9.15.21

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WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

137th YEAR ISSUE 2

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884

New Rula building offers advanced technology for engineering students JOSHUA STEWART STAFF WRITER

Adam Sullivan | The Reflector

The owner of Andaman Thai, Vien Vong, is pictured with traditional yellow curry.

Rising food prices cause some local restaurants to struggle amid the pandemic MAGGIE ROBERTS STAFF WRITER

Unemployment in the U.S. has been a growing concern since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Starkville is not immune to the issue. As a result of high unemployment rates, some fast-food restaurants, like Wendy’s and Cookout, have upped their starting hourly rates to $13. Other local businesses,

however, still struggle even after offering competitive salaries. In addition, the high levels of unemployment have affected food and supplier prices. Despite the rising unemployment rates, Starkville’s food scene is still expanding, and new restaurants seem to open every week. RESTAURANT, 2

The Richard A. Rula Engineering and Science Complex is now open and conducting classes on Mississippi State University’s campus. Located next to the Longest Student Health Center, Rula offers state-of-the-art lecture halls, laboratories and study rooms to help prepare chemical, civil and environmental engineering students for the workforce. The $34 million building was primarily constructed for civil and environmental engineering majors, but it also offers multipurpose areas for other students to use. Approximately 40 sections of lectures and labs are being held in the building this semester, and more sections are being planned for the spring semester. Faculty members said they are excited about the educational advancements the new building offers. Sandra Ortega-Achury, a research associate who teaches in Rula, said the building was full of

Landon Scheel | The Reflector

The Rula Engineering and Science Complex is now officially open for students, faculty and staff on the south side of campus.

possibilities. “We do a lot of lab demonstrations that simulate actual things that happen,” Ortega-Achury said. “We recreate the techniques that are actually used so the students can get hands-on experience.” Ortega-Achury emphasized the necessity

of the new engineering building. “We need this space,” Ortega-Achury said. “We have so many students, and we were really packed in Walker Engineering, and even now, we need to open more sections in this building so we can have smaller sections to better

focus on students.” MSU faculty are not the only people excited about the new building. Holly Harrison, a freshman chemical engineering major from Hazlehurst, Mississippi, said she enjoys having her chemistry lab RULA, 2 in Rula.

Campus organizations highlight the importance of Hispanic Heritage Month MICHAEL BOURGEOIS STAFF WRITER

Hispanic Heritage Month is Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, and to celebrate, the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center at Mississippi State University is hosting multiple events to highlight Hispanic and Latino culture. Kei Mamiya, assistant director of HCDC, said the main annual event for Hispanic Heritage Month is Salsa in the Streets. The Latino Student Association, Ballroom Dance Club and HCDC will host the fun, unique activity to showcase Latino and Hispanic cultures. Salsa in the Streets will allow participants to learn

dances from Latin American countries and enjoy food from local restaurants. To provide a more enriching experience for MSU students, Mamiya said he wanted the HCDC to collaborate with various campus organizations to create a successful month of events. In addition to hosting Salsa in the Streets, Mamiya encourages students to follow the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center on social media and look at the activities calendar on Cowbell Connect to learn about other opportunities to experience new cultures. Alongside HCDC, the International Student

Advisory Board is hosting several events to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. Sophomore software engineering major Aaron Williams, a representative of the ISAB, said ISAB and LSA are collaborating on an event called Coffee, Culture and Conversation. Participants will discuss how the pandemic has affected Latin America. Williams said he hopes the events this month will allow students to learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and Latin America, and that students will encounter new perspectives and interact with people from different backgrounds. HERITAGE, 2

20 YEARS LATER: FORMER REFLECTOR EDITOR DESCRIBES EXPERIENCE OF COVERING DEVASTATING ATTACKS HEATHER HARRISON NEWS EDITOR

It was early on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when Annemarie Bohn, the Reflector news editor, put on her “Trust me, I’m a reporter” T-shirt and walked to her 8 a.m. class at Allen Hall on Mississippi State University’s campus. She had no idea what would happen in New York City when she chose her shirt that morning. Bohn, who then went by her maiden name of Annemarie Beede, arrived early to tell her teacher she would not attend class that day because she was sick with the flu. However, as Bohn walked into the classroom, the instructor canceled the class for the day. Bohn

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Annemarie Bohn, former Reflector news editor.

did not pay attention to why the teacher canceled, though, because she was concerned about her illness and needed to see a doctor at the Longest Student Health Center. MSU then canceled all classes and activities on Sept. 11. At the health center, Bohn watched the television as a second plane struck the World Trade Center’s south tower. At the time, the television news reporter

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Wally Gobetz | Creative Commons

A view of the Sept. 11, 2001, World Trade Center terrorist attacks from Jersey City.

called the attack a small plane crash that just happened in New York City. A nurse called Bohn into the doctor’s office for her appointment.

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She then took Bohn’s temperature, and it was an alarming 104 degrees. As Bohn and the nurse sat in the examination room, Bohn asked if she knew anything about the

FORECAST: Gear up for a rainy week, Bulldogs. Chances of rain are high Wednesday through Sunday, with thunderstorms highly possible. The Mississippi humidity combined with the rain will make for a dreary week in Starkville. It will be the perfect weekend to get cozy indoors and watch MSU football on television.

Courtesy of National Weather Service

are under attack! We are in war!” Bohn’s sorority sister Kim George noticed Bohn as she was driving through campus, so she pulled over, pounded at the car door and yelled through her sunroof. “Beede, did you hear? Oh, my God,” George said as tears streamed down her face. “This is crazy! We’re under attack.” Bohn noticed people taking off their hats and dropping to their knees to pray. The thought “Is this real?” kept running through Bohn’s mind. Her five-minute walk to McComas Hall seemed eternal as doom spread over the nation. At last, she made it to McDavid’s office.

plane crash. The nurse said she did not know all the details, but some reporters thought the plane crash was a terrorist attack. Bohn was in shock. Apologizing to the nurse for abrupt departure, Bohn rushed from the health center to McComas Hall to find her Reflector coworkers and Frances McDavid, the newspaper’s faculty advisor at the time. It was around 8:15 a.m. central time, just 10 minutes after the Boeing 757 aircraft struck the south tower, when Bohn left the health center. As she walked to McComas, chaos ensued across campus. Drivers honked their horns, and everyone was yelling, “Oh my God! We

EDITOR, 2

Readerʼs Guide: Bad Dawgs

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9.15.21 by Reflector Editor - Issuu