WWW.REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
@REFLECTORONLINE
Fall enrichment classes P 5
Trump’s sexism is unacceptable for the presidency
Volleyball has best start in school history P6
TUESDAY OCTOBER 4, 2016
The
Reflector
P4
131st YEAR ISSUE 13
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Turning Point USA joins campus by Devin Edgar Staff Writer
Wrapping up the process to begin a new collegiate, student chapter, Turning Point USA will soon be active on the Mississippi State University campus. Turning Point USA, founded by Charlie Kirk in 2012, is a non-profit, activist organization whose mission is to educate, train, and organize students to be able to promote the principles of fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government. Although the organization has made its way to over 1,000 school campuses, including high schools, universities, and community colleges, MSU is the only campus in Mississippi to have a student chapter. MSU founder and chapter president Colby Williams said he has always been passionate about free markets and limited government; however, his circle of influence was limited to social media and conversations with close friends. “Turning Point USA has enabled me to be an influential activist on my campus by providing me the support, training, and resources to make a real difference,” Williams said. Williams, senior political science and public policy major, is responsible for planning weekly meetings, organizing school-wide events and creating activism projects to help members get involved on campus. Campus speakers, debates and discussions, and voter registration drives are all common events that Turning Point student chapters host on their campuses. Through activism and peer-to-peer conversations, Turning Point USA activists and members are promoting and re-branding conservative values on college campuses. Junior political science major and Turning Point member Adam Bracey is looking forward to helping other people identify with the concepts of TPUSA.
STIs rank high in Mississippi by Kaitlin O’Dougherty Editor in Chief
Mississippi is ranked 20th out of 50 states in children and adolescents diagnosed with HIV last year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is only one out of the many sexually transmitted infections (STIs) measured per year. According to JuLeigh Baker, health education specialist for Mississippi State University’s Department of Health Promotion and Wellness, the state typically ranks very high in the number of people with STIs. “The state of Mississippi is usually higher than other states, we’re usually in the top five and sometimes even No. 1 or No. 2,” Baker said. Baker said MSU feeds their data on STIs into the local Oktibbeha County Health Department, so there is not an exact number for students with STIs on campus. Baker said the Longest Student Health Center has programs in place to teach
Percentage of Mississippi residents with HIV divided by age groups from 2014.
students about the spread of STIs. “We teach with our promotion programs, the only fully effective way to avoid an STI is not to be sexually active, or even be involved in intimate touching because there are some STIs that are contractible even with touching,” Baker said. Baker said if students are going to be sexually active, they teach about barrier methods such as male and female condoms.
However, none of these are 100 percent risk free. “We make sure that they’re aware it’s not just vaginal sex that there’s a risk–there’s anal sex, oral sex and intimate touching that there’s also risk with all of that,” Baker said. Baker said the health center suggests if students are in a mutually monogamous relationship, they should be tested once a year; or with every new partner, whichever is more frequent.
For students with STIs, Baker suggests visiting the counseling center if they are seeking emotional support. She said the nurse practitioners at the health center are also available to talk to students. “I’ve had students come meet with me one on one that had further questions, or even emailing me with other stuff along that list,” Baker said. According to Baker, the CDC made the distinction between sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) and STIs several years ago because of the negative connotation with the term disease. She said the term infection relays that many of these can be treated or possibly cured. Beth Serigny, a graduate assistant at the health center said although she has not done research on the topic, she feels college students are conscious of STIs. “However, I also feel that college students can never learn enough about safer sex,” Serigny said. “It is an important topic that should be discussed.” According to a Mississippi State Department of Health report from 2010, Mississippi public schools were not required to teach sex education until 2011. House Bill 999 mandated that by June 30, 2012 public schools would teach sex education and implement either an abstinence or abstinence-plus curriculum. A legislation document provided on the National Conference of State Legislatures’ website also shows five bills to revise sex education failed in Mississippi this year.
President Obama invites student to conference at the White House by John Lee Contributing Writer
Daesha Marie Photography | Courtesy Photo
Terence Williams created his phone app Bully Walk in January. The app has been very useful to students and faculty alike and it is the top app for Mississippi State University.
It is always exciting to be invited to a nice party or special event, especially if someone famous is going to be there, or if it is an event dedicated to one of your favorite things. But what if you were invited to an event hosted by President Barack Obama himself ? That is exactly what happened to Terence Williams, a fifth year software development and entrepreneurial engineering student at Mississippi State University. This event is known as the White House Frontier Conference. It will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Williams said the conference aims to further innovation in technology and science. “The conference is
inspired by President Obama’s passion for technology and his hope to discuss the future of innovation here in the U.S. and around the world,” Williams said. “It’s the first time for the national conference to be held. It will focus on building U.S. capacity in science, technology and innovation, and the new technologies, challenges and goals that will continue to shape the 21st century and beyond.” According to Williams, he is the only innovator in Mississippi to be invited to the event. Not enough information has been released yet to see just how many invitations were sent out. “While at the Frontier Conference, I plan to network with other great innovators from across the nation and share ideas on how to continue to shape the 21st century,” Williams said. “I also hope
to gain much insight from President Obama and hear his advice on improving innovation here in the United States. One of my biggest goals is to be able to represent minorities in innovation and to continue to give the world my inspiration. And of course, to get a picture with the president himself.” Williams created the Bully Walk app, which was awarded the Worldwide Developer Scholarship by Apple this past June, and is also Mississippi State University’s top app on campus. Williams’ wife of two years, Daesha Williams, said she was thrilled when her husband was invited to the conference. Willaims said a friend he made at the Summer Bridge Program at MSU nominated her husband for the conference, but they did not expect him to be chosen.
TPUSA, 2
Weather
Reflections
Brooke Laizer, Campus Connect Forecast (Department of Geosciences)
WILLIAMS, 2
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
HI: 90 LO: 64 SKY: Sunny
HI: 90 LO: 60 SKY: Sunny
HI: 88 LO: 56 SKY: Sunny
POP:10%
POP: 10%
POP: 10%
FORECAST: Temperatures do not call for Fall! This week’s forecast features 100% chance of HEAT, which we must try to beat. Sunny skies will welcome the weekend. Hail State!
Readerʼs Guide: Bad Dawgs Bulletin Board Opinion Contact Info
2 3 4 4
Puzzles Classifieds Life&Entertainment Sports
3 3 5 6
Policy: Any person may pick up a single copy of The Reflector for free. Additional copies may be obtained from the Henry Meyer Student Media Center for 25 cents per copy.