves their victims feeling uncomfortable or insulted.” The reason for microaggressions, according to Harris, is “implicit bias which are the attitudes, stereotypes, and assumptions that we’re not even aware of, that can creep into our minds and affect our actions.” The fundamental difference between outright bigotry and microaggressions is that microaggressions can be intentional or unintentional, and the very nature of it being a microaggression resides solely on the recipient and how they

take what was said. The crux of the matter is this, there is a constitutional protection of freedom of speech in the First Amendment. There is no legal protection anywhere guaranteeing people have the right not to be offended. Why should I be forced to censor myself for the sake of other’s sensibilities? PC culture’s effort to make the word a safe space is a misguided mission doing a disservice to everyone involved. We are fostering a spirit of entitlement, the false notion that the world will conform to everyone’s wishes and tell people they will never have to encounter something that will challenge their worldview or put them in a situation where they have to justify their position, a far cry from the reality in which we live. In the same sense, PC culture tramples on the rights of people to express their opinions and ideas without being branded a bad person. Societally expected, self-imposed limitations on freedom of speech must be stopped before they encroach too far. If not, then what does freedom of speech really mean in the first place?

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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

Sustainable living is obtainable for students NICOLE RIGSBY STAFF WRITER

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and many other scientists have gathered data on the changing conditions of the Earth. Between the global temperature rise, retreating ice caps and many more indicators, much research supports that the Earth is being altered by humanity’s habits. There are many ways to transition, with multiple avenues for information on how to do it. According to NASA’s website, “The number of record high temperature events in the United States has been increasing, while the number of record low temperature events has been decreasing, since 1950. The U.S. has also witnessed increasing numbers of intense rainfall events.” Since our capitalistic society is submerged in plastic and low-cost production, it can be difficult to transition to a more sustainable lifestyle. Here are some ways to reduce one’s ecological footprint as a Mississippi State

University student. First, reduce the consumption of plastic and other non-degradable substances. This means cutting out single-use plastics: water bottles, straws, cutlery, pre-cut fruits, vegetables and other items that use extra packaging. One practical way to reduce plastic consumption on campus is to use the Eco Kit from MSU Dining Services. When signing up for a meal plan, a student can add a set of two cups and a clamshell for the price of $30. Also, a student can purchase a reusable cup for discounted coffee from Starbucks. Abbey Foster, a junior business administration major, said she makes it her goal to live as eco-friendly as possible. When she started her journey to reduce her ecological footprint, she began with plastics. “The first steps I took were to find more reusable alternatives for single use plastic. There is a lot I have cut back on. Like, I don’t use paper towels. I haven’t for two years,” Foster said. These are better practices

Brianna Laverty| The Reflector

MSU students can take an active role in sustainability by riding bikes instead of driving. MSU’s campus includes bike racks and biking lanes.

than continuously buying plastics and recycling. Even though recycling is a great, not everyone knows how to properly recycle. Fivethiryeight, an ABC News publication focusing on statistics, found that about 27% of recyclables are lost due to contamination. There are also recycling bins located all throughout campus. Students can look out for these and utilized them when they need to dispose of

Student Spotlight: Kassidy Adams “When I was

younger, I didn’t have anyone talking to me about engineering. I didn’t even really know it was a thing. It’s really cool to teach the girls that engineering is for them too,” Kaylee Ricchetti | The Reflector

Kassidy Adams

Kassidy Adams stands in the unit operations lab in Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering.

EMMA DRAY BRASWELL STAFF WRITER

Kassidy Adams, a junior majoring in chemical engineering at Mississippi State University, is not only involved in many things on campus, but is also described by many to be kind-hearted. Adams said during her

senior year of high school, she decided to major in chemical engineering based on the subjects she truly enjoyed, including calculus and chemistry. Now, she is the president of two organizations: the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE) and Girls Engineering Change. Adams said she also does

several things in her free time, which include studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), going on runs and brewing her own beer. “A couple years ago the [chemical engineering] department had the seniors brew beer as one of their labs, but they stopped doing it,” Adams said. Adams has carried on

their recyclable waste. When placing plastics, aluminum or paper into the bins, make sure there is no food or other substances on it. Also, make sure it can be recycled. There are different numbers that represent the different types of plastic. On MSU’s campus, only level one and level two plastics can be recycled. Take for example, a Starkbucks cup. Starbucks cups are a level five plastic. Therefore, if a student throws

a half-drank Starbucks cup in the recycling bin, this action may ruin everything else in the bin. Another way to live more eco-friendly is to buy produce and meat from local farms. Not only is this great for the local economy by supporting our farmers, but it is better for the environment. Cecelia Marascalco, the President of the Students for a Sustainable Campus and an environmental studies and

the tradition. She noted her time time spent in the chemistry department has been improved through the various organizations she is a member of. “AICHE is a professional development organization for chemical engineers. You can join as a professional engineer as well,” Adams said. She said AICHE allows for members to travel for national conferences, where they learn more about engineering through seminars and making connections with other people in the engineering sphere. “We do a lot of stuff at MSU too. We do a lot of service projects. Last year, we actually hosted the regional conference at MSU,” Adams said. Hayden Myers, a senior also majoring in chemical engineering, said she knew Adams from her freshman year when the two had a class together. Myers said she has grown closer to Adams through their shared experiences. “Now, she is the copresident of AICHE,” said Myers, who acts as cochairman and helps organize events for the organization. Ronni Wolfe, a chemical engineering senior, has also witnessed Adams in action. Wolfe commented on a conference from the year before where Adams played

an administrative role. “She made sure everything was organized and ready, and she picked up the slack where people that were supposed to be in charge of something didn’t,” Wolfe said. Myers stated people tend to report Adams having a kind demeanor. “She has the ability to talk to anyone and everyone, and I feel like that’s really going to benefit her in the long run,” Myers said. According to Myers, not only does Adams come across as friendly, but working with her is easy and helpful. “Even though she’s serious, and you know she wants you to get your stuff done and expects that from you, you also don’t feel like she’s breathing down your neck the whole time,” Myers said. Wolfe shares Myers’ opinion on the work environment Adams naturally creates. “She’s very easy-going to work with. She tries to work in everybody’s times. She’s willing to do what she can to make it easier for others. She’s just a really good person, and she’s willing to work with everybody,” Wolfe said. When asked what came to mind when she thought of the name Kassidy Adams, Myers made it clear she associates a friendly face and a good work environment.

agricultural major, explains why local produce purchase is our best option. “Local meat is better because they aren’t cutting down large forests and it has less emissions from lack of transportation,” Marascalco said. As many know, one of the main contributors of climate change is animal agriculture because of the mass land and resources it requires. Therefore, consuming less animal products is a great way to start living sustainably. Abbey Foster explains this is one of the reasons why she went vegan. “When I went vegan, I did a lot of research, and I found out that’s actually the most sustainable lifestyle. Just me may not make an impact, but if more people were vegan it would have a great impact, since animal agriculture is the leading cause of climate change,” Foster said. For more detailed information on how to live sustainably and for a support system for a sustainable lifestyle, students can join one of the many clubs on campus. READ MORE ON REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM

“I think of a nice and familiar face,” said Myers. “And someone who’s really dedicated who knows what she wants.” In addition to AICHE, Adams is also president of Girls Engineering Change. This organization partners with other organizations and middle schools to teach them about the engineering career path. Adams said the reason she is drawn to this organization is because of their mission. “Their mission is to break that stigma of engineering being a male dominated field,” Adams said. Adams said she enjoyed it because it gives younger girls the knowledge they need to have this career path as an opportunity. “When I was younger, I didn’t have anyone talking to me about engineering, I didn’t even really know it was a thing,” Adams said. “It’s really cool to teach the girls that engineering is for them too.” When Adams visits the middle schools, she always tries to ask the girls about their favorite subjects. “Almost all of them, it never fails, say math and science. But then when you ask them if they want to be an engineer, they’re like, ‘no, I don’t know what that is.’ That’s why I love it so much. We get to be mentors to them,” Adams said.

Post Malone claims the musical throne GRACIE BYRNE STAFF WRITER

Post Malone released his new album “Hollywood’s Bleeding” this month. “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is the third studio album released by American rapper, Post Malone. The album was released Sept. 6 by Republic Records and includes an array of featured artists, from names such as Ozzy Osbourne, Future and Halsey. Other appearances include DaBaby, Meek Mill, Travis Scott, Lil Baby, SZA, Swae Lee and Young Thug. The album contains 17 songs, with lengths ranging from two and a half minutes to right over four minutes. “Hollywood’s Bleeding” was dropped only a year after Post Malone’s last album, “Beerbongs and Bentleys,” which was sitting at No. 14 on Billboard 200 as of Sept. 15. Post Malone released some of the songs from the album before the entire album

this past week. As of Sept. 15, all of these songs made it on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album itself was named No. 1 for Billboard 200. The album has been designated as hip-hop or rap. By examining Post Malone’s past work, it is safe to say the style is consistent. According to Forbes, Post Malone is so popular that he has no problem sending a new album straight to number one. “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is the first song on the record and begins the album with the acoustic guitar. The song continues with a bass drop, solid lyrical flow and his voice is smooth as he sings out. As the song progresses, the beat begins to hit harder, which was a nice touch. The song is about the state of Hollywood and how it is corrupt. He also sings about an unnamed person, most likely a woman, who will not come and meet with him even though she expresses interest in doing so. “Enemies” has a fun

Malone brings into the song. Post Malone and DaBaby sing about how fame changes things and how his friends changed to enemies, proclaiming it is too late to change things. “Die for Me” has a steady beat, along with a nice use of lyricism and rhythm. Post Malone sings about a love interest who wronged him, but it was someone who said they would die for him. The song guest stars Future and Halsey, who add to the overall vibe Post Malone brought. The song tells the story of a couple who split due to cheating and other untrusting behavior. The harmony close to the end is a nice touch. “Take What You Want” features a nice instrumental section at the beginning, with vocals that give off dark vibes. Guest star Ozzy Osbourne comes in at the beginning and sets a the tone for the song. Once the beat drops, Post Malone sings about someone who came into his life and then took

Travis Scott smooths the track out. The tracks ends with electric guitar solo. “Internet” has a smooth intro and vocals, along with neat lyricism. Further in, the song has a big, airy sound, that is almost orchestral. The track ends with touches of piano and strings. Themes of this album include the breaking and repairing of things such as relationships and environments. One that really stuck out to me was the toxic relationships, including the mistreatment seen in the referenced relationships. If I had to describe “Hollywood’s Bleeding” in a single statement, it would be this: Things are hard, and all we can do is try our best and continue on with our lives. My overall impression of “Hollywood’s Bleeding” is a positive one. I always enjoy listening to new content from Post Malone just because I trust it will be something that I can jam to no matter my mood or the time of day. Post Malone continues to

66-Sports SPORTS

THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2019 @SPORTSREFLECTOR

Football loses due to lack of depth, lost momentum GARRETT SMITH STAFF WRITER

It was an incomplete football team that took the field for Mississippi State University Saturday, and it was an incomplete team that eventually fell against the Kansas State Wildcats 31-24. MSU had their lack of depth exposed against the Wildcats in a contest that many college football analysts claimed the Bulldogs would win. While the most obvious absence was that of senior transfer quarterback Tommy Stevens, who left the game early in the second half, the quarterback position is one where the Bulldogs knew immediately who their next man up was. That man is Garrett Shrader, freshman quarterback from Charlotte, North Carolina, who saw plenty of action last week against the University of Southern Mississippi, due to Stevens’ shoulder injury. Head coach Joe Moorhead said the decision to go with Shrader was brought upon by stiffness that Stevens developed during halftime. “When he went in at halftime, he (Stevens) started to stiffen up a little bit,” Moorhead said. “We just didn’t feel like he was able to make the throws that he did in the first half, so we made the move.” Shrader would go on to have a lackluster passing game, going four of 12 for 51 yards. He would, however, make decent progress in the ground game, racking up 82 yards on 10 attempts. Shrader said he was ready to go if needed, knowing that Stevens was still dealing with the lingering shoulder injury. “After last week, I wanted to stay involved and prepare like I’m the starter,” Shrader said.

While the quarterback situation remains a major question for MSU, the Bulldogs were missing players all over the field on Saturday. In total, eight players were missing from the MSU sideline due to either injuries or suspension. Nick Gibson, a senior running back from Birmingham, Alabama, and Cameron Dantzler, a junior cornerback from Hammond, Louisiana, both missed the matchup due to lower body injuries. Daurean Parker, a junior offensive lineman from Olive Branch, was also unavailable due to injury. His absence was certainly felt as the MSU offensive line was unable to get much going throughout the entirety of the game. Moorhead said the injuries certainly affected the team. “It’s kind of like dominoes,” Moorhead said. “You sit there at the beginning of the week, and you’re looking at who’s available and at who’s injured. Trying to set the depth chart, trying to set the scout team. Then you have a guy or two go down during the course of the week of practice, and you get young guys in there.” Then, there were the suspensions. Five Bulldogs were unable to play in the Kansas State game. Lee Autry, a senior defensive tackle from Albemare, North Carolina, and Willie Gay, a junior linebacker from Starkville, all certainly could have made a huge impact against the Wildcats rushing attack. Also missing out due to violation of team rules were Marcus Murphy, a sophomore safety from West Point, Devonta Jason, a sophomore receiver from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Kwatrivous Johnson, a freshman offensive lineman from Greenwood.

“ I made the decision that we had to get a first down. So, I made the decision to go for it. It was all or nothing,” Garrett Shrader Quarterback

Mary Georgia Hamilton|The Reflector

MSU’s quarterback Garrett Shrader flys in the air following a hit by three Kansas State University defenders. The Bulldogs failed to convert the fourth down run by Shrader and lost 31-24.

Just like their roster, many of MSU’s drives were incomplete on Saturday. A few solid runs from Kylin Hill, a junior running back from Columbus, would be followed by a missed assignment by the offensive line or a dropped pass. Hill would finish with 111 yards on 24 carries. The Bulldogs could not seem to capitalize on any of their momentum. The best example of that theme came early in the fourth quarter, when a Bulldog drive created by a muffed punt by Kansas State ended in a field goal for MSU to extend their lead to 24-17.

This lead lasted until Kansas State’s Malik Knowles returned Scott Goodman’s kickoff 100 yards to the end zone, tying the game at 24-24, and giving Kansas State all the momentum in the fourth quarter. MSU simply could not counter that momentum, and the final fourth of the game was dominated by the Wildcats. Moorhead said special teams hurt them in the final quarter of play. “It’s just that you go from being seven [points] up to tied, the momentum goes back the other way,” Moorhead said. “They kicked off and I think we had a penalty on the return

which backed us up back to shadow of our goal post. It’s two back-to-back special team plays that hurt us.” MSU wuold go down fighting, as a gutsy fourth down run from Shrader led to him flying through the air at more than six feet off the ground. Although his effort simply would not be enough, as he fell short of the first down marker by less than a yard, it was a decision Shrader said he knew he had to make. “I made the decision that we had to get a first down. So, I made the decision to go for it. It was all or nothing,” Shrader said. “I got talked to

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about that, but I just have to reach the ball out next time, and maybe I’ll get it.” That run showed the toughness of Shrader and earned the respect of Osirus Mitchell, a junior receiver from Sarasota, Florida, who said Shrader was just fighting for his team and that his effort boosts the other players’ confidence. “He’s one of the toughest guys I’ve seen. You saw how he tried to jump for that first down,” Mitchell said. “That just shows his toughness, and he puts the team first, so I really like Garrett. I feel like he has a very bright future.”

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Kathryn Beatty| The Reflector

MSU forward Hailey Farrington-Bentil dribbles with the ball against Boston College on Sunday. The Bulldogs lost the game to the Eagles 2-0.

Soccer loses to Eagles, looks ahead to SEC

HUNTER CLOUD

SPORTS EDITOR

A break away found Hailey Farrington-Bentil, a sophomore forward from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in front of goal with the ball at her feet. She fired a shot, but the ball flew right of the goal. This missed opportunity was one that Mississippi State University’s soccer head coach James Armstrong said could have certainly given MSU the lead. However, Boston College would score two goals later in the second half to win 2-0. “We’ve got to at least hit the target there,” Armstrong said. “That could have been the turning point in the game. 10 minutes later, they go down and they score. That was a big moment in the game for sure.” Boston College scored its first goal in the 66 minute by shooting the ball into the bottom right corner, while the second goal came off of a saved shot in the 75 minute. As the rebound

While MSU created opportunities on offense with nine shots, five players were on target, had chances to score and were unable to find the success Boston College had. Armstrong said he felt his team could have been up 3-0 at one point in the game, but they failed to score a goal. “We created a bunch of moments, but we didn’t finish a bunch of moments, and credit to Boston College they did,” Armstrong said. “They showed a bit of extra quality and experience, and we didn’t. Today it didn’t quite run our way.” This loss was the third loss of the year, but the defeat came at the hands of Boston College, who has not lost a game all year and is 7-0-1. Armstrong said games like that are very unforgiving. “When you are a young team and you are learning, you are going to get punished for your mistakes,” Armstrong said. “We are now far enough along in the season that we (have) got

The next game for MSU will be against Texas A&M Thursday at 7 p.m. and is the first SEC game of the season. Makayla Waldner, a senior forward from Dexter, Missouri, said the team will work on finishing in practice leading up to A&M. Waldner also said games like today prepared the team for SEC play, and she said Boston College has a similar team to South Carolina and Texas A&M. “Each team that we have played has had a different characteristic that we are trying to improve on,” Waldner said. “That is our goal— to be ready for SEC, come out and show who we are. Let them know that Mississippi State is here.” With this season being Waldner’s last season wearing the Maroon and White, she said it is bittersweet. “I’m excited for it to start, but I know as soon as SEC starts it is going to fly by,” Waldner said. “I’m not ready to give up my senior year yet. There are some moments that I’m very excited for. I

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