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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

The

DAYS UNTIL EGG BOWL

Reflector

130 th YEAR ISSUE 20

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

Owner of Rick’s Cafe responds to race allegations by Van Cotton Staff Writer

Last week, local African Americans in Starkville accused Rick’s Café of Starkville of racial discrimination after realizing they were blocked from Rick’s social media accounts, following an incident at the cafe on Oct. 10.

Established in 1994, Rick’s Cafe American is a bar and cafe that plays modern day hits. Ricks is the only café and bar to play all genres of music and is most famous for its popular “Dollar Night” where customers can have as many drinks for one dollar each on Saturday nights. Owner of Rick’s Café, Rick Welch, native of Meridian and Alumni of MSU, admitted to

blocking people, stating he only blocked people who were bragging via social media and retweeting about rushing the door to the cafe that night. Welch said around 11 p.m. on Oct. 10, Fire Marshall Mike McCurdy warned him the crowd at Rick’s would soon exceed the limit of 700 patrons at one time and told Welch he should remedy the situation.

Welch said his staff was unable to contain the crowd and over 200 people rushed into the establishment. In the process, he said several tables, chairs and the fence had been damaged. The police were eventually called. “I will admit I did block some people on Twitter every time I saw a negative comment and the people that retweeted it and liked it,” he said. “It was roughly

200 people that were in total on the block list. There were not only blacks, but whites, middle westerns, Mexicans, all of any kind of race was on the block list.” Many African Americans posted on various forms of social media saying they have been blocked from Rick’s Twitter account, keeping them from viewing tweets, Instagram and Facebook posts. RICKS, 2

Mississippiʼs Flag of Contention

Keenum: No immediate plans to remove state flag from campus By: Staff writer Jennifer Flinn, News Editor Taylor Bowden, Editor-in-chief Lacretia Wimbley Mississippi’s state flag has caused much tension throughout the state in recent months, as many of the state’s residents call for a change to the state flag. Both the University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi have removed the state flag from their campuses. MSU’s President Mark Keenum was asked about his views on the push for change of the Mississippi state flag after speaking to a group of students at Ocean Springs High School earlier this week. While in Ocean Springs on Monday, Keenum said he has no intentions of making changes to the flags flying on MSU’s campus right now, however, he expressed his opinion on changing the state flag to a more unifying image. “It is not my intent to step out and make any changes to the flags that are flying on our campus at this time,” Keenum said in an interview with Gulf Live, an online publication. Some media outlets are criticizing Keenum for the statement he made while in Ocean Springs. Some consider his recent statements almost contradictory in light of a statement he released this

HISTORY OF THE FLAG: The Mississippi State flag has been in its current form since 1894 when the Mississippi Legislature adopted the design proposed by a committee headed by General W. T. Martin. The top left corner of the Mississippi state flag includes a reproduction of the confederate battle flag, which was created during the Civil War to help southern soldiers distinguish their troops from those of the Union. During the battle of Manassas in 1861, Confederate forces accidentally fired on their own men who were behind enemy lines preforming a flanking maneuverer. Confederate General Beauregard decided a change had to be made and the Confederate flag was agreed upon by several other military leaders.

past summer on July 9, which states his stance on the state flag shortly after the shooting in Charleston, South Carolina that killed nine people attending a church Bible study. “Flags should unite us and bring us together, not divide us. The tragic events in South Carolina and the evolving national debate over the state flag is a debate that should take place today in Mississippi,” Keenum said in a release this past summer. “I have seen no indication that attitudes have changed on that question on our campus.” Chief Communications Officer of MSU Sid Salter said the university has heard from both ends of the spectrum on the state flag issue, but legally must continue to fly the state flag until a change has been voted on. “Ultimately, the decision about the future of the current state flag is one that can be directly influenced by voters or the state government through legislative action,” Salter said. Salter also said the university has received criticism from those who oppose the flag, and those who support the flag being up. FLAG, 2

People of MSU:

Lloyd Rashad ʻRay Rayʼ Rodgers, Face of MSUʼs State Fountain Bakery

by Reed Gaddis Staff Writer

Behind the bakery display case of The State Fountain Bakery found inside of The Colvard Student Union are employees that help accommodate customers’ frequent appetites for various sandwich options or delicious desserts. One staff member, Lloyd Rashad Rodgers, commonly known by his nickname “Ray Ray”, is popular among the many different customers of

The Bakery. Rodgers is also known for his exceptional customer service skills and his friendly personality. Cashier, Kesha Johnson, who has been employed with The Bakery since 2012, described how customers show appreciation for “Ray Ray” by commenting on how he does his job well. “He’s always willing to help with whatever someone needs help with,” Johnson said. Johnson described how “Ray Ray’s” smile is a great quality that sets him apart from others as well as his magnetic personality.

“He’s always joking around with the customers and makes them feel good even when they come up and might be having a bad day,” Johnson said. “He talks to them and by the time they walk off, they’re smiling and they’re happy.” “I think “Ray Ray” is a great face of State Fountain Bakery, especially for students who have been here for a while,” Stephanie Sharp, marketing manager for MSU dining, said in expressing ways that he is special and unique. “He’s always very personable with our customers and is one of

those people who makes a lasting impression.” Sharp said. Sharp described “Ray Ray” as helpful, as he even goes as far as taking people desserts to patrons’ vehicles, is kind and patient with the various customers he serves daily and distinct because he forges new relationships with the customers. Sharp spoke about how “Ray Ray” does not just take orders and send customers “on their way”, but rather enjoys creating relationships with the customers which displays his courteous nature and outgoing personality. RAYRAY, 2

Weather

Reflections

Andrew Collins, Campus Connect Forecast (Department of Geosciences)

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

HI: 80 LO: 68 SKY: Rain

HI: 62 LO: 54 SKY: Rain

HI: 62 LO: 48 SKY: Cloudy

POP:30%

POP: 80%

POP: 20%

FORECAST: Fri.will be mostly cloudy with evening showers. Sat. temps fall throughout the day, stormy until the late afternoon hours. Sun. is drier and partly cloudy.

MSU Video Game Club

12 hour Lock-In and Livestream for charity this Sat. 5 p.m. - 5 a.m. @ in Butler Hall

5 pm Saturday: Doors open 5-6 pm: Party Games – Minecraft, Mario Party, Runbow, etc 6-8 pm: Classic game playthroughs – Sonic, Contra, Pac-Man, etc 8-10 pm: Iwata Tribute – Pokemon, Mario Maker, Smash Bros, Mario Kart, etc 10-11 pm: Shooters n’ Grit – Fallout, Borderlands, Resident Evil, Halo 5, Bayonetta, etc 11 pm-1 am: e-Sports spotlights: League of Legends, Dota 2, Starcraft 1-3 am: Fighting Game friendlies: Street Fighter, Tekken, Persona 4, Skullgirls, Mortal Kombat, etc 3-5 am: Mods and glitches: Retro games, Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft, Fallout, etc 5 am Sunday: Doors close

Readerʼs Guide: Bad Dawgs Bulletin Board Opinion Contact Info

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