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Waide named MSU student attorney BY MICAH GREEN News Editor
In addition to his duties in the classroom, Whit Waide has been appointed Mississippi State University’s student attorney. Bill Kibler, vice president of student affairs, said the position was implemented in order to provide students and student organizations free legal advice. Student attorneys have been in use on campuses across the country for years, but Waide will be the first to hold the title at MSU. “Dr. Kibler was kind of the brains behind the idea,” Waide said. “When he was at Florida and Texas A&M, they both had big student attorney offices with like three and four attorneys, and I think he and Dr. Keenum had been throwing around the idea for a while.” Kibler said students can receive advice on nearly anything that constitutes some legal issue, but there are two important limitations. “If a student has a legal issue or concern with the university or if a student has a legal issue or concern with another student, (Waide) will
not be able to advise them,” Kibler said. Waide said he is optimistic about his new post and said he thinks it will be a great asset to the student body, especially financially. “There are things that a student attorneys office can do, just in a very general sense,” he said. “So you don’t have to go out to an attorney that would give you expensive advice that may not be so helpful.” Waide will be splitting time at his office in Bowen Hall and at his new office in Lee Hall in the office of Student Affairs. The position will be part time, however. “Mainly I am a professor in the political science department,” he said. “But maybe 25 percent of my day will be spent in the student affairs office.” Waide also said he wants to stress this is not simply a place to come to get advice if you are in legal trouble. “If you want to talk about law school or anything law related really, that’s what I am here for,” he said. The exact office hours have not been announced. Anyone seeking more information can contact the office of Student Affairs.
THE PEOPLE’S PROFESSOR
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BY MICAH GREEN | News Editor hit Waide and Tate Reeves, state treasurer at the time, were having problems. The Medicaid program was running out of money, and they desperately needed an emergency appropriation. Waide, not too far removed from law school, and Reeves, who was elected at the age of 29, were two of the youngest people at the Capitol that day, and they could barely get a word in with legislators. They finally heard the house go into session over the intercom system that blasted through the hallways. Waide was relieved. “Things were getting serious over there” Waide said he remembered thinking: “Granny may be without her oxygen tanks.” SEE WAIDE,
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JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
QEP to improve curriculum MSU has fiveyear plan BY LINDSAY MCMURTRAY
ARTIST RENDITION | MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
Senior class gift reinstated BY RACHEL MUSTAIN Staff Writer
In May, another senior class will graduate from Mississippi State University, but this class will leave its mark. Student Association President Rhett Hobart and the Class Council have reinstated a class gift project for the 2012 seniors by bringing back a famous
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MSU landmark, the bullring. The bullring was a gift from the class of 1933 and was located across from the YMCA building until construction of Colvard Student Union required its removal. It was a marble bench encircling an oak tree next to Highway 12, which once ran through campus. Students gathered there while waiting for rides and would “shoot the bull” which gave the bench its name. SEE BULLRING, 3
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POLICY
Staff Writer
Officials at Mississippi State University have begun the brainstorming process for the new Quality Enhancement Plan, a five-year plan to improve student learning at MSU. Connie Forde, QEP co-chairperson, said the QEP is a required part of the reaffirmation of MSU’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.
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She said one way MSU creates the QEP is by conducting listening sessions with faculty, students and staff. “The purpose is to hear ideas about how undergraduate student learning can be improved,” Forde said. “How can we be better related to undergraduate student learning.” QEP co-chairperson Angi Bourgeois said the committee is also looking for what MSU does well to use as examples for improvement. “We ask students what is the best thing about your educational experience at MSU,” she said. “Because when we learn what we do very well, we might be able to figure out how to do other things that well.”
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Bourgeois said MSU is required to include broad-based participation, which the QEP committee interpreted to include anyone who is a stakeholder in MSU’s education, including alumni and future employers. She said because of this interpretation, the committee is also conducting listening sessions with alumBourgeois ni, advisory boards and employers who participate in the MSU career days for opinions on the education MSU graduates received.
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Instead of the emergency appropriation, however, a debate began on whether or not to make hunting a constitutional right in the state. Waide was furious. He knew that was it. The five years in the court system had worn him down. Eager to find another way to contribute to society, Waide saw no other option than to uproot his life in Jackson and relocate 125 miles northeast on Highway 25 to Starkville. “I left Jackson with my friends thinking I had lost my mind, I sold my house; I sold a bunch of stuff,� he said. “It was very unsettling.� He was going to teach political science at Mississippi State University, something he had wanted to do since he was a child. He said he lost sight of this dream while attending Millsaps. He had originally planned to pursue a doctorate after graduating, but after repeated warnings from professors saying this venture would be a waste of time, Waide caved and chose law school. “Mainly I did it because I thought life would be like a John Grisham novel and that I would make a shit ton of money, and that was dumb,� he said. For Waide, being a professor was an opportunity to show students how broken the world really is. College experiences coupled with time as an attorney gave him a desire to advise young minds on how to navigate through, he said. And coming from a long line of poor Irish farmers that had, in recent decades, settled just 20 miles from Starkville in West Point, Waide saw no place better to accomplish this than Mississippi State. “State to me was always kind of this shining city on the hill,� he said. “It kind of, to me, represented a lot of things I wanted to do.� Even so, Waide admits the transition was the hardest thing he has ever done and said despite his love for the university, he questioned his decision for a year or two. Today, Waide is past those questions, and his passion for everything maroon is all but subtle. His office can be overwhelming. A football sits on his desk, along with a small oscillating fan and a slew of papers. Flags hang from the ceiling, a poster of Anthony Dixon hurdling an Ole Miss defender rests on a coffee table next to me and there are, of course, the books. The books are everywhere. The seven-foot-tall bookshelf is crammed full, and nearly every other available surface is stacked with the overflow. He fancies himself a “book farmer.� Waide also has a deep desire to write. Besides writing his own textbook (one that he hopes to update soon), Waide is in the process of writing “Mythassippi� with fellow professor Bryan Shoup. The book will cover parts of Mississippi history most people, according to Waide, have no knowledge of. Specifically the enormous Irish influence Waide feels is overlooked. “The University Press of Mississippi is interested in the project, so this is less of a pipe dream than some of my other ideas,� he said. In 2006, Waide read an interview with Morgan Freeman in Vanity Fair. In the interview, Freeman expressed an interest in playing Bass
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continued from 1 Reeves, one of the first black men to be deputized as a United States Marshal, on the silver screen “He was one of the guys known for taming the West,� Waide said. “And, of course, nobody knows this, but he was the model for the Lone Ranger character, who you realize is white.� After reading the interview, he drove to his office and spent the entire weekend writing a script, sleeping under his desk when he wasn’t writing. The next week he tweaked it a bit, and sent it out to Freeman’s agent and everywhere else he could think of. There were no promising responses. “I was pissed,� Waide said. “So, I got in the car and drove to Charleston.� South Carolina, that is. He made his way to Freeman’s home, stuffed the script into a plastic grocery bag and tossed the bag over the fence. Waide said he thought, “Man, Morgan Freeman will be out there riding horses, and he will see this and wonder what the hell it is, pick it up and I’ll make my movie and a million dollars, and I’ll give half of it to State.� And he would too. The man loves MSU and Starkville with a ferocity most reserve for a child or maybe a significant other. Just ask one of his 6,108 followers on Twitter. Waide said he never intended on gathering a cult following, but it has certainly worked out that way. He entered the Twitterverse like most have, with two intentions: follow celebrities, and build a personalized news wire. “I was on a plane with a guy who was from New Orleans, and he was laughing at the Saints he was following, so I asked him what it was,� Waide said. “That was the first time I had heard of it.� That was in 2008. Almost four years later, Waide is the unofficial voice of the Bulldogs, whose rants are both infamous and famous, depending on who you ask. Twitter has been the vehicle for a grass roots movement in the MSU community, he said. “When someone tweets at Scott (Stricklin) and asks him when the Dog Walk is, and he tweets back, all of a sudden 14,000 fans know exactly when and where the players will walk to the stadium,� Waide said. “That’s amazing to me.� Nowhere is this more evident, than the “Grindin’�campaign. Taken from a post-game quote from Dixon, Waide saw “Grindin’ for My State� as a chance to bring the entire MSU community together. The phrase has gone from obscure reference to battle cry and unofficial slogan in two short years. All of this, thanks to Twitter. “If I had to point to the one thing that makes (Twitter) worthwhile, that’s it,� he said. Waide said he has been approached everywhere from a train station in Washington D.C. to the beaches in Florida, and everyone says the same thing: “I want you to know that I know who you are and that I am “grindin’ for my state.’� And every time, Waide is blown away. “It was never my intent to put myself out there in this way,� he said. “It just kind of happened like that, and I gradually started feeling an obligation to it.� He has adjusted to “fame� relatively well, he said. Even though he never intended on acquiring this position, Waide said he considers the audience he is speaking to on a daily basis. “(Twitter) is just too strong of a tool and too useful for me to just sort of abandon it now, because I have too many people reading it,� he said. Waide has brought MSU together in ways he could have never imagined. His popularity, much like his career change, was never in his plans, but he intends on using it to benefit MSU and Starkville in any way he can. The more followers, the better. Editor’s note: Whit Waide serves as the chair of the publication board committee.
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BULLRING The class gift project began in 1922 when the graduating class of Mississippi A&M gave the columns which stand at the campus entrance from University Drive, but for unknown reasons the project stopped in the 1990s. Hobart and Senior Class Council President Besty Acklen have worked to bring back the project and are now beginning fundraising to restore the bullring to its original location outside the Union. Fundraising began with a lead gift of $25,000 from the Alumni Association. Jimmy Abraham, director of the Alumni Association, said the bullring has a special meaning to alumni who were at MSU when it was here. “We can’t think of any other project that will connect alumni and students like this one, and we are happy to partner with the senior class of 2012 to restore this historic landmark,” he said. Hobart said an additional $15,000 to $25,000 is needed to complete the restoration. The money will go to repairing damages, adding marble basing for support, landscaping and a brick circle around the base. Seniors can contribute to the project by purchasing one of 300 bricks which will be engraved with their names. Hobart said the first brick has been purchased in memory of Nick Bell who would be in this year’s graduating class. “Professor Whit Waide is going to purchase an engraved brick for Nick Bell to kick off the fundraising, and then we hope other students
TUESDAY , JANUARY 31, 2012
ZACK ORSBORN | THE REFLECTOR
will follow that path and buy the other 299 bricks to make the circle,” he said. Acklen generated the fundraising plan idea for the class gift. She said she chose bricks because it connects students to the project by having their name on part of the gift. “People that sat on the bullring engraved it, and where it won’t have our (the senior class’) engravings, it will have our bricks with our names on it, so we are a part of it too,” Acklen said. Hobart said the bullring is expected to be completed six to eight months before the start of the fall semester. He said it is a special way for the seniors to leave behind their legacy as the first class to have a class gift after such a long time.
Faculty meeting discusses Early Start program, tuition want our academic quality to suffer.” Provost Jerry Gilbert announced The speakers at the Mississippi that another future goal of the uniState University faculty meeting versity is to increase the number of discussed a few plans to improve faculty. Since student enrollment is MSU in upcoming years. With reaccreditation by the continuing to rise, MSU also plans Southern Association of Colleges to increase its faculty accordingly. and Schools approaching in 2014, The current student-to-faculty ratio is 20-to-1, but MSU President Mark the target ratio to Keenum said he wants reach is 18-to-1 to be ready. within the next few Part of the way years. Keenum said he intends Gilbert said MSU to prepare is by putting officials are not only into action a Quality looking to increase Enhancement Plan for the number of facthe professors. ulty on staff, but the The QEP is a plan diversity of faculty, that focuses on key as well. learning issues of our MARK KEENUM, “We need to inMSU students and crease the diversity carefully designs learn- MSU PRESIDENT in our faculty, but ing opportunities that we’re still after qualenhance student learning. The plan is partnered with the ity,” Gilbert said. “We want quality pools with diverse candidates SACS reaffirmation process. According to MSU’s website, in them.” MSU also will be implementing the proposed QEP will be submitted during the 2014 SACS cam- a program in an effort to help inpus visit, and after approval it will coming freshmen better adjust to be submitted as a five-year plan. SACS will review the results at the fifth-year interim report in 2019. MSU could also see an increase in tuition to match the growing number of students. Spring enrollment has already risen by 438 since last semester. Keenum said an increase in tuition could be necessary to maintain the quality of education. “We will increase tuition if we are not adequately funded by the state,” Keenum said. “We don’t BY CANDACE BARNETTE Staff Writer
“We will increase tuition if we are not adequately funded by the state.”
college life. The program is called “Early Start,” and the plan is to bring in 150 freshmen early. They will be able to move into residence halls and begin classes in the summer before the other students arrive. The program will run from July 3 to Aug. 6 this summer. The Early Start selection committee is already in the process of reviewing applicants. Students will be able to take courses in fine arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, mathematics and statistics and natural sciences. “We think it should take some pressure off during the fall semester, inspire an early connection to MSU, increase retention and help us to better connect with students,” Gilbert said. Gilbert continued on the importance of student retention. He said MSU plans to get involved before students fail, rather than holding off until it is too late. “We should intervene when students are on probation instead of waiting until they are on suspension,” he said. “We can offer advising and special
courses while it’s still early.” The speakers also discussed the status of several ongoing projects. David Shaw, vice president for research and economic development, said the Cotton Mills project is still continuing to develop. “The project is very complex, but we’re continuing to move forward,” he said. Upon completion, the Cotton Mill Marketplace project should include a mixed-use facility with residential opportunities, restaurants, retail, office space and a hotel/conference/meeting center. MSU is continuing to grow and evolve through these different programs. “We’re working hard to establish where we are and where we’re going as a university,” Shaw said.
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continued from 1 “It is a great way for us, being the newest alumni of the university, to do a project that is really special to a lot of alumni. Anybody you talk to who was at MSU in the ‘30s to ‘70s remembers the bullring. It is where everybody used to be,” Hobart said. “Being the newest alumni, it is really special for us to be able to leave this in partnership with the Alumni Association for the generations to come through here in the future.” Bricks can be purchased and other donations may be made through the MSU Foundation. The SA website will have information about making donations online or obtaining a pledge card. Acklen said anyone interested in the bullring is welcome to make a donation. Bricks are reserved for seniors to be purchased at $50, and additional donation levels will be honored on a plaque. “If you can’t necessarily have a brick or give enough for your name to be on the plaque, you can give $20.12 for the class of 2012,” Acklen said. Abraham said this gift is significant because it will be on campus forever and will remind generations of future students of the great experiences this senior class had at MSU. He said it sends a great message that students wanted to give something back to MSU before they graduate. He also said he encourages seniors to purchase a brick because $50 over the course of a lifetime is like a penny compared to having your name remembered forever.
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Friday, January 27
DAWGS
• 1:04 a.m. A student was arrested for minor in possession of alcohol on Russell Street. • 1:04 a.m. A student was arrested for disregard for a traffic device and driving under the influence on Russell Street. • 9:13 a.m. A student needed medical assistance for possible heart attack at the Wise Center. Subject was not transported to OCH Regional Medical Hospital. • 11:43 a.m. A nonresident/visitor was arrested for false pretense on MSU campus. Justice Court citation was issued. • 12:32 p.m. An employee reported missing property from the Physics and Astronomy Department located in Hilbun Hall. • 12:45 p.m. A student reported his or her keys missing from an unknown location.
Saturday, January 28
• 12:23 a.m. A student was arrested for possession of fake identification at Rick’s Cafe in Starkville. • 1:05 a.m. A student was arrested for driving on a one-way roadway, driving under the influence and possession of alcohol by a minor on University Drive. • 11:07 a.m. A student was arrested for DUI and possession of alcohol by a minor in Starkville. • 12:11 p.m. A student reported receiving a harassing phone call from his or her roommate’s mother in Rice Hall. • 8:36 p.m. A student reported his or her vehicle damaged and a note left on the windshield while parked in Sessums Hall parking lot. • 10:06 p.m. A student was arrested for possession of alcohol by a minor and fake identification in Starkville. • 10:40 p.m. A student was arrested for possession of alcohol by a minor in Starkville. • 10:48 p.m. A student was arrested for possession of alcohol by a minor on University Drive.
Sunday, January 29
• 12:59 a.m. A student was arrested for speeding and suspended driver’s license. • 10:22 a.m. A student reported some money stolen from their wallet in Rice Hall. • 12:01 p.m. A student was arrested for possession of marijuana in Starkville.
Citations:
• 11 citations were issued for speeding. • 2 citations were issued for expired tag. • 2 citations were issued for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. • 1 citation was issued for no seatbelt. • 1 citation was issued for illegal parking.
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THE REFLECTOR
Disney College Program offers internships for students where Disney campus representatives will answer any questions applicants might have. The Disney College Program “People seem to be kind of shy offers Mississippi State University about asking, but we love to anstudents the opportunity to spend swer questions. We really want time interning at “The Happiest people to come by the tables bePlace on Earth.” cause that’s where you will get Every year, a representative from the most personal information,” Disney comes to MSU. With the Riley said. help of Disney campus represenMeghan Schultz, graduate tatives and the Career Center, landscape architecture student, he or she encourages students to worked in an area for Disney that apply for the Disney College Pro- was directly related to her field of gram. This year, presentations will study. Because she was a horticulbe held on Feb. 23 at 5 p.m. and ture major as an undergrad, she 7 p.m. in McCool Hall to recruit worked in a greenhouse in Epcot. students for Disney’s 2012 internSchultz said it is understood ship program. that most students do not have Caragh Boyles, senior coordi- experience working for big comnator for the Career Center, said panies, so the most important the Disney College Program is quality to get an acceptance letter quite competitive and usually a from Disney is the eagerness to large number of appliparticipate in the cations are received by program. Disney. “A lot of it Boyles said the Cais the openness reer Center plays a big and willingness role in supporting the to try something Disney representatives new, get over by offering students any fear you information about the have and meet program and helping new people,” she throughout the apsaid. plication process. The She said stuCareer Center helps dent work ranges students maintain their from being a lifestatus as full-time stuguard and janidents so they do not tor to working at have to face any dif- meghan shultz, the front desk of ficulty with issues such graduate gift shops or resas insurance and taking landscape taurants. Some classes upon readmis- architecture participants may sion. even get to dress “We help set up pre- student up as a characsentations, advertise it ter, but they will and communicate with Disney need to audition first in Nashville campus representatives. While or Atlanta. students are away doing their inSchultz said she enjoyed workternship at Disney we enroll them ing for Disney so much that she in an internship class that keeps felt compelled to recruit other them in the MSU system as a full- students from MSU for the protime student,” Boyles said. gram. Jennifer Riley, senior special “Working for Disney definiteeducation major and now a cam- ly contributed to my career, and pus representative for Disney, said I enjoyed working for the cominformation tables will be set up pany so much I became a camin the Union and the Drill Field pus representative, which allows By Eshan nEwaz Staff Writer
“A lot of it is the openness and willingness to try something new, get over any fear you have and meet new people.”
ian prester | the reflector
MISS MAROON AND WHITE
| Top: Paige Nicholson
was crowned Miss Maroon and White 2012 by Paromita Mitra, the Miss Maroon and White of 2011. The pageant was held on Friday in Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall. Bottom from left to right: Molly Nail, sophomore from Brandon; Hannah Smith, junior from Moulton, Ala.; Paige Nicholson, junior from Lawrence; Shaughnessy Harper, junior from Byram; and Becca Rumbarger, freshman from Petal.
trish pohlhaus | courtesy photo
MSU students Meghan Schultz and Trish Pohlhaus at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where little girls are transformed into princesses.
me to stay with the Walt Disney company,” she said. Schultz said she hopes to work for Disney again after graduation. Riley said MSU students, regardless of their major, should apply for the Disney College Program because it provides a vast array of experiences and teaches students necessary skills required for future jobs. “The Walt Disney Company has a big part in many different companies and is a company that promotes from within, so working as a college program participant is a great way to get your foot in the door,” Riley said. Trish Pohlhaus, senior special education and psychology major, is also a campus representative for Disney. She said working for Disney helped her choose her major and plan her career. She said she started out with an undeclared major, but after the Disney internship during her sophomore year working with kids with special needs made her realize she wanted to help kids in the future. “At first it was hard for me to make eye contact with the kids, but, eventually, I realized I really liked working with people with disabilities, and my heart just opened to them,” Pohlhaus said. “That’s when I decided to become
QEP
a special education major.” Boyles said the Disney internship program is appealing to students because it is open to students of all classes and majors. First-year students must complete at least one semester in order to apply. Boyles said the program also has no GPA requirement, but students must be in good academic standing. By working for such a well-known company students gain skills such as leadership and teamwork, which can be easily transferred to their future jobs after graduation.
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“They are seeing our students as they walk out the door and giving us feedback on areas that ... might enhance or improve our education,” Bourgeois said. She said students can attend any of the listening sessions, and student organizations or groups can contact the committee to attempt to schedule a listening session. Forde said the QEP committee also has a virtual suggestion box on the QEP website, which will be available until Feb. 10. According to the QEP website, students need their netIDs and passwords to access the system, but suggestions will remain anonymous. Rhett Hobart, Student Association president, said it is important for students to be involved in the creation of QEP. “Student feedback is essential in the QEP process to ensure that the best possible plan is implemented to better the educational experience at MSU,” he said.
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Bourgeois said when the committee completes the listening sessions in mid-February, a QEP survey will be sent to students via email to rate the top10 to-15 topics of improvement. She said she hopes the results of this survey will narrow the topics to three main concerns for MSU student learning. Forde said the committee will create a plan from those topics that will be in place for five years beginning in fall 2014. “After the plan is developed, it will be implemented through a five-year implementation and then a report written about what we accomplished through this project,” she said. Forde said although this is MSU’s first QEP, it is not the first university to create a QEP. “The QEP is new, and it’s just our turn to do it. Other universities have done them because of their time frame in the accreditation process is earlier than ours,” Forde said. “Every reaffirmation there will be a new QEP, and this should be an ongoing process for accreditation.”
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RED HERRINGS | CLAIRE MOSLEY
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Shared bathroom etiquette disclosed O
ne of the joys of college, besides football, classes, organizations and such, is the chance to experience dorm life for the first time. For the majority of freshmen, this is a rather incredible experience. Whether one is located in the prestigious Zacharias Village or on the south side (hello, Cresswell!), there are a few things one has to get used to, particularly for those who live in a dorm with community bathrooms. Ah, yes, sharing bathrooms and showers with a large group of people is one of life’s most unforgettable experiences. For the most part, I have no complaints. It’s not as if it’s as convenient as having one’s own bathroom, but there aren’t a lot of issues. Still, there have been a few things I’ve noticed that have made me want to either file a stern complaint or run screaming from the bathroom, knocking over innocent bystanders in my path. Sometimes a mixture of both. The thing that really just baffles me is why some people refuse to put on shower shoes. It is incredible how many seem to believe shower shoes are not a required part of going to the showers. Well, let me break it to you: THEY ARE. I don’t even want to know what’s on that floor, (most likely some horrible dirt and hair mixture) but trust me, your feet do not need to be anywhere near touching it. This is for your health’s sake. When I’m showering and I glance down and see your bare feet wallowing in all that filth, all I can think of is what kind of horrible funguses or alien life forms are going to be sprouting upon your feet. I picture the day when the weather gets nicer and everyone starts wearing their chacos and flip-flops, and you’re walking about with some mushroom tree coming off your toes. This is easily preventable! All it takes is some $2 Walmart flip-flops! Also, when taking a shower, please do not leave personal reminders that you were there. Truly, I do not enjoy opening the curtain to take a quick shower only to find someone has left a lovely “gift” for me to remember them by. It’s so nice — almost like a disgusting treasure hunt — to find stuff like panties, sports bras, silverware (what, were you
Claire Mosley is a freshman majoring in pre-accounting. She can be contacted at opinion@ reflector.msstate.edu. eating in there?) and — my personal favorite — a pile of fake fingernails. That last one? There were real fingernails in that pile too. Nobody needs to see that. That’s a crime against the senses. The shower is supposed to be a safe place, not one where there’s a danger of impaling oneself on a fork or accidentally coming out of there with someone else’s undergarments. One of the most interesting occurrences I’ve witnessed since living in a communal bathroom is the practice of people who go to the bathroom while talking on their cell phone. Now, let me be clear: they are not just standing in a stall with the door shut, blabbing away. No, they are actually using the facilities while carrying on a conversation. If I was on the other side of the line, I don’t know if I would like talking to someone about their great-grandfather’s funeral only to hear a loud flush in the background and the sound of a toilet lid being shut. I remember walking in one day clearly hearing someone say, “Mmm, are we going on that date tonight?” This is a question that should never be asked when one is using the toilet. It’s weird. There are some places where asking someone to go out is not only inappropriate but also borderline rude. And even if that date is super successful, just think about that time you asked your boyfriend out while sitting on a toilet. Romantic, no? Hopefully after reading this, one will have a greater appreciation for bathroom niceties. It’s not difficult to scrub away those bad habits. Just remember to talk to your grandmother in some place other than the bathroom, pick up your silverware and, for Pete’s sake, put on some flip-flops.
“When taking a shower, please do not leave personal reminders that you were there.”
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Photography Editor Jay Johnson
Copy Editor Mollie C. Reeves
CONTACT INFORMATION
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Editor in Chief/Hannah Rogers
Letters to the editor should be sent to the Meyer Student Media Center or mailed to The Reflector, PO Box 5407, Mississippi State, MS. Letters may also be emailed to editor@reflector.msstate.edu. Letters must include name and telephone number for verification purposes. The editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish a letter.
325-7905 editor@reflector.msstate.edu Managing Editor/Julia Pendley 325-8991 managing@reflector.msstate.edu News Editor/Micah Green 325-8819 news@reflector.msstate.edu News tips/Megan McKeown 325-7906 news@reflector.msstate.edu Opinion Editor/Wendy Morell
O
nce again our television sets are being invaded by the annual showing of — you guessed it — “American Idol.” It is hard to believe this show has lasted all the way until its 11th season. It has gained and lost several judges, including the star criticizer, Simon Cowell. Currently the crazed “reality show” is hosted by Ryan Seacrest and judged by “yo, dawg,” Randy Jackson and his two new costars, beautiful Jennifer Lopez and out of this world Steven Tyler. This show is anything short of entertaining. I’ll admit early on I would spend countless nights on the couch with my family watching the audition episodes of “American Idol.” This is my favorite part of the show. I love listening to the people with talent get up there and show off all they’ve got while wowing the judges. However, I’m not sure if I would still tune in if there were not a “William Hung” on the show. I mean come on, admit it, not many would watch that show if there weren’t terrible singers every now and then. Honestly they don’t even have to be that bad, they just have to be awkward as anything, and you’re hooked. For some reason
Sarah Ulmer is a junior majoring in communication. She can be contacted at opinion@reflector. msstate.edu. we find so much enjoyment in others making absolute fools of themselves. I may have watched “American Idol” in the first couple years’ runnings, but one thing I would never do is be part of that show. It has been rumored for years that the show is a complete hoax. Personally, I agree. Because I think the show is not exactly what it portrays itself to be, I decided to do some research to see if I could find out more Information. First I tried to find people I knew who might have been sucked in and auditioned. I talked to a few friends who have auditioned and knew people that had as well. They said they never even got to the round with the famous judges. This is a rumor I have heard. Apparently there are several
rounds of people you have to go through before you actually get on TV. I’m sure this doesn’t surprise many of you since you may know there are thousands who attempt to audition at each location. To think that all of them went in to the real judges would be ludicrous. I was also curious to figure out how accurate the voting polls were once you get to Hollywood. An article written by Colleen Smith unearths some not-so-tolerable truths. According to Smith’s source, “Woody,” the executives behind the show are actually making the decisions on who should go on. It all really comes down to record sales. Basically, the execs think they know what is going to sell better than the American public does. Smith explains that in one instance there was an audit on the messages sent in to the show. The records showed Latoya London was gaining the most calls from viewers but was
voted off of the show in one of the later rounds. That year Fantasia won the competition, but the numbers did not agree with that verdict. So for all of you who got a few extra texting charges to send in a vote or two for your favorite singer, maybe they’ll cut you a chunk of the earnings. I’m sure none of this will deter you from watching “American Idol,” and I would definitely hope not, either. My hope is that you would all become a little more educated on what is actually going on and calm down. Truth of the matter is even if the contestants sing like angels right out of heaven, it may not mean a whole lot if they aren’t pleasing the producers. Please, American public, stop being ignorant. Obviously this show is rigged; otherwise your taste in music would be so much better because people who could actually sing would be getting famous.
“I may have watched American Idol in the first couple yearsʼ runnings, but one thing I would never do is be a part of that show.”
State flag missing on MSU’s main campus
Editor in Chief Hannah Rogers Chief Designer Zack Orsborn
ʻAmerican Idolʼ may be less than fair
LETTER TO THE EDITOR | JASON COLEMAN
The
Managing Editor Julia Pendley
THE VENT | SARAH ULMER
O
ver the past year, the athletic department has pushed the phrase, “This is Our State.” I certainly approve of this slogan, especially with our recent successes over our rival and Dan Mullen’s vow to recruit the state of Mississippi. I also believe out of the state of Mississippi’s universities and colleges, Mississippi State University best represents the population of Mississippi, hence our former and recently revived nickname of “The People’s University.” In light of
this, where is “Our State” represented around campus? Pieces of Mississippi can been seen in the cotton fields of North Farm, the magnolias in front of Swalm Hall and the dogwoods near Mitchell Memorial Library. One major symbol of our state is lacking from the main campus: the state flag. No, not the Mississippi State University flag,
but the state flag of Mississippi. The state flag is proudly displayed in front of the College of Veterinary Medicine, but not on Mississippi State’s iconic Drill Field. Old pictures of the Drill Field contain both the American flag and the state flag. There may be logical reasons why the state flag is not currently flown, such as the renovation of the flag post
“One major symbol of our state is lacking from the main campus: the state flag.”
in 2004 or the past controversy surrounding the state flag. Mississippi State University policy 91.351 titled “Display of Flag,” discusses the “regulations and guidelines governing the display of the official university flags of the United States of America and the State of Mississippi which are flown over the Drill Field.” If Mississippi State University and Dr. Keenum want to truly declare “This is Our State,” let us proudly display on the Drill Field the state’s largest symbol: the state flag of Mississippi.
opinion@reflector.msstate.edu Sports Editor/James Carskadon 325-5118 sports@reflector.msstate.edu Life Editor/Kaitlin Mullins 325-8883 kmullins@reflector.msstate.edu Photography Editor/Jay Johnson 325-1584 photo@reflector.msstate.edu Advertising sales/Emily Moak 325-7907 advertise@reflector.msstate.edu
EDITORIAL POLICY 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.
CORRECTIONS
The Reflector staff strives to maintain the integrity of this paper through accurate and honest reporting. If we publish an error we will correct it. To report an error, call 325-7905. ZACK OSBORN| THE REFLECTOR
ZACK OSBORN| THE REFLECTOR
6 | tuesday , january 31 , 2012
THE REFLECTOR
AN IN-CLASS DISTRACTION ...
Across 1 More than irk 7 Ending with neur11 Ring leader? 14 “Take it easy!” 15 Bonus, in adspeak 16 Actress Lupino 17 Wichita-based aircraft company 18 Accordion-playing satirist 20 Soft spreads 21 Pact 22 Idaho crop 24 Santa __: West Coast winds 25 “Sonic the Hedgehog” developer 28 Western symbol 30 Hiker’s chewy snack 32 Chart used for comparisons 36 “I didn’t need to know that!” 37 Family leader? 38 Early Beatle Sutcliffe 40 Lower land? 41 Steakhouse section 43 Coming-of-age ritual 45 Medium 49 Grub 50 Italian bubbly source 53 The Dikae Kokaral divides its two sections 55 Earth’s life zone 57 Float __ 61 Where many shop 62 One making big bucks? 63 Payable 64 Default consequence, for short 65 They’re often distinguished by degrees 66 Slalom curve 67 God of lightning 68 Fix, in a way, as a lawn
7 Trendy place to get gas? 8 Kicks off 9 One of the Gallos 10 Drink with sushi 11 Torn asunder 12 Minneapolis suburb 13 Things to face 19 “My World of Astrology” author 21 Turkey diner, probably? 23 WWII invasion city 25 Certain NCOs 26 “Forever, __”: 1996 humor collection 27 Author Sheehy 29 Bust __ 31 Ironically, they might be even 33 Inventing middle name 34 Three-__: sports Down portmanteau 1 Danish shoe brand 35 Derisive cries 2 Seasonal number 38 Prepare to be shot 3 Obeyed a court order 39 Some twitches 4 One who didn’t get in 42 Like copycats 5 Infomercial knife 44 Enthusiastic 6 LAX listing 46 God, in Judaism
1-31-12 Solutions for 1-27-12
47 Sleazeball 48 Maine resort 50 Humble place 51 Skull cavity 52 Popular rubbers 54 Canadian poet Birney 56 Saucy 58 Pub offer
59 Trouble spots for teens 60 Reason for being denied a drink 62 Row of black squares preceding or following six puzzle answers, thereby completing them
BULLETIN BOARD CLASSIFIEDS POLICY The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; the deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Classifieds are $5 per issue. Student and staff ads are $3 per issue, pre-paid. Lost and found: found items can be listed for free; lost items are listed for standard ad cost. for rent 1 bedroom condo, stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, washer/dryer. Walking distance to campus. No pets, lease required. $385 per month. 323-5186. HeLP WAnteD Bartending. Up to $300 / day. No experience necessary. Training available. Call 800965-6520 ext. 213. misceLLAneous FOUND: Textbook - email: msstate.edu7@yahoo.com to identify. CLUB INFO The deadline for Tuesday’s paper is 3 p.m. Thursday; deadline for Friday’s paper is 3 p.m. Tuesday. MSU student organizations may place free announcements in Club Info. Information may be submitted by email to club_info@reflector.msstate. edu with the subject heading “CLUB INFO,” or a form may be completed at The Reflector office in the Student Media Center. A contact name, phone number and requested run dates must be included for club info to appear in The Reflector . All submissions are subject to exemption according to space availability. BAPtist stuDent union The BSU at Mississippi State invites all students to our weekly worship service, PRIORITY, on Tuesday nights at 6:15 p.m. You are also invited to a $5 home-cooked meal, called NOONDAY, on
Wednesdays at noon. The BSU Center is located directly across the street from Campus Book Mart. All students are welcome. Visit msubsu.com for more information. cAmPus BiBLe stuDents Intensive Bible study Mondays from 7 to 8 p.m. in room 324 of the Union. All are welcome. Email tns54@pss.msstate.edu for more information. cAtHoLic stuDent AssociAtion The CSA invites you to join us each week at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. Student mass is on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. Good food and fun fellowship can be had at $2 dinners on Tuesday at 6 p.m., followed by weekly / Bible study at 7 p.m. Come to one of these events and learn more ways to get involved! For more information, simply “like” our Facebook page: “Mississippi State Catholic Student Association.” fAAmsu Come join us for lively discussions. Believers welcome! Every Thursday, starting Sept. 8, in the Union room 226 from 6 to 9 p.m. Twitter: @SAUCEFORALL. We are the Freethinkers, Agnostics and Atheists of MSU. femALe GrADuAte stuDents New group for female graduate students in science, engineering and mathematics: Please email msu.gwise@ gmail.com HoLmes cuLturAL Diversity center Come join the internationally acclaimed African’s Children’s Choir in concert on Feb. 3, 7 p.m. in Bettersworth Auditorium, Lee Hall. The choir’s joyful music is a blend of song and dance throughout the continent of Africa, featuring more than 10 languages and
cultural dancing. Free and open to the public. LiGHt BeArers Yeah! We Bear The Light! Come join us for fellowship, dynamic worship and inspirational devotions every Thursday at 7 p.m. Union 3rd floor, room 329. msu cAnterBury ePiscoPAL feLLoWsHiP “Spiritual but not religious?” Spirituality and home-cooking at the Episcopal Church (“Canterbury”). Free dinner, activities each Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. Canterbury Lodge, 105 N. Montgomery St., Starkville. For more information, contact Chaplain Carol Mead at 694-1178. Sponsored by Canterbury Episcopal Fellowship. msu sHootinG sPorts cLuB Looking for all kinds of competitive shooters. Rifle, shotgun, pistol and multigun competitors needed. Contact Tyler Tharp at 601-618-5137 or Mike Brown at mike. brown@msstate.edu. triAtHLon cLuB Learn more about MSU’s new Triathlon Club by visiting MSUTC.com or on Facebook @Mississippi State Triathlon! ruf Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) is a campus ministry that has been on State’s campus since 1976. Our large group Bible study meets Thursdays from 7 to 8 p.m. in Dorman Auditorium. For further information and for upcoming events, visit msstate.ruf.org . All are welcome to come. yoGA moves Stressed out? Try hatha yoga to soothe the body and the mind. Yoga Moves meets every Tuesday from 5 to 6:10 p.m. in Studio C at the Sanderson Center.
octopuzzle
Due to space, Octopuzzle will not be in this issue of The Reflector. The puzzle will reappear as space allows.
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LIFE
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
TUESDAY , JANUARY 31, 2012
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Recent Review: Old Ideas by Leonard Cohen BY TYLER RUSSELL Staff Writer
COURTESY PHOTO | BLACKBERRY SMOKE
Blackberry Smoke to perform at Rick's Cafe BY KAITLIN MULLINS Life Editor
This Thursday, the group Blackberry Smoke will perform at Rick’s Cafe. Blackberry Smoke is a southern-rock band that draws influence from country, bluegrass, gospel and even metal music. The group is comprised of front-man Charlie Starr, sibling rhythm section Richard and Brit Turner (bass and drums), guitarist Paul Jackson and, more recently added, keyboardist, Brandon Still. Blackberry Smoke formed in 2000 and has
since enjoyed successful tours. The band has shared the stage with Montgomery Gentry, ZZ Top, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker Band and Cross-Canadian Ragweed. About the band’s music, Starr said, “There are moments in our show that are straight out of a Jimmy Martin or Flatt & Scruggs set list.” On Blackberry Smoke’s website, “Bluegrass is a beautiful form of American music. Just like southernrock, bluegrass is about really good songs and good musicianship. You just spread out and see
where it will go.” I had the pleasure of seeing Blackberry Smoke at Voodoo Fest in 2010 and was very impressed by the energetic and fun show the band put on. They have something to offer fans of country, rock and bluegrass music. The Matt Poss band will be joining Blackberry Smoke Thursday, with doors opening at 8 p.m. and music starting around 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and go up to $12 the day of the show, available at Rick’s Cafe and online at rickscafe.net.
Quoting Yeats in a recent interview, Leonard Cohen compared writing his latest album to “working in the foul rag and bone shop of the heart.” The comparison is characteristically prescient — Cohen is known for his songs’ closeness to the poetic, the spiritual and the sepulchral. Jennifer Warnes, who has worked with Cohen in the past, has described Cohen’s music as “the place where God and sex and literature meet.” Upon first listen, Cohen’s voice is almost jarring; its deep growl, and later its whisper, are rarely heard outside horror movies or a Tom Waits album, but as the album progresses, the singer’s unusual voice grows on the listener, and at times evokes the thoughtful melodies of “Hallelujah” or “So Long Marianne” or any number of old Cohen songs. On Old Ideas first track, “Going Home,” which was also published in the New Yorker as a poem, deconstructs the popular image of Cohen as a famous songwriter and as someone to be revered: “I love to speak with Leonard / He's a sportsman and a shepherd / He's a lazy bastard / Living in a suit ... He will speak these words of wisdom / Like a sage, a man of vision / Though he knows he's really nothing / But the brief elaboration of a tube.” Old Ideas wades through similar lyrical themes of remembrance and reflection that pervade Cohen’s career, but musically, the album breaks new ground for the artist. Thankfully, Old Ideas throws out the late ’80s — Cohen musical stylings that sounded more like a corpse with
COURTESY PHOTO | THE REFLECTOR
a synthesizer than the plaintive balladeer that so many of his fans grew to love. On the new album, Cohen mixes gypsy-jazz, a hokey version of the blues, acoustic ballads and carnivalesque lounge music and somehow makes it work. The album risked being typecast as one of those rock ’n’ roll swan songs a la old Bob Dylan. And there is some level of similarity between Cohen’s raspy voice and Dylan’s recent records, but unlike Dylan, who seems adrift without his youthful vigor and his songwriting, Cohen was always a little too old to be a rock star. He has always had some level of fixation with mortality. What’s more, Cohen still has a penchant for writing songs while Dylan has relied heavily on covers in recent years. Throughout Old Ideas, a
sense of the sacred pervades the songs. “Come Healing” could easily be played on Sunday morning at any number of local churches and few would bat an eye. As Cohen’s “penitential hymn” plays out, it is hard not to be provoked by the man’s intimate stories, lyrics and song-writing ability. The songs are honest and will undoubtedly leave the listener either disquieted by the artist’s intimacy or enthralled. As the album closes concurrent, it would seem, Leonard Cohen’s career, the artist seems to be, as Jarvis Cocker notes, “staring death straight in the face.” Cohen’s Old Ideas ends, not as a sorrowful dirge, but in keeping with the traditions of his work, the album is pregnant with poetry, with jubilation, with sad songs and most of all, with honesty.
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LIFE
TUESDAY , JANUARY 31, 2012
THE REFLECTOR
Mental health proves growing WHATʼS concern for college students IN YOUR BY RACHEL PERKINS Staff Writer
Recent studies from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention show suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States, putting suicide rates at an all time high. One million people attempt suicide annually and every 14.2 minutes, someone in the United States dies by suicide. In Mississippi, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24. The vast majority of people who take their own lives have a diagnosable and treatable mental illness. With the rate of suicide among college students rising each year, studies are now showing an increase in the numbers of diagnosed mental illnesses among young people in college. According to the American Psychological Association, more young people are arriving on campuses with pre-existing conditions than they were 10 years ago, and 1-in-4 college students is on psychiatric medication. According to Camilla Williams, staff psychologist at Mississippi State University’s Student Counseling Services, college is an especially vulnerable time for a young person’s mental health. “Students are facing everything from problems they’ve never faced before, and they’re on their own for the first time. People underestimate the pressure on college students,” Williams said. “Any time you have change, you’re more susceptible to mental illness.” Rob’Dreka Shaw, president of Active Minds, a campus group that seeks to promote mental wellbeing, said the pressure of college can be tough for any student. “College is a critical period in everyone’s lives. Many of us are worried about our grades and our future and tend to become
overwhelmed from time to time,” Shaw said. According to Williams, developmentally, college age is also the most likely time for pre-existing mental conditions to manifest themselves. With stress from school weighing on them as well as brain chemistry working against them, students are at a very high risk for mental distress. For their own well-being, students must stay aware of their own behavior as well as the behavior of their friends. Among college students, the most common mental health issues are depression and anxiety. Although everyone experiences sadness and stress, these emotions become a mental health issue when they hinder a person's ability to function. According to Williams, the biggest warning sign to look for in a person who might be suffering from a mental disorder is a drastic change in the person's sleep cycles or diet. “Sleep and food are the basic fuels needed to function and they’re the first to go when things start to get screwed up,” Williams said. If a student is worried he or she might be suffering from a mental disorder, the first step is communication. A student should make sure to check in with friends and express his or her feelings out loud to someone he or she trusts. Students are also urged to make an appointment with Student Counseling Services. Often, Americans place a stigma on those with mental disorders and also on those who seek treatment for such a disorder. Many associate therapy with being crazy or dysfunctional. Shaw said this attitude can become dangerous. “There is a lot of stigma attached to mental health issues. People tend to think that if someone suffers from a mental disorder they are ‘crazy.’ With this stigma
MENTAL HEALTH Student Counseling Services can be reached at 325-2091 or via their website: health.msstate. edu/ses/. They are located in 115-C Hathorn Hall. Any student in a state of extreme distress or seriously considering suicide should call 911 or 1-800-273-TALK, a suicide prevention hotline. being around, people do not want to seek the help they need for the fear of being labeled,” Shaw said. Williams urged students to look past this stigma, which might be the result of a national attitude. “There’s this idea of the American spirit, and we are all just supposed to be able to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps. We are supposed to be independent. But we all need help sometimes, and asking for any help is scary,” she said. Although students should take advantage of counseling services on campus, there are other ways to maintain a healthy mentality. Regular physical and social activities, particularly outdoor activities, can help ward off depression and other mental issues. Student Counseling Services offers free and confidential counseling. The center also offers a variety of classes and workshops centered on mental well-being, covering topics from anxiety to anger management. The counseling center, located in Hathorn Hall, always retains a counselor on duty for emergency appointments. After hours, a counselor can always be reached on call either through the MSU police dispatcher 325-2121 or the counseling contact line 325-3333.
Students should take advantage of the opportunity for therapy on campus. Robbie Henry, a senior history major, said all students should take care of their mental health. “Even if it seems like therapy is for people who just can’t handle things by themselves, it is not. It is for anyone who is going through something difficult, which is everyone,” Henry said. College students’ brains are extremely active and still developing. Students must put time and energy into taking care of their minds. Although asking for help can be daunting, the risks outweigh that fear. Shaw said the counseling center has been helpful for her and others. “I and many of the students I have encountered here at State have actually experienced the counseling center firsthand, and they all say it has been helpful,” Shaw said. Williams stressed the importance of mental health, especially at a time when suicide can often be romanticized through movies and music. Although thinking about death is a natural human feeling, when the thoughts become recurring or overwhelming, students should seek help immediately. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one out of every five people will experience a mental disorder severe enough to interfere with their daily life. There is no shame or weakness involved in seeking help for a mental disorder, especially for young people with whom the risks are higher. “There is no magic fix for a mental illness, but if you seek help, you can and will get better,” Williams said. “Mental illness is one of the hardest things a human can experience, but asking for help is an extremely brave thing to do.”
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PLAY LIST? 1. “Adrenaline,” by Zeds Dead 2. “Drankenstein 2,” by Bird Peterson 3. “Gucci Coffee Break,” by GLOtron 4. “Grinding For My State (feat. Nfared, Krucial "It's Your Boy" & Woodgrain),’’ by 2 Gs 5. “Turning Tables (Live Acoustic),” by Adele 6. “It will Rain,” by Bruno Mars 7. “Soundtrack 2 My Life,” by Man On The Moon 8.“Levitate,” by Paper Diamond 9. “Man In The Hat,” by Mac Miller 10. “Forgot About Dre,” by Dr. Dre
BLAKE MCCOLLUM
Photography Major “Narrowing my music to 10 songs is almost impossible. I listen to it all, as you can tell. And for the people that have never heard these songs, treat your ears to an hour of amazement.” THINK YOUR PLAYLIST SHOULD BE HERE? EMAIL US AT KMULLINS@ REFLECTOR.MSSTATE. EDU AND SHOW US “What’s in Your Playlist?” is a new WHY. “What’s in Your Playlist?” is an entertainment feature open to all students, faculty and staff. Submit your playlist at kmullins@reflector. msstate.edu.
THE FUTURE OF THE INTERNET CAMERON MCMASTER
SPORTS
tuesday , january 31, 2012
REFLECTOR-ONLINE.COM
stat of the day:
3 - the top three seC leaders
in minutes played are all msu starters
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9
on the tube: tennessee vs. kentucky
6 p.m. tues. on sec net.
Playing out of the spotlight eric evans | the reflector
East Oktibbeha County High School’s Titan Field is Jerry Rice’s alma mater. Few college recruiters made the trip to the rural high school to watch Rice play, making those that did stand out to the hall of famer.
Jerry Rice discusses challenges facing football players from rural Miss. By James Carskadon Sports Editor
With recruiting season rolling to a close, many analysts will make predictions on who will be the under-the-radar player in the 2012 recruiting class that will make a big impact on the field. Oftentimes these are players that come from small high schools, something Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen is well knows well. Mullen has made finding all of the talent inside the state of Mississippi a top priority for his program, something that has paid dividends with recruits like Johnthan Banks, who came from rural East Webster High School and turned into an All-SEC cornerback. However, back in 1980 there was a wide receiver 20 minutes away from MSU at B.L. Moor High School, a rural, mostly African-American school in Crawford that State coaches never came to watch play. That player was Jerry Rice. Rice would go on to play at Mississippi Valley State, where he was a consensus All-American in 1984 and finished 9th in the Heisman Trophy voting. Most people know the story of his pro career, the most prolific career of any wide receiver in the NFL. The disadvantages for an athlete to make his way out of a place like B.L. Moor High
(now East Oktibbeha County High School) are challenging. Funding for sports is an issue for many schools, and many teams receive little coverage in the media. Rice talked about his own recruitment and some of the challenges facing kids from small, rural schools recently with sports editor James Carskadon. The following is a transcript of that conversation. The Reflector: What are the challenges of getting noticed out of high school coming from a place like you did? Jerry Rice: Coming from B.L. Moor High School, I received so many letters from many of the major schools, but no one came out to talk to me face to face. Mississippi Valley sent their coach out and that was the reason I decided to go there. I had a chance to look this guy in the eye and shake his hand. That’s why I went to MVSU. It’s a big challenge because you only have access to so much. You have to work for everything and I was determined to make life better for my family. That’s why I wanted to go pursue my education but also look at football as a means of being able to move out of Mississippi and help my family to a better life. That’s why I worked so hard. Reflector: Was it frustrating that MSU didn’t come out and watch you play? Rice: Yeah, but at that time Mississippi State was running
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the wishbone. Running the wishbone is not really a good place for a receiver to go and expect to be part of the offense. That’s why I went to Valley State because at that time they were throwing the ball 90 percent of the time. I trained so many days at Mississippi State at the track and I was out on the football field. And after I made it to the pros, I would always come back home and train with the team and with players that were out at the track or on the football field. It was like something that I needed to do to push me to the next level, and that’s why I spent so much time in Starkville, Miss. Reflector: Do you think it is easier now for a kid from a small school to get noticed? Rice: I think now because there have been so many players that have been successful from smaller schools, like Walter Payton, myself, it opened the door to so many other players. If you go into those schools, you can probably find a diamond in the rough. So, I think the awareness is much better now. The scouting is so much better. These guys can go into small schools and be successful and get to the next level.” Reflector: When was the last time you came back to East Oktibbeha High? Rice: I was just home for a family reunion. I didn’t get a chance to go back to B.L.
Moor High School, but I was in Starkville and out at State. Many of the players came out and wanted to shake my hand and take pictures. That tells me right there that I did everything the right way. A lot of these kids might have been in preschool and might not have had an opportunity to see my career, but they know about me and respected me. It was great coming back home. Reflector: How important is it for those kids to have an example of someone who has made it? Rice: I think it tells them that anything is possible. Any obstacle that’s in your way, don’t let that discourage you from working hard. You can be successful. If you want to be a professional football player, go for it. If you want to be a basketball player, or be in sports in general, if you want to be a doctor, to be a lawyer, know that (there is) nothing standing in your way. Just because you’re from a small school, don’t let that determine the outcome of your career. Reflector: Dan Mullen has been big on recruiting all of Mississippi. Is there enough talent in the state to win a championship? Rice: I feel like there are talented players in Mississippi that you can have those players come aboard and win a championship. There’s a lot of talent around there, but you just have
eric evans | the reflector
This modest sign is the only outside marker that one of the greatest receivers to ever play football played at what was then B.L. Moor High School.
to go in there and dig deep. There are so many diamonds in the rough that it’s just going out there with your eyes wide open and just give these guys an opportunity to prove themselves. As long as coaches don’t predetermine their decisions about players from smaller schools,
they should go in there and they should do their research and give those guys the benefit of the doubt. These guys can come and contribute to the organization and make us a better football team. He’s just got to leave himself open and go for it.
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SPORTS
T U E S DAY , JANUARY 31 , 2012
THE REFLECTOR
Dogs fall in thriller against No. 11 A&M BY JACK HILL Contributing Writer
IAN PRESTER | THE REFLECTOR
SWING AWAY
| MSU softball freshman Megan Nesbit, the third member of her fam-
ily to play softball at State, follows through on a swing during practice last Friday. The softball team began practice earlier in January under new head coach Vann Stuedeman. The season will get underway on Feb. 9 when the Bulldogs take on South Alabama.
Two lost tiebreakers and many missed opportunities cost the No. 14 Bulldog men’s tennis team Sunday night in College Station, Texas. A win would have meant a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Charlottesville, Va. in February, but it was not meant to be, as the No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies ousted Mississippi State in what could have been a huge win for a resurgent tennis program. The loss drops State to 4-2, but head coach Per Nilsson said he understands the season is still young. “We put ourselves in a position to win, we had two match points. We could have won,” Nilsson said. The Bulldogs started off strong earning the one point in the doubles matches and staking a 2-0 lead after senior George Coupland’s 6-3, 6-1 win over Jackson Withrow. Drawing the Aggies closer was 19th-ranked Alexis Klegoe, getting a quick 6-4, 6-2 win over MSU’s Artem IIyushin. Tying the match at 2-2 for the Aggies was John Lewis, as he edged out Zach White in a close two setter 6-3, 7-6 (4). Then the drama began, as Bulldog and No. 45 Louis Cant won a hard-fought three-set match over
Junior Ore. The Belgium native gritted out a key match that looked to be the deal breaker at the time. “My returns Nilsson were very good. I got a break in the second set, I stayed on the baseline, then took it to the third set,” Cant said. The second lost tiebreaker for the Bulldogs came in the second to last match of the night as Aggie Jeremy Efferding overcame a tough first set to defeat Malte Stropp 1-6, 6-0, 7-6 (6). The final match of the night was between Mississippi State’s James Chaudry and Texas A&M’s Collin Hoover. Chaudry dropped the first set 6-3 but took the second in a tiebreaker before losing the third set 7-5, sealing the match for the Aggies. This Bulldog team certainly has not been short on competition early in the season. Its first loss came at the hands of No. 3 Ohio State 6-1 on Jan. 22. Expectations were high of this Bulldog squad that returned every important cog on a team who went 14-8 overall and an impressive 7-3 in conference play last season. “We are similar to the team we
had last year. Rough start, we got away because of talent a couple times so far this year,” Nilsson said. Although there are many positives to be taken away from a strong 6-1 win over Princeton Saturday and a near road win at a top-15 program, any loss exposes weaknesses in a team, Coupland said. “We all have our individual goals, and we have good team unity. We lost together as a team,” he said. Nilsson also sees this game as an eye opener. “We have to play more aggressive. We can’t sit back. We have to go out there with a ‘take it’ attitude,” he said. Cant said he knows it is going to take more for this team to take it the next level and to a place many people believe it can reach. “We have a really good team this year. We have to get back to hard practice,” Cant said. Losses are always tough, especially with what was at stake, but losing now and refining those weaknesses could mean winning when the stakes are highest in May. The Bulldogs host TCU Friday in Starkville at 2 p.m. before traveling to Jackson to face in-state rival Ole Miss Feb. 9.
THE AGITATOR | MATT TYLER
Lack of depth proving to be a major concern for Bulldogs
F
or once, a Mississippi State basketball game was surprisingly anticlimactic. Unfortunately for MSU fans, this was a result of Florida dominating the second half of a hard- fought game in Gainesville. Saturday’s game between the 16th-ranked Bulldogs of MSU and the 13th-ranked Gators of Florida was one of the biggest SEC games of the year, and it was certainly the biggest confer-
ence matchup of the weekend. In a somewhat surprising move, though, it was a rather uneventful game. Hype aside, the game played out exactly as the odds makers in Las Vegas thought it would. Florida, a deep and talented team, used its home-court advantage and inability to miss a shot from behind the arc (they did miss a few threes, but it did not seem that way) to escape with a 6957 win over the Bulldogs.
The game did not really tell us anything new about either team, but it did reinforce what was currently known: Florida is a legitimately good team, and they are extremely hard to beat on their home court. Florida has now won 17 consecutive games at home. It also drove home something many MSU fans have been trying to overlook all season: this year’s Bulldogs squad has no depth. None. Coming into the season, the Bulldogs were expected to have talented freshman guards Deville Smith and David Gardner to provide depth and playmaking ability off the bench. In the post, Wendell Lewis was slated to back up center Renardo Sidney, and Kristers Zeidaks, a sophomore forward from Latvia, was expected to back up star power forward Arnett Moultrie. And this is not even taking Shaun Smith into consideration. Smith, a backup guard/forward, has yet to be healthy enough to play meaningful minutes during his career at MSU. Well, things did not turn out exactly as MSU coaches would have liked. Gardner left the team last semester in a
Join us in the Burgundy Room- Starkville’s only downtown bar that still serves drinks the “Old Fashioned Way” Monday: $1 Bud, Bud Light & Miller Lite Draft and 2-4-1 Bellini’s $2 Tuesday’s: $2 draft and bottled beers and 2-4-1 Bellini’s. Wednesday’s: 3-4-1 Wells, 2-4-1 Bellini’s. Half off House Wine (4-until) & Half off Single topping pizzas from 4-7 2-4-1 Thursday’s: 2-4-1 wells, drafts, Bellini’s, & $1 Jager, Rumplemintz, Goldschlager shots Ladies Night Friday: Happy Hour all night & from 9-11pm .50 wells for the ladies) and Happy Hour all night for the guys **LIVE MUSIC: BONFIRE ORCHESTRA!** Saturday: Happy Hour all day and night Sunday: 1/2 off Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas 110 E Main St. Starkville MS, 39759 662-320-6872 www.oldvenice.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Matt Tyler is a senior majoring in communication. He can be contacted at reflectorsports@ gmail.com somewhat controversial manner, and Deville Smith is currently in Jackson battling health problems. As far as Zeidaks is concerned, he is yet another victim of the NCAA. It was determined he played on a professional team in Europe, and he is suspended from this season and part of next season as well. As a result of the aforementioned transfers, suspensions and health problems/injuries, MSU coaches now only have two players they can depend on to bring off the bench: sophomore guard Jalen Steele and Lewis. This has resulted in MSU starters Rodney Hood, Dee Bost and Arnett Moultrie ranking first, second and third in the SEC in minutes played. As expected, it begins to wear on them, eventually. Saturday’s game was the first game this season in which MSU’s lack of depth appeared to really do them in. Florida, a perimeter-oriented team that prefers to play an up-tempo style of ball, was able to press MSU after they made baskets. As was the case at Arkansas, the Bulldogs did not handle the press as well as they will need to do down the stretch, and it
JAY JOHNSON | THE REFLECTOR
Freshman Rodney Hood takes a shot during last Wednesdayʼs victory over LSU. Hood averages 34.2 minutes played per game.
eventually seemed to wear the Bulldogs down. Florida also forced the Bulldogs to expend a tremendous amount of energy on offense due to their ability to spread the floor and force MSU to defend the entire court. However, all is not lost. The Bulldogs were expected by most to lose at Florida and losing to a top-15 team on their home court is nothing to be ashamed of. State played hard, and they played well on defense. The Bulldogs simply struggled to
score against a tenacious Florida squad, and they wore down as the game went on. MSU’s schedule is highly favorable in the coming weeks with upcoming games against Auburn, Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU and Auburn. MSU should be favored in all of these games, and if the Bulldogs take care of business against the teams it should beat, the team will be 22-5 heading into the monumental showdown against Kentucky at the Hump.
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tuesday , january 31, 2012
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MSU announces new baseball support group for students, The Dudes By John Galatas Contributing Writer
The Mississippi State baseball program is launching a new student support group for the upcoming season to get students involved with athletics. Head baseball coach John Cohen said he is excited about the opportunity to have a student support group. “We have had interest on campus in creating a student-oriented baseball support group,� Cohen said. “Essentially it’s centered on the availability of chair-back seating and a unified, cohesive student fan group.� Incentives for members include free jersey-replica T-shirts, premier seating at home baseball games and the opportunity to be part of a strong athletic organization, as well as many other advantages. “Its purpose is to bridge the gap between our baseball program and our campus,� said Cohen. “We want to make them more familiar with us and give them the opportunity to be a part of our baseball program.� Students already have free admission to all baseball games at Dudy Noble Field, but members of The Dudes can upgrade from general admission to chair-back seating to all homes games depending upon availability. The program is also impacted to provide these incentives for non-conference and conference games, as well as weekend and midweek games. Tyler Braton, director of Baseball Operations, said many students do not realize chair-back seats are available to students. “We’d like to let students know that they can come to the game and actually have a seat in the chair-back section, which is a big draw to our stadium,� Braton said. “For the longest time a lot of students have not known that they have access to sit there. We want to enlighten students that they can get chair-back seating and come to all 37 home games this season.�
russ houston | courtesy photo
Bulldog fans enjoy the view from Left Field Lounge during a game, a popular spot for students. Head coach John Cohen said he hopes more students realize chair-back seats are open to students.
Those home games include series against conference foes Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ole Miss, and include 12 games against opponents that earned a regional tournament appearance last year, as well as nine games versus teams ranked in the pre-season top 25 according to baseballamerica.com. The Bulldogs had a successful season a year ago, including a super regional appearance and are reloaded this year to make a conference championship run. With the help of The Dudes, it could provide the Diamond Dogs with a true home-field advantage. “It’s good for our stadium, and
it’s good for our players to feed off the energy that the students can provide,� Bratton said. “It’s a big built-in home-field mechanism. The Dudes can be our tenth man in our organization to help us get that big hit when we need it or help that pitcher blow a fastball by somebody in a big moment in a game.� In addition, members of the fan group can earn more gear the more frequently they attend games. Rhett Hobart, Student Assoication President, said The Dudes will be linked to the revamped Bulldog Coalition. “It’s going to be in partnership with our new Bulldog Coalition
system so students will be able to keep track on what games they go to,� Hobart said. “We can track how many games you go to, and once you scan in people get more points along the way and earn more prizes.� Any student who is interested in getting involved or wants more information on the group can attend a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Palmeiro Center, located adjacent to Dudy Noble Field. The Mississippi State baseball team opens the season with a weekend series against Washington State Feb. 17 through 19 at Dudy Noble Field.
$,# 8+ 98 F 6 : Feb. 3, 3 p.m.: Dudy Gras Parade
Feb. 7, 6 p.m.: The Dudes interest meeting
Feb. 11: First Pitch Banquet
Feb. 17, 6 p.m.: Season opener vs. Washington State zack orsborn | the reflector
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tuesday , january 31, 2012
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