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132nd YEAR ISSUE 41
TUESDAY MARCH 27, 2018
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Bulldogs punch ticket to Final Four
ECAB recap: five startups pitch ideas KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
Five startups pitched to the monthly Entrepreneurship Center Advisory Board last week in hopes of obtaining funds to help propel their ideas into businesses. 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 grant them up to $2,000. First, the board heard again from DueT Technology, which was first pitched by Vicki Jordan, Thomas White and Tyler Anthony in January. The first two are graduates, Jordan in psychology and White in engineering, and Anthony is a senior computer engineering major. The board gave the team $1,000 to build prototypes two months ago, and they returned Friday asking for the remaining $1,000. DueT Technology’s product is a clipper with a built-in fan to solve the problem of overheating. White said the clippers used in barbershops today must be switched out after about two haircuts because they get too hot. DueT Technology’s solution includes a cooling ventilation system and a ceramic blade. White said the product not only solves the problem of overheating, but the need for just one device creates less workspace clutter and is more efficient.
Jessica Lindsey | The Reflector
1-seed Mississippi State University (36-1) defeated 3-seed University of California at Los Angeles (27-8) 89-73 on Sunday night. Teaira McCowan, a junior from Brenham, Texas, led MSU with 23 points and 21 rebounds. MSU will take on 1-seed University of Louisville Friday, in Columbus, Ohio, for a chance to play for the National Championship. FINAL FOUR, 6
ECAB, 2
Candidates present election platforms in SA Debate DYLAN BUFKIN STAFF WRITER
The Mississippi State University Student Association’s Executive Council debate, hosted and moderated by the Speech and Debate Club, occurred on March 22 with every candidate answering questions on their platforms and positions. Treasurer-Elect and current chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee Alex Bedwell, being the only candidate for treasurer, outlined his goals and spending priorities as treasurer. Bedwell emphasized the need to increase the transparency of where funds go and stretching those funds to meet as many needs as possible, as well as updating the out-of-date SA finance codes. Next, the three candidates for secretary, Juan Benavides, Carley Bowers and Emily Young, took the stage. Emily Young, a College of Arts and Sciences senator, said she wants to implement an online “suggestion box” to help students more efficiently communicate their needs to SA. Juan Benavides, a performing arts/university organizations senator, emphasized the need to start going green at MSU, which means making sure recycling bins are recycled. Additionally, Benavides proposed a new public relations team to help better communicate with students and starting to implement more Spanish language resources for Spanish-speaking parents.
TUESDAY
Carley Bowers, a cabinet member as one of the codirectors of Research and Development, wants to implement a new online filing system to contain all bills that the Senate passes, which would be available for all students to view. Additionally, Bowers wants to start sending out a monthly review email to students who want to stay informed on the SA’s recent activities. All secretary candidates emphasized the need for better communication on how OrgSync functions, and more transparency for students on how SA operates. Jake Manning, College of Engineering senator, community and governmental relations committee chairman, and current president pro tempore, along with Stephanie Flynt, College of Arts and Sciences senator and current chairwoman of the Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Committee, are the two candidates for vice president. Manning stressed his main goal for Senate is to have it become a more effective, efficient and functional body. Additionally, Manning wants to create a Senate filing system, like Carley Bowers’s system. “Across my time as a senator, I have been frustrated time and time again when plenty of good ideas arise, are worked on, research done, passed, taken to administration and they are shot down, ultimately because we don’t have enough influence on campus,” Manning said. DEBATES, 2
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
HI: 74 LO: 63 SKY: Partly Cloudy
HI: 76 LO: 60 SKY: Rainy
HI: 69 LO: 51 SKY: Rain
POP: 20%
POP: 60%
POP: 100%
Kayleigh Phillips, Lindsay Pace | The Reflector
The Starkville Pride parade marched through downtown Starkville on Saturday afternoon. Approximately 2,500 parade-goers clad in brilliant colors demonstrated equality and love for all in Starkville’s first-ever pride parade. In addition to the parade, businesses and organizations set up booths Saturday morning during the Queer Art Market at Fire Station Park, where vendors could sell items and show Pride support.
First-ever Starkville Pride Parade a success KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
The streets of downtown Starkville were filled with vibrant color and waving flags Saturday afternoon as people watched and marched in support of the city’s first LGBT Pride parade. Starkville Major Lynn Spruill estimated on Twitter there were about 2,500 people in attendance at the event. Tristan Ponder, a Mississippi State University senior marketing major, said he attended the parade in hopes of inspiring others in the LGBT community. “I’ve been out and proud for over five years now, and I am here at the parade to show people who aren’t out that it’s okay to be yourself and it’s okay to show people who you truly are,” Ponder said. Before the parade started at noon, Ponder said he believed the event would help the city seem more progressive, as
well as promote growth and business. “It will attract people here, and they won’t perceive Starkville as your typical Mississippi city,” Ponder said. In addition to the parade, businesses and organizations set up booths Saturday morning during the Queer Art Market at Fire Station Park, where they could sell items and show Pride support. Josh Herrington did both by selling rainbow-colored art from his business, Duckington Art and Jewelry. Herrington said he was impressed with the success his business had in just four hours. Herrington not only wished to sell his items, but he also wanted to attend the parade and show his support. “This community is an underrepresented community that people don’t understand and they don’t know exists,” Herrington said. “So, any chance that I can get to show some support for that side of the community I will, because they’re people, too.”
FORECAST: A few clouds will slowly move into the sky on Friday, and will stay with us throughout most of the weekend. Expect temperatures to be closer to average, but with a decent amount of humidity as wind flow will be from the south, which will increase rain chances by Sunday. -Matt Breland, Campus Connect Meteorologist
Also attending the event were protesters, such as members of the Consuming Fire Fellowship church from Busy Corner, Mississippi. The church is known for preaching on college campuses. Britt Williams, a pastor of the church, said his group attended the event to publicly rebuke sin and ask LGBT men and women to repent. “First of all, we are representing the Lord Jesus Christ; we’re unashamed of Jesus, we’re unashamed of his word,” Williams said during the event. “His word condemns sodomy and homosexuality. The Bible calls it an abomination, the Bible even calls it judgment: we’re standing against this. We’re here to preach the gospel and call these men and women to repentance. We’re also here to rebuke publicly sin that God hates.” The protestors followed the parade during the whole route around downtown. PRIDE, 5
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ECAB “We live in a technological age, so millennial barbers are constantly looking for new ways and products to be more efficient,” White said. “We’re going to come in and provide them with a reliable, quality solution.” Next to pitch was Tyler Stranburg, a graduate engineering student. He presented Novel Foot Orthotics, which is a new arch wedge design for shoe soles using metallic material. Stranburg said he plans to market the product toward military personnel who stand for long amounts at a time, move around and carry heavy weight. “The problem we’ve noticed is, in the military, it’s been documented that people tend to have their arches flattened over time,” Stranburg said. “It’s a big problem because that hurts your feet, which then affects
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your whole body.” Stranburg said the current market has many plastic and gel inserts which have difficulty lasting a long time due to the high impact of military jobs. “(Our solution) will give it the ability to last longer, and also it’s less susceptible to environmental factors like wet, cold, heat, because the gels or plastics tend to break down or lose their efficient properties in these environments,” Stranburg said. Novel Foot Orthotics is in the process of getting a patent, Stranburg said. The founder hopes to do studies in the future to prove his product carries a longer lifespan compared to its competition. Stranburg asked the board for $2,000 to build prototypes. Another pitch came from Pierce Long, a sophomore
DEBATE “I have multiple ideas about how I believe we can go restructuring the way Senate is operated to increase our legitimacy, increase inclusion, build a stronger base and enable us to apply greater pressure.” Flynt wants to further increase SA’s transparency, so students are more involved in the legislative process. “In other words, making sure agendas are published before Senate meetings. That way people can contact senators if they have an issue with a certain bill,” Flynt said. Flynt also wants to implement a “legislative ideas application,” where students could fill out a form to more directly involve themselves with a Senate committee to work on an issue. In the same vein, Flynt wants to make senators’ contact information more available. Both candidates want to better improve the newly-
management major who wants to build a Family Entertainment Center, specifically with a raceway. Long said he is trying to solve the problem of limited entertainment offerings in the Starkville area. “We want to offer a racetrack to give people another option,” Long said. Long introduced the board to his idea of having junior carts for children, which has a maximum speed of 20 mph, and go-carts for adults, which can go up to 50 mph. Long said initial costs for the business will include purchasing land and undergoing construction. He asked the board for $2,000 to build upon an existing RC track to use as a fundraising tool and build a customer base. Next, senior finance major Chandler Sultan and CONTINUED FROM 1
implemented organizational Senate seats to better increase the diversity of thought in the Senate. Finally, Mayah Emerson, current director of programming in the SA Cabinet, and Layton Little, current vice president, spoke as the two presidential candidates. Emerson’s platform consisted of external and internal campus initiatives to serve both Starkville and the student body, as well as a focus on diversity and campus outreach. The platform included a new “State of our State” forum series, academic advising training, a leadership class taught by the SA President, lower textbook prices, online teacher evaluations and the Bulldog Locker system, which would provide rentable business attire for interviews. “Diversity is a portion of this university that makes
this place special. I’ve said it over and over during my time campaigning, so it is our job to not only preserve that diversity, but further that diversity,” Emmerson said. Little explained he wants his platform to encompass a large variety of issues, so every student will find something to vote for. The policies range from live messaging with teacher assistants, notifications when someone drops a class, texting numbers for counselors, a major fair, lower prices at the concession stands and ending holiday/ break testing. “Those are issues that any student can wrap their mind around and can grasp onto one platform point, so no matter where you are as a student, whether you are a freshman, a senior, a new transfer student, an international student, there is one platform point for you,” Little said.
his brother Chris Sultan presented AirQual, a duct cleaning service. Chris said the average home collects 40,000 pounds of dust each year, along with contaminants like dust mites and mold spores. He said duct cleaning is a solution to these problems, but it is often unavailable to people for several reasons, including expense and applicability. He said most duct-cleaning applications are catered toward commercial buildings, not residential. “So, we’ve built a userfriendly, cost-effective solution to bring clean air to anybody,” Chris Sultan said. Chandler Sultan said they talked to realtors, daycare owners and ear, nose and throat doctors to learn more about the market. “What we learned from these individuals and who we spoke to after them was
that there’s a general distrust in the market for this service and there’s concerns about legitimacy. Lastly, there’s just a lack of knowledge about the subject,” Chandler said. “They don’t understand the harms and they don’t know the statistics.” AirQual plans to offer a satisfaction guaranteedbased service and give free inspections. They asked the board for $2,000 to pay for software expenses, certification, legal counseling and marketing. Lastly, Rontier Whitfield, a senior fashion design and merchandising major, showed the board Esteemed Juices, which is her natural, coldpressed juice company. “Esteemed is a lifestyle brand that builds confidence through health fitness and awareness,” Whitfield said. Her company is onlinebased, where people can
order juice and make customizations, such as etched designs on the unique glass bottles. Whitfield also intends to offer merchandise, such as hats and shirts. Whitfield plans to have membership-based subscriptions, along with hosting pop-up shops in the future. Whitfield said Esteemed Juice’s customer profile includes health-oriented people and those who value individuality. Whitfield said one of her customers even experienced less inflammation and more energy after drinking one of the juices. Whitfield asked the board for $1,500 for materials, labels, packaging, software and equipment. At the meeting, the board did not release its decision on the amount of funding these startups would receive.
JORDAN DARENSBOURG
seminars took place, ranging from communication of severe weather hazards to the thought process of a meteorologist when dealing with severe weather. Each session concluded with a keynote speaker. One of those speakers was Bryan Norcross, a hurricane specialist at TV station WPLG-TV in Miami and The Weather Channel in Atlanta. Norcross said the 2017 hurricane season was an extremely active season. “There were people that were thinking that maybe the hurricane possibilities have decreased,” Norcross said. “So, the 2017 season kind of stopped that talk, because it was a drastically expensive hurricane season, and it highlighted how vulnerable our coast is.” Additionally, Norcross said although each of the major hurricanes which made a U.S. landfall, Harvey, Irma and Maria, had their own special characteristics, one of them really stuck out to him. “The most tragic storm to me was Maria because Maria hit Puerto Rico, and the government was hurricane-fatigued by that time, and it demonstrated
what can happen when you don’t have a good enough hurricane plan for the risk of a community,” Norcross said. “Understanding the risk of a community is critical in this case for an island.” One of the over 120 participants in the symposium was Aubrey Urbanowicz, a TV meteorologist at WHSVTV in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and a graduate of MSU. Urbanowicz said she liked the lineup of speakers at the symposium. “I really wanted to come out and come back to Mississippi State, and I was thoroughly impressed, not just with the keynotes, but with the additional speakers as well,” Urbanowicz said. “I can’t even pick a favorite, for there were so many captivating and interesting presentations.” Norcross said he loved his first visit to Starkville and MSU. “I know many Mississippi State graduates as the program has developed, as lots of really good weathercasters from all over the country have come from Mississippi State,” Norcross said. “So it’s wonderful to be here.”
MSU NWA/AMS chapter hosts annual severe storms symposium
STAFF WRITER
Mississippi State University’s Chapter of the National Weather Association/American Meteorological Society (NWA/AMS) held its 16th Annual Severe Storms Symposium in Harned Hall on Saturday and Sunday. The event started each day with a weather discussion provided by two MSU broadcast meteorology students. One of those students was Christana Landress, a senior geoscience major with an emphasis on broadcast meteorology from Buford, Georgia. Landress, who provided her forecast discussion Sunday, said it was an excellent experience. “We’ve gotten to meet a lot of renowned meteorologists throughout the country,” Landress said. “We’ve talked to broadcasters all the way to the professional track, and being able to have that oneon-one connection with them is something that at a lot of conferences you can’t have.” After the forecast discussions, a variety of
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE
BULLETIN BOARD
An In-Class Distraction
BAD DAWGS Tuesday, March 20, 2018 3:18 p.m. Student was arrested on Blackjack Road for obstructing traffic and disorderly conduct, failure to comply. Referral issued. 7:39 p.m. Student reported his Yeti cooler stolen from his vehicle while parked in Lot D23. Wednesday, March 21, 2018 11:52 a.m. Employee reported a student left the Old Main parking garage without paying on two different dates March 8 and 20. 6:40 p.m. Student reported his vehicle was hit in Lot G9 Sanderson Center parking lot. 9:45 p.m. Two students were issued referrals for possession of marijuana in Hull Hall. Friday, March 23, 2018 12:37 a.m. Student was arrested on Blackjack Road for speeding 49/30 and first DUI. Justice Court citation was issued. 12:35 p.m. Student was arrested on Blackjack Road for careless driving, DUI, other substance and no insurance. Justice Court citations were issued. 11:24 p.m. Student was transported to OCH from near Pi Beta Phi house. Referral issued for causing a disturbance and intoxication. Saturday, March 24, 2018 10:33 a.m. Employee reported a window in Bost Extension Center shattered. Custodial and Facilities were notified. Sunday, March 25, 2018 3:58 a.m. Officer found items on side of Hwy 182 belonging to a nonresident/visitor. 11:49 a.m. Student reported someone is using her identity on social media. 12:55 p.m. Student reported his tag stolen off his vehicle while parked in Hull Hall parking lot.
SUDOKU
Notable Traffic Citations March 9 - 26 Four MSU citations issued for disregarding of traffic devices. Justice Court citation issued for improper passing on Hardy Road. MSU citation issued for speeding 71/45 on Hail State Blvd. 20 MSU citations issued for speeding. Three Justice Court citations issued for speeding. Two Justice Court citations issued for expired tags. Two Justice Court citations issued for disregarding of traffic devices. Justice Court citation issued for no driver’s license on Blackjack Road. Justice Court citations issued for speeding 50/30 and no driver’s license on Blackjack Road. Justice Court citation issued for expired driver’s license on Hardy Road. MSU citation issued for driving the wrong way on Hurst Lane.
CLASSIFIEDS 4 BEDROOMS AVAILABLE FOR RENT IN A LARGE HOUSE. sunroom, dining room and a laundry room. 2 Full baths, large living area with fireplace. hardwood and ceramic tile flooring, garage, fenced in yard, Pet friendly environment for a fee. Only seven minutes from campus. Affordable room prices range from $325.00 per month to $400.00 per month. If interested call
662-312-5630. For MSU students only. CLUB INFO #youbelong at INSIGHT Bible Study & Worship Tuesday Nights @ 8 p.m. at Wesley Foundation’s Worship Center. Visit www.statewesley.org for more information. 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
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE
OPINION
Wait until hopping into buying a rabbit for Easter
Banning guns altogether will not work
TAYLOR RAYBURN
is a junior majoring in communication and economics. Contact him at opinion@ reflector.msstate.edu.
MIA RODRIGUEZ
is a sophmore majoring in English. Contact her at opinion@reflector.msstate. edu
Each indoor pet, regardless of size or irresistible cuteness, requires careful consideration prior to purchase or adoption. Sadly, thanks to the flood of fluffy rabbit imagery and pushed rabbit sales leading up to Easter, many people unknowingly acquire adorable animals they are wrongfully led to believe are lowmaintenance pets ideal for their young children. What these buyers do not see when they look into the eyes of the innocent creature is a social animal which can live for over 10 years and would rather run around and chew on baseboards than be held and squeezed. Many people who give into their children’s pleas and get a rabbit end up taking their pet to a shelter or even setting them free to fend for themselves outdoors. According to Natasha Daly of the National Geographic, the frequency of rabbit abandonment rises astronomically in the time following Easter. “Jennifer McGee, comanager of the Georgia chapter of House Rabbit Society, a shelter in the southeastern part of the state, says they normally receive one to two calls a week about abandoned rabbits. But in the six weeks after Easter, the shelter gets three to four calls a day,” Daly states. I was once the child infatuated with the idea of having a rabbit on my own,
courtesy illustration by Rosalind Hutton
but was always denied by my parents. I always assumed rabbits were easy to care for, and could never understand why I was not permitted to get one. However, I now own a dwarf lionhead rabbit named Clementine that I love dearly, but she definitely requires an extensive amount of attention and care. Rabbits are not meant to be kept in a cage because they love to run around. While running around, she also loves to chew on anything she can find, especially shoes, wood and cords. In addition, while rabbit poop has no scent, their pee smells particularly heinous and requires a frequent cage cleaning. Rabbits, depending on temperament, can even resort to using their teeth or claws when feeling threatened. This is not to say I would discourage everyone from owning a rabbit, but to do indepth research so no rabbits or children are harmed in the process. According to House Rabbit Society, many rabbits can become significantly
more aggressive when they reach four months old and are not yet spayed or neutered, and many bad behaviors will surface or worsen. Some large pet retailers have even stopped their sale of rabbits for Easter gifts to help combat the rabbit abandonment issue. According to Tara Evans of The Sun, Pets at Home, one of the largest pet stores in the UK has done just this in all 430 of their stores, going so far as to offer “free workshop sessions” to explain the responsibility required to own and care for a pet rabbit. Rabbits are intelligent animals and when cared for correctly, they can show affection toward their owners. They are not mindless creatures to be caged for the rest of their lives, and they require as much social interaction as a cat or a dog. I say these things not to deter people from buying a bunny, as I personally believe they are a great addition to the family. I say this in the hopes that these animals will not be bought as a short-lived and themed gift, but rather as a long-term companion.
It seems as if every time a mass shooting occurs, the topic of gun control comes up and people protest for a few weeks, but nothing is done on the topic.This is partly because they really cannot, the Bill of Rights is pretty much untouchable, but that is another topic for another time. The reality of the situation is, yes, the gun laws are a little too lax in this country, but the laws people are suggesting, like outright gun bans in England or Australia, will not work here in the U.S. On a college campus, most of the people you run into are for gun control, and because groupthink is one of the worst things to happen in any area, here are some things to think about the next time you discuss gun control with your friends. First off, the statistics reported are not relevant to the argument because they are so heavily skewed. The first stat is gun deaths. Per 100 people in the U.S., there are 10.5 gun-related deaths per year, according to the Pew Research Center. This number is down from 15.2 in 1993 as gun homicides were 7.0 that year. In 2010, gun homicides were at 3.4. However, the bigger note is that 6.5 of those 10.3 deaths are suicides. The trend is gun homicides are going down and gun suicides are going up. This is not a gun issue; it is a mental health issue, which our country does an awful job at addressing.
The second stat is the mass school shooting statistic. After the Parkland, Florida, school shooting, the statistic of 18 school shootings between the start of the year and the shooting was thrown around a good bit. Now let me be clear, any death is too much, but after Snopes broke down the statistic, it showed only two were what most people would consider a “school shooting.” By this, I mean a shooting which was during school hours and with the intent of killing students.
“These countries succeeded in limiting guns in those countries because these countries are islands.” The Parkland shooting and the Benton, Kentucky, shooting where two died, are the only shootings with casualties in 2018. According to the United States Department of Education, there are 26,407 public high schools and 10,693 private high schools in the U.S. With this many schools, the shootings are much rarer than people would have you believe. Once again, any shooting is bad and a problem in need of addressing, but this idea that people are scared to send their kids to school in fear of a possible shooting is ludicrous. The other argument people like to throw into the gun control argument is the success of gun laws in Australia, Japan and the United Kingdom. Which it is important to note that the homicide rate in England
spiked after the gun ban, before returning to normal levels according to the Crime Prevention Research Center. They also saw a massive increase in the country’s police force. These countries succeed ed in limiting guns in those countries because these countries are islands. You can successfully ban things on islands because of the ability to limit what comes through your ports. However, the U.S. shares a massive land border with Mexico and Canada. Mainly Mexico is the concern. Even if guns were banned in the U.S., our massive land borders would make it impossible to keep illegal guns out like on islands. These are just some things to consider when talking about gun control. There are many other arguments showing how gun laws in other countries will not work here. Examples are pointing out how gun laws have failed in Washington D.C. and Chicago in reducing crime. This is not to say laws like the HB 1083 are good by any means. HB 1083 was passed by Mississippi through the Senate to allow enhanced concealed carry, which will let owners sue public places not allowing them to carry. Basically letting people carry guns on campus and into football stadiums. The reality is, by removing guns from those who can lawfully own them, you take the guns out of lawful citizens’ hands, but people who want to kill others will still be able to have access to them. School shootings are horrible, but if someone wants to kill a large concentration of people, the evil of humanity will find a way. The solution is somewhere in the middle of the two extremes presented, and Congress has to get to this common ground.
Letter to the Editor: What I learned about race at Habitat for Humanity JOHN BREAZEALE
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
What do we do at a Starkville Habitat work site, you ask? We build a house. We also destroy expectations. When I ask a first-time volunteer at the end of a work shift, “What did you expect when you signed up for this?” more than just a few times the response has been along the lines of, “I expected a crusty old supervisor wearing a tool belt being perpetually annoyed at my lack of skills and barking at me when I make a mistake.” Sadly, some who have volunteered at other Habitat sites report this is often true. But sometimes a story evolves through my interaction with the volunteers worth remembering and telling. I keep these stories in a mental file folder. Stories can be mechanisms for establishing relationships. They are also a means of breaking barriers and revealing hidden truths. In the course of building two or three Habitat houses every year, I encounter hundreds of volunteers. Most of them are university students, and while many are from Mississippi, a fair number come not other states and even other parts of the world. Working with new homeowners and the incredibly diverse volunteer
base gives me a chance to explore how these groups interact and overlap. The larger context of our work is Mississippi. Mississippians are a people who have learned to embrace contradiction. We have to carry the weight of our history, for better or worse, and maybe embracing contradiction is what keeps us sane. My friend Dave, aka “collateral damage,” has been with our crew since he retired in 2015. A career teacher and school administrator, Dave has been a wonderful addition to the group. Dave is a generous soul and often shows up with morning snacks. One morning he arrived at the jobsite with a 9x12 pan of blueberry biscuits. I grabbed the pan and began passing out biscuits to the student volunteers. There were a couple biscuits left when I made my way back to the front of the house and encountered a female African American student. Instead of introducing myself, I simply asked “Would you like a biscuit?” The young woman, never breaking eye contact, replied, “What’s in it?” Maintaining eye contact, I replied, “What? You think I’m gonna poison you cause I’m white?” Without wavering, this volunteer said, “Maybe.”
My only option at this point was to take a bite out of a biscuit. I said, “These are really good. You should try one.” And she did. I had a new friend won over by the mutually blunt acknowledgement of the ever-present elephant in the room called race. A safe space had been established for further conversation. My new friend Sasha was from Columbus. She grew up in generational poverty and is the first of her family to attend university. Another student volunteer that day was AJ, a young African-American man from Olive Branch. AJ is a very personable and polite young man who comfortably interacted with our crew of supervisors and the student volunteers. AJ and I were working in one of the rooms when Sasha, who had just completed a task, stuck her head in the door and asked what I needed her to do next. I told her to join us and had her puttying nail holes in the base board. I listened to Sasha and AJ converse as we worked, and watching those two interact made me curious about their backgrounds and how they were raised. I looked at AJ and, while rubbing my left palm with the fingertips of my right hand, said, “AJ, what does this mean?” With a blank stare,
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volunteers know we are all peers. I explain I am not to be addressed as “Mr. Breazeale” or “Mr. John.” Never say “yes sir” or “no sir.” Just call me by my name. This causes great confusion to Southerners. The comeback is usually, “Well, my parents taught me to show proper respect to elders and authority figures.” This is the response of both blacks and whites. This does not mean the response is race-neutral. Quite the contrary. I grew up in the era of Jim Crow. When a person of color addresses me as “Mr.” or “Sir,” I can only hear it with the ears of another time. There were unwritten rules for interaction and everyone knew his or her “place.” If you were white, you were taught to show proper respect to elders and authority figures because that is the way polite society works. Unless, of course, you were addressing a black person. In this case, the rule no longer applied. If you were black, you were taught to show proper respect to elders and authority figures because this is the way polite society worked--if you were talking to black people. If you were addressing whites, however, this was an obligation and a defense mechanism. Breach this rule, and bad things were likely to happen; the
perpetrator has forgotten his place. This even applied when addressing a white child. The image of a grown black man being obligated to address an eight-year-old white boy as “Mr.” or “Sir” while the child is within his rights to refer to the man as “boy” is certainly an evil which should never again be tolerated. As I give this brief history lesson, the volunteers begin to nod with the understanding of why my rules are what they are. Many seem shocked that such a society ever existed. Sadly, so many of our university students are unaware of our history. At Starkville Habitat, we endeavor to provide a welcoming and safe working environment for our volunteers. This, to me, is the minimum requirement. Sure, we are building a house. I think we are also building something transformative; certainly for me and our volunteer supervisors, but also for the homeowners, volunteers, the community, the university and eventually, planet earth. We are building relationships and creating stories. What’s the takeaway, you ask? If you do not want to get caught up in a story which carries you to a wholly unexpected ending, avoid any old white guy who happens to be carrying biscuits. What do we do at a Starkville
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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he said, “I have no idea.” I glanced at Sasha and raised an eyebrow. “It means white privilege,” she said. I looked back at AJ. “Why don’t you know this?” I said. He just shrugged his shoulders. The answer, of course, was AJ was raised in a middle class home, whereas Sasha was not. It is the custom of our gathering of old men to have lunch together between the morning and the afternoon shifts, I invited Sasha to join us and offered to buy her lunch. She accepted. We ate at a local Mexican restaurant with about nine or 10 people around the table. I pretty much stayed silent and listened as Sasha and a couple of the men around the table talked about their experiences with race growing up. As we left the restaurant, Sasha confided it had never occurred to her as a possibility to sit around a table with old white men to talk about race. The surprise ending to Sasha’s Habitat work day is most likely a function of learned habits of wariness when interacting with the dominant white culture. Behavior rules learned, not simply to be polite, but as survival mechanisms. When volunteers come to our jobsite, we--me and the volunteer supervisors-take pains to make sure the
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
5
Attendees of local festival celebrate classic genres LEAH WORLEY STAFF WRITER
The Charles H. Templeton Music Museum hosted its annual Ragtime and Jazz Festival in the Mitchell Memorial Library late last week. The festival took place between Thursday and Saturday, and featured a wide variety of events. The fashion department showed off its new 1920s inspired fashions on Thursday’s “Gatsby Gala.” Silent films like those from Charlie Chaplin were played with piano accompaniment from artist and music coordinator Jeff Barnhart. Festival attendee Beverly Wilson enjoyed having the opportunity to see the classic films. “The humor and accompaniment stood the test of time,” Wilson said. “The audience was rolling with laughter.” Friday and Saturday mornings consisted of four seminars from artists at different walks of life, including Kris Tokarski, who discussed the development of early New Orleans jazz. “He used musical, recorded and performance examples to get his point across, and everyone went away learning quite a bit more about this topic than they knew previously,” Barnhart said. The final discussion on Saturday was a panel
Kayleigh Phillips| The Reflector
Steve Cheseborough performed in McComas Hall Theater on Friday as part of the Charles H. Templeton Ragtime and Jazz Festival, which consisted of concerts and panels March 22-24.
discussion titled “Time’s they are a-changin.” This section keyed in on the journey of this year’s musicians, as well as the music of the aging genres they represented. There was a lot of laughter shared among the audience and artists as the talk progressed. To kick it off, Barnhart brought up the ever-present challenge of technology and its effects on musicians. He focused on the
difficulty musicians face when choosing whether to stick to what they know in hopes the world will still receive them, or choose to adapt to the change. He described YouTube as both “a blessing and a curse to all musicians.” Barnhart said it can be beneficial because it gives the musicians the exposure to the public and gets their name out in the world, but whether a track has five views or four million, the
PRIDE
CONTINUED FROM 1
The protestors followed the parade during the whole route around downtown. After the parade was over, Starkville Pride Main Organizer Alexandra Hendon said it was bigger and better than she could ever have imagined. “I don’t think there’s any way to have imagined this magnitude of an event,” Hendon said. “We never thought that it was going to be this big. We never thought that we’d get this kind of support. We’ve had so many people
reach out to us. Walking down the street and seeing the entire Main Street packed was just incredible; it brought tears to my eyes.” Hendon said what struck her most was the immense volume of love evident at the event from attendants and supporters. One such supporter was Alderman Sandra Sistrunk of Ward 2. “I have a lot of friends that this is very important to, and I wanted to walk in support of those friends,” Sistrunk said.
Sistrunk had not originally planned to march in the parade. She intended to just watch and give out lemonade at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, but as the parade got closer, she said joining in “felt like the right thing to do.” Sistrunk said the event was better than she imagined. She said it was joyous and hopeful. “I think it was everything we could have hoped for,” Sistrunk said. “They’ll have a hard time living up to it next year.”
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payout is considered low by many within the music industry. “New technology hurting music isn’t new,” said Steve Cheseborough, a blues aficionado. Cheseborough said since the introduction of movies with sound and the resulting “talking movie strike,” the music industry has constantly had to adapt to new technology. Banjo and guitar player “Fast” Eddie Erikson said he holds on to the hope this idea of “being heard of ” will invite young listeners on the web to take an interest in music like jazz and blues.
“The more young people are exposed to it, the more they’ll listen to it,” Erikson said. The panel also discussed the aspiring future of the genre. Kris Tokarski is 29 and is essentially just beginning his career is what seems to be a faded genre, but he believes the genre will have a revival. He pointed to the encouraging resurgence of swing dancing in young culture as a reason for hope. To close out both Friday and Saturday, there were concerts. Both concerts featured Erikson, Tokarski,
Cheseborough, and both Barnhart and his wife Anne Barnhart, who perform as “Ivory&Gold.” For some pieces on Friday, Erikson joined the Barnharts by adding a little “steel” with his banjo as Jeff Barnhart played the keys and Anne Barnhart played a golden flute. Friday’s concert also featured the department of music’s selected Keyone Docher Award recipient Catherine Patriquin who played the saxophone for the audience. The performance had to be done on a borrowed instrument, as Patriquin’s one-of-a-kind saxophone had just been stolen a week before the festival. “The people who did come to the show gave such great energy, the performers, and it was one of the best shows we have ever had in the 12 years the festival has been going on,” said Jeff Barnhart. Jeff Barnhart said the crowd for Saturday’s concert was one of the largest the event had seen, if not the largest. “The concerts were excellent,” Wilson said. “Each year the performances get better and better. The high-points this year were the performances that made one feel that the old time blues, jazz and ragtime artists were reincarnated there on the stage.” The work and planning for next year’s festival are already underway, and the event organizers hope to continue to see an increase in MSU student involvement as it looks for ways to revamp the interest of these classic genres.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
SPORTS
Women return to Final Four HUNTER CLOUD STAFF WRITER
One-seed Mississippi State University (36-1) had the 3-seed University of California at Los Angeles (27-8) standing in their way to a spot in the final four in Columbus, Ohio. Vic Schaefer was congratulatory of UCLA who lost 89-73, and also said he was thankful for the senior class who won their 125 game. “Just want to congratulate UCLA on a tremendous year, I have been up for two nights having visions of Jordan Canada and No. 25 running up and down the floor,” Schaefer said. “Those kids have developed so much, and they really challenged our kids. I thought that UCLA played so hard, but giving God the glory for (win) number 36 today.” Teaira McCowan, a junior from Brenham, Texas, led
MSU with 23 points and 21 rebounds. She reached the 20 points and 20 rebounds mark with 27 seconds left in the game as MSU started to pull away from UCLA. McCowan found her confidence and calmness during a timeout when UCLA cut the game to six points. “We were fine and we did not need to get rattled,” McCowan said. “We have been in that situation before where we kind of got rattled. We didn’t get out of our bodies and get rattled.” Victoria Vivians, a senior from Carthage, also stepped up, delivering 24 points. All but one of the starters scored 10 or more points. “They were trying to deny me the ball and if they do that, the backdoor is going to be wide open,” Vivians said. “The first time was my fault because I did not go to throw, and the second time it worked fine. Coach was saying they could
not guard me. Just try and go to get a bucket and lay it up.” The Kodak moment of the game was when the seniors and McCowan walked to the free throw line with their arms wrapped around each other. Morgan William, a senior from Birmingham, Alabama, explained the moment. “In the huddle, the ref was like ‘can we go ahead and go?’” William said. “So I was like, ‘let’s walk and talk,’ Jessica Lindsey | The Reflector because they were trying to hustle us up and get to the Starters Roshunda Johnson, Blair Schaefer, Teaira McCowan, Victoria Vivians and Morgan William walk arm in arm at the end of MSUʼs 89-71 win. Schaefer said. “This team is fans for coming to the game, cheer and the whole nine free throw line.” Schaefer talked about special. And then you got and told them they need to yards. They are passionate about their university and how much his team changed Morgan, who all of a sudden buy their tickets for Friday. “All of our fans are just that is what makes it so so offensively from the year has decided she is excited prior, as the team showed about scoring. I have walked the best, if we were not here special.” MSU will take on 1-seed they could attack the goal off the court a few times today, that arena would have with different players, and and said this is what it’s like been empty,” Schaefer said. University of Louisville “It is just incredible how our Friday, in Columbus, Ohio, score points as a team like to have Golden State.” After the trophy was fans’ support has grown and for a chance to play for the the Golden State Warriors. Championship. “We are just different lifted and the nets were cut, mushroomed, and we love National McCowan and because of our skill set, coach Schaefer went over to them we care about them so Teaira we have got kids who can the band and thanked them much. For us right now, they Victoria Vivians both made stretch it and shoot it, and for coming and supporting are very special, all of them the all-tournament team for you got the big piece inside,” the team. He thanked the are. The fans, the band, the Kansas City Regional.
Men’s basketball headed to the Big Apple for NIT semifinals HUNTER CLOUD STAFF WRITER
Mississippi State University (25-11, 9-9 SEC) did not make the NCAA Tournament, but this did not discourage them from making a run at the National Invitational Tournament. Their run to the semifinals of NIT was rewarded with a trip to New York City and the right to play in the most famous basketball arena in the world, Madison Square Garden. Junior Aric Holman, a forward from Owensboro, Kentucky, talked about how excited he is to play in the arena. “It’s a great moment, and I’m very excited,” Holman said. “This will be something I can tell my nieces and nephews about and my future children.”
Alayna Stevens| The Reflector
True freshman Nick Weatherspoon dribbles down the court in MSUʼs 67-63 win over Alabama.
A lot of teams view the NIT as a consolation for not making the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Ben Howland said a big part of their success is thanks to getting his team to buy in and want to keep playing. “You have to be pretty
arrogant to look at the NIT as a consolation, in my opinion,” Howland said. “It is a great honor. I have been around long enough to know the history and tradition of the NIT, and having coached a couple other teams at different schools that went
on to the NIT and used that as a springboard to the following year.” MSU is the only SEC team still playing basketball in the postseason. Freshman guard Nick Weatherspoon, from Canton, said they are taking advantage of it because they are lucky to still be playing. “We took that, and it’s helped us play harder,” Weatherspoon said. “A lot of players aren’t playing right now, and we could easily be sitting at home right now. We’re taking advantage of it.” For such a young team, the postseason experience is important for their growth and will help them heading into the next year. The team does not have a senior on the roster, and Holman said they are still learning. “We’re all still young
and learning,” Holman said. “We’re doing all of this together. That makes it easier to make mistakes, because that’s what we’re supposed to do as a young team. It’s easy to learn from it when we’re all the same age.” They will take on Pennsylvania State University (24-13, 9-9 Big Ten) in the semifinal. Penn State is led by sophomore guard Tony Carr who shot 41 percent from the field this season and 43 percent from beyond the three-point line this season. He is their leading scorer, averaging 19.1 points a game.
They also have sophomore forward Lamar Stevens who averages 15.1 points a game and is grabbing six rebounds a game. “(Tony) Carr is an outstanding player and NBA prospect,” Howland said. “(Lamar) Stevens is really a heck of a player. No. 33, their senior shooter, is a really good offensive player. They have a good team, and obviously beat Ohio State twice, who is a really good team and speaks to how good they are.” Tip-off is 8:30 p.m. and ESPN will broadcast the game.
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