11.10.20 by Reflector Editor

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TUESDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2020

136th YEAR ISSUE 11

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

COVID coverage: looking back through an unprecedented semester BAYLEE HILL STAFF WRITER

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reﬂector

Caleb Bailey walks on campus in August with a mask to follow COVID-19 guidelines. MSU and the community have dealt with unforeseen circumstances this semester in the midst of the pandemic.

This semester was unparalleled to anything the Mississippi State University community has experienced before. Faculty, staff and students faced a variety of unique challenges due to COVID-19. Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw said MSU had to figure out how to deal with problems in the midst of a pandemic, but everyone worked hard to quickly find solutions and make the semester as successful as possible. “I am really proud of our faculty and students for stepping up and recognizing this is going to be a crazy semester, and we have to make the best out of a crazy situation,” Shaw said. Several on-campus housing facilities were greatly impacted by COVID-19 outbreaks. In August, The Reflector published an article about six MSU Greek organizations that had to quarantine including

Phi Mu, Kappa Delta, Chi Omega, Tri Delta, Fiji and Pi Kappa Alpha. “According to MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter, the Mississippi State Department of Health defines an outbreak as three cases or more,” The Reflector said. “At that point, members of the organization are required to isolate for 14 days, either at their permanent residence or in an MSU quarantine facility.” The Reflector said the university spent $1.2 million of the MSU CARES Act funding to provide students with quarantine facilities in Starkville such as the Hampton Inn and the Comfort Suites. By following all of the COVID-19 regulations and quarantining when necessary, the Greek community worked hard to stop the spread of the virus. Teri Anna Jackson, a junior studying social work, lives in a Greek house and said she is impressed by how hard the house director and the women living in the house worked to follow the regulations and keep everyone safe. COVID-19, 2

Deer lab seeks to bridge gap between hunters and science DANIEL DYE NEWS EDITOR

“We have three deer in that pen. Lucky is our tamest buck. I could probably get him to come to the fence if I gave him some oak leaves or something. He’s a sucker for oak leaves,” Mississippi State University graduate student Luke Resop said as he pointed over to a grassy enclosure. A set of antlers soon appeared over the brush. A large whitetail deer stood up and made his way toward the gate of the enclosure as Resop entered with a branch of leaves. Lucky is one of nine deer found less than a mile from campus as part of the Deer Ecology & Management Lab at MSU, a testament to the university’s longtime dedication to one of Mississippi’s most recognizable species.

In the mid-1970s, MSU faculty members Dave Guynn and Harry Jacobson began conducting research to address pressing issues and unanswered questions involving whitetail deer populations. Their work and collaboration with state and federal agencies eventually put MSU at the forefront of national deer research. This work lives on today in a permanent facility near campus, led by Bronson Strickland and Steve Demarais. Since their takeover of the lab, their research has been published and implemented for various issues, leading to the improvement of factors such as nutritional quality, habitat management and better understanding of behavioral patterns as well as changes in state legislation regarding deer management practices.

Their commitment to deer populations is moving centerstage as the prevalence of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) increases in the Southeast. According to Steve Demarais, Taylor Chair in Applied Big Game Research & Instruction and one of the co-directors of the lab, CWD is a slow-spreading neurodegenerative disease caused by a type of protein called a prion. The disease works similarly to Alzheimer’s and dementia in humans as it slowly degrades a deer’s brain and bodily functions. The disease initially spread through populations in western states like Colorado, but in recent years, infections have been found throughout the eastern seaboard due to human movements of DEER, 2 animals.

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reﬂector

Luke Resop feeds oak leaves to Lucky, Belle and their fawn Scout. These deer are captive-raised and studied at the deer lab facility near campus.

MSU provides aid to coastal regions affected by recent hurricanes EMMA KING

STAFF WRITER

Michelle Stubbs | Courtesy Photo

METP students pose with the goods they collected to send to the Lake Charles, Louisiana, community after it was affected by recent hurricanes.

TUESDAY HI: 76 LO: 64 SKY: Mostly cloudy POP: 20

WEDNESDAY HI: 76 LO: 54 SKY: Mostly cloudy POP: 20

THURSDAY HI: 73 LO: 49 SKY: Sunny POP: 0

Following the recent coastal impacts of Hurricanes Delta and Laura, Mississippi State University is reaching out to help affected families in numerous ways. One of the most prominent disaster relief resources on campus is the MSU Extension Service. Extension’s goal is to deliver research-driven information to educate Mississippians in all facets of agriculture, and it has been striving for this since 1914. The Extension website has a page dedicated to disaster response, which was compiled following the formation of Hurricane Zeta in October. This online guide includes a detailed frequently asked question list covering topics such as repairs, pets, power,

FORECAST: Expect slightly warmer temperatures from last week. During the day, there will be highs in the 70s and slight chances of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday. The nightly temperature will drop going into the weekend.

Courtesy of National Weather Service

crops and flooding. Audio files are also available with information on food safety, finances, safety, family needs and more. Extension also provides links to various relief agencies and organizations which can help those suffering from the after-effects of a hurricane, as well as multiple handbooks full of preparation and response information. Gary Bachman, an Extension agent and research professor in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, said MSU Extension can aid hurricane victims in many different ways. “Extension can help in multiple ways,” Bachman said. “It could be from the damage to your structure or yard to providing information from a food safety perspective. We have a number of specialists, from horticulturalists like myself to economic specialists,

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and we have professionals in all 82 counties in Mississippi.” MSU Extension updates its website regularly with articles like Bachman’s most recent guide on cleaning up damage a big storm leaves behind. While Extension provides the information necessary to prepare for hurricanes, other groups on campus are helping lead the response in providing aid. One scholarship program in the college of education, the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program (METP), held a donation drive throughout the month of October to collect supplies for the community of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The METP scholars collected school supplies for the institutions which lost essentially everything due to standing water. HURRICANE, 2

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DEER

CWD is not easily detectable as chronic symptoms appear many months after infection, making spread of the disease hard to detect, but once the infection takes root, the effects are detrimental to deer populations. Because of this, Demarais insists the best offense is a good defense. “It is an educational battle getting people to understand the true process of Chronic Wasting Disease. It is happening, and people need to learn how to manage properly,” Demarais said. “The science for CWD indicates that we need to have animals tested so that we can improve our information and manage it more effectively where it is to limit the spread of the disease through the state.” The state and university took this preemptive approach starting in the early 2000s according to Wes Burger, interim dean for the College of Forest Resources. In preparation for the disease, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) developed a plan and conducted lowintensity sampling until a case was eventually found within the last three years. Since then, MDWFP, MSU and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine Research and Diagnostics Lab have implemented an intensive sampling program. According to the annual CWD report published

by MDWFP, low-intensity sampling began in 2003 and continued through 2015 with a total of around 10,000 sampled deer over the timespan. After the first positive case was reported in Arkansas, sampling was switched to an intensive program, with nearly 20,000 sampled deer in the period of 2016 through 2019. Since the first positive in the state, the sampling program reports a total of 54 CWD positive deer, a number that is slowly increasing. The jury is still out on possible transmission of the CWD prion to humans, but caution is encouraged. Burger mentioned the fact a vast majority of the infectious diseases humans deal with stem from animal populations and believes it prudent to take the threat seriously. “We are wearing masks right now because we are in the middle of a pandemic which in all likelihood originated from a coronavirus in a wildlife population. If you look at the various pandemics in the last ten years, most every one jumped from a wildlife population to a human population,” Burger said. “We have to be vigilant in understanding these potential diseases and be prepared to handle them with management options that contain, manage and eliminate the threats from the wildlife populations and protect the human populations.” The deer lab believes

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it is crucial for hunters and land managers to have access to scientifically sound information that can influence their decisions, both for CWD and general management purposes. Luke Resop believes this bridging of science and hunting is at the heart of what the lab does. “At the deer lab, we want to merge science and hunting culture. We take science and try to make it presentable and digestible for hunters. There are just so many opinions on Chronic Wasting Disease that are just the farthest thing from reality,” Resop said. “We want people to know what is happening, what we are doing and why it is important. That communication is super critical.” According to Demarais, the lab’s traditional outreach programs include speaking to hunters and landowners directly or meeting with large timber companies and corporate landowners. In recent years, however, there has been success with social media platforms as well as YouTube and podcasts for the delivery of information. Burger knows the importance of deer, both as an economic and cultural asset for the state and believes hunters to be critical in the conservation of wild populations. His hopes going forward for deer populations and deer hunting rely on MSU’s deer lab, as both groups face an uncertain future. Speaking on deer

Mary Georgia Hamilton | The Reflector

Graduate student Luke Resop feeds Belle. Resop came to MSU to study whitetail deer since the lab is nationally known for their work.

populations, Burger acknowledged the threat of dwindling habitats. As stable and healthy habitats shrink due to urban development, stable and healthy deer populations are increasingly difficult to maintain. Hunter populations are being hurt by this development as well. Burger noted the national hunter population is declining, which he attributes to a lack of exposure for children. “People are less connected to the land, and a greater percent of the population may not have access and may not ever have been exposed.

Kids don’t grow up to be sportsmen,” Burger said. “I am a sportsmen because my grandfather was an avid bird hunter and took me hunting when I was nine years old. That was something I was introduced to as a young child, and it became part of the fabric of who I am. Many kids today don’t have that and are disconnected. We call that nature deficit disorder; they don’t have as much opportunity to just explore natural environments.” Regardless of the many challenges facing deer populations and hunters, Burger is proud of MSU for

COVID-19 “All of the girls who live with me really go above and beyond to follow the rules,” Jackson said. Additionally, Starkville and the surrounding areas faced obstacles caused by the pandemic. In September, The Reflector published an article about the curfew placed on Oktibbeha County. A curfew was enforced from 12 a.m. to

working to solve issues and educate Mississippi hunters and land managers. “Deer are an important species in the state, and we are proud and also very blessed to have such extraordinary scientists who are passionate about doing good science that informs good conservation and management,” Burger said. “I hope Mississippi State University will continue to play a central role in doing the science that informs wildlife management and is implemented by our state agencies here in Mississippi and the Southeast and throughout the country.” CONTINUED FROM 1

5 a.m. with a maximum fine of $500. According to The Reflector, officials implemented this curfew due to large gatherings late at night which included close to 100 people, creating stress on the public safety department. However, this curfew only affected the participating cities in the county which did not include Starkville.

As the semester progressed, The Reflector announced in October MSU made changes to the COVID regulations that allowed the university to safely test the success of student events. MSU allowed Greek events such as parties and swaps to occur under the condition of a pilot program. Students were allowed to attend events that followed

COVID-19 regulations, but they had to agree to random asymptomatic testing. According to The Reflector, the pilot program occurred over two weekends, and those who attended the events were successful in following the rules. Students who were at a higher risk of exposure such as those living in residence halls and participating in student life groups were selected for random testing. In addition to the new COVID-19 regulations, The Reflector reported the university canceled spring break for the spring semester. “(MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina) Hyatt explained the decision to cancel spring break as a measure to limit traveling and exposure to COVID-19,

similar to the decision to end the fall semester before Thanksgiving break,” The Reflector said. According to VP Shaw, MSU’s cases dramatically decreased towards the end of the semester. Shaw said he is continuously amazed at the way MSU’s employees and students work to stop the spread. “We have been down below 20 people in the quarantine facility for several weeks now,” Shaw said. “We have created a little island with Starkville and MSU where the mask wearing and the compliance has been really good compared to a lot of other places in the state or the United States for that matter.” According to Shaw, there have not been more than 10 positive cases at MSU during

HURRICANE They also donated cleaning supplies, baby items, basic-ready snacks and water. Brooke Hodges, a sophomore majoring in elementary education, expresses the importance of helping those in need because one day the tables could turn. “It’s always important to help people in our future profession because one day, we could be in the exact same situation,” Hodges said. The program worked with the local Starkville Community Church and its pastor, Joe Horan, to transport the items to people in need. Annice Jenkins, the program manager of METP, tries to convey the importance of community service to

a single day in several weeks. Shaw said the university will continue to analyze where they can improve for next semester. He said MSU will implement more face-to-face classes which will still require social distancing and masks. “This pandemic is a really difficult situation because we are dealing with many unknowns,” Shaw said. “The way everybody has stepped up and adjusted and made the best of a bad situation makes me really proud of our university and everyone associated with the university.” According to the COVID-19 information page on MSU’s website, the university has 23 active cases and 14 students are in MSU’s quarantine facilities as of Nov. 8. CONTINUED FROM 1

every student who enters the program, but many of them already know it, she said. “METP stresses the need to give back to the community any way they can,” Jenkins said. “This scholarship provides so much for them that we want them to get into the habit of meeting need wherever they can. They already come to us doing a lot of volunteerism, and they’re excited about it.” Service projects like this are not normally how the METP scholars would be giving back. Throughout an average academic year, they would be spending a few hours every week at the T.K. Martin Center and the Autism Clinic, but COVID-19 has prevented them from

Rooms for Rent!

volunteering as usual. Shelby Cushman, a junior transfer student in elementary education, said she was looking forward to working at METP’s typical volunteer sites but was happy the group could give back in other ways. “When coming into METP, I was excited about the volunteer opportunities with the T.K. Martin Center and the Autism Clinic,” Cushman said. “Those have been postponed this semester because of COVID, so I was very happy to hear about the opportunity to help out the Lake Charles community. I’m happy to know METP will find a way to make a difference no matter what!” Michelle Stubbs, the METP program manager, said the group was happy to help in any way it could to advocate for children. “We’re just glad we can help,” Stubbs said. “When you’re in education, you realize it’s not just about teaching. You’re an advocate for kids— you know when they’re hungry or when they need clothes. I think teachers are giving people, and that’s what we try to instill in them.”

The Reflector 11/10/20 Sudoku

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Reflector 11/10/20 Crossword

To solve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and PuzzleJunction.com box must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

SUDOKU

An In-Class Distraction

Across

15 16 14 1 Chest protector 4 Decorated, as a 19 17 18 cake 21 22 23 8 Petition to a deity, 20 once 25 26 24 14 Freudian topic 15 Christen 27 28 29 16 Jury panel 34 35 36 37 38 17 Completely happy 30 31 32 33 19 Some role players 40 41 42 39 20 Variety of limestone 45 46 43 44 21 In favor of 47 48 49 23 Torn 24 Oater group 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 25 Hoarding 27 Rumpus 59 60 58 29 Top Tatar 63 64 61 62 30 Kid spoilers 35 Postulate 66 67 65 39 Hokkaido native 40 Scottish 69 70 68 landowner Copyright ©2020 PuzzleJunction.com 42 Camera part 43 Helical 69 Graf ___ 12 Big ape 44 Mont Blanc, e.g. 45 Turnips and beets, 70 Old verb ending 13 Cozy home 46 Wood eater e.g. 18 Cheer starter 48 Country club 47 Berth place Down 22 Common figure 49 Fall behind deciduous tree 50 Ends of the earth 50 Ready 1 Jazz style 25 Fountain order 51 Any of various 53 Ward off 26 Possesses 2 Block house? straight muscles 58 Ode or haiku 28 Flirtations 3 Gets really 52 Decorative jugs 59 “___ what?” steamed 30 Kind of station 54 Poetic dusk 60 Come to light 31 Dead letters? 4 Rather 55 Plain writing 61 Verse form 5 Eatery 32 Cuckoo bird 56 Everglades bird 63 “Hamlet” setting 33 Nanny 6 It’ll never fly 57 Parasite 65 Stop working 7 Dutch pottery city 34 Military address 58 Prefix with legal 66 Go ballistic 8 Eclipse 36 Miss the mark 60 Feudal worker 67 Dry, as wine 9 Author Stout 37 ___ Grande 62 E.U. member 68 Comments to the 10 Inherent 38 Kitchen meas. 64 Once around the audience 11 Traffic stopper 41 Crucifix track

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ve the Sudoku puzzle, each row, column and must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

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November 3 Puzzle Solutions

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CLUB INFOCopyright Student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email managing@reflector. to msstate.edu with the subject heading “CLUB INFO.” Interested in a new sport? Bulldog Judo meets in Sanderson Studio B each Thursday at 5:45. Email Bulldog JudoMSU@gmail. com for more information.

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Lost, found or shortage of property reported at Chadwick Lake.

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Monday, November 2, 2020 Receiving stolen property, less than $1,000, reported in Roberts Laundry on Lee Boulevard. Possession of marijuana 1 ounce or less reported in Herbert Hall. Wednesday, November 4, 2020 Lost, found or shortage of property reported on Hardy Road near Harned Hall. Destroying public property, under $300, reported at Mitchell Memorial Library.

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Lost, found or shortage of property reported at Hull Hall room 207. Possession of marijuana 1 ounce or less reported at Hull Hall. Thursday, November 5, 2020 Lost, found or shortage of property reported at Dudy Noble Field. Lost, found or shortage of property reported at Ballew Animal Science on Stone Boulevard. Extortion under $500 reported at Critz Hall. Friday, November 6, 2020 Possession of marijuana 1 ounce or less reported at Ruby Hall.

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OPINION

EDITORIAL: COVID-19 concerns for spring semester P THE REFLECTOR EDITORIAL BOARD

We, the editorial team of The Reflector, would like to applaud Mississippi State University for a successful first semester combating the COVID-19 pandemic on the Starkville campus. While cases outside the small town of Starkville continue to skyrocket, MSU has continued to see consistently low case numbers. This can be safely said to be a result of the effectual implementation of university policy, which we affirm and celebrate. However, it seems prudent to suggest, as a voice of students across campus, that there be considerations for the next semester of classes. As students struggle through the final, waning hours of their first full semester of COVID-19, it has become clear some things must be accounted for by the university. The drastic

reduction of on-campus events and simultaneous increase of students remaining inside for long periods has resulted in a second epidemic on the campus of MSU, that of mental health concerns. With a scourge of mental health issues assailing students, we propose to the university several suggestions which we feel would be beneficial to the student experience here at MSU. Firstly, student organizations – whether religious or non-religious, Greek or non-Greek, niche or well-known – should be given equal treatment in accordance with university policy. It should be just as easy, or just as difficult, for any student organizations to have events on campus. Secondly, MSU should provide institutional assistance in organizing COVID-19-compliant events, rather than simply providing guidelines. We hope this will allow more groups to try and provide a diversity of

experiences on campus. Concerning other issues, we implore the university to remain flexible next semester. After issuing the guidelines for the spring semester, we ask the university not to become rigid in their plans. The schedule for the spring semester looms large and imposing, for the lack of breaks which has always been found in the spring semester has now been compounded. We believe one of the possible remedies to this would be to sprinkle the normal break days of spring break throughout the spring semester, giving the muchneeded occasional mental rest to weary students. Finally, we believe the university should strongly consider the return of an opt-in pass/fail system. The increasing academic concerns of students due to the ever-shifting landscape created by the pandemic should not be seen as a mere

attempt to escape academic rigor. Rather, we should not expect students and teachers to be able to adapt to such alien measures as we now find ourselves adhering to. With the massive amount of change imposed upon the student body, it would be the charitable choice to allow students the grace of pass/ fail. To practically prevent the abuse of such systems, we also suggest the system have a limited, selective application, so students can choose one or two classes they feel were most affected to be graded as pass/fail. By our continuing coverage of the university’s amelioration of the crisis, we want to inform our readers of how MSU is working to the benefit of its student body, and by our words here today, we hope to assist in that endeavor of alleviating student stress as much as possible, while still maintaining the high

academic standards of our beloved school. Therefore, we hope the university will consider the opinions here

laid out, and we believe students will continue to let H their voices be heard, both in C our paper and on our campus.

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C im w t o g it h g

Students should be mindful of noise levels during finals week

KATELYN WYATT

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

It is safe to say this has been a stressful semester, but now, finals week is upon us. Though this pandemicera of college courses was rough on all of us students, there is a way for all of us to support each other in these last couple weeks while also maintaining safe social distance: a silent treatment. We need silence or quiet hours to be respected because noisy neighbors can be unnecessary added stress and a distraction. It is not fun to be bombarded with annoying noise while trying to study or trying to get the rare nap. Be mindful of those around you

during this time and make a healthy study space for you and those in your building. Silence is a main ingredient for a healthy and productive study space, especially for final exam week. According to Kayla Hedman’s article published in The Washington Post, “Do not just start studying

anywhere. Find a quiet, orderly place. Unfortunately, your dorm room is probably a bad place to study.” Going to the library, campus or a coffee shop tends to be where college students live during final exam week, but that is not the best idea during this pandemic. It is safer for

us to stay in our dorms or apartments to study, so we should work together to make our buildings quiet. It is disrespectful to ignore the fact our neighbors and roommates will need silence to study. If you are someone who is having trouble with the noise levels wherever you

live, do not let your grades and mental state suffer. Try to peacefully come to an understanding with your neighbors about their noisiness. Both sides should understand each other. To the noisy neighbors, they may not realize how loud they really are at all hours of the night. However, to the person who lives below them, it may sound like elephants are tap dancing while beating a drum and practicing wild banshee calls. It is probably safe to say too many of us have experienced these types of noise levels at 2 a.m., either in the dorm or an apartment. But this begs the question: how can this issue be resolved? According to Cora Jordan with the Los Angeles Times, talking to your neighbors should be your first step to solving the problem, but you might have to report them to either the person in charge of your residence or even the police. The latter option is for when the situation

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The consequences of COVID-19 running rampant through our lives have clearly been negative. Everyone knows someone who has gotten sick, if they have not themselves, and almost everyone has heard of someone who died from COVID-19 complications. Knowing this, people have had to adapt to the needed change in lifestyle. Amidst our isolation from friends, family and normal activities we were comfortable with, we have, as a society, had to adopt some new habits as well as hobbies, and some of these adjustments might have been for the better. The spring and summer of 2020 had even the most social people spending hours of time alone and confined to their houses. Alongside this loneliness, there was a lot of extra time built up with nothing to fill the gap. Americans typically have very fastpaced lives, filled with to-do lists and hours of work. In many ways, COVID-19 and quarantine halted this. According to Dean Schabner with ABC

News, Americans work significantly more than other countries and have busier lives. This idea of being busy also stands true for college students, who feel the never-ending pressures of balancing social lives and piles of school work. Quarantining during COVID-19 shattered our busy lives and our perceptions of time. Suddenly, we had time to think and were able to finally confront the thoughts we often shove aside when our busy schedules prevent such contemplation. The distraction of daily life was not gone, but it was considerably lessened. Because of this, we were able to enjoy life with the relative peace provided from quarantine and had the freedom to figure out different ways of enjoying our time. Extra time led to the development of hobbies we never thought we would have had the time for. Fernando Alfonso III of CNN outlines the burst in hobbies during quarantine, showing how people have used their newfound time to revisit their old childhood hobbies, some of which include origami, sewing

s f a a a e d d c t c s s o t and drawing. Because of the spare leisure time quarantine provided, people of all walks of life had to explore new ways to spend this time with a wide range of activities to learn. Having more time to ourselves as well as avoidance of collective indoors activities led to an increase in activities such as exercise, gardening and more crafty activities. According to the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor

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Ethics, people have increased participation in activities such as gardening and will continue to participate in these once quarantine ends. The COE also notes how, “The most salient changes include utilizing local public lands more often, diversifying their recreation activities, and participating in more fitness-based activities.” No one can argue exercise and learning how to do creative activities are

bad things. Picking up such productive activities instead of hurrying along to the next event is a great way to relax and learn how to enjoy life for what it is. Our fast lives needed a break, and even though this pandemic situation is terrible, we should take what we can and appreciate the lessons we learned in our solitude. While certain aspects of quarantine are fading away, now is when we need to appreciate what we learned

and continue to hold up the healthy hobbies and habits we adopted during this time. We have all been highly focused on the pauses and disruptions COVID-19 imposed on our typically fast-paced, busy lives, but it is especially important for us to note the changes it has caused us to make, including bettering our physical health and clearing our minds enough to open up to new hobbies and ways to spend our time.

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gets serious, of course, and I hope the case does not reach that level to where you cannot resolve the issues on your own. Lastly, it is not all your neighbors’ faults for why you cannot focus on your studies. You can help yourself with the noise levels around you by turning off the television or playing instrumental music if you need some nondistracting noise. According to Brian Witte with Time, “Turning off your social media for an entire week may not be realistic or achievable for every student. Do, however, consider using it as a reward … As most people know all too well, checking news headlines can lead to an entire afternoon of watching hilarious cat videos and reading celebrity gossip.” Take responsibility for the noise and distractions around you as well, and turn off social media for a few minutes to study. The M Kardashians will still be there after you pass your finals.

Healthy habits have emerged from the COVID-19 health crisis EMILY BUTLER

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Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector. msstate.edu. Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.

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The Reflector is the official student newspaper of Mississippi State University. Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University.

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The Reflector staff strives to maintain the integrity of this paper through accurate and honest reporting. If we publish an error we will correct it. To report an error, call 325-7905.

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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT

Professor Clay Cavinder reflects on MSU’s equine program

HANNAH VANDERBERG

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Clay Cavinder sees potential and promise through his role as an equine professor in the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences and an extension horse specialist at Mississippi State University. During his time at MSU, Cavinder has drastically mproved the horse unit and wants to continue building the program. He reflected on how the program has grown, especially from ts early days, and shared his motivation for future growth. “I think about those bottom guys like us — we didn’t have anything here. Very little here in terms of the equine science program. Having those hungry universities that are looking at ways to expand, looking at ways to grow, chasing you,” Cavinder said. When Cavinder first came to MSU, there was not even a horse arena. He pushed for the 150-feetby-175 feet arena with lights and room to expand. He has also developed the horse unit into a cleaner and more

organized facility for the horses. “The evolution that we’ve seen in the past six years is pretty substantial,” Cavinder said. Cavinder is also responsible for revamping MSU’s breeding program. “We have some of the best brood mare and stallion offerings of any university and most breeders right here at Mississippi State,” Cavinder said. Along with the breeding program, he now teaches lab-based classes to focus on students and experience with horses. Each year about 10 foals, or baby horses, are born at the horse unit. These 10 horses are used in the two lab-based classes that Cavinder teaches — one in the fall semester and one in the spring semester. Logan McDonald is a senior animal and dairy science major and a student in Cavinder’s class this fall. “Back then he was very intimidating, and I was like, ‘He does not like jokes— he’s very serious.’ But now he is like my favorite teacher. [I] love him because I can definitely joke around with him. He is very personable

at the same time. He’s just an all-around good teacher,” McDonald said. Sophomore animal and dairy science major Camryn Pike first met Cavinder at the horse unit. Cavinder caught her off guard by asking her questions and eventually telling her to join the horse judging team. “That is how I met Dr. Cavinder, and ever since then, it has been a very interesting ride,” Pike said. Cavinder grew up in a horse family, with his dad judging horse shows all over the U.S. and Canada. At the time, he did not realize how unique his experience growing up around these complex animals was. He just thought everyone owned a horse show barn near their house. It was his early experiences growing up around horses which led him to work with horses in college. He attended a junior college in his home state of Oklahoma and would end up attending Oklahoma State University, where he was on the judging team at both schools. He even got his professional cards in judging.

HEATHER HARRISON STAFF WRITER

Gracie Bell | The Reflector

Starkville serves up savvy study spots

STAFF WRITER

Finding the right study spots has always been a foundational part of college academic success, but with an influx of online classes and quickly-approaching end of the semester deadlines, safe, sociallydistant study spots are more crucial than ever. Despite the COVID-19 related challenges, good study spots still exist, as long as students are willing to get out of their homes and try them out. There are several key factors which contribute to the perfect study spot. This includes the opportunity to socially distance, the availability of “study snacks” nearby and how calm and quiet the environment is. Oftentimes with roommates, an overload of work and the busy life of being a college student, it can be hard to find the aforementioned attributes in a study environment. First up on the list for the best study spot is Strange Brew Midtown in downtown Starkville. Not only does Strange Brew have amazing coffee and drinks, but they have a spacious and charming outdoor seating area. The area is covered and is attached to the coffee shop on the side. Strange Brew allows students to pull out their homework while sipping on a hot drink. If you like the ambience of a coffee shop mixed with outdoors then this is definitely the study

John Griffin | The Reflector

MSU professor and horse specialist Clay Cavinder poses with a horse at the Equine Unit.

to Starkville, Mississippi. “The good Lord kind of just kept opening doors for me to go to the right places

and do the right things to be able to build a career in that path— and here I am,” Cavinder said.

Theatre MSU presents “Anne and Emmett”

MSU senior Hannah Covington cracks open a book on the Drill Field, just one of the many creative study spots students have turned to.

EMILY BUTLER

Cavinder’s own professor in college inspired him to work in education. The professor, Kevin, taught all of the horse classes and coached the judging team at one of the colleges he attended. “I idolized Kevin. And I thought that Kevin was a cool dude. He was just down to earth; he was younger. He was just a real guy and real open about who he was. I remember being 19 and calling home and telling my parents I want to do what Kevin is doing. I want to be an educator,” Cavinder said. After receiving his master’s degree, Cavinder taught at Texas A&M before coming to MSU. His passion during his time here has been to further develop the horse unit, the stock of horses and the educational classes offered to MSU students about the equine industry. Much of the work he has put into MSU’s horse unit and animal and dairy science classes has been inspired by Texas A&M’s program. Cavinder affectionately recalls the way his journey with horses has led him from Oklahoma, to Texas A&M

spot for you. MSU students frequent Strange Brew often, and students are likely to run into a friend while tackling the demands of Canvas. Mitchell Memorial Library is another place students visit when preparing for upcoming exams. Food, print access, quiet spaces, computer labs and more are all available at this spot. There are many positives to studying at the library — Einstein Bagels arguably being the best, and the study rooms are a notable feature. If you want to study without other people being in your space then the study rooms are perfect. Cleaned regularly and separated from the rest of the room, these rooms are COVID-19 safe. Isabel Burgess, a freshman kinesiology major, said she loves studying at the library. “It’s quiet and always so peaceful. When I go to study, I can just focus and get my work done,” Burgess said. Burgess, like many others, frequents the library because of its convenience and how efficient she is in her work while studying there. Usually offering many open seats, it is rare to not find a place to work in the library, making it one of the best study spots. Even though dorm studying is not always ideal, sometimes creativity makes it work in a moment of desperation. Students can try setting up in the lobby of their dorm or clearing off their desk and laying

their study materials out to minimize clutter and distraction. Dorm studying works in a pinch when there is no time to hurry off to a different location. Freshmen business major Curtis Johnson said his dorm is his favorite spot to study. “No sounds, easy access to food and just the easiest spot to get work done,” Johnson said. The last study spot on this list is just any spot available outside. Since the weather is changing, this study spot is becoming less and less optimal, but at times it can be exactly what one needs. Whether it is finding a bench outside, sitting underneath the Chapel of Memories or at the tables outside the Colvard Student Union, studying outside can be relaxing and the perfect change of environment from the same old boring scenery. Freshman aerospace engineering major Caitlyn Stiles shared her favorite outdoor spot. “I like to study at the chairs outside the library because it is quiet and calm. The sunlight hits so nice in the evening,” Stiles said. These study spots might work for some and not for others, but finding the perfect spot requires experimentation. A new place to study can remedy mental blocks and boredom by providing a change of pace. With exams just around the corner, great study spots are exactly what is needed to make it through the next couple of brutal weeks.

Mississippi State University’s own Theatre MSU is performing “Anne and Emmett,” a hypothetical conversation between historic figures Anne Frank and Emmett Till that vocalizes racial injustice and promotes healing in the world. The play will be performed at 7:30 p.m. from Nov.10 through Nov. 13 at the McComas Hall theater. Attendees will be required to wear masks and seats will be sociallydistanced. Wednesday’s performance will also be live-streamed for viewers to watch remotely, and it will include a conversation with the playwright, Janet Langhart Cohen. The cast and crew virtually met with the playwright when rehearsals of “Anne and Emmett” first began. Tonya Hays, assistant professor at MSU and director of the play, said she is thankful they could meet the playwright to hear Cohen’s inspiration for writing the play. Hays explained this enhanced the cast and crew’s storytelling. Starkville Community Theatre partnered with Theatre MSU to produce the play, and members of the community theater will represent the play’s two adult roles. MSU students will portray the title characters. Allyn Hackman, a senior communication major with a concentration in theatre, is portraying Anne Frank. She explained due to the understudies’ compelling portrayal of their characters at one of the first rehearsals, Director Tonya Hays decided the understudies should have

a separate performance of “Anne and Emmett” on Thursday night. “Anne and Emmett” is set in a fictional place where the two title characters meet and share the cruelty both people experienced in their short lives. Viewers will watch the two characters unfold their tragic stories to one another in the oneact play. Cameron Mayers, a freshman political science and communication major, will portray Emmett Till in the play. This is his first lead role at Theatre MSU. He said he realizes his representation of Emmett is the most important role he will ever play. “This is still happening now, even though this event happened 60 years ago. We’re still dealing with the implications that it’s having to this day. I think, now more than ever, this is a story that needs to be told because, at the end of the day, it’s our generation that’s going to stop this,” Mayers said. Tonya Hays said “Anne and Emmett” is one of the better options for socially-distanced plays during COVID-19 because the four performers can be spread out on stage to maintain social distancing measures. Hackman praised the small team and said she has become close with each person on the cast and crew. “When there’s a small cast, there’s an intimacy to it that you just can’t get with a big cast, unless you’ve been with each other for years,” Hackman said. “I’ve gotten to know Cameron, Metri, Tori, Tonya and Thomas so much better, and we’re portraying our feelings with everything (happening)

right now. And it’s such a huge deal during the Black Lives Matter movement.” Donovan Andrade, a senior communication and kinesiology major from Manama, Bahrain, is the stage manager for “Anne and Emmett.” He said attendees can expect an educational and emotional show. “This is really kind of like an educational performance, as well as I will say, there are probably some heart provoking moments. But really— if you feel something, it makes you human,” Andrade said. Anne Frank and Emmett Till both died at the hands of racial injustice, and Hays said this is an important time to perform the play because of the Black Lives Matter movement and the rise of anti-Semitism across the country this year. Hays continued to say the play has a special meaning, and she voiced her hope it is one the audience will resonate with. “There’s a Hebrew saying, ‘Tikkun Olam,’ and it means repair the world. And I think that’s the message of the play, so I hope people will come and think about what they can actually do,” Hays said. Due to a COVID-19 outbreak among Theatre MSU members, the organization postponed “Anne and Emmett” by two weeks. Cast and crew expressed their eager excitement to showcase the play and to see the audience’s reactions after months of rehearsals. Tickets for “Anne and Emmett” are available on events.msstate.edu. They are pay-what-you-can, meaning free tickets are available, but donations are accepted.

66-Sports SPORTS

THE REFLECTOR NOVEMBER 10, 2020 @SPORTSREFLECTOR

MSU soccer loses to SEC champs Former Bulldog wins LPGA HANNAH BLANKENSHIP MANAGING EDITOR

The blue, yellow and red stars and stripes of Mississippi’s new state flag rippled under the Friday night lights in Mississippi State University’s soccer complex as the Bulldogs took on the #7 Arkansas Razorbacks in their last regular-season game. While the match ended in a 2-1 loss for MSU, Head Coach James Armstrong said he was proud of how his team stuck to their own style of play. Arkansas played a strong aerial and physical game, capitalizing on headers and long balls, while MSU got the ball down and played a controlled possession game. Ten minutes into the game, Arkansas scored off of a scuffle around the goal and then eight minutes later found the back of the net again. While these early two goals would be Arkansas’ only scores of the match, Armstrong said he thought the beginning of the game was the Bulldogs’ strongest performance. “This is going to sound really crazy, but I thought we started the game really well, even though we conceded an early goal. And then I thought the response after the second goal was really good as well,” Armstrong said. Hailey Farrington-Bentil, a junior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the player responsible for the Bulldogs’ lone goal of the game, agreed. “We were really going down their necks the first five or 10 minutes,” FarringtonBentil said. Despite being down 2-0 before the 20th minute, the Bulldogs rallied and scored a goal before the half was over. “When you go two-nil

down … you have a choice. You either decide to feel sorry for yourself and give up, or you try and get after it and get back in the game. And that’s what we did one play at a time,” Armstrong said. Around the 30th minute, Olivia Simpson crossed the ball into the box. Monigo Karnley passed it to FarringtonBentil, and Farrington-Bentil knocked it into the back of the net to give the Bulldogs a goal against the Razorbacks. A chorus of cowbells and cheers erupted from small groups of fans in their socially-distanced white circles. The goal was a testament to teamwork, FarringtonBentil said. “That goal we scored — that was a real team goal. It was hard work, but it was everybody’s work put together. It was the person that crossed it, MK set it, I was the person that was just there to tap it in. Even before that, the people cheering us on everyone around us — everybody had a part in that goal,” FarringtonBentil said. The second half was scoreless for both teams, resulting in the Razorbacks being crowned the SEC regular-season champions. Going into the game, Farrington-Bentil said their goal was to improve on their performance against the Razorbacks from last year — a 6-1 loss. “I think as a whole we wanted to come out and fight as hard as we could because we know we can beat this team, so I think as a whole we wanted to be tougher and have more grit,” FarringtonBentil said. Farrington-Bentil said she believes the Bulldogs outplayed the Razorbacks, something the score does not reflect.

SAM BRADFORD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hannah Blankenship | The Reflector

Macey Hodge, a redshirt freshman midfielder, advances down the field during the season closer.

“I just think that there were a couple errors, and they capitalized on them. And that’s it. I think we were the better team. We played around them. But it’s just about who scores, and they capitalized on our errors,” Farrington-Bentil said. Head Coach Armstrong said Arkansas’s team was stacked with upperclassmen, while MSU’s team lost their deep bench to several injuries and has been consistently playing five freshmen in their starting lineup. The Bulldogs will take the pitch next for the SEC Tournament, which will be held from Nov. 13-22 in Orange Beach and will be single-elimination. They await their seed number, which will be decided by points per game. Of the season as a whole, both Armstrong and Farrington-Bentil said they were proud of the team’s development this year. “There’s been a lot of growth, I think,” Armstrong said. “We fight with everybody. We fight against everybody with a ton of grit, a ton of heart, a ton of character. We were scrappy in the last 10 seconds of the game tonight,

and that’s just testament to this group. They’re a close-knit group that want to play for each other. I think that’s been their biggest growth is their toughness, their mentality and their overall desire to fight for each other.” Armstrong said he has been very impressed with how his players have handled all the changes to the season resulting from COVID-19. Each player has to get tested three times a week and constantly handle the unknown of possibly receiving a positive test, as well as the social sacrifices to prevent getting the virus. “Has it been mentally tough? Yes. Is COVID fatigue a real thing? Yes. But at the end of the day, they’re doing it because they love this game. They love this team. They love this school, and they’re willing to put those sacrifices in,” Armstrong said. Armstrong said his players’ dedication should not go unnoticed. “I just think it’s important for all of us, myself too and everybody else around, to understand the sacrifices that they’re making to represent Mississippi State in the best way that they can,” Armstrong said.

This past Sunday, Ally McDonald became the first Mississippi State University alumna to win an event on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour by claiming first place in the LPGA Drive On Championship. McDonald graduated from MSU in 2015, and during her time in Starkville, Mississippi, she won five amateur events. After graduating, she began her professional golfing career and had five Top 20 finishes on the LPGA before winning the Drive On Championship on several weeks ago. Golf has always been in McDonald’s blood. At a young age, McDonald spent her days going to the golf course with her dad. “My family was into the game, and I enjoyed anything competitive,” McDonald said. “Golf was just another sport I picked up when I was younger until I got old enough to see I was pretty good and worked at it.” Logan Chaney Abernathy, a former MSU Women’s Golf Team member who played with McDonald at MSU, said she noticed her teammate was a unique competitor from the start. “What stood out about Ally is how much grit she had,” Abernathy said. “Sometimes you hit a shot so badly that you think, ‘Well, this hole is over.’ But she never had that mentality. She would hit a couple bad shots, and instead of letting it get to her, she would chip the ball in for par or hole it out from the fairway for birdie. She never gave up on her ability which is pretty amazing.” Abernathy said McDonald’s golfing style was uniquely bold.

“She was a pretty fearless golfer,” Abernathy added. “She used to say that trees are 90% air and would go right through them when the rest of us on the team would play it safe and punch back out into the fairway.” Another former teammate of McDonald’s at MSU, Blaise Carabello, also pointed out McDonald’s competitive spirit. “Ally was a supportive, encouraging teammate,” Carabello said. “She is a competitor. Whether it’s tossing a frisbee or throwing a football, she wants to win.” McDonald acknowledged a lot of different individuals have helped and mentored her along her journey to becoming a professional golfer, along with her father. She looks to give back in the same way by volunteering as an assistant coach at MSU whenever she gets the chance. McDonald finished the championship at -16 to defeat Danielle Kang by a single stroke. She credits her first win to her solid putting performance throughout the weekend. “I’ve felt I’m a pretty consistent ball striker and drive the ball well, so for me, I think it was just putts falling,” the former Bulldog said about her performance. “That’s what I’ve tried to get trending in the right direction because I know it’s the difference in a good week and a great week.” With only four more events left in 2020, McDonald looks to keep climbing in the Race to the CME Globe by sticking with the same process that helped her achieve her first win. She believes getting her first will take some of the pressure off her shoulders and produce even more success.

Mississippi State University Fall 2020 Commencement Ceremonies November 25, 2020 8:00 a.m. Ceremony (Arts & Sciences)

11:00 a.m. Ceremony (Education/Architecture, Art & Design/ University Studies)

2:00 p.m. Ceremony (Business/Agriculture & Life Sciences)

5:00 p.m. Ceremony (Engineering/Forest Resources/ Veterinary Medicine) • • • • •

Humphrey Coliseum

Doors open one hour prior to each ceremony Total guest capacity limited to 25% of Coliseum Facial coverings required for everyone in attendance Tickets required for guests (4 guests per graduate) Social distancing will be enforced

Please allow additional time for security screening ALL BAGS ARE SUBJECT TO SEARCH Additional information regarding the ceremonies may be found at www.registrar.msstate.edu/students/graduation

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF OUR GRADUATES!!

Mansel Guerry | Courtesy Photo

Kobe Jones, a senior from Starkville, Mississippi, proudly carries the new state flag as the team runs out to begin their homecoming game.

MSU football defeats Vanderbilt

GARRETT SMITH STAFF WRITER

Mike Leach and the Mississippi State University Bulldogs were finally able to get back on track Saturday when they defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores 2417. The game still featured many of the offensive woes that have plagued MSU throughout their now 2-4 start of the season. The difference came in the turnover margin, thanks in large part to MSU’s defense and quarterback Will Rogers, a freshman from Brandon, Mississippi, who got his first career start for the Bulldogs on Saturday. The Bulldogs finished the game with five takeaways, two of them forced by linebacker Tyrus Wheat, a junior from Amite, Louisiana. Wheat was able to pounce on the loose football after his second forced fumble, giving the Bulldogs the chance to start a drive on the Vanderbilt 13-yard line, a drive that led to the game-winning touchdown. “It feels great to help them out,” Wheat said. “We put them in some great field positions and gave them some chances to score off of turnovers.”

The other three Bulldog turnovers came in the form of interceptions, the first of which led to their first touchdown. Collin Duncan, a sophomore safety from Montgomery, Alabama, made a leaping one-handed grab to give the Bulldogs the ball. Will Rogers and a more smoothly operating air raid offense then took them straight down the field to take the 7-0 lead early in the first quarter. Coach Leach said he was impressed with the freshman’s performance. “Well, we had quite a number of people unavailable today,” Leach said. “I thought he did a really good job of working through that. He had spurts where he played well, and I thought that was very impressive for a freshman. I think Will stayed relatively composed. I think he rallied at the end.” Rogers’ commanding presence early on allowed MSU to jump to a 17-0 lead in the first half. However, it was Vanderbilt’s offense that dominated in the second half, leading to a 17-point comeback that ultimately fell short. At the end of the day, the Commodores were able to put up 478 yards of total offense, compared

to MSU’s 204. The radical difference was overcome by the overwhelmingly positive turnover ratio, but the yardage statistics paint a bleak picture of MSU’s production against a largely inferior Vanderbilt team. The off-the-field storyline at Saturday’s game came in the unveiling of Mississippi’s brand new state flag, freshly approved by the voters on Nov. 3rd. Flying alongside the American flag just outside the stadium, it was also carried onto the field with the team by senior defensive end Kobe Jones, from Starkville, Mississippi. He said the moment was especially significant. “That moment meant a lot for me,” Jones said about carrying out the new state flag.” It was just a huge honor to be asked to carry out that flag. I felt very proud to finally wave a flag that unites all Mississippians. It was just a huge moment for me, and I guess for the whole state.” Despite the continued offensive struggles, MSU fans are glad to be back in the win column and hungry for more. The Bulldogs (24) will be back in action next week at home as they face the Auburn Tigers (4-2) on Saturday.