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132nd YEAR ISSUE 38
FRIDAY MARCH 2, 2018
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Houston, we have a problem
Aerospace engineering department deals with internal strife DYLAN BUFKIN STAFF WRITER
The Mississippi State University Department of Aerospace Engineering is experiencing troubles as faculty and administration clash over how the department should be run. MSU released a statement on Facebook regarding the department Feb. 19. “The future of the MSU Department of Aerospace Engineering is bright, sound, and one that our students and their families can rely upon. MSU values the opinions and input of our faculty members and actively seeks dialogue on ways to proactively improve our programs,” the Facebook statement said. Following several instances of perceived administrative abuse, several faculty members expressed concerns over how the department is currently functioning, but according to an e-mail sent by a prominent aerospace professor, the concerns were not addressed and were dismissed. James Keith, the dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, said the administration is continuing to support the faculty and students by listening to their concerns, and he plans to meet with every faculty member in the department to speak on the current situation to work toward a resolution. Keith also assured any faculty departure will not affect the education students receive at MSU. Keith said the College of Engineering plans to hire a new tenure-track professor, a clinical faculty member and up to five new positions to accommodate the growing student body.
“I meet almost every single faculty candidate when they come on campus for interviews,” Keith said. “I expect them to have the ability to be excellent teachers and have the potential to also perform excellent research with both our undergraduate and our graduate students. By requiring this, we aim to satisfy the land-grant mission of Mississippi State University.” The current department faculty received a 4.2 out of five on their 2017 student teaching evaluations, with over 50 courses of either ASE or engineering mechanics. Keith assured Space Cowboys, MSU’s rocket-building team, will be fine
if its advisor leaves. For many of MSU’s teams, including the EcoCAR3 team, have flourished despite their advisors leaving. However, Greg Olsen, one of the 18 aerospace professors, sees the aerospace department differently. Olsen resigned this week to return to an aerospace industry job. He worked at MSU for a total of 11 years, from 2004 to 2009 and 2012 to present. According to Olsen, the timeline of events spans a couple of years. The first offense occurred when the faculty of the Aerospace Department was searching for a new department head, and on the second search, Davy Belk was recommended by a split vote to the dean. Belk has no previous academia experience, but has over 30 years of experience working for the Air Force in various positions. “My fear was that he wouldn’t fit into the academic system or conform to its practices and policies,” Olsen said. Olsen said he and other professors became frustrated at Belk’s hierarchical and exclusionary administrative style. Olsen explained Belk began to require his personal signature to allow graduate students to receive their master’s thesis, but Olsen said he believes Belk exercised this ability only once. Olsen also said Belk required the aerospace’s external advisory board to begin advising only himself, excluding the faculty as a whole. “First time in 11 years I’d seen that,” Olsen said. Belk presented the idea of using $450,000 to renovate the Walker Engineering Building’s front office without consulting the faculty, Olsen said. In addition, Olsen said Belk wanted to stop students’ ability to have a one-onone with prospective faculty candidates before they are hired, but pushback from students and faculty prevented him from doing so. AEROSPACE, 2
Tori Boatner| The Reflector
Demonstrators outside of Old Main Academic building hold signs in protest of Pro-choice advocate Dr. Willie Parker who spoke last night. Dr. Parker is an OB-GYN from the sole abortion clinic in Mississippi, and an outspoken pro-choice proponent. He will presented his speech “Abortion and the Christian Case for Choice,” as part of the Gender Studies department event series, Women’s History Month.
ECAB: tech, vet groups present startup ideas KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
Several Mississippi State University students pitched their business startup ideas to the Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board’s monthly meeting last week. ECAB is a step in the VentureCatalyst Program, where individuals present their startups to a board of about a dozen professors, CEOs and businessmen and women. The board can decide to grant them up to $2,000. The board meeting is similar to the show “Shark Tank,” and allows both students and staff to get their business ideas up and running. In addition, the board gave $2,000 to Direct Flow, a product created for veterinarian neurosurgeons to use specifically on hydrocephalic animals during surgery. Hydrocephalus is
when excess fluid builds up in the brain. Chief Operating Officer Jackson Coole and Chief Executive Officer Sage Lewis, both biological engineering majors, gave the pitch. Coole said right now, the condition is treated the same way in both humans and dogs—both using a shunt connected to a tube in their bodies. In dogs, the tube is connected to the brain and abdominal cavity. “You can imagine that that’s a crazy procedure,” said Coole. Coole said complications in the surgery could include kinks in the tube or if the animal grows or loses weight, the tube could become too short or long. In order to prevent complications and make the surgery more simple, Coole proposes Direct Flow, a shunt could replace the valves and tubing, and be placed directly into the ventricle. ECAB, 2
Lisa Ling delivers compelling speech; urges audience to be student activists SEAN MCCARTHY STAFF WRITER
The audience leaped to their feet. Thunderous applause rippled across Mississippi State University’s Bettersworth Auditorium. On stage, renowned journalist Lisa Ling beamed following her speech. Ling had just finished a speech to the crowd of over 300 attendees who filled Lee Hall Monday to hear the journalist deliver her speech. The Global Lecture Series, which strives to attract cultural and civic leaders to speak on their experiences to the Mississippi State and Starkville communities, hosted and made Ling’s
visit to MSU possible. Ling is known for her contributions to CNN and the Oprah Winfrey Network. She now hosts and produces “This is Life” on CNN. Previously, Ling worked with the Oprah Winfrey Network on her show “Our America,” and as a co-host on ABC’s “The View.” Reilly Reeves, a junior biomedical engineering major from Madison, was integral in bringing Ling to MSU. “We’ve centered on diversity on our committee and within the Mississippi State Student Association,” Reeves said. “Our team settled on Lisa Ling because she brought in a minority group that had not been featured on campus.”
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Renowned journalist, Lisa Ling, spoke Tuesday on the MSU campus. She recouted her extensive career covering global and domestic issues.
Katelyn Jackson, a second-year biology major
from Starkville, said Ling had a large impact on the
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benefited by receiving firsthand information from Lisa Ling regarding enriching yourself through travel and exposure to other areas of the world that are outside your comfort zone,” Jackson said. Ling was intentional throughout her speech, covering her journalism career. She introduced her roughly hour-long speech by describing her beginnings in journalism as a student journalist for Channel One News, the popular student news broadcast. Extensive travels across the globe characterized Ling’s journalism debut. She recounted taking a risky trip as a Channel One reporter to civil war-torn Afghanistan. LISA LING, 2
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An In-Class Distraction
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BAD DAWGS Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 9:37 p.m. Student reported his bicycle stolen from bike rack at Sanderson Center. 10:28 p.m. Student issued an arrest citation and referral for possession of paraphernalia in McKee Hall parking lot. Referrals issued to two other students for smoking marijuana in McKee Hall parking lot. Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018 10:59 a.m. Parking Service employee reported a wheel lock stolen off a student’s vehicle parked on Lee Blvd. 1:40 p.m. A car tag was found in Thad Cochran Research Park belonging to a Non-Resident/visitor. Notable traffic violations: 13 MSU citations issued for speeding. MSU citation issued for obstructing traffic on Robert L. Jones Circle. Justice Court citation issued for speeding 42/20 on Bailey Howell. Justice Court citation issued for driving wrong way on Bailey Howell. Justice Court citations issued for expired tag and expired driver’s license on Thad Cochran Research Park.
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY...
... in 1978, two men stole the iconic comic actor and filmmaker, Sir Charlie Chaplin’s corpse from his grave near Lausanne, Switzerland. Chaplin’s career spanned Hollywood’s silent film era and the momentous transition to “talkies” in the late 1920s. After Chaplin’s widow received a ransom and refused to pay, a five-week manhunt lead to police finding the suspects and body. ... in 1904, Dr. Seuss is born. Theodor Geisel, known as Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. While studying at Oxford University, he met his wife, Helen Palmer, who first encouraged him to become a professional illustrator. The first children’s book Geisel wrote and illustrated was “And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street,” printed in 1937.
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reflector-online.com Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @reflectoronline, and check out our new life, sports and opinion podcasts at https://soundcloud.com/user-706502143 CLASSIFIEDS Join us Saturday March. 3rd from 7 a. m to 3 p.m. @ the CoCo Center, 13608 MS Hwy 182 E, Starkville. Clothes, shoes, jewelry and more. Get warm, gooey cinnamon rolls and hot dogs at concessions. To be a vendor, email starkvegasfleamarket@ gmail.com or call Julia at 662.769.6180. Are you an artist or an aspiring business person? Are you interested in selling your designs and work? If so, you should check out the Starkvegas Flea Market to rent a booth. Email starkvegasfleamarket@ gmail.com or call Julie at 662-769-6180. 4 BEDROOMS AVAILABLE FOR
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bigham@ekornes.com. CLUB INFO The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday. The 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 to club_info@reflector. msstate.edu with the 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.
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OPINION
Women should not have to pay extra for existing Chinese-appointed and a pink scooter cost $49, bishops could hurt despite them being identical in all other ways,” Ngabirano states. the Catholic Church However, this is not an issue of simply price-inflated MIA RODRIGUEZ
is a sophmore majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate. edu
Women, in many ways, have paid the price for centuries for the sole reason of lacking a penis. Whether this price is in the denial of the right to vote or the right to be anything other than a housewife, women have been denied equal opportunities compared to their male counterparts. However, some inequalities lie in a more subtle and insidious marketing ploy, and this my friends is the so-called “pink tax.” According to AnneMarcelle Ngabirano of USA Today, the pink tax extends to all gender-specific items and results in exorbitantly high prices for products geared toward women. Even children’s items face a significant gender-specific price gap. “Girls’ toys and accessories cost an average of 7 percent more than boys’ toys. Separately, a side-by-side comparison of two Radio Flyer My 1st Scooters showed this: A red scooter cost $24.99
girls’ toys. The issue extends to almost everything, even items which are not pink. While my father’s haircuts have consistently cost $20, trimming my own hair usually results in a salon visit which costs me a total of $45. I even opt to buy men’s razors in order to save a few bucks and spare myself from mediocrequality ones geared towards women. Additionally, women also have to worry about paying their monthly and required menstrual dues. According to Jessica Kane of the Huffington Post, women can expect to spend around $18,171 on period products in their lifetime. For a naturally and monthly occurring event like a menstrual cycle, the price should be more affordable for the average woman. The women particularly suffering from this cost are the homeless and the incarcerated. In her article, Lisa De Bode of Aljazeera explains the dire situation menstruating homeless women face. “Many shelters and homeless centers hand their female residents female hygiene products, along with toothpaste and shampoo. But
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Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
social workers said that pads and tampons are often harder to source from public donors. Rosanna Montilla, an associate at Care for the Homeless, said the organization is running out of tampons. Its latest donation drive in November yielded just one contribution of tampons,” De Bode describes. In addition, incarcerated women are also expected to forfeit an excessive amount for necessary products they cannot afford on their low prison salary. Taylor Dolven of Vice explains how prison menstrual products are “around $8 per box.” Even with the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, prisons still fail to provide women with the free and necessary products the act
says prisons should provide. “Inmates at another eight federal prisons in West Virginia, Texas, Florida, Illinois, California and Arizona reported they are still having to pay for feminine hygiene products, according to the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls and the CAN-DO Foundation,” Dolven states. Women should be given fair prices, but more than this, they should have the ability to retain their dignity and hygiene when they are at their most vulnerable. Women did not choose to be seen as unequal to men, nor did we choose to menstruate, and we should not have to pay such a high cost for either.
Too many parties in the USA DYLAN BUFKIN
is a freshman majoring in English. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
Currently, American politics are similar to voting where to eat with a large group of friends. Five friends want Panda Express, five friends want Burger King and three friends want Subway. You know you would prefer Chickfil-A and its fried goodness, but your vote would be wasted on it. Therefore, you choose the lesser of the three evils, and everyone goes to Panda, even if it was not what you wanted. To be frank, I hate both major parties in the U.S.. Republicans are being dragged to extremes by a man who hosted a reality TV show and tweets like a five-year-old, and Democrats have quickly become a party of words over actions. I am not fond of how either party is arbitrarily against everything the other side says, regardless of the stance’s actual value, and I am unhappy our political discourse has been reduced to social media analysis and name-calling. Maybe I am asking too much for the world of politics. As reported by Brent D. Griffiths for Politico, John Kasich, Republican Governor of Ohio and former presidential candidate, recently brought up these same gripes, foreseeing a multi-party system in the near future. At this point, I believe a political party overhaul is necessary, and our current system will only continue RepublicanDemocrat dominance.
According to the Britannica Encyclopedia, the U.S. political system is based on a plurality system, meaning winner-takes-all. Therefore, it is in the best interest of a political party to have the widest base as possible, and since our politics are based on a left-right spectrum, our two major political parties are basically “the left party” and “the right party.” The parties may have originated on different ideals, but their modern interpretations boil down to umbrella parties covering a wide base in order to secure the most votes. Strangely enough, Patrick Dunleavy with the London School of Economics and Political Science found other countries with similar winnertakes-all systems do not face the two-party dominance the U.S. does, so it is possible the U.S. political system is a more cultural phenomenon than a logical one. Either way, the twoparty system has produced underwhelming results, but how can it be fixed? Some might say a third party, but they have yet to prove themselves viable. Third parties have always been around in U.S. elections, but according to Ron Faucheux with Quartz, only once has an independent candidate won a U.S. presidential election, which was George Washington in 1789 and 1793. The closest a third-party candidate ever came to the presidency was with Theodore Roosevelt with 27 percent of the vote in 1912. What this leaves America with is a change in how votes are counted. We cannot just introduce new parties and expect them to win, especially considering how Fortune’s Tony Newmyer estimates the startup costs for a presidential candidate is around $10 million
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
and then add $10 million for every swing state you visit. Democratic and Republican donors spend billions each year favoring each party, and third parties just would not be able to compete, as history shows. Therefore, we change how parties enter the race. Proportional representation is the United Kingdom’s system of government which proportionally distributes seats based on the number of votes. In the U.K., this means people have many options for parties because parties do not need to reach the required 50.1 percent to gain any form of political power. While this method of governing does cause occasional political gridlock when a there is a sizable divide in legislature, it is nothing
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“What will Pope Francis do when Xi Jinping... appoints bishops who likely will seek to undo the growth of Christianity in China?”
Reuters reports President Xi has proposed to lengthen his reign by abolishing term limits and to add his own political agenda to the nation’s constitution. These are not the actions of a man who supports free speech; in fact, the Evening Standard notes Xi’s government has banned memes featuring the fictional character Winnie the Pooh after several appeared comparing the president to the teddy bear. The letter “n” also has been banned. Pope Francis is buying friendship with China at too great of a cost. He should support the underground church, which until now has been led by bishops secretly appointed by the Vatican. At least those men are devoted to God above all else. To replace them with cronies more focused on politics than religion is a slap in the face, not only to the faithful clergy, but also to their congregation. The undiluted Gospel will cease to be preached in Catholic Chinese churches, all for the sake of a political power play. I sincerely hope the Vatican does not agree to this ploy by China to put Communism into churches.
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new to American voters. Additionally, it means every part of the political spectrum is heard, so communists and moderate liberals can be in separate parties, while fiscal conservatives and social conservatives can stop trying to force a broken marriage. The two-party system forces voters to choose between a rock and a hard place, and no amount of third party support is going to change the massive voter bases the two major parties have. It is a losing game, but that is why it is necessary to change the playing field. The question is not whether we should replace Democrats and Republicans in a two-party system. The question is how we can replace the two-party system.
1076 was a defining year in the battle for power between secularism and Catholicism. In January, tired of dealing with Pope Gregory VII, the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV and several German and northern Italian bishops called upon the Holy See to step down. In response, Gregory excommunicated both the king and those bishops, essentially damning them to eternal hellfire for their actions. What was the issue at the heart of this debate which could pit potentates against pontiffs? The spat revolved around lay investiture, a term defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica as “the customary prerogative of rulers to invest and install bishops and abbots with the symbols of their office.” In layman’s terms, Henry IV wanted to put clergy loyal to him in charge, for the purpose of undermining the Church’s power in Germany. Naturally, the Pope was not eager to see his power challenged (as traditionally he appointed ecclesiastics), so he utilized his authority as God’s representative on Earth to kick the king out of the church. As Protestantism would not originate for a few centuries and his subjects were fervently religious, Henry realized his hands were tied. In the winter of 1077, he walked barefoot through the snow and knelt before the Pope as a sign of his repentance. Gregory relented, but the conflict between the two men continued, with Gregory excommunicating the emperor again in 1080 before Henry eventually succeeded in deposing Gregory later that year. Chaos gripped continental Europe when a Christian king sought to appoint his own bishops. The only way Gregory VII was able to effectively fight back was to use his power as head of the Church to excommunicate Henry IV. But what will Pope Francis do when Xi Jinping, the atheistic head of an atheistic country, appoints bishops who likely will seek to undo the growth of Christianity in China? According to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra, the Vatican is close to signing a deal with China which would grant the Chinese government significantly more control in the Chinese Catholic community. Currently, the Chinese believers are split between the governmentbacked Chinese Patriotic Catholic Organization and an underground collection of churches. This new deal would force underground bishops to step down in favor of clergy backed by the Chinese government. Among the churchmen whom the Vatican are seeking to depose are Zhuang Jianjian and Guo Xijin. According to Ian Johnson with The New York Times, Jianjian would be replaced by Huang Bingzhang, a Chinese
Parliament member who was excommunicated in 2011. Xijin has been instructed to serve as an assistant to Zhan Silu, a clergyman whose consecration was declared illegal by the Vatican. It is no secret China, a Communist country, is not a fan of Christians. Earlier this year, Chris Baynes with Independent reported on a government-backed paramilitary group who blew up a megachurch with dynamite. Guo Xijin’s predecessor, Vincent Huang Shoucheng, spent 35 years in either labor camps or prisons. Jeroom Heyndrickx, an advisor to the pope, calls the agreement a “breakthrough” and notes that both King Francis I of France and Napoleon were granted similar power to appoint bishops. What Heyndrickx fails to mention is the situations of both of those men, who were themselves at least nominally Catholic in a majority-Catholic country. It is ignorant to compare them to Xi Jinping. Cristina Maza with Newsweek reports Xi Jinping gave a speech last year emphasizing his quest to make religion more “Chinese-oriented” by implementing more socialist values.
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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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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
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Column: Academy Awards predictions COLLIN SMITH ONLINE EDITOR
Listen to our Life Podcast coming out Tuesday, as we discuss the new film, BLACK PANTHER!
Oscar weekend is one of my favorite weekends of the year. It is a time when we can all come together and celebrate all things film. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is debating which film will win in each category before finally filling out your own Oscar ballot Sunday afternoon. You gather all your film friends and watch in eager anticipation for each category, hoping your favorite film takes home the coveted little statue. My mission is to give you my insight into Sunday night, and maybe help you iron out a few predictions. First, we will start with some of the minor categories. Costume Design should go to “Phantom Thread.” It would stand to reason the film about a fashion designer has the best costumes. The two films that may challenge it are “Beauty in the Beast” and “Victoria & Abdul.” In the same vein, Makeup and Hairstyling should go to “Darkest Hour.” The work they did in disguising Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill is astounding. The dark-horse pick here is once again “Victoria & Abdul.” It is a beautiful little movie that really has a shot in at these last two categories. Production Design is a toss-up. It goes to either “Blade Runner 2049” or “The Shape of Water.” I am picking “The Shape of Water” on this one, but like I said, it could go either way. Let’s jump to the documentaries. I will admit, I have not seen the majority of these, so I can only base these two picks on intuition. As for Documentary (Feature), I am predicting “Icarus.” This is an astounding documentary on the crazy Russian doping scandal. It is on Netflix, and I cannot recommend it enough. However, “Last Men in Aleppo” has a really good chance at winning, purely based on its subject matter. Last year, The Academy picked “The White Helmets” as their documentary shot subject winner, which follows these
brave men into Aleppo as they save lives. As for Documentary (Short Subject), I think “Heroin(e)” will win. This short is on a town in West Virginia, which has become the epicenter of the opioid epidemic. This is the category I am least confident about, but I think “Heroin(e)” is a safe pick. Foreign Language Film is also hard to choose. All the films were huge among film festivals, but, based on what I have read, “A Fantastic Woman” seems to be the frontrunner here. Next up are the two Short Film categories. In the Short Film Animated category, there seem to be two clear frontrunners. “Lou” and “Dear Basketball” are the favorites to win. A Pixar short is almost always guaranteed a win (see “Piper” from last year), but I am going to pick “Dear Basketball” for this one. For the Short Film (Live Action) category, I’m going with the political pick here. “DeKalb Elementary.” The short film is based on a school shooting where no one was hurt. This is credited to the bookkeeper for talking down the potential shooter. The Academy tends to be a little political sometimes, and with all the recent events, “DeKalb Elementary” is a safe bet. Now for the two sound categories, to clear up any confusion: Sound Editing is the makeup of the actual sounds you hear, Sound Mixing is how you hear each sound in relationship to all the other sounds. It is always a safe bet to pick a war film for these two (see “Hacksaw Ridge” from last year), and it is very rarely split between two films. For both of these, I am picking “Dunkirk.” “Dunkirk” is highly reliant on engaging the audience in its world, and the sound of this movie is a huge part of the experience. If you want a dark horse pick, I think “Blade Runner 2049” has the chance to surprise some people. Best Film Editing should go to “Baby Driver.” This film is airtight and relies on the editing to deliver its story. “Dunkirk” could be a dark horse for this one, but
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Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
“Baby Driver” deserves it. Visual Effects is one of the tightest races for the minor categories, and the one I am the most passionate about this year. If “War for the Planet of the Apes” loses, I will riot in the streets. The film is reliant on its incredible visual effects to tell the last chapter of Ceasar’s story. Again, “Blade Runner 2049” could challenge “War for the Planet of the Apes” for this one; but come on, I swear they used a real orangutan. Now we move into the major categories, starting with the two music categories. Original Score has two frontrunners in my mind, “Dunkirk” and “The Shape of Water.” They both have equally amazing scores for completely different reasons. “The Shape of Water” score is beautiful and fits the film perfectly, while the “Dunkirk” score is almost a character in and of itself. I am picking “Dunkirk,” but “The Shape of Water” could easily take this one. “Remember Me” from “Coco” is nearly a lock for Original Song. The only one which could really challenge this is “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman.” Both great songs, but “Remember Me” is just another step above. Speaking of “Coco,” it
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is going to win Animated Feature Film. No if ’s, and’s or but’s about it. Best Animated Feature should not be a separated category from Best Picture, but this is a conversation for another time. Now it is time for the big eight. Let’s start with the screenplays. For Adapted Screenplay, there is a clear favorite in “Call Me by Your Name,” and I think this is a pretty safe pick. The only other one I see challenging it is “The Disaster Artist.” Original Screenplay is a bit tougher. I think there are three front-runners: “Get Out,” “The Shape of Water” and “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” I am torn so many different ways on this one. On one hand, there is the genius writing in “Get Out,” one of the smartest films I have ever
seen. Then there is the very different love story of “The Shape of Water.” Ultimately, I think “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” is my pick for this one. I think the dialogue in this film pushes it over the edge for me. Cinematography is one of my favorite categories, but also one of the toughest. There is a lot of stiff competition this year. “Dunkirk” is masterful, “The Shape of Water” is gorgeous, but I think “Blade Runner 2049” is the winner. It is such a beautiful film and relies on the cinematography to bring you into its fantastical world. This, plus the fact cinematographer Roger Deakins has been nominated 14 times, I think this is the film to finally win him a long-deserved Oscar. Next up are the four acting awards. This is a tight, tight race and could go any which way. In my mind, Best Actress in a Supporting Role goes to Laurie Metcalf from “Lady Bird.” I think her performance really anchors the film and brings a sense of reality the film captures well. Best Actor as a Supporting Role should go to Sam Rockwell for his performance in “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri.” One of the best characters of last year, Sam Rockwell plays this role beautifully. Richard Jenkins could also be a dark horse, as could Willem Dafoe, but Rockwell is my favorite to win. Best Actor in a Leading Role is the easiest of the four acting categories. This one is Gary Oldman’s. His performance as Winston Churchill in “The Darkest Hour” is immaculate, and
easily the best part of the movie. Actress in a Leading Role is the toughest. I have no idea how this one is going to go. Sally Hawkins delivers the best performance of her career in “The Shape of Water.” Saoirse Ronan, who I absolutely adore, is the best part about “Lady Bird.” Frances McDormand is outstanding in “Three Billboards,” and never count out Meryl Streep for her role in “The Post.” The Academy loves their Meryl. I have no idea who should win, so for this one, I’m going to pick who I want to win: Saoirse Ronan. Her performance in “Lady Bird” is my favorite of the year, and I desperately hope she wins. Directing is also an extremely tough category. I think Guillermo del Toro is the favorite going in, but in my opinion, Best Director should go to Christopher Nolan for “Dunkirk.” He delivers a masterpiece of a film, and the film he delivers is specifically his. No one else could have made this movie, and for this reason, I am sticking with Nolan. Now it’s time for the big one: Best Picture. In my opinion, there are two favorites: “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “The Shape of Water.” Because the voting system is slightly different for Best Picture than the rest of the categories, we could see an upset from films like “Dunkirk” or “Get Out,” but I think “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri” takes this year’s Oscar. It is a powerful film which at times can be hard to watch, but a story I think needs to be told. It’s a story about how hate drives us to extremes and the powerfulness of forgiveness.
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2018 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
SPORTS
Bulldogs on the Road: Baseball, Softball, Golf, Tennis and Track
TAYLOR RAYBURN
SPORTS EDITOR
Over the course of the past week, Mississippi State University sent six different teams across the country to play games on the road. Some found huge successes, while others had disappointing showings. This information is a condensed version of MSU Communications’ press releases. Baseball splits first half of their tour of Texas MSU baseball (3-5) is almost finished with their three-week-long road trip to open up the season. They opened up the tour of Texas with the Kleberg Bank College Classic, where they took on University of California in Santa Barbara, Nicholls State University and Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi. Friday, freshman Josh Hatcher led MSU to a 7-4 win over Santa Barbara with two home runs and batted in three runs. Against Nicholls State Saturday, MSU’s offense exploded on the way to a 14-4 victory. Tanner Allen drove in four runs on three hits. Sunday, MSU’s three-game win streak came to an end as the Bulldogs fell to TAMUCC by a score of 6-3. MSU was scheduled
to travel to Edinburg, Texas, to take on Texas Rio Grande Valley, but the game was canceled. MSU, now halfway through their tour of Texas, took a brief stop in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Wednesday, where they lost to McNeese State 6-3. They will travel to Houston, Texas, this weekend to play in the Shriner’s College Classic. They take on the University of Louisiana Friday, the University of Houston Saturday and Sam Houston State University Sunday. They will then return home March 6 for their home opener against New Mexico State University.
Softball finds mild success versus tough competition on the West Coast Entering the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, California, MSU softball (12-3) went to find out how good they were. They faced top teams in No. 16 Arizona State University, the University of Nebraska, Oklahoma State University, San Hose State University and California State University in Fullerton. Thursday, Feb. 22, MSU dropped their opening day game to the ranked Sun Devils of ASU by a score of 3-1. MSU bounced
Softball Palm Springs, CA Baseball Corpus Christi, TX Lake Charles, LA
Women's Golf Lafayette, LA Men's Tennis New Orleans, LA
Men's Golf Houston, TX
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
back in the second game of that Thursday, taking a convincing 9-0 victory over Nebraska. Reggie Harrison led the team by hitting in five runs. They then picked up a big win over then No. 18 OSU on Friday. Sarai Niu led the team by batting in four runs in MSU’s 9-4 win. On Saturday, they split their doubleheader, winning the front half to the day against San Hose State by a score of 6-4 and losing the back end to Cal State Fullerton by a score of 4-1. Pitcher Holly Ward was awarded the win over San Hose as she struck out
Track and Field College Station, TX
five batters in five innings played. MSU softball will be back in action this weekend in the Bulldog Slamboree. They will take on Lamar University, Mercer University and Sam Houston State University. Menʼs tennis ends non-conference play with a win in New Orleans Last Friday, MSU men’s tennis (6-1) wrapped up their last game of nonconference play with a 4-3 win over Tulane University. MSU won the doubles point with Florian Broska
and Trevor Foshey, taking home a deciding match by a score of 7-6. No. 4 ranked player Nuno Borges won his match, but MSU lost the next two courts and were in a 2-2 tie. Niclas Braun and Trevor Foshey came through on courts four and six to bring MSU back the victory. They will be in action at home Sunday against Auburn University to open up SEC play. Track and field claims five medals in College Station MSU track and field found success at the SEC
Indoor Championships over the past weekend. The player who found the most success was Logan Boss. She took home the gold medal in women’s high jump, clearing 1.91m. Dejon Devroe took home the silver medal in the 800m, and Daniel Nixon took home the bronze. The fourth medal went to Rhiannwedd PriceWeimer, who won silver in the mile. She also grabbed a bronze medal with Mia Meydrich, Keturah Smith and Alon Lewis in the distance medley relay. Menʼs golf struggles in Lafayette, women finish middle of the pack in Houston MSU men’s golf finished 13 out of 15 teams in the Louisiana Classics Golf Tournament in Lafayette on Tuesday. Peng Pichaikool had the best finish for MSU, as he placed 34th in the tournament. Women’s golf finished ninth out of 17 teams in the Dickerson Invitational. The placement is thanks to a top six finish by Athena Yang, as she was the only Bulldog to shoot under par, shooting one under. Katie Holt also finished at 21st in the tournament at one over par.
Women’s basketball set for SEC Tournament
tournament. The tournament gives every team a chance at the title, but obviously, MSU is favored as the number one seed after a dominant regular season. The tournament began Wednesday with the four lowest seeds playing. MSU has a double bye, and therefore does not play until today. They will take on No. 9 seed Kentucky (14-16, 6-10
SEC) after the Wildcats beat the University of Alabama (17-12, 7-9 SEC) 71-64 Thursday afternoon. MSU faced Kentucky to close out the regular season in Lexington by a score of 85-63. MSU beat Kentucky 74-55 earlier in the season in Starkville. If MSU wins, they look to face either No. 5 seed Texas A&M University (22-8, 11-5 SEC) or No. 4 seed LSU (198, 11-5 SEC). Head coach Vic Schaefer talked about the tournament Tuesday. “This time of year, you’ve been through so many games, so many battles that I think you are prepared for just about anything,” Schaefer said. “I feel very confident in what we’ve done to this point. The challenge this time of year is, ‘can you get better?’ If you aren’t getting better than you are getting worse.”
The winner of the SEC tournament gets an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, and this type of magical run will be the hope for many of the teams with worse records than MSU. However, because so many teams in the conference are strong and highly seeded in any case, it is more of a point of pride than any practical help for MSU and many other schools in the postseason. This motivation is still there for senior guard Roshunda Johnson and her teammates. “We’re focused, and at the same time, I think we’re still hungry because we haven’t achieved our overall goal yet,” Johnson said. MSU’s game against Kentucky will tipoff at 12 p.m., March 2, in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The SECNetwork will broadcast the game.
excitement from the game. I thought in the first half they did a good job of getting us into foul trouble.” Howland said there were not a lot of 50-50 plays which flipped in favor of Tennessee in the first half. MSU had a 25-17 lead with 9:25 left in the first half, but started to struggle scoring offensively. “I did not think so in the first half at all, I thought we really battled and we looked really good,” Howland said. “They switched ball screens and we were too content with pulling up and shooting jump shots. From that point forward, we struggled offensively.” Tennessee’s offense
was red hot throughout the game, especially in the second half. They shot 68.2 percent from the field in the second half, and Nick Weatherspoon, a freshman guard from Canton, said this is what gave Tennessee the edge in the second half. “They were the only ones making shots, they were not doing anything special,” Nick Weatherspoon said. “They were making shots, getting out on transition and being patient. Making us waiting on defense.” MSU ended the game shooting 39.2 percent as they shot 29.6 percent in the second half, and they lost their final home
game and any hope for the NCAA Tournament, losing 76-54. Despite the loss, Nick Weatherspoon said it will not discourage the team. “It will be very tough for us to get in, but we are not going to give up,” Nick Weatherspoon said. “We are going to go on the road and try to get a win against LSU and make a run in the SEC tournament.” Howland said after the
Alyana Stevens | The Reflector
Victoria Vivians, a senior from Carthage, leads undefeated No. 2 MSU into the SEC Tournament.
MELISSA WEITZEL STAFF WRITER
While No. 2 Mississippi State University already clinched the outright SEC title, trophy and all, earlier this season, there is still one more SEC championship to win. After finishing the regular season 30-0, MSU women’s basketball’s (30-0, 16-0 SEC) next stop is Nashville, Tennessee, and the SEC
Taylor Rayburn | The Reflector
Jason Leonard, president of Club Rugby teaches Tristan Hodge, Peyton Thompson, Jack Meador, Wesley McPherson, Ethan Thompson, Tay Harris and Diwas Brown the sport of rugby on Sunday. They are of Cub Scout pack 45, trying to earn their “Stronger, Faster, Higher” Pin.
Club team shares rugby with Cub Scouts TAYLOR RAYBURN SPORTS EDITOR
Mississippi State Club rugby helped Pack 45 Cub Scouts from Starkville earn their “Stronger, Faster, Higher” pin Sunday by showing the scouts the sport they love. Club President Jason Leonard, a junior chemical engineering major from
Ocean Springs, said it was not only a great opportunity to help people, but a chance to help spread awareness to a sport which has yet to become popular in the South. “They had fun and they all learned what rugby was,” said Leonard. “A couple want to come out to our games and learn more about it.”
Bulldog’s tournament hopes dashed after loss to Tennessee
HUNTER CLOUD
STAFF WRITER
The stage was set when two teams met in Humphrey Coliseum for an important game, one which could decide if No. 16 Tennessee (22-7,125 SEC) would still have a shot at the SEC title, or if Mississippi State University (21-9, 9-8 SEC) could reach the NCAA tournament. Ben Howland felt his team had good chances in the first half, but had too many fouls costing them going into the second half. “We had some great opportunities in the first half, we had the lead 2013,” Howland said. “And we got sped up from the
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looking inward and what we could do better.” MSU will take on LSU Saturday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. and the SEC Network will broadcast the game.
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“It is a tough lesson and we have to bounce back, there is no choice. It is a bitter defeat at home and a chance to beat a good team on your home floor,” Howland said. “You learn by watching film, you learn by everybody
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defeat today, all the team can really do is bounce back against LSU on the road. The team blew a chance to beat a good team at home, which could have helped their NCAA Tournament chances.
Taylor Rayburn| The Reflector
Lamar Peters drives the lane before dishing a pass cross court in MSUʼs 76-54 loss to UT.
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