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Sprinkler system fails, possibly displaces 72 Hurst residents

by Lacretia Wimbley News Editor

Early Wednesday morning, a newly installed component of the fire

suppression system in Hurst Hall on the campus of Mississippi State University failed, resulting in substantial water damage within the building.

Thirty-six rooms were affected and could possibly displace 72 female

students for the rest of the fall semester. Repairs are reported to be complete prior to the spring 2015 semester.

According to an MSU press release, the Hurst Hall water damage was due to new components of the

fire suppression systems that were being installed as a system upgrade.

Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said water damage to Hurst Hall and implications of the component failure are still being assessed.

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Public Affairs | Courtesy Photo

Mark Keenum, MSU president, met with students affected by Wednesday morningʼs sprinkler damage in Hurst Hall. Keenum provided the students with updated information about the situation and discussed housing accommodations as well. Possibly 72 female students will be displaced for the rest of the fall semester.

City of Starkville debates ban of dogs from cemeteries

by Nia Wilson Staff Writer

In August, the Board of Aldermen met to discuss what should be done about owners not cleaning up after their dogs in local cemeteries. There is still an on-going debate about how to handle the situation, but the city placed a temporary ban on pets in the cemetery earlier this month. Currently, there are three city-owned cemeteries, two on University Drive and one on Martin Luther King Drive West/ Mississippi highway 182.

Numerous recommendations from the Starkville Cemetery Association prompted the ban.

Bill Green, administrator for the city cemeteries, said he simply wants to see owners pick up after their dogs.

“I don’t want to fuel the fi re anymore. At this point, I am neutral about the ban,” Green said. “Yes, dogs need to walk, but at the same time, they need to be picked up after.”

City policy dictates there must be two public hearings before any adaptations can be made to the current animal control policies.

The fi rst public hearing assembled Tuesday.

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Jessica Lamas, a Cotton District resident, said something needs to be done.

“The Cotton District is a public community, and the community should not have to worry about the mess of someone else’s dog.

Gravesites are very meaningful to family and friends of that person. I don’t see how someone could have that much disrespect,” Lamas said.

The board has yet to hold a discussion on enforcement or punishments regarding the ban.

Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker said the cemeteries should be respected, but a ban is an unrealistic solution that will not promote that goal.

“In the Cemetery Association’s eyes, there should be an outright ban of dogs in the cemetery.

They want to ban all dogs except service animals.

This is not what I would encourage, but it looks like that is the direction we are headed toward,” Walker said. “The cemetery is a place to be respected and celebrated. We can fi nd a way to accommodate all citizens without an outright ban. In an area that is rapidly urbanizing, it will be very difficult to maintain this ban.”

UNIFIED EGG BOWL: SPECIAL OLYMPICS Over 100 area games, 95 coaches training schools and seven state level competitions are held annually in a variety of sports that take place in the state of Mississippi.

MSU’s EcoCAR 3 receives $20,000

by Taylor Bowden Staff Writer

On Nov. 17, members of MSU’s EcoCAR 3 team trickled into the CAVS building for their meeting.

The agenda; discus control systems and frame designs, eat pizza, and also a photo op. with a giant $20,000 dollar check from General Motors.

EcoCAR 3 is a series of competitions put on by the U.S. Department of Energy in partnership with GM. The competitions span several years, with EcoCAR one and two taking place over the course of three years respectively.

The objective of the competition is to convert a conventional modern car into a hyper efficient hybrid vehicle.

2014 marked the start of EcoCAR 3, which differs from the previous competitions “EcoCAR one and two were three year competitions,” communications manager for MSU’s EcoCAR team Casey McGee said. “How this works is, we are in year one, and we are going to be working on a Chevrolet Camaro.

We won’t actually get the

car until next December.”

What they will be doing in the meantime is planning.

EcoCAR 3 is part of the DOE’s Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition series, and part of the competition this time is to not only drastically reduce greenhouse emissions and increase gas mileage, but to do so in a way that does not compromise the Camaro’s expected muscle and performance.

“We want the students to know about the competition because we have been successful in the past,” McGee said.

MSU’s team won fi rst place overall at a 2007 competition, along with 2008, ‘10, and ‘12. Those being accompanied by a myriad of specific awards over the years ranging from Vehicle Design, to Media Relations and Business Programs along with things like the Women in Engineering Award.

“It’s brought a lot of positive publicity to the university and the team intends to continue to become even more successful with EcoCAR 3,” McGee said.

Gary Rushton is a GM employee and voluntary liaison to MSU’s EcoCAR team, and has worked with MSU’s teams for years.

ECOCAR, 2

Unified Egg Bowl 2014

Special Olympics athletes with intellectual disabilities played flag football on teams alongside traditional college students from MSU and Ole Miss.

Fans of both schools can also use this opportunity to donate funds that will be used to establish Special Olympics programs.

Special Olympics: No. 4 Mississippi State University Head Coach Dan Mullen and Athletic Director

Meagan Bean/ MSU | Courtesy Photo

Scott Stricklin, as well as No. 11 Ole Miss Head Coach Hugh Freeze, issued video challenges online at www. youtube.com/SpecialOlympicsMS to fans, followers, students and alumni of their universities to donate toward Special Olympics programs at their universities. The Special Olympics Unified Egg Bowl allows athletes with intellectual disabilities to play flag football on teams alongside traditional college students from MSU and Ole Miss. On Wednesday, the first Unified Egg Bowl kicked off at the MSU intramural fields.

Mississippi tuition increase proposed

by Lacretia Wimbley News Editor

Tuition for in-state universities in Mississippi could increase for fall 2015 by an average of 3.2 percent if College Board approves

for the Mississippi University for Women to raise prices.

According to a WCBI report, the board voted on a two-year tuition plan last year, and most universities will not make changes now.

The report states Mississippi residents would pay a statewide average of

$6,718 for two semesters of full-time tuition and fees, which is up by $272. The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University would see the largest increase of tuition and fees by five percent, which is nearly $7,500 a year.

According to WCBI, this

proposed increase is due to universities needing additional funds to increase faculty salaries, cover operation costs and make up for cuts to state aid. Reportedly, appropriations to the university system had an increase of almost $40 million this year.

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Emma Katherine Hutto | The Reflector

Zuzu African Acrobats: The Zuzu African Acrobats, former NBC show ‘America’s Got Talent’ performers and Mombasa, Kenya natives, performed an hour-long choreographed routine embodying the cultural history

of East Africa Monday evening. During the show, the acrobats performed fast pyramid building, limbo, contortion, bottle balancing, tumbling, chair stacks (balancing) and a pole act. Three of the five performers were semi-finalists in the 2011 “America’s Got Talent” shows.

ECOCAR

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Noah Siano | The Reflector

(Left to Right): Kalyan Srinivasan (faculty advisor), Randolph Follett (faculty adviser), Dalton Childers (team lead), Jeremy Walker (team lead), Wesley Haney (team lead), Stephen Hayes (project manager), Casey McGee (communication manager), Ryan Nazaretian (engineering manager), Gary Rushton (General Motors mentor) and Sundar Krishnan (faculty adviser).

Rushton said GM has been involved with the program for about 25 years, though the DOE held competitions a number of years before that.

For each competition, GM has to bid alongside other companies for the privilege to cosponsor the events. GM sends a liaison to each school participating in the competition all over the nation and donates both the vehicles used and seed money to get the teams going.

“General Motors is super helpful to us, and we really value the relationship we are able to have with them and Gary,” McGee said.

“We really appreciate their involvement. Gary helps us out a lot.”

There are 16 universities overall who are competing, and Rushton said teams that did not participate in EcoCAR 2 get about double the seed money to get their programs rolling.

GM involves itself in EcoCAR for a variety of reasons, chiefly, to spot and nurture young talent.

“We’ve hired hundreds of engineers from everywhere over the years from this program,” Rushton said. “Not just college grads, either. We also hire co-ops and interns for summer work.”

Because the competitions span several years, the faces of the teams change.

By the time the competition is completely over at the end of year four, many members and senior leaders will have graduated and been replaced.

Wesley Haney is lead of

the mechanical sub team for MSU’s EcoCAR 3 team. He joined the program during EcoCAR 2. Haney, along with Dalton Childers and Ryan Nazaretian, is one of three out of six sub team leads with over a year’s experience with EcoCAR 2.

Because the minds behind the team constantly change as the competition progresses, Haney said making sure what was learned in EcoCAR 2 is passed on to the younger team members of EcoCAR 3 is of utmost importance considering the new members will soon be leaders themselves.

“We learn things every time, and that’s really what this is all about,” Haney said. “It’s a big learning process. We’ve taken all the information we had over those three years, and we are already applying it to this year, and we are preparing the team for year three and four. We have a lot of experience and knowledge going forward.”

EcoCAR 3 will be a year longer because, as Rushton said, the three year time span seemed a little staggering.

“When it was a three year competition we wanted a running car at the end of year two and that was very difficult,” Rushton said.

“There is a lot of work in year one, a lot of analysis, modeling, simulation… a lot of design. Then to take all of that and expect a running vehicle in less than one calendar year was difficult, so we sort of stretched year two into years two and three.”

Rushton said GM and the

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DOE both would love for a team to uncover some drastic breakthrough in efficiency, but until then the DOE has found a way to put all the data teams produce to good use.

“So when they [DOE] set the fuel economy guidelines for auto manufacturers for what they expect a vehicle to get, a lot of it is based on EcoCAR modeling and simulation,” Rushton said. “Because the models and simulations say we can get 60 or 100 miles to the gallon if we, say, use this type of architecture, the Department of Energy uses that to say ‘Guess what, automakers?’”

Students interested can join the project at any point, and a background in engineering is not required.

“In our team, there’s about 100 members spanning about 16 different majors,” McGee said, a communication major herself. “We’ve got all these different majors that come together to make an awesome team. Involvement is great no matter what your major is.”

Interested parties can visit ecocar3.org/missisto sippistateuniversity learn more about how to join.

“It’s awesome to be involved and really awesome for the university to have us here,” McGee said.

“Anyone of all majors are welcome to join the team, we love having all the different perspectives. We are going for first place and we are confident in our team and will strive for the best.”

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Walker said the main issue is educating residents to be responsible, and a ban will not fix that.

“The ban will not solve our problems. There are only two animal control personnel. Why put such

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an undue burden on them?

We need to express that it is very important to follow the rules if you are in the cemetery. Wastebaskets and proper signage that display clear rules would be better than just a ban. It would educate them, and that is what we really need,” Walker said.

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Art thesis: ‘From Nothingness’

by D.J. Wormley Staff Writer

Michael Wilkerson will present his Bachelors in Fine Arts thesis exhibit, “From Nothingness,” Nov. 20 in the Colvard Student Union Art Gallery on the Mississippi State University campus.

Michael Wilkerson is an art major from Tupelo, Mississippi. His work is based on the Japanese Tea Ceremony and the Chinese rituals of Zen. Wilkerson said he wants his current works to portray how simple objects can be transformed into beautiful art.

“Currently I’ve been focused on teapots. My goal is to try and make this ordinary object into something more sculptural and imaginative,” Wilkerson said. “I really enjoy making teapots because it has several different elements to consider. It’s almost like a puzzle for me. I am always searching for the right part to add next.”

Wilkerson said even though he has been on different paths during his academic career, he chose to major in art because he likes to be innovative and he is a very reflective thinker.

“I chose art because I just really enjoy being creative.

I’m a fairly introverted

person, and I live in my head a lot,” he said. “I think for introverted people it’s almost a necessity to be able to express yourself in some way. Art just felt right. I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid and music is still important to me. I consider music as an art. I failed music theory though, so I tried art. I was enjoying all the classes I was taking and learning about new materials and processes but everything really changed once I pulled my first pot out of the kiln. That’s when I knew I had found what I was searching for.”

Wilkerson said he has many favorite artists that inspire him, and he really loves artists that are hard workers.

“A few artists I admire are Don Rietz, Fukami Sueharu, Sheila Hicks, but honestly, I think my favorite artists are ones who put in a lot of hard work and thought into what they do,” he said. “Even if I am not 100 percent into what they’re doing, I think it makes all the difference when you can tell someone put their all into it.”

According to Wilkerson, exhibiting an artist’s work is a great opportunity to help the artist become more conscious of what styles work and what styles do not and hearing opinions from the audience helps also.

“I think installing your work in a gallery really

Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 2:28 p.m. An employee reported malicious damage to his vehicle while parked at Dorman Hall.

7:56 p.m. A visitor reported his iPhone 5 stolen from the Kappa Alpha fraternity house.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014 8:52 a.m. An employee from Hill Poultry Science turned over unused material for disposal.

5:05 p.m. A student reported fraudulent charges to her debit card.

5:08 p.m. A student reported being assaulted at Hull Hall.

6:42 p.m. A student was issued a student referral for housing a non-resident in her dorm room.

11:58 a.m. A student was arrested on George Perry Street for improper eqipment and suspended driver’s license.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014 6:58 a.m. Officers were dispatched to a fire alarm at Hurst Hall.

12:46 p.m. A student was arrested off campus for fraudulent use of identity.

3:25 p.m. A student reported damage to her vehicle while parked at the Humphrey Coliseum parking lot.

6:10 p.m. A student was arrested on campus for simple assault.

6:26 p.m. Students stole a men’s room sign from the third floor of the Colvard Student Union. Student referrals were issued.

9:47 p.m. A student reported a window in Hull Hall broken.

Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014 1:17 a.m. A student reported the smell of marijuana at Herbert Hall. Students were issued student referrals for violation of housing policy.

3:30 a.m. A student passed out at North Hall. The subject was transported to OCH.

Brent Funderburk, Lori Neuenfeldt | Courtesy Photo

Michael Wilkerson works to create art sculptures for his senior thesis exhibit.

helps you realize what’s not working with your pieces and how you can make it better,” he said. “Having all your work in a clean, open space makes you notice a lot. Also, you get feedback from the public which can be useful sometimes.”

Robert Long, professor of art at MSU, said Wilkerson has great talent and passion for what he does.

“Michael is focused and passionate about his creative work in clay,” Long said. “He spends hours

assessing, reworking and refining subtle details in his work to push his new found craft to such high standards. He has quickly developed a very personal, mature aesthetic in this medium that most committed artists struggle with for many years to achieve.”

Long said he believes Wilkerson’s work will broaden people’s minds about ceramic art.

“Michael’s work in clay will expand people’s understanding of what ceramic art can be and challenge

them to see handmade ceramic art in a new way,” Long said.

According to Long, Wilkerson’s exhibit will allow students the opportunity to see high quality work.

“Students here at MSU often have to travel to larger cities to see artwork of such high caliber, but this show From Nothingness (referring to the clay’s shapeless form before being transformed) is by one of our very own,” Long said.

Brent Funderburk, professor of art at MSU, said Wilkerson is a very reserved artist, and his ceramic teapots are extravagant.

“He’s very organized, quiet and a very deep thinker. His exhibit is centered on the Tea Ceremony, and his teapots are very fanciful,” Funderburk said.

Funderburk said he believes Wilkerson’s exhibit will fully delight the audience.

“It will entertain viewers in a deep, fulfilling way. It’s about beauty,” he said.

MMP provides insight into student preferences

by John Williams Staff Writer

Early last week, Music Maker Productions at Mississippi State University published a survey to the students and the community members of Starkville to get feedback on its work to bring entertainment to the Starkville-Golden Triangle area.

Thomas Fitzner, Columbus, Mississippi native and senior international business and French major, serves as student director of Music Maker Productions.

Fitzner was responsible for collecting the data of the survey and using the data to aid in the decision making process. Fitzner outlined how MMP goes from the planning of a show to the booking and execution of a show.

“It starts with research, and then it goes into seeing who is available,” Fitzner said. “Then from who is available to what would work for the Mississippi State and Starkville community.”

Fitzner also said his dream show at Mississippi State would include Theophilus London and Travis Scott opening for Justin Bieber

hosted in the third floor of the Colvard Student Union in the office of Emilie Cravens, who serves as adviser for MMP. “From the survey, the Hump has been determined as one of the most preferred venues,” Fitzner said.

Lauren Guisinger, senior communications major from Nashville, Tennessee said she assists in publicizing MMP events.

“Of the people surveyed, Snapchat was a popular social media option,” Guisinger said. “So we have now created a Snapchat account where we will be posting exclusive content before any other media outlet about our shows.”

Guisinger said her dream

concert at Mississippi State would consist of Rock Eupora and Kings of Leon opening for Grateful Dead hosted in the Dawg House inside the Colvard Student Union.

Alex Coats, sophomore communications major from College Station, Texas, serves as the newly created position, Old Main assistant director. Coats’s focus is Old Main, but that does not take away from his commitment to MMP as a whole.

“The way it works in my mind, we constantly have artists that we are always wanting to bring,” Coats said.

“There are certain situations where they may fit perfect, and sometimes they don’t.”

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

‘Home for the holidays’ to channel Christmas spirit

by Alexandria Wilson Staff Writer

‘Tis the season to be jolly for Mississippi State University Libraries as they host their “Home for the Holidays” Christmas Gala to spread holiday cheer on campus.

Students, faculty, staff and the Starkville community are encouraged to come out to view the special holiday-themed exhibits in the library on Sunday, Nov. 23 from 2 p.m to 5 p.m.

Local authors and artists will be in-house along with interactive crafts and children’s activities. Former MSU First Lady Tommie Zacharias will begin the festivities with the lighting of the tree. Roy Ruby will read “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” and Sid Salter will read “Yes, Virginia.”

Holiday music will include string groups, vocalists and pianists.

Patrons can enjoy visiting with several authors and artists. Quilters, basket weavers, yarn crafters and

a carver will demonstrate their arts.

“Holiday events hosted on campus are special for students who may not have the opportunity to go home and celebrate with their families” said Roderick Erby, junior BIS major. “I think that it’s a great idea to have things like this, to get everyone in the holiday spirit during the stressful times of fi nal exam week.”

Leilani Salter, administrative assistant to the Dean, said she will serve as the event’s chairman this year.

“Since many of our students are away from home for extended periods, I think events such as these give them a feeling of home,” Salter said. “We want them to always feel welcome here and always fi nd a friendly and helpful staff in their educational journey.”

Santa will visit with the children and parents are encouraged to bring a camera. A cookbook will be available for purchase for $10 and will benefit the Friends of the Library.

“Bulldog Hospitality: Good

Food from the Mississippi State University Libraries” includes over 100 recipes contributed by 30 members of library faculty and Friends of the Library.

According to MSU Libraries, the Christmas gala was the creation of Dean of Libraries Frances Coleman. Coleman wanted to provide guests a festive afternoon to kick off the Christmas season and showcase the many collections, artifacts and memorabilia housed in the vaults of the library’s Special Collections department.

The gala is a group effort that takes several months to complete with the help of many volunteers. The gala committee determines the theme, and the gala is planned around the theme.

Along with holiday exhibitions and readings, an oil painting of Ulysses S. Grant will be unveiled at 3:30 p.m. in the U.S. Grant Presidential Library on the fi rst floor of the library.

Painted in 1868 by James Reid Lambdin, the portrait is on loan for one year from Jim Small of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Austin Grove | The Reflector

MSU Libraries will host their ʻHome for the Holidaysʼ event Sunday in Mitchell Memorial Library on campus.

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Public Affairs | Courtesy Photo

Water damage done to a residentʼs room in Hurst Hall is shown above. Seventy-two residents are possibly displaced.

“At this time, we are evaluating both the failed component and the installation of the component in trying to determine the cause of this accident and to take immediate steps to correct the problem,” Salter said.

MSU President Mark Keenum and other officials met Wednesday with students displaced by the water damage in Hurst Hall and provided them with information and housing options and accommodations. Students received

premier options to continue their stay at the La Quinta Inn and Suites through the end of the fall 2014 semester.

On Oct. 5, the sprinkler system in Oak Hall caused water damage displacing 198 female residents, due to a candle left burning in a residents’ room. That night, 73 women slept at La Quinta Inn, 64 women slept at other off-campus locations and two women stayed at the university’s Butler Guest House.

Women housed on the

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fourth floor of Oak Hall chose to stay in their own rooms after officials determined no damage was sustained at that level and gave an all-clear.

During an interview with The Reflector, Salter said residents who were displaced from Oak Hall have been situated for weeks now.

“Residents who were displaced from Oak Hall are currently back in their rooms, or in other housing on campus for the rest of the semester,” Salter said.

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Reportedly, MUW originally planned to keep prices flat next fall, but now wants to raise tuition and fees by 2.5 percent, which will amount to $5,781 a year.

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Red Herrings

Where The Wild Thoughts Are

The days are short, bleak and cold. Thanksgiving is almost here and Christmas is on the way, but there seems to be a pervasive feeling of gloom throughout the air. People are ready for the semester to just up and die already and get on home for a nice break away from presentations, meetings, tests and the like. However, since there is a solid three weeks until that becomes a possibility, I have found — ahem, “rediscovered” — a small thing that can turn any blasé day into a day that is mostly blasé, but punctuated with a small moment of joy.

No, not referring to the new Starbucks Chestnut Praline latte or the incoming deluge of Christmas music and movies (though those are a reliable pick-meup any day). What the world really needs is more letters.

Not texts, Instagram tags or tweets — good old fashioned, inconvenient letters.

The kind that take a solid two days to travel the incredibly long distance of say, Jackson to Starkville. The ones where you have to sit down and organize thoughts and, God forbid, actually

Over the past several months, we have heard several commentators say Russian leader Vladimir Putin is doing his absolute best to recreate the Soviet Union of old. This kind of motivation has implications that reach much farther than Eastern Europe. This fact in mind, Putin certainly seems to be ascribing to the “no press is bad press” mantra.

Putin left the recent Group of 20 (G20) summit in a huff after he was met with a great deal of tension from other world leaders. Upon meeting with Putin, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper coolly confronted Putin, saying, “I guess I’ll shake your hand … You need to get out of Ukraine,” according to aides of the Canadian leader.

According to Jethro Mullen of CNN, these kinds of interactions were the norm during the summit this past weekend, saying Putin “found himself on the receiving end of a series of sharp verbal jabs from his fellow world leaders.”

Apprehensive grandstanding was the story of this year’s G20. Putin even left the conference early after withstanding what Patrick Wintour and Ben Doherty call “hours of browbeating by a succession of Western leaders.”

Snail mail brings holiday joy, spices up winter break

“Letter writing allows for one’s creative juices to flow...” write these thoughts down on paper. Don’t be scared.

No one will be grading you on your thesis this time.

There’s something very satisfying about having correspondence with someone more or less on a constant basis. It makes coming home from an unendurable day of work or class a bit more enjoyable, especially if you expect a package or letter.

Opening a letter is definitely one of the most underrated pleasures in the world, ranking somewhere above a really good sneeze and perhaps somewhere below the smell of freshly mown grass. It’s like a tiny present, and it’s a nice excuse to make an event out of something.

Imagine it; letter in hand, you walk to the kitchen to make a small pot of coffee.

As the coffee brews, you pick out your favorite mug and pour a cup before leisurely striding over to the couch, letter and coffee in hand, to sit back and open and read the contents, punctuating this action with swigs of coffee and pillow

Managing Editor Catie Marie Martin

Claire Mosley is a senior majoring in accounting. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.

readjustments. This is just one way to do it. A professional letter-opener could easily make this a 30-minute affair, depending on how leisurely he or she pours the coffee or whether or not he or she lights a candle, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like letters are just chock-full of vital information. Nowadays it’s so much easier to just call someone if there is something crucial to tell them. Letters are, without a doubt, archaic, and there is no doubt in my mind that sometime in the future they might not exist, at least not in physical form.

However, there is something so charming and enjoyable about receiving and sending mail, a practice brimming with all sorts of customs that just feel so darn satisfying. The picking of the stationary, the writing of the letter and the placement of the stamp before sending it off through the labyrinthine channels of the post office are just a few acts that really help turn a bleak, November day into a bleak, November day where you sent a letter.

That’s something, right?

If you happen to find yourself with a severe case of the winter doldrums this year, I highly suggest enlisting a willing friend or family member to engage in a trial run of snail mail correspondence. It’s an opportunity to write about things that perhaps don’t often make it into text form, or perhaps are hard to mention in a conversation. Letter writing allows one’s creative juices to flow, and though it might be a bit inconvenient to purchase stamps and stationary, it’s one of those things that, once it begins, it’s rather hard to stop. And if nothing else, it gives you an excuse to take a moment or two and sit down and do something unrelated to school or work.

Plus, letters are tangible, sentimental pieces of a private history concerning you and your correspondent and allow for a way to connect to a past self without wading through 12,345 Gmail messages to get there.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor in Chief/Emma Crawford

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Putin poses threat to Obama’s foreign policy But browbeating is all it was. Over the past several months, financial sanctions have been levied against Russia. Granted, the sanctions do seem to be working. The State Department’s website says these sanctions have “steadily increased the diplomatic and financial costs of Russia’s aggressive actions towards Ukraine.”

But the dust has settled, the sanctions have been imposed and Putin is still in Ukraine.

According to Mark Landler of The New York Times, President Obama even made a concerted effort to avoid calling Russia’s actions in Ukraine an invasion while also saying additional sanctions will be unnecessary.

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the next steps of the European Union and the United States with regards to Ukraine as “a test of the stamina political will of the United States and the EU.” Cameron thinks they will meet the task.

There is certainly something to be said for nonviolent conflict resolution. I am as against sending more troops into a territory like Ukraine as anyone. However, what seems to be curious is, for a president so concerned about his legacy, Obama has been incredibly passive when

it has come to policy in general, but especially engagements in the foreign arena.

Commentators have long called Obama a dictatorial tyrant, but perhaps the more accurate analysis of his administration is one of passivity and uncertainty. International blunders characterize the President’s last six years in office, with the Ukraine situation being perhaps one of the freshest in mind along with the President’s recent address, which referred to the Islamic State as “the JV team,” only to note a short time later his underestimation of the Islamic militant group.

Obama balked in the midst of the Syria conflict last year, allowing Secretary of State John Kerry to gaffe his way into giving Bashar al-Assad a free pass, out of the severe punishment he was sure to endure following his genocidal reign in the Middle Eastern country, if he would only dismantle his biological weapons.

Such international weakness has characterized the Obama administration, and the president’s interaction with Putin during the Ukraine situation seems to be more of the same. As Washington Post commentator Dana Milbank wrote in

Tucker Fleming is a senior majoring in sociology. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu.

a recent article, “the nation expects from the White House not miracles but competence … the real problem with Obama is not overreach, but his tendency to be hands-off.”

As the president nears the twilight of his tenure, what will become of Barack Obama’s legacy? Will the nation remember his efforts to diffuse the financial and economic bomb of the 2008 recession? Will he be remembered as the president who did what Bill Clinton, the political heavyweight of the last three decades, could not do by passing his legendary healthcare reform? Or will he be remembered for his blunders on the international stage? Only time will tell, but his passive foreign policy surely will not fortify his legacy.

Frank, Frankly

New sexual assault allegations await Bill Cosby Bill Cosby stands as a loveable American icon that has made many laugh throughout the years with his character Cliff Huxtable in the hit television show, “The Cosby Show.” The show often taught viewers lessons about life and painted a picture of a family that had its share of problems, but always found ways to find solutions through laughter. The new sexual abuse allegations in the news against Cosby are troubling. There are reports of abuse from over a dozen different women in his past.

Cosby, now 77 years old, has never been criminally charged during any of the allegations, but in 2006 faced a civil suit settlement with one of his alleged victims.

A recent story now gaining traction in the news comes from actress Barbara Bowman who has stated Cosby assaulted her in 1985.

In a recent Washington Post column, Bowman wrote about how she once admired and viewed Cosby as a father figure and how that trust was broken when she was a teenager and faced a series of assaults. Bowman claims she was drugged and raped by Cosby several times. I hope if this true, she receives the justice she has been seeking. Another alleged victim,

model Janice Dickinson, has recently accused Cosby of drugging and assaulting her as well in 1982. In a recent Entertainment Tonight interview Dickinson claims she tried to tell her story in a 2002 book she released but Cosby and his lawyers tried to keep quiet the allegations.

According to a 2012 report from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, “Nearly 18.3 percent of adult women and 1.4 percent of adult men experienced rape in their lifetimes.” In colleges across the country, many face sexual abuse at an even more alarming rate. According to that same CDC report, a national survey showed 37.4 percent of female rape victims were first raped between the ages of 18-24 years old and nearly 19 percent of undergraduate women had experienced attempted or completed sexual assault since entering college. These statistics are troubling to hear. I commend all of those who try to take a stand against their abusers and let their voices be heard and hope all of the rape victims who can’t be heard find the courage to do so one day.

The comedian had an upcoming guest appearance scheduled on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on

CBS television network, but it was canceled shortly after the new allegations.

According to USA Today, Netflix has also recently postponed the launch of Bill Cosby’s stand-up comedy special, “Bill Cosby 77,” originally scheduled for later this month.

Cosby has been on several interviews recently and has continued to stay silent on the situation, and rightfully so.

In the past, Cosby has repeatedly said the allegations are not true. Sexual abuse allegations are serious and should be addressed in a court of law and not in a court of public opinion where it cannot be proven legally. That’s why many lawyers who represent clients in similar cases advise clients to stay silent or deny.

John P. Schmitt, Cosby’s attorney, took up the case.

“Over the last several weeks, decade-old, discredited allegations against Bill Cosby have resurfaced,” Schmitt said “The fact that they are being repeated does not make them true and that Mr. Cosby does not intend to dignify the allegations with any comment.”

Even though I grew up a fan of Bill Cosby and the Cosby Show, I am beyond disappointed in these allegations. I myself am still a

Frank Bradford is a graduate student in political science. He can be contacted at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.

huge admirer of his life’s work to this day. Although, I will no longer be a fan of his if these allegations prove to be the truth. We live in a world where we idolize certain celebrities and public figures and sometimes forget they face the same issues and problems as the rest of society. Sexual abuse is a serious issue that cannot fully be judged based on allegations, but there should be evidence and a trial. I believe jumping to conclusions without proof would be the wrong move to make. We are immersed in sensationalized forms of mass media where it is easy to pass judgment before learning the objective facts.

Rather than taking that approach, we should instead wait for the development of the situation and hope truth is brought to light.

International Ink

Environmental deal pushes U.S. foreign policy limits In what should be called a landmark political achievement on environment conservation and climate in contemporary United States/ China history, the recent deal between these two countries promises to be a new ray of hope for the ever-evolving Sino-U.S. relationship.

The deal is simple. Both countries will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions marginally in the coming years. The deadline set is 2030. Additionally, China also promises 20 percent of its energy will be produced by fossil fuels. Currently, the U.S. and China are the world’s largest polluters by a huge margin, India comes in third, and this deal to reduce these harmful carbon emissions is a positive step forward.

This is a crucial time in American politics; you have a lame duck president with an opposing Senate and House.

Anything he does right now will be tedious and hard to capitalize on, which we have seen with immigration, among other laws.

Republicans seem to be pretty unhappy with what President Obama is doing in

Australia, where he attended the G20 Summit. Mitch McConnell, a realistic contender for presidency in 2016 from the Republican party expressed his concern.

“The President continues to send a signal that he has no intention of moving toward the middle,” McConnell said.

“I was particularly distressed by the deal he’s reached with the Chinese on his current trip, which, as I read the agreement, it requires the Chinese to do nothing at all for 16 years, while these carbon emission regulations are creating havoc in my state and other states across the country.”

If you look at it, this may be true. With the enormous growth in China, including a strong surge of infrastructural and industrial development, China is one of the prime players in pollution.

Now is the time where China is looking to flex its muscles in production and economic growth once again as it has in the past. Current President of China, Xi Jinping, faces tremendous pressure to revive the recent drop in the Chinese GDP. This deal has built a

growing pressure to act against it in countries like India, Germany and Japan.

India, in particular, faces the most heat after this deal. The global eyes are now turned to India to come up with a plan to counter any environmental degradations.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, India’s per capita carbon emissions are at 1.9 tons per year compared to China’s 7.2 tons. An official in the Indian government said, “India’s emissions are four times lower than China’s, if America is OK with the 2030 date for China, we can think about 2050 or even after that.”

The report conclusively described India’s position and said India will try to isolate itself from the global conference next year on climate change. The nation of 1.25 billion people will try to explain its difference from China in terms of pollution and carbon emissions.

Realistically talking about this deal, China will have to work in more ways than one to achieve this target by 2030. If you think about it, China will have to take a lot

Pranaav Jadhav is a senior majoring in communication.

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

of cars off the road or replace them with environmentally-friendly cars, transport will have to be revamped, industries have to be recycled and shut down — a step next to impossible for a country that survives on economy and industrial growth.

For now, let us appreciate China is at least thinking about cutting back carbon emissions by 2030 and is showing commitment toward it. And as for our president, well, it just highlights the power of a democratic system. When you do not have Congress and the Senate standing by your side, it is tough to pursue anything as the head of even a world hegemon.

REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

An In-Class Distraction CLASSIFIEDS POLICY

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

Classifieds are $5 per issue.

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The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information

may be submitted by email club_info@reflector. to with the msstate.edu subject heading “CLUB INFO,” or a form may be completed at The Reflector office in the Student Media Center. A contact name, phone number and requested run dates must be included for club info to appear in The Reflector.

All submissions are subject to exemption according to space availability.

THE STREETCAR CREATIVE ARTS JOURNAL

The Streetcar is Mississippi State University’s creative arts journal open to student submissions.

Submit your art, poetry, shortstories, nonfiction and more before November 25 online at thestreetcarmsu.com.

MSU HILLEL

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

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

YOGA MOVES CLUB

School or work stressing

Nov. 18 solutions:

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

Like Yoga Moves Club on Facebook.

ONE NIGHT ONLY ART SHOW

Friday evening at 5 there will be a one-night only exhibition displaying work from a few MSU artists.

Come out and support them and enjoy their work and eat free snacks. Howell 111 in the metal shop.

ASTRONOMY CLUB

The Mississippi STate Astronomy Club will host a regular meeting this Friday at 3:00 p.m. in Hilbun 150. Pizza will be provided and all are invited to attend.

STUDENTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE CAMPUS

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

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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

RJ Mitte delivers inspiration MSU fashion class puts

on cotton fashion show

by Noor Mujahid Life Editor

Jacob Follin| The Reflector

ʻBreaking Badʼ actor RJ Mitte spoke to students Tuesday night in Lee Hallʼs Bettersworth Auditorium. Mitte spoke about the struggles he faced as an actor with cerebral palsy. Mitte motivated the audience with the statement, ʻEveryone has a choice; you can choose to let people manipulate you and instill fear in you, or you can take that fear and use it to your advantage, use it to grow, use it to make your life better and make a difference in other peopleʼs lives.ʼ

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Mississippi State University’s department of apparel, textile and merchandising students will putonthe“Discovery: Conservation” fashion show, sponsored by Cotton Incorporated, on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Colvard Student Union Ballroom.

Professor Charles Freeman’s merchandise and promotional strategies class has divided itself into various committees in order to stage the production.

From a stage and venue committee to a model committee that teamed up with MSU’s Fashion Board in order to get models, the fashion show has an extensive team working on its production.

Freeman’s class is part of the National Retail Federation Student Association, and as a part of their marketing and promotional sector, students went to Starkville High School and spoke with local high school students about MSU’s apparel, textile and merchandising major

as well as the innovative nature associated with the field of fashion.

The entire MSU student body was targeted for designs for this show as well as merchandising boards that display trends, and the money supplied by Cotton Incorporated was very helpful in the construction of the event. The best designs will also be awarded Cotton Incorporated Scholarships on behalf of the corporation.

Briana Gillespie, sophomore apparel, textile and merchandising major and a member of the marketing and promotional committee for the fashion show, said students worked with great dedication in order to make this event possible, and she hopes the turnout for the show reflects that.

“This is really studentdriven, and we rely on these grants (Cotton Incorporated) and students supporting us,” she said. “For us to have the opportunity to do this for our peers is really important, and I’d like for them to support us by coming out to the show.”

Local vendors such as Envy, Libby Story,

Reeds, Local Culture and many more will supply ads for the fashion show, and they will be able to set up promotional booths at the show to promote their clothing.

Gillespie said the designs displayed during the show are very trendy and earthy.

Hannah Reynolds, also a senior apparel, textile and merchandising major and a member of the budget committee, said Freeman’s class has worked tirelessly on planning the event.

“Everyone in our class has been very involved with the planning and organizing of the Cotton Incorporated fashion show.

Our fashion design and merchandising students have the opportunity to showcase their design and merchandising talents,” she said. “We hope everyone will come support our program and see the links between fashion and agriculture.”

The “Discovery: Conservation” fashion show will feature original designs from MSU students and reinforce the fact that cotton can be fashionable and is not something confi ned to linens and tablecloths.

THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

‘Hunger Games’ ending: Mocking jay part I

by Kaitlin O’Dougherty Staff Writer

“I have a message for President Snow. Fire is catching, and if we burn, you burn with us.”

These chilling words can be heard by Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, in the trailer for the muchanticipated two-part fi nal installment of the Hunger Games series, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One,” which premieres nationwide today.

This is the third movie in the Hunger Games series and is expected to be the best movie yet. According to New York Post Online, the fi lm is anticipated to collect a staggering $155 million just in its opening weekend.

In this movie, Katniss is chosen to be the leader in the rebellion against the Capitol, and the notorious mockingjay becomes the symbol of this rebellion, hence the fi lm’s title. The audience discovered her home, District 12, has been destroyed in the preceding installment of

the series, and there is a lot more action present in this developing storyline.

This movie differs from its predecessors in that it will be set in the mysterious 13th district contrary to the previous arena in which the majority of the fi rst two installments, “The Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire,” took place.

Taylor Arnsmen, sophomore international business major, said she is excited for the change in scenery this movie will include.

“I am looking forward to seeing something

other than the arena throughout the movie,” she said.

The fashion will also be much different in this movie, according to New York Post Online. The book on which the movie is based lacks an intricate description of Katniss’s clothing; therefore, costume designers on set were able to use their imaginations. Katniss’s wardrobe in the movie is a reflection of her nature as a born-leader.

Hannah Rowland, sophomore biological sciences major, said she looks forward to seeing

the creative approach taken toward these characters’ wardrobes.

“I enjoy the style of the people in the Capitol and hope to see more of that in this movie,” Rowland said.

The characters living in the Capitol dress quite dramatically, and they captivated the audience’s attention in the fi rst two movies.

Due to the popularity of the Capitol’s characters, the ostentatious Effie Trinket, with her unique personality, will make a larger appearance in “Mockingjay” than she

did in the book.

According to a Boston Herald article, Jennifer Lawrence was emotional after fi lming was complete.

She said, “But this movie, I thought I would be relieved when it was over because I was so tired, and when they called, ‘That’s a wrap!’ I was sobbing.”

For many fans, this premiere is a realization that yet another bookseries-turned-movie saga, as Harry Potter and Twilight did in previous years, is coming to an end.

Students face finals anxiety, anticipate Egg Bowl

by Samantha Jones Staff Writer

With the Thanksgiving holiday swiftly approaching, anticipation of a much needed break is on the rise. With fi nal exams immediately following Thanksgiving break, many students will utilize time during their break to prepare for exams. Other students will use the break to do just that, take a break.

Christopher Crosby, junior industrial engineering major, said this break from class is exactly what he needs to regroup before fi nals.

“Thanksgiving is a holiday where I get to enjoy being with my family and not having to worry about what test or project I should be working on,” he said.

Anxiety among students also becomes more evident as the end of the semester approaches.

Some students use this anxiety as motivation to help them end the semester strong.

Alisa Sullivan, junior social work major, said she will spend her Thanksgiving break wisely.

“For the most part I will be doing a little Christmas shopping and spending time with

people that take my mind off of the stress that comes with school, but I have to remember this is just a small break, and it gives me a chance to get some work done so that I will not be cramming it in before fi nals,” Sullivan said.

There are a few students coming to the end of their last semester and anticipating graduation.

DaVonta Whalum, senior industrial engineering major, explained the pressures the end of the semester brings.

“I think I can speak for all students when I say nearing the end of the semester brings

anxiety and unwanted stress to do well in your classes. This is the last time to prove yourself to instructors, which sometimes can make or break your grade,” Whalum said. “I have been busy interviewing for jobs since graduation is quickly approaching, so this break is much needed.

However, I will also use this break to prepare for fi nals so that I fi nish my last semester strong.”

For many, this time of year is really cherished not only because it is a time where they get to spend quality time with family and friends, but because it is time for the Egg Bowl.

For the fi rst time in history, Mississippi State University’s football program has reached new heights, along with its rival, the University of Mississippi.

Students consider this year’s Egg Bowl to be the most important one yet due to the desire to prove MSU genuinely deserved the No. 1 spot despite all of the naysayers.

Whalum said she has to watch the Egg Bowl by all means.

“I will spend the fi rst couple of days of break visiting family for Thanksgiving, and then I am off to Oxford to watch Mississippi State win the Egg bowl,” Whalum said.

Crosby said he will be unable to focus on schoolwork until he can see the epic conclusion of the Egg Bowl.

“It’s safe to say all schoolwork will be put on the backburner until Sunday, Nov. 30,” he said.

Campus is fi lled with mixed emotions about the upcoming break. There is a range of students who want to spend Thanksgiving break relaxing and spending time with family, others want to use that time to prepare for fi nals and some want to do a mix of the two. One thing students all seem to agree on is the fact the Egg Bowl is a must-see.

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Sports

THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Bulldogs set to take on Commodores

by Zach Wagner Staff Writer

The whole nation watched last Saturday as the Bulldogs were unable to leave the hostile confines of Bryant– Denny Stadium with a coveted win that would have satisfied all of the critics. With disappointment hanging over their heads, the question has been raised as to how the Bulldogs will respond and if there is now more added pressure on the team than ever before. Mississippi State Head Coach Dan Mullen served as the voice of tranquility this week, choosing not to panic about his team’s performance against Alabama and instead is 100 percent focused on one thing only — the Vanderbilt football team.

“We control our destiny in this game this week. We don’t ever worry more than this one game. You never can.

All we can control is the next game,” Mullen said. “I think we’re in complete control and how we perform against Vanderbilt. That’s been our focus all season. When you worry about other things, that’s when you start losing.

We don’t like to do that. Our whole focus is on the next game. I think our leadership has done an unbelievable job of that throughout the entire course of this season of keeping this team focused on that task at hand.”

With just two games left in their season, the Bulldogs will square off against the Vanderbilt Commodores Saturday. While last weekend’s game against Alabama served as a reminder they are not invincible, the Bulldogs look to solidify some facets of their game. The Vanderbilt Commodores have been winless in conference play this season and have already assured themselves that postseason play will be out of the equation. Sitting with a 3-7 record, they are very much a team with nothing to

lose coming into Starkville.

In Monday’s press conference, Dan Mullen spoke about the chance of going undefeated at home this season.

“We have to continue to improve from where we were last week,” Mullen said. “If we can do that and hopefully find a way to win and finish with a perfect record at home this season, which I think would be only the second time in school history to 7-0 at home, that would be fantastic for these guys and for our fans that have bought so much into what we’re trying to build, that they are a huge part of it. We’ve made such an emphasis on winning and home, and going undefeated at home would be a special deal.”

Mullen also talked about the youth of Vanderbilt and touched on some of its strengths that could be on display this weekend.

“They have a very young team. I think they have really made some strides, (Johnny) McCrary now at quarterback where they had a bunch of issues early in the season.

I think they’ve made an awful lot of improvements,” he said. “They’re a tough defense; play hard, play physical and will be a huge challenge for us. We have to see and make sure our guys come out. We have to play better. We have to continue to improve from where we were last week.”

The Commodore offense, ranking 119th in the country in points scored, has seemed to lack playmakers this season. The wide receiver spot has been a major issue for Vanderbilt in particular, as it currently does not have anyone who has caught more than 40 passes this season or gone over 500 yards. It is fair to say the inconsistent play from the quarterback position, for sustained stretches early on in the campaign, might have played a role with the lack of rushing and receiving yards.

The one bright spot

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Dak Prescott runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Prescott is tied for first in the SEC with 11 rushing touchdowns.

Vanderbilt has to show for offense would be the play of its redshirt freshman running back Ralph Webb, who is beginning to make something of a name for himself within the conference.

Webb’s 838 rushing yards on the season are good enough to have him sitting at ninth in the SEC. The Bulldog defense, consisting of seven senior starters will look to cap its last career game in Davis Wade Stadium on a high note.

Senior defensive end Preston Smith was avid about the need for the defense and the entire team to take the important teaching points from the loss moving forward.

“This humbles us,” Smith said. “We’ve got to keep playing hard. We know if we stop playing hard, somebody can knock us off our high horse if we’re feeling highly about ourselves.”

It is apparent the Vanderbilt defense struggles

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defending the pass, as they have given up the third-most passing yards of any team in the SEC this season. Along with this, it is last in forcing turnovers in the SEC. In terms of stopping the run, it fairs average by SEC standards, as it comes in sporting a mark that puts it in the middle of the pack.

If the Bulldog offense ever needed a week to get back on track before its in-state rivalry against Ole Miss, this

just need to get back to myself and continue to go through my reads, go through my progressions and don’t be so quick to run the ball or scramble,” Prescott said.

Mullen talked about how controlling can help teams win and how MSU is one of the few top-tier teams that has struggled with the issue.

“To me, we’ve got to create more turnovers on defense.

We have to protect the ball better on offense. I don’t

“While last weekend at Alabama served as a reminder they are not invincible, the Bulldogs will look to solidify some facets of their game.” would be it. This offense, which was so explosive to start the season, has seen a dramatic drop in production over the last three games, starting with the play of quarterback Dak Prescott.

He has now thrown six interceptions in his last four games. He addressed his performance over the last couple of weeks and pointed to some areas where he looks to get better moving forward.

“There was a lot of ups and downs with a little bit of random, too quick of decisions and not smart decisions. I

know if there are many teams in the top 25, and our guys look at that, you look at the quality of team that we have, there probably aren’t many teams in the top 25 that are negative turnover ratio on the year.”

As for the rest of the offense, they too will have to get back into rhythm.

Starting with Josh Robinson, who was held to a season low 37 yards on 12 carries and had the unfortunate safety that took place during the first half of Saturday’s game.

In all, Robinson’s success

was halted by one of the best defensive lines in college football, so transitioning over to playing against the likes of Vanderbilt’s defensive line should help him get his groove back.

Senior Jameon Lewis should continue to get better and better as he continues to heal from a leg injury that has bothered him all season long.

“He did OK,” Mullen said. “I think just getting back in the rhythm of it.

Fortunately, being an older player, it’s easier for him.

Even the moment and the game, he’s played in a lot of big games. He was just getting back out there going to play. Where a younger player might be, ‘I’m back,’ then the moment on top of it is huge.

I think he handled it pretty well, played pretty well. I’m glad to say after the game, our guys thought he felt good. Last time he got out there he’s been kind of sore even though he played minimally. He played a bunch Saturday and felt really good after the game.”

Adding Lewis back into full-time action should help all the other wide receivers. This can only serve to help the likes of De’Runnya Wilson and others for the rest of the season.

SEE FOOTBALL, 11

THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014

MSU prepares for Utah State Aggies

by Blake Morgan Sports Editor

Following a 89-68 win over the Mississippi Valley State University Delta Devils, the Mississippi State University Bulldogs host the Utah State Aggies Saturday at noon. MSU also beat Western Carolina earlier in the weekend 66-56. MSU’s offense accomplished almost everything it would have liked to against the Delta Devils. Gavin Ware and Fred Thomas scored 19 and 17 points, respectively, while only missing a combined five shots in the game.

“We knew we had more size than they did, so it was important that we took advantage of that,” Ware said. “We just really had to get the ball inside and make the shots.”

The Bulldogs had a marked advantage with their size down low, a lightly used statement for MSU last season, which showed in the rebounding column as well. The

Bulldogs outrebounded the Delta Devils by 22, mainly because Mississippi Valley State did not have someone over 6’7 play a major role in the game.

Saturday’s matchup will present more of a challenge for the MSU. Last season, the Aggies beat the Bulldogs 87-68. Utah State started four seniors in that game, and Mississippi State could not fi nd offense until late. Ware played particularly well, scoring a teamhigh 19 points and bringing down 10 rebounds.

This year, it will be a much different Utah State squad that will travel to Starkville. After having to replace the four senior starters from a team that won 18 games last season, the Aggies have been relying on 6’8” freshman David Collette early this season.

Collette leads the team in scoring nearly 20 points per game while shooting 72 percent from the field. He also is second on the team in rebounds, grabbing five a game. However, Collette will run into his hardest test of the season so far though

Emma Katherine Hutto | The Reflector

Fred Thomas dunks the ball against the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. Thomas scores an average of 16 points a game this season.

when he tries to bang down low against Ware.

According to Ken Pomeroy’s statistic-based website kenpom.com The Bulldogs come into the

game turning the ball over on just under 30 percent of their possessions. That ranks 328 in the country.

Utah State’s defense forces a turnover about 20 percent

of the time, so how well the Bulldogs can hold on to the basketball may play a role in the outcome of the game.

An area where the Bulldogs have struggled in Head Coach Rick Ray’s tenure has been rebounding, specifically on the offensive end. Last season, the Bulldog’s rebounds came on the offensive end of the floor just 28.6 percent of the time. Though with just a small sample size, this season MSU ranks 18th in the country with 44.9 percent of its total rebounds being offensive. MSU has more size and depth than it ever has under Ray, and the Bulldogs are beginning to see the benefits of having those luxuries.

Junior Craig Sword has been sidelined after having injury before the season began. Sword has been close to a comeback and could be back in the lineup Saturday.

This time around, a more experienced, deeper MSU team will look to take advantage of the Aggies.

The game can be seen on SECN+ or the watchESPN app.

Who is in?

1. Alabama 9-1 2. Oregon 9-1 3. Florida State 10-0 4. Mississippi State 9-1 5. TCU 9-1 6. Ohio State 9-1 7. Baylor 8-1 8. Mississippi 8-2 9. UCLA 8-2 10. Georgia 8-2 11. Michigan State 8-2 12. Kansas State 7-2 13. Arizona State 8-2 14. Auburn 7-3 15. Arizona 8-2

On The

16. Wisconsin 8-2

Basketball Recruiting Trail

17. Utah 7-3 18. Georgia Tech 9-2 19. Southern Cal 7-3 20. Missouri 8-2 21. Oklahoma 7-3 22. Clemson 7-3

“Tookie possesses all of said. “He is a long, athletic to Gene Swindoll of Scout.com. 23. Nebraska 8-2 Who signed in the 2015 release. “He is a young man that you simply could not let the qualities that you want power forward that you need “The entire family aspect of class?

Quinndary Weatherspoon 6’5” Shooting Guard The Camden, Mississippi native was named to the Clarion Ledger “Dandy Dozen” team earlier this month. According to Scout. com Weatherspoon is a fourstar recruit and is the 78th best player in the country. ESPN. com’s scouting report complimented Weatherspoon’s ability to score the basketball.

“He is one of those players that is just wired to score. He can score some off the dribble and is a very good slasher.”

Head Coach Rick Ray said it was a major victory to keep a talent like his inside the state.

“Quinndary is someone that we just had to have in our program,” Ray said in a news

FOOTBALL

“If teams are going to give him one-on-one opportunities, he’s won, and he’s had some pretty good games,” Mullen said.

“If they’re going to roll coverage to him or double-team him, he understands about being a great teammate because if they’re going to double him somebody else

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leave your state or go to your rival school. Quinndary is an elite penetrator who is long and is a big time athlete. His ability to score along, read the defense and his willingness to share the ball make him a huge match up problem for opponents.”

Tookie Brown 5’11” Point Guard Brown is a point guard who uses his speed to get into the lane and disrupt a defense.

Brown will be a solid option as the backup to I.J. Ready. Due to Ready’s previous injury history, having a point guard like Brown on the roster as an insurance policy would not hurt. Brown is rated a fourstar prospect, according to ESPN.com.

out of point guard,” Ray said.

“He is a winner, he is tough, he is smart, he is a leader and most importantly, he is a great person. Tookie is not just a distributor but a point guard that can put pressure on the defense with his ability to score and shoot.”

Joe Strugg 6’9” Power Forward/Center Strugg, the lowest-rated player to sign with Mississippi State for the 2015 class might fill the largest need for the Bulldogs. Strugg is an athletic big with a very specific skill set, protecting the rim. Strugg blocked an average of three shots per game last season.

“Joe is a young man that has enormous amount of potential and upside,” Ray CONTINUED FROM 10

is going to be open. He’s handled all of that stuff, the part of being a football player aspect and not just a great talent.”

Saturday should prove to be another excellent opportunity for the seniors to say goodbye to Davis Wade Stadium and to the fan base.

At the end of the day, this

year’s seniors helped get this program to where it is currently, and for that, this group will never be forgotten. The group helped lay the foundation and change the culture of the MSU program. The game will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched on the SEC Network.

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on your team in order to compete in the SEC. Joe also has a skill set that will allow him to be a threat on the perimeter as well as in the post.”

Who committed in the 2016 class?

it is amazing. I also love the campus and the coaching staff.”

24. Louisville 7-3 25. Minnesota 7-3

VANDY BEWARE...

D’Marcus Simonds 6’4” THE DAWGS ARE OUT TO WIN!!

Shooting Guard According to 247sports. com, Simonds is the 52nd best player in the country and the sixth-best shooting guard in the class. Simonds is a combo-guard that excels at creating contact while driving toward the basket.

Simonds chose the Bulldogs despite drawing offers from Connecticut and Florida.

“I felt like coach Ray is turning (the program) in the Includes Ronaldo and Earth Grace right direction,” Simonds said Excludes Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments

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