PAYTON BROWN NEWS EDITOR Get Swept Up! is a vol unteer event that prepares the city for the influx of visitors who come to watch Mississippi State Univer sity football and tailgate in the2022Junction.marks the 19th year of the Starkville com munity gathering together to clean up the city. This year, the first foot ball game will be on Satur day, Sept. 3 against the University of Memphis. Before the game, volun teers will tidy campus 7:30 to 11 a.m. on Wed nesday, Aug. 31.
Ivy Rose Ball | The Reflector On the second floor of Barnes and Noble, students wait in line to pick up class materials that are included in the Bulldog Bundle. Madelyn Sykes | The Reflector Rice Hall repurposed for office space, trainingsVolunteering program helps sweep up before gameday Courtesy Photo | MSU Executive Director of Parking Jeremiah Dumas. Director of Membership Hunter Harrington. Courtesy Photo | City of Starkville Jahari Bell | The Reflector Rice Hall, formerly an all-girls dormitory, provides additional space for departments. VOLUNTEER, 2 RICE, 2 BRONWEN MADDOX STAFFHANNAHWRITERRAE KENNEDY STAFF WRITER Gatekeepingp4 Rose Gardenp5recognition Leach’s stacked QB room p5
FRIDAY Courtesy of The Weather Channel Bad Dawgs 3 Bulletin Board 3 Opinion 4 Contact Info 4 Life&Entertainment 5 Sports 5 Reader’s Guide:THURSDAY THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Joe Blalock, a freshman biochemical engineering major, said he believed only students living on the south side of campus received gate passes for the area. Both Blalock and Watson said they have limited options driving on campus because of the locations of their parking passDumaszones. explained that MSU has had plans to become pedestrian-friendly since the 1960s.
Bulldog Bundle partnership draws mixed reactions from students New SMART routes and gates offer pedestrian-friendly options HI: POP:SKY:LO:7970Stormy63 HI: POP:SKY:LO:8370Stormy62 HI: SKY:LO:8770Partly cloudy POP: 24 Policy: Any person may pick up a single copy of The Reflector for free. Additional copies may be obtained from the Henry Meyer Student Media Center for 25 cents per copy. FORECAST: Just like its students, the weather in Starkville appears to have the summer blues. Be sure to carry an umbrella this week since the August storms are upon us. Regardless of the rain, the rest of the week’s temperatures will remain in the high 70s and 80s. As the week comes to a close, Friday will bring sunny skies to lighten the mood.
In the last few decades, Mississippi State University has seen a number of new buildings theawaitingresidenceHall,forbyfacilities.waydemolishedtheythisbeingresidenceoutdatedCorrespondingly,constructed.buildingsandhomesareupdatedtoupholdnewstandard,orarebeingtopavetheformoreambitiousAsreportedin2019HannahBlankenshipTheReflector,Riceaformerall-girlshall,wasdemolitioninsummerof2020.However,accordingtoMSU’sChiefCommunicationsOfficerSidSalter,RiceHallbecameavaluablehotspotforofficespaceduringsocialdistancing.“Ratherthan
“Our master plan, 10 years ago, developed a pedestrian core, and then, we are actually in the process of completing our 10-year update to that master plan, which establishes a pedestrian core that includes the area from Hardy to across the Drill Field to where the plaza is between the YMCA and the Union,” Dumas said.In addition to the gates, the SMART bus program has expanded its routes acrossDumasStarkville.saidSMART will conduct changes once a year to maintain traffic trends in the “Thisarea. year, we've made some changes that we've seen in the last several years that needed to be made, but we wanted to make one big change,” Dumas said. According to Dumas, this year’s goal for the SMART routes was to connect campus to Walmart and the north, central and south sides of Starkville.
After announcing the collaboration across several social media platforms, MSU received dozens of comments from disapproving students. Instagram @its_hannah_danielsuser was one of hundreds of users to share her dissatisfaction with the new“Iprogram.likehow the article on the website said 90% of students supported this and I have yet to find one that actually does,” she commented.While there were many students who criticized Bulldog Bundle via social media, there are others that view the program as a useful resource for students to utilize.Student Association President Kennedy Guest was enthusiastic about the Bulldog Bundle option for students.Before the program was announced to the public, MSU and Barnes & Noble officials informed the Student Association of the deal. “Even after two minutes of explanation of what the program is, we found that 100% of students in Student Association were very positive about it,” Guest said.Guest said the Student Association was not involved in the negotiating process. While the Student Association was in full support of this deal, other members of the student body said they found the program to be unhelpful and too Jamesexpensive.Feduccia, a junior majoring in biochemistry, said he
towards.expressedStarkville,textbookthethatFeducciaMississippitextbookmonopolizingridiculousafterBulldogdisappointedoverwhelminglywaswiththeBundleoptionitwasannounced.“IthoughtitwasabitandabitontheoptionsaroundState,”said.HealsospeculatedBulldogBundleledtoclosingofanotherbusinessinwhichhefurtherdisdain the beginning of the semester, the Commuter East parking lot became congested with traffic as students look for parking.
BUNDLE, 2 TAYLOR STIGALL STAFF WRITER During
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST This fall, Mississippi State University has undergone multiple transit and route changes with a goal of establishing a pedestrian-friendly campus. Parking Services installed gates in the vicinity of the Resident South dormitories, around the Greek North and South parking zones and on Hardy Road.MSU’s Executive Director of Transportation Jeremiah Dumas said the redundancy in certain routes and ongoing traffic delays led to the gates on Hardy“PartRoad.of the reason for the gates were to remove some of that traffic so that the central route can stay in there to make it more efficient with quicker routes around the core of campus,” Dumas said. According to Dumas, the ID gate project was established due to the pedestrian accidents that have occurred in the past year.“It was challenging with the numbers of vehicles that were on Hardy, coupled with the number of pedestrians that now cross Hardy since the growth of the music building and Rula,” Dumas said.
24, 2022 138TH YEAR | ISSUE 1
demolish it, especially during COVID, the decision was made to use parts of the building,” SalterSaltersaid. said at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice Hall provided office space to MSU employees who needed additional distance from their coworkers. As the tensions of COVID-19 eased, more and more departments moved over to RiceSalterHall. said the pandemic caused a delay in deciding the fate of the residence asaid.lifehousingneverbutfutureadministrationdialogue“There’shall.acontinuingintheabouttheofthebuilding,atthistime,itwillbeusedasaandresidencespaceagain,”SalterWhileRiceHallisnotsuitableresidencehall
according to Housing and Residence Life, Salter said that it would be transformed to fill the need for more office space and space for departments’ various projects.Shonda Cumberland, the business manager for the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, described how Rice Hall is being repurposed.Cumberland said the first floor holds offices for MSU employees, the fifth floor stores IT Services equipment and the MSU Police Department holds trainings on the sixth floor.
Carter Watson, a freshman majoring in chemistry, is living in Residence North and has yet to hear much about the new gate installation on Residence South. However, as a freshman on campus, Watson has spent most of his time walking instead of driving.“Ihaven’t had to drive through the gates yet since I live in Griffis, but I’ve actually rarely driven myself,” Watson said.
announcement, MSU claimed it was an easier and cheaper alternative for gathering class materials, but many students drew issues with the terms of the Bulldog Bundle.
During the summer, Mississippi State University and Barnes & Noble announced a collaboration called Bulldog Bundle that would affect every student enrolled at the university. According to MSU's website, the program offers students a flat fee for all of their required course materials. Bulldog Bundle charges $20 per class hour taken to a student’s account. For example, students taking 15 hours of courses were charged $300 this semester.Students are automatically enrolled and charged each semester, but there is an option to opt-out of the program.Inthe program’s
Greater Starkville De velopment Partnership hosts the event with help from sponsorships from several local businesses. Hunter Harrington, di rector of membership for Starkville Development Partnership, discussed the excitement surrounding the clean up. “It has been one of those staples in the community. It is really fun to watch ev eryone around here come and get out and just get ex cited about football and just having a bunch of vis itors,” Harrington said. SMART, 2
WEDNESDAY
streets around Starkville, according to the Get Swept Up! website.Theevent has grown significantly since its beginning and is expected to be bigger than ever this year, HarringtonHowever,said. despite the event being dedicated to preparing for football season, MSU students do not make up a large number of theAccordingvolunteers. to Harrington, most student volunteers are local students from the Starkville area who have already been exposed to the “Studentsevent. from out of town are just moving back in, and school is just starting back, but we would love for more to get involved and help us clean up Starkville,” Harrington said. Rachel Morrison, junior majoring in agronomy, expressed her interest in the event.“It sounds really cool. Especially with everyone getting back and all of their families coming to visit,”
Both associate professor of computer science Stephen Torri and Cumberland have been working in Rice Hall. However, their workplace location was not the only common factor between the two. Torri and Cumberland shared the same opinion regarding the future of the building. “It may not be the RitzCarlton when it comes to academic offices, but if you just need a place to be able to meet with people, it works very well as that,” TorriCumberlandsaid. agreed that the building’s unused space became convenient for departments, and in turn, saved the building from“Wedemolition.havethe music department, the police department, the IT department and the Center for Health Promotion and Wellness,” Cumberland said. “Since they’re not tearing down the building, it really looks like other departments and facilities will also utilize the building on top of the offices already in use.” Torri said repurposing old dorms into renovated offices is more costeffective compared to destroying them and constructing new facilities.Unlike Torri and Cumberland, others said Rice Hall is severely outdated and needs renovation.James Sweet, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering, was often in Rice Hall to attend her lab for Introduction to Computer Programming.“WhenIwalked in, I thought I had accidentally walked in through the back door because it just looked like a storage room for fridges,” Sweet said. Sweet described the feeling of walking into Rice Hall as a “creepy hospital vibe.” “I think just even painting the walls and cleaning up all the storage stuff just thrown everywhere would help out a lot, honestly,” Sweet said. ”I think it could be nice, but there just is a lot of work that needs to be done for it to get to that point.”While Rice Hall’s future has not been decided, MSU faculty and staff have continued to make use of the old dormitory building. However, the future of this facility is unknown, as the university could demolish Rice or decide to continue to use the building for faculty and students.
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In order to pick up their bundles, students have been waiting in long lines on the second floor. Madelyn Sykes | The Reflector
MorrisonDespitesaid. attending MSU for multiple years, Morrison said she had not discovered Get Swept Up! until recently.“Ihad never heard of it, but I wish I had,” Morrison said.
Lynn Berch, manager of Montgomery B&B in West Point, said the event leaves a positive impact on the community.“Ithink it just helps Starkville in general, cleaning up the city, and it has an effect on people, when they come here,” Berch said. Berch said a clean Starkville would correlate to more business.“Starkville being clean makes a difference in everything. If Starkville is clean, more people will come to Starkville, and then stay at the B and B. It’s a chain reaction,” Berch said. Berch said the cleanup could be an opportunity for people to meet their neighbors. “A lot of people get involved, and everything gets cleaned up. It's a community event, so everyone gets involved,” Berch said. While registration has officially closed, it is still possible to get involved. For more information, email Paige Watson forpwatson@starkville.orgatlateregistration.
The Bulldog Bundle package is supposed to include class materials for all courses. Madelyn Sykes |
Another issue regarding Commuter East is the unfinished construction of the parking lot behind the Roberts“Hopefully,Building.by the time we get it done, it will be helpful,” Dumas said. Dumas said he expects traffic to die down when students begin to park in the right zone and after construction is finished. For more information regarding updated routes and schedules, visit the SMART website.
The Reflector
BUNDLE RICE VOLUNTEER However, Guest said Bulldog Bundle had nothing to do with a local bookstore shutting down. “Before Barnes & Noble took this system over, the university put out a proposal to have this system, and anyone could bid on it. So, those companies were approached and were able to bid on this package,” GuestWhilesaid. this issue caused a bit of controversy among coverawaytheweresaidelectricalsophomorepackage.othersaidBundle,surroundingconversationtheBulldogsomestudentstheyexperiencedproblemswiththeBrookeMolen,amajoringinengineering,hercoursematerialsnotevencoveredbyBulldogBundle.“Ifoundoutrightthatitwouldnotsomeofmyonline stuff, and that was not fun to hear,” Molen said. She said her classes required online access for interactive programs that are separate from Barnes & Noble textbooks and access codes.Students like Feduccia said they are having trouble accepting some of the terms of the program, like the cost per credit hour. He said it was absurd to charge for classes that do not require“Threetextbooks.ofmy credit hours this semester are research credit hours, where they do not even require textbooks, so that is $60 added onto it, which is unnecessary” Feduccia said. On the contrary, Guest said Bulldog Bundle saved him at least $25.On social media, the most heavily-discussed aspect of the Bulldog Bundle was the “opt out” feature, which implies that students are automatically enrolled and charged before they are able to decline the program.Thecomment section on MSU's Instagram post was full of students objecting to this facet of the Bulldog Bundle. Instagram user @jackparrrr was one of several commenters directly addressing the opt out feature of the program.“Literally everyone I know is trying to opt out of this," they commented. "Why do you automatically enroll everyone in this every semester?”BothFeduccia and Molen expressed frustration surrounding the opt-out aspect of the program, as they claimed it increased their stress to be faced with charges on their student account that they did not agree to. Guest said the opt-out feature ensured that more students were opted in, so the program could be cheaper per credit hour. “The more students that we have opt-in, the cheaper it is per credit hour, and the cheaper that we are providing students course materials,” Guest said. Guest said this was done in the best interest of theFeducciastudents.said he felt differently about what was best for students. “I just feel like Mississippi State is not really taking the time to listen to their students or the general opinion … sometimes, I feel like the student government may not actually represent the feelings of the population,” Feduccia said.
SMART @REFLECTORONLINE2 THE WEDNESDAY,REFLECTORAUGUST 24
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Courtesy Photo | MSU Transit Services Manager Larry Graves.
The Get Swept Up! event will prepare the city of Starkville for game day weekends and the out-of-town visitors. The event will be held from 7:30 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 3. Jahari Bell | The Reflector Jahari Bell | The Reflector
Harrington said she is proud to help clean the Thecity. morning of the event, Chick-fil-A is providing breakfast for all volunteers before everyone gets to work. In the past, over 580 people have signed up to pick up families.organizations50representativesincludingtrash,ofoverbusinesses,andVolunteersreceiveafree"GetSweptUp!"T-shirtandsuppliestopickuptrash,suchasgloves,trashbagsandbottledwater.Aleaderforeachteamofvolunteerspicksuptheirsuppliesandreceivesinstructionsbeforegettingtoworkontheirassignedstreet.Teamsareexpectedtopickuptrashonthestreetandsurroundingareas.Additionally,theyareencouragedtopullweeds,trimshrubberyandmowyards.In2021,morethan100bagsoftrashwerepickedupfromthe
Previously Rice Hall was the largest dormitory on campus, but it is now used for police trainings, music rooms and office space
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“Across the center part of city, we’ve put together what we call the “Starkville Connector” which connects all three of those routes,” Dumas said.Parking and Transportation’s Transit Services Manager Larry Graves described the new changes made to the SMART bus routes, including their new names.The new central MSU route, which differs from the central Starkville route, now stops in front of the Mill Conference Center instead at Oak Hall.“It's trying to get people that are commuting to campus to the center of campus and moved around a little bit more,” Graves said. However, Graves said the Oak Hall stop is still in service but has been assigned to a different route.“It moves people towards Montgomery Hall, and it also comes around and picks up a stop near the Fraternity Row and near Sorority Row,” Graves said. “We changed some locations a little bit for those stops just to help centralize things a little bit and make the route more efficient.”Alongwith the central route, Graves explained the previous research route has transformed into the north MSU route.“It redistributes people, obviously from Old Main, up to the research route and also gets people that are living in College View towards Old Main,” Graves said. While the addition of new routes and IDrequired gates have been installed to handle traffic, problems with out-of-zone parking has caused an overflow in Commuter East, Dumas parking,”rampeddaytheytheythere'speoplesaid.“Unfortunately,stillthinkthatthismyththatcanparkwhereverwanttoonthefirstofclass,sowehaveout-of-zoneDumassaid.
Capricorn: Remember that just because something looks shiny and appealing that it might not always be the best op tion for you.
Gemini: Remember to tune into your emotional side this week in order to re frain from coming off as tempermental.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 Student arrested in Stark ville by OCSO for DUI Thursday, August 18, 2022 Citation issued for speed ing doing 61 in a 45. Citation issued for speed ing doing 42 in a 20. Friday, August 19, 2022 Student riding a bicycle was struck by a vehicle on Bulldog Way behind McKee Hall. Student was transported to OCH via ambulance. Saturday, August 20, 2022 Student issued a post ar rest citation and referral for minor in possession of alcohol in F-11 parking Non-Resident/Visitorlot. re ported his vehicle was bur glarized while parked at Visual Arts Center on Uni versity Drive. Sunday, August 21, 2022 Students reported they were defrauded out of money from a GroupMe message board.
Aries: This fiery sign will be feeling sen sitive this week and needs to remember to remain confident in times of insecurity.
Sagittarius: It’s easy to slack off at the beginning of the semester, but re member that if you start preparing now, you won’t feel as overwhelmed later.
On this day in 1990, Reflector Staff Writer Scott Mooney wrote an article detailing how much the grow ing tensions in the Persian Gulf contributed to rising gas prices in the Starkville area. Fuel prices rose as high as $1.49/gal for premium oc tane. The table can be found below.
On this day in 2004, The Reflector published an ar ticle detailing Mississippi State University enacting the academic forgiveness policy that is still in use today.
August 29 - Registration to apply for December 2022 degree. Dead line is October 21. September 5 - Labor Day holiday. No classes will be held. Enjoy your three day weekend! It feels like only yesterday
Virgo: Instead of worrying about what this week holds, decide to tune into your practical side to decide for yourself how productive you can be.
Cancer: Step out of your comfort zone this week, and stand firm in your beliefs. Avoid standing down in the face of oppo sition.
Stay in the know! Follow us on Instagram and @reflectoronlineTwitter SUDOKU Copyright ©2022 PuzzleJunction.com 1234 5678 9101112 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2021 222324 25 26 27 28 29 303132 33 34 353637 38 3940 41 42 43 44 4546 47 48 49 5051 52 53 5455 56 57 58 5960 616263 64 65 66 67 68 69 41 King preceder 43 Poet 44 Corpulent 46 Large sea ducks 47 Merited 49 Work extra hard 51 Bunches 53 Spill the beans 54 Madame Bovary 55 Surf sound 57 See 1 Down 60 Israeli weapon 61 Gibbon, for one 62 Born 63 Author Follett Across 1 Rush job notation 5 Remove, as a hat 9 Brewer’s need 13 Corn Belt state 14 Indian lodge 15 Floating, perhaps 16 Never a ___ 18 Jazzman Getz 19 Restaurant posting 20 Backtalking 22 Winter woe 25 Yorkshire river 27 Two-year old lambs 28 Sheets and stuff 30 Caustic remark 33 Chilean range 34 Equipment 35 I love, in Latin 38 Ship part 39 Gloss 41 Kind of bomb 42 Be mistaken 43 Grizzly 44 Martini garnish 45 Puget Sound city 48 Sink 49 Mix 50 Brown rival 52 My (Fr.) 53 Gall ___ 56 Santa ___, Calif. 58 Behind 59 Charlatan 64 Af昀rm 65 Labyrinths 66 Foil’s counterpart 67 Resting places 68 Bone-dry 69 Adolescent Down 1 Lend a hand 2 Old French coin 3 Cobbler’s tool 4 Before tree or oil 5 Objects 6 Unlock, in verse 7 Sloughs 8 Greek ingredientsalad 9 People generally 10 Optical defect 11 Slants 12 Piquancy 14 Beloved Morrisonauthor 17 Signi昀es 21 Sun, for one 22 Crackpot 23 Cruise ship 24 Trivialized 26 Anxiously 29 Reef dweller 31 Sandpiper 32 ___ do! 36 Date locale 37 Forebodings 39 Tennis unit 40 Topper 1 2 3 5 8 6 3 28 5 6 1 9 4 5 6 1 8 8 4 5 96 7 Weekly Horoscopes
Leo: Take the time to consider others around you in your daily life. Remember to focus on tasks ahead and not drift away from those close to you because of your own reasoning.
Pisces: Don’t let the words of others dic tate how you see yourself. Have con fidence in who you are and who you will become.
Libra: Take a moment to see the good in people this week. It’s okay to let your guard down and avoid excessive criticism of others and yourself.
BULLETIN BOARD 3 An In-Class Distraction THE REFLECTOR | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | @REFLECTORONLINE
Scorpio: Instead of overworking your self this week, remember there are others around you who can provide as sistance in your time of need.
Dates to Remember August 24 - Last day to register for courses. Deadline is 5:00 p.m.
Aquarius: Deceit may tempt you, but don’t let those feelings overcome you in the coming days. Remember to value those most prominent relationships.
Taurus: Expect your imagination to run wild this week, but be careful of becom ing too indulgent in your dreams.
Friday, I received an email from communica tion department head Terry Likes with a video explaining how to opt out of Bulldog Bundle. Ac cordingly, you can access Bulldog Bundle through the MSU Barnes & Noble website under the "course materials and textbooks" tab. I was accessing the program through the emails Barnes & Noble sent over the summer. The video showed the demon strator selecting their de partment, term and course information, then clicking “retrieve materials.” A new page loads, and you can scroll down to find an “opt out” box with an arrow. I wish I had this video weeks ago because now it is too late. Some one else made this bed for me, and now I must lie in it. Bulldog Bundle was an admirable attempt to alle viate textbook financial woes. However, as my crude data shows, it may not be the cheapest op tion. Automatically en rolling students in the program was a poor deci sion. The students should have the choice whether to enroll or opt out, instead of navigating pesky email links and getting tricked into buying Bulldog Bun dle.
Luke Copley is a senior majoring in English. Contact them opinion@reflector.msstate.eduat
Veterans StaffBronwen
Bulldog Bundle causes more woes than wins Editor-in-Chief | Heather Harrison editor@reflector.msstate.edu Managing Editor | Tanner Marlar managing@reflector.msstate.edu News Editor | Payton Brown news@reflector.msstate.edu Opinion Editor | Luke Copley opinion@reflector.msstate.edu Sports Editor | Dylan Flippo sports@reflector.msstate.edu Life Editor |Trey Barrett life@reflector.msstate.edu Photography Editor | Landon Scheel photo@reflector.msstate.edu Online Editor | Joshua Britt multimedia_editor@reflector.msstate.edu Marketing manager | Sydni Vandevender advertising@reflector.msstate.edu Graphics Illustrator | Dontae Ball Circulation | Amiyah Brown CONTACT INFORMATION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor can be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. They can also be emailed to edi tor@reflector.msstate.edu and have a max imum wordcount of 350 words. Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The edi tor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter. EDITORIAL POLICY CORRECTIONS
OPINION4 THE REFLECTOR | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | @REFLECTORONLINE All part of the plan:
In hindsight, it feels like MSU has been flirting with a big change like thisfor a Latewhile.September of last year, a student was struck coming out of the band hall on Hardy Road while walk ing in a crosswalk. Accord ing to Heather Harrison for The Reflector, the victim was some 50 feet away from the crosswalk after the colli sion. Amazingly, they were not seriously injured by that toss, reporting no broken bones.Unfortunately for the school, according to the Na tional Highway Traffic As sociation, October is the ever-popular Pedestrian Safety Month. MSU had al ready prepared the “Look Up, Look Out” campaign prior to the incident, which they debuted on Oct. 1 to a critical online reception. Students were quick to call the post tone deaf and said it placed the blame on the pe destrian so recently after the accident.Theschool put a blinking crosswalk sign at the inter section where the student was hit. They put textured stops in front of the cross walks, alerting pedestrians to look up from their phones. They put speed bumps on Stone and Hardy Boulevard, and when people started driving into the painted medians to avoid them, MSU put bumps in the medians, too. These are Band-Aid solu tions, and I think we all knew, deep down, MSU was quietly working on some dramatic, systemic adjust ment while we were away. The school had recently opened the new Bulldog Way. More roads was a good start. I figured, at least, it would be challenging to make it Mississippiworse. State is al ways up for a Accordingchallenge.totheOffice of Public Affairs' email about the road closures, the changes aim at “expanding the pedestrian core of cam pus in line with the univer sity’s master plan.” As ever, the words “master plan” beg innumerable questions, but I will leave you to think of your own conspiracies. The closure of one of the only major arteries that ran through campus is either premature or grossly short sighted. The campus is try ing to support the same amount of cars as last year, which was already more than it could handle, but now with two fewer major campus pathways. Now, it takes longer to get any where on campus. It is challenging to view these shifts as anything other than an overreaction to bad press. In the same press release email, Jeremi ah Dumas, MSU’s Director of Transportation, said the changes will greatly en hance pedestrian and bike safety, while keeping with the plan to “create a more pedestrian-friendly center of campus.” Expanding the pedestrian core accom plishes little of what phases pedestrians here. The foot ball stadium without an un derpass phases pedes trians. The distance between most dorms and the center of campus phas es pedestrians. I already had the right of way in the crosswalks.Theroads are just closed. Not temporarily, and not for construction; students just do not have access to them anymore. This does not read to me as a "Master Plan." It feels more like a one-step plan, and they really hope we figure all this traffic business out. Then in 10 or 20 years, MSU can look at all the ways campus has slowly expanded and stubbornly changed and announce that it was part of the master plan all along. I will not be here in 10 or 20 years. I am a pedestrian here, now. I am a pedestrian in a pedestrian-friendly space, and that is nice. But, I am also a pedestrian who gets out of my car irritated and late, only to arrive to my first class of the semester— full of pedestrians who walked though the pedes trian friendly core to get to this class— and find them also all complaining about the road closures. Road closures sweep campus
SportStanner
Despite best efforts, new road closures cause more congestion, chaos and headaches
I was 20 minutes late to my first class this se mester, thank you for ask ing.I had heard about the closures. I had heard about the long lines of cars, so I left even earlier than I usually did last year. I drove around for 30 mi nutes in the morose parade of cars that haunted campus this week, the long line mov ing at speeds ranging be tween zero and six miles an hour. I then walked another solid 15 minutes from my spot. That is a 45 minute commute time, and I live 1.4 miles away from the center of the Drill Field. I mean, seriously, whose idea was this? Do not tell me, “It was Park ing and Transit Services.” I mean, I want the first and last name of whoever put “close all the roads except the perimeter” on the whiteboard during this think-tank. I want to write them a letter. I take no issue with the concept of overhauling the way the campus flows; this is not the first time I have rambled on about campus movement logis tics in The Reflector, nor the first time I have taken a half page to complain about the challenges of the Mississippi pedes trian. Just like you, I am a pedestrian myself. Even before the road closures, it took me twice as long to walk to class from my parking lot than it did to drive to that parking lot, and I assume most of you share a similar daily trek. Thousands of young adults wade through cam pus with 90 degree, 85% humidity air multiple times a day, five days a week. Compared to Mis sissippi towns without colleges in them, our Apple Watch step total must look like a misprint in a sea of half-finished circles.Yes, we have a lot of pe destrians. Yes, I would like them all to be safe. No, that does not make me feel better about the road closures.
Madelyn Sykes| The Reflector Students were automatically enrolled in the textbook program with only one pickup point, the campus Barnes & Noble.
Heather Harrison is a senior majoring in communication. Contact them opinion@reflector.msstate.eduat
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Thursday, I stood in line for an hour at Barnes & Noble, waiting to pick up my Bulldog Bundle se lections. Upon reaching the counter, the clerk said my order was not ready yet; I had to wait until I re ceived an email announc ing its arrival. Disap pointed and slightly sweaty due to the lack luster air conditioning in Barnes & Noble, I trudged down the escalator. The next day, I still had not received another email about my textbooks. At this point, I was nerv ous because I had an as signment due Saturday night and needed my book.What am I supposed to do Bulldognow? Bundle is Mis sissippi State University’s new book-buying option through Barnes & Noble. Instead of purchasing your textbooks in person or through a third party online, Bulldog Bundle offers direct pickup and delivery options for stu dents’ coursework. At first glance, Bulldog Bundle seems to be a con venient way to purchase your textbooks, as the university automatically enrolls you in the pro gram. However, it is diffi cult to opt out of the sys tem, and often, you are forced to purchase the package.With Bulldog Bundle, your textbook fees are automatically added to your student AR account. According to an email sent to students from the Office of Public Affairs, Bulldog Bundle can save purchasers 35-50%. I decided to do the cal culations myself and see if that statement added up. The Bulldog Bundle book fee is $200. I had one textbook and a Cen gage MindTap digital les son book. My journalism ethics professor required I purchase “Media Ethics: Issues and Cases.” An ebook rental runs for $52.33 for 120 days on Vital Source. A physical copy, according to Text Books.com, is $79.39. I checked Campus Book Mart for a local source, but they do not sell the textbook.Next, according to Cengage's website, my “Plazas” e-book with MindTap for Spanish 3 costs $124.99 for four months. Each semester’s Bulldog Bundle rentals are loaned for four months.Together, the “Plazas” and “Media Ethics” ebooks are $189.73 with tax. Thus, I could have saved $10.27 if I chose to rent my books myself, which I could have spent on lunch or gas. If I chose the “Plazas” e-book and the physical book for “Media Ethics,” the total would be $218.68. In that case, Bulldog Bundle saved me $18.68. I would have bought both e-books instead of the physical copy, but that is my pref erence.One issue I consis tently have had with Bull dog Bundle is the naviga tion on the Barnes & Noble Bulldog Bundle se lection page. Multiple times over the summer, I attempted to opt out of my purchase. I wanted to buy my books like I always did: online and preferably with a coupon code. However, the website linked through the Barnes & Noble emails does not offer a clear “opt out” button. So, I scrolled to the bottom, not selecting anything, and hit “sub mit.” Then, the website told me I have invalid in formation. OK, what now?
The Reflector is the official student newspaper of Mississippi State University. Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff. The contents of The Reflector have not been approved by Mississippi State University. The Reflector staff strives to main tain the integrity of this paper through accurate and honest re porting. If we publish an error, we will correct it. To report an error, editor@reflector.msstate.eduemail or call 325-7905.
This map illustrates the roads now blocked off by gates in accor dance with the master plan, most notably the stretch of Hardy R oad that ran beside the library.
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LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT 5THE REFLECTOR | WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2022 | @REFLECTORONLINE
SPORTS
Samuel Hughes |
Mississippi State University head football coach Mike Leach is a lot of things.To start, he’s hilarious. His presence immediately brings a program to relevancy no matter their win totals or records. Secondly, he’s proven. His offense works and has put player after player in the NFL draft. Lastly, he’s consistent, and that’s the most important part. It’s a certain aspect of Leach’s consistency that has gotten me thinking this week, though— his quarterback rooms. Leach’s quarterback rooms are always among the most competitive in the country. Look at his time at Washington State, for example. Connor Halliday, Luke Falk and Gardner Minshew all took snaps for the Cougars under Leach’s tenure, and all performed at a high level, with the latter still taking snaps in the StarkvilleNFL.and withpasserstheblossomedcampus,LeachAirhiscaller,tryingtruetellsoftobringdebate.thatdifferentConferenceSoutheasterntheareaanimal,though,muchisnotupforIt’shardertohighlevelrecruitsMSUforacornucopiareasons,buthistoryusthat’sevenmorewhenacoachistobringinasignalorsowethought.EnterMikeLeach,pirateshipandtheRaidoffense.SincehasbeenonWillRogershasintooneofmostprolificpocketinthecountry,someeven predicting an NFL future for the junior from Brandon, Miss., after thisLeachseason.hasn’t stopped with Rogers, though. Sawyer Robertson committed to Leach during the early days of his tenure as the Bulldogs head honcho. Robertson was alreadyBulldogseventuallyLocke,quarterback,anothercountry.134thcompositestoclassbesttracked.thingssinceprogramquarterbackhighest-ratedtherecruitthehadeversignedthosekindsofbegantobeHewasthe16thquarterbackintheof2021accordingthe247SportsandthebestplayerintheMSUthengottop-25rankedBraedyntocommitandsignwiththetoaddtoanstacked
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Marlar: Leach will bring first five-star QB to MSU
“My favorite is a loved one called Aloha because it can tolerate some shade. Most roses require full sun, but it would tolerate some shade. Plus, it was grown by my favorite aunt. She gave me a cutting, and I put it in the Rose Garden,” WeatherlyAccordingsaid.to Rose Garden experts, the best time to visit the gardens is in early fall or late spring. The roses will be in their best blooms, and the weather will be cooler for relaxing and walking.
SportS editor MSU football ranked fourth in the FBS in passing yards last season. Landon Scheel | The Reflector
quarterback room. Now, with the commitment and hopeful signing of another fourstar quarterback, Chris Parson, the gunslinger room is primed with all the talent any school could ask for besides Alabama, Oklahoma or Georgia.The question then becomes, “Well, what can someone do with all of these guys, they can’t all play?” You’d be right— but they sure can compete for Competitionit. tends to bring out the truest form of people, and when it comes to quarterbacks, that’s exactly what any coach wants. The better the quarterbacks play, the better the team is (typically), and so forth. To make a long story short, the better the talent the quarterback room has, the higher the caliber of recruits that typically come through it. All that to say, I have come to an inevitable conclusion. If Mike Leach remains in Starkville, it is only a matter of time until the first-ever five-star quarterback comes through the program. The question is, though, how long will it take? Could it be the next recruiting cycle, or will MSU have to put more signal callers in the league first? That is for us to discuss in the future, but for now, Bulldog fans need to sit back, watch the kids grow and enjoy the ride. marlar
Tucked away in the R.R. Foil Plant Science Research Center, more commonly known to students as North Farm, sits the Veterans Memorial Rose Garden.Thegarden features three arbors and a central gazebo, surrounded by raised brick rose beds and pathways. Visitors must cross an arched wooden bridge from the parking lot to the mainConstructiongarden. on the Rose Garden started in the spring of 2006 and finished in the fall of 2007. By then, more than 30 varieties of roses were established at theThegarden.Rose Gardens are used in many different capacities. A multitude of events are held in the gazebo for organizations both from Mississippi State University and around Starkville, including weddings and bands. Jim McKell, an Oktibbeha County Master Gardeners volunteer, attended the his nephew's wedding at the Rose Garden. “I attended a wedding there, and it’s such a beautiful place. The roses look really nice, and it was a very nice event,” McKell said.The garden often attracts engagements, weddings and other special events. The director of the garden, Guihong Bi, emphasized the importance the garden has on the community. “The mission of the garden is to serve as a bridge between the community and university,” Bi said. “We want this to be a place that honors veterans and gives back to the community. strive to
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purposes was to research more desirable varieties but it is also a good place to relax.”Biagreed that the roses have been improved.“Theroses in the raised beds receive no chemical sprays, limited fertilizer, limited pruning and dead heading,” Bi said.
Bronwen maddox Staff writer
The Reflector In 2021, MSU QB Will Rogers joined former Heisman Trophy receipient Joe Burrow as the only QBs in the past 22 years to throw for more than 4,700 yards and more than 35 TDs, while posting a completion percentage of at least 73%.
Landon Scheel |
Veterans Memorial Rose Garden displays the beauty in research
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The Reflector The Veterans Memorial Rose Garden offers its visitors the opportunity to view more than 30 varieties of new and traditional roses and over 200 plants from across the world.
FROM WALL STREET TO THE BATTLEFIELD AND BEYOND, OUR TEAM IS CREATING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING TECH THAT DRIVE INNOVATION AROUND THE WORLD. IT ALL STARTS FROM HERE IN STARKVILLE WITH STUDENTS AND ALUMNI OF MSU.
