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Quiet Place
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TRUMP’S
“Witch Hunt”
New Coach
Continues
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FRIDAY APRIL 13, 2018
133rd YEAR ISSUE 45
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
MSU students arrested for Tuscaloosa burglary $7,500 bond. MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter issued a statement saying the university does not tolerate criminal activity. “Mississippi State University does not condone this type of behavior and we are cooperating with authorities in their investigation,” Salter said. “The future status of the students will be determined after they have received their rights to the due process of law. Clearly, these students will have to face the consequences of their actions, whatever those actions might be.”
KATIE POE
NEWS EDITOR
Four Mississippi State University students were arrested in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on charges of burglary for allegedly breaking into the Mal Moore Athletic Facility on the University of Alabama campus and stealing memorabilia on April 4. The students include sophomore petroleum engineering major John Thomas Badley, 21, of Laurel; sophomore kinesiology major Joe Hudnall, 20, of Madison; junior finance major Joshua Jordan, 21, of Starkville; and Samuel Tanner
Joel Hudnall
Joshua Jordan
John Badley
Samuel Fittes
Fittes, 21, of Columbus. According to the Tuscaloosa News, the men were caught on surveillance video breaking into the building on April 4 at 2:17 a.m. In charging documents, an
officer with the University of Alabama Police Department wrote the items stolen were “various items of memorabilia from within.” University of Alabama Communications Director
Taylor Bryant confirmed there was a burglary at Mal Moore, and none of the suspects were UA students. Warrants were issued for their arrests April 6 and three days later each suspect
was arrested on a felony third-degree burglary charge. Detectives Julien Gillis and Michael Hunter with the MSU Police Department assisted with the arrest warrants. They were released April 9 on a
SA holds last meeting of semester
Thirteen pieces of legislation introduced and passed
course list. Shackouls Honors College Dean Christopher Snyder said the original intentions of the honors college were to keep the number of honors courses proportional to the number of students in the honors college. However, the honors college has no power to force the nine major colleges to create honors courses. Therefore, the nine main colleges must create those courses on their own accord. Resolution 63 supports the implementation of streetlights and a yellow line on Bardwell Road, intersecting with Blackjack Road near Aspen Heights. Next, seven bills were put to a vote. Bill 39 adds the ability for committee chairmen to table resolutions until proof of discussion with entities listed in the resolution has been provided. Bill 41 rewords the SA Constitution to more accurately display the presently active committees, such as splitting Student Life and Athletics, and combining Sustainability and Capital Improvement.
DYLAN BUFKIN STAFF WRITER
Alayna Stevens | The Reflector
Joseph MacGown is the painter of a colorful art piece, which is Starkville’s first public mural and is located on Lampkin Street. Starkville Area Arts Council commissioned the painting of the mural.
Public mural spices up Starkville
EMMA KING
STAFF WRITER
The Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC) recently brought a long-held idea to reality on the city’s very own Lampkin Street: a public mural. Community interest in such a project has grown steadily over the years, and the approach of three sponsors was the final push needed to start the mural.
SAAC’s plans included public art since around last summer. The Lampkin Street mural could contribute to more tourism and traffic in the area due to the strong dynamics and sense of place it gives the area, according to some urban studies. Despite all its benefits, public art is still a challenge to bring to fruition. The SAAC saw a mixture of great timing and public and private funding, but this first
mural took much more than a casual coincidence. Other elements such as community involvement, funding sources, government permission and artists also had to intertwine. SAAC Director John Bateman offered a fitting analogy for the more complicated portions of public art. “It’s a lot like a Venn diagram with overlapping circles,” Bateman said. “Public art only happens in
the area where every circle meets.” During the search for the perfect spot, project coordinators were also hunting for an artist. Bateman proposed the idea to a group of local young artists, while the City of Starkville allowed the use of easement space it owned for drafting. A select few of the drafts were shared with the mayor, the Downtown Association and some of the sponsors. MURAL, 2
The Mississippi State University Student Association Senate held their last meeting of the semester Tuesday, and it was packed with 13 pieces of legislation, all passing with relative ease. First, five resolutions were put to a vote. Resolution 58, a tabled piece of legislation from the last meeting, promotes LGBTQ+ Safe Zone training completion for members of SA. Resolution 60 congratulates the MSU women’s basketball team for their success in this past season. Resolution 61 expresses student support for the proposed student presentations lab. The presentation lab would provide students a place to practice oral presentations and receive constructive criticism, similar to the Writing Center. Resolution 62 supports the notion of adding more honors courses to MSU’s
MSU English professor publishes novel KATIE POE
NEWS EDITOR
Katie Poe | The Reflector
Michael Kardos is a creative writing professor at MSU and recently published his fourth novel.
FRIDAY
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HI: 78 LO: 65 SKY: Partly Cloudy
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Last week Mississippi State University English professor Michael Kardos published his new novel “Bluff,” the story of a successful magician who goes on a downward spiral and attempts to con a significant poker game. Kardos began teaching at MSU in 2007, and this is his fourth book printed. Kardos said magic mesmerized him in high school, which gave him the necessary background to write the story and he did
further research by talking to magicians. Kardos said he discovered parallels between performing magic and iterating a story, such as a sense of competition, structure and resolution. “I had always wanted to write something to do with magic,” Kardos said. “I thought that there were a lot of similarities with doing a magic trick and telling a story.” He said he has tried to write magician-based stories for quite some time. “I think I have probably stopped and started writing magician stories for over 15 years,” Kardos said.
Rosalind Hutton
NOVEL, 2 FORECAST: The forecast for Friday is sunny with a few clouds and with the temperature reaching 78 degrees; however, Saturday will bring a thunderstorm and a high percent of precipitation. Sunny skies should return by Sunday, though. Courtesy of Accuweather
Rosalind Hutton
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MURAL
BAD DAWGS Friday, April 6, 2018 4:18 a.m. Student arrested on Highway 12 for DUI. Saturday, April 7, 2018 12:47 a.m. Student arrested on University Drive Starkville for simple assault. Sunday, April 8, 2018 12:00 a.m. Student was arrested on University Drive for DUI. 1:53 p.m. Student reported her bike stolen from bike rack on Nunnelee Hall. Monday, April 9, 2018 2:52 p.m. MSU Police detectives assisted UAPD with arrest warrants. Tuesday, April 10, 2018 11:12 p.m. Student reported his bike stolen from outside the Student Union. Wednesday, April 11, 2018 12:25 p.m. Student reported his computer stolen in McCool Hall. Student Union staff found the computer. 9:08 p.m. Student was arrested for possession of marijuana in Hurst Hall and was issued a student referral. Student referrals were issued to another two students. 10:00 p.m. Students reported feeling uneasy from an individual watching them while working out at the Sanderson Center. Officers later identified the individual.
With the design number narrowed to two, the location at Lampkin Street was also decided. Like another Venn diagram, Lampkin Street was chosen because of its availability, public visibility and accessibility. Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill played a major role in the selection of the mural’s location and artists. “It is a public area along a retaining wall on Lampkin Street,” Spruill said. “It has been funded by private donations with paint donations and cash donations organized by the Starkville Area Arts Council.” The painter of Starkville’s first public mural was announced not long after: former Mississippi State University student Joseph MacGown. MacGown said he took the opportunity because of his interest in murals and community-oriented art projects. A long-time resident of Starkville, MacGown said he “finds it encouraging to be
CONTINUED FROM 1
apart of any progress here.” MacGown considers himself both a self-taught and studying artist. While the majority of his style is self-taught, he also learned from his year at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and a few semesters in MSU’s art department. MacGown plans to return to MSU in the fall as a student in interdisciplinary studies, concentrating on art and creative writing. Overall, however, MacGown said his greatest art teacher was undoubtedly his father, Joe MacGown. MacGown pushes other young artists to create obsessively, experiment constantly and to never pass up an opportunity to showcase their art. He tells artists to encourage each other as well. MacGown said he is excited about the next step Starkville’s art community is taking. “It’s a great step in the right direction for my hometown
and me,” MacGown said. “I’m happy to test the waters for an artistic interest of mine, and be a part of a new artistic direction for Starkville.” MacGown also wanted to thank the SAAC, Bell Building Supply, Chalet Arts and Framing, Del Rendon Foundation, Joe MacGown and Spruill for supporting and donating to the mural project, as well as other arts in the community. The mural is anticipated to be completed before the Cotton District Arts Festival, one of the SAAC’s biggest projects. Its other large programs include art education, grants and scholarships. Each fall, the SAAC presents “Art in the Park,” a two-day festival for children and their families. Another art education program is Art Partners, a partnership with Sudduth Extended Day, which gives free extracurricular art classes after school. The SAAC hopes to extend Art Partners
SA Bill 42 adapts to the newly instituted GPA measurement in the ACCESS program to require an ACCESS senate seat candidate to have a 2.5 GPA to be considered for the position, rather than a letter of recommendation. Additionally, the election dates for the ACCESS seat was moved to April and November for the fall and spring term respectively. Bill 43 inserts the requirement for 12 total days to be available for prospective SA candidates to submit their forms of intent to run for office. The
NOVEL
“Finally, I kind of had an idea that stuck for a novel.” The story of his novel centers on protagonist Natalie Webb, a oncesuccessful magician who has
to other Oktibbeha County schools in the future. Starkville artists and art organizations are offered a number of grants for artrelated projects. Public projects, such as the Lampkin Street mural, could also potentially receive community grants. MSU students can get involved with the SAAC by volunteering at programs like Art in the Park, CDAF and other activities. Another public mural, created by artist Deborah Mansfield and located on a wall of the Gondolier Italian Restaurant, depicts a StarkVegas theme to represent Mississippi’s College Town. In addition, another public mural could be in the works, said Bateman, as he has received contact from a potential funder. A call for submissions could be going out as early as this summer. Interested artists should sign up for the SAAC’s newsletters to keep an eye out for the announcement. CONTINUED FROM 1
timeline of events is now as follows: a week prior to the candidate interest meeting, the form application becomes available, and then a five-day period to fill out the application after the interest meeting. Bill 44 adds the requirement for the SA Director of Marketing to post the Senate agenda, Judicial Council rulings and Senate Minutes to the SA website within one week of receiving them from the SA Secretary. Bill 45 removes an unnecessary clause from the SA constitution which
allowed directors and assistant directors to vote together as one voter in committees. Bill 46 requires administrative privilege for OrgSync be removed from SA executives running for office before forms of intent are distributed. Lastly, in terms of legislation, Act 17, an appropriations bill, allocated funds for student groups on campus, including Students for a Sustainable Campus and Saving Silhouettes. Graduate School Senator Abdullah Sherif
put forward Hunter Biram to be appointed as a fill for the vacancy left by Sherif ’s graduation this spring. The motion to allow Biram to be appointed was passed, and he was added to the roll call. Finally, Vice President Layton Little congratulated the 56th SA Senate for being the most productive legislature the SA has ever had and called for an official closing of the meeting. The motion was approved, and the last meeting of the 56th session of the SA Senate concluded. CONTINUED FROM 1
fallen into hard times. Upon being out of money, Webb sets out to make some extra cash by writing a magazine article comparing magicians to card cheats. While profiling a prominent card cheat, Webb is enchanted and agrees to attempt to con a poker game for $1.5 million. “So, she kind of gets drawn into this dark world of cheating at cards,” Kardos said. Kardos said he is traveling to different bookstores for readings, and he also held a reading on campus last week. Junior English major and Virginia native Alyson Addy attended the event, and said she thoroughly enjoyed it. “Kardos told us about the research he did and how he loved magic when he was younger, so he started working on this novel,”
Addy said. “Just by the first two chapters you can tell the female protagonist is really complex and he does a fantastic job of giving her her own voice. He only read the first two chapters, but the book shows a suspenseful conflict and a lot of humor. It was very intriguing.”
Also attending the event was Ginger Pizer, director of undergraduate studies in the department of English. Pizer said she has known Kardos for 10 years. “As a colleague, he is impressive and also very warm and fun,” Pizer said. “Seeing him be so successful is really encouraging for the students. They say, ‘I’m studying creative writing from this person who is getting published and getting all these great reviews.’ It’s always fun for me to travel somewhere to a bookstore and see one of my colleague’s books.” Bluff can be purchased in any Mississippi bookstore, as well as online. In addition, Kardos will do a reading at 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. tomorrow at the Book Mart in downtown Starkville.
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BULLETIN BOARD
An In-Class Distraction
ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY...
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... in 1906, Eudora Welty, a southern writer was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Welty, who lived a sheltered life, graduated University of Wisconsin in 1929, and studied at Columbia University School of Business. She returned to Mississippi in 1931, and worked as a radio writer and newspaper society writer while working on fiction stories on the side. She also took photos and recorded interviews with Jackson residents for the Works Progress Administration. She remained an avid photographer throughout her life. Welty’s first short story, “The Death of a Traveling Salesman,” was published in 1936. She went on to win the prestigious O. Henry Award for best short fiction of the year in 1942 and 1943, and won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1972 novel, “The Optimist’s Daughter.” Welty died on July 23, 2001. ... in 1866, Butch Cassidy, the last of the great western train-robbers, was born in Beaver, Utah Territory. Born with his name as Robert Leroy Parker, he was the son of Mormon parents who had answered Brigham Young’s call for young couples to help build communities of Latter Day Saints on the Utah frontier. Cassidy was the first of 13 children born to his parents, Max and Annie Parker. At 13, Cassidy and his family moved to a small Mormon community, and he became an admirer of Mike Cassidy, his namesake and a local ruffian who gave him his first gun and a saddle, taught him how to shoot. On June 24, 1889, he committed his first serious crime by robbing more than $20,000 from a bank in Telluride, Colorado. Trying to lay low as a butcher in Rock Springs, Wyoming, he earned his nickname of Butch. In 1897, Cassidy was in control of a sophisticated criminal operation active in states and territories ranging from South Dakota down to New Mexico. In 1901, due to more settlers establishing the West and railroad executives guarding their railcars, Cassidy and his lover, Etta Pace, and his career partner the Sundance Kid all fled the U.S. to Argentina. Though there is no supporting evidence to confirm the reports, Bolivian troops supposedly killed the partners in San Vicente in 1908. The families of both men insist the men survived and returned to the U.S. to live an old age.
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OPINION
Odds are, Trump’s investigation is not a witch hunt DAVID SIDES STAFF WRITER
According to President Donald Trump, the investigation he currently faces is “A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!!” This statement was tweeted just hours after the unannounced raid on Michael Cohen’s Manhattan office. Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, previously stated he paid Stephanie Clifford, an adult-film star better known as Stormy Daniels, a sum of $130,000. This sum, Clifford alleges, was in return for her silence during the 2016 presidential election cycle. However, the raid that occurred April 9 was primarily focused on Trump’s relationship with Karen McDougal, an exPlayboy model, who alleges she had a nearly year-long affair with Trump, and who was reportedly paid $150,000 by American Media Inc., which has ties to Trump. As the dust settles
over New York, I think we will see one of a few things happening. It is in my well-researched but unprofessional opinion, either way this goes down, Cohen will face jail time. Let me lay out the three most likely scenarios: 1. The FBI finds what they are looking for. Cohen is indicted on illegal campaign activities or a similar charge, and is either prosecuted or pardoned by Trump (which would be quite the show). 2. The FBI does not find exactly what they were looking for in reference to McDougal, but they do find other incriminating evidence of illegal activities by Cohen. 3. The FBI does not just find information regarding payments made to McDougal or Daniels, but they discover other potentially destructive information regarding illegal campaign activities, including communications with foreign nationals. There is a narrative which has circulated right-
wing news sources the past 24 hours regarding attorneyclient privilege, which has been referenced by Trump. Alan Dershowitz, a liberal pundit and former Harvard Law professor, stated on Fox News on April 9 it was a “dangerous day today for lawyer-client relations.” In conservative circles, there has been a steady stream of criticism regarding the handling of the raid and the potentially private files on Trump confiscated by the FBI. To my understanding, it is assumed a special team of agents will comb through the files in order to avoid any breaches of attorneyclient privilege. However, it appears the FBI, at least so far, has acted completely within their legal rights. Let me break down the timeline of events leading up to the raid on Cohen’s office. At some point in the past few weeks, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) received a referral from Special
@realDonaldTrump
Yep. That’ll definitely buy me some time.
A TOTAL WITCH HUNT!!
Rosalind Hutton
Counsel Robert Mueller regarding payments made to McDougal and Clifford. In light of the referral, the U.S. Attorney’s office for the SDNY evaluated whatever evidence they had on Cohen, and they decided to approve the search warrant for his Manhattan office. But let us stop here and look at some details. The people who are running around yelling about the “Deep State” and “liberal conspiracies”
are missing some critical context. Geoffrey Berman, the interim U.S. Attorney for the SDNY, was personally interviewed by Trump to replace Preet Bharara, the former top prosecutor for the SDNY. Berman, a Republican, donated $4,500 to the Trump campaign, and recused himself from the investigation regarding Cohen. This means Deputy Attorney General Rod
Rosenstein personally approved the raid on Cohen’s office. Rosenstein, as well as Mueller, have been life-long republicans. To me, it seems a little odd for Deep State conspiracy would rely so heavily on the actions of Republicans, but maybe this is just me reading into it. I cannot stress how important the events are which have taken place over the past 48 hours. Even if nothing comes of it and everything goes back to normal within a week, an unexpected search in a lawyer’s office is exceedingly rare. Generally speaking, federal prosecutors prefer a grand jury subpoena to a search warrant, in cases where they believe evidence may be hidden. It is hard to ignore the most important fact here, which is Cohen is Trump’s long-time personal lawyer, who probably knows more about potential illegal activities concerning the Trump campaign than anyone else on the planet.
The sexism in sports is not Having open mindedness to as severe as many believe immigration may be the key to more economic dynamism Yeah well my mom told me it’s a good thing to throw like a girl!!
CHRIS LOWE
is a junior majoring in business information systems. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
With the rise of feminism and women’s rights awareness in general, there has been a large societal shift in attitudes toward issues like the gender wage gap. As an avid sports fan, I have noticed more than a few rumblings about this very problem in the sports’ world, and as with anything which can be construed as sexist, quite a few have latched onto it and spouted off vitriol about the “inherently sexist” realm that is American athletics. While I cannot say sexism does not play some role in the differences in pay between men’s and women’s versions of sports, I do believe based on the facts, it is not some grand scheme concocted by the powers to keep women down. Basically, my point is that sexism is not as rampant in sports as some make it out to be. If it were, it would absolutely deserve to be called out and punished. However, considering the situation reveals a lot of factors making it a bit more complicated than just “men are better than women.” Let us take a glance at a few of the more prominent women’s sports, and analyze their unique predicaments. Perhaps the most visible fight for equality in the sports world is with the U.S. national soccer teams. As recently as this past year, the women’s team rallied for equal pay, both in regular international play and the Olympics. The most prominent argument against equal pay for women in sports: a huge disparity in revenue earned by the men’s team versus their own, held no water for them. In recent years, sparked by
STEVEN WEIRICH
is a senior majoring in economics. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu. Rosalind Hutton
their 2015 World Cup win, women’s soccer has rivaled and even surpassed men’s soccer in total revenue, and with this as leverage, they won equal Olympics pay, a 30 percent increase in base pay and better per-game bonuses. Andrew Das from The New York Times brings up a good point as well, which was true even before the recent changes. Das said, “The best-paid woman made about $1.2 million from 2008 to 2015, while the top man made $1.4 million in the same period. Some women in the top 10 even made more than their male counterparts over those years.” The average pay is still quite skewed, but it is more than clear with the evidence we have that rampant sexism is not at play here. We cannot come to a decisive conclusion based on one sport, so let us look at a few others. Another one of the more prevalent examples is when the women’s national hockey team fought for and received pretty much everything they desired with their platform. Alix Langone of Money Magazine outlined what these benefits included. “Travel and insurance provisions equal to what their counterparts on the men’s national team receive, a pool of prize money to be split each year, each player will be guaranteed a $2,000 training stipend per month from the United States Olympic Committee (which doubles the previous stipend of just $1,000), and larger performance bonuses for
winning medals,” Langone explained. When one takes the extra pay men receive from the NHL into consideration (for which there is no real women’s equivalent), women are about as on par with the men as they can be with their version of the sport being less popular. We can also factor in women’s tennis, which receives 100 percent equal prize money to men, and with their sport spearheaded by a super-athlete like Serena Williams, this should not be changing any time soon. I did leave one very important example out: the WNBA. From my research, they experience a huge wage gap even when factoring in the differing revenues and the fact their plight is widely known and frequently talked about. In these circumstances, one could argue sexism plays a leading role. As such, the women of the WNBA deserve to have their voices heard on a grander scale and should see the hardships they face brought to an end. However, they are the only example in the U.S. I can find where the sexism argument is not being blown out of proportion to some degree. Am I saying sexism does not exist in the other sports I mentioned? Of course not. It always will in some way. I am not championing the cause of accepting this, but in the current climate of jumping to conclusions and competing to be the most politically correct, people need to realize sexism in sports is not on the level it used to be.
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“If immigrants are more willing to take chances and start businesses in the U.S., we are stupid not to let them do so.” entrepreneurship?” To the surprise of even the two authors, the results indicated regulations did not account for the decline in economic or business dynamism. Their analysis spanned many different industries across the U.S., but they were unable to show any significant statistical correlation between federal regulation and startup businesses. It also showed how one overarching theory may not capture the entire puzzle around economic dynamism. Although there are several other ideas which have been tossed around policy debates, there is one I find particularly promising: increasing the number of immigrants in the U.S. This may not seem like a logical way to increase economic dynamism, but digging into data on the subject makes the
point more clear. See, it has been uncovered in recent years just how impactful immigrants can be on entrepreneurship in America. According to an article by Sari Pekkala Kerr and William Kerr in the Harvard Business Review, immigrants make up a disproportionate segment of the startup community. They found while immigrants make up only 15 percent of the American workforce, they account for about 27 percent of U.S. entrepreneurs, and this number has grown steadily since the 1990s. In Sam Fleming and Lauren Leatherby’s piece for the Financial Times, they pointed out in the most economically dynamic states in the U.S., the share of foreign-born workers is above the national average. States like Florida, California, Texas and Nevada were all more economically dynamic and had relatively high percentages of foreignborn workers. The authors even included research from the Kauffman Foundation, which indicated immigrants are more likely than nativeborn Americans to become entrepreneurs, which would fit with the rest of the evidence. I am well aware calling for more immigrants is not going to sit well with certain portions of the American public, or with certain bombastic politicians. Nevertheless, I think we have here an opportunity to reserve a negative trend in our economy. If immigrants are more willing to take chances and start businesses in the U.S., we are stupid not to let them do so. So many are quick to claim immigrants come here to “steal our jobs,” yet they do not recognize how often and how willing immigrants are to start their own businesses once they get here. We are only hurting ourselves by ignoring how immigrants can help us turn back our declining dynamism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Life Editor/Emma Moffett
Managing Editor/Kristina Domitrovich News Editor/Katie Poe
The decline of America’s economic dynamism within the past few decades has been well-documented. With this being said, it is a concept which is not often discussed in the national news media. I would venture to guess this is because it is not exactly a topic putting people on the edge of their seats. Never fear, however, because this faithful columnist is here to walk you through this important (but perhaps not sexy) subject. According to Ian Hathaway and Robert Litan of the Brookings Institute, economic or business dynamism is the process by which firms are born, expand or fail. This concept could also be evaluated by looking at how often people change jobs in the workforce. The report authored by Hathaway and Litan highlights the decline in dynamism which has occurred across the U.S. In their analysis, they show how dynamism has fallen in all 50 states and in the majority of the large metro areas in America. Dynamism in a national or even local economy is generally seen as a positive process. This churning of both people and firms can help an economy grow and expand, and can help increase productivity. Seeing as how so much of this churning is powered by new firms entering the market, entrepreneurs are clearly an essential ingredient to the process. Theories for why this occurred are not difficult to find. One of the major
positions pushed for a while among people on the right or among libertarians is the subject of government regulation. Many think the burdensome regulations imposed by the government keeps entrepreneurs from starting businesses. While this is a theory that sounds plausible, and one even I thought had merit to it, it recently took a hit due to some extensive economics research at George Mason University. Back in January of this year, Nathan Goldschlag and Alex Tabarrok published a research paper titled “Is regulation to blame for the decline in American
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 @REFLECTORONLINE
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
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Old Main Music Festival brings well-known artists to Starkville EMMA MOFFETT
LIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
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Mississippi State University’s Music Maker Productions is sponsoring the annual Old Main Music Festival 2:30 p.m. today at the MSU Amphitheater. This festival will host seven local bands: Austin Blue, Jordy Searcy, McKenzie Lockhart, Carter Gardner, Ebenezer Goodman, John Hart, and Hood Baby and The Barnacles; and three national bands: LV Baby, Rayland Baxter, and St. Paul and The Broken Bones. The local acts will begin at the local stage at 2:30 p.m., and the national acts will begin at 6:30 p.m. Music Makers will also host an art market, featuring local artists and regional food vendors. Vendors include Two Brother’s Smoked Meats, The Bin 612, Moe’s Original Barbeque, Wing King and Starkvegas Snowballs. Insomnia cookies will also donate cookies for the event.
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Rosalind Hutton
The art market will begin at 2 p.m., while the food trucks will begin serving at 3 p.m. The festival will feature different outdoor activities, including face painting, darts, a yoga session and a puppy tent sponsored by the Humane Society. Bailey Berry, public relations chair of Music Makers Productions, said the
group wanted to make sure this is an event anyone and everyone would want to come to. “Our main goal as an organization is to bring the Mississippi State community and the Starkville community together,” Berry said. “One way we do that is through the Old Main Music Festival because it is a free, family-
friendly event that appeals to everyone.” Music Makers Productions started preparation for this event during October last semester by reaching out to sponsors. Then, in January, Berry said they began the process of contacting artists to perform at the event. Berry said she believes they accomplished their goal
we really do at our events and gain a deeper insight on what Music Makers is.” Berry said event set up begins at 4 p.m. the day before the event and will continue until the event starts. At that point, the Music Makers will be responsible for maintaining the event, and acting as stagehands and runners who help the artists and artist management. “This is a commitment,” Berry said. “It takes a lot of time and energy, and it takes a person who has a strong work ethic in order to accomplish what needs to be done.” Madison Godfrey, MSU junior, said she is planning on attending the event and is looking forward to seeing some of her favorite bands on campus. “I have always loved St. Paul and The Broken Bones, and I am very excited see what all the Music Makers have organized for this event,” Godfrey said. “Seeing local artists and musicians while eating delicious food makes for a good time for anyone.”
since they have received positive feedback from the student body, members of the community and people in surrounding areas as well. “We have had a lot of people reach out to us from out of town to let us know that they are coming,” Berry said. “It is nice that this event really is able to be so inclusive and draw in people from surrounding areas.” One new addition to this year’s Old Main Music Festival is Music Makers Productions accepted approximately 15 MSU student volunteers to work alongside the 20 Music Makers’ members. Berry said they allowed volunteers to apply to work the festival in order to help outsource more help for the event, and increase awareness of what MMP actually does. “A lot of people do not know what Music Makers is, and many people think we make actual music rather than organize music-based events,” Berry said. “This volunteer program is a great way to allow students to see what
Review: ‘A Quiet Place’ is a unique theater experience COLLIN SMITH STAFF WRITER
Picture 100 people all sitting in a dark room. Groups of friends gently chatting all over the theater. Some people are already chowing down on their popcorn, others are checking their phones for the last time before (hopefully) hiding them away when the movie starts. Suddenly, all those people from all different walks of life, are enjoying the same experience together. What makes “A Quiet Place” so special, is how it takes this experience to a level I have never experienced before. All of a sudden, you are hyper aware of every sound you make.
There lies the strength of John Krasinski’s latest film “A Quiet Place.” I have not watched a film like it before. The premise is shockingly simple. A family must survive from monsters who hunt people with their hyper-awareness to sound. There is hardly any sound in the opening sequence of the movie, which immediately draws you in. You are immediately sucked into the world this film has laid before you, listening intently to any sound coming from the screen. Krasinski delivers everything this monster thriller needs, and then some. A great premise, a great monster and a great theme. As I mentioned before, the
premise is simple and I am surprised it has not been used like this before. It is simple, but more importantly, it is engaging and suspenseful. The cast is all wonderful. I am always worried about child actors, but they are all wonderful. However, the stand out is Emily Blunt. Yes, she is definitely given the most to do, but she delivers an incredibly believable performance. But what makes this film stand out is how it deals with its theme. This is not a horror movie just for the sake of being a horror movie. Krasinski’s film asks how much would one sacrifice for their kids. That is where this film succeeds. With minimal dialogue,
the film presents a family we as an audience care about, and believable character interactions. There is a moment at the end of the film where this theme pays off, and it will catch you off guard. If you told me I would have walked out of a horror movie with tears in my eyes, I would never have believed you. All the technical aspects of the film are solid. Sound design is wonderful, the score does exactly what it needs to, and the cinematography is great. I am a sucker for great creature design, and the monster Krasinski delivers is up there with the best of them. Like I mentioned at the beginning, where this film
excels is involving everyone in the audience. Suddenly, there is a sense of community within the audience. Everyone is trying to be as quiet as possible, trying not to disrupt everyone’s experience. Without talking to anyone, there is a shared community with everyone in the theater,
and this movie capitalizes on this. I cannot recommend “A Quiet Place” enough. It is an early contender for my favorite of the year, and I think it is really important to support films like these. In my mind, the more unique theater experiences are, the better.
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THE REFLECTOR FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
SPORTS
Experienced safety corps molded under new defensive coordinator TAYLOR RAYBURN STAFF WRITER
No defensive player on Mississippi State University’s football roster has played for the same defensive coordinator two seasons in a row. Bob Shoop takes the reigns of the defense this season after Todd Grantham left with Dan Mullen to go to the University of Florida. Normally the defensive coordinator coaches linebackers, but with a new head coach comes change. Shoop heads up MSU’s group of talented safeties, led by seniors Mark McLaurin and Johnathan Abram. Abram, from Columbia, talked about the advantages of having the defensive coordinator coach his position. “It is a change with the (defensive coordinator) being our safeties coach now, but it is a good thing because I can
pick his brain,” Abram said. “I get to learn defenses better now and it is all positive for me.” Shoop praised the two leaders of his group. “John Abram is sort of the alpha of the group, he has great leadership qualities and good football instincts,” Shoop said on his safety group. “Mark McLaurin is a really solid, steady and consistent player.” The surprise success of the group have been safeties C. J. Morgan and Stephen Adoke. “John (Abram), I knew about, and Mark (McLaurin) I knew about, but I really did not know much about C. J. Morgan or Stephen Adoke,” Shoop said. “Those guys have been as a solid as any players.” McLaurin was the MVP of the TaxSlayer Bowl, and the Collins native said he will build off this, but it is a new season.
“I just keep building, but that is behind me,” McLaurin said. “This is a new season and a new time, and look forward to this season.” For Abram, tackling and consistency are the two focuses for improvement this offseason. “I have to wrap up more,” Abram said. “If I wrap up a lot more I am probably leading the team in tackles. I probably had 20 to 30 missed tackles from not wrapping up.” Shoop also has the nickel defensive back group, which sees a competition between juniors Brian Cole and freshman Marcus Murphy for the starting job. “The nickels are going to be very competitive,” Shoop said. “Brian Cole and Landrews are both doing a good job at that position. Marcus Murphy made a really good play at the end of practice on a pass breakup.” With Shoop comes a new
Kelly Price | MSU Communications
Brian Cole, junior safety, works on ball handling in a drill with Tyler Dunning, freshman linebacker, on Tuesday at spring practice.
base set including the nickel defensive back. The 4-2-5 is very similar to what MSU ran last season with linebacker/ safety J.T. Gray in the star linebacker role. Shoop said they will have some more seven in the box
base sets when teams pull out a couple tight ends or a fullback. “A lot has changed about this defense and things, but we are going to be who we are,” Abram said. “Our identity is fast, physical and aggressive.
That is just how we are going to play.” MSU will hold another scrimmage this Saturday before the Maroon and White Spring game April 21. Kickoff for the spring game is set for 3 p.m. at Davis-Wade Stadium.
Baseball looks ahead to weekend series against No. 21 Auburn HUNTER CLOUD SPORTS EDITOR
Mississippi State University (19-16, 4-8 SEC) is coming off of its first SEC series win over instate rivals the University of Mississippi. Head coach Gary Henderson said the team needs to make a quick and focused turnaround going into the weekend at Auburn University. “Maybe momentarily, once you get back out there, what you did last weekend is great, but that does not stay long with you for very long in the next contest,” Henderson said. “I think it is good for our team to know we can beat a good team, but
then you have to go back out there and prove it again.” Jake Mangum, a junior center fielder from Pearl, went five for five on Sunday and filled in the leadoff spot because of his dependability. The lineup may vary from week to week based upon who is feeling hot, and with this, the team has found something they can rely on. “At the same time, you kind of go with who is hot,” Henderson said. “When guys are getting guys out, it is kind of the same thing you do with hitting. When guys are doing well, you just kind of go. As a whole group of kids, those guys are doing a really good job and are performing at a really high level.”
MSU will go up against a strong pitching staff when they play No. 21 Auburn this weekend. Auburn has a combined ERA of 3.98, while their opponents have a combined total of 6.30 ERA. “You are going to see a bunch of good arms, I have not looked at their statistics or anything like that,” Henderson said. “I certainly have a good idea of their personnel, but we are going to get through the Wednesday game first.” Henderson said he is looking forward to seeing a strong pitching staff, something he said the SEC is full of. “Certainly their starting staff is really good, we are
Lineup changes give MSU edge over Alcorn State, team focuses on Ole Miss
HUNTER CLOUD
SPORTS EDITOR
Coming off of a series loss to Texas A&M, No. 24 Mississippi State University (30-11) looked to bounce back with a midweek game against Alcorn State University (7-24). MSU did that by winning 11-0 over Alcorn State with some lineup changes. “You just want to see if they are putting in their time and then doing their work in the anticipation of this moment of getting the opportunity,” head coach Vann Stuedeman said. “There are times in conference games where we have used a lot of pinch hitters this season so far. To see their preparation in a game as a starter is nice to see.” Stuedeman gave people like Taylor Kelly, a junior from Calhoun, Georgia, a chance to start in the midweek series. Stuedeman said she was impressed with Kelly’s performance the previous weekend when she had a walkoff walk and a game-tying hit. “These players all work really hard, and you would like to give everyone an opportunity to start and get out there,” Stuedeman said. “See how they handle this moment, so when they get into a big moment, we can see how they perform.” The team excelled offensively and hit the ball very well, getting a home run, a triple, a double and a single as the team had 11 hits. Calyn Adams, a senior infielder from Chesterfield, Virginia, had a hit and an RBI in the victory. “It felt really great to come out, and we put runs on the board every inning and that is always the goal,” Adams said. “No matter if you are playing someone in conference or out of conference.” MSU also had a good night in the pitching circle, as they only gave up 3 hits and zero runs in five innings of play. Holly Ward, a senior pitcher from Haleyville, Alabama,
Alayna Stevens | The Reflector
Calyn Adams and the softball team are focused on bringing a fighter mentality to each series.
got the win, and Stuedeman said it was important for her confidence. “I think it is important for Holly (Ward) out there to tonight, we tried mixing things up in a different little set that we have been practicing,” Stuedeman said. “I think it is important to get a lot of confidence going into the weekend. Our league is really tough, and every hitter is good, and every hitter is hard to get out. I thought she looked good tonight and threw some good biting pitches.” MSU has a series coming up against the University of Mississippi, and Adams said it was very important to take a fighter mentality into any series. The fighter mentality is key to them having continual success. “I think we just need to keep priming the pump, that is
what we keep talking about,” Adams said. “That is just keep fighting, keep throwing punches. We have some stuff not go our way, and we have had some stuff go our way. So you just have to keep getting back up and keep fighting.” Adams said there is some bonus to beating Ole Miss, but at the end of the day, it is just another series. “It is another series, it is always more fun to brag about those wins of course, but we treat it the same as anybody else,” Adams said. “Just keep that fighter mentality, we have been doing a really good job. We have had some tough series here lately, but we just keep having the fighter mentality.” MSU will take on Ole Miss in a three-game series on Saturday, Sunday and Monday in Oxford.
looking at one more weekend of really competitive pitching in the SEC,” Henderson said. “Every weekend you are seeing top-flight guys, and we have certainly seen some really good starting rotations to this point this year.” As far as the effect the series win over Ole Miss had, Hunter Stovall, a junior infielder from Pelham, Alabama, said it has given the team more belief in themselves. “I think that is what we needed as a club, I think it put a lot of confidence in us,” Stovall said. “It lets us know that we are a team that can make another run with all these teams. I believe we could have the whole time,
but I think it made the team believe.” The team prior to the Ole Miss series had dropped rubber matches to Missouri and LSU, and were a few pitches or hits away from a completely different record and feeling, but Stovall said those small margins are what make the sport so interesting. “That is just baseball, it is a game of failure,” Stovall said. “I truly believe we have done a really great job of handling it and staying in the game, but like I said, this series this past weekend has really made us come to realize we can be who we want to be.” Stovall said he has faith in the team and they will
continue to keep this new momentum up going into the weekend series with Auburn. He also hopes it is the beginning of some consistency in the lineup. “I think we are going to make a stretch,” Stovall said. “Our lineup is going to get much more consistent, and we have been working like crazy to make that happen. I think coming forward throughout these next few series, we are going to be a little bit more consistent as an offense.” MSU started off the road trip with a 15-4 victory over Alabama State University (17-15), and will play Auburn this weekend on the SEC Network.