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132nd YEAR ISSUE 8
TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1884
Noah Siano | The Reflector
Aeris Williams, a junior majoring industrial technology from Columbus, was Mississippi State University’s workhorse in Saturday’s 37-7 blowout of LSU. Williams rushed the ball 23 times for 146 yards, at one point wowing the crowd as he hurdled over LSU cornerback Andraez Williams.
WILLIAMS LEAPS OVER LSU JOSH BECK
STAFF WRITER
“I didn’t even know what was going to happen,” Mississippi State University running back Aeris Williams said Saturday night. “I didn’t know if I wanted to truck him or just go over him, so I just went over him.” Entering the weekend, the story surrounding SEC matchup between LSU and MSU was the prolific running of LSU’s Derrius Guice. However, after the 37-7 MSU victory, the hardnose running of MSU’s Williams stole the spotlight. Blowing through the Tiger defense for 146 yards on 23 carriers, Williams proved MSU entrusted the starting running back position to the right player. The coaches noted during the summer and fall camps that Williams made a conscious effort to put in the time and effort on the little things, like film review and mastering the playbook. Running back coach Greg Knox said Williams’ work ethic transcends his own play. As the leader of the running backs corps, Williams sets the example for younger and inexperienced players. “We’ve talked a lot about leadership,” Knox said “I think he has taken that role,
TUESDAY
and he is trying to bring everyone along with him and that is part of being a leader. It’s not always about being vocal. It’s about getting others to play at a higher level, and I think that’s what he is doing. He’s reaching out to everyone to play at a higher level.” Williams, a junior from Columbus, was quick to give credit to his teammates after the impressive win, understanding football is a team game at its core. “I just thank my offensive line.,” Williams said. “My offensive line was handling business. That’s the only reason that I had as many yards I did.” The Bulldog offensive line, while talented, was inconsistent during their first two games against Louisiana Tech University and Charleston Southern University. T h e s e inconsistencies can be attributed to three starters Elgton Jenkins, Stewart Reese and Darryl Williams being moved to new positions from last season or starting for the first time.
WEDNESDAY
However, against LSU, the offensive line worked as a
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
THURSDAY
collective unit to give quarterback N i c k Fitzgerald time. In the running game, they noticeably drove LSU defenders out of their way.
“They started believing in themselves, and we started believing in each other out there on the field, so we know what we can do,” Williams said. “We just go out there and execute on every play.” Head coach Dan Mullen was also very complimentary of his front five. Mullen said he knew the game was going to be decided in the trenches. “I thought they did an excellent job,” Mullen said. “I thought they came out at a pretty high level. They had some great talent on the defensive line. I was really proud. I wanted to come out and run the football, and they executed and we were able to do that.” Williams’ remarkable running adds balance to the Bulldog offense. Last season, Fitzgerald rushed for more yards than the top three running backs combined. The imbalance allowed defenses to key in on Fitzgerald and made the offense onedimensional. Williams alleviated the pressure off of Fitzgerald, most notably on a third and one near midfield in the third quarter. The Bulldogs capitalized on the game changing running by Williams, and lured the
FORECAST: Expect highs in the upper 80s and lows in
Reader’s Guide:
Tigers into committing to stop the run on the third down. Fitzgerald said after the game he was positive LSU was not going to give them the right look and he would have to audible to a different play. However, LSU loaded the box with nine players and brought their safety extremely close to the line
“They started believing in themselves, and we started believing in each other out there on the field, so we know what we can do.” -Aeris Williams, MSU running back of scrimmage to aid in run support. As the ball was hiked receiver Keith Mixon faked a block and streaked wide open down the field. The trap had been sprung. Fitzgerald faked the handoff to Williams and dropped the ball perfectly in stride to Mixon, a redshirt sophomore from
Birmingham, Alabama, who ran untouched into the end zone. After the game Mixon laughed about how the ball seemed to hang in the air indefinitely. “I was just trying not to drop the pass because I was so wide open,” Mixon said. After redshirting his freshman year, Mixon had a productive 2016 season finishing fourth on the team with 228 yards receiving and two touchdowns. However, as a veteran on the team Mixon knew it was his time. “I just had to stay patient. I pray about it every night and I’m not greedy, but I knew my time was going to come and I was just waiting for my number to be called,” Mixon said The win earned MSU national attention and their first appearance in the top 25 this season. In the USA Today coaches poll they are ranked No. 19 and in the AP poll they came in at No. 17. The MSU offense outscored their first three opponents by an average of 38 points. The Bulldogs hope to see this continue as they head to Athens, Georgia, this Saturday to play the No. 11 University of Georgia Bulldogs (3-0). The game will be at 6 p.m. and ESPN will televise it. Policy: Any person may
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
@REFLECTORONLINE
Effects of DACA rescission reach MSU EMMALYNE KWASNY
BAD DAWGS Thursday, September 14 10:45 p.m. Visitor reported a black male, making lewd acts, behind the Chapel of Memories. 12:42 p.m. Student reported he was hit in the crosswalk near McArthur Hall. 5:19 p.m. Student reported a bicycle chained to her bicycle at Colvard Student Union. 10:09 p.m. Student reported losing her car keys at Davis Wade Stadium at the Cowbell Yell. Nothing was found. Friday, September 15 12:29 p.m. Student reported his vehicle was hit while waiting at a light on Hardy Rd. 12:45 p.m. Student reported her vehicle vandalized while parked in Cresswell Hall parking lot. Saturday, September 16 1:12 a.m. Visitor was arrested at Magnolia Hall for domestic violence. 2:03 p.m. Visitor reported her Yeti cooler stolen from the Amphitheater. 7:10 p.m. Visitor was arrested in Davis Wade Stadium for disorderly conduct. 10:02 p.m. Juvenile was issued a citation for DUI 1st. Parents were called to pick up juvenile from MSU Police Department. Sunday, September 17 1:10 a.m. Student was arrested an arrest citation and student referral for possession of marijuana in Griffis Hall. 2:16 a.m. Students were arrested in the Junction for Petit Larceny. 8:18 p.m. Non-Resident was assaulted by his wife on Sep.16 near the soccer field. Subject said he did not want press charges.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“What would have happened if I’d been deported?” Karina Zelaya, Mississippi State University assistant professor of classical and modern languages and literature, asked herself this question. For Zelaya, the rescission of DACA brought up memories of childhood. At the age of 13, Zelaya entered the United States as an illegal immigrant. She was born in El Salvador during the 12-year Salvadoran Civil War. Her father escaped to the U.S. in 1990 because his life was endangered. Three years later, Zelaya joined her parents in the U.S. without proper documentation. Zelaya admitted it was pure luck she got into America as an illegal immigrant. Once in the U.S., Zelaya said she was in “legal limbo.” As an undocumented student, she had a social security card, but lacked a green card. “Had DACA existed in the 90s, I would have been a DACA student,” Zelaya said. At 13 years old, Zelaya said the thought of being deported was unbearable. As she grew older and began looking for colleges, her fear worsened. She said whenever she saw a police car, panic filled her, thinking an immigration agent had come to take her away from the country she considered her home. Zelaya was an exemplary student by all standards; she had a 3.9 GPA, graduated at the top of her class and was on the swim team. “Talk about a student with a drive,” Zelaya said. “I wanted education. I wanted access to education so badly. But because I came to this
country illegally, I did not have a visa. I didn’t have any refugee status. I completely lacked the proper documentation to go to school, to completely access the public services.” At 17, Zelaya applied to multiple colleges and received large scholarships from many. However, due to being an undocumented student, she was unable to accept federal financial aid, making it financially impossible to attend her dream schools. While earning her associate’s degree at a community college, Zelaya worked three jobs— paying for her schooling while simultaneously saving money in case she faced deportation. Despite discouragement,
Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue,” Trump Tweeted following the announcement. Zelaya, now a U.S. citizen, said she was deeply pained by the rescission of DACA, because she relates to the experiences of DACA students. “I can imagine the pain and the fear, I lived through that,” Zelaya said. “The fear is inexplicable, and they’re still trying to hold it together and perform well in the classes that they are in because they have to. The pressure that they’re under is unthinkable. They have done their best. They are finally making their dream of accessing higher
“I can imagine the pain and the fear, I lived through that. The fear is inexplicable, and they’re still trying to hold it together and perform well in the classes that they are in because they have to. The pressure that they’re under is unthinkable.” -Karina Zelaya, MSU professor born in El Salvador Zelaya said she did everything to be the best “citizen” she could be. “And yet, in the end, it seemed like none of that mattered. I was still treated like a criminal,” Zelaya said. “It was heartbreaking because the message was ‘it really doesn’t matter how good of a person you are. It doesn’t matter how good of a student you are. It all comes down to that legality.’” With the Trump administration’s recent announcement they would rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the 2,836 DACA recipients in Mississippi—the majority of whom are students in institutes of higher learning— are left in uncertainty, much like Zelaya in her childhood.. DACA, initiated by former President Barack Obama in 2012, grants immigrant children who meet certain guidelines a twoyear period of prosecutorial discretion, protecting them from deportation. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced President Donald Trump’s administration’s desire to rescind DACA on Sept. 5. Sessions said [DACA] “was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch.” To phase out DACA, the Department of Homeland Security is providing a sixmonth grace period to consider pending DACA requests and applications for work authorization. Individuals currently enrolled in the program will retain DACA status and work authorizations until their expiration. “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama
education true. They were promised security, they were promised that they were going to be protected and all of a sudden it’s like this huge slap or a bucket of cold water dumped on them like ‘Nevermind whatever we said, we’re not going to protect you.’ Devastating, total devastation.” While Mississippi State University has no official count of student recipients of the DACA program, Sid Salter, MSU chief communications officer, said in an email the university assumes it has students affected. Salter said MSU has no official record because immigration status is not required to enroll at the university. Salter said MSU President Mark Keenum wrote members of the Mississippi Congressional delegation urging them to give attention to the DACA issue. “The letter reads, in part, ‘Through no fault of their own, these young people have been placed in a situation which could have a dramatic effect on their lives at a critical time in pursuit of their higher education goals. I am hopeful Congress can act in a bipartisan way on this issue and create a fair and compassionate legislative remedy that would relieve concerns that have been thrust upon thousands of students now facing an uncertain future,’” Salter wrote in an email. Sarah Gresham Barr, MSU senior communication major with an emphasis in public relations, is taking action during the six-month period. Two days after the announcement to end DACA, Barr founded “Dawgs for DACA”, a group to raise awareness for DACA. Dawgs
for DACA wrote a petition on Tuesday to urge Mississippi congressmen to support a bill replacing the DACA protection; the petition has over 100 signatures. “We want our congressmen to act through the legislative process because whether or not the president has the power to provide those protections, we can do it through the law,” Barr said. Barr interned at Prevent Child Abuse Mississippi in 2015, where she worked with kids who were placed in unsafe situations, outside of their control. She said when she realized it was children and young adults who are at risk for deportation because of the DACA rescission, she knew she had to act. “I know a lot of these kids and young adults are facing maybe going back to countries where they don’t know anybody, countries that are torn apart by gang violence and a lot of bad situations, or they’re going to have to be on the run within the United States constantly worrying about being caught,” Barr said. “Nobody should have to fear for their life like that. This feels like a very small thing that I can do.” Barr said the rescindment of DACA contradicts MSU’s values of learning and hard work. “By standing up for it, I think it is a way to say ‘We’re students and we stand with students, we are working hard for our futures and we want to give other people the chance to work hard for their futures,’” she said. “I think it’s a way to say ‘We understand what our privilege has been and we want to extend it to others.’” Barr said she wants students to feel support through Dawgs for DACA. “We’re with you, we’re fighting for you and we believe in you and your ability to be here,” Barr said. “We think you’re important and worth it.” Regina Hyatt, vice president of student affairs, said the rescinding of DACA takes a personal toll on students because of uncertainty and she encouraged them to take advantage of the resources available in the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and Student Counseling Services. “Obviously, we want out students to be able to continue with their education and we want them to be able to graduate with their degree,” Hyatt said. “I think we’re all hoping that Congress will take supportive action for this group of students.” As reported by The New York Times on Thursday, Trump said he could support legislation to protect the young immigrants from deportation if it were accompanied by a “massive” border security upgrade. “We’re working on a plan for DACA,” Trump said.
THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
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ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY... ...in 1957, the United States detonated a 1.7 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground tunnel at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), a 1,375 square mile research center located 65 miles north of Las Vegas. The test, known as Rainier, was the first fully contained underground detonation and produced no radioactive fallout. A modified W-25 warhead weighing 218 pounds and measuring 25.7 inches in diameter and 17.4 inches in length was used for the test.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
OPINION
Should the U.S. renegotiate trade deals with South Korea?
STEVEN WEIRICH
is a senior majoring in economics. Contact him at opinion@reflector.msstate.edu.
In July of this year, the U.S. Trade Representative requested a session of meetings with the South Korean Trade Minister, where representatives from both countries could discuss renegotiating our free trade agreement. President Donald Trump has made frequent remarks and speeches concerning what he perceives to be the bad trade deals the U.S. finds itself in, so this meeting between the U.S. and South Korea would fit with his rhetoric. While I find fault with the President’s entire approach to our free trade agreements, I think it would
be particularly dreadful to try and renegotiate the South Korean trade deal right now. Former President George Bush first negotiated the free trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea, more commonly known as KORUS, in 2007. It was updated in 2010 under former President Barack Obama. According to Elena Holodny at Business Insider, the deal stipulates a rollback of tariffs for around 95 percent of goods within five years of implementation and enforces stronger intellectual property rights. KORUS was fully implemented in March of 2012, and, per Holodny, was the biggest trade deal for the U.S. since NAFTA. While it has only been in place for a little over five years, Trump assailed it as “unacceptable” and “horrible.” This fits in with
much of Trump’s rhetoric on other U.S. free trade agreements. To understand why it would be a mistake to try and renegotiate this deal, you should first consider it from an economic perspective. According to Noah Smith at Bloomberg View, engaging in free trade with South Korea works quite differently than trade with other nations, especially China. While we do not currently have a free trade agreement with China, it is the country most frequently cited as being a threat to America in the sphere of international trading. China and South Korea are both countries in East Asia that frequently run trade surpluses with the U.S. and rely on exports of manufactured goods to sustain their economy. One of the main reasons this situation is
different is because the two countries export mostly capital-intensive goods to one another (i.e. machinery, aircraft and automobiles). This means both countries are able to simultaneously benefit from trade, because companies in both countries get another market into which they can sell goods and consumers in each nation have an increased number of products they can buy. The other economic aspect brought up by Trump is the issue of U.S. trade deficits with South Korea. As I have already written an article on why trade deficits are an ineffective way to examine trade agreements, I will not delve into those details now. However, it is important to note while the U.S. does have a trade deficit with South Korea in manufactured goods, the U.S. holds a trade surplus in service exports.
Trivia Time!
Holodny noted in her article that for 2016, the U.S. maintained a 10.7 billion dollar surplus in service exports to South Korea. For these reasons, from an economic perspective, it would not be wise to try and renegotiate KORUS. The other aspect to consider is the current political situation between America and North Korea. Unless you have hid under a rock for the past couple of months, it would be impossible not to know at least some details about the increased tensions between America and the threatening rogue state. If America is serious about handling the increased tensions while avoiding any form of major nuclear incident, it is imperative we work closely with South Korea. According to Christine Kim with Reuters, the South Korean government proposed military talks
with North Korea over the summer in the hopes they could find a way to avoid a war on the Korean peninsula. It is far beyond the ability of this author to predict the outcome between these two countries, but it should be clear by now there is no solution to the North Korean issue that does not heavily involve South Korea as well. When you look at both the economic benefits from the trade deal and the current sticky political situation on the Korean peninsula, it does not make sense for this administration to pursue a renegotiation of KORUS. We need to work closely with the South Koreans in the immediate future, and the last thing the White House should want to do is to drag down our allies in trade discussions over a deal working quite well for both nations.
REFLECTIONS Frederick Douglass
1. The last time MSU beat a ranked opponent (before Saturday night) was in 1942. Who was the opponent? 2. What is the fastest fish in the ocean? 3. According to Guiness World Records, which author has the most published works?
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
Source: MSU Media Relations triviaq.fyi
Answer: 1. Vanderbilt University , 2. Sailfish, 3. Ron Hubbard
Why some athletes refuse to stand for the national anthem JONATHAN BAIN STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 14, 2016, Colin Kaepernick did something during a preseason game that angered many: he sat down during the national anthem. Several days to follow, the media frenzy was in motion. Kaepernick addressed the media in the locker-room after a preseason game. “I am not going to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way,” Kaepernick said. “There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.” Many more athletes began joining Kaepernick in protest and he announced he would donate one million dollars to charities focusing on racial issues. Media outlets and multiple individuals, both within the NFL sphere and outside of it, grilled those who remain seated or kneel in solidarity with Kaepernick. Some of the notable backlash received by these protestors came from former Super Bowl winner Trent Dilfer, Hall of Famer Jim Brown and President Donald Trump. With such a variety of criticism coming from different sources, one has to wonder why everyone is so angry over the protests.
Jennifer McFadden, The Reflector
According to The Atlantic, The Guardian and The Washington Post, the most cited reasons for the outrage is perceived disrespect. Disrespect not only for the U.S. and the flag but also disrespect for the troops and law enforcement officers who risk their lives to serve under the flag. Kaepernick stated from the beginning that the protest was not aimed to detract from the military or even the country as a whole, but the protests were aimed at shedding light on a flawed justice system and the discrepancies between daily lives of white
Americans and Americans of color. With the start of the 2017 NFL season, we see the national anthem protest continue to spread. With lines of division over the issue still firmly drawn in the sand, I wanted to shed light on what I think the real problem is with national anthem protests. People care more about these athletes kneeling than they care about the reasoning behind it. These players have a larger platform than most Americans and are trying to use it positively to give a voice to those who face injustice.
CONTACT INFORMATION Editor in Chief/Emmalyne Kwasny
life@reflector.msstate.edu
Managing Editor/Sam Gibson
Photography Editor/Olivia Zeringue
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We allow ourselves to be divided based on frivolous things and then demand those on the opposite of us come to our side for unity to abound. The media cannot cover what is not there. We cannot be upset the media is giving division a primetime slot on the news when we are responsible for it. Division stems from selfishness. We all have our respective positions and we refuse attempts at understanding someone with a position contrary to our own. It is always the job of someone else to understand us—not the
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Life Editor/Will Wells
325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu
News Editor/Devin Edgar
Unfortunately, that message does not resonate with individuals who cannot empathize with the struggles fellow Americans who have a different skin color may face. If we dig deeper, the root causes of this misunderstanding are division and selfishness. I often see people angrily complain about how the media is creating division and fanning the flames of racism. To an extent that is true, but placing all blame on the media is taking the easy way out. Responsibility for division must first be taken at the individual level.
other way around. An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind. The same logic applies: if the responsibility to understand is constantly ignored, then there will be no understanding. We are selfish, not only because we do not want to understand, but also because we are too comfortable where we are. It is too easy to ignore the struggles of someone else, the motivations for why someone might be a Democrat instead of a Republican, or why someone chooses not to attend church. We do not want to reach out to those different than us. It makes us uncomfortable, it may mean breaking our ordinary routine or being inconvenienced. The real problem with national anthem protests is not that you perceive them as being disrespectful, it is that you lack the compassion, empathy and love to see beyond your own understanding of the issue. There will always be turmoil and strife in the U.S., and globally, until we all realize other humans mean more than superficial divisions that keep us apart. While this does not mean we cannot have our preferences and different belief systems, it means we should not be so entrenched within them we fail to see the significant importance of walking a mile in someone else’s shoes.
Online Editor/Collin Smith multimedia_editor@reflector.msstate.edu Advertising Sales/Johnson Cooke
Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector.msstate.edu.
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The Reflector is the official student newspaper of Mississippi State University. Content is determined solely by the student editorial staff. The contents of The
THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 @REFLECTORONLINE
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
5
A first-year student’s experience at Bulldog Bash EMMA MOFFETT STAFF WRITER
Bulldog Bash: a night of friends, music and body odor galore. As a first-time attendee of Bulldog Bash, it was a success and a night to remember. Watching Elliot Root, Vinyl Theatre and DNCE within arm’s length was a once in a lifetime experience. Despite being further from campus, moving locations to Downtown Starkville was a smart move. Downtown Starkville was spacious and provided more room for everyone in attendance. There was even space for street vendors throughout the concert. While the show was spectacular, there are a few words of wisdom I hope future attendees of Bulldog Bash take into consideration for next year. First, wear an excessive amount of deodorant. If you think have too much on, you are wrong. Many of my fellow spectators missed that memo. As they waved their arms in excitement to Vinyl Theatre top hits, I hit by an ungodly wave of body odor. Yes, it is hot and people will sweat, but please, wear plenty of deodorant for the sake of those around you. Second, do not wear heels. Walking, standing and
the Barnacles, Elliot Root and Vinyl Theatre put on an amazing show. The Mississippi State University Student Association makes a conscious effort to get bands students will enjoy so it is definitely worth getting there early to enjoy that part of the experience. Fifth, find a spot and stay there. In your head, it might sound like a good idea to push through the crowd to get closer, but after a certain point, there is physically no room to get closer to the stage. If you want to be in the front, you should arrive for the first lineup, not 15 minutes before the headliner takes the stage. Ramming into people is only going to leave you frustrated and make everyone else around you angry. Pick a place to enjoy the concert and stay in that place. No cares if it’s your birthday or if you are Joe Jonas’ longlost fraternal twin. Everyone is there for the same reason Rachel Bowman | The Reflector as you: to enjoy the music and DNCE performed on stage as the headliners for this year’s Bulldog Bash on Friday. Hood Baby & the Barnacles, Elliot Root and Vinyl Theatre also performed on the main stage. have a good time. Overall, Bulldog Bash jumping for hours in anything mustache are on the stage strangers. it is unlikely anyone will leave a exceeded my expectations. other than tennis shoes or performing. It will be hot, sweaty concert in pristine condition. Every band gave a spectacular converses is a sure-fire way Third, consider what you and smelly. Wear something Fourth, arrive early. The live performance and the to end up with permanent are wearing. You are about comfortable, loose and avoid height of the crowds was crowds responded with blisters. to get up-close and personal pleather at all costs. Every towards the end of the night enthusiasm. I am sure next Nobody is looking at your with about 30,000 people, band member on stage was when DNCE took the stage. year will be equally impressive feet when Joe Jonas and his most of whom are probably noticeably soaked in sweat so However, Hood Baby & and just as entertaining.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrated on campus EMMA DRAY BRASWELL CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual celebration of Hispanic culture that takes place each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. Because many people are unaware of the month, Kei Mamiya, the program coordinator at the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, said she is helping host multiple events around campus to give the month more recognition. One of the main events for the month is a photo gallery called “Aqúi Estamos, Here We Are,” by José Galvez. “The photo gallery is opened currently, and we’re coordinating with the Latino Student Association and the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center,” said Mamiya. Galvez’ photographs capture Latino culture in America, using black and white perspectives to add strength and depth to the collection. This gallery will continue until the Sept. 29 in the Union Art Gallery. There are also several events going on around campus today. The Latino Student Association will host a welcome lunch for Galvez from 12 to 1 p.m. in Suite 220 of the Colvard Union, which will provide first come, first serve lunch to the students.
Olivia Zeringue | The Reflector
Mississippi State University students enjoyed Salsa in the Streets as well as other Hispanic Heritage Month events last year on Sept. 22.
There will also be a photo gallery reception with Galvez from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Union Art Gallery. Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, the Latino Student Association and Center for Student Activities will host this event. A keynote address will take place in the Foster Ballroom from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Sept. 19. Galvez will speak to students, telling the audience more about his art. The next event the Latino Student Association will host this month is Salsa in the Streets, which will be
at Lee Hall Plaza in front of Lee Hall on the Drill Field. This event provides free food and an introductory salsa lesson from 7 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 21. Los Tres Amigos will provide live music throughout the event. The International Student Advisory Board’s Coffee, Culture and Conversation is a monthly event, will take place on Sept. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m.
They will host this month’s event in association with the
Latino Student Association. The theme of the event will be “Immigration and Rights.” This will allow attendees to explore different cultures, specifically focusing on immigration and rights while drinking free Starbucks’ coffee. There is also a discussion on Sept. 28 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. This event is called “Ask a Latino” and will take place in Fowlkes Auditorium in the Colvard Student Union. The panel of will consist of members of the Latino Student Association who are willing to answer questions about their experiences as Latinos. A fundraiser for the Latino Student Association, Taco Tuesday, will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Drill Field on Oct. 3. The last event the Latino Student Association and
Holmes Cultural Diversity Center are bringing to campus is the Hispanic Heritage Month Closing Ceremony. The ceremony will be in the Dawg House on Oct. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m. Although this is the second year the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and the Latino Student Association hosted a full slate of events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Mamiya said the events have become a major focus for the organization. “Everyone involved is working to make it a bigger deal,” Mamiya said. “Because the Latino community is currently the biggest minority group in the United States, we’re trying to acknowledge them. We want to provide opportunities for students to learn about different cultures.”
Whatshappenin in Starkville this week
Thursday, September 21st
Jon Langston
Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern 9:00pm - 12:00am
Keatzi Gunmoney Two Brothers BBQ 10:00pm - 12:00am
Friday, September 22nd
Halfway to St. Patty’s Day Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern 9:00pm - 1:00am
Saturday, September 23rd
Brad Foutch
Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern 10:00pm - 1:00am
Sunday, September 24th
Jimmy Redd
Dave’s Dark Horse Tavern 8:00pm - 10:00pm
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
SPORTS
MSU finds kicker in walk-on Jace Christmann Head coach Dan Mullen struggled to find a kicker who could hit the ball through the uprights. However, after Saturday night, he may have finally found his man in Jace Christmann. Coming into the season there was a three-way position battle between Chistmann, Jacob Lawless and Tucker Day. Day, a true freshman who was an U.S. Army AllAmerican in high school, was one of the top ranked punters in the country coming onto the team. He was moved to kicker to start the season in hopes he would fix the team’s kicking woes. Day won the job for the first game of the season, but after going 1-3 on field goals against Charleston Southern and missing two extra points against Louisiana Tech, Mullen decided to work Christmann on some extra points instead of Day.
Christmann, a walk-on freshman, went 3-3 on extra points against Louisiana Tech. He said he was told on Friday he would be the starting kicker against LSU. “I knew he (Day) was going to be the guy going into the beginning of the season,” Christmann said. “So I just prayed and prayed and prayed that one day I would get my opportunity and I did. From there you just have to take advantage of it. Mississippi State University was tied with LSU at seven, and both teams had just scored touchdown downs. The momentum could have gone either way at that point in the game. The pressure was on for the native Houston, Texas, to walk out and hit a 30yard field goal. As he stepped up to take the kick, fans collectively held their breath. Unfazed, Christmann knocked the ball through the uprights. Mullen said players can make field goals all day
Player[s] of the Week
SEC DEFENSIVE LINEMAN #94
JEFFERY SIMMONS SEC OFFENSIVE LINEMAN #73
DARRYL WILLIAMS
Noah Siano | The Reflector
Jace Christmann, from Houston, Texas, went 3-3 on field goals against LSU with a long of 45-yards. The Bulldogs beat LSU 37-7.
in practice, but he said he never knows how the crowd will affect a player on gameday. “You just kind of relax and know this is what I do all day, every day,” Christmann said. “So just trust the snapper, the holder, the o-line and just
knock it through.” He also credited his ability to stay calm to his holder Logan Cooke, who is MSU’s punter. “He makes me feel comfortable. He just tells me I got it and puts it down,” Chrismann said. “He was right.”
Christmann handled himself pretty well on Saturday, making the mentioned 30-yard field goal and following it up with 45-yard and 27-yard field goals. The crowd cheered loudly for each one. “It was pretty awesome,” Christmann said. “You
know, because Mississippi State last season kind of struggled on that side of the game. So this year, being able to hit three of them tonight and hear the crowd erupt like that, it was a dream come true and a blessing.” Christmann dressed out some games last season but never was redshirted, due to not seeing time on the field. He played in the spring game, missing a 27yard field goal. Going into this season he said changed his approach, which made a big difference. “I think my biggest issue all of last year was that, I think, I was going at the ball way too fast,” Christmann said. “I just slowed down and really figured out that I should trust my leg.” Christmann will have another kicking opportunity in No. 17 MSU’s matchup with No. 11 University of Georgia on Saturday. The game is in Athens, Georgia, and ESPN will broadcast it. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.
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SEC OFFENSIVE PLAYER #7
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Maddawgs get revenge on Ole Miss KATIE POE
STAFF WRITER
The Maddawgs, the Mississippi State University Rugby Club, got their second win of the season Friday night, beating Ole Miss in a 36-13 victory. Last year, the Maddawgs lost to the Rebels by 16 points. This year, the word “revenge” was whispered by many players before Friday’s game. Ashton Yates, a senior majoring in kinesiology, said he thinks the Maddawgs won because of their growth in the past year. “It felt great not only to win, but to dominate them in the fashion we did,” Yates said. “As for the difference from last year to this year, it is absolutely the extra year of experience for our young team and the great coaching from Randy Pannell and Jeff Pilgrim.”
Yates, from Olive Branch, talked about how intense the Ole Miss rivalry is across all sports, not just scholarship sports.
“It felt great not only to win, but to dominate them in the fashion we did.” -Ashton Yates, senior kinesiology major “Losing to Ole Miss last year, especially in a blowout, has sat on my mind personally,” Yates said. “Although rugby does not get the same publicity as football does, the Egg Bowl rivalry is real for us, too.” Assistant coach Jeff
Pilgrim said the Maddawgs’s strength was their offense. He said the players showed “great teamwork” with six tries by six different players. A try is the rugby equivalent to a touchdown and is worth five points. Alexander Schultz, Alex Cox, John Detamore, Mikey Tominson, Andrea Melchiorre and Chase Phillips made the scores. MSU’s record is now 2-1 after defeating Memphis 42-12 and losing in a “heart breaker” to Georgia, 19-14. “It always feels good defeating the team up north,” Pilgrim said. “It was great to win our first home match against such a big rival and show our fans all the hard work the team has put in to produce such an explosive win.” The Maddawgs next home game is against Kentucky at 1 p.m. on Sept. 30 at the multi-purpose fields.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017 @SPORTSREFLECTOR
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Electric atmosphere leads to dominant Bulldog victory Taylor rayburn SporTS ediTor
There were few places on Saturday night with more electricity and energy than Davis Wade Stadium, the energy Dan Mullen and his team harnessed to blowout LSU in a 37-7 victory. For many around the country, the upset of then No. 12 LSU (2-1, 0-1) was a shock, but to quarterback Nick Fitzgerald and the No. 17 Mississippi State University football team (30, 1-0) it was expected. “Honestly anyone inside this entire football facility, this entire week, they were never said it was going to be called an upset,” Fitzgerald said. “We knew we were going to be able to come out there and play with them.”
A night to remember in DAvis WADe
Following the game, Mullen and the players who talked to the media raved about the crowd and their impact. 60,596 fans packed the stadium for the SEC opener. They were loud throughout the night and after every play the cheers grew louder and louder. At one point, Bully crowd surfed in the student section. On Saturday night, Davis Wade turned into one big party and the players joined in the fun, jumping around and doing their part to hype the crowd. Mullen spoke after the game about the energy, giving the fans credit saying they deserved “a huge round of applause.” “Our student body and the fans were unbelievable tonight,” Mullen said. “They created an unbelievable atmosphere with a homefield advantage; we took
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“Our student body and the fans were unbelievable tonight,” head coach Dan Mullen said of the crowd Saturday. “They created an unbelievable atmosphere with a home-field advantage.”
advantage of that.”
offensive bAlAnce WAs key
On the field, MSU picked up momentum early behind the duo of running back Aeris Williams and quarterback Nick Fitzgerald. Williams was MSU’s workhorse, carrying the ball 23 times for 146 rushing yards, an average of 6.3 yards a carry. While Williams never scored, the payoff for MSU came in the third quarter when MSU ran a playaction fake to Williams and fooled the LSU defense. The fake left wide receiver Keith Mixon wide open down the field for a 45-yard touchdown pass. Mixon was Fitzgerald’s favorite target Saturday night, catching the ball nine times for 97 yards. Using the run to set up the pass helped MSU create a balance between running
the football and passing the football, something Williams said was key. “We were balanced, so that helped everybody out,” Willaims said. “The offensive line, the quarterback and the receivers, we all did a great job tonight and LSU could not stop us.”
energy level is the Difference on Defense There is a huge difference between the defense MSU fielded last season and the one they field this season. Players talked about how firstyear defensive coordinator
“Honestly anyone inside this entire football facility, this entire week, they never said it was going to be called an upset.” -Nick Fitzgerald, MSU quarterback The most mismatched position was at quarterback. LSU had a game manager in Danny Etling, MSU had a game changer in Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald scored four touchdowns, two on the ground and two in the air. He also had 90 rushing yards and went 15-23 through the air for 180 passing yards.
Todd Grantham brought more energy to the defense with their motto of “fast, physical and aggressive”, but defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons noted after the game that Grantham cannot make them play with energy on the field. They as players have to do it. “We have that mindset
that we want to be undefeated and we just come to practice every day,” Simmons said. “I feel like whatever we do at practice needs to contribute to the game. Guys come to practice every day with their energy and it has paid off in the game.” Simmons was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week last week and followed up that performance with another big showing Saturday night. He was third on the team in tackles with seven, he also had 1.5 sacks and two QB hurries. Before the game, the defensive players talked about how they needed to key in on LSU running back Derrius Guice. They did this, limiting the running back to 75 yards on 15 carries and no touchdowns.
JAce christmAnn, MSU’S new kicker
Coming into the season,
the most competitive position battle was at kicker. That battle had raged on the past couple weeks, but it was put to rest tonight as Jace Christmann took control of the job. He went 3-3 Saturday night, making kicks of 30, 45 and 27 yards. Christmann found out Friday night he would replace Tucker Day as starting kicker for the first time. “He had the best stats at practice this week so we went with him and took advantage of him,” Mullen said. “He took advantage of the opportunity and did a heck of a job.” The play of Logan Cooke was another big special teams victory. Cooke punted the ball three times, none of which were returned, for an average of 46 yards. He downed two inside the LSU 20. Five of his eight kickoffs were touchbacks, and the two that were not, the LSU return man was downed inside the 25-yard line. Overall, Cooke provided a huge field position advantage for MSU.
on the roAD to no. 11 georgiA
The win earned MSU national attention and an appearance in the AP and coaches’ poll. They are ranked No. 19 in the coaches poll and No. 17 in the AP poll. MSU does not have time to rest on their laurels as they travel to Athen, Georgia, to take on the No. 11 University of Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) who have an impressive win 20-19 over Notre Dame earlier in the season. The game will kickoff at 6 p.m and ESPN will broadcast it.
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THE REFLECTOR TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2017
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