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131st YEAR ISSUE 43
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Open Letter Project encourages campus conversations by Kristina Norman Staff Writer
It may seem old fashioned, but Mississippi State University’s Writing Center’s new letter writing project wants students to start writing letters again. The “Open Letter Project” encourages students to write anonymous letters to other students. Students who participate in the project respond to the“Dear Other Side of the Fence” prompt, in which students write about what they want others to know about themselves and their experiences. Students can write on anything from gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, race, religion, politics and beyond. Antoinette Hayden, a lecturer in MSU’s English department who started the project, took her idea to the Writing Center’s director, Kayleigh Few. Few liked her idea and approved it. Afterwards, Hayden typed up a proposal which the two refined together. Few said
her role with the project is to help Hayden in whatever way she can to make it work. So far, Hayden and Few have received a lot of interesting responses. Some of the letters submitted to
specific to an issue or struggle that the person writing it is going through,” Few said. Overall, Few said she has been impressed with the letters submitted and the number of submissions
response the project has received across MSU’s campus has been positive, especially from those in the sociology and education departments. Stephanie Bennett, assistant professor in
narrative, informational, argument and opinion writing. Additionally, the class teaches how to effectively communicate through writing. Bennett said after seeing the email detailing
Before participating in the Open Letter Project, Bennett said she worked with Maroon and Write and the Quality Enhancement Plan which encourages lifelong writing. Bennett said students,
the project, she knew the it would work nicely with the things her students had learned in class. “I thought it was a neat assignment,” Bennett said. “It’s something that is applicable both at the college level, but can also be applicable in the K-12 setting.”
especially those entering the education field, can carry the project with them after graduating to classrooms of their own. Melinda Pilkinton, associate professor of sociology, said she received Hayden’s email and thought it “sounded like a good project.”
Jenn McFadden, The Reflector the project have been calm, while others are filled with intensity. Few describes the letters submitted by students as “very personal,” but also unique. Letters range from topics about sexual identity, eating disorders, religion and more. “Most of them are
they have received. She said the Writing Center’s contest offering gift cards gives students incentive to participate. Few said this is the first time the Writing Center has done a project like this and did not know how others would react. The support and
MSU’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Special Education, teaches a middle level literacy writing intensive class which prepares students for teaching fourth through eighth grade. In the class Bennett teaches, students focus on
OPEN LETTER PROJECT, 2
New club aims to vault students into gymnastics by Claire Bryan Contributing Writer
In the South Eastern Conference, eight schools have collegiate level women’s gymnastics. Out of the six remaining schools, only two provide opportunities for students to participate in gymnastics. Mississippi State University, along with The University of Mississippi, The University of South Carolina and Vanderbilt University, does not have either a collegiate or club level gymnastics team. MSU students Mikhaila Selby and Brie Bibel grew up in gymnastics and have a passion for the sport. Upon coming to MSU, they began working at the Academy of Competitive and Performing Arts in Starkville, teaching gymnastics to stay connected with the sport they loved. As Selby, senior from Greenville, Mississippi, was brainstorming ways to incorporate gymnastics into her Montgomery Leadership Program capstone project, she began to investigate bringing gymnastics to MSU. As she researched, Selby found teams across the U.S., discovering her idea was possible.
MSU hosts 27th International Fiesta by Emmalyne Kwasny News Editor
Mikhaila Selby | Courtesy Photo
Mikhaila Selby and Brie Bibel stand in front of balance beams at the Academy of Competitive and Performing Arts. Selby and Bibel are creating MSUʼs first club gymnastic team incorporating their love for gymnastics with their love for Mississippi State.
What began as a joke after work is now on its way to becoming a MSU student organization and then a club team within competitive sports. Becoming an organization on MSU’s campus is a tedious process and, “It was basically a lot of paperwork honestly,” Selby said. In order to become a Sports Club within the Competitive Sports office at MSU, students must
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first go through the Center for Student Activities and become a registered student organization. After students have a registered student organization, they meet with the competitive sports office and provide their constitution, contact information of officers, and evidence of at least 10 members. While the process can be tedious with many meetings and paperwork,
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the faculty strives to help students as much as possible to make their activity a part of MSU’s campus. Getting the club started, however, has not been an easy task for Selby and Bibel. “Looking for people has been the hardest thing and we’re still working on that,” Bibel said. “We’ve got people, but it’s hard to make the hours work.”
FORECAST: Starkville will see a beautiful weekend ahead. The skies will be mostly sunny to welcome Old Main this weekend. Have a great weekend, Bulldogs!
Mississippi State University’s 27th annual International Fiesta will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on April 1 on the Drill Field. World Neighbor’s Association and Holmes Cultural Diversity Center are the primary organizations sponsoring the event. The fiesta will feature organizations, clubs and departments with displays and booths exhibiting the countries the groups chose to represent. The free event will have dancing, music
performances, singing and a fashion show. Kei Mamiya, program director for Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, said the fiesta gathers students, faculty and members of the Starkville community together “The International Fiesta also provides people with opportunities to interact with people of different nationalities and backgrounds to develop a broader understanding of various cultures and today’s globalizing world,” Mamiya said. “It would be an amazing opportunity to try authentic dishes and see cultural performances from various countries.” INTERNATIONAL FIESTA, 2
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017
GYMNASTICS
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With busy school beginner to level nine, process. schedules and being a Selby and Bibel wish to With 11 people new organization, it is not only regain past skills reaching out in interest, difficult to find others but improve and learn new Selby and Bibel hope to who are passionate about skills. establish a strong core gymnastics like Selby and “We want this to stay team with leaders who will Bibel. here for a long time,” Bibel help carry the team when After a small they graduate in response from 2018. “We really want a NCAA, reaching out to “We really want sororities, they are a NCAA, SEC, SEC, Mississippi State looking for new ways Mississippi State to inform students gymnastics team gymnastics team eventually. of the opportunity eventually. That is on campus. our ultimate goal,” Th at is our ultimate goal.” Even with a Selby said. “This is tough start, the the first step for us -Mikhaila Selby, senior gymnasts have to take to get one elementary education major big plans for the installed.” future. The National The team Association of practices Mondays Intercollegiate Gymnastics said, “so we want to make and Wednesdays from 7 Clubs holds a national a good impression.” to 10 p.m. at Academy meet each year, and Their connection with of Competitive and representatives are looking other club teams around Performing Arts on Miley forward to welcoming a the southeast has allowed Drive. If interested in MSU club team. them to get a better picture joining, contact Selby at While the association of how teams are run and ms1850@msstate.edu or welcomes all levels of make goals for the next Bibel at brb383@msstate. gymnastic skills from year during their start-up edu.
INTERNATIONAL FIESTA Joan Mylroie, president of the World Neighbors Association, said 46 groups will participate in the International Fiesta. Mylroie said many people will be wearing their national costumes. “It is an amazing sight,” Mylroie said. “The International Fiesta is a fun, friendly event designed to
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encourage cross-cultural exchange. It is a relaxed atmosphere to learn about each other and make friends. Knowing and understanding each other as friends is the start to making world peace.” The event starts with the Parade of Flags at 11 a.m. People are invited to gather in front of Allen Hall by 10:45 am and carry one of the 125
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flags from all over the world across the MSU Drill Field. Mylorie said attendants can “travel” around the world without having to buy a plane ticket and the event will have an area of activities specifically for children. “The international entertainment is a treat with the different sounds, dancing and costumes,” Mylorie said.
OPEN LETTERS Pilkinton said most of the students she teaches are sophomores and juniors and have taken one or two social work courses. Many of Pilkinton’s students have awareness of the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers, which includes upholding the dignity and worth of individuals and serving those in need. “They have a lot to say about inclusion in our society,” Pilkinton said. “Many of them are very insightful about differences.” These differences can range from racial, socioeconomic, cultural and religious. What many people fail to realize, Hayden said, is the university includes a diverse faculty as well as a diverse student body. Faculty, like students, do not fall into a single category. Hayden notes the diverse political and religious beliefs, even sexual orientation represented on campus. Hayden said she is compiling the letters into an ebook. When people read the completed ebook,
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Dear Other Side of the Fence, Jenn McFadden, The Reflector
See previous story on this writing prompt at www.reflector-online.com she wants them to get a sense of how people feel and think. Hayden’s wish is to close the book with a short paragraph summarizing the purpose of the letters. Among the things Hayden wants from readers, is the realization that the letters they are reading could be from anyone. It could be their friends, roommates, even the person sitting next to them. Hayden’s point, is readers will not know until you open a door, take down your fence and have
a conversation with an open mind, instead of a defensive spirit. As for the future of the project, Few said she would like to make the project an annual spring event like the veteran’s writing competition the Writing Center sponsors. Meanwhile, Hayden said she would like to open the project beyond just college students and include teachers as well. As an educator herself, Hayden acknowledges that like their students, teachers also need an outlet to express their feelings.
Sarah Dutton | OPA
IMAGINE A BETTER WORLD.
WE ARE.
Imagine a world where sustainable energy powers our daily commute and where our nation is safe from cyber-attacks. Imagine a world where food shortages are replaced with food abundance and where the flu is something our children will read about in history books. Imagine a world where the spark of an idea can grow into a solution that molds the future. Imagine a world where inspiration gives birth to innovation. We are, at Mississippi State University, where we ring true. MSSTATE.EDU
The Old Main Music Festival has been a festive event for the Starkville and MSU community each spring, bringing people throughout the area together for sweet treats, artistic items, wacky activities and live music. Last year, GIVERS (pictured above) headlined and left the crowd anxious at the end of the night for this years arrival of OMMF this Saturday April 1 starting at 3 p.m. Music Makers recently announced that activities, such as a mechanical bull and a puppy tent, and vendors from around the community will entertain attendees until the main act, LANY steals the stage. Other acts such as ELEL, Oh Jeremiah, Swear Tapes, Ebenezer Goodman, Jake Slinkard & Co. TW!NS, Lo Noom, Bailey & Wyly Bigger and Brother Floyd will also play a part in the live music and fun atmosphere at OMMF this weekend at the MSU Amphitheater. Sarah Dutton, Photography Editor
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017
Chew on this: sugar cookies Funding Tesheva: local band to release full album by Taylor Bowden Staff Writer
Tesheva, a local jam band polishing their unique sound originating from bluesy-rock grassroots and growing towards a bright, remarkably experimental funk-fusion sound, has recently spent countless hours in the studio recording their first full-length album. The band is composed of front-man Caleb Hudson, guitarist Mike McCoy, bassist Matt Dunaway, and drummer Vaughan Brenner. Hudson said fans will recognize many of the tracks on the new album, a few of which are carried over from their previous EP, but a good chunk of the record will feature new material the band is working on as they continue to develop as both individual musicians and as a group. While good music is definitely a major component of a successful album, and something Tesheva
has no problem manifesting, the other half of the music production equation is cold-hard cash. As a group of 20-somethings, the thousands of dollars of production costs are not as easy to conjure as complex drum fills and slick guitar solos. So, since this is 2017, McCoy started a Gofundme. com profile that can be found on the band’s Facebook page with the target amount set at five grand, a humble sum in today’s age of mass-internet crowd funding. In case goodwill towards supporting local musicians is not enough to get them to their goal, the group has sweetened the deal by offering free merchandise to donors. According to the Gofundme page, $10 gets donors their new CD and stickers. $25 lands them the new record pressed into vinyl. Start dropping in a few thousand at a time? The band will basically sell you their souls. Hudson said they currently have over half the money they need to cover
SUDOKU
CLASSIFIEDS POLICY The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; the deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Classifieds are $5 per issue. Student and staff ads are $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found: found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed for standard ad cost. HELP WANTED JOB OPPORTUNITY: Administrative Assistant, clerical and domestic duties, computer skills required. $8.50 per hour. Work is as needed. Call 662-312-5630. JOB OPPORTUNITY: Clerical person needed MondayFriday, $250.00 weekly. Computer skills required. Person needs to be detail oriented, possess good customer service skills, cash and item handling skills, and must be able to run small errands. To apply, email 456dbd@ gmail.com. FOR RENT Sublease 3 BR 1 bath brick house with large back yard. 513 Overstreet Drive, Starkville. $975.00. Pet Friendly. CLUB INFO The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email 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. CLUB INFO SACS is hosting speaker Dr. Kevin Hovind of Creation Science Evangelism, Repton, Alabama. He will speak in room 140 of Dorman Hall from 7-9 p.m. on April 3. His free, public talk “How Do They Come Up with Billions of Years of Secular Estimates (=Guesses) of the Age of the Universe and the Earth?” will be followed with a Q/A.
production costs and with that amount they have enough to move forward with the recording process with ‘no holds.’ To record the album, Tesheva is working with the Starkville-based producer Keatzi Gunmoney, who has worked extensively with the band in the past. As far as what can be expected on their first full-length album, Hudson said they usually play a set of ‘weird, experimental, prog-esque’ songs and then a set of funky grooves. He said the two sides of the vinyl will mirror that duality. “We’re going for this sound called ‘Southerndelic’,” Dunaway said. “Shred-tastic Southerndelic, you mean,” Brenner said in correction. If that is not enough to go on, give a listen to their EP on Spotify, check their Facebook for show times, or keep an eye on billboards around town for a chance to experience the sound that is as down-home and diverse as Starkville itself.
Ingredients: 1 c. butter, softened 1 c. sugar 1 egg 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla 2 3/4 c. flour
Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour, 1 cup at a time. Mix well. The dough will be stiff, blend last cup of flour in by hand. Bake 6-7 minutes without toppings. If toppings have been added, add 2-3 more minutes. Weʼre going to put a new twist on an old school recipe this week. Youʼve all had sugar cookies; theyʼre the base of all cookie dough. Sugar cookies are basically the keystone of baking. They can be used for anything from pie crust to fruit cookies to plain sugar cookies. The Internet canʼt tell me how long sugar cookies have been around but itʼs probably one of the oldest recipes you can think of. This recipe is great because it only has a few ingredients and all can be found at dollar stores. This is my go-to recipe for when I have a weekend to myself, a girlsʼ night, or just a family gathering. Itʼs so adaptable that nobody ever has to know if this is your one trick. Sugar cookies are usually decorated or cut into fancy shapes. If you donʼt have a cookie cutter on hand, you can go to the dollar store. But, I thought it would
be fun to have a custom-made cookie cutter. Our school has the privilege of being one of the few that gives students access to a 3-D printer. I decided to use the 3-D printer to make 3-D airplanes out of cookies. The printer has a base of $2, with an additional 20¢ per gram. You can make any kind of cookie cutter you want. You can adapt this article to your needs, as you see fit. If youʼre partial to a store-bought cookie dough, use that. If you want to ice your sugar cookie, our local dollar store has icing kits and icing. In addition, you can add any kind of topping to your dough (chocolate chips, nuts, etc.) This entire recipe can be made for $15 or less, even if you donʼt already have some of the ingredients on hand. -Courtney OʼBrien, Staff Writer
An In-Class Distraction
This day in history: Today in 1889 the Eiffel Tower opened for a dedication event
March 28 puzzle solutions will be posted at www. reflector-online.com.
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OPINION
THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017
HB 240 will not protect children from gang violence Why Uber could go under
Holly Travis
is a senior majoring in political science and criminology. She can be contacted at opinion@ reflector.msstate.edu.
Gangs are bad, right? While you may be eager to respond with an enthusiastic “yes” and jump behind any legislation that aims to address problems associated with gangs, it is important to first consider the far-reaching implications of these policies. Republican Senator Brice Wiggins is leading the brigade of legislators who are aiming to address an apparent increased gang activity in Mississippi. Even though Wiggins’ Senate Bill 2027 died in committee, he continues to advocate on behalf of another bill, HB 240, which would achieve a similar cause of broadening the definition of gang activity and increasing penalties for those associated. Although tough-on-crime rhetoric tends to make one feel good about reducing crime, harsher criminal penalties are not always the best answer, especially when dealing with an issue as complex as gang activity. Members of the legislature who support these broadened definitions point to the level of gang activity occurring in Mississippi. In an interview with The Clarion Ledger,
Governor Phil Bryant compared this local gang activity with the actions of ISIS and having organization that is similar to the Mafia. However, a study authorized by the Mississippi Legislature in 2014 found that both the rate of gang activity and the organization of gang culture has changed. The $500,000 study was conducted by BOTEC Analysis Corporation upon the state legislature’s request and looked closely at the varying opinions and recent presence of gangs in low
and states the best precaution against gang activity is improving conditions such as poverty and high drop-out rates, which perpetuate the problem. After authorizing the $500,00 study to examine gang activity and causes of crime, it is nonsensical for the legislature to then pass policy that completely ignores the study’s findings. Not only does it reject the report’s findings, but it advocates for policies that would worsen the issue of gang involvement and criminal
HHBB224400 Jenn McFadden, The Reflector
income communities around Jackson. BOTEC stated the cause of crime was not rooted in the typical idea of gang retaliation but if anything, was a result of loosely connected groups of people that do not necessarily fall under the definition of gang. BOTEC stated, “Experts agree that the term ‘gang’ is unimportant in addressing crime problems.” BOTEC’s report recommended evidence-based practices of addressing crime rates
activity. BOTEC’s report additionally warned that increased jail time would not reduce recidivism rates among offenders. BOTEC cautions, “If jails are a breeding ground for gang involvement, minimizing the length of pre-trial detention should be a priority to ward off further reason for young men to affiliate.” Hyper-criminalization is a giant step backwards in a time where Mississippi must make reducing the incarcerated population a priority.
The problem with bills such as HB 240 is they broaden the definitions of gangs and gang members in a way that places too much discretion in the hands of police and prosecutors. Descriptors such as, “style or color of clothing or hairstyle, common name, hand sign, slogan, or graffiti,” are used to identify gang involvement. This grants prosecutors the authority to apply heightened punishment on individuals who fall into these broad categories and can also lead to overregulation by police. Some states maintain gang databases based on a range of factors. In California, an audit of its database found that 42 individuals who “admitted to being members” were under 1-year-old according to a 2016 Buzzfeed article. More importantly, this is not the first time, and doubtfully is it that last, that lawmakers have used rhetoric calling for tough on crime laws to disguise a policy that will only further systemic bias towards a particular race. HB 240, although carefully concealed in a bill that appears to protect children from gang violence, will do little to offer a solution for gang activity in Mississippi and will work in blatant disregard of BOTEC’s findings. A bill that fails to recognize the complexity of crime by describing gang activity with sweeping, overstated generalizations is not a bill that truly represents the best interest of the state, nor is it one that adequately protects our state’s children from criminal engagement.
The American Healthcare Act: a failure in the free market by Jonathan Bain Staff Writer
The month of March was filled with political battles and tensions ran high. This battleground was not limited exclusively to Democrats and Republicans. The most heated battle of them all took place within the GOP itself; it was the battle between Paul Ryan and the House Freedom Caucus. It all started with the secrecy shrouding the new healthcare bill that House Republicans were drafting, anditendedwiththeFreedom Caucus syphoning enough votes to kill the bill before it even made it to the floor for a vote. With everything that has occurred since the reveal of the American Healthcare Act, there are a few questions that I am sure everyone has: What is the House Freedom Caucus? What do they support? Why has the AHCA been deemed “ObamaCare Lite?” And why is this bad for Republicans? The House Freedom Caucus was established in early 2015 and has been a thorn in the side of both Democrats and Republicans ever since. This group vehemently opposed a vast majority of the agenda set
forth by former president Barack Obama, former speaker John Boehner, and it would seem they are content to oppose Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump when they are in the wrong. The HFC is comprised of 30 members of the House, and they are considered to be the most conservative or libertarian members. The caucus exists to push fiscally conservative and pro-liberty legislation through Congress, and with
promises were going to be defaulted on and that these members of Congress are faux conservatives. Everyone is free to have opinions on what healthcare should be, but Republicans won elections on the promise of “repealing and replacing ObamaCare,” according to CNN. The AHCA features a lot of the same basic characteristics of the Affordable Care Act, one being allowing insurance companies to penalize individuals who go
“The GOP is scared of change, scared to rock the boat, scared to possibly lose their seat in the House in two years. “ a Republican president, their success rates should be higher. With that being said, if we can expect more legislation like the AHCA it would seem like the HFC will have to continue blocking bad bills instead of being able to promote good ones. Kentucky Senator Rand PaullabeledtheGOPreplacement plan “ObamaCare Lite” before the bill was even released. He did this because he knew the campaign
long periods of time without health insurance. This is not exactly the same as with the Affordable Care Act, because the government exercised the penalty, but the penalty remains nonetheless. The GOP promised a free market alternative to the current set of healthcare laws in this country. The free market is exactly that—free. Attempting to draft legislation that does anything other than fully
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repeal the Affordable Care Act and allow individuals to buy insurance in the free marketplace is a disaster and lie. The free market does not exist when government tentacles are wrapped around it and are attempting to manipulate it. Lastly, this is bad politics for the GOP. The fact is, they won elections based on public dissatisfaction with policies like the Affordable Care Act.Trump won the presidency because he did the same thing—he capitalized on dissatisfaction. Now, when the GOP finally has the reins and can pass basically any legislation they want, they choose to be extremely moderate and scared. They are scared of change, scared to rock the boat, scared to possibly lose their seat in the House in two years. It was easy for them to posture politically when Obama was in office, but now comes the tough part: passing conservative legislation. As a libertarian, generally speaking, I prefer legislation drafted by Republicans, especially fiscal policy. However, this bill was a sham. Say what you will about Democrats, but at least they don’t tip-toe around the GOP like the GOP tip-toes around them.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 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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by Steven Weirich Contributing Writer
Last week, Uber’s president, Jeff Jones, resigned from his position. According to NBC News, Jones’ reason for resigning was the recent onslaught of controversies inside Uber, which included a number of sexual harassment allegations. Uber has endured several public-relation shocks in the past year, including a recorded argument CEO Travis Kalanick had with a driver, and the #DeleteUber social media campaign. While these revelations might seem only to point to some unfortunate but survivable public relations issues, Uber has been facing real challenges outside of this area as well. Many Americans, especially college students, have found Uber to be an incredibly helpful and efficient ride-sharing service since its founding in 2009. However, 2016 was a pretty bad year for the company, on several fronts. According to an article by Ryan Felton on Jalopnik, recent findings have indicated that rider fares only pay around 40 percent of the cost for one ride, and the rest is effectively subsidized by venture capital firms. While it is certainly common in Silicon Valley to have venture capitalists swallow a lot of the costs for infant businesses, the fact that Uber has failed to turn a profit in their market points to a variety of problems with the way the upper management has run the company. Over the past few years, Kalanick and the other members of the senior management team have greenlit projects such as UberX, UberEats, and self-driving cars. While none of those ventures were terrible ideas, they have become distractions from Uber’s original goal, which was to become an innovative taxi company for the digital age. That point actually underlies what was different about Uber from the very beginning of the company: they were not just focused on building a market
for themselves, they were actively working to force incumbents out of the market. This essentially meant that if Uber was going to be truly successful they would have to move in and replace the other companies and taxi services. The Felton article also mentions some analytical pieces by a transportation industry analyst named Hubert Huran on the Naked Capitalist website. In his analysis, Huran notes that according to published financial data from Uber, the enterprise has had an operating loss of $2 billion a year, which is paid back in annual investor subsidies. These numbers mean that Uber maintains higher losses than any large-scale startup in recent years, and it shows the company is not following in the path of many other digitally based startups, which moved from early losses to profits within their first couple of years. Amazon, e-Bay and Google are all listed in Huran’s writings as startups that became profitable quickly because marginal cost of expanded operations—the cost of expanding their business by one unit—was quite low for those companies, which is not the case with Uber. As pointed out previously, Uber faces higher costs of expansion since they are attempting to replace existing industries. In summation, while Uber has been growing significantly in popularity since its founding, recent public relations issues and disappointing financial reports paint a worrisome picture for the startup. Of course, it would be far beyond the abilities of this writer to speculate when or how Uber could find itself in a nosedive, and to be clear, there is a chance that Uber finds a way to dig itself out of the rut in which they currently find themselves. However, in the future, it would not be a surprise to me to see more indicators of Uber’s falling prestige and power in the American marketplace.
REFLECTIONS Henry J. Kaiser
Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.
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SPORTS
THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017
Bulldogs not afraid of Final Four challenge by Amber Dodd Staff Writer
On Sunday night, Morgan William threw the ball in the air as she celebrated her career-high 41 points in the 94-85 overtime win against the No. 1 Baylor Bears to advance to the Final Four in Dallas. Mississippi State returned to Starkville from Oklahoma City at approximately 1:55 a.m. greeted by loyal Bulldog fans with cowbells to congratulate them on the program’s first Final Four appearance. Dominique Dillingham said the support from the community is exciting but it’s time to go work for a spot in the national title game. “The community has been great,” Dillingham said. “It was amazing to see the support in the community at Mississippi State but you have to put out all the excitement and get back the game plan.” Although Starkville’s gratitude to the team’s success comes along with the vision Head Coach Vic Schaefer had when he joined the program, the time to celebrate is over and the next challenge awaits Mississippi State. “You better get back to reality in a hurry,” Schaefer said. “Reality is coming Friday night at 9, and if you’re not ready it won’t be so much fun anymore.” The Bulldogs waited to find out who they would play in Dallas. As they expected, the No. 1 overall seed and reigning national champions, Connecticut Huskies defeated the No. 10 Oregon Ducks 90-52 to advance to their 10th straight Final Four, improving to 36-0 and winning their 111th straight game. This will be the Bulldogs’ and Huskies’ second time meeting in program history.
The last time the two teams met was in last year’s Sweet Sixteen bracket in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was MSU’s first program Sweet Sixteen appearance, compared to UConn’s ninth consecutive appearance. UConn dominated MSU, winning 98-38 and went on to claim the national title for the fourth championship in a row. Schaefer said the blowout loss was something he couldn’t ignore and uses it as a learning experience “It was hard for me to deal with,” Schaefer said. “I felt extremely disappointed walking out of there. Embarrassing doesn’t even cover it. It all falls on my shoulders and I take full responsibility for it.” The 60-point loss has haunted Schaefer and the Bulldogs. Coach Schaefer said he coaches out of failure, as Breanna Richardson solidified Schaefer’s claim by mentioning the team’s motivation to avoid another bitter loss again. “We couldn’t forget about it even if we tried,” Richardson said. “That was your motivation. Even if you did forget, Coach brought it up. It’ s not something you can flush away. It’s something like you have a chip on your shoulder and you have to redeem yourself.” Richardson said the team’s experiences from the season will help them overcome the plight of not knowing what to expect. Since this is the second time around, Richardson said the circumstance won’t frighten Mississippi State again. “I think we’ve grown and matured,” Richardson said. “We know how to handle different situations and I think that getting another chance at UConn, we know what to expect and we also have a different mindset from last year.”
Teams who have faced UConn twice have showed progress to the team’s dominant force. During the 2016-2017 season, the Tulane Green Wave and UConn Huskies played on Jan. 22, The Huskies executed their usual performance, winning 100-56 but the second time was a close call. On Feb. 18, the Green Wave kept up with UConn but still fell short losing 63-60. Dillingham said the Sweet Sixteen matchup last year may guide Mississippi State in a better direction. “I think we’re are a lot deeper team than last year,” Dillingham said. “We’re another year in experience. We have more options to go to. We’re not relying on one player.” Just like last year’s first Sweet Sixteen appearance, Schaefer hopes the team’s first Final Four appearance won’t generate any issues for the team. The experience of being so close to a championship is nothing new to Coach Schaefer, who took two other teams so far in the tournament. In his 20 years of coaching in the NCAA, this will be his third school in his coaching career that has reached the Final Four milestone. Coach Schaefer said he doubts the bigger platform will shake his team as The Hump offers the same atmosphere for young women on a regular basis. “When you play in the Final Four, you expect there to be 15-20,000 thousand people out there on the floor,” Coach Schaefer said. “I would be shocked if our kids are in awe. It’s important to play in the environment before and we’ve had success in that before.” The team’s win over No. 1 Baylor shocked many doubters who have referred to Mississippi State as the underdogs. The Bulldogs have proved that although they are the counted out,
Olivia Zeringue | The Reflector
The Bulldogs will play the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies at 9 p.m. tonight for a chance to play in the National Championship game.
their presence will not be undermined nor ignored. Coach Schaefer said despite the doubters and great adversity UConn will offer, he believes the team will strive to erase the ugly mark the previous matchup left. “I feel great about my team,” Coach Schaefer said. “I feel like we’ve gotten hot. I think right now we’re as hot as any team in
the country. I’m not trading my team for anybody.” The Bulldogs will face off against the Huskies tonight at 9 p.m. in the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The winner will play the winner of No. 2 Stanford and No. 1 South Carolina on Sunday night for the National Championship.
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY MARCH 31, 2017
Bully’s BULLET
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Events happening across campus!
UPCOMING EVENTS MAR 31ST - APR 13TH
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
MSU Blitz Show Choir Spring Concert
Feeding Starkville Food Drive
National Chicken Cordon Bleu Day!
Music Makers presents Ben Rector
National Caramel Popcorn Day!
SATURDAY
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
Cotton District Arts Festival
Super Bulldog Weekend
National Sibling Day!
#HailState Giving Days
Pizza Wars
National Peach Cobbler Day!
Women’s Basket- International Fiesta ball vs. UConn in the NCAA Old Main Music Final Four (ESPN2 Festival @8:30pm) FRIDAY NPHC Step Show Super Bulldog Weekend
FOR MORE EVENT INFORMATION VISIT: UNION.MSSTATE.EDU/CALENDAR
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